BALTIMORE - A man pleaded guilty Monday to his role in a drug-dealing operation that involved paying a U.S. Postal Service driver in drugs and cash in exchange for delivering over 100 kilograms of marijuana while on his mail route in Baltimore. Michael Gray faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. According to court documents, Gray worked with Postal Service driver William McRae, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms - about 220 pounds - of marijuana in March. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison. An attorney for McRae declined to comment. Calls for comment from Gray's attorney were not returned Monday. According to McRae's plea agreement, Gray and another unnamed co-conspirator paid McRae in cash and marijuana to deliver kilograms of the drug on his mail route in Baltimore between November 2017 and November 2018. Gray and the co-conspirator would contact McRae the days they planned to mail marijuana to Maryland from California, and tell him where to deliver the packages at different locations on Hollins, Calhoun and West Lombard streets, the plea agreement shows. "The packages routinely contained between 1 and 7 kilograms each and would often arrive in batches of up (to) 6 or 7 packages at a time," McRae's plea agreement reads. Investigators found "over 200 suspicious parcels were mailed from California to a particular ZIP Code - 21223 - in Baltimore" between early 2017 and November 2018, according to court records. Prosecutors wrote that the packages would be delivered on days that lined up with McRae's route and that he would mark the packages containing the drugs as "delivered," even when federal investigators observed him not making the deliveries. Investigators spent nearly a year building a case against McRae and his co-conspirators. Prosecutors wrote in the affidavit that officers seized three suspicious packages from McRae's route on Nov. 22, 2017. "Each parcel contained approximately 1 kilogram of a green, leafy, plantlike substance that field tested positive as marijuana," the affidavit reads. Investigators continued to follow McRae's route for a year, the complaint reads, before officers saw Gray pull up behind McRae's Postal Service vehicle on Nov. 20, 2018. Prosecutors wrote they detained Gray and seized 2 kilograms, or about 4 1/2 pounds, of marijuana from his vehicle. The case highlights how federal prosecutors continue to target marijuana dealers even as a growing number of states are moving toward allowing marijuana for recreational use and retail sales. In Maryland, marijuana is only legal for medical use with a prescription. Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced earlier in January that her office would stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases, regardless of the quantity or person's criminal history. However, her policy has no effect on federal cases. McRae is set to be sentenced July 15. Gray will be sentenced Sept. 16. Visit The Baltimore Sun at www.baltimoresun.com


Toyota LMP1 recruit Brendon Hartley says he is looking to combine his new FIA World Endurance Championship role with a race seat in Formula E with Porsche. Hartley was drafted in by Toyota to replace two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso who is leaving the team after this month's Le Mans 24 Hours. Read Also: Toyota explains why it chose Hartley to replace Alonso The Kiwi driver will also continue as a development driver for Porsche's FE programme as the German manufacturer prepares for a works entry in the 2019/20 season. While Hartley said his main focus was to land a Toyota race seat, he says being able to combine that with a drive in FE remains a "possibility". "I would say yes, but I don't know if it's going to happen or not," Hartley said ahead of the official Le Mans test. "It's definitely a possibility but I don't have any more answers than that. "I'm still involved with the development of the Porsche [FE car], I'm actually there next week as part of their testing. Beyond that I don't know. "The priority for me was signing up for Toyota, having a full-time race seat and being back in Le Mans." Brendon Hartley, Toyota Gazoo Racing Photo by: Toyota Racing Hartley said he is enjoying being part of the WEC paddock again following a tough 18-month stint in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso. In March he marked his return to sportscar racing with two podium finishes - one with the SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1 in the Sebring 1000 Miles WEC race, and another in the Action Express Cadillac DPi in IMSA's Sebring 12 Hours the following day. Read Also: Hartley reflects on "awesome" Sebring podium double The former LMP1 world champion and Le Mans winner first tried his hand at the Toyota TS050 hybrid at a shakedown in Spa-Francorchamps ahead of his official debut in Le Mans. The New Zealander will drive the car for a minimum of five laps around the Circuit de la Sarthe in order to be eligible as a reserve driver for Toyota. "I'm happy to be back here in Le Mans and try out the Toyota," said Hartley. "I did between 15 and 20 laps at Spa, but not on proper tyres and with some limitations. We were just rolling out parts. This will be the first real taste. "I'm very much looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of these hybrid four-wheel drive monsters. They're really something special to drive. "There are going to be a lot of new things for me to learn, but the primary goal is just to get the five laps complete in case I am called up. "I feel pretty privileged. To sit here with another factory project at Le Mans is incredible." Hartley has been called up as a replacement for Alonso, but Toyota has yet to confirm if the 29-year-old will slot straight into the vacant seat in the #8 TS050 Hybrid alongside Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima or if its line-up will be reshuffled. "We will announce that later at the end of the season or the beginning of next season," Toyota team boss Rob Leupen said. "He will do at least five laps [on Sunday] in the test and then he will be here for the first few days of the race week. "Hopefully everything goes well. By Thursday evening we will know if he has to drive or not. Now he is joining in and seeing how everybody is operating. From that point of view, it's a good practice." #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050: Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, Fernando Alonso, Brendon Hartley, Mike Conway Photo by: Marc Fleury


WEIFANG, China (Reuters) - Charging elderly clients just 1 yuan or about 15 cents a day, little-known Lanchuang Network Technology Corp has embarked on one of the most ambitious undertakings in aged care by a private sector firm in China. Provided with a setup box, a webcam paired with a TV set and "Xiaoyi", a Siri-like voice assistant, customers gain access to telemedicine and an SOS system as well as for-pay services that include housekeeping and meal deliveries. A small robot that can ring up a medical center in response to verbal calls for help costs an extra 2 yuan per day. Launched just four months ago, Lanchuang's smart care system has already signed up 220,000 elderly clients in 16 cities, half of which are in Shandong, a rapidly aging province in eastern China where the company is based. It is targeting as many as 1.5 million users this year, 12 million next year and 30 million in 2021, when it hopes to list on China's new Nasdaq-style tech board. The aim, however, is not to make money from its clients, some of whom get by on pensions as low as a few hundred yuan a month, but to take a cut from providers of offline services. "China's market for elderly care is huge, but services in the industry are fragmented," CEO Li Libo told Reuters in an interview at his company's headquarters in Weifang city. "Scattered on the ground are pearls," Li, 47, said of the products and services available, adding it was his company's aim to string them together. Lanchuang, which is also working with China Mobile Ltd <0941.HK> on a smartphone for seniors, is an example of growing, albeit still nascent, attempts by entrepreneurs to provide comprehensive smart home care services for China's vast number of elderly. China has a quarter of a billion people aged 60 or over, and by 2050, that number is set to climb to almost half a billion, or 35% of the population, according to government estimates. Liu, 66, a native of Jinan, Shandong's capital, knows how hard taking care of the elderly can be. In her mother's final years, her urinary tract would get obstructed despite wearing a catheter and often in the middle of the night, to her daughter's despair. "If only I had been able to reach a doctor to help my mother, but doctors are not reachable 24 hours a day," said Liu, who only gave her surname. The retired accountant, who was unaware of tech products aimed at the elderly, now lives alone and is reluctant to trouble her own daughter and son-in-law. Care of aging parents has traditionally fallen on the shoulders of children, but in modern China, where the one-child policy was abolished only in 2016, the son or daughter has to look after as many as four aging people including in-laws. Often, children have moved to cities far away for work. Retirement and nursing homes are on the rise, but are too pricey for most families and largely perceived as ridden with abuse. Three-quarters of old people prefer to live out their days at home, official surveys show. LOCAL AUTHORITIES While Beijing has been eager to establish a policy framework for a formal aged care system, local governments have been reluctant to support aged-care services which they see as nice-to-haves or just too much work. But change is afoot. In April, Beijing issued a detailed policy document outlining services to be developed for the sector, including smart technology, as well as financial support. The central government provided almost 22 million yuan ($3 million) in subsidies for Lanchuang's smart platform and the Shandong provincial government has given 3 million yuan. That level of encouragement is a far cry from a decade ago when entrepreneurs consistently met with local resistance. "Why are you doing this? What has this got to do with me?" said U.S. entrepreneur Wang Jie, 59, as he recalled skeptical looks when he sounded out local authorities in China about trials of motion sensors at people's homes. Wang had to go to Canada for his trials. When he returned to Beijing in late 2013 to kick start a venture, Wang had to convince local authorities, district by district, of the virtues of his sensors - which help family members monitor activity levels of elderly people via an app but are not as intrusive as cameras. Wang, who sits on the National Advisory Committee on Smart Elderly Care, has since managed to make inroads into two Beijing districts, with talks underway with three others. The two districts have helped Wang identify high-risk individuals, typically those aged 70 and above, who live alone and might be willing to use his sensors. His firm, Beijing eCare Smart Tech Co, has sold several hundred sets of sensors in Beijing so far this year under three-year contracts with community organizations. Wang's company also helps train grassroots emergency response crews as part of the deal. Households pay nothing. "If an elderly person dies and the body is only discovered after three days, this creates negative publicity for the local government, publicity that it wants to avoid," Wang said. EARLY DAYS Entrepreneurs in other graying economies such as the United States, Britain and South Korea have similarly seized on opportunities in the sector, touting technologies from voice recognition for home appliances to robot companions for lonely old people. But it is still early days in China. In Weifang, Zhuojing Healthcare Center, one of 147 community medical service providers connected to the Lanchuang network, said it has only receives 1-2 calls through the system a day. On a Reuters visit organized by Lanchuang to the homes of two elderly clients in Weifang, both said they use the platform mainly for video chats with family. Zhao Xi'e, 55, said she uses it to talk to her mother who lives nearby. Zhao's shopping and food delivery panels on her TV display were grayed out, indicating zero service providers in her neighborhood. She was also unaware the red button on her handheld control had an SOS function. "Is that an on/off button?" she asked. (Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)


Joey Logano held off Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. on a restart in overtime to win Monday night at Michigan International Speedway. The defending series champion scored his second win of the season and the third of his Cup career (and first since 2016) at the 2-mile oval. Logano, who started on the pole position, led seven times for a race-high 163 of 203 laps. The Team Penske driver was cruising to the victory when Erik Jones spun with four laps remaining in the scheduled distance, triggering the final restart. It had been 11 starts since the last win for Logano, who has 23 career victories. Click here for the race results from Michigan. Click here for the race report from Michigan. In the season standings, 16th-ranked Jimmie Johnson has a three-point lead over Ryan Newman for the final playoff spot. Erik Jones fell three spots to 18th in the points and out of a provisional spot after finishing 31st. Click here for the points standings after Michigan.


Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Houston. Restaurant Report Card: Roaches, slime found by health department inspectors KPRC's Bill Spencer makes his weekly rounds to restaurants in town to make sure they are keeping up to the health standards in Houston. Read the full story on KPRC2 / Click2Houston . 4 teens shot at apartment complex in southeast Houston Police say six men started shooting into the apartment complex where the teens were standing in a common area. Read the full story on ABC13 Houston . Video shows officer hang on to shoplifting suspect's car Video shows the law enforcement officer from the Beaumont area trying to stop a woman at an east Houston shopping center. Read the full story on ABC13 Houston . Former Astro Jim Bouton has died Jim Bouton, whose controversial book Ball Four exposed the personal lives of his baseball teammates, died Wednesday after a bout with vascular dementia, his wife, Paula Kurman, said. He was 80. Read the full story on KPRC2 / Click2Houston . Houston dubbed the 'Cultural Capital of the South' "Worth Magazine" has given Houston new bragging rights. Read the full story on KHOU . This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The Cowboys haven't reached the NFC Championship Game since winning their last Super Bowl in 1995. Yet, they remain America's Team and the World's Team for that matter. Nine of the 50 highest-rated sports TV broadcasts in 2018 were regular-season games featuring the Cowboys, according to Forbes . The Patriots were the only other team with more than four games among the top 50. No team knows how to make money better than the Cowboys. The magazine estimates that AT&T Stadium generates $340 million in sponsorship and premium seating revenue, twice as much as any other team. All of that to say, for the fourth consecutive year, Forbes has named the Cowboys the world's most valuable sports franchise. It marks the 13th consecutive year the Cowboys have led the NFL in value. The Cowboys have an estimated value of $5 billion, up 4 percent over last year. The Yankees ($4.6 billion), Real Madrid ($4.2 billion) and Barcelona ($4 billion) follow. More than half of Forbes ' top-50, though, are NFL teams, each of which received more than $260 million in media-rights deals last year. Here are the other 25 NFL teams ranked in the top 50 by Forbes and their estimated value: 7. Patriots ($3.8 billion); 10. (tie) Giants ($3.3 billion); 12. (tie) Rams ($3.2 billion); 14. (tie) Redskins ($3.1 billion); 16. 49ers ($3.05 billion); 19. (tie) Bears ($2.9 billion); 21. Jets ($2.85 billion); 22. (tie) Texans ($2.8 billion); 24. Eagles ($2.75 billion); 26. Broncos ($2.65 billion); 27. Packers ($2.63 billion); 28. Falcons ($2.6 billion); 29. Ravens ($2.59 billion); 30. Steelers ($2.59 billion); 31. Seahawks ($2.58 billion); 33. Dolphins ($2.58 billion); 34. Raiders ($2.42 billion); 35. Vikings ($2.4 billion); 36. Colts ($2.38 billion); 38. (tie) Panthers ($2.3 billion); 41. Chargers ($2.28 billion); 46. Cardinals ($2.15 billion); 47. (tie) Chiefs ($2.1 billion); 49. Jaguars ($2.08 billion); 50. Saints ($2.08 billion).


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. At the bottom of the biggest current policy debate in America, whether to increase government intervention in health care, is a moral question: Is health care a "basic human right?" That means the right, not to buy or sell it voluntarily, but to acquire it from others through coercion. The politician most famous for making the claim, socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, was at it again Thursday during the Democratic presidential debate. But these days he is joined by increasingly left-wing competitors for the nomination in making the same claim. Although it rarely is, the argument should be examined on the merits. Rights, in the philosophical rather than legal sense, are universal moral claims that extend to all people across time and place by virtue of their nature. They cannot extend past the point that they violate those of another person. If they lacked these universal qualities, they would lose moral weight, for they could easily and arbitrarily be deprived from certain people at certain times. The right socialists allege exists to consume material goods that others have created, including health care fails to meet the universal standards for rights. Because of that, Sanders and other Democrats should be asked questions like the following to explain their beliefs. Doing so might vivify the incoherence and danger of the claim to voters. If We Have a Right, How Do We Secure It? Most of the medical care socialists argue people are entitled to today did not even exist decades ago. Did people a generation before us have a right to statins, which have halved the incidence of heart disease since their introduction? Did Franklin Roosevelt have a right to the polio vaccine, which virtually eradicated the disease after his death? Did people before the 1920s have a right to penicillin? Would Robinson Crusoe, the fictional character shipwrecked on a desert island in the 18th century, have the right to any health care? If so, who took that right from these people? Similarly, do the people of Honduras, Afghanistan, or Zimbabwe today not have a right to the same quality of health care that even low-income Americans can access? If so, who is depriving them of that right? If Americans have access to such health care but Zimbabweans do not, does that not mean their government   or someone's   should be taking doctors and resources from the United States to their country? If not, does that mean Americans possess a greater moral claim to health care than do people in poor countries? According to a World Health Organization working group , 58 countries had socialized health care as of 2009, codifying the aforementioned right. The United States was not among them, but Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Oman, and Tunisia were. Even if poor, would an American ever choose to claim his "right" to health care in these benevolent nations, or would he roll the dice in America? In socialist countries like Venezuela, health care is a constitutionally recognized right , but the hospitals there are nothing short of a humanitarian disaster and the entire system is wrought with shortages, as tens of thousands of doctors have fled the country. Even in Canada, the codification of a moral right to health care in a single-payer system fails to guarantee access. Average Canadian waiting times for "medically necessary" treatments rose to 20 weeks in 2016, according to the right-leaning Fraser Institute . Not only is the quality of Canadian care inferior to the American variety, with survival rates from heart disease and cancer lower, but the inequality of care by income is greater, too, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research study . It all begs the question: just because a government declares health care a right and socializes medicine, does that mean its citizens are more likely to obtain care? A Right to Unlimited Amounts of Other People's Resources? Even if the government could provide it, socialists must also specify how much health care is a right. Because it is an economic good with a price tag, taxpayers should know how much they expect to be milked to fund this moral obligation. Does $2,000 per person annually measure the right? $3,000? $10,000? More? How do socialists like Sanders come to whichever number they pick? If it's $5,000 of health care that everyone has a moral claim to, does that mean $4,999 is an egregious deprivation of their human rights? Put another way, what is the opportunity cost of this right? How much education, housing, transportation, food, apparel, and entertainment are socialists willing to forego to ensure a "great society"? (And no, there are not enough yachts and private jets in the world to finance universal government health care. Not even close.) To paraphrase Kevin Williamson , how can there be a right to a scarce material good? Health care is a product that must be created out of thin air by the mind and muscle of doctors, nurses, scientists, businesspeople, and other providers. It is not manna from Heaven. So, if people have a right to it, they must have a claim on the labor of others. Who is willing to tell a doctor she has an open-ended obligation to provide care to all comers   beyond emergency cases   or else? Or are Democrats willing to tell other workers that they have an open-ended obligation to toil for the taxman however long is necessary to finance the level of health care that they deem another man's right? In other words, how can people have a right to liberty and property, first widely acknowledged during the Enlightenment, when they simultaneously have the right to the fruits of someone else's labor? Is there anything more backward and barbaric than claiming one man has the right to make another his beast of burden? Socialist principles undermine much of what human civilization has built from nothing over centuries. Today the world supports more than seven billion people, with the poor in the United States living into their 70s with access to medical technologies that the richest people decades ago did not dream of. This fortune exists in part because our society observed the individual's rights to liberty and property that enable great advances for the many to enjoy. Undermining those rights in pursuit of an alternate reality on Earth will only make everyone poorer, less healthy, and less free.


The sale of the Stonehouse Square Apartments forced tenants who didn't know each other into action. The new owner wasn't going to renew a contract that set aside apartments for 19 low-income tenants. They had a year to find a new apartment. Residents called Home Line, an organization focused on tenant advocacy and legal services, for help. And they put up fliers, knocked on doors and met with the building's owner. Now a nonprofit potential buyer has emerged, and residents are hopeful that a new owner will let them stay. "We've all realized if we don't help each other, no one's going to," said Trish Turek, a three-year resident living under the Section 8 contract who helped with the organizing. Across the Twin Cities, building conversions and rent hikes have displaced low-income tenants and caused intense discussions among state and local leaders over how to stop the hemorrhaging of affordable housing. Amid the anxieties, residents are mobilizing. What's happening at Stonehouse Square, once a home for the aged run by Catholic nuns, is unusual. The Section 8 subsidies are connected to the apartments, not the individual tenants. Many of the tenants have lived in the building for decades. Many are seniors and receive Social Security or disability benefits as their main sources of income. Many need to go to a church or food bank to fill their fridge. "We don't have time to just go and find a place," said Carin Peterson, one of the organizers in the Stonehouse Square Apartments Tenants' Association who has lived there for 4½ years.The tenants have an affinity for their community beyond the low cost. It's quiet, the bus is "right there," there's a dental office across the street and it's close to Art-A-Whirl, the annual art festival in the neighborhood. They also appreciate the history of their building at 215 NE. Broadway St. It was built in 1895 and operated for 80 years as the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, where Catholic nuns cared for impoverished older adults. The home closed but was turned into a 71-unit apartment complex with a mix of subsidized and market-rate units. The owner, Diversified Equities Corporation, had to set aside the Section 8 units in exchange for the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency helping finance the deal. Turek remembers passing the building and seeing the nuns every day on her way to elementary school at St. Boniface. "When my friend told me she was living there, I was like, 'The nuns' building, you're kidding me,'?" Turek said. Three years ago, she moved in. Now Turek pays $265 a month for a two-bedroom apartment that she shares with her 19-year-old son. Barb Lindman worked as a candy striper for the Little Sisters of the Poor nursing home. Now the building is her home. "I've lived here my whole life," she said. "I don't want to leave the neighborhood." In an interview, Jon Dickerson, founder of Diversified Equities Corporation, said he wants the next owner to decide whether to renew the Section 8 contract. "The effect of having the subsidized folks in the building sometimes rubbed the market-rate people the wrong way, and some of the restrictions that go along with Housing and Urban Development lease and contract requirements [are] a little bit onerous from an owner's point of view," Dickerson said. The residents met with the owners March 1 and talked about what the building meant to them and how their lives would be upended without the safety of the contract, and the residents urged the owners to sell to a nonprofit developer with a mission for affordable housing. Dickerson turned down their request to renew the contract, they said. The residents left the meeting feeling discouraged but still energized. "The owners almost got a letter from the nuns," Peterson said. If the contract is not renewed, the residents would receive "enhanced vouchers" that would allow them to stay in their units and raise the subsidy amount that could be applied to their rent if it goes up. However, if the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority says the rent is "unreasonable," then residents could be priced out and have to move to a place that meets the new voucher requirements. If the housing complex is converted to condos, residents would be given traditional Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Unreasonable rent raises don't happen often, but the possibility still gives people fear, according to Ivory Taylor, lead tenant organizer and Volunteers in Service to America program director for Home Line. "It's part of a lack of security and stability -- 'Could this happen? Could someone raise our rent so high?' That's why it's important nonprofit buyers get in there because the chance of them raising rent to being unreasonable is much lower," Taylor said. Finding a new place that they could afford that accepts Section 8 vouchers is increasingly difficult. Many landlords say "No Section 8" in their listings. In the apartment buildings in the few blocks around Stonehouse Square, one-bedrooms are going for $1,400 and studios as much as $1,300. For the couple of buildings in the area that do accept Section 8 tenants, screening requirements include having income two or three times the rent. Other screenings include credit checks, eviction history or criminal background checks. Being on a fixed income puts many of the apartments out of reach with or without the voucher. "Go look? Go look at what? There's nothing to look at," Turek said when talking about the idea of looking for a new place to live. Tenants are hoping that CommonBond Communities, a nonprofit developer focused on affordable housing, will buy the building. Alicia Cordes-Mayo, marketing communications director for CommonBond, confirmed that the organization has a purchase agreement for Stonehouse Square. They're still working out financing. "We want to preserve this beautiful building and retain affordable housing," Cordes-Mayo said. In Stonehouse Square's recent quarterly newsletter, the owners said they had multiple offers for the property but "selected a buyer that is committed to continuing the property as affordable housing." They expect to close the deal by late summer. The tenants said they have reached out to CommonBond but have not heard anything. For now, they're cautiously optimistic that the deal will go through. "I'll be doing cartwheels," Turek said. "I can't do one, but I'll try." Marissa Evans • 612-673-4280 ___ (c)2019 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Boeing is open to dropping the "Max" branding for its latest 737 jetliner, based on a global study it is conducting of consumer and airline responses to an aircraft name that's been tarnished by two fatal crashes and a three-month grounding. "I'd say we're being open-minded to all the input we get," Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said Monday in an interview on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show. "We're committed to doing what we need to do to restore it. If that means changing the brand to restore it, then we'll address that. If it doesn't, we'll address whatever is a high priority." For now, executives insist they have no immediate plans to drop the Max name for something less controversial, such as the product numbers that marked earlier generations of the company's best-selling aircraft. The damage to the company's own name, as well as its jetliner brands, is just one aspect of the crisis that Boeing teams are managing from a Seattle-area war room. Smith tunes in to daily phone calls with Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg and Greg Hyslop, who oversees the aerospace giant's engineering corps. They've hired outside advisers to help with branding and technical matters, along with crisis-management experts Sard Verbinnen & Co. Related video: Boeing CEO admits 'mistake' over 737 MAX sensor problem (provided by Newsy) Regaining Trust While it's up to global regulators to determine when the 737 Max will eventually fly again, Boeing is trying to anticipate and plan for every possible scenario related to the unprecedented grounding, which has triggered one of the worst crises in the planemaker's century-long history. The Chicago-based company knows that the ultimate success of its effort lies in winning back the confidence of travelers, particularly those skittish about Boeing's best-selling airplane after 346 travelers died in two fatal accidents within a five-month span. But it's unfamiliar territory for a company more accustomed to wrangling with airlines, lawmakers and heads of state. "How do you talk to that person in seat 17A," Smith said. "At the end of the day, the Boeing brand is ours. We have to make sure we have enough time and resources to address the problem."


LOS ANGELES   Nipsey Hussle spent part of the afternoon of March 31 signing autographs, taking photos with fans and talking with friends at the Hyde Park strip mall where he owned several businesses. Less than a half hour into his visit, Eric Holder approached the famed rapper, who was with a larger group, and the two shook hands. They had a four-minute conversation, and at some point, the topic turned to snitching. "Apparently, the conversation had something to do with (Hussle) telling Mr. Holder that word on the street was that Mr. Holder was snitching," Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told a grand jury in May, saying that was a serious offense in the gang world. "The conversation wasn't particularly intense. It wasn't particularly belligerent." But the conversation was enough, the prosecutor said, "that it moved Eric Holder to a point of wanting to return to the parking lot and kill Nipsey Hussle." After they talked, Holder picked up chili cheese fries from a nearby burger shop, got in a woman's car and they drove off. Soon after, the 29-year-old man returned, a gun in each hand, and allegedly opened fire. Hussle fell to the ground, suffering at least 10 gunshot wounds, authorities said, adding that before fleeing, Holder kicked him in the head. A witness told a detective that after he was shot, Hussle said, "You got me," the detective testified. The chronology of Hussle's final moments comes from 515 pages of grand jury testimony ordered released at a hearing Thursday by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry after the Los Angeles Times argued in court for public access. Holder's public defender had sought to keep the grand jury proceedings secret until after his trial, arguing that making the transcript public could jeopardize his right to a fair trial. For most of Thursday's hearing, Holder stared stoically ahead, occasionally looking at spectators. Three deputies stood close behind the defendant, who wore glasses and a yellow jail shirt with his wrists cuffed, while several other deputies were scattered throughout the courtroom. The documents, which include the prosecutor's opening statement during the May hearing, as well as the testimony of several witnesses to the killing and investigating officers, provide the most detailed account to date of Hussle's slaying and potential clues to the prosecution's case against Holder. Two others were wounded during the shooting. The grand jury panel returned a six-count indictment charging Holder with one count of murder, two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He is being held in lieu of $6.5-million bail. If convicted, he faces life in state prison. He has pleaded not guilty. Hussle, 33, born Ermias Asghedom, was a celebrated rapper as well as an investor, activist and entrepreneur, whose death sparked days of memorials and grieving far beyond his South L.A. neighborhood. Los Angeles police have said the motive for the shooting was a personal dispute. But the documents reveal more details about the words alleged to have been exchanged between Hussle and Holder. They include the first account from a woman Holder was dating who drove him to and from the strip mall and was offered immunity for her testimony. The woman, who works as a caregiver and driver, was not identified by name because of numerous credible threats to her safety. She said she and Holder met in February. When she and Holder first pulled up to the burger joint, she testified, she spotted Hussle and got excited. She pulled into a parking lot and Holder walked over to Hussle's group. She wanted a photo with Hussle, so she also approached and said she heard Holder telling Hussle: "Cuz, have you ever snitched?" She snagged a selfie with the rapper and went back to her car, where she uploaded it to her Facebook profile. Holder, meanwhile, picked up his fries and returned to the car. As she drove around the block, Holder pulled out a gun and started loading it, she testified. "You're not gonna do a drive-by in my car," she recalled telling him. He put the gun away. She pulled over so he could eat, and a few minutes later, he told her he'd be right back. Moments later, she said that she heard two gunshots. People ran from the area. The woman said Holder returned angry and jumped back into her car. She testified that when she asked what happened, he said to drive away or he would slap her. She dropped him off at his cousin's house, she said. Holder called her later, asking if he could stay with her that night. The next day, she said, he asked for her help securing a motel room. The prosecutor asked if it occurred to her that he was trying to hide out. "No," she said. By then, she was seeing social media posts implicating him in the shooting. When she confronted him at the motel later, he started breathing harder, but stayed quiet, she said. He asked her to take him to get cigarettes and food from Jack in the Box. When she got home later that night, she saw her car   and license plate   on the news. She testified that she and her mother went to the police station early the next morning, telling a desk officer that her car was linked to a murder. "Don't listen to the news," a police officer said, according to her testimony, turning her away. She called the police later that morning, and was told to return to the station. According to the transcripts, detectives interviewed her for five hours, during which she told them that, before she heard the gunshots, Holder "wanted to do a drive-by." She objected to using her car, and Holder told her to pull around back, she told detectives. The transcripts also include testimony from Herman Douglas, who worked for Hussle, and Kerry Lathan, who was wounded in the shooting. Douglas said he heard Hussle and Holder greet each other that afternoon. "Man, you know, they got some paperwork on you," Hussle told Holder, according to Douglas. "Like you need to maybe take care of that." Douglas explained that to mean that there were rumors Holder had snitched on someone. Hussle was "basically telling the guy you need to be careful," Douglas said. Douglas had gone inside to eat his lunch when he heard gunshots. When he got to the front door, Hussle was on the ground, Holder running, he said. "He was still breathing, you know, like biting his tongue a little bit, then he   he was just trying to fight it, trying to gain consciousness, and he was going out. And he just kept   he just kept fighting." Lathan, who testified in a wheelchair because of his injuries, was also offered immunity to testify. He said he was released from prison in 2018, after more than two decades behind bars in a murder. Two weeks after his release, Hussle, whom he'd never met, gave him a care package of shoes and clothing. He said he went to the strip mall that day to go shopping, and was there for about two minutes before he was shot. Just before the shooter opened fire, Lathan testified, he said, "You're through." A coroner testified that Hussle sustained at least 10 gunshot wounds, including to his scalp, chest, abdomen and foot. Six bullets were removed from his body. Holder was arrested in Bellflower two days after the shooting. An aspiring rapper who went by the moniker Fly Mac, Holder has sung of body bags, "38 gun blasts" and bloody homicides.     (Staff writer Cindy Chang contributed to this report.)     ©2019 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Thousands of people including British actor-comedian Ricky Gervais demanded the reinstatement Wednesday of a Canadian conservation officer who was suspended for refusing to put down two black bear cubs. The bears were believed to be just two months old and were found in a tree near their mother, who was captured and killed Sunday after she was discovered eating salmon in the freezer of a home in Port Hardy, British Columbia. Rather than putting the pair to death, Bryce Casavant entrusted them to a shelter, the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association, triggering his suspension without pay after he had been told by his superiors to euthanize them. "After investigating, he decided there was no need to euthanize the cubs. They were never in the house or trailer, and the owner of the property told me that too," director Robin Campbell said. A petition for Casavant to be reinstated has garnered over 42,000 signatures in a day and support from Gervais, who tweeted to his nine million followers: "Reinstate this honourable man." Mary Polak, British Columbia environment minister, said an internal investigation was under way.


Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Chicago. Remains found amid search for pregnant Chicago woman who vanished after meetup to exchange baby items Chicago police are questioning four people in connection with the disappearance of a 19-year-old pregnant woman. The people were taken into custody from a home on West 77th Place, where remains were recently recovered, KTLA sister station WGN in Chicago reported Wednesday. Read the full story on KTLA 5 News . 'Zombie raccoon' sightings: They stagger, show their teeth and may have glowing eyes Chicago-area officials have repeatedly warned locals of raccoons infected with the distemper virus, which can cause the animals to act like "zombies." Read the full story on USA TODAY . A man wants his 76-year sentence for murder overturned because the eyewitness was legally blind The defendant is challenging his conviction in the case of a fatal shooting at a Chicago gas station. Read the full story on Washington Post . Man made fake 911 calls to see cops' frantic response, prosecutors say A Chicago man admitted making at least 10 calls to emergency dispatchers to falsely report shootings of police officers so he could watch the frantic law enforcement response, prosecutors said. Read the full story on New York Post . This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Many athletes and public figures have denounced presidential candidate Donald Trump after he made recent anti-Muslim comments . Many were wondering how New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would respond, given he says he's a friend of Trump's . Trump, in turn, has been throwing around Brady's name in interviews, specifically saying how great Brady has been to Trump's campaign success in Boston to the Washington Post . Brady finally broke his silence on the topic during his regular appearance on WEEI 93.7 FM saying he supports his friends   including Trump. "Can I just stay out of this debate?" Brady said with a laugh. "Donald is a good friend of mine. I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends. That is what I have to say. He's a good friend of mine. He's always been so supportive of me   for the last 15 years, since I judged a beauty pageant for him, which was one of the very first things that I did that thought was really cool. That came along with winning the Super Bowl. He's always invited me to play golf. I've always enjoyed his company. I support all my friends and everything they do. When asked if he endorsed Trump, he was noncommittal. "This is really important to you guys, huh?" Brady said. So there you have it. The hosts let Brady off the hook before he said if he endorses Trump, but Brady didn't go as far to say he's not backing his good friend, nor did he distance himself from any of Trump's recent comments. Brady will make a fine politician himself one day with that kind of slick non-answering answer. One would hope he doesn't want to be associated with Trump's recent polarizing remarks, so not fully backing him make sense, although Tuesday's comments (and locker room hat ) suggest otherwise.


Deondre Francois' football journey will go on in Florida. According to 247Sports , the former Florida State quarterback will walk on at Florida Atlantic this season and play for Owls coach Lane Kiffin. Francois, who was dismissed from FSU in February after allegedly threatening his girlfriend in a video posted to Instagram, has two years of eligibility remaining. "I put myself in a terrible situation," Francois told 247Sports. "I've learned from it. I take full responsibility of everything that happened. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I just want to learn from it and grow from it. That won't happen again. This has impacted my life far more than anyone can imagine. It helped me grow as a man and I'm ready to embark on new beginnings." Francois visited the FAU campus earlier this year for the team's first spring practice and will now join returning starter Chris Robison and redshirt freshman Cordel Littlejohn on the depth chart. "Means the world to me to get another opportunity to play football again," Francois said. "Just the situations that have happened with me off the field, I feel like I could have avoided those situations being around the right people and having the right people around me. I feel FAU has the right supporting cast. When I went down for a visit it was very family-oriented and something new for me." MORE : Dan Mullen addresses Florida's 'disappointing' off-the-field issues | Dabo Swinney shuts down rumors of possible future at Alabama | Former Oregon WR Keanon Lowe stops gunman at Portland high school Francois, 22, led the Seminoles to a 10-3 record in 2016 but tore his ACL in the first game of the following season and missed the rest of the year. He's made 25 starts in three seasons with FSU, but missed 13 games due to injury. He completed 57.1 percent of his passes as he threw for 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 games last season.


It doesn't matter what it is. Your wedding day. The birth of your first child. The moment you heard Deadwood was coming back. There can't be a single better feeling on god's beautiful green earth than winning your state softball championship on a triple play. Then again, don't take our word it. Just ask the lucky ladies of Michigan's Unionville-Sebewaing High, who clinched their D-4 state title this weekend on one of the rarest plays in sports. Who needs closers, amirite? See the video on YouTube. Can you imagine? One second you're standing on the mound with runners on first and second about to become the Girl Who Blew It bagging groceries at the local IGA for the rest of your days, and the next a comebacker ricochets off your arm, flies straight into the shortstop's glove, and one bang-bang later its ballgame, curtains, goodnight. I don't know how the good, hearty folks of the U.P. feel about tattoos, but if that were me, I'd be walking straight down to the local shop and getting 6-4-3 tattooed literally anywhere on my body. Seriously, dealer's choice. RELATED: ESPN softball announcers serve up big ol' matzo ball Watching stuff like this (and this ), it's hard to believe there's not some sort of fate involved the glancing blow, the ball just narrowly missing the runner heading to third but there is Major League precedent for the walk-off triple play, with the Phillies' Eric Bruntlett turning an unassisted triple on, you guessed it, the New York Mets back in 2009: See the video on YouTube. As for Kalamazoo Christian, who ended up on the wrong side of this wild coin flip, well, if there's no better feeling than winning your state championship on a triple play, then there's no worse feeling than losing on one:


Inclement weather rolled into Charlotte N.C. and suspended the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship at 3:37 p.m. ET Saturday. Max Homa leads the field by one at 12-under par and was on the ninth hole when play was halted. Notables Justin Rose (8-under), Rory McIlroy (7-under), and Patrick Reed (7-under) remain in the hunt. Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license. Related slideshow: 10 female golfers who could give men a run for their money (provided by SNIPDaily)


The Travelers Championship has long greeted golf's rising young stars with open arms. Top college players competing as amateurs or making their pro debuts have become a staple of the PGA Tour stop at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. And they've often created their own fulfilling storylines, such as Patrick Cantlay shooing a 60 in 2011, the lowest score shot by an amateur in a PGA Tour event, still one of the more memorable moments for the now two-time winner and eighth-ranked player in the world. This year is no different. Not long after Oklahoma State standout and NCAA champ Matthew Wolff announced via Instagram that he was leaving school and making his pro debut at the Travelers, tournament officials announced that they also extended an exemption to Wolff's OSU teammate and top-ranked amateur Viktor Hovland, who also will make his pro debut at the event. Hovland is the reigning U.S. Amateur champ and recently received the Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the top men's college golfer accounting for his amateur and college. The 21-year-old Norwegian won three individual titles for the Cowboys this season and was also the low amateur at this year's Masters, after finishing second at last year's European Am and helping the Cowboys to the 2018 national championship. Joining Wolff, who is ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Hovland in the Travelers field will be two other college standouts: Justin Suh and Collin Morikawa, who were ranked second and third in the World Amateur Rankings before recently turning pro. Suh just wrapped up his senior season at USC, where he was named a first-team All-American for a second straight year after claiming two individual titles in 2018-'19. His scoring average of 69.39 this season was the second-best in school history behind his own mark of 68.73 in his junior year. He made his pro debut as last week's Memorial, missing the cut after rounds of 74 and 72 to finish at two over. Morikawa, meanwhile, was a four-time All-American at Cal-Berkeley, including a first-team selection each of his final three years, as well as Pac-12 Player of the Year his senior season after winning the individual conference tournament title. He is making his pro debut at this week's RBC Canadian Open and on Monday earned a spot into the field at Pebble Beach during U.S. Open sectional qualifying. See the video. Every Hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links


KANSAS CITY, Mo.   Kansas City police say they're investigating the death of a popular Midtown bar owner as a homicide, months after he was killed in a house explosion. Police identified Melvin "Lee" Mecker as the man who was killed in a house explosion at East 15th Terrace and Fremont Avenue on April 10. Police have not identified a cause of death for Mecker, whose body was found in the rubble. There are no suspects in custody. Kansas City Fire officials have not been able to determine a cause for the blaze and are actively working with the police department as well as bomb and arson investigators, according to Kansas City Fire Department Deputy Chief, Jimmy Walker. In June, Buddies, the bar Mecker owned closed and was placed up for lease . Melinda Hudgens first met Mecker nearly 35 years ago. She described her friend as a kind, loving man who always wanted to lend a helping hand. "If you needed a hand out and he could do it, he would do it for you. He was a really great guy," Hudgens said.     ©2019 WDAF-TV, Kansas City Visit WDAF-TV, Kansas City at www.fox4kc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Danny Ainge is recovering from his heart attack and anxious to get back to work, according to Austin Ainge, who doubles as the team's director of player personnel and Danny's son. In an interview with the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach , Austin Ainge expresses amazement at his father's speedy recovery. Ainge, who recently turned 60, suffered a mild heart attack last month in Milwaukee. It was his second in 10 years. "He's back at it," Austin Ainge said. "He's doing great. He's been texting me 100 times a day. He loves his job, and he wants to continue doing it." While Ainge still can't travel, he's already attended several pre-draft workouts at the Celtics' facility in Brighton. Boston has three first-round picks this year, beginning with the No. 14 overall selection. In the immediate aftermath of his heart attack, Ainge's family took away his cell phone and prohibited him from watching the final games of the season. Given how poorly the Celtics played, that might've been a blessing. "He's doing well and he's very motivated," Austin Ainge told Himmelsbach. "Pretty much life back to normal. It didn't take him long to turn into 60-year-old Dennis the Menace again." Hopefully Ainge is taking advantage of the relative downtime now. Business promises to start moving at an accelerated pace as soon as Kyrie opts out July 1.


Looking to add a new companion to the family? There are dozens of cuddly canines up for adoption at animal shelters in and around Irvine, so you won't have to look far to find the perfect new pal. Hoodline used data from Petfinder to power this roundup of dogs available for adoption near you. Read on to meet some friendly, furry locals. (Details like pet availability, training, vaccinations and other features are based on data provided by Petfinder and may be subject to change; contact the shelter for the latest information.) Nico, German shepherd Nico is an adorable male German shepherd dog currently housed at Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California . Nico is looking for cat-free home. No need to worry: He's already house-trained, neutered and has all his shots. Here's what Nico's friends at Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California think of him: Around 6-7 years old, Nico was made an outside dog and got little interaction with people or other dogs until he was brought to the shelter. This beautiful boy, who adores toys and people, is fine around other large dogs. He is very food- and toy-motivated. He knows basic commands and is quick to catch on to new things. He would do best in a home with older children. Read more about how to adopt Nico on Petfinder . Lux, Belgian shepherd Lux is a sweet male Belgian shepherd dog currently residing at Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California . Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California wants to place Lux in a home without small children. He's mastered his house-training etiquette, is neutered and has all his shots. Notes from Lux's caretakers: This Malinois/GSD mix is a great boy but very timid around people he doesn't know. Once he knows you, he's affectionate and great on a leash. He spends his days playing with other large-breed dogs, male and female, and going for walks with volunteers. He's obedience trained and working him is a great way to build trust. Lux's owner passed away and his children brought him to the shelter. Apply to adopt Lux today at Petfinder . Khaleesi, German shepherd Khaleesi is a lovable female German shepherd dog being cared for at Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California . She has all of her shots, and she is spayed. Fear not: She is already house-trained. She is a special needs pet, so please inquire about her specific care requirements. Her current caretakers say: Khaleesi has been through a lot: she was hit by a car and severely injured, and also developed a MRSA infection. However, she's received lots of care and has had her last surgery. She still wears a splint on her leg as the fracture continues to heal. She is on strict confinement and only allowed out for potty breaks and 10-minute walks. She loves to be petted and gives kisses. Throughout this whole ordeal, Khaleesi has proven to have a wonderful temperament. Apply to adopt Khaleesi today at Petfinder . Hope, white German shepherd Hope is a winsome female white German shepherd dog in the care of Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California . Hope is looking for cat-free household. No need to worry: She's already house-trained. Her vaccinations are up to date, and she is spayed. Hope is a special needs pet, so please inquire about her specific care requirements. From Hope's current caretaker: Hope was dumped in an overnight shelter space, where she was treated terribly. This girl is one of the sweetest, most obedient dogs we've ever had in the rescue. Hope has perianal fistulas, an auto-immune disease. She's under a dermatologist's care and has made huge strides with aggressive medication. She has blossomed with proper care, daily walks and a nice soft bed. Hope's medical needs are straightforward and manageable. She's highly adoptable for a family looking for a low energy, mellow girl. Apply to adopt Hope today at Petfinder . This story was created automatically using local animal shelter data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


WASHINGTON   Vice President Mike Pence will travel to the southern border Friday, the same day that House Democrats are holding a hearing on dangerous conditions at overcrowded migrant detention centers . Pence tweeted Monday that he is going to McAllen, Texas, home to one of the federal detention centers contributing to what federal investigators have called a "ticking time bomb." Pence said he will be accompanied by his wife and a bipartisan delegation of members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. An inspector general's report released last week described conditions at overcrowded detention facilities in the Rio Grande Valley as "a ticking time bomb." Border Patrol managers told investigators that men had clogged toilets with Mylar blankets or socks to get out of cells during maintenance. Pictures in the report showed migrants crowded behind chain-link fences in a McAllen, Texas, facility or huddling under blankets on the floor. Detainees banged on windows, shouted and pointed to their beards to demonstrate the length of their stays, as investigators from the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General Office visited five facilities during the week of June 10. Watchdog report: Photos show dangerous conditions at Border Patrol sites for migrants The stuff of nightmares: Inside the migrant detention center in Clint, Texas As he announced his McAllen trip, Pence welcomed passage of an emergency aid bill for the border but said on Twitter that "much more must be done to SECURE our border & end this crisis!" In a speech Monday morning to Christians United for Israel, Pence blamed "Democrat obstruction" for problems at the border. Pence accused Democrats of initially denying there was a crisis and said that held up funding to help the situation. He also accused Democrats of refusing "to close the loopholes used by human traffickers to exploit those vulnerable families." "We will provide compassionate relief to vulnerable families swept up in the crisis,' Pence said. "And we will fix this broken immigration system once and for all." But Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has accused the administration of "open contempt for the rule of law and for basic human decency" in its treatment of migrants. The committee has asked Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border protection, to testify before the panel Friday. Haunting drawings: Doctors share migrant children's view of detention centers 'Disturbing' Facebook posts: Border Patrol agents investigated for ridiculing immigrants, lawmakers The conditions arose as apprehensions in the Rio Grande Valley have more than doubled in the past year, with 223,263 apprehensions from October through May, compared to 99,835 during the same period a year earlier, according to the Border Patrol. The largest increase occurred with families, which skyrocketed to 135,812 apprehensions during the first eight months of the year from 36,773 a year earlier. CBP facilities are designed for short stays, before adults are passed along to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and children move to Health and Human Services facilities. But because ICE and HHS facilities are also overcrowded, CBP is unable to move its detainees. Contributing: Bart Jansen. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vice President Pence to visit border amid outcry over conditions at migrant detention centers


Former Cleveland Browns executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown has a new job. It's still in professional sports but in a different sport than football. Brown has been hired by the Washington Wizards organization and owner Ted Leonsis to head a new division of his Monumental Sports and Entertainment property. Per the Washington Post , Brown is officially the chief planning and operations officer for the new venture, which unites all of Leonsis' basketball properties under one umbrella. That includes the NBA's Wizards, WNBA's Mystics, the Capital City Go-Go of the G-League and an NBA2K team. It's a big departure for Brown, who served as the primary football decision-maker for the Browns from 2016-17. Cleveland won one game in the two seasons under his direct control. The 43-year-old has a legal background with no basketball experience. MORE: Lakers' Quinn Cook Q&A: 'It feels like this team has been together a while' Brooks Koepka explained what's the most frustrating part of J.B. Holmes' slow play Phil Simms: 'Multiple' teams were set to take Daniel Jones before No. 17 Brooks Koepka Calls Out J.B. Holmes Following Disastrous Final Round at The Open 5 possible landing spots for former Cowboys WR Dez Bryant


Christian Pulisic is back to his best. The USMNT star scored a wonderful solo goal to open the scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Werder Bremen on Saturday. [ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] Pulisic, 20, carved throughout the Werder team, put a sneaky nutmeg in there for good measure and kept his cool to slot home, as the Bundesliga giants try to stay in touch with leaders Bayern Munich heading into the final weeks of the season. After his injury-hit season, the goal was only Pulisic's third of the Bundesliga campaign as he is currently on loan back to Dortmund following his January move to Chelsea. See the video below to watch Pulisic's magnificent strike, as Chelsea fans everywhere will be licking their chops with delight… 🇺🇸 Chelsea-bound Christian Pulisic scores a lovely solo goal to put Borussia Dortmund 1-0 up against Werder Bremen. Superb goal from the #USMNT attacker as #BVB continue to push for the Bundesliga title. #CFC fans will like the look of this… pic.twitter.com/sOKnl7aPw3   Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 4, 2019 Follow @JPW_NBCSports


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)   The Latest on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing (all times local): 9:40 a.m. Thousands of model rockets have been launched in Huntsville, Alabama, 50 years after the Apollo 11 crew blasted off for the moon. Tuesday's launch was done by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, which is attempting a world record. Huntsville, known as Rocket City, was the home of the powerful Saturn V rocket that took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. The simultaneous rocket launch is one of many events planned commemorating the golden anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. 9:32 a.m. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins has returned to the exact spot where he and two other astronauts flew to the moon 50 years ago. At NASA's invitation, Michael Collins spent the golden anniversary Tuesday morning at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A in Florida. He marked the precise moment   9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969   that their Saturn V rocket departed on humanity's first moon landing. Buzz Aldrin was an unexplained no-show. Mission commander Neil Armstrong   who took the first lunar footsteps   died in 2012. Collins says he wishes Aldrin and Armstrong could have shared the moment Tuesday at the pad. The 88-year-old astronaut was interviewed live on NASA TV. The event kicks off a week of celebrations marking each day of Apollo 11's eight-day voyage. 9:15 a.m. The spacesuit that Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong wore for that one small step on the moon is back on display in mint condition. The 76-pound suit had been out of view and needed to be rehabbed before it was put on display Tuesday at the Air and Space Museum in Washington. On hand for the unveiling were Vice President Mike Pence, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine and Armstrong's son, Rick. A fundraising campaign took just five days to raise the $500,000 needed for the restoration. Calling Armstrong a hero, Pence said "the American people express their gratitude by preserving this symbol of courage." The Apollo 11 crew of Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins launched to the moon 50 years ago Tuesday. Armstrong died in 2012. 4:30 a.m. Apollo 11's astronauts are returning to the exact spot from where they flew to the moon 50 years ago. NASA has invited Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on Tuesday. They will mark the precise moment   9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969   that their Saturn V rocket departed on humanity's first moon landing. Mission commander Neil Armstrong   who took the first lunar footsteps   died in 2012. It kicks off eight days of golden anniversary celebrations for each day of Apollo 11's voyage. Also Tuesday morning, 5,000 model rockets are set to launch simultaneously at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. At the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, Armstrong's newly restored spacesuit goes on display.


WASHINGTON   The Trump administration is taking steps to punish anyone doing business with the Venezuelan defense sector   including foreign entities trying to quell dissent by shutting down the internet. It's the latest effort by the administration to ratchet up pressure on the Caracas government and oust Nicolas Maduro from power. The U.S. government has initiated the legal authority to sanction any entity, foreign or domestic, that does business with the Venezuelan defense or security services, a senior administration official told a small group of reporters Friday. The official warned that foreign companies doing business with Venezuela should be "treading lightly on that front." "So if you're a Russian company that is doing business, whether it's on spare parts or supplying them, if you're Spanish company supplying Venezuelan military or security services with any products, you will be subject to sanctions," the official said. The measures were announced Friday by the Treasury Department as part of a series of steps that also targeted two vessels which transported oil from Venezuela to Cuba. "The U.S. will take further action if Cuba continues to receive Venezuelan oil in exchange for military support," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "As we have repeatedly said, the path to sanctions relief for those who have been sanctioned is to take concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order." Administration officials also say they're taking action to stop foreign entities that have worked with the Maduro government to shut down the internet when opposition leader Juan Guaido is speaking and prevent his supporters from coordinating activities. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is an informal adviser to President Donald Trump on Latin American issues, has accused the Chinese government of helping Maduro devise a mechanism allowing him to turn on and off the internet with a simple flip of the switch. "I cannot emphasize enough how difficult it is for everyday people in Venezuela, especially outside of Caracas, not just to mention the opponents of Maduro to let people know what they're working on," Rubio said Tuesday while addressing the 49th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas. "I can tell you when the internet is going to go down in Venezuela. When Juan Guaido is speaking. Every time with the help of the Chinese. Irrefutable." The Trump administration is going on the offensive after a week of questions about its strategy supporting the efforts of Guaido and the opposition to remove Maduro following an unsuccessful opposition uprising in Venezuela. Guaido, whom the United States considers the legitimate president of Venezuela, stood in front of armed military officers and called for Venezuelans to join him for the "final phase" of an effort to take physical control of the government. But Guaido was unable to rally enough support from the Venezuelan military, and after days of violence in street protests, Maduro has held control of the military and government offices. The administration said while the uprising did not result in a change in power, it put Maduro on the defensive. U.S. officials said Maduro was forced into hiding as Guaido and other prominent activist leaders, such as Leopoldo Lopez, took to the streets. The senior administration official said Maduro is acting like a cornered animal unable to trust anyone in his inner circle after several high level defections, including Gen. Manuel Cristopher Figuera, the former chief of the Venezuelan intelligence service, who last week broke ranks with the Maduro government. Security forces responded by detaining the vice president of the National Assembly, which the Trump administration said showed Maduro was losing control and reacting in fear. The response shows only how "fragile" Maduro has become, the administration official said. "Those are acts of desperation," the official said. "It's splashing while you drown to try to get attention and try to invoke fear."     ©2019 McClatchy Washington Bureau Visit the McClatchy Washington Bureau at www.mcclatchydc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Contrary to popular belief, food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies. For various reasons, food is also information, so every bite of food we eat relays a type of message straight to our body. And our body? Well, it responds accordingly. These messages are transmitted through our gastrointestinal (GI) tract via the processes of digestion and absorption. However, our GI tract does so much more than that, having its own hormones, enzymes, chemical messenger and even its own independently working nervous system. With that much function, it's fairly obvious that we need to keep our GI tract healthy. However, a lot can also go wrong in it, wreaking havoc on our GI health. So, how do we treat possible GI-related health conditions? Easy. By eliminating foods that might be causing the problem. De-tox just to re-tox Enter the elimination diet. True to its name, this type of diet involves removing foods from your diet that you suspect your body can't tolerate well. Afterwards, the foods are then reintroduced, one at a time, while you look for symptoms that show a reaction. Typically, the entire diet lasts around 5-6 weeks, and is usually practiced by people with food intolerance, a sensitive gut or food allergies. How it works The elimination can be summed up into two parts: elimination and reintroduction. First off, you start the elimination phase by removing any food that you think may be behind your symptoms. This usually lasts for about 2-3 weeks. Next up, you start re-introducing the foods, one by one, all while looking for your symptoms. If you experience no symptoms, then move on to the next group. However, if you get triggered, then you should completely remove that food from your diet. In conclusion, elimination diet can be very effective in learning how your body ticks to certain food, can reduce chronic migraines, skin conditions, ADHD and even Irritable Bowel Syndrome if done properly. However, it comes with a few risks, and therefore should only be followed for a short period of time. Prolonged practice can cause nutrient deficiencies that can lead to more problems. Related video: How to Add More Probiotic Foods to Your Diet (Provided by Health.com)


As Jalopnik's resident car buying expert and professional car shopper, I get emails. Lots of emails. I've decided to pick a few questions and try to help out. This week we are discussing discounts for repeat customers and the eternal question: Porsche Boxster or Mazda Miata? First up, are you more likely to get a better deal if you go back to the same dealership? "Last weekend, I wandered into my local Hyundai dealer to take a test drive of the new Elantra N Line. I wouldn't have usually done this randomly but, they promised (and delivered) a $50 incentive for doing this. I bought my current car from this same dealer about 4 years ago and told the salesmen as much. From then on, he was constantly saying that return customers always get great prices and an easy purchase experience. Do return customers actually get better prices or a more enjoyable/easy buying experience?" While you would hope that dealers reward repeat customers with solid deals, there are several reasons why this isn't a guarantee. First, due to the sky-high turnover rate in the car sales world, it's often the case that the salesperson you worked with last time isn't there anymore so that relationship is gone. Of course, the dealer has a record of your previous sale, but the salespeople that have been there a while and bring several clients back can often push management down to the bottom dollar a bit better than someone new. Second, sometimes a dealer that thinks that you are under the assumption that they are giving you a sweet price due to repeat business may not try as hard to be competitive. I worked with a client a few years ago who was leasing a Honda Civic, her family bought all their Hondas from the same dealer and she was going to trade in her current Civic for a new one. But when she saw the numbers something didn't sit right with her. That's when she contacted me and I requested that she send me the quote. Her local dealer was offering a whopping $700 off the sticker price for the new Civic. After shopping around I was able to find discounts well over $2,000 off the MSRP for the same car. What it comes down to is that often a dealer's willingness to discount a car is only in play when they think they might lose the business to someone else. If you have had a good experience with a certain dealer, you should give them an opportunity to earn your business again, but shop their numbers around to make sure you are getting the best price.


Arsenal are on the verge of completing their first signing of the summer transfer window, in a £6m deal for young Brazilian striker Gabriel Martinelli. The Gunners missed out on Champions League football for next season after finishing fifth in the Premier League and subsequently losing to Chelsea in the Europa League final. As a result of their failure to get back into Europe's top competition, the Gunners and are not expected to have a large transfer budget available this summer - with £40m an oft-touted figure. However, former Arsenal midfielder Edu is set to be announced as the club's technical director and the Brazilian is already working with manager Unai Emery and director of football Raul Sanllehi in bringing new players to the Emirates, with Martinelli likely to be the first signing of the summer. According to football.london , Edu and Arsenal's head of recruitment Francis Cagigao have engineered the move to sign the highly rated Martinelli from Sao Paolo side Ituano. A work permit isn't required due to Martinelli's Italian heritage, with the 17-year-old expected to play for Arsenal's Under-18 side next season. Martinelli started his youth career at Corinthians before signing for Ituano in 2015. He has also had trials at Manchester United and Barcelona . The first purchase of #Edu for #Arsenal will be an amazing young talent: Gabriel #Martinelli . #Gunners have agreed a deal which will see the brazilian striker arrive in the summer from #ItuanoFC after he will turn 18. #transfers #AFC   Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) 2 June 2019 The report adds that the youngster could make his debut for the Arsenal as soon as 8 July in a pre-season friendly against Boreham Wood at Meadow Park. That outing may determine whether Emery chooses to take him on the club's pre-season tour of the US. Martinelli became Ituano's youngest-ever debutant in March 2018 when he came on as a substitute in a 2-1 win over Sao Bento at just 16 years of age. Arsenal are set to unveil the signing of Martinelli once he turns 18 later this month.


Thunder forward Paul George has undergone his second surgical procedure of the offseason, according to Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press , who writes that George's latest surgery repaired a small labrum tear in his left shoulder. Previously, George had elective surgery on his right shoulder to repair a partial tendon tear, as we relayed last month . At the time, it was announced that this second procedure was expected, and that the All-NBA forward would likely miss at least the start of Oklahoma City's training camp in the fall. While George had a career year and was named a finalist for the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards, he was hampered by issues with both shoulders down the stretch. His health problems didn't meaningfully impact his counting stats, but his late-season shooting numbers reflected his limitations   George shot just 38.9% from the floor and 33.3% on three-pointers in his last 20 games, after posting respective marks of 45.5% and 40.5% up until that point. George is set to enter the second year of a four-year, maximum-salary deal with the Thunder in 2019-20. Related slideshow: The 2019 NBA Finals (Provided by imagn)


FARMINGDALE, N.Y.   At the rate Brooks Koepka has won majors since June of 2017 three out of his last seven, but who's counting it's not an outlandish statement to say he'll easily double that total by the end of his career. Six would put him in an elite class, one of only 14 golfers can say they are a part of. Seven? That would put him with Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones and Harry Vardon. Eight? That'd tie him with Tom Watson. Nine? Hello Ben Hogan and Gary Player. Hell, five or more puts him in the conversation of the greatest golfers of all time. Koepka is aiming way higher. On Tuesday morning at Bethpage Black, host of this week's 101st PGA Championship, the defending champ was asked if he had a certain number of total majors won in mind. If his answer ever proved to be prophetic, he'd put himself in rarified air. "I don't see why you can't get to double digits," said Koepka without skipping a beat. "I think you keep doing what you're supposed to do, you play good, you peak at the right times. Like I said, I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win. Half the people shoot themselves out of it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them, and then from there it's those guys left, who's going to play good and who can win." Double. Digits. It's a number only three players have ever reached: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen. Koepka, who just turned 29 on May 3, is not old, but he's not getting any younger either. Tiger already had nine at 29, while Jack had seven. Hagen, however, won his third just months before his 29th birthday, so the precedent is there for Koepka to have an explosion of victories in his 30s. Of course, Jack and Tiger did okay in their 30s as well, Nicklaus winning eight times and Woods five before a decade-plus drought. But as both Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth have proved, majors aren't easy to win as Koepka thinks they are. Many believed McIlroy would be halfway to 10 by now after winning four by the age of 25, yet he's not won since the 2014 PGA Championship. Four days before his 24th birthday, Spieth won his third major at the Open Championship in 2017. It remains his last professional victory. Koepka has never lacked confidence, and his performances at the majors have given him every reason to set the bar high. Even in non-victories, Koepka has shined, collecting four top 10s before winning his first at Erin Hills in 2017, then adding a T-6 at the 2017 Open Championship and a T-2 at the Masters in April. In his last 16 majors, he's finished T-21 or better 15 times. Maybe they really are easier. "One hundred and fifty-six in the field, so you figure at least 80 of them I'm just going to beat," he said. "From there, about half of them won't play well from there, so you're down to about maybe 35. And then from 35, some of them just, pressure is going to get to them. It only leaves you with a few more, and you've just got to beat those guys. "I think one of the big things that I've learned over the last few years is you don't need to win it, you don't have to try to go win it. Just hang around. If you hang around, good things are going to happen." This mindset, according to Koepka, is what has deterred him from winning much more in regular PGA Tour events. "I've gone out on Saturday and tried to build a cushion, maybe pressed a little bit too hard and gotten ahead of myself, where in the majors I just stay in the moment. I never think one hole ahead. I'm not thinking about tomorrow. I'm not thinking about the next shot. I'm just thinking about what I've got to do right then and there. And I kind of dummy it down and make it very simple, and I think that's what helps me." This attitude, which has clearly served him well in the biggest four weeks of the year, makes that double-digit number not sound too crazy. But even he knows saying it and doing it are two different things. "I like my chances this week. I feel like I'm playing good. You know, if I do what I'm supposed to do, then yeah, I think I'd be tough to beat. But at the end of the day, you never know what's going to happen. You've got to go out and play four good days. So we'll see when the gun goes off on Thursday." RELATED: Brooks Koepka appears even more motivated to win majors (if that was actually possible) Introducing Golf Digest All Access, a new way to improve WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS See the video.


During one of the most important moments of the Toronto Raptors' NBA championship season, first-year head coach Nick Nurse went back to his Iowa roots. With the Raptors locked with the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake, the Carroll, Iowa, native called up a play he discovered from a DVD he bought in Ames and used a number of times while coaching the then-NBA Development League's Iowa Energy. And like it did so many times with the Energy, the play worked , this time on an even bigger stage: Toronto star Kawhi Leonard knocked down a buzzer-beating jumper that gave the Raptors a stunning 92-90 win. The Raptors went on to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks to reach the NBA Finals , where they dispatched the Golden State Warriors in six games to clinch the franchise's first championship . But those trophy memories may not be in Canadian sports lore without the big play call by Nurse and performed to perfection by Leonard. "Kawhi's Game 7 buzzer-beater was the same exact play we used at the Energy   I'll bet you, 10 times   to either win a game or send a game into overtime," Nurse said in an interview with the Des Moines Register on Tuesday. "We'd pop Cartier Martin off that thing, and he'd bang that 3-ball (in) or go one-on-one like Kawhi did and make the play on that. "That's an old play I stole off a (longtime NBA coach and broadcaster) Hubie Brown DVD I got from Championship Books and Video in Ames, Iowa." KAWHI LEONARD FOR THE SERIES! 🔥 #WeTheNorth | #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/z0yi7kdxGB   NBA TV (@NBATV) May 13, 2019 Nurse has had some time this week to reflect on his crazy coaching career, which reached its pinnacle last week. The 51-year-old celebrated the title with his team in Monday's victory parade in Toronto. And what a wild ride its been for Nurse, who played his college ball at Northern Iowa. He also coached at UNI as an assistant and got his first head college coaching job at Grand View. He bounced around the globe coaching overseas, but always wanted to patrol an NBA sideline. More: Toronto police searching for 'person of interest' in Raptors parade shooting NBA free agency: What are options for Raptors' Kawhi Leonard? When no one would give Nurse a shot to coach in the D-League, Nurse helped local Des Moines attorney Jerry Crawford create the Iowa Energy. Nurse became the team's first head coach and guided the team to a D-League crown. The run with the Energy opened up more coaching jobs for Nurse, who also guided the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to a title. The success landed him on the Raptors' bench in 2013. When Toronto fired Dwane Casey last offseason, Nurse was promoted to replace him. He's obviously made the most of the opportunity. Nurse credits all his prior coaching gigs, even his time in Iowa, for his success. "I think all those jobs and all those stops, I can almost think of all kinds of situations that prepared me for this situation," Nurse said. "And a lot of it was really similar, a lot of the basketball. Some of the plays I was using with the Energy, I was using this year   some big plays. So, there's a lot of similarities to the game at all levels. There's just a few more people watching at this level." This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Raptors coach on Kawhi Leonard's Game 7 buzzer-beater: 'That's an old play I stole off a Hubie Brown DVD' Related slideshow: Best of the Raptors' championship parade (Provided by imagn)


LOS ANGELES - The word most often used to describe Mick Cronin's teams is not one his players will hear him use. "I've never discussed being tougher," Cronin said Friday in his first meeting with reporters since being hired as UCLA's basketball coach last month, precisely because he could inject some toughness into a program lacking in that department. To Cronin, being tougher means shirking the easy way out in favor of the harder play. It's getting to the basket and drawing a foul as opposed to taking a bad shot. It's beating a block-out instead of lazily giving up on a rebound. It's getting down in a stance and defending rather than getting blown by on defense. When UCLA defeated Cronin's Cincinnati Bearcats in the second round of the 2017 NCAA tournament, he said, it wasn't because the Bruins had a cadre of future NBA players; it was because they were tougher than the Bearcats. Cronin said he showed one of his players a clip of UCLA forward TJ Leaf moving him out of the way for a rebound. "They were tougher than us," Cronin said. In each of the next two meetings, Cronin's Bearcats were easily the tougher team, beating the Bruins by a combined 42 points. Cronin has spent part of his first 5 1/2 weeks on the job preaching habits that could lead to the "T" label being pinned on his first UCLA team. He called it "eating your vegetables" by doing things such as rising early to work out, meeting with tutors to maintain good grades and being courteous toward others. Cronin has also reconnected with former UCLA players by holding an alumni reunion earlier this month that was attended by Marques Johnson, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Mike Warren, among others. One subject Cronin wouldn't touch was his expectation for how many games the Bruins would win during the 2019-2020 season. "That, I got no answer," Cronin said, though he did indicate his team's success would hinge on whether UCLA shared the ball, played defense and took good shots. "Obviously, you never know what's going to happen with transfers, academics or lunacy. Because you never know, guys could walk in and start transferring." No one has left since Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands and Moses Brown departed for the NBA draft. Those departures have raised additional concerns about UCLA's sagging academic progress rate scores, but Cronin could not say whether those players departed in good academic standing because of privacy rules. The Bruins should be bolstered by the return of three players who missed all or part of last season. Cronin said guard David Singleton had shed the walking boot he's worn since breaking a bone in his foot during the Pac-12 Conference tournament. Power forward Shareef O'Neal has resumed workouts since undergoing surgery in December to correct a heart defect, though he's still rounding into form after having dropped 25 pounds. Point guard Tyger Campbell is expected to be 100% by the season opener after tearing a knee ligament last fall but is not being rushed back into action. "You can't win games in May," Cronin said, "but you can lose them by getting guys hurt." Cronin has one open scholarship but does not intend to fill it just to fill it; he's seeking a quality fit and said he intended to recruit a mix of multiyear players and one-and-done stars now that he has access to one of the nation's biggest recruiting hotbeds in Southern California. He also said he's "extremely close" to filling an assistant coach opening to round out a staff that includes Darren Savino and Rod Palmer. UCLA's new coach is also seeking to maximize the talents of his roster, noting that seldom-used forward Kenneth Nwuba possessed a great attitude to go with tremendous size and strength as a sophomore who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs 245 pounds. "What does he need to do to get more minutes?" Cronin asked. "So what maybe stopped him from getting more minutes? His lateral quickness? (It's) things we've got to work on with him to be able to get him to translate into a real game setting." Cronin flashed his self-deprecating humor during and after the on-the-record portion of his informal meeting with reporters at the team's practice facility, saying he had not seen the UCLA billboards welcoming him to Westwood but that friends had poked fun at the light-skinned coach having been Photoshopped as tan. He also acknowledged not knowing that UCLA was on the quarter system until taking the job. But Cronin knows his UCLA history. He said Bruins legend Reggie Miller's shooting prowess was not a function of putting on music and getting up a bunch of shots but putting in the time and effort to perfect his footwork and form. "You gotta be tough enough to get the job done," Cronin said. "Whatever the job may be - setting the screen, tough enough to get your feet set to get open shots - so it's just ingraining that. It's not like I come in and talk to our guys about being tough, it's about doing things right and being willing to put in the work to do things the right way." Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Related slideshow: Best photos of NCAA Championship (Provided by imagn)


The weather report shows partly cloudy skies is in store for Minneapolis, due to last through Tuesday, according to the seven-day forecast from drone-powered weather service Saildrone . Skies will become mostly cloudy starting on Wednesday. The next few days will also see warm temperatures, due to persist through Sunday. The weather will bring a high temperature of 84 degrees on Sunday. Winds should reach a modest high of 13 mph today, with daily top speeds in the single digits the rest of the week. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The Michigan Wolverines are about to embark on the 2019 season with some lofty expectations being placed upon them in the preseason preview season. One of the reasons for optimism in Ann Arbor this season will be having a healthy Lavert Hill . Hill played in all 13 games for the Wolverines last season but he saw his effectiveness drop from the previous season. Hill has not been one to make excuses despite having a potentially valid one with a nagging leg injury likely to blame at least in part for the diminishing returns on the field. Instead, Hill is focusing on the future with Michigan and says he will be as ready and healthy as possible when Michigan kicks off the 2019 season with the goal of playing for a Big Ten title once again on the to-do list. " I'm 100 percent right now ," Hill said in a story published by MLive.com . "Just trying to get better." Hill put his NFL plans on hold this year to come back and put in a stronger showing on the field for the Wolverines this fall. That may have ended up being a good decision as Hill's 2018 season may not have fueled the NFL Draft stock as much as he would have liked. Putting in a strong performance in 2019 while helping Michigan to get over the Big Ten championship hump could go a long way for Hill's draft potential. "I feel like I ain't do what I had to do enough on the field," Hill said, reflecting on last season. "So, since then, I just have to make strides to get better and just decided to come back for my senior year." Michigan begins the 2019 season at home against Middle Tennessee on Aug. 31. Follow @KevinOnCFB