The Louisiana Senate passed a bill Monday that would restrict who can pay for the security detail sent to protect Gov. Bobby Jindal as he travels outside of Louisiana on a likely 2016 bid for president. The law would prohibit the Louisiana State Police from paying for the hotels, travel and salaries necessary to keep the governor safe if the event is a campaign stop outside of Louisiana. The vote gained bipartisan support and followed a recent state House measure that similarly sought to restrict Jindal's expenses. The bill, which the governor's office called partisan and "shocking," gained a 29-5 vote in favor. It's not the first time state lawmakers have stepped on Jindal's presidential-aspiring toes. In May, after he said that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was unfit for the presidency, Democrats in Louisiana called for an investigation into him using the governor's platform for politics . Jindal has been traveling more and more in recent months as he considers a long-shot run for the Republican presidential nomination. Since Jindal took his governor's seat in 2008, the expenses related to his out-of-state travel have noticeably increased. In 2008, expenses for his out-of-state travel totaled $1.8 million . Jindal has already spent $2.2 million on travel expenses for the current fiscal year, which concludes at the end of the month. In January, Jindal went on a 10-day trade trip to Europe that cost $73,000 , all paid for out of the Louisiana State Police budget. The bill passed by the Senate probably wouldn't do much more than send a message. It doesn't go so far as to say other state agencies can't pick up where the police leave off, so theoretically another office could just fill the void. Plus, a little bit of finesse can dance around the campaign fault line. "You can't enforce this law if someone wants to circumvent it," said state Sen. Danny Martiny, a Republican. "It's a great idea on paper." Martiny voted against the bill. In any case, Jindal leaves office at the end of this year, and will not be governor during the 2016 primaries. Jindal is expected on June 24 to jump into an already crowded field of Republican presidential contenders. He would have a tough road ahead to get to the White House, should he decide to run. In a poll late last month, Jindal came in last among 14 declared or likely candidates in the Republican field.


CHICAGO (CBS)   Three suspects are in custody in connection with impersonating a police officer while approaching residences in West Chicago, Winfield and Wheaton. Authorities were seeking the public's help in finding a person suspected of impersonating an officer Tuesday night in unincorporated West Chicago . The subject said his name was Jeff Rushmore and that he was an investigator with the Winfield Police Department. The suspects are in custody at the Wheaton Police Department. Earlier in the week, police said a suspect had used some type of police scanner or scanner app and wore a badge on his belt to "enhance his credibility." According to the DuPage Sheriff's Office, the identities of the three will be released when charges are filed. (1 of 2) Wheaton Police are investigating reports of this individual impersonating a police officer/detective on June 3 & 4. These images show the suspect Wheaton Police are seeking, a white male in his 20s displaying a badge. Anyone with info should call Lt. Cooley 630-260-2077. pic.twitter.com/U2EIyf7WoR   City of Wheaton (@CityOfWheaton) June 5, 2019


MIAMI (CBSMiami)   Davie police continue to search for answers in a fatal shooting between two drivers in a case of apparent road rage. Police said the exchange of gunfire occurred in the area of SW 8TH Street and S. Flamingo Road at around 2 p.m. resulting in the death of one man at the scene and a second driver who died from his wounds over the weekend. The Broward County Examiner identified the driver found at the scene as 41-year-old Keith Robert Byrne. He was driving a white utility truck. The second driver was identified as 22-year-old Andre Sinclair Junior. He was the driver of a white BMW. Investigators retrieved a handgun from the scene and are talking to witnesses about where the two drivers  strangers to each other  had a run in that turned deadly. The shooting caused Flamingo Road to be shut down for hours. Police said Byrne died from his wounds at Broward Health Medical Center. On Monday, detectives continue to search for answers about what sparked a shootout on a busy road during the day. "The cause of what started this incident is not known," said Davie Police Sgt. Mark Leone. "We're investigating all possibilities, including road rage." In the road lay a handgun. Crime scene investigators focused on that weapon and other evidence nearby. "We do have many spent shell casings along with a firearm that we're taking under consideration for evidence," Leone said. "We do have some witnesses who say they heard gunshots so if anybody was in the area during this altercation please contact the Davie Police Department so we can get a better idea of what's going on." Anyone with information is encouraged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).


NEW YORK (AP) The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have been rained out for the second straight day. The game scheduled for Tuesday night was called about 90 minutes before it was supposed to begin at Yankee Stadium. Baltimore and New York are set to play a single-admission doubleheader Wednesday beginning at 3:05 p.m. That twinbill was scheduled after Monday night's game was postponed because of unplayable field conditions. The weather forecast is calling for clear skies Wednesday. There's been a lot of wait-and-see for Orioles and Yankees in recent days. On Sunday, the start of the game between the Orioles and Angels at Camden Yards was delayed almost three hours because of rain. The same day, New York's game at Tampa Bay was stopped for 43 minutes in the ninth inning due to a power outage at Tropicana Field.


A sneaky black cat steals a seat from his owner at the very last second in Bangkok, Thailand on June 12. The fearless moggy named 'Look-Duay' used up one of his nine lives with the daring dash across the ground. Owner Nan Udong was about to plonk her backside on the blue seat when she suddenly noticed five-month-old 'Look-Duay' underneath. The woman paused mid-squat and stood back up - with the sly cat curled up comfortably in her position. Luckily for the kitten, he avoided being crushed and ended up as the 'cat that got the chair'. He was seen looking pleased with himself after pinching the position on the plastic blue chair while the owner, who has several cats in her home, had to stand. Nan, from Bangkok, Thailand, said: ''He raced over and stole the seat from me as I was about to sit down. It was risky as I could have sat on him and hurt him. But he didn't seem to be bothered about that. I think he was just gloating about getting the seat first.''


Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is liking what he's seeing so far out of his team's young, fast receiver group behind Pro Bowler Davante Adams. "I feel pretty good about that group," LaFleur said after Tuesday's minicamp practice. "It's more or less about us as a coaching staff making sure we highlight what these guys do well. I think we have a well-rounded group. Although they are young, I think the progress has been pretty good." LaFleur specifically mentioned a few of the young receivers, beginning with Marquez Valdes-Scantling - who has generated buzz throughout the spring - and fellow second-year pass-catcher Equanimeous St. Brown. He also highlighted the work being done by fourth-year receiver Trevor Davis, a surprise standout during the offseason workout program. "Marquez has really shown out. EQ has done a lot of great things," LaFleur said. "Jake (Kumerow), you see him make that red zone catch today. J'Mon Moore, another good young player. And then a guy that may have been forgotten a little bit is Trevor Davis. He's made a lot of great plays down the field. He's got speed." Speed could be the one defining attribute for the group behind Adams. All the young guys can really move. Valdes-Scantling, for instance, ran 4.37 in the 40-yard dash. "That's the one thing I love about our group. Our guys can run. Any time you have a group of receivers that can run, you have a chance," LaFleur said. Davis, a fifth-round pick in 2016, is no stranger to speed. He ran the 40 in 4.42 seconds coming out of Cal. LaFleur said improvement in the practice setting is fueling his rise. "I've been really impressed with him. He's come a long way," LaFleur said. "The effort and intensity level of which he practices has certainly improved. I'm excited for him come training camp." A strong camp could put Davis in a prime position to win a roster spot, both as a contributing receiver and as a returner. The young receivers and the rest of the Packers have two more minicamp practices before summer break. Training camp is scheduled to start in late July. MORE: How Kevin Durant's Achilles injury alters Kyrie Irving's free agency Kevin Durant breaks silence on his Game 5 Achilles injury: 'I'm hurting deep in the soul' Watch as jury convicts former NFL player Kellen Winslow Jr. of raping homeless woman News: Do Cowboys have best group of QBs across the entire league? Kevin Durant Has a $31.5 Million Player Option; Will Warriors Offer Him Supermax Contract?


Warriors offseason: Big issues The free-agency bonanza of 2019 was always going to have a huge impact on the Warriors moving forward, but they could never have anticipated just how complicated it would become. This was supposed to be the summer of Kevin Durant, who could leave the Bay Area with two rings and two NBA Finals MVP awards in his trophy case. Then Durant went down in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with a ruptured Achilles, an injury that will have major ramifications for the entire league. The Warriors can offer Durant familiarity as he recovers and goes through a lengthy rehabilitation process. They possess a championship roster and organization, a supermax contract and a chance to play in the brand-new Chase Center in San Francisco. But Golden State isn't even the betting favorite to sign Durant. New York is seen as KD's most likely destination, which doesn't come as much of a surprise considering Durant-to-the-Knicks rumors have been flying around all season. The Clippers and Nets are preparing to chase Durant as well, so the Warriors will have plenty of competition. The injury shouldn't stop suitors from throwing a lot of money his way. The primary choices for Durant: a five-year supermax with the Warriors, a four-year regular max from another team and a $31.5 million player option with Golden State for the 2019-20 season. It's on Durant to make a decision that's best for him and his future. It will be fascinating to watch what he does knowing he is essentially taking a redshirt year to recover. One thing the Warriors control? Maxing out Klay Thompson. There is no reason for the front office to mess around with the five-time All-Star, who has averaged 19.5 points on 46.7 percent shooting (41.9 percent from beyond the arc) over eight seasons with Golden State. He is an elite shooter, a terrific perimeter defender and about as low-maintenance as you can get in the NBA. Just give him the five-year, $188 million deal and keep the Thompson-Stephen Curry backcourt intact. None of this will be cheap, of course. As ESPN's Bobby Marks recently noted on "The Woj Pod," bringing Durant and Thompson back would cost the Warriors approximately $160 million in payroll and $230 million in luxury tax next season, and that's without mentioning Draymond Green's next contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season, though he could want an extension done in July. Golden State fans shouldn't care how much owner Joe Lacob has to spend to maintain this roster, but how deep he wants to go into the tax could ultimately change the trajectory of the franchise. Figuring out which stars will stay is a nice problem to have, but it's a problem nonetheless. Warriors offseason: Free-agent outlook Player Status Kevin Durant Player option/unrestricted free agent Klay Thompson Unrestricted free agent DeMarcus Cousins Unrestricted free agent Kevon Looney Unrestricted free agent Andrew Bogut Unrestricted free agent Jonas Jerebko Unrestricted free agent Quinn Cook Restricted free agent Jordan Bell Restricted free agent Damion Lee Restricted free agent (Shaun Livingston is under contract for the 2019-20 season, but his deal is only guaranteed for $2 million. It becomes fully guaranteed if he is not waived before June 30.) Warriors offseason: The young folks The most interesting youngster for the Warriors is 23-year-old center Kevon Looney, who emerged as a quality big man in the 2019 playoffs. He displayed an improved ability to finish around the basket, gobbled up rebounds and held his own against smaller guards on switches. Unfortunately for Golden State, that means Looney will be making much more than $1.5 million, his salary for this past season. His future could be tied to DeMarcus Cousins, who has a higher ceiling than Looney but may never be the same player after multiple leg injuries. Then there's Jordan Bell, the 24-year-old who saw his minutes drop from 14.2 per game as a rookie to 11.6 as a sophomore. Bell played in every Western Conference finals game but also logged six DNPs in the playoffs, perfectly illustrating his inability to produce consistently and earn Steve Kerr's trust. Chaos at center won't grab the same headlines as Durant and Thompson, but the Warriors' work here could be immensely important to another run at the title. Warriors offseason: Wait till next year . . . Golden State will be a contender again next season, whether Durant leaves or stays. The trio of Curry, Thompson (assuming he re-signs) and Green is enough to make the Warriors a formidable opponent to any team in the West without Durant ever touching the floor. But the work around the margins by general manager Bob Myers becomes that much more important now. If the Warriors don't boost the supporting cast, they won't look nearly as terrifying. The Raptors showed there is no reason to wait for the Golden State dynasty to run its course. There are benefits to going all-in right now. The Warriors enjoyed sitting in their own separate tier for a few years. It appears the rest of the NBA is finally catching up. How will they respond?


Slideshow by Business Insider "Are you going to write about my meal?" Chasten Buttigieg asks, scanning the breakfast menu of a Manhattan cafe last month. He had oatmeal with a side of fresh fruit. And tea. The 29-year-old former drama teacher has often courted attention, but he has never been more watched than in these past few months as his husband, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., has emerged as a serious contender for president. It's why he cannot smell deodorants at Target without risking getting caught in the act by teenage iPhone-wielding paparazzi. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post It's why, the previous night in New York with Pete (who was scheduled to be on "Morning Joe" the next day), he resisted the urge to swipe an entire cheese wheel from the fruit plate in his hotel room, because … well, wouldn't that seem weird to whomever came to collect the tray? Fruit untouched, cheese wheel gone? "I was very in my head about it," Chasten says. He took a banana instead. Yes, the man who would be the country's first "first gentleman" is worried about the politics of hoarding cheese and sniffing deodorant. That's not all he's worried about, of course, but he's not shy about sharing the weird side of campaign fame. Chasten's humor and openness have been his defining features since the national spotlight found him and "Mayor Pete" earlier this year. It has made him a force on Twitter, where he has more than 300,000 followers, and a not-so-secret public-relations weapon for his husband. Related video: How does South Bend feel about 'Mayor Pete' for President? (The Washington Post) "He's always got the right thing to say at the right time," says Kristie Bach, Chasten's high school drama teacher. That's a helpful skill for the spouse of someone running for president. It's also a useful mask for a teenager running from any number of things. At Traverse City West Senior High School in Michigan, Bach knew Chasten as a hilarious, dedicated student. What she didn't know is why he hung around so much; that her classroom was a refuge for a teenager who didn't feel like he belonged anywhere else. Chasten stands out among the 2020 spouses for reasons other than the fact that he is a man married to a man, or that he is a millennial married to a millennial, or that this campaign is happening during the first year of their marriage, or that he is not yet 30. He is also the son of working-class Midwesterners, a first-generation college graduate, a guy who took a second job at Starbucks so he could have health care. The life story he tells includes bullying, estrangement, homelessness and sexual assault. His story represents both an American archetype and a modern phenomenon. And now that Chasten Buttigieg knows he's being watched, what he cares about is being seen. F rom a young age , Chasten knew he was different. He just wasn't sure why. His father, Terry Glezman, had grown up poor   so poor that in high school he wore his letterman jacket every day to hide his unwashed clothes. Sherri Pelon fell for him anyway. She was 22 when Chasten, her third son, was born. For most of his childhood, the Glezmans made a living and not much more. Sherri worked as a nursing assistant. Terry started a landscaping business. There was mowing in the summer, snow plowing in the winter. The older boys, Rhyan and Dustin, were athletes and hunters. While they were out chopping wood with their dad, Chasten says, "I would be inside reading Harry Potter or singing Celine Dion at the top of my lungs while my mom and I were dusting the cabinets." On paper, Chasten was another kid on the bowling team, and the 4-H club, involved in every theater production. Internally, he was "scratching and itching and clawing to try to change whatever brain chemistry was making me the way I was." By adolescence, he started realizing he was attracted to men. He didn't tell anyone   out of a class of 500 at his public high school, he says, there were zero students who openly identified as LGBTQ   but people suspected. He still remembers being bullied, called homophobic slurs, getting flung around by his backpack. He applied to an exchange program and escaped to Germany for his senior year. "The further away I could get," he says, "the safer I felt." Eventually he felt safe enough to confess his inner thoughts to others in the exchange program. "Those people, in turn, said, 'Oh, you're gay,' " he says. It was terrifying and liberating, and by the time he returned to Traverse City, it was his truth. When Chasten came out the summer after graduation, some of his friends told him they loved him and that it didn't matter. Others said they loved him and that it did matter. He remembers one friend invoking God and urging him to change his mind   "Like it was a choice," he says, "this thing I had decided to do." Chasten told his family last. Scared he wouldn't keep his nerve to say the words out loud, he sat his parents down in the living room and passed them a letter. "I remember my mom crying," he says, "and the first thing she asked me was if I was sick. I think she meant, like, did I have AIDS?" A stalemate took hold of the house. There was a lot of silence, Chasten says, but he remembers hearing one of his brothers utter, " No brother of mine … " Chasten packed his bags. "I felt like I just could not be there," he says. "So, I left." Last month, in a former car-assembly plant that now houses tech companies , Pete Buttigieg announced he was going to run for president. "Are you ready to turn the page and start a new chapter in the American story?" he asked the crowd. When he finished his speech, Chasten emerged on the stage. He gave a quick wave with his left hand while reaching toward Pete with his right. They kissed on the cheek, near the side of the mouth. Then they hugged, and their slacks and dress shirts achieved a radical symmetry: This is what it looks like when a man running for president greets his husband. Chasten   who, remember, worried about what the hotel staff might think of him absconding with a cheese wheel   says they didn't overthink it. Would a straight couple have kissed on the lips? Perhaps. But Chasten says nobody coached them. It was, he says, "the level of intimacy we were comfortable with in that moment." "I'm not surrounded by people telling me not to be myself," he says. "And if I were, I'd ask them to find a different project to work on." Those were the kind of voices Chasten had been trying to escape the day he left home. He brought his bags to a friend's apartment, then bounced around on people's couches, trying not to wear out his welcome. Sometimes he slept in his car at the far edge of the parking lot of the community college where he was taking classes. After a few months, his phone rang while he was driving. The caller ID said "Mom." "She said, 'Will you come home?' " Chasten says. "And I cried and I went home immediately." The next conversation with his parents about his sexuality went better than the first, and Terry and Sherri embraced their son. Eventually, they would proudly walk him down the aisle at his wedding to another man. Reconciling with Rhyan and Dustin did not come so easily. "We never got over it," the youngest Glezman brother says, crystal blue eyes cast toward the ground. Rhyan Glezman, now the pastor of a Christian church in Clio, Mich., says Chasten's coming out was not a surprise and that he still loves his youngest brother. "I want the best for him," Rhyan says. "I just don't support the gay lifestyle." For Chasten, in the midst of coming out, there was also the minor question of what to do with his life. Chasten graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire with a degree in theater and global studies, and went to teach at a youth theater academy in Milwaukee. He worked full time, but the job did not come with benefits, so each week he put in an extra 20 to 30 hours pouring lattes at Starbucks to get health care. He transferred to a Chicago store and enrolled in the company's coffee-master training program, but quit after a man pulled a knife on him during an evening shift. "I should have stuck it out," he says, shaking his head, "just to say I was a coffee master. Then you get the black apron." In 2015, on the dating app Hinge, Chasten matched with a cute guy who lived in another state. He and Pete started chatting over FaceTime. After a few weeks, Chasten offered to swing by South Bend on his way to see a friend in Michigan. When he got out of the car in front of Pete's house, they both said "Howdy" at the same time. "So gross," he says, looking back on it. But, "My heart fluttered." They had beers and Scotch eggs at an Irish pub and then headed to a minor league baseball game. Chasten knew his date was the mayor, and he worried that Peter from Hinge would transform into a deep-talking, backslapping politician once they were in public. "And the thing that I was so impressed with," Chasten says, "was that he was the exact same man." Chasten drove away that night with one abiding feeling: "I could not wait to get back." They married last year, which would not have been legal in Indiana four years earlier, a reminder of how much progress has been made on gay rights. For Chasten, it was, more significantly, a mark of progress that had nothing to do with politics. He had been through heartbreak, and worse: The year he came out, he says, he was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance at a house party. That was another burdensome secret, another truth he was afraid his friends would not accept. Trust in new relationships did not come easily. "There's a lot of baggage there, a lot of hurt, and he was so patient," Chasten says of Pete, pausing to wipe a tear from beneath his glasses. "I've never felt so seen." The first day Pete floated a run for president , Chasten was there to see it. He was folding laundry at the time. "I laughed," Chasten says. "I was like, 'No, no, no   are you serious?' Okay, what are we thinking here? I love you. I believe in you. You're amazing. Do you think this would work?' " The couple agreed to find out. Chasten left his job at a Montessori school in South Bend to join Pete on the campaign trail. Since then, he's been on a charm offensive, greeting supporters and donors, keeping his social media followers laughing with references to the TV comedy series "30 Rock" and videos of the couple's two rescue dogs, Buddy and Truman. Sometimes it seems like he is having more fun than anyone on the campaign trail. ("How is Chasten so happy?" wondered Elle magazine's R. Eric Thomas, surveying his Twitter feed and noting Chasten's "Lin-Manuel Miranda energy.") But it's a pressure-filled role, even for a former drama kid. "There's so much more on the line than, 'Man, I don't want to forget a line and mess up the show,' " Chasten says. "It's like, 'Oh, I don't want to say the wrong thing and ruin my husband's political career.' " He's lost 20 pounds since the holidays. "The feeling that I end most of my days with is, like, vulnerability fatigue," he says. "You put yourself out there so much. And we've invited the world to scrutinize us." Sometimes that has meant nasty, homophobic letters sent to their home. Those people are watching Chasten and his husband, too. But others are seeing him, like the mother of two gay children who approached him, he says, crying and barely able to keep herself upright. She thanked him for being himself. When he was growing up, Chasten knew politics mainly as "the thing that made life harder." In 2006, when he was in high school, only 43 percent of respondents to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll said they were either comfortable with or enthusiastic about the idea of a gay presidential candidate. When pollsters asked a similar question this year , the number was 68 percent. That doesn't mean America will elect a gay president in 2020, but it's no longer outlandish to picture Chasten in the East Wing. In a phone interview, Shannon Sloan-Spice, one of Chasten's former colleagues from the Milwaukee theater academy, raved about his about his ability to connect with kids. Asked what it was like to watch the country get to know her former colleague, she responded, "Why, what's he up to?" Upon learning that Chasten is married to a presidential candidate, she said she was moved to tears. "I have a trans son," she said. "We need role models in public life." Chasten has let himself entertain thoughts about the kind of first gentleman he would want to be. Maybe he would promote the arts or work to elevate the role of teachers in society. Maybe he would focus on raising the children he and Pete want to have. But he doesn't want to get ahead of himself. "It's just so important to go out there and do a good job right now," he says. "Because for the first time in many people's lives, they see someone on a national scale that makes them say, 'Oh, that's me, too.' "


The Jaguars took a look at a potential veteran addition to their backfield on Thursday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the team had Mike Gillislee in for a workout . It's the first word about a team showing interest in Gillislee since he worked out for the Lions in February. Gillislee was on the Saints to open the 2018 season and ran 16 times for 43 yards in the first four games of the season before being released when Mark Ingram returned from a suspension. He spent 2017 with the Patriots and had his most productive season with the Bills when he ran 101 times for 577 yards and eight touchdowns. The Jaguars have Leonard Fournette atop the depth chart at running back. Alfred Blue , Benny Cunningham , Thomas Rawls and fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead make up the rest of the group.


Hulu announced at a presentation to advertisers Wednesday that it now has 26.8 million paid subscribers. It's also introducing new advertising features and several new shows, including two new series featuring Marvel Comics characters. Hulu's new "binge advertising" experience comes as advertisers are increasingly seeking to reach customers in a way that doesn't annoy them or disrupt their experience. This new format will "make it possible for marketers to target binge viewers with a creative that is situationally relevant to their viewing behavior," the company said in a statement. The company didn't describe how binge ads will be displayed in its initial announcement, but some think Hulu will let advertisers sponsor an limited-interruption "binge" session of a show. Hulu also offers "pause ads," which appear when a viewer pauses their content on Hulu. The company said it's expanding the availability of those pause ads beginning in August. The company is expected to provide more detail on how pause ads and binge ads will be displayed during its NewFronts presentation in New York on Wednesday. Hulu said its total customer base now includes 26.8 million monthly paid subscribers, with 1.3 million promotional accounts. The company had said in January it had 25 million total subscribers. Meanwhile, competitor Netflix said in April it had reached 148.8 subscribers globally and 60.2 million subscribers domestically. Disney, which owns 60% of Hulu, will also pull content from Netflix this year to stream on its own new service, Disney+, which launches in November. The streaming service also announced new Marvel shows as part of an expanded partnership with Marvel for two new live-action series, "Marvel's Ghost Rider" and "Marvel's Helstrom." Both shows are expected to debut in 2020. Disney-owned Marvel will also have four different live-action series and two unscripted series on Disney+. The service will cost subscribers $6.99 per month, or $69.99 per year. That's versus Hulu's current prices of ad-supported service for $5.99 per month or $11.99 per month without ads. Hulu also confirmed a slate of new food-centric programming, plus an adaptation of Liane Moriarty's book "Nine Perfect Strangers," an order for "The Dropout," a series starring Kate McKinnon based on the ABC News podcast on the rise and fall of Theranos and founder Elizabeth Holmes and a two-year partnership with Chrissy Teigen for original programming. Now that Hulu is mostly owned by Disney following the Fox acquisition, the service is expected to become a key part of Disney's streaming strategy. At an investors presentation last month, Disney said it would offer Hulu as a bundle if people subscribe to Disney+ and ESPN+. CNBC reported last month that Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, was in talks with Disney to sell its 30% stake in Hulu. Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC.


Improved vaccine campaigns have led to the elimination of rubella -- an infectious disease that can cause birth defects -- from North, Central and South America, global health authorities said Wednesday. The virus, sometimes known as German measles, was formally declared eradicated after five consecutive years without an endemic case of the virus in the region, said experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during a press conference in the US capital. "Today I am privileged and delighted to announce that the Americas has become the world's first region to be declared free of endemic transmission of rubella virus which can cause serious birth defects in babies when contracted by women in early pregnancy," said Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO/WHO. "This historic achievement culminates a 15-year elimination effort," she said. The term "endemic" refers to a disease that is common or widespread in the population. The last confirmed endemic cases of rubella were in 2009 in Argentina, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in Brazil, said Cuauhtemoc Ruiz, chief of PAHO's immunization unit. Rubella continues to spread in other parts of the world, with about 120,000 cases per year, particularly in Africa and southeast Asia, he said. The next regions slated for elimination are the European region of the World Health Organization in 2015, followed by southeast Asia. Rubella virus can cause a mild rash in children and adults, but when pregnant women are infected they risk stillbirth or having children with mental defects and physical deformities. The Americas have previously eradicated smallpox in 1971 and polio in 1994.


Uber priced its initial public offering at $45 a share on Thursday evening, giving it a valuation of $75.5 billion. At that valuation, Uber is worth almost as much as Ford and General Motors combined. It will also have a valuation just above Goldman Sachs and be significantly larger than the electric-car maker Tesla. It is almost five times as valuable as rival ride-hailing company Lyft. Uber, however, will have to rise significantly to eclipse the personal net worth of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, which sits at $112 billion. While Uber is huge, its valuation has dropped sharply from the $120 billion figure that was floated in October. Lyft's rocky start has hung over Uber's long-awaited New York Stock Exchange debut. Lyft went public on March 29, and over the following six weeks have slid 23%. According to its filing prospectus, Lyft commands 39% of the US ride-hailing market while Uber holds 59%. Both companies record significant losses, with Uber losing $370 million on sales of $11.3 billion in 2018. Demand for the Uber shares was robust, with all 180 million on offer accounted for within days of the beginning of its IPO road show, according to a report from Bloomberg , citing people familiar with the matter. The company raised $8.1 billion in through its IPO process. Despite the lowered valuation, early Uber investors will record significant gains on their investments. Co-founder Garrett Camp will have a stake worth over $4.5 billion. Former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick's stake is worth nearly $6.5 billion after he sold $1.4 billion worth of shares when he departed the company in January 2018 amid a series of scandals. Prominent investor Softbank will also realize a significant gain, having purchased a 16% stake back in early 2018. At Friday's valuation, SoftBank's holdings will be worth over $12 billion, up from its original investment of $8.4 billion.


On his fourth day of fishing the famous Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Matt Smiley caught only one fish, but it was a doozy. Turns out, it was a Utah state-record lake trout in the catch-and-release category. Smiley, who is from Colorado, told KKTV the fish weighed 52.97 pounds. "I had been wanting to catch a fish over 50 pounds for a long, long time," Smiley told The Denver Post . "I was pretty sure it was over 50 pounds, looking at it, but when we [weighed it], I was so excited. "I put it back in the net and had it over the side of the boat, getting ready to let it go and my buddy in the boat with me stopped me. He was like, 'Man, we've got to measure that fish, do you have a tape measure in here?' I'm like, 'I don't even care, man, I broke 50 pounds, I'm good with it.' He's like, 'No, that's the longest fish I've ever seen, you need to measure that thing." And so he did. After measuring it-the lake trout stretched 48 inches-he released the fish. A couple days later they realized the fish qualified as a state record and so he submitted the details to the authorities. On Wednesday, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources made it official. It was a state record. Also on FTW Outdoors: Anglers land huge sturgeon despite a breaking reel Had he kept the fish, it would have potentially qualified as an overall state record for lake trout. The current catch-and-keep record is 51 pounds, 8 ounces caught in 1988 by Curt Bilbey also at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Smiley is no stranger to records. He once held the Colorado state record for lake trout at 44 pounds, 5 ounces caught in 2003 at Blue Mesa Reservoir. It has since been broken. The current record is 50.35 pounds. Photos courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook. MORE: NBA world reacts to news that Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 loss This is how the Golden State Warriors head into the offseason Rapoport: Broncos have picked successor to become next owner 3 players Raiders could trade before start of 2019 season Flexible front four could be defining characteristic of 2019 Packers defense


Since their debut, fitness trackers and smartwatches have become a common sight on people's wrists. As of February, Apple, Samsung and Fitbit made up 88% of smartwatch unit sales in 2018, the Smartwatch Total Market Report said. However, the gadgets might not work as effectively for people of color or those with tattoos, according to findings published Wednesday by Stat, a health and medicine publication. Users have complained on Fitbit forums and on Reddit about the smartwatches having trouble giving readings on people with darker skin. Fitbit replied in the community forum and said the Charge HR tracks "heart rate on every complexion" and directed users to a support article. "Fitbit takes accuracy very seriously and continuously performs studies to rigorously test the accuracy of our products among diverse groups of users," a Fitbit spokesperson said in an emailed statement Wednesday. The company said its PurePulse technology performs to industry-standard expectations for optical heart rate on the wrist. The company said it designed its optical system to emit green light at a sufficient strength to effectively penetrate darker skin and its detector is sensitive enough to accurately detect the heart rate signal. Fitbit, Samsung watches, Garmin devices and other wearables use green lights, which are cheaper than infrared lights, to take readings. Stat's report said that green light has a shorter wavelength and is "more readily absorbed by melanin." This makes it harder for people with darker skin tones to get accurate readings. Apple told Stat that it also uses green lights to continuously monitor, but uses infrared light to take readings every five minutes. The company's support page says its watch measures a user's heart rate using photoplethysmography. PPG is a low-cost optical technique that illuminates the skin and measures changes in light absorption, according to the US Library of Medicine. Apple's support page says this works because your blood reflects the red light and absorbs the green light. Samsung and Garmin didn't immediately respond to request for comment. Originally published July 24. Update, July 25 : Adds comments from Fitbit and more background information on the Apple Watch . The 17 best health and fitness apps for Apple Watch


Unwilling to wait for Nancy Pelosi to embrace their cause, pro-impeachment House Democrats have begun recruiting fellow lawmakers to their camp in an effort to put more pressure on the House Speaker. The effort has been described by one lawmaker as "organic." But the goal is clear: the lawmakers are hoping to build a critical mass of members that will force Pelosi to choose between defying the majority of her own caucus or moving forward with a process of removing the president from office a step that has not been taken on in more than 20 years. To do so, pro-impeachment members have been setting up meetings with other Democrats over the past week and plan to do so over the next few as well to try and sell them on the merits of impeachment proceedings, according to three sources with direct knowledge of that effort. Among the points being emphasized is that going towards impeachment proceedings could consolidate the oversight activity around President Donald Trump in addition to strengthening the party's hand in establishing a legitimate legislative purpose to their investigative work. A senior House aide, whose boss is in the pro-impeachment camp, said that current efforts to make this case to on-the-fence members is "hodge-podge right now." But the aide expected it to ramp up, with potentially a single lawmaker becoming point for the operation and a formal list of targets being put together. "In order to keep the momentum going, there has to be a more organized operation," said the aide. The mere fact that informal "whip" operations are happening is a sign of the growing impatience and frustration felt by the pro-impeachment crowd on the Hill. It also threatens to exacerbate riffs within the Democratic caucus, where some of the party's moderate members and top leaders have resisted the push to move more aggressively on impeachment. When lawmakers returned from the Memorial Day recess on Monday, Democratic leadership staged a show of force for Pelosi's line on impeachment during a closed-door members' meeting. Some lawmakers, including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the caucus chair, spoke out to support her. Jeffries invoked a Ben Franklin quote, saying they were in danger of being governed by passion, not reason. The Speaker, according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting, expressed concerns that the public still doesn't understand how the process of impeachment would play out. She noted that in her time over the recess in California well educated voters didn't seem to understand that impeachment proceedings would not necessarily result in Trump's immediate ouster from office. But even within Pelosi's own leadership ranks there have been murmurs of a desire to give impeachment proceedings a more sympathetic reception publicly. During the Monday meeting, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) the only member of leadership to explicitly endorse an impeachment inquiry challenged lawmakers to push two messages during TV appearances: the party's domestic agenda and their belief that the president wasn't above the law. Pelosi, pointing back at him, said: "Everyone should heed your advice, including you" in what was interpreted as a shot at the congressman's penchant to emphasize the latter and not the former during his own TV hits. But Cicilline isn't the only one in leadership ranks with impeachment on his mind. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on Sunday that he believed the chamber would eventually move to impeachment proceedings, though not right now. And aides have said that Jeffries, who hails from a liberal New York district, has been feeling conflicted, though at the end of the day continues to support the speaker. For the members who have spoken out already, there are lingering questions about just how committed leadership is to slow walking the impeachment process. One lawmaker said Pelosi was only mildly pushing back against the pro-impeachment faction, calling her effort to convince fellow Democrats that it would be bad politics a, "soft whip." Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), who supports impeachment, says Pelosi hadn't told him to tone it down. "I'm not aware she's done it with anyone," he told The Daily Beast. "I think everybody's pretty much letting everybody do their own thing." But not everyone is convinced that Pelosi won't mind the impeachment recruitment efforts. The senior House aide said one of the reasons cited by on-the-fence Democrats for not coming out in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings was fear of publicly crossing Pelosi. "It is kind of like a quiet threat. I don't think she has said don't go out there and whip other people," said the aide. "It is known that if you do that you are defying the Speaker and she will remember that when you need something down the line. She has the longest memory of anybody." Pelosi's office declined to comment. Since Special Counsel Robert Mueller's press conference last week in which he reiterated the point in his report that said he could not clear the president of wrongdoing a number of Democratic members have called for the start of an official impeachment inquiry. All told, the pro-impeachment caucus now numbers more than 50, and others, behind closed doors, have said that obtaining access to the underlying evidence of the Mueller report would ease their minds about moving forward. It's not clear, however, whether the evidence can be obtained. For weeks, the Trump administration has ignored Democrats' requests and subpoenas for more documents and testimony related to Mueller's investigation and findings. The stonewalling has left activists alarmed, fearful that Democrats were essentially allowing the administration to slow-walk the oversight process into non-existence. "They definitely stumbled out of the gate," said Max Bergman, who runs The Moscow Project, an initiative of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. "And as a result the White House's disinformation campaign has had a real impact and served to muddy the waters. This was the most damning official report ever written about a president and Democrats need to talk about it." Acknowledging that their current approach had so far failed to move public opinion, Democrats said they were switching tacts and refocusing more of their oversight on to the actual substance of the report. On Monday, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) announced that his committee would be holding a series of hearings featuring legal experts including former Richard Nixon counsel John Dean to keep the spotlight on what exactly Mueller found. On Twitter, some  including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) , a GOP member of the committee jokingly questioned whether Democrats knew which president, Trump or Nixon, was under investigation. But Democrats defended the approach in the face of the current administration's stonewalling. "Obviously," said Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), "we would like to hear from the subjects in the Mueller report instead of experts talking about the Mueller report." "The whole idea here is to refocus this debate on where it should be, which is whether or not the President of the United States violated his oath of office, held himself above the law, and potentially committed high crimes and misdemeanors." And on Monday evening, in a regularly-scheduled meeting, House members discussed their plan to vote next week to hold Attorney General Bill Barr in contempt for failing to comply with a a subpoena for an unredacted version of Mueller's report and its underlying evidence. Publicly, and even privately, Democrats who are supportive of impeachment have little criticism to offer for Pelosi, even as they work to put pressure on her. In her suburban Philadelphia district last week, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) told The Daily Beast that she's been encouraging her colleagues to back impeachment. The Judiciary Committee member added that she's encouraged Nadler to do so, too. But she was more careful when it came to the Speaker. "She keeps herself out of the petty and the small that the President would like to drag her into," said Dean. "I'm one of the foot soldiers on the Judiciary and Financial Services Committees, and she has to shepherd something much, much larger." Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here


President Trump sat across from British Ambassador Kim Darroch during the annual St. Patrick's Day lunch on Capitol Hill in March, inquiring about Brexit and bragging of his strong political standing, according to people familiar with their exchange. It wasn't the first time they met. Trump interacted with Darroch on a number of occasions in London and Washington, and most of the president's senior aides have attended parties at the luxurious, chandelier-draped embassy in Northwest Washington and met with the ambassador at the White House. But after leaked cables showed Darroch criticizing Trump's administration as "inept" and the president as "insecure," the president seemed to have a memory lapse. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post "I don't know the Ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool," Trump wrote Tuesday on Twitter. The rejoinder fit a familiar pattern for Trump, who is quick to minimize ties with people who criticize him or who find themselves facing an onslaught of negative attention that reflects poorly on the president. Among those who have gotten the "I barely know the guy" treatment: Former acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker, conservative commentator Ann Coulter, former lawyer Michael Cohen, fired FBI director James B. Comey, former senior White House aide Stephen K. Bannon, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former State Department official Brett McGurk, longtime adviser Roger Stone, former White House aide Cliff Sims, former campaign aide George Papadopoulos and even the rapper Lil Jon, who starred on Trump's reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice." The people change, but the comments are eerily similar   and are something of a joke among some Trump advisers. "I hardly even knew this guy," Trump said of Comey, whom he met with several times in the Oval Office before firing him in May 2017. "I don't know Whitaker," Trump said in November about the man he just picked to be attorney general but who was suddenly facing sharp scrutiny. "I barely know him," Trump said of George T. Conway, the husband of top aide Kellyanne Conway whom he met on a number of occasions, after he lambasted the president on Twitter. At one point, he said Manafort, the former campaign chairman, had "nothing to do with our campaign." "I don't know who Lil Jon is," Trump said of the rapper who appeared in two seasons of "The Apprentice" and later said that the president called him "Uncle Tom." "I don't. I really don't." He has downplayed the role of a number of former administration officials, including White House counsel Donald McGahn and defense secretary Jim Mattis, after they criticized him. "Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books," Trump said of Bannon, his former chief White House strategist and campaign chairman, after the president felt Bannon depicted him negatively in a book by Michael Wolff. People who know Trump well say he has a sharp memory for remembering people, and the president himself has boasted of having "one of the great memories of all time." His aim in proclaiming to barely know someone is to minimize the importance of their critical comments or detract from the praise he believes they are unjustly receiving. On the flip side, people who have barely met Trump can quickly turn into exceptional figures if they lavish the president with praise. He has bragged about dozens of books   and their authors   on Twitter that depict him positively. Aides say he has not read most of the books he has praised. People who agree with or support him, particularly on Fox News, are often lauded by Trump or become "very respected." When Trump was in need of a foreign policy team early in his candidacy and Papadopoulos was willing to sit by him, the president deemed him an "excellent guy." "The motivating factor on whether he has met someone or he hasn't is whether the meeting is advantageous to the story he is telling," said Tim O'Brien, a biographer and author of "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald." "Trump constantly creates his own reality when he tells stories about who he has spoken to, who he hasn't spoken to, or what he has experienced to win the point he is trying to make. It's not in order to tell the truth." The degree to which Trump has a relationship with someone he claims not to know varies. In the case of Darroch, Trump does not know him particularly well, by all accounts, and the president has never been to the British Embassy. He has not met with the ambassador extensively one on one, U.S. and British officials say, but Darroch has been in every meeting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Trump, officials say. Darroch said in leaked cables he had met Trump seven or eight times, according to people familiar with the cables' contents. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about his interactions with Darroch. Some people who know Trump have produced records to document their relationship after the president says none exists. Trump called George Conway   who has become a fervent critic of the president   a "stone cold LOSER," a "whack job" and a "husband from hell." "I barely know him," Trump said. But Conway kept a letter from Trump praising his legal abilities after a dispute years ago in which Conway helped the then-real estate magnate, as well as other communications between the two in 2016 and 2017. "It didn't surprise me because it is one of his regular go-to lies," Conway said, chuckling as he recalled Trump's dismissal of him in an interview. Trump called Sims a "low level gofer" after his book was released earlier this year, which was critical of people in the White House but not the president directly. The former campaign and White House aide declined to comment Tuesday but responded at the time with pictures of the two men. White House aides said the pair regularly saw each other. Sims titled the last chapter in his book "Disposable." The president's interactions with Comey were extensively documented in former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's report and in contemporaneous memos written by the fired FBI director. Asked Tuesday about Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who now faces new charges, Trump said that he was "not a fan" of his and that they had a falling-out years ago, which the president didn't elaborate on while taking questions from reporters. "I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years," Trump said. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine before Epstein was in trouble, Trump sang a different tune. "I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side," Trump said. josh.dawsey@washpost.com


Goldman Sachs said its second quarter profit fell 6% from a year earlier, as the Wall Street firm saw declines across most of its businesses. However, the results were much better than what analysts' had forecast, pushing shares higher. The New York bank said it earned a profit of $2.42 billion, or $5.81 per share, down from $2.57 billion, or $5.98 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Analysts had expected Goldman to earn $4.73 per share. Goldman's results reflected the fact that many businesses, worried about the current U.S.-China trade war and other economic uncertainties, sat out the second quarter. Investment banking revenues were down 9% from a year ago, reflecting lower advisory fee revenues and bank underwriting fees. The bank's trading desks also saw slower activity. Revenue at Goldman's Institutional Client Services division, which contains the firm's trading operations, was down 3% from a year earlier. Bond, currency and commodity trading revenues fell 13%, while stock trading revenues rose 6%, reflecting the strong performance of the stock market in the second quarter. The investment bank had revenue of $14.15 billion in the quarter, which was above what analysts forecast.


The immediate aftermath of the Big Baller Brand and Alan Foster situation was a messy one for the future of the brand and one that spelled demise for the future. With some much uncertainty surrounding the company as majority owner Lonzo Ball worked on a lawsuit against fellow co-founder Foster , questions about how much longer the company could stay afloat arose. On his recent appearance on ESPN First Take , Ball blamed the media and said they misconstrued many of the events in the fallout of the Foster situation. "It's the media. The media says my boys have went to Nike and stopped doing this. That's where you get these perceptions right here. When they talking all this crazy stuff, they sitting at the table and I'm making them pancakes and strawberries and eggs. They don't even know about that. Big Baller Brand is a family brand. Family ain't going nowhere." Everything about Ball's argument, though, comes unglued when you start looking at the facts. It was LaVar's son Lonzo that spearheaded much of the speculation whether it be covering his Big Baller Brand tattoo or posting a cryptic message on Instagram that included Nike's motto . And it was Ball's manager and close friend that further added fuel to the first when he posted a video throwing out his Big Baller Brand shoes. Connecting the dots quickly becomes an easy task at that point and it points to the downfall of the company. However, as time has passed, it appears Lonzo and Big Baller Brand may not be done after all as the two sides may be working on a new shoe. MORE: NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Pelicans coach gets last laugh over Anthony Davis' 'That's All Folks' shirt Los Angeles Lakers have interest in acquiring Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan Ky Bowman inks one-year deal with Warriors, brings two-way possibilities 2020 NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball projected as late first-round pick by DraftExpress


Video by PGA FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Three majors in two years, and Brooks Koepka can still feel as though he has something to prove. He delivered again on golf's biggest stage. RELATED: Leaderboard And this time, Tiger Woods was along for the ride. Koepka beat up on brawny Bethpage Black for a record-setting start to his title defense in the PGA Championship. With a 40-foot birdie to start his round and a birdie putt from just inside 35 feet at the end, he shot a 7-under 63 to break the course record and become the first player to shoot 63 in the same major twice. "That was one of the best rounds I've played probably as a professional," Koepka said. "This golf course is brutal." He was 10 shots better than the average score in the opening round, but only one better than Danny Lee on a day when only 16 players broke par, the fewest for the first round of the PGA Championship since 2008 at Oakland Hills. It was only one round, but enough to make the Masters that Woods won last month feel more nostalgic than a sign of more to come. "I felt like I won this last year. I'm playing good," Koepka said. "It was great that Tiger won Augusta, but I mean, we're at a new week now. ... Obviously, everyone is going to be cheering for him, and it's going to be loud, especially if he makes a putt. You've just got to keep battling." Thousands of fans who trudged across muddied paths to the far end of Bethpage Black on Thursday morning were drawn to Woods, a Masters champion again, announced on the 10th tee as the PGA champion from 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007. The introduction took long enough to remind everyone what Woods has done in the game. Koepka then showed what he has done lately -- back-to-back U.S. Open titles, a PGA Championship and an ideal start in his bid to join Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the PGA Championship in stroke play. "I wasn't surprised," Lee said. "I mean, have you seen him playing U.S. Opens and PGA Championships in the last three years?" Woods looked rusty early, inspired in the middle and sloppy late in his first competition since his emotionally draining victory at the Masters. He opened with a pair of double bogeys on the back nine and ruined a torrid start to the front nine -- two birdies and a 30-foot eagle in a four-hole stretch -- with a pair of three-putt bogeys. That gave him a 72, leaving him nine shots behind and ending 12 consecutive rounds at par or better in the majors dating to the U.S. Open last summer. "It wasn't as clean as I'd like to have it, for sure," Woods said. Tommy Fleetwood had a 67, while the group at 68 included Pat Perez, who played a practice round with Koepka on Tuesday. Jordan Spieth overcame a double bogey on the 10th hole for a 69 and was in a group that included Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day. "The course is not easy, but Brooks obviously made it look real easy," Perez said. "I saw that on Tuesday when I played with him. I actually congratulated him on his win." But it's far from over, even before Lee made his afternoon move to cut into the lead. Fowler was bemused when asked how close he would have to be to Koepka heading into the final round Sunday. "What makes you think he's going to be leading?" Fowler said. "I would say there's no lead really safe here." Koepka failed to birdie the two par 5s, missing a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 13 and scrambling for par on the easier fourth hole. He also missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 11th and an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 2. Yes, this could have been special. Then again, he also made four birdie putts of 15 feet or longer, including the long ones at the start and end of his round. "When that putt went in on No. 10, that was kind of the momentum that set me," Koepka said. "But I never once thought about the course record or anything. I was just trying to shoot the best I could. Simple as that. Just keep going and total them up at the end." He is the ninth player to open a major with 63, and only two of them went on to win -- Jack Nicklaus at Baltusrol in the 1980 U.S. Open and Raymond Floyd at Southern Hills in the 1982 PGA Championship. There is a long way to go. Considering Koepka's record in the majors -- three wins and a runner-up in his last seven majors -- this felt shorter. Koepka came seriously close to a bogey only one time, and he made a 10-foot par on the sixth hole. Woods managed to get under par, but only briefly. His opening tee shot took enough bounces to barely get into the rough, and it left him no option but to hack out. The mistake was a wedge that went over the back of the green, and Woods threw his head back knowing his mistake. His fast pitch went 6 feet by and he missed to open with a double bogey. His other double bogey came on the par-3 17th when he went into the face of a bunker, blasted out longer and took three to get down from there. A birdie-birdie start to the front nine, and a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fourth, brought him to 1 under. And then he bogeyed three of the next four holes. "I fought my way back around there, and unfortunately, I just didn't keep it together at the end," he said. ------ More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports Related slideshow: Best of PGA Championship (Provided by imagn)


With Kyle Hendricks on the injured list , the Cubs may deploy a trio of pitchers to fill Hendricks' starts during what the team hopes will be a relatively brief injury absence for the right-hander. As president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told reporters (including the Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer ) that the team was planning to use spot starters to give their veteran arms extra days of rest. Tyler Chatwood and Mike Montgomery could be two of the pitchers filling in, though the third could be pitching prospect Adbert Alzolay . Epstein said: "Alzolay is on a real roll at Triple-A, and we'd been planning even before this to possibly give him a couple of spot starts at some point over the next month or so. Just to get his feet wet and also give our veteran rotation guys a little bit of a breather during a stretch in the schedule where we don't have a lot of off days." Alzolay, 24, has a 3.09 ERA over 32 innings for Triple-A Iowa this season, with a stunning 12.9 K/9 and 7.67 K/BB rate. His only real flaw is a 1.1 HR/9, which stems from "extreme flyball tendencies," per his MLB.com scouting report. Despite some issues with the long ball, Alzolay is given credit for having a plus curveball and a plus fastball that sits in the 92-96 mph range. Though Alzolay has promise and has been at or near the top of the Cubs' prospect charts for a couple of years, this could be more due to the fact that Chicago has promoted or dealt away many of their recent top minor leaguers. In overall prospect rankings, only Baseball Prospectus placed Alzolay in its preseason top-100 (sitting 95th), while Alzolay has yet to crack even the updated midseason versions of the MLB.com or Baseball America top 100, while Fangraphs has Alzolay outside of their top 125. Still, an injury-shortened 2018 season could account for his lack of notice, as a lat problem limited Alzolay to only eight starts last season. It doesn't seem as if Alzolay, if he is promoted, will necessarily be in line for an extended stint in his big league debut. Hendricks and Yu Darvish , however, are the only Cubs starters on guaranteed deals beyond the 2020 season, so a solid first impression could certainly put Alzolay in line for an extended look possibly as early as next season, depending on what happens with Cole Hamels ' free agency.


CHICAGO (AP) Elena Delle Donne had 22 points and seven rebounds, Ariel Atkins added 14 points, six rebounds and five steals and the Washington Mystics beat the Chicago Sky 81-74 on Wednesday. Washington (8-3) swept its four-game road trip with wins at Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Chicago. Delle Donne, who has totaled 72 points in her last three games, sank a free-throw line jumper at the end of the shot clock to cap the scoring with 14.4 seconds left. Tianna Hawkins scored 15 points and Kristi Toliver added 10 with four assists for Washington, which entering leading the league with an average of 85.9 points per game. Allie Quigley led Chicago (6-4) with 21 points and four 3-pointers. Stefanie Dolson added 13 points and Courtney Vandersloot had eight points, six rebounds and eight assists. Chicago has lost just twice in its last seven games.


Over 500 men, women and kids happily took their oath as American citizens Thursday in an Independence Day rite at the Seattle Center, which morphed into a celebration of diversity and appreciation of immigrant ancestors. "I didn't know it would be so cool," said Alexander Nefedov. His 11 years in the United States have been a consequence of meeting an American girl near the Black Sea in his native Georgia. Of his journey to Seattle, Nefedov reflected: "It was quite unplanned. Life happens." On the dais, subtle and not-so-subtle jabs were taken to rain on President Donald Trump's already-rained-on extravaganza in Washington, D.C. "Our strength as a nation does not come from a parade of tanks, but from men and women in our armed forces," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Of the 503 that took their oaths Thursday, a total of 37 new citizens took their oath in uniform. RELATED: Border crackdown is flawed, inhumane, Washington's Catholic bishops say Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan waved her little American flag at the crowd, to see hundreds of flags waved back at her. "This is what America looks like," said Durkan. Durkan, a granddaughter of Irish immigrants, told those being welcomed that they need, in turn, to be welcoming citizens: "When you come in this door, and take this oath, keep the door open for those who follow." The new citizens hail from 80 countries. The largest contingents included 49 from the Philippines and 41 from India, with 24 apiece from Russia, Canada and Ethiopia. The ranks included new citizens from deeply troubled places. RELATED: Post-debate poll: Harris, Warren are on a roll, Biden gets rolled Gabriel Gratterol, in starched Navy whites, looked back at the "real bad situation" in his native Venezuela. "I hope the dictatorship goes away and Venezuela becomes a democracy again," he said. Omar Abbaker, from Sudan, sat smiling as his kids waved flags, asking a photographer to get a picture of the family. "It is everyone's dream to be of this great nation," he said, but talked of the constant wars and conflict between citizens and rulers' militias on streets of Khartoum. "I suffered from the war too much," said Abbaker. If there were a theme to July Fourth at the Center, it would be a switched around version of the make-America-great Trump slogan: Immigrants have made America great. Durkan told of her grandfather who left Ireland (and an Irish mother) at the age of 17, found his way to Montana, and ended up in the state legislature. King County Executive Dow Constantine spoke of his grandfather leaving Greece and a war-ravaged Europe to seek a new life across the Pond. MORE ABOUT INDEPENDENCE DAY: While lighting off fireworks near Seattle, be smart -- and safe -- about it U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez administered the oath, in which the new citizens renounced allegiance to "any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereign." "Potentate" has become an all-encompassing phrase for the world's dictators. Martinez then got personal. The judge's mother was an American citizen. Not his father, who never had an opportunity to attend school, taught himself to read and write, performed heavy manual labor. After 40 years in the United States, father told son, I want to become an American citizen. Why? "I want to be able to vote." Once naturalize, the elder Martinez would never miss an election. The new citizens will get to exercise their franchise in less than two months. Secretary of State Kim Wyman instructed them to stop by the King County Elections desk after picking up their papers at the Armory, and be ready to vote in the August primary. MORE FROM CONNELLY: Canada to get new national park just over border from Washington The ceremony at the Center has been going on for 35 years. Swearing in new citizens has become a coveted assignment on the federal bench. The retirement of 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Tallman opened the way for Martinez. One voice was not heard on Thursday. President Barack Obama used to speak by video each year, in warm and conversational tones. Trump, who entered the 2016 presidential race bashing immigrants, has not been heard from at the Seattle ceremony. Cantwell has taken to recycling a line, year after year: "I am one of your two United States Senators, or answer to question 20 on your citizenship test." Naga Chindala, an Army supply specialist at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was one of the big 41-person contingent from India. He hails from an ancient civilization, but noted with a smile: "America is the world's oldest democracy."


SACRAMENTO, Calif.   Like thousands of Central American parents seeking asylum in the United States, Patricia panicked when, after she and her son crossed the Rio Grande into Texas last year, U.S. border agents took the boy away. For weeks, she was crushed by fears that then-6-year-old Alessandro was lost forever. Though they were eventually reunited, Patricia isn't ready to put the past behind her. She wants the U.S. government to pay for her family's ordeal, and she has become part of a novel legal strategy to achieve that goal. "Every moment that I think about it makes me cry," said Patricia, who asked that she and her son be identified only by their middle names because she fears retaliation. "To have us separated was an injustice. Everybody has the right to want a better life." Patricia and her lawyer, Maggy Krell, a former California deputy attorney general who specialized in human trafficking, are set to argue that the U.S. government intended to inflict emotional distress on families by separating them. They plan to make that assertion under the Federal Tort Claims Act, a narrow law that allows individuals to sue the U.S. government for negligence and misconduct. About a dozen other immigrant parents with experiences like Patricia's are in the process of making similar claims, which will probably end up in courts. Though it is far from clear they will prevail, the parents argue that the separations and the silence around the fate of their children in 2018 were part of a systemic campaign of psychological intimidation by the Trump administration to frighten others away from entering America. Slideshow by photo services There's been ongoing public debate on the purpose of family separations, and last year a federal judge halted them. But Krell and others think the claims could mark a new financial front in the legal battle over the treatment of families and children crossing the border. It comes as national attention is focused on overcrowded and unhygienic conditions at shelters and detention centers, including reports of continuing family separations and an effective end to asylum announced last week. "If policy doesn't work, if lobbying doesn't work, if press doesn't work, oftentimes government having to pay for the wrongs it has committed is the best way to get the government's attention," said Erik Walsh, a lawyer with the Washington law firm Arnold & Porter, which is spearheading the claims as part of its pro bono work on immigration issues. "The government clearly intended to inflict emotional distress. There is a pretty good record out there of high-ranking government officials … saying this policy was meant to deter other immigrants." 'This is just a start' Walsh said that though government data show about 2,700 children may have been separated from parents or guardians, he expects no more than a few hundred emotional-distress suits to be filed. Some parents have been deported, some are hard to find and many are afraid of drawing government scrutiny as they fight for legal status through asylum and other immigration relief, he said. But those suits may be enough, if they are successful, to set a precedent that could force policy change to avoid payouts, he added. "This is just a start," Walsh said. The first group of claims was filed directly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other agencies this year, a required administrative step. The first lawsuits will probably be filed in August. Patricia's administrative claim will be filed in coming days. The lawsuits will seek $3 million for each affected person, $6 million per family, Walsh said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment on the cases, citing pending litigation. Patricia said she is bringing the claim in part because "there are many mothers suffering," and she and Alessandro continue to struggle with the effects of their separation. She said she left Honduras because she wanted Alessandro to live in a safe place, but now she isn't sure when they will feel secure again. "I can't forget everything that happened," she said. "I carry it with me." For nearly three weeks after they were taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents in June 2018, Patricia had no idea what had happened to her son, she said. She and Alessandro, now 7, were separated after a single night in a hielera, one of the ice-cold cells that have become a symbol of harsh conditions at the border. She remembers regretting she even made the journey from Honduras. No answers Authorities took her to Port Isabel Detention Facility near Brownsville, Texas, with no access to lawyers, no money for phone calls and no answers to her pleas for information, she said. Rumors swirled that once taken, children were put up for adoption. It was about 20 days before she heard Alessandro's voice again. Patricia received a note with the phone number for the shelter where Alessandro was being held, though she is unclear who sent the information. Another detainee mom lent her the money to make a four-minute call. "I was … wanting to cry and scream, but I made myself strong so I wouldn't make him feel bad," Patricia said. "He would ask me, 'Mommy, when are we going to be together, when are we going to be reunited?' And I would say, 'Ya, mijo, ya,'" a phrase meant to soothe. After that call, she didn't have the funds to contact him again. She couldn't eat or sleep. She lay in her bed crying and asking God for help, she said. Guards told her crying would only make her situation worse. When Krell first visited, Patricia thought it was an answer to her prayers. Krell spent 15 years as a state prosecutor before leaving to become lead counsel at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California last year, just as the government introduced a "zero tolerance" policy at the border, under which those apprehended crossing into the U.S. between ports of entry were criminally charged and separated from their children. Krell said Planned Parenthood decided to send her to volunteer pro bono in Texas because the issue fell within the organization's mission to "help families." She was given Patricia's case by a civil rights firm working with detainees. 'It's like a void' She asked her friend Clara Levers, a current California deputy attorney general, to take vacation time and come as a translator. But despite the decades they had spent working with law enforcement, Krell said she was "freaked out" by the convoluted and isolating situation the detainees faced. "It's like a void," she said. "The fact that (Patricia) had a kid didn't matter to them in terms of their determination whether she should be deported." Krell and Levers discovered that border agents had not recorded Patricia and Alessandro as related and she was on track to be removed from the country without him. He was considered an unaccompanied minor, like other children separated under the zero-tolerance policy, Krell said. U.S. authorities had already sent others back to home countries without their kids, Levers said. Ultimately, about 400 parents were deported without their children. Levers said it was "terrifying." "They did not care about that link," Levers said, and it became a race to "halt the wheels" of Patricia's removal. With no record associating mother and son, Krell was able to find the boy only by using a list of alien registration numbers given to immigrants when they are detained. She located Alessandro because his number was close to his mother's. Krell managed to get Patricia released five weeks after she had been separated from Alessandro, after she passed a "credible fear" interview and was put on the legal track toward asylum. In the intervening time, a court had ordered separated families to be reunited, and President Trump had signed an executive order ending the zero-tolerance policy. Patricia and Krell drove to the facility where the boy was being held in a shelter with about 100 other kids, but authorities there wouldn't let her see him without an appointment. As Krell and Patricia stood arguing with officials, a line of children walked by, Alessandro among them, Krell said. When he saw his mother, he ran to her and didn't want to let go. "He said, 'Mom, I'm leaving now with you,'" said Patricia, a petite 27-year-old who shares apple cheeks with her son. "But they didn't give him to me." It took another week to have Alessandro released, Krell said. Once free, he clung to his mom, she said. They are now living with Patricia's brother, and she is working legally at a Korean fast food chain. Alessandro just completed first grade. Anxiety persists But she is anxious, and sometimes her mind goes "cold," a blankness that leaves her disoriented, she said. Alessandro is scared to be apart from her, even at school. He cries spontaneously. "He'll wake up in the middle of the night crying," she said. "And then he'll turn and hug (me) and say, 'OK, we're together, Mom.'" Despite the anguish many separated parents face, their claims of emotional distress may be hard to win, said Gregory Sisk, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and an expert in federal tort law. "Anytime you sue the federal government in these types of cases, it's an uphill climb," Sisk said. "You'd have to show that it was done … for the purposes of being cruel as opposed to, 'We're not very competent and we don't want to take the time.'" Sisk said the lawsuits are "worthwhile" but largely unprecedented for their focus on emotional distress. Congress passed the Federal Tort Claims Act a year after a military pilot became disoriented in heavy fog and crashed a B-25 Mitchell bomber into New York's Empire State Building in 1945, killing 14 people. Before the legislation, individuals could not sue the federal government because it held sovereign immunity. But wanting to respond to the families of the crash victims seeking their day in court, Congress created limited circumstances under which such cases could be heard. It has since been used mostly by individuals, though there have been a few significant, mostly unsuccessful, group claims, including from property owners flooded by Hurricane Katrina who claimed that the failure of government-built levees was to blame. But in February, a Honduran refugee, Suny Alvarado, won a $125,000 settlement in a lawsuit that alleged U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement held her and her son in inhumane conditions and threatened family separation in 2015, partly to pressure her to drop an asylum claim. After her experience helping Patricia and Alessandro, Krell said, she believes there is "an absolute vacuum of information" around detainees that is part of a "heartless" policy that falls under the scope of the law. "The more I've gotten to know Patricia and Alessandro, the more repulsive it is that this is how they were treated," Krell said. "She is not that different from some of the human trafficking victims I've worked with, some of the assault survivors I've worked with. She was the victim of horrific circumstances. It just happens to be that the people who put her in that position are the federal government."     ©2019 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Anti-theft systems are designed to prevent your vehicle from being stolen. These systems are constantly evolving. Essentially, they work via an electrical circuit disconnecting to prevent power from flowing so your car won't start or will die immediately. An anti-theft system may also integrate a car alarm or it might just be an engine immobilizer. It's possible that the anti-theft system in your car won't function correctly at some point. This may be for many reasons including a dead car battery that loses its key memory or a dead battery in your remote. It could also be that your immobilizer chip is damaged in your key or the car door lock is damaged. If your car's anti-theft system isn't working correctly, you'll need to find a way to shut the system off so your car will return to normal operation. Method 1: Check your key and cylinder Step 1: Check your key fob battery. A car's anti-theft system may activate if your key fob battery is dead and hasn't disabled the system. Make sure the battery is installed correctly in your key fob. If the battery is correctly installed, replace it with a fresh battery and try again. Step 2: Check your door lock cylinder. If your car has been damaged in an attempt to steal it or break into it, the anti-theft system may have been engaged. Check for damage to the lock cylinder itself or under the door handle where would-be thieves may have punched through with a screwdriver. If the lock is damaged, try using the passenger side cylinder if your car has one. Note: While the driver's side door lock is damaged, typically the passenger side won't be. Step 3: Check that you are using the proper key to start your car. Many cars have a "valet" key or a door key that only performs certain functions such as unlocking the doors. "Valet" keys are often distinguished by a "V" on the key shaft or a different-colored key head. The key you are using may not have the chip required to start your car. Method 2: Turn the ignition on If the anti-theft system has locked up your engine, you won't be able to start it. You'll have to disable it with these steps. Step 1: Check for the anti-theft light. It's located on your dash and will have a blue or red light. Step 2: Turn the ignition to the "on" position. Insert the key into the ignition and turn it to the on position, which activates your accessories but not the engine. Leave the key in position for about 10   15 minutes. Step 3: Check the anti-theft light again. If it's no longer blinking, turn the key back to the Off position and allow it to set for a minute or two. This gives the system time to reset or you won't be able to start your car. Step 4: Start the engine. Attempt to start your engine. If it still won't start, check to make sure the battery hasn't been drained. Step 5: Repeat the process. Try the process again to see if it will work. Method 3: Use the key in your car door Step 1: Insert your key in the lock on the door. Use the driver's side door and the physical key even if your vehicle is equipped with a keyless entry system. Step 2: Turn the key. Turn the key to unlock your car door, but don't release it. Hold the key in this position for 20 to 30 seconds. This lets the system know you have the correct key, and it can allow you to bypass the alarm system. Some vehicles recognize the key simply by turning the key back and forth in the door lock key cylinder. Tip: Try turning the key both ways fully to disable the anti-theft system. Step 3: Try to start the engine. Remove the key and try to start the engine. Be sure to leave the key cylinder in the unlocked position. An anti-theft system that prevents your car from running properly is a nuisance, and while you may be thankful for it in the event of a crime, it is now causing you a great deal of inconvenience, which these steps have hopefully helped you resolve. If your car still won't start, you should consult with a professional to determine if there is another issue that is preventing your car from starting.


President Trump's golf resort in Doral, Fla., is scheduled to host a golf tournament Saturday put on by a Miami-area strip club, which will allow golfers to pay for a dancer to serve as their "caddy girl" while they play at the president's club. The "Shadow All Star Tournament" is organized by the Shadow Cabaret, a strip club in Hialeah, Fla. Emanuele Mancuso, Shadow Cabaret's marketing director, said in a telephone interview that this was the first time the club had held a tournament at Trump Doral. The Trump name and family crest are displayed prominently in the strip club's advertising materials , which offer golfers the "caddy girl of your choice." Mancuso said the strip club did not intend to send a political statement by choosing Trump's resort. Rather, he said, the choice was for luxury. These golfers are VIPs, Mancuso said. "They deserve a VIP environment." Mancuso said there would be no nudity at the resort. On the course, he said, the caddies would wear pink miniskirts and what he called "a sexy white polo." Afterward, however, the golfers and the dancers would return to another venue   the cabaret itself   for what he described as a "very tasteful" burlesque show, which could involve nudity. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on the Washington Post "They're going to be clothed the whole time" at the golf course, Mancuso said. "At the venue is different." In a statement, the Trump Organization confirmed the event is happening and said it was for a "worthwhile cause"   a Miami children's charity. A spokeswoman said the company had not approved the tournament's advertisements before they were published. Trump still owns Doral   and all his other businesses   while in office, but he has given day-to-day control to his sons Don Jr. and Eric. Doral is better known for a different kind of golf tournament, a long-running PGA Tour event that was last played there in 2016. It is one of the jewels of Trump's hotel empire   a legendary 57-year-old golf resort that Trump bought for $150 million in 2012. After Trump entered politics, however, the club lost the famous tournament, and its revenue began to decline, according to documents that Trump's company provided to Miami-Dade County in a tax dispute. Those documents showed that the club's net operating income fell 69 percent between 2015 and 2017. The club's revenue rebounded slightly in 2018, according to Trump's financial disclosure forms. "They are severely underperforming" other resorts in the area, said a tax consultant for Trump's company, arguing in a public hearing that the county should lower the resort's tax assessment. She blamed the Trump name: "There is some negative connotation that is associated with the brand." Shadow Cabaret advertises that its strip club offers all-nude dancers, a laser light show and a decor inspired by the Miami drug epic "Scarface." It has been advertising the golf tournament at Doral online , on Facebook , on Instagram and via the industry website exoticdancer.com . It offers packages that claim to combine hotel rooms at Doral with services at the strip club: a $1,000 "VIP Upgrade," for instance, includes three days at the hotel and "1/2 Hour VIP Room + Bottle @ Club." Mancuso, the cabaret's marketing director, said the first event connected with the tournament will be a reception at the cabaret on Friday night. "If you enroll before the 10th [of July], you are able to pick out your caddie girl," he said. "Everybody that enrolled after the 10th, they're going to have an auction" that night. Mancuso said the dancers would drive a golf cart and not carry golf bags as some caddies do. "They're actually going through training, most of the girls," to be able to advise players on golf shots, he said. Mancuso said the tournament would benefit a basketball-themed charity called Miami All Stars. Online advertisements for the tournament also include logos for the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA. Carlos Alamilla, the charity's director, said his group serves about 40 youths in Miami. "We provide everything. We provide fitness, nutrition, basketball and academics," he said. The charity's website says it is "a non-profit organization under the laws of the State of Florida." However, Franco Ripple, a spokesman for the state, said Tuesday that it is not registered as a charity in Florida. Alamilla did not immediately respond to questions about why his organization's name was missing from state records. A spokeswoman for the NBA and WNBA said that the leagues were not affiliated with the tournament and that their logos were used in the ads without permission. Alamilla said it gave him pause to affiliate his charity with an event put on by a strip club: "It doesn't jive with what we do, you know." He said he also dislikes Trump because of the conditions in which his administration is detaining migrant children. "He's contrary to everything we believe," he said of the president. Still, Alamilla said, he decided to accept the money   but also ban his charity's child clients from attending. "None of my kids are going to be participating in your event," he said he told the organizers. But, he said, "if we can get some help, you know, for our programs starting now . . . it would be okay." david.fahrenthold@washpost.com


Didn't catch the local high school softball matchups from last week? Stay up to date with our roundup of the latest girls varsity softball results in and around Detroit, powered by data from premiere high school sports source MaxPreps . (Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Details like game dates, times, scores and team records are based on data provided by MaxPreps and may be subject to change; the latest up-to-date information is available at the links below.) Chandler Park Academy outsmarts Chavez Academy On Tuesday, May 14, the Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy Eagles traveled to Detroit to face off against the Chavez Academy Aztec Eagles . The Chandler Park Academy Eagles outsmarted the Aztec Eagles 13-11 to walk away with the win . Grosse Ile sneaks past Western International On Wednesday, the Western International Cowboys traveled to Grosse Ile to face off against the Grosse Ile Red Devils . They drove home disappointed: The team fell to the Red Devils in a frustrating 7-6 loss . The win brought Grosse Ile's record to 7-12, while Western International's record fell to 4-3-1. Chavez Academy cruises past Henry Ford Academy Also on Wednesday, Dearborn's Henry Ford Academy Navigators traveled to Detroit to face off against the Chavez Academy Aztec Eagles . Chavez Academy's home team advantage paid off: They walked away with a 17-0 victory . This story was created automatically using local sports data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


With four Boston Celtics players representing Team USA, you can be sure that the Celtics who are doubling as national team participants this summer have looked at practices and scrimmages at UNLV's Mendenhall Center as chances to build their chemistry on the court. Especially after a 2018-19 season that unraveled unexpectedly and more than likely due to players being unsure of their role or uncomfortable in it . Following a scrimmage that saw Team USA's Kemba Walker-led blue team losing to a squad that included Jaylen Brown , Celtics guard Marcus Smart - who has been outspoken about what he believes was a team-wide issue rather than one with a single culprit - discussed the impact that being named to Team USA's roster has had on a Boston quartet that includes rising star Jayson Tatum. In particular, Smart notes the importance of camaraderie for championship-caliber teams. "It feels good. It feels good, you know? Just to built that camaraderie right now before the season even starts. So when we do finally get on the court, we kind of have a hint of everybody likes to do and a feel for everybody." "Everybody knows championship teams, or contenders, are really great teams and they have a special [quality] to them where you look and you're like 'Them guys, they've been together for awhile' or 'These guys really know how to play well with one another.'" @smart_MS3 talks to @ChrisForsberg_ about how some of the Celtics are already team building while in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/uWUBUUHZhG - Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 5, 2019 "Jayson, Jaylen, Kemba and I actually went out to dinner last night and just talked. We talked a little bit about basketball, nothing crazy, but it's really just knowing each other personality-wise." Though the mercurial and volatile Smart has a different tint to his personality than Brown, Tatum and Walker - all cooler and calmer than the now longest-tenured Celtics - they're each imbued with similar qualities in that they're all fiery competitors, willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team and caring individuals heavily invested in family and their community. Brown appears more academically inclined than his other teammates and holds office in the National Basketball Players Association. Tatum is the only player out of the four who has an intimate understanding of the rigors and joys of fatherhood. Walker is the senior of the group and, so far, the only player who has been named as an All-Star. Nonetheless, these differences can provide each player with a unique viewpoint on life or basketball and understanding a teammate's thought process or why his thought process is different is vital for any team trying to stand as a unified force. For example, Golden State Warriors stars Draymond Green and Stephen Curry come from different walks of life and typically exude different personalities when they're on the court but there's never been a report or hint of bad blood between the two. Not even a disagreement, although they've likely had at least one by this time. That's the type of camaraderie that was missing last season, with the Celtics often playing the blame game (in private or publicly), squandering the championship-level talent that they managed to amass and failing to reach even the Conference Finals after being a preseason championship-contender. Because Smart, Walker, Tatum and Brown represent four of the core members of Boston's squad as currently constructed, the time that the four spend together on and off the court is invaluable for the Celtics' future. Though a lot can change once the season begins, they've gotten off on the right foot already and Boston will almost certainly be better off for it. MORE: Bubba Wallace calls out Kyle Busch after spinning him: '(Expletive) him' Quick hits, observations from Packers' first joint practice with Texans Rookie Tony Pollard making presence felt in Ezekiel Elliott's absence Paxton Lynch Throws Shade At Broncos During Seahawks Camp Observations from Lions training camp, Day 10: Joint Practices with the Patriots