upi--2020-08-03--Former Spanish king Juan Carlos announces he'll self-exile amid financial scandals

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- Amid multiple financial scandals , former King of Spain , Juan Carlos I , announced Monday that he will leave the country in a self-imposed exile that would be `` the best for Spain and for the Crown . ''
In a letter posted on the royal family 's website to his son King Felipe VI , Juan Carlos , 82 , who ruled from 1975 until his abdication from the throne in 2014 , announced he would leave the country , but did n't give a timeline .
`` I communicate to you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time , outside of Spain .
A decision I make with deep feeling , but with great serenity , '' Juan Carlos wrote .
The former king said `` public repercussion '' in his private life was interfering with his son 's job requirements .
`` I wish to express to you my absolute availability to contribute to facilitating the exercise of your functions , from the tranquility and calmness that your high responsibility requires , '' Juan Carlos wrote .
`` My legacy , and my own dignity as a person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Juan Carlos abdicated from the throne in June 2014 amid financial irregularities and accusations of bribery .
His son Felipe , 56 , pledged financial transparency when he took the throne .
In March , Felipe renounced his personal inheritance from Juan Carlos after investigators said it was tied to a multimillion-Euro kickback scheme .
Prosecutors from a Spanish supreme court investigation said in 2007 Saudi Arabia paid a foundation , Locum , $ 100 million as a kickback for a Spanish contract to build the AVE high-speed rail link to Mecca in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65 million went to businesswoman Corrine Larson of Monaco , whose personal relationship with Juan Carlos was exposed in 2012 after he was injured during a hunting accident with her in Botswana , investigators said .
Felipe also announced that he would cease his father 's annual $ 215,000 stipend after secret Panamanian bank accounts were uncovered that paid for the king 's personal expenses .
Juan Carlos will leave the royal Zarzuela Palace in Madrid , where he has lived for more than 50 years .
His letter did not say where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former King 's attorney Javier Sanchez-Junco , told Sky News that Juan Carlos would `` remain at the disposal of the prosecutors ' office '' if criminal charges were filed .
Juan Carlos has been credited for shepherding Spain to a democracy after civil war and the fascist regime of Francisco Franco .
Felipe praised this father 's legacy of `` institutional work of service to Spain and to democracy , '' in a letter .
Felipe also said accepted his father 's offer to self-exile with `` heartfelt respect and gratitude .
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Former Spanish King Juan Carlos I announced Monday he would leave Spain amid "public repercussion" after financial investigations into his private life. File Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI
Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Amid multiple financial scandals, former King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, announced Monday that he will leave the country in a self-imposed exile that would be "the best for Spain and for the Crown." In a letter posted on the royal family's website to his son King Felipe VI, Juan Carlos, 82, who ruled from 1975 until his abdication from the throne in 2014, announced he would leave the country, but didn't give a timeline. Advertisement
"I communicate to you my thoughtful decision to move, at this time, outside of Spain. A decision I make with deep feeling, but with great serenity," Juan Carlos wrote. The former king said "public repercussion" in his private life was interfering with his son's job requirements.
"I wish to express to you my absolute availability to contribute to facilitating the exercise of your functions, from the tranquility and calmness that your high responsibility requires," Juan Carlos wrote. "My legacy, and my own dignity as a person, demand it of me."
Juan Carlos abdicated from the throne in June 2014 amid financial irregularities and accusations of bribery.
His son Felipe, 56, pledged financial transparency when he took the throne.
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In March, Felipe renounced his personal inheritance from Juan Carlos after investigators said it was tied to a multimillion-Euro kickback scheme.
Prosecutors from a Spanish supreme court investigation said in 2007 Saudi Arabia paid a foundation, Locum, $100 million as a kickback for a Spanish contract to build the AVE high-speed rail link to Mecca in 2011.
Of that money, $65 million went to businesswoman Corrine Larson of Monaco, whose personal relationship with Juan Carlos was exposed in 2012 after he was injured during a hunting accident with her in Botswana, investigators said.
Felipe also announced that he would cease his father's annual $215,000 stipend after secret Panamanian bank accounts were uncovered that paid for the king's personal expenses.
Juan Carlos will leave the royal Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, where he has lived for more than 50 years. His letter did not say where the former king would go.
The former King's attorney Javier Sanchez-Junco, told Sky News that Juan Carlos would "remain at the disposal of the prosecutors' office" if criminal charges were filed.
Juan Carlos has been credited for shepherding Spain to a democracy after civil war and the fascist regime of Francisco Franco.
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Felipe praised this father's legacy of "institutional work of service to Spain and to democracy," in a letter. Felipe also said accepted his father's offer to self-exile with "heartfelt respect and gratitude."


upi--2020-08-03--Nasdaq hits all-time high, Dow rises 236 points behind soaring tech stocks

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 200 points and the Nasdaq composite index hit another record Monday high amid soaring tech stocks .
The Dow ended the day up 236 points , or 0.89 % , the S & P 500 gained 0.72 % and the Nasdaq increased 1.47 % to an all-time high on the first day of trading in August .
Each of the three markets entered August coming off four consecutive monthly gains as the Nasdaq rose 6 % during that time , the S & P 500 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.4 % .
Microsoft led the way Monday , jumping 5.62 % , after confirming reports it has entered talks to buy TikTok amid threats by President Donald Trump and his administration to ban the app .
Trump cited security concerns due to its Chinese parent company .
Eli Lilly stock rose 1.7 % after the pharmaceutical company announced it has begun stage-three trials of its experimental LY-CoV555 monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 .
Markets also reacted positively after the Institute for Supply Management 's Purchasing Managers Index rose to 54.2 % in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 53.8 % .

The Nasdaq Composite rose to an all-time high Monday, gaining 1.47%, after tech stocks turned in a strong performance led by Microsoft stock jumping 5%. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 200 points and the Nasdaq composite index hit another record Monday high amid soaring tech stocks. The Dow ended the day up 236 points, or 0.89%, the S&P 500 gained 0.72% and the Nasdaq increased 1.47% to an all-time high on the first day of trading in August. Advertisement
Each of the three markets entered August coming off four consecutive monthly gains as the Nasdaq rose 6% during that time, the S&P 500, 5.5%, and the Dow, 2.4%.
Microsoft led the way Monday, jumping 5.62%, after confirming reports it has entered talks to buy TikTok amid threats by President Donald Trump and his administration to ban the app. Trump cited security concerns due to its Chinese parent company.
Apple stock increased 2.52%, while Netflix gained 1.99%.
Eli Lilly stock rose 1.7% after the pharmaceutical company announced it has begun stage-three trials of its experimental LY-CoV555 monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19.
Markets also reacted positively after the Institute for Supply Management's Purchasing Managers Index rose to 54.2% in July, surpassing the Dow Jones estimate of 53.8%.


upi--2020-08-03--Trump hinges TikTok's fate in U.S. on sale to Microsoft or other U.S. company

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- President Donald Trump said Monday that TikTok 's ability to operate in the United States hinges on a deal with Microsoft or another big U.S. company going through soon .
Trump said he approves a potential sale of the video-sharing social networking app owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance to Microsoft .
Microsoft had confirmed Sunday that it had spoken to Trump about talks to buy TikTok from ByteDance .
`` We set a date -- I set a date of around Sept. 15 , at which point it 's going to be out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Trump told reporters regarding TikTok .
`` But if somebody , and whether it 's Microsoft or somebody else , buys it , that will be interesting . ''
`` I do n't mind whether it 's Microsoft or somebody else -- a big company , a secure company , a very American company -- buys it , '' Trump said Monday .
`` It 's probably easier to buy the whole thing than to buy 30 percent of it . ''
Trump added that the government should be paid for clearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States , because we 're making it possible for this deal to happen , '' Trump said .
`` Right now they do n't have any rights unless we give it to them . ''
Microsoft said Sunday that it aims to complete negotiations by the Sept. 15 deadline .
TikTok estimates 100 million people use the app in the United States .
Trump had threatened late Friday to ban TikTok from U.S. operation and potentially sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid tensions with the Chinese government and U.S. security officials raising concern that the app could be used to collected personal data on U.S. citizens .
TikTok has denied that it shares any data with the Chinese government .
Vanessa Pappas , U.S. general manager of TikTok responded Saturday with a video message that thanked the millions of people who use the app daily and said , `` we 're not planning on going anywhere . ''
ByteDance said in a statement Sunday that it has been committed to being a `` globalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We face the real possibility of a forced sale of TikTok 's U.S. business by CFIUS [ Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ] or an executive order banning the TikTok app in the U.S. , '' ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming wrote in a letter to employees Monday .
TechCrunch reported that the letter prompted angry responses among Chinese internet users , including an accusation that Yiming was a `` traitor . ''

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Monday that TikTok's ability to operate in the United States hinges on a deal with Microsoft or another big U.S. company going through soon.
Trump said he approves a potential sale of the video-sharing social networking app owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance to Microsoft.
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Microsoft had confirmed Sunday that it had spoken to Trump about talks to buy TikTok from ByteDance.
"We set a date -- I set a date of around Sept. 15, at which point it's going to be out of business in the United States," Trump told reporters regarding TikTok. "But if somebody, and whether it's Microsoft or somebody else, buys it, that will be interesting."
"I don't mind whether it's Microsoft or somebody else -- a big company, a secure company, a very American company -- buys it," Trump said Monday. "It's probably easier to buy the whole thing than to buy 30 percent of it."
Trump added that the government should be paid for clearing the purchase.
"A very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the Treasury of the United States, because we're making it possible for this deal to happen," Trump said. "Right now they don't have any rights unless we give it to them."
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Microsoft said Sunday that it aims to complete negotiations by the Sept. 15 deadline.
TikTok estimates 100 million people use the app in the United States.
Trump had threatened late Friday to ban TikTok from U.S. operation and potentially sign an executive order to do so, amid tensions with the Chinese government and U.S. security officials raising concern that the app could be used to collected personal data on U.S. citizens.
TikTok has denied that it shares any data with the Chinese government.
Vanessa Pappas, U.S. general manager of TikTok responded Saturday with a video message that thanked the millions of people who use the app daily and said, "we're not planning on going anywhere."
ByteDance said in a statement Sunday that it has been committed to being a "globalized company" despite political challenges.
"We face the real possibility of a forced sale of TikTok's U.S. business by CFIUS [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] or an executive order banning the TikTok app in the U.S.," ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming wrote in a letter to employees Monday.
TechCrunch reported that the letter prompted angry responses among Chinese internet users, including an accusation that Yiming was a "traitor."


upi--2020-08-03--Lucky 'sign' leads man to $630,000 lottery jackpot

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- An Australian man said `` a sign that someone was looking out '' turned around his bad luck and led to his winning a lottery jackpot of more than $ 630,000 .
The Lower Plenty , Victoria , man told The Lott officials he had been experiencing a string of bad luck in life until a recent incident indicated to him that things were about to turn around .
`` I 've been having a bit of a tough year , and I 've had a string of bad luck , '' the man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change came when he accidentally left a late family member 's pocket knife on top of his car .
`` I thought I had lost it , but when I pulled up at my destination after driving for about 40 minutes , it was still sitting there on top of the car , '' he recalled .
`` I was so relieved .
I 'm not a big believer in life after death and the universe , but I felt like it was a sign that someone was looking out for me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident was a sign his luck was changing .
`` I told a few people about the good luck I was experiencing , and they suggested I get a lottery ticket , '' he said .
The man took his friends ' advice and bought a TattsLotto ticket for Saturday 's drawing .
The ticket earned him a top prize of $ 634,064.68 .
`` It 's such a good feeling .
I do n't feel much different other than just feeling good , '' the winner said .
`` It feels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The winner said the prize money will remove some stress from his life .
`` I 'll help out a few immediate family members and pay off a few bills of my own , '' he said .
`` The main thing is I 'll be able to pay off my mortgage , which will save me a lot of stress .
`` The win wo n't solve all my problems , but it solves a hell of a lot . ''

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Aug. 3 (UPI) -- An Australian man said "a sign that someone was looking out" turned around his bad luck and led to his winning a lottery jackpot of more than $630,000.
The Lower Plenty, Victoria, man told The Lott officials he had been experiencing a string of bad luck in life until a recent incident indicated to him that things were about to turn around.
Advertisement
"I've been having a bit of a tough year, and I've had a string of bad luck," the man said.
He said the sign of change came when he accidentally left a late family member's pocket knife on top of his car.
"I thought I had lost it, but when I pulled up at my destination after driving for about 40 minutes, it was still sitting there on top of the car," he recalled.
"I was so relieved. I'm not a big believer in life after death and the universe, but I felt like it was a sign that someone was looking out for me."
He said some friends agreed that the incident was a sign his luck was changing.
"I told a few people about the good luck I was experiencing, and they suggested I get a lottery ticket," he said.
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The man took his friends' advice and bought a TattsLotto ticket for Saturday's drawing. The ticket earned him a top prize of $634,064.68.
"It's such a good feeling. I don't feel much different other than just feeling good," the winner said. "It feels like my luck is changing."
The winner said the prize money will remove some stress from his life.
"I'll help out a few immediate family members and pay off a few bills of my own," he said. "The main thing is I'll be able to pay off my mortgage, which will save me a lot of stress.
"The win won't solve all my problems, but it solves a hell of a lot."


upi--2020-08-03--Ice sheets, not rivers, carved valleys on Mars, new study says

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- The majority of Mars ' valleys were carved by ice sheets , not flowing rivers , calling the Red Planet 's supposed warm , watery past into question , according to new research published Monday in Nature Geoscience .
`` Valley networks on Mars have historically been interpreted as surface water flows , either sourced by surface liquid water or by ground water , '' study lead author Anna Grau Galofre told UPI .
`` The problem is that there are thousands of them and they all have very different morphologies , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the department of earth , ocean and atmospheric sciences at the University of British Columbia .
Earth has similarly diverse valley networks , created by a range of processes .
Grau Galofre and her colleagues wondered whether a diversity of processes might be responsible for Mars ' varied valley networks , too .
Many of the valleys on Mars reminded Grau Galofre of the subglacial channels found beneath ice sheets on Earth .
`` Their patterns , isolation from each other and the fact that some flow uphill , all these are consistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Earth , '' said Grau Galofre , now a post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University .
`` Introducing this hypothesis then turned out to be a useful perspective to address a longstanding question regarding the climate of early Mars : warm and wet versus cold and icy , '' she said .
First , Grau Galofre and her research partners performed statistical analysis to identify similarities and differences among valley structures on Mars .
After identifying a group of similar-looking valleys not explained by river flows , researchers compared the valleys to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Canadian Arctic .
According to researchers , Devon Island -- a cold , dry polar desert -- is as close an approximation of Mars ' climate as can be found on Earth .
In total , researchers surveyed more than 10,000 Martian valleys .
Only a small percentage of the surveyed valleys featured patterns consistent with surface water erosion , suggesting rivers and lakes were less abundant on early Mars than previously hypothesized .
Though Mars is Earth 's closest neighbor , it is considerably farther from the sun .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forming , 3.8 billion years ago , the sun was dimmer than it is today .
Models suggest Mars would have been quite frigid .
While researchers say evidence suggesting the Red Planet 's features were mostly formed by glacial activity is n't surprising , the findings do n't preclude freshwater environs , nor the possibility of ancient life .
`` I would like to highlight that the study finds both evidence for riverine erosion and subglacial erosion among the valley networks , '' said Grau Galofre .
`` Sometimes both origins are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implying that the climate on early Mars probably changed considerably through time . ''
Grau Galofre said she would like to see NASA 's Martian rovers take a closer look at the geochemical signatures found in clay found on Mars .
`` Clays and other hydrated rocks which have been found on Mars also appear in subglacial environments , '' she said .
If Mars ' ancient climate was erratic , as some evidence suggests , subglacial environs might have offered a haven for microbial life .
`` The subglacial environment could provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water , a temperature without large oscillations , and protection from solar energetic particles and radiation without need for a magnetic field , '' Grau Galofre said .
Researchers have previously identified microbial communities living in subglacial lakes on Earth .
Grau Galofre said she and her research partners hope further comparisons between valley patterns on Mars and Earth will help more precisely model the Red Planet 's ancient climate .

Researchers analyzed the patterns of thousands of valley networks on Mars, and say at least some of them were likely caused by glacial movement, not rivers. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University
Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The majority of Mars' valleys were carved by ice sheets, not flowing rivers, calling the Red Planet's supposed warm, watery past into question, according to new research published Monday in Nature Geoscience. "Valley networks on Mars have historically been interpreted as surface water flows, either sourced by surface liquid water or by ground water," study lead author Anna Grau Galofre told UPI. Advertisement
"The problem is that there are thousands of them and they all have very different morphologies," said Grau Galofre, former doctoral student in the department of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences at the University of British Columbia.
Earth has similarly diverse valley networks, created by a range of processes. Grau Galofre and her colleagues wondered whether a diversity of processes might be responsible for Mars' varied valley networks, too.
Many of the valleys on Mars reminded Grau Galofre of the subglacial channels found beneath ice sheets on Earth.
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"Their patterns, isolation from each other and the fact that some flow uphill, all these are consistent with what we know about subglacial channels on Earth," said Grau Galofre, now a post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University.
"Introducing this hypothesis then turned out to be a useful perspective to address a longstanding question regarding the climate of early Mars: warm and wet versus cold and icy," she said.
First, Grau Galofre and her research partners performed statistical analysis to identify similarities and differences among valley structures on Mars. After identifying a group of similar-looking valleys not explained by river flows, researchers compared the valleys to subglacial channel patterns found on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic.
According to researchers, Devon Island -- a cold, dry polar desert -- is as close an approximation of Mars' climate as can be found on Earth.
In total, researchers surveyed more than 10,000 Martian valleys. Only a small percentage of the surveyed valleys featured patterns consistent with surface water erosion, suggesting rivers and lakes were less abundant on early Mars than previously hypothesized.
Though Mars is Earth's closest neighbor, it is considerably farther from the sun. At the time that Mars' valleys were forming, 3.8 billion years ago, the sun was dimmer than it is today. Models suggest Mars would have been quite frigid.
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While researchers say evidence suggesting the Red Planet's features were mostly formed by glacial activity isn't surprising, the findings don't preclude freshwater environs, nor the possibility of ancient life.
"I would like to highlight that the study finds both evidence for riverine erosion and subglacial erosion among the valley networks," said Grau Galofre. "Sometimes both origins are represented by channels that are close, implying that the climate on early Mars probably changed considerably through time."
Grau Galofre said she would like to see NASA's Martian rovers take a closer look at the geochemical signatures found in clay found on Mars.
"Clays and other hydrated rocks which have been found on Mars also appear in subglacial environments," she said.
If Mars' ancient climate was erratic, as some evidence suggests, subglacial environs might have offered a haven for microbial life.
"The subglacial environment could provide a stable setting, with readily available water, a temperature without large oscillations, and protection from solar energetic particles and radiation without need for a magnetic field," Grau Galofre said.
Researchers have previously identified microbial communities living in subglacial lakes on Earth.
Grau Galofre said she and her research partners hope further comparisons between valley patterns on Mars and Earth will help more precisely model the Red Planet's ancient climate.


upi--2020-08-03--Watch: Bear breaks through window of parked vehicle to eat trash

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- The U.S. Forest Service in California shared photos of a vehicle that was broken @ @ @ @ @ unusual burglary suspect -- a hungry bear .
The U.S. Forest Service in Lake Tahoe @ @ @ @ @ the parked vehicle at Bayview Trailhead by breaking through a back window .
The Forest @ @ @ @ @ the inside of the vehicle , which contained food items and trash that likely attracted @ @ @ @ @ the vehicle .
`` Before heading out , remove any food , trash , scented @ @ @ @ @ this could happen to you , '' the Forest Service tweeted .

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Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Forest Service in California shared photos of a vehicle that was broken into and ransacked by an unusual burglary suspect -- a hungry bear.
The U.S. Forest Service in Lake Tahoe said a bear broke into the parked vehicle at Bayview Trailhead by breaking through a back window.
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The Forest Service said the bear ransacked the inside of the vehicle, which contained food items and trash that likely attracted the animal's attention to the vehicle.
"Before heading out, remove any food, trash, scented items from your vehicle or this could happen to you," the Forest Service tweeted.


upi--2020-08-03--Taylor Swift becomes first to top Billboard's 200 and Hot 100 charts in one week

Aug. 3 ( UPI ) -- Taylor Swift has become the first artist to debut at No .
1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week with her new song , `` Cardigan , '' and album , Folklore .
Billboard said Swift 's new album , Folklore , which was released July 24 after being announced by the singer only a day earlier , debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart in the same week that song `` Cardigan '' debuted at the No .
1 spot on the Hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Swift the first artist to debut at No .
1 on both charts in the same week .
Two other songs from Folklore , `` The 1 '' and `` Exile , '' featuring Bon Iver , hit the Hot 100 this week , at No .
4 and No .
6 , respectively .
Billboard said Swift is the first woman , and third artist overall , to debut two songs in the top five of the Hot 100 at the same time .
`` Cardigan '' marks Swift 's sixth time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hot 100 .
The full Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts , dated Aug. 8 , will be updated on Billboard 's website Tuesday .

Pop star Taylor Swift has become the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts in the same week. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Taylor Swift has become the first artist to debut at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week with her new song, "Cardigan," and album, Folklore. Billboard said Swift's new album, Folklore, which was released July 24 after being announced by the singer only a day earlier, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart in the same week that song "Cardigan" debuted at the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 singles chart. Advertisement
The feat made Swift the first artist to debut at No. 1 on both charts in the same week.
Two other songs from Folklore, "The 1" and "Exile," featuring Bon Iver, hit the Hot 100 this week, at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively. Billboard said Swift is the first woman, and third artist overall, to debut two songs in the top five of the Hot 100 at the same time.
"Cardigan" marks Swift's sixth time taking the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100.
The full Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts, dated Aug. 8, will be updated on Billboard's website Tuesday.
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Taylor Swift's career: awards, No. 1 hits and red carpets
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs at the 41st annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on November 7, 2007. File Photo by Frederick Breedon/UPI | License Photo


upi--2020-08-04--Oilers star Connor McDavid nets hat trick in win vs. Blackhawks

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Connor McDavid scored three times to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a Game 2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada .
The victory evened the Stanley Cup qualifiers series at 1-1 .
Tyler Ennis , James Neal and Alex Chiasson also scored for Edmonton in the 6-3 win Monday at Rogers Place .
`` It was our work ethic , '' McDavid said when asked about the difference of play from Game 1 to Game 2 .
`` We kept it simple .
It sounds all cliche , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it Game 1 . ''
McDavid 's first score Monday came just 19 seconds into the game .
The three-time All-Star hovered around the Blackhawks net during the play before he received a pass from Darnell Nurse .
McDavid then smashed the puck into the net past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford from point-blank range .
McDavid lit the lamp for a second time less than four minutes later .
He showed off why he is known as one of the fastest skaters in the NHL during that sequence .
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flipped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the play .
McDavid tracked down the feed before he tapped the puck around the defense and skated toward the Chicago goal .
He finished the play with a flick of the puck just under the crossbar to make the score 2-0 .
Blackhawks star Patrick Kane cut the Oilers lead in half 9:06 into the first frame .
Ennis pushed the lead back to two scores with another Oilers goal 1:44 into the second period .
Slater Koekkoek and Olli Maatta then scored for the Blackhawks to tie the score at 3-3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bridge frame before McDavid struck once more .
Chiasson fought for a loose puck behind the Blackhawks net at the start of that sequence .
He then fired a short pass to Nugent-Hopkins .
Nugent Hopkins then slapped a pass off the board behind the Blackhawks net , which found McDavid on the other side .
McDavid attempted to send another pass in front of the net , but the feed deflected off of a skate and into the far-post netting as he sounded the horn for a third time .
Neal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period to secure the victory for Edmonton .
`` Connor led the way , especially early , '' Ennis said of McDavid .
`` He set the tone for us and gave us a spark .
That 's exactly what we needed and everybody followed . ''
The Oilers and Blackhawks continue their best-of-five playoff qualifier series with Game 3 at 10:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Edmonton .

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid gave his team a 2-0 lead before netting another goal for a 4-3 edge in a win against the Chicago Blackhawks Monday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. File Photo by BIll Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Connor McDavid scored three times to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a Game 2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The victory evened the Stanley Cup qualifiers series at 1-1. Tyler Ennis, James Neal and Alex Chiasson also scored for Edmonton in the 6-3 win Monday at Rogers Place. Advertisement
"It was our work ethic," McDavid said when asked about the difference of play from Game 1 to Game 2. "We kept it simple. It sounds all cliche, but that's all stuff we didn't do it Game 1."
McDavid's first score Monday came just 19 seconds into the game. The three-time All-Star hovered around the Blackhawks net during the play before he received a pass from Darnell Nurse. McDavid then smashed the puck into the net past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford from point-blank range.
McDavid lit the lamp for a second time less than four minutes later. He showed off why he is known as one of the fastest skaters in the NHL during that sequence.
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flipped a puck ahead for McDavid to spark the play. McDavid tracked down the feed before he tapped the puck around the defense and skated toward the Chicago goal. He finished the play with a flick of the puck just under the crossbar to make the score 2-0.
Blackhawks star Patrick Kane cut the Oilers lead in half 9:06 into the first frame. Ennis pushed the lead back to two scores with another Oilers goal 1:44 into the second period.
Slater Koekkoek and Olli Maatta then scored for the Blackhawks to tie the score at 3-3 with about five minutes left in the bridge frame before McDavid struck once more.
Chiasson fought for a loose puck behind the Blackhawks net at the start of that sequence. He then fired a short pass to Nugent-Hopkins. Nugent Hopkins then slapped a pass off the board behind the Blackhawks net, which found McDavid on the other side. McDavid attempted to send another pass in front of the net, but the feed deflected off of a skate and into the far-post netting as he sounded the horn for a third time.
Neal and Chiasson added unassisted scores in the third period to secure the victory for Edmonton.
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"Connor led the way, especially early," Ennis said of McDavid. "He set the tone for us and gave us a spark. That's exactly what we needed and everybody followed."
The Oilers and Blackhawks continue their best-of-five playoff qualifier series with Game 3 at 10:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Edmonton.


upi--2020-08-04--FDA grants emergency use for heart pump in COVID-19 cases

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted emergency use authorization for a U.S.-made heart pump to treat COVID-19 patients who suffer heart and lung failure .
The FDA granted approval for the pumps to be used in combination with `` extracorporeal membrane oxygenation , '' or ECMO , in which a machine is used to replace the function of the heart and lungs in patients suffering multiple failures .
COVID-19 causes widespread inflammation that can result in damage to the lungs and heart .
Some patients have developed severe inflammation that resulted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Impella pumps combined with ECMO therapy have `` become an important tool for physicians treating COVID-19 patients suffering from both heart and lung failure , '' Abiomed said .
`` The early clinical evidence continues to accrue in favor of including left ventricular [ relief ] in many patients on ECMO , '' Dr. Christian Bermudez of the University of Pennsylvania said in a statement .
`` The superior clinical outcomes from the combination of Impella and ECMO are likely the result of reducing the stress on the myocardium and work required of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lung injury due to pulmonary congestion . ''

A medical worker pushes a patient on a stretcher through the emergency room entrance at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York City on March 31. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted emergency use authorization for a U.S.-made heart pump to treat COVID-19 patients who suffer heart and lung failure. Impella heart pumps, manufactured by Abiomed of Danvers, Mass., are now allowed to treat the heart's left ventricle in coronavirus patients who develop pulmonary edema or myocarditis, the company said. The FDA granted approval for the pumps to be used in combination with "extracorporeal membrane oxygenation," or ECMO, in which a machine is used to replace the function of the heart and lungs in patients suffering multiple failures. Advertisement
COVID-19 causes widespread inflammation that can result in damage to the lungs and heart. Some patients have developed severe inflammation that resulted in both heart and lung failure.
The Impella pumps combined with ECMO therapy have "become an important tool for physicians treating COVID-19 patients suffering from both heart and lung failure," Abiomed said.
"The early clinical evidence continues to accrue in favor of including left ventricular [relief] in many patients on ECMO," Dr. Christian Bermudez of the University of Pennsylvania said in a statement.
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"The superior clinical outcomes from the combination of Impella and ECMO are likely the result of reducing the stress on the myocardium and work required of the left ventricle, also reducing secondary lung injury due to pulmonary congestion."


upi--2020-08-04--Watch: Sean Penn confirms marriage to Leila George

The 59-year-old actor , director and producer shared details about his wedding Monday on Late Night with Seth Meyers following reports he married actress Leila George , 28 .
Penn confirmed reports by showing off his wedding ring .
He said he married at home Thursday due to the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic .
`` We did a COVID wedding .
By that , I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom and we were at the house [ with ] my two children and her brother , and we did it that way , '' Penn said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there were benefits to having a small wedding due to the health crisis .
`` Let 's say there are socially liberating factors under COVID , '' he said .
Philanthropist Irena Medavoy , the wife of Black Swan producer Mike Medavoy , had congratulated Penn and George in a since-deleted Instagram post Friday .
`` We are so happy for @ leilageorge # seanpenn getting married .
We love you , '' she wrote .
`` We are over the moon to find your soul mate true partner .
You are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you both and the family you have joined .
Introducing the Penn 's # marriage . ''
Penn was previously married to singer Madonna from 1985 to 1989 and to actress Robin Wright from 1996 to 2010 .
He has two children , daughter Dylan , 29 , and son Hopper , 26 , with Wright .
Penn and George , the daughter of actor Vincent D'Onofrio , made their red carpet debut as a couple in October 2016 .

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Sean Penn is a married man.
The 59-year-old actor, director and producer shared details about his wedding Monday on Late Night with Seth Meyers following reports he married actress Leila George, 28.
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Penn confirmed reports by showing off his wedding ring. He said he married at home Thursday due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"We did a COVID wedding. By that, I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom and we were at the house [with] my two children and her brother, and we did it that way," Penn said.
Penn agreed with host Seth Meyers that there were benefits to having a small wedding due to the health crisis.
"Let's say there are socially liberating factors under COVID," he said.
Philanthropist Irena Medavoy, the wife of Black Swan producer Mike Medavoy, had congratulated Penn and George in a since-deleted Instagram post Friday.
"We are so happy for @leilageorge #seanpenn getting married. We love you," she wrote. "We are over the moon to find your soul mate true partner. You are meant to be together. God Bless you both and the family you have joined. Introducing the Penn's #marriage."
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Penn was previously married to singer Madonna from 1985 to 1989 and to actress Robin Wright from 1996 to 2010. He has two children, daughter Dylan, 29, and son Hopper, 26, with Wright.
Penn and George, the daughter of actor Vincent D'Onofrio, made their red carpet debut as a couple in October 2016.


upi--2020-08-04--Tropical Storm Isaias moving up Mid-Atlantic, threatens tornadoes

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Isaias made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday night and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved over land , but forecasters say it remains a threat as it moves toward the New York City area .
Hurricane-force wind gusts were reported as the eyewall went ashore in Ocean Isle Beach , N.C. , Monday night , with the highest gust reported over land at 93 mph .
As the hurricane approached , the system spawned a tornado that touched down on Bald Head Island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in its 8 a.m. Tuesday update that the storm was moving over southeast Virginia and threatening to spawn more tornadoes along the Mid-Atlantic coast .
`` Tornadoes are most likely through midday from southeast Virginia to New Jersey , '' it said .
`` Tornadoes will remain possible this afternoon and evening from southeast New York across New England . ''
The update said the center of the storm was located 15 miles southeast of Tappahannock , Va. , and maintained maximum sustained winds of 70 mph , just 4 mph below @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moving northeast at 33 mph .
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for numerous locations from the Virginia area to New England , the NHC said .
Rain is likely to spread northward over New York City and into the Boston area during the day on Tuesday .
New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm .
`` On the forecast track , the center of Isaias will continue to move near or along the coast of the mid-Atlantic states today , and move across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' the NHC said in its update .
In terms of wind , the strongest gusts will occur east of the track of Isaias and can reach strong tropical storm force along the immediate coasts of Virginia , Maryland , Delaware , New Jersey , New York state , Connecticut , Rhode Island , Massachusetts , New Hampshire and Maine as the storm accelerates northeastward .
All told , Isaias is predicted to cause between $ 2 billion and $ 3 billion in damage and economic loss , according to AccuWeather founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center of Isaias may pass rather close to New York City , which would be the second storm of the season to do so following Tropical Storm Fay in early July .
`` The last time there have been two named tropical systems pass so close in the same season was in 1985 when Gloria and Henri passed over Long Island , New York , '' AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said .
`` In 1960 , Brenda and Donna passed within 40 miles of New York City . ''
One of the main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maine will be from torrential rain that can lead to flash , urban and small-stream flooding .
`` An increase in forward speed is expected through Wednesday and the swath of heaviest rain will shift from east of the center to the northern and western part of the storm as it moves over land in the Carolinas and track through coastal areas of the Northeast states , '' AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller explained .
Following its impact on the U.S. , Isaias is forecast to spread a swath of rain and gusty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada Wednesday into Thursday .
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has already left its mark in history with several of the earliest-forming tropical storms on record .
Cristobal , Edouard , Fay , Gonzalo , Hanna and Isaias all set early-season formation records for their respective letter .
All of the July-forming storms from Edouard through Isaias broke the records set during the infamous 2005 season .
Hanna became the first hurricane of the 2020 season , and Isaias became the second .
There is a high potential that the 2020 season could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hurricane season nears and tropical storm numbers may end up rivaling the historic 2005 season numbers , which produced 28 storms .
AccuWeather meteorologists are already monitoring a few areas of disturbed weather beyond Isaias .

Isaias was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it moved into Canada Tuesday night. Photo courtesy of NOAA
Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Isaias made its way into southeastern Canada after being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone on Tuesday night. The epicenter of the post-tropical cyclone was about 55 miles north-northwest of Quebec City, Quebec, in Canada, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. Wednesday update. Advertisement
The storm was traveling north-northeast at 28 mph but its speed was expected to decrease and its maximum sustained winds of 40 mph with higher gusts was to weaken and drop below tropical storm force through Wednesday morning, the NHC said.
"The post-tropical cyclone is expected to dissipate over southeastern Canada on Thursday," the NHC said.
Forecasters said one to three inches of rain should fall along and near Isaias' track across southern Quebec.
Hurricane-force wind gusts were reported Monday night as the eyewall went ashore in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., with the highest gust reported over land at 93 mph. As the hurricane approached, the system spawned a tornado that touched down on Bald Head Island, N.C.
All told, Isaias is predicted to cause between $2 billion and $3 billion in damages and economic loss, according to AccuWeather founder and CEO Joel N. Myers.
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One of the main threats for the areas from Virginia to Maine was from torrential rain that can lead to flash, urban and small-stream flooding.
Following its impact on the U.S., Isaias is forecast to spread a swath of rain and gusty winds rapidly through a portion of Atlantic Canada Wednesday into Thursday.
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has already left its mark in history with several of the earliest-forming tropical storms on record. Cristobal, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna and Isaias all set early-season formation records for their respective letter. All of the July-forming storms from Edouard through Isaias broke the records set during the infamous 2005 season.
Hanna became the first hurricane of the 2020 season, and Isaias became the second.
There is a high potential that the 2020 season could become "hyperactive" as the peak of hurricane season nears and tropical storm numbers may end up rivaling the historic 2005 season numbers, which produced 28 storms. AccuWeather meteorologists are already monitoring a few areas of disturbed weather beyond Isaias.


upi--2020-08-04--Japan warns Seoul as wartime labor decision goes into effect

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Tensions are rising again between South Korea and Japan as a South Korean court order to seize a Japanese firm 's assets went into effect Tuesday .
A South Korean Supreme Court decision in 2018 , ordering Nippon Steel to provide reparations to four South Koreans forced into labor during World War II , went into effect after midnight Tuesday .
The Japanese government has vowed to hit back with a stern response should Japanese assets based in Korea be seized , liquidated or sold , Kyodo News and Yonhap reported Tuesday .
Tokyo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan 's response that would `` protect the legitimate economic activities of Japanese companies '' would include `` a variety of options . ''
Japan maintains the court order of asset seizure is illegal because all issues were resolved with the signing of a bilateral treaty in 1965 .
According to Japanese press reports , Tokyo could be considering policies that range from raising tariffs on South Korean goods , banning international wire transfers , tightening visa requirements for South Korean passport holders , financial sanctions and the seizure of South Korean assets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministry told reporters on Tuesday they are aware of the Japanese statement .
The ministry said Seoul is reviewing a number of options in response to potential Japanese countermeasures .
South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Kim In-chul also said South Korea is continuing efforts to resolve issues via diplomatic channels .
The issue of liquidating Japanese assets is `` part of the judicial process , '' and the South Korean administration can not intervene on a judicial matter , Kim suggested , according to South Korean news service News 1 .
Last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the termination of GSOMIA , a bilateral military sharing agreement with Tokyo .
Seoul suspended the decision under U.S. pressure , but Kim said Seoul can terminate GSOMIA at any time , according to Yonhap .
On Tuesday , Suga said he would not comment on speculation Seoul could revisit GSOMIA termination .
The pact has been an important source of intelligence gathering on North Korea for Tokyo .

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has said Tokyo will take action if Japanese assets are seized in South Korea as part of wartime labor compensation. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Tensions are rising again between South Korea and Japan as a South Korean court order to seize a Japanese firm's assets went into effect Tuesday. A South Korean Supreme Court decision in 2018, ordering Nippon Steel to provide reparations to four South Koreans forced into labor during World War II, went into effect after midnight Tuesday. The Japanese government has vowed to hit back with a stern response should Japanese assets based in Korea be seized, liquidated or sold, Kyodo News and Yonhap reported Tuesday. Advertisement
Tokyo's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan's response that would "protect the legitimate economic activities of Japanese companies" would include "a variety of options."
Japan maintains the court order of asset seizure is illegal because all issues were resolved with the signing of a bilateral treaty in 1965.
According to Japanese press reports, Tokyo could be considering policies that range from raising tariffs on South Korean goods, banning international wire transfers, tightening visa requirements for South Korean passport holders, financial sanctions and the seizure of South Korean assets in Japan.
South Korea's foreign ministry told reporters on Tuesday they are aware of the Japanese statement. The ministry said Seoul is reviewing a number of options in response to potential Japanese countermeasures.
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South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Kim In-chul also said South Korea is continuing efforts to resolve issues via diplomatic channels. The issue of liquidating Japanese assets is "part of the judicial process," and the South Korean administration cannot intervene on a judicial matter, Kim suggested, according to South Korean news service News 1.
Last year, South Korea had not ruled out the termination of GSOMIA, a bilateral military sharing agreement with Tokyo. Seoul suspended the decision under U.S. pressure, but Kim said Seoul can terminate GSOMIA at any time, according to Yonhap.
On Tuesday, Suga said he would not comment on speculation Seoul could revisit GSOMIA termination. The pact has been an important source of intelligence gathering on North Korea for Tokyo.


upi--2020-08-04--Royals wish Meghan Markle a happy 39th birthday

Markle , the Duchess of Sussex , received birthday wishes from the royal family Tuesday , including from Prince William and Kate Middleton , Queen Elizabeth II , and Prince Charles and Camilla , Duchess of Cornwall .
The Kensington Palace official Twitter , which represents William and Middleton , shared a photo of Markle kneeling and speaking with a young girl .
`` Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex today ! ''
the post reads .
The queen 's Royal Family Instagram account posted a photo of Elizabeth and Markle from a 2018 visit to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday ! ''
the post reads .
The Clarence House official Instagram , which represents Charles and Camilla , shared a portrait of Markle .
`` Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Sussex ! ''
the post reads .
Markle spent her birthday in Los Angeles , where she has lived with her husband , Prince Harry , and their 14-month-old son , Archie , since March .
Hello !
said the family is renting a home owned by Tyler Perry .
Markle and Harry announced in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' from the royal family and split their time between North America and Britain .
The couple gave up their royal titles and public funding in Britain in order to live independently in North America .
William and Middleton said in an interview with BBC News in April that they 're keeping in touch with family online amid the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic .

Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex today! pic.twitter.com/42VD8c8q69— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) August 4, 2020
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- British royal Meghan Markle is celebrating her 39th birthday.
Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, received birthday wishes from the royal family Tuesday, including from Prince William and Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
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The Kensington Palace official Twitter, which represents William and Middleton, shared a photo of Markle kneeling and speaking with a young girl.
"Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex today!" the post reads.
The queen's Royal Family Instagram account posted a photo of Elizabeth and Markle from a 2018 visit to Cheshire, England.
"Wishing the Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday!" the post reads.
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The Clarence House official Instagram, which represents Charles and Camilla, shared a portrait of Markle.
"Happy Birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!" the post reads.
Markle spent her birthday in Los Angeles, where she has lived with her husband, Prince Harry, and their 14-month-old son, Archie, since March. Hello! said the family is renting a home owned by Tyler Perry.
Markle and Harry announced in January that they would "step back" from the royal family and split their time between North America and Britain. The couple gave up their royal titles and public funding in Britain in order to live independently in North America.
William and Middleton said in an interview with BBC News in April that they're keeping in touch with family online amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.


upi--2020-08-04--Amnesty International: Police violated protesters' rights at U.S. rallies

Uniformed police in riot gear stand guard near protesters outside the White House during a demonstration on June 1 in Washington, D.C. The protesters were demanding justice in the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Amnesty International said in a new report Tuesday that U.S. law enforcement committed dozens of human rights violations in their handling this summer of demonstrations after the death of George Floyd. The human rights watchdog group accused police of violating the rights of protesters who were peacefully demonstrating at least 125 times in late May and early June, immediately after Floyd's death on Memorial Day. Advertisement
The report said authorities violated the right to assemble peacefully "through intimidation involving the use of militarized equipment; excessive force, including the use of batons, kinetic impact projectiles and tear gas and pepper spray; and the targeting of activists, journalists, legal observers and street medics."
Amnesty said police responding to protests in riot gear created an "atmosphere of fear and terror that was confrontational and intimidating" and missed chances to de-escalate tense situations.
"Law enforcement tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed members of the media, shot them directly with percussion grenades, used unnecessary physical force against them, inflicted serious injuries with kinetic impact projectiles and detained and arrested them without proper access to medical care or disclosure of their legal rights -- a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," the report states.
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The report said journalists and street medics were clearly identifiable when they were confronted by police and arrested.
The organization also said police repeatedly harassed legal observers, even though they wore "easily identifiable brightly colored clothing" and arrested some in Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York City.
"Legal observers play a vital role in ensuring protesters' rights are protected and should never be targeted for arrest due to the conduct of protesters or in order to prevent their monitoring, which are both essential to hold police accountable if and when they abuse their authority and also serve as a necessary public check on their actions," the report states.
Amnesty called on the U.S. Congress to pass a bill to limit law enforcement's ability to use lethal force during peaceful protests.
On Tuesday, a subcommittee of the Senate judiciary committee is scheduled to hold a hearing examining "the right of the people peaceably to assemble."
Protesters demand justice in police killing of George Floyd


upi--2020-08-04--Lakers clinch No. 1 seed as Anthony Davis dominates Jazz

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Anthony Davis devastated the Utah Jazz with 42 points and 12 rebounds in an eight-point victory , which helped the Los Angeles Lakers clinch the No .
1 seed for the Western Conference playoffs .
The Lakers forward also had four assists and three steals in the 116-108 win Monday in Orlando , Fla. LeBron James had 22 points , nine assists , eight rebounds and two steals in the victory .
`` I just tried to come out of the gates very aggressive and the team kind of follows , '' Davis told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job of making sure I 'm aggressive by throwing me the ball and telling me to go . ''
Davis scored 13 points in the first frame , but the score was tied at 24-24 .
He poured in another 11 points in the second quarter to help the team own a 58-56 edge at halftime .
Davis added another 10 points in the third frame to help push the lead to 86-76 .
James scored 10 points in the final frame , while Davis added another eight points to help the Lakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dwight Howard scored 11 points and had five rebounds in the win .
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 10 points and four rebounds for the Lakers .
Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz with 33 points .
Mike Conley Jr. scored 24 points and had eight assists in the loss .
Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz .
`` We are building the right habits , '' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said .
`` If you are winning enough games to secure the No .
1 seed , you are building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playoffs .
`` Obviously we have bigger aspirations than the No .
1 seed . ''
The Los Angeles Clippers have control of the No .
2 seed in the conference , but are just 1.5 games ahead of the No .
3 Denver Nuggets .
The Lakers are in position to face the No .
8 Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs .
The Jazz have the No .
5 seed and are in position to face the No .
4 Houston Rockets if the regular season ended today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face the Lakers or Grizzlies in the second round .
The Lakers ( 51-15 ) face the Oklahoma City Thunder at 6:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Orlando .
The Jazz ( 42-25 ) face the Grizzlies at 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Orlando .

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis paced his squad to a victory against the Utah Jazz Monday in Orlando, Fla. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Anthony Davis devastated the Utah Jazz with 42 points and 12 rebounds in an eight-point victory, which helped the Los Angeles Lakers clinch the No. 1 seed for the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers forward also had four assists and three steals in the 116-108 win Monday in Orlando, Fla. LeBron James had 22 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals in the victory. Advertisement
"I just tried to come out of the gates very aggressive and the team kind of follows," Davis told reporters.
"LeBron does a great job of making sure I'm aggressive by throwing me the ball and telling me to go."
Davis scored 13 points in the first frame, but the score was tied at 24-24. He poured in another 11 points in the second quarter to help the team own a 58-56 edge at halftime. Davis added another 10 points in the third frame to help push the lead to 86-76.
James scored 10 points in the final frame, while Davis added another eight points to help the Lakers secure the victory down the stretch.
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Dwight Howard scored 11 points and had five rebounds in the win. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 10 points and four rebounds for the Lakers. Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz with 33 points. Mike Conley Jr. scored 24 points and had eight assists in the loss. Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz.
"We are building the right habits," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "If you are winning enough games to secure the No. 1 seed, you are building the habits necessary to win in the playoffs.
"Obviously we have bigger aspirations than the No. 1 seed."
The Los Angeles Clippers have control of the No. 2 seed in the conference, but are just 1.5 games ahead of the No. 3 Denver Nuggets. The Lakers are in position to face the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
The Jazz have the No. 5 seed and are in position to face the No. 4 Houston Rockets if the regular season ended today. The winner of that matchup would face the Lakers or Grizzlies in the second round.
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The Lakers (51-15) face the Oklahoma City Thunder at 6:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Orlando. The Jazz (42-25) face the Grizzlies at 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Orlando.


upi--2020-08-04--In photos: Moments from Major League Baseball for the week of Aug. 2, 2020

Philadelphia Phillies ' Jean Segura hits the ball against the New York Yankees in New York City on August 3 @ @ @ @ @ https : //www.upi.com/Sports_News/MLB/2020/08/04/Gerrit-Cole-extends-win-streak-to-19-Yankees-beat-Phillies/9981596538948/ '' } 6-3 .
Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI

The Miami Marlins celebrate their 4-3 win against the New York Mets in New York on Friday. The Marlins also beat the Orioles on Thursday. Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI


upi--2020-08-04--Wildfires can poison drinking water; cities need to upgrade codes

The 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise and Butte County , Calif. was the deadliest and most destructive fire in California 's history .
It killed 86 and destroyed more than 18,000 structures in a matter of hours .
Almost two years later , only a fraction of the area 's 40,000-plus population has returned .
This disaster followed the 2017 Tubbs Fire , which killed 22 people in California 's Sonoma and Napa counties .
After both fires , drinking water tests revealed a plethora of acutely toxic and carcinogenic pollutants .
Water inside homes was not safe to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pipes buried underground and inside buildings were extensively contaminated .
We are environmental engineers who help communities affected by disasters , and supported responses to both fires .
As we conclude in a recently published study of burned areas , communities need to upgrade building codes to keep wildfires from causing this kind of widespread contamination of drinking water systems .
The Tubbs and Camp fires destroyed fire hydrants , water pipes and meter boxes .
Water leaks and ruptured hydrants were common .
The Camp Fire inferno spread at a speed of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone -- including water system operators -- out of town .
After the fires passed , testing ultimately revealed widespread hazardous drinking water contamination .
Evidence suggests that the toxic chemicals originated from a combination of burning vegetation , structures and plastic materials .
Firefighting can accelerate the spread of contamination .
As emergency workers draw hydrant water , they spread contaminated water through the water pipe network .
Metal , concrete and plastic pipes can become contaminated .
Many plastics take up these chemicals like sponges .
As clean water later passes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leach out , rendering the water unsafe .
In the Tubbs and Camp fires , chemicals in the air may have also been sucked into hydrants as water pipes lost pressure .
Some water system plastics decomposed and leached chemicals directly into water .
Toxic chemicals then spread throughout pipe networks and into buildings .
Limited water testing by state and local agencies showed benzene and naphthalene were present at levels that could cause immediate harm .
These , as well as methylene chloride , styrene , toluene and vinyl chloride exceeded longer-term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chemicals cause cancer .
All can cause vomiting , diarrhea and nausea after short-term high concentration exposure .
Anyone who drinks the water containing these substances could be harmed .
And simply running a faucet could cause chemicals to enter the air .
Hot showers and boiling water would vaporize the chemicals and increase the dose a person breathed in .
Some of these substances can also be absorbed through the skin .
Benzene was found at concentrations of 40,000 parts per billion in drinking water after the Tubbs Fire and at more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment , children exposed to benzene for a single day can suffer harm at levels as low as 26 ppb .
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends limiting children 's short-term acute exposure to 200 ppb , and long-term exposure to less than 5 ppb .
The EPA regulatory level for what constitutes a hazardous waste is 500 ppb .
In early 2019 , California conducted contaminated water testing on humans by taking contaminated water from the Paradise Irrigation District and asking people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that even when people smelled contaminated water that had less than 200 ppb benzene , at least one person reported nausea and throat irritation .
The test also showed that water contained a variety of other benzene-like compounds that first responders had not sampled for .
The officials who carried out this small-scale test did not appear to realize the significance of what they had done , until we asked whether they had had their action approved in advance by an institutional review board .
In response , they asserted that such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view , this episode is telling for two reasons .
First , one subject reported an adverse health effect after being exposed to water that contained benzene at a level below the EPA 's recommended one-day limit for children .
Second , doing this kind of test without proper oversight suggests that officials greatly underestimated the potential for serious contamination of local water supplies and public harm .
After the Camp Fire , together with the EPA , we estimated that some plastic pipes needed more than 280 days of flushing to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that community building codes are inadequate to prevent wildfire-caused pollution of drinking water and homes .
Installing one-way valves , called backflow prevention devices , at each water meter can prevent contamination rushing out of the damaged building from flowing into the larger buried pipe network .
Adopting codes that required builders to install fire-resistant meter boxes and place them farther from vegetation would help prevent infrastructure from burning so readily in wildfires .
Concrete meter boxes and water meters with minimal plastic components would be less likely to ignite .
Some plastics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , since all types are susceptible to fire and heat .
Water main shutoff valves and water sampling taps should exist at every water meter box .
Sample taps can help responders quickly determine water safety .
Under no circumstance should people be told to smell the water to determine its safety , as was recommended for months after the Camp Fire .
Many chemicals have no odor when they are harmful .
Only testing can determine safety .
Ordering people to boil their water will not make it safe if it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Boiling just transmits those substances into the air faster .
`` Do not use '' orders can keep people safe until agencies can test the water .
Before such advisories are lifted or modified , regulators should be required to carry out a full chemical screen of the water systems .
Yet , disaster after disaster , government agencies have failed to take this step .
Buildings should be tested to find contamination .
Home drinking water quality can differ from room to room , so reliable testing should sample cold and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building .
While infrastructure is being repaired , survivors need a safe water supply .
Water treatment devices sold for home use , such as refrigerator and faucet water filters , are not approved for extremely contaminated water , although product sales representatives and government officials may mistakenly think the devices can be used for that purpose .
To avoid this kind of confusion , external technical experts should be called in assist local public health departments , which can quickly become overwhelmed after disasters .
The damage that the Tubbs and Camp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preventable .
We believe that urban and rural communities , as well as state legislatures , should establish codes and lists of authorized construction materials for high-risk areas .
They also should establish rapid methods to assess health , prepare for water testing and decontamination , and set aside emergency water supplies .
Wildfires are coming to urban areas .
Protecting drinking water systems , buried underground or in buildings , is one thing communities can do to prepare for that reality .
Andrew J. Whelton is an associate professor of civil , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Proctor is a Lillian Gilbreth Postdoctoral Fellow at Purdue University .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Members of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department search-and-rescue team, rake through ruins in Paradise, Calif., in 2018 amid the Camp Fire. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- In recent years, wildfires have entered urban areas, causing breathtaking destruction. The 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise and Butte County, Calif. was the deadliest and most destructive fire in California's history. It killed 86 and destroyed more than 18,000 structures in a matter of hours. Advertisement
Almost two years later, only a fraction of the area's 40,000-plus population has returned. This disaster followed the 2017 Tubbs Fire, which killed 22 people in California's Sonoma and Napa counties.
After both fires, drinking water tests revealed a plethora of acutely toxic and carcinogenic pollutants. Water inside homes was not safe to use, or even to treat. Water pipes buried underground and inside buildings were extensively contaminated.
We are environmental engineers who help communities affected by disasters, and supported responses to both fires. As we conclude in a recently published study of burned areas, communities need to upgrade building codes to keep wildfires from causing this kind of widespread contamination of drinking water systems.
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Wildfires and water
The Tubbs and Camp fires destroyed fire hydrants, water pipes and meter boxes. Water leaks and ruptured hydrants were common. The Camp Fire inferno spread at a speed of one football field per second, chasing everyone -- including water system operators -- out of town.
After the fires passed, testing ultimately revealed widespread hazardous drinking water contamination. Evidence suggests that the toxic chemicals originated from a combination of burning vegetation, structures and plastic materials.
Firefighting can accelerate the spread of contamination. As emergency workers draw hydrant water, they spread contaminated water through the water pipe network.
Metal, concrete and plastic pipes can become contaminated. Many plastics take up these chemicals like sponges. As clean water later passes through the pipes, the toxic substances leach out, rendering the water unsafe.
In the Tubbs and Camp fires, chemicals in the air may have also been sucked into hydrants as water pipes lost pressure. Some water system plastics decomposed and leached chemicals directly into water. Toxic chemicals then spread throughout pipe networks and into buildings.
Limited water testing by state and local agencies showed benzene and naphthalene were present at levels that could cause immediate harm. These, as well as methylene chloride, styrene, toluene and vinyl chloride exceeded longer-term regulated exposure limits. Many of these chemicals cause cancer. All can cause vomiting, diarrhea and nausea after short-term high concentration exposure.
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Anyone who drinks the water containing these substances could be harmed. And simply running a faucet could cause chemicals to enter the air. Hot showers and boiling water would vaporize the chemicals and increase the dose a person breathed in. Some of these substances can also be absorbed through the skin.
Contamination levels
Benzene was found at concentrations of 40,000 parts per billion in drinking water after the Tubbs Fire and at more than 2,217 ppb after the Camp Fire. According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, children exposed to benzene for a single day can suffer harm at levels as low as 26 ppb.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends limiting children's short-term acute exposure to 200 ppb, and long-term exposure to less than 5 ppb. The EPA regulatory level for what constitutes a hazardous waste is 500 ppb.
In early 2019, California conducted contaminated water testing on humans by taking contaminated water from the Paradise Irrigation District and asking people to smell it. The state found that even when people smelled contaminated water that had less than 200 ppb benzene, at least one person reported nausea and throat irritation. The test also showed that water contained a variety of other benzene-like compounds that first responders had not sampled for.
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The officials who carried out this small-scale test did not appear to realize the significance of what they had done, until we asked whether they had had their action approved in advance by an institutional review board. In response, they asserted that such a review was not needed.
In our view, this episode is telling for two reasons. First, one subject reported an adverse health effect after being exposed to water that contained benzene at a level below the EPA's recommended one-day limit for children. Second, doing this kind of test without proper oversight suggests that officials greatly underestimated the potential for serious contamination of local water supplies and public harm. After the Camp Fire, together with the EPA, we estimated that some plastic pipes needed more than 280 days of flushing to make them safe again.
Building codes
Our research underscores that community building codes are inadequate to prevent wildfire-caused pollution of drinking water and homes.
Installing one-way valves, called backflow prevention devices, at each water meter can prevent contamination rushing out of the damaged building from flowing into the larger buried pipe network.
Adopting codes that required builders to install fire-resistant meter boxes and place them farther from vegetation would help prevent infrastructure from burning so readily in wildfires. Concrete meter boxes and water meters with minimal plastic components would be less likely to ignite. Some plastics may be practically impossible to make safe again, since all types are susceptible to fire and heat.
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Water main shutoff valves and water sampling taps should exist at every water meter box. Sample taps can help responders quickly determine water safety.
Smell test
Under no circumstance should people be told to smell the water to determine its safety, as was recommended for months after the Camp Fire. Many chemicals have no odor when they are harmful. Only testing can determine safety.
Ordering people to boil their water will not make it safe if it contains toxic chemicals that enter the air. Boiling just transmits those substances into the air faster. "Do not use" orders can keep people safe until agencies can test the water. Before such advisories are lifted or modified, regulators should be required to carry out a full chemical screen of the water systems. Yet, disaster after disaster, government agencies have failed to take this step.
Buildings should be tested to find contamination. Home drinking water quality can differ from room to room, so reliable testing should sample cold and hot water at many locations within each building.
While infrastructure is being repaired, survivors need a safe water supply. Water treatment devices sold for home use, such as refrigerator and faucet water filters, are not approved for extremely contaminated water, although product sales representatives and government officials may mistakenly think the devices can be used for that purpose.
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To avoid this kind of confusion, external technical experts should be called in assist local public health departments, which can quickly become overwhelmed after disasters.
Preparing for future
The damage that the Tubbs and Camp fires caused to local water systems was preventable. We believe that urban and rural communities, as well as state legislatures, should establish codes and lists of authorized construction materials for high-risk areas. They also should establish rapid methods to assess health, prepare for water testing and decontamination, and set aside emergency water supplies.
Wildfires are coming to urban areas. Protecting drinking water systems, buried underground or in buildings, is one thing communities can do to prepare for that reality.
Andrew J. Whelton is an associate professor of civil, environmental & ecological engineering and Caitlin R. Proctor is a Lillian Gilbreth Postdoctoral Fellow at Purdue University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


upi--2020-08-04--Malignant bone cancer found in ancient dinosaur fossil, a first

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- For the first time , scientists have diagnosed a dinosaur with osteosarcoma , an aggressive , malignant bone cancer , according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology .
The tumor was found on the fibula , or lower leg bone , of a Centrosaurus apertus specimen , a plant-eating , horned dinosaur that lived 75 million years ago .
Shortly after its original discovery in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta in 1989 , paleontologists misdiagnosed the cancer as a healed fracture .
During a more recent survey of potentially pathological dinosaur bones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ontario Museum and McMaster University spotted the error .
`` The cancerous bone is severely malformed , with a massive gnarly tumor larger than an apple in the middle of the bone , '' study co-author David Evans told UPI .
Evans and his colleagues used high-resolution CT scans to identify the true nature of the malignant bone growth .
`` We were not only able to demonstrate that the bone tissue showed the hallmarks of osteosarcoma , but that the tumor spiraled through the cortex of bone , discounting its original identification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an aggressive cancer , '' said Evans , the chair of vertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum .
Osteosarcoma is usually found in teenagers and young adults .
Disorganized cells replicate rapidly , spreading through the bone and often spreading to other organs .
According to medical doctors on the project , the tumor finding supports the theory that osteosarcoma typically attacks areas of bone that are growing fastest .
`` Studying the fossil record can give medical researchers insight into the antiquity and evolutionary origins of the cancers and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Evans said .
The tumor found in the Canadian dinosaur was so large that scientists suspect the cancer had likely spread throughout the animal 's body by the time it perished .
`` This particular Centrosaurus was likely weak and lamed by the cancer in its leg prior to its death , '' Evans said .
`` This would have made this individual Centrosaurus more vulnerable to the top predators of the time , fearsome tyrannosaurs that were cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex . ''
However , researchers estimate that the dinosaur 's participation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in numbers , allowing the Centrosaurus to avoid predation for longer than it would have on its own .

Using CT scans, researchers discovered a malignant bone cancer in the fibula of a horned dinosaur that lived 75 million years ago. Photo by Royal Ontario Museum/McMaster University
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- For the first time, scientists have diagnosed a dinosaur with osteosarcoma, an aggressive, malignant bone cancer, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology. The tumor was found on the fibula, or lower leg bone, of a Centrosaurus apertus specimen, a plant-eating, horned dinosaur that lived 75 million years ago. Advertisement
Shortly after its original discovery in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta in 1989, paleontologists misdiagnosed the cancer as a healed fracture. During a more recent survey of potentially pathological dinosaur bones, a team of researchers from Royal Ontario Museum and McMaster University spotted the error.
"The cancerous bone is severely malformed, with a massive gnarly tumor larger than an apple in the middle of the bone," study co-author David Evans told UPI.
Evans and his colleagues used high-resolution CT scans to identify the true nature of the malignant bone growth.
"We were not only able to demonstrate that the bone tissue showed the hallmarks of osteosarcoma, but that the tumor spiraled through the cortex of bone, discounting its original identification of a healed fracture and revealing it was an aggressive cancer," said Evans, the chair of vertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum.
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Osteosarcoma is usually found in teenagers and young adults. Disorganized cells replicate rapidly, spreading through the bone and often spreading to other organs.
According to medical doctors on the project, the tumor finding supports the theory that osteosarcoma typically attacks areas of bone that are growing fastest.
"Studying the fossil record can give medical researchers insight into the antiquity and evolutionary origins of the cancers and other diseases that we see today," Evans said.
The tumor found in the Canadian dinosaur was so large that scientists suspect the cancer had likely spread throughout the animal's body by the time it perished.
"This particular Centrosaurus was likely weak and lamed by the cancer in its leg prior to its death," Evans said. "This would have made this individual Centrosaurus more vulnerable to the top predators of the time, fearsome tyrannosaurs that were cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex."
However, researchers estimate that the dinosaur's participation in a larger herd likely provided safety in numbers, allowing the Centrosaurus to avoid predation for longer than it would have on its own.


upi--2020-08-04--Watch: Common says he 'felt at home' performing onstage again on 'Tonight Show'

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Common appeared on The Tonight Show and discussed with host Jimmy Fallon how it felt to perform onstage once again at Dave Chappelle 's socially distanced music festival .
Chappelle hosted the festival in his hometown of Yellow Springs , Ohio , during the July 4th weekend .
Common was joined by Erykah Badu , Questlove , Talib Kweli , Tiffany Haddish , Jon Hamm and more .
`` Everybody was socially distanced .
We got COVID tested as soon as we got to Yellow Springs so it was a freedom and a security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Common said on Monday .
`` But being on stage was like , I just felt at home , man .
I felt like , 'Oh , this is what I live for , the joy that I feel and the joy that I can give people . '
And so many of us felt that way , '' the rapper continued .
Common has just released his latest project titled Bluebird Memories : A Journey Through Lyrics & Life on Audible .
The performance piece features Common writing a letter to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ career .
`` I would describe it as a combination of theater and live performance , '' Common said .
`` It 's kind of a new expression from me because I wanted to combine what I do as an actor , and I 've been yearning to do live theater , and what I 've done as a musician and a live performer , '' he continued .

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Common appeared on The Tonight Show and discussed with host Jimmy Fallon how it felt to perform onstage once again at Dave Chappelle's socially distanced music festival.
Chappelle hosted the festival in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, during the July 4th weekend. Common was joined by Erykah Badu, Questlove, Talib Kweli, Tiffany Haddish, Jon Hamm and more.
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"Everybody was socially distanced. We got COVID tested as soon as we got to Yellow Springs so it was a freedom and a security there that we felt good," Common said on Monday.
"But being on stage was like, I just felt at home, man. I felt like, 'Oh, this is what I live for, the joy that I feel and the joy that I can give people.' And so many of us felt that way," the rapper continued.
Common has just released his latest project titled Bluebird Memories: A Journey Through Lyrics & Life on Audible. The performance piece features Common writing a letter to his late father that chronicles his life and career.
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"I would describe it as a combination of theater and live performance," Common said.
"It's kind of a new expression from me because I wanted to combine what I do as an actor, and I've been yearning to do live theater, and what I've done as a musician and a live performer," he continued.


upi--2020-08-04--Watch live: President Donald Trump signs Great American Outdoors Act

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- President Donald Trump will sign the Great American Outdoors Act at a White House ceremony Tuesday after the measure won sweeping , bipartisan approval in Congress .
The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EDT in the East Room .
The bill was approved by the Senate in a 73-25 vote in June , and was passed the House by a 310-107 margin on July 23 .
The law allocates $ 900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund -- nearly double its fiscal 2020 funding -- and guarantees full annual funding for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1964 .
The fund is used for federal acquisition of land and waters and for grants to states for outdoor recreational facilities .
The law also establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to carry out long-deferred maintenance projects on lands administered by the National Park Service , the Forest Service and other branches of the Interior Department .
Both measures are funded by revenues from oil and gas production .
Trump tweeted support for the bill after it passed the Senate , praising two Republican senators for their work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado and Steve Daines of Montana , each of whom face re-election contests in November .

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Sen. Lamar Alexander R-Tenn., hands a walking stick to Donald Trump Tuesday during a signing ceremony for The Great American Outdoors Act at the White House in Washington, D.C. Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law on Tuesday, a major bipartisan conservation effort that will secure lands and pay for a backlog of maintenance at National Parks. Trump signed the measure flanked by the bill's supporters during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Advertisement
"There hasn't been anything like this since Teddy Roosevelt, I suspect," he said of the legislation, which won 73-25 approval in the Senate in June and 310-107 passage in the House last month.
The law allocates $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund -- nearly double its funding for fiscal 2020 -- and guarantees full annual funding for the first time since its creation in 1964. The fund is used for federal acquisition of land and waters and provides state grants for outdoor recreational facilities.
It also establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to carry out long-deferred maintenance projects on lands administered by the National Park Service, the Forest Service and other branches of the Interior Department. Some $9.5 billion is earmarked for the effort over a five-year period.
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Both measures are funded by revenues from oil and gas production.
"We're preserving our land. We're making our land better and cleaner and safer," Trump said.
Trump tweeted support for the bill after it passed the Senate, praising two Republican senators for their work on the measure, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Steve Daines of Montana, each of whom face re-election contests in November.
"The GAOA will protect our country's natural treasures and promote recreation and conservation for generations -- thanks to the strong leadership of [Daines] and [Gardner]," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell tweeted after Trump signed the bill.
The president switched to supporting more funding for the conservation fund in March after previously calling for it to cut by as much as 97%.
"Congress has finally fulfilled the 55-year-old promise of the Land and Water Conservation Fund -- the nation's most effective program for strengthening communities through conservation and improved access to outdoor recreation," Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society, said in a statement.
"This incredible victory ... reminds us that conservation of our shared outdoor spaces is something we can all come together on."
Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said the law will address parks' "crumbling roads, decaying buildings and outdated water systems."
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"This bill is a conservationist's dream," she said in a statement.
"The coronavirus outbreak has shown just how much people value their parks, trails, forests and waters, and how critical these places are to our health and well being."


upi--2020-08-04--Pelicans' Zion Williamson throws down alley-oop over Grizzlies

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson saw increased minutes and responded with a big performance in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies , and he put his stamp on the victory with an acrobatic alley-oop dunk .
Williamson 's latest aerial assault occurred during the second quarter of the 109-99 triumph Monday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando , Fla .
The Pelicans previously had Williamson on a minutes restriction after the No .
1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft missed two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he returned to campus prior to the team 's first game .
`` I feel alive again , '' Williamson said of his increased minutes .
`` My competitive spirit was there .
I 'm glad coach and my team trusted me to finish the game out . ''
The Pelicans led 34-28 with 9:44 remaining in the second frame when Williamson took flight .
Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball caught an inbound pass and took one dribble on the right flank before he spotted Williamson up the court .
Ball then picked up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from behind half court .
The long pass sailed to the left of the rim , where Williamson jumped to catch the ball .
He made the grab over the outstretched arm of Grizzlies forward Anthony Tolliver .
Williamson finished the play with a two-handed dunk over the 6-foot-8 defender .
He threw the ball through the rim before it hit Tolliver in the head .
Williamson had 23 points , seven rebounds and five assists in the victory .
He logged 25 minutes after he had played just 14 and 15 minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games in the bubble .
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 24 points .
Jrue Holiday and Josh Hart scored 15 points apiece for New Orleans .
J.J. Redick added 16 points off the bench in the win .
Jaren Jackson Jr. paced the Grizzlies with 22 points .
Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 13 rebounds in the loss .
Rookie Ja Morant chipped in 11 points , eight assists and five rebounds for Memphis .
The Pelicans ( 29-38 ) next face the Sacramento Kings at 1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face the Utah Jazz at 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Orlando .

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson saw increased minutes and responded with a big performance in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and he put his stamp on the victory with an acrobatic alley-oop dunk.
Williamson's latest aerial assault occurred during the second quarter of the 109-99 triumph Monday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
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The Pelicans previously had Williamson on a minutes restriction after the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft missed two weeks of practice and left the bubble before he returned to campus prior to the team's first game.
"I feel alive again," Williamson said of his increased minutes. "My competitive spirit was there. I'm glad coach and my team trusted me to finish the game out."
The Pelicans led 34-28 with 9:44 remaining in the second frame when Williamson took flight. Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball caught an inbound pass and took one dribble on the right flank before he spotted Williamson up the court. Ball then picked up his dribble and launched a chest pass from behind half court.
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The long pass sailed to the left of the rim, where Williamson jumped to catch the ball. He made the grab over the outstretched arm of Grizzlies forward Anthony Tolliver.
Williamson finished the play with a two-handed dunk over the 6-foot-8 defender. He threw the ball through the rim before it hit Tolliver in the head.
Williamson had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the victory. He logged 25 minutes after he had played just 14 and 15 minutes, respectively, in his first two games in the bubble.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 24 points. Jrue Holiday and Josh Hart scored 15 points apiece for New Orleans. J.J. Redick added 16 points off the bench in the win.
Jaren Jackson Jr. paced the Grizzlies with 22 points. Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 13 rebounds in the loss. Rookie Ja Morant chipped in 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds for Memphis.
ZO. ZION. The 3/4 court lob & jam on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/jKiN8tnJG0— NBA (@NBA) August 3, 2020
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The Pelicans (29-38) next face the Sacramento Kings at 1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in Orlando. The Grizzlies (32-36) face the Utah Jazz at 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Orlando.


upi--2020-08-04--Gallup poll: Satisfaction with direction of U.S. at 9-year low

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Satisfaction among Americans with the direction of the United States is at its lowest level in nearly a decade and just a few points off the all-time low , a Gallup poll showed Tuesday .
According to the survey , just 13 % of U.S. adults said they 're satisfied with the state of the country .
That is the lowest figure since 11 % expressed satisfaction in late 2011 , almost three years into former President Barack Obama 's first term .
The all-time Gallup low for satisfaction , 7 % , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been as high as 45 % in February , about a month before the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the United States .
The decline has been fueled mostly by dissatisfied Republicans , Gallup said .
In February , 80 % of Republicans said they were satisfied , but that figure was just 20 % in the new survey .
Seven percent of Democrats and 12 % of independents said they 're satisfied .
`` Notably , even with Republicans highly dissatisfied with the state of the nation , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is doing as president ( 91 % ) , '' Gallup wrote .
`` Consequently , their dissatisfaction may have more to do with what is going on in the country -- the coronavirus and its effect on economic activity , the focus on matters of race -- than the administration 's handling of it . ''
Gallup polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults in all 50 states and Washington , D.C. , for the survey , which has a margin of error of 4 points .

Activists show support for President Donald Trump on Saturday outside the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va. Photo by Erin Scott/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Satisfaction among Americans with the direction of the United States is at its lowest level in nearly a decade and just a few points off the all-time low, a Gallup poll showed Tuesday. According to the survey, just 13% of U.S. adults said they're satisfied with the state of the country. That is the lowest figure since 11% expressed satisfaction in late 2011, almost three years into former President Barack Obama's first term. Advertisement
The all-time Gallup low for satisfaction, 7%, was recorded in October 2008.
Satisfaction had been as high as 45% in February, about a month before the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the United States.
The decline has been fueled mostly by dissatisfied Republicans, Gallup said. In February, 80% of Republicans said they were satisfied, but that figure was just 20% in the new survey.
Seven percent of Democrats and 12% of independents said they're satisfied.
"Notably, even with Republicans highly dissatisfied with the state of the nation, they continue to overwhelmingly approve of the job Trump is doing as president (91%)," Gallup wrote. "Consequently, their dissatisfaction may have more to do with what is going on in the country -- the coronavirus and its effect on economic activity, the focus on matters of race -- than the administration's handling of it."
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Gallup polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., for the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 points.


upi--2020-08-04--Reports: Tayshia Adams replaces Clare Crawley on 'Bachelorette'

Aug. 4 ( UPI ) -- Tayshia Adams will replace Clare Crawley on The Bachelorette Season 16 , according to @ @ @ @ @ , citing multiple sources , said that Adams will be named the new Bachelorette due @ @ @ @ @ with one of the season 's original contestants after production was delayed in March due @ @ @ @ @ Entertainment Tonight reported that Season 16 will still feature Crawley , 39 , as she @ @ @ @ @ 29 , is introduced as the new Bachelorette .
Crawley was spotted returning to social @ @ @ @ @ a tweet about Adams becoming the Bachelorette .
Crawley 's account then later unliked the @ @ @ @ @ normally have their phones taken away during production which was recently resumed .
Adams appeared @ @ @ @ @ featuring Colton Underwood and then later on Bachelor in Paradise Season 6 .
Crawley previously @ @ @ @ @ 18 featuring Juan Pablo , Bachelor in Paradise Seasons 1 and 2 and Bachelor Winter @ @

"Bachelor" star Tayshia Adams arrives for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 20. Adams will replace Clare Crawley on "The Bachelorette," according to multiple sources. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Tayshia Adams will replace Clare Crawley on The Bachelorette Season 16, according to multiple reports. People magazine, citing multiple sources, said that Adams will be named the new Bachelorette due to Crawley falling in love with one of the season's original contestants after production was delayed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement
Entertainment Tonight reported that Season 16 will still feature Crawley, 39, as she finds love before Adams, 29, is introduced as the new Bachelorette.
Crawley was spotted returning to social media on Sunday and liked a tweet about Adams becoming the Bachelorette. Crawley's account then later unliked the tweet on Monday.
Contestants normally have their phones taken away during production which was recently resumed.
Adams appeared on The Bachelor Season 23 featuring Colton Underwood and then later on Bachelor in Paradise Season 6. Crawley previously appeared on The Bachelor Season 18 featuring Juan Pablo, Bachelor in Paradise Seasons 1 and 2 and Bachelor Winter Games.