WASHINGTON   The House Intelligence Committee is investigating whether lawyers tied to President Trump and his family helped obstruct the panel's inquiry into Russian election interference by shaping false testimony, a series of previously undisclosed letters from its chairman show. The line of inquiry stems from claims made by the president's former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, who told Congress earlier this year that the lawyers in question helped edit false testimony that he provided to Congress in 2017 about a Trump Tower project in Moscow. Mr. Cohen said they also dangled a potential pardon to try to ensure his loyalty. In recent weeks, the committee sent lengthy document requests to four lawyers   Jay Sekulow, who represents the president; Alan S. Futerfas, who represents Donald Trump Jr.; Alan Garten, the top lawyer at the Trump Organization; and Abbe D. Lowell, who represents Ivanka Trump. The lawyers all took part in a joint defense agreement by the president's allies to coordinate responses to inquiries by Congress and the Justice Department. "Among other things, it appears that your clients may have reviewed, shaped and edited the false statement that Cohen submitted to the committee, including causing the omission of material facts," the Intelligence Committee's chairman, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, wrote to lawyers representing the four men in a May 3 letter obtained by The New York Times. He continued: "In addition, certain of your clients may have engaged in discussions about potential pardons in an effort to deter one or more witnesses from cooperating with authorized investigations." [Read the letters here.] The lawyers have so far balked at the committee's requests. Mr. Schiff is prepared to issue a subpoena to compel cooperation if necessary, according to a senior committee official. In a statement on Tuesday on behalf of the group, Patrick Strawbridge, who represents Mr. Sekulow, accused Mr. Schiff of ginning up a conflict. "Instead of addressing important intelligence needs, the House Intelligence Committee appears to seek a truly needless dispute   this one with private attorneys   that would force them to violate privileges and ethical rules," Mr. Strawbridge said. "As committed defense lawyers, we will respect the constitution and defend the attorney-client privilege   one of the oldest and most sacred privileges in the law." The lawyers raised other objections in response to Mr. Schiff's initial request, writing that the inquiry "appears to be far afield from any proper legislative purpose." Moreover, they wrote, Mr. Cohen is a witness of "questionable reliability" and his current lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, has acknowledged that Mr. Cohen himself wrote the lines in question "that formed the basis of his guilty plea for lying to Congress, and not anyone else." ( Mr. Cohen reported to federal prison earlier this month to begin a three-year term.) It is unclear what evidence the committee may have beyond that shared by Mr. Cohen. The claim that cooperation should come only on an inquiry with "proper legislative purpose" has been made repeatedly by the Trump administration as it denies House Democrats documents and access to witnesses for nearly a dozen continuing investigations . But Democrats say the House's legitimate oversight role extends far beyond its legislative responsibilities. The questions about Mr. Cohen's false testimony and possible pardons are part of a broader inquiry by the committee into possible attempts to obstruct its investigation of Russian election interference and ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Raising the possibility of legal exposure for lawyers in the case is certain to further inflame tensions between the president's team and Democrats who control the House. The two sides are already at a hostile stalemate over witnesses and documents that the House says it needs to conduct legitimate oversight. Mr. Trump and his allies have accused Democrats of abusing their own congressional powers to humiliate the president. While it is a crime to obstruct a valid congressional investigation and to conspire to make false statements to Congress, it would most likely be a difficult case to bring against lawyers working in the case. Even if it could prove wrongdoing, the committee has little recourse beyond referring the case to the Justice Department, and the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has already declined to investigate or to charge the lawyers involved. More likely, given the Trump administration's across-the-board objection to Democrats' requests, the line of inquiry could end up in court. In a statement, Mr. Schiff indicated that he was trying to send a message to other potential witnesses. "If any individual is allowed to lie to our committee or encourage others to do so, hide behind inapplicable privileges, or otherwise fail to provide anything less than full cooperation, other witnesses will be emboldened to similarly obstruct, both now and in the future," he said. Of the two topics raised by Mr. Schiff, the committee appears so far to have more evidence on the preparation of Mr. Cohen's false statements than of possible pardons. Mr. Cohen delivered a false statement to the Intelligence Committee in August 2017, when he said that the Trump Organization had stopped pursuing the Moscow project five months before it actually had. He asserted, falsely, that he had never discussed potential travel to Russia with Mr. Trump in connection to the project, and he played down the president's role in and knowledge of the project, which took place during the course of the 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty in November 2018 to making false statements to Congress. He later told the Intelligence Committee in closed testimony in February and March that lawyers in the joint defense agreement had reviewed and suggested edits to his statement. He also shared documents that he said showed some of the edits. The Mueller report lays out several of Mr. Cohen's claims. In it, he said that the lawyers had pushed him to remove a sentence disclosing that there had been "limited contacts with Russian government officials" in the course of the project. Mr. Cohen also said that Mr. Sekulow told him that the details of an effort to set up a meeting between Mr. Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia were "not relevant and should not be included in his statement to Congress," the report said. Mr. Cohen and Mr. Sekulow spoke frequently before Mr. Cohen submitted his false statement, and Mr. Cohen said Mr. Sekulow told him he should not elaborate because the Moscow project had not progressed. Other lawyers in the joint defense agreement also would have had access to the statement before its delivery. Vanity Fair later published the contents of emails between Mr. Cohen and his lawyer at the time, Stephen Ryan, in which Mr. Ryan detailed changes to the statement he said were requested by Mr. Lowell. Mr. Ryan also included what he said were edited drafts of the statement. The Times also reviewed the emails, which show Mr. Lowell asking that the statement assert that Ivanka Trump, the president's elder daughter, had essentially no knowledge of the proposal. Mr. Cohen later told Congress that he had, in fact, briefed Mr. Trump's children regularly on his progress. The special counsel assigned Mr. Cohen's claims on the false statement at least some credibility in his 448-page report, but he appeared to pass on examining them fully. He did not, for instance, try to compel Mr. Sekulow to speak with investigators after he declined to do so voluntarily and did not obtain all draft copies of the statement. Nor is there evidence that he asked to interview other lawyers from the joint defense agreement. People close to Mr. Trump have said in the past that because Mr. Cohen was the primary person handling a possible Trump Tower deal in Moscow, no one else was privy to the details of conversations that he had, and so lawyers representing others in the Trump orbit did not know enough to challenge his account. The lawyers have also argued that congressional officials are seeking to get people to violate the confines of a joint defense agreement. Mr. Schiff is taking a more aggressive approach and has argued that the committee is not obligated to honor attorney-client privilege, particularly if there is evidence that the lawyers aided a crime. Mr. Cohen's accusation about a possible pardon is murkier , and had also come under scrutiny by federal prosecutors in New York. Essentially, Mr. Cohen has claimed that in April 2018, after the F.B.I. raided his home and office, lawyers connected to Mr. Trump held out the possibility of a presidential pardon if he remained loyal to members of the joint defense agreement. But the lawyers involved, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Robert J. Costello, have vigorously denied this account, saying that Mr. Giuliani said at the time that the president was then unwilling to discuss pardons. Nicholas Fandos reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York. Ben Protess contributed reporting from New York.


Video by CBS News After a week of heated protests and calls for her resignation, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and African-American leaders condemned Chicago's police union and defended how the prosecutor's office addressed an actor's alleged hate crime hoax. Foxx vowed to remain at her post during a Saturday news conference , despite intense controversy sparked in March when her office dropped a 16-count indictment that accused television actor Jussie Smollett of orchestrating a racist and homophobic attack on himself to advance his career. Foxx declined to address "the substance of the case" with reporters gathered at the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters, though she's faced mounting pressure to specify why Smollett's prosecution was so quickly abandoned . But U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, activist Ja'Mal Green, Jackson and a group of other Foxx supporters blamed the city's Fraternal Order of Police for a Monday confrontation over the Smollett case that displayed some of the city's racial and political divisions. "The FOP is the sworn enemy of black people, the sworn enemy of black people," said Rush, who drew criticism in the city's mayoral election when he suggested supporters of Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot would have the blood of African-American youth killed by the police on their hands . "The FOP has always taken the position that black people can be shot down in the street by members of the Chicago Police Department, and suffer no consequences," Rush said, as an aide pulled Foxx out of television cameras' view. "Let's be clear: Kim Foxx, her battle, is with the FOP and all of their cohorts." Hundreds of protesters faced off outside Foxx's downtown office earlier this week , pitting police union members who demanded Foxx's resignation against counterprotests from groups including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Members of white extremist groups were said to have participated in the union's demonstration . A police union official has rejected that assertion , but Foxx criticized the union's protests as "personal." "The injection of white nationalists in this conversation for me, I will tell you personally, I was afraid," Foxx said Saturday. "I would certainly hope that the FOP and whatever their disagreements with me may be, whatever concerns that they may have about my ability or leadership, would at least expect the people of their union to not inject racism or white nationalists into the conversation." The union on Saturday described Rush's comments as "ignorant, offensive, malicious, and false," and continued to demand that Foxx resign from office. "These outrageous and irresponsible comments have demeaned each and every Chicago Police Officer, regardless of their race," the union said . Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who blasted prosecutors' decision to drop all charges against Smollett as a "whitewash of justice," said Foxx needs to focus on answering questions about the case but that he's "totally against" the idea of her stepping down . A former assistant state's attorney in Foxx's office filed a petition seeking a special prosecutor to look into the case and determine whether Smollett should be recharged with staging a hate crime and whether Foxx or people who work for her interfered with the investigation. A former Illinois Appellate Court judge also requested a special prosecutor investigation , and a group of suburban police chiefs gave Foxx a vote of no confidence. The city has demanded that Smollett repay Chicago $130,106   the cost of the police overtime hours expended in the investigation into his allegations. The actor missed a city-imposed Thursday deadline to pay or face further legal action. "The efforts that I've had on criminal justice reform that were once celebrated by many in this county, that are now being attacked because of one case and one celebrity   I think we have to ask ourselves: What is this really about?" Foxx said. "I have never, will never, speak ill of our partners in this work," she said. "Even though there are challenges between any relationship, you have never seen the Cook County state's attorney stand in any podium, stand in any room and disrespect or disregard any of those partners." jjperez@chicagotribune.com Twitter @PerezJr MORE COVERAGE 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett's lawyer refuses Chicago's demand of $130K, says actor 'will not be intimidated' » What happened? A timeline of the Jussie Smollett case » Kim Foxx: I welcome an outside review of how we handled the Jussie Smollett case »


Long Beach will continue to see warm weather in the coming days, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Temperatures will reach just 70 degrees on Tuesday. The coming days will also see cloudy skies, forecast to last through Thursday. Skies will become partly cloudy beginning on Friday and remaining that way through Saturday. Winds will remain light throughout the week, with the highest speeds on Thursday at just 10 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.


Hungry? A new neighborhood ice cream and frozen yogurt spot has you covered. Located at 5110 Park Road, Suite 1-K, in South Park, the fresh addition is called Around the World Cafe . This spot serves up a variety of rolled ice cream flavors including Carolina Cherry (black cherry). You'll also find an extensive selection of teas including Thai tea. Take a gander at the full menu here . Around the World Cafe has gotten an enthusiastic response thus far, with a 4.5-star rating out of three reviews on Yelp. Andrea F., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on June 22, wrote, "I love this cute cafe! I stopped in for some bubble tea. The teas are all freshly brewed. The tapioca bubbles were fresh too!" Intrigued? Stop in to try it for yourself. Around the World Cafe is open from 11 a.m. 9 p.m. daily. Want to keep your finger on the pulse of new businesses in Charlotte? Here's what else opened recently near you . This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The Saints announced several roster moves, including the signings of defensive linemen Geneo Grissom and Sylvester Williams . The Patriots made Grissom a third-round choice in 2015. He played 37 games in four seasons in New England and made seven tackles, a sack and seven special teams stops. He joined the Colts for the 2018 postseason and appeared on special teams in two games. Grissom visited the Lions earlier this offseason before earning a spot with the Saints as a tryout player. The Broncos made Williams a first-round draft pick in 2013. In six NFL seasons with Denver, Tennessee, Detroit and Miami, Williams has played 89 games with 63 starts. Williams has 128 career tackles, 21 tackles for loss, six sacks, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery. In 2018, he played 14 games with four starts split between the Lions and Dolphins and finished with 14 tackles. The Saints also announced the signings of fullback Michael Burton , receiver Cyril Grayson Jr., center Marcus Henry , tackle Ulrick John , linebacker Colton Jumper, running back A.J. Ouellette, defensive back David Simmons Jr. and receiver Micah Wright. The team waived running back Darnell Holland, defensive lineman Tomasi Laulile and cornerback Darius Williams.


AUSTIN, Texas (AP)   MJ Hegar, the leading U.S. Senate challenger in Texas, rides a Harley-Davidson in viral videos and has called herself "an a**-kicking, motorcycle-riding Texas Democrat." She is not a Democrat who promotes "Medicare for All." She mentions that during a narrow loss for a House seat last year, her campaign signs appeared in front yards that also had ones for Republicans. And she sees unintended consequences with White House candidates who say they'll decriminalize border crossings. The concern, Hegar says, is "tying the hands of law enforcement." It doesn't take a biker jacket to show that Democratic candidates in some key states in the 2020 Senate race aren't going along as much of the party's presidential field takes a hard liberal turn. Big gaps already are apparent in races in Texas, Iowa and Arizona. The latest discordant voice is Amy McGrath of Kentucky, a former Marine combat aviator running against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who recalled wincing while watching a sprint to the left unfold during the first Democratic debates on TV. President Donald Trump has sought to exploit the ideological rift between Democrats   and fire up his own base   by assailing four liberal women of color in Congress who call themselves "the squad," suggesting they get out of the country as he leans on issues of race in his reelection bid. Policy differences always exist inside the major parties, but to some voters the Democratic agenda could soon seem like a hopeless argument with itself. More than in years past, progressives are insisting that winning in a polarized political environment requires ambitious ideas, not hedged compromises. Even in moderate or conservative states, "having the candidate who is campaigning on setting ideas is the biggest thing that will elevate them," said Adam Green, co-founder of the Washington-based Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which has backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts for president. In Texas, party leaders say they are confident in Air Force veteran Hegar taking on Republican incumbent John Cornyn, but they also are not discouraging progressives from challenging her. The field organizer for former Rep. Beto O'Rourke's near-miss campaign for U.S. Senate last year is now trying to draft Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, the leader of a progressive Latino group called the Jolt Initiative. In Arizona, progressives were deflated when Rep. Ruben Gallego, a liberal member of Congress, decided not to run against Republican Sen. Martha McSally and cleared the way for retired astronaut Mark Kelly, a moderate. And in Iowa, Theresa Greenfield has won early endorsements that include the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, but that has not deterred liberal rivals from entering the race. Democrats need to gain at least three seats next year to capture the Senate majority, and the map is an uphill climb. GOP seats are at stake in 22 states, but Trump carried 20. The argument is over whether the better approach is bold liberalism or cautious centrism. In some contested states, if the leftward presidential tilt continues, the party's nominee and Senate candidates could wind up contradicting on almost every major issue, from immigration and race to health care and education. Democratic consultants say that's not a problem now: most voters at this stage are only broadly listening to whether candidates are on the same team. Activists say the party shouldn't worry that later, closer to the election, some states' voters might be confused over what Democrats actually want to do if elected. "Running as a moderate is to misunderstand the electorate," insisted Ed Espinoza, a former Democratic National Committee political director who now heads the group Progress Texas. "People may not identify with parties, but people want candidates that stand for something." It's not clear yet how many Senate Democratic primaries will feature progressive candidates against moderates but such contests are more likely in House races where launching a campaign costs less. In Arizona, a top Senate target for Democrats, Kelly already has taken pains to distance himself from presidential contenders like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris. He's come out against Medicare for All, saying millions of people like their private health insurance, and against the plan to curb climate change called the Green New Deal. He's aiming to follow Sen. Kyrsten Sinema who ended decades of GOP dominance in Arizona last year by staying clear of her party's left wing. "I don't like people going to their political and partisan corners and not working across the aisle to get things done," Kelly told The Associated Press when he announced his candidacy in February. Progressives are better positioned in Maine. The liberal group Justice Democrats, which boosted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her rise to Congress, is backing activist Betsy Sweet to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is one of Democrats' top targets. A more moderate candidate, Sara Gideon, Maine's Democratic House speaker, has the backing of Senate Democrats' campaign arm. In Texas, O'Rourke drastically reset Democrats' expectations for victory in the state after coming within 3 percentage points of ousting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz last year. The stunning finish and national attention propelled his run for president. Hegar, 43, makes clear she plans to run a different campaign. Her compelling personal story   as a Purple Heart recipient who did three tours in Afghanistan   and eye-catching ads helped make her a national fundraising machine in 2018 when she nearly won a heavily conservative congressional district near Austin. She has raised more than $1 million so far. Hegar rejects party labels. She said she "didn't let people push me into saying things that I don't believe. And I think the voters saw that and they saw authenticity." Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said Hegar "may not be considered as progressive as some people believe she should be" but that she'll appeal to all kinds of people. At a recent rally for O'Rourke back in his home state, Krystal Reilly, 30, said Hegar was where she needed to be. "Beto brought people out of the grave to get to those polls and it's a fight, right?" Reilly said. "If she goes any more left in the state of Texas, it's not going to work." ___ Associated Press writers Clarice Silber in Austin, Texas, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report.


New York Giants fans who are eager to see injured wide receiver Victor Cruz return to full speed alongside phenom Odell Beckham Jr. may have to wait. Giants General Manager Jerry Reese told reporters Saturday that while Cruz is progressing from surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, and he hopes to return in time for training camp, a full recovery for this season cannot be taken for granted. MORE: Coughlin, Giants talk extension | Making Eli a Giant for life | Peterson wants to play for Cowboys "When a guy has a big injury like Victor had, you can't put all your eggs in his basket," Reese said . "Our doctors say he looks good. I see him down in the training room, working out with our trainers and our medical people, and he looks good. But his game is quickness. And until you get out there and move around, you never really know how he's going to recover from that. "We're hoping and praying that he'll come back 100 percent and be the Victor Cruz that we know, but you can't put 100 percent in that basket." Cruz suffered the injury in the Oct. 12 game at Philadelphia, and missed the rest of the season. Cruz, who made the Pro Bowl with the Giants in 2012, also missed a couple of games due to injury in 2013.


Aircraft landing at Bologna airport are treated to an unconventional sight on the runaway as they are met by a 'follow me' Lamborghini Huracan. The Italian airport uses five rear-wheel driven Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 cars to guide planes to the runway and help them take off. The car has a V10 engine and can achieve 0-62mph (0-99kmh) in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of almost 200mph (321kmh).


Bills running back LeSean McCoy had his least productive NFL season in 2018 and the team acquired a handful of new backs this offseason, which led some to wonder if McCoy might wind up elsewhere by the time the 2019 season is underway. Those suggestions did not come from the Bills as General Manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott consistently said that McCoy is in the plans for 2019. Beane didn't waver from that in an interview conducted last month and embargoed for release until this week. Beane said he doesn't "know how it's going to shake out" with McCoy, Frank Gore , T.J. Yeldon and Devin Singletary , but remained adamant that the team believes McCoy can bounce back from last year. "I think LeSean still can play . If not, we would have made the decision to move on. I think he's embraced the competition this spring," Beane said, via NewYorkUpstate.com. "He's very confident, when you talk to him, that he still sees himself up here. And I don't think you're changing that. And I wouldn't want him to think any different. But we're focused on this year. That's what we have him under contract for, and I definitely think he's got enough left in the tank to help us in 2019." Yeldon said he expects " heated competition " for playing time this summer, but how much time is up for grabs may be closely linked to how good McCoy looks when camp gets underway.


Rebellion Racing CEO Calim Bouhadra says his team's ambition in the FIA World Endurance Championship this season is to take the fight to Toyota, not merely beat Ginetta. The Swiss team is one of only two non-hybrid runners in the LMP1 class for the 2019/20 campaign, alongside Ginetta factory squad Team LNT, and is set to begin the new season with just one of its Gibson-powered R-13s on the grid. Rebellion ran Toyota close during last month's Prologue test at Barcelona, with lapping within 0.267 seconds of the pacesetting TS050 Hybrid in the final session. That performance has given Bouhadra hope that his team can fight for victories on merit this season, especially against the backdrop of a new system of handicaps designed to give the privateer squads a fighting chance against Toyota. " The Prologue confirms that we can be serious [competitors for Toyota]," Bouhadra told Motorsport.com. "It's the result of the work we did just before Le Mans. "Last season we didn't have any competition with Toyota, the Equivalence of Technology was a joke, but I hope now my competitor is Toyota. "The FIA and ACO changed the regulations with the new EoT, ballast [handicaps]. All these things I hope will mean it's different, because I want to compete with someone." Read Also: Toyota convinced privateer LMP1s can now win races WEC Prologue: Toyota maintains slim lead over Rebellion He added: "Don't get me wrong, the new regulations are not a gift for Rebellion. I don't want people to think that. It's just to try to have a fair competition. "I think we were very patient last season, but it was not fair for the spectators, for us, or for anyone. We want to compete fairly, with a good balance. It's just logical." Bouhadra said Rebellion did not consider following the lead of its main rival during the 2018/19 season, SMP Racing, which quit the WEC over its frustration at the inability of the privateer teams to seriously threaten Toyota. He added expecting Ginetta to be on the same level as SMP initially would be "not fair". "I try to be respectful of my competitors, I know they are working hard, but they have to prove everything," Bouhadra said. "I just hope we have a nice competition with them." #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez Photo by: FIA WEC Menezes, who is hoping to remain part of Rebellion's slimmed down one-car line-up for the start of the new season, likewise expressed hope this season's new rules will help accelerate the process of getting the privateer cars on a par with the Toyotas. "We hope the EoT closes [the gap] a little bit faster," Menezes told Motorsport.com. "Last year the WEC did a good job, but it took too long, and we didn't fully get there. "If we can do what it took one year to do in two races, we can have real racing going on, and that's important for the championship. If we can fight for Le Mans, that's what we want." The American driver added the two days of Barcelona testing were vital for Rebellion to further refine its package after it introduced a major aero upgrade for Le Mans. "We're making progress off of where we finished last season," said Menezes. "We knew our problems and we've been dialling those down and seeing where our performance lies. "Honestly you saw a few times last season when we were in the sweet spot, we were there. We just need to be in that sweet spot more often. "Testing always helps, it's just trying to unlock the ultimate performance of this car." Read Also: Nasr unsure on Rebellion WEC race seat chances Bouhadra however warned that, after 18 months of development on the R-13, there is little more performance to be extracted from the Oreca-designed car. "Now the car is starting to be at the limit," he said. "We saw it at Le Mans when we changed the power of the car [in line with the EoT], we broke a lot [of times] the engine. "To push the car more is starting to create unreliability. We don't want that." #1 Rebellion Racing Rebellion R-13: Nathanael Berthon, Felipe Nasr. Gustavo Menezes, Norman Nato Photo by: FIA WEC


By Martyn Herman STOKE POGES, England (Reuters) - Reigning champion Novak Djokovic said he is looking forward to getting back on the All England Club's "sacred" Centre Court as his build-up for Wimbledon began in earnest on Tuesday. The 32-year-old Serb has not played a competitive match since losing in the semi-final of the French Open this month, preferring to spend some family time in Serbia. He hit his stride quickly at The Boodles exhibition event in the leafy surrounds of Stoke Park on Tuesday, producing a polished display in a 6-2 6-4 win over Chilean Cristian Garin. While it was essentially a friendly, Djokovic looked in tremendous shape, striking the ball cleanly and powerfully and moving with his trademark elasticity on the lush lawn. There were a few minor stumbles but nothing untoward and Djokovic cut a relaxed, but focused, figure as he impressed the Champagne-popping country club crowd. One more Wimbledon title would put Djokovic ahead of Rod Laver's four and level with the five-times champion Bjorn Borg, with only Pete Sampras and Roger Federer having on more in modern times. Djokovic has 15 Grand Slam titles, with only Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (18) ahead of him, and he said it was the prospect of winning more of the game's big prizes that motivates him. "Grand Slams are at this stage of my career and life always the priority in terms of achievements," Djokovic told Reuters. "I'm privileged to be the number one in the world, it's a role that carries a lot of responsibility and pressure so I try to deal with that as best as I can. "It was a very emotional Roland Garros and fortunately I got to the semi-finals. Now it's just building momentum and looking forward to returning to that sacred court." Last year Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon ranked 21 in the world after a rocky ride back from elbow surgery and without a Grand Slam title for two years. His game clicked though and he claimed the title and then bagged the U.S. Open and Australian Open this year before his quest to hold all four Slams at the same time for the second time in his career fell agonizingly short in Paris. Despite that loss to Dominic Thiem, Djokovic appears back to his clinical best and will start favorite on Monday. "Winning Wimbledon last year was a huge turning point because I was coming off surgery and dropped out of the top 20 in the world," he said. "That was a huge shift in terms of self confidence and terms of the quality of my tennis." (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. He's right, this angry old man in melting bronzer shouting in the July heat: Those of us who don't like what's going on in this country should get the hell out. "Go back," as he said, to the "crime-infested places from which they came." A fine idea. For me, as with more than 30 million other Americans with my hyphenate, that's tiny Ireland, the country once so infested with crime, famine, disease and assorted horrors of foreignness that its British overlords said a merciful God was doing a favor by killing off the starving masses. So back I went to have a look. This, mind you, was just before President Trump's suggestion to his fellow citizens to get out. And also, generations after someone on my father's side made the choice to flee for life itself, rather than fall into the cold Irish ground through the bottom of a reusable coffin. What I found on that island where typhus once took entire families as they shivered on floors of mud, where, by one medical estimate , 50 percent of the children in Dublin once died before their first birthday, is now a land of universal health care. Health care for all residents: It's still a surprise to someone from a nation where the number of uninsured Americans has gone up by seven million under Trump. I had left a place where nearly one in seven people are left to fend for themselves when sick, to a fully covered country, the norm in most of the industrialized world. What I found in that place where barefooted, Gaelic-speaking hordes once could not read an English sign are colleges nearly free to its citizens   good colleges, at that. Imagine, a family not having to bankrupt itself to help a child off to a better life. What I found is a republic where nearly one in eight people were born abroad , nearly as high a percentage as the foreign-born population of the United States. The prime minister, Leo Varadkar, is himself a son of an Indian immigrant. His father was born in Mumbai, while his mother hails from County Waterford, the home also of my mother's distant family. That 19th-century hellhole has become a 21st-century heaven. The Irish have become us   what we wanted and aspired to. They are living our national narrative, a country open to those fleeing oppressors and lack of opportunity. Its prime minister would never gloat over a "send her back" chant at a hatefest directed at new members of the republic. Back home in America, the unimaginable is the new norm: a fully blossoming fascism. We're stuck in a hideous loop of hate. But it's also an idiocy loop. Why are we arguing about something any second grader has already settled after looking around the classroom and realizing that nearly every other child is a descendant of someone from a foreign land? Read the resolution the House of Representatives passed on Tuesday , citing Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and Benjamin Franklin, and quoting Franklin Roosevelt's call to "remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists." It's the kind of immigrants-make-a-nation-stronger boilerplate that would normally pass the House with unanimous consent, but it drew only four Republican votes. This is how low Trump has taken us. We are a debased nation fighting over the scraps of our former principles. Should someone offer a resolution saluting the "purple mountain majesties" of the United States, every Republican would vote against it if Trump tweeted against a color that is not orange. Senator Mitch McConnell, whose immigrant wife is indirectly a target of this sludge, would say, as he did about the "send-her-back chants," that the president is "on to something." I'm against the dismissal of others with the pre-emptive pejorative of "white privilege." It closes minds and ends conversations. But this is one case where white privilege applies. For Trump's tweet wasn't aimed at me. Nor was it directed at his vice president, the cipher and coward Mike Pence, himself an Irish-American. Trump's hate blast was directed solely at people of color. His tweet was the textbook definition of racism. And I should add in the interest of full transparency, I disagree with much of the policy initiatives of the four left-wing congresswomen targeted by Trump. It was wrong and incorrect for them to make Nancy Pelosi's disagreement with them about race. That episode was another textbook illustration of why the far left has trouble winning a majority. But let's leave that discussion for another day. Back in the country from which I came, the Irish appear genuinely perplexed at this American vomiting of principle. Writing in "Irish Times," Oliver Sears, a British-born resident of Ireland and son of a Polish holocaust survivor, wondered how any immigrant could ever vote for Trump. I heard a similar thing when I went back: How could Irish-Americans vote for this awful man without becoming traitors to their heritage? For this Ireland has become what America used to be. If only America could be more like this Ireland. Timothy Egan ( @nytegan ) is a contributing opinion writer who covers the environment, the American West and politics. He is a winner of the National Book Award and author of the forthcoming "A Pilgrimage to Eternity." The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here's our email: letters@nytimes.com . Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram .


A University of Maryland football player collapsed after a workout and died 15 days later , and now Jordan McNair's parents are working to save the lives of other student-athletes. The Jordan McNair Foundation held a health and wellness sports clinic on Thursday where parents and coaches gained valuable knowledge. The Jordan McNair Foundation's mission can be summed up in three words: awareness, education and prevention. "It's a very bittersweet day. However, I think this is our way of giving back," Martin McNair said. On this day last year, Martin McNair lost his son, Jordan. The UMD football player died two weeks after he collapsed during a team workout. The McNairs believe Jordan McNair suffered from heatstroke. "Our main goal is to educate as many people as we can," McNair said. At McDonogh High School , young athletes ran drills with UMD football players while parents and coaches learned about heat-related injuries. "Usually, our body temp rises to about 102 degrees, bad things start happening. You need to cool them down," athletic trainer Ashley Holmes said. The foundation bought 20 inflatable ice baths to donate to athletic programs. "We're going to make sure that her head is up here, and then we're going to take this towel, because she's not going to be able to keep her head up, so we need to keep that up and make sure that she doesn't go under and drown. We're going to put this towel underneath both of her arms. I'm going to have someone back here holding her head up," Holmes said, demonstrating its use. McNair said it's a simple solution that can save lives. A trainer told parents and coaches they have 30 minutes to cool an athlete down once their temperature reaches 104 degrees. "They're easy to carry, as opposed to the big Rubbermaid tubs that are kind of bulky, so there shouldn't be an excuse to not carry these around with them every game," Martin McNair said. Parents and coaches also learned how to recognize symptoms of heatstroke and how to prevent it, lessons they plan to use with their athletes and pass on to others. "By being a team mom, I will educate all of my parents as well as I can because I'm going to need their eyes and ears and things, as well," parent Shelly Wilson said. "This is 100% preventable, and it didn't have to happen, and from a personal standpoint, I'm not going to let it happen on my watch," said Michael Fuller, coach of the Hamilton Tigers. At the University of Maryland, a tree was planted and a plaque was installed in honor of Jordan McNair on Thursday. READ MORE: Parents of Jordan McNair work to save lives in health, wellness sports clinic CHECK OUT WBAL: Get all the latest Baltimore news, weather and sports. WBAL-TV brings you the best in Maryland news online, anytime.


The Pan American Games in Peru, a 3D-printed prosthetic arm in Australia, a baby Sumatran elephant in Indonesia, Vladimir Putin in a submersible, a hot air balloon festival in France, and much more. Law enforcement officers detain a participant of a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia, on July 27, 2019. Sarah Gascon of the U.S. ( center ) is marked by Cuban players during the Handball Women's Bronze Medal Match during the Lima 2019 Pan-American Games, in Lima, Peru, on July 30, 2019. A woman shouts at police officers as they advance towards protesters in the district of Yuen Long on July 27, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. She also spent time yelling at demonstrators as well. Pro-democracy protesters continued weekly rallies on the streets of Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill since June 9, as the city plunged into crisis after waves of demonstrations and several violent clashes. One of Istanbul's first Bengal tiger cubs, born in May, is seen at the Lion Park of Tuzla Viaport Marina, in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 27, 2019. A stray cat with a broken piece of a glass jar around its neck, photographed after a failed rescue operation in the Iskenderun district of Hatay, Turkey, on July 28, 2019. The cat had been trying to drink milk from a jar near a garbage container when it got stuck around its neck. Russian President Vladimir Putin dives to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland aboard the C-Explorer 3.11 submersible to explore the Soviet Shchuka-class submarine Shch-308 that sunk during World War II, near the Island of Gogland, on July 27, 2019. Team United States competes in the team free artistic swimming finals at the Aquatic Center of Villa Deportiva Nacional on Day 5 of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, on July 31, 2019 2020 U.S. Democratic presidential candidates, from left: author Marianne Williamson, Representative Tim Ryan, Senator Amy Klobuchar, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Representative Beto O'Rourke, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, former Representative John Delaney, and Montana Governor Steve Bullock pose together on the first night of the second 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Detroit, Michigan, on July 30, 2019. Beren D'Amico, Louis Gift, and Charlie Wheeler perform acrobatics from their festival show on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 30, 2019. Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Balloons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France, on July 29, 2019. Dancers perform at the Pan American Games opening ceremonies in Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru, under the lit Pan Am Games flame on July 26, 2019. Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, erupts and lights up the sky in Sicily, Italy, on July 27, 2019. Cyclists ride down the Champs Elysees in Paris, with the Arc de Triomphe in background, during the 21st and last stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Rambouillet and Paris Champs-Elysees, on July 28, 2019. The alpine village of Hallstatt glows at dusk on the banks of Hallstätter See in Hallstatt, Austria, on July 27, 2019. Hundreds of cyclists ride through Bagan to celebrate the region and its ancient structures being named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bagan, Myanmar, on July 26, 2019. Tens of thousands of water bottles, possibly meant for victims of Hurricane Maria back in 2017, sit in a vacant lot in Dorado, 40 km west of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 28, 2019. Juan Antonio Rosado Reynes, a spokesman with FEMA, confirmed to AFP on July 29th, 2019 that this water was part of the inventory of the management agency. Refusing to provide more information, he added that their legal department is currently investigating why this water, which was expired and supposed to be discarded and recycled, appeared in this land. A helicopter from the Swedish Icebreaker Oden lands on an ice floe to pick up crew members involved in the retrieval of a scientific acoustic recorder containing valuable data on Arctic marine life movements in the Canadian Arctic on July 25, 2019. Rickard Hagstrom from Sweden tests the water in Eidfjord, Norway, on August 1, 2019, ahed of the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. Stand-up paddle boarders with their dogs enjoy an evening ride on the River Avon in Bradford-on-Avon, England, on July 29, 2019. Yuyun, a newborn Sumatran elephant, is seen in the Conservation Response Unit of Alue Kuyun, West Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on July 27, 2019. Yuyun was born on July 24. A young golden eagle is seen in its nest on a highland in the Tuzluca district of Igdir, Turkey, on July 29, 2019. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson inspects poultry during a visit to rally support for his farming plans post-Brexit, at Shervington Farm, St Brides Wentlooge, near Newport, Wales, on July 30, 2019. A man tries to catch locusts while standing on a rooftop as they swarm over the Houthi rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa on July 28, 2019. In Las Vegas, Nevada, grasshoppers swarm a sidewalk a few blocks off the Strip on July 26, 2019. Massive swarms of grasshoppers have descended on the Las Vegas Strip this week, startling tourists and residents as they pass through town on their northbound migration. Red wood ants walk on a person's hand in the forest near Catacik, in the Mihaliccik district of Turkey's Eskisehir province, on July 25, 2019. One of two young Malaysian bears goes outside for the first time at Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem, Netherlands, on July 26, 2019. The two bear cubs spent the first months of their lives in the maternity ward with their mother, since their birth on May 7. Hailey Wright, 12, tests a 3D-printed prosthetic arm made from recycled hair salon waste by Bernie Craven, founder of Waste Free Systems, during a yoga class at Kilkivan State School in Kilkivan, Australia, on July 26, 2019. Craven is creating prosthetic limbs from recycled plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles, currently testing designs with two young participants who were both born without part of their left forearm and hand. Craven is a semi-retired hairdresser with over 40 years industry experience and estimates that Australian hair salons produce between 40,000 and 50,000 tons of waste per year. Ecuador's Angie Palacios celebrates after lifting in the Women's 64kg event at Coliseo Mariscal Caceres during the Pan American Games in Lima on July 29, 2019. Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden is seen prior to competing in the Women's 50m Freestyle Final on day eight of the 2019 FINA World Championships at Nambu International Aquatics Center on July 28, 2019, in Gwangju, South Korea. Wilhem Belocian prepares to compete in the men's 110m hurdles during the France Athletics Championships 2019 at the Henri-Lux stadium in Saint-Etienne, France, on July 28, 2019. Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha ( center ) and officials salute a portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn during his 67th birthday celebrations in Bangkok on July 28, 2019. In the Diamond Island area of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, major construction projects are ongoing, photographed on July 30, 2019. Money from China has created new roads, airports, skyscrapers, dams, hotels, casinos, restaurants and apartments. Cambodia has been heavily criticized by Western nations over its shrinking political freedoms, as it has grown increasingly closer to China in recent years. Metering devices are photographed in the central control room of the decommissioned Ignalina nuclear power station in Visaginas, Lithuania, on July 24, 2019. A view of the surrounding landscape after sunset, near the Villa Deportiva Nacional in Lima, during the Pan American Games on July 31, 2019. Hong Kong police fire tear gas at protesters in Sai Wan, Hong Kong, on July 28, 2019. Police fired tear gas at demonstrators on Sunday for the second night in a row in another escalation of weeks-long pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.


GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) J.T. Poston kept racking up birdies and pars - but no bogeys - at the Wyndham Championship. They added up to his first PGA Tour victory - and a first-time-in-decades achievement. Poston shot an 8-under 62 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory at the tour's regular-season finale. He tied Henrik Stenson's 2-year-old tournament record at 22-under 258, and became the first player since Lee Trevino in 1974 to win a 72-hole stroke-play event on tour without any bogeys or worse. ''I probably haven't had that many bogey-free rounds this year,'' Poston said. ''To be able to do four in a row is pretty special, and finish it off with a 62 on Sunday is pretty awesome.'' The native North Carolinian began his round three strokes back, took the lead for good with - what else? - a birdie on the par-5 15th hole, then finished with three straight pars to earn $1,116,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points. Webb Simpson was at 21 under after a 65. Byeong Hun An, who held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, three-putted the 18th for a bogey and a 67 to finish two shots back. Trying to force a playoff with a birdie, he nearly holed a 60-footer but had it run well past. ''Nothing was really working at the end,'' An said. ''I just ran out of juice.'' Poston, a former Western Carolina golfer playing a 100-mile drive from his hometown of Hickory, became the third player in 11 years with strong local ties to win at Sedgefield Country Club. He joined 2008 winner Carl Petterson - a Swede who grew up in Greensboro - and Simpson, the 2011 champion who's from Raleigh and played college golf at Wake Forest. ''To be able to do it here in North Carolina, with a lot of friends and family, I don't think I could have drawn it up any better,'' Poston said. Poston closed the gap with An with three birdies and an eagle on the front nine. Then came the key hole: No. 15. Poston took sole possession of the lead with a birdie on that hole after placing a bunker chip 6 feet from the flagstick. An, playing two groups behind Poston, sent his tee shot on that hole into the weeds. He took a penalty stroke, then landed his third shot left of the green, left his chip 35 feet short and dropped to 20 under after two-putting for his first bogey of the tournament. ''The bogey was definitely the killer, I think, because I knew I needed to make a birdie there,'' An said. After a birdie on the next hole and a par on 17, An needed to finish with a birdie to force a playoff. He sent his tee shot into the trees and recovered by landing his second shot 60 feet from the pin. Simpson - who finished second for the second straight week - earned his seventh top-10 finish at this tournament since 2010 and climbed to No. 9 on the playoff points list, earning $550,000 in bonus money as part of the inaugural Wyndham Rewards Top 10 program. ''Honestly, it wasn't even on the radar going into Memphis (last week),'' Simpson said. ''I was too far back, I thought, unless I did something crazy. So yeah, it was on my mind this week.'' Nine players started this tournament with a shot at some of that cash, but only Simpson and Paul Casey came away with some. Casey finished eighth on the points list and earned $600,000. The other annual subplot at Sedgefield focused on the players on the playoff bubble. Two players who began the tournament outside the top 125 - No. 129 Patton Kizzire and No. 134 Andrew Landry - played their way into the field for The Northern Trust next week in New Jersey. An average of 2.7 players played their way into the top 125 in this tournament's previous dozen years as the tour's final pre-playoff event. ''I definitely knew what I was playing for,'' Kizzire said. --- More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


The injury news on Casey Mize is much better than it could have been. The Detroit Tigers prospect underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed minor shoulder inflammation. He will be placed on the injured list. #Tigers prospect Casey Mize had an MRI today that revealed minor inflammation in his right shoulder. He'll be placed on the IL.   Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) June 14, 2019 Mize left his start on Thursday for Double-A Erie in the third inning after experiencing discomfort . Last year's No. 1 overall pick, Mize has been dominant this season in the minors. He has gone 8-0 with a 0.92 ERA across two levels in the Tigers' organization. The right-hander is the top prospect in the Tigers' system and one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


DUBAI/PARIS (Reuters) - Iran is ready to hold talks with the United States if Washington lifts sanctions and returns to the 2015 nuclear deal it quit last year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has said it is open to negotiations with Iran on a more far-reaching agreement on nuclear and security issues. But Iran has made any talks conditional on first being able to export as much oil as it did before the United States withdrew from the nuclear pact with world powers in May 2018. "We have always believed in talks ... if they lift sanctions, end the imposed economic pressure and return to the deal, we are ready to hold talks with America today, right now and anywhere," Rouhani said in his Sunday speech. In an interview with the Washington Post newspaper, Pompeo dismissed Rouhani's idea as "the same offer that he offered to John F. Kerry and Barack Obama," referring to the former U.S. secretary of state and president. "President Trump will obviously make the final decision. But this is a path that the previous administration had gone down and it led to the (Iran nuclear deal) which this administration, President Trump and I both believe was a disaster," Pompeo said. Confrontations between Washington and Tehran have escalated, culminating in an aborted plan for U.S. air strikes on Iran last month after Tehran downed a U.S. drone. Trump called off the retaliatory U.S. air strike at the last minute. Calling for dialogue among all to resume, France, Britain and Germany - parties to the 2015 pact - said on Sunday they were preoccupied by the escalation of tensions in the Gulf region and the risk the nuclear deal might fall apart. "We believe that the time has come to act responsibly and to look for ways to stop the escalation of tension and resume dialogue," they said in a joint statement that was released by the French president's office. Despite calling for talks with Iranian leaders, Trump said on Wednesday that U.S. sanctions on Iran would soon be increased "substantially". Existing U.S. sanctions have targeted Iran's main foreign revenue stream from crude oil exports, which Trump in May moved to try to eliminate entirely. In reaction, Tehran said it would scale back its commitments under the deal, under which it had agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S. and other economic sanctions that had crippled its economy. 'CONSIDER POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES' Defying a warning by the European parties to the pact to continue its full compliance, Tehran has amassed more low-enriched uranium than permitted and has started to enrich uranium above the 3.67% permitted by the agreement. "The risks are such that it is necessary for all stakeholders to pause, and consider the possible consequences of their actions," France, Britain and Germany, which have been trying to salvage the pact by shielding Tehran's economy from sanctions, said in their statement. Iranian clerical rulers have said that Tehran will further decrease its commitments if Europeans fail to fulfill their promises to guarantee Iran's interests under the deal. The nuclear deal aimed to extend the amount of time it would theoretically take Iran to produce enough fissile material for an atomic bomb - so-called breakout time - from several months to a minimum of one year until 2025. Iran denies ever having considered developing atomic weapons. There have been two signs in the past week that the United States may be signaling greater openness to diplomacy. U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday that Washington had decided for now not to sanction Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif despite Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's June 24 statement he would be blacklisted that week. On Sunday, U.S. officials said they had given Zarif a U.S. visa to attend a U.N. meeting this week. Iran's mission to the United Nations said he had arrived in New York. Pompeo told the Washington Post he had granted the visa but restricted Zarif's movements while in New York, allowing him only to travel between U.N. headquarters and the Iranian mission six blocks away, and to the residence of Iran's U.N. ambassador. Pompeo declined comment when asked whether he or other U.S. officials would try to speak with Zarif this week or at the U.N. General Assembly in September, the Washington Post reported. While accusing Zarif of exploiting U.S. freedom of the press to "spread malign propaganda," the U.S. secretary of state told the newspaper he would accept any offer to appear on Iranian television. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Bate Felix in Paris; Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Catherine Evans, Peter Cooney and Michael Perry)


Amazon Prime Day kicks off midnight PST on Monday and lasts for two full days for the first time. While you're researching what to buy this year, there's an aspect you should keep in mind: Whether the Amazon reviews your reading are legit. On Tuesday , members of Congress wrote a letter Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demanding to know what the company is doing about deceptive ratings and reviews ahead its Prime Day, which generates more than $4 billion in sales for the e-commerce giant, according to last year's numbers . There are methods in place: Amazon uses artificial intelligence and a team of investigators to block and remove inauthentic reviews 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it works with social media sites to stop inauthentic reviews at the source, it pursues legal action to stop offenders and it's constantly improving these systems, an Amazon spokesperson tells CNBC Make It. But still, fake reviews on the site   where sellers pay people or use bots to drum up phony positive reviews about their products in an effort to influence Amazon and Google rankings as well as consumers   are on the rise. According to data from Fakespot , a website that uses artificial intelligence to help consumers determine the reliability of online reviews, fraudulent reviews on Amazon have climbed from 16.34% last June to more than 34% this June in all product categories. And in April, a probe carried out by U.K consumer group Which? , found tens of thousands of fake five-star reviews on products listed on Amazon. (The problem has been intensifying since Amazon began to court Chinese sellers in 2015, according to data from Fakespot data. Amazon plans to pull its third-party services on its Chinese website starting on July 18, two days after Prime Day ends.) Related video: Here's a preview of Amazon's Prime Day There are some things you can do to try and distinguish the fake reviews from the authentic ones though, according to Fakespot COO and co-founder Robert Gross. Here are his top five tips to help spot fake reviews. 1. Know where the problem is the worst Electronics and gadgets are some of the most popular things sold on Amazon Prime Day; they're also the categories where Gross sees the highest percentages of fake reviews, particularly for Bluetooth headsets, cell phones and accessories and electronics. Ahead of Prime Day, many sellers in these categories aggressively create fake reviews to be "prominently displayed next to deals." In other words, if someone looks at a Prime Day deal and starts searching for similar products, the ones that use fake reviews aggressively will pop up in the product search results page, he says. 2. Look at the star-rating distribution Gross says a big red flag that a product may have fake reviews is an "unnatural" distribution of five-star ratings. If a product from a seller that you've never heard of has several hundred reviews, and those reviews are all five-star, you should question their authenticity. Even if a product has a large majority of five-star reviews and only a couple of one-star reviews, it's worth questioning. In that case, read the one-star reviews, as they are more than likely real, according to Gross' findings. He also says customers should look for products that have a variety of ratings, including three or two-star reviews, because no matter how good a company is, not every product or customer experience is going to be perfect. 3. Look at the language of the review One of the most surefire ways to catch a fake review, says Gross, is to look at its language. If the reviews are very short and provide no details (like "good product," or "great company") there's a good chance it's fake, based on Fakespot's data over the last year. Also look out for multiple reviews that have similar language to each other, says Gross, as some sellers create fake reviews using a variation of their company's marketing copy. 4. Sort the reviews by most recently posted Gross says that Amazon and other e-commerce sites have gotten into the bad habit of showing consumer reviews that it deems to be the most relevant, not the most recent. "These are usually the first reviews a consumer will see, and sometimes they are years old. Other times these reviews have been upvoted [by likes or comments] by fake review farms to push them to the top" he says. Gross advises consumers to sort the reviews by "most recent" to get a better idea where the company or product stands today. 5. Don't count on 'Verified Purchase' tags Gross says while Amazon's "Verified Purchase" tags are intended to help customers identify which reviews are legitimate, they have been taken over by fake reviewers and sellers, "to the point of being useless," he says. "Verified purchase tags are easily gamed by fake reviewers and sellers that use them. They will typically ask the reviewer to buy the product and leave a five-star review. Once the five-star review is left, it will be labeled as from a verified purchaser. The seller then sends the 'buyer' a gift card for the amount or a little more to compensate them for the fake review," he says, adding that consumers shouldn't rely on them for authenticity. Of course, even if reviews are fake, that doesn't mean a product is bad or good. And Gross points out that Fakespot does not analyze whether a product is good or bad either, only the quality of the reviews. However, if a consumer has never heard of the seller or company, they should do their own research before buying, he says. "A good deal is not always the best product," he says. Don't miss: The FTC just prosecuted a fake paid Amazon review for the first time   here's what that means for users


The Boston Celtics will have a decision to make about swingman Jaylen Brown's future with the team soon but despite the Cal-Berkeley product being extension-eligible this summer , the Celtics shouldn't need to hurry to get a deal done. Because Brown is still on his rookie contract, that's primarily because the Marietta, GA native will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and the Boston will have the right to match any offer sheet tendered by another team. Given the Celtics front office have not already sent Brown to another team for any number of high-profile trade targets linked to Boston in the last two years and the fact that players taken later in the 2016 draft class are getting some pretty significant deals of their own , it stands to reason the franchise plans to let him test the market come July with a willingness to pay a fairly hefty sum for Brown's next contract pending the results of his 2019-20 season. Because the Celtics will have Brown's Bird rights, they'll be able to go over the salary cap to sign him, regardless of the amount. It's unclear whether what the market is for Brown right now, actually, but if Boston wants to re-sign Brown then the salary cap won't be an obstacle. The same can't be said of other teams though and that's yet another reason the Celtics don't have to feel pressured to offer Brown an extension just yet. Currently, only Brown's hometown Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors project to have enough space to sign a player in the range of a tier-1 max contract (0-6 years experience in the league is being estimated at a $29.2 million-dollar paycheck next summer) and both could be a real threat to steal Brown. Aside from the hometown advantage that Atlanta will have, both teams have littered their roster with good, young players developing on the same timeline as him, should Boston decide a potential offer is too rich for their blood. But there are a number of free agents-in-waiting who could alter the calculus , as could other moves yet-to-materialize around the league. Firstly, whether big man Anthony Davis, forward Gordon Hayward, guard Mike Conley, center Andre Drummond and other players possessing player options decide to enter the free agency fray in such a weak crop could have a major impact on the shape of next summer's signing period. Currently, aging stars like guard Kyle Lowry, center Marc Gasol, wing Danilo Gallinari and point guard Goran Dragic lead the field of potential impact signings for next summer, which may cause a few players to opt-out of their current deals. This would shift the odds even more in Boston's favor, perhaps as much as much as whether the other teams projected to have cap space appeal to players likely to garner similarly-sized paychecks as Brown. Some of those teams might appear intriguing - the Memphis Grizzlies, for example, have been doing a great job gathering assets and clearing space in the last year - but are unlikely to be on the right timeline to poach Brown. Others, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets, have exceptionally bad reputations to get past in order to attract free agents of any sort, never mind those accustomed to being on a winning team. Ultimately, Brown's future with Boston may lie as much with things beyond both his and the Celtics' control as anything else. Nonetheless, with how the franchise's actions have cast their estimation of the young wing, it seems likely the team will be willing to offer Brown as much as a maximum contract should circumstances - and his play next season - cause another team to offer a deal close to or at that level. The threat remains, however, for greener pastures to appeal to Brown. Especially should a repeat of last season's chemistry resurface or some other, unforeseen development take shape. MORE: Cleveland Indians completely roasted Colin Cowherd after Baker Mayfield chugged a beer 40 Under 40: Sports Media Talents 2019 2020 aggregate mock draft 1.0: Here are the top NBA prospects to know How Andre Iguodala could still be attainable for Houston What G Alex Lewis' release means for Ravens


The Rockies have placed outfielder Charlie Blackmon on the 10-day injured list, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. Blackmon hasn't played since May 23 because of a right calf problem. His roster spot is going to outfielder Yonathan Daza , whom the team called up from Triple-A Albuquerque. After back-to-back playoff seasons, the Rockies have limped to a 24-27 record this year, but Blackmon hasn't been part of the problem. As usual, Blackmon has teamed with third baseman Nolan Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story to comprise the Rockies' three best hitters. The 32-year-old Blackmon has slashed .300/.356/.565 (126 wRC+) with 10 home runs and the second-best ISO of his career (.265) through 219 plate appearances. Blackmon aside, the Rockies' outfield has gotten encouraging production from David Dahl and Raimel Tapia this year. And while Ian Desmond 's numbers leave something to be desired for the third straight season, he has been on fire of late. That trio will have to continue stepping up for however much time Blackmon misses. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


The stroke of genius by the Los Angeles Lakers and Rob Pelinka to get Anthony Davis yesterday is losing a little bit of its shine the morning after news of the trade broke. Aside from the collection of pick-swaps that the Lakers owe New Orleans over the next seven seasons, the all important timing of the trade will cost them cap space in their quest to build a championship team around Davis and LeBron James. During a Sunday morning appearance on SportsCenter, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the trade for Davis will be completed on July 6. This is crucial because rather than it being completed on July 30, the July 6 date will lower the Lakers potential cap space from $32.5 million to $23.5 million. This now puts a significant focus on Anthony Davis and his trade bonus worth about $4 million, as detailed below by Yahoo's Keith Smith. With the latest report from Woj that the Lakers and Pelicans will complete their deal as soon as they are able on 7/6, that means the Lakers will have: -$23.7M w/ full AD trade bonus -$27.7M if AD waives trade bonus Also means #4 should play in Summer League, important to Pels! - Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 16, 2019 Davis having to waive $4 million is a tough position for he and Rich Paul to take, so this is going to take some massaging on the part of the Lakers. Should Davis waive the trade bonus, they would be closer to giving a max contract to a veteran player such as Kemba Walker or Kyrie Irving. But the timing of the trade would cost them any shot at Kevin Durant. So the Pelicans and Lakers both have reasons for wanting to execute the trade when they want. But given that the Pelicans were in a power position, knowing that the Lakers were desperate to get Davis by any means, it makes sense that they would be able to determine when the trade gets processed. It also wouldn't make a lot of sense on their end to execute the trade before Summer League so that the No. 4 pick gets extra time to play with likely No. 1 pick Zion Williamson. And since the Pelicans are under no obligation to help the Lakers, it seems unlikely the trade's timing veer off course. MORE: What the Lakers' new roster looks like with Anthony Davis An ode to the Golden State Warriors, the team that ruined the game NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players From startup to NFL: Mark Myers can make history with Jets Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger on Antonio Brown: 'He made me a better quarterback'


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Martin Maldonado was as shocked as anyone by his tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning. ''No, I thought it was a pop up,'' Maldonado said. ''I've hit balls better than that and they've been caught, so I was happy to be rounding third base.'' Maldonado hit a solo homer off Detroit reliever Blaine Hardy that snapped a 5-all tie. Then, Whit Merrifield doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch, and Jorge Soler added an insurance run with his 24th homer in the eighth inning as the Royals beat the Tigers 8-5. Bubba Starling was hitless in his long-awaited major league debut for Kansas City, and the Royals lost starter Danny Duffy to a bruised pitching hand. Starling, a three-sport star from nearby Gardner-Edgerton (Kan.) High School who was taken by the Royals in the first round of the 2011 draft, ended his 7 1/2-year pilgrimage through the minors. He was greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd of 25,059. He walked in his first at-bat in the second inning and scored on a throwing error. He struck out and grounded out twice. ''It was really, really special,'' Starling said. ''It kind of gave me goosebumps walking up to the box. I kind of settled in after that first at-bat but I definitely had nerves walking in there.'' Playing center field, Starling tried for a diving catch of a sinking liner off the bat of Victor Reyes in the sixth inning, but it went off his glove for a run-scoring double. ''I thought I had a bead on it. Took a step back and then went in on it. But it hit the tip of my glove,'' Starling said. Reyes had three hits and scored twice for the Tigers. Reyes opened the Tigers' third with a liner off Duffy's left hand for a single. Duffy was examined by a trainer and, after a practice toss, stayed in the game. But the left-hander immediately struggled. Duffy threw a wild pitch and then walked Nicholas Castellanos. Miguel Cabrera followed with a run-scoring single and Brandon Dixon lined an RBI double to right center to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. Duffy was then pulled in favor of right-hander Jorge Lopez. Duffy sustained a contusion of the left hand, but the Royals reported that X-rays were negative and his status is day to day. ''It got me kind of on the thumb pad,'' Duffy said. ''It just went numb and if that's how your hand feels on the baseball, it's not going to work out too often. I hate coming out of the game but I'm really thankful with the way my guys picked me up.'' The Tigers scored another run when first baseman Cheslor Cuthbert made an error on a sharp grounder by Jeimer Candelario. Lopez got out of the inning with a strikeout and a double play and worked three scoreless innings. In fact, five Royals relievers combined for seven innings and surrendered just three hits and one run. ''The bullpen came in and did a wonderful job,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''The bullpen was fantastic.'' Cuthbert redeemed himself in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run homer off Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull, giving the Royals a 5-4 lead. The 400-foot blast to left followed a walk to Alex Gordon and an RBI double by Soler. Turnbull, a rookie, was making his first appearance since June 27 due to shoulder fatigue. He made 56 pitches and worked just three innings, giving up five runs. ''It's a growing experience. He's a little confused right now, I'm sure,'' Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ''They made him work, they got him early on some breaking balls. He went just three innings, but that's his first comeback after having the dead arm. His arm's fine, he's physically great. He was just out of gas. His legs were a little weak and he just kind of hit a wall.'' Jake Newberry (1-0) picked up the win; Ian Kennedy struck out two and earned the save. Hardy (1-1) allowed two hits and two earned runs with a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning for the loss. DFA FOR GORE To make room for Starling on the roster, the Royals designated fleet outfielder Terrance Gore for assignment. General manager Dayton Moore said he had this message for Gore: ''We'll try to find you a contending team so you can do your thing in October.'' Moore said Gore has ''made his mark by being an elite base stealer in some of the most high-pressure situations the game has to offer.'' In 37 games this season, Gore batted .275 (14-for-51) and stole 13 bases in 18 attempts. The 27-year-old Gore appeared in the 2014-15 postseasons for the Royals and had four steals in five tries. PEREZ ON SCHEDULE Catcher Salvador Perez, out for the season with Tommy John surgery, is due to test his right arm with some throwing by the end of the month, according to trainer Nick Kenney. ''We wanted to get him at least to the 20-week mark to allow everything to set in,'' Kenney said. ''He's right on schedule.'' UP NEXT The Royals send RHP Brad Keller (4-9, 4.47 ERA) against the Tigers on Saturday night. The Tigers' starter is LHP Matthew Boyd (6-6, 3.87), who ranks third in the American League, averaging nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings. DFA FOR GORE To make room for Starling on the roster, the Royals designated fleet outfielder Terrance Gore for assignment. General manager Dayton Moore said he had this message for Gore: ''We'll try to find you a contending team so you can do your thing in October.'' Moore said Gore has ''made his mark by being an elite base stealer in some of the most high-pressure situations the game has to offer.'' In 37 games this season, Gore batted .275 (14-for-51) and stole 13 bases in 18 attempts. The 27-year-old Gore appeared in the 2014-15 postseasons for the Royals and had four steals in five tries. PEREZ ON SCHEDULE Catcher Salvador Perez, out for the season with Tommy John surgery, is due to test his right arm with some throwing by the end of the month, according to trainer Nick Kenney. ''We wanted to get him at least to the 20-week mark to allow everything to set in,'' Kenney said. ''He's right on schedule.'' UP NEXT The Royals send RHP Brad Keller (4-9, 4.47 ERA) against the Tigers on Saturday night. The Tigers' starter is LHP Matthew Boyd (6-6, 3.87), who ranks third in the American League, averaging nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings. --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


A look at what you need when disaster strikes. The items the pros say you need in your emergency kit Been meaning to put that emergency kit together, but just haven't had the time? The Los Angeles Times' Jeanette Marantos talked to Helen Chavez, assistant director with the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, about what you need for the times when disaster strikes. See what she and other experts suggest. Let there be light Power sources are one of the first things to go, and they can often stay gone for weeks at a time. Chavez recommends a pack of glow sticks and simple flashlights, which are easy to carry and store. Let there be light Chavez also recommends a pack of glow sticks is handy to have around in case of disaster. Just whistle It's vital to make yourself heard, even under rubble. "You can grow hoarse from shouting in a matter of minutes," Chavez said. Whistles are cheap noisemakers, small and easy to carry and you can find them at most hardware stores. AM-FM radios Once the power goes out, radio waves may be your only connection with the outside world. Any battery-powered AM-FM radio is crucial during an emergency, but many models now include solar panels and hand cranks to power their rechargeable batteries. Power packs Cellphones and pads are great survival tools, because you can download all kinds of useful information and use it for reference in times of need. But those devices are useless once they run out of power. Power packs can provide multiple charges to prolong the life of your devices, until you find a place to recharge. Wrap them in foil Foil blankets, also known as space blankets, are inexpensive, lightweight and fold up to almost nothing, but they can keep you warm when you're forced to shelter outside. Batteries If there's no electricity, you're going to need batteries for things such as fans, lanterns, radios and smoke alarms. Bleach Bacteria, viruses and other pathogens can contaminate your water supply. In emergencies domestic chlorine bleach may be used to purify water. Just make sure you've learned how to use it properly. Can opener You can always use a knife in a pinch, but a manual (hand-crank) can opener will save you some time. Clothing Make sure you have the right clothing to be outside. Layers are important for winter months, rain coats and ponchos protect you from inclement weather, and hiking boots or work boots are good for rough terrain. Copies of important documents You don't want to lose your identity, so make copies of your license, passport, birth certificate, Social Security card, etc. And while you're at it, put those documents in zip-top bags so they don't get destroyed by the elements. Deck of cards Who needs a computer to play Solitaire? You can play the old-fashioned way. Or you can get some friends to join you for a few rounds of poker. Duct tape Duct tape seems to be the answer to all of life's problems. OK, maybe not all of life's problems. But it comes in handy for a lot of sticky situations. First-Aid kit Whatever happens on doomsday, having a First-Aid kit couldn't hurt. The American Red Cross website has great information on what you should keep a well-stocked kit. You may want to double or triple up when preparing for the end of the world. Fire starters Unless you know how to start a fire from scratch, which isn't a bad skill to have, stock up on lighters and matches. And work on your match skills. Don't waste a few because you can't light one on the first strike. Hygiene kit Of course, you'll want all the items you use regularly: soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. As long as you can get clean occasionally and wash your hands before eating and after touching anything gross, you should be fine.


Isaac Asiata had one of those tenures as a Bills player that will go down in Bills lore as an interesting one. Sure there's precedent, Anquan Boldin left the Bills pretty abruptly and Vontae Davis even quicker. Asiata was a bit of a different case that you have to respect. He released a statement where he was blunt and honest. The 26-year-old lineman said mental stresses of football caught up to him and at a young age, he wanted to hang em' up. "My heart was no longer 100% into this," Asiata wrote. He was only with the team about a week, signing just before the start of training camp. But you've got to love what he said about the Bills as well. Following his retirement, Asiata tipped his cap to the team's fans. He was impressed by Bills Mafia and the former Dolphins' draft pick admitted he always wanted to be part of it. Here's a screenshot of a post Asiata wrote on his Instagram page last week via The Bills Wire's Bradley Gelber : MORE: Antonio Brown's foot issues look absolutely gruesome 2020 aggregate mock draft 1.0: Here are the top NBA prospects to know How Andre Iguodala could still be attainable for Houston Yankees Ready to Bury Red Sox's 2019 Season Former NFL team doctor weighs in on foot ailment of Raiders WR Antonio Brown


Lawyers for President Donald Trump have reached an agreement with the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees to hold off for now on enforcing the subpoenas for Trump's financial records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One, according to a court document and a source familiar with the agreement. Similar to a deal reached earlier this week with the House Oversight committee, the agreement allows for an expedited appeal schedule. "The parties have reached an agreement regarding compliance with and enforcement of the subpoenas during the pendency of Plaintiff's appeal," the court document filed Saturday reads. Earlier this week, Judge Edgardo Ramos in New York had refused to block the subpoenas , setting off a one-week clock for the Trump team to find a way to prevent extensive financial information from being released. The agreement blocks the subpoenas for now until an appeals court can weigh in.


Citywide Curious just how far your dollar goes in San Francisco? We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental sites Zumper and Apartment Guide to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to finding a rental in San Francisco if you've got a budget of $2,500/month. Read on for the listings. (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. 825 Post St. (Lower Nob Hill) Listed at $2,445/month, this studio apartment is located at 825 Post St. The apartment offers a dishwasher. The building features on-site laundry, an elevator and outdoor space. Good news for animal lovers: Both dogs and cats are welcome here. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental. Walk Score indicates that the surrounding area has excellent walkability, is convenient for biking and boasts excellent transit options. (Check out the complete listing here .) 1825 Pine St. (Western Addition) Next, there's this studio apartment located at 1825 Pine St. It's listed for $2,450/month. The building features secured entry and on-site laundry. You can also expect a walk-in closet, granite countertops, hardwood flooring and a dishwasher in the residence. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: This spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. Walk Score indicates that this location is a "walker's paradise," is convenient for biking and boasts excellent transit options. (See the complete listing here .) 77 Bluxome St. (SoMa) Next, check out this 219-square-foot studio apartment that's located at 77 Bluxome St. It's listed for $2,459/month. You can expect a dishwasher, hardwood flooring and a balcony in the unit. Amenities offered in the building include outdoor space and a roof deck. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. According to Walk Score's assessment, the surrounding area is a "walker's paradise," is easy to get around on a bicycle and has excellent transit. (Check out the complete listing here .) 631 O'Farrell St. (Tenderloin) Located at 631 O'Farrell St., here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that's listed for $2,495/month. In the apartment, expect to find carpeted floors and a walk-in closet. The building has on-site laundry, a fitness center and a roof deck. Canine companions are welcome. Be prepared for a $40 application fee. According to Walk Score, the area around this address is a "walker's paradise," is convenient for biking and boasts excellent transit options. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) 685 Geary St. (Tenderloin) Here's a 289-square-foot studio apartment at 685 Geary St. that's going for $2,495/month. Expect to see hardwood flooring and in-unit laundry in the residence. Animals are not welcome. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. According to Walk Score, the area around this address is extremely walkable, is convenient for biking and is a haven for transit riders. (See the full listing here .) Working with a tight budget? Here are the cheapest rentals recently listed in San Francisco . 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.


GREENSBORO, N.C.   One person is dead and another is seriously injured after a crash in Greensboro Wednesday morning. At about 6:20 a.m., officers responded to the crash on Lee's Chapel Road, between Southern Webbing Mill Road and Chapel Ridge Drive. Police say the vehicle ran off the road on Lee's Chapel, hitting a woman who was standing on the side of the road and a utility pole. The woman died, and the driver suffered serious injuries. Police closed the road to investigate. They have not yet released the names of those involved and are working to determine the cause of the crash. This comes just the day after the Greensboro City Council unanimously voted to launch the Vision Zero Greensboro Two-Year Action Plan , aimed at reducing deaths in crashes. "By implementing Vision Zero Greensboro, the City recognizes that traffic fatalities and serious injuries are largely preventable," said Mayor Nancy Vaughan. "The City recognizes that reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries will take time, effort, resources, and the community's help. Let's work together to make Greensboro safer!"     ©2019 WGHP-TV, Greensboro Visit WGHP-TV, Greensboro at www.myfox8.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


On a summer day, it's impossible to imagine the bloody mayhem that erupted along the tranquil Normandy coast early on June 6, 1944. But reminders of D-Day  Operation Overlord  are everywhere, from the crumbling concrete bunkers and gun emplacements of the Third Reich's vaunted Atlantic Wall to the graveyards of so many Allied soldiers. Most of the invasion force three U.S. divisions, two British, and one Canadian sailed from Portsmouth in England to land at a chain of beaches in France , now known as the Côte du Calvados, between Cherbourg and Le Havre . From these beachheads, designated Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, they were to fight their way inland through Normandy to Paris . ( See vintage photos that honor the resting place of D-Day's fallen heroes. ) Start halfway along the Côte du Calvados in the small town of Arromanches, which saw some of the fiercest fighting and is now home to two museums that give insight into the battle. The D-Day Museum in Arromanche stands next to the site of one of the floating Mulberry harbors that were key to the Allied breakout from the beachheads. Nearby, visitors get a glimpse into the infantryman's hell through the high-tech presentation at Arromanches 360 , which uses archive film shot by cinematographers who went ashore with the first waves of Allied troops. Travel six miles south to Ranville, where the Pegasus Memorial commemorates the British 6th Airborne Division, which made a daring predawn assault. The most successful operation on D-Day, the action gained the Allies crucial control of Pegasus Bridge and its sister bridge. Then continue 30 miles northeast to Bayeux, home to the famous Bayeux Tapestry and the first large town to be liberated by the Allies. It survived the war virtually unscathed. But to gain a true sense of the meaning of D-Day, visit the U.S. military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer . Almost all the soldiers who lie here were young men; very many were teenagers. None of them lived to drink champagne in a free Paris. When to go Each year, between late May and mid-June, the D-Day landing beaches host many events to remember the Allied soldiers who liberated France. See parachute drops in period attire, historical reenactments, and parades of bagpipers and military vehicles. How to go Renting a car is best to see the region. Several ferries also leave daily from Portsmouth to Cherbourg or Le Havre. Plan to sail to one French port and leave from the other. Many tours with well-informed guides are available, for days and half-days, in groups or for individuals. A version of this article originally appeared in the book Destinations of a Lifetime .


Here is a listing of golf-related programming on TV for this week. All times listed are ET and all schedules are subject to change. DOWNLOAD THE 2019 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP APP PGA SHOP: Check out all 2019 PGA Championship gear here RYDER CUP: Registration now open for 2020 Ryder Cup tickets TICKETS: Get your tickets for the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black Fairway Tales Podcast Fairway Tales is a PGA of America podcast committed to telling some of the most powerful stories surrounding girls and women in golf. We're here to highlight the best, brightest and most unique personalities in the game while showing that golf can be whatever we want it to be. Let these passion-filled and fun-driven narratives guide you, inspire you and entertain you! Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud PGA TOUR   WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Charlotte, N.C. Course: Quail Hollow Club. Yardage: 7,554. Par: 71. Purse: $7.9 million. Winner's share: $1,422,000. Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. (CBS Sports). Defending champion: Jason Day. FedEx Cup leader: Matt Kuchar. Last week: Ryan Palmer and Jon Rahm won the Zurich Classic. Notes: Tiger Woods chose not to play, meaning he will have a month off since his Masters victory until the PGA Championship in two weeks. ... Justin Rose (No. 2), Rory McIlroy (No. 4) and Rickie Fowler (No. 10) give Wells Fargo three of the top 10 players in the world ranking. ... McIlroy is a two-time winner, earning his first PGA Tour title in 2010. ... Justin Thomas, who won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in 2017, had to withdraw with a wrist injury. ... Quail Hollow will host the Presidents Cup in 2021. ... Latin American Amateur champion Alvaro Ortiz is playing on a sponsor's exemption. This will be the first time he plays a PGA Tour event with his brother, Carlos Ortiz. ... Phil Mickelson has played the tournament every year since 2004. Next week: AT&T Byron Nelson. Online: www.pgatour.com LPGA TOUR   LPGA MEDIHEAL CHAMPIONSHIP Site: Daly City, Calif. Course: Lake Merced GC. Yardage: 6,507. Par: 72. Purse: $1.8 million. Winner's share: $270,000. Television: Thursday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel). Defending champion: Lydia Ko. Race to CME Globe leader: Jin Young Ko. Last week: Minjee Lee won the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open Notes: Lee moved up to a No. 2 ranking with her victory in Los Angeles. ... Lee has had sub-70 rounds 43% of the time since her rookie year in 2015. ... Lydia Ko has won three times at Lake Merced. She won in 2014 and 2015 when it was the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, and last year. ... Lake Merced host the U.S. Junior Girls in 2012. Minjee Lee beat Ariya Jutanugarn in the semifinals and Alison Lee in the championship match. Alison Lee defeated Ko in the semifinals. All four players are in the field this week. ... Morgan Pressel tied for third last week, her best finish since she was a runner-up in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in 2016. ... Jin Young Ko, who is taking the week off, leads the LPGA Tour in scoring average, birdies and greens in regulation. ... Lake Merced is part of a group of golf courses within a bike ride of each other that includes Olympic Club, Harding Park and San Francisco Golf Club. Next tournament: Pure Silk Championship on May 23-26. Online: www.lpga.com PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS   INSPERITY INVITATIONAL Site: The Woodlands, Texas. Course: The Woodlands CC. Yardage: 7,018. Par: 72. Purse: $2.2 million. Winner's share: $330,000. Television: Friday, noon to 2 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel). Defending champion: Bernhard Langer. Charles Schwab Cup leader: Scott McCarron. Last week: Scott Hoch and Tom Pernice Jr. won the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. Notes: Scott Hoch at 63 gets credit as the oldest player to win a PGA Tour Champions event. ... Hoch earned $171,000, his largest paycheck since he was a runner-up in the 2004 Houston Open. ... Tom Watson and Tom Kite are among eight World Golf Hall of Fame members in the field. ... Bernhard Langer won the Insperity Invitational last year to become only the fourth player to win the same Champions tournament four times or more. ... Kirk Triplett is No. 2 in the Schwab Cup standings after his victory in the Hoag Classic and runner-up finish last week in the Legends of Golf. ... Jeff Maggert has been runner-up twice at The Woodlands, his hometown event. Next week: Regions Tradition. Online: www.pgatour.com/champions EUROPEAN TOUR AND ASIAN TOUR   VOLVO CHINA OPEN Site: Shenzhen, China. Course: Genzon GC. Yardage: 7,145. Par: 72. Purse: 20 million yuan. Winner's share: 3.33 million yuan. Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., 2:30-5:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. (Golf Channel). Defending champion: Alexander Bjork. Race to Dubai leader: Kevin Kisner. Last week: Jorge Campillo won the Trophee Hassan II. Notes: The tournament began in 1995 and has been part of the European Tour schedule since 2005. ... Four Chinese players have won their national Open   Jun Cheng, Wu Ashun, Li Haotong and Zhang Lian-wei. ... Alexander Levy won in 2014, the last time the China Open was held at Genzon Golf Club. ... The winner of the China Open receives a yellow jacket. ... Li at No. 39 is the only player from the top 50 in the field. ... Past champions include Paul Casey (2006), former PGA champion Y.E. Yang (2010) and Branden Grace (2012). ... Starting next week, the European Tour will be in Europe (except for the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and a World Golf Championship) until November when the Race to Dubai heads for a conclusion. ... Jorge Campillo moved to No. 6 in the Race to Dubai with his victory last week in Morocco. Next week: British Masters. Online: www.europeantour.com and www.asiantour.com WEB.COM TOUR   NASHVILLE GOLF OPEN Site: Nashville, Tenn. Course: Nashville Golf & Athletic Club. Yardage: 7,563. Par: 72. Purse: $550,000. Winner's share: $99,000. Television: None. Defending champion: Cameron Davis. Points leader: Xingjun Zhang. Last week: Xinjun Zhang won the Dormie Network Classic at Briggs Ranch. Next week: KC Golf Classic. Online: www.pgatour.com/webcom