BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - World number one Naomi Osaka was tested by Maria Sakkari in her first-round match at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham but eventually went through to the last-16 of the grasscourt tournament with a hard-fought 6-1 4-6 6-3 win on Tuesday. In her first match since her third-round exit at Roland Garros earlier this month, 21-year-old Osaka struggled with her first serve against the world number 33 and took two hours to dispatch her Greek opponent. However, the Japanese, who lost to Sakkari prior to her U.S. Open title run last year, did manage to fire seven aces and won five break points to clinch victory on a surface she had previously admitted was not her strongest. Elsewhere, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko stormed into the next round with a 6-0 6-2 demolition of Iga Swiatek while Petra Martic saw off the challenge of Ekaterina Alexandrova with a 6-3 7-5 win. However, rain led organizers to bring an early end to the day's play. Venus Williams's match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich and French Open champion and second seed Ashleigh Barty's encounter against Donna Vekic were both pushed back to Wednesday. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)


The first year for the two-year-only stacked headlight look. During the 1960s, the mid-sized Ford Fairlane underwent a total of four redesigns, but the stacked headlights used on the 1966 and 1967 model years might be the most recognizable for this car. If this is the kind of Blue Oval you're looking for, check out the GAA Classic Cars auction on Friday July 26th for your chance to be the winning bidder and bring this gorgeous coupe home. This 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 is the Club Coupe model, which means it is a two-door post car with a separation between the door glass and the rear quarter windows; the Fairlane also offered a hardtop model that did not have this post. This Fairlane is an original North Carolina car, and it's wearing new paint and chrome for a clean exterior that's ready to show. GT Rally wheels and raised letter tires finish off this car's stylish appearance. The interior is just as clean with a two-tone gray interior and a front bench seat. Other than the auxiliary gauges and floor-mounted tachometer, this cabin appears to be as stock as the day it rolled off the assembly line. Being a C-Code car, this 1966 Ford Fairlane is powered by a 289 CID V-8 that was originally topped with a two-barrel carb, but this car has been upgraded with a four-barrel carb. With this setup, the Fairlane will definitely get up and go, but it will still be perfect for cruising around town. This engine is mated to Ford's three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission, and the car also has factory power steering. Overall, this car is extremely clean inside and out, and would make a great addition to any collection. Read More... Race Car Tribute: 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt Recreation Wicked 1964 Ford Fairlane Pro Street Will Mess Up The Competition


Four gunshot victims, including a mother and her child, were hospitalized after a shooting Monday evening in southeast Seattle , according to officials. Two of the patients were in critical condition as of 10 p.m. including a 27-year-old woman and her son who was under the age of 2, Harborview Medical Center spokesperson Susan Gregg said in an email. A third victim, an 8-year-old boy was upgraded from critical to serious condition a little after 10 p.m. and a 10-year-old girl was reported in satisfactory condition. RELATED: Overnight Seattle shootings leave 1 wounded, 2 arrested The shots rang out just after 7 p.m. Monday at Pritchard Island Beach, the Seattle Police Department said in a statement . The shots came from two groups of people in the parking lot, witnesses told police. The woman and her child were in the backseat of their car when they were struck my multiple gunshots, police said. Police said three victims suffered injuries, but did not mention the fourth victim. Gregg confirmed all four had gunshot wounds. The investigation was still ongoing, but there were no suspect descriptions. Anyone with information was urged to contact SPD at 206-625-5011. SeattlePI reporter Alex Halverson can be reached at alex.halverson@seattlepi.com . Follow him on Twitter @AlexHalversonPI . Find more from Alex here .


LeBron James is no stranger to having the NBA's collection of team owners have a freak-out due to making his own moves. And while the latest round of concerns coming out of the NBA's Board of Governors meeting has nothing to do with him, it does have quite a bit to do with the movement he started. ESPN's Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst painted the picture of beleaguered NBA stakeholders at this summer's Board of Governors meetings, sparked by the reports and accusations of Kawhi Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, asking teams for benefits that fell outside of the collective bargaining agreement. One item discussed openly and explicitly: frustration that family members of players were almost acting as agents and asking for benefits outside the scope of the collective bargaining agreement. Vague reports in the local Toronto media that Leonard's uncle and adviser, Dennis Robertson, asked for such benefits clearly sparked the discussion, but it was pointed out that he would not have been the first family member to do so - and would not be the last. Silver appeared to reference this in his remarks to the media after the meeting when he mentioned that "frankly, things are being discussed that don't fall squarely within the collective bargaining agreement." The Board of Governors also discussed their concerns about tampering, concerns that have followed LeBron since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. And while teams are discussing letting teams tamper, it appears that this level of player empowerment may be reaching another tipping point. MORE: Mike Trout's perfect 98.6 MPH throw to home plate had everyone in awe What might Kostas Antetokounmpo bring to the Lakers on offense? Packers training camp: 1 player to watch from each position group Hurns release opens path forward for several young Cowboys WRs Sean Payton brushes off concerns about Drew Brees' decline


A 28-year-old man surfing in an area of Reunion Island, where surfing is prohibited, was killed by a shark Thursday afternoon in what was the 24th shark attack and 11th mortality on the French Island since 2011. The death came on the same day authorities issued a call to "the greatest vigilance" in a warning about the presence of bull sharks with changing water temperatures, according to BRMTV . "Reunion is entering a transitional period between the summer and the austral winter, with southern swell fronts sought by water sports enthusiasts, and the use of the Reunionese coast by bulldog sharks, potentially dangerous, is more important as one enters the austral winter with a seasonal cooling of the temperature of the sea water," warned the services of the State in a translated statement on BRMTV. Also on FTW Outdoors: Great white shark tearing into fish prompts water evacuation The man was surfing with three friends off the small fishing town of Saint-Leu where surfing is restricted because of the rising threat of shark attacks in recent years, according to the Mirror . The friends were wearing shark-repelling devices on their ankles but the unidentified victim was not, the Mirror reported. The shark bit off the victim's leg. Efforts to save him by his friends proved futile. Authorities later recovered the body. "We will never reach zero risk," Olivier Tainturier, sub-prefect of Saint-Paul, said in a press conference, according to the local news outlet Clicanoo . "The shark has always been present. "Currently we are deploying significant resources to ward off this risk [such as shark technology and prohibiting fishing]. But nature is often the strongest, that's what the drama of today reminds us." The last deadly shark attack on Reunion Island was on a fisherman on January 30 in Sainte-Rose. The sharp increase in shark attacks on Reunion Island since 2011 prompted locals to call it a "shark crisis," France 24 reported. Photos taken March 1 showing signs warning of sharks and banning swimming at L'Etang-Sale on Reunion Island by Richard Bouhet/AFP/Getty Images. Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook. MORE: Most bizarre and incredible catches by fishermen in past decade Rumor: LeBron made a visit to Kawhi Leonard during Raptors-Sixers series Kevin Durant injury update: Officially ruled out for Game 6 in Houston NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Geronimo Allison fits mold of slot WR in Matt LaFleur's offense


Through the new investigative technique of genetic genealogy   and DNA left behind on a discarded cigarette butt   police have arrested a suspect in the 1994 murder of a 26-year-old mom. Audrey Hoellein was raped and murdered in July 1994, according to police in Vancouver, Washington, just outside of Portland. Hoellein was separated from her husband and her son was about 5-years-old at the time, according to police. DNA was left behind at the crime scene, police said, and several suspects were considered over the years, but they were eventually eliminated because their DNA did not match. Hoellein's father "thought he was going to go to his grave without any resolution as to what happened to his daughter," Vancouver police officer Dustin Goudschaal said at a news conference on Tuesday. (MORE: Young women murdered decades ago may finally find justice through new controversial DNA tool) But in 2018, police reached out to DNA lab Parabon to help create a composite image of the unknown suspect from the DNA left behind at the crimes scene. Analysts were able to predict traits of the killer, including his hair color and eye color, said police. Then, Parabon worked with the police department to use a new technique known as genetic genealogy to identify suspect Richard Knapp. This crime not only took away a sister from her two brothers, it left a mother and father without a daughter, and a young child without a mother. Through the new investigative technique of genetic genealogy, officials can take the DNA left behind at a crime scene and identify a suspect by tracing the family tree through his or her family members, who voluntarily submitted their DNA to public genealogy databases. This allows police to create a much larger family tree than using DNA submissions to law enforcement database CODIS, CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon, told ABC News. (MORE: Man arrested in Sophie Sergie's 1993 murder in Alaska over DNA) The first public arrest through genetic genealogy was the April 2018 identification of the suspected "Golden State Killer." Since then, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than 40 suspects in violent crimes, Moore said. After genetic genealogy was used to pinpoint Knapp as a suspect, investigators staked him out and obtained DNA from a cigarette butt he left behind, police officials said. That recovered a DNA sample was sent to the Washington State lab to compare to the original DNA from the crime scene   and it was a match, said police. (MORE: DNA leads to man's arrest 46 years after murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe: 'We have never forgotten Linda') Knapp, 57, was arrested on Sunday during a traffic stop near his home, Goudschaal said. Knapp, of Farview, Oregon, had been working in the area of the Portland airport, Goudschaal said. Knapp was from the area, but it does not appear he was known to the victim, police said. He has a criminal history, but police did not elaborate or explain why Knapp's DNA was not in CODIS, police said. (MORE: Murderer executed in 1999 identified through DNA as man allegedly behind woman's 1979 cold case killing) The Hoellein family said in a statement released by the police department: "This crime not only took away a sister from her two brothers, it left a mother and father without a daughter, and a young child without a mother. Since then the family has grown with nephews that will never meet their aunt, and a grandchild that can only see grandma in pictures, only knowing her from shared memories." The family added that it hopes genetic genealogy "can be used to bring closure to more families across the nation." Knapp did not have an attorney as of Wednesday.


After winning a fourth major in eight tries at Bethpage Black, it's no surprise that Brooks Koepka opened as the betting favorite ahead of next month's U.S. Open. How much respect he initially got from oddsmakers, though, was eye-opening. So much so that there's already been a lot of movement at one Vegas sportsbook. RELATED: Meet the gambler who won $1.2 million on Tiger at the Masters Around the time Koepka made the turn during Sunday's final round of the 2019 PGA Championship, Westgate Las Vegas Superbook's Jeff Sherman installed the new World No. 1 at 5-to-1 odds to win at Pebble Beach. To put that in perspective, Koepka entered last week as a co-favorite with Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods at 10-to-1 odds. After beating them and everyone else at Bethpage Black, though, Koepka opened up a nice gap on those two with Sherman listing DJ and Woods at 8/1 and 12/1, respectively. But in the 24 hours since, that gap has tightened over Johnson, much like Koepka's lead over his buddy on Sunday before holding on for a two-shot win . By Monday morning, Sherman had downgraded Koepka to 6/1, and by Monday afternoon, Johnson had moved to 7/1. Woods, despite his historic 15-shot win at Pebble Beach in 2000 and his Masters victory in April, has moved the other way to 14/1. Here's a more complete rundown of the latest odds from Sherman, including Phil Mickelson at 30-to-1 to finally win a first U.S. Open and complete the career Grand Slam: https://twitter.com/golfodds/status/1130533077460037632 With the win, Koepka also replaced Johnson atop the Official World Golf Ranking, but it's not crazy for gamblers to give DJ the best chance to win the year's third major. Aside from finishing runner-up at the first two, Johnson has a stellar track record at Pebble Beach with two wins and two runner-ups, plus, he was also the 54-hole leader there the last time it hosted the U.S. Open in 2010. Koepka finished T-8 at the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his only competitive appearance at the famed course. The 2019 U.S. Open will be held June 13-16. PODCAST: Golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman on setting lines at major championships


MIAMI (CBSMiami)   For many voters, it's the beginning of the 2020 campaign and it's happening in South Florida. Tonight, the Democratic Party holds the first of a two-night debate, with 20 candidates taking part overall. "A lot of voters don't know who all the candidates are, and it's gonna be a little bit of I want to get to know you, a little bit of getting name recognition, a little bit of making a sound bite," said Joseph Uscinski, University of Miami Associate Professor of Political Science. Ten candidates will participate in tonight's event, and the other ten will go at it on Thursday. The unusual set-up is the result of an unusually large field of hopefuls. "There's still a lot of the electorate don't know who they are," said Charles Zelden, History and Political Science Professor at Nova Southeastern University. Professor Zelden thinks the candidates will likely have two goals for the debates. "What we have is a requirement that they have both to introduce themselves and also make a splash," said Zelden. "Make sure they say something that people remember." We've seen and heard many of the democratic candidates for president, like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, in south Florida over the past few days. "I'm delighted that more people are talking about cancelling student loans," said Warren. Former San Antonio mayor and HUD secretary Julian Castro is introducing himself to voters. "I would strengthen Medicare for the people who are on it," said Castro. Washington Governor Jay Inslee pitched his message of taking on climate change to South Florida voters. "It is time to start to transition off of fossil fuels," said Inslee. Which candidates appear on stage each night was chosen at random. Only one of tonight's participants has consistently polled in the top five. "I think Elizabeth Warren will have an advantage because she's the only one of the so-called major candidates that's going to be on the night one panel," said Brad Bannon, Democratic pollster and strategist. "And so she has a chance to dominate." Even as they work to stand apart from the crowd, one common theme is expected to emerge: "They're going to talk a lot about Trump, and one thing they're going to do is try to make a case that they're the one who should go out there and battle Trump in the next year and a half," said Uscinski. Four democrats didn't qualify for the debates. To qualify for the debate, candidates had to reach at least 1% in three separate polls, or receive donations from at least 65,000 different donors, with a minimum of 200 individual donors in no less than 20 states. "No one is going to win the primary in this first debate," said Zelden. "But some people are going to lose any chance of winning the primary in this first debate."


Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is holding out of training camp due to several issues. One, he remains frustrated with Washington's medical staff because he believes it was not attentive enough to a lump on his head that turned out to be a pre-cancerous growth. (Williams ultimately was diagnosed by his own doctors after the 2018 season and had multiple surgeries to have the growth removed.) Second, he wants a new contract, though his current deal still has two years and $24M remaining. Obviously, the medical issue appears to be spilled milk at this point, but Washington could assuage Williams' lingering frustrations and get him back in camp if it were to address his contract in some way (extension, pay raise, etc.). However, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says that the situation between player and team has not changed at all, so there is "no end in sight" to Williams' holdout. Until something happens on the contract front, RapSheet does not expect Williams to report. From Inside Training Camp: The holdout for #Redskins LT Trent Williams should be lengthy. There is no end in sight. pic.twitter.com/3KBFUw5eK1   Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2019 Washington is not exactly favored to take home the NFC East crown this year, but not having Williams would be hugely detrimental to the club's chances of contending. Williams hasn't played a full season since 2013 and has missed 13 games over the last three years, but he is still an elite left tackle when on the field. If the Redskins turn to their QB of the future, Dwayne Haskins , at some point this year, they would love to have Williams protecting his blindside. We also heard earlier this week that a trade or release could be in the cards if the two sides cannot find some common ground.


As the Celtics introduced offseason additions Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter at a press conference today, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters, including A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston ( Twitter link ), that landing Walker and Kanter was his "Plan A" heading into the offseason. While it's hard to believe that a franchise so frequently linked to Anthony Davis would have considered Walker and Kanter its top priorities, Ainge's comments make more sense if you assume he's talking about Boston's plan on June 30. By that point, the Lakers had already agreed to acquire Davis and the C's had a good idea that Kyrie Irving and Al Horford wouldn't be back. In fact, Ainge said today that the Celtics started to get a sense as early as March or April that Irving may not be back in Boston for the 2019-20 season ( Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston). "I was obviously thinking a move in a different direction at that point, thinking of the different options," Ainge said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com . We have much more on the Celtics today, so let's dive in… Kanter said today that a recruiting call from Walker (via Ainge's phone) helped convince him to join the Celtics. "Kemba was one of the biggest reasons I came here," Kanter said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe ( Twitter link ). The Celtics attempted to work out sign-and-trade deals with the Sixers and Nets for Horford and Irving, respectively, but both teams wanted more draft pick compensation than Boston was comfortable with, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Turning those free agent departures into sign-and-trades might have allowed Boston to retain more cap flexibility or pick up an extra asset or two. Having agreed in June to sign Tacko Fall to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Celtics haven't indicated yet that they intend to alter their plans for the rookie following his impressive Summer League performance. However, his showing in Las Vegas certainly caught the team's eye. " We want to take his development very seriously," Ainge said of Fall ( Twitter link via Himmelsbach). "He's a high priority for us to develop." Another Summer League standout, Javonte Green , is drawing significant interest overseas, according to Himmelsbach, who tweets that it's probably unrealistic to expect the wing to become an affiliate player for the Maine Red Claws. After rescinding Daniel Theis ' qualifying offer over the weekend, the Celtics still had a tiny bit of cap room to sign a rookie to a contract longer than two years, ESPN's Bobby Marks noted ( via Twitter ). However, making their deals with Theis, Kanter and Brad Wanamaker official today eliminated that cap room.


Normal sports are so BORING. Sometimes you just need to watch something with a little more excitement and craziness   that's where EXTREME sports come in! You can tell that they're particularly high-octane for the people in these clips, because…well, let's just say that they won't be going to the X-Games any time soon!


SAN FRANCISCO   Smartphone sales may be slowing for some tech companies, but not for Apple. Analysts expect another powerhouse performance from the California tech giant when it reports quarterly financial results Tuesday. Apple's signature iPhones remain popular, even as other smartphone makers are seeing demand slow down. Wall Street analysts estimate Apple will report a hefty $10.3 billion in profit after selling $49 billion worth of iPhones, iPads, Mac computers and other products during the April-June quarter. That's an increase of more than 30 percent in both revenue and profit from the same period a year earlier. Apple has said it won't release sales figures for the new Apple Watch, though some analysts believe demand has fallen since Apple introduced the wearable gadget three months ago. But it almost doesn't matter: As in other recent quarters, Apple will reap its biggest rewards from its smartphones, especially the new, big-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models introduced last fall. Here's why: BIGGER SCREENS ARE POPULAR: People use smartphones for social networking, playing games, looking at pictures   far more than they use them to make calls. And for those activities, many users prefer a bigger screen. Several analysts say their studies confirm Apple CEO Tim Cook's claim that many recent iPhone buyers are people who switched from Android phones. Some consumers were drawn to Android devices in recent years because they had bigger screens, but Apple's decision to increase the iPhone's screen size is persuading Android owners to defect, said Ryan Reith, who tracks smartphone sales for the research firm IDC. Apple likely sold about 47 million iPhones during the most recent quarter, or 34 percent more than a year earlier, according to analysts polled by FactSet. IPHONES ARE HUGELY PROFITABLE: At an average selling price of more than $600, before carrier subsidies, Apple's phones are more expensive than many competing Android models, but they also provide more profit. While Apple doesn't break out the numbers, Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley estimates that during the first three months of 2015, Apple reaped 92 percent of the $16.6 billion in operating profit generated from smartphones by companies around the world. Samsung sold more phones than Apple during that period, but many of them were lower-priced models, giving Samsung only about 15 percent of the industry's operating profits, according to Walkley. He estimates other companies operated their smartphone business at a loss or broke even. APPLE'S RIVALS FACE CHALLENGES: Apple sold about 18.2 percent of all the smartphones worldwide in the first quarter of 2015, while Samsung had 24.5 percent of the market, according to IDC. But Samsung has said it expects a drop in profit for the April-June quarter, apparently because sales of its new Galaxy S6 models fell short of expectations. HTC has also lowered its revenue forecast for the quarter, as it blamed weak sales in China and lower demand for high-end Android phones. Microsoft, meanwhile, is cutting 7,600 jobs and writing down the value of its Nokia phone division by $7.6 billion, essentially acknowledging that its effort to build a business selling Windows smartphones had failed. Microsoft also reports earnings Tuesday. Although each company has its own issues, experts say smartphone sales are slowing in many developed countries because most people already own one. IDC is forecasting an 11 percent increase in global smartphone sales this year, but that's down from 28 percent in 2014. Phone makers using Google's Android operating system will see even slower growth of about 8.5 percent. But IDC predicts iPhone sales will grow by 23 percent this year. DEMAND FOR APPLE WATCH ISN'T CLEAR Most experts say iPhone sales will get another bump when Apple releases new models this fall. Analysts say a majority of iPhone owners are still using older models, such as the iPhone 4 or 5. As a result, they say, those users are likely to buy new iPhones when their two-year wireless contracts expire. The picture isn't quite as rosy for some other Apple products. Sales of the once-vaunted iPad tablet computer have been declining for several quarters. And while the company says demand for the Apple Watch is strong, analysts have produced estimates that range from bullish to lackluster. Though Apple has often trumpeted sales results for new products, Cook has said he doesn't want to reveal Apple Watch figures for competitive reasons. Instead, Apple will lump revenue from the watch into its "Other Products" category, which includes the iPod media player, Apple TV streaming device and Beats headphones.


If you played outside a lot growing up or are an avid hiker , you've probably heard time and time again that you should *always* do a tick check when you come inside. But given that ticks are teeny-tiny and easy to overlook on your body, you might not always catch one or even realize a tick bit you until it's too late and symptoms start to hit you. Nearly 60,000 tick-borne illnesses were reported in 2017 in the United States, following a trend of steadily increasing cases each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And a rise in tick-borne illnesses-two of the best-known in humans are Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever -isn't something to take lightly, as these conditions can make you feel pretty sick. If left untreated, they can cause a host of serious, long-term symptoms , ranging from arthritis to cardiovascular and neurological problems. Don't worry: Finding a tick on your body after a weekend camping trip is not a guarantee that you'll be plagued with illness, according to Walter Schrading , MD, director of the Office of Wilderness Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "The tick bite itself is not dangerous and doesn't cause any symptoms or rash unless it's carrying one of the major diseases we worry about," Dr. Schrading explains. "Otherwise, the tick can just be removed with tweezers , [with nothing but] local irritation around the bite." Hopefully you already know that prevention (i.e. wearing long sleeves and pants outside and loading up on insect repellents that contain DEET or permethrin ) is the best way to avoid contracting a tick-borne illness this summer. But if it's too late for prevention, here are six photos to help you figure out whether that bite could be from a tick, plus what to expect next if it is. Video: Lyme disease on the rise: What to do if you get a tick bite (USA Today) What does a tick bite typically look like? The tick bite itself will likely be so small and painless (just a little red dot, if anything) that you won't actually notice it, says Qurat Mudassar , MD, an infectious disease specialist and primary care physician at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. You'll likely only become aware that one of those little buggers has latched onto you if you actually find the tick attached to your skin, or if you develop one of the tell-tale rashes (or other symptoms) that signals you've been infected with a tick-borne illness. The hallmark sign of Lyme infection is a rash that resembles a bullseye. "[With Lyme disease], the rash is a localized infection," Dr. Mudassar says. "The center may be clear with a red, circular margin outside." This rash may also become itchy or swollen for some people. Here's where it gets a little more complicated: Not everyone who develops Lyme disease gets a rash, and even the people that do often don't notice it, Dr. Mudassar says. Plus, the rash can show up on other areas of the body away from the bite site, so it might not raise any red flags. A Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever rash, on the other hand, is more obvious. This bacterial infection causes a rash on the extremities of the body (think: your palms, ankles, and soles of your feet), which migrates toward the center of your body, per Dr. Schrading. What if I don't get a rash but still feel super sick? Since you can't always rely on a rash to clue you in, pay attention to other signs of illness you experience after possible exposure. Dr. Mudassar says that tick-borne illnesses can cause fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, muscle pain, and regional lymph node swelling in the early stages of the disease. Dr. Schrading adds that you might simply have nonspecific viral illness symptoms, like malaise and myalgia -so it helps to consider the time of year you're feeling sick. "More people are outside and around ticks in the summer, which isn't flu season," he says. "So if you're feeling like you have the flu in the middle of summer, think about whether you could have been exposed to a tick." Does it matter what kind of tick bit me? There are many different species of ticks , but the detail that matters is whether you were bitten by a deer tick (a.k.a. a blacklegged tick) or dog tick, which are known to transmit these two major diseases to humans. "The only two major diseases we see reside in deer and dog ticks-if you're bitten by a random tick that doesn't transmit disease, you'll be fine," says Dr. Schrading, who clarifies that deer ticks transmit Lyme disease and dog ticks transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Other ticks, like the Lone Star tick , for example, also transmit diseases. But infections from Lone Star ticks make up a small percentage of all tick-borne illnesses, per the CDC. The tricky thing is that there's no way to tell from the actual bite itself which tick nabbed you. That said, if you develop the classic bullseye rash or a spotted rash spreading across your body, it's pretty clear which tick was the culprit. At that point, you should definitely hightail it to your doctor's office for evaluation, which Dr. Mudassar says is worth doing for *any* tick bite, even one that isn't causing symptoms yet. "It's better if you go to the doctor right away when you know you've had a tick bite," says Dr. Mudassar. "If you go within 36 hours of the bite, you can be treated with a lesser dose of antibiotics [if your doctor determines that's necessary]." Your doctor may be able to test you for illness with blood work to identify the pathogen. But Dr. Schrading warns it can take a while for results to come back, and false negatives can occur. If I did get a tick-borne illness, how long does it take for symptoms to appear? A tick will spend the first 12 to 24 hours on your body looking for a place to settle in, Dr. Mudassar says. Once it finds a desirable spot-like your armpit, groin, or the back of your neck-it will latch on. From there, it takes a few days for the tick to actually transmit any illness it might be carrying; Dr. Schrading notes that it could be about four to seven days before a rash or symptoms appear. What if the tick that bit me didn't transmit an infection? If you know for sure a tick bit you because you found it attached to your skin, it's still totally possible you won't contract an illness. Why? Well, not all ticks carry diseases, for starters. But there's also a correlation between the length of time the tick was attached to you and how likely you are to get sick. "Removing the tick as soon as possible reduces risk of infection if it's carrying a disease," says Dr. Schrading. "The less time it's attached to you, the less likely it is to infect you, especially if it's been less than 12 hours." Remember: Your best bet for avoiding tick-borne illnesses is prevention, and then early detection. Do careful tick checks after you've spent time outside and don't wait around for symptoms to start if you think a tick bit you. You can also keep tabs on local tick activity in your area by contacting your state's health department (or visiting their web site). Gallery: From Avril Lavigne to Yolanda Hadid: Celebrities who've gone public about battling Lyme disease (People)


Milwaukee will see a return of last week's light rainfall this coming week, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Today's forecast shows the highest chance of rain at 100%, while the most rainfall is predicted on Sunday at 0.31 inches. The immediate forecast also has warm temperatures in store for today. Temperatures will reach a high of 79 degrees today, then turn milder on Thursday. Skies will partially clear on Thursday, remaining partly cloudy through Saturday. Winds will remain light throughout the week, with the highest speeds on Sunday at only 10 mph. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - It has been 29 years since the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) measured Louisiana's subsidence, but according to recent results from 2018, the state's elevation is changing. With the help of LSU's Center for Geoinformatics (C4G) , NGS completed four absolute gravity observations. Click here for more details. "This is the second observation NGS has performed in Louisiana, with the first one having taken place at the University of New Orleans in 1989. Since then, the four additional observations through 2018 show a cumulative apparent subsidence of 147 mm in 29 years, which is 5 mm a year," said LSU Chief of Geodesy Cliff Mugnier. C4G says a closer look at the results show Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Oakdale, Hammond, and Shreveport have not changed in elevation, while other areas are instead sinking. SINKING Alexandria: -49 mm Old River: -34 mm Lake Charles: -16 mm Boothville: -13 mm Ruston: -9 mm RISING Thibodaux: +7 mm Siciliy Island: +8 mm Rayville: +13 mm Natchitoches: +17 mm "Changes in the absolute value of gravity at a location can be a result of uplift/subsidence, as well as variations in groundwater and tectonic motion. In a generally homogenous sedimentary basin such as Louisiana, it's likely some combination of subsidence and groundwater," Mugnier said. C4G says it now has a permanent, three-person crew that travels across the state to collect data. "These observations are expected to contribute to the knowledge of the surface motions of the state, as well as to form the basis of a new quasi-geoid model for Louisiana in collaboration among the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NGS, and LSU," Mugnier said. Copyright 2019 WAFB. All rights reserved.


Christie's Auction House introduced the "Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence" sale where about 400 storied treasures from a collection of Indian royal jewels and artefacts belonging to the ruling family of Qatar, Al Thani, will be auctioned at the Rockefeller Centre in New York City. The pieces will be offered at a landmark auction on June 19, and prices will range from $10,000 (€8,836) to $10,000,000 (€8,836,420).


We're not sure he knows the rules, but he's having a good time nonetheless. Buzz60's Tony Spitz has the details.


Brandon Wu is hoping to play a practice round with fellow Stanford alum Tiger Woods after qualifying for the British Open at Royal Portrush. Wu took his place in the field alongside Woods after taking the lead spot of three in Final Qualifying at Fairmont St Andrews. Wu, who went 3-0 in match play last month to help Stanford win its ninth NCAA Championship, shot rounds of 64 and 67 to post a 9-under 131 to finish three shots better than Scotland's Connor Syme, and by five shots over Syme's countryman Sam Locke, winner of the Open's silver medal as leading amateur at Carnoustie last year. "If Tiger offered me a practice round, I don't know, if the schedule fits…I'm joking, of course I would," Wu said. "I've met him a couple of times, he went to Stanford and if he's in the area he'll often come by and say hi. He was team mates with our head coach Conrad Ray, so there's a connection there." Solheim Cup: Thompson, Kang and Korda clinch spots More: Bartender in Woods lawsuit high, stole alcohol before crash Wu, who finished T35 in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, should be well used to links golf when he tees it up in his first Open Championship. An intense introduction to seaside golf helped the world's number six ranked amateur prepare for Final Qualifying. "I came over a week ago and got acclimated," Wu said. "It's been a tremendous week. I got off the plane and played Lundin Links then the Old Course on Friday. I did the Muirfield experience on Saturday, playing 36 holes there, then played North Berwick on Sunday." Wu's only previous experience of the Open involved watching Stanford's greatest player play in the championship, along with a few other names. "Memories of the Open? Seeing Tiger dominate when he won. (Tom) Watson when he came really close (in 2009). Sergio (Garcia) as well (2008). Rory winning (2014). There's been some special moments." Now he has the chance to make special moments of his own to add to his Pebble Beach experience. "I think it'll be cool to see the differences between the two (US Open and Open), but I've been playing for a while now so I'm just focusing on playing well and keeping it going." Garrick Porteous, the 2013 British Amateur champion, shared first spot with fellow Englishman Jack Senior at St Annes Old links, with another Englishman in Matthew Baldwin taking the other place. English Amateur Curtis Knipes finished equal first on 9 under at Prince's Golf Club with countryman Callum Shinkwin. Canada's Austin Connelly finished third. Three Englishmen took the top three spots at Notts Golf Club. Andrew Wilson finished first on 7 under. Amateur Thomas Thurloway was one shot back, with Ashton Turner taking third place on 5 under after defeating David Coupland in a playoff. MORE: Why isn't Megan Rapinoe in the starting lineup for USA - England? 'You don't know me like that': Kevin Durant, the Warriors and a toxic locker room Stephen A. Smith: 'Andre Iguodala is planning on joining the Lakers' VIDEO: Alyssa Naeher Makes Unbelievable Save to Preserve U.S. Lead Over England Do Cowboys have horses to absorb another Ezekiel Elliott suspension?


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Brighton? According to Walk Score, this Boston neighborhood is friendly for those on foot, is fairly bikeable and has excellent transit. Data from rental site Zumper shows that the median rent for a one bedroom in Brighton is currently hovering around $1,950. So, what might you expect to find if you don't want to spend more than $1,900/month on rent? Read on for a roundup of the latest rental offerings, via Zumper. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 28 Sidlaw Road, #9 Here's a 900-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at 28 Sidlaw Road, #9 that's going for $1,900/month. In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors and a dishwasher. The building features on-site laundry. Pets are not permitted. Look out for a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. (See the full listing here .) 2031 Commonwealth Ave. Next, check out this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's located at 2031 Commonwealth Ave. It's also listed for $1,900/month. In the apartment, you'll get a dishwasher. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: this spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) 19 Colliston Road, #12A Also listed at $1,900/month, this 544-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo is located at 19 Colliston Road, #12A. In the unit, you can anticipate hardwood floors and high ceilings. The building has storage. Pets are not allowed. (Check out the complete listing here .) 176 N. Beacon St., #3-3 Then, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment situated at 176 N. Beacon St., #3-3. It's also listed for $1,900/month. In the apartment, there are hardwood floors. The building has assigned parking and on-site laundry. Pets are not allowed. The listing specifies a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) 1576 Commonwealth Ave., #6 To round things out, check out this 550-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's located at 1576 Commonwealth Ave., #6. It's also listed for $1,900/month. Inside, you'll get hardwood floors and high ceilings. The building features on-site laundry and secured entry. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: this spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


In a remote valley in Pakistan dozens of Kalash minority women dance to celebrate spring's arrival -- but as a gaggle of men scramble to catch them on camera, the community warns an influx of domestic tourists is threatening their unique traditions. Every year the Kalash -- a group of less than 4,000 people confined to a handful of villages in the north -- greet the new season with animal sacrifices, baptisms, and weddings at a festival known as "Joshi". As celebrations kick off, tourists with phones jostle to get close to Kalash women, whose vibrant clothing and headdresses contrast starkly with the more modest attire worn by many in the conservative Islamic republic. "Some people are using their cameras as if they were in a zoo," said local tourist guide Iqbal Shah. Known for their pale skin and light-coloured eyes, the Kalash have long claimed ancestral links to Alexander the Great's army -- who conquered the region in the fourth century BC. They worship many gods, drinking alcohol is a tradition and marriages of choice are the norm -- unlike in the rest of Pakistan where unions are often arranged. However, the community is far from a liberal beacon. Members of the community often wed in their teens, with women poorly educated and expected to perform traditional roles in the home. Stories about the Kalash are nonetheless frequently fabricated, and this has been amplified in recent years by the proliferation of smartphones and social media. - 'Defaming the community' - One video viewed 1.3 million times on YouTube, proclaims the Kalash "openly have sex" with partners of their choosing "in the presence of their husbands". Another calls them "beautiful infidels", saying "anyone can go and marry any girl there". "How could that be true?" asks Luke Rehmat, a Kalash journalist. "People are systematically trying to defame the community. They are fabricating stories... when a tourist comes with such a mindset, he will try to experience [it]." In the main Kalash village of Bumburate a hotel manager estimates that about 70 percent of Pakistani tourists visiting his establishment are young men, who often inquire about where to "find girls". According to tourists who spoke to AFP -- most of whom were men travelling in groups -- their primary interest in exploring the Kalash Valley was to learn about a new culture. "We want to be part of this festival but it doesn't mean that we want to mix up with girls," says tourist Sikander Nawaz Khan Niazi from Lahore. But friction has been increasing in recent years. In Bumburate, posters now call on visitors to seek permission from villagers before photographing and signs warn tourists not to harass women. "If they don't respect us, we don't need tourists," says Yasir Kalash, the vice president of the local hotel association. "If they respect... our culture and traditions, we must welcome [them]." Regulating tourism is a cumbersome but vital task for the Kalash, with money from the industry increasingly providing an important source of revenue for the community. - 'We are going to die' - The Kalash -- who once inhabited a vast territory stretching from the Himalayas in Kashmir to northern Afghanistan -- are now one of the smallest religious minorities in Pakistan, according to Akram Hussain, the director of a local museum. A recent survey put their number at just 3,872, living in three remote valleys. "We are going to die if we are not supported," says Hussain. Kalash traditions, Hussain argues, can be expensive. Weddings and funerals require families to kill dozens of animals for the festivities, driving them into debt, forcing them to sell off land and leave their ancestral homes. Cases of forced conversions to Islam of Kalash women have also been reported, while the increase in tourism has pushed some in the community to shun traditions like Joshi, according to several residents who spoke to AFP. Others have begun wearing veils to hide their faces from the prying eyes of outsiders. "We don't wear veils as it is not our custom, but some wear them because people take pictures of them from all sides and it makes them feel ashamed," says Musarrat Ali, a high school student. The ongoing erosion of the culture at the hands of outside forces is tragic, says Sayed Gul, an archaeologist from Bumburate. "They don't want to participate just because of these cameras and this insensitivity," says Gul. "If these things are continuously happening ... maybe in a few years, there are only tourists, there are no more Kalashis to participate and dance in the festivals."


For the second night in a row, the Boston Red Sox blew out their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees, at Fenway Park. While the bats remained hot and potent, the Red Sox also received a brilliant outing from recently-acquired starter Andrew Cashner. Red Sox Nation gave Cashner a round of applause that led to a tip of the cap by the veteran starter, who lasted 6.2 innings and allowed just three runs and struck out six. To further endear himself with his new fan base, Cashner took a shot at the Yankees following the contest. Andrew Cashner says he loves facing the Yankees. Why? "Everyone grows up hating the Yankees, right?"   Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 27, 2019 Does everyone grow up hating the Yankees? Well, they are a team that you either love or hate, but their millions of fans worldwide would disagree with that statement. Andrew Cashner endears himself to Red Sox fans in more ways than one https://t.co/F8qeExfXzr   WEEIprovidence (@1037WEEIFM) July 27, 2019 In the case of Cashner, who is a Texas native, I'm sure he did despise the big, bad Yankees. But I'm also sure he wasn't in love with the Red Sox, either. Of course, I'd be feeling myself a bit if I were Cashner, as this is the fourth time he's faced off against the Yankees this year, and outside of his first start of the season against them on March 28, the veteran right-hander has kept New York in check. Red Sox fans may have had a mixed reaction when they acquired Cashner, but after last night's start and his postgame comments, he'll be beloved in that city for a long time, maybe forever. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


With the Celtics' roster and cap situation in a state of flux, the team is emerging as a "stealth suitor" for All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker , reports Marc Stein of The New York Times ( via Twitter ). The Celtics' situation is a fluid one, according to Stein ( via Twitter ), who acknowledges that the team will weigh a number of options to address both its backcourt and frontcourt. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are expected to sign elsewhere and Aron Baynes is heading to Phoenix, while Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris are also free agents. If the Celtics renounce all those players, they should have enough cap room to make a maximum-salary offer to a player like Walker, adding him to a core that features Jayson Tatum , Gordon Hayward , Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart . However, it sounds like that's just one of the options that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will consider. The Mavericks and Lakers are among the teams believed to be eyeing Walker, who has also been frequently linked to the Knicks. For his part, Kemba has said that the Hornets remain his first priority and has indicated he's open to accepting less than the super-max to return to Charlotte. That super-max deal would be worth a projected $221M+ over five years. A standard max with the Hornets projects to be worth just shy of $190M over five seasons, while a rival suitor could offer Walker up to about $141M for four years.


President Donald Trump is still considering an executive order in an effort to force a citizenship question onto the 2020 census, even after his decision to proceed with the court battle triggered a highly unusual shakeup of the government's legal team over the weekend , according to officials familiar with the situation. Regardless of the outcome, Trump hopes the ongoing fight   and the appearance of not backing down   will boost him among his conservative political supporters, who panned the administration for going ahead last week with printing forms without the controversial question . Civil rights groups argue that including it will scare off legal immigrants as well as undocumented migrants, leading to an inaccurate population count. The census is used to set voting boundaries as well as funding for social assistance and other government programs. Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday the administration would decide in the "next day or two" on which option to take on the census. "We've been considering all the options," he told reporters in South Carolina, adding he's been in "constant discussions with the President" over the past week. "Over the next day or two you'll see what approach we're taking," Barr said. Going with an executive order, he argued, "does provide a pathway for getting a question on the census." What appeared to be a closed matter was ripped open last week when Trump tweeted he would continue pushing to get the citizenship question included after it was blocked by the Supreme Court late last month. That sent administration lawyers scrambling to determine his exact stance, and how to execute it. One of the options includes an executive order; Trump told reporters as he departed his New Jersey golf retreat on Sunday he was also considering a presidential memorandum. "We are moving forward; we have a couple of avenues," he said. Trump could take action this week, administration officials said, citing a need to act quickly since census forms are already being printed. Government lawyers had long said they needed to resolve the citizenship question by July 1 to avoid incurring extra printing costs. Still, what precise route Trump takes remains undetermined. "Everything is up in the air," said one administration official, who noted that the use of executive powers wasn't even under consideration until the middle of last week, when Trump made clear he wasn't giving up the fight despite public statements otherwise from his Justice Department and commerce secretary. One legal theory being eyed by administration officials is moving forward with an executive order or presidential memorandum while simultaneously filing an emergency petition with the Supreme Court asking for an expedited review   an unusual move that would bypass lower courts, if granted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday made a lengthy criticism of Trump's continued push for a citizenship question on the census, saying it was part of an effort to "make America white again" and reiterated her threat to continue with a contempt vote over the census issue. Speaking at a press conference in San Francisco on election security, Pelosi accused Republicans of trying to suppress the vote and gerrymander districts so that "just their people vote and not the general population." "That's why they're fighting the census," she said. "And that's another place where you'll probably see a contempt action on the part of the House of Representatives on the Trump administration." The hurried mapping-out of options has been spurred on by Trump, who has insisted in meetings over the past several days that the census matter be given top priority, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump has bemoaned the decision to essentially give up the fight , though there was initially consensus among the White House and other top administration officials over the position the Justice Department would take after the Supreme Court ruled -- that it would go ahead with preparing the census without a line asking "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" Trump seemed to change his mind a day later, and has insisted options be drawn up to continue waging battle. While at his golf club in New Jersey this week, Trump held a series of calls and meetings to discuss how the administration is moving forward on the census case, a person familiar with his schedule tells CNN. In keeping up the fight, Trump has relied   again   on Barr to carry out the directive. Since assuming the job, Barr has repeatedly appeared to bend to Trump's demands, including in his initial description of Robert Mueller's report and a move to stop defending the Affordable Care Act in court. "And our Attorney General is doing a fantastic job, in many ways, and I think he's got it under control," Trump told reporters on Sunday. The latest step was an all-but-unprecedented swap of the lawyers who have been arguing Trump's position in court   a shift that officials ascribed to ethical and legal concerns at the legal team essentially being required to contradict their previous representations in light of Trump's decision to prolong the clash. The department's spokesperson said in a statement that the DOJ is "shifting these matters to a new team of Civil Division lawyers" and it will be revealed in filings Monday. The spokesperson did not give a reason for the change. Officials within the Civil Division's Federal Programs Branch had been lead on the census case up until now, but are being replaced by a combination of career and political officials from the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch, a Justice official said. A source familiar with the matter says the Justice Department led the decision to change the legal team dealing with the census, in part because the legal battle was entering a new phase and it was a way for the old legal team to not be harangued by the judge, as was the case during a hearing with a Maryland federal judge last week. A Justice Department official dismissed the idea of an insurrection within the agency, as some outside experts have suggested could have happened. Instead, officials pointed to specific instances where the previous legal team argued certain points that will have to be contradicted given Trump's desire to keep arguing in favor of the citizenship question. For example, former officials and experts noted that Justice Department attorneys specifically argued that June 30 was the printing deadline for the census forms   a deadline around which their entire case was shaped. Having the same attorneys go back to the judge to say June 30 wasn't in fact a firm deadline would be deeply problematic for the branch's and the lawyers' credibility, and they may not ethically be able to make a different representation in court now. A former Justice Department attorney who has spoken with some attorneys still at the agency says there are no clear answers coming out why there has been a switch in the team of lawyers. "Lawyers are supposed to be able to switch sides," the former attorney said. "But when it's a big shift, it's really tough to have the same lawyer advocate a position that is diametrically opposed to what they advocated before." Another former Justice Department official says the change in strategy, forced by Trump's tweet, would have made their position in court "untenable." "That calls into question the veracity of everybody who the attorneys were relying on to be able to make the prior statements, and calls into question the statements they make to court. That's just an untenable situation," said the former official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.


BEIJING (AP)   Global stock markets rose Tuesday on optimism over the potential re-opening of U.S.-China trade talks and despite heightened Middle East tensions. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested last week that trade envoys might meet in person following two rounds of phone conversations, though he gave no timeline. That helped to temper anxiety over U.S.-Iranian tensions. In midday trading, London's FTSE 100 rose 0.6% to 7,562 after Boris Johnson was named as the new prime minister, a move that could increase the risks of a disorderly Brexit. Frankfurt's DAX soared 1.5% to 12,470 and France's CAC-40 jumped 0.7% to 5,605. On Wall Street, futures for the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 27,280, while futures for the Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 0.3% to 2,998. Traders have focused on signs of movement toward a settlement of the U.S.-China tariff war over Beijing's technology ambitions. They were reassured by an agreement in June by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to resume stalled talks. That is despite warnings the truce is fragile because the two sides are divided by the same array of disagreements that caused negotiations to collapse in May. Investors also were looking ahead to meetings by the European Central Bank this week and the U.S. Federal Reserve next week. "Reports of the U.S. and China resuming trade negotiations next week are positive for risk sentiment, but escalating tensions in the Middle East pushing oil higher are negative," said analysts at ING in a report. "We anticipate wait and watch sentiment" ahead of the central bank meetings. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.5 to 2,899.94 and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 climbed 1 % to 21,620.88. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.3% to 28,465.65. Seoul's Kospi was 0.4% higher at 2,011.45. India's Sensex gained 0.4% to 38,191.44. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 gained 0.5% to 6,724.60. New Zealand and Taiwan climbed while Southeast Asian markets were mixed. Earnings reports are due over the next two weeks from about three-fifths of S&P 500 companies. Expectations are generally modest. Slowing global economic growth and rising costs are weighing on companies. Many investors are more interested in what CEOs say about how Trump's trade war will affect profits than in their results for the spring. Markets also are watching tensions over Iran's nuclear program. Washington announced sanctions this week on a Chinese oil company, Zhuhai Zhenrong, that it said violated controls on transporting Iranian crude. Beijing has said it supports nuclear nonproliferation efforts but rejects unilateral U.S. sanctions. "This simultaneously turns U.S. pressure up on Iran and also stresses the already strained U.S.-China relations," Mizuho Bank said in a report. ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude shed 34 cents to $55.88 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 46 cents on Monday to close at $56.22. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 50 cents to $62.76 in London. It gained 79 cents the previous session to $63.26. CURRENCY: The dollar gained to 108.14 yen from Monday's 107.86 yen. The euro fell to $1.1180 from $1.1209.


DUBAI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. maritime agency has told U.S.-flagged commercial vessels they should send transit plans in advance to American and British naval authorities if they intend to sail in Gulf waters following several incidents over tankers involving Iran. The seizure of commercial vessels and attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz have unsettled shipping lanes that link Middle Eastern oil producers to global markets. The United States, which has increased its military forces in the region, has blamed Iran for blasts on several tankers near the Strait, a charge Tehran denies. Britain said on Monday it was joining the United States in a maritime security mission in the Gulf to protect vessels after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker. "Heightened military activity and increased political tensions in this region continue to pose serious threats to commercial vessels," the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) said in an advisory on Wednesday. "Associated with these threats is a potential for miscalculation or misidentification that could lead to aggressive actions," it added. Ships should also alert the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations in the event of any incident or suspicious activity. It warned they could face interference to their global positioning systems (GPS). MARAD said in at least two incidents involving commercial vessels and Iran since May 2019 ships had reported interference with their GPS and "spoofed" communications from unknown entities falsely claiming to be U.S. or other warships. It advised crews to decline Iranian forces permission to board if the safety of the ship and crew would not be at risk but said they should not forcibly resist any boarding party. Traffic through the Strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes, has become the focus for a standoff between Iran and the United States after President Donald Trump quit a 2015 nuclear pact and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. Iran says the responsibility of securing these waters lies with Tehran and other countries in the region. "The maritime coalition that U.S. is trying to form will create more instability and insecurity," Iran's Defence Minister Amir Hatami was quoted as saying by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency on Thursday during phone calls with his counterparts from Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. Washington is lobbying other nations to join the coalition along with Britain, which has the largest naval presence in the area after the United States. Britain's P&O Cruises said it had canceled cruises around Dubai and the Gulf because of the increased tensions.


Phoenix will continue to experience hot weather over the next few days, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Temperatures will reach 104 degrees on Wednesday The coming days will also see clear skies, expected to persist through Friday. Some clouds will appear on Saturday. Winds should reach a modest high of 13 mph on Wednesday, while today will be calmer. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Hard Knocks cameras are rolling at Raiders training camp, but they didn't get any on-field footage from wide receiver Antonio Brown on Thursday or Friday. Brown's been out of practice the last two days. That comes shortly after Brown opened camp on the non-football injury list and a few days after he was activated from that list. There wasn't much practice time between Brown's activation and his current absence from the field, so Brown's camp hasn't gotten to full speed yet. Head coach Jon Gruden is looking forward to seeing that change. "I think we're all disappointed ," Gruden said, via Lindsay Jones of TheAthletic.com. "We want to get the party started." The team hasn't disclosed the reason for Brown's absence, but Jones notes that Brown shared a picture of his blistered feet on social media a few days ago and that the team hoped he'd be back for at least limited work this week. There's a lot of time for the Raiders to party before the 2019 season comes to an end and it would be far more disappointing to start the bash only to see it end early because Brown has to miss time in the regular season. If this absence makes that unlikelier, it should wind up being worth it for the Raiders.


Jamie Redknapp has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur need to buy a new midfielder to replace Mousa Dembele, who left the club to join Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League in January. Dembele was a crucial part of the Spurs team and their form has dipped considerably in the league during the second half of the campaign, with the departure of the 31-year-old halfway through the season being seen by many as a key reason behind the drop in performances and results. Speaking on Sky Sports (as quoted by HITC ), Redknapp claimed after Tottenham's defeat away at Bournemouth that, to get to the next level, they need to sign someone who can fill the void left by the Belgian in the middle of the park. The former Spurs star said: "I think they need to buy in the summer, get some strength in midfield because they've lost Dembele , who for me was one of the best, so they need to get someone in who can get them to that next level." Despite reaching the Champions League semi-finals Tottenham have struggled with a lack of squad depth throughout the campaign, particularly in midfield where Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks have been forced to play the majority of the fixtures even when suffering from injuries. Mauricio Pochettino's side have not made a signing for the last two transfer windows and that appears to be catching up with the players who have looked tired in recent weeks. The defeat at the Vitality Stadium means they have now lost three of their last four Premier League games as well as the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Ajax..


People from all over the country gathered to watch the United States Women's National soccer team play in the World Cup Final on Sunday. "It's good to see the enthusiasm," Alex Barrie, said. Barrie was watching the game at the Common Loon in Orono with his wife, Asli and his 4-year-old son, Will. The three watched enthusiastically with the rest of the country as the United States defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to become World Cup Champions again. For Asli, this was special. "It's kind of interesting because being from Turkey, I used to watch men's soccer a lot so it was kind of interesting how like U.S. is really big on women's soccer so that's kind of an encouraging thing for me as a woman," she said. Encouraging for all women, but especially young girls. "It's been great to see people coming out for women's sports and it's important for us to show our daughter," Meghan Gardner, owner at the Common Loon, said. "It's not there are sports and there's women's sports. It's there a men's sports and women's sports and to see crowds coming out I think it's really great for us but I think it's also really great for her." Gardner's daughter, 4-year-old Ella, says she thinks she can play in the World Cup when she grows up. "She says that she's faster than a cheetah," Gardner says of her 4-year-old "And I'm not sure how accurate that statement is but she's pretty certain." The U-S Women's National Team defeated the Netherlands 2-0 Sunday afternoon to become back to back World Cup Championships.


Several injured Athletics pitchers are on the march back to the majors, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports . Whether they'll make it in time to help draw the team back into the postseason race remains to be seen. Jharel Cotton is furthest along among those sidelined with long-term maladies. He's slated to launch a rehab assignment on Friday in his effort to return from Tommy John surgery, which means he could be pitching from a big-league mound by mid-June. The 27-year-old Cotton hasn't appeared in competitive action since the 2017 campaign, his first full go at the MLB level. He managed only a 5.58 ERA in 129 innings, with 28 long balls largely to blame. Still, he has long been seen as a potentially solid back-of-the-rotation big-league hurler. There's an even more talented trio of lefties also grinding through the rehab process as well. Former first-rounder A.J. Puk just threw his first simulated game, which is quite a notable step in his own TJ recovery. He could be an option as soon as July, Slusser indicates, with Sean Manaea ( shoulder surgery ) and Jesus Luzardo ( rotator cuff strain ) potentially being available after the trade deadline. This glance at the injured list serves as a reminder of how much talent the Oakland organization has been forced to go without in the early going. Unfortunately, it seems as if the club will need to claw back into the race before it receives much in the way of reinforcement. The rotation hasn't been the sole cause of the A's slow start, but there are certainly some issues. The three veteran offseason signees haven't exactly thrived. Outside of his no-hitter, Mike Fiers has struggled. Marco Estrada did the same before going down with an injury. Brett Anderson has been solid but is hardly a dominant rotation piece. There are mixed results otherwise. Frankie Montas is pitching quite well and Chris Bassitt has shown some promise in a four-start sample, but Aaron Brooks has been homer-prone and Daniel Mengden 's first start of the year didn't go well.


The state issued long-awaited rules Wednesday that will govern the recreational marijuana market, allow for things like public social clubs where people can partake in a bowl or an edible and do away with the asset requirements that have left many potential business owners out of the cannabis industry. "Presuming we get applications on the day we start accepting applications, I would expect we would probably issue licenses in November," said Andrew Brisbo, director of the state Marijuana Regulatory Agency, noting that the state will begin accepting applications on Nov. 1. Under the new rules, three new categories of licenses will be available. They will allow people to become marijuana-themed event planners; hold marijuana events, such as Cannabis Cup competitions, which have been held in recent years but not sanctioned by the state and where pot can be sold and consumed, and open social clubs, where people can gather to use marijuana, but where nothing else can be sold, such as coffee or snacks. Those categories will need to get local approval. [Want more marijuana news? Sign up for our free email newsletter here] Another big difference between recreational and medical marijuana licenses will be that there will be no capitalization requirements for the recreational license, which could result in opening up the market to more people. "This will create an environment that's inclusive in nature for businesses of all sizes," Brisbo said. Currently, state law requires that medical marijuana license applicants have to show that they have assets worth between $150,000 to $500,000 in order to qualify for a license. Those high numbers have left many people unable to get a license. The ballot proposal that legalized marijuana did not include language on capitalization requirements, so the MRA did not include them in the rules. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, which represents marijuana business owners, applauded the MRA for doing away with asset requirements. "We particularly like that there are no capitalization requirements, which should help make licenses more accessible to small-business owners," said Josh Hovey, spokesman for the organization. "And there is a strong demand for on-site consumption and cannabis-friendly special events, so we also are thankful that there will be licensing available for businesses that cater to this need." More: Minorities find themselves almost shut out of Michigan's marijuana business More: Michigan could face competition after Illinois legislature approves recreational pot Other differences between the medical and recreational license requirements: Marijuana retail shops will be able to deliver products to homes and to social consumption clubs, while medical marijuana cardholders can only get the product delivered to their homes. License renewal fees will be designated in three tiers with the largest businesses charged a bigger fee, while smaller businesses are charged less. The state will set the cost for those three tiers later this year. The currently license regulatory assessment for all medical marijuana businesses is $66,000. Recreational license applications will be expedited for people who already hold medical marijuana licenses. Growers and processors of marijuana will be allowed to offer employees free samples of products that can be used off site to ensure the quality and potency of the products. They can also offer free samples to retail establishment owners who want to try the product before deciding whether they want to purchase it. Potency guidelines for recreational marijuana will be set at a future date and will most likely be lower than the 50 milligram per serving dose that is allowed for medical marijuana-infused products such as gummies and mints. The development of a social equity plan   designed to benefit communities that have been disproportionately affected by marijuana enforcement laws   was required under the ballot proposal and while the rules don't include specifics about the state's intentions, the plan will encourage and promote the participation of people in the business who come from communities disproportionately affected. And that also will extend to business owners, who will be required to submit social equity plans with their license applications. Other communities and states that have legalized marijuana have set up grant or loan programs, expedited license reviews for businesses in the affected communities, or created training opportunities for people who want to get into the business as owners or employees. The first licenses for legal grow, processing, testing, transportation and retail sales shops are expected to be awarded before the end of the year. Another new category of license will also be available for small growers, who can grow up to 150 plants, process the product and sell it from the same business site. And large growers, who under the ballot proposal can get five licenses to grow up to 2,000 plants per license, can also apply for additional grow licenses under a new category of excess marijuana grower license. So growers who already have multiple medical marijuana grow licenses   one company has been approved for 19, for example   can get an equal number of recreational grow licenses. While the state has 90 days to review applications and award or deny licenses, it may not take that long because for at least the first year, the people who will get licenses are the businesses that have already gone through all the criminal and financial background checks and received a medical marijuana business license. The four-month lag time between issuing the rules and accepting applications is meant to give cities, villages and townships the time to decide whether they want to allow marijuana businesses in their communities. If a municipality doesn't have an ordinance in place that prohibits such businesses, the MRA is obligated to give a license to a qualifying business that applies for a marijuana business license.. Currently, 506 communities have said that they don't want marijuana businesses in their towns, but some of those towns have said that they wanted to wait until the state came out with its rules before making a final determination. Michigan was the 10th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana. Voters approved the ballot proposal   which allows for anyone 21 to use and possess pot, as well as grow up to 12 marijuana plants for personal use   by a 56-44% margin in November. The MRA was given one year to come up with the rules for the market and begin accepting applications. The agency got the rules done in about seven months and is expected to meet the deadline for accepting applications. Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Recreational marijuana in Michigan: Rules, when sales could happen


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. The day after the United Nations voted to recognize the People's Republic of China, then California Governor Ronald Reagan phoned President Richard Nixon at the White House and vented his frustration at the delegates who had sided against the United States. "Last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did," Reagan said . "Yeah," Nixon interjected. Reagan forged ahead with his complaint: "To see those, those monkeys from those African countries damn them, they're still uncomfortable wearing shoes!" Nixon gave a huge laugh. The past month has brought presidential racism back into the headlines. This October 1971 exchange between current and future presidents is a reminder that other presidents have subscribed to the racist belief that Africans or African Americans are somehow inferior. The most novel aspect of President Donald Trump's racist gibes isn't that he said them, but that he said them in public. The exchange was taped by Nixon, and then later became the responsibility of the Nixon Presidential Library, which I directed from 2007 to 2011. When the National Archives originally released the tape of this conversation, in 2000, the racist portion was apparently withheld to protect Reagan's privacy. A court order stipulated that the tapes be reviewed chronologically; the chronological review was completed in 2013. Not until 2017 or 2018 did the National Archives begin a general rereview of the earliest Nixon tapes. Reagan's death, in 2004, eliminated the privacy concerns. Last year, as a researcher, I requested that the conversations involving Ronald Reagan be rereviewed, and two weeks ago, the National Archives released complete versions of the October 1971 conversations involving Reagan online. When the UN took its vote to seat a delegation from Beijing instead of from Taiwan in 1971, members of the Tanzanian delegation started dancing in the General Assembly. Reagan, a devoted defender of Taiwan, was incensed, and tried to reach Nixon the night of the vote. Reagan despised the United Nations, which he described as a "kangaroo court" filled with "bums," and he wanted the U.S. to withdraw from full participation immediately. Nixon was asleep when Reagan called, so they spoke the next morning. Reagan's slur touched an already raw nerve. Earlier that day, Nixon had called his deputy national security adviser, Al Haig, to cancel any future meetings with any African leader who had not voted with the United States on Taiwan, even if they had already been scheduled. "Don't even submit to me the problem that it's difficult to turn it off since we have already accepted it," Nixon exclaimed . "Just turn it off, on the ground that I will be out of town." Nixon's anger at the UN delegations from African nations for the loss was misplaced. His own State Department blamed factors other than African voting, including maneuvering by the British and French behind the scenes, for the loss. But Nixon would have none of it. The Africans were to blame. Had the story stopped there, it would have been bad enough. Racist venting is still racist. But what happened next showed the dynamic power of racism when it finds enablers. Nixon used Reagan's call as an excuse to adapt his language to make the same point to others. Right after hanging up with Reagan, Nixon sought out Secretary of State William Rogers. Even though Reagan had called Nixon to press him to withdraw from the United Nations, in Nixon's telling, Reagan's complaints about Africans became the primary purpose of the call. "As you can imagine," Nixon confided in Rogers, "there's strong feeling that we just shouldn't, as [Reagan] said, he saw these, as he said, he saw these " Nixon stammered, choosing his words carefully "these, uh, these cannibals on television last night, and he says, 'Christ, they weren't even wearing shoes, and here the United States is going to submit its fate to that,' and so forth and so on." The president wanted his patrician secretary of state to understand that Reagan spoke for racist Americans, and they needed to be listened to. "You know, but that's typical of a reaction, which is probably" "That's right," Rogers interjected "quite strong." Nixon couldn't stop retelling his version of what Reagan had said. Oddly unfocused, he spoke with Rogers again two hours later and repeated the story as if it would be new to the secretary. "Reagan called me last night," Nixon said, "and I didn't talk to him until this morning, but he is, of course, outraged. And I found out what outraged him, and I find this is typical of a lot of people: They saw it on television and, he said, 'These cannibals jumping up and down and all that.' And apparently it was a pretty grotesque picture." Like Nixon, Rogers had not seen the televised images. But Rogers agreed: "Apparently, it was a terrible scene." Nixon added, "And they cheered." Then Nixon said, "He practically got sick at his stomach, and that's why he called. And he said, 'It was a terrible scene.' And that sort of thing will have an emotional effect on people … as [Reagan] said, 'This bunch of people who don't even wear shoes yet, to be kicking the United States in the teeth' … It was a terrible thing, they thought." Nixon didn't think of himself as a racist; perhaps that's why it was so important to him to keep quoting Reagan's racism, rather than own the sentiment himself. But Reagan's comment about African leaders resonated with Nixon, because it reflected his warped thinking about African Americans. In the fall of 1971, the Nixon administration was engaged in a massive welfare-reform effort, and was also facing school busing. These two issues apparently inspired Nixon to examine more deeply his own thinking on whether African Americans could make it in American society. Only three weeks before the call with Reagan, Nixon had revealed his opinions on Africans and African Americans in a conversation with the Harvard professor Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who had briefly served in the Nixon administration. Nixon was attracted to the theories of Richard Herrnstein and Arthur Jensen, which linked IQ to race, and wondered what Moynihan thought. "I have reluctantly concluded, based at least on the evidence presently before me … that what Herrnstein says, and what was said earlier by Jensen, is probably … very close to the truth," Nixon explained to a quiet Moynihan. Nixon believed in a hierarchy of races, with whites and Asians much higher up than people of African descent and Latinos. And he had convinced himself that it wasn't racist to think black people, as a group, were inferior to whites, so long as he held them in paternalistic regard. "Within groups, there are geniuses," Nixon said . "There are geniuses within black groups. There are more within Asian groups … This is knowledge that is better not to know." Nixon's analysis of African leadership reflected his prejudice toward America's black citizens. This is, at least, what he told Moynihan. "Have in mind one fact: Did you realize there is not, of the 40 or 45 you're at the United Nations black countries that are represented there, not one has a president or a prime minister who is there as a result of a contested election such as we were insisting upon in Vietnam?" And, he continued, a little later in the conversation: "I'm not saying that blacks cannot govern; I am saying they have a hell of a time. Now, that must demonstrate something." Fifty years later, the one fact that we should have in mind is that our nation's chief executive assumed that the nonwhite citizens of the United States were somehow inferior. Nixon confided in Moynihan, who had been one of his house intellectuals, about the nature of his interest in research on African American intelligence: "The reason I have to know it is that as I go for programs, I must know that they have basic weaknesses." As these and other tapes make clear, the 37th president of the United States was a racist: He believed in treating people according to their race, and that race implied fundamental differences in individual human beings. Nixon's racism matters to us because he allowed his views on race to shape U.S. policies both foreign and domestic. His policies need to be viewed through that lens. The 40th president has not left as dramatic a record of his private thoughts. Reagan's racism appears to be documented only once on the Nixon tapes, and never in his own diaries. His comment on African leaders, however, sheds new light on what lay behind the governor's passionate defense of the apartheid states of Rhodesia and South Africa later in the 1970s. During his 1976 primary-challenge run against Gerald Ford, Reagan publicly opposed the Ford administration's rejection of white-minority rule in Rhodesia. "We seem to be embarking on a policy of dictating to the people of southern Africa and running the risk of increased violence and bloodshed," Reagan said at a rally in Texas. These new tapes are a stark reminder of the racism that often lay behind the public rhetoric of American presidents. As I write a biography of JFK, I've found that this sort of racism did not animate President Kennedy indeed, early on he took political risks to help African leaders, most notably Gamal Abdel Nasser and Kwame Nkrumah. But his reluctance to do more, sooner for African Americans cannot be separated from the paternalism he brought to the Oval Office or the prejudice held by parts of his Boston inner circle. Kennedy, at least, learned on the job that securing civil rights for all was a moral imperative. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is a symptom of a sickness that dwells in American society, sometimes deeply and weakly, sometimes on the surface and feverishly. He bears responsibility for his own actions, but the tropes, the turns of phrase, the clumsy indirection, and worse, the gunk about American society that he and his most devoted followers pass off as ideas, have an ugly tradition. It is not at the core of the American tradition, for what makes us mighty and successful is that we are much more than the narrowest of our minds. But it remains an ineluctable part of American culture, nonetheless. Nixon never changed his mind about the supposed inherent inferiority of Africans. At the end of October 1971, he discussed the UN vote with his best friend, Bebe Rebozo. Bebe delighted Nixon by echoing Reagan: "That reaction on television was, it proves how they ought to be still hanging from the trees by their tails." Nixon laughed. These days, though Trump's imagery is less zoological, it is pretty much the same in spirit. And this president, unlike Nixon, doesn't believe he needs to hide behind anyone else's racism.


A team of Chinese researchers has just announced their creation of an inexpensive but powerful camera that's the size of a shoebox and which seems destined to further chip away at privacy and individual anonymity   what's left of them, at any rate. The camera is meant for surveillance and target recognition and is reportedly capable of spotting someone   really, anything   from up to 28 miles away, even in conditions that would otherwise obscure sight, like smog. And it's able to do so based on laser technology and a reliance on artificial intelligence. According to the MIT Technology Review , researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai figured out how to photograph subjects from so far away, even in a smog-filled urban environment, by using "single-photon detectors combined with a unique computational imaging algorithm that achieves super-high-resolution images by knitting together the sparsest of data points." It's a major advancement for this kind of technology. Previous such cameras, for example, could only resolve and make sense of imagery captured by bouncing a laser off it from 10 miles away. The researchers, though, had to achieve multiple breakthroughs in order for their camera to actually work. One is the 1,550-nanometer infrared laser, which reportedly won't damage the human eye and is still able to penetrate barriers like fog to find its far-away subject. In tandem with that, the researchers also needed a way to combine the points captured by their camera, which aren't enough on their own to derive a complete image from. That's why they also came up with an AI algorithm they trained to make sense of the data even when captured from a great distance. Related Slideshow [Espresso] According to a paper published by the researchers , the potential applications here include remote sensing and airborne surveillance, with the camera design helping open up a new pathway "for high-resolution, fast, low-power 3D optical imaging over ultra-long ranges."


The Colts have signed quarterback Chad Kelly , according to a team announcement. In a related move, the Colts waived defensive tackle Jordan Thompson to make room. Kelly attended the team's rookie minicamp as a tryout player earlier this month and showed enough to get a longer look. Given his history, this could be his last opportunity to make things work in the NFL. Kelly was once considered one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but he was kicked out of Clemson, and his senior season at Ole Miss was cut short by a torn ACL and lateral meniscus. The Broncos made him "Mr. Irrelevant" in 2017 with the final pick in the draft, but he had an opportunity to be very relevant and supplant Case Keenum as the club's starter in 2018. That never came to fruition thanks to a bizarre October arrest and his subsequent release . With the Colts, Kelly will try to stick as a backup behind Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett . Brissett is likely to pursue a starting job next offseason, so Kelly could conceivably have a path to being the No. 2 QB behind Luck in 2020 if all goes well.


James Harden and Chris Paul worked reasonably well together on the court, but they played through a lot of tension . Now, the Rockets are going to a new star backcourt that invites even more questions . How will Harden and Russell Westbrook fit? Houston coach Mike D'Antoni on The Woj Pod : If the superstars want to play together, then they will make it work. To be able to win a title now, you have to get superstars together   and whether it's two or three or how many else you can get. And then it becomes a chemistry. Because everybody's ball-dominant. When you're a superstar, you've been the main guy for sure. Now, you've got to make it work. And sometimes personalities, it doesn't work. Sometimes, it works for a while. Sometimes, it's hard to manage, sometimes. Again, if they're not on the same page totally 100 percent, I think the organization has to look and see what's best for the organization. D'Antoni was asked about Harden and Westbrook. (Best I can tell, D'Antoni never named Westbrook on the podcast, which should allow the coach to avoid a fine .) But D'Antoni could have easily been describing Harden and Paul. It seems Harden and Paul no longer wanted to make it work. Those two played better together than most people realized. The Rockets were one of the NBA's best teams each of the last two years, and they had an elite offense. But Harden and Paul clearly grated each other. Now, Harden and Westbrook will get a fresh start together. They sound eager to re-join forces after beginning their careers together with the Thunder. D'Antoni is correct: Harden's and Westbrook's desire to make this work will go a long way. But Harden and Paul were once enthusiastic about pairing, and that went south. An initial commitment to teaming up is important. It can also wane quickly. It also can't overcome every fit issue. Sometimes, stars just don't match, no matter their intentions. D'Antoni is also right about super teams generally require ball-dominant stars to sacrifice for the greater good. There are always diminishing returns on grouping stars. But other situations have included stars with more complementary skills. So much of what Harden and Westbrook provide involves having the ball in their hands. The diminishment of returns will likely be greater in Houston. Harden's and Westbrook's talent give the Rockets a huge leg up. Those two wanting to play together will push each to do his best to make it work. It's still far more complicated than that.


MIAMI (CBSMiami)   The final full day of a trip to Israel by Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Florida delegation will include a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a roundtable discussion on school safety and security and a visit to the Old City of Jerusalem. The exact time and place of the meeting between DeSantis and Netanyahu has not been released. It has been a whirlwind trade mission so far with Governor DeSantis starting most days before 7:00 a.m. and not quitting into well into the evening. The US Ambassador called him the best friend Israel has among the 50 Governors. Governor DeSantis started his final full day in Israel with a trip to Shaare Zedek Medical Center for a partnership signing ceremony between the University of Miami and Hebrew University. From there he visited the Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center on Mount Herzl, where he also attended a wreath laying ceremony in remembrance of six million Jews. After that, he returned to the David Citadel Hotel for a roundtable on school safety and security. Lawmakers are bringing home some new ideas for school safety from the one place in the word where protection by people with automatic weapons is an everyday sight. The Governor will conclude his trip with a visit to the Western Wall, which is one of the world's most holy sites which dates back to at least 74 years before the Christian Era began. DeSantis is planning to put a prayer in the wall for no hurricanes.