There is a QB competition taking place at spring camp in Washington D.C., but the winner of the job is widely thought to be decided already. While Dwayne Haskins and Case Keenum duke it out in OTAs, coaches are looking on to decide who will give the Redskins a greater chance at victory in the coming season. The feeling around the team is that Haskins will come out on top. "He throws a nice ball and at times makes throws others just can't, " said ESPN's John Keim. "Haskins clearly looks like someone who will win the job at some point." The mention of "at some point" signifies that it will eventually be Haskins' team, but there could be a stretch of games to start his career where it's the bench he sees, not the field. Keenum could prove to be a capable starter for the Redskins if given the chance, and he has already showed that he can motivate his rookie protege and drive him to be better through competition. Haskins is far from a finished product. Keim notes that there are times when "his passes are a little off - sometimes to the wrong shoulder or just a misfire" and that there is still much development to be done. Will those improvements be made before Week 1, or will Keenum be given the reigns to start the season for Washington? It's impossible to say as of yet, but the way things look, it may be Haskins' job to lose. MORE: Why James Holzhauer's small Final Jeopardy! bet made total sense Did Nike accidentally reveal that Kevin Durant is staying with the Warriors? Darnell Savage, Josh Jackson could unlock full potential of Packers secondary Report: Suns, Bulls offering lottery picks for Lonzo Ball Should Bills fans worry about Roger Goodell's comments?


Thousands protested in Brazil on Sunday in support of Justice Minister Sergio Moro, who is battling claims he conspired with prosecutors on his anti-corruption drive to keep former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from another presidential run. Moro, who was a powerful judge before joining President Jair Bolsonaro's cabinet in January, has faced calls for his resignation over leaked chats purportedly showing he worked with prosecutors in the so-called Car Wash probe to keep Lula, a popular leftist, out of the 2018 presidential race. Demonstrators dressed in Brazil's national colors of yellow and green took to the streets in 88 cities, news website G1 reported, including the capital Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, to show their support for Moro, who is considered a hero by many Brazilians fed up with corrupt leaders. The protesters also demanded Congress approve the government's ambitious overhaul of the bloated retirement system. Bolsonaro has warned it will bankrupt the country if changes are not adopted. Turnout, though, appeared to be lower than in recent protests for and against Bolsonaro's administration. "I think minister Moro is fundamental to everything that is going well in this country," Nelson de Oliveira Filho, 70, told AFP at the Sao Paulo march. "Show me one person before him who could make people believe, in whom we could place our trust." Bolsonaro tweeted his congratulations to the protesters, while Moro thanked supporters who "believe in our work." "Hackers, criminals, or malicious publishers will not alter these fundamental truths," he said on Twitter. In the latest messages published by The Intercept investigative website, prosecutors expressed concern that Moro had a personal and political agenda in the probe and were unhappy over his appointment to the far-right government, which they feared would undermine the credibility of the investigation. Moro has questioned the authenticity of the leaked chats and dismissed claims that he showed bias in the Car Wash cases. He recently told a Senate committee that he had been the victim of "revenge" over his anti-corruption efforts. No one has been untouchable in the Car Wash probe, which began in 2014 and upended Brazilian politics by uncovering large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras. Scores of top players across the political spectrum as well as business figures have been taken down. But critics say Moro -- who handed Lula his first conviction in 2017 for money-laundering and taking bribes, effectively ending both his election hopes and decades of center-left rule -- targeted the former president and his popular Workers Party (PT) most of all. The Supreme Court last week postponed debate on whether Moro had been impartial, after rejecting a petition to free Lula. Lula, who led Brazil through a historic boom from 2003 to 2010, has denied all the corruption charges against him. He has long argued that they were politically motivated to prevent him from competing in the 2018 election, ultimately won by Bolsonaro.


Where will Tom Thibodeau be coaching next season? BasketballInsiders.com's Alex Kennedy and CineSport's Noah Coslov discuss the details of the current tension and about Thibodeau's future.


Senators are growing anxious that they might have to vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling in a matter of weeks given new estimates that the government could hit its borrowing limit earlier than expected. The debt limit was exceeded earlier this year, and the Treasury Department is now taking steps known as "extraordinary measures" to prevent the government from going over its borrowing limit. Lawmakers had hoped they would be able to avoid the politically painful vote to raise the debt ceiling until the fall   and that it could be packaged with other legislation to fund the government and set budget caps on spending. But that could be much more difficult if Treasury's ability to prevent the government from going over its borrowing limit ends in mid-September just days after lawmakers would be set to return from their summer recess. "I think we need to hustle to a caps deal as soon as we possibly can and include the debt limit in it, no doubt," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The debt limit has been far from the front page and has been essentially put on the back burner as lawmakers debate the treatment of migrants at the border and battle over nominations and spending bills. Members of the Appropriations Committee on Tuesday were openly skeptical about whether their colleagues would jump on the issue. "The question is, will anybody act until the urgency is on top of us?" said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). "We need to avoid the brink." Failing to raise the debt ceiling would be a catastrophic move that could roil worldwide financial markets. Shelby said the mere possibility that the debt ceiling could be breached in September should give "more sense of urgency" to Congress taking quick action, while Capito said it was not in "anybody's best interest to have that fight in September up against the debt limit." A study released this week by the Bipartisan Policy Center said there was a "significant risk" that the government could reach its debt limit in early September unless Congress raises the cap. The estimate was a shift from its previous forecast, which estimated the debt limit could be reached in October or November, which would give Congress more breathing room. The earlier timeline comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Congress in May that the debt ceiling increase could happen in "late summer." Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, said it would be "preferable" for Congress to deal with the debt ceiling before leaving for the August recess, adding that a mid-September deadline "puts a lot of pressure" on lawmakers to act. "We could write a caps deal and attach the debt limit to it, to kind of get those issues resolved before August, which I think would be in everybody's best interest," Thune said. Getting a deal done this month leaves little room for error, and few are optimistic such a timeline will be met. The House is scheduled to leave town on July 26, while the Senate is set for vacation on Aug. 2. Lawmakers would return after Labor Day, on Sept. 9, which could give them less than a week to cobble together a deal. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday didn't rule out action on the debt ceiling this month. "We'll see how those conversations go. We certainly do not want any default on the part of the full faith and credit of the United States of America," she said. "That's never been what we've been about, but there are those on the Republican side who have embraced that again and again. So, we'll see." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared confident during a weekly leadership press conference that lawmakers wouldn't let the United States default on its debt, but he didn't offer a clear pathway to approving a debt ceiling increase. "Time is running out, and if we're going to avoid having either short- or long-term CR or either a short- or long-term debt ceiling increase, it's time that we got serious on a bipartisan basis to try to work this out and not have the kind of chaos that goes along with our inability to come together on these important issues," McConnell said. A CR, or continuing resolution, would fund the government at current spending levels. Asked if Congress had to raise the debt ceiling before the August recess, McConnell sidestepped the question, saying lawmakers are in close contact with Mnuchin about the timeline but that he doesn't "think there's any chance that we'll allow the country to default." Broader budget talks on the debt ceiling and government funding unraveled last month, with the White House floating a one-year CR and debt ceiling hike. Senate Republicans are hoping to jumpstart the negotiations with new meetings as soon as this week, though nothing was on the books as of Tuesday afternoon. The spending deal is also crucial, as spending cuts triggered by an earlier budgetary law would snap into effect in January if Congress does not approve new spending levels. The debt ceiling fight has always had an earlier deadline, but the new estimates are moving it up further. Shelby argued that it makes sense to link the two issues but didn't rule out that the debt ceiling could get a stand-alone vote, or be attached to another must-pass bill, in a time crunch. "The path is a good question," Shelby said. "You could raise the debt ceiling without getting a caps deal, but it makes more sense to me that if you can run them parallel, they are two big issues staring us in the face."


Since the beginning of this year, Thailand's currency has jumped more than 5% against the dollar. On a year-over-year basis, it has bounded even higher   nearly 8%. "(The) strong currency is worsening the (Thai) economy's plight by hurting exports further," Prakash Sakpal, Asia economist at Dutch bank ING, tells CNBC. The country's central bank could give in to pressure and cut rates to curb the rising baht, economists say. The Thai baht has soared against the U.S. dollar this year, significantly more than many other emerging market currencies. That strength, however, is sparking concerns as the country's domestic economy weakens, analysts said. Since the beginning of this year, Thailand currency has jumped more than 5% against the dollar. On a year-over-year basis, it has bounded even higher   nearly 8%. Other top performing emerging market currencies in the region have also strengthened against the dollar   but still lag behind the baht. Both the Indonesian rupiah and the Philippine peso , for instance, have risen more than 3% against the dollar so far this year. "Policymakers and exporters in Thailand are once again voicing concern about the strength of the baht," Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at research firm Capital Economics, wrote in a note earlier this month. "While most (emerging market) currencies have appreciated against the US dollar in recent months, none have risen by as much as the baht." The strength of the baht has been supported by Thailand's large trade surplus and a hawkish central bank, among other factors. "(The) strong currency is worsening the (Thai) economy's plight by hurting exports further," Prakash Sakpal, Asia economist at Dutch bank ING, told CNBC. A stronger currency makes the country's exports more expensive, causing them to be less attractive in international markets. Analysts at Singapore bank DBS said Monday that the strong baht is bad news for Thailand's trade competitiveness. They cited a study by the Bank of Thailand, which showed that, for every 1% the baht strengthened against the dollar, it increases export prices   in dollar terms   by 0.3%. Meanwhile, exports are already declining. They dropped for the third straight month in May, falling 5.79% from a year earlier. That was worse than the 3.6% decrease analysts had projected in a Reuters poll. On Tuesday, data showed the country's manufacturing output for June headed the same way: It fell 5.54% from a year earlier, which was worse than the forecast of a 3.15% decline. "Considering these weak trade trends, together with a challenging outlook for regional growth ... a strong currency comes at an inopportune time," DBS analysts wrote, referring to slowing exports and imports, as well as declining tourism. The country's central bank could give in to pressure and cut rates to curb the rising baht, economists said. Still, they were not optimistic about the effectiveness of such a move. "The (Bank of Thailand) could consider a rate cut to help reduce the baht's yield appeal, but it will be no panacea," DBS analysts said in their note, adding that a cut of 25 basis points would just undo a hike by the central bank last December . ING's Sakpal similarly said that any cut would see limited results. "While this should stem the appreciation pressure somewhat, we may not see the (baht) being displaced from its best-performer emerging currency status just yet," he said.


While New Orleans is known year-round as a melting pot of music, food and culture, the Crescent City raises the bar each Fourth of July weekend with the annual Essence Festival, the "party with a purpose." Spread over a main stage and four "superlounges," the Essence Festival is the largest celebration of African American culture and music in the United States. Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the festival features a conversation with former first lady Michelle Obama, and headline music acts including Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Nas and Pharrell Williams. Events are scattered across the city, so the Essence Festival also offers a chance to take in the sights and sounds of New Orleans. The festival runs July 4-7. Using travel site Skyscanner , we've sifted through the cheapest flights between Orlando and New Orleans, including some popular hotel options and other beloved local attractions. (Prices and availability are current as of publication and subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in the articles may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Flight deals to New Orleans The cheapest flights between Orlando and New Orleans are if you leave on July 5 and return from Louisiana on July 9. Spirit Airlines currently has roundtrip, nonstop tickets for $170. If you fly out of Orlando on July 5 and return from New Orleans on July 9, Spirit Airlines can get you there and back for $182 roundtrip. Top New Orleans hotels Regarding where to stay, here are some of New Orleans' top-rated hotels, according to Skyscanner, that we selected based on price, proximity to things to do and customer satisfaction. The Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St.) If you're looking to splurge on top quality, consider The Hotel Monteleone . The hotel has a 4.7-star rating on Skyscanner, and rooms are currently available for $179. The Hotel Monteleone stands in the French Quarter within four blocks of Jackson Square, the Canal Street Shops, Harrah's New Orleans Casino, Cafe du Monde and lively Bourbon Street. The Columns Hotel (3811 St. Charles Ave.) If you're looking for an inexpensive place to stay, try The Columns Hotel , which has rooms for $100/night. It overlooks St. Charles Avenue, and you can watch the famous streetcar go by   or ride it to the French Quarter. The Hampton Inn & Suites Convention Center (1201 Convention Center Blvd.) A third option is The Hampton Inn & Suites Convention Center . The 4.6-star hotel has rooms for $99/night. It's just across from the Ernest Morial Convention Center, the site of many Essence Festival events. Featured New Orleans food and drink If you're looking to snag a bite at one of New Orleans' many quality eateries, here are a few popular culinary destinations from Skyscanner's listings that will help keep you satiated. Cafe Du Monde (800 Decatur St.) Let's start with the essentials: where to get beignets. For a popular option, check out Cafe Du Monde , which has an average of 4.6 stars out of 408 reviews on Skyscanner. This 24/7 French cafe (only closed on Christmas and during hurricanes) serves its patrons a mean cup of dark roasted chicory coffee. Complement your cup of Joe with one of the famous beignets, topped with powdered sugar and occasionally filled with fruit. Commander's Palace (1403 Washington Ave.) If you're looking for a local favorite restaurant pick, head to the Commander's Palace , with 4.8 stars from 93 reviews. "Jazz brunches are a tradition here in the garden room overlooking the courtyard," wrote reviewer Michelle. "The traditional place in New Orleans to celebrate a special occasion and the staff goes over the top to make you feel like a king or queen for the event." Jacques-Imo's Cafe (8324 Oak St.) Also worth considering is Jacques-Imo's Cafe , with 4.8 stars from 69 reviews. Not your typical New Orleans restaurant, Jacques-Imo's Cafe has become one of the hottest food tickets in town, known for its eclectic mix of Creole and Cajun specialties at reasonable prices. Featured New Orleans attractions To round out your trip, New Orleans offers plenty of popular attractions worth visiting. Here are two top recommendations, based on Skyscanner's descriptions and reviews. The French Quarter (501 Basin St., New Orleans) First up is The French Quarter , the heart of New Orleans as far as tourist attractions go. The iconic Bourbon and Royal Streets run parallel here, offering a rambunctious nightlife at the former and unique boutiques at the latter. Countless restaurants and bars reside here, and finding jazz is as easy as catching multi-colored beads. "The French Quarter is always full of life and good vibes. Make sure to stop here when you are in town," wrote Kay. Jackson Square (700 Decatur St.) Jackson Square is another popular destination, with 4.7 stars from 193 reviews. The pleasant green square located near the waterfront of New Orleans serves as the home of the statue of Andrew Jackson. Bars and restaurants border the park, and the legendary Cafe Du Monde is just across the street. This story was created automatically using flight, hotel, and local attractions data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


BLACKSBURG, Va.   Dadi Nicolas knows what you think, which is why he wants to make sure you heard him correctly. "I'm looking forward to Ohio State, and to the whole year," says Virginia Tech's senior defensive end. "This is gonna be a great year and a special year." What makes him think it could be spec ? "It's not 'could be,' " he says. "It's 'definitely.' " Here's why, even if Nicolas' confidence seems strong, he has reason for it. The Hokies, who open the season against No. 1 Ohio State on Labor Day, appear to have the potential for another in a long line of dominant defenses. Eight starters return, but that doesn't tell the entire story. Much of the preseason attention has focused on all-everything cornerback Kendall Fuller; the secondary is expected to be very good. But it starts, Nicolas will tell you, up front. Nicolas, a preseason all-ACC choice whom defensive coordinator Bud Foster compares to former Tech great Corey Moore in terms of his "explosiveness," is one of four returning starters. The same group who chased J.T. Barrett in that upset last season, sacking him seven times, is back, a year older and more experienced. But according to Foster and Hokies coach Frank Beamer, the key is that the line will go eight deep. It's why Nicolas predicts   and insists   the Hokies will have the nation's best defensive front. And if Foster and Beamer are more cautious, they seem confident, too. "The other parts   having a coordinator like Bud Foster and having defensive coaches that have been there for a long time, all those elements are consistent," Beamer says. "They're gonna get coached well. But when we've had where we can keep people fresh on the defensive line, that's when we've been pretty good. Hopefully, that's gonna be the case here this year. We've got some good players   we've just got to go out there and play well." *** We'll know plenty after the opener, and the Hokies understand what people expect to happen. Even without four suspended players including All-America defensive end Joey Bosa, top-ranked Ohio State will be favored to win. Last season's 35-21 win in Columbus, Ohio, is largely written off to Ohio State's inexperience, and to the Hokies' surprise move from their traditional 4-2-5 defensive alignment to a five-man front without deep safety help. Other defenses tried variations of the same scheme later in the season, but had less success. They didn't execute it as well (or have the players to do so). Or Ohio State's coaches were better at countering it. Or   and this might have been the biggest thing   J.T. Barrett, a young offensive line and others matured at a rapid rate into a powerful unit. The bulk of those Buckeyes return, and they won't be caught by surprise. But this rematch will be played in Lane Stadium, at night. Beamer calls it "probably the most highly anticipated game ever at Virginia Tech   and we've had a lot of big games here." And then there's the simple reality that Virginia Tech's defensive performance last season wasn't only about catching the Buckeyes and their inexperienced quarterback by surprise. Some of it was just that the Hokies know how to play defense. Last season the Hokies had the No. 6 red zone defense in FBS, pairing that with the nation's No. 21 run defense and No. 14 pass efficiency defense. But this season they are looking for more. Especially along the line, they're all back, and expecting to play even better. Nicolas and junior end Ken Ekanem combined for 18.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss last season. Luther Maddy, who's started 33 games but missed most of last season after knee surgery, will rejoin Corey Marshall as one of the tougher tackle tandems around. Foster calls the line "a good group", adding, "We can rotate some guys around, I believe, and not miss a beat." "I know we have the potential to be the top defense in the nation, in every category," Maddy says. "Not just the defensive line, but a great defensive line gives you great defensive back play. Getting to the quarterback and giving 'em hell in the backfield, that (makes it) a lot easier job for the defensive backs. So our play and our effort will just make our defense great. We can definitely be the best in the nation." And of the rematch with Ohio State, he adds: "We brought it to 'em last year. We want to bring it to 'em again this year. We've heard they've been talking a little trash, but we've got to stay low-key. We like being underdogs. We'll come out focused and ready to play." *** As big as it is, it's simply one very early game. For evidence, there are the divergent paths by each team after the Hokies' win last season. We all saw what the Buckeyes did. Even if it was the popular narrative, they weren't finished after the loss, instead climbing into the College Football Playoff, then winning the national championship. Maddy remembers watching them blow out Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and marveling at their improvement from early September. "I was like, 'Wow, these guys have gotten better,' " he says. Virginia Tech, conversely, lost its next two games, and three in a row in midseason. The Hokies had to rally late to beat rival Virginia in the regular-season finale to get to a bowl game (where they beat Cincinnati). There were extenuating factors, including a frustrating run of injuries (Maddy, as one example, underwent surgery and missed the final nine games; he was granted a medical hardship waiver by the NCAA). "We had a chance," Foster says. "We could have won 10 or 11 games last year. With injuries and things, it didn't work out, but that's part of the game. We haven't had that happen a whole lot to us." Last season was another disappointing one in a recent string of them, and it led to questions about whether Beamer's program is in decline. Much of the slippage has been offensively, and as the Hokies opened preseason practices last week, those questions persisted. But led by a defense that could stack up well with some of its predecessors   and with any in the nation   there's plenty of optimism here. "We know what we have here," Nicolas says. "Everyone else is just waiting (to see). It's gonna be a beautiful show, I think."


His television platform was Larry King Live , not The Apprentice , and his persona was genial and folksy, not blustery and dark. But more than a quarter century ago, Ross Perot revealed a truth about the American electorate that Donald Trump would exploit: There is a big chunk of voters who feel disaffected, harmed by free trade, threatened by demographic change, and attracted to an eccentric outsider who promises to upend the status quo. Like Trump, Perot was a billionaire narcissist whose convictions sometimes bordered on the conspiratorial, and like Trump, he was no fool. He proudly adopted Patsy Cline's recording of "Crazy" as his campaign theme song in the waning hours of his three-way 1992 race against Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush. "What we've been through hasn't been pretty," he told supporters in a final rally, "but, by golly, you're taking your country back." For the sizable portion of the population not old enough to remember Perot's renegade campaign, it is hard to describe just how thoroughly he captivated media attention and the public imagination, but a single statistic makes the case: He won nearly 19 percent of the popular vote, the largest share for a third-party candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. He split the white vote with Bush, who blamed him for handing the presidency to Clinton, whose winning plurality was just 43 percent. (Exit polling disagreed .) Arguably, American politics has never been quite the same. Perot's brand of plainspoken populism he vowed to "get under the hood" and fix the American economy would find an echo in political candidates as diverse as Sarah Palin and Trump himself, and his anti-establishment distrust of Big Government in Washington was the same spirit that animated Tea Party conservatives a political generation later. He was so ubiquitous a pop-culture presence that Dana Carvey of Saturday Night Live was forced to do double duty, offering dead-on impressions of Perot and Bush. Perot, a pint-size Texan (he stood just 5 feet 5 inches), made his fortune in data processing. He signaled his willingness to run on King's prime-time CNN show on February 20, 1992, challenging supporters to get him on the ballot in all 50 states. "We're the owners of this country," he declared. "We don't act like the owners. We act like white rabbits that get programmed by messages coming out of Washington." His platform offered an eclectic mix of airy themes and concrete proposals. He called for balancing the federal budget, stepping up the War on Drugs, promoting economic nationalism, and creating "electronic town halls" to foster town-meeting-style direct democracy. By spring, he was leading in the polls in both Texas and California, and striking fear into the hearts of both the Bush and Clinton campaigns. No less a loyal Democrat than Mario Cuomo allowed of Perot, "I have no negatives to say about him," and summed up public dissatisfaction with government this way: "We're not happy with the Democrats, because you're in Congress and you didn't do it. We're not happy with the Republicans, because you were president and you didn't do it. Unless the Democrats and the Republicans answer that challenge, Perot will be president." But Perot proved a wildly uneven and unpredictable campaigner, repeatedly rejecting the counsel of his own paid advisers and stirring controversies with a wide range of groups, from the NAACP to AIDS activists. In July, with his poll numbers slipping, he dropped out of the race, saying he feared his presence could throw the election into the House of Representatives. Still, Perot left his name on the ballot, and in October he suddenly resumed active campaigning, claiming that he had dropped out initially because of rumors that Republican operatives had planned to disrupt his daughter's wedding; he floated suggestions of a wiretapping plot against him and his business. Bush's White House press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater, dismissed the allegations as "loony" and the president himself called them "crazy," leading Perot to adopt Willie Nelson's mournful country ballad in defiance. "There are millions of crazy people in this country," he told his supporters in the campaign's waning hours, "and I'll say tomorrow, I bet it'll be a crazy day at the polls." Perot ultimately spent something more than $70 million of his own money on half-hour television infomercials in which he made his case, one of them titled "Ross, You Bet Your Hat We Can Win." But after his defeat, his influence was never the same. He was widely considered to have lost a televised debate with Al Gore over the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993, and when he ran for president again, in 1996, under the banner of his newly formed Reform Party, he failed to qualify for the televised debates and wound up with just 8 percent of the vote. If, as James Carville once remarked, Perot was the "John the Baptist" of the "disenchanted, displaced noncollege white voter" to whom Trump would later appeal, he differed greatly from Trump in other important respects. He was an Eagle Scout, a Navy officer, and a spectacular success in business, first as a demon salesman for IBM and later as the founder of his own company, Electronic Data Systems. If he had run with the backing of a major party, he might well have won just as Trump did and in his best performances, his appeal was powerful and undeniable. Here's how the staff of Newsweek summed up Perot's performance in the first three-way debate in 1992: In theory, Perot was all wrong for television unpretty, unsmooth and uncool. In practice, his can-do answers cut through all the rehearsed rhetoric like a breeze through morning mist. "I'm all ears," he said at one point, getting a big laugh. No three words he had spoken all year had done more to establish his humanity. When he was challenged on his lack of experience in government, he knocked that one out of the park, too. "I don't have an experience in running up a $4 trillion debt," he said, but he did have some at getting things done. Perot never won the presidency, but that doesn't mean his impact wasn't lasting. By channeling and embodying visceral public discontent with politics as usual by giving it a vivid face he helped usher in the seesawing waves of anger at Washington that have produced, in such rapid succession, the wildly contrasting presidencies of Clinton and George W. Bush, Bush and Barack Obama, and now Obama and Donald Trump. Perot's brand of "Throw the bums out!" politics may well be the enduring reality of our era. "In plain Texas talk," he said in 1992, "it's time to take out the trash and clean out the barn." We've been living with that legacy ever since. Just what kind a barn it's left us is a different matter altogether.


NEW YORK (AP)   Robinson Canó certainly could hear the whispers around Citi Field. Everyone else could   at 36, stuck in a season-long slump, was this eight-time All-Star all done? He didn't think so. "One day it's going to turn around," Cano kept telling himself. It happened Tuesday night when Canó hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his 15-year career, powering Jason Vargas and the New York Mets over the San Diego Padres 5-2. Canó drove in all five runs and went 4 for 4, punctuating his performance with a pair of second-deck shots. The second baseman began the day batting just .243 with six homers in his first season with the Mets. Yet before the game, manager Mickey Callaway expressed confidence that Canó would produce, putting him in the category of "Hall of Fame hitters." Canó connected at Citi Field for the first time since early April. It was just the third three-homer game ever by a Mets player at home   Lucas Duda and Kirk Nieuwenhuis both did it in July 2015. "You'd like to do it, to see how it feels," Canó said, pausing and smiling before adding, "it feels good." After singling in the first, Canó hit a solo homer in the fourth. Canó lined a two-run homer off Chris Paddack (6-5) in the sixth and a two-run shot in the seventh off Logan Allen. Of Canó's nine homers this year, five have come since the All-Star break. This was his 23rd career multihomer game and first since 2017 with Seattle. "You don't hit three homers if you're declining," Callaway said. Acquired with closer Edwin Díaz from the Mariners in the offseason, Canó came with five years and $120 million left on his contract. Despite his struggles, Callaway said the Mets saw good things coming. "He went through a tough stretch. Robinson Canó probably hasn't been through many," Callaway said. "It stands out a little more when it happens to a player like Robbie." Yoenis Céspedes was the previous Mets player to hit three homers, doing it in 2017. The feat has been accomplished by 13th different Mets players, with Céspedes doing it twice. Vargas (5-5) pitched one-hit ball for six shutout innings, possibly enhancing his trade value. He put on a pitching clinic, getting the San Diego hitters to consistently flail away at his changeup. The 36-year-old lefty permitted only a single by Eric Hosmer in the fifth, struck out eight and walked three. Rookie Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out three times and Manny Machado swung at a strike three that bounced. Several scouts were at Citi Field, and no doubt the performance Vargas piqued their interest as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. Vargas' hardest fastball was clocked at 84.6 mph   Paddack's slowest changeup came in a tick faster 84.7. "I guess throwing really hard isn't as unique as it used to be. I'm on the other end of the spectrum," he said. "I'm the only one who throws it that slow." The anticipated showdown between rookie stars Pete Alonso and Paddack didn't amount to much   the slugging Alonso walked twice and grounded out against the young fireballer. "Going into it, it was obviously going to be a fun little matchup. We've been wanting this ever since our last 1-v-1, whatever you want to call it," Paddack said. "It was just kind of frustrating, especially Alonso. You don't want to walk a guy that you're trying to have a little competition with, but at the end of the day I thought I could have done a better job of executing my game plan." Díaz relieved with two on in the ninth and got his 22nd save in 26 chances, allowing an RBI double to Tatís before retiring Manuel Margot on a game-ending lineout with two on. TRAINER'S ROOM Padres: LHP Adrián Morejon "should be available" to pitch in relief during this three-game series, manager Andy Green said. The 20-year-old Cuban made his major league debut Sunday at Wrigley Field, allowing one run and three hits in 2 1/3 innings. Green said the Padres will consider using him as an opener over the weekend at home vs. the Giants. Mets: Major league batting leader Jeff McNeil was hit in the right elbow by a Paddack pitch in the fifth. McNeil was checked by a trainer and stayed in. ... RHP Zack Wheeler (shoulder impingement) threw batting practice on the field and could be activated Friday to pitch against the Pirates. "I'm 100 percent. Ready to go," he said. Callaway said Wheeler, who last started on July 7, will be on a pitch count of 75-85 pitches. Wheeler (6-6, 4.69 ERA) has been the subject of trade rumors leading up to the July 31 deadline. "Last year was the same way," he said. UP NEXT Padres: RHP Dinelson Lamet (0-2, 5.14 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season. He won his major league debut in 2017 at Citi Field and went 7-8 overall, then missed last year after Tommy John surgery. Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (7-4, 4.36) is 4-0 in his last nine starts. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


A woman is dead after an ATV crash in Owen County, Kentucky, according to Kentucky State Police. The collision happened within the Monterey community on Old Landing Road on Friday afternoon. An Owen County deputy was dispatched to the scene for a report of a female passenger who was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash. Patricia Karsner, 73, of Owenton, Kentucky, was transported by Air Methods to University of Kentucky Hospital. Police said that Karsner later died at the hospital. Mario Chavez-Canela, 43, of Monterey, Kentucky, has been identified as the driver of the ATV. According to police, deputies determined that Chavez-Canela was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and he was arrested. Chavez-Canela was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, second offense, and assault in the second degree. An accident reconstruction was performed by Kentucky State Police and the investigation is currently ongoing. READ MORE: Woman killed in ATV crash in Owen County CHECK OUT WLWT: Stay in the know. Get the latest Cincinnati news, weather and sports from the team at Ohio's own WLWT.


Defending champion Novak Djokovic got his campaign for a fifth Wimbledon title off to a winning start on Monday, seeing off Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 7-5, 6-3. Top seed and world number one Djokovic had to recover from early breaks in both of the first two sets as well as a nasty fall on the Centre Court grass. Djokovic, chasing a 16th career major, will faces Denis Kudla of the United States for a place in the last 32.


Amar'e Stoudemire and Monta Ellis are in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League with hopes of getting another shot in the league and the Golden State Warriors are among the 12 teams attending their workouts, according to Chris Haynes with Yahoo Sports. Stoudemire hasn't played since the 2015-16 season during which he averaged 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Miami Heat. At his best during a professional career that started in 2002, Stoudemire averaged 25 or more points in two of the eight seasons he played for the Phoenix Suns (2004-05, 2007-08) and in one of the five seasons he played for the New York Knicks (2010-11). It will be interesting to see what interest Stoudemire garners. He has a history of knee injuries - including a few microfracture surgeries - and is 37 years old. There are approximately 12 teams attending this evening's workout in Las Vegas featuring Amar'e Stoudemire and Monta Ellis. Among those are LA Lakers, Golden State, NY Knicks, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Detroit and Washington. - Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 8, 2019 For Monta Ellis, it would be a return to Golden State. The shooting guard played for the Warriors from 2005-12 and averaged just over 19 points per game. At his best, Ellis averaged 25.5 points per game on just under 45 percent shooting from the field in 2009-10. Ellis last played for the Indiana Pacers in 2016-17, coming off the bench for 8.5 points per game. Depending on his conditioning, Ellis could have a shot with the team. He his 34 years old, the same age as LeBron James, and has a demonstrated history of carrying the scoring load for the Warriors. The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards are also attending the workouts, per Haynes. MORE: Steph Curry opens up about Kevin Durant's exit, state of Warriors after big changes NBA Depth Charts Chris Paul's Contract Is So Bad The Rockets Gave Up Everything in Thunder Trade The Ringer believes Raiders could trade SS Karl Joseph to Cowboys After Packers pass on Jalen Thompson, focus shifts to Natrell Jamerson


Is Kyrie Irving seriously considering the Lakers as a free agent destination this summer? Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com ( video link ) believes Irving has become "more open" to teaming up with LeBron James than he was earlier in the season. Irving has done research on the Lakers and a move to Los Angeles isn't off the table. Magic Johnson leaving the Lakers isn't viewed as a positive by Irving. However, Windhorst adds that James is openly showing his support for the Lakers' infrastructure, which could influence potential free agents. James was in attendance for Frank Vogel's introductory press conference. Stars such as LBJ don't typically show up for these formalities. Windhorst mentions the Nets, Knicks and Celtics as teams that are higher on Irving's list. There were previous rumblings that the point guard preferred Brooklyn when searching for a destination to team up with Kevin Durant . Durant reportedly favors the Knicks. The Lakers are unlikely to be the team that lands both Durant and Irving, as they are expected to only have the ability to sign one max-level free agent.


Five groundskeepers and two mechanics could strike Wednesday if a new contract with Detroit Golf Club isn't negotiated. The workers are responsible for keeping the course in PGA Tour shape this week. The Detroit Golf Club says it has a contingency plan if it can't resolve the bubbling labor dispute with members of its grounds and maintenance crew, but the club is staying mum on what that plan looks like as the city readies to host its first PGA Tour event in history. "As with any event of this size and importance to the community," Detroit Golf Club president Andy Glassberg said in a statement Tuesday, "we have contingency plans built in for many different scenarios." In a follow-up email from the Free Press, requesting specific details about the plan, a spokesperson declined to elaborate. The Rocket Mortgage Classic is set to tee off Thursday at Detroit Golf Club, and in the shadows of the event, the union representing the club's seven-member grounds and maintenance crew says it's willing to strike if the club doesn't grant its request for a 3% pay raise, better health care benefits and job security language under a new contract. The workers have been advised not to talk about the negotiations. The Detroit Golf Club workers include five groundskeepers and two mechanics. In addition, there are 40 temporary groundskeepers, who are not part of the union and could be called upon to keep the course at PGA Tour standards if the union strikes. Officials from the PGA Tour said Tuesday afternoon they have a turf management expert who visits each site before a tournament, but the PGA is not responsible for providing groundskeepers. That responsibility, officials say, belongs to Detroit Golf Club this week. "Without our guys," said Kevin Moore, president of Teamsters Local 299, the local union representing the group, "their stuff don't work." The groundskeepers mow the property's greens, tees boxes, fairways and rough. They repair and maintain sand traps, fertilize, work with irrigation, plant flower beds and help with general clean-up and maintenance. The mechanics fix the specialized equipment that is used daily to keep the property's two Donald Ross-designed courses in tip-top shape, including lawn mowers, edging equipment, plugging equipment for fairways such as aerators, and rollers and mowers to manicure the greens. Moore said the group is willing to take action starting Wednesday. On the table: "Demonstrations, strikes, whatever is at our disposal." Teamsters employees want a 45 cents-per-hour pay increase. Glassberg said in a statement Monday the club offered a contract with benefits and salaries 4% higher per year than the most recent contract and a 17% increase over the duration. The union deemed the offer insufficient, citing a 15% to 20% wage reduction in 2015 and a nearly $600 a month increase in out-of-pocket medical expenses for family medical. "I hope it doesn't get there," Moore said Tuesday, of a potential strike. "That's a question that's kind of elusive. My job isn't to jeopardize their job, my job is to get them awareness for a fair contract. They're just being asked to be treated fairly." https://compass.pressekompass.net/compasses/golfweek/which-major-has-been-your-favorite-so-fa MORE: This perfect Shaq impersonation at the NBA Awards show had fans in tears NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players 3 adjustments the Raiders should make on offense in 2019 Raven Greene looks like a top player to watch at Packers training camp Bears Pro Bowler Akiem Hicks reflects on his fallout with Saints


MICHIGAN   Unemployment is the lowest it's been since the 1950s, according to a new study by COMMERCIALCafe. But what does this mean in Michigan? True to its roots, Michigan is auto-driven, the study found. Other industries are also surging in the state, including business and healthcare. The study used numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the report. Here are some of the highlights from the study: Engine and Other Machine Assemblers represent the fastest growing occupation in Michigan, with an 310% increase over the last 10 years; 33.5% of all employees in the state work in business, 24.3% in the industrial sector, and 14.4% in healthcare; In 2018, Michigan had 4.2 million employees across all industries; Roughly 1/3 of all jobs are concentrated in four states: California, New York, Texas and Florida. Read the full study here.


Paul Fenton's run as Minnesota Wild general manager is over with the speed of a lizard's tongue. The Athletic's Michael Russo pointed to multiple sources within the Wild organization (sub. required) that Wild owner Craig Leipold fired Fenton during a telephone call on Tuesday. The team confirmed it a short while later. Assistant GM Tom Kurvers will serve in an acting role until a replacement is found. "After giving much thought to this difficult decision, I informed Paul today that he was not the right fit for our organization going forward," said Leipold in a statement. "I believe we have a good hockey team, a team that will compete for a playoff spot this year, and I look forward to hiring a General Manager that will help us win a Stanley Cup. I would like to thank Paul for his time with the Wild and wish him and his family the best in the future." Fenton only presided over two drafts as Wild GM, and only made it through one season where the team missed the playoffs. Instead of rebuilding, the team's made a lot of player-for-player moves, with the Nino Niederreiter   Victor Rask trade being the signature disaster of Fenton's short run. As much as any single move, a lot of people thought it was odd how Fenton described the game of risky free agent signing Mats Zuccarello . "One of the top playmakers in the league, if you watch the way that he plays and dissects the offensive zone in particular … I told him when I was talking to him that he's like a lizard, the way a lizard takes his tongue and sticks it as far as it does and retrieves what it was trying to do," Fenton said. Wild's problems go beyond Fenton Yes, it's absolutely true that Fenton had his missteps during his short time as GM. No doubt about it, that Niederreiter trade was lousy the moment it was made, and only looked worse with each passing Niederreiter goal, and each ineffectual Rask appearance. The jury's still out on other Fenton calls, though. It's too early to tell how the Kevin Fiala   Mikael Granlund trade will pan out, especially since a different GM will be tasked with signing Fiala's next deal, as the speedy 23-year-old is currently an RFA. The same can be said for the Ryan Donato   Charlie Coyle trade, and while it seemed like a big reach when Fenton selected Filip Johansson with the 24th pick in 2018, we simply don't know the full score yet. Either way, it would be childish to try to pin all of this franchise's problems on Fenton. Most obviously, Fenton inherited a real mess from former GM Chuck Fletcher. Any GM would struggle to deal with a salary structure that includes the frightening Zach Parise and Ryan Suter deals, which carry matching $7.538 million cap hits for aging players through 2024-25. To push the difficulty level up a few more notches, it also became clear that Leipold was not OK with a full rebuild. Would Fenton have settled for Rask in trading Niederreiter if he could instead have labeled 2018-19 as a wash, targeting first-rounders and rawer prospects instead? Let's also not ignore that, for all of Bruce Boudreau's shrewdness, he didn't seem to be totally sold on Niederreiter, so the winger's days might have been numbered in Minnesota, either way. A "better" GM might have been able to work in the fringes to land better value for the likes of Niederreiter and Coyle? It's certainly possible, but it might be naive to imagine that the difference would end up being night and day. Really, the way this works out best for the Wild is if Leipold did some soul searching during the summer, and realized that the best course is for a fuller rebuild. Even then, it seems cruel for Fenton to be the fall guy in that scenario, especially if Fenton would be open-minded to a rebuild approach. As Russo noted , Fenton paid his dues for about 25 years before he finally became a GM, and seemed to inherit what was close to a no-win situation. And it turns out that Fenton couldn't win. MORE: • Why the Wild are better off being terrible this season • ProHockeyTalk's 2019 NHL free agency tracker   James O'Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports . Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins .


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Sacramento? We've rounded up the latest rental listings via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to scoring a place in Sacramento with a budget of $2,400/month. Take a look at the listings, below. (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. 800 J St. (Downtown) Listed at $2,328/month, this 745-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 800 J St. The unit offers a balcony and hardwood flooring. Good news for animal lovers: Both dogs and cats are allowed here. According to Walk Score's assessment, this location has excellent walkability, is easy to get around on a bicycle and has good transit options. (See the complete listing here .) 1500 Seventh St. (Downtown) Next, there's this studio apartment over at 1500 Seventh St. It's listed for $2,370/month for its 962 square feet. The building offers on-site laundry and an intercom. The apartment also offers hardwood flooring. Good news for animal lovers: Both dogs and cats are allowed here. Be prepared for a $400 deposit. According to Walk Score's assessment, the area around this address is friendly for those on foot, is convenient for biking and offers many nearby public transportation options. (Check out the complete listing here .) 1510 16th St. (Downtown) Finally, check out this 1,080-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment that's located at 1510 16th St. It's listed for $2,400/month. In the apartment, you can expect a dishwasher, hardwood flooring, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. When it comes to pets, both meows and barks are welcome. According to Walk Score's assessment, this location is quite walkable, is great for biking and offers many nearby public transportation options. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) Working with a tight budget? Here are the cheapest rentals recently listed in Sacramento . 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.


Humans don't always do what's best for whales. But on St. Simons Island, Georgia, people rushed to action to try and save 50 beached whales. Mark Strassmann explains.


FIFA appears to be trying to fix the mess it made of World Cup tickets with games set to begin in France on June 7. A FIFA spokesman confirmed Tuesday that local organizers are in the process of reallocating randomly separated seats that had been purchased together. Over the weekend, some fans noticed that their ability to print out those tickets had "disappeared." The tickets were still listed, including the seat numbers, but they were no longer available as e-tickets. "There's a holding position at the moment," the FIFA spokesman Will Shand said. "It's part of the … resolving the issues of different customers and those group orders." Many fans discovered last week that they'd been issued separated seats despite purchasing their tickets together. Some of the seats were a few rows apart while others were in completely different sections of the stadium. OPINION: U.S. bench a lot like White Walkers, and that should scare World Cup foes FIFA initially appeared indifferent to the mix-up, blaming it on sellouts for the semifinal and final in Lyon. But many of the fans who complained said they had purchased their tickets during the pre-sale period or the initial public offering. Seats were randomly assigned for earlier matches in other cities, as well. Following widespread criticism, FIFA backtracked. Fans with separated seats are being urged to contact organizers via phone or email so tickets can be reallocated before fans arrive at the stadium. The World Cup starts June 7 in Paris, where France will play South Korea. The U.S. women will begin their quest for a fourth World Cup title on June 11 in Reims, France. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup organizers trying to reallocate seats less than two weeks before tournament


New photos have been released of Baby India, the newborn girl who was found abandoned in a plastic bag in the Forsyth County woods earlier this month. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office released the photos as they continue to search for the possible mother of the child. The sheriff's office confirmed to 11Alive they are working with Augusta law enforcement on the case, though they did not provide details about that cooperation. The baby was found on the night of June 6 in good condition, according to Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman. "It is without doubt a divine intervention that this child was found," Freeman said at that time. RELATED: Here's what will happen next for newborn found abandoned in woods Freeman said the 911 call to alert authorities to the newborn was especially fortunate. It came from a family that lived in one of the few homes in the neighborhood where the cries could be heard, and they had just returned from a vacation. "They discussed whether it was a wild animal - you don't anticipate hearing a crying baby in the woods," Freeman said. "Thank God they went out and investigated that, and immediately called 911." The baby has been in the care of the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) since leaving the hospital. Police continue to ask that if anyone knows any information about the circumstances of the child's birth, or knows a female who was in the late stages of pregnancy and may have given birth to the infant, to please contact Detective T. Conner at 770-781-2222 extension 5920. MORE ON BABY INDIA She was abandoned in a plastic bag in the woods | This is what we know about the infant 'She was a fighter': Man and daughters find abandoned newborn in the woods Newborn baby found inside of plastic bag in Forsyth County woods


Jimmy Butler laid out the blueprint for Joel Embiid after the 76ers season-saving Game 6 win Thursday. "We let our defense start us out and dictate our offense, which is what I always say," Butler told reporters after dropping a team-high 25 in the 112-101 contest . "Whenever we play like that, we're hard to beat." The playoffs have not been the kindest place to Embiid. He took over in Game 4 in Brooklyn last series and Game 3 against the Raptors, but for much of the Toronto series, the big man has struggled on offense. Game 6 was the fourth game this series Embiid shot below 40%, but it was also one of his best games of his young playoff career. Plus-minus can sometimes be a deceptive stat, but Embiid's plus-40 Thursday was an indicator of what his defensive presence he is. Throughout the postseason Embiid has had one of the best defensive ratings among players. Currently sitting at 91.2, only the eliminated Terry Rozier (91.1) had a better rating among rotational players than Embiid. His quest to prove he is an unstoppable offensive force has not gone quite as well. Embiid is still sometimes too slow with his moves and isn't always prepared to pass out of a double team. It's why he has 24 turnovers over the last five games. And similar to what happened last year with the Celtics led by Al Horford, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka have been able to keep Embiid off the block for the most part and prevent him from muscling his way to the rim when he is down there. In Game 2, one of Embiid's biggest plays was finding Butler for a three late. In the narrow Game 4 loss, he posted seven assists as he took only seven shots (and 10 free throws), with only two of those field goal attempts coming in the decisive fourth quarter. It's a part of his game he's shown improvement with all season, and in Game 7, he'll need to find teammates more consistently and limit the turnovers assuming he doesn't have another 33-point outing in him. However, even in his Game 3 offensive masterpiece, it was his defense that paved the way just like Thursday. Philadelphia's last two wins in against the Raptors have been on nights where Embiid showed why he's in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. He had five big blocks that set the tone in Game 3, and he had a pair of stuffs against Kawhi Leonard that provided a big emotional boost in Game 6. But while his blocks bring energy to the crowd and bench, similar to his windmill dunk late in Game 3, Embiid's rebound is also a key in seeing what he's providing on the defensive end. Games 3 and 6 are his only ones this series with at least 10 boards, which seems downright outrageous considering he was second in the league this season with 13.6 rebounds a night. When Embiid is cleaning the glass the best he can, it shapes the way the whole night goes. The more comfortable he is in the paint on a given night means more one-shot possessions for the opposition and more extended possessions for Philadelphia. Embiid using his big body to just move people around doesn't help as much when he has the ball in his hands in the playoffs, but it still pays off when he's fighting for a ball of the rim. Even if he doesn't bring down the rock, he's liable to force a foul when he's at his best. And for a player who benefits so much from the free-throw line, finding as many ways to get the opposing bigs in foul trouble should always be a priority. Embiid was the best in the league in the regular season at getting fouls drawn, but that's when referees gave him more love on the offensive end. Loose ball fouls can still send you to the line though. And having great position on the offensive glass should lead to easy buckets or the Raptors taking fouls they didn't want to use to make an 80% foul shot shooter earn his points instead of dunking it down their throats. But that starts with Embiid dominating on defense, and then bringing that aggression to the other side of the floor, at the right times. Game 7 will be a new beast for Embiid. For a player whose two career postseasons were plagued by the fact he came into April injured two years in a row, it's an opportunity to shift the entire narrative around his playoff performances. The 76ers went out and got Butler early this season for these moments. So they would have another offensive option to trust late, and another veteran leader to help guide Embiid and Ben Simmons into the future. Now it's time for Embiid to listen to him and put his faith in his defense once more, and let the rest get dictated from there. Related slideshow: Best of 2019 NBA playoffs (Provided by imagn)


Channeling my inner Voltaire, I can't quite say that if Moe Berg hadn't existed it might have been necessary to invent him, but I would say it sure would have been a lot of fun to try. Moe Berg was unique in American annals, and this is one time that word is being used properly. That is, unless someone can identify another Ivy League-educated major league baseball player who was fluent in an estimated dozen languages (including Sanskrit); who dazzled audiences as a panelist on the immensely popular radio show "Information Please"; and who was recruited by OSS head Wild Bill Donovan as an espionage agent during World War II. That's before we get into his extraordinary personal eccentricity. Trust me, please. There was never anyone exactly like Moe Berg. He has been the subject of two significant biographies. Nicholas Dawidoff gave us "The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg." Louis Kaufman (a Globe writer at the time), Barbara Fitzgerald, and Tom Sewell gave us "Moe Berg, Athlete, Scholar . . . Spy." And now renowned Washington-based filmmaker Aviva Kempner has produced a fine documentary titled "The Spy Behind Home Plate," which opens Saturday June 29 at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge. Moe Berg was born in New York City on March 2 or March 3, 1902. See? Right from the start he was a man of mystery. He remained so until his death in 1972. To this day no one is quite sure what became of his remains. But among the things we do know is that he graduated from Princeton in 1923 and broke into the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers that same year. He hit .186 in 138 plate appearances and would not return to the bigs until 1926, when he resurfaced with the White Sox. He would remain employed as a backup catcher for the next 13 years, moving from the White Sox to the Indians to the Senators, back to Cleveland, and then to Boston in 1935, where he became the resident backup, playing in 148 games over five seasons until his retirement in 1939. He was not like everyone else. For one thing, there was his linguistic ability. Given that he was the ultimate good-field, no-hit catcher, Washington teammate Dave Harris wise-cracked that "Moe Berg speaks 12 languages and can't hit in any of them." Indeed, his lifetime batting average was .243. He hit but six career homers and had an underwhelming career OPS of .577. He also had a fetish for newspapers, going into a rage if someone touched one of his newspapers before he finished reading it because to him they were "live." Only when they were fully read, and thus declared "dead," was it permissible to touch one of his newspapers. This is all kind of quaint and cute, but otherwise, so what? He might be worth a magazine article. Why the books? Why has Aviva Kempner turned her attention to Moe Berg? It's because Moe Berg was something more than a brainy backup catcher. It's pretty well documented he served his country before and during WWII as a spy. Kempner likes to make films about what she calls "under-known Jewish heroes." Her previous works include "Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg," the story of Gertrude Berg, an actress who not only starred in both the radio and TV versions of "The Goldbergs," but also wrote numerous scripts. She became enmeshed in McCarthyism when her co-star Philip Loeb was blacklisted. And Kempner produced "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg." Now we have "The Spy Behind Home Plate." "If someone had told me before 'Hank Greenberg' I would wind up making two movies about sports people, I would have laughed," Kempner says. But she did, in fact, grow up in Detroit knowing the story of Greenberg, who ranks with Sandy Koufax as one of the two greatest Jewish ballplayers ever. Moe Berg is believed to have first utilized his linguistic skills in service to his country during a 1934 postseason trip to Tokyo. Japanese was one of his languages, so he circulated freely and comfortably. He is alleged to have pulled out a camera underneath his kimono and taken numerous shots of locations that might indicate the extent of Japan's military preparedness. But the big move came years later when William "Wild Bill" Donovan, head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), recruited Berg for a very important mission. The long and the short of it is that he was dispatched under the guise of being a student to see if he could determine whether or not the Germans were on the path to developing a nuclear weapon. This involved going to Zurich, where famed German physicist Werner Heisenberg was giving a lecture. If Berg were to reach the conclusion that the answer was in the affirmative, his instructions were to shoot Heisenberg. No, I'm not making this up. Keep in mind this was all possible because of Moe's extraordinary linguistic capabilities. There have been previous attempts to bring the Berg story to light as a film, and Kempner tells us in addition to her original work on the subject she has leaned heavily on 18 prior interviews done by Jerry Feldman and Neil Goldstein. "Those 18 interviews really make the film," she maintains. But these interviews have fallen into the hands of a skilled professional. Aviva Kempner always knows exactly what she is doing. I never met Moe Berg, but I have known people who did, and, oh boy, the stories. He spent much of his later years as a classic "America's Guest," moving about to stay with people, whom, he correctly reasoned, were always happy to be in his company. This would include bunking with accommodating writers during the World Series. And it was well understood that Moe Berg did not pick up any checks. But everyone involved knew the rules. Aviva Kempner became very enamored of her subject. She laments that his World War II service may have cost him a chance to manage. She feels badly that his father never saw him play. She thinks his unique career has never been properly acknowledged and thinks it wouldn't be a bad idea for the Red Sox to consider retiring his number. The filmmaker hopes viewers will emerge from the film with two takeaways. "One," she says, "how much fun he was. Two, how important he was." As an aside, she acknowledges that Moe having been a catcher enhances the story. "I think 'The Shortstop Was a Spy' just wouldn't work," she reasons. Anyway, Moe Berg had to be a catcher. Shouldn't the smartest guy on the team be running the ballgame? Moe Berg: There was only one. Bob Ryan's column appears regularly in the Globe. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com . Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


Despite late rumblings of going in a different direction, the New York Knicks are still reportedly targeting Duke's RJ Barrett with the third overall pick. The Knicks had a late workout with Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, they remain intent on taking Barrett third overall. Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland had his workout with the Knicks today, but New York remains locked on selecting Duke's RJ Barrett with the NBA Draft's third overall pick on Thursday, league sources tell ESPN.   Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 19, 2019 Some late rumors had the Knicks springing a surprise in the form of Garland with the No. 3 pick, and the fact that they worked him out this close to draft day was only going to intensify that chatter. There may have been interest, and it may have been legitimate, but ultimately, they've been zeroed in on Barrett all along.


WASHINGTON   All that goes up, must come down. And on Tuesday, a woman popped one of the Trump baby blimps used by protesters marching against President Donald Trump's visit to the U.K., according to the British newspaper The Independent . The balloon, which depicts Trump as a diaper-wearing baby, had been used by anti-Trump protesters to mock the American president. A video shot by the woman and published by the British tabloid The Sun shows her walking up to the blimp before she bursts it with what police later told the Independent was a "pointed or bladed article." The woman was not identified by the Independent. She then shouts, "That's a disgrace. The president of the United States is the best president ever." Start the day smarter: Get USA TODAY's Daily Briefing in your inbox The blimp: Trump baby blimp rises again   near Trump robot on toilet   for London visit Then, she walks away from the blimp and says, "yeah baby," and adds, "I think Donald Trump's balloon is not very well." Police took the woman into custody afterward and treated her for what appeared to be a wound to her hand. She shouts at the police and accuses them of assaulting her, according to the video. A police spokesperson told the Independent that "one female has been arrested for being in possession of a pointed or bladed article". Trump's state visit to Britain was met by thousands of demonstrators protesting Trump's policies on climate change, abortion rights, foreign policy, and other issues. Trump, for his part, has called the protests "fake news" and said that he saw "thousands of people cheering" and only a "very small" protest. Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Joshua Bote This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Woman pops Trump baby blimp amid protests in London


After shooting a stunning final-round 62 on Sunday at Lahinch to win the Irish Open , Jon Rahm has to be feeling really good about himself. He's peaking just in time for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where he'll be coming in fresh as he's taken this week off rather than play in the Scottish Open. Because of that, you have to like his chances to contend for his first major title in Northern Ireland next week. RELATED: Jon Rahm's fiancée Kelley Cahill has a cannon for an arm On Wednesday, Rahm utilized one of his days off by going to Wimbledon, where many of the top European golfers in the world could be seen on Tuesday. Check out this crew: https://twitter.com/JustinRose99/status/1148679622734880768 Apparently, Rahm was either not invited or he couldn't make it Tuesday (if we go with the former ... trouble in paradise for the Euro Ryder Cup team?!?!?). Rahm did make it on Wednesday though, and the BBC broadcast happened to capture him in an, um, interesting outfit. Fellow European tour pro Thomas Pieters happened to be watching, and he couldn't help but roast the Spaniard for his fashion choices: https://twitter.com/Thomas_Pieters/status/1148990590127943681 Hey, to each their own. If Rahmbo looked in the mirror and felt good about that this morning, then good for him. The man just shot a 62 on Sunday to win a golf tournament, let him dress how he wants! That being said, we are anxiously awaiting Eddie Pepperell's take on the matter. Tick tock. RELATED: Thomas Pieters can't stop snapping golf clubs mid-round


FARMINGDALE, N.Y.   Here at the Brooks Koepka Invitational, you look at the leaderboard and try to appreciate the many possibilities for the weekend, with golf reputations of every size. But then, you look at the top line, and realize there is only one question to ask. Is everyone else playing for first place this weekend at the PGA Championship, or second? We won't know until Koepka shows a crack. If he ever does. So far, not a hint of that. Until there is, all other news is secondary -- even Tiger Woods missing the cut. 2019 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Leaderboard | Tee Times | How to watch Another day, another joy ride over Bethpage Black Friday for the man who looks as unstoppable as the ocean tide on the shores of Long Island. Koepka finally had his first two bogeys of the tournament, but they were fine print in a second-round 65 that has him galloping ahead of the rest of the field by seven strokes. Seven. Largest lead ever after 36 holes at the PGA. And these foreboding words came from the mouth of Tiger Woods himself. "He's driving it in 330 yards in the middle of the fairway. He's got 9-irons, when most of us are hitting 5-irons, 4-irons, and he's putting well. "There is no reason why he can't increase this lead." Gee, that's what people would say sometimes after the second round about . . . Tiger Woods. SECOND ROUND RECAP: 8 fun tidbits from Friday at Bethpage This is Brooks Koepka's PGA to win, and Brooks Koepka's history to make. He can roll to the finish and add back-to-back PGA championships to his current back-to-back U.S. Opens   something no man has ever done. Not Nicklaus, not Woods, not Palmer, not anyone. He can become the first wire-to-wire PGA champion in 36 years. His 36-hole score of 128   a dominating show of force fashioned with 14 birdies   is the lowest two-round score ever in a major. "I'd like to see that lead grow as large as it possibly can," said Koepka. You wonder if he'll even bother to look at the leaderboard Saturday. "There's one about every two, three holes, so it's tough not to look. I'll check it out and see what's going on." The golf world came here hoping to see something very, very special, but that was supposed to be Woods, right? "You think?" Koepka said. And Woods isn't here anymore, after a 73 Friday left him a stroke below the cut line. Woods' first drive went so far left into the rough at No. 1, there were fans pulling out their phones to get shots of his ball, buried in the thick grass. Never a good sign, when the gallery is close enough to take pictures of your golf ball. It was a long day from there, including missing 11 of 14 fairways. Magic comes and magic goes. Or at least it clearly needed a rest after the Masters. "Just didn't quite have it," Woods said. Anyway, with no Woods, Koepka is now the BMOB   Big Man on Bethpage. Going 12-under par will do that. And he wasn't even that dazzled by his own game Friday. "This probably sounds bad, but today was a battle," he said. "I didn't strike it that good. I was leaking a few to the right." SHOP: Find your 2019 PGA Championship gear Sometimes he had to muscle it out of Bethpage's killer rough. No problem. You see his forearms? "That's why I go to the gym," he said. But let's say, for the sake of not handing Koepka the Wanamaker Trophy Friday night and telling everyone to take the weekend off   that something shocking happens. It's still golf. If you put on sunglasses and are not blinded by the glare of Koepka's score, you can see there's an extraordinary collection of compelling storylines behind him. It's a PGA Championship of opportunity. But only if one unflappable birdie machine allows it. There's Spieth tied for second, seven shots back after a 66. It's been 22 months since his last victory, and if he doesn't want to say he's been in a slump, let's call it a cool spell, or a nagging case of the inconsistencies. Whatever it is, if he's a winner on Sunday, it's over. Plus, he'll have the career grand slam. Yeah, that'd be a story. CHASING KOPEKA: Spieth staying close after big second round There's Adam Scott sharing second place, with a career of occasional   but not consistent   greatness. Sometimes at center stage, other times in the wilderness. It's been a while since that one major win at the Masters in 2013, and this season, he hasn't been able to make up his mind about his putter. He's using his fifth now, a long putter with the flagstick in most of the time. Friday, he torched Bethpage's greens for 165 feet worth of putts made. A win would change the entire narrative about Adam Scott. There's the gaggle of golfers tied for fourth, with the famous, and not so famous. Dustin Johnson, whose address might as well be listed as No. 1 ranking, world. But he has been stuck at one in major championships, and a golfer of his stature naturally wants more. This is the place for long hitters, and he's in the chase because he's hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation. Daniel Berger, one of the young guns flying under the weather, who could change his life in one week. Among his supporters at Bethpage Friday was father Jay, who was once ranked in the world's top 10 in tennis and is now head of men's tennis for the United States Tennis Association. Which makes you wonder how his son grew up hitting iron shots and not forehands. Kelly Kraft, who wasn't even in the field when the week began. Justin Thomas' withdrawal due to injury opened a spot. Should he somehow win the PGA as an alternate   maybe you've heard of John Daly. Luke List, the 34-year-old who has never won a PGA tournament. Matt Wallace from England, which has not produced a PGA champion since 1919. Why, tied for 10th, there's even Jazz Janewattananond. He might not win, but he's the only guy in the field to once spend two weeks inside a Thailand temple as a monk. His real first name is Atiwit, but his dad back in Thailand liked jazz music. The best part of his 68 Thursday was listening to the New York fans attempt to chant his name. "They did try," he said. "It didn't come out right." Yep, lots of interesting plots up there on the board. WHAT'S AT STAKE: Purse and winner's share But it'll take something extraordinary for any of them to matter. "You don't expect Brooks to fall at all," Spieth said. Koepka is crushing this tournament with a granite-solid game, and a laser focus. For two days, he played with Woods, walking amid the mania. That's bothered some golfers. Not Koepka. Don't even ask him how Woods played. He was too busy shooting 65 to notice. Or was it 63? "I've gone these 36 holes, and I couldn't tell you what shots any friend or Tiger hit. It really just doesn't register of what's going on. I really don't remember anything that they have done, " he said. "I learned that the first time I played with Tiger. All I did was watch him for nine holes. That's what I grew up doing. I grew up watching him on TV and I spent the first nine holes, all I did was pay attention to every move he made, whether he was just picking up his tee, whatever it was. And you can't do that. You've got to focus on your own game." So at 7:30 p.m. Friday, where was the very focused guy who is leading the PGA Championship by seven strokes? On the practice range, hitting drives. After all, Friday had been a battle, right? Related slideshow: Best of 2019 PGA Championship (provided by imagn)


Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova has re-signed for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team announced on Monday. Terms of the deal were not announced but reports say it is a one-year deal worth more than $1 million to Dellavedova, who made just over $800,000 last season. Dellavedova, 24, made only 13 starts for the Cavs in the 2014-15 regular season, but rose to prominence in the NBA Finals with his hustling defense against the Golden State Warriors. With starter Kyrie Irving out with a season-ending knee injury, Dellavedova started five games in the series, which the Cavs lost to the Warriors 4-2. He scored 20 points in a winning effort in Game Three, and was hospitalized after the game for dehydration. In 20 playoff games, Dellavedova and averaged 7.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Also on Monday, the Cavaliers traded center Brendan Haywood, guard/forward Mike Miller and two future second round draft picks to Portland. Haywood made only one start last season, while Miller started 15 games. Meanwhile, Golden State sent forward/center David Lee to Boston in exchange for forward Gerald Wallace and guard/forward Chris Babb. Lee played only a peripheral role for Golden State in the championship series against Cleveland. Boston also re-signed forward Jae Crowder, who averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, and acquired Zoran Dragic from the Miami Heat. The Heat also sent guard Shabazz Napier to Orlando in exchange for a protected second-round draft pick. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Gene Cherry)


Two suspects have been charged with first degree murder after admitting to the "senseless" killing of an award-winning Mississippi teacher, local police say. Frederick McCray Jr., was found dead in the Ferriday region in northeastern Louisiana, across the state line, on Monday. He was reported missing the day prior and last contact was made early Sunday morning, according to an alert from the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office. Deupties said two suspects named Jimmy O'Neal Lewis and Cedrick Tennessee have been arrested and charged in relation to the killing. They were both held without bond. According to KNOE-TV , McCray, Jr. gave a ride to the two suspects on the night of the murder. They are believed to have pulled out a weapon and shot him after being driven to Bayou Drive in Ferriday. Investigators said the pair had attempted to hide the body under wood and garbage at a dog food plant. The men have confessed to the alleged homicide, police told KNOE-TV. Concordia Parish inmate records describe Lewis as a black male, age 48. Tennessee was not yet listed at the correctional facility. KEDM reported he had been detained in New Orleans. Investigators have not commented on the motive behind the attack. McCray Jr. taught Technology Foundations and served as an Assistant Test Coordinator. He was voted Teacher of the Year during his first year working at Morgantown Middle School in Mississippi, according to a statement released by the Natchez Adams School District. "In his first year of teaching at Morgantown, Mr. McCray was named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year," an online tribute read. "Mr. McCray's zeal for education, infectious smile, gentle personality, fashion sense, and love for children will be missed by all of us at Natchez-Adams School District. Our sincere condolences are offered to his family, friends, and coworkers." Zandra McDonald, the district's deputy superintendent, told The Natchez Democrat the victim had obtained multiple degrees and just started working on a doctorate. "He was an amazing teacher," McDonald told the paper. "He had a commanding presence in his classroom and established a solid relationship with his students and with colleagues." Concordia Parish police chief David Hedrick also paid respects. "The Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office would like to extend our deepest condolences to the the family of Mr. Fred McCray, Jr.," he said in a Facebook statement. "This has truly been a sad day for Concordia Parish. Fred McCray, Jr. will be deeply missed. Please keep all of Mr. McCray's family and friends in your prayers." Related Articles Indianapolis Catholic School Fires Gay Teacher to Avoid Being Removed from Archdiocese Connecticut Teacher Who Posed Semi-nude in Support of Trump Claims School Fired Her Over Photos, Files Lawsuit Sign up to our newsletter and get Newsweek stories delivered to your e-mail