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Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier is leaving President Trump's American Manufacturing Council, saying, "I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism." The resignation came after Trump was criticized for his response to the violence at white supremacist events in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend. The president, famous for his ability to be direct and forceful, was faulted for condemning violence "on many sides." Within an hour of Merck announcing Frazier's withdrawal, Trump retorted on Twitter, "Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned ... he will have more time to lower ripoff drug prices!" In a statement on his resignation, Frazier said, "America's leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal." Frazier, who is African-American, said he was acting as both the CEO of Merck and "as a matter of personal conscience." The rift did not seem to harm Merck's stock: The drug company's shares rose by nearly a full percentage point in the first hour of trading, to nearly $63. Members of his own party have called on Trump to condemn Saturday's killing of a woman who had been protesting white supremacists as an act of domestic terrorism. The White House later stated that Trump was including "white supremacists, KKK Neo-Nazi and all extremist groups" in his remarks about the violence. Frazier's departure is the latest high-profile exit from a White House advisory council since Trump took office in January. After Trump announced in June that the U.S. would be leaving the Paris climate accord, both Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Disney CEO Bob Iger left his business advisory council. Months earlier, in February, Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick left the same panel during the fallout from Trump's executive order that banned immigrants from seven Muslim countries. "The executive order is hurting many people in communities all across America," Kalanick said at the time.

There was a time when Chenai Mathabire read Vogue, watched beauty pageants on TV and fantasized about being a supermodel. Today she helps the sick and injured as a nurse and epidemiologist. Last month, the 35-year-old Zimbabwean received an International AIDS Society prize for showing that a faster tuberculosis test could be implemented at health centers in southeast Africa. Her work will help save the lives of HIV-positive patients who contract TB. "Nursing is often looked down upon and people just think you are there to be the maid of the doctor or do the dirty work. But teachers made me realize that nurses have a big role to play," says Mathabire. In Zimbabwe's bustling capital, Harare, Mathabire earned high enough points in her studies to pursue a degree in physiotherapy, occupational therapy or nursing at university. She chose to become a nurse — the first nurse in her family. In 2008, she was between jobs and Zimbabwe was facing economic problems. Mathabire decided to apply for a job at Doctors Without Borders. The work took her into some of Africa's grimmest situations. She helped diagnose malnourished children with HIV, tuberculosis, pneumonia and malaria in Zimbabwe. Then she supervised workers who were teaching HIV-positive pregnant women how to protect their children from the virus. After that, she worked in a mobile hospital in South Sudan, treating gunshot wounds during a tribal war. In 2015, she was recruited for her first research assignment at Doctors Without Borders, work that would eventually earn her an International AIDS Society prize. She knew that TB was the No. 1 killer of HIV-positive patients from her previous work, but she didn't know about the rapid tuberculosis test until she read the study's protocol. She was eager to get started on the project. For two years, Mathabire and a team explored how easily health clinics and hospitals in the Chiradzulu District of Malawi and the Chamanculo District of Mozambique could implement the tuberculosis test for HIV patients, who are more susceptible to the infection. In Malawi and Mozambique, HIV is the leading cause of death. It is often spread through unprotected sex, and it has wiped out 27 percent of Malawi's and 24 percent of Mozambique's populations according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Finding out whether an HIV-positive person has tuberculosis is a matter of life and death. Mathabire remembers a Malawi man in his early 30s who left a clinic untreated. The rapid test, which analyzes a molecule in the patient's urine with a paper strip, had shown that he had TB. A coughing test didn't. But doctors weren't referring patients for the rapid test in their assessment of the man. It hadn't yet been approved by the Ministry of Health which was awaiting the World Health Organization's policy guidance. The man died before he could go back to get help. His story wasn't unique, Mathabire says. "It's very sad but then you realize why you are doing the study — to prevent this from happening," she says. "You start to realize the urgency of what you are doing." Under normal circumstances, patients are given cough tests or chest X-rays to test for TB. Mathabire's team found that it takes an average of two to four days for results, but the wait could drag on for months. Though the government of Malawi pays for certain medical care, including tuberculosis treatment, patients might not have the money to pay for a bus ride to the hospital or clinic for follow-up visits. And more remote clinics don't always have the resources to transport samples to hospitals. With the rapid TB test, sick patients could begin treatment the same day. Mathabire's data showed that the test provided results in less than an hour. Staff in Malawi and Mozambique could be trained to administer the test in just a few hours. And doctors, nurses and clinical officers said it was easy to interpret the bands on the test strips. Mathabire also found that patients weren't skeptical of a new method. They really wanted to take the high-tech test. Mainly peasant farmers, they took the words of the health workers seriously. "Everybody basically knew somebody that had died of HIV [and opportunistic infections] in a terrible way," she says. It was like that in Zimbabwe too. The team's findings, published by Doctors Without Borders this year, has led some of the health centers where the aid group works to embrace rapid TB testing. It could pave the way for more facilities to incorporate the test it into their health systems, meaning faster care for the sickest of HIV patients. In a statement, International AIDS Society president Linda-Gail Bekker said that Mathabire's research will "support the next generation of investigators whose work can help to change the course of this epidemic." Mathabire still works for Doctors Without Borders and is considering conducting more research on HIV and tuberculosis. But her award-winning research isn't the only major event of her summer. She moved to Falun, central Sweden, to marry an infectious disease specialist whom she worked with in Zimbabwe. True to her early love of fashion, she's sewing her own wedding dress, with glass beads, silk and lace. Sasha Ingber is a multimedia journalist who has covered science, culture and foreign affairs for such publications as National Geographic, The Washington Post Magazine and Smithsonian. You can contact her @SashaIngber.

Gunmen stormed an upscale cafe overnight in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, strafing the building with bullets and barricading themselves inside for hours. By the time security forces reclaimed the restaurant around dawn Monday, at least 18 people had been killed and eight others wounded, according to local authorities. The West African nation's communications minister, Remis Dandjinou, told reporters Monday that by daybreak, two of the attackers had been killed and several foreign nationals were among the dead. In separate statements, officials in Paris and Ankara confirmed the victims include a French citizen and Turkish citizen, while another Turk was injured in the violence. While Burkinabe officials blamed Islamist militants for the attack on the Turkish cafe, no one group immediately claimed responsibility. "I salute the bravery of our security and defense forces whose engagement allowed us to neutralize the terrorists," Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said in a statement, as translated by CNN. "The struggle against terrorism is a lengthy fight," he added. "That is why I am calling for vigilance, solidarity and unity of the whole nation to face up to the cowardice of our enemies." In a news conference Monday, Dandjinou detailed the night's bloody events, which opened when he says about three to four militants rolled up to the cafe on motorcycles around 9 p.m. local time. They opened fire on an outside seating area outside then moved indoors, where The New York Times notes a family had been celebrating a 9-year-old boy's birthday. The newspaper reports the boy was hospitalized with injuries from the attack. For Burkinabes, the attack on Aziz Istanbul cafe, which is popular with foreigners, prompts bitter memories of another bloody episode just over 18 months ago. In January last year, militants conducted an hours-long raid on a luxury hotel and a cafe just blocks away from Aziz Istanbul, ultimately killing some 30 people before being dislodged by security forces. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a militant group based in the region, claimed responsibility for that attack — as well as another deadly assault just months before in neighboring Mali. Islamist groups have been active for years in the Sahel region, which includes Mali and Burkina Faso. As groups linked to al-Qaida have carried out attacks in the area, the Times points out that the United Nations peacekeeping mission to Mali "has become one of the most dangerous in the world." The French government — which controlled Burkina Faso, then called Upper Volta, as a colony until 1960 — says President Emmanuel Macron met with Kabore on Monday to discuss the circumstances of the latest attack. The pair of leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the formation of an international security force in the Sahel region to "continue the fight against terrorist groups."

Fruitcake is known to stay fresh for an inordinate amount of time. But Antarctic conservators say they recently came upon a specimen that tests the limits of the treat: a 106-year-old cake, found in one of Antarctica's first buildings. This particular cake is believed to have been brought over in 1910 during the Terra Nova expedition of Robert Falcon Scott. According to the Antarctic Heritage Trust, "it has been documented that Scott took this particular brand of cake with him at that time." The Huntley & Palmers fruitcake was wrapped in paper and housed in a tin-plated iron alloy tin, which is showing signs of deterioration. However, the cake itself is "well-preserved," the conservators say. "There was a very, very slight rancid butter smell to it, but other than that, the cake looked and smelled edible!" the Trust's Programme Manager-Artefacts Lizzie Meek said in a statement. "There is no doubt that the extreme cold in Antarctica has assisted its preservation." The century-old dessert was found with nearly 1,500 other artifacts from two huts at Cape Adare. According to the Trust, the first buildings on the continent "were built by Norwegian Carsten Borchgrevink's expedition in 1899 and later used by Captain Scott's party in 1911." Meek says the team members were finishing up their work collecting objects when they were surprised to find the old dessert. She adds that even present day explorers love a good fruitcake: "It's an ideal high-energy food for Antarctic conditions, and is still a favorite item on modern day trips to the ice." The cake's sheer density probably helps. As NPR's Maria Godoy has reported, people doing outdoor work in the Antarctic need about 5,000 calories a day — and more like 6,500 if you're involved in manhauling, which is "pulling sleds across the ice and snow with their bodies." Maria writes that there's one clear lesson that Antarctic explorers have learned over the years: "When life is stripped down to man versus the most brutal elements, bring plenty of snacks." This is something Scott's team knew — in fact, Maria says that "his party conducted a study that suggested a high-carb, high-fat diet to be optimal for the harsh climes." But tragically, explorers on Antarctic expeditions were often hungry. Scott himself starved to death while on the return journey from the South Pole. The objects recovered from Cape Adare — including a watercolor painting of a Tree Creeper bird by scientist Edward Wilson — are undergoing conservation treatment and will be returned there, because the huts are deemed an Antarctic Specially Protected Area. That will happen after restoration work is finished on the buildings themselves.

Wild bees, such as bumblebees, don't get as much love as honeybees, but they should. They play just as crucial a role in pollinating many fruits, vegetables, and wildflowers, and compared to managed colonies of honeybees, they're in much greater jeopardy. A group of scientists in the United Kingdom decided to look at how bumblebee queens are affected by some widely used and highly controversial pesticides known as neonicotinoids. What they found isn't pretty. Neonics, as they're often called, are applied as a coating on the seeds of some of the most widely grown crops in the country, including corn, soybeans, and canola. These pesticides are "systemic" — they move throughout the growing plants. Traces of them end up in pollen, which bees consume. Neonicotinoid residues also have been found in the pollen of wildflowers growing near fields and in nearby streams. The scientists, based at Royal Holloway University of London, set up a laboratory experiment with bumblebee queens. They fed those queens a syrup containing traces of a neonicotinoid pesticide called thiamethoxam, and the amount of the pesticide, they say, was similar to what bees living near fields of neonic-treated canola might be exposed to. Bumblebee queens exposed to the pesticide were 26 percent less likely to lay eggs, compared to queens that weren't exposed to the pesticide. The team published their findings in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. "Without the queen laying eggs, there is no colony," says Nigel Raine, one of the scientists who conducted the experiment. Raine helped start the experiment, but has since moved to the University of Guelph in Canada. According to Raine and his colleagues, the reduction in reproduction is so large that wild bumblebee populations exposed to these chemicals could enter a spiral of decline and eventually die out. "To me, based on the data we have, it seems like quite a big impact," Raine says. But he says scientists don't know how harmful the pesticide exposure is in the wild, compared to other perils the bees face, such as disappearing wildflowers that bees rely on for food. "I don't think we have a really good handle on how important, say, nutrition limitation is — if they can't find the right flowers. Or parasite loads. I'd say [neonic exposure] is important and significant, but other factors may be important and significant, too," he says. The results are likely to strengthen calls for further restrictions on use of the pesticides. The European Union imposed a temporary moratorium on use of neonicotinoid pesticides on many crops in 2013, and is now considering proposals to make that moratorium permanent. Pesticide companies and some farmers are fighting those restrictions. They argue that the moratorium has led to lower yields of canola and an increase in spraying of other pesticides to fight insects that previously were controlled by neonicotinoid coatings on seeds.

If you just celebrated Easter, you might have some stale marshmallow Peeps lying around the house. And if you want to avoid eating those Peeps, they are the perfect material for a science experiment you can do in your own kitchen. With the help of a ruler and a microwave, you can use leftover Peeps to calculate one of the constants of the universe — the speed of light. It might sound crazy, but all will be revealed in this video from NPR's science YouTube channel, Skunk Bear. As a bonus, you'll also get to see animated Peeps illustrate the history of the search for the speed of light going back to Galileo.

"How do you reconcile public safety and the First Amendment?" That's the question Charlottesville, Va., Mayor Mike Signer asked in an interview on Sunday. And it's a question city and state governments are likely grappling with after the weekend's violence in Charlottesville. Around the country, white nationalists and other groups have protested efforts to remove statues and other symbols of the Confederacy. As counter-demonstrators arrive to protest the white nationalists, the resulting scenes are often tense and brimming with the potential for violence. State and local officials prepared for Saturday's protests in Charlottesville, which were known about for months. But in the wake of fierce brawling in the streets of the usually quiet college town, and then a driver plowing his car into a crowd of pedestrians, killing one and injuring 19, many are asking what Charlottesville authorities could have done differently—and what could be done to prevent such violence in the future. City Permitting and Free Speech Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told NPR's Morning Edition that local authorities had done what they could to head off the fighting that erupted, but that they were foiled by a federal judge's decision to allow the Unite The Right rally to go on in Charlottesville's Emancipation Park. Charlottesville tried to revoke the permit it had issued for the rally to be held in Emancipation Park, in order to move the protestors about a mile away to McIntire Park, which offered more open space. "That was the place it should have been. We were unfortunately sued by the ACLU and the judge ruled against us," McAuliffe said. "That rally should not have been in the middle of downtown ... where [people] dispersed all over the city streets, and it became a powder keg. We've got to look at these permits, and we've got to look at where we put these rallies and protesters." The ACLU responded that the injunction was the city's fault because it mounted a weak legal case. "The Governor's anger about what happened is understandable," ACLU Virginia Executive Director Claire Guthrie Hastings said in a statement to NPR. "We are angry, too. The situation that occurred was preventable, and our lawsuit challenging the City to act constitutionally did not cause it. ... All we did was ask the City to live up to the requirements of the Constitution. That it failed to do so is on the City, not us." Charlottesville Police Tactics Scrutinized Also under scrutiny was the action – or inaction – of the Charlottesville police. McAuliffe told Morning Edition that the police did "a magnificent job," and said the potential for violence had been high. "They had to be very careful," the governor said. "We had been planning for this for a while. We had to show tremendous restraint because ... these people all came armed. I've never seen so many weapons. These people were wearing better gear than my own state police were wearing. They had body armor, helmets. I mean people were walking around with semi-automatic rifles through the streets." "[If] one person fired one shot, it would have been a melee, and I would be talking to you today with a lot of body bags. None of that happened." "Think of this," McAuliffe said. "Not one window was shattered, not one ounce of property damage, not one shot fired, and not one person went to the hospital, except for the 19 who were hit by a car terrorist. Which, you can't, you know – there's no preparation's that's gonna prepare for some nut, some murderer, who's going to turn his car into a weapon and run through a crowd." But both protesters and counter-protesters criticized the police response. "There was no police presence," Brittany Caine-Conley, a minister in training who locked arms with other clergy members in counter-protest, told The New York Times. "We were watching people punch each other; people were bleeding all the while police were inside of barricades at the park, watching. It was essentially just brawling on the street and community members trying to protect each other." Princeton professor and activist Cornel West, who was also at the protest, told The Washington Post "the police didn't do anything in terms of protecting the people of the community, the clergy." The Unite The Right rally's organizer, Jason Kessler, was also critical. "Charlottesville refused to honor permit as ordered by a federal judge. CPD didn't even show up until 1.5 hrs into the permit," he tweeted. "Inside the park was peaceful. Outbreaks of violence occurred where police refused to separate or even pushed the feuding groups together." White nationalist Richard Spencer, another organizer, said the police had failed to protect the people who had gathered for the rally. "We came here as a demonstration of our movement," Spencer told the Post. "And we were effectively thrown to the wolves." The ACLU's Hastings also criticized the policing on Saturday, which she said "was not designed to be ... effective in preventing violence." "I was there and brought concerns directly to the Secretary of Public Safety and the head of the State Police," said Hastings. "They did not respond. In fact, law enforcement was standing passively by, waiting for violence to take place, so that they would have grounds to declare an emergency, declare an 'unlawful assembly' and clear the area." Charles Ramsey, who formerly headed the police in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., told the Post that demonstrators and counter-demonstrators "need to be in sight and sound of each other, but somebody has to be in between .... That's usually the police." "The whole point is to have overwhelming force so that people don't get the idea they can do these kinds of things and get away with it," he said. An NPR request for comment from the Charlottesville Police Department was not returned. Lt. Joseph Hatter, a commander with the Charlottesville police, told the Post that officers tried to create separate areas. "It didn't work, did it?" he admitted. "I think there was a plan to have them separated. They didn't want to be separated." He told the newspaper that he doesn't know that police waited to react to the violence. "I think we did the best we could under the circumstances." Public Assembly and Public Space Questions about how governments manage protests are likely to continue, and to be argued in court. On Friday, a federal judge granted a temporary injunction, ruling that the city could not revoke the permit it had issued to Kessler to hold the demonstration in Emancipation Park. In his opinion, Judge Glen Conrad said Kessler was likely to prevail on his claim that Charlottesville's decision to revoke his permit was content-based. "Kessler's assertion in this regard is supported by the fact that the City solely revoked his permit, but left in place the permits issued to counter-protestors," Conrad wrote. "The disparity in treatment between the two groups with opposing views suggests that the defendants' decision to revoke Kessler's permit was based on the content of his speech rather than other neutral factors that would be equally applicable to Kessler and those protesting against him. This conclusion is bolstered by other evidence, including communications on social media indicating that members of City Council oppose Kessler's political viewpoint." The judge wrote further that though the city maintained its decision to revoke Kessler's permit was due to the number of people likely to attend his demonstration, "their concerns in this regard are purely speculative." He added, "there is no evidence to support the notion that many thousands of individuals are likely to attend the demonstration." Following the events in Charlottesville, those worried about potential violence have fresh evidence. Public protests can become especially complicated when people are carrying guns and dressed in full camouflage, as some did this weekend in Charlottesville. McAuliffe argues officials need help from the courts if governments are to maintain public safety while allowing people to exercise their First Amendment rights. "We've got to get a better understanding with these judges to understand our job is to keep our community safe," he said. "The judiciary needs to do a better job of working with us." And the ACLU's Hastings says that whatever strategies authorities use, they need to be lawful and in keeping with the Constitution: "It is my firm hope and desire that the Governor and other local officials will learn from this past weekend how constitutionally to prevent events like the horror we saw in Charlottesville."

From Texas Standard: As the legislative session heads into its final six weeks, lawmakers have a lot left to do. They face the task of reconciling budgets passed by the House and Senate into a single document. They must act on the governor’s emergency agenda items. And they’ll need to decide the fate of the more than 6,000 bills filed during the session. Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey says conflicts between House and Senate Republicans that have been brewing all session will continue to play out as the two bodies work to produce a final budget for the state. “We’re at the greatest difference right now,” Ramsey says. “This is a pretty normal state of affairs. They rattle their swords a bunch, and then five members from each body go into a room and go line by line through the budget and reconcile their differences. So they’re making a lot of noises right now. They have plenty of time to fix it. They do have some really significant differences to close though.“ Among the most high-profile fights this session has been the so-called ‘bathroom bill’ which would require people to use the bathroom associated with the gender on their birth certificate in selected public places. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is the bill’s staunchest advocate, and House Speaker Joe Straus is against it. The fight, Ramsey says, is partly about how conservative voters and business backers of the party differ no the bill. “The Republicans in the Legislature are in a little bit of a box,” Ramsey says. “It looks like their voters are mostly for the bathroom bill. But if you poll businesses that have been supporters of conservatives, they’re against this bill. They think it’s discriminatory.” But Republicans disagree about more than the bathroom bill, and that conflict is reflected in the makeup of each legislative chamber, Ramsey says. “A long time ago we had a two-party state and both parties were Democrats,” he says. “And now we’ve got a two-party state where both parties are Republicans. The House is sort of the traditional, mainstream Republican party...The Senate is dominated more by movement conservatives, social conservatives and populists. And the two leaders of those bodies, Joe Straus in the House and Dan Patrick in the Senate, kind of embody those different Republican parties.” Ramsey says there’s also a difference in the way the chambers move through their work. “The Senate tends to work more quickly, in a more populist way,” he says. “The House tends to be the place where things slow down, and get a slow consideration and maybe pass and maybe die. “ Of course, there is another party represented in the Legislature. Ramsey says Democrats have had limited success in advocating for their priorities. “The Democrats have a bigger voice in the House,” Ramsey says. “They have bigger numbers. They’re more likely to vote against things and rattle around and make people come to them to make deals.” A few measures have attracted bipartisan support, Ramsey says, and two are priorities for the governor as well. One of these is anti-sanctuary city legislation, which Ramsey thinks will be approved by both houses. Fixes to the state’s child protective services system are also on the governor's emergency agenda, and Ramsey expects the chambers to pass legislation. “It looks like the members of both houses from both parties agree that child protective services in Texas is messed up, and needs some help, and needs some money,” he says. “And I think they’ve done both of those things. They’ve got some legislation moving. They’re throwing a bunch of money at it.” Written by Shelly Brisbin.

A day after he declared a narrow victory in a referendum vote that radically expands presidential powers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is criticizing elections observers and their concerns about the fairness of the vote. Decrying a "crusader mentality," Erdogan told a crowd of his supporters that the international monitors should "know their place," according to Reuters. Erdogan added that Turkey did not "see, hear or acknowledge" the reports of irregularities from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Preliminary returns say the presidential proposal passed by just 51 percent of the vote. The European monitor released preliminary findings about Sunday's poll, saying the vote "took place on an unlevel playing field and the two sides of the campaign did not have equal opportunities." Its report states that "while the technical aspects of the referendum were well administered and referendum day proceeded in an orderly manner, late changes in counting procedures removed an important safeguard and were contested by the opposition." The OSCE also said the vote did not meet standards set by the Council of Europe. Allegations of vote rigging are uncommon in Turkey, Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy tells NPR. "We don't know whether the amount of vote fraud was significant enough to change the outcome — or more than 1 percent — but definitely something happened." But in a country that is deeply divided, "where it's almost half and half for and against Erdogan, if you even have allegations of voter fraud, whether or not it happened, his legitimacy will be completely and constantly questioned by that half that does not vote for him." That could present problems for Erdogan in the future, Cagaptay says. Acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said U.S. officials have noted the OSCE's concerns, according to Reuters. "We look forward to OSCE/ODIHR's final report, which we understand will take several weeks." Considering how tilted critics called the campaign, NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul says many were surprised at how close the vote was. "It's close enough that the opposition says it's going to challenge alleged irregularities," he says. "It might be an uphill fight. It could be days or longer before we know the final results." The new framework expands Erdogan's powers and means he could potentially stay in office until 2029. As Peter explains: "Power would be more concentrated under the presidency. "If the referendum is approved by majority vote, the office of prime minister would be abolished after the next elections, scheduled for 2019. Another body, the Council of Ministers, would also go, and all executive and administrative authority would be transferred to the president's office. ... "The change would increase Erdogan's influence over who runs for Parliament. "Cabinet ministers would no longer have to be members of Parliament, and the Parliament would not have power over Cabinet appointments — ministers would be appointed directly by the president." People who voted "Yes" say concentrating power in the hands of the presidency will make the country more stable, while critics say it will fundamentally undercut Turkey's democracy. Cagaptay says Erdogan "has become the most powerful person in the country's history in at least a century."

Before making revisions Animal Care Services' strategic plan, the City is gathering public input on how to handle San Antonio's stray pet and animal population. There are also suggested changes to the Chapter 5 animal ordinance, which include a ban on tethering animals overnight and a limit to how many animals an individual can legally own. Citizens can share feedback through a series of public meetings, which began in February and will continue until mid-May. Proposals for ordinance changes will be submitted to City Council later this year. The next public meeting is scheduled tonight at Miller’s Pond Community Center from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more dates and an online version of the survey, click here. Guests: Officer Shannon Sims, assistant director of the City of San Antonio's Animal Care Services department Lisa Norwood, public relations and outreach manager at the City of San Antonio's Animal Care Services department *Audio for this segment will be available by 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18

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Agencies, New Delhi State Bank of India, the top public sector lender, along with other PSU lenders — Punjab National Bank and Union Bank — today cut their benchmark lending rates by up to 90 basis points, which is expected to boost credit demand and growth. The rate slash comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon banks to lend more to the poor and middle class. The SBI cut down its one-year marginal cost of funds lending rate (MCLR) by 0.9 percent from 8.90 percent to 8 percent for one-year tenure, while the PNB has cut its MCLR by 0.7 percent to 8.45 percent from 9.15 percent. The Union Bank of India reduced its rate by 0.65-0.9 percent to 8.65 percent. With the banks possessing huge liquidity by way of massive deposits following the demonetisation, the Government had been urging banks to pass to cut lending rate to benefit the borrowers. Welcoming the Banks’ decision, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said in a tweet, “Welcome reduction of interest rates by SBI. Loan disbursement expected to pick up. Positive for economy.’’ “Trend of Interest rate reduction follows demonetisation. Banks have substantial quantum of low cost Funds now,’’ Mr Das in another tweet.

Agencies, Lucknow Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, facing a ‘political coup” by his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has rushed to Delhi to meet the Election Commission (EC) for derailing the efforts of Akhilesh to get the cycle election symbol. Mulayam Singh Yadav, accompanied by his younger brother Shivpal Yadav and friend Amar Singh, have reached Delhi to meet Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi at 1400 hrs. Before leaving for New Delhi, Mulayam ruled out his health woes. “You see, I am fit” The SP chief further claimed that the party’s election symbol was his signature, hence there is no question of anyone getting it by holding an illegal meeting and toppling. “I have made this party with strong dedication and hard work, but now some people are trying to throw me out. “Media ne hamesha mera sath diya hai, maine koi bhrashtachar ya galat kaam nahi kiya. Ilzaam laga bhi toh SC ne mujhe bari kiya hai (Media has always supported me. I have never done any corruption or wrong thing. Once an allegation was made against me, but the Supreme Court had given me a clean chit),” he said. Earlier, Mulayam had also cancelled his proposed national convention here on January 5, after his son and UP CM put all spanners not to give permission to hold any meeting at the government venue. The meeting was slated to be held at the Janeshwar Mishra Park, where a meeting was held yesterday to declare Akhilesh as the party’s national president, removing Mulayam. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was ousted by Akhilesh as the state party chief, today informed the media that the January 5 meet has been cancelled. However, he did not give any concrete reason for the cancellation. The January 5 was called after Akhilesh was declared the SP’s national president, in place of Mulayam. There were also reports that the state government had refused to give permission to hold a meeting at the Janeshwar Mishra Park. It seems that the rift is still not bridged as last night, even after Mulayam complained of high blood pressure, Akhilesh who stays at the adjoining bungalow, did not rush to see his father. Akhilesh said, “Sometimes to protect the ones you love, you must make the right decision.What I did was a tough decision, but 1 had to take it for the betterment of the party and the party supporters”.

Agencies, Lucknow Termed as a novice in politics Akhilesh Yadav today was donned as the new president of Samajwadi Party replacing his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akhilesh Yadav, became youngest CM on March 15, 2012 at the age of 38 when he led the Samajwadi Party to power in the state after winning with majority seats. He played an important role in his party’s campaign for the 2012 UP assembly elections. In his 16 year political career, Akhilesh has become the youth icon of the state and his governance has given a new era of development in UP during the past five years. Mr Yadav was born on 1 July, 1973 in Saifai village in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, is a four time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh Yadav founded the Samajwadi Party in 1992 of which he was also a member. Today Akhilesh was declared as the national president of SP in a parallel national convention against his father. Mr Yadav completed his schooling at Dholpur Military School in Rajasthan. Thereafter, he completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree course in Civil Environmental Engineering from Mysore University. He also studied in the University of Sydney, from where he holds a degree in Environmental Engineering. Mr Yadav married Dimple Yadav on November 24, 1999 and the couple have two daughters, Aditi and Tina, and a son, Arjun. Akhilesh has keen interest in sports such as football and cricket. His favourite pastimes include reading, listening to music and watching films. Mr Yadav was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha for the first time from Kannauj in 2000. From year 2000 to 2001, he served as a member of the Committee on Ethics. From year 2002 to 2004, he was a member of the Committee on Environment and Forests and also of the Committee on Science and Technologies. In 2004, he was re-elected as a member of the 14th Lok Sabha for a second term. From 2004 to 2009, he was members of Committee on Urban Development, Committee on Estimates, Committee on Provision of Computers to various departments. In 2009, he became member of the 15th Lok Sabha; he got re-elected for a third consecutive term. From 2009 to 2012, he served as member of the Committee on Environment & Forests, Committee on Science & Technology and the JPC on the 2G spectrum scam. On 10 March 2012, Akhilesh Yadav was appointed the leader of the Samajwadi Legislative Party in Uttar Pradesh. On 15 March 2012, at the age of 38 years, he became the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. On 2 May 2012, he resigned as member of the 15th Lok Sabha to become Member of Legislative Council in Uttar Pradesh. Though Akhilesh has been elected as the national president but it has to be seen whether his father Mulayam accepts it or not.

Agencies, Balasore India today test fired the most advanced long range missile system “Agni-4” from a Road Mobile System from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The missile, having a target range of 4000 kms and considered as one of its kind with many new technologies having capability to carry Strategic Warheads for the Forces, was test fired at 11:50 hours from the launch complex 4 of the Abdul Kalam island inside the Bay of Bengal. Defence sources said the Missile System is equipped with modern and compact Avionics with Redundancy to provide high level of reliability. The indigenous Ring Laser Gyros based high accuracy INS (RINS) and Micro Navigation System (MINGS) complementing each other in redundant mode have been successfully flown in guidance mode. All the Radars and electro-optical systems along the Coast of Odisha have tracked and monitored all the parameters of the vehicle.

Agencies, New Delhi The oil companies including Indian Oil Corporation Limited have decided to effect the following price changes w.e.f. midnight of 1st / 2nd January 2017. Selling price of Petrol has been increased by Rs 1.29/litre (excluding State levies). Selling Price of Diesel has been increased by Rs. 0.97/litre (excluding State levies). The current level of international product prices of Petrol and Diesel and INR-USD exchange rate warrant increase in selling price of Petrol and Diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision. The movement of prices in the international oil market and INR-USD exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes.

Agencies, Bhopal Congress MP and ex-Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will sit on a ‘satyagraha’ in the Madhya Pradesh capital tomorrow in the support of farmers’ demand. Mr Scindia’s ‘satyagraha’ comes in the wake of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s fast for restoration of peace in t he state. “Necessary arrangements for the ‘satyagraha’ have been completed at the Dussehra Ground here. Besides Mr Scindia, Leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh and the Congress’ state chief Arun Yadav would take part in the ‘satyagraha’. People from across the state would place their views during the ‘satyagraha’,” the Congress’ state spokesperson JP Dhaopiya said. Asked whether the party intended to bring the deceased peasants’ kin at the ‘satyagraha’ venue, he said Mr Scindia has gone to meet them in Mandsaur. Therefore, there is no plan to call them here. Mr Scindia was on his way to meet the deceased ryots’ family members. However, the district administration has not provided him requisite permission. “Madhya Pradesh’s farmers were agitating over their demands from June 1. On June 6, six peasants were killed in police firing in Mandsaur. Leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh and I rushed from Dindori to Mandsaur but were not allowed to meet the peasants. Likewise, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi tried to reach Mandsaur but was prevented,” Mr Yadav told media here.

NASA. Data. Good. Tracking the aerosols carried on the winds let scientists see the currents in our atmosphere. This visualization follows sea salt, dust, and smoke from July 31 to November 1, 2017, to reveal how these particles are transported across the map. The first thing that is noticeable is how far the particles can travel. Smoke from fires in the Pacific Northwest gets caught in a weather pattern and pulled all the way across the US and over to Europe. Hurricanes form off the coast of Africa and travel across the Atlantic to make landfall in the United States. Dust from the Sahara is blown into the Gulf of Mexico. To understand the impacts of aerosols, scientists need to study the process as a global system.

I’ve never seen this Game of Thrones show, but I suspect this will be relevant to many. The Upshot made an interactive that asks readers to place characters on a two-axis chart. The x-axis spans evil to good, and the y-axis spans ugly to beautiful. The result is the above, plus contour plots for each character’s place in the space. Like I said, I don’t anything about the show, but I like the contour plots that have a split decision about beauty. For example, most people agree that Hodor is ugly, but there’s a small group who place him at max beauty. Similarly, Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton are clearly evil, but they have wide distributions on the ugly to beautiful scale. Decide for yourself.

Every now and then there’s a visual exploration of the Choose Your Own Adventure series. It seems that each gets a bit more complex, so I appreciate the simplicity of these official maps from Chooseco, which shows the structure of each book. Atlas Obscura provides the details. On the official maps, however, the endings aren’t coded in any way that reveals their nature. Instead, they operate according to a simple key: each arrow represents a page, each circle a choice, and each square an ending. Dotted lines show where branches link to one another. The one above is for Journey Under the Sea. I need to dig up my CYOA collection.

Using anonymized cell phone data from Here Technologies, Sahil Chinoy for The Washington Post mapped how far you can drive out of major cities during various times of the day. I used to do the kind of math — as I muttered in rage driving out of Los Angeles during rush hour, which by the way is four hours long.

These are my picks for the best of 2015. As usual, they could easily appear in a different order on a different day, and there are projects not on the list that were also excellent.

Apr 24, 2018 Sisi Wei for ProPublica and Nick Fortugno of Playmatics made a game to provide a feeling of what it’s like for someone who needs escape from their home. Based on the real case files of five asylum seekers from five countries and interviews with the medical and legal professionals who evaluate and represent them, The Waiting Game is an experimental news game that lets you walk in the shoes of an asylum seeker, from the moment they choose to come to the United States to the final decision in the cases before an immigration judge. Take your time with this one, and use your headphones. In the game format, I felt more engrossed in the individual stories than I think if it were a linear profile story.

The mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1 was the worst in modern history. Unfortunately, while of varying magnitude, mass shootings are somewhat regular in the United States. Based on data collected by the Gun Violence Archive, there was another shooting in Lawrence, Kansas on the same day. As of writing this, three more mass shootings took place since Las Vegas. The chart below shows the number of days we’ve gone this year without a mass shooting. As a nation, our longest streak ends at only five days. This of course depends on your definition of mass shooting. There’s no set definition for the term, but the Gun Violence Archive defines it as a an incident where four or more people are shot or killed in the same location, not including the shooter. As other sources, you might also look to the Stanford Mass Shootings of America data project and the Mother Jones dataset.

This is what happens when there is a lull during the basketball playoff season. Chris Herring, for FiveThirtyEight, goes into full detail of the relatively high number of times Kevin Durant’s shoe falls off during games: All told, an extensive video analysis of Durant’s games from the past three regular seasons and postseasons reveals that the four-time scoring champ has come out of his shoe at least 31 times since the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign. That number, compiled against 20 different NBA teams, equates to losing a sneaker roughly every eight games or so — a mind-bogglingly high figure considering that Durant has had his own signature Nike shoe, designed to fit the unique contours of his feet, dating back to 2008. “His shoe comes off more than anyone I’ve ever seen,” says teammate Draymond Green. The question, of course, is why.

This is what happens when there is a lull during the basketball playoff season. Chris Herring, for FiveThirtyEight, goes into full detail of the relatively high number of times Kevin Durant’s shoe falls off during games: All told, an extensive video analysis of Durant’s games from the past three regular seasons and postseasons reveals that the four-time scoring champ has come out of his shoe at least 31 times since the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign. That number, compiled against 20 different NBA teams, equates to losing a sneaker roughly every eight games or so — a mind-bogglingly high figure considering that Durant has had his own signature Nike shoe, designed to fit the unique contours of his feet, dating back to 2008. “His shoe comes off more than anyone I’ve ever seen,” says teammate Draymond Green. The question, of course, is why.

Warren McClendon has heard and seen enough to go cut his list to five schools from a list of 23 scholarship offers.Alabama offered him first when he was just a freshman. Since the Crimson Tide offe...

You can’t really tell from this picture, but it has been a very mild winter so far in Calgary. I’m not sure what the temperature was when I shot this photo, but it was sweater weather for sure. I did kind of a weird edit on this shot, I was going for a grainy film look. I’m not sure if the edit worked out exactly how I was planning, but I kinda like the picture. Anyhow, I think the warm weather is going to be sticking around for a little while longer, so I’ll be getting out there as much as I can before it get’s cold again! Camera: Nikon D3S & 70-200mm f/2.8 VR Thanks for stopping by, Rob 51.048615 -114.070846 Advertisements

I bumped into this stray cat while walking around a random neighbourhood of Puerto Vallarta one day. This cat wasn’t exactly friendly, well he wasn’t not friendly, he just didn’t wander over to me or anything. As I tried to get picture of him he immediately decided to walk off. I kept trying to shoot photos of him as he was leaving and I think you can kind of see it in his face (in the 2nd picture) that he wasn’t to happy about the situation lol. I’m sure he’s laying on a stone path in front of someones house over looking the ocean right now, so I’m sure he got over it. 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Rob 20.653407 -105.225332

NASHVILLE—Three-star athlete Devin Boddie got a quick glimpse of Georgia Tech last month during an unofficial visit for the Jackets’ annual spring game, but he wants to see more and that visit was ...

One of the most interesting players to watch this fall in the new defense under Nate Woody will be senior defensive end Anree Saint-Amour. The talented pass rusher has 7.5 career sacks coming into this season. Saint-Amour went from a situational pass rusher as a freshman to the third end in the rotation two years ago to jumping a pair of seniors for a starting job by the end of his junior seasons. His production should increase this year with a more aggressive style of defense under Woody and new defensive line coach Jerome Riase. A strong senior season for Saint-Amour could also bolster his draft stock. His length, speed and athleticism will be very attractive for NFL teams if he can put some good senior film on tape.

Dressed for every game and firing up teammates on the sidelines, you wouldn’t have guessed that Tre Swilling was redshirting last year, but he did and he heads into spring ball with a chance to compete for a starting job. Swilling the son of Georgia Tech legend Pat Swilling will compete at the boundary corner spot and could even potentially end up at free safety over time as his body matures and fills out. Swilling was on the edge of playing last year as a true freshman, but the Jackets staff played a short bench at corner using just Lamont Simmons and occasionally Ajani Kerr off the pine. Both starters Step Durham and Lance Austin are gone, Simmons and Kerr are the only two players with any real game experience. Swilling and sophomore Jaytlin Askew who played on special teams seem to be the obvious options to compete for a starting job. With a blank slate and a new staff on the defensive side of the ball, a player who plays as aggressively as Swilling did in high school could fit nicely into Nate Woody’s new defensive scheme. Woody’s defenses are always among the top in interceptions and forced turnovers so a ballhawk like Swilling should be a good fit. The competition at corner will be an interesting one this offseason and Tre Swilling could be a name fans say a lot in the fall when the season rolls around.

January 2 – The state of Illinois should know soon if Chronic Wasting Disease is spreading in its deer population. Hunters wrapped up a special Chronic Wasting Disease hunting window this past weekend, and archery season carries over till Jan. 15. After that, the state hopes to know just how far Chronic Wasting has spread. The disease is 100 percent fatal for deer. Douglas Dufford, with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said it cost the state just over $1 million to track the disease in 2016. However, since Illinois has some of the best deer-hunting territory in the country, Dufford believes it’s an investment worth making. “We view it as a million dollars — a million and a half dollars — spent to protect a billion-dollar resource,” he said. “Right now, the funding seems adequate for what we can do and have been doing.” DNR has found Chronic Wasting Disease in 16 of Illinois’ 102 counties. Most of the cases are contained in northern Illinois, near the Wisconsin border, but Chronic Wasting has been confirmed as far south as Livingston and Kankakee. According to Dufford, the state wants to stop the disease before it hits the rich hunting grounds in western and southern Illinois. Source: IRN News

January 2 – The Macon County History Museum will be closing their doors to the public for a few months for renovations and archival work. As they have done in the past, the Museum will be closed January and most of February while Museum staff continues improvements. Museum Director Nathan Pierce says they will be doing further renovations to the lower museum, additional painting, archival and collections work, and they will prepare for new exhibits. Last year, the Museum closed during the winter for renovations to the archival room. Staff started to sift through hundreds of old documents. Over the course of 2016, Museum staff discovered two documents with authentic Presidential signatures on them. President Andrew Jackson’s signature was found on an old land grant and President Grover Cleveland’s signature was discovered on another document. Pierce says larger groups can still visit the Museum during the winter, if times work for both sides. Part of the Museum may not be accessible depending on the time period. The History Museum is scheduled to reopen by February 28, 2017.

January 2 – Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder can now apply for an ID card that will quickly show first responders the nature of their disorder. The legislation, backed by State Representative Sue Scherer, took effect this year. The measure creates an ID card available through the Secretary of State’s Office by request to individuals who have been medically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Scherer says there are several situations this could help in. “The thought behind this came from a mother of a 16 year old who said she was concerned that if her son would be stopped by an officer or encounter a first responder, that maybe his lack of ability to communicate could be misinterpreted,” Scherer said. The card will be separate from a state ID or driver’s license. It will be free of charge and will explain the person’s disorder. Scherer says this will protect those with autism and also enable emergency personnel to better perform their job. The card will be immediately available, though Scherer suggests you wait a few days before requesting your card from the Secretary of State’s Office.

December 1 – Malcolm Hill scored 20 points to help Illinois close out a 75-70 win over Ohio State on Sunday night at State Farm Center. Tracy Abrams added 16 points and Leron Black grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds for Illinois. Hill drove to his left for a layup to give the Illini a 71-67 lead with 55-seconds left. Jalen Coleman-Lands and Abrams each made two free throws from there to seal it. Illinois (11-4, 1-1 Big Ten) looked like a different team against the Buckeyes, making stops and going on runs to help its lead. The Illini built a lead that reached as much as 15 points in the latter part of the first half after the Buckeyes went through a couple of scoring droughts. The Illinois bench out-scored Ohio State’s 25-9, led by big men Michael Finke and Maverick Morgan with 12 and 11 points, respectively. JaQuan Lyle led Ohio State (10-4, 0-1 Big Ten) with 26 points. Ohio State couldn’t rebound from scoring droughts in both halves despite a hot start to the second in which it took the lead in the final five minutes of the game. Marc Loving and Kam Williams added 10 points apiece for the Buckeyes. Source: AP

Images via E! “I just got a call from the offices over at Vogue,” Kris Jenner tells her daughters Kendall and Kylie during Sunday night’s episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. “They’re coming to review the Kendall + Kylie collection in new York. This is like, such a big deal.” Advertisement “Getting a review from Vogue and having it be positive would mean everything to the girls,” Kris explains. But Kendall, already a Vogue cover girl, says she finds the prospect of a Vogue review “really terrifying.” Kylie, a generally unruffled personality, is seemingly chill about the situation. “You should be proud of yourselves. The fact that they’re giving you this attention in year one, Vogue usually does this after a designer has established themselves, even for years. And Nicole Phelps is actually the one coming to review the line,” Kris goes on to explain, more for the benefit of the viewers at home than for her children. “You should be very flattered that they want to see what you’re up to.” “Nicole Phelps has reviewed lines like Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and all the top designers,” Kylie says of the Vogue Runway Director, helpfully breaking things down. “I mean if they love it, it’ll be amazing, but if they don’t, it could potentially make or break us,” Kendall adds. The conversation between the sisters and their mother looks like it was shot the week of September 19, which is odd, given that we then see them present their collection to Phelps during New York Fashion Week, which took place the first week of September. In the scene, we see a man with a microphone that isn’t identified, but was Vogue Runway Style Editor Edward Barsamian. The two did a Facebook Live interview with him on September 7. Phelps also posted about shooting that day. Strange given that, in a later scene, we see Kris telling Kendall about the review—which was also published September 7—as she shoots a campaign for will.i.am’s headphones or something, which appears to have taken place that week as well. “I know how nervous you were about the Vogue review,” Kris says to Kendall, before showing it to her and telling her “I heard they don’t really give them this early” (whatever that is supposed to signify). Then we hear (though do not see) Kris saying “They love every single piece,” with a very large pause between “love” and “every,” suggesting that the sentence was spliced together. Advertisement Advertisement “They don’t just pass those out on a whim,” Kris adds. The Vogue “review” in question is not much of one. Phelps talks about Kanye West’s Yeezy collection, and notes, “Clearly, the Jenner name, like West’s, moves product.” She quotes the sisters explaining who their clothes are for, but quite honestly, most of it comes off as factual, not as commentary, and could even perhaps be taken as a dig at them if you’re reading hard enough. The Jenners are the “creative forces” behind the brand; they prefer not to have official titles. If their hands aren’t getting dirty in the actual crafting of the clothes and accessories, the selling point is that the pieces are made in their image—their everyday style more than their red carpet getups. “The pieces with the most personality are the result of collaborations with artists,” Phelps writes. “A satin souvenir jacket embroidered with a map of California and ‘West Side Till I Die’ spelled out in gothic font qualifies as the coolest item in the lineup; it could appeal to shoppers for whom the Jenner name has no resonance, if indeed there are any of those left out there.” Sponsored But to Kendall and her mother, this short piece of writing counts as a rave, and KUWTK features the only two quotes that could be spun as more than neutral. “I was bracing myself for a bad review, but instead we got a really good one, and it was a nice surprise,” Kendall says. Earlier in the episode, she had clarified that it’s because of her closeness with Vogue that she was nervous, not in spite of it. “I feel like I obviously work with Vogue a lot, but in a different way, and it’s kind of nerve wracking.” Odd, given that she was on the cover of the magazine that month and you’d sort of assume that would slant things at least ever-so-slightly in her favor.

Photo: Getty In an interview with Playboy, the newly-single Scarlett Johansson shared some thoughts about monogamy, relationships and whether or not it’s “natural” to want to be with the same person forever and ever. Advertisement In the interview, she makes a lot of pretty good points against the institution of marriage. Even more interesting is the timing. Us Weekly speculates that the interview was likely conducted before her split from Romain Dauriac. Even if that happens to be the case, none of the stuff she’s saying is particularly invalid. “Well, with every gain there’s a loss, right? So that’s a loss. You have to choose a path. I think the idea of marriage is very romantic; it’s a beautiful idea, and the practice of it can be a very beautiful thing. I don’t think it’s natural to be a monogamous person. I might be skewered for that, but I think it’s work. It’s a lot of work.” It’s entirely possible to have these feelings about monogamy and stay married, but after reading the rest of what she had to say, I feel like ScarJo is probably much happier unattached — or at the very least, not married. Advertisement “Being married is different than not being married, and anybody who tells you that it’s the same is lying. It changes things. I have friends who were together for 10 years and then decided to get married, and I’ll ask them on their wedding day or right after if it’s different, and it always is. It is.” “The fact that it is such work for so many people—for everyone — the fact of that proves that it is not a natural thing,” she said of marriage. For whatever it’s worth, she and her ex are putting up a nice front. [Us Weekly] Oh no, someone robbed Alanis Morissette and stole $2 million worth of jewelry from her Brentwood home. Advertisement Sponsored According to People, the thieves absconded with “a safe containing approximately $2 million worth of jewelry and other items or property.” Morrissette wasn’t home at the time, so at least there’s that. There’s also this: TMZ spoke to some “law enforcement sources” who reportedly said that celebrity Instagram accounts are essentially handbooks for criminals —the very same argument made by authorities regarding Kim Kardashian’s robbery, too. A brief dive into Alanis’s Insta revealed this, which was perhaps the catalyst for the robbery? Further perusal of her ‘gram reveals a deep love of kilim rugs, juices and a variety of oils. Very soothing, highly recommended. Advertisement [People] I don’t know what this cat looks like, but I don’t think it’s Ross Geller. [People]

Milashina spoke to the Washington Post on Friday from an undisclosed location outside of Moscow, where she lived and worked until recently. During the interview she said: Advertisement Advertisement Now I think I will leave the country for a while, too. It doesn’t matter that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced clearly that journalists are under the Kremlin’s protection and that no one can kill them for their professional duty. The threat still exists. So, I will just live for a while in another country. Still working on Chechnya—I can come from this country to the region. I have a lot of sources, and I have a lot of information. I will continue my work. Milashina said and her colleagues are on alert because of a jihad threatened against the staff of Novaya Gazeta during a meeting of 15,000 people at a Chechen mosque. She explained: Not just me, but all the people working at the newspaper are now in danger, because this was a clear jihad message. We will persecute you for tarnishing the honor of the Chechen nation, this nasty thing that you said. There are gays among Chechen people? We will persecute you until the last person at Novaya Gazeta dies. It’s unbelievable. It reminds us of the situation with Charlie Hebdo. According to Milashina, though Novaya Gazeta has written about Chechnya for years, none of its stories have elicited such a strong response. Journalist Anna Politkovskaya covered Chechnya for the paper for years before she was murdered in 2006. Sponsored Milashina said around 100 people have escaped Chechnya because of the witch hunt, though how many remain is uncertain. To the Post, she also criticized Russia’s apparent apathy regarding the treatment of gay men in Chechnya:

Image via Jim Cooke/GMG When I was in my early twenties I dated a guy who was just a nightmare. He played games with my mind, going back and forth between making me feel like I was the best thing ever and then making me think I made him sick to his stomach. Emotionally, I was a wreck. But things never got physical. Except once. We fought, punches were thrown and I left his apartment in tears. My roommates found out and told my parents. My parents confronted me over it; I told them it was overblown and not a big deal and they never brought it up again. Considering that experience, I’m surprised I never talked to my step-daughter Lauren about abuse. Advertisement I started out writing this column thinking that I did a great job talking to Lauren about sex and relationships. Over the last few topics we’ve discussed, I realize I wasn’t as great about it as I thought I was. I didn’t mind talking about the nuts and bolts of sex. (This is the labia!) But I stopped short of a lot of the things that also matter—understanding orgasms and how to understand abuse and sexual assault. I was fine with the birds and the bees—not so much about the nitty gritty business. So finally, I talked to Lauren about her thoughts on why we never discussed domestic violence, why emotional abuse is much more rampant in her circle and—as always—why social media makes it all so much worse. I never talked to you about domestic violence. Nope, we never discussed it! Why do you think I didn’t bring it up? I think you thought it was a Thing that didn’t need to be said because of course that’s not okay. Which of course, is not how that works. Exactly. I think it was based on assumption. Also, we talked about general Not Okay Abuse stuff. Like bullies and stuff. And you probably felt like domestic violence was in that category. Before we move on, do we need to break out physical abuse from emotional abuse? Well, we can’t privilege one over the other. But we can usually see physical abuse while it’s hard to gauge how impactful emotional stuff can be. Even when it’s your own self being abused. Have you ever been physically abused by a partner? Physically? No. Never. I’ve experienced emotional abuse. What about your friends—what you know, of course. I don’t think so. Wait. I do have two friends who were raped in a relationship. That’s physical abuse. And I know people in relationships where sexual things got out of hand in a physical way. All of that is abuse. Did these people leave the relationship? No. I think intentionality helps to classify this stuff. If you feel like this is something that could be discussed and you can figure out how and why it happened… Maybe… Advertisement One time, long long ago, your dad and I were sitting on the sofa about to eat dinner. He was being goofy and kept plucking me. I was not amused and I asked him numerous times to stop. He kept laughing and plucking me. I was pissed. Now, this was by no means a painful pluck. Right, this was Dad being Dad. And acting like a twelve year old. But I was still completely over it. So, I finally got fed up and jumped up off the couch to leave. He put his hand in the waistband of my jeans and yanked me back down to the couch. He said something like; Ha! You’re not going anywhere! Now I feel like I can’t escape this stupid goofy shit. And I’m further pissed. And I specifically remember feeling like—not fearful. But just incensed at not being able to remove myself from the situation. I was not physically strong enough to stand up and walk away! So I stood up quickly with my plate of my pasta—it was hot—and I smacked the plate into his face. Whoa. I heard him do this sort of half yell half growl and I hauled ass to the bathroom and he made it there right as I locked the door. He banged on the door and told me to come out and I stayed there. And then? I have no idea. I know within an hour we were laughing about it. And for the next fifteen years it was a classic scenario we laughed about. And of course Dad is nowhere near— Right. He’s not the one to ever physically abuse anyone. But you hear how the story sounds right? It could have ended quite differently. I dismiss it—both then and now—as a one off situation that got more heated than necessary. I never smacked him in the face with hot pasta again—but he also gave me my space and never plucked me again either. I guess you need to take things into context. Feeling scared or fearful is not okay of course. I guess there are some situations you can recover from and not categorize it as abuse? Lauren, if you were dating a guy for a year, which is how long your dad and I had been dating at the time and you told me the same story and asked for advice. I’d say, BAIL LAUREN BAIL! Right, but if I told you I truly felt like it was a one-off and that he apologized—Oh wait. Yeah, that sounds like any other abusive situation. Advertisement Exactly. He yanked me down to the sofa and told me not to move. He knew I was really upset. I threw a plate of food at him and he gets pissed and chased me into the bathroom and I stayed there until he cooled off. But it’s totally fine now, I swear! Right. Jeesh. That wasn’t an abusive act on the part of your dad. But I have eighteen years of knowing him to understand that. Now, emotional abuse. You said you’ve experienced it? Yeah, in a few ways, mainly gaslighting. Explain to me how gaslighting works. I’ve been hearing it a lot more lately. It’s like, you confront your partner on something and they make it all about them and manipulate you into thinking not only that you’re incorrect—but you’re the one causing harm. Give me an example. My friend saw a hickey on her partner’s neck and confronted him. He said it was a rash. But then it became this whole thing. He made her feel like she ruined their whole day together and then it became about how she just wasn’t a good partner overall. What happened to just dealing with a good-old-fashioned liar? They’re out there. But it might not necessarily be emotional abuse. Gaslighting feels like it’s coming from a seriously evil person! Depends on the person. I’ve done it too. Oh. In what instances have you done it? When the person has done it to me! But, that’s no excuse. Wrong is wrong. Emotional abuse is serious. It’s not just lying or the regular ways we can disappoint or even hurt our partners. It’s continual manipulation when you specifically want to hurt someone. Like, that’s the goal. And you’re dealing with this? Yeah. Actually, I have to check myself about the ways I’m conditioned to expect the worse in a relationship. Are you catching these signs? Sometimes. But even when I do catch it. I don’t always do something about it. Like, when people plays those games with contacting. Like texting and stuff. Can that be considered emotional abuse? Maybe not at first. But if you’re dating someone who plays that stupid I’ll-wait-this-long before calling or texting—they’re showing you who they are. I need to walk away from dudes who are into that stuff. But sometimes I still make that call or send that text…. This sounds like Derrick. Oh god, please. Now, I’m seeing a place where I could have possibly had these conversations with you. I think you did actually. I know you hated Derrick. Mom and Dad did too. He was emotionally abusive to you. In freaking middle school. He was young and stupid! He knew how you felt about him. He would do exactly what you describe with gaslighting. One minute he was into you—the next minute not. Did you know I lost my virginity to him? I know. I also know that you were in some kind of Thing and then suddenly he was dating your best friend. Yeah. They were both wrong for that. I mean, I didn’t like it but it was cool. No it wasn’t. But is that emotional abuse though? Good question. I do know that I am going to talk to your sister a lot more about relationships in general. She should know by middle school that if something doesn’t feel good—bail. It doesn’t have to fit the traditional definition of “violence” to be violent. Advertisement Right, because social media makes it so easy to be super emotionally abusive. You can unfollow and block people. You can Like or Unlike posts. I met a guy who consistently engaged on all my IG posts. As then as soon as we started dating—nothing. Not a single Like and not a single Comment. Well maybe, he just wanted to separate— No. We’re twenty year olds. We don’t separate. We speak through our actions on freaking IG. Advertisement Well. I do have a couple I’m friendly with. Their relationship is an on-again off-again nightmare. I notice that anytime he comments on one of my posts—she immediately swoops in and comments on his comment. And then he doesn’t respond to her comment but will comment on my next post. Yup. And then, when things got really bad, she actually called me and asked me to either Block him or stop engaging with him. I’m like, um, no. I’m not doing that. My friends totally ask me to do that. And I know I’d better do it. Nah. But why not? If you know what he’s doing is hurtful to her—why would you still engage with him? Just because it’s social media? I guess. I just feel like— That’s the thing. That’s what emotional abuse and gaslighting is all about. He knows you’ll still engage and he gets to say to her: well your friend is still talking to me. Maybe you’re the one who has the problem. Yeah, it can really play out like that. But I’m still not sure if I need to— I know physical abuse is a Thing. And just because it doesn’t affect me or my circle (as far as I know) we are out here dealing with some serious emotional abuse. Without even being in the same room—or country. Social Media is the real life version of You Can’t Sit With Us. If you know for sure that someone is purposely doing anything hurtful—in real life or cyber—it’s the worst. Advertisement Devin Anderson has written professionally since 1998 and currently works as a full-time freelance writer for various outlets. She’s also written five books, three non-fiction and two novels. The name Devin Anderson is a pseudonym. The writer is changing her name to protect the innocent, the guilty—and her mom.

Photo Credit: Getty Images You’ve likely heard that Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry recently concluded their year-long romance. Now Bloom—the man I most associate with elves who state the obvious—is sowing his wild oats. He’s “casually” dating Nina Dobrev and putting moves on model Ashley Haas. In fact, Dobrev was even present during the shenanigans with Haas. Apparently it’s the O-Bloom comeback tour: he’s keen for everyone to know that he’s a wild boy. Advertisement This behavior, taken on its own, is not unusual. People often indulge their ids after ending a longterm relationship, but in this case there may be an additional factor: Leonardo DiCaprio. Celebrity gossip virtuoso Lainey Gossip surmises that Leo has instructed his pal to keep things loose. “Getting ‘casual’ with Nina and then humping a model five minutes later at Coachella is exactly what’s been prescribed to him. By whom? I’ll say Leonardo DiCaprio,” LG hypothesizes. Advertisement By now, Leo’s own dating habits are infamous. He almost exclusively dates models who are in their twenties, and he seems happily situated as a bachelor. He also always attends Coachella. If Orlando and Leo are hitting the town together, it’s not far-fetched to think that the latter is influencing the former. And as LG points out, Perry, who is over 30 and increasingly political, would never catch Leo’s eye. She may have been a worthwhile pursuit when Bloom’s own popularity needed a boost, but that mission has more or less been accomplished. Here’s LG again: “...you get out as soon as you take what you came for. Which, I’m sure, Leo could understand. What he might probably have a harder time with is being with a woman who’s not only no longer in her 20s, but who has opinions. Who is getting more and more political. Who is becoming more and more active in lobbying for women’s rights. Who is more and more interested in using her voice. It’s not like there are talking roles for women in Leo’s world.” Yikes. That’s harsh—but it sounds on the mark. [Lainey Gossip] Lily Collins sent a copy of her book, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, to Michelle Obama and, as they say, you’ll never guess what happened next! Advertisement Sponsored Our Forever FLOTUS responded with a thoughtful letter, because she is all things delightful and good. Then, Collins read and raved about said letter in an Instagram, because duh. I admit it: I’m jealous. [Us Weekly] I’m also jealous of Melissa Etheridge’s adult children because she smokes weed with them, and I would like to do that too. Advertisement “It bring you much closer,” she explains. “I’d much rather have a smoke with my grown kids than a drink.” Aww. [Us Weekly]

Image via Getty. Prince’s unexpected death last summer was determined an accidental overdose on the opioid fentanyl. Six days preceding his death, Prince overdosed on a plane, and had to be revived at a hospital following an emergency landing. Search warrants issued for Paisley Park, Prince’s Minnesota residence, have just been unsealed, revealing what seems to have been a complicated system intended to funnel narcotics to the beloved icon. Advertisement KARE 11 reports that the documents, which were made public Monday morning, show that CVS prescription bottles found in Prince’s home had the name of his longtime bodyguard, Kirk Johnson, on the label. Investigators had been unable to find the source of fentanyl for Prince after examining his toxicology report, but did discover prescriptions of Oxycodone written for Johnson and prescribed by Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg. The warrants also listed the pills discovered on the premises: -15 white capsules (Watson 853) discovered in a second floor dressing room -CVS pharmacy bottle under the name of Kirk Johnson/7 green capsules -8 orange oval pills inside suitcase in mirror room/second floor -Bayer bottle/64 white pills with Watson 853 -Aleve bottle with 20 ½ tablets labeled Watson 853 -Pamphlet for Recovery Without Walls (rehab center) Watson 853 is an acetaminophen/hydrocodone painkiller hybrid. Other bottles mislabeled as “Vitamin D” were also filled with acetaminophen/hydrocodone pills, and more was found throughout the house: Advertisement Detectives also discovered Prince’s suitcase — which was the one found with several narcotics inside (in prescription pill bottles under Johnson’s name) — had the name tag of “Peter Bravestrong” — an alias name authorities believe Prince used when he traveled in an attempt to maintain his privacy. Lyrics for the song, “U Got the Look,” were also found in that suitcase, written in Prince’s handwriting. The New York Daily News reports that Dr. Schulenberg told authorities that he wrote prescriptions under Johnson’s name to protect Prince’s privacy. Johnson, who had worked for Prince since the late eighties, told investigators that he had no idea that Prince had a pill addiction, though the day before the artist’s death he went to a Walgreens to pick up a prescription for him. Johnson said it was the first time he’d been sent on such an errand.

Image via Getty. Carrie Fisher’s death is heartbreaking to so many because her openness and honesty about her life made her seem like someone you’ve known all your life, an intimate and wonderful old friend. The words of her actual old friend supports some of those feelings. Advertisement In a tribute published on The Hollywood Reporter Monday, Mark Hamill shared some sweet memories of getting to know Carrie Fisher as a young man and the joy of having his life inextricably linked to hers through the Star Wars series. Before shooting with Fisher began, Hamill asked the production office to set up a dinner between them so he could get to know her, and it sounds like she knew how to make instant pals: You know, she was 19 years old at the time. I was a worldly 24. So I was thinking, “Oh my God, it’ll be like working with a high school kid.” But I was just bowled over. I mean she was just so instantly ingratiating and funny and outspoken. She had a way of just being so brutally candid. I’d just met her but it was like talking to a person you’d known for ten years. She was telling me stuff about her stepfather, about her mom, about Eddie Fisher — it was just harrowing in its detail. I kept thinking, “Should I know this?” I mean, I wouldn’t have shared that with somebody that I had trusted for years and years and years. But she was the opposite. She just sucked you into her world. Most of his anecdotes are similar to the goofy memories you might have of your own social group’s hijinks, except they were on the set of one of the most successful movies of all time: Advertisement Once at lunchtime she said, “You should try on my jumpsuit.” I said, “The one-piece white jumpsuit? You’re what, 5’2”? I’ll never get in!” She said, “Just try.” I put on that Princess Leia zipper jump suit and it was so tight I looked like a Vegas lounge singer. If that wasn’t ridiculous enough, she had me put on one of those bald cap masks with the Bozo hair and glasses and nose and then she walked me around the back lot. Hamill alludes to times when he and Fisher were in conflict, and times when they “hated each other’s guts.” But, he says, “That’s all part of what makes a relationship complete. It’s not all one sided. Like I say, she was a handful. She was high maintenance. But my life would have been so much drabber and less interesting if she hadn’t been the friend that she was.” You can read the whole essay here. Sponsored Update 4:02 pm: Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, posted a message on Instagram Monday as well, thanking fans for the support in an extremely difficult time. She writes: Advertisement Advertisement

To my shock and mild horror, I became a Sephora VIB Rouge member this year—the highest level in Sephora’s rewards program. I qualified after spending $1,000 in a calendar year. Advertisement Am I proud of this? Unsure! But it happened and there’s nothing I can do about it. Let me now outline my journey to overspending on makeup and skincare products from Sephora in the year 2016. I won’t say this brush changed my life or even shifted it marginally. In retrospect, I’m not completely sure why I bought it in the first place because I rarely put powder all over my face. Still, it’s a good brush and feels very nice and soft on my face. Do not buy this eyeliner. I repeat: DO NOT BUY THIS EYELINER. I remember the release of this product being a whole big thing because I had to be put on a wait list. I returned it. Technically, should I include returns on this list since they don’t count towards my rewards points? Don’t know. Doing it anyway as a public service. If you’ll remember, earlier this year I went through what I thought was a quarter life crisis and bought a ton of skincare products. Eyes creams seem like kind of a racket. If you use a good moisturizer, I’m not convinced you need something specific for that two inches of space on your face. I still haven’t finished this small tube and likely won’t be re-buying. Another return. This was kind of a dumb purchase because you can buy much, much more shea butter for much, much less. But I liked the tiny tin and it’s a good base for matte lipstick. You could probably just put oatmeal on your face instead of spending $24 on this face mask. I wouldn’t. But someone could. I love a sheet mask. I also don’t like spending money on manicures and pedicures regularly so this is a nice in-between pick me up. Again, this is my attempt at a at-home manicure. Some good hand lotion probably would have done the trick just fine. A strong recommend for those with natural hair. My hair is fine and very dry and this is great because I like weighing it down a bit with a heavier butter moisturizer. This stuff is magic. It’s one of those products where, at $34, it’s definitely more expensive than it should be, but not so exorbitant that I won’t waste $10-$15 more than I should on makeup remover. Highlighter had a big year. I can’t say whether this is significantly better than the other million highlighters on the market, but it is excellent. I use Champagne Pop. Another strong recommend on the brush. I wasn’t exactly sure what to look for in a highlighter brush but I’m happy I landed on this one. I prefer it to the fan ones because I don’t have a delicate enough hand to not basically draw a line across my face. This is one of my favorite liquid lipsticks. The shade (Ashton) initially seemed too light for me, but with a dark brown lipliner underneath is one of my favorite nude lip situations. I used to be a big nail polish person and have very much waned in that interest. I’m not sure what possessed me to buy this (in the shade Mayfair Market). It’s a tad goopy, but fine. Behold an example of one of the many times a Sephora sample has worked on me. It tingles, which I love, and my skin definitely feels plumper after using. Looking back I don’t remember this costing damn near $40 especially because it comes in a very small jar, but that’s likely how I got myself in this VIB Rouge situation in the first place. Nothing on Earth smells better than this stuff. It’s your standard sparkly booty cream situation that does not actually tighten your butt—still a nice thing to carry around in the summertime nonetheless. I bought the travel size because I rightfully predicted that I would not need 8 ounces of butt cream. Purchased in the shade Conspiracy which is a metallic finish. I rarely buy non-matte lipstick anymore and I almost never wear this so... The consistency is very, very creamy and it takes quite a while to set, but I like it. It’s a very neutral brown (shade: Crop Top) on me and I love to throw it on when I’m not wearing makeup just to feel like I put in a bit of effort. Every single time I step out of the house wearing Tom Ford Noir Pour Femme, I get a compliment. This was yet another case of Sephora’s masterful ability to turn a sample into a purchase. Wearing the sample to a dinner party, I received no less than four compliments. I pulled the trigger the next day. I buy the 1 oz size even though, now on my second bottle, the 1.7 oz for $72 probably makes more financial sense. The greatest under eye concealer on Earth. I love travel versions of shit. I bought some these before my trip to Rio. I don’t generally like wipes but I think my rational was that this was better than makeup remover in terms of potential spillage. Sure. Another foot mask experiment that I assume I grabbed while waiting in line for another purchase. I later went back and bought it again, so I guess I was satisfied the first time. Not a lot of thoughts on this travel-sized hairspray. Nothing has been better for my face than these magic drops. I mix it in with my liquid foundation and it’s probably 60 percent of the reason why people are always asking me about or commenting on my skin. The secret is out. You are welcome. Mac’s Ruby Woo lipstick quite literally changed my life. Over the past couple years, I haven’t worn red lipstick as much but this was my attempt to get back in the habit. It’s some special edition shade called Chimps and is now sold out. I bought this eyeliner and got confused about which brush I bought because Sephora sells about eight different types of liquid eyeliner all with slightly different brush shapes. I don’t love the brush—it’s a bit flimsy—but I was too lazy to return it. A beautiful brown woman was my waitress one evening and was wearing this lipstick in Lola. I always assumed the shade would be too light for me but she convinced me and it’s amazing. Kat Von D can make a lipstick. The $50 Dr. Jart Ceramidin cream wasn’t really feeling worth it. My skin was moisturized, sure but nothing revolutionary was going on. And it costs $50. This is a nice alternative. More wipes, apparently. For some reason I purchased this nail polish again in a red that is now sold out. I can’t remember ever using it. A great brow pencil for a light brow day. Should have just bought the big bottle. I find it hard to know when exactly to replace Beauty Blenders but at a certain point I could tell that mine was very gross. At the time of this purchase, I was $1 away from qualifying for VIB Rouge status so I just decided to just give myself up to the inevitable. Over the year I bought eight of these Sephora eye masks which I like to use after a flight even though I can’t tell much of a difference. A gift card I purchased for my sister, presumably to help lead her down the dark path I am on. I won’t bore you with the exact breakdown, but I also bought 25 sheet face masks because I am a monster. I’ll throw the Sephora brand masks into my cart because they’re cheap and why not? My favorite sheet masks are from Dr. Jart. I bought a bunch of the Dermask Water Jet Vital Hydra Solution masks until I discovered you can buy a pack of five on Amazon for much cheaper. I also like the Ceramidin mask because, as I noted, I stopped using the expensive-ass moisturizer and it’s good for when my skin is feeling particularly dry. My favorite, however, is the brightening Brightening Infusion Hydrogel mask. This was my year. Hopefully I am $1,000 more beautiful now.

Image by Bobby Finger. In September, when Donald Trump admitted, at last, that Barack Obama is in fact a born American, Twitter imploded. Many times, Twitter has also exploded. Twitter has gone both nuts, thanks to Al Roker, and wild, thanks to Trump’s mom. Twitter had a meltdown when the Cubs won the World Series in November. And when Trump was elected president, Twitter freaked out, as it tends to do quite often. Twitter appeared utterly in shock. Twitter lost it over a home-wrecking penguin, which seems like an insignificant thing to “lose it” over. At one point, Twitter even snarked. Advertisement Twitter, a social media platform magically imbued with human feelings that appears to always exhibit one collective emotion at a time, has a tendency to go crazy, has a dark side and loves to attack, aware perhaps that it has the power to build and destroy. Twitter often throws shade and once slammed Bernie Sanders when his DNC speech pushed back The Bachelorette. All of Twitter at one point loved Ryan Reynolds’ face. From one day to the next, Twitter has proven to be all over the place, can’t decide what it wants to be, who it wants to be, how it wants to feel, up or down, or how it should move about the world. Twitter struggles to maintain a steady emotional state and simply be okay with who it is. At the risk of sounding too dank, Twitter had fun this year, too. It threw parties! Hosted by—who else—Twitter. A party? Where? Online. Parties where Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West appeared as figments of Twitter’s imagination. It’s almost as if Twitter is trapped in a fantasy world, barricaded by its own despair and sense of entitlement. Or could it be that the problem is us, projecting our fears, worries and unnecessary angst onto Twitter... Advertisement There are times I feel like grabbing Twitter by its muscular forearms and pleading with it to get it together. “Twitter, you need help!” I would scream. And Twitter would scream back, “No! You do!” And then Twitter would run off crying, arms flailing. I would stare at Twitter from behind and wonder why it has to be this way. But I would say nothing in return because what Twitter said is true. We all need help.

A 70-year-old aristocrat is “interviewing hard” for young women willing to maintain his ancient homes and—presumably—churn out an heir or two. Catch is, he’s a baronet, which is practically the bottom rung of the British nobility. Darling, no matter how appealing a 15th century manor house where Chaucer wrote part of The Canterbury Tales sounds, wouldn’t you prefer to hold out for a viscount at the least? Advertisement The Daily Mail reports that Sir Benjamin Slade—described by his Wikipedia entry as a “right-wing businessman and self-publicist”—is on the hunt for a vigorous young bride. He told the tab that he had split with his previous paramour, who is “50, so too old to have children.” And now, “I am interviewing hard. I have had a few proposals, but sometimes the women are past their sell-by date and have been over the guns a few times.” “They have to be fit — I have two castles,” he added. “I am like a feudal prince when it comes to throwing parties.” Advertisement Such a charming pitch will surely be difficult to ignore! And your potential bridegroom endeavors to keep in the very best shape: ‘I’ve bought a back stretcher and hang upside down on it for five minutes every morning. It works wonders for the chin and neckline. I also have some “sky boots” with a hook in the top so I can hang upside down. ‘I have some Traynor pinhole glasses, which I wear for 20 minutes a day and they have really improved my eyesight. ‘I am also on the Genghis Khan diet, which is recommended for young lotharios and involves eating sweet potato, sunflower seeds and horny goat weed. ‘It was recommended by my French nephew, who is 70 and hasn’t a single grey hair. And Genghis had 2,000 children.’ Slade has previously appeared in the news for offering £1,000 to anyone willing to kill the beavers he claimed were tearing up the grounds of his Somerset castle— “You get people shouting about how beavers are wonderful,” he told the Daily Mail, “But they’re not, they are a nuisance. They eat the trees and strip them of their bark”—and also for the fact that a former partner ran off with the handyman. He also made the rounds in 2013 looking for someone to bear his heirs. Perhaps better to marry someone “in trade” who can buy you your very own stately home when its owner’s finances go tits up.

Photo via Getty Images. Here is a break with the British monarchy’s stiff-upper-lip tradition, in the name of destigmatizating mental health struggles: Prince Harry has given an interview about his long-running emotional struggles in the wake of his mother’s very public death, culminating in finally getting some help in his late 20s. Advertisement He spoke to the Telegraph, admitting, “I can safely say that losing my mom at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had quite a serious effect on not only my personal life but also my work as well.” He explained: “My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help? “[I thought] it’s only going to make you sad, it’s not going to bring her back. “So from an emotional side, I was like ‘right, don’t ever let your emotions be part of anything’. “So I was a typical 20, 25, 28-year-old running around going ‘life is great’, or ‘life is fine’ and that was exactly it. “And then [I] started to have a few conversations and actually all of a sudden, all of this grief that I have never processed started to come to the forefront and I was like, there is actually a lot of stuff here that I need to deal with.” “I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle,” he admitted, explaining that his brother finally convinced him he needed to speak to a professional. Advertisement The context for this is that the trio of young royals have made mental health, especially for young people, a major part of their philanthropic efforts. He said he wanted to make a difference while he and the rest of his generation of the family are “still interesting” to the public, which frankly shows more self-awareness than one would expect from a literal prince. Good for Harry.

Harrison Ford’s 2015 plane crash. Image via Getty. In March 2015, earring and Calista Flockhart lover Harrison Ford was severely injured when he crashed his vintage single-engine plane into a golf course near the Santa Monica airport. Almost two years later, NBC is reporting that Ford is back at it again with the airplane incidents. Advertisement The actor, whose history of bad luck with airplanes expands into the fictional Indiana Jones universe, was descending into Orange County’s John Wayne Airport Monday when he “mistakenly aimed for a taxiway [instead of a runway].” Whoops! Even after landing, Ford failed to notice his error, and reportedly asked the tower whether a Boeing 737 he flew over was “meant to be underneath” during his approach. “Landing on the taxiway,” writes NBC, “is a violation of Federal Aviation Administration safety rules.” Now that Ford has four aviation-related blunders under his belt (in addition to the 2015 incident, he crashed a helicopter in 1999, and “clipped the runway” during an emergency landing in 2000) I have a suggestion: Harrison, get off your plane.

Image via YouTube. Alex Jones, the radio personality and conspiracy theorist who may be wider than he is long, is currently involved in a child custody trial in Austin, Texas with his ex-wife Kelly Jones. In the trial, Jones has been forced to reckon with his career of dangerous misinformation and pseudo-cult leadership, and he has attempted to do so with the argument that his entire public persona is an act, and with that defense, he joins a host of famous men who want to be taken seriously until they don’t. Advertisement At a pretrial hearing, his attorney Randall Wilhite argued that to use Jones’s Infowars personality to judge Jones as a father would be, according to the Austin Statesman like “judging Jack Nicholson in a custody dispute based on his performance as the Joker in Batman.” “He’s playing a character,” Wilhite said. “He is a performance artist.” Advertisement Kelly Jones countered in her own testimony, “He is not a stable person... He says he wants to break Alec Baldwin’s neck. He wants J. Lo to get raped.” “I’m concerned that he is engaged in felonious behavior, threatening a member of Congress... he broadcasts from home. The children are there, watching him broadcast.” The case now depends on a jury’s ability to distinguish between the public and private Alex Jones, and whether the purported difference between the two personas might make a difference with regard to his parenting. Sponsored It’s overly generous to take Alex Jones or his attorney at their word, but to indulge them briefly, any reasonable consumer of media would have no valid reason to doubt that Jones believes what he preaches. Infowars purports to be a news-from-a-specific-deranged-viewpoint media company, and, in support of that role, has interviewed exactly one presidential candidate—the same one who later called Jones to thank him for his influence after he won the most recent election. Jones “reports” “facts” sold as absolute truth, even when there is no evidence to support them (more likely, there’s hard evidence disproving them)—most recently, Jones promoted the Pizzagate scandal which alleged that Hillary Clinton and John Podesta ran a child sex-trafficking ring in the basement of a pizza-and-ping pong restaurant in Washington DC. Jones later apologized for his role in spreading the conspiracy, which influenced numerous “concerned citizens” to call the pizza place with death threats; one North Carolina man traveled to DC to “self-investigate,” during which time he fired shots with an assault rifle inside the restaurant. The man was later arrested. Jones has suggested that 9/11 was an inside job; he often makes commentary fueled exclusively by his “gut;” he’s paid Infowars viewers to wear t-shirts calling Bill Clinton a rapist; he is obsessed with the evils of birth control and the almost religiously redeeming power of male virility, leading to this spectacular spread on his website: Image via InfoWars. And, in addition to providing news for a large, increasingly politically-active chunk of the country, he’s also become an important influence on President Donald Trump, a man who is highly susceptible to flattery, reads very little, and carries the nuclear football. Advertisement His attorney’s request that a jury looks past Jones’s bombastic, paranoid persona—a persona that is having massive real world impact—and see him instead as a loving, attentive father, is one that a number of famously naughty men have attempted to employ in the past few months (and, surely, forever). Remember Hulk Hogan requested that his public wrestling character, one who boasted about his sexual exploits and the size of his penis, be viewed as a separate entity from Terry Bollea, private citizen—a major point in the argument was the revelation that Bollea’s penis was smaller than Hogan’s imaginary one. Similarly, during the election, Trump claimed that brutally sexist comments made about Carly Fiorina and others were made “as an entertainer,”—not as Trump the thoughtful man and potential world leader. “It all goes hand-in-hand. And much of the—many of the statements—and, if you notice, I’m leading with women,” he said to Fox News in 2015. “Many of those comments are made as an entertainer, because I did The Apprentice. It was one of the top shows on television. I decided not to do it again because I wanted to run for president. But some comments are made as an entertainer. And, as everybody said, as an entertainer [it] is a much different ballgame.” On the flip side, how many times have we been asked to separate a man’s art from his personal life? Mel Gibson, Woody Allen, and Roman Polanski, among scores of others, have all been granted the luxury of having their work separated from their flawed manhood, and any attempts at reconciling the two produce only a series of tired shrugs and a change in topic of conversation. Advertisement An asshole by any other name (Alex Jones, say, or Donald Trump), would suck just as hard. At what point can we stop with the dialectical backflips?

Image via Getty. After her anxiety dream New Year’s Eve performance, Mariah Carey said, “Shit happens.” Now she supposedly thinks, “Shit happens when everyone’s out to get you.” Advertisement Page Six reports that Carey’s team is allegedly saying the technical difficulties she faced were actually a deliberate sabotage by Dick Clark Productions, intended to drum up ratings. They apparently received a scorching letter on the subject of Mariah Carey’s malfunctioning earpiece: “You know her inner ears were NOT working and your entire production team did not set her up to win,” the manager, Stella Bulochnikov, wrote to Mark Shimmel, whose company produced Carey’s TV nightmare, which was broadcast live on ABC. “AND MARIAH KEPT TELLING THEM [something was wrong] ON STAGE IN REAL TIME,” Bulochnikov typed in all caps in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Post. “THEY KEPT IGNORING HER. SHE TOOK A HIT HONORING HER COMMITMENT TO YOU. I SHOULD HAVE PULLED HER OFF THE STAGE THIS IS SABOTAGE.” Bulochnikov told Page Six that she doesn’t believe Carey was deliberately given bad equipment, but that producers took advantage of the situation, saying, “Once things went wrong, they took the decision to keep rolling and make her look like a train wreck for the ratings,” she added, “They owe her a public apology.” Advertisement TMZ reports that Dick Clark Productions think this accusation is defamatory, and one production crew member is accused of saying, “I don’t care that her ears didn’t work. She could’ve just winged it.” Freaking wing it, Mariah Carey. [Page Six, TMZ] Did Jennifer Lopez mock Carey’s performance in between getting deeply emotional and very real kisses from Drake? [BET] Happy New Year.

Images via American Girl Since its founding in 1986, American Girl has focused its energies on “fueling connection among girls and helping them to unleash their full potential.” But of the over 29 million American Girl dolls that have been sold in the past 31 years, I’ve personally identified with exactly zero. I felt left out and woefully unimportant. Until now. Advertisement Though the cast of dolls includes dozens of unique and wonderful characters any child would be lucky to meet—let alone own—none have ever acted as mirrors in which I could see myself. Take last year’s Girl of the Year, Gabriela. She’s a dreamer who loves “expressing herself through dance”? Nope! Not me! What about Julie, “a fun-loving, happy, spirited girl, full of energy and new ideas but prone to fits of despair at the upheaval of the world around her”? Close, but I still don’t know her. Kitt Kitteridge? Please, we all know she’s my nemesis. But take a look at Logan Everett, their newest addition. He’s “a boy who plays drums alongside his friend Tenney Grant, a singer-songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee”? Wait just a second. That American Girl doll is...me. Like me, Logan is pale and sort of sickly looking, with an obvious Vitamin D deficiency and a haircut that’s not quite right for his face shape. His smile is only convincing half the time, and eyes are kind, but sad—like blueish windows into the mind of someone who’s trying (and failing) to mask a perpetual state of worry. Though his mother may approve of his wardrobe, more fashionable minds (such as Jezebel Culture Editor Julianne Escobedo Shepherd) would call it “wack.” Logan also has a ton of girl friends. Not girlfriends girl friends, obviously, but friends who happen to be girls. They find Logan nonthreatening and fun to be around. He always compliments their cute new outfits, notices when they changed their hair, and will gladly listen to stories about their personal lives without ever feeling compelled to discuss that time he fucked Ken while Barbie was on a shoot, or that G.I. Joe swore up and down he was straight despite seeming totally into it. He’s quiet, you know? Happy to be in the background. So I’d like to thank you, American Girl, for giving all the Logan Everetts of the world a voice. It’s about time.

Image via Getty. Pope Francis was criticized this summer for waffling on plans to put child abusers on trial within the Catholic Church, as well as those who facilitated abuse with cover ups. Instead, he strengthened the rules agains sexually abusing children that already existed, which he reminded bishops about one more time for the new year. Advertisement The Associated Press reports that the Vatican released a letter on Monday that the Pope sent to bishops on December 28, outlining the suffering of children in their domain, such as: child labor, malnutrition, access to education and, of course, sexual abuse. More specifically, sexual abuse committed by priests. Pope Francis wrote of the Church’s long history of abuse scandals, saying, “It is a sin that shames us. Persons responsible for the protection of those children destroyed their dignity.” Expressing the church’s “regret,” and begging forgiveness, the pope denounced the “sin of what happened, the sin of failing to help, the sin of covering up and denial, the sin of the abuse of power.” Francis also asked bishops for “complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst.” “Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated,” the pope said. “In this area, let us adhere, clearly and faithfully, to ‘zero tolerance.’” Despite these pleas, Pope Francis did appoint Bishop Juan Barros to Osorno, Chile, in 2015. Barros allegedly protected Father Fernando Karadima, who was accused of sexually abusing multiple children, according to Reuters. Karadima was never prosecuted, though a judge ruled the accusations were valid, as the statute of limitations had passed. In 2011, the Vatican sentenced Karadima to “a life of prayer and penitence.”

Image via Getty Lady Gaga will make the best use of her time at Coachella by shooting scenes there this week for the remake of A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper. Advertisement During her Coachella set on Sunday, Gaga debuted her new single “The Cure,” a sparkle of a song that’s more on the peppy synth side of pop than what we’re used to from her. Days later, she’ll be shooting scenes for the long-brewing remake of A Star Is Born, which Cooper is directing. Advertisement Regular people have been invited to participate as extras for concert scenes shooting on April 18 and 19, so as to take advantage of the sea of music lovers and flower crowns gathered in the dessert of Indio, California. Billboard reports: The solicitation for extras (which you can read here) invites Little Monsters to “be in the audience as Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga films scenes on the actual Coachella stages. Help cheer and applaud their performances on camera... the scenes for these days will portray a Country Western music concert. All you Monsters that can attend should get decked out in your most comfortable denim & boots, throw on a Stetson (leave those pink Joanne hats at home) and come out to show your support!” These future memories cost $10 per ticket and everyone’s phones will reportedly be trapped in a Yondr pouch to prevent photo and video leaks while filming.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Yes, you read that correctly. Harry Potter! Arrested! Weed! Advertisement But no, I’m not elliptically referring to Daniel Radcliffe. And I’m not operating under some delusion that Harry Potter and his lot exist—although, in the midst of our current national nightmare, I have often fantasized about Hogwarts. I’m referring to Harry Potter, a 19-year-old from York, England, who was found in possession of marijuana, as well as cash presumably earned from selling it. There are of course many dumb, wizard-related jokes to make, but I’m afraid I’m a spoilsport. That said, I invite the rest of you to bask in the possibilities. Advertisement According to USA Today, Potter was riding his moped—go ahead, pause to make a broomstick joke—when a police officer stopped him, alerted by “a strong smell of cannabis.” After discovering the weed and cash, the officer arrested Potter, and his case was sent to trial. Apparently Potter’s lawyer argued that his client wasn’t really dealing, just procuring extra pot for his friends and charging the same price he had paid. But I don’t think anyone is especially invested in the nitty-gritty details of Potter’s legal troubles—he just has an unfortunate name. Or perhaps it has worked to his benefit! If he began a weed delivery service, he’d have plenty of options for a logo, and of course Potter offers some wordplay opportunities. In any case, I release you to the comments, where you may make merry with this information. I think we can all agree, however, that wizards probably have far better drugs than muggles. Sponsored (Oh, and for what it’s worth: multiple sorting hat quizzes, including the Pottermore one, have told me that I’m a Ravenclaw.)

At Syracuse, Switzer began running with Arnie Briggs, a mail carrier at Syracuse who was also an avid runner. Briggs, too, argued that women were “too fragile” to run the race, but Switzer was determined to prove him wrong. When she began running 30-plus mile distances, Briggs conceded and encouraged her to sign up for Boston officially. She signed up as “K.V. Switzer” along with Arnie, her boyfriend Tom Miller, and another friend. Advertisement But when Jock Semple, the race co-director, discovered a woman had registered in the marathon, he was furious. In the middle of the race, Semple tried to shove Switzer and physically pull her out. “He was pulling at me and screaming, ‘Get the hell out of my race and give me that number,’” Switzer told Deadspin in 2015. “Arnie was screaming at Jock, and then Tom smashed Jock out of the way.” The moment was captured by photographer Harry Trask, instantly turning Switzer into an icon. But Switzer wasn’t the only woman—or even the first—to complete the Boston Marathon that year. Bobbi Gibb, who had run the race unofficially in 1966, was on the course in 1967 and finished ahead of Switzer at 3:27:17. However, Gibb did not register for the race, and according to Switzer, therefore did not threaten the supposed integrity of Semple’s men-only competition. Semple disqualified Switzer from the race and the Amateur Athletic Union suspended her and Miller. Advertisement Sponsored Switzer, who was attacked simply for wanting to run, became an international feminist symbol and helped break the long-held barriers against women in long distance running. In a recent interview with WBZ-TV, she recalled, “I said, ‘This is going to change my life, maybe going to change women’s sports and change the world.’” The Boston Marathon officially opened to women in 1972. That same year, gender equality law Title IX was signed into law, allowing more women to join cross country and track and field programs at college. In 1984, the Olympics introduced the first women’s marathon. Switzer went on to run 39 marathons and organized the Avon International Running Circuit, a series of women’s-only races. In 1974, she won the New York City marathon. In 1975, she returned to Boston and placed second, break her personal record with a time of 2:51:33. In 2011, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. CNN reports that the Boston Marathon will retire Switzer’s original bib number in her honor. “Fifty years later, women make up almost half the field at Boston. It’s a phenomenal social revolution, and it has happened in my lifetime,” Switzer told Outside Magazine. “To be there in Boston to celebrate that moment, the place where it all began, is extremely gratifying and validating.”

Five of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have occurred since 2012, the same year that a troubled young man killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. A list of some of the deadliest mass shootings: — Oct. 1, 2017: Stephen Paddock opened fire on an outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip from the 32nd floor of a hotel-casino, killing 58 people and wounding more than 500. SWAT teams with explosives then stormed his room and found he had killed himself. — June 12, 2016: Omar Mateen opened fire at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub, killing 49 people. Mateen was later killed in a shootout with police. — April 16, 2007: Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others in separate attacks on campus before killing himself. — Dec. 14, 2012: In Newtown, Connecticut, an armed 20-year-old man entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and used a semi-automatic rifle to kill 26 people, including 20 first-graders and six adult school staff members. He then killed himself. — Nov. 5, 2017: Devin Patrick Kelley, who had been discharged from the Air Force after a conviction for domestic violence, used an AR-style firearm to shoot up a congregation at a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing more than two dozen. — Oct. 16, 1991: George Hennard drove his pickup truck though the front window of Luby's restaurant in Killeen, Texas, and then fatally shot 23 people, wounded 27 others and then killed himself after a shootout with police. — July 18, 1984: James Huberty drove to a McDonald's in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego, California, armed with an Uzi submachine gun, a shotgun and a handgun. He shot and killed 21 people, injured 19 and then was killed by a police sniper. — Dec. 2, 2015: Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, opened fire at a social services center in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and wounding more than 20. They fled the scene but died hours later in a shootout with police. — Aug. 20, 1986: Postal worker Patrick Sherrill shot 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them, in Edmond, Oklahoma. He then committed suicide. — Aug. 1, 1966: Charles Whitman, a onetime Marine sharpshooter, opened fire on the University of Texas at Austin campus from its clocktower, killing 13 people and an unborn child and injuring around 30 others. Whitman also killed his mother and wife the night before. One shooting victim died a week later and medical examiners attributed a 17th death to Whitman in 2001.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2018--Today Thumbtack, the app that finds you local professionals for almost anything, releases its latest research on Millennial entrepreneurs. Thumbtack surveyed 4,000 small business owners between the ages of 18 and 35 across the U.S. and found Millennials are leaving traditional jobs and utilizing technology to start their own business, pursue professional passions and to find personal fulfillment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530005433/en/ “Millennials are motivated by much more than financial success,” said Lucas Puente, Thumbtack’s Lead Economist, who conducted the survey. “This cohort finds being an entrepreneur financially rewarding, but they are most focused on being able to pursue their individual passion.” Highlights from the research: Increasingly, Millennials choose independent work and entrepreneurship over traditional 9-5 employment. 40 percent of Millennials plan on leaving their full-time employers to work as a freelancers within five years. (Only 23 percent of workers in Gen X and 13 percent of Baby Boomers say the same.) Millennials use technology to help grow their business, utilizing social media for marketing (84 percent) and platforms like YouTube to answer customer questions. Financial incentives are not the main factor in starting a business for Millennials — three in five report starting a business to be more fulfilled, not to make more money. This group is focused on work they are passionate about and quality of life in choosing how and when to work. Millennial entrepreneurs are not tied down to a traditional office setting. Only 11 percent of Millennials report working from an office, while 27 percent work from home. Twenty-seven percent use public spaces like coffee shops or libraries and 11 percent use co-working spaces. And for those whose craft doesn't require a desk at all? They reported working from dance studios, flower shops, tennis courts and swimming pools — teaching, coaching and making their products by hand. “Photography is my passion. I can do whatever I want in my own space and I’m the one ultimately deciding my destiny,” said Danielle Powell, a Thumbtack Pro photographer in Kansas City, Mo. “Having my own company is very liberating. The sky’s the limit. And being self-employed, you don’t experience age discrimination or workplace politics.” In terms of the best cities for Millennial entrepreneurs to start, operate and grow a small business, this year Kansas City, Mo. ranked first for small business friendliness. Sixty-one percent of the Millennials running a small business in Kansas City told us that their local government was “somewhat” or “very supportive” of businesses like theirs. Additional top cities include: Seattle, San Antonio, Minneapolis and Nashville, Tenn. For more details about top cities for small business friendliness for Millennial entrepreneurs, please visit our interactive survey results page. For the full report, visit our https://www.thumbtack.com/blog/millennial-entrepreneurship/. Top Cities for Millennial Entrepreneurs 1. Kansas City, MO 2. Seattle, WA 3. San Antonio, TX 4. Minneapolis, MN 5. Nashville, TN 6. Atlanta, GA 7. Tampa, FL 8. Austin, TX 9. Washington, DC 10. West Palm Beach, FL 11. Charlotte, NC 12. St. Louis, MO 13. Houston, TX 14. Sacramento, CA 15. Dallas, TX 16. Phoenix, AZ 17. Miami, FL 18. Philadelphia, PA 19. Boston, MA 20. Anaheim, CA 21. Denver, CO 22. Fort Worth, TX 23. San Francisco, CA 24. Chicago, IL 25. Orlando, FL Top Occupations for Millennial Entrepreneurs (By volume) 1. Photographer 2. Landscaper 3. Handyman 4. General Contractor 5. Cleaner 6. Painter 7. Personal Trainer 8. Videographer 9. Junk Remover 10. Carpenter Survey Methodology Thumbtack Lead Economist, Lucas Puente, PhD, surveyed 4,000 skilled professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 from across the U.S., operating across hundreds of categories, including as electricians, music teachers, wedding planners, wellness professionals and more. The survey asked about the policies of their states and cities toward small business, as well as what it’s like to start and run a small business in their community. For the survey methodology, please visit: https://www.thumbtack.com/survey. Thumbtack additionally conducted focus groups of Millennial pros across the country for insights. About Thumbtack Thumbtack, headquartered in San Francisco, was created to solve a seemingly simple problem: local professionals need customers so they can run and grow their business. Customers need local pros too, but have trouble finding the right ones. So in 2008, the Thumbtack founders developed a marketplace bringing the two together. Since then, the platform helped hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals build successful businesses and help 25 million customers with everything from plumbing, to catering, to personal training to math tutoring. Learn more at www.thumbtack.com. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530005433/en/ CONTACT: Thumbtack Justine Gananian press@thumbtack.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY DATA MANAGEMENT INTERNET SOFTWARE SMALL BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOURCE: Thumbtack Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 05/30/2018 12:00 PM/DISC: 05/30/2018 12:01 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530005433/en

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — State Attorney General Bill Schuette is asking Michigan State University for emails and text messages related to Larry Nassar, an initial salvo in his investigation into how the college handled complaints against the longtime campus sports doctor who was sentenced to decades in prison last week for sexually assaulting female athletes. In a letter released Monday, Schuette and his special independent counsel, William Forsyth, requested the communications of 20 current and former school officials, including the entire eight-member governing board of trustees and President Lou Anna Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis — who both quit last week after Nassar's sentencing. Also being sought by Feb. 9 are records related to three people who have been under heightened scrutiny since Nassar was fired in September 2016: longtime gymnastics coach Kathie Klages, who retired last February after being suspended for defending Nassar in a team meeting; sports medicine doctor Brooke Lemmen, who resigned in January 2017 amid allegations that she did not tell the university in 2015 that Nassar was being investigated by USA Gymnastics after the school had cleared him in a 2014 Title IX probe; and William Strampel, the former dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine who began a leave of absence for medical reasons in December. In the letter dated Saturday, investigators asked for Strampel's work computer, his work cellphone and his work calendars "immediately." They also requested "all records" of any university investigation into the Nassar matter, including a review conducted by former Chicago federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. He was hired by the school and has said no one there knew that Nassar committed crimes. A message seeking comment was left with a university spokesman on Monday. Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison last week at the end of an extraordinary seven-day hearing at which more than 150 women and girls said he had molested them under the guise of medical treatment. Victims blamed Michigan State, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for not doing more earlier to stop him. One woman, Larissa Boyce, said she and a fellow teenage teammate complained about Nassar to Klages in 1997, when they trained with the Spartan youth gymnastics team. "Instead of notifying authorities or even my parents, we were interrogated," Boyce said in her statement to the court. "We were led to believe we were misunderstanding a medical technique. ... She humiliated and silenced me." Nassar's accusers have said he would use his ungloved hands to penetrate them digitally and engage in other inappropriate touching when they were seeking treatment for back, hip, leg, foot and other injuries. An attorney who represents Klages and Strampel declined to comment Monday, citing a lawsuit that has been filed against them. Also Monday, trustee Brian Mosallam took to Twitter to demand the immediate resignation of Michigan State Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Bob Noto. He also called for an independent review of the legal department's handling of the Nassar matter. Noto could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. A Title IX probe conducted by the university cleared Nassar of sexual assault allegations in 2014. He was advised by the school to avoid being alone with patients while treating their "sensitive areas," but the school did not enforce its request. In March, Strampel told a campus detective and an FBI agent that he did not follow up because having a chaperone in the room for a sensitive exam is "health care 101." At least 12 reported assaults occurred after the investigation ended, according to a university police report that was provided to the FBI for review by the U.S. attorney. Nassar, who also has been sentenced to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges, will appear in a Michigan court this week for another prison sentence. In that case, he pleaded guilty to assaulting three girls at Twistars, a Lansing-area gymnastics club. ___ Follow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert

Dec. 17: Singer-actor Tommy Steele is 81. Keyboardist-singer Art Neville of the Neville Brothers is 80. Actor Bernard Hill is 73. Actor Ernie Hudson ("Ghostbusters") is 72. "Hardball" host Chris Matthews is 72. Actor-comedian Eugene Levy is 71. Drummer Jim Bonfanti of The Raspberries is 69. Actor Joel Brooks ("Six Feet Under") is 68. Singer Paul Rodgers is 68. Singer Wanda Hutchinson of The Emotions is 66. Country singer Sharon White of The Whites is 64. Actor Barry Livingston ("My Three Sons") is 64. Actor Bill Pullman is 64. Director-producer Peter Farrelly ("There's Something About Mary," ''Dumb and Dumber") is 61. Bassist Mike Mills of R.E.M. is 59. Singer Sarah Dallin of Bananarama is 56. Country singer Tracy Byrd is 51. Bassist Duane Propes of Little Texas is 51. Actress Laurie Holden ("The Walking Dead") is 48. DJ Homicide of Sugar Ray is 47. Actor Sean Patrick Thomas ("The District") is 47. Actress Claire Forlani ("Meet Joe Black," ''CSI: NY") is 46. Drummer Eddie Fisher of OneRepublic is 44. Actress Sarah Paulson ("American Horror Story") is 43. Actor Giovanni Ribisi is 43. Actress Marissa Ribisi ("Pleasantville") is 43. Actress Milla Jovovich ("Zoolander," ''The Fifth Element") is 42. Singer Ben Goldwasser of MGMT is 35. Actress Shannon Woodward ("Westworld," ''Raising Hope") is 33. Actress Emma Bell ("The Walking Dead") is 31. Guitarist Taylor York of Paramore is 28. Actor Graham Rogers ("Quantico") is 27. Actor-singer Nat Wolff ("The Naked Brothers Band") is 23. Dec. 18: Actor Roger Mosley ("Magnum, P.I.") is 79. Guitarist Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones is 74. Director Steven Spielberg is 71. Movie critic Leonard Maltin is 67. Guitarist Elliot Easton of The Cars is 64. Actor Ray Liotta is 62. Singer Angie Stone is 56. Actor Brad Pitt is 54. Wrestler-actor Stone Cold Steve Austin ("Chain of Command") is 53. Actor Shawn Christian ("Days of Our Lives") is 52. Actress Rachel Griffiths ("Brothers and Sisters," ''Six Feet Under") is 49. Singer Alejandro Sanz is 49. Country singer Cowboy Troy is 47. Rapper DMX is 47. DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit is 45. Singer Sia is 42. Country singer Randy Houser is 41. Actor Josh Dallas ("Once Upon A Time") is 39. Actress Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") is 39. Singer Christina Aguilera is 37. Actress Ashley Benson ("Pretty Little Liars") is 28. Dec. 19: Actress Cicely Tyson is 93. Actress Elaine Joyce is 74. Actor Tim Reid is 73. Musician John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 72. Country singer Janie Fricke is 70. Actor Mike Lookinland ("The Brady Bunch") is 57. Actress Jennifer Beals is 54. Actor Scott Cohen ("Gilmore Girls") is 53. Actor Robert MacNaughton ("E.T.") is 51. Magician Criss Angel is 50. Guitarist Klaus Eichstadt of Ugly Kid Joe is 50. Actress Kristy Swanson is 48. Model Tyson Beckford is 47. Actress Alyssa Milano is 45. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is 37. Actress Marla Sokoloff ("The Practice") is 37. Dec. 20: Actor Tommy Cole ("The Mickey Mouse Club") is 76. Drummer Bobby Colomby of Blood, Sweat and Tears is 73. Former Kiss drummer Peter Criss is 72. Musician Alan Parsons is 69. Actress Jenny Agutter ("Call the Midwife") is 65. Actor Michael Badalucco ("The Practice") is 63. Actress Blanche Baker ("Shakedown," ''Holocaust") is 61. Singer Billy Bragg is 60. Singer-bassist Mike Watt (The Minutemen, fIREHOSE) is 60. Actor Joel Gretsch ("V'') is 54. Country singer Kris Tyler is 53. Singer Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) is 51. Singer David Cook ("American Idol") is 35. Actor Jonah Hill is 34. Singer JoJo is 27. Dec. 21: Country singer Freddie Hart is 91. Talk show host Phil Donahue is 82. Actress Jane Fonda is 80. Singer Carla Thomas is 75. Guitarist Albert Lee is 74. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 69. Singer Nick Gilder is 67. Actor Dennis Boutsikaris ("Better Call Saul") is 65. Singer Betty Wright is 64. Actress Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle") is 62. Country singer Lee Roy Parnell is 61. Entertainer Jim Rose of The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow is 61. Former child actress Lisa Gerritsen ("Phyllis," ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show") is 60. Actor-comedian Ray Romano ("Everybody Loves Raymond") is 60. Country singer Christy Forester of the Forester Sisters is 55. Drummer Murph of Dinosaur Jr. is 53. Guitarist Gabrielle Glaser (Luscious Jackson) is 52. Actor-comedian Andy Dick is 52. Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 51. Actress Karri Turner ("JAG") is 51. Actress Khrystyne Haje ("Head of the Class") is 49. Country singer Brad Warren of The Warren Brothers is 49. Actress Julie Delpy is 48. Contemporary Christian singer Natalie Grant is 46. Singer-guitarist Brett Scallions (Fuel) is 46. Singer Lukas Rossi of Rock Star Supernova (TV: "Rock Star: Supernova") is 41. Actress Rutina Wesley ("True Blood") is 39. Keyboardist Anna Bulbrook of Airborne Toxic Event is 35. Actor Steven Yeun ("The Walking Dead") is 34. Dec. 22: Actor Hector Elizondo is 81. Country singer Red Steagall is 79. TV anchor Diane Sawyer is 72. Guitarist Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick is 69. Actress BernNadette Stanis ("Good Times") is 64. Rapper Luther Campbell (2 Live Crew) is 57. Guitarist Chuck Mead (BR549) is 57. Actor Ralph Fiennes is 55. Actress Lauralee Bell ("The Young and the Restless") is 49. Country singer Lori McKenna is 49. Actress Heather Donahue ("The Blair Witch Project") is 44. Actor Chris Carmack ("The O.C.") is 37. Singer Jordin Sparks ("American Idol") is 28. Singer Meghan Trainor is 24. Dec. 23: Actor Ronnie Schell ("Gomer Pyle, USMC") is 86. Actor Frederic Forrest ("Lonesome Dove") is 81. Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) is 77. Drummer Ron Bushy of Iron Butterfly is 76. Actor-comedian Harry Shearer ("The Simpsons") is 74. Actress Susan Lucci ("All My Children") is 71. Guitarist Dave Murray of Iron Maiden is 61. Singer Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam is 53. Jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield is 40. Actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle ("Hannah Montana," ''Camp Rock") is 27. Actor Spencer Daniels ("Mom") is 25.

MADRID (AP) — Athletic Bilbao didn't take long to replace young French defender Aymeric Laporte after his move to Manchester City. The Spanish club said Tuesday it had signed central defender Inigo Martinez from Basque Country rival Real Sociedad, spending 32 million euros ($39 million) on the player's buyout clause. Laporte left to play for Manchester City after his clause of 65 million euros ($80 million) was paid on Monday. The 26-year-old Martinez had been with Real Sociedad since 2011. He was called up to Spain's national team under current coach Julen Lopetegui. His contract with Athletic will end in June 2023, and has a buyout clause of 80 million euros ($99 million). Also Tuesday, Sevilla signed Mexico fullback Miguel Layun on loan from Porto. The Spanish club has an option to acquire the 29-year-old player at the end of the season. Layun had been with Porto since 2015. He previously played for Watford in England and Granada in Spain. He will be a key figure in Mexico's squad for the World Cup in Russia. Sevilla said it also signed midfielder Roque Mesa from English Premier League club Swansea on loan until the end of the season. Sevilla said it has the option to acquire the Spanish player. ___ More AP Spanish soccer coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/LaLiga

USA Hockey will not replace Jim Johannson as general manager after he died unexpectedly at his home at age 53 on the eve of the Olympics. Executive director Pat Kelleher says "there will only be one general manager" of the team after Johannson selected the coaching staff and 25-man roster for the first U.S. Olympic men's hockey team without NHL players since 1994. Kelleher says director of player personnel Ben Smith will fill Johannson's duties in South Korea. Johannson was in the midst of his most high-profile role in his 17 years at USA Hockey when he died Jan. 21, less than three weeks after the roster was announced. He has been responsible for many world junior and world championship teams in the past several years. ___ Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno ___ More AP Olympic coverage: https://wintergames.ap.org

LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Roku, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU) today announced the addition of live and linear news content and new discovery features to The Roku Channel, an ad-supported streaming channel on the Roku® platform specifically dedicated to giving customers free access to top films and more. The Roku Channel is the OTT launch destination for ABC News Live, a new 24/7 live and linear news stream from anchor partner, ABC News. In addition, Roku customers will be able to access live and linear news feeds from premium news partners such as Cheddar, People TV and others. The Roku Channel is now a top #15 channel on the Roku platform as well as the #3 ad-supported channel. It continues to have, on average, approximately half the advertising per programming hour as compared to traditional ad-supported linear TV. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005658/en/ The Roku Channel (Photo: Business Wire) New features such as “Collections,” lets customers dive in deeper to explore content in curated thematic collections, and “Continue Watching,” lets customers easily get back into content they've started watching, will improve content discovery and accessibility. These updates will be available to customers through a phased software roll out starting in May. “We built The Roku Channel so it’s easy to navigate, offers great content and brings real value to our customers,” said Rob Holmes, Vice President of Programming, Roku. “Today, we’re working with some of the industry’s most forward-looking news organizations such as ABC News, Cheddar, People TV, and others, to deliver yet another customer-requested feature to The Roku Channel – live and linear news. ABC News has been at the forefront of producing and delivering live news for OTT viewing and we're excited to have them on-board as one of our anchor news partners.” ABC News Live, the network’s new 24/7 live streaming channel will be available on The Roku Channel, giving users access to breaking news and live event coverage. It will utilize the worldwide resources of ABC News and their people in the field to deliver news in a modern package and take users live, on location to show – not tell them – what’s happening in the world. “Now more than ever people want to find out what’s happening in the world from a straightforward news source they know and trust,” said Colby Smith, Vice President, ABC News Digital. “After experimenting with thousands of livestreams and analyzing the data, we’re excited to launch ABC News Live for younger viewers who increasingly rely on Roku and non-linear platforms for their news." In addition to ABC News Live, Roku users can view live and linear news feeds from the following partners: Cheddar: Cheddar on The Roku Channel is a linear news offering featuring a selection of live and curated content from the network, which offers a unique approach to news in technology, media, and entertainment. PeopleTV: PeopleTV is the ad-supported streaming network helmed by PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly. Roku customers will have unlimited, daily access to quality programming features original series and specials, which encompass celebrity, pop culture, lifestyle and human-interest genres. Since launching last September, The Roku Channel continues to expand its entertainment library, bringing more content from existing channel publishers, such as FilmRise, Vidmark and more to the forefront, and working with leading studios such as Lionsgate, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. and others. ROKU OS 8.1 Starting in May, Roku OS 8.1 will deliver a number of enhanced features that add convenience and value to a customer’s streaming experience. Most notably, multicast private listening will be added to multiple devices through the Roku mobile app. The update supports up to four users on iOS or Android devices. These updates will be available to customers through a phased rollout over the course of the coming weeks. For more information on The Roku Channel visit https://www.roku.com/showcase/the-roku-channel. About Roku, Inc. Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. We connect users to the streaming content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku streaming players and Roku TV™ models are available around the world through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with TV OEMs and service operators. The company is founded by Anthony Wood, inventor of the DVR. Roku is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif. U.S.A. This press release contains “forward-looking” statements that are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us on the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to descriptions of the content that will be available on the The Roku Channel or the availability of future operating system software releases. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 10-K for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2017. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku’s website and are available from Roku without charge. Roku is a registered trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005658/en/ CONTACT: Roku Abby Reyes areyes@roku.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENTERTAINMENT TV AND RADIO TECHNOLOGY CONSUMER ELECTRONICS HARDWARE INTERNET AUDIO/VIDEO MOBILE/WIRELESS SOURCE: Roku, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 09:00 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 09:01 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005658/en

MADRID (AP) — Official statistics show Spain's economy grew 3.1 percent in 2017, two percentage points slower than the previous year but still above the European Union average. The National Statistics Institute said Tuesday that GDP growth slowed in the final quarter to 0.7 percent, from 0.8 percent and 0.9 percent in the third and second quarters. The statistics were in line with recent estimates by Spain's Central Bank, which said that strong exports were offsetting the negative effects of uncertainty in Catalonia. It warned, however, of risks ahead if the independence bid in the prosperous northeastern region keeps the political crisis alive. Spain's conservative government has made economic growth and job creation its chief goals since taking office in 2011. It predicts the economy will grow 2.5 percent in 2018.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's parliament has approved a contentious bill that makes it a crime to plan a crime. The ruling coalition pushed the conspiracy legislation through the upper house Thursday, bypassing committee approval that normally precedes a vote by the full house. The more powerful lower house passed the bill last month. The law criminalizes the planning of 277 serious crimes. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says it is needed to prevent terrorism, especially with the Olympics coming to Tokyo in 2020. A sizeable crowd protested outside parliament Wednesday. Opponents warn that authorities could use the legislation to limit free speech and public protests. The U.N. special rapporteur on the right to privacy sent an open letter to Abe raising concerns over the bill.

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's Interior Ministry says a suspected extremist blew himself up in the Ben Guerdane area near the border with Libya following a standoff with police. The man's identity hasn't been disclosed. The ministry said in a statement issued Monday that a second suspect was shot during an exchange of fire. Authorities said the two were members of Jund al-Khilafa, an armed group which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Tunisia's security forces battled armed groups that attacked security and military sites in Ben Guerdane two years ago with the alleged goal of creating an emirate. Some of the groups crossed over from Libya. Tunisian security forces killed more than 50 alleged attackers. More than a dozen officers and seven civilians also died.

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 4, 2018--Exclusive Group, the value-added services and technologies (VAST) group, today renewed its declaration of independence by completing a major investment transaction with funds advised by private investment firm, Permira. Rather than dilute its distinctive, value-oriented approach by consolidating with other major VAD players, this catalyst will enable Exclusive Group to extend its vision and create the world’s largest global specialist VAD in cyber and cloud transformation, with a target to reach $10bn annual revenue in the years ahead. Olivier Breittmayer, CEO at Exclusive Group, said: “Cybersecurity and cloud are the leading business priorities in this age of digital transformation, both as separate disciplines but – even more so – joined together as a co-dependent whole. Both sectors are becoming increasingly complex, and both suffer from a huge lack of skills & knowledge. The Industry needs a VAD that can fill this gap and we aim to do that. We believe we have the right and relevant focus; vendors, services and skill sets to build a compelling offer for channel partners and vendors to realise significant profitable growth.” By pursuing a specialist focus in cyber and cloud, Exclusive Group is addressing the widening global shortage in skills and knowledge among channel partners and end-user organisations to enable the desired pace and success of digital transformation. “We have some of the best people in the world and by far the highest ratio of engineers of any distributor in our class,” added Breittmayer. “We also have the greatest track record of ensuring local, regional and global market success for disruptive technologies. Our strategy will see us continue to build out the strongest possible vendor portfolio in our ‘cyber super centres’ and ‘cloud competency centres’ – across all relevant segments – and expand our service offerings and global footprint to meet the demands of any project.” Michail Zekkos, Partner in the technology team at Permira commented; “Exclusive Group’s unrivalled focus and commitment to cyber and cloud is very exciting and we are delighted to partner with the company. We believe that enterprise cloud and cybersecurity will continue to rapidly converge, creating a tremendous market opportunity for the company to enable that transition while positioning its channel partners at its forefront. Preserving the entrepreneurial spirit and independence of the business while continuing to innovate with speed and at scale will be key to executing on its next phase of growth.” View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005006/en/ CONTACT: Cohesive for Exclusive Group Greg Halse/Ellie Stansfield +44 (0) 1291 626200 exclusivegroup@wearecohesive.com KEYWORD: EUROPE FRANCE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY DATA MANAGEMENT NETWORKS SOFTWARE OTHER TECHNOLOGY SECURITY MOBILE/WIRELESS SOURCE: Exclusive Group Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 07/04/2018 04:00 AM/DISC: 07/04/2018 04:01 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005006/en

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Three people were killed and two injured when a helicopter crashed into a house in a suburban Southern California neighborhood just a few minutes after taking off, officials said. The helicopter crashed into the house with such force that it was barely recognizable. The crushed metal sat in a heap on the side of the house, its tail rotor sticking out of the roof of a nearby home and a 6-foot chunk landing in the street in front of yet another house. "All of a sudden the house just shook and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, we're having an earthquake,'" said Marian Michaels, who lives behind the home in a gated community in Newport Beach where the helicopter crashed. Roger Johnson was doing some woodwork when he heard the chopping sound of a helicopter's rotating blades and then a tremendous boom across the street. "I turned to look out of the garage and that's when I see this piece of metal flying through the air and hitting a bush and garage door," Johnson said. "Then I heard someone scream — a real for-real horror scream, like something terrible had happened." Johnson rushed to the wreckage and cautioned people to stop trying to pull out or move victims. Four people were aboard the Robinson R44 helicopter when it went down. All four were among those killed or injured, and one person who was on the ground but outside of the house was also injured, Newport Beach fire and police officials said. They did not say which was which, or give any specifics about the injuries. Audrey Ellis, who lives next to the house where the crash happened, was not home at the time but said her neighbors told her they were in the kitchen when the helicopter hit the bedroom of their house. "It's so scary," Ellis said, adding that her neighbors weren't hurt. "I'm so thankful." The aircraft had taken off from John Wayne Airport, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport is about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the crash site. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Messages seeking comment from Revolution Aviation, which is based at the airport and operated the helicopter, were not immediately returned. The company offers helicopter and airplane classes, the use of aircraft for photography and video production as well as sightseeing flights.

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron is launching a national lottery to help restore France's magnificent chateaux and other historic monuments. Macron is kicking off the project Thursday with a visit to the chateau of French philosopher Voltaire, near the Swiss border, to showcase an example of successful restoration. A total of 250 sites will benefit from the financing. The list includes an 18th century fortress on a tiny Brittany island, the home of writer Aime Cesaire in the Caribbean, a 12th century Burgundy castle and a Roman aqueduct in eastern France. Macron, a culture and history lover, hopes the operation will yield millions of euros for the French state, in addition to cash winnings for lucky players. It is the first such project in France, though Britain has a similar initiative.

WASHINGTON (AP) — No, that wasn't drool on the lips of Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III. He says it was ChapStick. Twitter lit up with jibes about the 37-year-old Democrat's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union. In his televised speech Tuesday, Kennedy's lips appeared wet and glistening, leading to tweets about Kennedy's "drool." Kennedy joked on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday that he "decided to go a little bit light on the ChapStick this morning...which is probably a wise choice." He told CNN that Tuesday's ChapStick was "a little too much, apparently." Other State of the Union responders have attracted similar unwanted attention. In 2013, GOP Sen. Marco Rubio's response to President Barack Obama's speech was mocked for Rubio's awkward off-screen reach for water.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — For the Koch brothers and their powerful donor network, the trouble with President Donald Trump isn't what he's doing. It's how he's doing it. Huddled at a private retreat in the California desert, the conservative movement's moneyed elite worried aloud this weekend that the Republican president's undisciplined behavior is clouding his achievements — and making it harder for the GOP to protect its grip on Congress heading into the 2018 midterms. "President Trump is not helping get many Republicans elected," said Tom Shepherd, a Cincinnati-based businessman who joined roughly 550 Koch donors at a private retreat in the California desert this weekend. "I think he's doing more harm than good because he's distracting people from the good work which is happening, which is either happening because of him or in spite of him." The frustration with the unorthodox president comes as the Kochs begin to implement their strategy to protect Republican majorities in the House and Senate this fall. The GOP has no more powerful ally than the vast political and policy network assembled by the Midwestern industrialist icons, long demonized by the left and revered by the right for their short- and long-term efforts to reshape American politics and culture. The Koch network's chief lieutenants renewed their vow this weekend to spend up to $400 million on politics and policy to shape November's midterm elections nationwide. That's more than the combined resources spent by the Republican National Committee, the National Rifle Association and the Chamber of Commerce in the 2016 election cycle. They outlined plans on Monday to spend big on political advertising now through the end of July on as many as 14 key Senate races and 15 gubernatorial elections. Their goal: Flood the airwaves with political messaging early to help shape voters' opinions long before the election season's final months. "We need to be on offense starting now," said Emily Seidel, CEO of the Kochs' political arm, Americans for Prosperity. She said the network has already decided to play in Senate contests in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and Florida — all seats held by vulnerable Democrats. They expect to be active in many more. And on governor's races, they're targeting Nevada, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Florida to start. The investment includes $20 million to help sell the recently adopted tax overhaul to a skeptical American public through a series of public rallies, phone banking and paid advertising. Despite the extraordinary investment, the men and women who filled the luxury resort outside Palm Springs for a three-day retreat that ended Monday acknowledged a difficult road ahead. Some blamed history more than the regular distractions from Trump. The party in the White House traditionally struggles in the first midterm election of a new presidency. "It's a challenge regardless of the president," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity. But the donors who pledged at least $100,000 this year to the Koch network — there were an estimated 550 on hand this weekend — were less cautious when asked about the president's leadership Many opposed his candidacy before the 2016 election. The Kochs refused to endorse Trump, fearing that his style and policies might undermine conservative priorities. "I didn't support him," said Frank Baxter, a retired investment banker from California who served as the ambassador to Uruguay under former President George W. Bush. "The results are kind of changing my mind." Like others, he praised the tax overhaul, Trump's judicial appointments and regulatory cuts. He added, "I still don't like what he says or does." Gary Lynch, whose Iowa livestock business employs roughly 700 people, said he and his business have benefited from the Republican tax overhaul. He said, however, that Trump's behavior "doesn't help" his party promote the benefits of the plan. "He hasn't got it down yet," Lynch said of the president, noting that he doesn't mind Trump's style personally. Another former Trump critic, North Carolina-based donor Art Pope, said he's warming to the president as well. "The policies of this administration have really benefited the American people," Pope said. He's still worried about the political climate heading into the midterms: "It's going to be a tough election." Democrats need to pick up at least 24 seats nationwide this fall to claim the House majority for the last two years of Trump's first term. Recent Democratic wins in Alabama and Virginia, backed by Trump's low approval ratings, suggest the GOP is in trouble. When asked about his party's 2018 prospects, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., among a handful of elected officials who attended the Koch conference, acknowledged that the House majority is at risk. "I can make the case for losing 18 seats and no more. I can make the case for 28 seats," he said. "It's a long ways off. It depends what we do between now and November." As the White House and Republicans nationwide work to highlight the strong U.S. economy, Trump intensified a weekend feud with the rapper Jay-Z on Twitter. The musician said over the weekend the president's recent vulgar comments about African countries and Haiti were "disappointing" and "hurtful." Trump punched back on Twitter, urging his followers to inform Jay-Z that "because of my policies," unemployment among black Americans is at the "LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!" Back at the Koch retreat, prominent Trump donor Doug Deason said he enjoyed the president's social media habits, which allow him to speak directly to the American people. "I don't think it helps. I don't think it hurts," Deason said. He noted that the Koch network would "spend a lot of money" to ensure the benefits of the tax overhaul aren't overshadowed by any distractions. "Who gives a crap about Jay-Z?" Deason asked. "I don't."

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A major thoroughfare in Rio de Janeiro has been shut down repeatedly as military police engage in shootouts with suspected drug traffickers. Images from a helicopter on Globo television showed people taking cover beside their cars Wednesday along the road known as the Linha Amarela, or Yellow Line. Authorities stopped traffic three times, with cars backing up for miles. The firefight apparently spilled onto the multiple-lane road in northern Rio during a police operation in City of God, a violent shantytown that was featured in 2002 Oscar-nominated film by the same name. Authorities are urging drivers to stay away from the area. Rio has struggled to curb surging violence amid fallout from the country's worst recession in decades.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Fighting continued through the night as Somalia's al-Shabab Islamic extremists fought off heavily armed soldiers in a bloody siege at a popular Mogadishu restaurant. Extremist snipers fired on security troops who surrounded the restaurant building and used big guns mounted on the backs of vehicles to neutralize militants. Soldiers entered the ground floor while the insurgent attackers held positions upstairs. Senior Somali police office Capt. Mohamed Hussein said at dawn Thursday that at least one attacker was firing on troops from inside the restaurant. The roofs were blown off the Pizza House restaurant and nearby buildings from the powerful blasts. High casualties are feared in the attack on the busy restaurant. Police said the bodies of five girls thought to have been killed by militants were found in the restaurant.

All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 72 49 19 4 102 260 202 Boston 71 45 17 9 99 239 184 Toronto 72 43 22 7 93 243 204 Florida 70 36 27 7 79 212 216 Montreal 73 26 35 12 64 182 232 Ottawa 71 26 34 11 63 197 244 Detroit 72 26 35 11 63 184 224 Buffalo 72 23 37 12 58 172 236 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 72 41 24 7 89 225 214 Pittsburgh 72 41 26 5 87 237 218 Columbus 73 40 28 5 85 205 203 Philadelphia 73 37 25 11 85 218 215 New Jersey 72 37 27 8 82 217 215 Carolina 72 31 30 11 73 194 225 N.Y. Rangers 72 32 32 8 72 208 231 N.Y. Islanders 72 30 32 10 70 231 262 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Nashville 72 48 14 10 106 236 178 Winnipeg 72 43 19 10 96 240 189 Minnesota 73 41 24 8 90 227 210 Colorado 72 39 25 8 86 231 209 Dallas 73 38 27 8 84 209 197 St. Louis 72 39 28 5 83 201 193 Chicago 73 30 34 9 69 208 223 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 72 46 21 5 97 244 199 San Jose 72 40 23 9 89 219 199 Los Angeles 73 40 27 6 86 211 184 Anaheim 73 37 24 12 86 206 197 Calgary 73 35 28 10 80 202 217 Edmonton 72 31 36 5 67 201 231 Vancouver 72 25 38 9 59 186 236 Arizona 71 23 37 11 57 170 228 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs. Sunday's Games Colorado 5, Detroit 1 Vegas 4, Calgary 0 Tampa Bay 3, Edmonton 1 Carolina 4, N.Y. Islanders 3 Philadelphia 6, Washington 3 Winnipeg 4, Dallas 2 St. Louis 5, Chicago 4, OT Anaheim 4, New Jersey 2 Monday's Games Columbus 5, Boston 4, OT Nashville 4, Buffalo 0 Florida 2, Montreal 0 Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 3, OT Calgary at Arizona, 10 p.m. Tuesday's Games Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Dallas at Washington, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Colorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Vancouver at Vegas, 10 p.m. New Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday's Games Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Arizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Boston at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Calgary, 9:30 p.m. Thursday's Games N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Arizona at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at Columbus, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Washington at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m. Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chair of the Republican National Committee says they will return contributions from former finance chair Steve Wynn if he's found guilty of sexual misconduct allegations. Ronna Romney McDaniel tells Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" that she finds the allegations against the Las Vegas billionaire "deeply troubling." She says an investigation will be conducted and that if he's found guilty of wrongdoing "we will absolutely return 100 percent of that money. But we're going to let due process take place." Wynn has denied the allegations, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The RNC announced Saturday that Wynn was stepping down from his position as finance chair. Some Republicans in Congress have already announced they are donating contributions they received from Wynn to charity.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch health care and electronics giant Philips says its fourth-quarter net profit rose to 899 million euros ($1.1 billion) from 640 million euros in the same period a year ago, as it successfully continued its departure from its past as a lighting company. Comparable sales growth for the quarter rose 5 percent to 5.3 billion euros ($6.5 billion). Philips spun off its lighting division in 2016 and now focuses its business on health technology. The company still holds a 29-percent stake in Philips Lighting. CEO Frans van Houten said Tuesday that the fourth-quarter earnings performance "demonstrates that we are gaining momentum."

Just call it a sister thing. Whenever another hockey team has sisters on the rosters, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando take notice. Well, the U.S. Olympians are twins themselves. Combine that with how few sisters play hockey or reach national teams playing internationally, it's easy enough to notice whenever sisters are dressing up for another country. "It's just cool to see," Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said. The Lamoureux sisters will have some sisterly company at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Teammate Hannah Brandt's sister, Marissa, plays for the unified Korean women's team, and Switzerland has two sets of sisters on the roster with Nina, Isabel and Monika Waidacher, plus twins Laura and Sara Benz. Canada nearly had its own sister act with Sarah and Amy Potomak, though neither made the Olympic team. Being sisters definitely can provide an edge in hockey. "When we get the opportunity to be on the ice together, there's a chemistry that just never goes away," Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said. "It's always there. So whenever we have an opportunity to have a couple shifts together or if we're ever put on a unit or line together, it's always there. And we've pushed each other every day whether it's workouts, during on-ice training, it's just that accountability that we've always had growing up." Even though women's hockey didn't debut at the Olympics until 1998 in Nagano, playing hockey simply was something the Lamoureux sisters were bound to do. They were born in Fargo, North Dakota, their father, Pierre, played for the University of North Dakota, and all four of their brothers played hockey in college, with Jacque a Hobey Baker finalist in 2009 with Air Force. The Lamoureux sisters played a year in college at Minnesota before switching to North Dakota for their final three seasons, the last in 2012-13. They have played internationally for the United States since 2006. Both play forward, though Monique also plays defense. Now 28, the sisters credit each other for their long success, which now includes a third Olympic berth. "That's part of the reason we've pushed ourselves to this level and been competing at this level for quite a long time is that built-in accountability day-in, day-out even if we're not with the team," Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said. Monique Lamoureux-Davidson calls it the benefit of having grown up together playing every sport together on the same team, even though they haven't played together on the ice as much as people might think. Coaches have often spread the skill by playing them on separate lines. "It's just that thing when we're on the ice together, we have that undeniable chemistry," she said. And the American sisters definitely have an Olympic edge having won silver medals in both 2010 and 2014. Jocelyne has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 10 Olympic games, while Monique has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in the same span. The U.S. women's team leaves Wednesday for South Korea chasing the gold medal that eluded the Americans in Sochi, where the United States blew a 2-0 lead to Canada in the final. For Monique, she's chasing simple fulfillment. "The last four years we've been kind of chasing down this dream of being Olympic champions, and nearly every single day your day is scheduled around being the best athlete you can be," she said, "and you change up your plans, you do everything you can to be the best athlete, best leader, best team you can be." Jocelyne can't wait for the opportunity to represent the United States once again in the Olympics with pride the emotion that bubbles up whenever she thinks of the Winter Games. It's what the sisters have been working for most of their lives. And there's one ultimate goal. "It's gold," Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said. "We've come up short the last two Olympics and our ultimate goal is just to play our best. If we can do that, we truly believe we can come out on top." ___ More AP Olympic coverage: https://wintergames.ap.org ___ Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's president has again accused unknown parties of being behind the 2016 murder of an Italian researcher, alleging a plot to sabotage bilateral relations during a ceremony marking the start of a massive gas project with Italian energy firm Eni. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi spoke during the Wednesday ceremony in Port Said to inaugurate the offshore Zohr field, touted as the largest ever in the Mediterranean. Thanking Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi directly, el-Sissi said: "Do you now know why they wanted to undermine relations between Egypt and Italy? So we don't get to be here." He pledged Egypt would help bring the killers of the 28-year-old researcher to justice. Rome prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone wrote in a recent letter that Egyptian secret services had a role in Regeni's abduction, torture and killing.

LONDON (AP) — West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku has been banned for six games for spitting at an opponent during an FA Cup match. The Football Association says Masuaku will be out until March 10 after the incident that took place during West Ham's 2-0 loss at Wigan on Saturday. The French left back has apologized for spitting, saying it was "totally unacceptable" and "out of character." West Ham manager David Moyes said Masuaku's act was "despicable" and that his player "will deserve everything he gets."

PARIS (AP) — French authorities called for calm in France's western city of Nantes, where violent clashes between protesters and police broke out overnight after an officer shot dead a 22-year-old driver who was trying to avoid a police checkpoint. Interior ministry Gerard Collomb strongly condemned the violence in a written statement Wednesday. French authorities said prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation. Police also opened an internal probe looking at the officer's actions and his decision to use a firearm. Protesters in Nantes clashed with police, throwing Molotov cocktails and burning cars and rubbish bins Protesters also set fire to shops and buildings in three poor neighborhoods across the city. The clashes ended early Wednesday morning.

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan's official news agency says archeologists have reopened burial chambers in an ancient pyramid north of the capital, Khartoum. SUNA says Tuesday the chambers are located at a depth of 10 meters (about 33 feet) under a pyramid in the Meroe area. The UNESCO world heritage site is home to pyramids ranging from six meters (20 feet) to 30 meters (100 feet) tall. It says archeologists from a Qatari mission discovered artifacts, including human and animal bones, inside the chambers. The pyramids, with narrow bases and steep angles on the sides, were built by the ancient Nubian civilization between 720 and 300 B.C. Qatar has pledged $135 million to renovate and support Sudan's antiquities.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) today confirmed the signing of a previously-announced agreement to offer PayPal as a way to pay on eBay until July 2023. This new agreement builds on the payments partnership between the companies to make PayPal available as a payment option on eBay’s new intermediated payments model. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006379/en/ “PayPal has been a great partner for eBay, and as part of our new payments experience PayPal will continue to be a key form of payment for our global customers,” said Devin Wenig, president and CEO, eBay. “We are pleased to continue to offer PayPal as a form of payment on eBay and look forward to a continued, strong partnership with PayPal going forward.” As previously announced, the new agreement between eBay and PayPal will ensure that PayPal as a form of payment continues to be available to buyers on the eBay marketplace. PayPal as a form of payment includes payments through the PayPal payment button, as well as value-added services such as fraud detection and buyer protections. “We are proud to have extended our relationship with eBay and our commitment to build on more than 15 years of collaboration and innovation with a great partner,” said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. “We are excited to continue to provide our millions of mutual customers with innovative, trusted and seamless PayPal payment experiences.” PayPal continues to provide a comprehensive payments solution to eBay under the existing Operating Agreement through July 2020. About eBay eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) is a global commerce leader including the Marketplace, StubHub and Classifieds platforms. Collectively, we connect millions of buyers and sellers around the world, empowering people and creating opportunity through Connected Commerce. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay is one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. In 2017, eBay enabled $88 billion of gross merchandise volume. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com. About PayPal Fueled by a fundamental belief that having access to financial services creates opportunity, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) is committed to democratizing financial services and empowering people and businesses to join and thrive in the global economy. Our open digital payments platform gives PayPal's 227 million active account holders the confidence to connect and transact in new and powerful ways, whether they are online, on a mobile device, in an app, or in person. Through a combination of technological innovation and strategic partnerships, PayPal creates better ways to manage and move money, and offers choice and flexibility when sending payments, paying or getting paid. Available in more than 200 markets around the world, the PayPal platform, including Braintree, Venmo and Xoom, enables consumers and merchants to receive money in more than 100 currencies, withdraw funds in 56 currencies and hold balances in their PayPal accounts in 25 currencies. For more information on PayPal, visit https://www.paypal.com/about or follow @PayPalNews on Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006379/en/ CONTACT: eBay Penny Bruce, 408-766-9425 Director, Corporate Communications pebruce@ebay.com or PayPal Holdings, Inc. Amanda Christine Miller, 408-219-0563 Director, Corporate Communications amandacmiller@paypal.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY ONLINE RETAIL INTERNET SOFTWARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE RETAIL SOURCE: PayPal Holdings, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 04:30 PM/DISC: 04/23/2018 04:30 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006379/en

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) reaffirmed his commitment to “make cash and coin disappear” from business transactions in Taipei City during the inauguration ceremony for smart payment services at the Taipei Fish Market on December 11. At the fish market , which is the first fish market in the nation to accept smart payment methods, transactions by sales agents may be processed through bank GIRO transfers in the future. The arrangement also allows for services such as providing flexible credit limits by financial institutions for sales agents. The market sees visits by over 1,700 sales agents to secure supplies of fishery products, according to Ko. With annual transactions reaching 25,700 metric tons and roughly NT$3 billion changing hands, transactions often involve large amounts of cash and checks brought by sales agents for payment during wee hours. On the other hand, it takes staff members two to three days to complete the bookkeeping. Therefore, the introduction of smart payments will not only speed up the transactions but also enhance the security of future transactions. The employment of e-commerce tools allows for faster and safer transactions, while big data analysis allows observers to acquire a better understanding on the trends of the industry, Ko said. He thanked Bank Sinopac and Taipei Fish Market for working with the city government on the project and upgrading related software, adding that he hopes to push the measure to other wholesale markets such as the Taipei Flower Market and the Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in the future.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston 18-year-old has been arrested and charged with illegally distributing explosive-making information and attempting to support the Islamic State organization. The U.S. Justice Department said Monday that Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Dec. 8 following an undercover FBI operation. A statement says Damlarkaya said he intended to travel overseas and fight for IS and said he tried to get to Syria twice. He told agents that he would commit a U.S. attack if efforts to travel overseas failed. It also says Damlarkaya provided to alleged IS supporters a formula for explosive Triacetone Triperoxide and instructions how to use it in a pressure cooker device containing shrapnel. If convicted, he faces a possible 20-year maximum prison term. The U.S. has designated IS as a terrorist organization.

DENVER (AP) — Scientists are developing robots that may one day be able to creep through old mines to help prevent environmental disasters. The Colorado mountains have dozens of inactive mines that are filled with polluted water. If it leaks out, the water can devastate the surrounding landscape. The first step in addressing the problem is finding out what's inside the mines, some of which date to the 1860s. That's where the robots come in. They could navigate the pitch-black passages to map the mines and analyze the water. The robots could take several years to develop. They might resemble golf carts and cost $90,000 each. In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally released 3 million gallons of mustard-colored water from the Gold King Mine. The spill tainted rivers in three states.

MELCROFT, Pa. (AP) — In a story Jan. 29 about the shooting deaths of four people at a car wash, The Associated Press, relying on information from state police, misspelled the first name of one of the female victims. She was Cortney Snyder, not Courtney. A corrected version of the story is below: The Latest: Cops look at phone records in car wash shooting Police are focusing on phone records to try to piece together how a group of friends wound up at a Pennsylvania self-serve car wash in the early morning hours, where a gunman lying in wait killed four and injured one who managed to hide MELCROFT, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the deadly shooting at a Pennsylvania car wash (all times local): 3:15 p.m. Police are focusing on phone records to try to piece together how a group of friends wound up at a Pennsylvania self-serve car wash in the early morning hours, where a gunman lying in wait killed four and injured one who managed to hide. The shooter, 28-year-old Timothy Smith, suffered a gunshot wound to the head in the Sunday shooting at Ed's Car Wash in Melcroft, a rural town about 55 miles (89 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh. He is on life support and isn't expected to survive. Victim family members say Smith was a jealous ex-boyfriend of victim Chelsie Cline. Vicki Snyder says Smith was always polite. She says he lived at home and helped out with a sister who used a wheelchair after a car accident a few years ago. ___ 8 a.m. Family members of the victims of a shooting at a Pennsylvania car wash say the man suspected of gunning down four people was driven by jealousy. State police say 28-year-old Timothy Smith opened fire early Sunday morning at Ed's Car Wash in Saltlick Township, a rural town about 55 miles (89 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh. Twenty-seven-year-old William Porterfield, 25-year-old Chelsie Cline, 23-year-old Cortney Snyder and 21-year-old Seth Cline were all killed. Smith was on life support Sunday and not expected to survive after suffering a gunshot wound to his head. State police say it's possible that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Authorities would not reveal how Smith knew the victims, but Chelsie Cline's half-sister, Sierra Kolarik, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Smith had developed an obsession with Cline.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Amid record-setting heat in the state's south, California's water managers will measure the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies water to millions. Department of Water Resources officials will trek to the mountains Thursday to check the snow depth, one gauge of the state's water supply. Electronic sensors show snow levels are about one-third of normal. At the peak of California's recently ended five-year drought, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered 25 percent water conservation in cities and towns and declared a drought emergency. Heavy rains in Northern California last year finally snapped the drought, and Brown declared the emergency over in April. But the drought never really seemed to end in some Southern California areas, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles received only one significant rain in almost the last 12 months. In Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, which are about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, the lack of rain and dry vegetation were perfect fuel for a December wildfire that grew to be the largest recorded in state history. When it finally rained, the scorched earth turned into deadly mudslides. The most recent weekly U.S. drought monitor, a product of the federal government and others, shows only small patches of the state, in Southern California, in the mildest form of drought. That compares to 2014 and 2015, some of the driest years in history in California, when much of the state was rated as in the most severe categories of drought. In the middle of the state's winter rain and snow season, no rain is in the forecast. In Southern California, "it really is pretty grim," said Swain, who has tracked the stubborn weather patterns blocking rain from the state's south for years. Doug Carlson, spokesman for the state's Department of Water Resources, which carries out the snowpack surveys, said the dry weather is a growing concern, although reservoirs are still fuller than usual thanks to last year's rain in Northern California. Considerations of what constitutes a drought vary, and include: rainfall, the state of waterways, soil dryness, and other measures. Any decision to declare a new drought emergency if the winter remains dry, or later, would be up to Brown.

New York (AP) — Sugar futures trading on the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) Monday: (112,000 lbs.; cents per lb.)

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The head of the U.S. Consulate in Nigeria's capital says U.S. support for Nigeria's economy will continue given the African country's demographics. United States Consul General F. John Bray spoke with The Associated Press on Monday after participating in the closing gong ceremony at the Nigeria Stock Exchange House in Lagos. Bray says the U.S. private sector invests $8.1 billion a year in Nigeria and the country's population of 180 million provides a tremendous base of consumers. Bray said that businesses without a strategy for Nigeria don't have an investment strategy for Africa. The consul says he discusses diversifying the Nigerian economy with American business leaders. However, Nigeria's crippled infrastructure has made doing business there difficult. Power outages, road blockages and security issues are some of the issues investors consider.

U.S. stocks fell sharply in early trading Tuesday, extending the market's losses from a day earlier. Health insurers, drugmakers and distributors led the slide following news that JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway are launching a health care venture. Technology stocks also posted losses. Energy companies fell as crude oil prices headed lower. KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 31 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,821 as of 10:11 a.m. Eastern Time. The Dow Jones industrial average slumped 306 points, or 1.2 percent, to 26,132. The Nasdaq lost 82 points, or 1.1 percent, to 7,383. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks gave up 15 points, or 1 percent, to 1,583. HEALTH SCARE: Health care sector companies slumped on news that Amazon is teaming up with Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to create a company that helps their U.S. employees find quality care at a reasonable cost. The venture, whose initial focus would be on developing technology, is in its early planning stage. Express Scripts fell $6.91, or 8.4 percent, to $75.01. Cigna slid $13.47, or 6 percent, to $210.43. UnitedHealth Group lost $11.70, or 4.7 percent, to $235.71. TECH SLIDE: A sell-off in technology shares continued in early trading Tuesday. Corning lost $2.37, or 6.9 percent, to $31.88. BOND YIELDS: Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.71 percent from 2.70 percent late Monday. ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude slid 98 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $64.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, dropped 99 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $68.22 a barrel in London. The slide in oil prices weighed on energy stocks. Noble Energy was down $1.48, or 4.6 percent, at $30.65. CURRENCIES: The dollar, which fell sharply last week, declined to 108.51 yen from 108.94 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.2430 from $1.2389. BITCOIN: The price of bitcoin fell 4.2 percent to $11,207, according to the tracking site CoinDesk. Bitcoin futures on the Cboe Futures Exchange slid 5.7 percent to $10,530. MARKETS OVERSEAS: Major indexes in Europe declined amid investor worries that new data showing the eurozone grew in 2017 at its fastest pace in a decade could prompt the European Central Bank to wind down its monetary stimulus program earlier than expected. The DAX in Germany lost 0.9 percent, while the CAC 40 in France fell 0.8 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 gave up 0.9 percent. Indexes in Asia closed lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 1.4 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.1 percent. South Korea's Kospi sank 1.2 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Credit card holders will soon pay more. So will people with adjustable-rate mortgages or home equity lines of credit. But most would-be home buyers needn't worry. And auto loan rates won't likely change much. For savers? Rates should creep up, at least for the highest-yielding CDs and saving accounts, though on average they'll still pay a pittance. The cumulative impact of another Federal Reserve interest rate hike — its fourth in 18 months — will range widely for individuals and businesses with loans or income-producing accounts. And the consequences range beyond U.S. shores. A series of Fed hikes generally means that overseas investors in search of interest income can increase their returns by shifting money into the United States. Higher U.S. rates also tend to cause an outflow of capital from developing countries that can ill-afford it. The most immediate effects, though, are generally on borrowers in the United States. When the Fed lifts the short-term rate it controls by one-quarter of a percentage point, as it did Wednesday, it typically translates into a quarter-point rate increase for credit card debt and home equity lines, as well as for some adjustable mortgages. Fed policymakers have raised their benchmark rate to a range of 1 percent to 1.25 percent and indicated that they foresee one additional hike this year, assuming that the economy remains on solid footing. For someone with a $5,000 credit card balance who makes a minimum payment each month, the Fed's four rate increases since December 2015 equal an additional $700 in payments over the life of the loan, according to Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. "That's where consumers are feeling it and are going to continue to feel it," McBride said. But home and auto loan rates are another story: Despite the Fed's moves, they've barely budged since December 2015, when the central bank announced its first increase after seven years of near-zero rates. Here are some questions and answers on what the Fed's moves could mean for consumers, businesses, investors and the economy: ___ Q. Why haven't mortgage rates increased? A. Because fixed-rate mortgage rates don't typically follow the Fed's changes. Sometimes they even move in the opposite direction. So it doesn't necessarily make sense to rush into buying a home or refinancing a mortgage. The hike often won't translate into higher mortgage rates. Fixed long-term mortgages tend to track the rate on the 10-year Treasury, which, in turn, is influenced by such factors as investors' expectations of future inflation to global demand for U.S. Treasurys. In December 2015, a week before the first increase, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 4.06 percent, according to Bankrate.com. It actually fell for most of 2016, then jumped later in the year and peaked at 4.44 percent in mid-March this year. But since then, long-term mortgage rates have declined and are back to almost exactly where they began: The 30-year averaged 4.04 percent last week. Even the increase that began in late 2016 had little to do with the Fed. Rather, investors dumped Treasurys and bought stocks in anticipation of faster growth and higher inflation after Donald Trump's election. Better growth overseas also raised optimism. But as Trump's tax and infrastructure spending proposals have stalled, investors' outlooks have dimmed. Demand for the 10-year Treasury has risen, and so its yield has dropped, reducing mortgage rates with it. Other factors can also keep rates low. When global investors grow nervous, they often pour money into Treasurys because they're seen as ultra-safe. That buying pressure holds down Treasury rates. ___ Q. So where will home loan rates go from here? A. Hard to tell. The Fed expects to lift its benchmark rate one more time this year and three times in 2018. Eventually, those increases should put upward pressure on mortgage rates, but it's impossible to say when. Mortgage rates are still very low by historical standards. Before the Great Recession, the 30-year rate had never dipped below 5 percent. ___ Q. How could the Fed's actions affect other countries around the world? A. Higher rates in the United States tend to attract more investment from overseas. The European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan are still keeping their benchmark rates near zero to try to stimulate those economies. So investors can earn more by investing in dollar-denominated assets. That inflow pushes up the value of the dollar, which can make U.S. exports costlier overseas. It can also pull money out of developing countries, where rates are usually higher but government bonds carry more risk. A flow of funds out of developing nations can lower their currencies relative to the dollar, making it harder for businesses in those nations to repay debts they have incurred in dollars. ___ Q. My credit rating isn't so great. How will I be affected? A. Doug Amis, a certified financial planner in Cary, North Carolina, says consumers with less-than-sterling credit can expect to pay more, especially when financing the purchase of a used car. "There's going to be an opportunity to increase those rates higher," Amis said. "So if you have poor credit, this is going to impact you." Still, even with another rate hike, the impact on consumers and businesses is likely to remain mild, as rates remain very low, relative to years ago, Amis noted. ___ Q. Have the Fed's moves boosted the puny rates available for savers? A. In a few cases, yes. McBride says some smaller banks are starting to offer higher rates on CDs and savings accounts than larger banks are. The huge national banks already have "more deposits than they know what to do with," McBride said, so haven't lifted their rates at all. As a result, the disparity between the smaller local banks and nationwide institutions is widening, he said: "Exploit that difference. It's money in your pocket." So far, the average rate on a one-year CD has barely risen since the Fed's rate hikes began, inching up from 0.27 percent in December 2015 to 0.35 percent now, according to Bankrate.com. But the highest-yielding CDs have risen from 1.35 percent to 1.5 percent. ___ Q. What if I'm a retiree invested in bonds? A. Amis says he tells his fixed-income clients not to stress out over another rate hike. "This is part of investing in fixed income, and it's not a signal to jump ship and go into dividend-paying equities," he said. "I would recommend they stay the course and earn the coupon." Since rates began rising again, Amis has been advising retirees and others with fixed-income investments like bonds to ensure that their portfolios are balanced between very short-term and long-term bonds. Longer-term bonds typically pay higher rates, and as rates rise, the short-term securities will be replaced with higher-yielding ones. ___ Veiga reported from Los Angeles. ___ Animated explainer: http://bit.ly/2nlGO0K

LONDON (AP) — Mark Noble's penalty canceled out a rare goal from Christian Benteke as injury-hit West Ham battled to a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday. Noble struck in the 43rd minute of the London derby after former West Ham defender James Tomkins tripped Javier Hernandez, securing a point that lifted the hosts into the top half of the standings. Benteke put Palace ahead in the 24th minute with only his second goal of the season, but that is unlikely to convince manager Roy Hodgson to call off his search for a new striker on the final day of the January transfer window. West Ham also needs some signings, having come into the match without eight players through injury and another, Arthur Masuaku, because of suspension. Manager David Moyes fielded six defenders in his team. Moyes later said Michail Antonio was left out of the squad for a breach of discipline, after the forward was late for a team meeting. "It wasn't the first time," Moyes said. "I'm not having it at the club, I've said right from the start what it's going to be like." Moyes also said West Ham was weighing up an offer from Swansea for forward Andre Ayew.

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--Industrial organizations must be able to quickly identify ways to tighten production schedules and maximize revenue. Gaining insight into operations and production capabilities to make informed decisions has often involved time-intensive IT projects and a highly specialized skillset. Today, Rockwell Automation expands the FactoryTalk ® Analytics portfolio, a robust advanced analytics environment that empowers users with the ability to quickly and confidently make informed decisions. These latest advancements were developed to reduce the complexity of the operations environment for manufacturers and producers and their employees who are driving operations. FactoryTalk Analytics has been developed for scale, discovering and connecting data sources from the edge of the network up through the enterprise, and then intelligently fusing the information to resolve issues close to the source. At the edge or the device, this can result in near-immediate resolution of production issues. Empowered with machine learning capabilities, FactoryTalk Analytics learns the process and looks for trends in the data, proactively presenting users with insights before an issue arises. FactoryTalk Analytics brings contemporary user experience capabilities, which are common for consumer experiences, to the production environment. Focused on driving ease of use and productivity, FactoryTalk Analytics features internet-like search capabilities of production data, as well as self-serve drill-downs, allowing the user to make data-driven decisions quickly. Rockwell Automation has chosen the Microsoft ® Azure ™ cloud as the preferred platform for FactoryTalk Analytics, to help develop and power advanced IoT solutions from the edge to the cloud. Rockwell Automation executed several customer pilots before the official release of FactoryTalk Analytics, which generated several purpose-driven applications that prioritize ease of use and faster time to value. In one pilot, a manufacturer of solar panels used FactoryTalk Analytics to connect the data sources of legacy systems spread across multiple facilities. They’re now able to more efficiently manage data both on-premise and in the cloud, which will minimize downtime and allow them to save millions of dollars in IT spend. In another pilot, a global automotive manufacturer implemented FactoryTalk Analytics to help improve operational productivity. Purpose-driven applications brought data together from disparate systems that had previously proven difficult to integrate and had limited workers’ ability to investigate production issues. The solution is giving production managers and executives new visibility into key areas of operations and helping them more accurately forecast production targets. “Smart manufacturing promises to remove blind spots between organizational silos, putting users directly in touch with information,” said Blake Moret, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rockwell Automation. “Our deep experience in production applications, coupled with technology that integrates control and information, provides outcomes of increased productivity for both existing and greenfield sites. Importantly, our partners are taking advantage of these solutions to enhance the value of their own offerings.” Originally piloted as “Project Scio” last November, FactoryTalk Analytics is now available globally. About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs approximately 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries. FactoryTalk and LISTEN. THINK. SOLVE. are trademarks of Rockwell Automation Inc. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005394/en/ CONTACT: Rockwell Automation Paula Puess, 440-646-3806 pdpuess@ra.rockwell.com or Padilla Leonard Pollard, 612-455-1758 leonard.pollard@padillaco.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA WISCONSIN INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY DATA MANAGEMENT INTERNET SOFTWARE MANUFACTURING OTHER MANUFACTURING SOURCE: Rockwell Automation, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 08:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 08:01 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005394/en

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An 18-year-old is pleading guilty to rape and murder in the 2015 death of a 12-year-old Utah girl he's accused of luring from her home with a story about a lost cat. Jayden Matthew Sterzer pleaded guilty to rape in juvenile court Monday. He was 15 when police say he strangled Kailey Vijil (VIJ'-el) and left her in a horse pasture. Sterzer also was expected to plead guilty to murder in adult court as part of a blended plea deal that will allow him to stay in a juvenile detention center until he turns 21. The Associated Press hadn't previously named Sterzer because he was a minor and his case was being handled entirely in juvenile court. He was found fit for trial after getting treatment for unspecified mental disorders and intellectual disabilities.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Lorde has scribbled her thanks to fans back home for embracing her Grammy-nominated album. Her handwritten thank-you note was published as an ad in The New Zealand Herald on Wednesday. The note has doodles honoring fellow Kiwi musicians as well as sightings of other attendees at the Grammy ceremony in New York on Sunday night. She also thanks them for believing in female musicians, "You set a beautiful precedent!" Social media took her absence among the night's performances as a snub, since other album of the year nominees performed as did classic rockers with no current nominations. Recording Academy President Neil Portnow had said backstage that it was hard to have a balanced show, but later had to walk back a comment that women had to "step up."

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Utah Muslim leader who said he was wrongly placed on a government watch list and temporarily blocked from leaving Kenya with his family last summer. The lengthy screening process undergone by Yussuf Abdi on flights since the trip is inconvenient but not unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge Dee Benson wrote in the decision Monday. While the right to travel is protected by the Constitution, "the Supreme Court has not recognized a right to convenient or unimpeded travel," Benson wrote. Lawyers for Abdi, an imam and U.S. citizen, said the screening is more than an inconvenience. They haven't decided if they'll appeal the ruling. "As Yussuf Abdi's experience makes clear, being on a terrorist watch list can separate citizens from their families," attorney Gadeir Abbas said Tuesday. The lawsuit helped bring Abdi home from Kenya last year, and air travel has been easier for him since the case was filed, Abbas said. The suit was filed after Abdi went to Kenya to bring back his wife and five children, who had received visa approval to join him in the U.S. Abdi was initially blocked from boarding the plane back to the U.S. but was eventually allowed to return two days later, after his lawyers went to court and the U.S. attorney's office in Utah intervened on his behalf. Since then, he's taken three trips, including a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, and been subjected to long security checks that indicate he's on a government list of people identified for extra scrutiny, according to court documents. The lawsuit alleged Abdi was added to a watch list in 2014 that let him fly but required extra security measures. He asked to be removed, arguing he had no criminal record and no reason to be on the list. Abdi has lived in Utah for six years and is the imam of Salt Lake City's Madina Masjid Islamic Center.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Minnesota assistant Joel Johnson has been named the head coach of the U.S. women's Under-18 team for the 2017-18 season. USA Hockey announced Johnson's appointment Wednesday. Johnson's staff includes associate coach Maura Crowell and assistant coach Courtney Kennedy. Crowell is the head coach at Minnesota-Duluth. Kennedy is the associate head coach at Boston College. Johnson has led Team USA to three consecutive gold medals in the International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championships. He just finished his 12th year as a Minnesota assistant coach and currently holds the title of associate head coach for the powerhouse Gophers. The U.S. will compete in the women's U18 series against Canada on Aug. 17-20 in Lake Placid, New York. The IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship is expected to take place early next year.

LAKELAND, Florida (AP) — Even for an accomplished veteran like Justin Verlander, the start of spring training can be special. "I usually sleep pretty well. I woke up early today," the Detroit ace said Tuesday. "On one hand, you want to appreciate everything as much as you can. It's not such a whirlwind anymore — you kind of know what to expect. But in the same aspect, every day is pretty much the same thing I've done for 12 years, so it also starts going faster." Verlander's Tigers were among 15 teams with their first scheduled workouts for pitchers and catchers Tuesday. As major leaguers took the field in Florida and Arizona, that familiar sound of balls popping into mitts served as a reminder that in baseball at least, winter is finally over. While Verlander and the Tigers went through their routine at their newly renovated facility in Lakeland, the Boston Red Sox were about 115 miles to the south, holding their first workout of the post-Papi era. It's Boston's first season without David Ortiz since the Red Sox signed him in January 2003, but Big Papi's retirement may not be too big a blow to a team that added star left-hander Chris Sale. Over in Arizona, the Cleveland Indians began preparing to defend their American League title. Cleveland won the AL Central comfortably last year and made it to the World Series before losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games. "This time of year, everyone is at glass half-full," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We have good reason to be." Hopes are always high at the start of spring training, but occasionally there's some injury news on the first day. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said right-hander Chris Tillman had a platelet-rich plasma injection on his right shoulder and won't start the season until April 7 at the earliest. The Kansas City Royals said left-hander Brian Flynn broke a rib and had three minor vertebrae fractures in a bizarre offseason injury. Flynn is expected to miss two months after falling through a barn roof at his Oklahoma residence. The Royals and Miami Marlins begin this season with heavy hearts following the deaths of pitchers Yordano Ventura last month and Jose Fernandez in September, and Tigers owner Mike Ilitch died Friday at age 87. "I got to know him as best as an owner and player can know each other," said Detroit catcher Alex Avila, whose father Al is the team's general manager. "He was always a very gracious and generous person — very nice to myself, my family. ... Very loyal. I know as a family, we always felt we had to kind of reciprocate that loyalty because he's a tremendous man. They're a great family." The Arizona Diamondbacks have also found themselves dealing with some sobering news. Their bench coach, former Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, has prostate cancer and is set to have surgery. He said doctors believe they caught the cancer early. The Diamondbacks went 69-93 last year and are one of a few National League teams that started workouts Tuesday amid tepid expectations. The Phillies, Reds and Rockies also finished well out of the postseason picture in 2016, but that doesn't mean they can't set goals for themselves. Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin said he wants his team to play .500 baseball deeper into the season after the Phillies lost 91 games last year. For the first time since 2009, the Giants are entering an odd-numbered season without a World Series title to defend. After winning it all in 2010, 2012 and 2014, San Francisco made the playoffs last year as a wild card but lost in the Division Series to the Cubs. The Giants look like contenders again in 2017, and manager Bruce Bochy had plenty of reasons to be upbeat Tuesday when his pitchers and catchers took the field. "It's a day you look forward to, getting a chance to see everybody and hear the sound of the bat, watch these guys work out again," Bochy said. "So it's a good day." ___ AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley in Scottsdale, Arizona, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A trial is underway for an 18-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of fatally shooting a friend in the face and then taking a selfie with the victim's body. Two officers testified Tuesday that Maxwell Morton, then 16, showed little emotion or concern about the February 2015 shooting of 16-year-old Ryan Mangan. Westmoreland County Detective James Williams told jurors "when he described pulling the trigger, he had a little smirk on his face." Police contend Morton took a photograph of himself with Mangan's body minutes after the shooting and an hour later sent the image via Snapchat while he played online video games with a teen in Wisconsin. The defense has argued that the teens were playing with the gun and it accidentally fired. The judge ruled Monday the selfie can be seen by the jury.