Best of NASCAR 2019 Coca-Cola 600 Marine Medium Telerotor aircraft fly over the track during pre race festivities during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) leads Kevin Harvick (4) during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. Coca-Cola 600 NC Senator Thom Tillis waves the green flag to start during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. Coca-Cola 600 82nd Airborne Blackhawk helicopters fly over the infield as part of the tribute to the military during pre race festivities during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. Coca-Cola 600 The car of NASCAR Cup Series driver William Bryon (24) and the rest of the field sit on the grid prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) spins in the infield during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019. ALSCO 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Tyler Reddick (2) celebrates after winning the ALSCO 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2019. ALSCO 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Tyler Riddick (2) celebrates after winning the ALSCO 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2019. ALSCO 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Matt Mills (5) spins in turn four in the first stage during the ALSCO 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2019. Coca-Cola 600-Practice Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) pulls into the garage during practice for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2019. Monster Energy Open NASCAR Cup Series driver William Bryon (24) adjust his shoes before the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (42) celebrates after winning the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) leads Joey Logano (22) and Kyle Larson (42) during the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. NMonster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (42) celebrates his win with his son Owen at the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. Monster Energy Open Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez (41) spins at the finish line as driver Bubba Wallace (43) passes from behind him during the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. Monster Energy Open NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Hemric (8) leads the field during the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. Monster Energy Open NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (43) celebrates after winning stage 2 of the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2019. Digital Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) to inspection prior to the Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 11, 2019. Gander RV 400 NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr (19) races during the Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 6, 2019. Gander RV 400 NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr celebrates in victory lane after winning the Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 6, 2019. Gander RV 400 NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr celebrates with his team in victory lane after winning the Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 6, 2019. Allied Steel Buildings 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Christopher Bell (20) celebrates after winning the Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover International Raceway on May 4, 2019. Allied Steel Buildings 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Christopher Bell celebrates in victory lane after winning the Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover International Raceway on May 4, 2019. Allied Steel Buildings 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Justin Haley (11) makes a pit stop during the Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover International Raceway on May 4, 2019. NASCAR: GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (2) leads the field during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2019. NASCAR: GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) celebrates winning the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2019. NASCAR: GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2019. NASCAR: GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (42) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeffery Earnhardt wreck during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2019. MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin AllGaier (7) makes a pit stop during the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. GEICO 500-Qualifying NASCAR Cup Series driver William Bryon (24) during qualifying for the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. MoneyLion 300 The field goes through the tri-oval during the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Landon Cassill (4) goes into the start/finish line during the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Brandon Jones (19) wrecks during the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Tyler Reddick (2) leads the field during the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Tyler Reddick (2) celebrates winning the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Tyler Reddick (2) celebrates winning the MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2019. Toyota Owners 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) celebrates in victory lane after winning the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 13, 2019. Toyota Owners 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) races Cup Series driver Jeb Burton (51) during the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 13, 2019. Toyota Owners 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) celebrates after winning the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 13, 2019. Food City 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) celebrates winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019. Food City 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece (47) crashes during the NASCAR Monster Energy Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019. O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) fires his six shooter pistols after winning the O'Reily Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on March 31, 2019. Vankor 350 Gander Outdoor Truck Series driver Kyle Busch (51) throws his son Brexton into the air after Busch wins the Vankor 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on March 29, 2019. Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) celebrates after winning the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, 2019. Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) crosses the finish line to win the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, 2019. Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube The Thunderbirds perform a fly over prior to the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3, 2019. Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (2) celebrates after winning the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2019. Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 A general view of the stands after the second stage during the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2019. NASCAR: Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR: Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR: Daytona 500 Overall view of the main grandstands as the sun sets during the NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR: Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ryan Blaney (12), Aric Almirola (10), Paul Menard (21), NASCAR Cup Series driver David Ragan (38), Austin Dillon (3), Daniel Suarez (41), Matt Dibenedetto (95), Tyler Reddick (31), and Ryan Newman (6) crash during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR Racing Experience 300 The crew of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Michael Annett (1) celebrate after winning the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2019. NASCAR Racing Experience 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Michael Annett celebrates after winning the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Bryan Dauzat (28) hits a member of his crew in the pits during the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. Daytona 500-Practice NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) leads a single file pack of racers during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series drivers Ray Ciccarelli (49), Chris Fontaine (47) and Tyler Dippel (02) crash during the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Jordan Anderson (3) crashes during the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Sheldon Creed (2) drives around turn four with fire in his wheels during the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Austin Hill (16) celebrates after winning the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Austin Hill (16) celebrates after winning the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. NextEra Energy 250 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Gus Dean (12) and driver Joe Nemechek (87) wreck during the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2019. Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie (32) gets a front end full of sparks from driver Casey Mears (not pictured) in turn four during the Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019. Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) celebrates after winning the Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019. Daytona 500 Media Day NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch speaks during the media day for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019. Gander RV Duel 1 at Daytona NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) celebrates after winning the Gander RV Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019. Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (88) leads the field to start the Gander RV Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019. Advance Auto Parts Clash NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) celebrates winning the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019. Advance Auto Parts Clash NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (19), Denny Hamlin (11), Erik Jones (20), Chase Elliott (9), Austin Dillon (3), Clint Bowyer (14), Alex Bowman (88), Daniel Suarez (41), Ryan Newman (6) and Kevin Harvick (4) wreck during the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA racing series driver Harrison Burton celebrates after winning the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA racing series driver Harrison Burton takes the checkered flag to win the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Series drivers Codie Rohrbaugh (7) and Gus Dean (32) and Andy Seuss during the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Series driver Thad Moffitt (46) spins out in front of driver Jason White (11) during the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA racing series drivers take the green flag to start the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Series driver Brenden Queen (35) and Paul Williamson (36) wreck during the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Series driver Connor Hall (22) spins during the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Daytona 500 Practice NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (2) signs autographs for fans during practice for the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019. Daytona 500 Practice NASCAR Cup Series owner Richard Petty during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019.


West Ham have slapped a £75m price tag on centre back Issa Diop after learning that Manchester United were interested in signing the defender this summer. It emerged last week that Diop was the latest name on a long list of targets for Ole Gunnar Solkjaer's side ahead of their summer rebuild, with the club reportedly set to offer £45m in a player plus cash deal ahead of the new season. But The Telegraph are now claiming that West Ham want to deter any bids for Diop this summer by setting a £75m price tag for the 22-year-old, who arrived at the club just 12 months ago in a £22.5m deal from Toulouse. It's been suggested in France that Manchester United have already seen a bid for the defender rejected by West Ham, with the club desperate to hold onto the Under-21 international for at least another season. The Hammers are eager to build their squad following Diop and Felipe Anderson's arrival last summer, with their first signing this year being a £25m deal for former Arsenal target Pablo Fornals. As part of United's original player plus cash offer , it's been added by The Sun that defender Phil Jones was included alongside their £45m bid in an attempt to entice West Ham into a sale. The 27-year-old only signed a new contract at Old Trafford in February, but after making just 18 appearances in the Premier League last season, United's hierarchy would be willing to use Jones as a makeweight if it meant upgrading their first-team this summer. But West Ham aren't interested in bringing Jones to the club, and instead The Independent claims the club have boldly demanded that Anthony Martial is used in United's player-plus-cash offer instead, although that request won't fly with Ed Woodward. . @WestHamUtd no interest in selling Issa Diop to Man Utd or anyone else.   Simon Stone (@sistoney67) June 17, 2019 Manchester United have also been linked with a move for Leicester City defender Harry Maguire for the second summer in a row, but just like West Ham, the Foxes will be demanding a similar £75m fee, if not even more.


Barcelona Femeni have confirmed that Dutch forward and 2017 Best FIFA Women' Player award winner Lieke Martens has agreed to extend her contract with the club until 2022. Martens will officially sign the paperwork 'in the coming days'. The 26-year-old, who joined Barça from Swedish side Rosengard shortly after winning Euro 2017, played for the club in last season's Champions League final against Lyon and reached this summer's Women's World Cup final as part of the Netherlands squad. She scored twice at the World Cup but was nursing an injury ahead of the final against USA. Martens helped Barça win the Copa de la Reina in 2018, but the club hasn't finished top of Spain's Primera Division since 2014/15, with domestic rivals Atletico Madrid winning in each of the last three seasons. Wrestling back national dominance is now the key target. It has already been a busy summer for Barça. England forward Toni Duggan has left, but Nigerian international Asisat Oshoala has joined permanently after an initial loan period, while Norway's Caroline Graham Hansen has also bolstered the attacking ranks. On top of that, former Barça star Jenni Hermoso has rejoined the club from Atletico.


FARMINGDALE, N.Y.   All those stats about Brooks Koepka breaking scoring records on the way to another major-championship victory after opening with rounds of 63-65? Already in the trash bin. But he'll take the stat that counts major win No. 4 even though he put his antiperspirant through a punishing workout with four consecutive bogeys before finishing a final-round 74 for a two-stroke win over Dustin Johnson. Deep breaths, everyone. On to the stats: 1: Number of times Koepka has competed in a tour event at Pebble Beach, site of next month's U.S. Open. He finished T-8 in the Pro-Am in 2016, shooting rounds of 68-70-69-70 277, seven strokes behind winner Vaughn Taylor. Koepka will be going for his fifth major win in his last nine appearances. Which is pretty good. 1: How many times do you make a 2 and aren't even Low Lucas in your group? Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open winner at Bethpage, holed his bunker shot at the 17th, but only after Lucas Bjerregaard aced it with a 6-iron from 206 yards. https://twitter.com/PGAChampionship/status/1130216485261942784 https://twitter.com/PGAChampionship/status/1130215191486930945 2: Dustin Johnson (final-round 69 on Sunday) now has achieved the Runner-Up Grand Slam: 2: 2019 PGA Ch., Bethpage (winner: Brooks Koepka) T-2: 2011 Open Ch., Royal St. George's (winner: Darren Clarke) T-2: 2015 U.S. Open, Chambers Bay (winner: Jordan Spieth) T-2: 2019 Masters (winner: Tiger Woods) T-3: Finish at Bethpage by Jordan Spieth, who was attempting to complete the career Grand Slam but was six shots shy of Koepka after a final-round 71. It was still Spieth's best performance of the 2018-'19 tour season. RELATED: 10 players who were supposed to be better than Brooks Koepka 4: With his four major win, Koepka ties Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, Raymond Floyd, Bobby Locke, Jim Barnes, Willie Anderson, Willie Park Sr., Tom Morris Sr. and Tom Morris Jr. A fifth major win would tie Koepka with Phil Mickelson, Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson, Byron Nelson, J.H. Taylor and James Braid. Six major wins? He'd be shaking hands with Lee Trevino and Nick Faldo. 5: Swing in shots in three holes after Koepka bogeyed the first hole and Harold Varner birdied it to get within five strokes of the lead. After double bogeys by Varner at the third and fourth, and a birdie by Koepka at No. 4, Varner trailed by 10. Varner went on to shoot an 81 and finish T-36. RELATED: The Brooks Koepka-Sunday-at-the-PGA diary A death march, a coronation, a coup 7: Koepka is really glad this record wasn't matched on Sunday: In the 1978 PGA at Oakmont, John Mahaffey trailed Tom Watson by seven shots going into the final round, and Mahaffey shot a 66 before winning a playoff against Watson and Jerry Pate for the biggest final-round comeback in the championship's history. T-60: Low finish from a PGA club professional, by Rob Labritz after rounds of 75-69-74-72 290. Two other club pros made the cut: Ryan Vermeer was T-80 after rounds of 70-74-72-79 295, and Marty Jertson was 82nd after a finish of 72-69-79-79 299. It's the second time Labritz has been low club professional at the PGA Championship, having first accomplished the feat in 2010. 12: Venues scheduled to host future PGA Championships: 2020: Harding Park 2021: Kiawah Island 2022: Trump National/Bedminster 2023: Oak Hill 2024: Valhalla 2025: To be announced 2026: Aronimink 2027: PGA Frisco 2028: Olympic Club 2029: Baltusrol 2030: To be announced 2031: Congressional 2032: To be announced 2033: To be announced 2034: PGA Frisco Year to be determined: Southern Hills 76: Highest final-round score by a PGA winner. The highest score and others on the list: 76 (4 over), Vijay Singh, 2004, Whistling Straits 74 (4 over), Brooks Koepka, 2019, Bethpage 74 (3 over), Raymond Floyd, 1969, NCR C.C. 73 (3 over), Dave Stockton, 1970, Southern Hills 73 (1 over), Jack Nicklaus, 1971, PGA National 88: Rounds under par for the week at Bethpage (par 70). The most under-par scores in PGA Championship history: 214 (Bellerive, 2018, par 70); 194 (Riviera, 1995, par 71); 185 (Whistling Straits, 2015, par 72); 178 (Valhalla, 2014, par 71); 172 (Valhalla, 2000, par 72). The least number of under-par scores for 72 holes in a PGA: 13 (Firestone, 1960, par 70). $1.98 million: First prize on Sunday, which is more than the entire field played for ($1.7 million) 25 years ago at Southern Hills. The winner in 1994, Nick Price, earned $310,000. Eighth place this year at Bethpage paid $319,600 from a total purse of $11 million. Being a very good professional golfer has its rewards. Explore Golf Digest All Access, with more than 30 video series to improve your game WATCH: GOLF DIGEST VIDEOS Video by PGA


President Donald Trump stepped into the simmering battle between newly elected progressive Democrats and establishment Democrats on Sunday, in a series of tweets bordering on xenophobia, suggesting that freshman progressive Democrats "...go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." Though he did not mention them by name, the president was apparently aiming his tweets at freshman Democratic congresswomen of color: Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, New York; Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan; Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota; and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts. Of the four, only Omar was foreign-born, coming to the United States from Somalia. The four women have been among the most vocal critics of the administration's handling of the border crisis -- and a symbol of the Trump Administration's fractious relationship with Congress . These are the presidents with the best and worst relationships with the Congress . Omar is one of 29 congressional members who were born outside of the United States -- 24 representatives and five senators . Twenty-five are Democrats and four are Republicans. This total represents members who were either born outside of the United States to parents from another country or those born in another country to American parents. There are 14 congressional members who were born outside of the United States, all of whom are Democrats, who became U.S. citizens. Thirteen of the 14 members of Congress born outside of the United States to non-American parents serve in the House of Representatives. Three of them are from Mexico -- Salud Carbajal and Raul Ruiz (California) and Jesus Garcia (Illinois), and two are from India -- Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois) and Pramila Jayapal (Washington). Other congressional members were born in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Taiwan, Poland, Ecuador, Vietnam, and Guatemala. The lone senator born outside of the United States to parents who are not American is Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, who was born in Japan. There are four other senators who were born in other countries to American parents. Some members of the president's cabinet were also born in foreign countries, including the Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, who was born in Germany. It is also worth noting that the president's wife Melania was born in Slovenia and is the first first lady born outside of the United States since Louisa Catherine Adams, the wife of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. Members of Congress Born Outside the United States Politician Country/place of birth Party Position Adriano Espaillat Dominican Republic Democratic Rep. from New York Albio Sires Cuba Democratic Rep. from New Jersey Chris Van Hollen Pakistan Democratic Senator from Maryland Dan Crenshaw United Kingdom Republican Rep. from Texas David Rouzer West Germany Republican Rep. from North Carolina Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Ecuador Democratic Rep. from Florida Diana DeGette Japan Democratic Rep. from Colorado Don Beyer Trieste Democratic Rep. from Virginia Don McEachin West Germany Democratic Rep. from Virginia Ilhan Omar Somalia Democratic Rep. from Minnesota Jesús "Chuy" García Mexico Democratic Rep. from Illinois Jim Himes Peru Democratic Rep. from Connecticut Mark Meadows France Republican Rep. from North Carolina Mazie Hirono Japan Democratic Senator from Hawaii Michael F. Bennet India Democratic Senator from Colorado Norma J. Torres Guatemala Democratic Rep. from California Pramila Jayapal India Democratic Rep. from Washington Raja Krishnamoorthi India Democratic Rep. from Illinois Raul Ruiz Mexico Democratic Rep. from California Salud Carbajal Mexico Democratic Rep. from California Sean Casten Ireland Democratic Rep. from Illinois Sean Patrick Maloney Canada Democratic Rep. from New York Sharice Davids Germany Democratic Rep. from Kansas Stephanie Murphy Vietnam Democratic Rep. from Florida Susan Wild West Germany Democratic Rep. from Pennsylvania Tammy Duckworth Thailand Democratic Senator from Illinois Ted Lieu Taiwan Democratic Rep. from California Ted Rafael E. Cruz Canada Republican Senator from Texas Tom Malinowski Poland Democratic Rep. from New Jersey


President Trump on Monday morning said he "personally thinks lots of good things will come from North Korea" following a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "I personally think lots of good things will come with North Korea. I may be right. I may be wrong," Trump told reporters after he and Abe spoke for about 17 minutes with translators in Tokyo. "There's good respect built between the U.S. and North Korea. We'll see what happens." Trump also said he welcomed Abe trying to negotiate with Iran amid increasing tensions between Tehran and Washington, including the recent recall by the State Department of all non-emergency personnel in Iraq amid what the department said were unspecified threats from Iran-backed militants. Abe added that he wanted a "very candid and productive discussion." Earlier in Trump's four-day visit to Japan, Trump tweeted that he was unconcerned about North Korean missile testing, tweeting Saturday "I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me" and saying he "smiled" at Kim's characterization of former Vice President Joe Biden as "low IQ." Trump's comments contradicted his national security advisor John Bolton, who told reporters in Tokyo ""U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from firing any ballistic missiles ... in terms of violating U.N. Security Council resolutions, there is no doubt about that." Earlier in the day, Trump became the first world leader to meet with Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, who assumed office on May 1.


Castro , Mid-Market , Tenderloin A Tenderloin-based shop specializing in apartment-ready plants and do-it-yourself houseplant care will be expanding to the Castro later this year. Chai Saechao and his partner, Tony Stapor, first opened Plant Therapy , near the corner of O'Farrell and Hyde, in August 2018, not far from their Tenderloin home. Now, they're moving into the former Apothecarium space at 2097 Market St. Saechao, who previously managed the Castro Starbucks, has deep ties in the neighborhood. He was once a member of the Castro Merchants , and "knows all the residents and shopkeepers in the area already," he said. "They've all been telling me how excited they are to have us in the neighborhood." Plant Therapy already has a presence in the Castro: members of its team recently installed the new living walls at Cook Shoppe , which opened in the former Chow on Church space earlier this month. Plant Therapy will continue to maintain the walls from its new location, which is just around the corner. Saechao first learned about the Market Street space from his Tenderloin landlord, real estate investment firm Veritas . When they heard he was hoping to expand, they offered him "a pretty good deal," he said. At 1,200 square feet, Plant Therapy's new location is more than triple the size of the existing Tenderloin store, according to Saechao. That means more space to host events and classes, such as the regular ' Plants and Wine ' night that draws sellout crowds at the original location. Once the Market Street location is up and running, the store will launch a schedule of classes a month or two in advance, with an online sign-up form for customers. Veritas is renovating the space to suit Plant Therapy, Saechao said, removing the back, mirrored wall to expose some southern-facing windows and make the space brighter. Because water and dirt are part of the equation for a plant store, the hardwood floors are being replaced with laminate. The hope is to open the second location by the end of this summer, Saechao said. He'll manage the new location initially as it gets up and running, but he's confident that it will stand on its own fairly quickly. "We've definitely gained experience, having just launched the first store," he said.


Making what once was old into something new is what hot rodding is all about. Yet sometimes the dream of what you want can go a bit astray. That's what happened when a young Tony Oliveira bought a big-block 1968 Chevelle. Tony had always admired the lines of these GM A-bodies and got just what he wanted, but inside the engine bay sat a 455 Pontiac rather than a 454 Chevy. "Well, at least it was a GM engine," he says. "I didn't have the money to take it out and put a Chevy engine in it, so I became known as the guy with a Chevy with a Pontiac motor. I was made fun of, but at that time I didn't have the money to switch the motor out, so I stuck with what I had then." It was a combination that served him well, because at that age Tony did a lot of street racing with the car around Southern Maryland and Washington D.C. After they came up against the car, nobody had anything to say then. Even though things were going well, deep down inside, having a Pontiac engine in a Chevy never did feet quite right. He wouldn't let that happen again. Marriage and then kids eventually came into Tony's life and then finally one day it was time for the Chevelle to go. The engine went to one buyer while the car went to another. "The guy who bought the car didn't want the engine because he had a 396 to put in it," Tony says. "That led me to another guy who'd always said that he'd buy the motor, so it found a new home with him." That passion for muscle cars, racing, and speed was temporarily put on the shelf and forgotten. Two boys and 10 years didn't alleviate the itch that was still there, however. "I was really concentrating on my business, but when I met Ralph Hardesty at Superior Automotive who had a race car. I was like, 'Man, I used to race back in the day with a 10.40 Chevelle,' and then decided I wanted to get back into it. So I went looking for a Pontiac with a Pontiac motor." Nice muscle cars aren't cheap these days, but anything with the letters G-T-O always command a premium price. Second-gen GTOs gave the midsized GM A-body a much more aggressive look with its Enduro nose and hideaway headlamps. The hood-mounted tach and rear wing spoke competition, which made the loud paint and graphics more acceptable. Matched with the 400-cid Ram III and Ram IV , the 1969 GTO was a muscle car worthy of respect. After an extended search, Tony found a good project car in Southern Tennessee and drove down with a buddy to bring it back home. During the long trip back, Tony was already working through a check list of what he wanted to do to the car. Once there, it went straight to the home garage where the engine and tranny were pulled out and the paint was stripped down. Finding a mess, the car was sent out to have the body and paint redone. With the body freshened, a new color applied, and then an updated chassis/cage, Tony and the GTO became celebrities from cruises around Ocean City, Maryland, and showings at the World of Wheels and other events. Even so, the desire to get the car out on the track took precedence over anything else. Tony hooked up with Billy Carpenter, a friend who used to work with him during his street racing days, to spin wrenches with him once again. Starting with what they had, the freshened 455 was put on a healthy diet of nitrous, which led to times as quick as an 8.29 in the quarter at 156 mph, and even more attention on made-for-TV shows such as Pinks and Pass Time . Things hit a wall, however, when a series of damaged engine blocks led to the realization that some changes were in order if Tony was to continue to race the way he wanted to. Tony found the right hardware combination with an all-aluminum, 511ci Pontiac fuelie combination that gave him the strength and durability he needed, but he then went one step beyond that by going with an intercooled centrifugal blower from Procharger. The look of that combination attracts quite a crowd at the track with questions. "I guess the engine compartment is my favorite part of the car, but people come to look at it and then think it has a Chevrolet in it," Tony says with a hint of exasperation. "That's why I had the word 'Pontiac' put on the valve covers so people would know what it is. I had to stick with the Pontiac." Tony went on to say that others come in thinking it has a turbocharger in it rather than a centrifugal blower. "When I tell them it's a Procharger, then they want to know what the difference is," he says with a smile. With the car where he wants it and running strong, Tony and his GTO make a handful of events with the aptly named Outlaw Warrior group around the Mid-Atlantic. There, he runs head-to-head with a group of similar-minded gearheads with success. While the quest to run ever quicker and faster is limited somewhat to racing season, Tony keeps his off-season juices flowing with a GTO street machine that he picked up a few years ago. "I bought that a couple of years ago from the family of a guy who had died," Tony says. "His daughters contacted me about it when they knew I was a Pontiac guy. That GTO came with the original 400 in it, but what really caught my eye is that it's an original four-speed car." It's a vehicular family any purebred warrior would be proud of. Tech Notes Who: Tony Oliveira What: 1969 Pontiac GTO Where: Woodstock, Maryland Engine When Tony's nitrous-fed 455 Pontiac began to hit a wall after running an 8.29 quarter-mile best, he and crew chief Billy Carpenter knew that going all-out was what they had to do. All Pontiac of North Chesterfield provided a major piece of that puzzle with an all-aluminum, standard deck height IA II Pontiac block , which not only took weight off the front end, but also provided extra oil flow and strength where it was needed. Brian Roche Racing Engines of Baltimore, Maryland, finished the O-ringed short-block assembly with a 4.250-inch billet Sonny Bryant stroker crank that, with the 4.375 bore, produced 511 ci overall. MGP Pro Seriesdished Diamond pistons and a wet-sump oiling system with a Moroso 8-quart pan and Brad Penn 50-weight oil completed the bottom end. Billet aluminum heads from Visner Engine Development mirror the Pontiac heads as closely as possible. With other aluminum heads, the team had been experiencing problems with the heads lifting off the block, but the use of billet material solved that issue. Orchestrating the Manley 1.77-inch intake and 2.35 exhaust valves work with PAC springs, Manton 7/16-inch pushrods, Visner 1.75 rockers, and Jesel lifters is a custom-ground LSM 55mm roller cam . Induction With a maximum impeller speed of 72,000 rpm (1,200 revolutions per second!), the self-contained F-3R-136 Procharger on this engine combination can provide up to 4,000 cfm of airflow with a linear response of up to 45 pounds of boost. This liquid-to-air intercooled blower worked out to be a perfect match for Tony's engine combo as well as for Limited Drag Radial and other similar classes. In addition to the heads, Visner Engine Development also designed and built the billet aluminum that works with an oval throttle body of their design. Feeding the Billet Atomizer 225 lb/hr injectors is an Aeromotive belt-drive pump. Tuning is via a Fuel Tech FT500 with the help of input from a RacePak , which measures driveshaft speed, wide-band O2 voltage, temperatures, and more. Transmission No expense was spared with the tranny as Tony opted for a Rossler three-speed Pro Mod Max Turbo 400 that features a billet aluminum valvebody with an adjustable servo cover. With the emphasis being more on strength and safety rather than weight reduction, Rossler achieved their reputation by making their own components, such as gears, shafts, and drums that no one else can provide. PTC Torque Converter provided the 5,800-stall speed converter. Rearend Transferring torque to the ground is a Strange Engineering Ultra Fab 9-inch rear housing, which included the GM A-body mounts, tubes, and multiple lower control arm mounting points. Internals include a 3.50:1 pinion gear with 40-spline axles and a spool. Suspension Ralph Hardesty from Superior Automotive installed a 10-point mild-steel rollcage to provide driver safety and also stiffen the chassis for better suspension tuning. Santhuff adjustable front and rear coilover shocks are used to adjust to various track conditions with a RacePak, which measures suspension travel. Control arms and spindles from TRZ Motorsports are used with a rear ladder bar suspension. Tony runs a set of Mickey Thompson Pro ET wheels on the front of the car with matching M/T Frontrunner 28x5 tires and Sanders Engineering 15x15 rims with M/T 315/65R15 Pro ET Street Radials on the back. Body/Paint Once the bodywork was massaged and prepped, the deep, rich jewel-tone purple was applied by Wes Customs of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, using a House of Kolor basecoat/clearcoat system. Chuck B. Studios of Ellicott City, Maryland, did the graphics around the blower inlet. Interior Tony was committed to keeping the street car look as much as possible, which is why the original stock dash, door panels, and factory steering column are still in the car. Blended in with that is the rollcage, a Funny Carstyle hoop, race seat, wheel, shifter, and gauges. Ralph Hardesty fabricated the in-and-out plumbing from the engine bay that is routed through the firewall to a liquid-to-air intercooler, which feeds from an ice-water tank in the trunk. Performance While the car is relatively streetable, it rarely ventures there in order to keep everyday road debris from entering the ProCharger inlet below the grille. On the track, however, everything is unleashed. Tony's GTO has run as quick as a 6.98 e.t. at 199 in the quarter-mile and a 4.54 at 162 mph in the eighth.


On Sunday, Harold Varner III was thrust into a position he's never been in during his PGA Tour career: the final pairing of a major. Understandably, the moment may have gotten to Varner, as he made a mess of the third and fourth holes and eventually carded a nightmarish 81 to fall well out of contention. HV3 was a was a great sport about it afterwards, which came as a surprise to no one who has followed his career. You won't find a better, more down-to-earth guy than Varner, who last summer was cutting his parents lawn the day after making one of the biggest paychecks of his life. RELATED: Tiger Woods stiffed a 13-year-old Harold Varner III on an autograph request and he's still angry (not really) Varner's personality makes him a lovable character for just about anyone he meets, including Ron Rivera, the head coach of Varner's favorite NFL team, the Carolina Panthers. The two have struck up a friendship of sorts, and Rivera has invited Varner to Panthers practice on multiple occasions, most recently on Wednesday morning. As a nod to HV3, Rivera wore a T-shirt to practice with Varner's "Gerald" head cover doing the dab slapped across it: https://twitter.com/KelseyRiggsWCNC/status/1131207743082307586 https://twitter.com/thecharpost/status/1131210879264088065 https://twitter.com/Marcel_LJ/status/1131207452530233345 https://twitter.com/bhallwfmy/status/1131217467701977088 That shirt is FIRE. The head cover, named "Gerald Varner," has been around for some time now, and it even has its own Twitter account . Gerald has also been put on Varner's new putter head cover, where he's doing the dab: https://twitter.com/jonathanrwall/status/1095458094430052353 And now Gerald is dabbing on T-shirts worn by NFL head coaches. Pretty cool moment for Varner, who Rivera sent a text to on Sunday after the tough round according to ESPN Staff writer David Newton . "Yeah, you know, just being a coach," Varner said of Rivera's text message. "[he said] good things are going to happen, learn from it, and I told him some of the things I was thinking and he was like 'you're spot on, just keep doing what you're doing and good results are going to come from that.'" RELATED: Harold Varner III bashes New York fans who yelled at Brooks Koepka


A woman's body was found Monday night in a car parked at a west Houston apartment complex, according to Houston police. Authorities are waiting autopsy results in the death of the woman, identified as 35-year-old Jennifer McCray. Her cause of death will be determined by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Homicide detectives were uncertain overnight whether any foul play was involved. Detectives said a passerby found the woman around 8:30 p.m. at the City West Luxury Apartments in in the 2800 block of Hayes Road. She was in the driver's seat of a Dodge Challenger. Her body could have been there for a "couple of days," detectives said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS. Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site , Chron.com , and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com . | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.


Play resumes Sunday with the final round at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Kevin Na holds a two-stroke lead entering the final round Sunday after shooting a 69 in the third round. Na, paired with Mackenzie Hughes tees off at 2:05 p.m. ET. Jordan Spieth sits in a five-way tie for second which include C.T. Pan, Jim Furyk and first-round leader Tony Finau at 7 under. Spieth shot a 68 Saturday with three birdies and a bogey on 17 to be in contention for the final 18 holes. TEE TIMES: Complete final round tee times at Colonial Golf Club SCORES: Check in with the leaderboard Follow our live blog here all day with the latest from Colonial. Updates The pregnant belly kiss on the 72nd hole after walking in a putt for a four-stroke win on the PGA Tour is some all-time #TourSauce . pic.twitter.com/vYjw3DswvP - Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) May 26, 2019 6:02 p.m. : Na holds onto the lead and clinches victory. Na says he will give the rebuilt 1973 Dodge Challenger prize awarded to the winner to his caddie, Kenny Harms. Na beat Tony Finau by four shots, finishing at 13-under. 4:28 p.m.: After falling into the 12th hole's front left green side bunker with his second shot, Jim Furyk bogeyed the par-4 hole. He sole blemish of the day moved him from sole second to T-3 with C.T. Pan at 7 under. 4:16 p.m.: Kevin Na bogeyed the 10th hole and now leads by two strokes at 11 under. 4:09 p.m.: Ryan Palmer records his second-straight bogey on the 12th hole and fell to T-5. He is now 1 under on the round and leave C.T. Pan to take solo fourth. 4:08 p.m.: Austin Cook double bogeyed the 11th hole after recording a birdie on No. 10. He is now T-9 at 5 under. 4:03 p.m.: Rory Sabbatini finished the final round 3-under 67 and T-5. He had five birdies and two bogeys. 4:02 p.m.: Ryan Palmer bogeyed the 11th hole and fell to T-4. Jim Furyk is now in solo third at 8 under. 3:50 p.m.: Tony Finau birdied the ninth hole. He is now in solo second at 9 under. 3:31 p.m.: Kevin Na is on a roll on the front nine. The third-round leader birdied the sixth hole for his third birdie of the day and now leads at 12 under, four strokes ahead of a four-way tie for second. 3:23 p.m.: Andrew Putnam bogeyed the ninth hole to finish the front nine 3 under. He is now in solo sixth at 7 under. 3:15 p.m.: Tony Finau went from solo second to T-2 after he bogeyed the seventh hole. Finau's second stroke ended in the green's left rear bunker. He is 1 under through seven holes on Sunday and sits three strokes behind Kevin Na. 3:02 p.m.: Kevin Na is now at 11 under after recording a birdie on the fourth hole. Na is two strokes ahead of Tony Finau. 2:52 p.m.: Jim Furyk is now T-3 at 8 under after recording a birdie on No. 5. 2:51 p.m.: Andrew Putnam birdied No. 7 and moves from T-4 to T-3. 2:48 p.m.: Tony Finau birdied No. 6 to move to 9 under, one stroke behind Kevin Na. 2:45 p.m.: Ryan Palmer records back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes to T-4 at 7 under. 2:44 p.m.: Kevin Na birdies his second hole to extended his lead to 10 under. Na is two strokes ahead of Tony Finau and C.T. Pan in second. 2:25 p.m.: Andrew Putnam recorded back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 to T-4 at 7 under. He has three birdies total Sunday to sit 3 under through five holes. 2:20 p.m.: Austin Cook is T-3 at 1 under after recording a birdie on No. 3. 2:12 p.m.: Tony Finau birdies his second hole and C.T. Pan birdies his first. Both players are T-2 at 8 under, one stroke behind Kevin Na in the lead. 1:53 p.m.: Make that three-straight birdies to start the back nine by Russell Knox. He now sits T-9 at 5 under. 1:52 p.m.: Scott Piercy jumped five spots to T-7 after recording birdies on two of his first three holes. He's 2 under through three holes. 1:47 p.m.: Charley Hoffman bogeyed his first hole to fall two spots to T-9. 1:43 p.m.: Brandt Snedeker has four birdies through seven holes- back-to-back on the sixth and seventh holes- to sit T-10 at 5 under. 1:40 p.m.: Tyrrell Hatton has jumped to T-7 at 6 under after recording birdies on his first two holes. 1:35 p.m.: After going 2 under on the front nine, Russell Knox birdied the 10th and 11th holes. He is now 4 under through 11 holes and T-17 at 4 under. 12:52 p.m.: Talor Gooch is 5 under on the day after making birdies on four of his first five holes. Gooch moved 29 spots to T-24 at 2 under. 12:28 p.m.: Tom Hodge birdied No. 5 and is now T-22 at 2 under. Hodge has one other birdie and is 2 under through five holes. 11:54 a.m.: Max Homa birdied the seventh hole to T-23 at 1 under. Homa is 2 under through seven holes. 11:41 a.m.: Vaughn Taylor birdied his first two holes to jump 14 spots to T-23 at 1 under. 11:15 a.m.: Anirban Lahiri birdied the second and fourth hole to jump 14 places to T-23 at 1 under. Lahiri is 2 under through four holes. 11:13 a.m.: Jhonattan Vegas notched his third birdie of the day on the 11th hole. He is 3 under through 11 holes and T-42 at 1 over. 10:48 a.m.: Scott Brown hit a big of trouble in the final round, recording back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes. Brown, who birdied the first hole, is 1 over on the round and T-58 at 3 over. 10:40 a.m.: Cameron Champ finished the front nine 3 under after recording three birdies. He now sits T-38 at 1 over. 9:55 a.m.: Branden Grace leapt to T-37 at 1 over after his third straight birdie of the morning. Grace is 3 under through three holes. 9:35 a.m.: Branden Grace jumped 12 places to T-48 with birdies on his first two holes. He is 2 under on the round and 2 over in the tournament. 9:10 a.m.: Cameron Champ birdies his first hole of the day to jump seven spots to T-53 at 3 over. 8:20 a.m.: Final round scheduled to begin. Twitter Stream A Twitter List by golfweek How to watch every moment of Charles Schwab Challenge week. Charles Schwab Challenge TV, Online Sunday Golf Channel : 1-2:45 p.m. ET CBS : 3-6 p.m. ET PGA Tour Live : 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET (featured groups); 3-6 p.m. (featured holes) PGA Tour Radio : 1-6 p.m. ET (Sirius 208 & XM 92) https://compass.pressekompass.net/compasses/golfweek/is-brooks-koepka-the-games-best-golfer-r MORE: Kawhi Leonard's sister shuts down rumors sparked by a Raptors hater during Instagram Live A closer look at the best route of Steelers WR Diontae Johnson Ahead of Finals, Stephen Curry defends Kevin Durant against critics This is how the Milwaukee Bucks head into the offseason Report: Wizards would want Lonzo Ball included in Bradley Beal trade


U.S. President Donald Trump will formally announce a deal to open up the European Union to more beef exports after the bloc carved out quotas from other nations earlier this year, people familiar with the plans said. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the European ambassador to the United States on Friday will sign an agreement to increase the amount of American beef that can be sold in the EU market, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement Friday. Trump 's daily itinerary for Friday includes "an announcement on EU Trade," though the White House did not specify what the event was about. A White House spokesman and the USTR did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Thursday. American farmers will be entitled to almost 80% -- or 35,000 metric tons -- of the annual EU quota on hormone-free beef over seven years, with an initial allocation of around 40%, European officials told reporters in June. The Trump administration in June secured more access to the European Union's beef market after the bloc persuaded Australia, Argentina and Uruguay to cede chunks of the import quota. According to people familiar with the announcement, Lighthizer called for the formal signing ceremony in an attempt to show progress on the bilateral trade agenda. The quota was set a decade ago to settle a transatlantic dispute over an EU ban on meat from cattle that were given growth hormones. WTO rules required the volumes be made available to other nations that export beef, and Australia, Argentina and Uruguay gradually replaced the U.S. as the largest suppliers. The announcement comes as Trump feuds with Europe over some trade issues, particularly with France. Trump has threatened to tariff French wine after that country imposed a tax on tech companies that will particularly impact American firms. The U.S. and EU are working on a limited trade agreement that would cut industrial tariffs but have reached an impasse over whether to include agriculture in the negotiations. --With assistance from Josh Wingrove. To contact the reporter on this story: Jenny Leonard in Washington at jleonard67@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, James Mayger For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com ©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


The Oklahoma City Thunder might be hurtling toward a rebuild after Paul George forced his way out of the team to join Kawhi Leonard on the Los Angeles Clippers. The next big step would likely be a trade that sends away Russell Westbrook, though finding a team with a desire for the divisive star and the cap space to fit him could be tricky. Case in point: the Houston Rockets. Can the Rockets land Russell Westbrook? The Rockets are interested in a trade for Westbrook, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon , though a source reportedly described the prospect of adding the point guard as a "long shot." While adding Westbrook would certainly be a bold move for one of the NBA's bolder general managers in Daryl Morey, it could be difficult to pull off. The main problem might be Rockets point guard Chris Paul, who is still due $125 million over the next three years. You'd figure any Rockets trade for Westbrook would have to include Paul going the other way, though MacMahon noted that might be the case. Despite that, it's hard to imagine that the Rockets would want three point guards with cap hits exceeding $38 million   Westbrook, Paul and James Harden   on their roster. Rockets tried to land Jimmy Butler earlier This is the second highly aggressive plan from the Rockets to come to light this offseason, as the team was earlier reported to be interested in a sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler, who opted to join the Miami Heat instead. ESPN reports that the team didn't even get a meeting with Butler, a Houston native. Among the possible pieces in a trade for Butler were reportedly Clint Capela and Eric Gordon, so you could imagine those players being on the table for Westbrook as well. It's still an odd fit though, as the Rockets probably aren't going to want to give up much if they're taking on Westbrook's cap hit. Adding Westbrook would also be quite something for a team with reported locker room issues , though it would at least be a fun reunion for Harden and Westbrook, who were teammates on the Thunder way back when and might work better together than Harden and Paul's pairing. More from Yahoo Sports: USWNT beats Netherlands to win fourth World Cup Americans confirm place as greatest women's team ever Masvidal needs just five seconds for UFC 239 KO Kawhi signing shakes up title odds in NBA


WASHINGTON   The effort by a Russian internet deception factory to manipulate American public opinion during the 2016 election was better planned and executed   and also more lucrative   than previously understood, according to a new analysis of nearly 10 million tweets by a leading cybersecurity firm. The operation by the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency amounted to "a vast, coordinated campaign that was incredibly successful at pushing out and amplifying its messages," according to Symantec, which conducted an in-depth analysts of nearly 4,000 Twitter accounts involved in what U.S. intelligence agencies assess was a Russian-government-sponsored propaganda operation designed in part to help Donald Trump get elected president. Some of the accounts were set up months in advance. And some of the trolls used their fake accounts to make money on the side, the researchers found, with one potentially generating nearly $1 million. "While this propaganda campaign has often been referred to as the work of trolls, the release of the dataset makes it obvious that it was far more than that," Symantec researcher Gillian Cleary wrote in a blog post, calling it "a vast disinformation network." "The sheer scale and impact of this propaganda campaign is obviously of deep concern to voters in all countries, who may fear a repeat of what happened in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election in 2016." The IRA's disinformation campaign was described in the final report by special counsel Robert Mueller, and in his indictment of multiple Russian nationals. U.S intelligence agencies assessed that the social media manipulation was part of a Russian intelligence operation designed to undermine American democracy by exacerbating divisions, hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton and help Trump. Experts say the U.S. government and American social media companies have yet to develop a strategy to prevent such manipulation from happening again. Just last week, a different cybersecurity firm exposed an Iranian effort to manipulate U.S. social media with fake accounts. The IRA's basic strategy, Symantec found, was to use a small core of Twitter accounts to push out new content. And they harnessed a wider pool of automated accounts to amplify those messages. The operation was carefully planned, with accounts often registered months before they were used   well in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Symantec found. The average time between account creation and first tweet was 177 days. The core group of main accounts consisted mainly of "fake news" sources masquerading as regional news outlets or political organizations. Most of them had at least 10,000 followers but followed substantially fewer accounts. They were mainly used to publish new tweets. They posed as local news outlets, such as "New Orleans Online," "El Paso Top News," and "San Jose Daily." The majority of these accounts were created between May and August of 2014, but lay dormant until January 2015, when most of them started tweeting. This suggests a significant element of advance planning, Symantec said. A much larger pool of auxiliary accounts was used to amplify messages pushed out by the main accounts, many impersonating individuals. Auxiliary accounts had less than 10,000 followers, but often followed more accounts than that. Their main purpose was to retweet messages from other accounts, although they were also used to publish original tweets, researchers found. Symantec identified 123 main accounts and 3,713 auxiliary accounts within the dataset provided by Twitter. The propaganda was "evenly split" in its efforts to aim at the extremes of both sides of the liberal/conservative political divide, the researchers found. Among the majority of accounts that were automated, many would frequently show signs of human intervention, such as posting original content or slightly changing the wording of reposted content, presumably in an attempt to make them appear more authentic and reduce the risk of their deletion by Twitter, researchers found. Some of the fake news accounts were set up to monitor the activity of certain blogs and push new posts to Twitter. As NBC News has previously reported, a number of prominent Americans retweeted some of the fake Russian troll accounts, including President Donald Trump, The Washington Post, singer Nicki Minaj, comedian Sarah Silverman and Jack Dorsey, the head of Twitter. Some of the accounts were using a technique that pushed an ad to whoever clicked on the link, generating money for the account. One account in particular could have generated almost $1 million, Symantec found. A handful of of the IRA's Twitter accounts managed to be extraordinarily influential, the researchers found. The most retweeted account within the dataset was @TEN_GOP, created in November 2015, which masqueraded as a group of Republicans in Tennessee. It appears to have been operated by a person, not a computer. In less than two years TEN_GOP gained 150,000 followers. It's 10,794 tweets garnered more than 6 million retweets, only a small fraction of which came from other Russian troll accounts. TEN_GOP's tweets mixed pro-Russia messages with right-wing political memes, racism and conspiracy theories. "It was a highly professional campaign," Symantec said. "Aside from the sheer volume of tweets generated over a period of years, its orchestrators developed a streamlined operation that automated the publication of new content and leveraged a network of auxiliary accounts to amplify its impact."


EATON RAPIDS, Mich. (WWJ) - Authorities say they've identified decomposed human remains found in the woods in mid-Michigan as those of a missing woman. According to the Eaton County Sheriff's Office, 35-year-old Stephanie Lynette Southwell of Lansing was last seen alive in the Lansing area about a year ago. Her body was in "an advanced stage of decomposition" and could not immediately be identified when it was discovered by someone walking in the area Wilbur Highway and Spruce Road in Eaton Rapids, southwest of Lansing, on March 27 of this year . While investigators were not immediately able to determine how she died, officials said they are investigating the case as a homicide. Since that time, detectives have been working in conjunction with the Michigan State University Departments of Anthropology and Integrative Biology along with the Medical Examiner's Office to make a positive ID. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named as an investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to call Eaton County Sheriff's Det. Rick Buxton at 517-323-8484, or Det. Troy Gardner at 517-543-5519 from the Eaton County Sheriff's Office. To remain anonymous, tipsters can call Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan at 517-483-7867.


Alex Morgan remembers athletes sporting milk mustaches in ads when she was a kid, reinforcing the idea that she needed protein from animal and dairy products to be strong. "I never thought it was possible I could be playing at an elite level as a professional athlete with a plant-based diet," the U.S. women's soccer star told USA TODAY Sports. "Then I realized it wasn't detrimental at all. What I learned growing up wasn't all that true." When Morgan's Orlando Pride teammates and the MLS teammates of her husband, Servando Carrasco, showed they could thrive while eating vegan, the stigma was erased and Morgan was ready to try a new diet. She became vegetarian in August 2017 and then took on a mostly vegan lifestyle at the beginning of 2018. NEW TREND IN SPORTS WORLD: What Alex Morgan, Chris Paul eat every day "If anything, it makes me stronger and helps with fatigue and recovery," said Morgan, who had the U.S. women team's chef, Teren Green, prepare vegan meals during the World Cup, prompting several of her teammates to give it a try. Veganism is on the rise in the United States   the plant-based market increased 17% in dollar sales this last year, according to The Good Food Institute   and more athletes are turning to the diet, particularly at the peak and latter stages of their careers. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the most prominent athlete to embrace veganism, crediting his mostly plant-based diet for allowing him to play at an MVP level into his 40s. He made the change starting in 2014, and detailed his approach in his 2017 book, "The TB12 Method ." Athletes have been exposed to plant-based diets for a variety of reasons. NBA guard Chris Paul said his children's nanny was vegan. Recovering from a shoulder injury, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said in April he's gone vegan to aid his stamina and rehabilitation . Tennis star Venus Williams adopted a vegan diet in 2011 after she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. A gluten allergy led Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic to go plant-based, and in 2016 he opened up a Monte Carlo vegan restaurant. While most nutrition experts are in agreement that veganism aids recovery and promotes good health, others raise questions about its effectiveness and see the no-meat philosophy as limiting. Yet athletes are among the biggest advocates for veganism. Morgan and Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving were named "Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities" by PETA this summer. "The rules aren't as strict as everyone thinks," Irving told USA TODAY Sports. "I'm an example of someone who ate really unhealthy   fast food or a quick TV dinner in the microwave   without educating myself on what I was putting into my body. Now I feel like I understand the truth   how certain chemicals in meat affect your body, and that now there are alternatives bridging the gap available." Those alternatives start with plant-based meat companies such as Beyond Meat, which has attracted Paul, Irving and Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as investors. "You've got to be open-minded," Paul said. "I was someone who was like, 'I don't want that fake chicken or fake burger.' But it tastes similar and it really makes a huge difference in how I feel." James Loomis, who practices internal medicine at Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C., said he believes a vegan diet is a natural fit for athletes: It "leads to quicker recovery from workouts and better injury prevention. The food pyramid is misleading and that's stayed with us from a young age. "The standard American diet leads to low-grade inflammation so when athletes are exercising it's like putting Diesel fuel into a regular car." Meat and Plants: What's really healthy? However, veganism is not fully embraced by athletes or experts. Cate Shanahan, a nutrition consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees and Green Bay Packers, says plant-based meat is "toxic" and argues that the recovery boost athletes experience from the diets comes from removing "chips and soda, like any good diet." Shanahan instead believes animal meat on the bone and animal bone broth can bolster digestive health and relieve joint pain. She sees the keto diet   what Tim Tebow currently follows   as a healthy option because of its emphasis on using natural fats from butter and coconut as opposed to vegetable oils. She contends that a plant-based diet or the largely meat-based paleo diet are "limited." Several high-profile athletes tried vegan lifestyles before opting out. Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard gave up his vegan diet because he lost too much weight . "Veganism doesn't pay attention to the culinary tradition of the world's healthiest cuisines that kept our ancestors disease-free," Shanahan said. "The healthiest diet comes from four natural pillars   fresh food, fermented and sprouted food, meat cooked on the bone, and organ meats." Loomis disagrees, and has data to prove it. He collaborated with experts for a 2019 study that outlined evidence of plant-based diets benefiting endurance athletes in heart health, overall performance and recovery . "It's a factual myth that we have to have animal protein to perform at a high level," he said. "With plants, food becomes more like medicine." Loomis is one of the doctors featured on "Game Changers," a documentary set to debut in September that features MMA fighter James Wilks exploring the differences between protein from plant-based and meat-based diets. "If you go into locker rooms and look at the pre-game meal, it's usually steak or chicken or pasta, and there's lots of Whey Protein powder," said Loomis, the former team internist for the St. Louis Rams and Cardinals. "That's then amplified commercially with marketing, basically saying, 'You're not a man unless you eat meat.'" One example: NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley ranted on a Turner Sports broadcast this spring , "They've got a name for people who don't eat meat: Damn fools." Still, times are changing. Brady appeared in a 2002 Got Milk? ad . Nowadays he's promoting his own plant-based protein shakes. Silver medal-winning Olympic cyclist Dotsie Bausch became vegan in her mid-30s   three years before the 2012 London Games   and appeared in an anti-milk commercial for her non-profit, Switch4Good , during the 2018 Winter Olympics. "Most people have meat and dairy because the next person does it," Bausch said. "The truth is milk doesn't make you grow big and strong." . The vegan stigma Paul's personal chef, Seong Hwang, prepared a post-game meal for the Houston Rockets last season. He didn't tell players until afterwards that it was made with Beyond Meat. "The players, the staff, they all loved it solely based on the taste," Seong said. "No one wants to give up taste. Chris is a big foodie. If what I was making him didn't taste good, he wouldn't stick with it. Whenever you hear veganism, you think you have to give up something or eat tofu to survive. That's really not the case." The vegan perception can be damning, though. According to a 2017 report by NBC Sports Bay Area , NFL teams were dissuaded by Colin Kaepernick's then-vegan diet, calling it a red flag when considering signing the free agent quarterback. "There's a weird connotation that comes with veganism," said Loomis, who moved his practice to Washington, D.C., from the St. Louis area because colleagues in the Midwest thought his approach was "crazy." Morgan says the stigma can go both ways. "It took me a while to feel comfortable with my lifestyle and not being a super-strict vegan," said Morgan, who also supports veganism because of ethical concerns around animal rights. "The vegan community can be very unforgiving at times, and I don't want to sit here and say I've never eaten dairy or worn leather. But I haven't eaten meat in two years and do the best I can. "I just want to feel good about why I'm doing this. I don't think our country is there yet, in terms of being able to adopt a fully vegan lifestyle. We're getting there." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Athletes turn to plant-based and vegan diets to gain edge in a growing sports world trend


The Cowboys have lost a second scout to the Raiders. Walter Juliff is leaving the Cowboys to join Mike Mayock's staff, the Cowboys announced on their website. The Raiders hired Jim Abrams, formerly the Cowboys' West Coast scout, as their director of college scouting last month. Juliff was the only person in the scouting department who pre-dated Jerry Jones' purchase of the team. Juliff joined the Cowboys in 1988. He held various jobs in the scouting department, including assistant director of college and pro scouting, southeast scout and national college scout. The Cowboys also are losing longtime personnel executive Tom Ciskowski, who is retiring. Ciskowski joined the team as a scout in 1992 and held a multitude of roles in his 28 years with the Cowboys, including running the team's scouting department from 2008-13.


Verizon just launched the Galaxy S10 5G , but Samsung is hardly the only company putting out 5G smartphones this year. International carriers have also started rolling out 5G networks and compatible smartphones , and UK carriers are the latest ones to prepare for their 5G launches. However, one of the first phones to deliver 5G experiences in Britain is a device that you'll have a hard time scoring in the States, even if you just want the older 4G version. That's because it's made by Huawei, the Chinese company the US government has just targeted with additional punitive measures . When it launched the Mate 20 series last fall, Huawei came out with a few features that were not available on any other Android handsets at the time. The Mate 20 Pro was the flagship version of the three Mate 20 phones, and Huawei also launched a regular Mate 20 as well as a Mate 20 X model geared toward gaming. The latter has just received 5G support, and it's available in the UK for £999 unlocked. That's £200 more than the 4G model. Huawei unveiled the 5G version of the Mate 20 X in London on Friday, reports 9to5Google , and it's exactly what you expect   a 5G version of the device that Huawei launched as a gaming phone last year. The phone packs the same huge 7.2-inch FullView display, Kirin 980 chip, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and class-leading triple-lens main camera as the 4G version. But the phone has a smaller battery (4,200 mAh vs. 5,000 mAh) and lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack the 4G version has. You still get fast 40W battery charging on the 5G model, though. That's probably because of all the extra internal space occupied by the 5G components, including a Balong 5000 5G chip and the 5G antennas. The Mate 20 X 5G is obviously still a flagship device by all accounts and will work on all local carriers in Britain, including EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone. The Mate 20 X 5G is the first Huawei 5G phone to launch this year, but it should be followed somewhat closely by the foldable Mate X the company unveiled earlier this year. Sign up for BGR's Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .


Video by CNN DETROIT Bernie Sanders has a succinct message for Democrats who think that his landmark "Medicare for All" proposal is politically impossible: "You're wrong." In the first question posed at the Democratic presidential debate here on Tuesday evening, the Vermont senator and progressive icon issued that two-word response to a question posed by moderator Jake Tapper, who pointed out that fellow candidate Rep. John Delaney had dismissed the expansion of Medicare for all American citizens as "political suicide." Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats and who has demonstrated remarkable resilience despite months of attacks for his support of democratic socialism, noted that Canada and its expansive social safety net exists a mere five minutes from the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit, adding that millions of Canadians use a "Medicare for All"-esque system without leaving medical visits burdened with debt. "Health care is a human right I believe that," Sanders said, to exuberant applause from members of the audience, dismissing the question as "a Republican talking point." The defiant statement was the first "moment" in a crowded 90-minute debate where opportunities to shine are scarce. With an immensely crowded primary field  currently at roughly two dozen major candidates and a much higher hurdle to qualify for the next series of debates in September, the pressure is on for candidates to seize opportunities, or, failing that, force relevance. Although the lineup of Tuesday's debate is the result of a randomized shuffle of top-, mid- and bottom-tier candidates, the first of this week's two debates is expected to lean disproportionately towards delineating policy differences between the candidates. Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are sharing both center stage and a similar lane in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, crashing what could otherwise be deemed "Moderate's Night" at the Fox Theatre. Although the pair share numerous policy priorities as well as home-state media markets with the crucial primary state of New Hampshire their stylistic differences in a debate setting are expected to paint a distinction on Tuesday. Sanders, who has never failed to find an opportunity to redirect a question towards his core message of economic equality, had signaled in the past few days that he's not interested in preparing for stage combat with Warren, even on his signature "Medicare for All" proposal although his two-word response to criticism of the plan indicates that he's more than ready to defend it. Warren, for her part, has been rising in both fundraising and polling since last month's debate, and could use the debate as a platform to broaden her appeal from her left-leaning base. Brewing just to either side of Sanders and Warren is another anticipated "match-up" between former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana who has largely usurped O'Rourke's position as a media darling. Buttigieg, who outraised nearly every other candidate last quarter, is still facing criticism for his handling of a fatal police shooting in the city he runs. O'Rourke needs to peel off some of Buttigieg's "rising star" support if he hopes to recover from disappointing fundraising numbers and cratered polling numbers after a lackluster performance in the first Democratic primary debate last month. Buttigieg, for his part, appears likely to lean into his biography even more than usual. On Monday, two major pieces were published in the Washington Postand CNN detailing the mayor's military service in Afghanistan, one penned by the candidate himself. With his time as a U.S. Navy intelligence officer this out front before a debate, Buttigieg may be preparing to dip his toes into foreign policy currently the favored territory of frontrunner Joe Biden, who will not be in Tuesday's debate. Read more at The Daily Beast.


It can be challenging to find a bargain when seeking new digs. So what does the low-end rent on a rental in Downtown look like these days   and what might you get for the price? Per Walk Score ratings, the neighborhood is quite walkable, is easy to get around on a bicycle and has good transit options. It also features median rents for a one-bedroom that hover around $2,200, compared to a $1,250 one-bedroom median for Sacramento as a whole. A look at local listings for studios and one-bedroom apartments in Downtown via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide paints a picture of what price-conscious apartment seekers can expect to find in this Sacramento neighborhood. Read on for the cheapest listings available right now. (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. 1451 Third St. Listed at $1,245/month, this 531-square-foot studio apartment, located at 1451 Third St., is 23.5 percent less than the $1,627/month median rent for a studio in Downtown. Building amenities include secured entry, on-site laundry and garage parking. You can also expect hardwood flooring and a dishwasher in the apartment. Cats and dogs are permitted. The listing specifies a $500 pet fee. (See the complete listing here .) 1500 Seventh St. This studio apartment, situated at 1500 Seventh St., is listed for $1,410/month for its 509 square feet. In the unit, you're promised hardwood flooring and a dishwasher. The building offers secured entry, garage parking and on-site laundry. Cats and dogs are welcome. Expect a $400 deposit. (See the complete listing here .) 1020 12th St. Here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom address at 1020 12th St., which, at 708 square feet, is going for $1,899/month. Look for in-unit laundry, stainless steel appliances, and hardwood flooring in the unit. Pet lovers are in luck: Cats and dogs are permitted. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. (See the full listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.   A mysterious, submarinelike vessel appeared off the coast of Highland Beach just over a week ago, and its discovery has officials and beachgoers wondering exactly what it is and how it got there. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed they investigated the object, but they don't know what it is. Mark Engelhardt, of Austin, Texas, was in town visiting his parents when he discovered a 20-foot-long steel vessel shaped like a submarine beached about 150 yards off the coast. The bright orange tail of the vessel caught his eye from the beach, as it is clearly visible above the water from shore. The vessel is sunk at a 45-degree angle. Engelhardt, 52, said he and other beachgoers were curious about what it was, so on Oct. 26 he put on his goggles and started swimming. What he found shocked him. "We thought it was a buoy or something that fell off a ship," he said. "But it's definitely not that." Here's how he described it: It's a cylindrical steel vessel that appears to be welded together. Inside, there's a 6-cylinder engine and a battery. Outside, there are two hatches that appear to allow someone to get in and out. The tail is painted bright orange, and the front is pointed. He estimates it's about 3 1/2 feet in diameter. "I come from Texas three times a year to see my parents, to catch some sun, hang out by the pool and then this happens," he said. With an underwater camera, Engelhardt snapped some shots and notified authorities. Coast Guard officials described it as an "obstructive" object in the water and plan to investigate whether there are any signs of who built it, where it came from or if it belongs to anyone. Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera confirmed that the Sheriff's Office checked out a submarinelike vessel in the water, but is not investigating any further. In the meantime, Coast Guard officials said they issued a warning to mariners and put a light on the tail to alert boaters. They don't plan to tow it, officials said. Engelhardt said while he can't be entirely sure it's a submarine, he said it's the spitting image of one. He and his parents theorize it was used to smuggle drugs or other nefarious objects ashore, but officials haven't confirmed that. "What else could be in something like that?" Engelhardt said. "This is crazy. This is like, whoa."


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Pine Hills? According to Walk Score, this Atlanta neighborhood is car-dependent, has minimal bike infrastructure and has good transit options. Data from rental site Zumper shows that the median rent for a one bedroom in Pine Hills is currently hovering around $1,256. So, what might you expect to find if you've got $1,300/month earmarked for your rent? Read on for a roundup of the latest rental offerings, via Zumper. (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. 2700 Pine Tree Road NE, #1011 Listed at $1,300/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 2700 Pine Tree Road NE, #1011. In the unit, you can anticipate hardwood floors. Building amenities include a swimming pool, a fitness center and secured entry. Pets are not allowed. (Check out the complete listing here .) 3200 Lenox Road NE Next, there's this studio located at 3200 Lenox Road NE. It's listed for $1,279/month for its 530 square feet of space. The building boasts a business center, a fitness center and a swimming pool. In the furnished unit, look for air conditioning, hardwood flooring and in-unit laundry. Pet owners, take heed: cats and dogs are welcome. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) 1050 Lenox Park Blvd. NE Here's a 745-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom at 1050 Lenox Park Blvd. NE that's going for $1,262/month. The building offers garage parking, a fitness center and a swimming pool. In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors, a balcony and a fireplace. Good news for animal lovers: both dogs and cats are permitted here. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (See the full listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Maurice Washington simply can't keep himself off of the wrong end of a less-than-flattering headline. According to the Lincoln Journal Star , Washington was cited early Tuesday on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia. The citation, issued by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln police officer, stemmed from a call being made reporting the smell of marijuana emanating from inside an on-campus complex. "After narrowing the odor to a particular room, police found Washington and three other people inside," the Journal Star wrote. "Police searched the room and found a marijuana pipe with residue in it." Washington was the only individual in the room who received a citation. In a very brief statement, a university spokesperson said the football program is "aware of the situation and [is] addressing it." This incident is the latest off-field misstep for Washington. In mid-May, Washington appeared in a California court via phone in connection to charges filed under that state's revenge-porn law. A plea hearing in that case is scheduled for June 12. Appearing in a Santa Clara County (Calif.) courtroom in April, Washington was arraigned on a pair of charges, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor, in connection to a situation whose genesis was a little over a year ago. In mid-February, a Santa Clara County judge signed a warrant filed a couple of days earlier that sought the arrest of the Nebraska running back for alleged violation of that state's revenge-porn law . It's alleged that Washington sent a sexually-explicit 10-second video, recorded two years prior by someone other than Washington, involving a then-15-year-old female and two other boys, neither of whom was Washington, to that same female in early March of 2018. The female has claimed she is being sexually assaulted in the video, which shows the teenager performing oral sex on one boy while another masturbates. Washington is facing a felony count of possessing a video or photograph of a person under 18 who is engaging in or simulating sexual conduct and a misdemeanor count of posting a video or photograph of a person engaging in or simulating sexual conduct without consent, leading to the person suffering emotional distress. Washington had dated the alleged victim prior to the video being recorded. Because of an issue involving Washington's Lincoln-based attorney not being licensed to practice law in California, the player did not enter a plea during that initial arraignment ; the Santa Clara Public Defender's Office is now serving as Washington's California counsel. Scott Frost had confirmed in early March that Washington would be a limited participant in spring practice because of the off-field issue. In also confirming that Washington will not play in the spring game, the head coach stated that, "[o]verall, I think Maurice has done a good job [this spring] trying to stick to the norm and what practice he has done, he's looked good." "We're going to sit back and let the process play out and see where it lands," Frost added of the back's legal entanglement. After some academic uncertainty throughout the offseason, Washington was cleared to join the Cornhuskers football team in early August of last year. As a true freshman, and despite the off-field cloud hanging over him from the start of the season, Washington rushed for 455 yards and three touchdowns, numbers that were both good for third on the team. His 24 receptions were also third-best, while his 221 receiving yards were fourth.


The domination by Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske this season could give NASCAR fans two of the best driver rivalries the sport has seen in years. JGR's Kyle Busch and Penske's Brad Keselowski have had a long, tension-filled rivalry that can spark at any time. But the sport's hottest rivalry involves JGR's Martin Truex Jr. and Penske's Joey Logano . It has been that way since last year's Martinsville playoff race when Logano moved Truex on the last lap to win and earn a spot in the title race. Twice this season   and three times since last year's finale in Miami   Truex and Logano have finished 1-2 in a race. Logano beat Truex to win the championship. Truex held off Logano to win at Richmond and the Coca-Cola 600 this year. After the Richmond win, Truex was asked if he worried having Logano behind him in the final laps after what happened at Martinsville. "I think he drove me as hard as he could without hitting me, which that's what I always expect, and that's kind of how I've always raced him," Truex said. "Hopefully we can race clean for the rest of the year." With plenty of playoff points remaining and a playoff that features two short tracks and the Roval, it seems likely there will be contact if they continue to race together at the front. Racing in close proximity has led to contact and conflict for Busch and Keselowski through the years. In last season's playoff race at Richmond, they battled for the lead. After Busch passed Keselowski, Busch stuck his hand out the window at Keselowski. Asked what he thought Busch meant by the gesture, Keselowski said then: "I don't try to read his mind. That's the last place I need to be." Busch said of his message to his rival: "When you spend 15, 20 laps trying to pass the guy and you pass him and you get run into right as soon as you pass him, it's kind of like, 'Come on, man, really?' But oh, well." They've also had their issues at off the track, most memorably two years ago when Keselowski talked and tweeted about what he believed was Toyota's advantage and Busch responded with a tweet to shut up (although not in as nice of terms) . If the trend from the first half of the regular-season continues, then each of those drivers will be racing around each other all season. All four rank in the top seven in the number of laps run in the top 15 (Busch is first at 90.7%) and all four rank in the top five in laps led (Keselowski is first at 765, followed by Busch at 684). While other teams will try to break the stranglehold Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have had in winning 12 of the first 13 points races of the season, it's likely fans will see Logano and Truex together and Busch and Keselowski running door to door. It could make for quite a summer. 2. Hendrick Motorsports rebounds Hendrick Motorsports placed all four drivers in the top 10 in last weekend's Coca-Cola 600 for the first time since the April 2016 Texas race. The series is at Pocono Raceway this weekend. Last July, Hendrick Motorsports placed three of its cars in the top 10   Alex Bowman was third, William Byron sixth and Chase Elliott seventh. Two Hendrick drivers (Jimmie Johnson in eighth and Elliott in 10th) placed in the top 10 in last June's race there. The organization comes into Pocono with a good bit of momentum. Hendrick Motorsports placed three cars in the top 10 in the two previous points races. Bowman was second at Dover, Elliott was fifth and Byron was eighth. The following week at Kansas, Bowman was second, Elliott placed fourth and Jimmie Johnson finished sixth. It was because of those performances that Brad Keselowski said before last weekend's Coca-Cola 600 that "I honestly feel right now the Hendrick cars are the best cars. I feel like they really came on strong over the last two or three weeks and had some nice updates to their stuff." Keep an eye on the Hendrick cars this weekend and see if their recent run continues. 3. Getting back in gear Half of Martin Truex Jr.'s 22 career Cup victories have come on 1.5-mile speedways, but until last weekend's Coca-Cola 600 win, he had not had as much luck on those tracks lately. After winning the 2017 championship, five of Truex's next six victories came at tracks other than 1.5-mile speedways. Then he scored his Coke 600 win. Three days before that victory, Truex said trying to get the right setup for 1.5-mile tracks was "our biggest challenge this year, no question. … Just still searching for that confidence as a team of what we need to show up at these tracks with." After the victory he said: "Now that we've got some momentum here and a little confidence on the mile-and-a-half, that's a really good sign for us moving forward." 4. Support growing for IndyCar/NASCAR doubleheader Executives from Toyota Racing Development and Chevrolet expressed their interest in I ndyCar and NASCAR competing at the same track on the same weekend . David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development, and Jim Campbell, Chevrolet's U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, made their comments in separate interviews Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "It would be incredible to see IndyCar, edge-of-the-seat, massive speeds, wheel-to-wheel competition on one day and come right back the next day and see an incredible Cup race back-to-back," Campbell said. "Absolutely incredible. All for it. I think the possibilities are there. A lot of work to be done to get to that point. I think it would be great for the race fans, most importantly. Great for TV and we'd love it as a manufacturer." Said Wilson: "Politically, the leadership across both of those organizations have expressed their openness to looking at a more collaborative approach. We applaud that even if we are not racing in both platforms like our colleagues at Chevrolet are. We are hopeful and would love to see nothing more than a doubleheader down the road." 5. Enjoying the show Earlier this week, I wrote about Kasey Kahne and how he's remained optimistic despite health issues that ended his NASCAR season and career last year and an injury in a sprint car in late March that still has him sidelined. I asked him if he missed racing in Cup. He had an interesting response. "There hasn't been a race yet where I was like, "Man, I wish I was out there,' but I've enjoyed watching them all," Kahne told me. He then told me: "I'd like to see a little bit of the rivalries that they're building now. It's fun to see the younger guys coming up and still see the veteran guys do well. I like watching all of that and how they progress." Maybe Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. will be as entertaining as Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch can be in terms of rivalries. Or maybe it will be some other drivers. Follow @dustinlong and on Facebook


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Sunday shark attack off North Carolina that cost a teenager her leg ended when the girl's father "punched the shark in the face," according to Janet Winter, identified as the girl's grandmother. Paige Winter, 17, of Havelock was attacked by a shark while standing in waist-deep water off Fort Macon, as her father stood nearby, according to a GoFundMe page that had raised nearly $35,000 as of early Tuesday afternoon. The father, Charlie Winter, is a firefighter and paramedic and served in the Marines, according to the campaign. Paige Winter lost part of one leg above the knee and some fingers, Janet Winter posted on her Facebook page. "Thank God our son was with her," the woman wrote on Facebook. "He said he punched the shark in the face five times before it let go." Family friend Brandon Bersch confirmed the punches in a Monday interview with the "Today" show, saying Charlie Winter "began striking the shark on the nose." "Charlie wouldn't stop until it released his little girl," Bersch told the show. "He lives for his children." Marcy Goodrum Winter, the girl's mother, posted on Facebook that her daughter was "groggy but cracking jokes" after her first surgery on Sunday. "She wants everyone to know that sharks are still good people," her mom was quoted saying on the GoFundMe page. Paige Winter is a junior at New Bern High School in eastern North Carolina, according to the school's Facebook page. New Bern is about 120 miles southeast of Raleigh. Charlie Winter's fearless attack on the shark has won him praise across the country, particularly from news outlets that cover the U.S. Marines. "Who needs a bigger boat when you have a Marine's fists?" wrote TaskandPurpose.com . The "horrific shark attack" occurred about 12:20 p.m. Sunday off Fort Macon State Park at Atlantic Beach, according to the GoFundMe page. Paige Winter was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where she was listed in good condition after surgery, according to the GoFundMe page. "Her family expresses their appreciation for the first responders, the individuals on the beach who helped and her heroic father who saved her life," the page says. "Despite this unfortunate circumstance, Paige is an unwavering advocate for the marine life and the animals." Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com


HOUSTON (AP)   The remains of a child were found Friday near a freeway in Arkansas where a community activist says a man told him he had dumped the body of a missing 4-year-old Houston girl, police said Friday. Houston police went to Arkansas on Friday after community activist Quanell X told authorities the man arrested in connection with the disappearance of Maleah Davis confessed he disposed of her body there just before he reported her missing in early May. Houston Police Commander Michael Skillern, one of the officers who traveled to Arkansas, told reporters that authorities had found a child's remains in a garbage bag near Interstate 30 close to Hope. Quanell X said he spoke on Friday in jail with Derion Vence, the ex-fiance of Maleah's mother, who had claimed Maleah was abducted. Quanell X said that Vence told him he dumped her body in Arkansas. Sheriff James Singleton in Arkansas' Hempstead County said workers found the bag, which had a foul odor coming from it, near Hope, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of the Texas-Arkansas border. Singleton said the medical examiner's office in Little Rock likely will have to identify the remains. Slideshow by Houston Chronicle "If this is the little girl, we want to make sure that we treat it with respect and dignity," Singleton said. At a news conference in Houston, Executive Assistant Police Chief Troy Finner said authorities won't be able to confirm if the remains are those of Maleah until an autopsy is performed. It was unclear how long the identification process would take, Finner said. "Do we believe that it's possibly her? Yes. But can we confirm it right now? No," Finner said. Finner said Maleah's family had been notified of Friday's developments in the case and he expects a murder charge will be filed in the case. "We are here to make sure that little angel receives some justice and whoever is responsible we are going to hold them accountable," he said. Vence, 27, had claimed he, Maleah and his 2-year-old son were abducted on May 4 by a group of men in a truck. He said he and his son were freed the next day but the kidnappers kept Maleah and his silver Nissan Altima. Police said Vence's story kept changing and didn't add up. Police arrested Vence and charged him with tampering with evidence, specifically a human corpse. He remains jailed on a $40,000 bond. Quanell X said that during his jail visit, Vence told him Maleah is dead and he confessed he dumped the girl's body in Arkansas off the side of a road. Quanell X declined to comment on what Vence told him regarding how Maleah had died. "One thing he wanted to make clear to me was what happened to Maleah was an accident," Quanell X said. In a statement, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said her office has spoken with Vence's attorney and there is no agreement in the case. "We continue to work with the Houston Police Department to bring justice for Maleah Davis," Ogg said. Dorian Cotlar, Vence's attorney, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. On Friday, Cotlar filed a motion in court asking a judge to prohibit Quanell X from visiting Vence in jail, where he remains held on a $45,000 bond. Quanell X had previously spoken on behalf of Brittany Bowens, Maleah's mother, but said he stopped being her spokesman because of inconsistencies in her story. Child Protective Services removed Maleah and her brothers from the apartment Vence and Bowens shared in August after the girl suffered a head wound, but the children were returned in February, according to an agency spokeswoman. Bowens could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday. Earlier in May, Bowens told KRIV-TV she loved her children and it was "absurd" that anybody would think she had anything to do with Maleah's disappearance or with hurting her. After a canceled court appearance by Vence on May 13, Bowens was heckled outside the courtroom by people who questioned if she had done enough to protect her daughter before her disappearance.