Life in the future: Tech that will change the way we live Life in the future: Tech that will change the way we live Technology has the power to do many things, and changing the world is one of them. We're privileged to be living in a time where science and technology can assist us, make our lives easier and rethink the ways we go about our daily lives. The technology we're already exposed and accustomed to has paved the way for us to innovate further, and this list of current and future technologies certainly have the potential to change our lives even more. Here's our list of technologies that will "probably" change our lives forever over the coming decade and beyond: High-rise farms As the population of Earth continues to grow, living space also shrinks, not only for human beings but for the animals and plants we rely on too. It's reasonable to see a future where tech will need to be developed to allow for farmland in unusual places. This concept of high-rise farms in the middle of a city isn't totally out of this world. Lab-grown meats Cows on tower blocks might seem a bit bonkers, but lab-grown meat is a real thing that's already being worked on. If scientists can develop a cost-effective way to grow edible meat in the lab it would change the way we live and eat forever. This change not only cuts down the ecological damage meat farming does to the world, but also makes for an ethical alternative to meat eating that many people could enjoy. Space Tourism We can fly to virtually any country in the world without any trouble, but what if we could all one day see the earth from space? Companies such as Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and even Amazon's Blue Origin , want to make it a reality one day, and give us a (very expensive) seat aboard a spaceship to take us into orbit. Passengers on Amazon's New Shepard space shuttle will be taken 100km above sea level, before parachuting back to earth. Colonisation of other planets We've been wreaking havoc on Earth for a long time and the planet can only put up with mankind's destructive nature for so long. If we don't destroy it, we'll one day outgrow it. Plans are in the works to colonise other planets and Mars will no doubt be the first port of call. With leaps forward in technology, this vision of the future is quickly becoming science-fact, rather than science-fiction. Robots in space and in the workplace NASA is already sending robots of different shapes and sizes into space. As technology progresses, this makes sense. Robots don't need to worry about oxygen to breathe or food to eat and they can be packed full of sensors to send data back to Earth. The same applies in the workplace. Robots can take on the more difficult, dangerous and dull jobs to save mankind the trouble and risk. They can also theoretically operate more quickly, efficiently and with fewer mistakes too. Electric/self-driving cars Electric cars are nothing new; they've been on our roads for some time now and they're only getting better . Car batteries are lasting longer, the charging station infrastructure is growing and self-driving technology is being heavily invested in meaning it's coming sooner than you probably think. Tesla already has a complex Autopilot mode that can take over some driving controls, but one day car manufacturers hope to let us go completely hands-free. Robot butlers Chores, chores, chores. Boring and unfortunately necessary. But what if robots could help save you the misery? We already have the beginnings with robot vacuum cleaners and smart home appliances. Larger, more useful robots are springing up too. We could easily be living in a future packed full of useful robots helping around the home as butlers, chefs or general dogsbodies. 48 real-life robots that will make you think the future is now Roads over rivers Space is finite and running out quickly - especially in crowded urban spaces. This concept shows a future where roads and living spaces have moved out over the waters. When self-driving vehicles do all the work and are fast enough, journeys across the oceans this way might not be unrealistic either. Flying cars When there's no space left on the roads, it's not unreasonable to think we might take to the skies. There are already plenty of interesting flying car designs that show this future is a realistic possibility. Solar panel technology Solar panels are another technology that has been around for a while, but their future potential is huge. Not only can they now be hidden in the tiles on the roof of your house thanks to Tesla Solar Roof tiles, but some companies are developing ways of integrating them into car roofs , where they will be able to power in-car tech or make the battery last longer. Hyper-fast trains Another Elon Musk backed company, Hyperloop is a high-speed underground transport system that is currently being built and tested in America. The first route planned will go from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Another route is planning to go from New York to Washington D.C. in 29 minutes rather than the 2 hours 56 minutes it takes at the moment. Hyper-fast trains that go underground and underwater could revolutionise not just public transport, but international travel too. Imagine being able to speed from one country to another in the same time it currently takes to travel between towns. Working in VR Augmented Reality, or AR, has some incredible potential. It's been around for a while now, in the form of various apps that can overlay information around you and is different from VR because it overlays information rather than simply put you in a virtual reality. Companies are already experimenting with using both augmented reality and virtual reality devices in the workplace. They can be used in a variety of ways including visual representations of blueprints, virtual scale models of products in development or for simple things like virtual team meetings. Gesture based computing It might have been popularised by Minority Report, but the concept of gesture-based computing has been around for a while. It's also already appearing in multiple different technologies and is almost second-nature for most anyway. How many gestures do we already use on a day-to-day basis on our smartphones, tablets and other smart devices? It's reasonable to see a future where we're no longer restricted by mouse and keyboard and instead rely on voice and action to manipulate data in a virtual space. Wearable screens We might be currently daydreaming of foldable phones and screens, but the future might well be screenless. There are already plenty of touch-capable projector-like devices that can beam usable screens onto your skin, clothing or other surfaces. The future of smartphone tech might not even require a device in your pocket but something you wear or have implanted. Driverless lorries Self-driving cars are one thing, but the Transports Research Laboratory (TRL) wants driverless lorries on UK roads in the very near future. The idea is for up to three lorries to drive in convoy, with the lead vehicle controlling the acceleration and braking of the two vehicles behind it. The "slave" lorries, while still having a "driver" to steer them, would be able to drive much closer together, compared to humans driving, and therefore reduce fuel costs and emissions. We'll soon live in a future where our deliveries and cargo are transported by computer powered transport. More efficient and always on time. 3D printed food We're not quite in a world where Star Trek replicators exist and we can magic up anything we want out of thin air. But 3D printing technology is coming along quickly and companies are already experimenting with printing food . Fridge running a bit low? Not a problem for future you, just print some cakes, vegetables or even a pizza. We're dreaming big here. 3D printing is taking off in other areas too. From creating aeroplane and vehicle parts, replacement joints such as hips, or pieces for a board game, it still has huge potential to change our lives in the coming years. The materials being used to print with are evolving too, and now include graphene that is "lighter than air" but 10 times stronger than steel. 3D printed metal 3D printing has come on a fair bit in the last few years. Just recently, advancements in the technology have seen researchers producing 3D printed parts from metal and stainless steel. Some of these techniques are even producing parts that are stronger and more robust than traditionally made parts . As if that wasn't enough, in 2017 one company even started creating 3D metal printers for under $100,000 . While another company produced larger 3D printers capable of producing materials at 100 times the speed of old-school methods. The future is all 3D printing it seems. Fridges that order for you If 3D printed food seems unrealistic, how about a refrigerator that senses when you're running low on something and orders it for you? This tech already exists and is getting better and better every year. Eventually, it'll be so common every home will have one and you'll never need to pop out to the supermarket again. Smart toothbrushes that send data to your dentist We already have intelligent toothbrushes which keep an eye on your brushing technique to make sure you're doing a good thorough job each time you brush. But what if your toothbrush could send that data to your dentist so they don't even need to ask if you're flossing daily? Or, perhaps less terrifyingly, using sensors to monitor your dental health by scanning for cavities or plaque build-up. Smart mirrors that check your health A quick glance in the mirror each morning gives you a visual cue on how you're feeling and looking to the outside world. Now imagine a future where smart mirrors could scan you and tell you about potential health problems, vitamin deficiencies or warnings signs of underlying issues. Pre-emptive information about these symptoms might help you prepare. A toilet that analyses your deposits Smart toilets aren't a new idea. The Japanese are renowned for having incredible toilets with posterior warming seats, built-in bidets and much more besides. The toilet of the future might go a step further by analysing your leavings to check to illness. Imagine how effective such a device could be at helping people catch signs of bowel cancer early on before it becomes a significant problem. It could also alert you to dietary issues or deficiencies that need rectifying to improve your health. 5G connectivity We may only just be touching on the possibilities of 4G data here in the UK, but 5G is already on the horizon and could offer faster than wired download speeds wherever you are. As you can imagine, fast connection speeds without overcrowding will open up a wealth of possibilities for "connected devices" from everything from home appliances to cars and gadgets we've yet to even invent yet. Qualcomm is one of the major players bringing 5G to market around the globe with its X50 chip. The chip will be capable of download speeds up to 5Gbps and should hopefully make its way into some 2018 or 2019 flagship phones. Li-Fi Li-Fi has been experimented with for the last few years and has some interesting potential for uber-fast data transfer speeds. Li-Fi uses light to transmit data rather than Wi-Fi's radio waves. This technology is theoretically capable of transmitting data at much higher speeds and is also less prone to interference. Because the visible light spectrum is around 10,000 times larger than the radio spectrum, there's a lot more potential for bandwidth. It's also thought that if Li-Fi does manage to take off it will be considerably cheaper than Wi-Fi. Exoskeleton Robotic exoskeletons are already being used by the military to give soldiers extra strength and abilities, making their job easier, but they could also help disabled people, especially those who are unable to walk or use their arms get about easily too. Prosthetic and robotic limbs are already a reality, and are proving invaluable, but to have a whole robotic body would provide a whole new level of freedom for many around the world. Recycling and re-engineering The constant churn of new technology means landfills are often full of old and obsolete tech. One thing the human race will have to do in the future is to learn new ways to recycle, reuse and re-engineer old technology to minimise waste and save the world. People are already coming up with a variety of interesting ways to recycle old tech , including turning disused plastic into material for paving roads and pavements. Artificial Intelligence AI is all around us. It's in machines, robots and even our smartphones. Voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant prove how far AI has already come, but it could eventually find its way into things like robot servants. Let's just hope they don't take over the world! Robot soldiers Robots are a running theme for the future tech in our list, but Boston Dynamics is constantly working on machines aimed at supporting or taking an active role in the military. It's perfectly reasonable to imagine a future where robots are sent to fight our battles, in the place of men and women. These expendable machines are more likely to get the job done without fear, injury or problems with PTSD or follow up care if they get hurt. Nanobots that check your health Other robotic technology is being employed to monitor and care for our health. Tiny microscopic Nanobots could theoretically be deployed to scan and monitor our insides to hunt out health problems. They might also be used to repair damaged organs or carry out intricate and delicate surgery procedures and remove the need for invasive traditional surgery. This could mean less time in hospital, less recovery time and fewer scars too. Cloud gaming without machines Streaming films and music is perfectly normal nowadays. It won't be long before we're doing the same with games too. Imagine paying for service where you no longer need to own a console or computer but can play high-end, modern games on your TV by streaming from the cloud. Faster broadband, better gaming technology and more reliable infrastructure could soon make this a reality.


Jony Ive, Apple's longtime design chief, is leaving Apple to start his own firm. Ive has been prolific during his time at Apple. His name can be found on 1,628 patents in the US Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) database. The first one he was part of, filed in 1994 when Apple was still called Apple Computer, was for the design of a product now seen as being far too ahead of its time, the Apple Newton handheld digital assistant. Ive went on to have a hand in just about every major piece of hardware Apple has released since the turn of the century, including the seminal designs of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. His designs have sold billions of units, helping turn Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world. But not everything Ive has done at Apple has been as momentously important as kicking off the mobile computing revolution . Some of his designs were true howlers . And in reality, Ive's name is likely on many of these patents (often in a group of a dozen or so other people) because he was the top of the design chain at Apple, signing off on other employees less, um, consequential projects. Beyond Ive's legacy of award-winning, massively popular products, here's a short list of some of the stranger things his name is on in the USPTO database: A table A different table A lanyard A different lanyard Yet another lanyard A credenza A drawer A clasp A shopping bag A different shopping bag A fabric design A USB stick The bit of the Apple Watch that connects the strap to the body The packaging for EarPods , the Apple Watch , the iPhone , the iPad , an iPhone case , a MacBook , and one of those lanyards . A single link in a watch bracelet Some sort of display stand The cap of the Apple Pencil The tip of the Apple Pencil The AirPower mat , a product Apple canceled Disappointingly, some of Apple's other more bizarre patents (such as this one for a plant pot , and this one for a round pizza box ) do not bear the mark of Sir Jonathan . Perhaps this newfound freedom will allow Ive to design the one thing that's been burning inside him for years that he could not realize at Apple: a cup .


Chelsea striker Álvaro Morata has said that he wants to make his stay at Atlético Madrid permanent. The 26-year-old joined Los Colchoneros in January on loan until the end of the season after losing his place in the starting line up at Chelsea. Morata started his career as a youth team player at Atlético and he has now stated that he wants to make his stay at the La Liga side permanent. "If it was down to me, I would have done so a long time ago. It's what I want, but there are contract matters. We can't do anything. If it was solely down to me, I would have signed my contract with Atlético. I did everything possible to come here and I will do my best to stay," he told Marca . The Spain international joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2017 for a club-record £60m fee and made a bright start in the Premier League , scoring 10 league goals by December. However, his form started to decline from this point onwards, as his finishing became increasingly wayward and the goals soon dried up. Morata has been a regular since he re-joined Atlético and he has re-iterated his desire to stay at the club for a long time. "I have been clear that I want to be here. It's not even in my head to leave this club. I want it to be resolved as soon as possible, I'm happy here, I want to be here for all the years I have left as a professional. As long as the people love me and are happy with my work, I want to be here. I have found happiness here, I'm where I want to be." Despite his struggles last season he started the current campaign as the first-choice striker at the club under Maurizio Sarri. He would soon lose his place after struggling to find the net on a regular basis and was restricted to appearances in the Europa League and the FA Cup. Morata has made 72 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 24 goals. His sole piece of silverware with the Blues was winning the FA Cup in 2018.


CHARLOTTE   A North Carolina police department has honored a college student who was killed when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom. News outlets report the family of UNC Charlotte student Riley Howell was awarded the Civilian Medal of Valor posthumously May 15 from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Howell's parents, siblings and girlfriend accepted the award on his behalf and received a standing ovation. More: ► Riley Howell tried to stop UNCC gunman. He saved lives and died a hero, police say. ► 'He radiated love.' Thank you, Riley Howell, for showing what goodness looks like ► 'Let's tell Riley we love him': Hundreds attend service for UNC Charlotte shooting victim The 21-year-old Howell, of Waynesville, was a T.C. Roberson graduate who also attended Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College before going to UNC Charlotte. He was shot while tackling the shooter who is accused of killing him. Howell's move is credited with saving lives. Also killed in the April 30 attack was 19-year-old student Ellis R. Parlier. Four other students were wounded. More: ► 911 calls of UNC Charlotte shooting paint picture of campus in chaos ► 'We owe him a debt of gratitude': Roberson community honors life of Riley Howell ► UNCC victim receives degree 11 days after shooting, slain students honored at commencement Police charged 22-year-old Trystan Andrew Terrell with two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of first-degree attempted murder and other offenses in the shooting. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Riley Howell, UNCC shooting victim, awarded Civilian Medal of Valor


One of two young homicide victims found this week in western Canada is the son of a high-ranking Australian police official, Canadian police said. The bodies of Lucas Robertson Fowler, a 23-year-old Sydney native, and Chynna Noelle Deese, 24, from the US state of North Carolina, were found Monday along a remote stretch of highway in northern British Columbia province, the police said in a statement late Friday. A blue Chevrolet minivan registered in neighboring Alberta province was found on the side of the road, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said, without confirming whether the van belonged to the couple. The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for details from AFP. Fowler had settled in British Columbia, local news media said, but the couple had been traveling extensively. Australian network ABC said Fowler was the son of Stephen Fowler, chief inspector of police in New South Wales, Australia. It quoted an Australian police official as saying the couple reportedly was shot in "what can only be described as horrific circumstances." The RCMP said its investigation was "in its very infancy and it is not yet clear whether Lucas and Chynna were targeted or if this was a crime of opportunity." The families of both victims were traveling to Canada, the RCMP statement said. "To lose someone so young and vibrant, who was traveling the world and just enjoying life to the full, is devastating," the Fowler family said in a statement posted on an Australian police website.


New York lawmakers have agreed to pass a sweeping climate plan that calls for the state to all but eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, envisioning an era when gas-guzzling cars, oil-burning heaters and furnaces would be phased out, and all of the state's electricity would come from carbon-free sources. Under an agreement reached this week between legislative leaders and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act would require the state to slash its planet-warming pollution 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and offset the remaining 15 percent, possibly through measures to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If the state manages to hit those targets, it would effectively create a so-called net-zero economy, the ultimate goal of environmentalists and others seeking to slow the pace of global warming. Read more: Refreeze polar regions to reverse climate change, urges expert (Sky News) Many Democratic-led states have passed laws designed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, in response to the Trump administration's sustained efforts to loosen or abandon environmental regulations on power plants and vehicles. But New York's bill, which comes amid a number of Democratic presidential candidates proposing net-zero targets for the United States, would set one of the most ambitious climate targets by a legislature anywhere in the world. "This unquestionably puts New York in a global leadership position," said Jesse Jenkins, an energy expert and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. The challenges of reaching such goals are daunting. New York has so far only managed to reduce its emissions 8 percent between 1990 and 2015, according to the most recent state inventory. "New Yorkers are going to pay a lot for their electricity because of this bill," said Gavin Donohue, the president of the Independent Power Producers of New York, whose members produce about three-quarters of the state's electricity. "There's no doubt about that." There are also numerous questions about whether the energy, real estate and business communities can adapt by 2050, and how much it would cost to do so. Business groups in the state had derided the bill as impractical and potentially disastrous for companies forced to move to green energy sources. In pictures: The most eco-friendly states in the US (USA TODAY) The bill requires New York to get 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources like wind, solar and hydropower by 2030 and shift entirely to carbon-free power a decade later. But every corner of the state's economy would need to become drastically cleaner, including industrial facilities, heating for residential homes and office buildings and the transportation system, including approximately 10 million cars, trucks and buses. New York currently produces about 60 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources, mostly from hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants, with small amounts of wind and solar power. To help meet its new targets, the state plans to erect massive offshore wind turbines, ramp up rooftop solar programs and install large new batteries to juggle all that renewable power. But transportation, which makes up one-third of the state's emissions, will be tougher to tackle. The Trump administration is seeking to roll back federal vehicle efficiency rules and prevent states, like New York, from setting their own stricter standards. And about one-quarter of New York's emissions come from homes and commercial buildings, which typically burn natural gas or fuel oil for heating. Most of those systems would need to be revamped to run on carbon-free electricity or renewable gas. While New York City recently passed a law requiring its biggest skyscrapers to become more energy efficient, the new law could mean retrofitting thousands of buildings statewide. For building owners to just comply with the city's law, the estimated cost exceeded $4 billion. "It's going to be a major lift," said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. He noted that technology to curb emissions from certain sectors, like cement plants or airplanes, is still in its infancy. To offset those sources, the state may have to pursue methods to remove carbon from the atmosphere, like tree-planting, wetlands restoration or carbon capture. If the measure becomes law, New York would join California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Washington, who have all passed bills aiming to get 100 percent of their electricity from carbon-free sources   such as wind, solar, hydropower dams and in some cases nuclear power   by midcentury or sooner. Watch: Scientists create 'bionic mushrooms' that generate electricity (The Independent) In September, Jerry Brown, then the outgoing governor of California, signed an executive order that set a goal of making the entire state's economy carbon-neutral by 2045, though that has not been approved by the legislature. Mr. Donohue, of the Independent Power Producers of New York, said that while the state's bill had "some laudable goals," there were not "a lot of details on how to get there." The bill, which was expected to come to a vote before the State Senate as early as Tuesday evening, is the latest and perhaps most far-reaching accomplishment for a newly elected Democratic majority in Albany, including a coterie of new progressive lawmakers for whom fighting climate change is a top priority. The bill had previously passed the Democrat-dominated State Assembly on three occasions before bogging down in the Republican-led Senate. But November's blue wave changed the balance of power in Albany, even as climate activists began to demand action at the state level. "This is going to change the way every New Yorker lives," said state Senator Todd Kaminsky, the bill's sponsor in Albany's upper chamber. "We are going to be deriving our power from clean energy sources, running our cars on renewable energy and going to work in buildings that do not emit carbon." It would also be the first major legislation from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's home state to embrace elements of the Green New Deal, including that plan's emphasis on using environmental law to help low-income communities. Watch: May confirms 'ambitious' target on carbon emissions (ITN News) New York's bill would funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into economically disadvantaged areas around the state, particularly those that have been devastated by pollution and other industrial byproducts. For supporters, the bill added a measure of certainty that previous environmental orders by the governor did not. "They don't live and die on the whims of an executive," said Peter M. Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York. The bill's passage would be the culmination of several years of activism by groups like New York Renews, a coalition of nearly 200 organizations, which repeatedly rallied in Albany and pushed policymakers to act. Those officials included Mr. Cuomo, who said earlier this month that he had doubts about climate legislation that "put forward goals and dates that we cannot make." Slideshow: The pros and cons of electric cars (Read cars) In a radio interview on Tuesday, however, Mr. Cuomo called the negotiated bill "the most aggressive climate change program in the United States of America, period." "I think climate change is the issue of our lifetime, frankly," the governor, a third-term Democrat, said. "And the legacy we leave our children." The bill codified several initiatives of Mr. Cuomo's from earlier this year into law, including greatly increasing New York's offshore wind goals, solar deployment and energy storage. Watch: How the UK can hit 'net zero' carbon emissions (Sky News) Supporters said the mandates handed down would likely require a vast work force to weatherize homes, swap out furnaces and install solar panels, and build wind farms and other clean energy infrastructure. "This new law will spur the growth of green jobs across the state for decades," said Julie Tighe, the president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. But Greg Biryla, the New York director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said the bill offered few details of how small companies, working on small margins, would rejigger their manufacturing and other operations. Read more: Hungary plans €1bn greenhouse city powered by renewable energy (Dezeen) "There doesn't appear to be a fiscal impact statement for something that aims to completely reinvent our state's economy," he said, adding it would inevitably lead to companies migrating elsewhere. "This just makes other states that much more attractive for investment." The nuts and bolts of how to implement the plan would be left to a 22-person "climate action council" comprising top state officials, covering an array of topics like health, economic development, energy, labor and the environment, and advised by smaller working groups with expertise in everything from land use to forestry. The council would be required to issue recommendations for how to meet the goals in two years, after which the state's regulatory agencies would issue rules to compel industries and residents to meet the standards outlined in the bill. In pictures: The world's landmarks under threat from climate change (Love Exploring) Alphonso David, the counsel to Mr. Cuomo, said that while the aggressive goals might lead to measures to curb gas-powered cars or inefficient furnaces, there was no knowing how exactly the state would get there. "There's new technology we are discovering every single day," said Mr. David. "We may be talking about a very different world in terms of how we think about cars, how we think about airplanes and how we think about gasoline." MSN are empowering Women In Sport this summer. Find out more about our campaign and the charity fighting to promote the transformational and lifelong rewards of exercise for women and girls in the UK here .


Video by GeoBeats Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday took up an unlikely cause   the plight of convicted fraudster Paul Manafort. The progressive lawmaker expressed alarm at reports that President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman would likely be held in isolation after his expected transfer to Rikers Island   the New York City jail complex is in her congressional district   to face additional state fraud charges. "A prison sentence is not a license for gov torture and human rights violations. That's what solitary confinement is," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted . "Manafort should be released, along with all people being held in solitary." The freshman lawmaker doubled down on her comments when told that Manafort may technically be placed in protective custody. She tweeted that protective custody is a separate method, but "does not necessarily exclude solitary. If he is in fact not being held in solitary, great. Release everyone else from it, too." Ocasio-Cortez has been critical of retributive justice used by the prison system. When news broke that Chelsea Manning was being held in solitary confinement for refusing to answer questions before a grand jury, Oscasio-Cortez tweeted that the United States should "ban extended solitary confinement" and that the practice is a form of torture. Paul Manafort is being sent to solitary confinement in my district - Rikers Island. A prison sentence is not a license for gov torture and human rights violations. That's what solitary confinement is. Manafort should be released, along with all people being held in solitary. https://t.co/9rERLDSzrD   Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 5, 2019 However, Manafort's possible isolation at Rikers may be partly because of his and his lawyers' concerns about his safety. Manafort's lawyers complained about his confinement from the start after a federal judge ordered him to jail in June 2018 over allegations that he was trying to tamper with the testimony of two potential witnesses in the federal case against him brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller, and Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani later lamented that the longtime GOP operative was being nearly "tortured" in his conditions. But legal experts say that Manafort got special arrangements away from the general prison population because of his high-profile status. At his first jail in Warsaw, Va., Manafort told friends he was being treated like a "VIP" and federal prosecutors explained in court briefs that the GOP operative had a private cell with a bathroom and shower, a personal telephone and access to work space to meet with his lawyers. Manafort's situation changed in July 2018 when he was moved to Alexandria, Va., in a transfer that his own attorneys had requested to help them be closer to their client as they prepared for his first trial. Manafort was relocated in April to a minimum-security prison in Waymart, Pa., where he's serving a 7½-year sentence for a series of lobbying, money laundering, financial fraud and witness tampering crimes. Manafort was also indicted this past March by the Manhattan district attorney as part of an effort to make sure the former Trump ally would still face prison time even if the president pardoned him. The DA wrote in a report following the indictment that Manafort was arrested for a "yearlong residential mortgage fraud scheme" through which Manafort and others "illegally obtained millions of dollars." His final list of indictments included 16 counts of fraud and one of conspiracy. Todd Blanche, Manafort's New York-based lawyer handling the state case, said in an interview he'd make a request to the state judge presiding over the new charges to have his client returned to the Pennsylvania federal facility after his arraignment, rather than have Manafort kept at a city jail. Blanche said he did not know when that arraignment would take place   he expected about 24-hours notice. He also said he remained in the dark as to whether Manafort would even be brought to Rikers but said he expected state jail supervisors would need to take into account Manafort's high-profile status when considering whether to put him in a protected area or added to the general population. "Safety is a big concern," he told POLITICO. Manafort's defense attorneys who worked on his federal case did not respond to a request for comment. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday said at a news conference that Manafort will not be given special treatment at Rikers beyond measures needed for security.


It can be challenging to find a good deal when seeking a new apartment. So what does the low-end rent on a rental in Richmond look like these days   and what might you get for your money? According to Walk Score, the neighborhood is very walkable, is quite bikeable and has good transit options. It also features median rents for a one bedroom that hover around $1,200, compared to a $1,425 one-bedroom median for Philadelphia as a whole. A look at local listings for apartments in Richmond via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide paints a picture of what budget-minded apartment seekers can expect to find in this Philadelphia neighborhood. Take a look at the cheapest listings available right now, below. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 2307 E. Clearfield St. Listed at $795/month, this 1,214-square-foot two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 2307 E. Clearfield St. You'll find a renovated kitchen in the apartment. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (See the complete listing here .) 3056 Braddock St. Here's a two-bedroom, one-bathroom living space at 3056 Braddock St., which is going for $975/month. Amenities offered with the building include additional storage space and outdoor space. Also, expect to find hardwood flooring in the unit. Neither cats nor dogs are allowed. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (See the full listing here .) 2776 Martha St. Then there's this dwelling with two bedrooms and one bathroom at 2776 Martha St., listed at $975/month. You'll see stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and hardwood flooring in the residence. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome. There's no leasing fee required for this rental. (See the listing here .) 2118 E. Birch St. This three-bedroom, one-bathroom townhouse, situated at 2118 E. Birch St., is listed for $1,200/month for its 1,024 square feet. The unit comes with stainless steel appliances, air conditioning, granite countertops, a deck and hardwood floors. Cats and dogs are not permitted. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (See the 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.


The fallout from Alabama's near-total ban on abortion continues to grow now pitting the University of Alabama against its biggest donor. Hugh Culverhouse Jr., an attorney and philanthropist, donated $21.5 million last year to UA, which named its law school after him. But Culverhouse the son of the late Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner who shared his name raised hackles this week when he called on students to boycott enrollment over the new law. "I cannot stand by silently and allow my name to be associated with a state educational system that teaches students law that clearly conflicts with the United States Constitution and Federal law, and which promotes blatant discrimination," he said in a statement. University of Alabama Chancellor Finis St. John announced Wednesday that he is recommending the board of trustees give back the donation and remove Culverhouse's name from the school. But according to the Tuscaloosa News , the school claims the dispute has nothing to do with the abortion law boycott and everything to do with attempts by Culverhouse to micromanage law school operations. "Donors may not dictate university administration," UA said in a statement. Earlier this month, Alabama lawmakers passed legislation that would make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion in nearly all cases, including instances of rape and incest. Gov. Kay Ivey signed it into law. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood have already filed a federal lawsuit to block implementation of the law one of several measures across the nation designed to get the newly conservative U.S. Supreme Court to reassess Roe v. Wade. But Alabama's law is stricter than the other measures, many of which are so-called "heartbeat" bills that outlaw abortion after six or eight weeks gestation. Georgia has enacted one such law, triggering celebrity calls for filming boycotts and leading Netflix and Disney to suggest they might stop shooting shows and movies in the state. Despite the protests, Louisiana legislators on Wednesday passed their own heartbeat bill . Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here


PATERSON   Police officer Matthew Torres admitted in federal court on Monday that he conspired with four other Paterson cops to commit civil rights crimes by shaking down motorists for cash during illegal traffic stops. Three of the officers named in Torres' guilty plea   Jonathan Bustios, Daniel Pent and Eudy Ramos   already have been arrested and Bustios pleaded guilty last December. But federal authorities have not revealed the name of the fifth cop who allegedly participated in the shakedowns. Court documents released Monday in conjunction with Torres' guilty plea simply identified him as "PPD Officer 1." Federal authorities said Torres and other rogue officers used the code word "mangoes" to describe the money they illegally took from people. The rogue cops sometimes used fake paperwork to trick their victims into believing that the cash seizures and vehicle stops represented legitimate law enforcement work, according to the United States Attorney's Office. Torres, who is 30, and the other officers also stopped and searched people on the streets of Paterson, and illegally took their money, federal authorities said. To cover up their criminal activity, the conspirators filed false police reports. Torres' guilty plea covered one particular instance in Dec. 2017 when he admitted taking $800 from a passenger in a vehicle he said he and Ramos had stopped while on duty in Paterson. The five officers were part of the same patrol squad and usually worked a shift together that started at 4:30 a.m. and ended at 3:45 p.m., according to federal authorities. The crimes allegedly started in 2016 and continued until April 2018, authorities said. In many instances, the rogue officers targeted suspected drug dealers who they expected would be carrying large amounts of money and not inclined to report the crimes, according to city law enforcement officials. Many of the traffic stops took place in high-crime neighborhoods outside the areas the renegade cops were assigned to patrol, officials said. Lawyers in the case said they expect that Bustios and Torres have agreed to testify against their alleged co-conspirators if any of the other cases go to trial. Pent's attorney, Michael Calabro, said he and federal authorities are engaged in negotiations about a possible plea agreement for his client. "We're going to be meeting again soon," Calabro said. Torres' sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 9. He faces a maximum of 10 years on the conspiracy to commit civil rights violations charge and a maximum 20 years on the filing false reports crime, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Torres, who was arrested last December, is being fired as a result of his guilty plea, officials said. Bustios already has been fired as a result of his guilty plea . He also is awaiting sentencing. Ramos has been indicted on civil rights charges involving the alleged shakedowns. Pent was arrested earlier this year on charges stemming from the alleged illegal traffic stops. City officials said both Ramos and Pent are on paid administrative leave. WHO ARE THEY?: Six Paterson cops arrested in FBI probe VIDEO: 6th Paterson cop arrested in FBI police corruption probe ACTIVISTS ASK: Who are the unnamed Paterson cops in the FBI probe? Two other cops have been sentenced to federal prison in the FBI's probe. Ruben McAusland was sentenced to 66 months after he admitted selling drugs  including transactions that happened inside his police vehicle while he was on duty and in uniform. McAusland also admitted assaulting a suicide patient in the emergency room at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson. McAusland's partner, Roger Then, pleaded guilty to participating in the hospital assault and his video-recording of the attack was part of the evidence used by federal authorities in the case. Then has been sentenced to six months in prison. McAusland's sentence is scheduled to start next week, while Then is supposed surrender himself in July. A seventh officer, Frank Toledo, was suspended without pay for several weeks last summer as a result of the FBI probe, city officials have said. After his suspension, Toledo returned to work as a police officer and has not been charged with any crimes. Email: editor@patersonpress.com This article originally appeared on North Jersey Record: Paterson cop Matthew Torres pleads guilty in FBI corruption probe


Returning Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon has explained his refusal to take the number one shirt or the captain's armband in the first season of his second spell in Turin, saying that he doesn't want to take anything away from the current incumbents. Buffon left Juve after 17 years of service to join French champions Paris Saint-Germain last summer, but managed just 25 appearances in all competitions in France. Although he lifted the Ligue 1 trophy at the end of it, he failed to hit the heights he managed in his 656 appearances for Juve , and after calling time on his spell in Paris, he re-joined the club he calls home on Thursday, before being paraded to the fans on Friday. That #FridayFeeling 🤩 #WelcomeBackGigi pic.twitter.com/XFj3XNKjXa   JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 5, 2019 The 41-year-old, however, won't be resuming normal service entirely, as he explained that he rejected the opportunity to resume the number one shirt and the captaincy.  "Szczesny wanted to give me the number one and Chiellini the captain's armband," he said, as quoted by Goal . "But I am not the kind of person to take anything away from anyone. I have thought about using the No.77." 🤔 @gianluigibuffon 's new jersey number is _____❓ #JUVEINMILAN #LiveAhead #WelcomeBackGigi pic.twitter.com/N0ZK2CIDkO   JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 4, 2019 He went on, explaining his emotions upon marking his return to the Italian champions. "I am very happy to return home and have the chance to embrace you all once again. This is one of the happiest days of my life. Now I have confirmation that life is incredible and that dreams are worthwhile. GIGI, GIGI, GIGI!! 👏👏👏 #JUVEINMILAN #LiveAhead #WelcomeBackGigi pic.twitter.com/74KVGBBJLI   JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 4, 2019 "I come back because you cannot turn down a lady's invitation. I come back because this is my home."


Santa Ana's weather report has mild temperatures forecast for the next week, starting on Friday, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Temperatures will turn milder from Friday to Saturday, with a high of 68 degrees on Friday. The immediate forecast also includes light rainfall. The greatest chance of rain is expected today at 33 percent. Skies will be mostly cloudy on Tuesday. Winds will stay somewhat calm over the course of the week, with the highest speeds tomorrow at just 9 mph. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Investors are chasing bond yields lower at the fastest pace since the global financial crisis on conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut borrowing costs to contain the fallout from trade tensions. The yield on two-year Treasuries is headed for the biggest two-day decline since January 2008 after China extended retaliatory tariffs to cover more than two-thirds of imports from the U.S, with Beijing also warning students about the risk of studying in America. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co. slashed its targets for U.S. yields on concern that the trade war with will crimp economic growth and force the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. "The latest developments this week are likely to have lasting damaging effects on business confidence," JPMorgan analysts led by Matthew Jozoff and Alex Roever wrote in a note. "Growth concerns are unlikely to dissipate over the near term, and could in fact build further." Yields on two-year U.S. Treasuries slumped as much as eight basis points to 1.84%, the lowest since December 2017, while those on 10-year notes fell five basis points to 2.07%. That means the extra yield investors get to hold the longer-dated debt is a mere 23 basis points, reflecting pessimism about the outlook for the world's largest economy. Yields across the euro area were also lower, with the rate on 10-year German bunds falling one basis point to a record-low minus 0.21%. JPMorgan predicted that 10-year Treasury yields will slide to 1.75% by the end of the year, compared with an earlier outlook for 2.45%. It sees the two-year yield falling to 1.40%.


One person was being treated for life-threatening injuries after being shot in a parking garage at Pentagon City mall on Monday afternoon, according to Arlington County police. The shooting happened in the 800 block of Army Navy Drive in Arlington, Va. around 2 p.m. Police said the shooting happened after a fight between two people. One person was taken to the hospital seriously injured and one person is in police custody. What the fight was over or how the individuals know each other is unclear at this time. WUSA9 photojournalist Dion Wiggins was on the scene and captured video of paramedics and firefighters outside of a parking garage at the mall. Several police cars with flashing lights and caution tape were also captured inside of the garage, blocking off the scene. This is a developing story. We will update this story when more information becomes available.


Ketel Marte joined the Diamondbacks in November 2016 as part of a blockbuster trade with the Mariners. At the time, Marte wasn't regarded as the biggest piece of the deal   one that also featured Jean Segura , Taijuan Walker and a pre-breakout Mitch Haniger   but he has evolved into an indispensable piece for the Diamondbacks. Baseball America considered Marte one of the majors' 50 best prospects when the Mariners promoted him to the majors in 2015. The switch-hitting middle infielder lived up to the billing initially, as he slashed .283/.351/.402 (112 wRC+) with 1.8 fWAR during a 57-game, 247-plate appearance debut. Marte sharply declined in Year 2, though, and the Mariners deemed him expendable after he accounted for minus-0.4 fWAR in 466 trips to the plate that season. On the heels of his trade to Arizona, the D-backs elected to slow cook Marte. They kept him at the Triple-A level the first few months of the 2017 campaign, during which he raked, before calling him up at the end of June. Marte didn't log world-beating production over his two months in Arizona that year, but he impressed the organization enough for it to award him a five-year, $24M guarantee heading into 2018. The extension appeared to be a shrewd choice on the D-backs' part last year, when Marte hit .260/.332/.437 (104 wRC+) with 2.5 fWAR in 580 PA, and now it looks downright brilliant. With 2.4 fWAR in 294 plate trips, Marte's already on the verge of surpassing his career-high total in mid-June. His value has largely come from a massive uptick in power. The 25-year-old entered the season with 22 major league home runs, including 14 in 2018, but has already added 17 to his ledger thus far. And Marte's isolated power number (.258) dwarfs the below-average .126 he posted from 2015-18. Like many other hitters, Marte's profiting from more of a fly ball-oriented approach. His flies are up almost nine percent over his career mark, his grounders are down nearly eight percent, and he's pulling more pitches than ever. Since his last year in Seattle, when Marte hit a mere one homer and managed a similarly weak .064 ISO, his exit velocity on fly balls and line drives has risen almost 7 mph. The changes Marte has made since he switched organizations have helped lead to a meaty .284/.332/.542 line (122 wRC+) this season. Better still, his increased output looks relatively sustainable. Marte's not a product of his ballpark, having hit better outside Chase Field, and has recorded above-average production from both sides of the plate. His walk rate's a below-average 6.4 percent, down from 9.3 last season, though he has never been a BB king (sorry). While Marte has swung more   including outside the strike zone   and made less contact than he did in 2018, his still-low 16.1 percent strikeout rate indicates he's not totally selling out for gains in the power department. In further good news, Marte's .288 batting average on balls in play isn't on the lucky side   particularly for a fast runner who hits the ball with authority. His exit velocity (90.9 mph), expected batting average (.287), expected slugging percentage (.516) and expected weighted on-base average (.361, compared to a .365 real wOBA) all rank in the league's 77th percentile or higher, according to Statcast . And Marte hasn't been vulnerable versus any offering, having registered an xwOBA between .342 and .401 against fastballs, offspeed pitches and breaking balls. Adding everything up, it appears the Diamondbacks have a solid offensive presence in Marte. Not only that, but he has morphed into a multi-positional defensive building block. After saving seven runs as a full-time second baseman last year, Marte has combined for another seven this season   including six as a center fielder. The all-around package is an enviable one for Arizona, which looks as if it will continue to benefit from its choice to lock up Marte at set prices for the foreseeable future.


Kyrie Irving remains one of the absolute lynchpins of summer free agency, and his decision may have the most ripple effects. Kevin Durant may leave Golden State for New York, maybe Kawhi Leonard bolts the Raptors for the Clippers, but the choices there tend to be more binary. One or the other. Irving, whatever he decides, will impact the fates of a lot of teams, including the looming Anthony Davis trade (which, despite David Griffin's protestations, is still going to happen). However, after a down playoffs, Irving's options may be shrinking, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The most interesting bit of information from several sources that we've been able to consolidate and confirm is that some teams thought to have interest in Irving as a free agent are now a great deal more wary. Based on the way things played out with the Celtics this season and Irving's role both off the court all year and on it in the playoff loss to Milwaukee, certain clubs are concerned about putting too many eggs in his basket right away. Two teams for certain are telling people they will only go after him if they land another marquee free agent and that player says he wants Irving. In each of these cases, the initial target is different. (There was worry on one of those clubs that the basketball ops people might be overruled by ownership and told to make Irving a primary aim, but that organization is now on the same page.) Sources around the league have said the plan for Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics has not changed: Trade for Anthony Davis (likely at the draft) then on July 1 max out Kyrie Irving and get him to stay. Irving had maybe his best regular season ever, 23.8 points per game, shooting 40.1 percent from three, dishing out 6.9 assists, and personal best (or second best) seasons in a lot of advanced stats (PER, win shares, VORP, etc.). However, his leadership throughout the season was in question, and that came to a head during the playoffs. His isolation heavy game took away from the ball movement and player movement that had worked for the younger core led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown . The Celtics were not on the same page as a team and it showed when they faced the Bucks (part of that, also, is that the Bucks have come into their own as a dominant team). Irving is going to have multiple max offers in front of him this July. If Durant goes to the Knicks and says "get me Irving" there will be one. The Lakers are expected to make a call. The list goes on and on, and it includes the Boston Celtics, but a lot of those teams may be pushed into that decision now, rather than go willingly. Whatever Irving decides, his decision will have ripple effects throughout the NBA.


The murder suspect accused of killing a Georgia man in San Antonio was linked to the crime through a FaceTime call, a voicemail and text messages, according to an arrest affidavit. Colin King, 34, was arrested in Mississippi on June 20 and charged with murder and altering and concealing a human corpse. King was booked into Bexar County Jail Tuesday, records showed. READ MORE: Body of man missing since May found buried in West Side King is accused of killing Shane Bourret, a 45-year-old Georgia man who came to San Antonio for work at an electrical company. The two allegedly worked together and stayed in a home King rented on Airbnb. Bourret's wife reported him missing on May 7, and told police that King threatened to kill her husband, according to an arrest affidavit. His wife provided deputies with a copy of the voicemail, which was left on Bourret's phone on May 2. "If you're at the house I rented, you better f***ing leave," King allegedly said in the voicemail. "I'm heading out of town, I'm coming to get my s**t, if I see you I'm going to f***ing kill you." King later told deputies that Bourret stole his backpack, which contained a laptop and a handgun. The backpack and the items it contained were "sentimental" to King, according to the affidavit. When deputies talked to Bourret's employer, he also told them that King threatened to kill Bourret. The manager showed deputies text messages from King that said he was going to "end (Bourret)," according to the arrest affidavit. When deputies interviewed King on May 10, he allegedly denied knowing what happened to Bourret and "became evasive" after deputies confronted him about his threats, according to the affidavit. The case was broken open on June 7, when a witness told investigators that King called her on FaceTime the day he fatally shot Bourret. King told the witness he killed Bourret after Bourret attacked him with a baseball bat, according to the affidavit. He even showed the witness Bourret's body during the video call. The witness told deputies she went to King's home, where she met Donald Barber and his wife. She heard King and Barber talk about how to dispose of the body, and the witness was instructed to clean the house, according to the affidavit. Deputies later discovered text messages between Barber and King that appeared to be about disposing Bourret's body. "You think 55 gal tote will be big enough," King allegedly asked Barber. Barber replied, "not unless you can rearrange some partzs. 70+ would be better." King ended up buying the 55-gallon bag because it was the biggest he could find, according to the affidavit. The witness cleaned the house, she told deputies, while King patched up the bullet holes in the home. Barber came that evening and they disposed of Bourret's truck and buried King in a clandestine grave at an abandoned property near the 100 block of N. San Felipe Avenue. King's bail was set at $575,000, jail records showed. Barber, who is charged with altering and concealing a human corpse, bailed out of jail Firday on a $15,000 bond, records showed. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site , mySA.com , and on our subscriber site , ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com | @FaresInSA


A fatal wreck overnight on the West Side resulted in four arrests, three critical injuries and one death, according to San Antonio police. About 3 a.m., a vehicle with four people was stopped at a light at the intersection of Commercial Avenue and S.W. Military Drive when police say a pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed rear ended the stopped vehicle. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Police at the scene say the impact was so severe that it thrust the victim's vehicle about a quarter of a mile down the road. One man, identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Officer as Dillon Trevino, 21, was found dead at the scene. Three other people were taken to University Hospital in critical condition. Of the four people in the pickup truck, two fled but police later apprehended them and all four were taken in custody as officers instigate.


Eagles tight end Zach Ertz won't soon forget the three weeks he spent in France watching his wife, Julie Ertz , help the U.S. Women's National Team win the World Cup in soccer earlier this month. Ertz said he nervously watched the team advance to the championship game, where the U.S. defeated the Netherlands. He said he was more nervous in the quarterfinal match against France, the host country, and the next game against England. " Against France in France was definitely one of the coolest experiences that I've ever been a part of," Ertz said Friday after the Eagles completed their second day of training camp. "That whole environment was something I'll never forget. That England game (a 2-1 U.S. win) was incredible. "By the time the final came, I was like, 'OK, we're here, we better win this thing.' I was very confident." Ertz said he is extremely proud of Julie and the entire team. But he also knows that she has now overtaken him in championships, 2-1. Julie also was on the 2015 World Cup champion team. He knows he can even the score should the Eagles win the Super Bowl this season. "That is the only goal that I have, just for a household standpoint," he said. "She'll always say that they only play every four years, so she always has that in her back pocket." WORLD FREAKING CHAMPS!!!!! SO PROUD OF YOU  @julieertz !!! pic.twitter.com/NOoqOK3gha   Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) July 7, 2019 There was much more to Ertz's trip than watching Julie play soccer. Ertz, of course, had to get in shape for training camp. He said Nike arranged for him to work out at the French Olympic training center. And with Julie busy most days, Ertz had plenty of time. "I couldn't see Julie too much, so I was literally training five or six hours a day over there," he said. There was one drawback. "It was like 115 degrees, it seemed like in Europe," Ertz said. "I don't know if they don't believe in AC, but they really don't have it." Ertz immersed himself in French culture. That included the food, which he quickly discovered was very different from what he's used to at the Eagles' cafeteria. That's why Ertz said he got a meal service. "I love the French people, and the French food was cool," Ertz said. "But snails, beef tongue and pigs' ears on the menu, I was kind of shying away from that. Their ham sandwiches were like a big baguette with one slice of ham and a little slice of cheese. Definitely a different experience." Ertz did try a restaurant recommended by former teammate Jordan Matthews. "The special was the beef tongue and a pig's ear," he said. "I tried it and had the worst stomachache. It was during training, and I was like, 'Ah man, this is a mistake.'" Yes, I'm alive! 😒 Quit asking! 😂 pic.twitter.com/47Gqb4A9GR   Mack Hollins (@mackhollins) July 25, 2019 This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles' Zach Ertz on watching wife Julie win World Cup, training in France Related slideshow: 2019 NFL training camps (provided by imagn)


Looking for something to do this week? From a chat from a Nobel Prize winner to the future of technology, here are a few top options to help you get out and about in the days ahead. 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. PAC Senior Celebration From the event description: It is with great excitement that we invite you to join us in celebrating our PAC students as they move into the next step of the PAC pathway program! The goal of the Pittsburgh Admissions Collaboration is to provide students a pathway from Pittsburgh Public Schools to Community College of Allegheny County and then to the University of Pittsburgh. With a combined effort of their hard work, family and community support our PAC seniors will soon be high school graduates. When: Monday, May 13, 5-7 p.m. Where: CCAC Allegheny Campus, 808 Ridge Ave., Floor 2, Auditorium Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Life Sciences Week From the event description: We are excited to welcome 2018 Chemistry Nobel-Laureate, Dr. Frances Arnold back to Pittsburgh as the Keynote Speaker for Pittsburgh's Life Sciences Week. Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry and Director of the Rosen Bioengineering Center at the California Institute of Technology, where she has been on the faculty since 1986. Recognized most recently with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Arnold pioneered directed protein evolution and has used those methods for applications in alternative energy, chemicals and medicine. When: Monday, May 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Where: Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave. Admission: $20-$40 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Workshop Series: Supporting Pittsburgh's Refugee Students From the event description: Join Dr. Xia Chao for the first of four interactive workshops in a series dedicated to helping educators understand the cultures, needs and assets of the Pittsburgh area's refugee communities. Through a grant from the National Geographic Society, Dr. Chao has conducted research over the past several years that explores the experiences and narratives of local refugee communities including the Nepali, Karen and Somali Bantu. This workshop series seeks to incorporate the findings of Dr. Chao's research in order to offer local educators insight into working with students from these communities and resources for supporting immigrant and refugee famillies in their interactions with the American educational system. When: Monday, May 13, 5:30-8 p.m. Where: City Theatre Company, 1300 Bingham St. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets TECHTalks From the event description: Get Inspired by the Future of Tech. TECHTalks are free, half-day conference events that introduce local communities to emerging technologies and innovative ideas that are shaping businesses in their area. We're on a mission to bring local communities together to talk about the latest disruptive technologies making an impact on businesses in their community. Through a series of short powerful talks, expand your knowledge on what's next in tech, how you can adapt and how to stay ahead in this age of rapid change. When: Tuesday, May 14, 12-3 p.m. Where: Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach made an unorthodox move in 2018 when he traded to acquire an undrafted free agent corner from the Dallas Cowboys. The decision to add Charvarius Ward came under some outside criticism. Many thought the Chiefs might have a shot at him during roster cuts, but they had low waiver claim priority. When Ward didn't make much of an impact early on, amid defensive struggles for the Chiefs, there were some questions about why he was acquired. Against the Seahawks in Week 16, Ward got his first chance to start for the Chiefs. It was an opportunity that led to Ward starting the remainder of the season, including during the playoffs. Ward spoke of that opportunity following mandatory minicamp. "It's a dream come true," Ward said. "The Chiefs gave me an opportunity, the Cowboys also gave me an opportunity, but the Chiefs believed in me, they traded for me. So Coach Andy Reid and General Manager Brett Veach, they see a lot in me so they gave me an opportunity. I respect them for that and I thank them for that, and I'm going to prove them right." Ward's performance during the end of the 2018 season was practically enough to prove Reid and Veach right. He record 28 total tackles and seven passes defended in four games. He even had an interception that would have sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl, had Dee Ford not been called offside during the play. Ward wasn't perfect, though, and his first game as a starter against the Seahawks showed him an area that he needed to improve on right away. "I want to work on my conditioning," Ward said. "Last year in the Seahawks game - my first game out there - I was pretty tired. I told coach to take me out of the game to help that, I barely could breathe. Mainly my conditioning and my technique, getting better at those two things." Conditioning has been a huge focus for Ward and he started his training immediately following the 2019 season. It's been noticeable during OTAs and minicamp too. "I trained, I trained all offseason," Ward said. "I didn't really take a break after the conference championship loss. I didn't take a break, I was working all offseason, two or three times a day." Ward is putting in the requisite work so that he doesn't lose out on his opportunity during the 2019 season. In the past the Chiefs have had many corners see an opportunity and fail to follow it up with much sustained success. Guys like Marcus Cooper and Terrance Mitchell come to mind. Ward is making sure that he's not a part of that list in the future. He's making sure that those who believe in him, and those who don't, know that he isn't taking anything for granted. MORE: It's time for the Cowboys to consider trading Dak Prescott With no update on Josh Gordon's suspension, when will the Patriots WR return? Five potential Kevin Durant landing spots in free agency Warriors and Kevin Durant Could Reportedly Work Out Wild 'Delayed' Sign-and-Trade with Knicks Reggie Bush says Lions cut him, Joique Bell because they went cheap at RB


Just days after a gunman opened fire at the city's iconic Garlic Festival, hundreds of Gilroy residents packed the downtown corridor on Monterey Road to honor the victims   and the heroes   in the deadly shooting. Wearing garlic-themed clothing and hats and waving posters in support, residents joined city leaders, law enforcement officials and community organizers to deliver a message that has become a rallying cry in the close-knit town: "Gilroy strong." "We need to move forward and start the healing process," said Mayor Roland Velasco, who was in the triage area Sunday helping shooting victims receive medical care. "Let us focus on a positive thought   a memory of Garlic Festivals in the past or even earlier that day. The excitement of seeing friends you haven't seen in a while. The memory of good laughs together. Whatever it happens to be, focus on it and hold it close." The festival was winding down Sunday evening when19-year-old Santino Legan opened fire at Christmas Hill Park with an AK-47-style assault rifle, killing three people and injuring 13 others. The victims were identified as 6-year-old Stephen Romero; 13-year-old Keyla Salazar and 25-year-old Trevor Irby, Police and FBI officials on Thursday released the names of the three officers who shot Legan within about a minute of firing his first shot. The officers are Eric Cryar, a 23-year-verteran; Hugo Del Moral, a 17-year-veteran, and Robert Basuino, a 13-year-veteran of the department. Police are still searching for a motive in the attack. The crowd erupted into a long applause Thursday when Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee walked on stage. Smithee held back tears. "I never in my life wanted to deal with something like this, but with that being said if somebody had to do it I would rather it be me than somebody else," he said. "It's been a rough week. It's been a rough week for my staff. But I gotta tell you, having watched all of the other terrorist-type attacks around the world occur and the way that it was dealt with   I look at the way that my staff dealt with this, I gotta tell you I'm pretty damn proud of them," Smithee said, his voice cracking. Residents packed the downtown between fourth and sixth streets as many law enforcement officers stood watch along the perimeter. "It's a way for us to come together and heal after the tragedy," said Vicki Campanella, development director of the Gilroy Foundation, which is collecting donations with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to give to shooting victims. The shooting was particularly shocking to longtime residents, who describe Gilroy as a sleepy, friendly town where everyone knows each other. "You never think it's going to happen here," said Melissa Wilson, 51, a lifelong Gilroy resident. "You read and hear about it and it's just shocking that it happened here." Wilson, whose children attended the festival Friday and Saturday, said she went to the vigil Thursday "for my community." "To let them know that we can't let this type of thing bring us down. It just has to make us stronger." Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com . Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez


The Chicago Bears defense appears to be at full strength entering Tuesday's training camp practice with news that safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has been activated from the physically unable to perform list (PUP). Clinton-Dix suffered a knee sprain toward the end of offseason workouts that lingered into the start of training camp. Neither GM Ryan Pace nor coach Matt Nagy considered the injury serious, and fortunately, they were being honest. Clinton-Dix will replace Adrian Amos alongside Eddie Jackson at safety. Amos signed a lucrative four-year, $36 million contract with the Packers this offseason. The Bears secondary will have a few new pieces in 2019. In addition to Clinton-Dix, free-agent signee Buster Skrine is expected to man the nickel corner duties, replacing Bryce Callahan who signed with former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and the Broncos. The Bears have removed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and T.J. Clemmings from the PUP list and added them to the roster. They can now join the team at practice. - Chris Emma (@CEmma670) July 30, 2019 In addition to Clinton-Dix, reserve tackle T.J. Clemmings is healthy enough to practice. Clemmings was once considered a promising draft prospect out of Pittsburgh, but his time in Minnesota, Washington and Oakland was marred by subpar play an injury. Still, he has some upside and a legitimate chance to be Chicago's swing tackle in 2019. MORE: Damian Lillard starts a movement to get Carmelo Anthony a farewell season Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith have 'been as advertised' for Packers Roundup: Kelly McGillis and Top Gun; Fortnite Season 10; Michelle Obama's Advice; DNA Repaired by Lung Cell Day 3 Cowboys Camp: Prescott's deep ball, passing zones impressive Tom Brady disobeys Bill Belichick at practice, and suffers the consequences


The Tennessee Titans took the practice field for the seventh day of training camp practices on Friday in preparation for their preseason debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in less than a week. The Titans got some especially good looks from their defense as lesser-known players continued to be recognized. Here are five takeaways from Friday. 1. First-team defense rules king. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Friday was a good day for the defense overall, especially the first team. Their best showing was during the two-minute drill toward the end of practice, and the secondary looked tight all day long. 2. The team was without a host of players. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Wide receiver A.J. Brown, running back Derrick Henry, outside linebacker Kamalei Correa, offensive lineman Jack Conklin, tight end Delanie Walker and nose tackle Frank Herron were all held out of practice. 3. Another day, another look for the offensive line. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images We've seen several combinations from the Titans' offensive line since it was announced that left tackle Taylor Lewan would be facing a four-game suspension. On a day where Saffold and Davis weren't available, the lineup from left to right was Dennis Kelly, Jamil Douglas, Ben Jones, Kevin Pamphile, and Jack Conklin. 4. OLB Derick Roberson has a standout day. AP Photo/Joe Buvid While some of the bigger names have continued to show progression, undrafted free agents have drawn attention as well. Outside linebacker Derick Roberson is one of those players. Roberson had a good showing on Friday, bringing the pressure during the team period and beating A.T. Hall two consecutive times off the edge. 5. A solid day for the cornerback position. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports We mentioned earlier that the defense overall did a nice job on Friday, but there was a particular position group that was at the top of its game. Cornerbacks Adoree' Jackson, Tye Smith, Kenneth Durden and Logan Ryan all looked good during team periods, recording notable pass breakups. MORE: This Patrick Mahomes throw from Chiefs practice can't be real Every position's biggest winner at the halfway point of Lions training camp Five potential Jeremy Lin landing spots in free agency Dez Bryant: Saints will get first opportunity to sign me Packers WRs Jake Kumerow, Trevor Davis shine at Family Night Scrimmage


William Byron seems to have Fridays down pat and Sundays are now coming along nicely as well. and third of the year this weekend at Pocono Raceway and Sunday he was able to translate that into a solid ninth-place finish. in the series standings and moved into playoff contention. "We had some really good parts of the race. We kind of went for the points, which with the way the strategy was, it was hard to get back there. But we got a lot of points today, which was great," Byron, 21, said. "I know it doesn't sound super-good, but we had really good stages and really good runs there. So, we were able to go from 12th to 9th on that last restart and that was nice and we finished with a top-10, so hopefully we can go to Michigan and be able to improve on that even more." Read Also: Kyle Busch earns fourth win of the season at Pocono Byron led the first 22 laps of the race until teams began using various pit strategies to help gain track position. Late in the race, Byron and crew chief Chad Knaus tried their own play   electing to have Byron stay out until the last possible lap before making his final stop for fuel and leading three laps hoping for a caution. It didn't come, but Byron still amassed 45 points in the race, second only to Brad Keselowski (50 points). Race-winner Kyle Busch collected 40. "We were definitely as fast as (Busch) at the start of the race. I don't know how the race would have progressed. But, it took us a long time to get by guys and that was just something that kind of was a hindrance," Byron said. "But overall the guys did a great job on the car and this was a solid day. We've had two in a row now. That's great for us." Like many others in the race Sunday, Byron said he found it very difficult to pass once his No. 24 Chevrolet got mired in traffic. "I wish it was a little easier, but it felt like any time I got within striking distance to somebody, I just couldn't quite get there and I'd lose as much as I gained and then I'd have to work that all back for 10 laps and then lose it again," he said. "It was just really hard. I don't know if that was just me or what, but it was hard to complete (the pass). The only times I could really make a move was when I just went in there and almost crashed the guy trying to do it and just got so close that it got loose. "There were very few times I could get that close, but if I could, that was how I passed guys."


How Joe Flacco plays this season is one of the most important factors to getting the Denver Broncos back on the right path. The initial response fell somewhere between dumbfounded and shocked. In other words, people had no idea what to think. Six months later, not much has changed. All fans know is the new starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos is Joe Flacco . Which Flacco Broncos Country will see remains one of the key, if not the key, questions in 2019. Since news broke the Broncos would acquire Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens , that same question has been asked and remains unanswered. Throughout organized team activities and minicamp, we've heard how the chemistry and timing continues to improve and how great this system is for Flacco (more on that later). But we still don't know, and the impatience has reached boiling point. The good news is we're closer to an answer to that key question. Which Flacco will the Broncos get in 2019? Joe Flacco profile Height: 6-6 Weight: 245 pounds Age: 34 Experience: 12 years, Delaware The good When Flacco is on, and healthy, he's shown he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Or in Flacco's words, "elite." This shirt from BreakingT is also "elite." Broncos Country needs no reminder given the scars from a certain playoff loss he helped produce in Jan. 2013 are still visible. Flacco and the Ravens would go on to the win the Super Bowl , with Flacco being named Super Bowl MVP. What gives John Elway and Denver hope Flacco is the quarterback to end two-straight years of historic futility is what he did in 2014. That was the season Flacco had Gary Kubiak as his offensive coordinator and it was his best statistical season in the NFL. That was also a season Baltimore was on the cusp of beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs . As mentioned earlier, that's the Flacco the Broncos want to recreate in 2019. The system that Rich Scangarello runs is similar to Kubiak's. That's due to Scangarello working with Kyle Shanahan with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers , and the connections Shanahan has to Kubiak. So while Flacco is with a new franchise in a new city, the confidence from knowing this offense is immeasurable   for himself but also the rest of the offense. That commonality makes the difficult transition a little bit easier   for himself and the rest of the offense. "There are a lot of similarities," Flacco told the media at OTAs in May. "The good thing about that is there is a lot of similarities with how the plays are called and the lingo. I think it's obviously a little bit different, but I think at the core there are a lot of similarities and a lot of things that carry over." That also helps with Scangarello. "I think, honestly, it's a lot me talking and a lot of him seeing what I've done throughout my career and how that fits into this offense," Flacco said. "And then going through clips and seeing the timing of things and how it works out because he has plenty of film on all of these plays these guys have run. Obviously the quarterback is the quarterback. They take ownership of it and the plays. This guy didn't hit this route a ton, but this guy has the ability to hit this route a lot more than that guy. "Obviously things get catered to the quarterback a little bit. Right now, it's just trying to learn the rhythm of the offense, the timing of your feet with your arm and the guys getting out of their breaks. When you hear Rich talk about that and you watch it get done on film and you're able to take it out here on the practice field, you can start putting it together in your brain and walk yourself through it, and it gets really comfortable." Needless to say if Denver is able to get that version of Flacco, the last two years will become a forgotten memory. "Joe has been great," Scangarello told the media after the second day of minicamp. "We're excited about everything he brings. He's a veteran. He's a great student in the room. He's competitive, he's savvy and he's an elite arm-talent. He just has feel for the game. I'm excited to work with him, and we'll see where we can take it." The bad The problem one gets "hoping" for that Flacco is the reality of the last four years. That season with Kubiak was five years ago, and while Flacco wasn't terrible over that four-year stretch, he wasn't "elite" either. So you're left to wonder if the Broncos are trying to capture lightning in a bottle. The other issue with Flacco over that span is health. In a possible 64 games over four years, he started 45. For Denver to right the ship, Flacco needs to stay on the field. That's not just on him, but his rhythm and timing in the pocket must improve. He must avoid the big hits, and with it the interceptions. Over that four years, Flacco threw 46 picks. He also threw 64 touchdowns, but he can't have a double-digit interception in 2019. What will help Flacco is an improved offensive line under the tutelage of Mike Munchak and Chris Kuper. The emergence of a tight end who can go over the middle and stretch the defense (we know how much Flacco loves to throw to the tight end) also helps. If those aspects are in play, that allows the running game to become a big threat, which makes the passing game a bigger threat. At this point, that's a lot of "ifs" and needs. Flacco would be the first to say he needs to control his play, and if he does that, it will help those other areas. The question still remains, will he? Quotable Tight end Jeff Heuerman at OTAs in May: "I wouldn't say he's a step ahead, he's probably six years ahead. He's been around. He's seen a lot of football and played a lot of football. Like I was saying, his experience factor is huge for us. To have a guy calling plays that's been around   what year is he on? Twelve? "Yeah, he's got a lot of experience on a lot of guys. That's huge at the quarterback position. There are a lot of us that really appreciate that and it helps kind of the flow of the offense and getting everybody where they need to be and what they need to do." Joe Flacco's roster status with the Broncos There's no doubt Flacco is the starter for 2019. For how long beyond this season is a question that will get answered in the next few months. If Flacco returns to the quarterback he was five years ago and one that was a Super Bowl MVP, he's the starter for the foreseeable future. If he's the quarterback we've seen the last four years, Elway and the Broncos could stick with Flacco or roll with recent second-round pick Drew Lock . In other words, more confusion and no resolution. However it plays out, at least we're closer to an answer to one of the key, if not the key , questions for the 2019 Broncos.


Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is at his 20th training camp, and he hopes he has several more ahead of him. Brady said today, three days before he turns 42, that he still has just as much love for football as he ever has, and he sees no reason he should be thinking about retiring. "I have a great time. I love this sport. I've loved playing it since I was a kid. It's hard for me to imagine doing anything else in life. I love playing ball, so to still be out here at 41, soon to be 42, it's pretty good," Brady said. Reflecting on his first training camp, as a sixth-round rookie in 2000, Brady said he didn't expect to be where he is today. "I was trying to make the team at that point, so to do it 20 years later is pretty unreal to me," he said. Could Brady make it to his 21st, 22nd, 23rd training camp? He sounds like he expects to do just that.


Alicia Silverstone's character in the 1995 chick flick "Clueless" had the right idea: Let a computer program pick out your outfits so you never have to stress about what to wear again. Now there's an app for that, thanks to software engineer and Carnegie Mellon University grad Henry Kang. His San Mateo, Calif.-based company Peekabuy is behind StyleIt, an iOS-compatible app that suggests outfits for women based on pieces already in their closet. The China native, now in his early 30s, came up with the concept a few years ago while he was a doctoral student at CMU and his wife, Shawna Shu, also from China, was studying at Duquesne University. "Every morning she would repeat the same question," he says. "'What can I wear today?'" This was his a-ha moment, he says, that made him decide to apply his research to coming up with a 21st-century version of the "Clueless" wardrobe builder. Here's how it works: Download the app and take a photo of a piece of clothing you own. Within three seconds the app will pull available items from more than 450 retailers such as Macy's, Nordstrom and American Eagle to curate 10 different outfits to go with the photographed piece. If a user likes the suggestions, she can purchase them through the app, and Kang's business earns a commission for the sale. If it's not to her taste, she can swap the selections for new ones. While there are lots of apps out there that aim to help women maximize their wardrobe, the technology behind StyleIt and the speed at which it functions are what make it unique. "The technical difficulty of what he is doing is significant," says Martial Hebert, a Carnegie Mellon University professor and the director of its Robotics Institute who served as one of Kang's Ph.D. advisers. To make the outfit suggestions, the app crawls thousands of fashion blogs and uses algorithms to master how these experts approach style and put together ensembles. The app also learns more about what's on trend based on how users interact with it, Kang says. Colleagues and professors from CMU have supported him along the way. Kang has worked with a few other CMU grads as the app has evolved, and his company's first investment came from another one of his advisers, Takeo Kanade, a professor and former director of the Robotics Institute. StyleIt has acquired a strong following among current CMU students, too, Kang says. The fashion and tech industries also have taken notice. The startup has been spotlighted by Wired.com, Yahoo Style and CNBC and was featured as one of the best new apps in the Apple App Store. And StyleIt is just getting started, Kang says. He has big visions for the app, including an Android adaptation and eventually the ability to offer fashion tips for men, too. "People at different ages always have the need for style," he says. "It can really impact a lot of users."


French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of an "existential risk" to the EU just days ahead of elections for the European Parliament, while playing down the political risks of being personally involved in the high-stakes campaign. "I cannot be a spectator, but a participant in what is the most important European election since 1979, because the union is facing an existential risk," Macron said in a joint interview published in regional French papers on Tuesday. But Macron's critics say the head of state has no business taking sides in the European contest, and supporters worry that he might be setting himself up for a fall if his party does badly. Macron's centrist list is running neck and neck in opinion polls with the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen, who is hoping to hobble her rival after losing badly in the French presidential run-off two years ago. Late Monday, after meeting with Portugal's Socialist premier Antonio Costa, Macron called for a "grand coalition of progressives" to combat "those who want to destroy Europe through nationalism." In the interview he defended his decision to plunge into the high-stakes campaign after supporters worry that he might be setting himself up for a fall if his party does badly. He also raised eyebrows by appearing alone on an election poster last week, replacing the nominal head of his party's campaign, former Europe minister Nathalie Loiseau. "He's acting like the head of a clan. It's not his role today," Jordan Bardella, the head of the National Rally list for the parliament vote, said in a radio interview on Tuesday. Macron rejected the accusation, saying Europeans were facing a vital choice on how to handle a range of challenges from migration and trade to the growing might of China and increased tensions with the United States. "The French president isn't the head of a party, but it's normal that he be involved in these fundamental choices," he said. At least one paper, the Voix du Nord, boycotted the interview, since Macron's office required a jointly written version of his responses, which had to be submitted for prior approval before publication. - Abstention risks - The election is shaping up to be a showdown between pro-Europeans and eurosceptic populist parties, but opinion polls show abstentions could exceed the record high of 57 percent in 2014's parliament vote. "Deciding not to vote means deciding to give a voice to those who would destroy Europe," Macron said. "But we can't make Europe advance if there's a Franco-German discord," he said, referring to signs of a sharp dispute with Berlin in several areas. Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted last week to "differences in mentality" with Macron and "differences in our understanding of our roles." Macron played down the rift, saying: "We respect each other and work very well together, but I don't believe in faked or sterile relations, that we should paper over our differences," he said. "If we don't say things, we won't move forward," he said.


WASHINGTON   Kris Bryant matched a career high with three home runs and drove in five while the Chicago Cubs piled on against the Washington Nationals bullpen in a 14-6 win Friday night. Albert Almora Jr., Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras also homered to help the NL Central-leading Cubs (26-16) snap a two-game skid. Javier Baez extended the majors' longest hitting streak to 15 games. Bryant went deep in the seventh, eighth and ninth, making him the 12th player to homer in three straight innings. He finished with four hits and extended his on-base streak to 26 games, a career best and the longest active run in the majors. BOX SCORE: CUBS 14, NATIONALS 6 Contreras also had four hits. His ninth-inning homer off Matt Grace capped an 11-run barrage for the Cubs against the Nationals' beleaguered bullpen. Schwarber broke open a one-run game in the eighth with a two-run homer against Kyle Barraclough that concluded a 13-pitch at-bat. Bryant followed two pitches later with his 10th homer. Chicago starter Cole Hamels (4-0) won for the fourth time in five starts. The left-hander tossed five effective innings, squirming out of two bases-loaded jams, as the Cubs improved to 7-2 in his nine starts this season. The only damage Hamels allowed was a two-run home run to Anthony Rendon in the third inning. Washington (18-26) has yet to win three in a row this season and has dropped all six of Scherzer's home starts. Scherzer (2-5) struggled with his command over six innings. He walked a season-high four and gave up a two-run homer to Almora, his fourth of the season, in the second. Scherzer also struck out eight before exiting. Trea Turner went 2 for 5 in his return from a broken right index finger that kept the Nationals shortstop out of the lineup for 38 games. Almora made a diving catch in center field to rob Juan Soto of a hit in the ninth inning. TRAINER'S ROOM Cubs: Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo (back) returned to the lineup after missing four games and went 1 for 5 with a strikeout and run scored. Nationals: RHP Anibal Sánchez was placed on the 10-day injured list (strained left hamstring). UP NEXT Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (3-1, 1.16) has not allowed an earned run in his last starts. He's 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA in seven career starts against the Nationals. Nationals: RHP Steven Strasburg (3-3, 3.63) has lost his last two starts. He is 1-1 with a 2.23 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


Senate Minority Leader calls for Sen. Daylin Leach`s resignation following report into allegations against him.


Houston drivers will catch a break at the pump this week as gas prices held steady after three weeks of rising prices. Average gas prices were $2.49 per a gallon Monday, unchanged since the previous week even as a prices dropped elsewhere across the country according to the gas tracking website GasBuddy. Gas prices in Houston were 16 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, but stand 9 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Houston is priced at $2.25 per a gallon today while the most expensive is $2.99 per a gallon. REFINERY NEWS: Texas attorney general sues Valero over Port Arthur refinery pollution Nationally gas prices dropped nearly 4 cents this week, hitting an average of $2.76 per a gallon Monday. Average national gas prices have climbed 11 cents in the past month bu tare 7 cents lower than a year ago. "Average U.S. gas prices drifted lower this week as oil's downturn has picked up steam thanks to a smaller than expected decline in U.S. oil inventories and concerns remain over the strength of the U.S. economy," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "Motorists will likely face a mixed bag at the pump in the week ahead. Gas prices are likely to drift lower for the first part of the week, with the exception of Great Lakes states, but may perk up closer to the weekend or early next week should oil prices exhibit strength that pushes them close to $60 per barrel." Over the week oil prices weren't significantly impacted by news on Friday that Iran seized a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, but that could change heading into this week. Prices for Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose more than 2 percent Monday to reach $64.02 per barrel. US oil prices saw similar gains as WTI prices hit $56.83. "Oil largely ignored Iran's attempt to make waves in the Strait of Hormuz last Friday but we may see some impacts in the week ahead, though over the weekend some behind the scenes signs emerged that some parties were trying to de-escalate the rising tensions," DeHaan added.