Star Tracks: Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Iconic Duo Costars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio smile wide at the photo call for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday in France. Comrades in Arms Pink and Chris Stapleton share a sweet moment on Tuesday night during the New York City stop on Pink's Beautiful Trauma tour at Madison Square Garden. Hollywood Goes to France Timothée Chalamet poses with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Margot Robbie at the film premiere's afterparty at JW Marriott on Tuesday in Cannes, France. Rocking Out Shailene Woodley kicks back on Tuesday at Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Night party in London. Rain or Shine Milo Ventimiglia flashes a peace sign during a visit to Extra to talk about his upcoming film The Art of Racing in the Rain at Universal Studios Hollywood on Tuesday. Facing the 'Future' Trevor Noah speaks at The Wall Street Journal 's Future of Everything Festival at Spring Studios on Monday in N.Y.C. Feeling Blue? Jada Pinkett Smith channels her husband Will Smith's Genie character on Tuesday night at the Los Angeles premiere of Aladdin. Family Affair Jerry Hall makes a rare appearance with daughters Lizzy and Georgia May Jagger at the Equal Means Equal Campaign for Equal Rights Launch at The Times Square Edition on Tuesday in N.Y.C. Black and White Allison Williams glows on Tuesday at the New York City premiere of The Perfection. In Peace Patrick Schwarzenegger pauses for a photo at the Nike Lebron James x John Elliott Icon Celebration in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Cute Carry-on Lucy Hale holds tight to her pup on Tuesday after leaving lunch with friends in Los Angeles. Carla in the House Carla Gugino wears an all-green ensemble at the Netflix FYSEE event for Haunting of Hill House at Raleigh Studios on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Curation Celebration Karlie Kloss and Project Runway costar Christian Siriano strike a pose at the one-year anniversary celebration of Siriano's boutique The Curated NYC on Tuesday in New York City. Ready to Wow Ashley Park and Ben Cook get together at Walt Disney Studios and The Cinema Society Host a Special Screening of Aladdin at The Roxy Cinema on Tuesday in N.Y.C. Going Green Kendall Jenner shows off her travel style in a bright green jacket and patterned pants as she arrives at Nice Airport for the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. Cheers to That Annie Murphy and Sarah Levy toast on Tuesday night at the 44th Annual Gracie Awards in Beverly Hills. Animal Antics Veterinarian Dr. Evan Antin cuddles a pup on Saturday at the Best Friends Animal Society's NKLA Super Adoption event in L.A., where more than 420 pets found homes in 48 hours. One Cute Couple Hana Cross and boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham hit the red carpet at the Chopard party in Cannes, France, on Tuesday. Travel Chic Meanwhile, Brooklyn's parents David and Victoria Beckham arrive in London via the St Pancras International train station on Tuesday. BTS in the Building The guys of BTS pose for pics inside the Empire State Building in N.Y.C. on Tuesday, in celebration of their iHeartRadio LIVE performance that evening. Sweet Moment Tilda Swinton and daughter Honor Swinton Byrne attend the screening of Parasite during the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. Check(er) Her out Beanie Feldstein arrives at the Today studios in N.Y.C. on Tuesday to talk up her new film, Booksmart. Brunch Bunch Barkha Shewakramani and Sofia Richie share a hug at the Barkha Beauty Summer Brunch at Nobu Malibu on Thursday. Good to Go Jon Hamm gives two thumbs up to photographers as he arrives at Jimmy Kimmel Live! to talk about his role in Amazon's new mini-series Good Omens on Monday in L.A. Barefoot Bardi Cardi B takes off her heeled boots during her performance at Hangout Music Festival in Alabama on Sunday. Hope Floats Michelle Rodriguez and a pal kick back on a yacht in Cannes, France, on Monday. Pattern Makers Katie Holmes brings her mother Kathleen as her date to the American Ballet Theatre 2019 Spring Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House in N.Y.C. on Monday. Traffic Stoppers Will Smith gets into character as Genie and dances through a crosswalk alongside host James Corden, dressed as Aladdin's monkey Abu, while filming a musical segment of The Late Late Show on Monday in Los Angeles. Daddy's Darlings David Burtka poses with daughter Harper Grace and son Gideon Scott at the opening night celebration for the immersive theatrical experience Pip's Island, benefitting the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, on Monday in N.Y.C. Hair for Days Vivica Fox shows of her extra-long ponytail at the Lifetime Summer Luau 2019 at the W Los Angeles on Monday. Pup Patrol Emily Ratajkowski cuddles up to her new puppy on her walk home from lunch in N.Y.C. on Monday. Good Greet Stellene Volandes and Debra Messing greet fans at the 92nd Street Y Gala on Monday night in N.Y.C. See and Be Seen Ethan Herisse, Asante Blackk, Joshua Jackson, Marquis Rodriguez and Caleel Harris attend the world premiere of Netflix's When They See Us on Monday in N.Y.C. Book Smarts Common signs copies of his new book Let Love Have the Last Word during a chat with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at The Gathering Spot in Georgia on Monday. Short Story Chrissy Teigen thinks pink on Monday night during an event to help Pepsi kick off #summergram in N.Y.C. Girl Talk Jennifer Garner and Molly Sims chat with a pal as they go for walk in L.A. on Monday. Commanding Performance Rachel Bloom speaks onstage during the 64th Annual Obie Awards on Monday in N.Y.C. Pets Paraphernalia The Secret Life of Pets 2 costars Bobby Moynihan, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Patton Oswalt and Eric Stonestreet sign posters at a cast event at FAO Schwarz on Monday in N.Y.C. Color Pop Kyra Sedgwick rocks a bright blue cross-body bag while out and about in New York City on Monday. Lucky Man Taron Egerton gives his mom a smooch while hitting the red carpet with girlfriend Emily Thomas at the premiere of Rocketman on Monday in London. Tiny Tux Eva Longoria brings husband José Bastón and their son Santiago as her dates to The Global Gift Initiative event during the Cannes Film Festival in France on Monday. Good Goop Olivia Wilde, Taraji P. Henson, goop CEO Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba and Busy Philipps get together at the In goop Health Summit Los Angeles 2019 at Rolling Greens Nursery on Saturday. Smell the Roses Jenny McCarthy marks National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month with Amazon's Treasure Truck at The Puffs Magic Garden at Chicago's Navy Pier on Saturday. Cute Couple Emma Thompson and husband Greg Wise cozy up at a Gala Screening of Late Night at Picturehouse Central in London on Monday. Back to Work On Monday, Michael Gandolfini arrives to the set of The Many Saints of Newark in Ridgewood, New York. Elegant Elle Elle Fanning attends the Official Trophee Chopard Dinner photo call during the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. On the 'Dot' Millie Bobby Brown wears a chic polka-dotted gown as she shows fans some love at the premiere of Godzilla: King of the Monsters at TCL Chinese Theatre on Saturday in Hollywood. Kidding Around John Stamos beams with wife Caitlin McHugh and son Billy at the Hammer Museum K.A.M.P. (Kids' Art Museum Project) 2019 on Sunday in Los Angeles. Afternoon Outing Also at the Hammer Museum: Joe Manganiello and wife Sofia Vergara. Talk Show Tea Reese Witherspoon opens up about motherhood and season 2 of Big Little Lies on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday in L.A. Royal Rendezvous Kate Middleton meets with children during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London on Monday. Funny Friends Costars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin crack each other up at the Netflix FYSEE Grace and Frankie ATAS Official Red Carpet and Panel at Raleigh Studios on Saturday in L.A. Child at Heart Gwen Stefani stops for a pic with Snoopy during a trip to the Calico River Rapids in California on Sunday. Iced Out Meek Mill shows off his chains at DJ Khaled's SNL afterparty dinner at TAO Downtown on Saturday in N.Y.C. Eat Up! Smokey Robinson and Cameron Diaz smile together at EEEEEatscon 2019 at Barker Hangar on Sunday in Santa Monica, California. Think Pink Helen Mirren debuts a new pink 'do at the premiere of The Best Years of a Life at the Cannes Film Festival in France on Saturday. A Different Throne Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage and wife Erica Schmidt hold hands at the opening night party for Red Bull Theater's all-female production of Macbeth at Houston Hall on Sunday in New York City. Dr. Bassett to You Angela Bassett flashes a peace sign beside President of Morehouse College David A. Thomas before receiving an honorary doctorate at the college's 135th Commencement on Sunday in Atlanta. Black Carpet Glam Costars Leslie Grossman and Billie Lourd hug at the American Horror Story: Apocalypse FYC event at NeueHouse Hollywood on Saturday. Big Moment Rita Moreno attends the 17th annual Peabody Awards, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, at Cipriani Wall Street on Saturday in N.Y.C., where she became the first-ever Latin recipient of the Peabody Career Award. Hollywood Heavyweights Al Pacino and Robert De Niro attend the American Icon Awards gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in L.A. on Sunday. Good Jeans Jaden Smith and Hailey Baldwin celebrate Levi's 501 Day in Los Angeles on Saturday. Sucker for You Nick Jonas makes sure wife Priyanka Chopra's Georges Hobeika gown is camera-ready for the red carpet of The Best Years of a Life screening in Cannes on Saturday. Magical Friends Vanessa Hudgens celebrates the opening of Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes in the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, on Saturday with Goofy, Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse. Men in Black Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe hang together at the Vanity Fair and Chopard party at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc during the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. Oui Oui! Andie MacDowell is all smiles in a flowy white gown during the Cannes Film Festival in France on Sunday. Gonna Ride 'til They Can't No More Noah Cyrus joins Lil Nas X at the "Old Town Road" music video premiere party sponsored by Wingstop in West Hollywood on Friday. She Totally 'Cannes' Eva Longoria continues her Cannes Film Festival style parade, this time in her BFF Victoria Beckham's ensemble for the Kering Talks: Women in Motion event on Friday. Now Pose! Antonio Banderas shows off his moves at the photo call for Pain And Glory during the Cannes Film Festival in France on Saturday. Nasty Boy Janet Jackson kicks off her Metamorphosis residency with a bang at the Park Theater at Park MGM in Las Vegas on Friday night. On Her Way Elle Fanning has a Cinderella moment on Friday as she makes her way into the Chopard party at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Heads Together Also at the Chopard party in Cannes, a dressed-to-the-nines Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. For the Glory Meanwhile in Cannes, Penelope Cruz, director Pedro Almodovar and Antonio Banderas hit the red carpet at the screening of Pain and Glory. Red Dress, Red Carpet Also at the premiere: Bella Hadid, in a cutout dress that matches the red carpet. Mic Check Michael K. Williams visits Sway in the Morning with Sway Calloway on Eminem's Shade 45 at the SiriusXM Studios in N.Y.C. on Friday. Bird's Eye View Thomas Rhett heads to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle on Thursday for an Amazon Music listening session of his new album, Center Point Road , for 100 lucky fans. Shop to It Ireland Baldwin steps out for a Friday shopping trip in L.A. Good Eats Marcus Samuelsson, Mashama Bailey, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka, Emma Bengtsson, Hassan Gibrin and Herb Karlitz kick off Harlem Eat Up at the Luminary Award dinner at Ginny's Supper Club in N.Y.C. on Wednesday. Babes in Blue Costars Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling attend a photo call for their upcoming film Late Night at the Corinthia Hotel in London on Thursday. Out with a Bang Big Bang Theory cast members Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar and Jim Parsons snap a selfie with host Stephen Colbert and discuss the long-running show's series finale on Thursday's episode of The Late Show in N.Y.C. Delightful Duet Evan Ross and Ashlee Simpson perform at the Cinémoi Stars United for Good Haute Couture gala at La Plage 45 on Thursday in Cannes, France. Woman of the Hour Julia Roberts and Finneas O'Connell honor Billie Eilish at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards in L.A. on Thursday. Sweet Surprise Charles Melton and Yara Shahidi meet unsuspecting fans at an opening night screening of their new film The Sun Is Also a Star in N.Y.C. on Thursday. Sophisticated Style Renée Zellweger strikes a pose at Netflix's What/If special screening on Thursday in West Hollywood. Pretty in Pink Jessie James Decker rocks out at N.Y.C.'s Beacon Theatre on Thursday. Curtain Call Actor-turned-playwright Jesse Eisenberg poses with Susan Sarandon, who stars in his play Happy Talk , during opening night at Social Drink and Food Club Terrace on Thursday in N.Y.C. Fab Five Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness attend the #NetflixFYSee Queer Eye panel and reception at Raleigh Studios on Thursday in L.A. Great Guest Fellow talk-show host Trevor Noah waves hello to photographers as he arrives at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday in L.A. Point Perks Jake Owen gives an exclusive performance for Hilton Honors Members at The Rustic on Thursday in Houston. Costar Love Juliette Lewis and Allison Janney attend the afterparty of the special screening of Universal Pictures' Ma on Thursday in L.A. GoT 'Em Raleigh Ritchie, a.k.a. Jacob Anderson, stops by Build Series to talk about Game of Thrones on Thursday at Build Studio in N.Y.C. Making Her Mark Ciara breaks it down in an orange ensemble alongside a group of backup dancers as she performs her single "Thinkin Bout You" off her new album Beauty Marks on Thursday's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Los Angeles. Pizza Party Recent Papa John's Board of Directors member Shaquille O'Neal surprises customers at a local Papa John's in Milwaukee with free pizzas on Thursday. Cowgirl Cool Elizabeth Chambers Hammer dons Miron Crosby cowboy boots to celebrate the brand's second anniversary at a private dinner held at the flagship store in Dallas on Thursday. Pop Princess Carly Rae Jepsen takes the stage in a shimmering minidress for her performance on Thursday's episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden in L.A. Fierce Fashion Coco Austin steps out in N.Y.C. to take on the city during a girls' trip on Thursday.


With his first big splash as the general manager of the New York Jets, Joe Douglas went out and got himself a center. The Jets agreed to terms with former Carolina Panther Ryan Kalil on a one-year deal worth up to $8.4 million on Thursday. New York seemed content with de facto starter Jonotthan Harrison, but behind the scenes, Douglas was working tirelessly for seven weeks to get Kalil to unretire. On Thursday afternoon, the Jets upgraded the center position big time, even if Kalil has experienced a bit of a decline since a significant neck injury in 2017. The key to Douglas' Super Bowl run with the Eagles started in the trenches and he seems to be attempting to emulate that by getting Sam Darnold his own Jason Kelce. With that said, let's get to know the Jets' newest addition to the offensive line. USC grad, big fan of Sam Darnold (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports) Ryan Kalil played college football at the University of Southern California, where he was a member of two national championship teams, was named a first-team All-American and won the 2006 Morris Trophy. Being a USC product, Kalil is a huge fan of Sam Darnold, and that helped play a role in him coming out of retirement, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic. Career Accolades (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) Ryan Kalil is one of the better centers of his generation. He was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft and became a fixture on the Carolina Panthers offensive line up until his retirement. Kalil is a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He will one day join the Panthers' Hall of Honor, but that will be put on hold as he continues his playing career for the Jets. Brother in the NFL ( Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports) Ryan Kalil's brother, Matt, is currently an offensive tackle for the Houston Texans. The younger Kalil also graduated from USC and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings. After inconsistent play, Matt signed a five-year, $55 million deal to unite with his brother in Carolina. Matt's Panther career was marred with struggles even though he started 16 games in 2017. At the beginning of 2018, he underwent a knee scope and was later released earlier this offseason. Matt then signed with the Texans. The Kalil brothers were the third set of brothers to play on the same offensive line in the NFL and the first set of brothers to do it in 24 years. Interest in the Film Industry (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports) Ryan Kalil's interest in the film industry goes back to his days at USC. He worked with fellow USC-alumnus Will Ferrell on a football training spoof for NFL Network. He also served as an executive producer on a Dwayne Johnson movie and helped finance a graphic novel into production. Kalil's retirement has been put on hold, but it appears he has a life ready for him after football. New Jets Center @ryankalil learned from the best pic.twitter.com/SxNS3yt3K6 - SNY (@SNYtv) August 1, 2019 Recent Decline (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports) Ryan Kalil's decline from being an All-Pro began in 2016 when he injured his shoulder and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. In 2017, he only started six games and missed the rest of the season due to a significant neck injury. Between being banged up and age, father time caught up to Kalil in 2018. While he figured his body was ready for retirement, the Jets called and Kalil felt the itch. Now, both parties are hopeful he'll have a clean bill of health in 2019. MORE: Five potential Jeremy Lin landing spots in free agency It didn't take long for NFL fans to freak out over the new pass interference rule Steven Jackson gets random drug test from NFL after signing 1-day contract Biggest winners from the first week of Packers training camp Bears defense continues to dominate on Day 6 of training camp


Things ended badly in New Orleans for defensive lineman Akiem Hicks . The Saints traded him to the Patriots early in the 2015 season, and he played 13 games for New England before becoming a free agent. Hicks chose the Bears in the 2016 free agency period partly because General Manager Ryan Pace was in the Saints' front office in New Orleans in 2012 when the team made Hicks a third-round pick. In three seasons in Chicago, Hicks has started every game, and he earned his first Pro Bowl in 2018. He has never felt more at home. "I'm appreciated here for everything I am ," Hicks said, via Dan Pompei of TheAthletic.com.. "I've never been expected to be anyone but myself here, and when I'm myself, I'm at my best." Pace calls Hicks a "catalyst" for what the Bears have built and are building on defense. Adding Khalil Mack in a trade last year gave the Bears one of the best defenses in the league. "We already had this dominant defense, and then you add, let's call it what it is, one of the best defensive players in the league, top five for sure, top three to me," Hicks said. "It was lagniappe, as they say in the south." Former Bears defensive linemen Dan Hampton, Tommie Harris, Ed O'Bradovich and Chris Zorich recently were on a panel discussion with Hicks, who accepted the old-timers' challenge to live up to the team's great defenses of yesteryear. "We all want to leave our mark somewhere," Hicks said. "This is our opportunity to leave our mark. We have everything it takes. It's just a matter of if we want it enough."


The Boston Red Sox are set to begin a two-game international series in London Saturday. Two of the game's most hallowed teams taking on one another in front of foreign fans. As much as baseball might not be the UK's pastime, it's gaining in popularity. The same thing can't be said about Red Sox assistant hitting coach Andy Barkett and Halloween. What do those two things have in common? Well, just ask Mr. Barkett himself. He shared this glorious story as the assistant coach attempted to make his way on to the field at London Stadium on Friday. Walking on field from cage in uniform. Security dude, "your credentials sir?" Me "You think I'm dressed like this for Halloween?" Security dude, "Halloween sir?" Me "Forget it."   Andy Barkett (@abarkett17) June 28, 2019 The British. Always so polite. This story itself is about as good as it gets. Halloween did originate in Europe as the Celtic festival of Samhain. But it's taken on an entirely new meaning since then. But we digress. Game 1 of the series gets going at 1:00 pm ET on Saturday afternoon. Here's to hoping Barkett has his credentials somewhere nearby his costume. We certainly don't need a repeat of the Jeremy Lin incident . Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


ROME (AP) After four decades of dormancy, male tennis players in Italy are finally showing signs of becoming as good as the women have been. Marco Cecchinato got things rolling by reaching the French Open semifinals last year - the first Italian man to reach the last four of a major since 1978. Fabio Fognini followed by becoming the first to win a Masters event by beating Rafael Nadal en route to the Monte Carlo title last month. And players like Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Sonego are in the process of breaking through, while teenagers Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner represent a bright future. All that success has resulted in record ticket sales at this week's Italian Open - and some of the Italians could make a run at the French Open, which starts May 26. ''The men haven't reached this level in 40 years. So people are not coming only to see (Rafael) Nadal or (Serena) Williams, they're coming to root for the Italians,'' Italian Tennis Federation president Angelo Binaghi said. ''It's one thing to have 10,000 spectators. It's another thing to have 10,000 fans. ''This boom in men's tennis is the next step in a process that began with the golden age of the women followed by the development of SuperTennis,'' Binaghi added, referring to the federation's highly successful TV channel . ''A minute after Fognini won Monte Carlo I called the ticket office and they had already noticed a jump in sales.'' The women's golden age that Binaghi was referring to includes the four Fed Cup titles that Italy won between 2006 and 2013 with a team featuring Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta, Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani. Schiavone (2010 French Open) and Pennetta (2015 U.S. Open) also won Grand Slam titles, while Vinci (2015 U.S. Open) and Errani (2012 French Open) were Grand Slam finalists. Corrado Barazzutti captained those winning Fed Cup teams and remains Italy's Davis Cup captain. He's also Fognini's personal coach and played on the 1976 Italy team that won the Davis Cup - making him the link between generations. ''A lot of it is because the skill level of our coaches has improved,'' Barazzutti said. ''We're growing together with the players. And the federation is doing its part by assisting these coaches and players.'' Berrettini, who recently won the Hungarian Open and reached the BMW Open final in Munich, Germany, in consecutive weeks, upset fifth-ranked Alexander Zverev on Tuesday before a raucous, soccer-like crowd at the Foro Italico. Sonego, who is 23 like Berrettini, came through qualifying to reach the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo. Musetti won this year's Australian Open boys' title at the age of 16 - and he's not even the country's most promising young player. That title belongs to Sinner, the only 17-year-old in the top 400 of the rankings at No. 263. In Sinner's first Masters Series match on Sunday, he rallied past American veteran Steve Johnson in three sets. That made Sinner the youngest player to win a match at the Italian Open since Goran Ivanisevic 30 years ago. ''He's the real deal,'' said Riccardo Piatti, Sinner's coach. ''I've coached a lot of players and he's certainly one of the best I've seen,'' Piatti told The Associated Press, adding that Sinner has ''similar potential'' to top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet, who he also coached to the top 10. ''But we need to give him some time.'' Piatti attributed the success of the home players to the proliferation of Challenger and Futures tournaments - the level just below the pro tour - around Italy. At No. 12, Fognini is within striking distance of becoming the first Italian man in the top 10 since Barazzutti achieved the feat in 1979. ''Fabio has always been a talented player and now he's got another component: He's got a Grand Slam champion in his family,'' Piatti said, referring to Pennetta, Fognini's wife. ''Flavia understands him, assists him and encourages him. It's definitely a favorable situation.'' Fognini and the others are attempting to become the first local man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976. ''I'm coming in here with a bit more confidence, which is what I lacked in past years,'' said Fognini, who is also known for his temper. ''I'm a bit calmer. Winning a big tournament like Monte Carlo put me a bit more at ease.'' The Italians' rise has also coincided with the addition of two big tournaments. The Next Gen ATP Finals, a year-ending event for the world's top 21-and-under players, has been held in Milan since 2017. And from 2021-25, Turin will host the ATP Finals for the season's top eight singles players and doubles teams, taking over from current host London. ''I think this will change the whole thing in Italy,'' coaching great Nick Bollettieri said in Rome. ''When you have three or four young ones that will inspire the other young ones to keep going.'' When Turin was recently awarded the ATP Finals, Binaghi announced that he expects an Italian to be competing in the tournament come 2021. ''We've got players in the right position to make it there,'' Barazzutti said. ''Why not?'' --- More AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports --- Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AndrewDampf


The Marlins have acquired outfielder Cesar Puello from the Angels, per a club announcement. Cash considerations are going to Los Angeles for the recently designated Puello. That explains the just-reported move to designate Rosell Herrera . In other news, the club placed starter Pablo Lopez on the 10-day injured list, as anticipated. Southpaw Jose Quijada will take the open roster spot for the time being. The club will ultimately still need to find a space for hurler Zac Gallen , who is slated to be promoted tomorrow . The Fish have little to lose in giving a shot to Puello, who surprised in fill-in duty for the Halos. He slashed .390/.500/.683 in 50 plate appearances after racking up a .299/.434/.507 line in his 166 trips to the plate at Triple-A. Once considered a prospect of note, Puello has received only limited MLB opportunities but carries a .844 OPS in over 1,500 attempts at the highest level of the minors.


VATICAN CITY   The Vatican formally opened debate Monday on letting married men be ordained as priests in remote parts of the Amazon where priests are so few that Catholics can go weeks or months without attending a Mass. The call for study on the proposal was contained in the working document, released Monday, for an October meeting of South American bishops on the Amazon. The document, prepared by the Vatican based on input from the region, affirmed that celibacy is a gift for the Catholic Church. But it suggested officials study "the possibility of priestly ordination for older men, preferably indigenous and respected and accepted by their communities, even if they have stable families, for the region's most remote areas." The idea of ordaining so-called "viri probati"   married men of proven virtue   has been around for decades to cope with a priest shortage and decline in vocations overall. But it has drawn fresh attention under Pope Francis, history's first Latin American pope, thanks to his familiarity with the challenges facing the Amazon church. The Oct. 6-27 meeting on the sacramental and environmental needs of the Amazon will draw bishops from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Brazil's bishops have long pushed for the church to consider ordaining viri probati to minister in remote parts of the Amazon where by some estimates there is one priest for every 10,000 Catholics. The celibacy question has been a mainstay in Catholic debate given it is a discipline, not a doctrine, and therefore can change. The church has had the tradition since the 11th century, imposed in part to spare the church the financial burdens of providing for large families and to ensure that any assets of the priest would pass to the church, not his heirs. Proponents of a relaxation of the rule say more men would consider a vocation to the priesthood if they could marry, a surefire fix to the decline in priests globally. Opponents say relaxing the rule for the Amazon will certainly fuel calls for it to be relaxed elsewhere. Already, married men can be ordained in the Eastern rite Catholic Church and married men who convert from Protestant churches can be Catholic priests. In addition to ordaining married men, the document called for the synod to identify "the type of official ministry that can be conferred on women." It said women, who already play important roles in indigenous communities, must be guaranteed leadership roles. But it stopped short of recommending debate on whether women could be ordained as deacons. One of the organizers, Monsignor Fabio Fabene, said the female diaconate was essentially off the table since Francis has recently determined that the issue needs further discussion. Overall, the synod bishops are expected to debate a host of measures to better minister to indigenous and migrant communities in the Amazon amid deforestation and exploitative industries and competition for souls from Pentecostal churches, which are more present in the region with indigenous, local leaders. The Vatican's working document acknowledged this competition, saying the Catholic Church must transition from being a church that merely visits vast regions to one that has a full-time presence with ministries, liturgies, sacraments and social services. It called for a church that has a more indigenous face, with local songs, dance, costumes and the Bible translated into various languages. What is needed, it said, is to essentially recover aspects of the primitive Christian church.


The Buccaneers were scheduled for three days of work at rookie minicamp, but they won't be on the field on Mother's Day. Head coach Bruce Arians said on Saturday that the first two days of practice left the team "really pleased with what we saw" and decided to call off the final session with an eye toward having the entire team at work on Tuesday. When they do convene, Arians said that the team will be bringing back some of the tryout players who took part in the practices on Friday and Saturday. One of those players is linebacker David Kenney, who played at Indiana and Illinois State. "He gets to come back Tuesday," Arians said, via the team's website. "When you get past the quarterback on just about every play, that catches everybody's attention. Let's see if he can do it against the next group." Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com reports that wide receiver Spencer Schnell, tackle Riley Mayfield and safety D'Cota Dixon will also be sticking around. The team will need to make corresponding moves to clear room.


There are two distinct sides (or faces) of the Moon : one is largely marked with craters, while the other is chock full of open basins. Now, a new study suggests that an ancient celestial body is the cause of this mysterious "anomaly." Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets , the study suggests that a "large body," perhaps an ancient planet or asteroid, crashed into the Moon and gave it its distinctive features. "Recent remote sensing observations suggest that (1) the crust on the farside highlands consists of two layers: a primary anorthositic layer with thickness of ~30‐50 km and on top a more mafic‐rich layer ~ 10 km thick; and (2) the nearside exhibits a large area of low‐Ca pyroxene that has been interpreted to have an impact origin," the study's abstract reads. "These observations support the idea that the lunar nearside‐farside asymmetries may be the result of a giant impact." SECRET NASA PLANS FOR MOON BASE AND 37 ROCKET LAUNCHES REVEALED In the research, scientists put measurements from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission in 2012 into a computer and ran 360 simulations of various collisions that could have caused the distinct sides. In running the simulations, they found the most likely scenario would have been a celestial body about 480 miles in diameter smacking the Moon at a speed of roughly 14,000 miles per hour. "That would be the equivalent of an object a bit smaller than the dwarf planet Ceres moving at a speed about one-quarter as fast as the meteor pebbles and sand grains that burn up as 'shooting stars' in Earth's atmosphere," the statement reads . They also called out a similar-sized object, with a diameter of 450 miles going 15,000 miles per hour as a potential candidate. With the object hitting the Moon at such a forceful rate, it likely would've caused the material to kick up and spread to the far side of the satellite. "Our model can thus explain this isotope anomaly in the context of the giant impact scenario of the Moon's origin," the researchers wrote in the study. Steve Hauck, a professor of planetary geodynamics at Case Western Reserve University, said in the statement that the paper is very "provocative." SPACE STUNNER: MOON IS SHRINKING, SHOCKING STUDY REVEALS Hauck added that by understanding the different sides of the Moon and their origins, it becomes "a fundamental issue in lunar science. Indeed, several planets have hemispherical dichotomies, yet for the Moon we have a lot of data to be able to test models and hypotheses with, so the implications of the work could likely be broader than just the Moon." Return to the Moon Further study of the Moon looms large in our future. The Trump administration has called for the U.S. to return to the Moon by 2024, with or without the help of NASA . NASA's plans to return to the Moon, including its plans to set up a lunar base, future rocket launches and the cost of these missions were leaked earlier this week . They were subsequently confirmed by the government space agency. As part of its plans to build a Moon base by 2028 and have several launches, NASA's leaked documents show the agency believes it will need an additional $4.7 billion to $8.2 billion per year to fulfill these journeys. NASA's current budget is approximately $20 billion per year. The race to get back to the Moon is also drawing the attention of private companies, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Bezos, the richest man in the world, recently unveiled plans for his space exploration company to send a spaceship to the Moon, "this time to stay." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News' James Rogers contributed to this story.


Democrats on a key House congressional committee are investigating allegations from a whistleblower within the State Department about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his family's use of taxpayer-funded Diplomatic Security -- prompting agents to lament they are at times viewed as "UberEats with guns". Congressional investigators, who asked for the committee not to be named as they carry out their inquiries, tell CNN that a State Department whistleblower has raised multiple issues over a period of months, about special agents being asked to carry out some questionable tasks for the Pompeo family. In April, for example, an agent was asked to pick up Chinese food without Pompeo in the car. The whistleblower said this led agents to complain that they are now serving as "UberEats with guns," which has created a buzz within the department, according to multiple Democratic congressional aides who cited the whistleblower. On another occasion, the whistleblower told aides, a Diplomatic Security special agent was given the job of picking up the Pompeo family dog from a groomer. And CNN has seen a document given to the committee aides by the whistleblower showing that in January, Diplomatic Security was asked by a person in Pompeo's office to pick up his adult son from Union Station in Washington and bring him to the family home. Lon Fairchild, the special agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service, did not deny that the specific trips, such as the dog or the takeout food, were carried out by agents, but said in a statement, "I was head of Secretary Pompeo's security detail since his first day on the job. At no point during my service did he or any member of his family ask me or any member of my team to act in any way that would be inconsistent with our professional obligation to protect the Secretary 24-hours a day, 7-days a week." A former senior Diplomatic Security official told CNN such tasks would not be appropriate especially without the Secretary himself in the car at the time unless some specific threat was identified that necessitated those trips. For example, they said when former Secretary of State Warren Christopher started in the job, he had hoped his agents would go get groceries for him, but had to be told that that's not what they do. The Diplomatic Security Service is the law enforcement and security arm of the State Department tasked with protecting US diplomacy and diplomats worldwide and securing the integrity of US travel documents. While protecting the security of the secretary of state is an important task for the service, there are concerns that agents may have been asked to carry out inappropriate tasks while assigned to Pompeo. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, a federal employee "shall not encourage, direct, coerce, or request a subordinate to use official time to perform activities other than those required in the performance of official duties or authorized in accordance with law or regulation." It is unclear if Pompeo requested the allegedly improper arrangements or whether they were made by someone on his staff without his knowledge. But the whistleblower said there is a culture within Diplomatic Security to try and please the secretary and avoid upsetting him. Former government ethics czar Walter Shaub told CNN "sending subordinates to run personal errands for you is the very definition of misuse of position." Concerns about Susan Pompeo's security arrangements Those personal-seeming tasks might be eye-catching, but congressional investigators say the State Department whistleblower told them the bigger issue causing concern among some agents is the question of why Pompeo's wife, Susan, has her own security detail, assigned to her in 2018, even while she is at home in the United States. "There is a lot of confusion among agents over this, over why this is justified," one aide told CNN. "Because according to this source they have seen nothing to indicate it is justified. In fact just the opposite. It's their understanding there was no finding of a high-enough level threat to merit this detail." The whistleblower told these investigators that multiple special agents and supervisors within Diplomatic Security understood that a formal threat assessment had not been carried out, under longtime standard operating procedure, and that there is no specific threat against Susan Pompeo . Furthermore, the whistleblower told aides that shortly after Susan Pompeo received her personal security detail, in July 2018, agents were verbally told not to use her callsign which is "Shocker" over the radios or publicly. The reason, according to one aide, citing the whistleblower, was that "they knew it wasn't kosher." CNN has viewed an email from within the State Department confirming that she has an agent assigned to her, along with her callsign. The assistant secretary overseeing Diplomatic Security, Michael Evanoff, was included in the correspondence. The subject line says "Shocker Detail." The former senior Diplomatic Security official who asked not to be identified said that such a full-time detail for a spouse is unusual and would only be assigned once a formal process was followed, assessing the need for such security. They said that the risk investigation would be performed by Diplomatic Security's Protective Intelligence and Investigations Division, in the Office of Threat and Intelligence Analysis. The former official told CNN this protocol has existed within Diplomatic Security for decades. And that in this person's lengthy tenure at Diplomatic Security, no spouse was ever given a security detail for more than a short, specific period of time. One congressional aide told CNN that under the current administration, "We have a lot of concerns over how things are being conducted within Diplomatic Security. There is a lack of transparency." A State Department spokesperson insisted that a threat assessment for Susan Pompeo was carried out by the Protective Intelligence and Investigations Division, but would not tell CNN when that happened. "The provision of a protective detail to Mrs. Pompeo is expressly authorized by federal law. In this case, Diplomatic Security determined that the threat warranted the provision of such a protective detail to Mrs. Pompeo and began providing it as of July 28, 2018." In a statement, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Michael Evanoff said, "The Diplomatic Security Service has been protecting the spouse of the Secretary of State since the 1970s as the security threat dictates. We are a federal law enforcement agency, and this is an integral part of our core mission. Today the security threats against Secretary Pompeo and his family are unfortunately very real. The Diplomatic Security Service is proud to protect the Pompeo family from those who would harm the Secretary of State and the United States." Concerns about how Trump admin officials have used government resources These questions about Pompeo are the latest in a slew of ethics allegations surrounding Trump administration Cabinet secretaries and their use of government resources. Former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt left his position after a series of ethical questions about his security team; the former head of Health and Human Services, Tom Price , resigned after a scandal over his use of private planes; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson was assailed for extravagant taxpayer-funded furniture purchases . Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke stepped down amid probes of his real estate dealings and conduct in office. And Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin left that job under an ethics cloud after a damning inspector general report criticized him for improperly accepting gifts and misrepresenting travel plans. The aides said another whistleblower has come forward, who worked on the State Department's executive seventh floor where the secretary of state and top aides are based telling them that employees there have been told not to put information concerning Susan Pompeo into official emails, so that it would not be preserved in required recordkeeping. The role Susan Pompeo has played within the State Department and when the secretary travels is another area of concern to congressional aides, Diplomatic Security officers and multiple sources within the State Department and the CIA, which Pompeo previously led. Several sources told CNN when Susan Pompeo accompanies the secretary on certain trips she has not only had a dedicated special agent to tend to her, but also a State Department staffer. They said that ahead of a recent trip to Kansas, during which she accompanied her husband, she had at times chaired meetings on trip logistics at the State Department, which raised eyebrows, including of senior State officials. One person familiar with the situation called it "the worst kept secret at State," telling CNN, "[Secretary Pompeo] takes her on ... trips, has separate meetings, requiring control officers, motor pool assets, security, and time. It was especially brazen during the shutdown when people were actually called into the embassy while furloughed. Just one more thing killing morale at the department."


Last month, Google published the first picture of its new smartphone, the Pixel 4, on Twitter. But that image was just a teaser. On Saturday, a designer who goes by the handle @OnLeaks on Twitter, and is known for creating accurate renders of upcoming phones, published the first renders of what the phone will probably look like. The renders were released in partnership with iGeeksBlog. Google is pushing full steam ahead with its flagship phones in an effort to earn its own share of the Android market. It's currently one of the smaller players in the phone hardware market, though its more affordable Pixel 3a phones, which launched in May, have helped it appeal to a broader audience while still offering a great camera. A large model is rendered next to a smaller one, suggesting Google will launch both an "XL" and a standard size Pixel 4 this fall. Pictures: The Best Smartphones of 2019 The renders show that Google may follow Apple and other phone makers in removing the standard headphone jack. Also, since there isn't a visible fingerprint scanner, it appears Google may launch some sort of facial recognition unlock feature similar to Face ID on the iPhone. People who don't like notches on their phones to make room for the selfie camera may appreciate this appears to have no notch, either. The back of the Pixel 4 appears to have a three cameras that will likely help Google build on the Pixel's reputation as having one of the best phone cameras on the market. The additional sensors may help with augmented reality apps, for wide-angle photos, improved night images and better portrait pictures. It looks almost identical to the back of leaked pictures of the next iPhone. The Pixel 3 was announced in October 2018 and the Pixel 4 is expected around the same time this year when Google also launches its next version of Android, currently named Android Q. Apple is expected to introduce its new iPhones in September. Samsung announced that it will hold an even in New York on August 7, where it's expected to introduce the Galaxy Note 10. Video provided by PocketLint


Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being sued for blocking a former Democratic New York state assemblyman on Twitter who is citing a similar court case against President Donald Trump. Dov Hikind claims the Tuesday ruling from an appeals court that found Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking users on Twitter makes it unconstitutional for Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, to block him. He wants the court to restore his access to Ocasio-Cortez's account and prevent her from blocking him in the future. He claims the freshman congresswoman is violating the First Amendment, according to a court filing in the documents filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. "This very practice has been litigated with regard to President Donald Trump blocking individuals on Twitter, and has recently been found unconstitutional," the lawsuit says. Hikind posted on Twitter, "The law applies to socialists just as it does to capitalists. See ya in court, @AOC." Ocasio-Cortez's office declined to comment on pending litigation. Trump was challenged by seven individuals he blocked on Twitter, as well as the Knight First Amendment Institute, which argued the President's personal account is an extension of his office. The Justice Department argued the President wasn't "wielding the power" of the federal government when he blocked certain individuals from his personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, and blocks users as a personal matter. The judges on the appeals court concluded that "the First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees." Hikind said on the radio show Bernie & Sid on Wednesday that by blocking him, Ocasio-Cortez "cut my opportunity to be able to view her tweets, reply to them, be part of the discussion." "It so happens that there is a wonderful court case that makes it illegal, unconstitutional for her to do that," he said. "She cannot block me."


Curious just how far your dollar goes Downtown? According to Walk Score, this Los Angeles neighborhood is extremely walkable, is convenient for biking and has excellent transit. Data from rental site Zumper shows that the median rent for a one bedroom in DTLA is currently hovering around $2,950. So, what might you expect to find if you've got $3,500/month earmarked for your rent? Read on for a roundup of the latest rental offerings, via Zumper and Apartment Guide . (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 727 W. Seventh St. Listed at $3,402/month, this 1,305-square-foot one-bedroom, two-bathroom unit is located at 727 W. Seventh St. In the unit, which comes furnished, you'll find granite countertops, while the building offers a rooftop deck, a swimming pool and a fitness center. Dog owners, rejoice: your pups are allowed. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) 222 S. Main St. Next, there's this two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit situated at 222 S. Main St. It's listed for $3,410/month for its 1,214 square feet. When it comes to building amenities, anticipate a swimming pool. The unit also includes a balcony and stainless steel appliances. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that both cats and dogs are welcome. (See the complete listing here .) 816 S. Olive St. Here's a 716-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit at 816 S. Olive St. that's going for $3,420/month. Look for a dishwasher, a walk-in closet, in-unit laundry and a balcony in the residence. Both cats and dogs are permitted to boot. (Check out the complete listing here .) 732 S. Spring St. Located at 732 S. Spring St., here's a 1,016-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's listed for $3,430/month. The unit comes with a dishwasher and hardwood flooring, while building amenities include garage parking and secured entry. Luckily for pet owners, both dogs and cats are allowed. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) 705 W. Ninth St. Last but not least, here's a 1,180-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit at 705 W. Ninth St. that's going for $3,545/month. In the unit, you'll see a walk-in closet, hardwood flooring and in-unit laundry. For those with furry friends in tow, know that cats and dogs are welcome on this property. (Check out the complete listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Kevin Harvick sewed up his long-awaited first Monster Energy Series win of the season Sunday, benefiting from a bold pit strategy move and holding back Denny Hamlin's last-lap charge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Harvick led 41 of the 301 laps in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford holding an 0.210-second advantage at the drop of the checkered flag. His fourth victory at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire track was the 46th of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career and the first for SHR in the 2019 season. RELATED: Unofficial race results | Stages recaps SHOP: Kevin Harvick gear Harvick stayed on the track during the final cycle of pit stops to gain track position, then held off the fast-closing Hamlin in captivating final lap, with both cars making contact more than once on the final circuit. Hamlin held on to place second in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota. Erik Jones secured third place, with Ryan Blaney fourth and Matt DiBenedetto rounding out the top five. Kyle Busch led four times for 118 laps in the first half the event, but faded slightly after his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota brushed the outside retaining wall in Turn 1 on Lap 214. He wound up eighth. The series' next race is the Gander RV 400, scheduled next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Pocono Raceway. This story will be updated. ]]>


Mayor Tom Barrett's plan to extend the streetcar is not running quite on schedule. Having voiced a host of questions and concerns over the proposed streetcar extension, a committee of the Common Council on Tuesday decided to delay a vote to allow time to get answers. "I think we can do a better proposal than what is before us," Ald. Russell Stamper II said in proposing the hold. Ald. Khalif Rainey, who chairs the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee where the proposal was discussed, said he hopes to schedule a special committee meeting on May 28. The proposal had been scheduled to go before the full Common Council the next day, but the committee must vote on the measure before it can go to the full council. Barrett wants to direct $46.8 million in tax incremental financing to the construction of an extension to Wisconsin Avenue ahead of next summer's Democratic National Convention and to preliminary engineering of extensions linking Bronzeville to the north of downtown and Walker's Point to the south. The measure before the committee also includes an additional $5 million for a public plaza along West Wisconsin Avenue, between Vel Phillips Avenue and North 5th Street. RELATED: Plaza pitched near Wisconsin Center convention hall could include cafe   and help draw a big downtown hotel Tax financing districts defer adding the value of new developments to the property tax base until the project funding is paid. The city Redevelopment Authority Board unanimously approved the proposal last week. Aldermen expressed frustration at the quickness of the process and criticized the planning. Stamper said there are a series of elements missing from the streetcar proposal. He said he wants equal and equitable investment for the central city. "It's beautiful down there. The streetcar has done wonders for the city, so let's use this leverage to do wonders for the central city," he said after the meeting. He will be seeking: A sponsorship fund from the business community for the annual costs of the streetcar. A neighborhood development fund to support economic development in the central city. $6 million to protect households in the central city from gentrification and displacement. Funding and resources for workforce training and business capacity allowing entrepreneurship opportunities along new routes. RELATED: Mayor Barrett's $47 million financing plan to extend The Hop streetcar receives its first public approval RELATED: Streetcar expansion: Common Council gears up for discussion this month Ald. José Pérez expressed frustration that the amount of planning for the route north into Bronzeville was not mirrored in planning a route south, farther into Walker's Point. As it stands, the plan calls for ending the current extension at South 1st Street and Pittsburgh Avenue. In an earlier statement, he called for extending the line to South 6th Street and West National Avenue, "the gateway to the Latino community." The proposal before the committee includes $500,000 in local tax financing funding to study future routes into Walker's Point. "It wasn't even going to 1st and Pittsburgh with the initial presentation, so the fact that we're going to put some money aside to do it now is just a reaction as part of not planning this properly," he said. Department of City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux said the $500,000 to study other routes provides a foundation for an extension farther south. He said it was by "sheer luck of geography" that it was less of a challenge to go north than south. There are more tax incremental financing districts in the north that should allow the city to pay for the extension north to Bronzeville, he said. Members of the public spoke of their desire to extend the streetcar and benefit from development along with it. James Phelps, who owns JCP Construction on North King Drive, said it's not sustainable to keep the streetcar in downtown and advocated extending it to the neighborhoods. The streetcar offers a singular opportunity for small businesses to thrive, he said. "It's only one tool in our toolbox, but one that I think is really needed," he said. Others expressed concerns, including Jerry Papa. Papa said he had worked for the Milwaukee County Transit System for 20 years and the contract to run the streetcar was given to "one of the most union-busting and union-hating corporations in the history of world." He also expressed concerns about the replacement of existing bus routes. Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com . Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr . Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. Top Headlines: Republican lawmakers eye $505 million funding increase for schools Milwaukee streetcar expansion not running quite on time Raptors 120, Bucks 102: Milwaukee has no answer, and suddenly the series is tied Unsolved: Binge our true-crime series on the 1998 murder of Father Kunz FOLLOW THE JOURNAL SENTINEL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee streetcar: Aldermen raise concerns about expansion plans


Slack Technologies is looking for a better direct-listing fate than Spotify Technology SA. The music-streaming service reminded tech unicorns late last year that companies don't have to issue new shares or raise money through a traditional offering if they wish to go public, and now Slack is following in its footsteps. The business-chat company filed direct-listing paperwork on Friday. Direct listings differ from traditional initial public offerings , in that the company doesn't issue new shares or seek to raise money through the process of going public. Rather, the listing makes it possible for existing shareholders to sell their shares to the public. After Spotify's direct listing, many said the approach could be used by other startups, given the lack of share dilution and required lockup restrictions . But Spotify's stock (SPOT) hasn't exactly been well received since the company made its public debut, with shares up only 4% from their reference price at the time of the offering, and down 17% from their opening price. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index (SPX) has gained 10% since Spotify went public. Slack will be hoping its shares are better liked on Wall Street, though the company likely won't undergo a traditional roadshow through which it can explain its financials to banks and investors in the way companies going the standard IPO route do. Slack recently updated its S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register nearly 117 million shares and changed the stock ticker it plans to use for trading on the New York Stock Exchange to "WORK" from "SK" as it had stated in its previous S-1. Slack's filing reveals a business with slowing revenue growth but narrowing losses, as well as a heavy dependence on just a several hundred key customers, or less than 1% of its paid customer base, for a major chunk of its sales. Here are five things to know about the company: Revenue deceleration Slack topped $400 million in annual revenue for its fiscal year ended in January, though growth slowed from the prior period. The company's revenue rose 82% from $220.5 million in 2018, down from a growth rate of just over 100% a year earlier. For the first quarter ended in April, Slack generated $134.8 million in revenue, according to a Monday filing, up 67% from a year before. Founded in 2009, Slack admitted in its prospectus that it has "limited experience with respect to determining the optimal prices for Slack." The company expects that it might need to change its pricing model periodically going forward. The messaging company made progress in narrowing its losses, posting a net loss of $140.7 million last year, compared with $181 million a year earlier. Slack continues to see sizable investments in its future, as it grows its sales force and customer experience teams and ramps up marketing spending. For its second quarter, which ends in July, Slack projects $139 million to $141 million in total revenue and an adjusted loss per share of 19 cents to 20 cents. Uber IPO: 5 things you need to know about potentially the biggest IPO in years Heavily reliant on big customers Slack had more than 95,000 paying customers as of the end of January, but only a small fraction of those accounted for a huge chunk of the company's revenue. The latest filing disclosed that Slack has 645 customers about 0.7% of total paid customers that each generate more than $100,000 in annual recurring revenue. The over-$100,000 cohort contributed to about 40% of Slack's revenue last year, the company said. Slack finds the metric indicative of its ability to attract large businesses to its platform, and the company bills its customers based on the number of users that it has on its platform. On the opposite end, Slack has a huge base of organizations using the service for free, numbering more than 500,000 at the end of January. "This model facilitates rapid and efficient user adoption, particularly by empowering users to access Slack without the friction of payment or a formal sales interaction," the prospectus said. "We believe free usage helps prospective paid customers realize the value of Slack and users spread the word organically throughout their networks and organizations." Working hard or hardly working Slack depends on becoming a bigger part of workplace culture so that more users within a given company start to make use of the platform and pay for it. The company said that it had 10 million daily active users across its free and paid tiers in the three months ended in January, though it didn't provide a breakdown between the two. Slack disclosed that "many" of its paid customers have thousands of active users, while the company's largest paid customers have "tens of thousands" of daily users. During the final week of January, Slack saw its free and paid user base spend more than 50 million hours combined on the service, sending more than a billion messages. On a normal workday in that period, the company said, users on paid subscriptions were connected to Slack for an average of nine hours and spent more than 90 minutes actively engaging on the service. Competing with giants Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) and Lyft Inc. (LYFT) both debuted lofty mission statements in their IPO filings, promising to "ignite opportunity" through mobility, but Slack played things in a more straightforward fashion. "Our mission is to make people's working lives simpler, more pleasant, and more productive," the company said in its prospectus. Slack acknowledged that it's going up against at least one big player as it moves to simplify communications at work. The company mentions Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) as its "primary competitor" currently but admitted that current partners, including Atlassian Corp. PLC (TEAM) Alphabet Inc.'s Google (GOOGL) and newly public Zoom Video Communications Inc. (ZM) could come out with new products to rival Slack's platform. "Some of our larger competitors have substantially broader product offerings and leverage their relationships based on other products or incorporate functionality into existing products to gain business in a manner that discourages users from purchasing Slack, including through selling at zero or negative margins, product bundling, or closed technology platforms," Slack said in its filing. Another dual-class structure Slack, like many other hot young tech companies , will have a dual-class stock structure that concentrates voting power among executives and others who owned shares ahead of Slack's expected listing. The company will list Class A shares on the NYSE, but its Class B shares will each have 10 times the voting power of each Class A share.


The PHT Stanley C up tracker will keep tabs on how the St. Louis Blues spend their summer celebrating. The Stanley Cup got a little French-Canadian treatment this past week as it wound its way through Quebec. David Perron got his day with hockey's holy grail and didn't disappoint, making sure a little French-Canadiana made its way into the Mug. Poutine, which is a mix of fries, cheese curds and gravy, was put into the cup and then spooned onto plates at Louis Restaurant, one of Perron's favorite hometown spots in Sherbrooke, Que. The day began with the Cup being flown into an awaiting Perron, who placed it in the front seat of his car and drove it home. Buckle up, Stanley! #stlblues #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/UbgUoRje1s   St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) July 30, 2019 There, his family sat around hockey's best cereal bowl and feasted on Lucky Charms, The day continued, including a street hockey game where the winner's got to drink out of Cup. You and your buddies ever pretend to play for the #StanleyCup when you're playing street hockey? Today @dp_57 and his friends did that for real. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/9cRsxdNmdd   St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) July 30, 2019 Blues backup Jake Allen took his turn on Thursday in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Allen took the Cup to Camp Wonder, a day camp during the summer months of July and August that provides inclusive activities for children and youth with intellectual and physical disabilities. The visit was made possible through Allen's Program 34 foundation, which aims to reduce and eliminate barriers in participation caused by poverty, distance, disability and culture. What a session! Thanks to the @CityFredGov @FredTourism and everyone who celebrated with us yesterday. A day we will never forget. pic.twitter.com/H2ghAviqfI   Jake Allen (@34jallen) August 2, 2019 Other highlights from the week Friday was Robert Thomas ' day. He received a key to his hometown of Aurora, Ont. and had a parade. "Winners always find a way to win." Two-time #OHL champion, #MemorialCup winner and #WorldJuniors 🇨🇦 gold medalist Robert Thomas celebrates a @StLouisBlues #StanleyCup title with the @Town_of_Aurora . 🏆 pic.twitter.com/JTOiMhl8U8   OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) August 1, 2019 Ah, ice cream. A Stanley Cup staple. No better way to cool off on a hot summers day than having #icecream . I think eating from the #StanleyCup makes it taste that much better. @StLouisBlues @nhl @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/H4Ztx9Niha   Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 30, 2019 Sammy Blais also go his day. This is Laurie-Anne from Montmagny. She has Morquio syndrome, a rare disorder that means she won't grow any more. Laurie-Anne isn't going to let that stop her from one day learning to skate like her favorite player, Sammy Blais, who just brought her the #StanleyCup . #stlblues pic.twitter.com/0l6J1qfce5   St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) August 1, 2019 "It's really incredible the number of people that are here right now," Blais told CIMT in French ( via NHL.com ) "They supported me all throughout the playoffs, and ever since I was a kid, they've supported me and have been proud. To see them here today, and to bring them the Stanley Cup, it was really important for me to give back to my city." And so, too, did Al Macinnis. Port hood legend Al MacInnis comin through his hometown with the cup #gloria @unusualmusial @YoungPageviews @StLouisBlues pic.twitter.com/lmL4vEhwcG   Kyle Lambert (@LambZ9) August 3, 2019 As the Blues have been doing all summer, they've complied another short video on players' days with the Cup. Here's Tyler Bozak 's: Dad first, champ second. #StanleyCup #stlblues pic.twitter.com/8UAb7zQlCk   St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) August 2, 2019 And here's another from its time in Saskatchewan: The boys from Sasky brought the #StanleyCup home. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/vkAlAaSx5A   St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) August 1, 2019 The PHT Stanley C up tracker • Week 1: Cup heads to the Canadian prairies • Week 2: Stanley Cup heads east to Ontario • Week 3: Pat Maroon takes Cup back to St. Louis for some toasted ravioli • Week 4: Ryan O'Reilly celebrates with grandma Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports . Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck Related slideshow: 2019 Stanley Cup Final (provided by imagn)


The United States finally has a United Nations ambassador. The Senate has officially confirmed Kelly Knight Craft, the former US ambassador to Canada, to the high-profile diplomatic post that has been vacant since Nikki Haley stepped down at the end of 2018. Craft's confirmation was all but certain, thanks to a Republican Senate majority and her family's close ties to fellow Kentuckian Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who recommended her for the ambassadorship . That doesn't mean her nomination was without controversy. Craft came under scrutiny during her confirmation hearing in June over a slew of absences from Ottawa, where she was posted as US ambassador to Canada. Democrats pressed Craft on her attendance record, with Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) saying State Department records showed that Craft had been absent for more than 300 days between October 23, 2017, and June 19, 2019. Craft defended her days away, stating that she was traveling to negotiate and promote the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the updated version of NAFTA that was negotiated during her tenure . Democrats didn't really accept that answer, and have largely continued to resist her nomination. Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee published a lengthy minority report on Wednesday , which outlined her poor qualifications for the UN ambassadorship, including her lack of relevant experience for such an important job and her excessive number of absences in Ottawa, which diminished her service as US ambassador to Canada. Democrats also cited potential conflicts of interest, specifically her family's ties to the coal industry. "Ambassador Craft has neither the experience nor the skillset to represent U.S. interests or challenge the world's most seasoned diplomats on the global stage," the report said. But that opposition did little to change the final result. Now Craft has an enormous challenge ahead of her as UN ambassador. Her diplomatic experience is still pretty thin, and she revealed at her hearing that she doesn't have a great grasp on some of the workings of the United Nations. She will also represent the United States as part of an administration that sometimes doesn't have its messaging straight, including on foreign policy . And she'll have to deal with UN-skeptical officials like National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And, unlike Haley, Craft likely won't have the benefit of serving in a Cabinet-level post . Craft will need to balance the president's agenda while collaborating and finding compromises with partners at the United Nations   something Haley was largely able to achieve . She will also need to move quickly to rebuild the US leadership at the United Nations, which has eroded in the more than half a year without a confirmed ambassador in the office. And her biggest test is coming soon, when the UN General Assembly kicks off toward the end of September. Craft's foreign policy credentials are thin. But her confirmation offered a few glimmers of hope. Craft was unanimously confirmed by voice vote to be the US ambassador to Canada in August 2017. She'll now step into her second, and most significant, foreign policy role yet: United Nations ambassador. Craft, who hails from Kentucky, is married to wealthy coal magnate Joe Craft. Her Kentucky connections garnered her a huge endorsement: McConnell vouched for her and introduced her at her confirmation hearing in June . The Crafts also happen to be major GOP donors   including to President Trump. In 2016, Craft donated more than $260,000 to Trump's campaign; her husband donated about $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee . Both Kelly and Joe were Kentucky state finance chairs for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2012. Presidents, Democrat and Republican alike, often appoint big donors and other supporters to cushy ambassador jobs. But the high-profile UN ambassador role tends to be a job for people with deep foreign policy or diplomatic credentials. Craft did serve as part of the US delegation to the UN under President George W. Bush in 2007. And she has gained experience during her tenure as ambassador to Canada, where she played a role in renegotiating NAFTA, now known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA . She got herself into a bit of trouble early in her tenure as ambassador to Canada over comments she made about climate change, in which she said there were " good scientists on both sides " of the climate debate during an interview with a Canadian news outlet in 2017. But during her confirmation hearing in June, Craft walked back these comments by telling the committee she believes human behavior and fossil fuels have contributed to climate change. "Let there be no doubt: I take this matter seriously, and if confirmed, I will be an advocate for all countries to do their part in addressing climate change," Craft said . It was a pretty clear statement on climate change   and one that is a bit at odds with the rest of the Trump administration. Craft also agreed to recuse herself from any UN discussions involving climate change and coal, given her family's connections to the industry. Richard Gowen, a UN expert, told the Global Dispatches podcast in June that this wasn't "substantively significant"   this issue isn't going to come up all that often   but it was, at least, a good gesture. Another reassuring sign from Craft's hearing was her praise of the UN and her commitment to make American values, including human rights, a priority during her tenure. In her opening statement , Craft said she would prioritize reform and "bolstering humanitarian efforts" at the UN. She championed the role of the UN   which she called a "vital institution"   in providing humanitarian aid, and said she would focus on expanding resources for aid as the world deals with crises in Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. She also promised to stand up to malign actors in the international body, most notably Russia and China, and suggested that America's promotion of human rights separates the US from those bad actors. She said she'd work to "tackle human rights abuses every day." This praise wouldn't normally be all that remarkable, but given the Trump administration's disdain for the UN and other multilateral institutions, Craft's more traditional embrace of the organization is a positive sign. And given that Trump doesn't like the UN all that much ( unless he's getting all the attention there ), Craft could carve out a niche for herself as promoting those issues of human rights that often get lost in the rest of the president's agenda. Then again, the more disconnect between Washington and New York, the harder it will likely be for the US's influence to be taken seriously on critical discussions at the UN, from Yemen to Libya to Venezuela . Craft's confirmation hearing made clear that even if she's pro-UN, she'll largely be learning on the job. For example, during her confirmation hearing, she downplayed the US's decision to leave the UN Human Rights Council last year, saying she could advocate for human rights through the UN Security Council, though that body often deals with different priorities. It's one of the reasons the question of her absences from Ottawa was so important   because there's a lot Craft has to do, and it's going to be much harder given that the UN post has been vacant for so long. The UN has been without a permanent head for nearly eight months, and that has likely diminished the US's role in the multilateral organization . Jonathan Cohen, who served as acting ambassador, is a career diplomat who by all accounts was a capable stand-in. But he was just that   a temporary replacement who wasn't perceived as having all that much influence within the Trump administration. Craft's job, then, will be to rebuild on some of Haley's successes and make the case to partners at the UN that's she got some clout. And she'll be doing it all for the first time on the world stage.


A strange creature recently washed ashore in Victoria, Australia.


Zeus recently had a growth removed from his eye lid and needs to wear the "cone of shame" until his eye heals. He's not happy about having to wear the cone again, after he had to wear it on and off all spring and summer due to hot spots. In complete Zeus fashion, he is negotiating and trying to look cute to gain sympathy, and removal of the cone! Follow Zeus and his shenanigans on Facebook and Instagram #ZeusTheStubbornHusky


The Rockets on Saturday prepared their planned pursuit of free agent forward Jimmy Butler, but also learned how difficult landing their top target will be. While the Rockets set up their meeting to deliver their recruiting pitch to Butler in Los Angeles, the Miami Heat lined up a meeting for Sunday in Miami while the Lakers and Nets, teams with cap room and incoming stars, also reached out. In some ways, the competition could help the Rockets' cause. With the Rockets, like the Heat, over the salary cap, they could not sign Butler without an agreement with the 76ers on a sign-and-trade. They need Butler, a four-time All Star, to not only choose them but to also prefer a team with cap room to a return to the Sixers, giving Philadelphia incentive to make a deal. The Sixers, who have prioritized keeping Butler, can offer Butler as much as $190 million over five seasons. The most the Rockets or any other team can offer is $141 million over four seasons. The Rockets on Thursday lined up a variety of deals with teams to provide the Sixers with options of assets, including picks, from other teams, or a pair of their own starters, center Clint Capela and guard Eric Gordon. With the possibility that they could be moving Capela, the Rockets arranged a meeting for Sunday with Warriors center Kevon Looney. Looney is also expected to weigh a return to the Warriors, but the Rockets could use the help inside even if they do not land Butler, necessitating a deal to move Capela. Backup center Nenê on Saturday did not pick up the option on his three-year contract signed in 2016, leaving the Rockets with no player off the bench from last postseason's rotation under contract. The only non-starters from last season's playoff roster under contract with the Rockets are Isaiah Hartenstein, Gary Clark, Michael Frazier and Chris Chiozza, while every starter is under contract. The Rockets on Saturday extended a qualifying offer to Danuel House, Jr., making him a restricted free agent. There is optimism they can reach agreement with reserve Gerald Green to return for a third season with the Rockets. Nenê played in 42 games last season, averaging a career-low 3.6 points and 2.93 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. Related slideshow: Top 50 NBA free agents (Provided by Yardbarker)


There's a debate raging in Sevnica, Slovenia, the hometown of America's first lady, Melania Trump . Is a newly unveiled statue of Trump a tribute -- or the work of a troublemaker? There's little local debate over Trump: She's almost unanimously viewed as a symbol of pride, a local girl who made good. But the sculpture of Trump, recently unveiled along a river just a few miles outside of town, ostensibly in honor of the former model, is being criticized by some as not-so-gentle ridicule. (MORE: Melania Trump's 'Be Best' initiative highlights differences with president) The life-size statue, fashioned by local folk artist Aleš "Maxi" Župevc, was carved with a chainsaw, from a living linden tree. It shows Melania Trump in a rough-hewn approximation of the pale-blue Ralph Lauren coat she wore at the inauguration of her husband, President Donald Trump, in January 2017. For Sevnica, a tiny industrial town with 5,000 inhabitants, Trump's likeness is the latest acknowledgement that the local girl's fame has become a tourist attraction, luring many Americans and other foreign visitors to the quiet, mostly rural area in the eastern part of the central European country. The wooden statue unveiled Friday features a blocky likeness of Trump, her facial features sketched in cartoonish lines. The 3 1/2-meter monument rises from an ivy-laced tree stump along the banks of the Sava River, with her left arm raised as if waving toward the first lady's hometown upstream. The statue was commissioned by 39-year-old Brad Downey, a Kentucky-born artist, based in Berlin for almost two decades. The artist, who goes by Maxi, is an amateur chainsaw sculptor and professional pipe layer. He was born the same month of the same year as the first lady, in the same hospital in the nearby town of Novo Mesto. But the two have taken hugely different life paths. Downey provided Maxi with a life-size photo of Trump and left the rest to him. "I don't know her personally, but she's my age," Maxi says in a documentary film Downey directed , which was shot while the sculpture was in the making and is part of his exhibition, "This Echo," at a gallery in Slovenia's elegant capital, Ljubljana. "I wanted to do an artistic investigation of Mrs. Trump through her native region," Downey explains. "And I wanted a self-taught local artist whose work followed the folk tradition." Downey admits his concept is also somewhat political. "I was inspired to do something about this anti-immigration narrative coming from Donald Trump," he told ABC News by phone. "It is a blatant contradiction to have a president, who is married to a [legal] immigrant, make stopping immigration a cornerstone of his presidency." (MORE: Melania Trump makes visit to children's hospital after taking on critics) For the folk artist, the work is more personal. "She might come and see the thing. She might like it," Župevc says. "Let's face it," he adds, "she owns half of America, while I have nothing." Although the Trump statue has received some positive feedback on Instagram, local residents have mixed opinions. "It's really a cultural shock for us," Mirjana Jelancic, a Sevnica school principal and a close childhood friend of Melania Trump, told ABC News, refusing to elaborate further. "Why did he have to make her look like an evil stepmother of Pinocchio?" asked Blaž Berginc, a Sevnica pensioner. "What a disgrace!" (MORE: Melania Trump puts together care packages for U.S. troops) But Downey insists, "Most local people were very supportive of the statue. Some even promised to take good care of it." "She is our beauty, no matter what, even here. She looks like she just walked out of a beautiful naïve painting," Mojca Platnar told ABC News. And besides, says another neighbor, Janez Hočevar, "It's a fun new tourist attraction." Melania Trump's husband can relate to building those.


A woman was found stabbed to death in Baldwin Hills home Thursday morning and her husband was arrested, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident was reported just before 8 a.m. at an apartment complex along the 3900 block of Coco Avenue. Officers found the victim with multiple stab wounds and she was declared dead at the scene, police said. She was described only as being 45 years old. The victim's husband was still at the scene and he was taken into custody. No further details about the incident have been released. KTLA's Alexandria Hernandez contributed to this story.     ©2019 KTLA-TV, Los Angeles Visit KTLA-TV, Los Angeles at www.ktla.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Here's a story about a fish. And this fish isn't staying where it's supposed to be. We'll get to that in a moment. First, the basics. The climbing perch is a fresh-water fish native to Papua New Guinea, olive green color and about 10 inches long. So not too big, but it's kind of a tough guy. Dr. Nathan Waltham, a researcher at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, says its gills cover both sides of its head. "It can extend that out and it can lock those into place. And along the edge of those gill plates are sharp spines," he says. Waltham is an expert on the climbing perch and what its fierce-looking gills can do. "They can flex out those gill plates on the side of the head, which means they can actually   with the sharps spines   leverage themselves across land," Waltham says. "So if you can visualize a water hole that's drying up, conditions becoming unfavorable   and this fish can detect that and decide then to move out of that water. So by using those sharp spines [it can] drag itself out, move across land and find a new water hole to take up refuge." In other words the climbing perch can walk between water holes. Or, flop rather. Waltham says the climbing perch can also breathe air and even live out of water for up to six days. And those spines, they're not just for walking. "If a larger fish or a bird or some other animal tries to eat the climbing perch, it's natural defense is to flex and lock in place those gills," he says. "And in doing that the climbing perch can get caught in the throat and unfortunately in doing that, the animal that's trying to eat the climbing perch is not going to survive." Which is all fine if the fish stayed in its natural habitat in Papa New Guinea. But the climbing perch is on the move. And this time it didn't walk. It probably hitched a ride on a fishing boat. And now it's made it to some Australian islands not too far from the mainland. Their presence there could disrupt existing habitats. Waltham is working with local residents to identify and eradicate this invasive species. Should be pretty easy to spot, right? Just look for the green fish walking from one pond to the next.


Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com . • This can only end in disaster. ( Edmonton Journal ) • Where are the 30 players taken in the Vegas expansion draft now? ( Sportsnet ) • James Neal 's history with Dave Tippett is fueling optimism after his move to Edmonton. ( NHL.com ) • The NHL salary cap is here to stay. ( Featurd ) • Senators won't be competitive until they prioritize talent over finances. ( Sportsnet ) • Why the Toronto Maple Leafs should be Stanley Cup favorites. ( Editor in Leaf ) • Lafreniere laughing all the way to the NHL. ( Featurd ) • Are the latest Jake Gardiner rumors about the Montreal Canadiens? ( A Winning Habit ) • It's a made-for-Hollywood story, and NHL nails it with video showcasing Cup champion Blues. ( St. Louis Today ) • Can you make a competitive lineup solely out of the Leafs' draft picks? ( Pension Plan Puppets ) • Chris Kunitz reflects after announcing retirement. ( Penguins ) • 'I paved the way': The story of Fred Sasakamoose's historic rise to the NHL. ( The Daily Press ) • Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson attacked by family dog, hospitalized. ( AZ Central ) • The Andrei Vasilevskiy contract is risky business. ( Raw Charge ) Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports . Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck


#Bengals star WR A.J. Green will get a second opinion on the ankle injury he suffered in practice last night, source said. No surgery for now, but he'll get additional information before deciding how to proceed. - Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 28, 2019 Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver A.J. Green isn't out of the woods just yet. As if it weren't bad enough Green could miss the opener in Seattle after finding out he's out six to eight weeks, a second opinion could always make things worse. Above, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero revealed Green still isn't decided on how to proceed. Bengals.com then noted surgery is still an option: After Saturday's X-Rays revealed a sprain, Sunday's MRI showed the torn ligaments and now the Bengals have to decide how severe the damage is and how to treat it. Surgery would clearly be the worst-case scenario, but he'd probably still be available at some point this season if he went under the knife. Ian Rapoport pointed out no surgery is needed at this time, but the Bengals still don't know the full extent of the issue: From Inside Training Camp with @TomPelissero : #Bengals WR AJ Green (ankle) faces uncertainty for his status in Week 1, though no surgery is required at this point. pic.twitter.com/JUU3X5lg3o - Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2019 That's enough to elicit a groan from Bengals fans, who already saw just a "ding" sideline first-round tackle Jonah Williams for the year. With Green, concern about his past injury issues over the years is justified too. All the Bengals can do now is play the waiting game, with Week 1 likely a no-go either way. MORE: Trevor Bauer angrily fired a baseball over the centerfield wall before being pulled from game Roundup: Miley Cyrus Not Performing At VMAs, VICE in Talks to Buy Refinery29, Triple H Turned 50 Steelers WR Diontae Johnson off to hot start at training camp N'Keal Harry embracing 'super-long' workdays learning Patriots offense Packers impressed with Rashan Gary's effort early at training camp


One key thing about Facebook in the beginning was that people spent a lot of time on the service. And with endless streams of friend's photos, viral videos and news articles there just begging to be clicked on, liked and shared, it's no wonder. But a new survey found that the average amount of time an adult in the US spent on the service dropped last year, even if just a little. The average US adult spent 38 minutes on Facebook each day last year , according to industry watcher eMarketer, a drop of three minutes from the 41 minutes counted in 2017. That's quite a bit considering there are only 24 hours in a day, and between Game of Thrones and work, we have precious little of it left. But don't cry too much for Facebook and its membership of more than 2.38 billion monthly users. Its cool and hip corporate sibling, Instagram, gained attention during the same period. It averaged 22 minutes in 2016, 25 minutes in 2017 and 26 minutes last year. Related Slideshow: Provided by Photo Services What drove the drop for Facebook isn't clear. Analysts at eMarketer guessed that Facebook's push to "downrank," or effectively hide clickbait posts and videos, may have had something to do with it. Facebook has also included new tools in its app to help people track how much time they spend on the service , something Apple's done for iPhone and iPad users , as has Google for devices powered by its Android software . Facebook declined to comment.


The Golden State Warriors will be a much different team in 2019-20 following five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. They will look a lot younger and their players will need some more development in the upcoming season. Along with the roster, there will be a few changes to the role of the coaching staff as well. Assistant coach Ron Adams, who focuses on player development, will still be around to help with the growth of guys like Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole, and others, but he won't be around for road games. According to The Atheltic's Anthony Slater, Adams and the Warriors coaching staff will not be around as much for some road games. It is something that will cause the staff to be reconfigured. Ron Adams will still remain around the Warriors a ton, prioritizing player development for a young team. But part of his adjusted role, I'm hearing, is reduced travel. Will miss some road games. GSW coaching staff will have reconfigured roles. - Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 15, 2019 It is an interesting decision as one would assume that they would need even more coaching around with the moves they made. Klay Thompson is expected to miss most of the season with an ACL injury so he won't be around as much and there is no more Kevin Durant with his return to the Brooklyn Nets. There won't be that veteran presence anymore so coaching will probably be more imperative. MORE: Big Baller Brand's demise looks imminent with sad clearance sale at a local gym News: Cowboys' $100 million men underpaid, and more dangerous in 2019 Roundup: Hustlers Trailer, El Chapo Getting Supermax Prison, Dan Patrick on Ben Simmons Baker Mayfield believed the Patriots would trade up to draft him The top 100 players in the NFL today