Martin Kaymer is just 36 holes from his first win in five years after taking the halfway lead in the $2.2 million BMW International Open in Munich. The two-time major winner added a 6-under-par 66 at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried to his opening 67 to move to 11 under, two shots clear of South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The 34-year-old home favorite is seeking his second BMW title following his 2008 victory. That win is one of 11 the German has on the European Tour, a tally that includes the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 U.S. Open. Yet winning America's national championship five years ago was Kaymer's last victory. He's posted two second place finishes since then, but hasn't managed to get his hands on a trophy. SCORES: BMW International Open He's looked like winning material through the first 36 holes in Munich, despite bogeying two of his first three holes to start his second round. "I didn't play as well as (Thursday), especially on the first nine - I wasn't comfortable the way I was hitting the ball," he said. "I missed a lot of shots right but I was scrambling well. Today was a day where I'd need to hang in there, shoot one or two under and then move on. Then, all of a sudden, things changed. I felt something nice in my swing and from the 11th I played really well." That's not actually true. Kaymer hit a really bad shot at the par-3, 12th hole but still managed to birdie the hole. "My tee shot on 12 was a shocking one, you don't want to put yourself in that bunker. I would have expected myself to get to four or five feet, but not hole it. That was unexpected." Kaymer has been winless for so long he's relishing his place at the top of the leaderboard. "It's a very nice position to be in. It's always difficult leading golf tournaments. Now I just play against myself, try to reach my number and hopefully it's enough to be in the lead on Saturday evening." Bezuidenhout is looking for his first victory in just his second full season on the European Tour. Defending champion Matt Wallace and veteran Lee Westwood are among seven players tied for fifth place on 7 under. https://compass.pressekompass.net/compasses/golfweek/tiger-woods-has-15-majors-will-he-pass-j MORE: Kyle Kuzma is already trash-talking his former Lakers teammate NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players News: Elliott holdout concern re-emerges from Bristol, Cowboys new DE impresses Packers DL Tyler Lancaster working on pass-rushing in Year 2 For The Win sends RB Leonard Fournette to Chiefs in blockbuster trade scenario


One member of this wedding party wanted to voice an objection. Jack the Rottweiler looked a little jealous as he served as best man at his human Chris McCarron's wedding. McCarron adopted Jack after the death of his son, Chris Jr., and the two have a special bond. During the ceremony, Jack couldn't stop staring at McCarron, and when the vows were read, he interrupted with a sneeze.


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Santa Ana? We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to finding an apartment in Santa Ana if you've got a budget of $1,700/month. Take a peek at what rentals the city has to offer, below. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 901 S. Harbor Blvd. (Riverview West) Listed at $1,625/month, this 516-square-foot one bedroom, one bathroom apartment is located at 901 S. Harbor Blvd. Amenities offered in the building include secured entry, a fitness center, on-site laundry and a swimming pool. Pet owners, take heed: cats and dogs are welcome. Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is very walkable and has some transit options. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) 1101 W. Stevens Ave. Next, here's a 700-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom spot at 1101 W. Stevens Ave. that's going for $1,645/month. The listing promises a walk-in closet, a dishwasher and carpeted floors in the unit. When it comes to building amenities, anticipate assigned parking and on-site laundry. Attention, pet owners: your dogs and cats are permitted here. Per Walk Score ratings, the surrounding area is friendly for those on foot and has some transit options. (See the full listing here .) 3400 S. Main St. (Sandpointe) Then there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment located at 3400 S. Main St. It's listed for $1,657/month for its 850 square feet. The building boasts on-site laundry and secured entry. In the unit, expect to find a walk-in closet, a dishwasher and a mix of hardwood floors and carpeting. Pets are not allowed. According to Walk Score, the area around this address is somewhat walkable and has a few nearby public transportation options. (See the complete listing here .) 1300 Fairhaven Ave. Then there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom residence over at 1300 Fairhaven Ave. It's listed for $1,664/month for its 750 square feet. The unit features a walk-in closet, a dishwasher and hardwood flooring. When it comes to building amenities, expect on-site laundry, secured entry and assigned parking. Cats and dogs are welcome. Per Walk Score ratings, this location is moderately walkable and has a few nearby public transportation options. (Check out the complete listing here .) 750 Park Center Drive Finally, located at 750 Park Center Drive, here's a 739-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's listed for $1,695/month. The apartment has a fireplace, carpeted floors and a dishwasher. When it comes to building amenities, expect on-site laundry and garage parking. Pets are welcome. Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is somewhat walkable and has some transit options. (Check out the complete listing here .) Working with a tight budget? Here are the cheapest rentals recently listed in Santa Ana . This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The Day in Sports: Monday, May 20, 2019 MLB: Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Atlanta Braves left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. IndyCar: 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500-Practice IndyCar series driver Ed Carpenter (20) drives across the yard of bricks during practice for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NFL: Arizona Cardinals-OTA Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during organized team activities. MLB: Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) steals second base ahead of the tag from Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Richard Urena (7) during the first inning at Rogers Centre. NFL: New York Giants-OTA New York Giants quarterback Kyle Lauletta (17) , punter Ryan Derson (17) and quarterback Alex Tanney (3) stretch during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostic Training Center. NFL: Denver Broncos-OTA Denver Broncos inside linebacker Josh Watson (54) during organized team activities at the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse at UCHealth Training Center. MLB: Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) warms up before an at-bat against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. MLB: Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson (28) celebrates his solo home run in the third inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors forward Jordan Bell (2) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (11) in the first half of game four of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. MLB: New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) turns a double play against Baltimore Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr (35) in the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first half in game four of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. MLB: Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians third baseman Francisco Lindor (12) turns a double play beside Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson (28) in the fifth inning at Progressive Field. IndyCar: 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500-Practice IndyCar series drivers Sebastien Bourdais (18) and Helio Castroneves (3) drive across the yard of bricks during practice for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) passes the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half in game four of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. MLB: Washington Nationals at New York Mets New York Mets starting pitcher Wilmer Font (68) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citi Field. MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) takes batting practice before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (11) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Jordan Bell (2) and forward Alfonzo McKinnie (28) during the first half in game four of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. MLB: Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) is out at second base as Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) throws to first base to complete a double play during the third inning at Minute Maid Park. NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after scoring against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half of game four of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. MLB: Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) waves to a fan before a game against the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park. NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) and Warriors' guard Quinn Cook (4) strip the ball from Portland Trail Blazers guard Seth Curry (31) in the first half of game four of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper (3) warms up in the on deck circle during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.


FORT PIERCE, Fla.   On a Monday afternoon in June 2017, Renee Holland was draped in an American flag at Philadelphia International Airport, waiting for a soldier she had befriended on Facebook. The married 56-year-old had driven two hours from Delaware to pick him up. Their blossoming online friendship had prompted her to send him a care package and thousands of dollars in gift cards. She also wired him $5,000 for plane tickets to return home. Now she was looking for a buff, tattooed man in uniform, just like in his Facebook photos. But his flight was not on the airport arrivals board. Then a ticket agent told her the flight didn't exist. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter From there, Ms. Holland said, it was a daze. She walked to her car, with "Welcome Home" written on the windows, and sobbed. She had spent much of her family's savings on the phantom soldier. "There's no way I can go home and tell my husband," she remembered telling herself. She drove to a strip mall, bought sleeping pills and vodka, and downed them. The man in the Facebook pictures had no idea who Ms. Holland was. His real identity was Sgt. Daniel Anonsen of the Marine Corps, and he had joined the social network a decade earlier to keep in touch with friends and family in Maryland. Now he was contending with dozens of Facebook impostor accounts using stolen photos of him at the gym, at his brother's wedding and in Afghanistan. "For every one that I deleted, there was 10 more that were popping up," he said. "It turns my stomach." Ms. Holland and Mr. Anonsen represent two sides of a fraud that has flourished on Facebook and Instagram, where scammers impersonate real American service members to cheat vulnerable and lonely women out of their money. The deception has entangled the United States military, defrauded thousands of victims and smeared the reputations of soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines. It has also sometimes led to tragedy. The scheme stands out for its audacity. While fraud has proliferated on Facebook for years, those running the military romance scams are taking on not only one of the world's most influential companies, but also the most powerful military   and succeeding. Many scammers operate from their phones in Nigeria and other African nations, working several victims at the same time. In interviews in Nigeria, six men told The New York Times that the love hoaxes were lucrative and low risk. "Definitely there is always conscience," said Akinola Bolaji, 35, who has conned people online since he was 15, including by posing on Facebook as an American fisherman named Robert. "But poverty will not make you feel the pain." Facebook has long had a mission to "connect the world." But in the process, it has created a global gathering place where the crooks outnumber the cops. For digital criminals, Facebook has become a one-stop shop. It has plenty of photos of American service members. Creating an impostor account can be easy . Facebook groups for single women and widows are full of targets. Scammers can message hundreds of potential victims. And they congregate in their own Facebook groups to sell fake accounts, Photoshopped images and scripts for pulling off the cons. "There are so many people out there that are lonely, newly divorced, maybe widowed," said Kathy Waters, head of a group called Advocating Against Romance Scams . "Everybody wants somebody to love and to listen to them and hear them. And these scammers know the right words to say." Facebook said it requires people to use their real identities on its sites. To eliminate impostor accounts, it has invested in technology and more human reviewers. The company works with the authorities to prosecute scammers. Billions of fake Facebook accounts have been blocked over the past year, the company said, though its estimate for the number of active fakes has steadily risen to about 120 million . It declined to disclose a figure for Instagram. "That job is not finished and we are committed to sharing our progress," Facebook said in a statement. Kim Joiner, a deputy assistant to the secretary of defense who oversees the military's social media accounts, said her team works with Facebook to remove impostors and was pleased with the company's response. "I'm absolutely satisfied," she said. When shown that searches by The Times for three top American generals on Facebook and Instagram had yielded more than 120 impersonators, Ms. Joiner said it was "disturbing." She said she did not know why the fakes were not eradicated. "I mean, the numbers are astounding," she said. 'My wife' To her friends and family, Ms. Holland was known as trusting and impulsive. Born in Philadelphia, she had spent time in Arizona and Missouri, working as a gardener and in an auto shop. She met her fifth husband, Mark Holland, when she offered him a ride off the side of the road. In 2001, she moved to Delaware to care for her sick mother. When her mother died in September 2016, Ms. Holland found herself depressed and with free time. She noticed her sister glued to her smartphone, scrolling through Facebook. So she bought a smartphone, too, and created a Facebook profile. A few weeks later, Ms. Holland got a Facebook message from a stranger. The profile showed a man in uniform named Michael Chris. He told her he disarmed bombs in Iraq. Ms. Holland said she initially felt uneasy, but the conversation flowed. Mr. Chris told her about life at war. She made him laugh. "He kept saying, 'You're really funny. And you make it easier for me just to know that somebody is at home that I can talk to," she said. "How cool is this that I could really make somebody feel better?" Over several months, their relationship deepened. Ms. Holland said she felt motherly. Mr. Chris began calling her "my wife." What Ms. Holland did not know was that the man in Mr. Chris's photos was actually Mr. Anonsen   and that his images were all over the internet. Mr. Anonsen grew up in suburban Maryland, about two hours from Ms. Holland's Delaware home. The oldest of four boys, he said he had "wanted to be in the military since the day I could remember." After graduating high school in 2006, he joined the Marines. In 2010, while browsing Facebook, he discovered hundreds of unsolicited messages from women he did not know. Many said they loved him. They asked why, after months of correspondence, he was not responding. They implored him to write back. Confused, Mr. Anonsen searched for his name on Facebook and found dozens of impostor accounts. The problem quickly mushroomed. The women who thought he had duped them harassed his parents online. A new real-life girlfriend grew suspicious. "She started questioning everything about what I was doing," said Mr. Anonsen, now 31. "It actually ended our relationship." Mostly searching variations of his name, The Times found 65 profiles on Facebook and Instagram that used Mr. Anonsen's photos. When The Times reported the fakes to the sites, 24 were removed over more than six months. Many more accounts have used Mr. Anonsen's photos with different names. One used the name Michael Chris   and began messaging Ms. Holland in late 2016. Several months into their online chats, Mr. Chris asked Ms. Holland for money. She bought him iTunes gift cards so, he said, he could buy more minutes on his cellphone. She sent money for beer for his birthday. And she paid for medicine for what he said was a sick daughter, Annabelle, in California. In June 2017, she wired $5,000 for Mr. Chris and a friend to fly to Philadelphia from Iraq. She sneaked the money from a pile of cash she and her husband hid in their bedroom, which represented their life savings. Mr. Chris promised to pay her back when he got there. He never arrived. That was when Ms. Holland took the sleeping pills and vodka. Days later, she awoke in a hospital bed. "You open your eyes, and the person you didn't want to face the most is sitting next to you," she said. "Mark." Mr. Holland knew about his wife's Facebook friend. An Army Airborne veteran himself, with tours in Honduras and South Korea, he once helped Ms. Holland prepare a care package of snacks, underwear and foot powder for Mr. Chris. (The package was returned.) Now he said he realized his wife's relationship with this man had gone further than he understood. "I had a lot of anger," Mr. Holland, 53, said in an interview last year. "But I also had a little bit of compassion because I knew how bad she felt." When Ms. Holland returned home from the hospital, her relationship with her husband and her then 82-year-old father, whom she was caring for, was strained. One person kept talking to her: Mr. Chris. "He wanted to make it up to me," she said. "He was going to sit there, look my husband in the eye and tell him how sorry he was and pay him back." Ms. Holland said she had been convinced that it was a scam. But Mr. Chris swore to her that he had been delayed by a military operation. She received an email from someone claiming to be Gen. Stephen Townsend of the Army, confirming the story. There were soon new photos of Mr. Chris injured in war, documents showing he was due big insurance payments and promises she would be reimbursed for more than she had lost. She just needed to get him home. Twice more, Ms. Holland sent money for airfare, partly with credit cards, without her husband's knowledge. Mr. Chris never showed. The Hollands lost $26,000 to $30,000. To start afresh, they moved to Fort Pierce last year. But the strains remained. Mr. Holland was arrested on domestic violence charges in August 2018, according to a police report. Ms. Holland dropped the charges. She said in an interview last year that there had been another incident in 2017. On Dec. 23, 2018, Mr. Holland shot and killed Ms. Holland and her father at their new home. Mr. Holland then turned the gun on himself. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said Mr. Holland left no indication of motive. Out of their hands By the end of 2017, Mr. Anonsen had quit Facebook and Instagram in frustration. He estimated that he had reported roughly 200 impostor accounts to Facebook. The company removed some, but said many didn't violate its rules. When he sent messages to Facebook pleading for help, he received automated responses. Mr. Anonsen told his platoon commanders about the issue, then his battalion's intelligence officers. All said it was out of their hands. "I thought military intelligence would be able to type a couple of zeros and ones and it would all go away, but it's not that simple," said Mr. Anonsen, who left the military last year and now works on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico. His experience reflects the futility of stopping military romance scams: No one appears to be able to help. "I don't know what else we can be doing," said Ms. Joiner, the Defense Department official. She called Facebook impostors "the new norm" and said the Pentagon combats them with education and reporting fake accounts to Facebook. On Facebook and Instagram, The Times recently found more than 120 accounts impersonating three of the military's highest-ranking generals. One Instagram account posing as Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had posted a photo of a child in a hospital bed, asking for donations to Nigeria via Western Union. Ms. Joiner said when the Pentagon reported fakes, Facebook took them down. Yet when The Times reported 46 of the accounts to Instagram, the site responded within 24 hours that none violated its rules, without explaining why. The Times later provided the list of impostors to the Pentagon. Four months later, 25 accounts were still active. "I just don't know how to influence it more than we are," Ms. Joiner said. The Army's Criminal Investigation Command, which investigates crimes involving Army personnel, said it fields calls from hundreds of victims of romance scams a month. But it said its investigators cannot look into those reports because the perpetrators and victims are civilians. "Our jurisdiction stops there," said Chris Grey, a spokesman for the division. He said they distribute public warnings and urge service members to protect their identities. There are no exact figures on how many service members and civilians have been affected. The F.B.I. said it received nearly 18,500 complaints from victims of romance or similar internet scams last year, with reported losses exceeding $362 million, up 71 percent from 2017. The F.B.I. investigates a fraction of those reports, said James Barnacle, head of the F.B.I.'s money laundering unit. Many victims lose a few thousand dollars, and "it's really hard for an agency like the F.B.I. to work something that low, just because there's so many cases that come in our door," he said. Facebook said it constantly removes impostor accounts with the help of software, human reviewers and user reports. Its software also scans for scammers and locks accounts until owners can provide proof of identity. It has a video warning people of scams. The hoax has created a brigade of victims' advocates. One is the group Advocating Against Romance Scams, run by Ms. Waters, a health care worker from Fresno, Calif., and Bryan Denny, a retired Army colonel. Since 2017, they have met five times with Facebook and with 11 separate congressional offices to lobby for a law to hold social media sites responsible for such scams. Since last year, Facebook has used Colonel Denny in tests of a new system to quickly remove impostors of commonly impersonated service members. He provided Facebook with 51 photos that his imitators used. Months later, he said, the fakes still showed up. In an email to Ms. Waters and Colonel Denny last year, a Facebook spokeswoman wrote, "I understand what it must look like to you guys. I hope we can redeem ourselves." Finding Michael Chris Ms. Holland left behind a trail of clues about Mr. Chris. It started with receipts from Western Union and MoneyGram, which wire money around the world. Those revealed that Ms. Holland had not sent money directly to Mr. Chris, but to people in places like New Mexico and Puerto Rico. Mr. Chris had told Ms. Holland they were "Army agents." In reality, the F.B.I.'s Mr. Barnacle said, they were probably "money mules" who laundered payments to confuse victims and the authorities. They could be accomplices or victims themselves. One of the names on Ms. Holland's receipts was Maria, a Greek immigrant in New Jersey. She spoke on the condition of anonymity to hide her involvement in the scam from her adult children. Maria, 57, said she joined Facebook after her husband died in 2010. She quickly heard from men in uniform and developed a relationship with a supposed Army sergeant named Jacob. He showered her with compliments, called her "my Queen"   and then requested money. Over two years, Maria sent roughly $15,000. She pawned her jewelry and stopped paying her mortgage. When her bank blocked her from sending more, her scammer persuaded her to forward a payment from someone else: Ms. Holland. "Am tired disappointed depressed I lost everything I don't know what ales to do," Maria wrote to her scammer in messages reviewed by The Times. "Just give me your trust one more time," the person wrote. "Okay one time," Maria responded. In 2017, the bank foreclosed on Maria's house. To save her home, she increased her working hours at a factory to seven days a week. "I don't know how humans can do that to another human," she said. The 'Yahoo Boys' All of the clues ultimately pointed to Nigeria. Maria's receipts showed her payments went to someone in Nigeria named Victor Ohaja. That name had also appeared in Ms. Holland's receipts. In her final payment to Mr. Chris, $350 went to Mr. Ohaja. His connection to the person purporting to be Mr. Chris was unclear. According to the Internet Protocol address for the person messaging as Mr. Chris   a kind of online identification number that can provide a rough location   he appeared to be in Lagos, Nigeria. The Times messaged the person and presented its reporting about his scam. "Nice job," he responded. "No one is perfect." Then he logged off and has not returned. Nigeria has become synonymous with online scams, fairly or not. Easy internet access, poverty and English are widespread. And those who learn the trade pass it to others, said the men who talked to The Times about the internet schemes. They called their victims "clients" and themselves " Yahoo Boys ," a nod to the online chat service Yahoo Messenger where love scams gained traction nearly 20 years ago. Now they ply their trade on Facebook and Instagram, they said, because that's where the people are. Three Nigerian men, age 25, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they conned people on Facebook to pay for their education at Lagos State University. They said they previously made $28 to $42 a month in administrative jobs or pressing shirts. With love hoaxes, the money was inconsistent but more plentiful. One estimated he made about $14,000 in two years; another took in $28,000 in three years. Nigerian authorities have publicized raids on Yahoo Boys, but the scammers said they do not worry. Some said they paid bribes to evade arrest. Facebook was becoming tougher on their profession, they added, but Instagram was easy to elude. If their accounts were blocked, they bought new ones; a six-month-old profile cost about $14, one said. Adedeji Oyenuga, a senior lecturer in criminology at Lagos State University who has studied Yahoo Boys, said Nigeria's older generation largely rejects the scammers, but many youths embrace them. "Girls would rather date a Yahoo Boy," he said. The trail of Ms. Holland's and Maria's money led finally to Owerri, a city of 1.2 million people in southern Nigeria. During his cash pickups at banks in Owerri, Mr. Ohaja left four nearby addresses and three phone numbers, according to an official at a money-transfer company, who declined to be identified because the information was confidential. There was another name. Maria's scammer had once instructed her to send a package to an Orji James Ogbonnaya at a different Owerri address. Her scammer also sent a phone number for Mr. Ogbonnaya that was the same number that Mr. Ohaja left during one of his pickups. In Owerri, the addresses led to dead ends: a convenience store, an electronics shop, a DHL location and an office building. "There's no name like that here," said Peace Benjamin, the building's security officer. "It's a trick. Don't you understand?" When The Times tried the phone numbers, one left by Mr. Ohaja was disconnected; another went to a lecturer at the local university, who expressed confusion. The number linked to both Mr. Ohaja and Mr. Ogbonnaya was answered by a deep-voiced man who identified himself as Mr. Ogbonnaya. He hung up when he learned The Times was calling. "Please. I don't know you. I don't have any information related to what you're looking for," he texted later. "Don't bug me. I really need some peace." That night, Mr. Ogbonnaya called back. He denied any connection to Yahoo Boys. "I'm just a delivery man," he said. Last month, the same man answered the phone again. "I don't know anybody like that," he said, when referred to as Mr. Ogbonnaya. "I'm Chris. You can call me Chris." Jack Nicas reported from Fort Pierce, Fla.; Washington, D.C.; New York; Seattle; San Francisco; Belton, Mo.; and Lagos and Owerri, Nigeria. Bukky Omoseni and Mayowa Tijani contributed reporting from Lagos. Tony Iyare contributed reporting from Owerri. Susan Beachy contributed research. Jack Nicas reported from Fort Pierce, Fla.; Washington D.C.; New York; Seattle; San Francisco; Belton, Mo.; and Lagos and Owerri, Nigeria. Bukky Omoseni and Mayowa Tijani contributed reporting from Lagos. Tony Iyare contributed reporting from Owerri. Susan Beachy contributed research.


Volkswagen has been thinking about bringing a compact pickup truck to the U.S., and it might want to hurry up. Custom car body outfit Smyth Performance has unveiled a conversion kit to turn a VW New Beetle into a pickup and it's already the Massachusetts company's best seller. Research the VW Beetle on MSN Autos | Find a VW Beetle near you According to Motor 1, the first 100 kits were sold out during a pre-order period at $2,990 a pop. It's compatible with the New Beetle that went out of production in 2011 and features an aluminum step side bed with a retro flair that suits the car's styling. Smyth calls them "utes", using the Australian term for a car-based pickup. Smyth says a skilled builder can complete the installation at home and offers instructions on how to do it, but owners can also send their car to a shop to get the work done. VW BEETLE TO END PRODUCTION IN 2019 VW brought a four-door Tiguan SUV-based pickup called the Tarok, which goes on sale in South America later this year, to the New York International Auto Show to gauge interest from customers and is seriously contemplating offering it or something like it in the U.S. soon. Along with the Beetle, Smyth Performance also offers kits to turn the VW Golf and Jetta, Audi A4, Subaru Impreza and even the Dodge Charger into two-door pickups. FOLLOW FOX NEWS AUTOS ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE Follow MSN Autos on Facebook and Twitter


It took a little while, but Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander finally lived up to his second-round selection. Last season, Alexander posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 78.1, a mark that ranked 17th in the league and was a 24-point increase from the previous season. A big reason for Alexander's improvement? Maturity. "I think a big part of it was that Mackensie (Alexander) has grown up a whole lot since his time here. I think the increased reps and those kinds of things have helped him," Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards said Wednesday. "He has more experience now at the position. He understands not only his job, but how his job affects everybody around him communication-wise, technique-wise and fundamental-wise." Alexander is now considered a strength in the Vikings secondary, after being considered a weakness for the first two years of his career. This all comes at a very good time for Alexander, assuming he can have another solid season considering he's in a contract year. MORE: Fox Sports Announces 2019 NFL Broadcast Teams Baker Mayfield's sassy response to Jets' trash talk won over the Browns offensive line Packers coach Matt LaFleur sidelines Josh Jones after practice fight Observations from Lions training camp, Day 6: Tracy Walker making noise 6 Saints players who are making the most of training camp


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A virus that can lead to a form of madness in bats has spread across four additional counties in North Carolina, thanks in part to countless abandoned gold mines from the 1800s, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The advancing fungal pathogen is known to cause White-Nose Syndrome, a fatal disease that prompts bats to engage in "unusual behavior such as flying outside during the day," including in the cold dead of winter, according to Bat Conservation International. This disruption in their life cycle causes bats to starve to death, says the conservation. Biologists suspect the pathogen is spreading among bats living in the gold mines abandoned a century ago across North Carolina's Piedmont. Those shafts, some 500 feet down, crisscross below heavily populated places like uptown Charlotte and neighboring communities, The Charlotte Observer reported in December. White-Nose Syndrome earns its name "because of the telltale white fuzzy growth on the nose, ears, and wings of infected bats," says Bat Conservation International. New evidence shows the "fungal pathogen" has spread into Madison, Montgomery, Rowan and Gaston counties, the latter of which is just west of Charlotte. In all, it has been in 16 North Carolina counties, a press release said. The disease "does not affect people," but the loss of bats impacts the ecosystem, said state officials. "White-nose Syndrome is a deadly disease that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States - and thousands of bats in North Carolina - since it was first detected in New York 13 years ago," said a release from the wildlife commission. North Carolina biologists first found evidence of the pathogen in Avery County in 2011, and it appears to be spreading east, said Katherine Etchison, the commission's bat biologist. She hopes the warmer temperatures of the state's Piedmont may thwart the further spread of the disease. "The fungus is the first step in the WNS equation, but other factors like cold temperatures, high humidity levels, and long-duration hibernation are needed to result in a WNS infection," she said in the release. Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com


COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.   Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley said Saturday he does not plan to meet, and has no interest in speaking with Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price about their recent war of words , and hopes the dispute disappears. "I thought everything was good. I was doing what I was doing,'' said Eckersley, a Red Sox TV analyst. "I thought everything was good. I'm just doing the game, just keep going. I got to stay on track. I'm trying not to get flustered but I'm human.'' Does he have any intention of speaking with Price? "No, I'm not going to talk to him,'' Eckersley said, "I'm just going to keep doing the games.'' Price has been unhappy with Eckersley's inability to move from a 2017 incident that involved Price yelling at Eckersley on the team plane. "He wants to move on, but he continues to go on the radio and do interviews about it," Price said Wednesday . "If you want to move on, move on. We're two grown men. We can meet. Nothing's going to happen. I yelled at you. I'm sure everybody in here has been yelled at. It's unfortunate that it happened. I wanted to tell him that face-to-face. He chose not to show up. That was that." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dennis Eckersley on beef with David Price: 'I'm not going to talk to him'


Whether you're looking to travel the world or stay close to home, here are some of the best cruises for people who are retired. Thanks to the huge variety of port destinations and all-inclusive packages aboard most ships, cruises are a popular , convenient way to travel the world after you retire. Of course, not all cruises are created equal and choosing the right cruise entirely depends on the kind of trip you're looking to take. For this reason, you may want to do research to ensure you're embarking on a ship that fits your needs. Here are some of the best cruises to embark on for a post-retirement vacation. The Celebrity Reflection is a great option for people who want to kick off their retirement in style. The Celebrity Cruise fleet currently has 10 cruise ships that hold thousands of passengers. With destinations in Alaska, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Iberian Peninsula, and Iceland, this cruise is a great choice for folks who like a mix of relaxation and adventure. And when it comes to the cruising experience, there's no shortage of great things to do on the ship. For example, those who love to shop will enjoy spending time at the ship's Grand Plaza, which features premium brands like Tiffany & Co, Swiss Watch, and Bvlgari. World-class, inventive dining options also set this cruise apart from the rest. The Reflection currently boasts more than 10 different restaurants , which means there's no shortage of gastronomic variety while at sea. There is a bistro that offers elegant French cuisine and an open-air grill that lets guests cook their own custom, flatbread pizza . And, while aboard this ship, guests who purchase specialty dining have the option to enjoy a signature TableMation experience during their meal, which transforms their dinner plate into a canvas for stunning, visual entertainment. In addition, the ship offers rooms and experiences at varied price points for every type of traveler and it is wheelchair accessible and autism-friendly. A Princess Cruise is a great choice for retirees who are looking for a mix of fun-filled vacation activities and relaxation. The award-winning cruise line currently offers a wide range of voyages and retirees can take advantage of Princess's multiple world cruise itineraries. Popular routes include a 111-day voyage to and from Los Angeles, California, and a 96-day journey through the South Pacific to Cape Town, South Africa. Travelers who don't want to be on the ship for an extended period of time also have the option to book individual segments of the cruise rather than the entire, months-long trip. Travelers will also appreciate the freedom to choose between a traditional fine dining plan at a fixed time every night or an Anytime Dining plan that lets them eat whenever they please. On top of that, there's a huge variety of activities on the ship, from book clubs to dance lessons. And although there are children allowed on the ship, the cruise line has its own adults-only deck called The Sanctuary , where individuals over the age of 18 can enjoy private massages and quiet, upscale lounge areas. The Norwegian Bliss is an impressive cruise for retirees hoping to see the beauty of Alaska's glaciers. Norwegian Cruise Line offers a wide variety of voyages to parts of the world like Hawaii , the South Pacific, and the Caribbean, but its Alaska itinerary is especially ideal for retirees who are simply looking to relax. Norwegian offers several seven-day, nine-day, 11-day, 12-day, and 15-day Alaska cruises that depart from places like Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia. On this type of cruise, travelers can spend time inside of the ship's massive, 180-degree Observation Lounge and watch glaciers appear in the window. In addition, the cruise line's policy of freestyle dining means guests can eat at any of the three complimentary dining rooms they want without a reservation. Although there is no strictly enforced dress code for dinner, travelers can have fun styling looks for the ship's theme nights, which usually include tributes to the '70s or '80s. At ports, travelers can also take part in the cruise's many excursions , like whale watching or riding along the Canadian Yukon pass. In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line also currently offers special discounts and bonuses for AARP members. Holland America's cruises are known for accessibility and luxury, There's no shortage of options when it comes to Holland America. The popular cruise line currently travels to 473 different ports around the globe , including locations in Europe, the Mediterranean, Cuba, Japan, and the North Atlantic. But although the fleet travels to many destinations, the cruise line is known for its award-winning itineraries to Alaska and Scandinavia. And, depending on the kind of experience travelers are looking for, guests can book a cruise on one of its smaller vessels or its much larger, mid-size ships. According to Cruise Critic, although Holland America is open to families, the majority of guests tend to be 55 or older . The vessels also offer plenty of wheelchair-accessible staterooms and scooters and wheelchairs are also available to borrow. With onboard entertainment that's specifically curated toward mature audiences, retirees can enjoy new shows each night. Some of the cruise's featured live performers include the B.B. King All Star band, Lincoln Center Stage chamber musicians, and Billboard Onboard classic-rock performances. Travelers can also participate in interactive activities like aerobics classes or group trivia games . For an additional cost, individuals can even work with a sommelier to create their own custom wine blend . Guests also have the option to book a wide range of cabins, including 171-square-foot staterooms and 800-square-foot suites. Victory Cruises are ideal for people who want a more personalized cruise. With Victory Cruises , voyagers can marvel at unforgettable views of the Canadian coastline during the popular Fall Foliage Cruise or visit the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island during The Great Lakes cruise. While at sea, guests can partake in afternoon tea and enjoy live music each day. There is also a complimentary cocktail hour before dinner every evening. And, since there are no children allowed on the Victory ships, only adults are aboard this ship. Guests also have the option to choose from multiple different cabin types at varied price points, though all rooms include an ocean view. Current Victory Cruise itineraries include places like the US Great Lakes, New England, and northeastern Canada. Avalon Waterways offers unique, specialty cruises catered toward adults who have a variety of interests. The popular cruise line is well-reviewed on Cruise Critic and offers journeys along famous river routes in Europe, South America, and Asia. According to Cruise Critic, Avalon Waterways stands out for its themed cruises that make it easy for guests to bond with the staff and each other over shared interests. Aboard every ship is an Adventure Center that can help guests book guided offshore excursions or simply provide recommendations if they want to explore everything solo. In addition, the cruise line's suites have 30% more space than a standard cruise stateroom. Plus, its Open-Air Balcony design allows guests to wake up to stunning views during their trip. Dining options range from casual sit-down luncheons at the Panorama Dining Room to themed, four-course, tasting menus on specific evenings. Even though children over 8 years old are allowed to accompany parents on the cruise, the crowd is typically comprised of adults in their mid-50s, according to Cruise Critic. Viking River cruises are an excellent option for retirees who want an intimate journey to smaller ports throughout the world. Guests can choose from itineraries that include exclusive destinations larger cruise ships typically cannot access, such as UNESCO world heritage sites and smaller, riverside towns throughout France, Russia, Austria, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Asia, and Egypt. According to the Viking website, its ships travel to more than 300 different ports throughout the world. Retirees may also appreciate that this cruise caters to crowds who want a culturally enriching experience. Some examples of onboard entertainment include live performances by Portuguese Fado singers during the journey through Portugal's Douro Valley or an Austrian strudel-making class when cruising the Danube. And travelers don't even have to leave the ship for a taste of authentic regional cuisine with the cruise's premium, destination-focused dinner service. For retirees hoping to see a lot of places in one trip, check out Viking's Ultimate World Cruise. In addition to offering exceptional river cruises, Viking takes passengers on The Ultimate World Cruise, a 245-day voyage to 53 different countries . According to the Viking Cruises website, voyagers' journeys begin and end in London, with stops throughout Scandinavia, The Mediterranean, South America, North America, South Pacific, and Asia. Travelers have the opportunity to see a lot, from majestic sights like The Great Barrier Reef and Amazon River to iconic landmarks like the Taj Mahal and La Sagrada Familia. In addition, guests will get the chance to learn about each destination through curated lectures from professional historians. Plus, the entire cruise is only for adults. Since the cruise duration is nearly eight months long, travelers can expect the majority of the ship's passengers to be fellow retirees who want to enjoy a culturally enriching experience instead of a nonstop party. A Crystal Cruise will take guests on a journey to explore breathtaking places. With only two mid-size ships in its ocean fleet, Crystal Cruises is one of the most exclusive upscale cruise lines out there. These ships travel to destinations on all seven continents. The cruise line can take guests to see ancient artifacts in Rome or even penguins in Antarctica. On both of the Crystal Cruises ships (named Symphony and Serenity), guests can sign up for Pilates classes, yoga, and even ballroom-dance classes. Those who would rather sit back and watch the action unfold are sure to be entertained by the ship's cabaret nights, magic shows, and Broadway-style productions . And for those looking for a bit of mental challenge, consider signing up for one of the ship's complimentary bridge classes. With multiple dining options aboard the ships, including the international cuisine of the Waterside dining room, travelers have plenty of food options. Plus, guests can try one of the ship's specialty restaurants, which offer a range of different cuisines like Chinese, Italian, and Brazilian. A Silversea Cruise is the ultimate trip for people who are looking to be pampered. With less than a dozen ships in its fleet, Silversea cruises focus on providing ultra-luxurious experiences that make its guests feel like royalty. Guests aboard any all-inclusive Silversea Cruise are provided with a butler who takes care of things like dinner reservations and travel plans. On the ship, sophisticated restaurants offer guests excellent authentic, gourmet cuisine inspired by different ports during every night of their cruise. In addition, the nearly one-to-one ratio of staff members to passengers ensures that visitors are in for supremely personalized service throughout their entire voyage. But beyond providing the five-star treatment, Silversea cruises are famous for offering adventurous itineraries to 900 different destinations to places like the Arctic and Greenland. The cruise line also offers a variety of excursions for all ability levels, such as private garden shows in Bangkok and exotic bird watching in the Galapagos . While on the ship, travelers can take part in one of Silversea's many activities like cooking classes, lectures, and beginner-level dance lessons. On the ships, guests also have access to world-class spas that provide massages, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and more.


Forget growing up on the wrong side of the tracks: In D.C., it's the Anacostia River   and which side you live on may literally add a decade or more to your life. Researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems analyzed five years of Census data as part of the U.S. Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project (USALEEP). The result of their work is an estimated life expectancy for nearly every area in the country. For most of the DMV, the news is great. Pick almost anywhere in the D.C. metropolitan area and you can expect to live at least roughly as long as the national average (78.6 years). And in many places   like Montgomery County, Maryland, and Loudon County, Virginia   a baby born today can expect to outlive the rest of the country into his or her late 80s and even into their 90s. In fact, D.C.'s suburbs to the immediate north and west have some of the highest life expectancies in the country. Use the interactive map below to explore USALEEP's life expectancy data across the DMV: Want to see this map by ZIP code instead? Click here. The trend extends into the District itself, with Ward 3 boasting neighborhoods with life expectancies into the 90s, and Wards 2 and 4 with multiple areas where you can expect to live into your mid-80s. Unlike the rest of the DMV, however, USALEEP estimates residents of Wards 7 and 8 will live shorter lives than the rest of the country   in some cases, more than a decade less than even other D.C. residents living just across the river. Children born in the Anacostia neighborhood, for example, are projected to have a life expectancy of 63.2 years   15 years less than the national average and more than a decade less than children born just across the river in National Harbor. In fact, WUSA9's analysis of the USALEEP numbers found only one census tract in all of Ward 8 that didn't fall into our bottom two life expectancy brackets, and no census tracts in either Ward 7 or 8 with a life expectancy of at least the national average. So what drives the difference in how long you might live? The reasons are numerous and systemic. In 2017, a report by the D.C. Policy Center found that the overwhelming majority of the city's food deserts were east of the Anacostia , with more than half located in Ward 8 alone. A food desert is an area where there's a lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables and other "healthful whole foods," according to the USDA. They're usually caused by an absence of grocery stores, farmers' markets and other healthy food providers. WUSA9's own reporting revealed that there are only three grocery stores for more than 148,000 D.C. residents east of the Anacostia. By comparison, there are nine grocery stores for nearly 80,000 residents in the more affluent Ward 3. Councilman Vince Gray told WUSA9 it isn't a black-white issue. It's dollars and cents. "I know there are a number of people who think this may be racial," Gray said. "But, I think it's different in this instance. I think this is a situation where the economics haven't enticed some of these folks to be able to locate on the East End." D.C. has for years worked to make access to quality education less dependent on geography, but your neighborhood of residence still remains one of the most important factors in what school your child goes to. To that end, not one of the city's most sought-after public schools in the 2019-2020 school lottery was located east of the river   and compounding the issue, Mayor Muriel Bowser's current proposed budget is set to cut millions of dollars from Ward 7 and 8 schools. Residents east of the river also don't necessarily have the same access to healthcare as the rest of D.C., either   particularly when it comes to maternal care. As of 2017, there are now zero hospitals with dedicated maternity wards east of the river   despite Wards 7 and 8 often making up a third of the city's births every year. WUSA9 looked at the issue in detail in our Mothers Matter series. On top of all that, even if you manage to have access to quality food and education and healthcare, simply living in an area where most of your neighbors don't will still drag down your life expectancy from the sheer stress of the environment, according Elizabeth Arias, director of the U.S. Life Table Program at the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland. "You're more likely to be stressed about income, resources, lack of resources," Arias said. "Safety, poverty. So, your life is much more insecure." ---- Eric Flack and Jordan Fischer are investigative reporters with WUSA9's Special Assignment Unit. Follow them on Twitter at @EricFlackTV and @JordanOnRecord .


Former Vice President Joe Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana use and possession, but believes that the question of whether to legalize the drug rests with the states, a spokesperson for his presidential campaign said Thursday. Biden first signaled his support for decriminalizing marijuana Tuesday during a house party in New Hampshire. "As he said [Tuesday], Vice President Biden does not believe anyone should be in jail simply for smoking or possessing marijuana," Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden's campaign, said in a statement. "He supports decriminalizing marijuana and automatically expunging prior criminal records for marijuana possession, so those affected don't have to figure out how to petition for it or pay for a lawyer. " Bates said Biden would ultimately leave legalization of the substance up to the states, but added that, if elected, the former vice president would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, which would make it easier to research. "He would allow states to continue to make their own choices regarding legalization and would seek to make it easier to conduct research on marijuana's positive and negative health impacts by rescheduling it as a schedule 2 drug," Bates said. Marijuana is currently considered a Schedule I substance, which the Drug Enforcement Administration defines as drugs "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD and peyote. Schedule II drugs, which include cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, are also considered by the federal government to have a high potential for abuse, but may have an accepted medical use. Biden's views on marijuana were first reported on Thursday by CNN . Over his more than three-decade career in the Senate, Biden opposed the notion of legalizing marijuana. He also supported measures intended to crack down on drug use and drug-related crime that many Democrats now argue contributed to mass incarceration. Several Democratic presidential hopefuls have expressed support for legalizing marijuana at the federal level, including Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). So far, 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of recreational marijuana and 33 states have approved the substance for medical use.


The top criminal court in Texas dealt a blow to the special prosecutors who are pressing felony charges against Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday, a new wrinkle in a securities fraud case that has already stretched across four years and is far from resolved. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday declined to reconsider an earlier ruling that places a $2,000 limit on how much the special prosecutors can be paid for pretrial work. The court did not provide an explanation for its denial. "We're disappointed that the Court took six months to summarily deny our motion for rehearing without addressing any of the substantial legal issues it raised, something it routinely criticizes the courts of appeals for doing," said Houston lawyer Brian Wice, who filed the appeal, in a statement Wednesday. Wice declined to answer further questions, but prosecutors have hinted previously that they would drop the case if they are not paid for hundreds of hours of work already clocked at the $300 an hour rate originally promised to them   a move that would postpone Paxton's trial even further. Paxton was indicted in 2015 in Collin County, his home county north of Dallas. The charges stem from claims, before he was elected attorney general in 2014, that he persuaded friends and colleagues to invest in a North Texas tech company without disclosing he would make a commission. He is charged with two counts of first-degree felony securities fraud and a third-degree felony for failing to register with the state as an investment adviser. A year before he was indicted, Paxton admitted to illegally soliciting potential clients without registering with the state when he signed a reprimand and paid a $1,000 fine to the Texas State Securities Board. Whether signing that reprimand amounts to an admission of guilt will be up to a jury to decide. Paxton, who narrowly won re-election in November, has denied the charges. His spokesman Jordan Berry declined to comment Wednesday. Three special prosecutors were appointed to build the case against Paxton after the Collin County district attorney recused himself because he had a personal relationship with Paxton. A trial judge agreed to pay the prosecutors $300 an hour to handle the case, a fee the lawyers argued is reasonable due to the complexity of the case. Paxton and his allies in Collin County brought lawsuits to stop paying the special prosecutors, arguing the fee exceeded local limits of $1,000 for pretrial work and additional fees of only up to $1,000. The court in November declined to determine whether the $300 per hour fee was reasonable, but found that state law bars trial courts from busting caps on locally approved fee schedules. The fee for the team of lawyers should be the same amount as an attorney providing indigent defense, the court ruled. The issue over the pay for the special prosecutors has held up Paxton's trial since 2017. Before that, the case had been held up over a fight about where the trial should be held.


California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, defending a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq, said his own unit "killed probably hundreds of civilians," unintentionally, during his 2004 tour as a Marine field artillery officer in Fallujah, Iraq. In an interview with Barstool Sports' Zero Blog Thirty podcast, Hunter explained his support of Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who has been accused of war crimes and is being considered for pardon by President Trump. "I was an artillery officer, and we fired hundreds of rounds into Fallujah, killed probably hundreds of civilians, if not scores, if not hundreds of civilians," Hunter said. "Probably killed women and children, if there were any left in the city when we invaded. So do I get judged too?" Ordinarily, it is not a crime to inflict accidental casualties while firing at enemy positions. Estimates of the number of civilians killed during and after the invasion of Iraq vary widely but are generally put in the low six figures . Gallagher faces a premeditated-murder charge for the stabbing death in 2017 of a teenage ISIS fighter who was brought in for medical treatment. Gallagher allegedly posed for a picture with the prisoner's body. "I frankly don't care if he was killed, I just don't care," Hunter said about the ISIS fighter. He added: "Even if everything that the prosecutors say is true in this case, then, you know, Eddie Gallagher should still be given a break, I think." Last week, Hunter defended Gallagher, who was turned in by members of his unit, while speaking at a town hall meeting in Ramona, Calif. The congressman, who is facing trial on federal corruption charges after allegedly misusing over $250,000 of federal campaign funds for personal use, said he's "done the exact same thing" as Gallagher, taking photos of people he presumably captured or killed while at war. "Eddie did one bad thing that I'm guilty of too, taking a picture with a body and saying something stupid and then texting that," Hunter said frankly. "He took a picture with the body with his knife out and texted it to some buddies and said, 'I got this one with my knife.'" "I've taken pictures just like that when I was overseas," he continued, eliciting groans from his audience. "Didn't text them to anybody, didn't put them on Facebook or Instagram, but a lot of my peers, a lot of us have done the exact same thing." In response to Hunter's comments, a Marine spokesman, Maj. Brian Block, said in a statement , "Marines are required to comply with the law of war during all military operations, however characterized. If mistreatment of the dead were committed intentionally, it could be considered a violation of the law of war. U.S. service members have been charged and punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ] for posing for pictures with human casualties. Generally, the statute of limitations under the UCMJ is five years." While Hunter admitted to taking photos like Gallagher, he is not subject to the UCMJ because he is no longer in active duty, said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale University. "If the Justice Department were to charge [Hunter], the case would very likely be thrown out," Fidell told Yahoo News. "But his behavior raises substantial questions as to whether he should still be commissioned as a Marine officer." In its 2018 report "Civilian Casualties in Connection With United States Military Operations," the Defense Department states that U.S. forces "protect civilians because it is the moral and ethical thing to do. Although civilian casualties are a tragic and unavoidable part of war, no force in history has been more committed to limiting harm to civilians than the U.S. military." Hunter, speaking from personal experience, said he "got to watch the rules of engagement change" to "compassionate combat" around 2004 and 2005, a couple of years after the start of the Iraq War, "when they went from 'You can kill anybody that's bad and it's out past 9 o'clock at night' to 'You can't shoot somebody unless they're shooting at you first.'" While Trump hasn't confirmed whether he'll pardon Gallagher, the Navy SEAL has been released from custody ahead of his trial, which is to begin later this month. Trump's personal attorney Marc Mukasey is one of the lawyers representing Gallagher. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Key House Democrat: About 40 of us want Trump impeached SAT 'adversity score': Is it necessary? FBI plays catch-up as cyberthreats escalate In quest for Gen Z votes, 2020 could be the year of the influencer How Trump's embrace of a rogue Libyan warlord sparked a humanitarian catastrophe PHOTOS: Virginia Beach mass shooting


Christian Dawkins was found guilty of two of six charges he was facing in federal court during the second college basketball corruption case on Wednesday afternoon . But perhaps the most interesting thing that happened involving Dawkins was his comments to reporters following the jury's verdict. Dawkins was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery as the two-week college basketball corruption trial concluded in New York on Wednesday. Afterwards, reporter Adam Zagoria asked Dawkins how he would have answered a question on the witness stand about Arizona head coach Sean Miller knowing that Arizona players were being paid. Government lawyers objected before Dawkins could answer in both instances as Dawkins was never given the chance to answer under oath. Zagoria's question follows up a previous ESPN report from Mark Schlabach in February 2018 in which Dawkins allegedly had a phone call with Miller centering around an alleged payment to star center Deandre Ayton. Downplaying the alleged phone call, and Miller's alleged payment to Ayton, Dawkins gave some surprisingly candid on-the-record quotes for a man who was just convicted of a federal crime. "I'm not going to answer that," Dawkins said to Zagoria. "Because this is the thing, I don't see nothing wrong with it so I'm not gonna throw nobody under the bus for something that I agree with. "I'm not going to put (Miller) in a position that could hurt him. It's just too sensitive for me. I don't care that much. I don't want him to lose his job. "I wasn't there. I just got out of criminal court case for the last two months. I had no involvement with Deandre Ayton, that's a fact," Dawkins continued. "So the whole (February 2018) ESPN report (that said Dawkins and Miller discussed paying Ayton), that's something I couldn't say is accurate because I never had conversations about delivering Deandre Ayton to Arizona for Sean Miller. Didn't happen." Dawkins also reiterated to Zagoria that it was Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson who brought up Ayton's name during the trial. "Book is saying, 'Sean [Miller] gave Ayton X,Y,Z.' I'm just listening," Dawkins said. Schlabach's initial ESPN report said that FBI wiretaps intercepted telephone conversations between Miller and Dawkins in which Miller discussed paying $100,000 to make sure Ayton signed with Arizona. Dawkins' comments on Wednesday contradict Schlabach's initial report while none of the alleged phone calls between Dawkins and Miller have been included as evidence during the college basketball corruption trials.


As representatives of Venezuela's socialist government seek to defuse a political crisis in a new round of negotiations with the opposition, one question remains central to any prospect of a breakthrough: the fate of President Nicolás Maduro. The talks on the Caribbean island of Barbados, which are being mediated by Norway, follow two failed rounds in Oslo. Publicly, the sides remain far apart. The Venezuelan government insists that U.S. and other international sanctions must be lifted, while opposition officials are demanding new and verifiable presidential elections and an end to what they call the "Maduro dictatorship." But privately, senior members of the opposition are debating an offer that some argue might help break the deadlock: the possibility that Maduro could temporarily remain in the presidency as new elections are mounted, if certain conditions are met. Some are even floating the notion that Maduro could run for reelection, calculating that his approval ratings are so low, he has next to no chance of winning a free and fair race. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post People familiar with the talks   speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations   caution that the offers are still under debate and may never reach the bargaining table. For starters, Maduro's government, they say, has not yet signaled its willingness to hold a new presidential election. And the question of Maduro's fate, opposition leaders insist, would be up for discussion only after such a commitment is reached. In addition, some in the opposition remain strongly opposed to any deal that does not involve Maduro's immediate exit. Nevertheless, the internal discussions suggest the lengths to which the opposition may be willing to go to secure a deal at a time when both Maduro and his enemies are under mounting pressure to reach an agreement that begins to address the vast humanitarian crisis unfolding in Venezuela. "The preferred scenario for the majority of Venezuelans is to end this crisis through a free and fair election," said one senior opposition leader. "It is secondary whether Maduro stays in power for a temporary period." There are incentives to reach a deal on both sides. Harsh U.S. sanctions and growing international isolation have hit Maduro's government hard, turning Venezuela into a pariah state propped up largely by Russia, China and Cuba. Those sanctions   particularly a strict U.S. ban on crude imports and restricted access to U.S. financial markets   have slammed Venezuela's already crumbling oil sector, now at its lowest level of output since the 1940s . The meetings in Barbados come days after the United Nations commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, published a report denouncing an erosion of the rule of law under Maduro, including more than 6,000 extrajudicial killings since 2018. The report also cited torture of political opponents, repression of the press, and the use of food and water as political weapons. This week's meetings had been scheduled for last week but were postponed after the alleged torture and killing of a detained navy captain, Rafael Acosta. Acosta died while in the custody of military counterintelligence forces, hours after appearing in court in a wheelchair and being sent to a hospital on a judge's orders. Before Acosta's death, Maduro's communications minister, Jorge Rodríguez, claimed on national television to have uncovered an alleged new failed coup attempt against the government. Yet the opposition   led by Juan Guaidó, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela's rightful ruler   is also running out of time and, potentially, steam. It's efforts to turn Maduro's senior officials against him have failed, and the opposition was stung last month by allegations that two of its members embezzled more than $60,000 in aid meant for Venezuelan soldiers who had fled to Colombia. "In Venezuela, the 'all or nothing' premise has disappeared," said Jesús Seguías, a political analyst and director of the Datincorp polling agency. "Both sides have no other option than to sit and negotiate." In past years, Maduro's government has repeatedly engaged in talks with the opposition, to no end. At times, the current talks have also verged on the bizarre. Late Monday, for instance, Maduro held a news conference where he hailed the involvement of the Indian guru Ravi Shankar, who he said was now aiding the dialogue process with his "knowledge of meditation." Maduro blamed the opposition Monday for the past failures but insisted the opening five-hour session had gone well. "We have established a schedule of six talking points," he said. "I'm very optimistic." For months, Guaidó and others in the opposition have seemed to insist that Maduro would need to immediately step down as part of any deal, given the credible allegations of fraud that attended the 2018 election. Critics of the talks, including senior opposition figures, say Maduro's government is simply stalling for time and has no intention of agreeing to a new presidential vote. Thus far, it has offered only new legislative elections, a proposal the opposition widely sees as a non-starter. "What the hell is this? Dialogue again?" exiled opposition leader and former Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma said in a tweet Sunday. He added: "There's no worse offense than thinking that the people are dumb." But others in the opposition say compromise may be possible. One option: that a "toothless" Maduro remains in office for, say, nine months, during which time the election commission would be renovated, international monitors lined up and new voter registration drives held. Should Maduro refuse, opposition officials say, that would help them press their demand that international partners do more to force his ouster. The question of what happens to Maduro in the longer term is more complicated. Many in the opposition insist he must pay for his government's crimes and should not be included in amnesty offers. Others suggest his best option may be to seek refuge outside Venezuela, perhaps in the Dominican Republic or Cuba. "But first," said one person involved in the opposition's strategy, "we need to get that far." anthony.faiola@washpost.com


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - It's no secret that craft beer has been a booming industry in the U.S. for the last decade, but which city is the mecca of craft brewing? Our answer is Beer City USA! But according to recent research , Grand Rapids ranks at #13 for having the most craft breweries per 50,000 people. RELATED: Report: Beer is more than $10 billion business in Michigan RELATED: Mac and Cheese pale ale? Craft beer boom brings colorful flavors Kalamazoo also made the list, topping Grand Rapids at #5 with 10 breweries. Royal Oak also made the list, coming in at #15 with 7. CITIES WITH THE MOST BREWERIES Portland, Maine - 18 Asheville, North Caroline - 17 Bend, Oregon - 16 Kalamazoo, Michigan - 10 Vista, California - 10 Greenville, South Carolina - 10 Portland, Oregon - 9 Pensacola, Florida - 9 Missoula, Montana - 8 Fort Collins, Colorado - 8 Loveland, Colorado - 8 Grand Rapids, Michigan - 7 Santa Cruz, California - 7 Santa Cruz, California - 7 Royal Oak, Michigan - 7 Charleston, South Carolina - 7 Bellingham, Washington - 7 Denver, Colorado - 6 Longmont, Colorado - 6 Flagstaff, Arizona - 6 Rochester, New York - 6 Madison, Wisconsin - 6 Yakima, Washington - 6 Lancaster, Pennsylvania - 6 Cincinnati, Ohio - 6 RELATED VIDEO:


Players from the Nigerian women's team are staging a sit-in protest at their hotel in France following their elimination from the Women's World Cup on Saturday until all of their outstanding bonuses are paid, ESPN's Colin Udoh reports . After their 3 0 loss to Germany in the Round of 16, the players told ESPN that they are refusing to leave until they are paid the bonuses they are owed from two games, against Gambia and Senegal, from two and three years ago. The bonuses amount to about $5,600 U.S. but the players allege that they have only been paid half of that. Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick told ESPN that all the remaining allowances have been paid. Per ESPN, the players are also owed five days of daily allowance while at the World Cup. The players are also demanding their share of the World Cup participation fee from FIFA, which is not scheduled to be paid out until September. Nigeria's women's team also staged a protest over bonuses after winning the 2016 African title in Cameroon. The team also sat in at a South African hotel for three days in 2004 after winning the African title until outstanding allowances were paid.


UPDATE: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection now says the water at the Carlisle Barracks is safe. A "do not use" order had been issued Monday after an abnormal gas presence was detected in the water supply. The DEP conducted numerous tests, and officials said Tuesday that no combustible gas was found. A spokesman for the DEP provided the following statement: "In response to concerns regarding potential contamination of the Carlisle Barracks drinking water system, DEP took samples at three different locations within the system for a wide range of potential contaminants. All results were within acceptable limits, as established by the federal and state Safe Drinking Water Acts. DEP advised the system that the Drinking Water Advisory could be lifted." Previous story Residents of the Carlisle Barracks in Cumberland County are being warned not to use the water. The "do not use" order from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection came after the barracks fire department detected an abnormal gas presence in the water supply, according to Facebook posts. All facilities are closed. DEP officials are testing various water samples from throughout the installation. Results aren't expected before noon Tuesday. Officials said residents and others at the barracks should not use the water supply for any reason, including washing their hands, flushing toilets, showering, or running dishwashers and washing machines. According to officials, not using the water will prevent residual gas build-up releasing from the water lines. "A precautionary measure. We do not know what caused this or what it is, so we're just putting safety first until we get the information," said Lt. Col. Courtney Short, Garrison Commander. Bottled water is being provided to residents, and portable toilets have been set up around the post. The Army Heritage and Education Center's restroom facilities are available because the center has a separate water source, officials said. The Armory is open for showers. According to officials, the incident is not related to a fish kill that was reported last week . READ MORE: UPDATE: DEP lifts 'do not use' water order at Carlisle Barracks CHECK OUT WGAL: Stay in the know with the top stories of the day. Get all the latest Harrisburg, Lancaster and York news, weather and sports from the WGAL News Team.


Juice and smoothie fans, take heed: there's a new spot in town to get your fix. Called BMORE Protein Pub , the fresh addition is located at 707 E. Ocean Blvd., D in Long Beach. BMORE is a play on the words "be more" as this spot, according to its website , hopes to go "beyond nurturing people's bodies; [wanting] to inspire and remind everyone of how powerful we truly are." BMORE Protein Pub offers organic protein drip coffee, 100% real fruit smoothies, metabolism booster smoothies, meal replacement smoothies and acai smoothie bowls. Try an Earthlinked smoothie with mango, banana, chocolate whey and organic chia seeds or a Ludacris Monkey smoothie with banana, peanut butter, oats, vanilla whey, coconut oil and cinnamon. With a five-star rating out of eight reviews on Yelp so far, BMORE Protein Pub has already made a great impression. Christina T., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on April 20, wrote, "The place is ridiculously cool. The menu has something for everybody, all with fantastic, nutritious ingredients. Perfect replacement for your overpriced morning coffee and avocado toast." And JL S. wrote , "Was in the area and saw what looked like the coolest space to hang in town. Turns out they also have the best açaí bowls ever. Will be back." Head on over to check it out: BMORE Protein Pub is open from 9 a.m. 6 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. 5 p.m. on Sunday. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Back in 1963, Bill Thomas was to Chevrolet what Carroll Shelby was to Ford. With master fabricator Don Edmunds, Thomas set up Bill Thomas Race Cars, which created the Chevy-powered Cheetah to go up against the Cobra. The last Cheetah prototype, chassis #003, is up for sale now with an asking price of $795,000 . Welcome to You Must Buy , our daily look at the cars you really should be buying instead of that boring commuter sedan. Because Cheetahs weren't originally designed to go racing, these experimental oddballs had no real chance of competing against the well-proven Cobra. At first, the Thomas-tuned 377ci Chevy V-8s kept overheating, while their tubular chassis flexed so much, the wheels would toe in. After the introduction of NASCAR radiators and numerous extra holes on the body, customers had a go at redesigning the suspension, starting with a beefed up chassis. But rule changes for 1964 meant the factory-backed Cheetah project was officially dead by May that year, with Thomas keeping his business open until 1966. Seen here freshly restored, Cheetah #003 originally had an aluminum body-as did the other prototypes-but was re-bodied in fiberglass like the production cars to save #001 after it got crashed. The seller claims that it was originally fit with an "experimental 1962 early GM Aluminum Grand Sport engine (1st design) with the most exotic induction system of its time, [a] 58mm Weber side draft option." This 1962 #19 GM aluminum engine is on a display cart now, with the seller considering offering it separately. Wearing the correct hand-painted Bardahl Oil livery as ordered by Alan Green Chevrolet of Seattle in 1964, Cheetah #003 is claimed to have the correct Corvette 327ci block with Thomas cylinder heads, and a lot more desirable goodies from the period detailed here . But at $795,000 from a private seller , that's to be expected. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook and Twitter


Aug 8 (Reuters) - A white Texas police officer fatally shot an unarmed, black 19-year-old college football player suspected of driving a car through the window of a Dallas-area car dealership, authorities said on Saturday. Arlington police officer Brad Miller, 49, responded early on Friday to a call about a burglary in progress at Classic Buick GMC dealership, where they found a vehicle driven into the front of the building, police said in a statement. Miller and other officers created a perimeter and approached a suspect inside, according to police. "As officers confronted the suspect, there was an altercation during which at least one officer discharged his weapon," the police said in a statement. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office identified the suspect, who died at the scene, as Christian Taylor. The medical examiner ruled Taylor's death a homicide and said he had gunshot wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen, according to online records. Taylor was unarmed, said police in Arlington, a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Miller was still in training after graduating from the police academy in March, authorities said. Taylor, an Arlington native, was entering his sophomore year at Angelo State University, where he played defensive back on the school's football team. "We are still processing this news and are sad for Christian Taylor's family and friends, especially his teammates," Becky Brackin, a spokeswoman at the school in San Angelo, Texas, said in a statement. U.S. police have come under greater scrutiny over their use of force, particularly when dealing with black and Latino people, following a string of killings of unarmed men that began with last year's shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Arlington police said the shooting was under review. "The preservation of life and safety is our highest priority. The Arlington Police Department is saddened by this loss of life and will provide the community a clear and transparent investigation," the department said in a statement. The 911 call was made from a security company that was observing the suspect on a camera outside the car dealership, police said. Investigators are reviewing video from outside and inside the dealership, but they have not located any video capturing the shooting, they said. Arlington police do not wear body cameras but a pilot program was in the works, the department said. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Robert Birsel, Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio)


Jim Gardner Burns has been a doorman at The Athenaeum in London for 26 years. Over his years at the luxurious Mayfair hotel, he has met the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Natalie Portman, Denzel Washington, and Gary Oldman. However, Burns told INSIDER there's a simple way to ensure you too are treated like royalty: simply be nice to the staff. "If you're nice to someone, they want to be nice to you back," he said. Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories . We all know those people who seem to get treated like an A-lister wherever they go: extra chocolates on their pillows, complimentary upgrades, and free bottles of Champagne are the norm for some. But what's their secret? Dazzling good looks? Irresistible charm? According to the long-standing doorman of a luxury London hotel, it's actually much more simple: just be nice to the staff. Jim Gardner Burns, 58, has been a doorman at The Athenaeum in Mayfair for 26 years, and he explained to INSIDER that the secret to getting extra great treatment when you stay in a hotel isn't really a secret at all. "The aim of the hotel is to give the best service to everyone all the time," he said. "But it's true, the genuinely nicer the guest is to the staff, the more they would want to be of service to the guest." With over a quarter-century of experience at The Athenaeum under his belt, Burns has met high-profile guests including Samuel L. Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Natalie Portman, Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Billy Connolly, Steven Fry, and Margaret Thatcher. However, he has to treat them like any other guest. "It doesn't matter whether you're an actor or not," Burns said. "You get the same treatment." However, he says it helps to be polite and friendly. "I would recommend to anyone coming to a hotel, be as nice as you can to all the staff," Burns said. "The waitress, the chambermaid, it doesn't matter. They will then want to be of service to you, rather than just be of service. It's human nature. "If you're nice to someone, they want to be nice to you back. That would be my recommendation."


For a person struggling with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating , certain compliments, comments or words of advice might cause more harm than good   no matter how innocuous they seem. Take recent college graduate Maya Guttman, who struggled with anorexia nervosa and exercise bulimia as a student yet was initially praised by peers for her dramatic weight loss. Then there's Andrea Bass, an eating disorder counselor in Florida who alternately purged and starved herself for years. Her friend, she says, advised her to keep bags of pretzels in her nightstand to encourage her to eat more. "These kind of remarks usually come from a place of good intentions," says Claire Mysko, director of programs at the National Eating Disorders Association. But too often, she says, they come across as insensitive or triggering. And in even more dangerous cases, she says, they can normalize or downplay an eating disorder's severity. Here's what not to say next time you talk with a friend, family member or acquaintance with an eating disorder : Anything that focuses on weight or appearance. People with eating disorders often initially receive compliments when they lose weight . Such positive reinforcement can spur them to continue engaging in dangerous eating, purging or exercise patterns. You never know whether someone's shedding pounds through healthy or unhealthy means. Therefore, you shouldn't automatically celebrate their changing body or focus on their smaller size, says Adina Fradkin, a registered dietitian at the Renfrew Center, a residential eating disorder facility in Baltimore, Maryland. "Think twice about the praise that you're giving them, and think about whether you're praising an eating disorder as well," she says. Even if you're only complaining about gaining a few pounds or noting how slender someone's outfit makes them look, these offhand comments can be upsetting or triggering to someone with an eating disorder. And telling someone in recovery how great she looks now that she's put on a few pounds is harmful, too. Guttman's parents, for example, who were once alarmed by her diminishing frame, told her how "healthy" she looked after she sought help and started regaining weight . "I thought it was good, but at the same time I was upset about gaining the weight back," she says. In her mind, "healthy" was synonymous with "fat." "These type of remarks are meant to comment on how well a person is doing. But when you've been so fixated on weight loss, the idea of gaining weight back is terrifying, even though it's necessary for recovery," Mysko says. "If you're trying to support someone, it's really important to take the focus away from physical appearance." Instead, she says, concentrate on celebrating the person's inner qualities. Anything that focuses on food. Too often, Mysko says, parents, spouses and siblings like to give their two cents about what a loved one with an eating disorder ought to be be putting into his or her mouth. That translates to "Oh, try to eat more" to someone with anorexia, or telling someone who binge eats or purges to simply exercise more self-control. But it's not that simple, Mysko says. "There's a lot of compelling research to show that eating disorders have biological roots. And there are cultural connections to eating disorders as well," Mysko says."They are incredibly complex and not simply about food. So for someone who's struggling with an eating disorder, hearing 'Why don't you just eat?' minimizes the problems at the heart of these illnesses"   complicated issues such as depression, anxiety, perfectionism and a need for control. Plus, Fradkin points out, many patients with eating disorders are prescribed meal plans to help reach or maintain healthy weights. When people tell them to "eat more" or "eat less," it makes it difficult to follow the "doctor's orders"   which could impede recovery. In some instances, onlookers will alternately praise or punish people with eating disorders about what's on their plate. Bass recalls loading up on vegetables and other healthy offerings at a buffet; a friend complimented her on her "beautiful plate" of food   an observation she found both awkward and off-putting. And Sarah, a health analyst in New York who chose not to include her last name for privacy reasons, looks back on high school classmates who commented when they noticed she was hiding food. "It made me really uncomfortable, and it made me pull back from them," she says. Drawing attention to people's eating habits   or any rituals, peculiarities or tics they have around food   makes them feel ashamed of their eating disorder, says Sharon Peterson, a therapist in Towson, Maryland, who specializes in treating eating disorders. That makes them less likely to open up about their struggles. If you know someone is in recovery and working with a doctor or family members to eat more, don't focus on unusual behaviors or obsess about what he is   or isn't   putting in his mouth. Anything that stereotypes eating disorders. Too often, Sarah   an African-American female   says, society views eating disorders as an "upper-middle-class adolescent white female problem." In fact, eating disorders transcend gender, race, age and socioeconomic status. Telling someone he can't have anorexia because he's a man, or because she's a mid-career professional, is inaccurate. Not to mention, such generalizations stigmatize certain populations and shame them from seeking help. Another misconception is that someone with an eating disorder must be thin, Peterson says. Many people with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder are a normal weight. In fact, it's possible to be overweight and suffer from an eating disorder . "They don't know what's balanced or healthy. They've really lost sight of that," Peterson says. "Even someone who is overweight and has binge eating disorder might actually be malnourished. That's what our society doesn't realize." Telling someone they don't have an eating disorder because they "look fine" isn't just misguided and lacking in empathy   it's also potentially life threatening. Anything that normalizes the disorder. "If someone is binge eating and you say, 'Oh, don't worry, I do that all the time," that's giving them a sense of comfort. You're making them think that what they're doing isn't disordered," Fradkin says. Similarly, telling someone who's anorexic that you also skip meals   say, you don't eat breakfast   can be harmful as well. "It's reassurance that what they're doing is right, when in actuality, it's really dangerous," Fradkin says. Normalizing behavior that might be indicative of an eating disorder prevents people from getting treatment. Anything that sounds like it's lifted out of a textbook. You've read the self-help books, poured over the medical journals and spoken with the doctors. Therefore, you now consider yourself to be a self-taught "expert" on your loved one's anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. But just because you understand the disease medically doesn't mean you understand it psychologically or emotionally, Peterson says. She advises friends or family members to refrain from channeling their inner physician. It comes across as condescending, she says, and neglects the most important aspect of recovery   the person's emotional well-being. "Don't act like a professional and say you need to do this, and this and this   for example, 'You should probably eat this,' or 'Don't do that,'" Peterson says. "Instead, let the person know you understand a little bit about eating disorders, but you don't totally understand how they feel. That's something that takes time for the person with the eating disorder to realize for themselves." Anything that shows shock or disgust. "There's a lot of shame around binging or purging behavior," Mysko says. "People can sometimes be shocked and say, 'How can you do that?' or 'That's disgusting.'" If someone you know has bulimia or binge eating disorder, she says, don't be judgmental. Instead, channel care and compassion, and let him or her know that help and recovery is possible . Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report


SEATTLE (AP)   It might be because he's never received enough of a chance, but until this year, Jorge Soler has never been lumped in with the game's top power hitters. Maybe it's time to add him to the list. Soler hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning off Anthony Bass, and the Kansas City Royals rallied for a 6-4 win over Seattle on Monday night, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Mariners. BOX SCORE: ROYALS 6, MARINERS 4 Soler's homer was his 19th of the season, tying him with Mike Moustakas and Jermaine Dye for the most home runs in the first 72 games of a season in Royals' history. He's one of three hitters in the AL with 19 homers, two behind Edwin Encarnacion and his AL-best 21 long balls. "He's been swinging the bat well for us all year. The power numbers are really good," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. After the Royals were shut down for most of the night by Tommy Milone, the combo of Alex Gordon and Soler put Kansas City in front. Bass (1-2) easily retired the first two batters of the inning before Gordon singled up the middle. Soler followed by driving a 1-1 pitch on the outside corner out to deep right-center field. "(I've) been seeing a lot of offspeed pitches lately and was trying not to fly open and go the other way and did," Soler said through an interpreter. Martin Maldonado added a solo home run in the ninth. Brian Flynn (1-0) got the victory by working two innings of relief after Danny Duffy and striking out four. Jake Diekman got the final two outs of the eighth with the tying run at second base, but Ian Kennedy faced trouble in the ninth. He allowed the first two batters to reach before striking out J.P. Crawford and Domingo Santana, then got a pop out by Tim Beckham to finish his eighth save. Flynn pitched for the first time since June 6. "In that role, that's kind of how it goes," Flynn said. "When our starters get on a roll like they are, it's good for the team. You're not going to be the guy down there complaining about lack of innings when you're the long guy because that usually means the starters are cruising." Seattle took a 4-2 lead in the fifth on a three-run homer from Tom Murphy, but Kansas City was able to add a key run in the seventh inning. Jorge Bonifacio doubled leading off to end Milone's streak of 11 straight retired and scored when Maldonado's sinking liner was caught on a dive by Mac Williamson in left field. Williamson had no play at the plate. Duffy was rolling until the fifth, when he walked two to bring up Murphy with two outs. Murphy was moved up to fifth in Seattle's batting order for the first time this season, and the decision paid off with his eighth home run in his 28th game. "He's like a totally different hitter right now than when we first acquired him and that's a credit to him for being open to making adjustments," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. Duffy allowed seven hits and struck out four. OPENING ACT For the third straight start Seattle used an opener before letting Milone take over and the results continued to be mixed. The Mariners' openers have struggled -- this time Tayler Scott, who allowed two runs and recorded two outs -- but Milone has thrived. Milone threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits. He struck out six and walked none. In his three appearances where Seattle has used an opener, Milone has pitched 17 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs. "It's nice to get on a little roll like this, the confidence goes up and being able to throw quality strikes is the biggest thing," Milone said. TRAINER'S ROOM Royals: 3B Hunter Dozier began a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Monday. Dozier leads the Royals with a .314 batting average but has been out since injuring his right oblique May 30. Dozier went 1 for 4 and drove in two. Mariners: Servais had a long list of injury updates. Most notable, OF Mitch Haniger (ruptured testicle) is expected to resume light activity this week, even if he's still a few weeks from being ready. RHP Hunter Strickland (lat strain) was expected to resume playing catch in the next couple of days after having a setback in his rehab. RHP Chasen Bradford (forearm) is also expected to start throwing in the next few days. UP NEXT Royals: RHP Homer Bailey (5-6) snapped a five-start winless skid throwing six scoreless innings against Detroit in his last start. Allowed season-high seven earned runs to Seattle in April. Mariners: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (3-4) looks to pitch beyond the fifth inning for the first time in his past four starts. Kikuchi hasn't pitched into the sixth since May 19, also his last win. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Related slideshow: The 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)