text
stringlengths 5
144k
| label
int64 0
9
| id
int64 0
100k
| label_text
stringclasses 10
values |
|---|---|---|---|
Venezuela's election commission has accepted 1.3 million signatures calling for the removal of President Nicolas Maduro, a move that can possibly pave the way to topple the leader who the opposition blames for a deep recession, triple-digit inflation and soaring crime. The National Electoral Board (CNE) accepted the signatures on Wednesday, after rejecting an initial petition with 1.8 million signatures. The decision moves the lengthy recall process on to the next step, in which at least 200,000 signatories must confirm their identity with fingerprint scans. Opposition representative Vicente Bello said that stage could happen between June 16 to 20. Under the constitution, the opposition would then have to gather four million more signatures to trigger a recall vote. "According to our calculations, the recall referendum could then be held in late September or early October of this year," Bello said. One recent opinion poll showed that almost 70 percent of Venezuelans want Maduro stripped of presidency this year. Maduro's opponents are racing to call a referendum before January 10 - four years into his six-year term - when a successful recall vote would trigger new elections rather than transfer power to the vice president. The opposition warns the once-booming oil giant risks exploding into unrest if authorities do not allow a referendum on Maduro's rule, which has seen an economic implosion marked by severe shortages of food, electricity, medicine and other basic goods. Former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who is leading the recall push, said in an interview last month that dialogue would simply allow the government to buy time and that the only way to resolve the crisis was through a vote. 'No referendum this year' Maduro's camp has repeatedly accused the opposition of rampant fraud in its signature drive. "There won't be a referendum this year," Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz said bluntly on Monday. Seeking to pressure the electoral authorities, about 1,000 demonstrators tried to march on the CNE's headquarters on Tuesday, but police broke up the protest. "We're here in the street to get Maduro out. We want change in this country. We're hungry," said protester Richard Salas, an administrative worker who carried a sign with a long list of products that have disappeared from supermarket shelves. Home to the world's largest oil reserves, Venezuela has gone into an economic tailspin as global crude prices have plunged over the past two years. Maduro accuses the business elite of artificially creating shortages to destabilise his government. | 5 | 98,500 | news |
Wednesday is the anniversary of Barry Bonds only career home run at Yankee Stadium, which he hit on June 8, 2002. Relive the monster blast here. | 1 | 98,501 | sports |
None of the Penguins were alive when the Pirates won the 1960 World Series at Forbes Field. Not even Matt Cullen. None of them were on hand when the Pipers beat the New Orleans Buccaneers in Game 7 at the Civic Arena for the American Basketball Association championship in 1968, either. Or, for that matter, when the Triangles earned the 1975 World Team Tennis title by knocking off San Francisco Golden Gaters in the same venue. That means the Penguins might not have much of a historical perspective on what they have a chance to do in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final against San Jose Thursday at 8:20 p.m. at Consol Energy Center. They hold a 3-1 lead in the series and can become the first Pittsburgh-based team in a major league sorry, Pipers and Triangles to win a championship here since Bill Mazeroski launched a Ralph Terry pitch over the left-field wall at Forbes in Game 7 against the New York Yankees. The Steelers captured all six of their Super Bowls at neutral sites; both of the Pirates' titles since 1960 were claimed in Baltimore. The Penguins secured their three Cups at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minn., Chicago Stadium and Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. In each instance, they never played a potential Cup-clinching game on home ice, so Game 5 will be a franchise first in at least one regard. Not surprisingly, the players are more focused on doing what it takes to win a Cup than the arena in which they would do it. "I would rather win it, regardless of where it is," defenseman Ian Cole said. "Obviously, to win at home would be fantastic. "However, we're not going to lose two games and hope to win it in Game 7 at home, just to make sure it's at home. We're going to try to win the game, regardless of where it is. And it happens to be at home. "If we can win it in front of our home crowd, it's even better. But we're going to try to win this thing as quickly as possible and not mess around because they're a very dangerous team." The Penguins had a travel day Tuesday and are scheduled to hold what they hope will be their final workout of the season today at their practice facility in Cranberry. There is a two-day break built in every time this series shifts locations, and the extra time off probably is a plus in terms of getting rest and recovering from injuries. Then again, when a team is as close to realizing a dream as the Penguins are, having an extended break might not seem like such a good thing to everyone. "You want to play all seven games in a row," center Nick Bonino said. "You're just champing at the bit, wanting to play all these games." Especially when there might only be one more of them. Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG. | 1 | 98,502 | sports |
State Attorney General Kamala Harris and Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez will meet this fall in a landmark Democrats-only clash to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, was leading the unwieldy 34-candidate field with 40 percent of the vote Tuesday, followed by Sanchez with 16 percent, with about half of precincts reporting. Trailing the two Democrats were three Republicans, led by Palo Alto attorney Duf Sundheim with 9 percent. Former state legislator Phil Wyman of Tehachapi (Kern County) had 5 percent and Lafayette attorney Tom Del Beccaro had 4 percent. "Tonight California spoke it said unity is our strength and diversity is our power," Harris told her supporters at a victory party in Delancey Street's Club Room in San Francisco. "We've got five months ahead. ... The eyes of the country are upon us." Assemblyman David Chiu wore a bright red T-shirt saying "Asians for Kamala," a group created for her first run for district attorney. "We all believed in 2003 that she had a bright future, but we had no idea just how bright," Chiu said. Sanchez full of confidence In Anaheim, Sanchez was full of confidence when she spoke to her supporters. "It's been an exciting campaign, and we're getting ready for round two!" she said. It was a lot quieter at the GOP election night event in San Francisco, where a few dozen Republicans showed up to watch the results come in. By 8:30 p.m., the room was clearing as the disappointing numbers came in for the Republican Senate candidates. By the time Sundheim spoke at 9:30 p.m., he was addressing about 30 people and plenty of empty chairs. He thanked his supporters and put the best possible spin on the results, arguing that it was "too early to say" whether he would finish second or third. The results weren't much of a surprise. The 51-year-old Harris, who was re-elected as attorney general with nearly 58 percent of the vote in 2014, jumped into the Senate race just days after Boxer announced she would retire in January 2015. Harris has been the front-runner to replace the Democratic senator ever since. Getting into the race was a tougher decision for Sanchez, 56, who had to give up the Santa Ana congressional seat she's held since 1996. Since she entered the race in May 2015, she has been running a consistent second place in the polls behind Harris. It was a difficult road for the GOP hopefuls, none of whom had the statewide name identification or the campaign cash of the two leading Democrats. Del Beccaro and Sundheim are both former heads of the state Republican Party and Wyman has served as both an assemblyman and state senator. The solution, the leading Republicans agreed during the campaign, was to unite behind a single GOP candidate and push past Sanchez into a spot on the November ballot. But the Senate hopefuls each had a very different idea of who the last Republican standing should be. "My opponents refuse to drop out to help unify the party," Del Beccaro said in a fundraising email last week, "endangering our chance of having any Republican make it" into the general election. Boxer's retirement created California's first open Senate seat since she and fellow Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein were elected in 1992. Under California's top-two primary system, which was approved by voters in 2010, the two leading finishers match up in the general election, regardless of party. The Harris-Sanchez race will mark the first time two members of the same party meet in a November rematch. The two Democrats have very different backgrounds. Harris was born in Oakland. Her mother was a doctor who immigrated from India and her father was a Jamaican American who taught economics at Stanford University. She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003 and re-elected four years later. She won a tight race for state attorney general in 2010. Sanchez was born in Lynwood (Los Angeles County) and grew up in Orange County. Her parents, immigrants from Mexico, had seven children and she was raised speaking Spanish. A financial analyst, Sanchez lost a race for Anaheim City Council in 1994 before knocking off a six-term Republican to win her congressional seat in 1996. Raucous fall campaign There already are signs of a raucous fall campaign. Harris, for example, is a favorite of Democratic Party leaders, holding endorsements from the state party, Gov. Jerry Brown and most statewide elected officials. But when the party voted to back Harris, Rep. Filemon Vela, a Texas Democrat and member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said in a statement that the party's endorsement of Harris "is insulting to Latinos all across the country." Harris, though, is a graduate of Howard University, a historically black college, and has plenty of backing from groups like the Congressional Black Caucus, setting the stage for a Senate battle between two major Democratic Party constituencies. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: jfwildermuth | 5 | 98,503 | news |
The Pirates beat the Mets to sweep Tuesday's doubleheader with another 3-1 win Tuesday. Juan Nicasio had a solid start and John Jaso's double sealed the win. | 1 | 98,504 | sports |
As Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's divorce heats up, the big question now is how much of a vast estate estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars will be divided amid allegations of physically abuse and reports of no prenuptial agreement. Depp and Heard are expected to face off in court next week over the actress' request to obtain a permanent restraining order against Depp. In the interim, Heard has already been granted exclusive use of the estranged couple's three adjoining Los Angeles penthouses. In California, the divorce rules are clear cut with any money earned during the marriage is community property and split 50-50. Money or property owned prior to marriage is treated as each individual's own. But dividing Depp's multimillion salary, backend residuals, and extensive property has top expert family attorneys divided. | 6 | 98,505 | entertainment |
Tate Martell, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class, has been narrowing his list of potential schools since decommitting from Texas A&M in early May. The 5-foot-10, 203-pound prospect revealed a top seven at the end of May, a top six near the end of last week and and a top five on Sunday. One of the schools in that top five, Ohio State, will be receiving a visit from the Las Vegas product this weekend. Martell announced the news on Twitter. OHIO STATE Visit This Weekend! pic.twitter.com/hAKn9OjVfq Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) June 8, 2016 Martell's top five also includes Cal, USC, Colorado and UCLA. The Buckeyes are viewed by most recruiting analysts as the favorite to land him. Martell is ranked the No. 33 overall player in the class by 247Sports' Composite Rankings . Ohio State's 2017 class is currently ranked the No. 1 class in the country. | 1 | 98,506 | sports |
The Tigers beat the Blue Jays in extra innings Tuesday on a walk-off RBI single by Ian Kinsler. Miguel Cabrera's RBI double sent the game to extras. | 1 | 98,507 | sports |
A man was seen falling into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park Tuesday and searchers are treating the case as a probable fatality, the park said. A witness reported that a man in his early 20s walked off a boardwalk and into a hot spring in the Norris Geyser Basin. A body had not been found as of Tuesday evening, the park's office of strategic communications said in a statement. Searchers were using "extreme caution" given the hazardous nature of the area, which contains the park's hottest thermal springs. Many of the hot springs in the basin maintain temperatures at or above 199 degrees, according to the park's website. The area where the man reportedly fell into the hot springs is about 225 yards off of the boardwalk, the park said in a statement. The possible fatality at Yellowstone comes on the heels of recent high-profile incidents at at the park. On May 9, two tourists put a baby bison into the back of their vehicle and drove it to a ranger station, believing the animal was cold. The animal was later euthanized after the herd rejected it and the abandoned animal kept approaching people and cars, the park service said. On May 14, a group of Canadian tourists left the boardwalk near the Grand Prismatic Spring and tramped around the environmentally protected and dangerous area, taking photos and videos which were then posted online. Three men, who posted the videos on a Facebook page titled "High on Life SundayFundayz" were charged with federal counts, according to court documents. The group posted an apology online and said they were overzealous, and also pledged to donate $5,000 to Yellowstone. | 2 | 98,508 | travel |
The late Kimbo Slice made his way up the MMA ranks after going viral on YouTube. What are some of the other best rags to riches stories in sports? #120Talk | 1 | 98,509 | sports |
In this occasional series, OZY takes to streets and neighborhoods across the globe to ask a simple question: "How was your day?" Stanford, California -- It's been a good day today because I got to kiss my wife this morning. I woke up at 5 a.m. and watched her get ready for work while I had a cup of coffee. Then I got on the bus to go meet with my adviser and talk about summer classes I can't afford to fall behind. At 64, I'm the oldest sophomore on campus. At Stanford University , we get a lot of material thrown at us. I'm trying to learn how to walk up a steep hill. I was admitted in 1969, but I left in 1970 to go help build a clinic for low-income, disadvantaged communities in East Redwood City. I've had 40 years in health care as a respiratory therapist. For 18 years, I was founder and CEO of my own company with clinical accreditation. I worked with very tiny babies weaning them off life support with ventilator systems at Stanford's Children's Hospital. I co-published in The Journal of Pediatrics in 1979. I was even invited to Congress to talk about the cost of health care . I left Stanford to do something, to help someone. But now, I'm in a better place by my being here. Life is hectic, but I'm grateful to have it. I easily put in 30 to 40 hours of homework every week and try to spend as much of my time as I can with my kids, my wife and occasionally a good friend. It's embarrassing sometimes because I have not been a student for a while and I think I am a bit or a lot slower in some higher-tech communications, learning software and systems that did not exist when I was previously at school. I guess I am just being lazy when I ought to consult with my son about most computer functions or phone apps. I have my own little ChromeBook, but I prefer to take notes by hand because it helps me retain things better. I use Aspercreme for my wrists and forearms because they keep cramping from writing notes so fast to keep up. It's humbling, it's frustrating and, at other times, it's very eye-opening. I'm dusting off the cobwebs. I am coming to know what it will take to be here, to succeed. I am lucky to be going back to school. I have wanted to do this for a long time. I kind of need to now. I started teaching at Foothill College about 10 years ago. I tried to get a full-time position at Foothill, but I hit a wall, even with my experience. I'm here at Stanford trying to get over the glass ceiling , if you will. I'm not sure people are recognized for what they have done or what they might be able to do. They're judged on what they've been able to matriculate through. But sometimes that matriculation may constipate our system. As a heuristic experience, it takes much hard work and reflection on how I came to be here, where my family came from and the dedicated work it will take for me to remain here. I grew up in Palo Alto. As a human biology major, I've seen so many concepts from class in my own life. But health is not the same as being able to walk into an emergency room. So how do we bring health not just access to health to communities? We need to even the playing field. I really believe there are ways to give people more information about their health care, to give more holistic health care. I'd like to make a difference in how to better approach health care systems. I don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I'm learning how to think again. It's a work in progress. | 3 | 98,510 | finance |
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Zach Davies took a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a two-out home run to Oakland's Billy Butler, and the Milwaukee Brewers withstood a shaky ninth inning to hold on for a 5-4 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night. BOX SCORE: BREWERS 5, ATHLETICS 4 Davies (4-3) allowed two hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out five. Butler turned on an 0-1 fastball from Davies to end the shutout. The A's mounted their best rally in the ninth against closer Jeremy Jeffress after getting runners on second and third while trailing by three. One run scored on a groundout before another came home on a throwing error by shortstop Jonathan Villar. With runners on the corners, Jeffress got Marcus Semien swinging on a pitch out of the zone before ending the game by getting Chris Coghlan to fly out to the warning track in left. Jeffress held on for his 16th save, narrowly preserving Davies' strong outing. The right-handed starter outdueled Oakland rookie Sean Manaea (2-4), who turned in seven solid innings but allowed two home runs to Chris Carter. The cleanup hitter slugged a two-run shot in the second and a three-run shot four innings later, with both homers going to center. It was plenty of support for Davies, a 23-year-old rookie coming off a career-best, eight-inning outing in a 3-1 win over St. Louis on June 1, when he allowed three hits. Davies got a hearty ovation as he returned to the dugout after finishing his outing against Oakland. Reliever Tyler Thornburg tossed a perfect eighth and extended a franchise record for a reliever with 26 straight batters retired before Jeffress provided some nerve-wracking moments in the ninth for manager Craig Counsell. For the Brewers, outfielder Ryan Braun got his 1,500th career hit with an infield single in the sixth. TRAINER'S ROOM Athletics: Third baseman Danny Valencia was scratched from the starting lineup with a stomach bug, replaced by Yonder Alonso. ... OF Khris Davis returned to Miller Park for the first time since being traded by Milwaukee to Oakland for two minor leaguers in February. Davis was not in the starting lineup because of numbness and tingling in his hands and fingers after getting hit in the elbow with a pitch on Saturday against Houston. Brewers: RP Corey Knebel (left oblique) is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list later this week after wrapping up his rehab assignment. He has yet to pitch this season. UP NEXT Athletics: RHP Jesse Hahn (2-3) is 1-2 with an 8.05 ERA in four starts since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on May 17. Brewers: After an inconsistent start to the season, RHP Chase Anderson (3-6) is 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA in his last four outings. --- Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP | 1 | 98,511 | sports |
The Yankees beat the Angels 6-3 on Tuesday. Carlos Beltran and Starlin Castro both went deep for New York, while Yunel Escobar and Greg Mahle both had moments to forget for LA. | 1 | 98,512 | sports |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Xander Bogaerts took notice of all the cheering Red Sox fans doing their part in the stands and then gave them something more to celebrate - even after a 10-inning wait on a cool, breezy Bay Area night. BOX SCORE: RED SOX 5, GIANTS 3 Bogaerts hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the 10th, and Boston snapped the San Francisco Giants' five-game home winning streak with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night. The Red Sox loaded the bases against Santiago Casilla (1-1), who struck out two in a perfect ninth before running into trouble. Bogaerts also had a third-inning RBI single in Boston's first visit to San Francisco in nearly three years. ''The fans were going pretty nuts there at the end,'' he said. ''I thought I missed a few good pitches. He pitched me tough. But I think he hung one a little bit, left it up a little.'' Dustin Pedroia extended his majors-best hitting streak to 14 games with an eighth-inning single, while David Ortiz's streak ended at 13 after his tying groundout as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. Pedroia also has hit in 11 straight road games. Junichi Tazawa (1-1) pitched the ninth for the win and Craig Kimbrel closed it out for his 14th save. Ortiz's high chopper over the pitcher's mound was controlled by shortstop Brandon Crawford, but Chris Young slid under the tag about 15 feet shy of second base as Crawford threw to first trying to double up Big Papi. Jackie Bradley Jr. scored from third. ''Heads up baserunning by Chris Young bought us an extra inning,'' manager John Farrell said, pleased with how his team handled the little things. Right-hander Albert Suarez pitched into the seventh in his second major league start, lifted for George Kontos after a one-out walk of Bradley, who stole second. Young had an RBI double and has hit safely in each of his last 13 starts for Boston. Two left-handed aces will face off Wednesday night in the conclusion of this quick two-game set: David Price against Madison Bumgarner. ''I don't think I've faced an opposing pitcher who's had home runs,'' Price said of Bumgarner, who has two. Boston starter Rick Porcello retired the first six batters in order Tuesday before Jarrett Parker's leadoff home run in the third. BIG PAPI HONORED The Giants honored retiring Red Sox star Ortiz in a pregame ceremony and presented him with a commemorative cable car bell. Hall of Famer Willie McCovey and two former Ortiz teammates, Jake Peavy and Javier Lopez, gave him the gift. ''I appreciate the fact they take the time to do things like that,'' Ortiz said, adding of McCovey: ''That was great. He's legendary.'' The 40-year-old Ortiz was relegated to pinch-hit duties for these two games in the NL ballpark as Farrell looks to rest the hitter's legs and feet as much as he has been on the basepaths. ''I don't want to risk losing him,'' Farrell said. ''We've got to be mindful of the wear and tear he's going through as a 40-year-old.'' MAD-BUM DERBY? If asked, Bumgarner would like to compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby next month at San Diego's Petco Park. ''I'll do it for sure,'' he said. ''If they ask me to do it, I'll do it.'' Manager Bruce Bochy expressed concern because ''that's a lot of swings'' and the potential for injury to his top pitcher. MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR ALI A moment of silence was held for late boxing icon, Muhammad Ali, who died Friday night. ''The Greatest'' has visited the club's spring training ballpark at Scottsdale Stadium. TRAINER'S ROOM Red Sox: Brock Holt, sidelined since May 20 with a concussion, was set to spend all day Wednesday being examined by renowned concussion specialist Dr. Micky Collins at the University of Pittsburgh. ... Blake Swihart, put on the disabled list Sunday with a severely sprained left ankle, will remain in a hard cast for the first week and the team expects to have a better idea about his injury at the two-week mark. Giants: C Buster Posey sat out a second straight game with an irritated nerve in his right thumb, and he might rest again Wednesday night to have five full days off with Thursday's off day. Posey has caught Bumgarner every game since 2014, 45 straight. ... Bochy had his final wisdom tooth extracted, on the upper right. ''Like my Marlon Brando impression?'' he quipped with gauze in his lip. UP NEXT Red Sox: Price (7-2, 4.88 ERA) is 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA over his last five starts. ''It's still not myself,'' he said. Giants: The Giants have won on each of the last eight starts by Bumgarner (7-2, 1.91), who has won his last six decisions since an April 20 loss to Arizona. | 1 | 98,513 | sports |
It reads like a thriller. Czech aristocrats with Nazi links hastily flee their castle in the final days of World War II, first hiding their treasures, including an extraordinary stash of 19th-century wines. Four decades on, communist secret police in a state hungry for cash act on a tip-off and find a priceless reliquary buried in the castle's chapel, but the dusty old bottles nearby go ignored. Until now. A rare Chateau d'Yquem 1896, Pedro Ximenez 1899 and Porto 189 are among the exquisite vintages in the 133-bottle collection creating a buzz in the wine world and questions over their fate. "Tasting wine older than 20 years is a unique experience, but trying some from the 19th century feels almost unreal," said master sommelier Jakub Pribyl, among a privileged few who sampled the wine in late May. "That only happens once in a lifetime." The bottles sat undisturbed for decades on simple wooden shelves in the castle in the western town of Becov nad Teplou. At the tasting, the sommeliers were able to test the wine without popping corks, thereby preserving the contents of the bottles, thanks to a method called Coravin technology that pierces the cork with a needle. The Pedro Ximenez, for example, had an aroma of caramel, raisins and nuts, plus the vibrant colour of amber, according to Pribyl. "Age aside, the collection is unique because of the circumstances of its discovery and its diversity," he said. "There are different wines from several countries including France and Spain. The wine is in superb condition." Early estimates put the value of the collection at 20 million koruna (740,000 euros, $830,000), but the price is likely to soar at auction. The collection was long hidden under the floorboards of a chapel at Becov castle, along with the precious reliquary of St. Maurua, reputed to contain part of a finger of St John the Baptist. It is one of the Czech Republic's two most important historical artefacts, alongside the crown jewels kept at Prague Castle. - Treasure hunt - Before passing into the state's hands, the castle overlooking a picturesque valley had been owned since 1813 by the noble Beaufort-Spontin family. Suspected of collaborating with the Nazis, the aristocrats left the country in haste in 1945 but not before stashing away all the treasures they would not be able to carry unnoticed across the demarcation line between the Soviet and American zones. Forty years later, an American businessman was quietly tasked by the family to ask then communist Czechoslovakia -- which split into two states in 1993 -- to let him recover an object hidden "somewhere" in the country in exchange for $250,000. Needing foreign currency, Prague said yes. At the same time, the secret police began sniffing around for the mysterious object. "The search soon zeroed in on three noble families and their ancient seats," said castle steward Tomas Wizovsky. "In November 1985, two weeks before the planned transaction, police officers equipped with metal detectors knocked on the Becov's door." They searched the gardens but as the weather worsened, they moved inside. The first door on the right was the entryway to the chapel where the astonished officers soon found the reliquary. - Dusty bottles - Made between 1225-30 in Namur province in Belgium, the casket consists of an oakwood core and an embossed gilded silver and copper box covered with filigree and 68 gemstones. Its discovery completely eclipsed the wine collection also found in the cache. "I can imagine the dust-covered bottles didn't look too appealing," Wizovsky said, adding that the police then stowed them away in a box only to be forgotten by all. Tucked away, the wine only drew attention recently when the chateau took inventory of its furnishings. While the bottles are due to be recorked in the famous French wine area of Chateau d'Yquem near Bordeaux to extend the lifespan of the wine, questions over their fate remain. "The difference between a wine bottle and a painting is that a Gauguin will always remain a Gauguin, while with wine, there's the risk that it will lose value," said Pribyl. "It would make sense to sell at least the most precious bottles at auction." The decision is up to the Czech state but Wizovsky said no auctions were planned for the time being. "It doesn't make sense to split the collection, its value lies in keeping it complete," argued Wizovsky. "The bottles will stay where they are and they will be accessible to experts in exceptional cases." Perhaps as a consolation for wine lovers, Becov has started making fig liqueur called "Saint Maurus". | 5 | 98,514 | news |
Plain ol' water, nature's original soft drink, is on the verge of breaking the country's obsession with soda. Bottled water has emerged as the unlikely drink of choice for a society that's long opted to guzzle sugar-sweetened beverages. A new report from Beverage Marketing found that bottled water consumption grew 120% between 2000 and 2015. That rapid rise has occurred as carbonated beverages have slowly fallen out of favor, going down 16% in the same time period. Increasing concerns over the health impacts of high-sugar beverages and the general trend toward diets filled with more natural food and drinks have helped push bottled water toward the top of the pack. But it's not just replacing carbonated beverages. Bottled water, both sparkling and still varieties, has become an alternative for juice, tap water and even alcoholic drinks, says Michael Bellas, CEO of Beverage Marketing. "Water is both a tap water replacement and a refreshment beverage," he says. "It was really one of the very first beverages to start to be consumed for health reasons." Bellas expects consumers to be drinking more water than soda by early 2017, if not the end of this year. Major beverage manufacturers like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been shifting their portfolios away from carbonated beverages in order to capitalize on health and wellness trends while hedging against falling soda sales. They have big stakes in bottled water. Pepsi owns Aquafina. Coke owns Smartwater and Dasani, two of the brands that helped it achieve a 7% increase in still beverage volume in the first quarter this year.The two beverage giants don't break out financial results of bottled water sales. Still, the fact that we're increasingly quenching our thirst with water is not necessarily a welcome trend for major beverage companies. The problem: customers are not nearly as loyal to water brands as they are to soda varieties, says Joseph Agnese, an equity analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence. Or in other words, water is water, and doesn't spark the same kind of heated debate that often comes up between lovers of Pepsi vs. Coke. Lower margins in bottled water also mean it's not as profitable. "The margins of the business and the loyalty issues make it not nearly as attractive as it is with carbonated soft drinks," Agnese says. "It's hard to compete with." The trend has its detractors, those who argue all that plastic bottle waste is bad for the environment one company has gained prominence for selling an eco-friendly boxed water and it's only bittersweet as far as health is concerned too. The good news is that the gradual switch means Americans have cut trillions of calories from their diets that used to come from sugary, carbonated drinks. Beverage Marketing estimates an individual saved an average of 24,000 to 27,000 calories last year when bottled water consumption reached an all-time high of 11.7 billion gallons compared to 2000, when Americans consumed 4.7 billion gallons of bottled water. The bad news is the majority of Americans are still overweight or obese. The most recent figures, from 2011 to 2012, show more than a third of Americans are considered obese, relatively unchanged from 2003 to 2004, according to the Journal of American Medicine. "It's not due from beverage intake in general," Bellas says, "because caloric intake of beverages of all types has gone down." | 3 | 98,515 | finance |
SAN FRANCISCO Campus policies put in place to prevent and respond to sexual assaults worked about as well as Stanford University officials expected, after a member of the school's swimming team was spotted by a garbage bin on top of an unconscious woman. Two graduate students passing by on bicycles interrupted the attack, chased down a freshman student and held him until campus police arrived. The student, Brock Turner, was arrested and agreed to withdraw from Stanford and never return rather than go through expulsion proceedings. But with outrage brewing over the six-month jail sentence the one-time Olympic hopeful received last week, Stanford unexpectedly has found itself defending its prevention efforts and arguing that the case should be cited as evidence of their success, not failure. "Stanford University did everything within its power to assure that justice was served in this case, including an immediate police investigation and referral to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for a successful prosecution," university officials said in a statement. A judge who attended Stanford as an undergraduate sentenced the 20-year-old Turner to six months in jail and ordered him to register as a sex offender following his conviction on felony assault and attempted rape charges. Like other U.S. colleges and universities, Stanford has been under renewed pressure from federal education officials, state lawmakers and students to improve the way sexual assault victims are treated and to ensure perpetrators face serious and consistent consequences. When Turner began his short-lived career as a swimmer for the prestigious California school in September 2014, orientation sessions for new students featured a video of student-athletes discussing the issue and a talk by the provost on their rights and responsibilities as members of the Cardinal community. Stanford also required new students to complete online training over the summer that covered topics such as acquiring affirmative consent for sex. Four months later, Stanford police arrested Turner for assaulting the woman he'd encountered while they both were drunk at a fraternity party. Along with banning him from campus for life, the university offered the victim counseling and other support services even though she was not a student. "What the case highlighted was the importance of our training and prevention efforts, and those are continuing, particularly in terms of bystander intervention 'If you see something, do something about it' and this case has been an excellent example for all of our students," campus spokeswoman Lisa Lapin said. Some Stanford faculty and students remain unimpressed with the university's handling of sexual assaults and its response to the Turner case. The Association of Students for Sexual Assault Prevention, a Stanford student group that staged protests and a teach-in for parents this school year, started an online petition calling on the school to publicly apologize to the victim, devote more money to prevention and survivor counseling programs, and to undertake a survey of how prevalent sexual assaults are among campus fraternities. Stephanie Pham, who co-founded the group and just completed her second year at Stanford, called the university's statement about its role in seeking justice for the victim "cold" and said it "lacked sympathy for the survivor in any way." "Sure, there were bystanders that stopped the rape from proceeding and sure, they took whatever required steps afterward," Pham said. "However, Stanford utilized its statement to defend its brand and defend its image." Lapin said Stanford welcomes the student efforts to educate their classmates, but said the online petition unfairly suggests the university shares blame for the length of Turner's sentence. "There is a certain point where the university doesn't have the authority. So we did a thorough investigation, we presented considerable evidence to the county for prosecution and it was a successful prosecution," she said, noting that the vast majority of campus assault cases never get reported to police. Turner's sentence sparked anger from critics who say Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky was too lenient on a privileged athlete from his alma mater. Backlash in the case continued Tuesday as several venues in New York City announced they had cancelled appearances by Good English, an Indie band from Oakwood, Ohio formed by three sisters, one of whom wrote a letter of support for her childhood friend that was made public. The prosecutor had argued for a six-year term for crimes that could have sent the 20-year-old to prison for 10 years. At his sentencing, the 23-year-old victim read a 12-page statement in court, addressed primarily to Turner and taking him to task for not taking responsibility for his actions. She did not criticize the university and thanked the graduate students who tackled Turner and summoned police. "I don't sleep when I think about the way it could have gone if the two guys had never come. What would have happened to me?," she said. "That's what you'll never have a good answer for, that's what you can't explain even after a year. The Associated Press does not generally identify victims of sexual abuse or assault. Stanford acknowledged that more needs to be done but said it is a national leader in implementing prevention programs, student training on intervention and support for victims. "There is still much work to be done, not just here, but everywhere, to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with sexual assault cases," its statement said. | 5 | 98,516 | news |
Nearly half a million people had signed a petition calling for the ouster of a California judge who has sparked outrage for his lenient sentence in a high-profile sexual assault case. Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky last week sentenced Brock Turner, a former Stanford University student, to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in January 2015. Lurid details of the case and the woman's emotional court statement recounting the assault and its impact on her life have gone viral on social media, with many denouncing the sentence as a slap on the wrist. Persky, who automatically won another term on the bench during elections as he was unopposed, justified his sentence, saying that he feared a stiffer jail term would have "a severe impact" on Turner. The ruling drew outrage and prompted an online petition that more than 480,000 people had signed by Tuesday afternoon. The petition argues that Persky's sentence, which has drawn international attention, clearly showed bias. "Judge Persky failed to see that the fact that Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency," says the petition, started by Maria Ruiz, a nurse in Miami. "He also failed to send the message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class, race, gender or other factors." Stanford law professor Michele Dauber told US media that she doubted Persky would complete his new six-year term given the huge outcry over the case. -'Dangerous and wrongheaded' - She said a hand-written petition would soon be launched to garner the necessary 70,000 signatures to put Persky's recall on the ballot. "His ruling was dangerous and wrongheaded," Dauber told the USA Today newspaper. "We need to replace him with someone who understands violence against women." The 20-year-old Turner, who was a member of the prestigious university's swim team, had faced up to 14 years behind bars for the assault. The judge said he decided to give him a lenient sentence based on the recommendation of probation officials who had suggested a six-month term given that he had no prior convictions and the fact that he was drunk when the assault took place. A letter submitted to the court by Turner's father, Dan Turner, has also sparked outrage. In it, the father argues that a jail term was "a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of (Turner's) 20 plus years of life." At the sentencing hearing last week, the victim, who has not been identified, read an emotional statement describing the impact the assault has had on her life. She recounted waking up in a hospital bed on the morning of January 18, 2015 without any recollection of what had happened and described the invasive exam she underwent. "TRUTH. Sitting in that courtroom was like a trip to the Middle Ages. Do we still burn witches?" Dauber tweeted after attending the sentencing hearing. Turner was arrested after two bicyclists saw him assaulting the victim behind a dumpster on the Palo Alto campus. | 5 | 98,517 | news |
Check out Tuesday's Top 5 Plays, which includes a sliding grab from Red Sox OF Chris Young. | 1 | 98,518 | sports |
HONOLULU David Willett lived in a tent and struggled with drug addiction before coming to Gregory House, a Honolulu shelter that has provided temporary housing for people with HIV and AIDS for more than a decade. But the shelter is among many that face steep federal funding cuts this year, and Willett and other residents worry about its future. "I would be dead if it wasn't for Gregory House," said Willett, 49. "We just desperately need this program." Shelter managers in Hawaii are scrambling to figure out how to keep a roof over the heads of hundreds of homeless people, and similar cuts are being made across the nation this month as the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development shifts its grant money to programs that focus on permanent housing. After hearing the news, Gregory House residents held hands in the kitchen its walls decorated with the words "live," ''believe" and "laugh" and shared stories about how living in the shelter helped them battle drug addictions and disease. The transitional shelters and programs many operating for more than a decade applied for grants and were scored on factors including the community's success at reducing homelessness. Local communities across the nation decreased homelessness by 11 percent since 2010, according to HUD. But Hawaii with the highest rate of homelessness in the nation bucked the trend, with more people falling into homelessness every year since 2011. Each local area ranked their programs in order of priority when submitting the applications to HUD, and programs at the bottom of the list faced stiff competition nationwide. Programs also were graded for the first time in the annual competition on whether local groups serving the homeless are working to decriminalize homelessness. "We have been looking at policies that criminalize homelessness for many years now, and they don't help," said Norm Suchar, director of office of special needs assistance programs at HUD. When communities criminalize homelessness, people end up going to jail for sleeping or urinating in public places, Suchar said. They remain homeless, because it's harder to get a job with a criminal record, and the community spends more money on jails and emergency room visits, he added. While HUD hasn't released how it graded the individual programs, several cities with policies that criminalize homelessness experienced cuts. Honolulu County, which banned sitting and lying down in Waikiki and other places in 2014, saw overall funding from HUD slashed by more than $525,000 this year, impacting programs that house about 465 people. Miami-Dade County got $2.5 million less from HUD than it did last year. While some programs in the Miami area saw increased funding, cuts to existing programs totaled about $6 million, said Ron Book, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. That impacted 23 programs providing more than 750 shelter beds, including transitional shelters serving victims of domestic violence, Book said. "If you don't have the money to fill the gap, you're going to put those women and those children directly into harm's way," Book said. Programs in Baltimore, Maryland saw their overall funding dwindle by $1.6 million. When prioritizing its grant applications, the city put transitional housing programs at the bottom of the list, said Bill McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore. A new permanent housing project got about $2 million, but transitional housing programs lost $3.8 million for 18 programs with hundreds of beds, he said. That included My Sister's Place Lodge, which houses 27 women with disabilities such as mental illness, and Christopher's Place, a shelter that helps men transition back into the workforce after serving time in prison. "You're talking about hundreds of beds that are lost without the support of HUD," McCarthy said. "The city had no plan in place with what they would do with the individuals that were living in these programs." Nationwide, many of the programs that lost money were transitional housing. While HUD believes there's a place for transitional housing, data shows that programs offering permanent housing have better long-term outcomes, Suchar said. "We have a very difficult homelessness problem and not all the resources that you would want to have, so we prioritize," Suchar said. Not all programs lost money; funding from HUD was up overall. HUD awarded nearly $2 billion in grants for homeless programs, up from $1.8 billion last year. Houston had a large increase in funding, getting an additional $9 million for a total of $32 million. New York City also saw a big increase, with an additional $17 million boosting its total to $122 million. HUD's federal office is working with local groups to ensure that if a de-funded shelter shuts down, the residents have an alternative place to go, officials said. But with no specific plan in place, local shelter managers are worried. "I can't in good conscience just allow this group of people to become homeless because of some ill-arrived decisions from a federal agency," said Jon Berliner, executive director of Gregory House Programs. "The impact of this is just going to be unbelievably awful." ___ Follow Cathy Bussewitz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cbussewitz. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/cathy-bussewitz | 5 | 98,519 | news |
Welcome to Ciociaria, a wild and scenic mountain region south of Rome. Once a poor land the name comes from local shepherds' worn-out cioce , or hairy leather shoes this was a place of farmers and cattle breeders where less than a century ago young people left in droves. Today, though, sleepy Ciociaria is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Italians have a saying: "Life is like a staircase: Some people go, others come." While refugee boats land almost daily on Mediterranean shores, a well-heeled class of migrants has quietly gained a foothold in Italy, returning to the small villages their forebears left generations prior in search of a better life. Families who 70 years ago fled to England, Scotland, Canada, the United States and even Australia in the hope of building a rosier future have begun a reverse migration, trickling back to the land abandoned by their grandparents. Some of those grandparents fared well in their new homes and made fortunes and now their descendants have returned with stacks of cash, in search of their roots. Investments from Ciociaria's "old-new" immigrants have revived the local economy in the form of restyled medieval dwellings and abandoned farmhouses, and the global promotion of local artisanal products like pecorino sheep cheese , black pig lard and goat ricotta. "All buildings have been restored by the sons and daughters of immigrants who went to the U.K. looking for a job," says local Daniele Venditti, a resort concierge. "Everything is neat and shiny." Some of these newcomers stay only during the summer, while others live here half of the year. Most are concentrated in the Comino Valley at the foot of the rugged Apennine Mountains. Visit the tiny hamlet of Casalattico and you'll find yellow Victorian-style mansions with elegant white columns and balconies juxtaposed with ancient Roman bridges, medieval castles and Renaissance arches. It's like walking through a sort of Little Britain. In the neighboring town of Settefrati, Venditti points out a tall redheaded couple leisurely walking dogs as the day fades to evening. "See them?" he asks, noting their Irish roots. "When they retired from work, they decided to spend the rest of their lives in their grandparents' town, make a fresh start." This peculiar category of wealthy reverse migrants has bought chunks of villages, opened luxury resorts and started bio farms as well as premium wine resorts. Those who return often have nostalgic memories pulling them and their pocketbooks back to Italy. In Picinisco village, dating back to pre-Roman times, Scottish lawyer Cesidio Di Ciacca has led the way to a real revival. "My grandparents left this land decades ago," he says. "I was born in a tiny fishermen's village near Edinburgh, [but] my family never lost contact with Italy." Indeed, Di Ciacca used to return every year with his family to spend time with cousins and other relatives. "The attachment for this place grew inside me as time went by, and all of a sudden I found myself visiting more regularly, bringing my own wife and children here to discover and admire Picinisco," he says. Finally, he decided to make the big leap backward: Buy a house and make it home. This was no ordinary dwelling. He moved into the old palace of an abbot, part of the original village watchtower that he lavishly restyled into a multiroom deluxe suite. Next he created a luxury resort, Sotto le Stelle, featuring medieval apartments turned into modern rooms. Then he purchased an entire hamlet Borgo I Ciacca of crumbling buildings that his family slowly abandoned over generations. Though the restoration is ongoing, it has become a thriving farm that produces olive oil, jams and honey. And now he's recovering ancient vineyards and breeding free-grazing black pigs, renowned for their succulent meat. But big investments like these (Di Ciacca won't say exactly how much he's dished out so far) take time to turn a profit, and sometimes never do. Meanwhile, if other curious investors on the sidelines don't see profit potential here, then other struggling Italian villages and hamlets may continue to crumble away. "It's a life mission you need to believe in it [and] have money, sure, but above all, [you need] patience and tons of passion," says Daniele Kihlgren, a popular Italian businessman who has invested around 10 million euros in purchasing abandoned hilltop towns and giving them a second life. At Borgo I Ciacca, the bakery room fills on weekends with the scent of fresh loaves and pizza when Di Ciacca's employees all local come here to relax. They say they feel like part of a big family. "He asked me if I could run this farm for him when he was away in Scotland, and despite knowing little about wine or olive oil back then, I studied and he took me on board," says Marika Tuzi, the 24-year-old manager who runs the estate. This small-scale economic revival isn't limited to Comino Valley. On some tiny islands, such as Ventotene, a visitor might hear Italian spoken with a strong foreign accent. Enter Frank Imparato, a New York-based insurance broker who owns several properties on the island and regularly travels back and forth from New York, staying on Ventotene roughly a couple of weeks each summer. "It takes my sister and me about three hours to walk a few hundred meters," he says with a Manhattan accent, noting they should really be staying months instead of weeks. "At every corner there's a faraway cousin or uncle who stops to say hello and offers an espresso." | 2 | 98,520 | travel |
The Rangers beat the Astros 4-3 Tuesday after Ian Desmond's two-run homer broke a 2-2 tie. Jake Marisnick made a leaping catch into the wall for the Astros, and Jurickson Profar did the splits to make a catch. | 1 | 98,521 | sports |
This is one of a series presented by the National Aviary, which works to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds. For the past two weeks, the sights, sounds and fragrance of spring have been heavy in the air. Peonies and honeysuckle are releasing sweet floral scents, and birdsong abounds. Winged creatures are darting to and fro in search of tasty treats, and birds are not the only animals taking wing this season. Butterflies are sharing airspace during daylight hours. Interestingly, birds and butterflies have much in common. Both birds and butterflies fly. The ability to fly helps both species locate food, discover nesting or egg-laying locations, and find suitable mates. While birds have two wings, butterflies have four. When in flight, a butterfly's forewing latches together with its respective hindwing, causing both the forewing and hindwing to move as one. Observe a butterfly in flight, and it will appear that it has two wings just like birds! Although a bird wing is composed of feathers and a butterfly wing is composed of scales, the coloration of these wings is achieved through similar methods. The colors we see in both birds and butterflies are derived through pigments and structure. Orange, red, yellow, black and brown are pigments found naturally in the cells of feathers and scales. However, what we perceive as blue is not a pigment at all. Blue feathers or scales occur from the way light is absorbed and refracted off the structure of the feather or scale. Green feathers and scales are a combination of yellow pigment and the blue we see from light refraction. Both birds and butterflies migrate. Some species have evolved to migrate long distances for food and breeding. The unique aspect that sets butterflies apart from birds is that butterflies will complete a round trip migration over several generations (birds usually do this in one generation). The longest migration recorded for a bird is 50,000 miles. This is completed every year by the Arctic tern, whose round-trip journey takes it between breeding grounds in the Arctic to wintering grounds in the Antarctic. The longest migration for a butterfly in North America is 3,000 miles, completed by the monarch butterfly. However, the monarch may have some competition for the coveted award of "longest migration for a butterfly species." Research suggests that the European painted lady may migrate up to 9,000 miles over six generations! Our beautiful natural world is filled with complex ecosystems. When we conserve birds, we also conserve many other plants and animals that coexist with them, including butterflies. Our backyards are great canvases for conservation. Planting native wildflowers, providing shallow water sources, leaving fallen leaves in flower beds, and decreasing pesticide use transforms a yard into a healthy oasis that attracts and supports birds, butterflies and many other creatures! This summer, the National Aviary is showcasing up to 13 North American species of butterflies in an interactive Butterfly Garden exhibit. Visitors can observe hundreds of butterflies at once, while trying their hand at feeding individual adults. Just like in the National Aviary's Tropical Forest, Wetlands and Grasslands exhibits, where guests can get nose to beak with birds from around the world, the Butterfly Garden enables guests to get nose to proboscis with butterflies. | 5 | 98,522 | news |
One by one, Donald Trump's GOP rivals fell by the wayside | 5 | 98,523 | news |
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has used Twitter to respond to a Reuters report published yesterday that indicated the company was in talks with Samsung SDI to supply batteries for its car and energy storage products. Musk clarified that Tesla is "working exclusively" with Panasonic to make the cells for its upcoming Model 3 electric car, and that "news articles claiming otherwise are incorrect." Musk followed up with a tweet that stated that the batteries in Tesla's Model S and Model X vehicles " are also Panasonic ." In a statement sent to The Verge , a Tesla spokesperson said the company "works with all the leading battery suppliers around the world," but refused to comment on details of programs with specific suppliers. "Panasonic has been our battery cell supplier throughout the Model S and Model X programs," the statement reads, with Tesla "work[ing] very closely with Panasonic to ramp up battery cell production at the Gigafactory for Model 3." Would like to clarify that Tesla is working exclusively with Panasonic for Model 3 cells. News articles claiming otherwise are incorrect. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 8, 2016 The Reuters report suggested that a potential Samsung SDI deal would help cover the unexpected demand for Tesla's Model 3, announced earlier this year and due in 2017, but also considered the possibility that the two companies may be in discussions to supply the cells for Tesla's energy storage products, such as its Powerwall . Musk did not address the topic in his tweets, leaving room for Tesla to offload battery production for Tesla Energy products to another company while it focuses its huge Reno Gigafactory on the increased production of Model 3 cells. | 5 | 98,524 | news |
The Nationals beat the White Sox 10-5 Tuesday. The Nats tallied eight unanswered runs in the game, including a homer from Anthony Rendon and a two-RBI double from Bryce Harper. | 1 | 98,525 | sports |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Former NBA center and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Sean Rooks died Tuesday after interviewing earlier in the day for a job with the New York Knicks. He was 46. Rooks had visited with Knicks President Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills for an assistant coaching position on Jeff Hornacek's staff. He had spent the past two years on Brett Brown's staff in Philadelphia. The cause of death was not known. ''It is with a profound deal of sadness that we mourn the sudden loss of a beloved son, father and friend, Sean Rooks. Words simply cannot express the heartbreak and shock our entire organization is feeling over this loss,'' 76ers co-managing owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer said on behalf of the team. Rooks played 12 seasons after being selected in the second round of the NBA draft by Dallas in 1992. He averaged 6.2 points in 749 games with seven teams. His interview with the Knicks was first reported by Yahoo Sports. Lute Olson, who coached Rooks in college, called it a ''terrible loss for Arizona basketball.'' ''This is just a horrible shock,'' Olson said. ''Sean was such a wonderful young man with a great disposition. During his time at Arizona, he was always one of the most pleasant individuals to be around.'' Rooks' son, Kameron, is a 7-footer playing for California. He also is survived by another child, Khayla, and his mother, Deborah Brown. | 1 | 98,526 | sports |
The Reds beat the Cardinals 7-6 Tuesday thanks to a Joey Votto walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Adam Duvall and Billy Hamilton each added homers in Jhonny Peralta's return for the Cardinals. | 1 | 98,527 | sports |
Although I have never been a fan of boxing, my father was a great enthusiast of the sport and a huge fan of Ali. (Like Jordan, no one ever had to say "Muhammad Ali" to know who you were talking about. He was always just Ali.) Growing up, I listened to my father many times recount Ali's fights and particular defining moments of his career elaborating on his style using terms I would only later understand such as "rope a dope" (a term I loved hearing because of its rhyme) and "lightning fast." My father told stories of becoming an usher as a young man at auditoriums in Los Angeles just so that he could watch boxing matches on closed-circuit TV that he couldn't afford tickets to. Most often Ali was the protagonist. Other fighters such as Frazier and Foreman were represented in his stories, but in my recollection they played the antagonists in his stories. My father always said Foreman had the most powerful punch of all time. After Ali's death, my father relayed one of his favorite stories regarding Ali's fight with Foreman in Zaire: "Foreman said that during the fight he hit Ali with as hard a punch as he had ever hit anyone -- and, yes, he was a devastating puncher -- and Ali said to him: 'Is that all you've got, George?' Foreman said he thought to himself, 'yeah, that's about it.'" My father gave me his old heavy leather boxing gloves when I was about 8. I kept them in my room as artifacts foreign to my experience or desires. My father tried to teach me to box, but I never saw the point. Why would I fight someone or hit him? For my father, it was the epitome of being a man: Standing up for yourself, conquering fear and not letting other people intimidate you. (I never understood why becoming a "man" was so important; weren't those same attributes equally admirable traits for women?) So boxing became another way my father and I were different -- different goals, different motivations, different world views. However, I have been aware of Muhammad Ali my entire life. I love sports, and Muhammad Ali was a prominent figure in and, as I later learned, out of the ring. When Muhammad Ali died last week, I reflected on what I actually knew of and felt about him. As I disclaimed above, I am not a boxing expert and, further, support banning the sport, but in my reflection I began to hear my father's stories again. My thoughts were his words interspersed with a slideshow of images of Ali from newspapers or from watching him on TV as a youngster. In mentally recounting my father's stories and my memory bank of film clips, it soon became obvious to me that Muhammad Ali completely redefined an entire sport. When you think of any boxer before Ali they appear stiff, strong and intimidating. Like a lightning bolt, Cassius Clay, cum Muhammad Ali, bursts on the scene with a quickness, agility and power unlike any boxer before or, I believe, ever. Here was a guy literally dancing around the ring, a term I doubt was ever used to describe boxers before him, and exhibiting his signature lightning-fast shuffle of his feet -- divert your eyes for a second and you were going down. He then invented "rope a dope," literally with his back against the ropes, letting other boxers tire from punching his body running the risk of lowering their fatiguing arms for a split second to realize their mistake too late. He was brash too and infinitely quotable. Growing up I watched him verbally spar with Cosell playing his sidekick and he impressed me with a confidence I didn't possess. He knew he was the greatest and wasn't afraid to say it. Or capitalize from it, and why not? I always remembered the TV commercial for aftershave that ran long before I ever used a razor: Float like a butterflySting like a beeBrut is greatJust like me. Wow, this guy is saying something I would never say. Bigger than life. In the articles and Facebook posts after his death, I learned that this quote was a commercialization of one of his famous quotes, which was in turn, actually written by one of his close friends and advisors. But no matter, that was Ali. I also read he said, "If you dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologize." Now, that is tough. Few athletes have redefined their sport. Muhammad Ali did exactly this with his style, ability and brashness. But in time, he became larger than boxing -- with exalted excellence, he championed larger causes to become a cultural icon. My kids have never seen Ali fight, but they know he was a boxer and bravely faced Parkinson's. He became larger than boxing and larger than life, a status that results when a person takes leadership of issues larger than them and uses their status to advance those issues. In short, not only was he the greatest boxer of all times, but one of the greatest athletes of all time. And more. Whether the sport caused his Parkinson's disease or not may never be known. What is absolutely apparent is that his suffered publicly with grace and dignity as he championed for issues larger than himself. This was extraordinarily represented when, in 1996, he with his body erect, left arm and head shaking, his right arm held steady the Olympic torch, both arms momentarily stilled as he grasped the torch with two hands, releasing it again to his still right hand before lowering it to light the Olympic torch. When he won a boxing Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960, he had yet to define the sport. By the time he lit the torch that night in Atlanta in a stadium filled with Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," he stood erect with dignity and grace as an example of the Olympic spirit. In that moment, whether you were a fan of boxing or not, we felt we were witnessing a man, who had been larger than a sport, with great courage define the Olympic spirit. We all recognized and felt his enduring greatness. When my youngest son asked me if Ali was the greatest I responded, without hesitation, there was no doubt. My father and I will never share the love of boxing, but in hindsight, I clearly recognize his admiration for Ali. More Ali: -- Muhammad Ali Responds To Donald Trump -- When Bush Gave Ali Presidential Medal Of Freedom -- Muhammad Ali Only Played Golf Once, But The Story Is Incredible | 1 | 98,528 | sports |
The Padres beat the Braves 4-3 Tuesday night. Derek Norris hit a game-tying home run in the 9th before Wil Myers hit a walk-off single. | 1 | 98,529 | sports |
KABUL, Afghanistan Blast walls mushroom in the Afghan capital after each massive attack or a big bombing, turning Kabul into a maze of concrete in a sad testimony that war still remains very much part of life here. For some, the walls feel like a prison a far cry from the gardens and peaceful hues that dotted Kabul in the 1960s, before the Taliban. For others, the walls thwart potential suicide bombers and keep their children safe. Each time the city is targeted, more public space disappears. The wealthy and the connected erect the walls on the streets outside their homes, sparing no costs to cordon off their quarters and seemingly unconcerned for residents who suffer in choking traffic jams that result. Afghanistan has been in conflict for almost 40 years and at war with the Taliban for 15 years, since the U.S.-led invasion of 2001. But even a "ring of steel" around Kabul, with tens of thousands of policemen, soldiers and private security guards deployed on a daily basis, has not kept attackers away. By the time a massive truck suicide bombing in April killed 64 people and wounded hundreds in the heart of Kabul, spreading panic among the city's population of 4.5 million, the U.S. Embassy had already erected one of the city's tallest barriers at its western entrance a 4-meter (13-feet) wall, painted bright yellow, that now looms over one of Kabul's main roundabouts. As security demands increased over the years, Hesco bags huge sacks of steel welded mesh filled with sand and rocks that once dominated Kabul's landscape have been replaced by concrete blast T-walls, so called because individual blocks resemble the inverted letter T. The walls, more known as visual landmarks of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, are now ubiquitous across Kabul and making them is a booming business, according to Bahir Sediqi, marketing manager for Omid Khwajazada, a company on the outskirts of Kabul that manufactures the 13-ton walls. Prices are coming down due to higher demand, coupled with lower labor costs amid an unemployment crisis. Blast walls now costs $100 a square meter, he said, compared to $250 before 2014. The walls are transported into the city overnight and winched into place with cranes, he said. Sediqi says his customers lately tend to prefer the 7-meter (23-feet) model to those 3 meters high. Though he isn't "happy because the walls turn the city into a prison," he says working is better than not having a job. "It's not only the Afghan government and some foreign embassies and companies that are buying them, but rich people, too," he said. For others, they are depressive. The walls "make you feel as if there is only fighting, violence and terror here," said Nazir Ahmad, a Kabul resident, as he strolled past the stretch of grey concrete outside the Telecommunications Ministry. The ministry's spokesman, Yasin Samim, defended the walls, saying the employees started receiving warnings from the police and the Afghan intelligence agency back in 2012 that their building could be targeted. "It was felt to be a necessary precaution," he said. "We're the center of all the nation's information." As the walls multiplied, they became a canvas for a group of artists calling themselves Artlords a word play on warlords, who still play a major role in the Afghan society. The Artlords descended on the concrete, painting scenes depicting ordinary Afghans, from street sweepers to policewomen and footballers. Much of Artlors' work is about eyes huge painted eyes, male and female, that look down from the walls on the passing traffic and pedestrians. Some also have a warning, painted alongside: "God and the people are watching." For Omaid Sharifi, the Artlords founder, the murals are a way of beautifying the gray that dominates the cityscape. "We wanted to 'bring down' these walls," Sharif said. "We cannot do it with a shovel, the only thing we can do is use paint." Sediqi, the marketing manager of the blast wall factory, says Kabul seems to be running out of space for more walls. "Everyone already has all the walls they need," he said. | 5 | 98,530 | news |
You Gotta See Indians 3B Juan Uribe steal a hot dog from a fan. | 1 | 98,531 | sports |
With a superhero's green and blue cape cascading down her back, Li Jiamei skipped into her Beijing nursery wielding a pink plastic sword. When classmates asked the Chinese schoolgirl who she had come to the Halloween fancy dress party as, she had an immediate reply. "I want to be a knight!" Li declared. "That way I can rescue my dad!" Related: My friend Li Heping, a man China thinks is 'more dangerous than Bin Laden' For all her gallantry, it is a battle the six-year-old is unlikely to win. Li Jiamei is the daughter of Li Heping , a top Chinese human rights lawyer who has not been heard of since he disappeared into the custody of China's security services in July 2015. Next month will mark one year since China began an unprecedented attack on such lawyers, rounding up and interrogating more than 300 people in what activists believe was a bid to cow the country's vibrant "rights defence" movement and strike a blow to those daring to challenge the administration of President Xi Jinping. Nearly 12 months after the crackdown began, human rights groups say at least 20 of its targets remain in detention facing accusations that they connived to overthrow China's authoritarian one-party system. Li Jiamei is still waiting for her father to come home. "She's small. She misses her dad," said her mother, Wang Qiaoling, during a two-hour interview conducted in the smokey backroom of a Beijing café in order escape the gaze of security agents who now monitor the lawyers' families around the clock. "I tell her I miss him too and that we must try to get through this together." Deprived of all contact with her husband for almost a year, Wang, who is a devout Christian, looks to the Bible for solace. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose," said the 44-year-old, quoting from the Epistle to the Romans. China's "war on law" began in the early hours of Thursday 9 July last year when a 44-year-old attorney named Wang Yu was taken from her home in Beijing. Just months earlier she had foreseen her detention, telling a friend: "Nobody is safe under a dictatorship." Over the following days many of the country's leading activist-lawyers were seized, including Li Heping, a Beijing-based Christian attorney famed for defending political dissidents such as Chen Guangcheng and Gao Zhisheng . Those bundled into secret detention included not just some of China's most experienced and outspoken civil rights lawyers but also their young employees, such as Zhao Wei , an idealistic 24-year-old legal assistant who has also been held incommunicado since July. "All I can say is that I feel furious and helpless," Zhao's husband, You Minglei, said this week amid unconfirmed reports that she been physically abused by prison guards. "We still haven't been given any information [and] in the last few days we've heard she was assaulted in the prison. I don't know what to do." Andrew Nathan, a Columbia University expert in Chinese politics and human rights, said the crackdown was part of a wider bid to rein in dissent and reshape Chinese society that has accelerated since the country's "Napoleonic" president, Xi Jinping, took power in 2012. "[Lawyers and activists] are just garbage to him. They are not part of his vision of a future China," Nathan said of those who have fallen victim to the intensifying repression under Xi. Related: No country for academics: Chinese crackdown forces intellectuals abroad "I think he believes in a future China where everybody accepts their lot, pulls together under the wise leadership of the leadership. His notion of a beautiful future China is not going to be one with a free press or independent media but one with a well-disciplined Communist party that is honest and moral and works for the people and where not everybody's selfish demands can be satisfied." Nathan admitted it was impossible to know whether Xi had issued specific orders for the detentions or whether the repression which many describe as the worst in nearly three decades was simply the result of security chiefs reacting to an increasingly hard-line "jingshen" or "spirit" that had gripped China since he became leader. Either way, he said the harshness of the current campaign reflected Xi's nervousness as he attempted bold and potentially destabilising reforms of the economy , the military and the Communist party itself, through a ferocious anti-corruption campaign . "It's sort of as you cross a chasm on a tightrope your muscles tense up." Li Jiamei, the youngest of two children, had just started her summer holidays when she became ensnared in the unforgiving world of Chinese politics. She woke, on the morning of Friday 10 July, intent on spending the day with her dad, her mother recalled. "She begged her father to take her to work. And then it happened that was the day." At about 10am, father and daughter pulled up outside the law firm where he worked on Beijing's Liangmaqiao Road. Within seconds, Li's brown Honda SUV had been surrounded by police. Wang, who has been married to the lawyer for almost two decades, said her husband had refused to be taken without safely delivering the couple's daughter back home. After a discussion, the police relented. Two officers raced back to the lawyer's home in his car, leaving young Li Jiamei with her mother. Li Heping was led away. Months later a 200 yuan (£21) speeding ticket was delivered to their home. Wang said she initially failed to grasp the severity of her husband's situation. After all, in more than a decade on the frontline of the fight for human rights, he had been beaten, detained, tortured and abducted and suffered regular harassment from security officials. This time, "I thought they might just have summoned him for a chat," she said. In October last year, Li Jiamei posted a birthday message to her absent father on Youtube in a move relatives hoped would draw attention to his plight. "Daddy. When are you coming back?" the little girl asks in the video . "Come back immediately!" He did not. In fact, only in January did Li's family even discover where he had been imprisoned after an official arrest notice arrived confirming he was being held in Tianjin, a city to the southeast of Beijing, on subversion charges that carry a potential life sentence. Wang, herself a lawyer, rejects the claim her husband and his fellow lawyers were colluding to topple the Communist party as a "farce". "The entire process has been unlawful from the very start," she said. It is a verdict shared by much of the international community. "Accusations of 'subversion of state power' or 'incitement to subversion' deny the nature of the work of these human rights defenders," the European Union said last month in a statement calling for their release . During a recent congressional hearing on human rights in China, Republican senator Chris Smith accused Xi Jinping of waging "an extraordinary assault on civil society and advocates for human rights". Beijing's refusal to step back from the crackdown has alarmed western observers and governments who view the deteriorating human rights situation as part of a wider trend of Chinese intransigence under Xi on issues ranging from territorial disputes in the South China Sea to political reform in Hong Kong . "He doesn't care if you like him or don't like him," Nathan said of China's leader. "He's not looking around to see what reaction he gets. He's just very determined on his goals and I think he believes, like Napoleon, that if I continue on forwards others will yield as I move." The clampdown has taken a painful toll on the partners and children of those behind bars, even if many of the youngest struggle to comprehend the political tornado that has sucked up their parents. With each week, the list of individual tragedies has grown longer. Yuan Shanshan, the 36-year-old wife of Xie Yanyi , another detained attorney, was one month pregnant when her husband was detained on 12 July 2016. Xie, who remains in custody, was not there to hold her hand when she gave birth to a baby daughter in March. He was also unable to attend his mother's funeral after she died on 22 August last year. Bao Zhuoxuan, the 16-year-old son of Wang Yu and her husband, Bao Longjun, has been robbed of both his parents. He now lives under heavy surveillance with his grandmother in Inner Mongolia having been captured by security agents last October during a foiled attempt to smuggle him into exile in the United States through south-east Asia. Wang Guangwei, the three-year-old son of Wang Quanzhang , another imprisoned lawyer, has also been deprived of his father. "It has turned our life upside down," said Li Wenzu, his 31-year-old mother. Wang Qiaoling, who also has a teenage son with Li Heping, said she had turned to the spouses of other jailed attorneys for support. She makes regular trips around China to visit fellow victims in their hour of need and has staged small demonstrations outside the prison where some lawyers are being held. "I miss him so much but I have decided to miss him in a happy way," she said. Wang was herself taken into custody on Monday following her latest protest. "I can miss him and still be happy at the same time. I can be happy in standing up for our rights. And I can also try to make others happy. That is a choice we can make. As for having our families taken away from us, we don't have any choice about that." Nathan said the offensive against government critics and independent thinkers was paying off for the Communist party. "People get the message. They are shutting up. They are being more careful. And those who have been the most active are struggling with their personal lives they are either in jail or have lost their job or been fired from their law firm and so forth." But the spouses of China's missing lawyers are refusing to go quietly. "If someone attacks you, you're not just going to just stand there and let them beat you, are you?" said Li Wenzu, who has also continued to speak out in defiance of threats from security officials. Li confessed she had even started to enjoy the thrill of being constantly trailed by government spies and finding ways to shake them off. "Right now, life is colourful," she said with an uneasy grin. Li Jiamei has also refused to give up the fight. Earlier this year, Wang recalls a playmate turning to Li Heping's chivalrous daughter and asking what she wanted to be when she grew up. For that question, the six-year-old had an answer too. "I've decided I want to be a human rights lawyer," she said. | 5 | 98,532 | news |
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton says thanks to those who voted for her and volunteered for her campaign it is the first time in history that a woman will be major party nominee. Clinton also congratulated Senator Bernie Sanders for a hard fought campaign. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). | 8 | 98,533 | video |
Former NBA player and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Sean Rooks died Tuesday at the age of 46. | 1 | 98,534 | sports |
NEW YORK Hillary Clinton laid claim to the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night, making a full pivot to a nasty general-election fight against Donald Trump as she prevailed in a vigorously contested primary in California against Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clinton, the first woman chosen as the standard-bearer of a major American political party, celebrated the occasion with a forward-looking address to supporters in Brooklyn, not far from her campaign headquarters and just a few miles from New Jersey where she defeated Sanders in the first of six states voting Tuesday. Although Clinton unofficially clinched the nomination the previous evening, she embraced the historic nature of her bid at her victory celebration Tuesday, debuting a video that placed her within the tradition of "women of the world who have blazed new paths." Basking in a moment eight years in the making, Clinton took the stage with her hands clasped to her heart as supporters cheered and screamed. She took her time walking through the crowd to the lectern, shaking the hands of her exuberant supporters. "Thanks to you, we've reached a milestone, the first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee," Clinton said. "Tonight's victory is not about one person it belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible." Get live election updates from BreakingNews.com Clinton won easily in the New Jersey primary and held off a robust challenge from Sanders in California, the nation's most populous state, where voters also had their say Tuesday. Clinton had sought to avert a loss there with nearly a week of intensive campaigning. As the country's most diverse state, and a wellspring of Democratic support and campaign cash, California was a symbolic but important final test of Clinton's strength as a communicator and candidate. The contests in the six states came on a busy day following Clinton's abrupt clinching of the nomination Monday night because of a revised delegate count by the Associated Press. In the wake of that milestone, party elders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), stepped up efforts to unify Democrats for the fall, and a spokesman for President Obama indicated that he was eager to help broker peace between Clinton and Sanders and start campaigning for the party's nominee. Obama called both candidates Tuesday night and will meet with Sanders on Thursday, the White House said late Tuesday. "Bernie knows better than anyone what's on the line in the election and that we at some point have to unify as we go forward," Pelosi said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "Good Morning America." "He wants to influence the platform. I think that's fine." During her remarks Tuesday night, Clinton offered a grace note to Sanders and to his supporters watching her speech. "I know it never feels good to put your heart into a cause or a candidate you believe in and come up short. I know that feeling well." Track the Democratic delegate count She said Sanders and the "vigorous debate we've had" have been "very good for the Democratic Party and for America." Sanders was scheduled to fly home to Burlington, Vt., on Wednesday and had already planned to be in Washington on Thursday for a rally, five days ahead of the final primary of the year in the nation's capital. Many of Sanders's supporters view Clinton suspiciously, as part of the political establishment that the senator railed against during his campaign. Some have vowed to sit out the general election or write in Sanders's name on the ballot. They include many young voters who could be an important bloc for Clinton in November. During a raucous late-night rally in Santa Monica, Sanders acknowledged that the battle ahead would be "very steep" but he pledged to "continue to fight" for every vote and delegate, including in next week's primary in Washington. "We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington D.C. and then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," Sanders said, referring to the site of the Democratic convention in late July. A crowd of more than 3,300 erupted when Sanders took the stage, and he was greeted by sustained cheers that lasted more than two minutes. He exited in dramatic fashion, his voice rising as blue "Bernie" signs waved in the air. "Thank you all," he said. "The struggle continues!" On Wednesday, the Sanders campaign plans to part ways with many staffers, in particular people who work on advance and field operations, according to an aide familiar with internal discussions. The aide framed the departures as an expected shrinking of personnel following the end of the major primaries, with only Washington left on the calendar. The nomination was a prize that slipped through Clinton's fingers eight years ago and for which she had to battle this time against another unexpectedly potent primary challenger. The difficulty she had in vanquishing Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist whose ideas captivated a large swath of the Democratic electorate, underscored weaknesses she carries into the fall contest against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Trump held an election-night news conference Tuesday, seeking to reset his campaign after a troublesome stretch, including roiling controversy over his assertions that a federal judge overseeing lawsuits against Trump University should have recused himself because of his Mexican heritage. In remarks at his golf resort in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Trump said that Clinton had perfected the "politics of personal enrichment" during her time in public life, accusing her of turning the State Department into her "private hedge fund." He pledged to deliver a "major" speech as early as Monday on "all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons." Trump also sought to reach out to Sanders's backers, calling the election system "rigged" and asserting that he would be more in line with their views on "terrible trade deals" than Clinton. "We welcome you with open arms," he told Sanders supporters. Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, brushed off Trump's promise to relitigate Clinton's past controversies. "I don't think that the American public wants to relive the charges that he's throwing out," he said on MSNBC after Trump spoke. Tuesday's primaries were somewhat anticlimactic, given the AP's tally Monday of Clinton's support among superdelegates the elected officials and other party elites whose convention votes are not bound by the primary results in their states. The AP count showed her reaching 2,383 pledged delegates and superdelegates, the exact number she needs to clinch the nomination. Besides New Jersey and California, Democrats also held primaries and caucuses Tuesday in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and New Mexico all states with relatively few delegates at stake. Sanders won the North Dakota caucuses and Montana primary, while Clinton won in California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota, according to the Associated Press. Clinton spoke inside a huge hall at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Although it is called the Duggal Greenhouse, the building more closely resembles an airplane hangar. Nineteen flags flanked Clinton's lectern, which was positioned in front of risers filled with supporters. Hundreds more backers stood shoulder to shoulder on the concrete floor, some holding aloft tiny American flags. Clinton will formally claim the mantle of Democratic nominee at the party's convention in late July in Philadelphia. With Tuesday's results, she was expected to secure a majority of the Democratic Party's pledged delegates, those awarded on the basis of primary and caucus results. Thus, the only remaining way for Sanders to win the nomination is to persuade superdelegates to effectively overturn the will of the voters. Sanders has argued that one reason they should consider doing so is that polls have shown him beating Trump in the fall by larger margins than Clinton would. Though Sanders has vowed to soldier on to the convention and compete in the primary next Tuesday in the District he faces a hard sell to the delegates he is trying to persuade. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the one sitting senator who has endorsed Sanders , said in an interview Tuesday that it was important to allow the remaining six states and the District of Columbia to cast ballots before declaring a presumptive Democratic nominee. But he added that just as Obama and Clinton saw "the lay of the land" in 2008 after all the primary voters cast their ballots, "we'll soon be able to see the parts of the party work together to unite." "I think we'll be absolutely united in making sure the self-promoting huckster named Donald Trump never becomes president of the United States," he said, adding that Clinton should learn from Sanders's connection with voters. During his remarks in Santa Monica, Sanders mentioned that he had a "kind call" with Obama earlier Tuesday and said he "looks forward to working with him to move this country forward" once they meet Thursday in Washington. Sanders said he also had a "very gracious call" from Clinton and congratulated her on her victories. Boos echoed throughout the venue at the mention of Clinton's name. Sanders did not shush them and plowed forward with his remarks Tuesday marked the anniversary of the day eight years ago when Clinton conceded the Democratic nomination to then-Sen. Obama. The president could endorse Clinton as soon as this week , not waiting for the Democratic convention, according to White House press secretary Josh Earnest. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Earnest said that out of respect for the ongoing voting, "I'm not going to declare a winner from here." But he emphasized that Obama intends "to make his voice heard in coming together" behind the presumptive nominee and plans to play a role in brokering a rapprochement between the two candidates. He added that Obama's endorsement could influence Republicans, not just Democrats, given his 7½ years in the job. "The president is an important validator." Clinton's gender is certain to factor into the general election in multiple ways. She has embraced it much more than in her last presidential run, rebutting criticism from Trump that she is "playing the gender card" by saying she is proud of the phrase if it means working to champion women and families. "I know we've never done this before," she said at a recent campaign event in Fresno, Calif. "We've never had a woman president." Clinton reminded her listeners that she had been a U.S. senator for eight years, serving on the Armed Services Committee, before becoming secretary of state. Although she was speaking to supporters, she was offering a kind of reassurance about a female commander in chief that she is likely to repeat as she campaigns against Trump. Ahead of her address Tuesday, Clinton sent this Twitter message: "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want even president. Tonight is for you." Her tweet was signed "H" to denote that she, as opposed to a campaign aide, had written it. Abby Phillip in Washington contributed to this report. Costa reported from Los Angeles, and Wagner reported from Washington. | 5 | 98,535 | news |
Giant waves and high winds have prevented any search operations for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 for the past month with the hunt now not expected to be complete until August, authorities said Wednesday. Australia is leading the painstaking search for MH370 in the remote Indian Ocean, but the wild weather has not allowed the three ships involved to make any progress in recent weeks. "Recent poor weather conditions have severely impacted search operations. The last four weeks saw no search operations undertaken," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in an update. "It is now anticipated it may take until around August to complete the 120,000 square kilometres, but this will be influenced by weather conditions over the coming months, which may worsen." So far 105,000 square kilometres (40,500 square miles) of the designated 120,000-square-kilometre seafloor search zone has been covered without success. If nothing turns up once the area is fully scoured, the search will be abandoned, Australia, Malaysia and China -- the countries that most of the passengers came from -- have jointly said. The fate of the passenger jet, which is presumed to have crashed at sea after disappearing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board in March 2014, remains a mystery. So far eight pieces of debris have been found and are presumed to have drifted thousands of kilometres (miles) from the search zone far off Western Australia's coast. Five of them have been identified as definitely or probably from the Boeing 777, with three others discovered last month still being examined. mp/mfc/jah Malaysia Airlines | 5 | 98,536 | news |
SEATTLE (AP) -- Wade Miley credited mechanical adjustments rather than his razor for regaining his pitching form. BOX SCORE: MARINERS 7, INDIANS 1 Nelson Cruz homered twice and an almost-clean shaven Miley pitched seven scoreless innings to pace the Seattle Mariners to a 7-1 victory over Cleveland on Tuesday night, snapping the Indians' six-game winning streak. Cruz hit a two-run homer in the first inning off starter Cody Anderson (1-4) and added a solo shot in the fifth, his 15th, to put Seattle up 7-0. Cruz has five homers in his last six games. Miley (6-2), who shaved off his full beard following his last disastrous start when he was rocked for nine runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings, bounced back against the Indians, allowing four hits, striking out three and walking two. ''I don't think that was the issue'' Miley said of his beard, adding that he's not superstitious. ''I was just tired of it. ''Obviously, the last few starts, I kind of got out of whack,'' said Miley, who had allowed 18 runs in 14 2/3 innings in his last three starts. ''I wasn't really sure what was going on. No command. Just kind of flipping things up there. In between this last start, we kind of saw some things on video and tried to make some adjustments and it worked out.'' Anderson, who was called up from Triple-A earlier in the day to replace the ailing Danny Salazar, allowed six runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Lonnie Chisenhall accounted for the Indians' run in the eighth with a homer, his second, off Joaquin Benoit. Steve Cishek pitched the ninth for Seattle. The Mariners, who had lost four straight, tagged Anderson for four runs in the fourth inning with the aid of a botched infield play to take a 6-0 lead. With runners on first and second and two outs, Adam Lind bounced to shortstop Francisco Lindor. Second baseman Jason Kipnis was late getting to second for the force and by the time Lindor decided to throw to first, Lind had an infield single. Steve Clevenger then laced a two-run double to right and Sean O'Malley followed with a two-run triple to right-center. ''We get into the fourth and we got what we thought was the inning over, get a ground ball to Frankie and it looked to me like he looked to first, then looked to second, and then by the time he went to first it was too late,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''It's unfortunate, you give teams extra opportunities, and a lot of times not so good things happen. He elevated a fastball and they tacked on four, and boy that really hurt.'' Cruz staked the Mariners to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, following Robinson Cano's two-out single with his 14th home run. ''He's in a good spot,'' Seattle manager Scott Servais said. ''He's seeing the ball really good. When he's using the big part of the field, not trying to pull everything, is when he's on. His timing is really good right now.'' UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Seattle's Seth Smith lined a double off the wall in right field in the first inning, barely sliding in ahead of a perfect throw from right fielder Chisenhall. Cleveland challenged and the call was overturned after an estimated review of 1:01. UP NEXT: Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-0, 3.00 ERA) is making his second start since coming off the DL on June 2 (strained left hamstring). In his last start, he allowed three runs and nine hits in five innings, but did not get a decision. Mariners: RHP Taijaun Walker (2-6, 3.94 ERA) is struggling to regain his early season form. The 23-year-old is 0-6 with a 5.77 ERA in his last seven starts after going 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four April starts. In his last start, he allowed six runs and nine hits in five innings with four walks. TRAINING ROOM: Indians: Salazar (6-3, 2.24 ERA), scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday due to shoulder fatigue, is on track to make his next start. ''He's on pace,'' Francona said. ''He'll throw his side on Thursday getting in line for the Sunday start. But, he had a real good day physically.'' Starting C Yan Gomes came out in the bottom of the second with a testicular contusion after being hit in the groin with a foul tip. ''We sent him to the hospital to get an ultrasound, and he's still there,'' Francona said. ''He hasn't had the ultrasound yet. Hopefully we will get something here fairly soon. I don't think he is probably having the best night of his life.'' Mariners: CF Leonys Martin, on the DL with a strained left hamstring, is scheduled to bat and run the bases in a simulated game on Wednesday, then join Triple-A Tacoma for a rehab game. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Mariners over the weekend. He is eligible to come off the DL on Friday. RHP Felix Hernandez, on the DL with a strained right calf, was wearing a protective boot on his injured in the club house on Tuesday. ''He's still sore,'' Servais said. ''I think it's one of those injuries to get rid of the soreness, and then it will come pretty quick once he starts feeling a bit better. He's still feeling it.'' SS Ketel Marte, who was 1 for 3 Monday in his first game off the DL, was scratched from the lineup Tuesday with neck spasms. ''I was talking to Cano after I hit, it just started to hurt,'' Marte said. ''After that, I couldn't do anything with my neck. But now, it's a lot better.'' | 1 | 98,537 | sports |
CHICAGO (AP) -- Bryce Harper finally got some pitches to hit in Chicago and made the most of his chances. BOX SCORE: NATIONALS 10, WHITE SOX 5 Harper drove in three runs, Anthony Rendon homered and the Washington Nationals handed the White Sox their 19th loss in 25 games, beating Chicago 10-5 on Tuesday night. While the NL East-leading Nationals won for the sixth time in eight games, the White Sox continued their stunning decline. A team that got off to a 23-10 start and spent 47 days in first place in the AL Central is now in fourth place at 29-29, with Detroit beating Toronto. Harper saw some pitches to hit after the Cubs walked him 13 times while sweeping four games at Wrigley Field last month. The 2015 NL MVP came through with a go-ahead two-run double in the fifth and a sacrifice fly in a four-run sixth. ''I wasn't even really thinking about that to tell you the truth,'' Harper said. ''I was just trying to go out there and have some good at-bats.'' Rendon hit a two-run homer off Mat Latos (6-2). Michael Taylor added a two-run double and robbed Dioner Navarro with a diving catch in center field. Reliever Blake Treinen (4-1) pitched two-hit ball over three scoreless innings after a shaky start by Joe Ross. And the Nationals won a game that lasted 3 hours, 55 minutes and featured a combined 14 walks and two hit batters. ''This club can hit,'' manager Dusty Baker said after watching his team score 10 runs in the second straight game. ''We've been sporadic in our offense, inconsistent in our offense. Hitting breeds confidence and confidence is spread around.'' Todd Frazier hit his 19th homer for Chicago. Jose Abreu had two hits and drove in two runs. Adam Eaton scored twice, but the White Sox continued their freefall. Frazier's two-run homer on a line drive to center in the second gave Chicago a 5-2 lead. But after rallying from five down in Sunday's win at Cincinnati, the Nationals came back again. ''The team gives you lead like they did today and you flat out blow it, ''Latos said. ''It's absolutely pathetic.'' Rendon's two-run drive in the fourth cut the lead to one. Harper, who tied a major league-record with six walks in a game against the Cubs last month, gave Washington a 6-5 lead with one out in the fifth when he greeted reliever Dan Jennings with a two-run double to center. The Nationals added four more in the sixth on a two-run double by Taylor off Matt Albers, Harper's sacrifice fly against Zach Duke and Wilson Ramos' bases-loaded walk. Ross lasted just four innings, allowing five runs and four hits. He walked four and threw 91 pitches - 39 in a two-run first. Latos gave up six runs, five hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. After winning his first four starts, his ERA has climbed from 0.74 to 4.62, and White Sox manager Robin Ventura sidestepped questions about his future in the rotation. ''Maty's got to do better,'' he said. ''He knows that. You can't go out there and just give them those free passes.'' GOING LONG Treinen threw 66 pitches in his longest outing since he went four innings in an 8-3 loss at San Diego on May 14, 2015. TRAINER'S ROOM Nationals: With 1B Ryan Zimmerman returning from the paternity list, prospect Trea Turner was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. ''It's hard to impress me in three days,'' Baker said. ''But we know this kid can play. I said, `Go down there and hit .330.''' . Baker said they'll have a ''tough decision'' when the rehab assignment for RHP Matt Belisle (calf) expires later this month. White Sox: The White Sox are skipping Carlos Rodon's next start because of discomfort in his neck and arm. Rodon was scheduled to pitch Thursday against the Nationals. Miguel Gonzalez will take his place. General manager Rick Hahn says an MRI showed no structural damage for Rodon. ... Ventura said reliever Zach Putnam was unavailable due to elbow soreness. UP NEXT RHP James Shields makes his White Sox debut after being acquired from San Diego, while RHP Max Scherzer (6-4, 3.87 ERA) starts for Washington. Shields was 2-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 11 starts for the Padres. | 1 | 98,538 | sports |
South Korea says it is "seriously worried" about the North resuming the production of plutonium fuel for nuclear bombs. Natasha Howitt reports. | 5 | 98,539 | news |
June 8 -- Hillary Clinton celebrated clinching the Democratic nomination in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday evening. The former secretary of state said she has a strong majority of the popular vote and that she's won a majority of pledged delegates. "Tonight's victory belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible," she said. Clinton congratulated her rival Senator Bernie Sanders for his "extraordinary campaign." | 5 | 98,540 | news |
The Diamondbacks beat the Rays 5-0 Tuesday behind a three-hit shutout performance by Zack Greinke. Chip Hale was ejected early in the game, but Jake Lamb responded by hitting a bomb the next at-bat. | 1 | 98,541 | sports |
LOS ANGELES Trayce Thompson showed teenage pitching prospect Julio Urias just what kind of party Los Angeles can have. BOX SCORE: DODGERS 4, ROCKIES 3 Thompson hit a game-ending homer in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night in Urias' home debut. The 19-year-old Urias struck out seven over four innings. The Mexican left-hander allowed three hits and one run and was removed after 86 pitches with his workload being strictly monitored in just his third career start. It was by far his best outing after surrendering 13 hits and eight earned runs in his first 7 2/3 innings. "I felt confident," Urias said through an interpreter. "I felt better because it was my third outing." Thompson's two-out blast in the ninth off Carlos Estevez (1-3) gave the Dodgers their 11th win in the past 16 games. "We're right there," Thompson said. "Guys are putting together good at-bats and we gotta continue to step on the gas and keep it going." With runners on first and second and one out in the first, Urias got Carlos Gonzalez swinging through a high fastball to earn a loud roar of approval from the crowd. When he followed with a strikeout of Trevor Story to end the inning, the fans rose to their feet. "I felt like a dream was completed," Urias said. "I felt comfortable, very happy pitching here." Kenley Jansen (2-1) got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth. Justin Turner provided an early lead in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer of Eddie Butler. From there, Urias blossomed. He retired eight his next 10 batters, including five via strikeout, to depart with a 3-1 lead. An RBI double by Nolan Arenado in the third was his only blemish. Urias' 86 pitches were the most he's thrown this season in 11 starts between Triple-A and the majors. "Every starter wants to go out and get the win," Urias said, "but I trust the team and what they're doing (with my pitch counts)." The Rockies battled back to tie it against the bullpen. Daniel Descalso led off the seventh with a pinch-hit home run off Joe Blanton, and Gonzalez tied it with a two-out RBI single off Pedro Baez that deflected off second baseman Chase Utley's glove. The Rockies failed to pull ahead though. Overall, they stranded 10 men on base and were 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. "I felt like we were one hit away from taking the lead," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We had a couple of opportunities, we just missed them." TRAINER'S ROOM Rockies: OF Charlie Blackmon (rest) did not start but entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He struck out to end his consecutive on-base streak at 32 games. Dodgers: LHP Brett Anderson (herniated disc surgery) threw for the second straight day from 75 feet on flat ground. It is Anderson's first time throwing back-to-back days since going on the 60-day DL on April 4. FAMILY AND HISTORY Urias' parents made the 1,096-mile trip from Culiacan, Mexico to see his Dodger Stadium debut in person. They and the 41,525 fans in attendance witnessed history on a few counts. Urias' seven strikeouts were the most by a Dodgers teenager since 19-year old Don Drysdale struck out nine for the Brooklyn Dodgers against Philadelphia on April 23, 1956. Urias also became the youngest Dodger to take the field at Dodger Stadium since Adrian Beltre in 1998 and the youngest Dodger pitcher to make a start in Chavez Ravine since Dick Calmus on Aug. 23, 1963 against Milwaukee. SAD STORY Story went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts, the second four-strikeout game of the rookie shortstop's career. He now leads the National League with 85 strikeouts this season. He is also tied for second in the NL with 16 home runs. UP NEXT Rockies: LHP Chris Rusin (1-4, 4.62) is winless since moving into the starting rotation on April 30. He has a 6.00 ERA in six starts this season compared to a 1.72 ERA in five relief appearances. Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (5-3, 2.84) aims to win his third straight start after allowing only one earned run in his last 11 1/3 innings. | 1 | 98,542 | sports |
Two days before the start of Euro 2016 in France, rubbish piled up in parts of Paris on Wednesday and trains were disrupted as strikes and political turmoil over labour reforms dragged on. Organisers of Europe's four-yearly football extravaganza already face security jitters and Britain joined the United States in warning the tournament could be a target for terror attacks. But the immediate concern was unresolved strikes, with union blockades of incineration centres in the Paris region causing widespread disruption. The piles of uncollected household rubbish accumulating in parts of the capital, giving off a foul smell as the temperatures rise, was hardly the image of France that the Euro 2016 organisers want to convey. Black refuse sacks also piled up in Saint-Etienne, the central city which will host four Euro 2016 matches. Meanwhile, rail workers went on strike for an eighth day as unions chewed over an offer from the SNCF rail operator to end their dispute. Hundreds of union activists lit red smoke flares in a protest rally in the Gare du Nord station, the departure point for Eurostar trains to Britain and other services to northern Europe. And in a separate dispute, theatre and cinema workers demonstrated outside the apartment building of Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri in protest at their own special set of working conditions. El Khomri is a target of workers' anger after forcing a controversial labour market reform through parliament without a vote. The furious minister said that after four months, the protests were going too far and "violating family life". Negotiations continued with Air France pilots, who have threatened to go on strike for four days from Saturday, when an estimated two million foreign visitors will be arriving to watch the football. "The government, through its obstinate approach, carries the entire responsibility for the conflict continuing," the CGT union, which has spearheaded the strikes, said. The CGT wants the Socialist government to scrap the labour reforms, which unions say are stacked in favour of employers and will chip away at job security. President Francois Hollande has refused to back down, saying the reforms are necessary to bring down unemployment and make it easier for companies to take on new staff and release them in a downturn. - 'Be vigilant' - France is already on high alert for terror attacks during the month-long tournament, which takes place seven months after gunmen and suicide bombers from the Islamic State group killed 130 people in Paris. Britain on Tuesday warned its citizens there was a "high threat from terrorism" during the month-long championship. The Foreign Office said fans who will travel to France to watch matches featuring England, Northern Ireland and Wales should be "vigilant at all times". "Stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks," the Foreign Office said. The US State Department made a similar warning last week, also pinpointing the risk that venues showing the matches on TV "in France and across Europe" were potential targets. The arrest of a Frenchman with alleged far-right sympathies in possession of an arsenal of weapons in Ukraine on Monday has heightened fears. Ukraine said the 25-year-old, identified in France as Gregoire Moutaux, was planning to attack locations including mosques and synagogues before and during the tournament. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazenueve said security forces were leaving nothing to chance. "We are doing everything to avoid a terrorist attack and we are also preparing to respond to one," he said. The French government was set to launch a free smartphone app which will warn visitors of any "major crisis", including suspected attacks according to their location. France has mobilised 90,000 police and private guards to provide security at Euro 2016. A new perimeter fence has been erected around the Stade de France stadium in Paris which will host Friday's opening match between France and Romania and the final on July 10, to allow increased searches of supporters. | 5 | 98,543 | news |
Everything you missed from CNN's coverage of the final Super Tuesday primary. | 5 | 98,544 | news |
Warnings mounted on Wednesday over potential terrorist attacks just two days before the start of Euro 2016, with France on high alert as it readies to host two million foreign football fans. The French government was set to launch a smartphone app which would warn visitors of any "major crisis", a day after Britain warned that fans could be targeted during the month-long tournament. The free application, available in English and French, would alert users to any suspected attack or other disaster according to their location, the interior ministry said. The British Foreign Office on Tuesday said there was a "high threat from terrorism" during the month-long championship. "During Euro 2016, stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks," the Foreign Office added. The US State Department gave a similar warning last week, saying that "unaffiliated entertainment venues broadcasting the tournament in France and across Europe" were also potential targets. The arrest of a Frenchman with an arsenal of weapons in Ukraine on Monday has heightened security fears. Ukraine said the 25-year-old, identified in France as Gregoire Moutaux, was planning to attack multiple locations including mosques and synagogues before and during the tournament. But France has made no official comment on the arrest and anti-terrorist prosecutors have not been assigned to the case, suggesting authorities do not believe there was any imminent threat to Euro 2016. The country has mobilised 90,000 security personnel to guard Euro 2016, including 13,000 private guards. Paris police chief Michel Cadot has said an extra 3,000 officers were being added to the 10,000 allotted for the capital. The country is still under a state of emergency following November's suicide bombings and shootings in Paris that left 130 people dead and were claimed by the Islamic State group. Experts said jihadists could aim for areas with minimal security protection during Euro 2016. "You protect 1,000 targets, so it's the 1,001st target that will be hit," said Pascal Boniface, of the Institute for International and Strategic Relations in Paris. - Transport woes - Ahead of the opening match between the hosts and Romania on Friday, France also faces the threat of disruption to rail travel due to strikes that have paralysed parts of the network for a week. Unions voted to continue the train strikes for an eighth day on Wednesday despite receiving an improved offer on pay and conditions from state-run operator SNCF in all-night talks. The rail strike was limited in scope on Tuesday, but even if trains return to normal the threat of a walkout by Air France pilots still hangs over the four-yearly gathering of Europe's top football nations. The pilots are set to ground planes for four days from Saturday over pay, just when an estimated two million visitors will begin heading for France. French President Francois Hollande has warned the unions they will receive little sympathy if they disrupt the tournament. Labour reforms introduced by Hollande's unpopular Socialist government have led to three months of strikes and sometimes violent protests. The reforms are designed to make it easier to hire and fire people, but opponents say they will erode job security. | 5 | 98,545 | news |
BEIJING China's central bank maintained its forecast for the country's economic growth at 6.8% and raised its estimates for consumer inflation and fixed-asset investment growth. Positive impacts from accelerated growth in property and infrastructure investment will largely be offset by negative impacts from the slowing expansion of the trade surplus, according to a research paper released by the People's Bank of China on Wednesday. The central bank now expects the consumer-price index, a key gauge of inflation, to rise 2.4% for the full year. Late last year, said it expected 1.7%. The PBOC also raised its forecast for full-year fixed-asset investment grow to 11.0% from 10.8%. An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com . | 3 | 98,546 | finance |
After what may have been the most epic ending in NCAA basketball tournament history , the 2015-16 Villanova Wildcats have become nothing short of celebrities, and their tour of superstardom continued with a team visit to the White House . But while players, coaches and media at the event certainly enjoyed themselves hearing Obama himself refer to the 77-74 win over North Carolina as "maybe the best title game of all-time" one legendary Villanova figure wasn't in attendance. Eighty-one-year-old Rollie Massimino, head coach of Villanova's only other national championship team in 1985, was unable to make the trip to Washington due to recurring health issues. Needless to say, Massimino whose 1985 Wildcats topped a Patrick Ewing-led and No. 1 national seed Georgetown squad in that year's title game, still representing the only team seeded eighth or lower in its region to win the NCAA Championship is still a massive part of the Villanova family. And as current Wildcats' head coach Jay Wright shared on his Twitter page on Monday, Obama personally took on the task of honoring the school's legend: President Obama's letter to Coach Mass ! Great respect for POTUS and RVM pic.twitter.com/IugcOlxEw7 Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) June 6, 2016 Although Massimino resigned from Villanova at the end of the 1991-92 season to take the job at UNLV, his connections to the school have remained strong, and he was able to muster the energy to attend the epic 2016 title game in Houston. His bond with Wright is especially notable. Wright was an assistant under him from 1987-94 at both Villanova and UNLV before eventually taking the head coaching position at the former in 2001. As a result, it's easy to see why Wright has so much respect for his predecessor, and Obama's gesture to honor him was clearly appreciated. Despite his status as a legend, Massimino isn't done with the basketball world quite yet he just finished his 10th season as the head coach of NAIA Division II school Keiser (Florida), which just completed a 30-5 season culminating in an NAIA D-II Elite Eight appearance. Meanwhile, like his mentor, Wright will also be getting back to the drawing board soon. Losing stars Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu to graduation, the Wildcats will attempt to quickly reload and become the country's first repeat champions since the 2006-07 Florida Gators. More on Villanova: -- How Three Players From '85 NCAA Title Team Decided To Attend Villanova -- Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu Surprise 4-Year-Old With Cancer -- Jim Nantz Carries On Final Four's Weirdest Tradition | 1 | 98,547 | sports |
An inside look at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, which is hosting its ninth U.S. Open in 2016. | 8 | 98,548 | video |
The comments below a certain YouTube video depicting what happens when a penguin meets a shark in the wild are not very marine-themed. Instead, it's a smattering of "C'mon Sharks win" to "Let's go Pens!" Perhaps that video from the Ocean Futures Society posted in 2009 has become a little bit prophetic: instead of the shark eating the penguin as is typical, the penguin pecks the shark on the nose and swims away. That's a bit like how this Stanley Cup final has gone for the San Jose Sharks against the Penguins, who will meet at 8:20 p.m. Thursday at Consol Energy Center for a potentially decisive Game 5. The Sharks trail, 3-1, in the series and have, in fact, never led a game in the final so far, with their Game 3 win being an overtime goal from winger Joonas Donskoi. That means they've failed to put away the first goal in each game. "We've been chasing the game the whole series by not scoring first," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said after Game 4. "That takes you out of your four-line rhythm. It affects all parts of your game. We've been on the other end of that in the playoffs where we've jumped out to the lead on some teams and made them change their game." "That's the biggest thing we have to fix," DeBoer said. "We have to find a way to get on the board earlier in the game instead of chasing it all night." After the Monday game, both captain Joe Pavelski and center Logan Couture lamented playing from behind. Pavelski said "it makes it a lot tougher," and the Penguins "play well with the lead," while Couture said, "We have to start better. We know that." DeBoer said in a conference call Tuesday he liked his team's first 10 minutes of play in Game 4, adding center Joe Thornton and Pavelski had a promising two-on-one with Penguins goaltender Matt Murray, who ended up making the save. But the combination of the Sharks' lull after falling behind and the Penguins sitting back to protect their lead was hard to overcome. "We've got to find a way to stick one of those in early," DeBoer said. "And put them in the spot where they're chasing the game a little bit, which we haven't done yet." And while the Sharks are dipping into a daunting situation to try to prevent the Penguins from winning the Cup at home, Pavelski said after Game 4 that he's not ready to let the prey escape the predator. "We've had some pressure at times," he said. "It's about winning one period at a time. We've played well on the road. "We haven't given up. We've found a way," Pavelski said. "If we bring it back here, it gives us a chance to keep playing." Megan Ryan: mryan@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1722 and Twitter @theothermegryan. | 1 | 98,549 | sports |
Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign launched a new website encouraging Republicans who are not supporting Donald Trump to take a pledge vowing not to vote for the presumptive GOP nominee. The website, republicansagainsttrump.org , was launched on June 2, according to Politico , but the campaign started buying ads to promote the website after that. The website was registered on May 27. The site urges people to take a pledge to get a free Republicans Against Trump sticker. "Donald Trump is not qualified to be president," the pledge says. "He does not represent my beliefs as a Republican and, more importantly, my values as an American. He does not speak for me and I will not vote for him." The bottom of the website says: "Paid for by Hillary for America." Clinton's campaign on Tuesday also began fundraising off the candidate clinching the Democratic presidential nomination and becoming the first woman to be the nominee of a major political party in the U.S. Clinton will now pivot to the general election. She plans to begin campaigning in critical battleground states as her focus shifts to a match-up against Trump. She will make campaign stops next week in Ohio and Pennsylvania. | 5 | 98,550 | news |
Four suspects have been detained for questioning in connection to a bomb attack that targeted a police vehicle near the main tourist district in central Istanbul, killing 11 and injuring 36 people. The four were arrested hours after Tuesday's attack and were being held at Istanbul's main police headquarters, Turkish state media reported. Speaking at the scene of the blast in the Beyazit district, Istanbul Governer Vasip Sahin said a bomb placed inside a car detonated as the police bus passed by, killing seven members of the police force as well as four civilians. Reports said the explosion took place near the Vezneciler metro station, which is within walking distance of some of the city's main tourist sites, including the Suleymaniye Mosque. The White House condemned the attack as a "horrific act" and confirmed that the US "stands together with Turkey" as the two countries confront challenges in the region. Emre Rende, a freelance journalist reporting from Istanbul, said the "bus was targeted by a remotely detonated car bomb before a second blast believed to have been caused by a gas canister. "The attack happened close to the Grand Bazaar so it might have been done to keep tourists away," he added. Pictures showed the bomb had turned the police vehicle into mangled wreckage and that nearby shops had their front windows smashed out by the force of the blast. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the country's fight against armed groups will continue "to the end". Speaking to reporters after visiting some of the injured in a hospital near the site of the blast, Erdogan said the attack was "unforgivable". The bombing came during the first days of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, a time marked by dawn-to-dusk fasting and intense prayer. Istanbul had already been hit by two bombings this year, including in tourist areas. Both attacks were blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, and a pair of attacks in Ankara that were claimed by Kurdish separatists and killed dozens. The two attacks in Ankara were claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) - a splinter group of the better-known outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The attacks have had a dire effect on the tourism industry heading into the key summer season. Some 1.75 million foreigners came to Turkey in April, down more than 28 percent on April 2015, the tourism ministry said in its latest release. | 5 | 98,551 | news |
On Tuesday, June 7th, At 14, Davontee Sanford was convicted and sentenced to 90years for a quadrople homicide. Nearly nine years later the case has chargers brought against Sanford have been overturned with new evidence pointing to a professional killing. | 5 | 98,552 | news |
(Bloomberg) -- If Hillary Clinton's best argument for unifying Democrats and winning the White House is Donald Trump, then she picked a good week to clinch the nomination. Clinton's victory-night speech celebrated her historic accomplishment becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. party with sepia-toned images of feminist pioneers past. But the campaign has made clear it's ready to win ugly too, with appeals to fear and not just the heart. Enter Trump, who had by far the worst week of his campaign at the very moment the nation saw Clinton reach her milestone. In the general election, one of Clinton's biggest challenges may be following one of the oldest rules in politics: when your opponent is self-destructing, just stay out of the way. Clinton's camp also believes fear of Trump can also push Bernie Sanders, and his swath of loyal supporters, into Clinton's camp, even though they're not going quietly yet. "The differences between us and Trump are so much greater than the differences between Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said on MSNBC. The choreography now is critical, and the Clinton campaign is eager to move on quickly to solidify her status as the presumptive nominee. President Barack Obama's endorsement may be imminent, and he called both Clinton and Sanders Tuesday night, the White House said in a press release. Obama will also meet with Sanders in Washington on Thursday "to continue their conversation about the significant issues at stake in this election that matter most to America's working families." A wave of the key outstanding endorsements including Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Sanders himself could soon follow but that depends on the Vermont senator. Even as he was losing California in early returns Tuesday night, and as the New York Times reported Sanders' campaign plans to lay off some staff, Sanders said he will campaign through the June 14 contest in the District of Columbia, including holding a rally on Thursday. Sanders has not rescinded a plan to fight Clinton all the way to the party convention in late July. Clinton was projected as the winner in California on Wednesday morning, taking 56 percent of the vote to Sanders' 43 percent with 94 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press. Clinton and Sanders finally spoke by phone between her speech in Brooklyn and his in Santa Monica in a call he described as "very gracious." He said he had congratulated her on the night's wins but did not acknowledge her claims on the nomination. The two campaign managers Robby Mook for Clinton and Jeff Weaver for Sanders have begun speaking with an eye toward laying out a path ahead, said one person familiar with the talks. Still, Sanders is not encouraging his supporters to get behind the presumptive nominee. "We were considered to be a fringe campaign, but over the last year I think that has changed just a little bit," Sanders said. "In virtually every single state we have won by big numbers the votes of young people. Young people understand that they are the future of America and they intend to help shape that future." At the same time, Sanders indicated he does not intend to jeopardize Democrats' prospects in November. "The American people in my view will never support a candidate whose major theme is bigotry," and who insults Mexicans, Muslims, women, and blacks, Sanders said. "We will not allow Donald Trump to become president of the United States. But we understand that our mission is more than just defeating Trump; it is transforming our country." While she waits for Sanders, the strongest hand Clinton has to play right now is to shine the spotlight on Trump, even as the former secretary of state, U.S. senator, and first lady also wants to emphasize the historic nature of her campaign. She'll try to strike that balance in a spray of network interviews arranged for Wednesday, a speech to a Planned Parenthood convention on Friday and her public appearances Monday and Tuesday in the battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. "Tonight's victory is not about one person. It belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible," she told a crowd in Brooklyn. In her speech, Clinton mentioned her daughter and granddaughter and her late mother, whom she wished could have lived to see her accomplishment. She did not mention her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who embraced her after her speech. The two then held hands and waved to the crowd. While voters in the last six states weighed in on the Democratic primary, the presumptive Republican nominee was facing condemnation from leading Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. Trump had charged that that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing lawsuits against Trump University, is biased against Trump because of the judge's Mexican descent. Trump spent the day doing damage control, saying his comments were "misconstrued" and that he didn't plan to talk about the case anymore. On Tuesday night, he gave a stilted TelePrompter speech where he pledged to fight for voters, a unusually conventional political claim from the usually unconventional candidate. He also promised to deliver a speech next week, likely Monday, detailing his criticisms of the Clintons. Trump said that Clinton and her husband "have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves" and charged that they had made their personal fortune selling access, favors, and government contracts. Trump said Clinton had turned the State Department "into her private hedge fund." So the general election is on. Trump is "trying to wall off Americans from each other," Clinton said in her acceptance speech. She said Trump wants to take Americans back to a time of exclusion and is promising "an economy he cannot recreate." Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said while Clinton has made breaking barriers the slogan of her campaign, "it has a natural foil in Donald Trump, who is making divisiveness and bigotry and misogyny the hallmarks of his campaign." "This moment tonight is about a lot more than just the watershed of the first woman nominee. It is about advancing the goal of making a more perfect union and in our mind there's only one candidate" who can accomplish that, Fallon said. Several lawmakers stepped up calls on Tuesday for Sanders to get out. "I think he should stand down now," said Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat. "He is in a unique position to be a unifier and that is so important." If Sanders stays in until the convention, Nelson said it will be "a temporary setback" and "not fatal" to Clinton. "But it's an unnecessary diversion at this point." Clinton's path to the nomination ran through 42 states and U.S. territories. She rolled out 53 policy proposals and held 419 public events, according to her campaign. Her campaign so far has drawn 193,000 volunteers. "The forward march of American history has often been registered through presidential elections Kennedy as the first Catholic, Obama as the first African-American and then Hillary as the first female nominee," said Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, calling Clinton's achievement "a really big landmark moment in terms of women having their full and rightful place in society." "As we learned with Obama, it will not be the end of misogyny just as when Obama was elected it was not the end of racism," Shrum said. "There was resentment of him. What do people mean when they say take our country back. From whom? The guy in the White House." With assistance from Steven T. Dennis and Arit John. | 5 | 98,553 | news |
The 2130 level is a tough resistance level for the S&P 500 index and this offers traders three types of opportunities. The 2130 region has acted as a resistance barrier multiple times since March 2015. It's not an exact figure, but when the S&P gets between 2050 and 2130 the market loses momentum, stagnates and then suddenly retreats. So that's the first trading opportunity. Traders stand ready to go short as the S&P moves away from the 2300 region. The downside target is near 1870 and that has also been hit on several occasions since March 2015. In a technical sense, the S&P 500 is trading in a broad consolidation band between 1870 and 2300. The index is oscillating around a central band near 2000. Analysis with a Guppy Multiple Moving Average (GMMA) indicator doesn't help traders identify a trend break or continuation. The pattern of GMMA behavior confirms this sideways oscillation. This is a "rally and retreat" market and we trade it using the ANTSYSS trade method to capture the reversals near each of the support and resistance levels. This is a market hated by investors, but traders find it attractive with two 14% moves from bottom to top every year. Three or even four 14% moves if you also trade the short side retreat. That's a return achievable without trying to time the market exactly because the reversal points and confirmations are clear and easy to follow. It's the second trade opportunity that is also particularly interesting. This is an upside breakout. When a resistance level is well established it takes a lot of pent-up pressure to break above the level. When the breakout occurs it is often powerful and moves quickly. A sustained move above 2130 has an initial upside target near 2260. This target is calculated by taking the width of the trading band between 2000 and 2130 and projecting it upwards. The intermediate targets in the long rise of the S&P 500 from the beginning of 2010 were all calculated using this trade band projection method and were detailed in many S&P 500 analysis notes in this column. The third opportunity is for the short side traders. This opportunity develops when the index moves below the support level near 1870. This gives a downside target near 1740. This is a low probability outcomes as the bulk of the consolidation activity takes place near the 2130 level and this suggests an overall bullish bias to the market. | 3 | 98,554 | finance |
The Mariners beat the Indians 7-1 Tuesday. Nelson Cruz hit two home runs to pace Seattle. Check out the hilarious exchange between Juan Uribe and a fan in the stands. | 1 | 98,555 | sports |
In what could be a move to ease the minds of a number of Republicans tired of off the cuff remarks, Donald Trump used a teleprompter in his Tuesday night victory speech. The move helped him to stay more on message. CBSN's political panel discussed with Major Garrett whether or not this could be the new norm for Trump. | 5 | 98,556 | news |
The last primary night of the wild, unpredictable, bizarre and fascinating presidential nominating season ended on a rather predictable and understated note. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner for more than a year, declared a victory that had already been declared for her a day before . Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for nearly as long, closed out the season with no competitors and gave a short speech that he read from the teleprompter . What fun is that? Here are a few other takeaways from Tuesday's contests : Historic night renders California meaningless No, Bernie Sanders hasn't conceded , and yes, it's the biggest delegate prize of them all, but by the time California's polls closed, it no longer mattered. Hillary Clinton was by then the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and she was ready to claim the victory that eluded her eight years earlier. "Tonight's victory is not about one person," she said in characterizing the historic nature of becoming the first woman to win a major-party presidential nomination. "It belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible." Sanders had tossed all of his eggs into the California basket, hoping that a victory there could help him make the case with superdelegates that he was the best candidate to beat Trump in November. But the air quickly leaked out of that balloon as the results began to roll in from contests further east, Clinton won New Jersey by a large margin, took the stage before a roaring crowd and claimed her place in history. The White House announced that President Obama had called both candidates, congratulated Clinton on her victory and invited Sanders to the White House for a conciliatory chat on Thursday. Before the Golden State was even settled, Sanders made clear to supporters in Santa Monica that he'd decided he would press on with his campaign no matter what. "The struggle continues," he said. Trump crosses a magic number Trump was competing not against any other candidate Tuesday, but against a number: 1,237. The irascible billionaire was hoisted over that magic threshold last week by uncommitted delegates telling the Associated Press they have declared allegiance to Trump. As Sanders has suggested on the Democratic side, an "unpledged" delegate might be a fickle delegate and could change sides. With Tuesday's wins, Trump has now amassed enough pledged delegates to win the nomination, delegates who are bound by party and state rules to vote for him. Thus, unless something cataclysmic happens that we cannot yet conceive, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. The Donald's short coattails Six years ago, Renee Ellmers was a Tea Party hero, a conservative opposed to Obamacare who beat an incumbent Democrat by the narrowest of margins to win a House seat from North Carolina. But it turns out she was not conservative enough to survive a redistricting that put her in a primary against fellow incumbent Republican Rep. George Holding, who grass-roots groups considered a more reliable conservative. Ellmers voted to save the Export-Import Bank targeted by activists as "crony capitalism" because, she said, it was helpful to employers in her district. Perhaps more damning to conservatives, Ellmers held up a bill banning late-term abortions because she felt its language making it hard for women to claim a rape exemption would hurt Republicans with female voters. Anti-abortion groups who had backed her in 2010 turned against her this time. Even Trump could not save Ellmers. She was the only congressional candidate Trump has endorsed this cycle and he made a robocall for her over the weekend. It is gonna get ugly Trump gave a very brief, very crisp, very inclusive victory address. He promised that he would make Republicans proud of their nominee, offered an embrace to frustrated supporters of Sanders, and said "We're going to take care of our African-American people which have been mistreated for so long." But then he warned that he would give a speech next week detailing ethical charges against Clinton and her husband. "The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves," he said. Clinton gave a victory speech long on her place in history as the first woman to be a major-party nominee, but it also included jabs at Trump, repeating her charge that he is temperamentally unfit to be president. "When he [Trump] says let's make America great again, that's code to let's take America backwards," she said, to a time when success was restricted to privileged classes. If you had any doubt about the themes these two candidates will pound each other with this summer , these are them. Trump will say Clinton is a crook; she will say he is a racist xenophobe. Contributing: Cooper Allen | 5 | 98,557 | news |
Hillary Clinton had a strong lead in the California presidential primary, but the race had not been called as of early Wednesday morning. The former secretary of State led Bernie Sanders by a margin of 56.4 percent to 42.7 percent, with 83.4 percent reporting, according to the Associated Press. The polls closed at 8 p.m. Pacific Time Tuesday night, but the state is known for a relatively slow count of ballots thanks in part to its massive size. The Golden State is the largest delegate prize in the entire race - the winner will receive the majority of the state's 475 delegates. But the final result will have little effect on the contours of the race. Hillary Clinton came into Tuesday with enough delegates, thanks to party superdelegates, to secure the Democratic nomination, and the AP declared her the de facto nominee on Monday night. She will finish Tuesday's primaries with the majority of pledged delegates, those awarded through primary results, according to NBC News. Polls leading up to the California primary showed a tight race. Clinton held a slight lead, but the two candidates sat within the margin of error in most recent polls. If the current margin holds, Clinton will post a strong victory that would serve as icing on the cake after a historic night for her campaign. But if Sanders is able to pull off the upset, he'll hope to earn a shot in the arm from winning the largest state in the country and could potentially point to that as he looks to make the pitch to party superdelegates to dump Clinton's campaign to support his own. --This report was updated at 5:33 a.m. | 5 | 98,558 | news |
A Chinese fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane over the East China Sea in a maneuver characterized as "unsafe," the United States Pacific Command said Wednesday. The intercept, which involved two Chinese J-10 fighter planes and the U.S. spy plane, was conducted Tuesday in international airspace. "One of the intercepting Chinese jets had an unsafe excessive rate of closure on the RC-135 aircraft. Initial assessment is that this seems to be a case of improper airmanship, as no other provocative or unsafe maneuvers occurred," the Pacific Command reportedly said, in a statement. However, it did not mention how close the Chinese fighter came to the U.S. plane. "The Department of Defense is addressing the issue with China in appropriate diplomatic and military channels," it said. China's Defense Ministry reportedly said it was looking into the report of the "unsafe" intercept. "Judging by the report, the U.S. side is again deliberately hyping up the issue of the close surveillance of China by U.S. military aircraft," it said in a statement sent to Reuters . "Chinese military pilots consistently carry out operations in accordance with the law and the rules, and are professional and responsible." In May, the Pentagon said that two Chinese fighter jets flew within 50 feet of a U.S. EP-3 aircraft over the South China Sea. "Initial reports characterized the incident as unsafe," Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a written statement to NBC News, adding, "Over the past year, DoD has seen improvements in PRC [People's Republic of China] actions, flying in a safe and professional manner." The South China Sea has been long debated, with Beijing laying claim to most of the region. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have conflicting claims to the waters, through which over $5 trillion of maritime trade passes annually. China has been expanding its presence in the region and has built three runways on the Spratly archipelago. The United States has been conducting sea and air patrols near artificial islands that China is constructing in the disputed Spratly archipelago. The U.S. says its freedom of navigation operations are designed to emphasize that the South China Sea, home to some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, remains international waters, asserting that it would increase the "freedom of navigation" sail-bys around the disputed area. | 5 | 98,559 | news |
Check out these travel destinations that offer an out-of-the-way Independence Day. The National Mall in Washington, D.C., typically draws around 700,000 people every year for fireworks and fanfare on the Fourth of July. But if the idea of such crowds leaves you claustrophobic, there are plenty of travel options for those who want to avoid packed patriotic spots to celebrate Independence Day at an off-the-grid destination. You don't need to leave electric power and pavement behind to find a fun, undiscovered place to spend the summer holiday. Whether you want to stay stateside or spend America's Independence Day in an international locale, here are 10 inspirational ideas . So you want to avoid the Fourth of July masses, but you'd still like to celebrate the holiday properly. There are several undiscovered U.S. destinations that offer a fun, patriotic getaway without the crowds. Consider booking your Independence Day weekend travel to one of the following locations. 1. Northwest Montana If you're looking to escape the crowds, Montana could be a good choice. "Northwest Montana is off-the-beaten path, yet is a world-class destination for road trippers, cyclists, hiking, backpacking, golfing, boating and fishing, horseback riding, skiing and more," said Katie LeBlanc, marketing coordinator for Swan Mountain Outfitters in Swan Lake, Mont. 'Glacier National Park is the biggest draw, but our towns in the Flathead Valley satisfy any niche desire." For example, Livingston hosts a Fourth of July fireworks show and festival. Travelers who really want to get off the grid can go to Polebridge, which supports a wintertime population that hovers around 25, but hosts a quirky annual Independence Day parade that draws many more to the tiny town just outside Glacier National Park. Accessibility and more: Many people traveling to Northwest Montana drive or fly in to Glacier Park International Airport. Once there, a number of outfitters offer fishing, hiking and hunting trips. Swan Mountain Outfitters offers an all-day trail ride and fishing trip for $295 a person, including lunch. Before you go, read up on wildlife safety and the effects of any area wildfires. 2. New Castle, Pa. New Castle might have less name recognition than patriotic Pennsylvania hotspot Philadelphia, but it can make the claim to be the "fireworks capital of America," as home to two of the world's biggest fireworks manufacturers Pyrotecnico and Zambelli Fireworks Internationale and boasts an impressive annual Independence Day display. "New Castle also bears the name as the 'Hot Dog Capital of the World,' serving some of the first chili dogs brought here by Greek immigrants in the early 1900s," said Emily Hemming, a spokesperson working with the Pennsylvania Tourism Office . In addition, Arts on the Riverwalk will be held in conjunction with the annual New Castle Fireworks Festival on July 9, and features appearances by many visual and performing artists. This year's event will include a Makers Fair, staged entertainment alongside an Artisan's Market and other attractions. Accessibility and more: New Castle is about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Admission to the fireworks and arts festival is free. 3. Union, Wash. This town with a population of fewer than 700 is a two-hour drive west of Seattle, and offers numerous options for hiking, golfing and boating. Situated on the Hood Canal, Union hosts a number of summer events, including the annual Thunder on the Canal celebration Sunday, July 3. "The event features an oyster-eating contest with oysters pulled right from the Canal, a local ukulele player, dancing and, of course, drinking and food," said Amanda Whitver, a spokesperson for Alderbrook Resort and Spa in Union , which sponsors the event. "But what really sets it apart is the fireworks show, which lights up the lake and picturesque mountains." Accessibility and more: Thunder on the Canal is free to Alderbrook guests and $5 for others over the age of 12. There are currently no rooms available for July 3, but rates start at around $400 for Friday, July 1 and $500 for Saturday, July 2. 4. Bryson City, N.C. This Smoky Mountains locale ranked as one of the best small towns, according to Smithsonian magazine. With a population of about 1,400, Bryson City is centrally located for exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and offers other outdoor activities, including whitewater rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, paddle boarding, fishing, horseback riding and zip lining. The area hosts several Independence Day events, including the Freedom Train Dinner Ride and Freedom Fest and Fireworks, said Ellen Snodgrass, of the Bryson City Swain County Chamber of Commerce . "For a small town, Bryson City likes to do things in a big way, and Independence Day is no exception," she said. "The celebration begins with the Rotary Club Firecracker 5K and then continues with local artisans and crafters, a full day of local music, festival foods and fun events, including a Watermelon Eating Contest and a Hula Hoop-off." Accessibility and more: Bryson City is about a three-hour drive from Atlanta or Charlotte. Once there, Freedom Train Dinner Ride rates start at $61 per person. Many other events are free. 5. Put-in-Bay, Ohio This Ohio island has a few beautiful waterfront restaurants, colorful taverns and a variety of outdoor activities, including kayaking amid limestone cliffs and parasailing. Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial above Lake Erie gives onlookers an unimpeded view of the U.S.-Canada border and a free Independence Day fireworks display. "On the Fourth of July, locals and visitors alike line the Put-in-Bay Harbor and the surrounding island shoreline while the harbor itself sees pleasure boaters," said Ryan Whaley , a spokesperson for some area firms. "With nature providing the amphitheater and the community providing the massive fireworks display, it's the perfect setting for anyone looking to experience an unforgettable night without the massive crowds of a New York or larger city." Accessibility and more: Only accessible by boat or small plane, this island is tucked away from the mainland. The Miller Ferry offers an 18-minute ride between Put-in-Bay and Catawba, Ohio. The ferry costs $7 per person for a one-way trip and also accommodates cars and motorcycles. Best Off-the-Grid Destinations Outside the U.S. If you want to avoid the busy weekend entirely and try an international destination, there are many unforgettable vacations in the world to be had . Many travel companies offer package deals worth considering. These destinations could offer a different way to celebrate the Fourth of July this year. 1. Antigua, Guatemala Although this UNESCO World Heritage site isn't off the grid in the conventional sense, it's not your typical Independence Day destination. But with spring-like weather year-round, any time is a great time to visit the former capital city that's rich in historical, cultural and culinary attractions. Tour companies, including Intrepid Travel, offer a food-themed "Bite-Sized Break, Antigua" four-day tour, during which travelers visit a coffee plantation, explore the food market, have a meal with a local family and take a chocolate-making workshop at the ChocoMuseo, in between sightseeing and beachcombing on their own. Accessibility and more: The closest airport to Antigua is in the country's present-day capital, Guatemala City. From there, many companies operate tour buses that will take you to and from Antigua. Once there, the Intrepid tour includes three nights of accommodations and the activities mentioned above for $395 a person. Antigua is generally safe, but travelers should be aware of their surroundings when exploring on their own, according to Lonely Planet. 2. Kalahari Desert, Southern Africa The Kalahari Desert covers about 360,000 square miles across parts of Namibia and South Africa, and encompasses most of Botswana. But just because you're in the desert doesn't mean you have to rough it. San Camp, operated by Uncharted Africa Safari Co., is located on the edge of Botswana's Makgadikdagi Salt Pans. Powered entirely by solar energy to help minimize its environmental impact, San Camp is literally off the grid. Visitors can use it as a home base for safaris and fossil hunting, or as a place to relax far away from the sights and sounds of modern civilization. Accessibility and more: Flights are available from several U.S. cities to Gaborone, Botswana. From there, an Uncharted Africa Safari Co. representative could suggest travel arrangements. San Camp's nightly rate of $1,249 per person includes meals, drinks and many activities. San Camp is open during the area's dry season, from mid-April through mid-October. In general, Botswana is a safe destination, especially if visitors observe recommended precautions in the wild. 3. Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is an island nation in Southeast Asia that's home to beautiful beaches, exotic wildlife, historic ruins and eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, according to Lonely Planet. "In the month of July, the weather turns from hot to temperate as the winds pick up on the Southern Coast and the monsoon starts to dissipate," said Chris Hellie, chief executive of Traveling Wonk . "Sri Lanka offers the traveler everything from culture and food, to active sports, such as world-class surfing, kite-surfing, fishing and hiking." Accessibility and more: There are flights from several U.S. cities to Sri Lanka's Bandaranayake International Airport. Sri Lanka is generally safe for travelers according to Lonely Planet, and July also represents an affordable time for vacations since the country's peak travel season hasn't started yet. 4. Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica If you want to spend the Independence Day holiday learning something new, consider a surf school in Costa Rica. Kalon Surf features all-inclusive, seven-day packages starting at $2,490 for triple occupancy and $2,740 for double occupancy. About 90 percent of Kalon Surf's visitors are from the U.S., and travelers appreciate its secluded location that offers mountain, jungle and Pacific Ocean views, said Kjeld Schigt , the school's founder. "Our weeks run Saturday to Saturday, with lots of work outs, complemented by three-times a week Pilates and a massage on Wednesday," Schigt said. "Our food is gourmet style, with lots of fresh ingredients, put together by an executive chef, and utilizing sous-vide cooking." Accessibility and more: Kalon Surf's rates include airport transfers from San Jose, which is accessible by direct flight from several U.S. cities. The surf school offers five days of surf coaching, with three to four hours a day of classes to keep guests safe on the waves. 5. Faroe Islands, Denmark One destination that isn't on many people's radar is a quick flight from the UK, according to Lonely Planet. "We spent time there this summer and were blown away by the incredible beauty of the lush, hilly countryside and rocky islands that comprise this unusual destination situated between Norway and Iceland," said Jared Blank, chief marketing officer for deal website DealNews . "Add in world-class cuisine imagine sushi restaurants that only serve locally caught fish, and upscale dining on par with the scene in Copenhagen as well as low-priced helicopter travel to get around the islands, and the Faroes are poised to be the next secret every traveler is trying to hide from their friends," he added. Accessibility and more: There are direct flights from Denmark, England, Iceland and Norway year-round, as well as ferries from Denmark. Several companies, including GreenGate Incoming Ltd., offer tours. Its Best of the Faroe Islands 10-night tour includes a round-trip flight from Copenhagen, and starts at about $1,850 per person for double-occupancy accommodations. Read: Ultimate Spending Guide to Europe | 2 | 98,560 | travel |
According to the Centers for Disease Control men in the United States are at a heavy risk of a heart attack. Patrick Jones (@Patrick_E_Jones) gives you six tips to improve your ticker's health. | 8 | 98,561 | video |
Following the overwhelmingly positive response from customers after McLaren took a P1 and reimagined it in exposed carbon fiber, the company has decided to do the same again, this time to a 675LT Spider. However, don't think it's a carbon copy. Unlike the P1, which was simply a design exercise showing the company's growing client list what its bespoke arm -- McLaren Special Projects -- is capable of doing, the MSO Carbon Series LT, as it has been christened, is a true production car and one that's guaranteed future classic status, thanks to being limited to just 25 examples. Carbon fiber has earned its reputation within the automotive industry due to the fact that it is exotic, stronger than steel, and yet extremely lightweight. All of which makes the 675LT Spider the perfect choice for the treatment. After all, this is the car in the company's super series that has already been shed of as much weight as possible in order to deliver monstrous track performance. Much of the car is already sculpted from this material, but the Carbon edition takes things further still with a carbon fiber roof and tonneau and even a carbon fiber fuel filler cap -- in all there is 40% more carbon fiber in the build. And while it is usually hidden under a mirror-finish paint job, for the new model all of the carbon fiber is fully exposed (so the weave has to be millimeter perfect) and covered in a high gloss finish. Other details setting it apart from a 'standard' limited edition 675LT Spider include front wing louvers and three integrated cameras for capturing track action as part of a Track Telemetry pack. One item that remains untouched in the new model is the engine. It's still 3.8-liters, it's still a V8 and still has twin turbos and when spooling gives the car 675PS (that's 666bhp), a 0-100km/h time of just 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 326km/h (203mph). As well as announcing the new car on Tuesday, McLaren also claimed that every single model is already pre-sold even though production won't be starting until the fall with the aim of delivering each car to its owner in time for Christmas. | 9 | 98,562 | autos |
CAIRO, June 8 (Reuters) - An EgyptAir flight to China was forced to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan on Wednesday after the airline received a call claiming that there was a bomb on board, two Egyptian aviation officials said. They said the plane, which was carrying 118 passengers, had been evacuated and searched. No explosives were found, they said. "The plane is preparing to resume its journey. It was a hoax, thank God," said one of the officials. EgyptAir has received a number of bomb threats since one of its aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean on May 19. All have turned out to be hoaxes. (Reporting by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Hugh Lawson) | 5 | 98,563 | news |
BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. Donald Trump routinely mocks his rivals for using teleprompters, but the presumptive Republican presidential nominee relied on the much-maligned political crutch Tuesday night for his closely watched speech at the end of the Republican primary calendar. A pair of teleprompters flanked the podium at the Trump National Golf Club in suburban New York City, and the celebrity businessman appeared to be reading from them as he delivered a speech that featured far less of his trademark bluster. It wasn't the first time Trump has read from the devices he used them, for instance, when speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in March but his reliance on them Tuesday prompted the word "teleprompter" to trend on Twitter and flew in the face of his usual criticism of them. "I don't use teleprompters," he said in January, criticizing Hillary Clinton for using one. "Wouldn't that be easy, teleprompters? I watched Hillary the other day and she has the biggest teleprompters I've ever seen. In fact, if you're sitting on that side of the room or that side of the room you can't see her because when they are outside, they are painted black and you can't even see her." Months earlier, he even proclaimed that "if you run for president, you shouldn't be allowed to use teleprompters. Because you don't even know if the guy's smart." Trump doesn't use the devices at this hallmark rallies, but sometimes delivers an amusing impersonation of their use, pretending to move his head back and forth to read from devices on either side of the stage. | 5 | 98,564 | news |
Sen. Bernie Sanders promised to carry on his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination to the final primary and beyond. His defiant move came hours after Hillary Clinton claimed victory as the party's nominee. WSJ's Shelby Holliday reports. Photo: Associated Press | 5 | 98,565 | news |
After James shows a photo of Tim Robbins as Merlin on the "Top Gun" set, Tim explains that while working on the production was good for him at the time, he couldn't return for a sequel. | 8 | 98,566 | video |
LISBON, Portugal (AP) A former CIA agent said Wednesday she will be extradited to Italy to serve a prison sentence for her part in the U.S. extraordinary renditions program after Portugal's Constitutional Court rejected her final appeal. Sabrina de Sousa told The Associated Press she is waiting to be told when she will be taken to Italy, where she was convicted in absentia and has a four-year sentence to serve. Since her October arrest in Lisbon on a European arrest warrant, De Sousa has lost her extradition fight at a lower Lisbon court and her appeal of that decision to the Portuguese Supreme Court. De Sousa was among 26 Americans convicted for the 2003 kidnapping in Milan of terror suspect Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr. She insists she wasn't involved in the abduction. The Constitutional Court said in a ruling posted on its website late Tuesday that De Sousa's appeal was rejected. Under Portuguese legal procedure, the Constitutional Court now sends its decision back to the lower court. That court then informs the police, who set in motion the extradition process in conjunction with Italian authorities. De Sousa said in an email to the AP that she had "no idea" when she might be sent to Italy. Her Italian lawyer has previously said he is hopeful of obtaining clemency from Italy's head of state. President Sergio Mattarella has granted clemency to other defendants convicted in the case. De Sousa said she sent Wednesday a letter to Pope Francis, through the Vatican's embassy in Lisbon, urging him to speak out against the extraordinary renditions used by the CIA after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The pontiff has already condemned the practice, in a 2014 speech. The rendition program, under which terror suspects were kidnapped and transferred to centers where they were interrogated and tortured, was part of the anti-terrorism strategy of the U.S. administration following the attacks. President Barack Obama ended the program years later. | 5 | 98,567 | news |
The next housing boom will be triggered by millennials. Like older demographic groups, the lumped-together cohort of 20- and 30-somethings are interested in getting married, starting families, buying homes and living the aspirational suburban life. The problem is that they are delaying all this , in part to build careers in large metros. In a note Tuesday , William Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management, discussed why this lag among millennials could be responsible for the next housing boom. He wrote that their move into "exile" away from home and college towns is only delaying what will eventually be a boost for new home construction. Here's Smead (our emphasis): We would argue that many Millennials have removed themselves from their hometown and their college town via their employment and the lateness of marriage. This contributes directly to Ivy's "elongation." We find it easy to estimate that the current new homebuilding pace of 629,000 units in 2016 will grow to a 1.5 million unit run-rate within five years. This would truly be a boom and could carry the U.S. economy along with it. Numerous studies show that folks under thirty years of age change jobs much more often than prior generations. The average age to marry has risen above 28 years old, with men at 29 in the mix. BCA Research has taught us that American women who have three children are likely to bear more of them in their thirties than in their twenties. The Census Bureau just reported a drop-off in teenage pregnancies and a lower rate of birth for women in their twenties. This was offset by sizable growth in pregnancies between 30 and 45 (Janet Jackson not withstanding). Smead referenced a recent Barron's interview with veteran housing-market analyst Ivy Zelman , in which she noted the dire shortage of affordable housing on the market. She said this housing cycle is likely to be longer and flatter than past cycles. And Smead argues that millennials are the reason for this elongation as they choose to settle and buy houses, that demand should propel the market if homebuilders are able to keep up. "We believe that the current fears of a slower economy are the last gasp of a post-financial meltdown era and are about to be replaced by exiles in the US building homes and having families," Smead wrote. "This will produce much higher economic growth, spawn higher interest rates and benefit companies with a direct and/or indirect connection to an America, which will be much different in ten years." | 3 | 98,568 | finance |
The people who were close to the late boxing great Muhammad Ali, including his biographer Thomas Hauser, have their say on legacy with which Ali has left the world | 8 | 98,569 | video |
LAHORE, Pakistan A woman in Pakistan burned her 17-year-old daughter alive on Wednesday to punish her for marrying against the family's wishes, the latest in a series of so-called "honor killings" that claim the lives of nearly 1,000 women every year in the conservative Muslim country. Police say Zeenat Rafiq's mother, Parveen, tied her to a cot and drenched her with kerosene before lighting her on fire. Neighbors in the congested, working-class neighborhood in the eastern city of Lahore came running when they heard the screams, but family members kept them from entering the house, said Nighat Bibi, who lives nearby. The police eventually arrived and found the charred body near a staircase. They arrested the mother soon thereafter. The victim's husband, Hassan Khan, told reporters the two had been "in love since our school days" but the family had rejected several marriage proposals, forcing them to elope last month. He showed an affidavit of consent signed by his wife before a magistrate. He also showed cellphone photos of a smiling Zeenat wearing a red dress. Sheikh Hammad, a local police official, said Parveen confessed to killing her daughter with the help of her son Ahmar. He quoted the woman as saying "I don't have any regrets." Another police officer, Ibadat Nisar, said the body showed signs of beating and strangulation. Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan -- often by their own family members -- for violating the country's conservative norms regarding love and marriage. Sex outside of marriage is seen by conservative Pakistanis as a stain on the honor of the woman's entire family, one that can only be removed by killing her. Last week a schoolteacher, Maria Bibi, was set on fire for refusing to marry a man twice her age. The prime suspect in the case the father of the man she refused to marry and the other four are in custody. A month earlier, police arrested 13 members of a local tribal council who allegedly strangled a girl and set her on fire for helping a friend elope. The charred body of 17-year-old Ambreen Riasat was found in a burned van. Khan, the husband of the woman killed in Lahore, said her mother and uncle had visited her three days ago to try to persuade her to return home and have a marriage ceremony with the family, so that she wouldn't be branded as someone who had eloped. He recalled his wife telling him: "Don't let me go, they will kill me." ___ Shahzad reported from Islamabad. | 5 | 98,570 | news |
Chinese prosecutors have charged 74 people in connection with a series of grisly murders aimed at extorting compensation from coal mining firms, state media said Wednesday. The workers are accused of a killing spree that left 17 dead in six regions across the country, the Global Times said, with the deaths made to look like work accidents. The slaughter was all part of a complicated con by participants who posed as the victims' family, and then offered mine-owners their silence in exchange for a big pay day, the paper said. "Once paid, they would quietly move on... since they knew how easy it was to con and extort money out of coal mine owners, they would kill again and again," the paper reported. The newspaper cited lawyers as saying that such murders have been common in China's vast mining sector in the past decade. The country is the world's largest producer of coal and hundreds die each year in accident-prone mines, though the number of deaths has fallen in recent years. "There have been loads of cases like this in Chinese coal mines dating back 20 years," Sun Yong, a lawyer from Beijing's Shouxin Law Firm told the Global Times. "Most of these people haven't been caught and their crimes are still hidden," he added. Sun said the number of such scams rose after 2011, when an amended regulation almost doubled compensation for worker deaths. "With the compensation now reaching 600,000 yuan ($91,290), people... take greater risks to extort money," Sun said. The alleged murders are eerily similar to those depicted in the 2003 Chinese film "Blind Shaft", about two con artists who pose as relatives of mine workers they murder for compensation money. The film won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival. The workers were indicted in Bayannur, part of the North China's Inner Mongolia region, it said. They will stand trial, the paper said. Last year three miners were sentenced to death for brutally murdering their co-workers using stones, hammers and shovels, among other tools, before extracting compensation money, state-media said. | 5 | 98,571 | news |
A PETROLHEAD has built what he believes is the world's fastest shopping trolley, which he has affectionately dubbed the 'Shopper Chopper'. The custom creation, made by US patent office clerk Calvin VanSant, 52, from Pennsylvania, is also the world's only street legal drivable shopping trolley. The current official record for the 'world's fastest shopping trolley' is 45mph (72kph), set by British-based petrolhead Matt McKeown in 2013, but Calvin's cart does 50mph on the motorway and he says it has a high speed of 80mph. At a height of 10ft, the trolley is surprisingly lightweight, weighing in at just 1.3 tonnes - the same weight as a small family car - and has a V8 engine. Videographer / director: Shopper Chopper LLC Producer: Bunmi Adigun, Ellie Winstanley Editor: Marcus Cooper | 8 | 98,572 | video |
NAYMIYAH, Iraq Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces pushed deeper into Islamic State-held Fallujah on Wednesday, more than two weeks after the operation to retake the city from the militant group began, a senior military official said. After securing the southern edge of the city Sunday, Iraqi special forces have entered the Shuhada neighborhood, Maj. Gen. Hadi Zayid Kassar, deputy commander of the counterterrorism forces in Fallujah told The Associated Press. The operation to retake Fallujah is expected to be one of the most difficult yet: The city in western Iraq's Anbar province is symbolically important to the militant group and has been a bastion of support for anti-government militants since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein. Artillery and rocket fire cleared the way, and a column of black Humvees was seen moving in between the low-rise buildings of Shuhada, a southern neighborhood. After Iraqi forces began their advance, a quick succession of coalition airstrikes followed, filling the sky with dark gray smoke. Just before the push, Lt. Gen. Abdel Wahab al-Saadi drove to the edge of the territory that Iraqi forces control. Surrounding buildings have been shredded by artillery fire and the dirt roads running through the mostly agricultural neighborhood have been churned by Iraqi troops' heavily armored vehicles an indication of the ferocity of the fighting. The main roads to and from the front line are marked with craters from airstrikes and roadside bombs, with defensive trenches dug by both IS and Iraqi forces. Different Iraqi forces are taking part in the fight for Fallujah, but only Iraq's counterterrorism troops are actually entering the city. Paramilitary troops, made up mainly of Shiite militias, have been given the task of pushing the militants from the outskirts and tightening the siege. "We expect to face more resistance, especially because we are the only forces entering the city," said Gen. Haider Fadel, one of the commanders of the counterterrorism forces. "The Daesh are concentrating all their forces in this direction," Fadel said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, the U.S. commander in Iraq, defended the performance of Iraqi forces in the operation, saying they were playing a larger role than the Shiite militias in leading the isolation of Fallujah. "The Iraqi security forces have not stalled," Volesky said. "They are continuing to move, they got the isolation done pretty rapidly." Fallujah is one of the last IS strongholds in Iraq. The Sunni militant group has controlled the city, located about 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, for more than two years. Iraqi forces have faced stiff resistance from IS in the fight for Fallujah. Extensive use of tunnels, well-trained snipers and roadside bombs slowed the initial push into the city. After an IS blitz across Iraq in summer 2014, the military has slowly won back territory from the militants. But the group still controls patches in Iraq's north and west, as well as the second-largest city of Mosul. ___ Szlanko reported from Irbil, Iraq. | 5 | 98,573 | news |
An EgyptAir passenger plane has made an emergency landing in Uzbekistan after receiving a call claiming that a bomb was on board, two Egyptian aviation officials have said. They said it was a false bomb threat and that all 118 passengers and 17 crew on flight MS955 from Cairo to Beijing were safely evacuated from the aircraft. No explosives were found, they added. "The plane is preparing to resume its journey. It was a hoax, thank God," the Associated Press news agency said quoting one of the officials. Uzbekistan Airways said in a statement posted on its website that the plane "successfully landed" in the western city of Urgench. "Currently, the plane is in a safe zone. Crew members and passengers have been evacuated. Designated officials are examining and checking the aircraft," it said. Is it still safe to fly? EgyptAir has received a number of bomb threats since flight MS804 crashed in the Mediterranean with 66 people on board. Authorities are still investigating that crash. ISIL has been waging a deadly uprising against Egyptian security forces and last October claimed the bombing of a Russian airliner flying home holidaymakers from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. | 5 | 98,574 | news |
Derek Blasberg and Miranda Kerr teach children how to speak with an Australian accent. | 8 | 98,575 | video |
Russia unveiled Wednesday the first MC-21 medium-haul passenger plane as Moscow aims to revive its beleaguered civil aviation industry and challenge giants Airbus and Boeing. The prototype of the MC-21 plane that can carry up to 211 passengers was presented in the hangar of the Irkut aircraft manufacturer in the Siberian city of Irkutsk in a glitzy ceremony broadcast on Russian state television. The unveiling of the aircraft was a "long-awaited event for our civil aviation, for aeronautic construction and for our whole country," said Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. "This confirms that we are able to create such aircraft that not only make our civil aviation progress but that will compete with other countries," he said. Medvedev also pledged that Russia would keep updating its domestically-produced civil aircraft. The MC-21 passenger jets -- which can be up to 42.3 metres long and have a wingspan of 35.9 metres -- are expected to replace the ageing, Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-204 and make their first test flights by the end of the year or in early 2017. The aircraft, 30 percent of which is made up of foreign parts, is scheduled to come into service in late 2018. Irkut said that it has signed contracts with a number of airlines, including Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot, UTair and the Kyrgyzstan Air Company, for the delivery of 175 planes and that it had preliminary agreement to sell another 100 planes. A number of the planes will be purchased by state-owned Russian companies for leasing. Medvedev said that the demand for Russia's MC-21 would grow once it makes its first flight. Russia has its hopes set on competing with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, which dominate the international civil aviation market. The unveiling of the MC-21 comes five years after Russia's short-haul Sukhoi Superjet aircraft came into service and has since had serious technical issues. Russia's aviation agency in 2013 grounded the Superjets -- which have had technical issues with landing gear and leak detection systems since they came into service in 2011 -- over a series of technical issues before being allowed to resume flights. A Superjet performing at an Indonesian air show in 2012 slammed into a volcano, killing all 45 on board, in a crash Indonesia blamed on pilot error. | 5 | 98,576 | news |
The Wall Street bull, despised and hated since it was born back in March 2009 amid the wreckage of what was the worst market drop since the Great Depression, is on the cusp of rewriting the Wall Street record books. Again. After a small gain Tuesday, the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 stock index is just 18.69 points, or 0.87%, away from its May 2, 2015, all-time closing high of 2,130.82. At the 2016 market low on Feb. 11, the bull was down 14.2% from its record high. Pretty much everyone on Wall Street figured the bull was done and the first bear market since 2009 was coming soon. But the bull rebounded. And stealing a line from the Grateful Dead song Shakedown Street, here's a shout out to the resilient Wall Street bull: "Don't tell me this (bull) ain't got no heart." Indeed, this bull never says die. It has now lasted 2,647 days, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. And if it can close above its previous record high, it will officially take its place as the second-longest running bull ever. The longest and best-performing bull market dates back to the 3,452-day run that began in October 1990 and ended in March 2000 when the Internet stock bubble burst and ushered in a brutal two-year market downturn. The bull is just one rally away from making history. And Wall Street will be able to enjoy this one, especially after suffering through the worst start to a year ever in 2016. | 3 | 98,577 | finance |
You'd be surprised that Walmart offers these bizarre items. | 3 | 98,578 | finance |
A new international survey has found that more than half of today's frequent fliers consider the airport more than just a place of transit and make an effort to go early for some pre-flight respite and retail therapy. That's the overriding conclusion of a survey that polled 3,000 travelers from the UK, UAE, US, Germany, France, Singapore and Hong Kong which aimed to shed light on fliers' attitudes on their airport experience. One of the biggest attractions? Not surprisingly, duty-free shopping. More than half (56 percent) said they make a point to arrive at the airport early to shop, and 64 percent said they look for bargains. Another 35 percent said they take advantage of duty-free shopping to pamper themselves with a luxurious name-brand gift that they wouldn't normally buy. The story is slightly different for business travelers: 40 percent said they bypass the shops altogether and head straight to the airport lounge. That figure corresponds with the fact that 59 percent of frequent business fliers consider access to an airport lounge to be an important or very important factor when selecting an airport. Meanwhile, if there's one airport that has raised the bar in airport experiences, it's Singapore Changi airport, which has repeatedly taken the top spot in best airport rankings. The Asian hub is often described as a destination in and of itself, with features that include tropical rooftop gardens, movie theaters, free foot massages, and free sight-seeing tours into the city for fliers with long airport layovers. A new addition, the Jewel Changi Airport, is also in development that will feature an indoor living forest spanning five levels, walking trails, and the world's tallest indoor waterfall, all housed under a glass biodome. The target opening date is early 2019. In Europe, half of travelers said that digital boarding passes and e-tickets make for an easier airport experience. Nearly a quarter -- 24 percent -- said they use airport mobile apps. That figure rises to 41 percent among frequent business travelers. The survey was carried out by Priority Pass, a program that provides frequent travelers with airport lounge access irrespective of their class of travel or airline. | 2 | 98,579 | travel |
The competition between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders enters an urgent new phase Wednesday a delicate minuet that Clinton and leading Democrats hope will soothe tensions and move their divided party toward enthusiastic unification behind the presumptive presidential nominee. If all goes well, the Democrats will arrive at their convention in Philadelphia in late July with Sanders fully supportive of Clinton and his millions of fervent followers ready to become foot soldiers in the race against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. But all that presupposes that Clinton and the senator from Vermont can quickly begin the process of reconciliation. And no Democratic leader thinks that will be an easy task. A handful of people are expected to play key roles in brokering peace between the two warring campaigns, including President Obama, Vice President Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Obama and White House political director David Simas, as well as Warren and Reid, have been in communication with both camps to lay the foundation for an eventual coming together, according to several senior Democrats. Obama called both candidates Tuesday night and was scheduled to meet with Sanders at the White House on Thursday. Sanders also plans to meet with Reid that day on Capitol Hill. "It's not a one-way street. They're both going to have to, in effect, compromise," Reid said in an interview Tuesday. Reflecting on his earlier career as a trial lawyer, the Senate leader said, "I never knew what was going to happen when I went to trial, so if I could get a decent offer I would settle that case, and that's what I think my two friends should take a look at." In one way, what Sanders and Clinton will be doing is common at the end of spirited nomination battles. Just eight years ago, Clinton was on the other side as the losing candidate, eventually reaching an accommodation with Obama but not without some hiccups along the way. Leading Democrats say this time is different and potentially more difficult. For one, Sanders operates outside the Democratic Party structure. He has run in Vermont as an independent and self-described democratic socialist. And though he caucuses with Democrats in the Senate, his ties to the institutional party are decidedly looser than were Clinton's. Even more important, however, is that his candidacy like Obama's in 2008 generated great enthusiasm and spawned a powerful grass-roots movement made up of independents and others who do not identify with the Democratic establishment. Clinton will need his voters in the fall, and that no doubt will require the help of Sanders. How Sanders approaches this period is a source of uncertainty and anxiety. He has sent mixed signals in recent days, barnstorming California with a vow to contest the Philadelphia convention while also acknowledging that he would have to fully digest his new reality later this week. Aides said the process of determining Sanders's next steps would begin Wednesday aboard the campaign's airplane as the candidate and top advisers hold their most complete conversation about his options while flying to Vermont from Los Angeles. "He is certainly against Trump and will do anything to stop Trump," said Tad Devine, a senior strategist for Sanders. "If he is going to get out and endorse her before the convention, how do you do that in a way to persuade as many of his supporters as possible to support her? Not just, 'I'm for her,' but, 'You be for her, too.' " Devine said there have been a number of conversations between the two camps, including talks between Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook and Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver. Some of these have had to do with issues around the Democratic platform. "Things are going in a positive direction," Devine said. "No negotiations are going on but there is interaction." Even though the primary calendar has all but run out the District holds the final contest next Tuesday the Sanders movement is very much alive. He has addressed big, boisterous rallies in California for the past several weeks. "He's obviously struggling and in great internal conflict about what's going on," said former Vermont governor Howard Dean, a Clinton supporter. "He knows intellectually that he can't win, but he can't stop himself. . . .There is part of him that doesn't want to quit." Sanders probably will find very little sympathy for the case that he has said he would make between now and the convention, which is to ask the hundreds of superdelegates Democratic elected officials and party leaders who have publicly committed to Clinton not only to change their allegiance but also to go against the total popular vote and the results of state-by-state contests over the past four-plus months. Even among Sanders's supporters, that argument may not hold water. Many progressive activists dislike the very concept of superdelegates a position that Warren, whose liberal base is the same that fueled the Sanders candidacy, advocated over the weekend. "I'm a superdelegate and I don't believe in superdelegates. I don't think that superdelegates ought to sway the election," Warren, who has not endorsed a candidate, told reporters in Massachusetts. Warren's comment about superdelegates notwithstanding, she is seen by other leaders of the party as uniquely credible and positioned to play one of the most influential roles in bridging the Clinton and Sanders divide. A Warren adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, said of the senator, "She takes the threat of Trump very seriously and she takes seriously her potential role in helping unify the party." One danger is that Sanders could be met by a chorus of Democrats urging him, both personally and publicly, to bow out. "We have to be thoughtful about having a few voices at one time as opposed to everyone talking and preaching at the same time," said Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), a Clinton backer. "You can't have 30 people call and start lecturing." There is considerable recognition among some party leaders that Sanders deserves deference from Clinton as well as some concessions that would continue to elevate the populist ideas that have been at the heart of his candidacy. At a meeting Tuesday morning of the Senate Democratic leadership, some senators vented about Sanders vowing to fight on and said that they had lost their patience with him. One Democratic official who relayed the exchange said Reid quieted the chatter, telling his colleagues,"We have to remember that Bernie has always been good to us, he's always been there when we needed him and we need to treat him fairly." In the interview, Reid, who endorsed Clinton in February, reiterated those feelings and stressed the need to treat both Sanders and his followers respectfully. He said Sanders has been "a tremendously important part of my caucus," and Democrats would need to "depend on Bernie" for the final seven months of Obama's presidency. "A lot of people he has energized and they are rabidly involved in the system now," Reid said. "What I am so impressed with is that we have these new people, so it's extremely important that Clinton and Bernie . . . both understand what they've got to offer and that they work toward a middle." Supporters of Sanders see it as especially crucial that Clinton as well as the Democratic National Committee make genuine concessions. They already have seated five Sanders supporters on the 15-member committee responsible for drafting the party platform in Philadelphia. Other ideas from Sanders allies include stronger policy positions by Clinton and in the platform on trade, fracking, Social Security, the role of money in politics and other reform issues. "We're not talking about little tiny changes," said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a Sanders supporter. "My hope and expectation is that Secretary Clinton will find a way to understand how big these issues are and to find that she believes in aggressively taking them on. That would be necessary for the Sanders team to feel like they really want to get out and knock on those doors." Some Democrats think that the most important step Clinton could take to bring Sanders supporters enthusiastically behind her candidacy short of naming him as her vice-presidential running-mate would be to tap Warren for the ticket. The idea has gained currency in Washington in recent weeks. One potential obstacle is that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, would have the power to fill Warren's seat in the Senate were Warren to become vice president. But Reid, who has long expressed his admiration for Warren, recently ordered up a legal analysis of Massachusetts election law, first reported by the Boston Globe, which concluded that there are avenues open to the Democrats to minimize the threat. "I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Warren," Reid said in the interview. "I would hope that Clinton and Bernie understand what a good woman she is and that they find a role for her, whatever that might be." Reid raised the example of Obama in 2008 inviting Clinton into his circle, just as President Abraham Lincoln did in building a team of rivals. "He reached out to her and gave her the best job he had to offer, secretary of state, and I think the history books will recount that was a brilliant move," he said. Asked whether he would counsel Clinton to ask Sanders to join her ticket, Reid said he would not give her advice. "You can make a case for who is the strongest at this stage, either Clinton or Bernie, but the point is they have to work it out," Reid said. "No one can do it for them." Robert Costa contributed to this report. | 5 | 98,580 | news |
The Säbener Strasse, usually a hive of bustle and activity, is quiet during the summer break, but that is no reason for boredom: there is the EURO 2016 and a quartet of legends at fcbayern.de. Four Bayern legends answer four questions each. Bixente Lizarazu, who is now 46 years old, starts our series. fcbayern.de: Welcome Liza! You finished your active career ten years ago. What are you up to these days? Lizarazu: "I work for different media in France. For TV, radio and a print magazine. Football is my subject of course. I talk about the France squad, the Champions League and some domestic leagues in Europe, so I also talk about FC Bayern from time to time." fcbayern.de: You still do a lot of sport, surfing, diving, Jiu-Jitsu. Do you still play football? Lizarazu: "Hardly. If I do it's for a good cause. Everything good I have achieved in football is in the past. Now everything I do with the ball is only worse." fcbayern.de: How strong are your ties to FC Bayern today? Lizarazu: "Bayern are my club. I feel part of the Bayern family and the club's great history. I'm always happy when Bayern win a title. I sometimes meet old colleagues like Mehmet Scholl or Giovane Elber. I also visited Munich for the championship celebrations in May. If you wore the Bayern shirt once you're a Bavarian forever." fcbayern.de: What reminds you of FC Bayern at home? Lizarazu: "I have Lederhosen and Paulaner Weißbier at home. I still like to drink it. And I have more than 500 shirts I've worn in all my matches for Bayern. They're nice memories." Bixente Lizarazu profiled: At FC Bayern: 1997-2004 and January 2005-2006 Position: left-back Competitive fixtures/goals: 273 / 8 Career record: Club World Cup (2001), Champions League (2001), six German championship titles (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006), five DFB Cup titles (1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006), four League Cup titles (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), Goal of the Month award (February 2000) | 1 | 98,581 | sports |
The Jaguar XF is a mainstay in the company's lineup. Redesigned for 2016, this luxury sedan combines quick reflexes on the road with an absorbent and composed ride. But this Jaguar doesn't feel that special inside, and it's not a good value. | 9 | 98,582 | autos |
Meet your new best friend for effortless cleaning, cooking, organizing, and more. Clean your glasses Next time you clean your glasses, try using a coffee filter instead of a tissue. Good-quality coffee filters are made from 100 percent virgin paper, so you can use them to clean your glasses without leaving lint. You can also use them safely to polish mirrors and TV and monitor screens. Here are surprising household items you can reuse . Cover food in the microwave Coffee filters are microwave-safe. Use them to cover bowls or dishes to prevent splatter when cooking or baking in your microwave oven. On the other hand, you should never put these items in the microwave . Filter cork crumbs from wine Don't let cork droppings ruin your enjoyment of a good glass of wine. If your attempt at opening the bottle results in floating cork crumbs, just decant the wine through a coffee filter. Catch ice-cream drips Next time the kids scream for ice-cream bars or ice pops, serve it to them with a drip catcher made from basket-style coffee filters. Just poke the stick through the center of two filters and the drips will fall into the paper, not on the child or your carpet. Prevent soil leakage When you're repotting a plant, line the pot with a coffee filter to keep the soil from leaking out through the drain hole. Here are more tips for growing healthy houseplants . Make an instant funnel Cut the end off a cone-style coffee filter to make an instant funnel. Keep a few in your car and use them to avoid spillage when you add a quart of oil or two. Make an air freshener Fill a coffee filter with baking soda, twist-tie it shut, and you have just made an air freshener. Make several and tuck them into shoes, closets, the fridge, or wherever else they may be needed. These are other genius uses for baking soda . Treat a fever Soak a few filters in brewed tea or cold water and chill in your freezer. Fold the filter up to make a cold compress to tame a headache or puffy eyes. Spread oil or butter Sturdy coffee filters won't leave fibers behind on your baking pan; use one to evenly spread oil or butter over a flat surface when cooking. Corral small objects Building an IKEA cabinet or complicated Lego set? Set out a few coffee filters to hold all the small, easily lost pieces in one place. Protect stacked plates Whether storing your fine china on the shelf or packing your everyday dishes for transport, layer some coffee filters between each plate to prevent nicks and scrapes. Line a cookie tin or tupperware A coffee filter laid on the bottom of a food container will absorb excess oils and catch crumbs, leaving you an easy cleanup. Make your own tea Sprinkle your favorite mix of herbs into a coffee filter and tie up the top with a string. Steep in hot water and you've got some custom-made tea. Carry messy food A cone filter is the perfect size for holding a pita, quesadilla, or other hot pocket on the go. Here are other hacks for eating messy foods . Serve snacks, dish-free A basket filter becomes a perfect makeshift bowl for popcorn, candy, chips, and other movie night favorites. Take the perfect low-light photo Soften the flash on your camera by holding a coffee filter over it when you shoot. Make a colorful goodie bag Use some washable markers to draw a pattern on a coffee filter , then lightly mist it with water from a spray bottle. Fill the filter with candy or coins, fold into a pouch and tie up the top with a ribbon. Rest a dirty spoon Leave a basket filter open on your counter and rest your dirty spoon or spatula on it while cooking your favorite meal. Here are more tips for keeping your kitchen clean while you cook . Polish without a mess Absorbent and durable, coffee filters are perfect for removing nail polish from your fingernails, or spreading shoe polish on your boots Keep skillets rust-free Prolong the life of your good cast-iron cookware. Put a coffee filter in the skillet when it's not in use. The filter will absorb moisture and prevent rusting. Line a sieve If you save your cooking oil for reuse after deep-fat frying, line your sieve with a basket-style coffee filter to remove smaller food remnants and impurities. | 4 | 98,583 | lifestyle |
Analyzing queries on Bing, researchers found warning signs of symptoms of pancreatic cancer before the disease was diagnosed. Microsoft scientists have demonstrated that by analyzing large samples of search engine queries they may in some cases be able to identify internet users who are suffering from pancreatic cancer, even before they have received a diagnosis of the disease. The scientists said they hoped their work could lead to early detection of cancer. Their study was published on Tuesday in The Journal of Oncology Practice by Dr. Eric Horvitz and Dr. Ryen White, the Microsoft researchers, and John Paparrizos, a Columbia University graduate student. "We asked ourselves, 'If we heard the whispers of people online, would it provide strong evidence or a clue that something's going on?'" Dr. Horvitz said. The researchers focused on searches conducted on Bing, Microsoft's search engine, that indicated someone had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. From there, they worked backward, looking for earlier queries that could have shown that the Bing user was experiencing symptoms before the diagnosis. Those early searches, they believe, can be warning flags. While five-year survival rates for pancreatic cancer are extremely low, early detection of the disease can prolong life in a very small percentage of cases. The study suggests that early screening can increase the five-year survival rate of pancreatic patients to 5 to 7 percent, from just 3 percent. The researchers reported that they could identify from 5 to 15 percent of pancreatic cases with false positive rates of as low as one in 100,000. The researchers noted that false positives could lead to raised medical costs or create significant anxiety for people who later found out they were not sick. The data used by the researchers was anonymized, meaning it did not carry identifying markers like a user name, so the individuals conducting the searches could not be contacted. A logical next step would be to figure out what to do with that search information. One possibility would be some sort of health service where users could allow their searches to be collected, allowing scientists to monitor for questions that indicate warning flag symptoms. "The question, 'What might we do? Might there be a Cortana for health some day?'" said Dr. Horvitz, in a reference to the company's speech-oriented online personal assistant software service. Although the researchers declined to offer specific details, Dr. White is now the chief technology officer of health intelligence in a recently created Health & Wellness division at Microsoft. They acknowledged that health-related data generated from web search histories was still new territory for the medical profession. "I think the mainstream medical literature has been resistant to these kinds of studies and this kind of data," Dr. Horvitz said. "We're hoping that this stimulates quite a bit of interesting conversation." The new research is based on the ability of the Microsoft team to accurately distinguish between web searches that are casual or based on anxiety and those that are genuine searches for specific medical symptoms by people who are experiencing them, he noted. Both a computer scientist and a medical doctor by training, Dr. Horvitz said he had been exploring this area in part because of a phone conversation with a close friend who had described symptoms. Based on their conversation, Dr. Horvitz advised him to contact his doctor. He received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and died several months later. The availability of vast sets of behavior data based on individual web queries using the search engines offered by companies like Google and Microsoft has for a number of years been seen as a potential indicator of health-related information. In 2009, Google published a research paper that explored the potential of early detection of flu epidemics based on statistical analysis of web search logs, though the results of that effort ultimately fell short of what had been hoped. More recently , Microsoft researchers have had significant success in finding early evidence of adverse drug reactions from patterns observed in web logs. In 2013, they detected unreported side effects of prescription drug before they were found by the Food and Drug Administration's warning system. The researchers are exploring evidence related to a range of devastating diseases. They also said that unlike the drug interaction data, which would be of direct value to the F.D.A. as an early alert, it was possible that symptom alert data might be made available as part of a broader online health service that a company like Microsoft might offer. | 7 | 98,584 | health |
Delvin Perez has been projected to go as high as No. 2 in this week's MLB Draft, but his stock may have taken a hit. The 17-year-old shortstop from Puerto Rico failed a drug test, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman . It is not known what drug was detected in the test. MORE: Teams' biggest draft regrets | Draft time, TV info The draft begins Thursday and Perez has been projected in some mock drafts to go as high as second the Reds. Another favorite landing spot is fifth overall to the Brewers, while the Rays, picking 13th, have also been projected as a potential home for the teenager. SN's Ryan Fagan, in his latest mock draft , has Perez going No. 7 to the Marlins. Perez, who is listed at 6-3 and 165 pounds, has been compared to Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who was taken No. 1 overall in 2012, but failing a drug test this close to the start of the draft may cause him to fall completely out of the first round. | 1 | 98,585 | sports |
Kevin " Kimbo Slice " Ferguson was hospitalized three days prior to reports surfaced about his "dire" health condition . He was subsequently diagnosed with heart failure. Citing information from the Broward County's medical examiner's office, the Sun-Sentinel today reported that the fighter was admitted with severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath and nausea. Doctors found a liver mass and congestive heart failure, advising his family a heart transplant was necessary. RELATED SLIDESHOW: Notable sports deaths of 2016 Ferguson was placed on a ventilator in intensive care before he passed away on Monday at the age of 42. Multiple attempts to reach the Broward County's medical examiner's office were unsuccessful. A public records request from MMAjunkie is pending. One of the world's best known and most popular fighters, Ferguson's death shocked the MMA community. He had been scheduled to headline Bellator 158 on July 16 in London, facing James Thompson in a rematch of a 2008 fight that broke ratings records. When he did not attend a press conference in London for the April event, Bellator President Scott Coker said the fighter had become "ill" and doctors "asked him to stay" in the U.S. In a statement released after Ferguson's passing, Coker said the promotion is "shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family." An Internet sensation in the late 2000s for his backyard brawl videos, Ferguson was signed by the now-defunct EliteXC promotion. He trained under UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten and won his first three fights, including one against Thompson watched by 6.51 million viewers, before a highly publicized upset at the hands of Seth Petruzelli. After EliteXC's demise, he signed on to the cast of "The Ultimate Fighter 10," drawing record ratings for the reality show. Eliminated early on the show's tournament, he fought twice in the UFC, going 1-1 before his release. Ferguson (6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator in June 2015 and again was ratings gold with a knockout of Ken Shamrock watched by 2.3 million people. In February, he bested Dhafir "Dada 5000" Harris by TKO before 2.7 million viewers, but the bout's result was overturned when he tested positive for a steroid and an elevated T/E ratio. He settled with the overseeing Texas Athletic Commission , receiving a 90-day suspension and the revocation of his fight license in addition to a $2,500 fine. Attempts to reach Ferguson's longtime manager, Mike Imber, were unsuccessful. | 1 | 98,586 | sports |
One of the key benefits of 3-D printing is that it produces parts with only the necessary materials. As companies have finally begun to incorporate 3-D metal printing into their processes, the manufacturing world is poised for a big change. Photo: Hermann Jansen | 3 | 98,587 | finance |
La alfombra roja de los Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2016 [FOTOS] Kourtney Kardashian Susan Sarandon Elizabeth Banks David Gandy Sophie Turner Krysten Ritter Jack Whitehall Clara Amfo Craig David Tom Evans Jenna Coleman Holly Willoughby Claudia Winkleman Alesha Dixon Zac Posen Amanda Holden Dougie Poynter Gemma Arterton Jessica Raine Frankie Bridge Fearne Cotton Eleanor Tomlinson Mollie King Laura Whitmore | 6 | 98,588 | entertainment |
Jaromir Jagr seems to be enjoying the offseason as the Panthers veteran was recorded dancing with his stick. You've gotta see his hysterical routine. | 1 | 98,589 | sports |
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he's preparing for a "major" speech on Monday to discuss "all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons." Rough Cut (no reporter narration). | 5 | 98,590 | news |
The New England Patriots have practiced twice in front of the media this spring, and Rob Gronkowski hasn't been on the field for either session. Gronkowski's absence has certainly raised some eyebrows around New England, but it's reportedly nothing to be overly concerned with. The Patriots are just being cautious with Gronkowski, ESPN's Mike Reiss and the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe reported Tuesday. Gronkowski is dealing with "an undisclosed physical ailment that isn't considered a long-range concern," Reiss reported. Gronkowski might not play in the preseason for the second straight year, according to Howe. Gronkowski has been at the facility for the Patriots' offseason workout program, according to both reports. Gronkowski was one of 13 players absent from Tuesday's minicamp practice. | 1 | 98,591 | sports |
WASHINGTON It made for a striking contrast and one that is giving Republicans more cause to worry about their chances in November. As Hillary Clinton made history Tuesday by claiming the title of presumptive nominee in the Democratic presidential contest, prominent Republicans denounced their own nominee and publicly debated whether he harbors racist views. Donald Trump, who previously had shown a masterful ability to deflect controversies that would have sunk most candidates, has struggled to move beyond condemnations of his racially tainted comments about the federal judge who is hearing a civil fraud case against Trump University. Top Republicans in Congress openly challenged his remarks Tuesday. Conservatives, moderates, and evangelicals alike backed away from him. And Trump continued to display combativeness when reconciliation and contrition may have been wiser choices. So much for party unity. The spectacle swirling around Trump Tuesday continued just as the more disciplined and organized Clinton appeared to be finally consolidating strength for the general election ahead. House Speaker Paul Ryan, less than a week after he reluctantly endorsed Trump's campaign, faced questions about Trump's repeated, unsubstantiated assertions that Judge Gonzalo Curiel, born in Indiana and of Mexican descent, was biased against Trump because of Trump's proposal to build a wall on the Mexican border. "Claiming a person can't do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment," Ryan told reporters Tuesday, setting the tone of a day of blistering criticism. In a maneuver that symbolized how the broader Republican Party is trying to accommodate Trump and his outspoken views on Mexicans, Muslims, and women, Ryan later told Fox News that while Trump's comments were racist, he does not consider Trump racist. And he would still vote for him. In the Senate, majority leader Mitch McConnell offered his own stern advice for Trump: "My advice to our nominee would be to start talking about the issues that the American people care about and to start doing it now." "It's time to quit attacking various people that you competed with or various minority groups in the country and get on message," he added. "We're all anxious to see what he may say next." Several hours later, Trump released a 701-word statement in which he expressed a desire to move on from the current flap, even while refusing to back down. "It is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage," read the statement. "I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent. The American justice system relies on fair and impartial judges. All judges should be held to that standard." "I do not feel that one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial," he continued. "But, based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial." Trump added that, "I do not intend to comment on this matter any further." Tuesday night, during remarks on at Trump National Golf Club Westchester, Trump never referred to his controversial remarks and instead tried to put more of a polish on his demeanor. "People say I'm too much of a fighter. My preference is peace, however," he said. "I'm not a politician fighting. I'm me. You're gonna see some real good things happen." His remarks read from a teleprompter, in a sign that he may be trying to become more disciplined highlighted his desire to bounce back from the worst stretch of his campaign. "I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle, and I will never, ever let you down," he said. "I will make you proud of your party and our movement, and that's what it is, a movement." With Clinton mired in her primary fight against Bernie Sanders, Trump defeated the last of his opponents weeks ago and had a 34-day head start on the job of unifying his party. Initially, Trump had some success, earning key endorsements after a Capitol Hill charm-fest. He established a joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee and began adding key staff. But the benefits of that head start evaporated in the last week. One of his greatest strengths his outsider's refusal to adapt to the norms of political campaigning is also a liability. And anyone expecting Trump to fundamentally change his ways may be disappointed: Trump, after all, wrote in his 1987 book that he punched his second-grade music teacher because he didn't think the teacher knew enough about music. Many Republicans are now running away from their nominee, rather than embracing him. Senator Marco Rubio said Tuesday that if he speaks at the GOP convention in July, he will not be speaking on Trump's behalf. And he may not speak at all. Senator Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican, said on Tuesday that he was revoking his prior support for Trump. One of Trump's former rivals, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said he could not vote for him, either. He withdrew his earlier endorsement and called on other Republicans to do the same. He also accused Trump of "playing the race card." "If he continues this line of attack then I think people really need to reconsider the future of the party," Graham said on CNN. Bill Kristol, the conservative commentator who has tried unsuccessfully to recruit an anti-Trump candidate to run, appeared to mock his fellow Republicans on Twitter: "Official position of the leadership of the Republican Party: Trump is an inexcusable bigot, and Trump must be our next president." Some of Trump's allies fought back. One Trump supporter CNN contributor Jeffrey Lord said that Ryan, the House speaker, was the one who "is now supporting identity politics, which is racist." Another pointed fingers at the White House. "You can easily argue that the President of the United States is a racist with his policies and his rhetoric," Representative Lee Zeldin, a Republican from New York, said on CNN. Trump on Tuesday night also began turning toward Clinton, attacking her over her use of a private e-mail server while Secretary of State and saying, without evidence, that she had kept them private them in order to hide her "corrupt dealings." "The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves," he said. He then said that he planned to give a speech focused on the Clintons next week. "I wonder if the press will want to attend?" he wondered aloud. | 5 | 98,592 | news |
SYDNEY, June 8 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were wounded in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday after police opened fire on a student demonstration in the capital and riots erupted across the country, but officials said earlier reports of up to four dead were incorrect. A groundswell of political unrest has surged in the island nation, just to Australia's north, in recent weeks amid calls for Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to resign over corruption allegations. Students and officials said police fired on the public and used tear gas to disperse crowds during a protest at the University of PNG's Waigani campus in Port Moresby. Protests were later reported in the PNG Highland cities of Goroka and Mt Hagen, and in Lae on the north coast. "Now there is a very big clash with the public and with the police just outside the Port Moresby General Hospital," a hospital official told Reuters by telephone soon after a group of wounded students were taken there for treatment. "There is also shooting going on, open gunfire." The government said Initial reports that up to four people had been killed were incorrect. An official at the Port Moresby General Hospital said 38 casualties had been treated there, including four with bullet wounds, but no deaths. O'Neill later issued a statement in which he refused to stand down. "The facts relayed to me are that a small group of students were violent, threw rocks at police and provoked a response that came in the form of tear gas and warning shots," he said. Papua New Guinea, formerly administered by Australia, struggles with endemic violence and poverty despite a wealth of mineral resources. It is ranked 139 out of 168 in Transparency International's corruption index. Wednesday's events echoed a similar confrontation when police opened fire on anti-government student protesters in 2001. A full account of that incident has never been given. The PNG Police Ministry did not directly address the shooting but said in a statement students or others who had engaged in subsequent vandalism or assaults would face the "full force of the law". "Police are now investigating the string of offences that have been committed and arrests will be made," it said. The Australian government said there had been an "unconfirmed number of deaths and serious injuries", while the United States and Britain told its citizens to avoid areas hit by violence. "The situation is still volatile and could escalate at any time," the U.S. embassy said in a statement. Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia said they had cancelled one flight each from Australia to Port Moresby and were assessing whether to fly on Thursday. PEOPLE FLEEING Hubert Namani, a lawyer and business leader, said public transport had been halted in Port Moresby and businesses shut. "People are looting and rioting and sort of revolting, so the police are now caught trying to manage all of that," Namani told Reuters by phone from the capital. Student protest leader Noel Anjo said the violence began when students started a march from the campus towards the parliament building in Port Moresby, where police had set up a road block. "Police did not like that idea and started assaulting the students, punching them, hitting them with the gun butts, before firing shots at them," Anjo said. "The students were running for cover in all directions, but I saw some people badly wounded." TEAR GAS, GUNFIRE Video showed students fleeing amid clouds of tear gas and the sound of gunfire. Pictures showed several men with what appeared to be serious stomach, chest and leg wounds. Thousands of students across PNG have been protesting and boycotting classes for weeks amid growing political unrest. O'Neill, who came to power in 2011 promising to reign in corruption, has faced allegations he authorised millions of dollars in fraudulent payments to a leading law firm. In 2014 an anti-corruption watchdog issued an order for his arrest over the incident, which O'Neill denies. He refused to submit to the warrant and ordered the watchdog stripped of its funding. Most of Papua New Guinea's seven million people live subsistence lives in isolated mountain villages and scattered tropical islands. Despite that, an energy production boom, which includes Exxon Mobil's $20 billion LNG plant, has fuelled annual economic growth of almost 10 percent a year for the past three years. Exxon and partner Oil Search said there had been no damage or impact to their operations, as did Newcrest Mining , which operates two remote gold mines in PNG. "This is going to get worse before it gets better," said Greg Anderson, executive director of the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum in Port Moresby. "Incidents like this trigger paybacks, which could easily spiral out of control," he said. (Additional reporting by Jane Wardell, Jonathan Barrett, Byron Kaye and James Regan; Writing by Jane Wardell; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Paul Tait) | 5 | 98,593 | news |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. The headmaster of a prestigious boarding school has announced his departure days after state police concluded an investigation into dozens of sexual abuse allegations there with no criminal charges. The St. George's School Board of Trustees announced Tuesday that headmaster Eric Peterson won't seek to extend his contract, which ends June 30, 2017. Peterson has been headmaster of the Episcopal school in Middletown, near Newport, since 2004. In an email to the school community, board chairwoman Leslie Heaney expressed profound gratitude for Peterson's leadership and briefly addressed the abuse scandal. "Throughout this transition, the school's commitment to addressing past instances of sexual abuse and to supporting our survivor community will remain steadfast, as will our efforts to advance educational innovation, support our faculty and challenge our students," she wrote. Police investigated dozens of former students' allegations of abuse by employees and classmates but announced Thursday they couldn't proceed with criminal charges. Among the reasons they cited were the statute of limitations and different laws when the abuse occurred. An independent investigation of the abuse by a Boston law firm is expected to conclude later this month. The police investigation spanned as far back as the 1970s and as recently as 2005. Peterson was told by multiple victims about sexual abuse, starting in 2004, the year he became headmaster, but the school did not report it to authorities until November. The school acknowledged in December that it repeatedly failed to notify authorities about abuse, and it apologized. Peterson did not directly address the scandal in his own email to the school community, but he acknowledged that recent months had been challenging for the school. He did not detail his plans but said the decision came at a "logical point" for him and his family, and he said he was hopeful the timing would allow for a thorough search to find his successor. Abused former student Anne Scott, who leads the survivors' support group SGS for Healing, said if a child at boarding school is raped or assaulted by an adult she naturally turns to the school's leader's for help. "I welcome a coming era at independent schools, where its leaders can act boldly, swiftly and clearly in support of survivors," she said. "It makes a world of difference for justice and healing." Victims' lawyer Eric MacLeish said Peterson was one of many school leaders who "chose silence about decades of sexual abuse at St. George's over outreach, compassion and assistance to alumni victims." "As someone who went to St. George's," he said, "I hope that the next head of school approaches this crisis with a complete open heart to the survivors we represent and understands the devastation and trauma that these life-altering events caused." | 5 | 98,594 | news |
There's a set of numbers that suggest Joe Pavelski is enjoying a whale of a series in the Stanley Cup Final. He leads San Jose with 14 scoring chances. He's been on the ice for 19 more shot attempts than the Sharks have allowed at even strength. And he's killing it in the faceoff circle, winning 61% of his draws. But through four games, Pavelski is still looking for his first point of the series. Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Brent Burns have also played well, giving the Sharks a clear edge in possession when they've been on the ice. But the score sheet shows they've combined for just six assists in the Final. Goals are hard to come by in this series for both teams. "I think it's the hardest hockey that I've witnessed in this league," said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. "It seems like both teams have to fight for every inch out there. That's just the type of hockey that it's become." But it's been especially hard for San Jose's stars. The Sharks have seven goals so far in this series. All have come from secondary options: Justin Braun (two), Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward, Tomas Hertl, Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi. The big guns have been silenced due to the defensive commitment of the Penguins as a team. But especially the work of their six-man D corps. It's not a particularly noteworthy group. Outside of Norris candidate Kris Letang, and with Trevor Daley on IR, the Pens ice a collection of kids and recycled parts. Ben Lovejoy is on his second tour with the team. Brian Dumoulin and Ian Cole were part-timers before being acquired via trade. Justin Schultz was rescued from the Oilers' scrap heap. And 21-year-old Olli Maatta still needs the help of a map on occasion to find his own backside. • SI Vault: Stanley Cup Champion Pens Are Mightier (6/22/09) On paper, it doesn't look like much. And yet, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And it's been the key to Pittsburgh's 3 1 series lead. "It's a team defense, not necessarily a group of individuals out there," Sullivan said. "That's what's helped each player throughout the course of this postseason. They trust one another. They rely on one another. They support one another. Because of that, I think they bring out the best in each other." But mostly what they do is play within their limitations. They look to make the simple play every time in order to reduce the risk of turnovers. "They just get the puck out of their own end as quickly as possible up to their forwards," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. "There's nothing fancy about it. They're not looking to make cute plays. They're just looking to get it out of their own zone as quickly as possible." That approach has severely limited the amount of time San Jose's stars have spent camped in the Pittsburgh end. And on the rare occasions that the Sharks do get set up, there's a team-wide commitment to shot blocking that's left the men in teal turning an angry shade of red. "I can tell you their effort, the things that they've done that have made them successful through the first three rounds of the playoffs haven't changed going into this round," DeBoer said of his top players. "You have to give Pittsburgh some credit for the job they've done on them." There were some encouraging signs for the Sharks in Game 4, especially during that third-period push that saw them pull to within one on Karlsson's goal. Pavelski and Couture both had excellent chances. Burns and Thornton found some space to create. And they generated a series of solid chances. But in the end, the Pens defense had the answer. Just as they have throughout a series in which they've never trailed. "We've certainly challenged these guys each and every day to be at their best," Sullivan said. "What I like about this group, and what I've really grown to admire about this group, is how close-knit they've become through this journey." Shut down San Jose's top scorers one more time and that journey will carry them into history. | 1 | 98,595 | sports |
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons just wasn't feeling a TV interview ahead of Toronto's game in Detroit on Tuesday. He thought a handwritten note would work just fine instead. Really, he left a note for Sportsnet's Barry Davis. John Gibbons was disinclined to do pre-game TV, so he had this note delivered to Sportsnet's Barry Davis. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/WukUwfxufK - John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) June 7, 2016 Let's try to make out what Gibbons wrote: "Venditte up for an xtra arm. Dominguez out. Expect Sanchez to be good." Why was everything spaced out like that? I guess he wanted to use all of the paper. Gibbons eventually did the interview, but he mainly stuck to the note. Later, Gibbons did do his usual pre-game interview, and basically said what he wrote on the note. (2/2) - John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) June 7, 2016 | 1 | 98,596 | sports |
The meme depicts President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee. | 5 | 98,597 | news |
Donald Trump says his campaign will welcome supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders "with open arms" and promised that he would deliver "great trade deals". | 5 | 98,598 | news |
He's expected to be the No. 1 pick later this month at the NBA Draft. But one thing that's no longer in question for Ben Simmons is which shoe company has landed the former LSU star. Simmons took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that he will sign with Nike. UNINTERRUPTED Exclusive: @BenSimmons25 announces he will be part of the @Nike family. https://t.co/l5B7Xq3uvB UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) June 7, 2016 "I'd like to announce I've signed with Nike," Simmons said. "I'm excited. I'm blessed. It's an amazing opportunity for me and my family of course." No contract terms were announced. It was reported last month that Nike was offering $7.5 million over five years, less than the five-year, $10 million deal Adidas presented. Simmons, who is represented by the same agency -- Klutch Sports Group -- as LeBron James, averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in his lone season in college. The Philadelphia 76ers have the first pick in this month's draft and are expected to take Simmons. If they pass on Simmons, the Los Angeles Lakers would be next in line. | 1 | 98,599 | sports |
Subsets and Splits