Health problems can destroy wealth. Just in the past year, Americans borrowed an estimated $88 billion to cover health-care costs, according to a recent survey from West Health and Gallup . What's more, 45% of Americans are concerned that a big health event could cause bankruptcy. They're right to be concerned. More than two in three bankruptcies are caused by medical problems, either from bills, income loss due to illness, or both, according to data released this year in the American Journal of Public Health. It looked at more than 900 Americans who filed for personal bankruptcy between 2013 and 2016. Other surveys come to a similar conclusion, noting that medical issues are the No. 1 cause of bankruptcies. In fact, it's mostly people who are middle class and have insurance who are filing for bankruptcy, David Himmelstein, the lead author of the study, tells MarketWatch. "Unless you're Bill Gates, you're just one serious illness away from bankruptcy," Himmelstein, a distinguished professor at the City University of New York's Hunter College and lecturer at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. "For middle-class Americans, health insurance offers little protection," he added. "Most of us have policies with so many loopholes, co-payments and deductibles that illness can put you in the poorhouse. And even the best job-based health insurance often vanishes when prolonged illness causes job loss   just when families need it most." Related video: Why medical bills in the US are so expensive (provided by CNBC) Consider this: In 2018, the average cost of health care for the typical American family of four covered by an average employer-sponsored PPO plan was $28,166, according to the Milliman Medical Index. Every month, this rises roughly $100, the index found. So imagine how high these costs might go if you had a bad accident or prolonged illness that meant you couldn't work, resulting in loss of your job and the insurance that came with it. "That's the triple whammy," Himmelstein said. Medical issues are all too common. Indeed, 44% of Americans got hit with a medical expense they didn't expect in the year prior . And for too many, it's devastating: 530,000 families go bankrupt each year because of medical issues, the American Journal of Public Health revealed. And yet, far too few people have money saved to handle these issues. Four in 10 Americans don't have the savings to cover an unexpected $400 expense, according to Federal Reserve data released in 2018   and more than 1 in 4 skipped necessary medical care in 2017 simply because they can't afford the cost. What's more, research shows that flexible spending accounts are underutilized. Why do we have so little savings for medical costs? "It comes down to human nature   a combination of being focused on other things that seem more urgent, and flat out being in denial that something will happen to them," says certified financial planner Bobbi Rebell, host of the Financial Grownup podcast and co-host of the Money in the Morning podcast. Plus, she adds that "very few people take the time to actually comb through their insurance policies and look for the details of coverage each year" so they may be unaware of what's not covered. For others, it's simply "high cost of living and low salaries," says Kimberly Foss, president and founder of Empyrion Wealth. Rebell recommends saving at least your out-of-pocket maximum. "That maximum out of pocket is your worst case scenario. After that the insurance company should pick up 100%," she says. Of course, you could also lose your job and insurance, so it's always a good idea to sock away even more. Foss recommends that everyone "should all aim to have about six months' living expenses in savings." If you're nearing retirement, prepare for big medical bills before your last day on the job. Fidelity data show that the average couple will need $280,000 in today's dollars for medical expenses in retirement; that does not include long-term care. This story was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated.


ADAMS COUNTY, Colo.  Two people were killed in a motorcycle crash on Tuesday near Imboden Road and East 88th Avenue in Adams County. According to the Colorado State Patrol, the driver of the bike and passenger of the bike were killed. There was another vehicle involved in the crash. The Colorado State Patrol is currently diverting traffic around the accident scene. ___ (c)2019 KDVR-TV, Denver Visit KDVR-TV, Denver at www.kdvr.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


An NFL general manager has to be prepared for anything on draft day - even pranks. The Arizona Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick and ultimately traded quarterback Josh Rosen to the Dolphins. Yet, in the lead-up to the draft, the trade market was awfully quiet for Arizona. In fact, the trade proposal that Cardinals general manager Steve Keim was most willing to entertain didn't even come from an NFL team. Comedian Frank Caliendo used his array of NFL impressions to prank the Cardinals, which could have caused some early mayhem just ahead of the NFL Draft. Caliendo said in an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show that he called Keim using Jon Gruden's voice and offered a trade involving Murray and Nick Bosa. Caliendo said: "So, I'm sending Steve Keim messages from Jon Gruden. 'I tell you what, man. I love you, brother. I got an idea. How about you draft somebody else at No. 1. How about you draft [Nick] Bosa at No. 1. And then I'll draft Kyler Murray at No. 4. We'll make a trade. I'll give you my 27th pick, you give me a second-rounder. We have the best trade ever, man. I think it works out for both teams.'" It almost worked! The best part of the appearance was when Keim actually called into the show. He confirmed that Caliendo really did offer some enticing trades as Gruden and had him extremely confused. Keim said: "It was torture. I felt like I did three or four trades with the Raiders, and I had to call Mike Mayock to realize it wasn't really them." Keim and Caliendo have known each other for nearly a decade, so the Cardinals GM was able to laugh off the prank. The Raiders must have thought Keim was losing it, though. MORE: Avengers Endgame: Iron Man's ending, explained Finding one big thing to like about each of the Packers' 2019 draft picks Garrett, Cowboys questioned Trysten Hill's status: 'What's going on'? Why Pats could have best WRs in NFL 3 post-draft needs the Giants must address Related slideshow: Top picks of 2019 NFL Draft (provided by imagn)


CHARLESTON, S.C.   Jessica Korda shot a 68 to move within a stroke of the lead halfway through the second round of the U.S. Women's Open on Friday. Korda played bogey-free golf and was a stroke behind first-round leader Mamiko Higa and tied with Esther Henseleit at 5-under par at the Country Club of Charleston. Higa and Henseleit play Friday afternoon. Full-field scores from the U.S. Women's Open Amateur Gina Kim was a stroke behind Higa when the round began. She shot a 72 to fall to 4 under, two behind after 36 holes. Pei-Yun Chien shot the best score of the morning starters with a 66 to move five shots off the pace. It was her lowest score in eight career U.S. Women's Open rounds. The field will be cut to the top 60 scorers and ties at the end of the round.


Ahead of the ground-breaking eNASCAR broadcast Thursday on NBCSN (5 p.m. ET as part of NASCAR America ), let's count down the top three finishes of the year in NASCAR's PEAK iRacing Series. Watch tonight's live event on the NBC Sports App . RELATED: NBCSN to televise eNASCAR 3. The series' first green-white-checkered finish A caution at Lap 129 of 134 brought the action to a halt, setting the stage at Kentucky Speedway for the series' first ever green-white checkered finish. With just two laps remaining in the Bluegrass State shootout, Zack Novak aced the restart and pulled away from second-place finisher Jimmy Mullis to claim victory in the historic finish. 2. Three-wide across the line at Auto Club The new 2019 aero package made its debut at Auto Club Speedway in March   offering many new challenges and producing one of the best start-to-finish showdowns of the year. After contact at the front of the pack sending the race leader onto the apron, rookie Eric J. Smith bolted to the lead on the last lap. Side-by-side action ensued in the final corner as drivers made it three-wide heading down the homestretch with Smith narrowly edging Keegan Leahy for the win. 1. A photo finish at Talladega In a thrilling last-lap battle, the field went four-wide as they came around the final turn toward the start/finish line. Chaos ensued as the cars approached the stripe, leaving many spinning and crashing as they came to the end. In the midst of all the mayhem, Nick Ottinger held off points leader Ryan Luza and secured his first checkered flag of the 2019 season in a memorable photo finish. ]]>


The Dayton area is searching for metaphorical Band-Aids following Sunday's mass shooting, and signs of healing have surfaced at the scene of the tragic event. The city held a vigil Sunday evening to remember the nine lives that ended by the hands of suspect Connor Betts, who opened fire in the city's Oregon District around 1 a.m. On Monday morning, flowers could be seen covering the bullet holes in a window at the scene. More flowers were left at a makeshift memorial as crowds gathered to pay their respects. Wearing a mask, vest and hearing protection, Betts approached 5th Street, where he killed his first victim in an alley. He continued down 5th Street, where he fired dozens of rounds, killing his sister, Megan Betts, and seven others. In addition to the nine killed, 14 others were shot, and many more suffered injuries while trying to flee. All nine bodies were removed from the scene Sunday, and autopsies are still being completed by the coroner's office. MORE | These are the 9 victims of the Dayton shooting Officers, who responded within 20 seconds, shot and killed Connor Betts just as he was about to enter the Ned Pepper's liquor store on 5th Street, where a portion of the crowd fled to take cover. Police said during a news conference Monday morning that Connor Betts' motive remains unclear. The Dayton Foundation has set up the Dayton Oregon District Tragedy Fund to assist victims of the shooting. The foundation will be meeting with counselors and other community foundations in the nation to determine how to allocate the funds to victims. MORE | Donation fund created to help Dayton shooting victims, families The Associated Press reports that Connor Betts' high school classmates said he was once suspended for creating a "hit list" of those he wanted to kill and a "rape list" of girls he wanted to sexually assault.


Hall of Fame basketball writer Mark Heisler sits down with CineSport's Noah Coslov to talk about how to change the rules to take the Hack-a-Player out of the NBA.


Dolphins swimming in the oil-contaminated waters of the Gulf of Mexico after the 2010 BP spill suffered unusual lung lesions and died at high rates because of petroleum pollution, US scientists said Thursday. The report in the journal PLOS ONE presents the strongest evidence to date that the environmental disaster that was unleashed when the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, 2010, pouring 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean, was the reason for an unusually high number of dead or dying bottlenose dolphins washing up on the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Dolphins take big, deep breaths right at the surface of the water, where oil sheens are most concentrated, and "where there is a good chance of inhaling oil itself," said lead author Stephanie Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist at the National Marine Mammal Foundation. "Dolphins were negatively impacted by exposure to petroleum compounds following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and exposure to these compounds caused life threatening adrenal and lung disease that has contributed to increased dolphin deaths in the northern Gulf of Mexico." - Unusual lesions - Unusual lesions in the lungs and adrenal glands, which regulate hormones and stress response, were a key sign that something was wrong with dolphins in the area of the spill, according to the research which compared autopsies of 46 dolphins that were stranded and died in the spill area from June 2010 to August 2012 to a comparison population of stranded dolphins off the Gulf coast of Florida. "We found that dolphins that died after the oil spill had distinct adrenal gland and lung lesions that were not present in the stranded dolphins from other areas," said Kathleen Colegrove, a veterinary pathologist at the University of Illinois. "These dolphins had some of the most severe lung lesions I have ever seen in wild dolphins from throughout the US." One in three of the stranded dolphins in the spill area had a thinned adrenal gland cortex, a rate that was significantly higher than the reference population of stranded dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, in which one in 10 had such a condition. "The thinning of the adrenal gland cortex was a very unusual abnormality for us, that has not been previously reported in dolphins in the literature," Colegrove told reporters during a conference call to discuss the findings, which are the latest in a series of research papers on dolphin health in the region after the spill. - Bacterial pneumonia - One in five of the oil spill dolphins had bacterial pneumonia, a serious lung disease that was severe enough to cause or contribute to the animals' deaths. By comparison, bacterial pneumonia was found in just one in 50 of the Florida dolphins to which the autopsies were compared. Studies in other animals have shown that inhaling oil can cause adrenal dysfunction, lung disease and bacterial pneumonia, which Venn-Watson described as "one of the most common outcomes of chemical inhalation injury in other animals." Scientists ruled out other diseases known to have killed dolphins in high numbers in the past, such as brucellosis and morbillivirus. They also ruled out cancers, autoimmune diseases, fungal infections and tuberculosis. "No feasible alternative causes remain that can reasonably explain the timing, location and nature of these distinct lesions," said Venn-Watson. A 2013 study on cetaceans in Louisiana's Barataria Bay, found that dolphins were missing teeth, had lung lesions and high prevalence of disease after the worst oil spill in US history. While researchers lacked a baseline study of dolphin health in Barataria Bay before the oil spill, they said the combination of live and dead dolphin analyses, including the latest study, have provided a strong body of evidence. "We feel that this study is a critical link in the chain," said Venn-Watson. - BP disputes - More than 1,200 dolphins have washed up in area of the Gulf of Mexico affected by the spill since April 29, 2010. An additional 114 were stranded from February, two months prior to the spill, until April 20, according to figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In response to the study, BP took issue with the scientific findings. "This new paper fails to show that the illnesses observed in some dolphins were caused by exposure to Macondo oil," said Geoff Morell, BP senior vice president for US communications and external affairs. "According to NOAA, the Gulf 'unusual mortality event' (UME) began in February 2010, months before the spill," he added. "Even though the UME may have overlapped in some areas with the oil spill, correlation is not evidence of causation."


Detroit took an important step towards entering the 21st century by releasing its Sustainability Action Agenda to address the city's numerous sustainability issues. The 55-page report, produced by the city's Office of Sustainability, outlines ways to improve the health, environment, and resiliency of Detroit and its residents. "Sustainability" means a number of different things to people. It has obvious environmental implications, but it can also relate to economic sustainability, like not making enough money to afford housing. For Detroiters, the latter is often a more pressing need, and the agenda reflects those priorities. The Sustainability Action Agenda is divided into four buckets: Healthy, thriving people Affordable, quality homes Clean, connected neighborhoods Equitable, green city Within each are various action items. Under bucket one, for example, there's "expand local air quality monitoring system," with a plan of launching two new monitoring efforts, on top of the three already installed in Southwest Detroit. Each item has a timeline of implementation, almost all of which are less than five years. In total, there's 43 action items. Some other examples include "improve access to utility efficiency programs," "expand green jobs training and workforce development programs," and "develop an electric vehicle infrastructure strategy." A major goal of the agenda is to reduce landfill waste. Through an additional $1 million in funding, the city already plans on expanding its recycling program by adding multifamily and commercial properties, launching a recycling education campaign, and providing recycling options in public places like parks. "The actions outlined in this agenda will collectively have a powerful positive impact for Detroit residents by improving the health of residents, reducing utility costs, providing better access to city services, and ensuring that residents can survive and thrive through the impacts of climate change," said Joel Howrani Heeres, the city's director of sustainability. The Office of Sustainability is small. To help with implementation, it created a Sustainability Advisory Commission made up of representatives of relevant community groups and organizations, as well as an Interdepartmental Working Group of city officials. The city also says it reached nearly 7,000 residents during its engagement period .


Last month, Microsoft released a preview of its new, Chromium-powered Edge browser for Windows 10. Now, you can test drive the browser with macOS, too. For the most part, the macOS Canary build comes with the same features you'll find in the Windows 10 preview, but Microsoft promises subtle changes to "make it feel at home on a Mac." The macOS preview includes modifications to fonts, menus and keyboard shortcuts that Mac-users will find familiar. It also adds controls like website shortcuts and tab switching through the Touch Bar, and it works with familiar, Mac trackpad gestures. Microsoft says it will continue to perfect the browser as it evolves in future releases, and in a blog post , the company says it welcomes feedback. Like the Windows 10 test build , the Edge for macOS Canary build borrows key design features from Google Chrome -- it's built on the same Chromium open-source base. The new browser is meant to better align with current web standards, which will lead to an improved experience for the average user, and if things go as Microsoft hopes, will win favor among developers, who have largely abandoned Edge to test pages in Chrome. You can download the macOS Canary build here , and Microsoft promises a preview is coming to Windows 7 and Windows 8 soon. Microsoft


Tennessee came into summer camp knowing that they would have to place all three of the Vols' starting defensive linemen from a year ago. Now, one of the players expected to slide into one of those jobs has been lost as well. Jeremy Pruitt revealed Wednesday that Emmit Gooden has been diagnosed with a torn ACL. The lineman suffered the injury during a practice session Tuesday and will undergo surgery at some point in the not-too-distant future. Obviously, given the timing of the injury, Gooden will be sidelined for the entire 2019 season. The good news, such as it is, is that Gooden has another season of eligibility he can use next season. Gooden came to Rocky Top after spending the 2016 and 2017 seasons at a Kansas junior college. In his first season with the Volunteers, the Tennessee native played in 12 games, starting one of those contests. His seven tackles for loss were good for third on the team this past season.


The Tigers announced after Wednesday night's game that they've optioned third baseman Jeimer Candelario to Triple-A Toledo. A corresponding roster move will be announced on Thursday, per the team. It's a disappointing turn of events for the 25-year-old Candelario, whom the Tigers hoped could solidify himself as their third baseman of the future. Acquired in the 2017 trade that sent Justin Wilson to the Cubs, Candelario burst onto the scene in Detroit late that summer, hitting .330/.406/.468 down in 106 plate appearances down the stretch. While the 2018 season was an uneven one for the switch-hitter, he still managed to swat 19 homers, 28 doubles and three triples. The 2019 season simply hasn't been a good one for Candelario, who went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Wednesday's game. He's hitting .192/.285/.288 with a still-strong 10.9 percent walk rate but an elevated 27.9 percent strikeout rate. More troubling is that Candelario's power has simply evaporated. He's hitting more line drives and fly-balls than he did in 2018 but hasn't seen the corresponding uptick in exit velocity or hard-hit rate that one would prefer to accompany such trends. With Candelario down in Toledo for a reset, the door will open for hot-hitting Ronny Rodriguez to see more reps at third base. The 27-year-old utility man has turned in a blistering .296/.341/.667 batting line with six homers, eight doubles and a pair of triples through just 88 plate appearances since joining the Tigers this year. He's seen action all around the infield, but the demotion of Candelario opens a clear path to regular at-bats and a regular position for the Tigers should they prefer to provide him with a more stable role. Of course, Rodriguez has thrived in a jack-of-all-trades capacity, so it's possible that while he'll see an uptick in time at the hot corner, he'll still also be used to spell others around the infield.


A saying as old as the NFL itself is that defense wins championships. The question is, does spending money on defense win those championships? The New England Patriots would say yes to that question. They have one of the NFL's most expensive starting defenses, but also won the Super Bowl last season. On the other hand, teams like the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Denver Broncos were among the worst teams in the league a season ago, despite fielding expensive defenses. Good, bad or somewhere in the middle, these teams enter the 2019 season with the most expensive starting defenses in the NFL. All salary figures courtesy of Spotrac. 10. New England Patriots: $64,533,034 Thanks largely to Tom Brady's willingness to take a hometown discount , the Patriots have managed to be fairly conservative with their spend on offense. The approach on the defensive side of the ball has been slightly different. Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower are the only defensive starters with eight-figure cap hits, but five players check in at more than $6 million, while three others will count for more than $4 million against the cap this year. The Pats are definitely paying a considerable amount to stop opposing offenses. With eight straight AFC championship games , three consecutive conference championships and two of the last three Super Bowl victories, they appear to be spending wisely though. Not every team on this list can make the same claim. 9. Cleveland Browns: $67,135,564 We can only imagine what Cleveland's defense will cost when Myles Garrett comes off his rookie deal. Still, this is a pricey defense. The team's top-paid starter (Olivier Vernon, $15.5 million) and No. 2 (Sheldon Richardson, just under $10 million) both crack eight figures. Damarious Randall, Myles Garrett and Christian Kirksey all have cap hits between $8-$10 million. Denzel Ward is paid over $6.5 million. The Browns are paying big money on both sides of the ball in hopes of returning to prominence in the AFC. 8. Arizona Cardinals: $67,220,001 Brooks Reed ($1.625 million) is the least expensive starter. He and Budda Baker are the only starters earning under $2 million. Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson, Jordan Hicks, Robert Alford and Terrell Suggs all have cap hits of least $5 million. Jones ( $19.5 million ) and Peterson (nearly $12 million) are the two biggest earners on the team, combining to make up for just under half of the defense's $67,220,001 figure. 7. New York Jets: $68,847,344 An important note here is that Quinnen Williams is listed as a starter even though he's yet to sign. In other words, the $68,847,344 accounts for only 10 players. So how do the Jets still check in so high? Leonard Williams ($14.2 million), C.J. Mosley ($13 million) and Trumaine Johnson ($12 million) represent a good portion of the team's defensive spend. After that, Avery Williamson is at $8 million, with Henry Anderson close behind. Jamal Adams (still on a rookie deal) makes more than $6 million. Like the Browns, the Jets are spending a pretty penny on defense in hopes of turning their fortunes around. 6. Pittsburgh Steelers: $69,453,242 After Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers offense features its share of good deals . The defense is another story. The four highest-paid starters (Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Joe Haden and Bud Dupree) collectively account for just under one quarter of Pittsburgh's total salary cap. Dupree's salary is over $9 million, while the other four all make over $11 million. While there's a steep drop after those four, every other starter makes over $2 million, with the exception of Sean Davis, who will earn $1.3 million this season. This is a veteran group, and it shows. 5. Denver Broncos: $70,362,587 Von Miller is easily the biggest cap hit ($25.125 million) among the Broncos starters. His cap number is more than Denver's second- and third-highest paid defensive starters ( Chris Harris and Derek Wolfe ) combined. That's impressive, as Harris and Wolfe aren't exactly cheap themselves   Harris makes just a shade under $12 million, while Wolfe is just under $11 million. Following them, Bradley Chubb and Kareem Jackson sit around $6 million mark, while Todd Davis checks in at $5 million. While Flacco was the big storyline this offseason, it's safe to say that the Broncos are still betting on their defense in 2019. 4. Los Angeles Rams: $71,624,428 Los Angeles checks in quite high despite the fact that three starters (John Johnson, Samson Ebukam and Tanzel Smart) count for less than $1 million under the cap. Where did the money go? For starters, there's a dramatic jump between that group and their defensive teammates. The fourth-lowest paid starter (Cory Littleton) makes more than $3 million. Aaron Donald, Dante Fowler Jr. and Michael Brockers, the defense's highest paid starters, are $10 million men, and both Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib are north of $8 million. 3. Chicago Bears: $71,877,494 After the 2019 season, Khalil Mack's cap figure will jump from $11.9 million to $26.6 million. So if we look at this list in a year, Chicago could boast the NFL's most expensive starting defense. As it stands today, the Bears aren't exactly cheap. Mack's $11.9 figure is actually second on the defense to Kyle Fuller. Akiem Hicks ($10.1 million) also tops eight figures. Eddie Jackson and Bilal Nichols are the only starters under $1 million, while HaHa Clinton-Dix is the only other starter under $5 million. The league's best defense isn't cheap. 2. Houston Texans: $72,471,754 While J.J. Watt is the biggest name on the Houston defense , he's not the highest-paid player. That honor goes to Jadeveon Clowney ($15,967,200), assuming he signs his franchise tag. Although Watt isn't atop the list, his services certainly don't come cheap. His salary is $15 million. After that, Aaron Colvin is north of $8.5 million, and Benardrick McKinney, Tashaun Gipson and Whitney Mercilus are all above $7.3 million. Justin Reid is the outlier, making under $1 million. 1. Minnesota Vikings: $83,656,869 The Vikings do have a starter making less than $1 million in Ben Gedeon, but things get pricey after him. Shamar Stephen is the next cheapest starter, and he has a cap hit of more than $2 million. Anthony Harris is just over $3 million, and Eric Kendricks is a shade under $5 million. Harrison Smith and Linval Joseph make over $10 million, while Danielle Hunter and Xavier Rhodes earn over $13 million annually.


WASHINGTON   Veterans will have expanded access to medical care outside Department of Veterans Affairs facilities beginning Thursday under a law signed by President Donald Trump last year and touted as a major achievement by Trump on the campaign trail. Rules established under the law and published Wednesday in the Federal Register say the VA will pay for veterans to see non-VA doctors if they have to wait longer than 20 days or drive more than 30 minutes for primary or mental healthcare at a VA facility. For specialty care, they can see private doctors at VA expense if they have to wait longer than 28 days or drive more than an hour to see a VA provider. Previously, veterans who had to drive more than 40 miles or wait longer than 30 days could choose to see a private doctor paid for by the VA. VA officials estimated the new rules could increase the number of veterans eligible for VA-sponsored private care to as many as 2.1 million   up from about 560,000. The rules going into effect Thursday also allow veterans to go to non-VA urgent care clinics at VA expense without prior approval, though they may have to pay a co-payment. Trump signed the law last June , known as the VA MISSION Act, but its key provisions didn't take effect until now. A 'seamless transition' "Veterans should expect a fairly transparent and seamless transition to the new Veterans Community Care Program," the agency said in a recent post explaining the new VA program . The expansion of veterans' medical care choices was a key campaign promise for Trump, and its rollout will be closely watched by veterans' groups, who have worried it will divert money from VA health care . They have said that diversion would damage the agency's ability to provide care, causing more veterans to get non-VA care, and ultimately triggering the privatization of the agency. The VA said it still expects non-VA care will be a "supplement to the outstanding health care VA provides to veterans in-house." "VA employees are passionate about caring for veterans and are highly experienced in meeting veterans' specific needs," the agency wrote. "Because of this, VA believes veterans will continue to choose VA." The agency previously provided outside medical care under seven different programs, including the so-called Choice program, which was created in 2014 after veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix VA. The new law combined those into a single, new program with expanded eligibility criteria. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Veterans to get expanded access to private doctors at VA expense starting Thursday


Is Nebraska finally ready to break out and become relevant in the Big Ten in 2019? For the past five seasons, the Big Ten has been dominated by one power player: the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State has three Big Ten championships over that time period. But with a new head coach, the conference could be up for grabs, despite each team facing issues of their own. Here's a look at the biggest questions facing each of the top teams in the Big Ten next season. Ohio State: How well can Ryan Day and Justin Fields pick up where Urban Meyer left off? High standards: Day may have been Meyer's choice to succeed him , but he immediately steps into a high-pressure situation. Meyer's Buckeyes teams never lost more than two games in a season, often garnering 12 or 13 wins. For any first-year coach, that's a tough challenge. Fields of green: Fields is undoubtedly one of college football's top talents, but it remains to be seen whether he can be a consistent performer. He threw just 39 passes for Georgia last season and was more often used for his dual-threat ability. The rushing threat remains, but he will need to display his passing prowess. Michigan: Can Jim Harbaugh finally get over the hump? Good, but not great: Since taking over at Michigan, Harbaugh's teams have been solid, with three 10-win seasons out of four attempts, but never better than that. Three bowl game losses, no victories over Ohio State and no Big Ten Championship Game appearances have many Michigan fans feeling nervous. Experienced QB: If Harbaugh is to have a breakout year, the time is now. Senior quarterback Shea Patterson is among the best in the conference and perhaps the country. He threw for 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and will hope to improve on those numbers. Few Big Ten teams have a veteran quarterback like Patterson. Penn State: Who can replace Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders? Offensive legend: McSorley graduated from Penn State as one of the best quarterbacks in the school's history. With almost 10,000 passing yards and over 100 total touchdowns in his career, he'll be hard to replace. Tommy Stevens , the presumed starter is also gone, leaving Sean Clifford and his seven career passing attempts to lead the team. No Saquon, no Sanders: Even after losing Saquon Barkley to the NFL draft, Penn State still had the talents of Miles Sanders, who left for the NFL himself after the season. A 1,200-yard rusher last season, the next starting back has a lot to live up to. Ricky Slade and Journey Brown are the favorites, but they are still unknowns, too. Wisconsin: Can the Badgers find a good quarterback? Constant struggles: Wisconsin's offense depends more on the run game and offensive line, but quarterbacking issues have held the team back in recent years. Alex Hornibrook, a three-year starter, is gone after a dismal 13-touchdown, 11-interception season, and stat lines like that have been constant throughout the last five years. Fresh faces: In Hornibrook's absence, junior Jack Coan completed 60.2 percent of his passes, throwing five touchdowns and three interceptions. While he may begin the year as the team's starter, Coan doesn't look any better than Wisconsin's many mediocre quarterbacks of the past. True freshman Graham Mertz is a name to watch, as he could finally bring a spark to the position. Nebraska: Can Scott Frost repeat his second-year magic? History repeats itself: At UCF, Frost had a disappointing first season with a losing record but quickly turned it around to lead the Golden Knights to an undefeated record. Nebraska completed the first part of the equation, with a 4-8 record in 2018. While a 13-0 season won't happen, there's reason to believe Frost can work a similar turnaround . Martinez and momentum: Just like with McKenzie Milton, Frost has a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Adrian Martinez. As a true freshman, he compiled 3,200 total yards and 25 touchdowns, and he is set to build on those figures . Nebraska won four of its last six games last year and has the opportunity to carry that momentum into 2019. Minnesota: Can P.J. Fleck row the boat in the right direction? Slow progress: Since taking over for Tracy Claeys, Fleck has been unable to match the Gophers' nine-win 2016 season   their best finish since 2003. However, he has been improving the Gopher offense without a consistent starting quarterback, a fact that could change in 2019. Two-man competition: Tanner Morgan was assumed to be the Gophers' starter last season, but lost out to true freshman Zack Annexstad for most of the season. Annexstad was up-and-down prior to an injury, but showed potential. Meanwhile, Morgan went 4-2 as a starter after taking over for Annexstad, so the competition remains open. Both players have another year of experience, which should help them continue to grow. The bottom line: Ohio State is still the early favorite to top the Big Ten, but it faces competition from both the East and West divisions. Important seasons await for coaches such as Frost, Harbaugh and Fleck. The results of key quarterback battles could help determine which teams come out on top come September. Related slideshow: Ranking the 10 best college football mascots (provided by For The Win)


The headphone jack isn't the only thing going away on the new Galaxy Note 10 . The smaller of Samsung's two newest Note phones is also losing another once-proud feature, the microSD card slot. Samsung isn't getting rid of the microSD card slot entirely, mind you. The pricier, larger 6.8-inch Note 10 Plus will still have support for expandable storage. But on the 6.3-inch, more compact Note 10 version of the phone you'll have to be content with 256GB of built-in storage. Suzanne De Silva, head of mobile for Samsung Electronics America, told CNET that the decision stemmed from the trade-off of making the phone thinner but packing in a bigger battery. Galaxy Note and Note 10 Plus are here to wow you Compared with last year's 6.4-inch Note 9 , the new Note 10 is indeed thinner and lighter, and its 4,300mAh battery is also 7.5% larger than the Note 9's 4,000mAh power source. The removal of the microSD slot is still a bit of a disappointment on a line of devices that have long been praised for not compromising. It wouldn't, however, be the first time Samsung has removed the feature from a top-of-the-line phone. The Galaxy Fold , which is now due to arrive in September , similarly lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot. Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus dazzle the eyes


DETROIT (AP)   A 26-year-old Detroit man has been charged in an attempted robbery and shooting that left one gay man dead and another wounded after they were contacted through a dating app. Demetris Nelson was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, assault and using a firearm during a felony. The Wayne County prosecutor's office says 31-year-old Brian Anderson was fatally shot Saturday and 26-year-old Malcolm Drake was critically wounded. Prosecutors say they were targeted because of their sexual orientations and contacted using the Grindr dating app. A special prosecutor with the Fair Michigan Justice Project was assigned to the case. The project helps Michigan law enforcement officers and prosecutors solve serious crimes against gay, bisexual and transgender people. Nelson was ordered jailed pending a July 26 probable cause conference.


When second-year safety Ronnie Harrison takes the field as a starter this regular season, he won't be alone in terms of learning the ropes as a full-time starter. His dance partner at the safety position, Jarrod Wilson, will also be learning about the process of being a full-time starter as both will be replacing veterans Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson. So far, the two are off to a good start in organized team activities and have developed a strong sense of chemistry according to Harrison, who spent a little time on the field last season with Wilson. "We worked together a little bit last year and we're blending pretty well," Harrison said via the Florida Times-Union . "We're both smart guys and we love to talk and communicate. I think it's going great." The ability to communicate and play smart football is going to be exactly what the two young players need to replace both Gipson and Church who exited their careers with 75 starts combined during their Jags tenures. At the respective ages of 22 and 24, Harrison and Wilson could top that number if they play to their potential. Wilson, who has been with the Jags since 2016, says the feeling is mutual in terms of how the two communicate. Additionally, he likes the versatility and size both bring to the table, which could potentially bring them more success than the veterans before them. "We have a lot of similarities," Wilson said. "We're both long, we can both play on the back end an we can both play on the line of scrimmage. And we communicate really well." It won't be long before fans get to see the two in person and gauge their chemistry as training camp will be here before we know it. After that, they will certainly see their share of tests with a challenging regular season schedule that includes notables like the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons. Listen to the latest from the Jags Wire team by checking out the Jags Den Podcast. Subscribe on Apple's iTunes podcasts or Stitcher Radio . Listen MORE: Did Nike accidentally reveal that Kevin Durant is staying with the Warriors? 'Jeopardy' star James Holzhauer shoots down one of so many wild conspiracy theories after loss Should Bills fans worry about Roger Goodell's comments? Roundup: iTunes Done; Chipotle Prices; North Carolina Shark Attack; Billionaire Jay-Z Gerald McCoy explains why he picked the Panthers over Browns, Ravens


Couldn't catch the latest high school baseball games in and around Minneapolis? Check out these local boys varsity baseball outcomes from the past week, powered by data from high school sports leader MaxPreps . (Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Details like game dates, times, scores and team records are based on data provided by MaxPreps and may be subject to change; the latest up-to-date information is available at the links below.) North Community flounders against Washburn The Washburn Millers traveled to Minneapolis to face-off against the North Community Polars on Thursday. The Millers blew the Polars out of the park in a resounding 20-1 win . This continued a one-game losing streak for North Community, whose record fell again on Thursday to 0-7. Washburn's record is now 3-2. DeLaSalle overthrows Park Center Friday brought a new round of high school contests, with the DeLaSalle Islanders hosting the Brooklyn Park Park Center Pirates . The Islanders blew the Pirates out of the park in a resounding 10-1 win . The win brought DeLaSalle's record to 8-1, while Park Center's record fell to 2-8. Minneapolis Southwest yields to Maple Grove The Maple Grove Crimson out-hustled the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 10-1 on Saturday. The win brought Maple Grove's record to 6-6, while Minneapolis Southwest's record fell to 5-1. Elk River hangs on against Minneapolis Southwest On Saturday, the Elk River Elks clashed with the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers at home. The Elks squeaked past the Lakers to claim a 2-1 win . The win brought Elk River's record to 8-2, while Minneapolis Southwest's record fell to 5-2. Minnehaha Academy scores 6 runs, smothers Breck First up this week, on Monday, the Breck Mustangs hosted the Minnehaha Academy Red Hawks for a varsity face-off. The Red Hawks flattened the Mustangs in a decisive 6-1 win . The loss brought Breck's conference record to 2-5, while Minnehaha Academy's record rose to 5-2. Columbia Heights overwhelmed by DeLaSalle On Monday, May 6, the DeLaSalle Islanders hosted the Columbia Heights Hylanders at home. DeLaSalle's home turf advantage paid off: they walked away with the 5-1 success . Following this win, DeLaSalle remained undefeated with a conference record of 3-0, while Columbia Heights' record fell to 4-2. Cristo Rey Jesuit overwhelmed by Nova Classical Academy On Tuesday, May 7, St. Paul's Nova Classical Academy Knights faced off against the Cristo Rey Jesuits . The Knights clobbered the Jesuits in an impressive 5-0 victory . The Knights hit one home run, adding to their total of three this year. St. Croix Lutheran yields to DeLaSalle Tuesday, the St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders hosted the DeLaSalle Islanders for a varsity clash. The Islanders walked away with the victory , beating the Crusaders soundly, 7-4. After this success, DeLaSalle remained undefeated with a conference record of 4-0, while St. Croix Lutheran's record fell to 0-5. This story was created automatically using local sports data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


If you love live music, there's no time like the present when it comes to getting out and about in Milwaukee. From a rock concert to an Asian festival, here are the local shows worth checking out this week. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Milwaukee Record: Ha Ha Tonka, Rx Drugs and Dramatic Lovers From the event description: Over their history, Ha Ha Tonka has recorded four critically acclaimed albums, toured the world, played Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, and appeared on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations." Through it all, these Ozark natives have made friends, found love, started families and grown and matured together. "Heart-Shaped Mountain" is a reflection of that development and maturity. Once aptly summed as "indie-Americana, where Alabama meets Arcade Fire, " Ha Ha Tonka has expanded their sonic palette, unveiling balanced, sublime, pop radio accessible heights and an emotionally broader, post-punk songwriting range, a la Apache Relay or a less enigmatic Jonsi, while keeping their trademark harmonizing vocals, jangly Southern revelry and crunchy hooks fully intact. When: Friday, July 12, 8 p.m.-midnight Where: Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom, 1037 W. Juneau Ave. Price: $10 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets lex allen From the event description: Singer/songwriter that connects all ages, gender, genres and races at his over-the-top emotional roller-coaster of a live show. When: Thursday, July 11, 8 p.m. Where: 139 E. Kilbourn Ave. Price: $5 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Coast 2 Coast Live Tour   Up to 40% Off From the Coast 2 Coast Live Tour deal description: One of the largest artist showcases in the world tours the country looking for the next stars in all musical genres. When: Thursday, July 11, 9 p.m. Where: 6901 W. Brown Deer Road, Freedom Village Price: $8 (20 percent discount off regular price) Click here for more details, and to score this deal Up to 32% Off Admission to Asia Fest of Milwaukee From the Asia Fest of Milwaukee deal description: Guests are submerged in authentic Asian culture while listening to live music, tasting traditional food and taking unlimited carnival rides. When: Friday, July 12 - Sunday, July 14 Where: 640 S. 84th St., Fair Park Price: $14 (30 percent discount off regular price) Click here for more details, and to get this deal This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


For the first time since 2002, the championship-deciding finale will have a new host track in 2020   and now, you can book your ticket to see NASCAR history. Officials at the 1-mile ISM Raceway at Phoenix   which recently completed a $178 million renovation project designed to improve the fan experience, and one which included a reconfiguration for the track's start/finish line   announced Monday that 2020 season tickets are now on sale. RELATED: Buy tickets now! ISM Raceway has hosted the Round of 8 finale since the introduction of the NASCAR Playoffs elimination format in 2014, and it has served as the penultimate race of the season every year since 2005. A season tickets package guarantees race fans out West the lowest prices, includes free gifts (like FanVision rental in the spring), speedy access around the facilities and more. MORE: On season tickets ]]>


Authorities investigating a Crimestoppers tip about dog and cock fighting discovered hundreds of birds and dogs at a farm in Owen County, Indiana. Martin Anderson, of Camby, was arrested at his home on Handley Road on Thursday in connection with an animal fighting investigation. An Indiana State Police SWAT team van carried the troopers that led the raid on his property. Neighbors said Anderson was known to take in stray dogs. Roosters could be heard crowing in the backyard, but nothing like the ruckus that was heard behind the LMB Farm on Cunot Cataract Road. "The tip said we would find roosters here that were involved or being raised or prepared to fight. And we have found roosters here. That's true," said Rob Townsend, superintendent of law enforcement for the Indiana Gaming Commission. "We don't have anything at this point that leads us to believe that there is fighting going on here. Basically, we have the tip that they're being raised for the purpose of fighting and that's why we acted on," Townsend said. Nine pit bulls were also found on the Owen County farm. It's a haul that would overwhelm the resources of the gaming commission or any local animal shelter, so American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) came in to take care of the seized birds and dogs. "It's definitely difficult conditions for the birds. We're providing food and water. They all live outdoors, of course, so we'll make sure they are provided with a comfortable place to sleep indoors, out of the elements, but it's definitely a muddy mess back there today and pretty wet," the ASPCA's Jessica Rushan said. The ASPCA will transport the animals to an undisclosed location for veterinary care and safekeeping. Anderson is facing one count of purchasing an animal to be used in an animal fighting contest a felony punishable by up to two-and-a-half years in prison. READ MORE: 10 dogs, more than 500 birds seized in Indiana animal fighting probe CHECK OUT WLKY: Live. Local. Late-Breaking. Get the top Louisville news, weather and sports from the team at WLKY   online, anytime.


It's not too late to reverse your worst habits (stopping smoking, drinking, over-eating, and more) and immediately start living a happier, healthier life. It's not too late to reverse your worst habits (stopping smoking, drinking, over-eating, and more) and immediately start living a happier, healthier life. Click through the slide show above to learn more. Snacking when you're not hungry Losing touch with your body's natural hunger and satisfaction signals can lead to chronic overeating and unhealthy extra pounds which increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other serious conditions. And if it's junk foods you snack on, you're also flooding your body with unhealthy ingredients. By paying attention to your hunger signals and switching to healthy snacks, you can boost nutrition, control cravings, and avoid energy slumps. Your weight will fall to a healthier level, and you'll replace unhealthy trans and saturated fat, sugar, refined carbohydrates, and extra sodium with more nutritious fare. How to fix it: Eat because you're hungry not because you're stressed, bored, angry, or sad. And finish eating when you feel just a little bit full, not stuffed. Avoid keeping unhealthy food in your home, or at least make sure you have more healthy foods, like fresh fruits, veggies, nuts. Think low-fat versus fatty treats; whole-grain versus unhealthy carbs. And when you eat those healthy snacks, eat them as if they were a meal: on a plate, accompanied by a glass of water, with you sitting down at the table. Spending too much time on the couch watching TV The more TV you watch, the less physical activity you're getting, increasing your odds of being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes. If television is replacing time you'd otherwise be spending engaged in a favorite hobby, visiting with friends, or exercising your mind, you may also be speeding up memory loss. By committing to a healthy TV/activity balance, you can burn more calories, become more fit, and reduce your odds for related health problems quickly. You'll have a fitter body and more time for sleep, plus more energy, a better mood, sharper mind, and more social connections. How to fix it: Try to keep your TV time to a minimum of two hours a day, and make sure you're getting at least 30 minutes of exercise. Get the best of both worlds by doing some light workouts, like walking in place or doing sit-ups, while you're watching. Even doing some household chores, like vacuuming or doing laundry, during the commercials can add up to 20 minutes' worth of calorie-burning time. Avoid snacking in front of the TV, which makes it far too easy to eat hundreds of calories' worth of chips and barely realize it. These are some more reasons why binge-watching TV is unhealthy for you . Overspending your way into debt Money worries can have serious health consequences. In a Rutgers University telephone survey, responders said financial stress contributed to high blood pressure, depression, insomnia, headaches, digestion troubles, aches and pains, ulcers, excessive eating and drinking, and gaining or losing weight. Regaining a hold on your finances takes time, can be hard on your ego and your lifestyle, and requires you to be constantly vigilant, plus it's all too easy to revert back to your old habits. But for those who succeed, and many do, the results are nothing short of amazing. You'll feel more in control of your life with less stress and fewer worries. How to fix it: There are many things you can do to gain control over your finances. Educate yourself on the basic rules and methods of personal finance including credit cards, mortgages, budgeting, and investing. Create and keep a budget, keeping track of how much money is coming in every month and how much you're spending on essentials. Pay at least the minimum each month on your bills, to stay ahead of your expenses and prioritize paying more to the credit card with the highest interest rate. Automatic bill pay can ensure you're never hit with late fees. A to be sure some of your paycheck gets automatically transferred to your savings account, set up recurrent monthly transfers via your employer's payroll department or your own online banking. For more money-saving tips, these habits of people who are great at saving money are a great way to get started. Eating too much fast food A steady diet of double cheeseburgers and fries washed down with an oversize soda or milkshake can lead to a growing waistline and the health problems, like heart disease and diabetes, that come with it. Trans fat, often found in fast food, raises triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, which increases inflammation and contributes to the buildup of fatty plaque in artery walls. The health benefits of making the switch to healthy food will be almost immediate and will have substantial lasting benefits. How to fix it: Making a permanent lifestyle change won't be easy at first. Fast food is super-convenient, inexpensive, and, thanks to all that fat, salt, and sugar, undeniably tasty. Start by cutting back a little each week and by buying less each time you go. For instance, replace the soda with a water or the fries with a salad. Avoid popping into a fast-food joint out of habit or on a whim, especially when you really aren't hungry or when it isn't mealtime. Cook more at home. Preparing your own healthy meals will save you money. If inconvenience is a factor, don't overlook healthier prepared meals from your local grocery store or sandwich shop. Check out the best healthy-eating tips that nutritionists use . Getting sunburned a few times every summer If you love sunbathing or make an effort to maintain a golden-bronze tan, you've unwittingly contributed to the aging of your skin. Sunbathing destroys the elastic fibers that keep skin looking firm and smooth, leading to earlier wrinkles, blotches, freckles, and discolorations. More important, sunburns contribute significantly to cancers of the skin. If you've included trips to the tanning salon, that's even worse. Despite what ads suggest, using tanning beds doesn't build up a 'safe' base tan. It actually raises your risk for skin cancer and wrinkles. How to fix it: First of all, always wear a high-SPF sunscreen if you're going to be in the sun. Sticking to the shade and wearing a hat, sunglasses, long sleeves, and pants during peak sunburn hours can also help keep your skin safe. Schedule an annual 'mole check' by a dermatologist; the doctor will inspect your skin for any unusual changes. And keep your eyes on your skin yourself. Anything new that doesn't look right to you should be checked by a doctor. Finally, if you can't live without the bronzed look, you can get it without the cancer risk by using a self-tanner. Behavior that leaves you angry, worried, or stressed all the time An unhappy lifestyle releases a cascade of stress hormones that increase your blood pressure and blood sugar, lower immunity, slow digestion, and make you feel depressed and downright mean. Nature intended stress to be a short-lived fight-or-flight response to a threat, but modern life with chronic stressors can have far-reaching impact on your health, such as cravings for high-fat, sugary foods that increase your risk of being overweight. Both the ingredients in the bad food and the added weight increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes. How to fix it: A regained sense of joy and control is worth its weight in gold, and the physical health benefits will be substantial as well. Next time you feel a stressful situation emerging, work hard at managing it and keeping your cool. Among the most proven stress-relief methods are yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. Make the most of your down time, to enjoy a relaxing hobby and fully immersing yourself in it. Don't be afraid to embrace your sense of fun, optimism, and silliness every now and then. And finally, just as being less stressed can make you healthier, living a healthier lifestyle can decrease your stress level and help you better manage stressful situations better. Check out these 37 tips for managing stress for more ideas. Eating breakfast (or any meal) when you're not hungry The 'rule' that you should never skip breakfast is just not true; it's based on misinterpreted research and biased studies, says the New York Times . Almost all studies about breakfast show an association, they say, not causation. And many studies, based on self-reporting, fall prey to inherent bias and misuse of causal language. How to fix it: Eat when you're hungry; fast when you're not. Intermittent fasting  voluntary abstinence from food and drink for a stretch of time each day has received a lot of attention lately. Research suggests that going without food for a certain length of time keeps blood sugar even, which boosts metabolism and can help the overweight shed pounds. Benefits include better glucose control and regulation of circadian rhythms (better sleep); all of these can help prevent diabetes. Drinking too much alcohol If you drink to much on a regular basis, alcohol can be a poison. Women who regularly consume two or more drinks a day and men who regularly down three or more daily are at higher risk for liver damage, various cancers including those of the liver and mouth, high blood pressure, and depression. Women, more sensitive than men to alcohol, can also develop heart disease, brittle bones, and even memory loss. Soon after you cut back or quit, your digestion will improve and you'll sleep more soundly. Your blood sugar will be lower and steadier, your blood pressure may fall toward a healthier range, and even your brain will bounce back. You'll have a healthier liver and cardiovascular system. How to fix it: You don't have to quit cold turkey; stick to healthy limits. That's two or less drinks per day for men, one for women. You're also more likely to sip your drink slowly if you reserve alcohol for meals. Drink for flavor, not to get drunk. And if you can't stop, acknowledge the addiction. Talk with your doctor and contact a support group like AA. Check with your doctor if you should be screened more often for bone density, cancers, and liver damage. These 17 tips to help you cut back on drinking will help you make a great start. Smoking cigarettes As far as health goes, no habit is as harmful as smoking. It directly causes 30 percent of heart disease deaths, 30 percent of cancer deaths, and a massive 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancers, not to mention increasing your risk for mouth, throat, and bladder cancer. This bad habit also astronomically raises your odds for heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure, on top of possibly triggering or aggravating breathing problems like bronchitis and asthma attacks. After you quit, the health benefits are almost immediate. Within a month, your lungs will work better and you should be coughing less, feel more energetic, and have less shortness of breath. Your sense of taste and smell, as well as your endurance, will also improve. How to fix it: Treat it like an addiction, not a habit. Before you stop, prepare for the tough road ahead. Plan to quit during a calm period not over the holidays or when you're under a lot of stress. Prepare a strategy, a support team, and a Plan B if your first methods fail. Ask your doctor about a stop-smoking drug like Buprion and varenicline, or a nicotine patch or gum. Seek support, whether that's from your friends and family or resources like counselors, hotlines, and support groups. And, finally, remember that a lapse isn't a failure. Use slip-ups to discover your personal obstacle to quitting and create a plan for dealing with those the next time. Check out these 23 ways to stop smoking if you need more help. Overusing painkillers and sedatives When they're not taken properly, long-term habitual use of prescription pain killers can lead to addiction, causing more problems than it solves. Even OTC drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin for arthritis or muscle pain over time can increase your risk for ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. Clues you're taking too much of a calming drug or sleeping pill include memory loss, excess sleepiness, feeling unresponsive or confused, and falling frequently. When meds make you feel good, you may want to keep on taking them, turning them into a habit or addiction before you know it. Kicking the sedative and prescription pain pill habit is possible with commitment and support, and once the pill-taking has ceased, your body will quickly rebound from their effects. How to fix it: New pain-relief strategies can ease muscle, joint, and head pain with fewer pills and side effects. For chronic pain, ask your doctor about switching to acetaminophen; it doesn't cause stomach irritation and doesn't raise blood pressure like aspirin and ibuprofen. Save ibuprofen for flare-ups of severe, short-term pain. For frequent headaches, see your doctor; migraines can be stopped often with the right medication. If you think you'll be susceptible to addiction, challenge any doctor who wants to put you on pain, mood, or sleeping medication long-term. If you're already relying too much on them, get help if you can't stop. There's no shame in asking for help from family members, friends, or your doctor. Read on to learn about more bad health habits doctors wish you would stop ASAP .


NBC Sports and NASCAR launched a new campaign Monday called the " Grassroots Racing Tour ." The Tour is a season-long campaign of messaging, stories, social videos, in-person appearances from NASCAR drivers & promotion between NASCAR, NBC Sports and over 500 local tracks. Its primary goal is the growth and cross-promotion of NASCAR and grassroots racing in America. As part of the campaign, the tracks involved have been sent a "Grassroots Racing Tour" sign to be included in victory lane celebrations. MORE: 'The Sims:' How virtual reality is changing motorsports MORE: Come together: Grassroots track, NASCAR track unite to grow racing Stories collected from the tour will be included on NASCAR America and in remote pre-race and in-race elements, including: Cup driver videos with #MyTrackMyRoots "50 States in 50 Shows" feature Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Kyle Petty discussed the campaign on NASCAR America. "This is really simple," Burton said. "A season-long campaign, you go to a short track … we all love short tracks. You see it, you like it, tweet about it. #MyTrackMyRoots, tell us the cool stories about the people you're watching racing. The heroes of those race tracks." Watch the above video for more on the campaign, including stories from Oswego Speedway in New York and Gas City I-69 Speedway in Indiana. Watch all the videos by clicking here .


The Baltimore Ravens wrapped up their four weeks of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp on Thursday. It marked the end of all the official practices at the Under Armour Performance Center before the Ravens start training camp around the middle of July. With 13 practices down, Baltimore came out with no real injury concerns. Knock on wood . . . I'll wait. Thursday's final practice saw the Ravens missing just five players, the same for all three days of minicamp. Ravens have to feel good about where they're at health wise heading into 5 week break. Attendance was essentially same all three days. No Marquise Brown, Alex Lewis, Patrick Mekari, Michael Pierce and Cyrus Jones. Everybody else out there. - Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 13, 2019 Baltimore knew about four of the five players prior to the start of minicamp. Marquise Brown is still rehabbing after offseason foot surgery . Lewis is rehabbing from his offseason shoulder surgery. Though coach John Harbaugh didn't expand on Cyrus Jones' reason for missing minicamp , it was a known issue. Really, the only player that ended up being a surprise was defensive tackle Michael Pierce. Pierce was a no-show for OTAs and was removed from the first minicamp practice for poor conditioning . While it's a big blow for Pierce, who is on a one-year restricted free agent tender , the hope is he's back in shape for the start of training camp. As for the rest of the absent players, they're all expected to be healthy for training camp. The Ravens have placed 93 players on injured reserve over the last five seasons - an average of nearly 19 players a year. Baltimore is also no stranger to injuries before training camp. Tight end Dennis Pitta and cornerback Tavon Young were lost for the year to injuries during the 2017 minicamp. Running back Kenneth Dixon tore his meniscus prior to training camp that year as well. But after minicamp this year, Baltimore is looking refreshingly healthy for once. Even players that were injured last year are coming back healthy and with a chip on their shoulders. Safety Earl Thomas, who suffered a fractured leg last season with the Seattle Seahawks, said he feels like he's " in the right spot. " Tight end Hayden Hurst added some weight this offseason and is "on a mission ." Running back Kenneth Dixon says he's healthy, lost some weight and looks to be downright mad this offseason . If the Ravens can keep up this momentum and health throughout training camp, they might just be the healthiest they've been to start a season in years. MORE: NBA world reacts to news that Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 loss Roundup: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Leaving; Taylor Swift's New Song; Darren Rovell Hit Piece Top of Packers WR depth chart takes shape following minicamp Derek Wolfe says Broncos vets had to tell Dalton Risner to 'chill out' at practice NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players


HUELGOAT, France  Sarah Waddington had enough of Britain after the Brexit referendum. By September 2016, she had packed up her life in Cornwall, sold her house and moved to Brittany, a coastal region in northwestern France. "I love France," said Waddington, 66, a retired civil servant. "They are more community oriented, more caring. They care more for their elderly than in England." Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post Over the years, more than 14,000 Brits have made a home for themselves in this corner of France, and their presence is everywhere. They've rehabbed old granite houses, opened small shops and become active in chess clubs and other community organizations. In this village, expatriate David Neal runs the Brittany Pub, where an order of fish and chips can momentarily transport you over the English Channel. But British citizens here and elsewhere on the continent have suddenly found themselves consumed by uncertainty. If Prime Minister Theresa May can't convince European leaders to grant another Brexit extension this week, then Britain is scheduled to crash out of the European Union without a withdrawal deal on April 12. British nationals in Europe could soon be sent home. Each E.U. country has established its own plan for how to treat resident Brits in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In 11 of the 27 member countries, British citizens would automatically be allowed to stay as long as they like. But in 17 countries, they would only get a grace period before they would need to try to claim residency. In France, they would have up to a year to get their papers in order, or face losing their medical coverage and potentially deportation. Of the dozens of British expatriates in Brittany who spoke with The Washington Post, most said they wished to stay in France as long as they could. Many had been in touch with French authorities to obtain a permanent residency card. Christina Jones, 71, said it took six weeks for her and her husband to get their "cartes de séjour" and that they are thinking of applying for French citizenship. "We have a good life here," she said. Though she noted that the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum was difficult for many expats. "Our family doctor, six months after the referendum, told me dozens of Brits were going to her with depression." With just days before Britain could crash out, the stress of Brexit has intensified. Some Brits told The Post they had been waiting for months to get an answer from French authorities about their residency applications, while others were told they should wait to start the process only if Britain leaves without a deal. The French prefecture of Quimper, in charge of processing applications for the Huelgoat area, declined to comment for this story. Another point of concern: the decreased value of the British pound. Since June 2016, the British currency has dropped relative to the euro. One pound sterling went from 1.28 euros to 1.17 euros. This has been tough for British residents in France, as many are retirees with British pensions as their sole source of income. If the pound sinks even more after Brexit, some residents fear they could fall below the French poverty line. Sylvie Mayer, 60, a real estate agent in Huelgoat, said she has already felt the Brexit effect, with fewer Brits looking to buy homes in Brittany. Before the summer of 2016, 80 percent of her clients were British. Now, only half are. Maud Camus, 33, works at the Huelgoat cafe La Paillotte, where she said about 40 percent of the clientele are British. Imagining a future where Brexit makes it difficult for Brits to live in France, she said, "If they were not here, this place would be pretty much empty. Without them, it would be pretty much complicated." quentin.aries@washpost.com


Pull into a Costco parking lot on virtually any day of the week, any time during warehouse hours, and you'll likely be hard pressed to find a parking spot. People aren't just there for the free samples. The aisles are buzzing with members loading up their extra-wide carts with household staples, plus those one or two novelty or seasonal items they just couldn't pass up. Retail may be dead, but Costco is thriving   and so is its stock. Costco is up nearly 30% in the first six months of 2019, versus about 20% Walmart and 28% for Amazon. Click here to see the latest share price for Costco (COST) This isn't an anomaly. In fact, one of the big attributes of Costco is its consistency. "Pretty much month in and month out, same-store sales are growing around 6% to 8%," says Brian Yarbrough, an analyst Edward Jones who covers consumer discretionary and consumer staples. (Same-store sales, a common retail industry metric, refers to sales at stores open at least 12 months.) Costco's membership is also key to its success. Consumers and businesses pay $60 for a basic membership and $120 for an executive card that offers 2% cash back on purchases and other perks. Not only does membership help ensure repeat business, it accounts for nearly 70% of Costco's total operating income. "Renewal rates run north of 90%, and every five years they raise the price of membership by $5 or $10," Yarbrough says. "Wall Street loves that consistency." While Amazon.com and other online players have put pressure on retail stocks, Costco is relatively insulated from such disruption. First, its prices are already low. "Other retailers, including Amazon, can't even come close to the same prices," says Yarbrough. Indeed, while other big discounters carry around 100,000 unique items, or SKUs, Costco has fewer than 5,000; that translates to serious buying power. Plus, Costco's store label, Kirkland Signature, accounts for about 25% of sales. Consumers flock to Costco to buy such necessities as milk, cereal and dog food   staples add up to more than half of Costco's business   but that just gets them in the door. "I can't tell you how many people always tell me, 'I go into Costco, I got like three things to get, and I end up buying six things because there's these deals. You just can't pass them up.'" Related video: How Costco's $1.50 hot dogs and free samples helped rake in billions (provided by CNBC) At a recent $264 a share the stock may not seem like such a bargain. It trades at 30 times analysts' average forecast for the next 12 months' earnings, which is on the high side relative to the market and other retailers. Then again, the stock has delivered an average annual return of more than 20% over the last decade, or close to double that of the S&P 500 index. For investors worried about a slowing U.S. economy or on-again-off-again trade tensions with China, Costco's straight-forward growth story is also compelling. The company is adding about 20 to 25 new stores a year, and it continues to improve its same-store sales at a high single-digit pace. Unlike Amazon.com (which, incidentally, trades at 60 times forward earnings), Costco isn't branching into other industries, offering cloud computing services or trying to put an Alexa in every home. "Costco's one of the cleaner stories in retail," says Yarbrough. "I think that's one of the reasons its stock will continue to trade at a premium."


From a panel discussion to an artistic showcase, there's plenty to enjoy in Atlanta this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. ADAC on the Road: Cashiers From the event description: Feed your soul with a change of scenery! Designers and their clients are invited to join ADAC for a day in the mountains as we tour the 2019 Cashiers Designer Showhouse. Back by popular demand, our group will once again dine on the veranda of the exclusive Cedar Creek Racquet Club before heading over to the showhouse grounds for a full afternoon of fun. When: Tuesday, July 30, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Where: ADAC - Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, 351 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE Admission: $60 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Media Freedom: Panel Discussion and Q&A From the event description: The British Consulate, in partnership with the Canadian Consulate, will host a Media Freedom panel event with several members of the media. When: Wednesday, July 31, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Where: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, 441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway NE Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Drink and Doodle Vol. 64 From the event description: Join us for Drink and Doodle Vol. 64 in the gallery. A dozen artists will create new work that goes up for silent auction throughout the night, and pieces will go to the highest bidder at the end of the night. When: Wednesday, July 31, 6-10 p.m. Where: ABV AGENCY and GALLERY, 659 Auburn Ave. NE Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Intro to Data Analytics: SQL Fundamentals From the event description: SQL (Structured Query Language) is the most ubiquitous language for data scientists and data analysts. Companies store their data in a database, and SQL is a common database query language that helps you to build your database, retrieve the data, and work with that data in a structured manner. In this course, you'll learn to extract and analyze data stored in databases. When: Wednesday, July 31, 7-8:30 p.m. Where: The Gathering Spot, 384 Northyards Blvd. NW Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Atlanta Balloon Glow From the event description: The first ever Atlanta Balloon Glow will take place in Piedmont Park! When: Thursday, Aug. 5 p.m.- Sunday, Aug. 4, 9 p.m. Where: 1215 Piedmont Ave. NE Admission: $30 (Tethered Ride). More ticket options are available. Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


There are some things you simply never want to say at work. There's no taking them back once they slip out, either. I'm not talking about shocking slips of the tongue, off-color jokes, or politically incorrect faux pas. These aren't the only ways to make yourself look bad. Often, it's the subtle remarks--the ones that paint us as incompetent and unconfident--that do the most damage. No matter how talented you are or what you've accomplished, there are certain phrases that instantly change the way people see you and can forever cast you in a negative light. These phrases are so loaded with negative implications that they undermine careers in short order. How many of these career killers have you heard around the office lately? 1. "It's not fair." Everyone knows that life isn't fair. Saying "it's not fair" suggests that you think life is supposed to be fair, which makes you look immature and naive. If you don't want to make yourself look bad, you need to stick to the facts, stay constructive, and leave your interpretation out of it. For instance, you could say, "I noticed that you assigned Ann that big project I was hoping for. Would you mind telling me what went into that decision? I'd like to know why you thought I wasn't a good fit, so that I can work on improving those skills." 2. "This is the way it's always been done." Technology-fueled change is happening so fast that even a six-month-old process could be outdated. Saying "this is the way it's always been done" not only makes you sound lazy and resistant to change, but it could make your boss wonder why you haven't tried to improve things on your own. If you really are doing things the way they've always been done, there's almost certainly a better way. 3. "No problem." When someone asks you to do something or thanks you for doing something, and you tell the person, "No problem," you're implying that his or her request should have been a problem. This makes people feel as though they've imposed on you. What you want to do instead is show people that you're happy to do your job. Say something like, "It was my pleasure," or "I'll be happy to take care of that." It's a subtle difference in language, but one that has a huge impact on people. 4. "I think ... /This may be a silly idea ... /I'm going to ask a stupid question." These overly passive phrases instantly erode your credibility. Even if you follow these phrases with a great idea, they suggest that you lack confidence, which makes the people you're speaking to lose confidence in you. Don't be your own worst critic. If you're not confident in what you're saying, no one else will be either. And, if you really don't know something, say, "I don't have that information right now, but I'll find out and get right back to you." 5. "This will only take a minute." Saying that something only takes a minute undermines your skills and gives the impression that you rush through tasks. Unless you're literally going to complete the task in 60 seconds, feel free to say that it won't take long, but don't make it sound as though the task can be completed any sooner than it actually can be. 6. "I'll try." Just like the word think, try sounds tentative and suggests that you lack confidence in your ability to execute the task. Take full ownership of your capabilities. If you're asked to do something, either commit to doing it or offer an alternative, but don't say that you'll try, because it will sound as if you won't try all that hard. 7. "He's lazy/incompetent/a jerk." There is no upside to making a disparaging remark about a colleague. If your remark is accurate, everybody already knows it, so there's no need to point it out. If your remark is inaccurate, you're the one who ends up looking like a jerk. There will always be rude or incompetent people in any workplace, and chances are that everyone knows who they are. If you don't have the power to help them improve or to fire them, then you have nothing to gain by broadcasting their ineptitude. Announcing your colleague's incompetence comes across as an insecure attempt to make you look better. Your callousness will inevitably come back to haunt you in the form of your co-workers' negative opinions of you. 8. "That's not in my job description." This often sarcastic phrase makes you sound as though you're only willing to do the bare minimum required to keep getting a paycheck, which is a bad thing if you like job security. If your boss asks you to do something that you feel is inappropriate for your position (as opposed to morally or ethically inappropriate), the best move is to complete the task eagerly. Later, schedule a conversation with your boss to discuss your role in the company and whether your job description needs an update. This ensures that you avoid looking petty. It also enables you and your boss to develop a long-term understanding of what you should and shouldn't be doing. 9. "It's not my fault." It's never a good idea to cast blame. Be accountable. If you had any role--no matter how small--in whatever went wrong, own it. If not, offer an objective, dispassionate explanation of what happened. Stick to the facts, and let your boss and colleagues draw their own conclusions about who's to blame. The moment you start pointing fingers is the moment people start seeing you as someone who lacks accountability for his or her actions. This makes people nervous. Some will avoid working with you altogether, and others will strike first and blame you when something goes wrong. 10. "I can't." I can't is it's not my fault's twisted sister. People don't like to hear I can't because they think it means I won't. Saying I can't suggests that you're not willing to do what it takes to get the job done. If you really can't do something because you truly lack the necessary skills, you need to offer an alternative solution. Instead of saying what you can't do, say what you can do. For example, instead of saying "I can't stay late tonight," say "I can come in early tomorrow morning. Will that work?" Instead of saying "I can't run those numbers," say "I don't yet know how to run that type of analysis. Is there someone who can show me so that I can do it on my own next time?" 11. "I hate this job." The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is people complaining about how much they hate their job. Doing so labels you as a negative person and brings down the morale of the group. Bosses are quick to catch onto naysayers who drag down morale, and they know that there are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner. Bringing it all together Eliminating these phrases from your vocabulary pays dividends. They have a tendency to sneak up on you, so you're going to have to catch yourself until you've solidified the habit of not saying them.


The NFL has another game in Mexico on the books this season, but the future of that market could be in question. According to a report from the Spanish website AS.com (thanks Google Translate), future NFL games and Formula 1 racing could be in doubt in the country as the government cuts back on subsidies for hosting sporting events. "The decision does not depend on us, we will not have resources for that game of football ," tourism official Miguel Torruco said. "It would be good if [the event] stayed, but it is a reality that we do not have a budget for the following year." The decision won't affect plans for this year's Chargers-Chiefs game in Mexico City in Week 11 . After last year's game between the Chiefs and Rams was pulled because of field concerns, the NFL reiterated its intent to host games there through 2021 , which would apparently require some degree of corporate sponsorship or some other funding to pick up the slack. Related slideshow: 2019 NFL draft: The top picks (Provided by imagn)


President Trump's sweeping disparagement of Maryland's 7th Congressional District over the weekend was obviously not informed by the district's actual dynamics. Trump apparently saw a segment on Fox News in which a Republican activist shared videos of run-down houses in a district represented by a fierce critic of the president, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.). With a flick of his magic Twitter wand, Trump declared the district to be so toxic as to be uninhabitable. "No human being would want to live there," he wrote on Twitter , a wholesale denigration of the people who do live there   people who, in Trump's eyes, either don't want to live there or aren't human. Trump was focused on the portion of Baltimore that Cummings represents (the dark-blue cluster in the district), almost certainly without recognizing that the district also stretches out into the suburbs and includes no fewer than 64,926 people who voted for Trump in 2016. Cummings's district is "considered the Worst in the USA," according to the president's random attack, and is "the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States." It's a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess," Trump went on, and "very dangerous & filthy." Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post Again, Trump was responding to a few videos shared by a Republican who lives in Baltimore, but it took very little for him to extrapolate: It's Baltimore, so it's poor, dangerous and dirty   which is precisely the context in which Trump has always referred to the city . Related video: President Trump Calls Rep. Cummings 'Racist', In Latest Tweets Criticizing Him, Baltimore (CBS Baltimore) The thing is, though: Cummings's district isn't that poor. Compared with the other 434 congressional districts, the 7th District is in the 61st percentile on median household income. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney's old district, South Carolina's 5th District, is in the 22nd percentile for income, despite Mulvaney disparaging Cummings's district on Sunday. (Here, we've compared incomes to the Cook Political Report partisan voting index , a look at how districts have voted in the past two presidential elections. On these charts, districts that backed Trump in 2016 are in red.) Mulvaney specifically referred to poverty, a metric on which his old district and Cummings's are about equal, according to Census Bureau data. Maryland's 7th District is in the 70th percentile for poverty. Poverty there is significantly lower than in, say, the heavily Republican 5th District of Kentucky, which Trump has not targeted for disparagement on Twitter. In both of those graphs, we've overlaid another dimension: the density of the white population in the districts. The smaller the circle on the graph, the more heavily nonwhite it is. Let's compare income and race directly. Many of the most heavily black districts in the United States are also on the lower end of the income spectrum. Maryland's 7th District has the second-highest median income among districts that are at least half black. (The highest is found in Maryland's 4th District.) Part of Trump's focus on Baltimore concerns the rate of violent crime in the city. The Gun Violence Archive tracks shooting incidents by congressional district. From 2014 to now, there were 4,335 such incidents in Cummings's district, the third-highest of any district. This doesn't correlate precisely to poverty at the district level. The district with the highest poverty rate in the country, according to the Census Bureau, is New York's 15th District, represented by Rep. José E. Serrano (D-N.Y.). The district with the most shootings is Illinois's 7th, in Chicago   a district that does have higher poverty than the median. On average, the 15 congressional districts with the highest number of shooting incidents are in the 88th percentile nationally for poverty. The lowest poverty rate of those 15? Maryland's 7th District. There's a complicated overlap among race, crime and income. There are long-standing systemic reasons for Baltimore's poverty, explored by The Post during unrest in the city in 2015. As Emily Badger wrote then: "Just a few years ago, Wells Fargo agreed to pay millions of dollars to Baltimore and its residents to settle a landmark lawsuit brought by the city claiming the bank unfairly steered minorities who wanted to own homes into subprime mortgages. Before that, there was the crack epidemic of the 1990s and the rise of mass incarceration and the decline of good industrial jobs in the 1980s." "And before that? From 1951 to 1971, 80 to 90 percent of the 25,000 families displaced in Baltimore to build new highways, schools and housing projects were black. Their neighborhoods, already disinvested and deemed dispensable, were sliced into pieces, the parks where their children played bulldozed." "And before that   now if we go way back   there was redlining, the earlier corollary to subprime lending in which banks refused to lend at all in neighborhoods that federally backed officials had identified as having 'undesirable racial concentrations.'" But again: As that first map shows, the district isn't all Baltimore. There's another gap that's worth highlighting, in fact. The median household income for white households in Cummings's district is 2.25 times the income for black households. That's a higher discrepancy than in all but 13 other districts   including Illinois's 7th District. Despite that gulf, black household incomes in Cummings's district are in the 61st percentile among congressional districts   the same position white households hold. Why the above gap, then? White households in his district have incomes that are in the 91st percentile. About a third of the district is white, according to the Census Bureau. Voter data from the data firm L2 suggests that those white voters are more heavily Democratic than Republican. It's a complicated picture, one that Trump obviously isn't interested in. He often presents blue districts   particularly urban, heavily nonwhite blue districts   as representations of the worst of America. That fails to capture the complexity of the situation. Here, the goal is obvious: Bash Cummings. Picking out one part of a district to impugn an elected leader, though, means that Trump might be held more accountable for Baltimore than Cummings himself. In the 2016 election, the Republican running against Cummings pulled in 21.8 percent of the vote. Trump did a bit worse, getting 20.2 percent and about 4,000 fewer votes. Given the weekend's tweets, it seems quite possible that Trump might do worse in 2020.


During the first quarter of Sunday's Game 7 between the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, Jamal Murray took exception to a shove from Seth Curry. Curry, who was called for a foul, barely touched Murray on the baseline. The Nuggets point guard did a solid flop job, however, then popped up and started jawing at Curry while aggressively walking toward him before a teammate got involved and moved him away. Seth Curry and Jamal Murray getting sassy early. pic.twitter.com/DaFKupMsh5   Daaaaaarrrryyl (@DFSBBallGuy) May 12, 2019 This series has been crazy, and we've witnessed a fight already involving Curry. Given the pressure of this game, and the way these two teams have gone after one another, we just hope cooler heads prevail the rest of the way. Related slideshow: Best of 2019 NBA playoffs (provided by imagn)


MINNEAPOLIS   As impressive as the Red Sox had looked during their recent five-game winning streak, an asterisk remained. Three of those wins came against a dreadful Orioles team and two came against a Texas club that, like the Sox, has endured its own inconsistencies. No qualifications were necessary to assess the way the Twins had played entering Monday's contest against the Red Sox. Minnesota owned the best winning percentage in the majors, with an elite offense that had averaged nearly six runs a night and that had blasted 137 homers overall   most in the majors   while going deep in all 14 of its games in June. It's possible to win with faulty execution against hapless Baltimore; the same could not be said of Minnesota. Still, the Sox felt emboldened, and welcomed the chance to prove that their recent improvement is no mirage. BOX SCORE: RED SOX 2, TWINS 0 "I just feel like if we play the baseball we know we're capable of playing, it shouldn't matter the opponent," said Rick Porcello. "We should be fine against anyone." Thanks largely to Porcello, the Red Sox offered an impressive proof of the notion on Monday night, claiming a 2-0 victory at Target Field that was one of the most impressive of the year for Boston. Porcello and unheralded bullpen contributors Colten Brewer and Ryan Brasier combined to blank the Twins   just the second shutout against Minnesota this year   while adding to the growing evidence that the Sox may be ready to move beyond the inconsistency that plagued the first 2½ months of their title defense. Porcello was little short of brilliant, on a night when he had to be. Though the Sox assembled a run in the first with three straight hits against curveballs to open the game against Twins starter Jose Berrios (with J.D. Martinez delivering a run-scoring knock), the Minnesota ace allowed no further harm over eight innings in which he struck out 10 and walked none. Berrios (8-3, 2.86 ERA) featured overpowering stuff, seemingly getting swings and misses at will against the Sox with his fastball, curveball, and changeup. Porcello could not match the arsenal of Berrios, yet he surpassed him in artistry. Armed for most of the night with pinpoint accuracy of his four-seam fastball, which he complemented with a slider, a slow curve that had the Twins chasing pitches in the dirt, and a two-seamer to keep the Twins from locking into a specific elevation of the strike zone, Porcello (5-6, 4.31) was masterful over seven shutout frames in which he allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out eight. "It's what I have to do," Porcello said of his ability to dance at the edges of the strike zone and to implement game plans to exploit opponents' weaknesses. "I don't throw 98. I don't throw that wipeout slider that's almost automatic sometimes for guys . . . We've got to be able to execute pitches and hit corners and change speeds and be precise because I'm not featuring overpowering stuff." After Porcello missed a spot in the first on a booming double by Nelson Cruz, he recovered to retire 10 straight batters, at one point striking out five straight Twins in the second and third innings. He allowed just two runners to advance as far as second base all night. Rick Porcello appreciation tweet. pic.twitter.com/34NbABQtea   Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 18, 2019 Still, Porcello's precision was not enough to guarantee victory. With Berrios keeping the game at a 1-0 count, Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned to an overworked, shorthanded bullpen to safely steer the advantage across the finish line. Matt Barnes, Brandon Workman, and Marcus Walden were all unavailable   yet Cora remained convinced he had viable options. "There were a lot of guys [unavailable], a lot of red on my card," Cora said. "People think it's short. I think it's just limited." With the three primary high-leverage options unavailable, Cora called for Brewer for the eighth. The proposition immediately became dicey when the righthander allowed the first two batters to reach on a walk and single. But Brewer wriggled free of the menace, recording the first out on a sacrifice bunt that put runners on second and third with one out, and then getting Cruz to tap a comebacker to the mound. Brewer fielded the ball and threw home when the lead runner, Jonathan Schoop, broke for home, resulting in a brief rundown that resulted in Schoop's deletion from the bases for the second out. Cleanup man Eddie Rosario then grounded to first to end the Twins' best threat of the night. Their lead intact, the Red Sox regained some oxygen in the ninth by delivering another run on doubles by Martinez and, with two outs, Xander Bogaerts. Brasier, who returned to the Sox from bereavement leave on Monday, then came on for a scoreless ninth to record his first save since April 21. Congratulations to Xander on his 300th career extra-base hit! pic.twitter.com/ncUwWIX9ek   Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 18, 2019 Thus, the Sox extended their season-long winning streak to six games, a stretch during which the list of notable contributors continued to grow longer. Yet while the Sox continue their upward trajectory   and have now won eight straight on the road   they refuse to be complacent as they push their way back up in the standings. "We still need to get better," said Cora. "It's been good for six days now, we're making some strides, but we're not where we want to be yet." That's how we like to start a series. pic.twitter.com/Wh6HRtnMmK   Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 18, 2019 Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com . Follow him on twitter at @alexspeier . Related slideshow: The 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


All three people on board a plane that crashed in Alaska's Prince William Sound were rescued by good Samaritans, the Coast Guard said Tuesday. The Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard and Good Samaritans responded to the report of a downed Cessna A185F Skywagon in Prince William Sound, in the vicinity of Cascade Bay 20 miles southwest of Valdez, Alaska. The Coast Guard said the three people on board were taken to local hospitals. Four good Samaritan vessels arrived on scene and recovered all three people. It's unclear who owns and operates the plane. The cause of the crash is under investigation, CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA reports . Tuesday's crash is just one day after a plane crash killed two people in Metlakatla Harbor, Alaska. The plane in that was operated by Taquan Air. Last week, a midair collision of sightseeing planes near Ketchikan left six people dead. The aircraft in that incident were operated by Taquan Air and Mountain Air Service. This is a breaking story. It will be updated.