newyorkpost--2020-08-09--Sioux Nation will block bikers headed to Sturgis rally, citing coronavirus concerns

A convoy consisting of thousands of bikers headed for a South Dakota rally will not be allowed to cross Cheyenne River Sioux checkpoints on their way to the event , according to a Native American spokesman .
The spokesman said Saturday that the band of travelers would be stopped on their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally , in the name of preventing coronavirus from spreading any further .
The seven tribes that make up the Sioux Nation are now in a fight with federal and state officials , who deemed such checkpoints to be illegal .
A duty officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guardian Saturday that commercial and emergency vehicles will be allowed through the checkpoints , but nothing else .
Some reservations have reportedly turned away bikers already .
Crowds had gathered for the start of the 10-day event on Friday , with many bikers adopting an attitude of defiance toward the COVID-19 restrictions that have drastically changed day-to-day life .
“ Screw COVID , ” read the design on one of the T-shirts being sold .
“ I went to Sturgis.
” Gov .
Kristi Noem , a Republican , has supported the Sturgis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections were reported as a result of the event held by President Trump at Mt .
Rushmore last month .
She ’ s also avoided a mask mandate and highlighted the idea of personal responsibility .
For Arizona resident Stephen Sample , 66 , who rode his bike to the event , the gathering is a break from the mostly monotonous routine of the last several months .
“ I don ’ t want to die , but I don ’ t want to be cooped up all my life either , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Sturgis is composed of retirees and people in the age range deemed to be at risk from the coronavirus .
Business owners like bar owner Marsha Schmid , however , are trying to prevent her establishment from becoming a virus hotspot .
She spaced out tables , offered hand sanitizer and scaled back the number of employees at the rally in an effort to help contain the disease .
Other residents wanted the rally to be postponed , but businesses insisted they needed the event to stave off any further economic ruin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutdowns .

A convoy consisting of thousands of bikers headed for a South Dakota rally will not be allowed to cross Cheyenne River Sioux checkpoints on their way to the event, according to a Native American spokesman.
The spokesman said Saturday that the band of travelers would be stopped on their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in the name of preventing coronavirus from spreading any further.
The seven tribes that make up the Sioux Nation are now in a fight with federal and state officials, who deemed such checkpoints illegal.
A duty officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux told the Guardian on Saturday that commercial and emergency vehicles will be allowed through the checkpoints, but nothing else. Some reservations have reportedly turned away bikers already.
Crowds had gathered for the start of the 10-day event Friday, with many bikers adopting an attitude of defiance toward the COVID-19 restrictions that have drastically changed day-to-day life.
“Screw COVID,” read the design on one of the T-shirts being sold. “I went to Sturgis.”
Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has supported the Sturgis rally, citing the fact that no infections were reported as a result of the event held by President Trump at Mt. Rushmore last month. She’s also avoided a mask mandate and highlighted the idea of personal responsibility.
For Arizona resident Stephen Sample, 66, who rode his bike to the event, the gathering is a break from the mostly monotonous routine of the last several months.
“I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to be cooped up all my life either,” he said.
Some of the crowd at Sturgis is composed of retirees and people in the age range deemed to be at high risk from the coronavirus.
Business owners like bar owner Marsha Schmid, however, are trying to prevent her establishment from becoming a virus hot spot. She spaced out tables, offered hand sanitizer and scaled back the number of employees at the rally in an effort to help contain the disease.
Other residents wanted the rally to be postponed, but businesses insisted they needed the event to stave off any further economic ruin that occurred as a result of the shutdowns.


newyorkpost--2020-08-09--Tiger Woods accepting mediocrity at PGA Championship doesn’t feel right

SAN FRANCISCO — It was a shot Collin Morikawa will ...

SAN FRANCISCO — There was an unfamiliar and disconcerting look of satisfaction on Tiger Woods’ face and in the tone of his voice as he readied to exit Harding Park from the 2020 PGA Championship shortly after lunchtime Sunday.
Note the “shortly after lunchtime’’ portion of that last sentence. That meant Woods was miles from contention. The leaders were barely in the warm-up stage of their day.
“What I got out of this week is that I felt I was competitive,’’ Woods said Sunday after closing out a thoroughly mediocre week with a final-round 67 to leave him 1-under for the tournament.
For those of us who still have vivid memories of Woods’ dominance en route to 15 career major championships and 81 overall wins on the PGA Tour, walking away from a tournament speaking with an air of satisfaction about being “competitive’’ doesn’t compute.
It had a “participation trophy” vibe to it.
Can you imagine the reaction you’d have gotten from Woods if you asked him in the early 2000s after a tournament at which he finished well back in the pack if he felt good about the fact that he looked “competitive’’ that week?
He’d have burned a hole into your golf shirt with an evil stare.
But this is where we are now with the 44-year-old Woods: participation trophies and medals for trying.
It is, of course, not fair to expect the same dominance from Woods that we saw in 1997, 2001 or even 2008 — particularly given the physical toll his body has taken, most recently with multiple back surgeries. It’s just a little jarring to hear him talk this way sometimes.
A little later in his post-round interview Sunday, Woods played the “that’s golf’’ card, beginning a sentence with “that’s golf’’ before adding, “We lose way more tournaments than we win.’’
“This is one of those weeks where I didn’t quite make the putts when I needed to, and I missed a couple shots on the wrong sides,’’ he went on. “But overall, I think I had one three-putt for the week and I had no doubles, and that’s always something that you want to do going in throughout 72 holes of a major championship.’’
Lauding himself for not making a double and having only one three-putt sounded so weekend recreational golfer.
“If I would have made a few more putts on Friday early on, and the same thing with Saturday, I felt like I would have been right there with a chance [to win],’’ Woods said. “It didn’t happen, but I fought hard, and today was more indicative of how I could have played on Friday and Saturday if I would have made a few putts early.’’
Again: Hearing Woods fall back on “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve’’ did not sound like the driven Woods we once knew. But it’s his reality now, which is taking some getting used to.
Woods finished the week having hit 29 of 56 fairways, 45 of 72 greens in regulation and he took 115 putts, which is too many.
“It’s just a lack of tournament golf to me,’’ Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, said Sunday. “When you’re under the gun and grinding [and] and every shot actually counts, that makes a difference to me. I don’t know what he did and didn’t do over the five months. I know he played some golf with his son and practiced some.
“But it’s hard to practice not knowing when you’re going to play. He did some preparing before Memorial, some preparing for here. We just need more tournament rounds. It’s not like anything is horrible. I just think everything needs a little bit of work and fine-tuning. And that comes from some reps and maybe some range time at the tournament sites, and playing tournament golf.
“Some work needs to be done. He knows it.’’
Woods’ next move is a week off followed by the first FedEx Playoffs event at TPC Boston beginning Aug. 20, followed possibly by the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship before the next major, the U.S. Open at Winged Foot the week of Sept. 14.
Perhaps the most positive thing to come out of this week is that Woods’ balky back held up in the cool, damp Bay Area weather.
“I always look at the health,’’ LaCava said. “I think he feels and looks healthy. That’s big for me. If he’s feeling and looking healthy, I know he can play.’’


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Angelina Jolie’s judge-jockeying in custody case an attempt to stall

Angelina Jolie has asked to remove the private judge overseeing her protracted divorce and child-custody battle with Brad Pitt .
The actress argues that Judge John W. Ouderkirk should be disqualified from their divorce case , filed in 2016 .
Lawyers for Jolie filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that the judge was not forthcoming enough about other cases he presided over that involved Pitt ’ s attorney , Anne C. Kiley .
The papers state that during the Jolie-Pitt proceedings , Ouderkirk has allegedly “ failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current , ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Pitt ’ s ] counsel.
” However , a source close to the case said this was a delay tactic by Jolie , because she believed things weren ’ t going in her favor .
The source said the main issue is custody of their kids and her request for more child support .
The source said , “ Jolie is basically trying to fire the private judge overseeing their divorce case .
She has every right to do this , but if she thought she was in a good place in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t need to do it .
This is a classic case of someone expecting a bad decision trying to delay the process by asking for a new referee.
” Judge Ouderkirk could not be reached , and lawyers for Jolie and Pitt didn ’ t get back to us .
The source added that Jolie ’ s move is unusual : While Pitt ’ s team has sought to keep the same judge , ensuring personal details divulged in the case are kept private , Jolie is now involving a public court and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is about how much time Brad gets with the kids , how does sharing time with the kids work … This divorce has been going on for four years , for goodness ’ sake.
” Jolie , 45 , and Pitt , 56 , were a couple for 12 years and married for two when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 .
They were declared divorced last year when their lawyers asked for a bifurcated judgment , meaning that they were declared single while other issues , including finances and child custody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Angelina Jolie has asked to remove the private judge overseeing her protracted divorce and child-custody battle with Brad Pitt.
The actress argues that Judge John W. Ouderkirk should be disqualified from their divorce case, filed in 2016. Lawyers for Jolie filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that the judge was not forthcoming enough about other cases he presided over that involved Pitt’s attorney, Anne C. Kiley.
The papers state that during the Jolie-Pitt proceedings, Ouderkirk has allegedly “failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship between the judge and [Pitt’s] counsel.”
However, a source close to the case said this was a delay tactic by Jolie, because she believed things weren’t going in her favor. The source said the main issue is custody of their kids and her request for more child support.
The source said, “Jolie is basically trying to fire the private judge overseeing their divorce case. She has every right to do this, but if she thought she was in a good place in this legal proceeding, she wouldn’t need to do it. This is a classic case of someone expecting a bad decision trying to delay the process by asking for a new referee.” Judge Ouderkirk could not be reached, and lawyers for Jolie and Pitt didn’t get back to us.
The source added that Jolie’s move is unusual: While Pitt’s team has sought to keep the same judge, ensuring personal details divulged in the case are kept private, Jolie is now involving a public court and is delaying anything getting resolved. “This is about how much time Brad gets with the kids, how does sharing time with the kids work … This divorce has been going on for four years, for goodness’ sake.”
Jolie, 45, and Pitt, 56, were a couple for 12 years and married for two when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. They were declared divorced last year when their lawyers asked for a bifurcated judgment, meaning that they were declared single while other issues, including finances and child custody, remain. They have six children.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--MTA mocks wedding party for hogging bus lane with photo op

The MTA mocked a wedding party for holding up Midtown traffic and partially blocking a bus lane for a photo @ @ @ @ @ A BUS ?
” the agency tweeted on Monday .
The agency ’ s post @ @ @ @ @ the bride and groom — and their roughly 15-person party — ambling down Fifth Avenue @ @ @ @ @ at least one photographer snaps away .
The group spans the width of more than @ @ @ @ @ four party members and a photographer inside the bus lane , the video shows .
@ @ @ @ @ MTA bus and an FDNY ambulance can be seen crawling along .
The MTA added @ @ @ @ @ we wish you all the best , but please stay out of the bus lane @ @ @ @ @ s unclear when the photo shoot took place , but footage of the spectacle was @ @ @ @ @ .

Knot cool.
The MTA mocked a wedding party for holding up Midtown traffic and partially blocking a bus lane for a photo op.
“ARE YOU A BUS?” the agency tweeted on Monday.
The agency’s post was attached to video showing the bride and groom — and their roughly 15-person party — ambling down Fifth Avenue near West 41st Street as at least one photographer snaps away.
The group spans the width of more than half the road, including four party members and a photographer inside the bus lane, the video shows.
Behind the group, an MTA bus and an FDNY ambulance can be seen crawling along.
The MTA added: “(Congratulations and we wish you all the best, but please stay out of the bus lane).”
It’s unclear when the photo shoot took place, but footage of the spectacle was posted to TikTok on Sunday.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Malia’s Boyfriend Tom Checketts Is The New Chef on ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’

Talk about some perfect timing !
Just as Malia White ’ s boyfriend Tom Checketts was passing through Spain to see her , he picked up a job too !
That ’ s right , the latest episode of Below Deck Mediterranean made it official : Tom is the new chef .
While Tom was only planning to stay in Spain for a few days to see Malia as he was on his way back to the UK to see his sick uncle , Captain Sandy buttered him up and asked for a favor and just like that , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s kind of amazing that he even agreed to stay as he met half of the crew while Bugsy was ripping back hair off of Alex , but the chance to work with his girlfriend was what got him to commit .
We learn that Tom and Malia originally met in Fiji , worked together for about a month , and since then have been traveling the globe in different directions .
“ When you get time together , it ’ s amazing , ” Malia said .
“ He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s like…I was about to say the one but hang on , ” she laughed when describing her man .
Oh , and if you think that is gushy , just wait until you hear what Captain Sandy said to hook him .
“ Malia ’ s told me about your mad skills in the galley , ” she starts , then telling him she ’ s “ been reading all about you.
” “ Your resume to me is what I ’ ve always wanted , ” she tells Tom .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a sous chef , and then you were formally trained , you did Michelin star , ” she goes on , admiring that he was a head chef on an 80-meter boat , but what really sold her is that , “ You were a sole chef on a 50-meter and you ’ re able to cook for 12 guests , ” as well as up to 11 crew members on board .
“ I ’ m asking you , could you help me out this season ?
” she pleads , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reluctant at first .
But he agrees , saying , “ It means spending more time with Malia so that helps.
” “ I am so grateful and I can not wait to see what you can do , ” Captain Sandy tells him , though he does say the one caveat is his sick family member and that “ if anything were to happen there I ’ d have to [ go ] .
” In his first interview , Tom can only say , “ What the fuck has Malia got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling her that he ’ s “ a little bit nervous , but nice to work with you again though , that ’ s the important thing.
” He also says of his decision , “ If you overthink it you ’ d never do anything , so just go for it and work it out while you ’ re there .
That ’ s my mentality anyway .
I ’ m sure it will get me into trouble someday.
” Sandy announces the new hire to the group who all seem pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that same expressionless face ( that still says it all ) that we first got a glimpse at when Bugsy ’ s arrival was announced .
“ The good thing with Tom is that he seems to have a lot of experience , ” she says , looking on the bright side .
“ On a personal level , I know that if I have an issue with Malia , I ’ m also gon na have an issue with him , ” and vice versa , she says , looking on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how right she is when she says , “ I foresee trouble on the horizon.
” So who is Tom Checketts ?
Well , here ’ s what we know about him so far : he tells Alex that he used to work with Gordon Ramsay in London and that his mom was disappointed that he wanted to become a chef , even though she herself cooked for the queen but she hated it .
Also , Tom ’ s dad was a “ raging alcoholic ” who he hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since his mom didn ’ t want him to go down the same path , she told him , if he was going to be a chef , he had “ to do it properly , ” and so far , he has !
And there ’ s one other person who has a message for everyone watching , and that ’ s the former chef , Kiko .
He exclusively told Decider , “ I don ’ t know Tom , but I met him after the show one day .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very nice chef .
I ’ m afraid people [ will ] come to him and say , “ Kiko was so much better.
” No .
I ’ m Kiko , he ’ s Tom .
We have different personalities .
That doesn ’ t mean anything .
I don ’ t know how he did there , but I feel like [ he ’ s ] a good guy.
” Below Deck Mediterranean airs Monday at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo .
Where to stream Below Deck Mediterranean

Talk about some perfect timing! Just as Malia White’s boyfriend Tom Checketts was passing through Spain to see her, he picked up a job too! That’s right, the latest episode of Below Deck Mediterranean made it official: Tom is the new chef.
While Tom was only planning to stay in Spain for a few days to see Malia as he was on his way back to the UK to see his sick uncle, Captain Sandy buttered him up and asked for a favor and just like that, the galley has a new occupant.
It’s kind of amazing that he even agreed to stay as he met half of the crew while Bugsy was ripping back hair off of Alex, but the chance to work with his girlfriend was what got him to commit. We learn that Tom and Malia originally met in Fiji, worked together for about a month, and since then have been traveling the globe in different directions. “When you get time together, it’s amazing,” Malia said. “He’s definitely worth fighting for, he’s like…I was about to say the one but hang on,” she laughed when describing her man.
Oh, and if you think that is gushy, just wait until you hear what Captain Sandy said to hook him. “Malia’s told me about your mad skills in the galley,” she starts, then telling him she’s “been reading all about you.”
“Your resume to me is what I’ve always wanted,” she tells Tom. “You worked your way up, you were a sous chef, and then you were formally trained, you did Michelin star,” she goes on, admiring that he was a head chef on an 80-meter boat, but what really sold her is that, “You were a sole chef on a 50-meter and you’re able to cook for 12 guests,” as well as up to 11 crew members on board. “I’m asking you, could you help me out this season?” she pleads, even though he does seem a bit reluctant at first. But he agrees, saying, “It means spending more time with Malia so that helps.”
“I am so grateful and I cannot wait to see what you can do,” Captain Sandy tells him, though he does say the one caveat is his sick family member and that “if anything were to happen there I’d have to [go].”
In his first interview, Tom can only say, “What the fuck has Malia got me into this time?” and telling her that he’s “a little bit nervous, but nice to work with you again though, that’s the important thing.” He also says of his decision, “If you overthink it you’d never do anything, so just go for it and work it out while you’re there. That’s my mentality anyway. I’m sure it will get me into trouble someday.”
Sandy announces the new hire to the group who all seem pretty thrilled, except for Hannah who employs that same expressionless face (that still says it all) that we first got a glimpse at when Bugsy’s arrival was announced. “The good thing with Tom is that he seems to have a lot of experience,” she says, looking on the bright side. “On a personal level, I know that if I have an issue with Malia, I’m also gonna have an issue with him,” and vice versa, she says, looking on the realistic side. She doesn’t know how right she is when she says, “I foresee trouble on the horizon.”
So who is Tom Checketts?
Well, here’s what we know about him so far: he tells Alex that he used to work with Gordon Ramsay in London and that his mom was disappointed that he wanted to become a chef, even though she herself cooked for the queen but she hated it. Also, Tom’s dad was a “raging alcoholic” who he hasn’t seen since he was young, and since his mom didn’t want him to go down the same path, she told him, if he was going to be a chef, he had “to do it properly,” and so far, he has!
And there’s one other person who has a message for everyone watching, and that’s the former chef, Kiko. He exclusively told Decider, “I don’t know Tom, but I met him after the show one day. He seems like a very nice guy and a very nice chef. I’m afraid people [will] come to him and say, “Kiko was so much better.” No. I’m Kiko, he’s Tom. We have different personalities. That doesn’t mean anything. I don’t know how he did there, but I feel like [he’s] a good guy.”
Below Deck Mediterranean airs Monday at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo.
Where to stream Below Deck Mediterranean


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Markus Golden says no hard feelings with Giants after ‘frustrating’ offseason

Evan Engram is healthy and relieved after what he calls ...

This pretty much sums up Markus Golden:
“I’m feeling healthy and I don’t worry about everybody else,’’ he said Monday. “I don’t worry about ‘Oh, I got to go prove this to this guy.’ If you don’t know what I can do by now, then you’re not even worth proving nothing to. I focus on proving to myself. I got a lot of people back home in St. Louis believing in me. I focus on making them proud.’’
Sure, Golden is not thrilled about the way his most recent foray into free agency went down. Sure, he expected more — much more — in the way of interest around the NFL. Yes, he felt he did enough in 2019 — showing he was healthy and again a productive pass rusher — to extract a multiyear deal to return to the Giants.
None of this transpired the way Golden envisioned and he is back on the rarely used unrestricted free-agent tender that will pay him $4.1 million — plus another $1 million if he reaches incentives built into the deal. Listening to the 29-year-old outside linebacker, it is easy to detect some hurt in his voice, but there is more a sense of the determination he displayed in his first year with the Giants that pushes him to show he is worth more than he is receiving.
“I feel good about being back,’’ Golden said. “It’s a good place, to be able to come back and be able to compete and be able to play ball. I love playing ball, I love competing and this is the situation I’m in right now, so I can’t sit back and complain and fuss about it. I got to go out and get it, no matter what. That’s what I am, that’s what my parents raised me to be.’’
Knee surgery following his 12.5-sack breakout 2016 season with the Cardinals cost him two years of effectiveness and in 2019 he signed a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Giants. What Golden needed to do on this prove-it contract was show he was healthy and capable of getting to the quarterback.
Golden played in all 16 games and led the Giants with 10 sacks and 15 quarterback hits. The metrics and analytics attached to those 10 sacks, though, were not kind to him. One NFL talent evaluator said Golden was last in the NFL among players with 10 or more sacks when timed for how long it took him to get the sacks. So, he was not cleanly beating the blocker for instant pressure. Golden’s sacks were more about persistence and hard work and eventually finding the quarterback. This was accomplished playing for a losing team (4-12) on a bad defense.
“You got to give him credit, he keeps coming, he finally got there,’’ the talent evaluator said.
A market never materialized for Golden. The Giants wanted him back, but only at their price. No other takers surfaced and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams came up with the idea to use the unrestricted free-agent tender. When there were no other offers by the July 22 deadline, Golden’s return — after he reported, got his COVID-19 testing and his physical — was complete.
Golden thought he proved what he needed to prove, to the Giants or any other team interested in pass-rush help. But he apparently did not.
“Of course it was, man,’’ Golden said, when asked if the process was frustrating. “You put in a lot of work during the season and this is a game they say if you put the work in, the hard work pays off, the game’s gonna pay you back in different ways.
“You just never know. You got to take it and go with it. Of course you just go with the flow. This is how it ended up so this is what I got to roll with.’’
The seldom-used UFA tender, Golden admitted, is something he had never heard of.
“The reaction was surprise, of course,’’ he said.
Hard feelings?
“Nah, because business is business,’’ he said. “I know how this stuff goes.’’
Golden’s return should increase the pass-rush depth, with Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines back again and Kyler Fackrell (10.5 sacks for the Packers in 2018) signed in free agency. It is going to have to be a pressure-by-committee approach.
“I’m back now,’’ Golden said. “I’m back under different circumstances, but I’m back.’’


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Bear breaks into pizza delivery driver’s car at night, doesn’t get any pizza

A pizza delivery driver in Alaska was woken up in the early morning hours to the sounds of a bear wrecking his car .
Apparently , the vehicle still smelled like pizza , and the bear , unaware that there was no actual food inside , was hoping to find a snack .
Andrew Fairchild works for Juneau Pizza in the state ’ s capital , Juneau Empire reports .
Fairchild claims he was woken up at 3 a.m. Friday while the bear was rummaging through his car – and inadvertently honking the horn .
Fairchild ’ s neighbors also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the source of the commotion .
Since the car is used for pizza deliveries , Fairchild thinks he knows what happened .
“ I think it was the delicious smell of the pizza that drove the bear to the point where he could not resist the urge to go into the car , ” Fairchild said .
“ It ’ s pretty totaled on the inside .
The seat belt was ripped completely out .
The panel where the stereo is ripped off.
” The bear eventually freed itself from the car , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before wandering away .
Authorities arrived later , but were not able to locate the bear .
The pizza-hungry visitor left his mark , however .
Photos of Fairchild ’ s car show extensive damage to the seats , the upholstery and even the door paneling .
Fortunately , Fairchild said his local auto insurer covers bear incidents .

Everybody loves pizza.
A pizza delivery driver in Alaska was woken up in the early morning hours to the sounds of a bear wrecking his car. Apparently, the vehicle still smelled like pizza, and the bear, unaware that there was no actual food inside, was hoping to find a snack.
Andrew Fairchild works for Juneau Pizza in the state’s capital, Juneau Empire reports. Fairchild claims he was woken up at 3 a.m. Friday while the bear was rummaging through his car – and inadvertently honking the horn. Fairchild’s neighbors also gathered around, curious to find out the source of the commotion.
Since the car is used for pizza deliveries, Fairchild thinks he knows what happened.
“I think it was the delicious smell of the pizza that drove the bear to the point where he could not resist the urge to go into the car,” Fairchild said. “It’s pretty totaled on the inside. The seat belt was ripped completely out. The panel where the stereo is ripped off.”
The bear eventually freed itself from the car, at which point it briefly circled back before wandering away. Authorities arrived later, but were not able to locate the bear.
The pizza-hungry visitor left his mark, however. Photos of Fairchild’s car show extensive damage to the seats, the upholstery and even the door paneling. Fortunately, Fairchild said his local auto insurer covers bear incidents.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--NHL Draft lottery blooper sparks Rangers conspiracy theory

The Rangers will have the chance to select a potential ...

There might not be a frozen envelope involved, but conspiracy theories abounded after the Rangers won the NHL Draft lottery Monday night and with it the right to select the consensus top pick, heralded Canadian left winger Alexis Lafreniere.
The Rangers and the seven other teams eliminated from the NHL playoff qualifying round this past week were entered into a live televised lottery for the top pick in October’s draft, held ping-pong-ball style. Normally the NHL conducts its lottery process behind closed doors and reveals the results afterward, as was the case during the first phase of the lottery in June, when it was determined that the top pick would be awarded to a team involved in the league’s restart.
With commissioner Gary Bettman looking on, a masked employee of Ernst & Young, an accounting firm that oversees the lottery, was to remove each ball from an attache case, show it to Bettman, who would verify the logo, and then place it into the lottery machine.
But the employee accidentally dropped the ball emblazoned with the Rangers logo into the machine first, leading players and fans on social media to suggest, without substantial evidence, that the ball may have been heavier than the other balls in order to give it a better shot at being selected by the machine.
The employee quickly removed the ball from the machine, without disrupting the other balls, and had Bettman verify it before dropping it back in.
“New York Rangers ball looks a little heavy,” tweeted former NHL goaltender Roberto Luongo.
“I don’t like how that guy dropped the rangers ball in there. Rigged??” said Rangers defenseman Anthony DeAngelo.
The Rangers ball eventually emerged as the winner, giving them the chance to select the 18-year-old Lafreniere.
Others on social media likened the bizarre sequence of events to the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, when it was theorized that an envelope containing the Knicks logo was frozen so that then-commissioner David Stern would be able to easily pull it out of the lottery box, thus giving the Knicks the right to select Patrick Ewing. Stern effusively denied that rumor until the day he died on Jan. 1, 2020.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--RuPaul ‘disengaging’ from social media during ‘overwhelming’ times

Rupaul has had it with being scrutinized on social media , we ’ re told .
The “ Drag Race ” host , who uses the pronouns he and she interchangeably , sent followers into a frenzy last month when his Instagram posts began mysteriously disappearing from the app .
Many assumed the drag icon ’ s account was hacked , but Page Six has learned he deleted posts because he wants to “ disengage ” and is laying low during a fraught period online .
“ The truth is things like Black Lives Matter is overwhelming for someone like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to not … support the community and [ he receives ] a lot of negativity , so he disengages , ” a source said .
Another source confirmed he ’ s lying low , but said that it has nothing to do with pressures of BLM .
RuPaul has come under fire for a lack of diversity on “ Drag Race.
” He ’ d responded to the controversy by saying : “ First of all , the host of our show is black , gay , and a drag queen … we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are lots of different types of people here.
” Meanwhile , behind the scenes , sources have described him as being disinterested in the contestants .
“ He should be called ‘ Rude Paul.
’ She hates drag queens and is extremely rude to them .
You ’ re not allowed to talk to him unless told to .
You can ’ t call him , ‘ Hey gurl.
’ No one can call him , ‘ Mama Ru.
’ None of that .
He is not your friend .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first source said .
A source close to production told us there ’ s no truth to Ru being rude and hating the queens .
A rep did not comment .

Rupaul has had it with being scrutinized on social media, we’re told.
The “Drag Race” host, who uses the pronouns he and she interchangeably, sent followers into a frenzy last month when his Instagram posts began mysteriously disappearing from the app. Many assumed the drag icon’s account was hacked, but Page Six has learned he deleted posts because he wants to “disengage” and is laying low during a fraught period online.
“The truth is things like Black Lives Matter is overwhelming for someone like Ru. He gets backlash for appearing to not … support the community and [he receives] a lot of negativity, so he disengages,” a source said.
Another source confirmed he’s lying low, but said that it has nothing to do with pressures of BLM. RuPaul has come under fire for a lack of diversity on “Drag Race.” He’d responded to the controversy by saying: “First of all, the host of our show is black, gay, and a drag queen … we’re pretty diverse. Yes, there are lots of different types of people here.”
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, sources have described him as being disinterested in the contestants. “He should be called ‘Rude Paul.’ She hates drag queens and is extremely rude to them. You’re not allowed to talk to him unless told to. You can’t call him, ‘Hey gurl.’ No one can call him, ‘Mama Ru.’ None of that. He is not your friend. You cannot make small talk,” the first source said.
A source close to production told us there’s no truth to Ru being rude and hating the queens. A rep did not comment.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Mets fans should be terrified of what Brodie Van Wagenen might do next

Marcus Stroman ’ s rehabbed left calf told him he could continue ...

The Mets took another hit Monday when Marcus Stroman announced he was opting out. Stroman cited a number of things that worried him — the obvious one being the game of chicken every ballplayer is playing in trying to avoid the virus, the immediate being the Mets’ upcoming trip to Miami, the geographic symbol of MLB’s fight against COVID-19 thanks to the Marlins.
And even if there were other concerns — Stroman is a free agent at the end of the year; there is likely little to be gained and much to lose in what would probably have amounted to an eight-start season for him — opting out is his right. Unlike the Yoenis Cespedes farce that played out in Atlanta last week, player and team handled this the right way.
But losing Stroman isn’t what should concern Mets fans. It’s what happens now that should terrify them.
Now, his absence won’t help. It means the Mets’ projected No. 2 and 3 starters, Stroman and Noah Syndergaard, won’t pitch an inning combined in 2020. It means the ancient Mets concern about six viable starters seems especially nostalgic and hilarious, given the fact that Michael Wacha’s shoulder has him on the IL now.
And, in a nice cherry atop a sundae from hell, No. 4 starter Steven Matz was pasted for a third straight game during a grisly 16-4 loss to the Nationals Monday night.
But of greater concern is what this will do to the inside of Brodie Van Wagenen’s fertile imagination. Not only is the trade for Stroman the Mets’ GM pulled off at the deadline last year now on the clock for being an epic fail, suddenly the three weeks connecting Monday afternoon and the Aug. 31 trading deadline suddenly looms as a potential dreamscape for Van Wagenen — and a possible nightmare-scape for the team.
Because if there is one thing we’ve learned about this truncated season so far it is this: with 53.3 percent of the 30 teams qualifying for the playoffs this year, it will be almost impossible to play yourself out of contention. Even the Mets, who labored through a five-game losing streak last week, woke up Monday to discover that at 7-9 they were tied for the second and final NL wild card.
(… and wouldn’t that be a most 2020 development, having to determine tie-breakers between two 29-31 teams to identify the No. 8 seed?)
It means no matter how depleted the Mets are and how shaky the ground on which they walk might be, Van Wagenen — along with his lame-duck bosses — would be motivated to improve the club between now and the deadline — and yes, given his track record, “improve” definitely needs to be inserted in quotation marks now. But he will actually be extra motivated.
It is no secret the Mets are almost certain to be controlled by a different ownership group by the time the New Year arrives. And whether that’s Steve Cohen or Alex Rodriguez or the guys who own the Devils and the Sixers, that means there will be zero pre-existing loyalty to anyone presently in the Mets’ employ.
So if Van Wagenen likes his office at Citi Field, he’s going to need to present the new ownership with a compelling reason to keep him. And given the first 21 months of his tenure, the one thing that can make that argument seem reasonable is to hand over a team that’s gone to the playoffs this year — preferably for more than a two-game cameo.
Otherwise?
Van Wagenen is going to have to answer for a couple of things. The continuing adventures of Edwin Diaz and the suddenly impossible-to-keep-on-the-field late-30s version of Robinson Cano is a mortal sin Van Wagenen will have to explain away for a good 12 or 15 years, assuming Jarred Kelenic is even a fraction of the player everyone breathlessly believes him to be.
And the sum total of Stroman — acquired at last year’s deadline when all the world believed the Mets were sellers, not buyers — will likely be this: 11 starts, 4 wins, 2 losses, 3.76 ERA for what turned out to be a third-place team.
Costly because the Mets gave up former first-rounder Anthony Kay (off to a strong start in Toronto: 1-0, 1.13 ERA, .750 WHIP) and Simeon Woods Richardson (a second-rounder whom scouts love) in the trade at a time when they should’ve been harboring young arms, not discarding them. And costly because it surely closed the door on bringing back Zack Wheeler (one of the only bright spots in Philly so far, 2-0 and 2.08) — or, as important, dealing Wheeler and/or Syndergaard at the deadline to rake in a haul of prospects, an equally prudent option.
Now, we could go on with some other brutal decisions ($20 million for seven Jed Lowrie at-bats over two years) and ill-advised choices (letting Travis d’Arnaud walk for nothing). And for the sake of fairness we should also mention that the J.D. Davis trade appears to be a steal, and Van Wagenen bucked the industry trend by letting both Pete Alonso in 2019 and Andres Gimenez in 2020 begin the season in the majors, rather than finagling their service time (though those choices could well come back to burn the Mets eventually).
See, this isn’t about whether Van Wagenen should be fired today: in normal circumstances, he shouldn’t. But this isn’t a normal time, and Van Wagenen is on a clock held in the hand of a future boss whose identity he doesn’t know. It behooves him to try anything at this point.
And it behooves the men who still do own the Mets — who likely, and troublingly, have similar what-the-hell agendas right now — to make sure that doesn’t happen.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Top Hollywood psychic Tammy Adams refutes accusations of million-dollar scam

A top psychic is fighting back after being accused of a despicable crime .
Tammy Adams is considered a go-to seer in Malibu , Calif. , we ’ re told , with several A-list clients .
But she ’ s been accused in court papers of scamming a 73-year-old kindergarten teacher out of her home and savings .
The alleged victim , Victoria Nelson , claims in court docs that Adams and the psychic ’ s daughter-in-law took advantage of her fears about managing her finances after the death of her husband , who ’ d taken care of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychic powers to talk her into giving Adams the deed to her $ 1.5 million home — leaving her homeless and ruined .
Now Adams has responded , exclusively telling Page Six that Nelson wanted her help in turning part of her home into a facility for cancer patients .
“ This was supposed to be a sanctuary for kids and families receiving cancer treatment at local Bay Area hospitals .
If they ’ re suing me for trying to help cancer patients , I want the world to know that .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is about saving those children.
” She added , “ I ’ ve had nothing but support from the clients who really know me and won ’ t allow this so-called gypsy fortune-telling scam to become my legacy .
”

A top psychic is fighting back after being accused of a despicable crime.
Tammy Adams is considered a go-to seer in Malibu, Calif., we’re told, with several A-list clients. But she’s been accused in court papers of scamming a 73-year-old kindergarten teacher out of her home and savings.
The alleged victim, Victoria Nelson, claims in court docs that Adams and the psychic’s daughter-in-law took advantage of her fears about managing her finances after the death of her husband, who’d taken care of their money, and exploited her faith in psychic powers to talk her into giving Adams the deed to her $1.5 million home — leaving her homeless and ruined.
Now Adams has responded, exclusively telling Page Six that Nelson wanted her help in turning part of her home into a facility for cancer patients. “This was supposed to be a sanctuary for kids and families receiving cancer treatment at local Bay Area hospitals. If they’re suing me for trying to help cancer patients, I want the world to know that. This isn’t about Tammy Adams. This is about saving those children.”
She added, “I’ve had nothing but support from the clients who really know me and won’t allow this so-called gypsy fortune-telling scam to become my legacy.”


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Teen son of NYPD counterterrorism head John Miller robbed near Central Park

The 13-year-old son of NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller was robbed of his cell phone and wallet outside of Central @ @ @ @ @ sources said .
The theft occurred at about 2:15 p.m. on Central Park West near @ @ @ @ @ West Side , according to law enforcement sources .
The teen victim had just got @ @ @ @ @ was approached and robbed by a suspect , believed to also be a teenage boy @ @ @ @ @ Citi Bike .
The suspect sped off into the park after the crime , but @ @ @ @ @ is being questioned by police at a nearby police station house .
Miller , the @ @ @ @ @ counter-terrorism , was also a CBS News correspondent .

The 13-year-old son of NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller was robbed of his cell phone and wallet outside of Central Park on Monday afternoon, sources said.
The theft occurred at about 1:45 p.m. on Central Park West near 91st Street on the Upper West Side, according to law enforcement sources.
The teen victim had just got off the bus when he was approached and robbed by a suspect, believed to also be a teenage boy, who was riding a Citi Bike.
The suspect sped off west on 92nd Street after the crime and was still on the lam early Tuesday, police said.
Miller, the department’s head of counter-terrorism, was also a CBS News correspondent.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Sorry, Albany: ‘Shampoo assistants’ don’t need pricey ‘cosmetology’ schooling

New Yorkers are hurting for jobs .
But New York state lawmakers are poised to make it even tougher to earn a paycheck , by concocting licensing requirements for something as simple as giving a shampoo .
The Albany pols have something to gain : campaign contributions from those pushing the new requirement .
But if you ’ re eyeing a job in a hair salon , the Legislature is making your life harder .
Irrational occupational licensing is a job killer .
More restrictions on who can work is the last thing the Empire State needs right now .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 percent in New York City .
Jobs in personal care are down a staggering 37 percent , owing to the coronavirus lockdowns .
Even so , Albany lawmakers want to create a new state certificate for “ Shampoo Assistant , ” the person who helps you on with your plastic cape , bends you back to the wash sink and shampoos your hair .
“ Wet , Wash , Rinse , Repeat.
” Sounds simple .
But in New York , it will require completing 500 hours of training at a state-certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requires that anyone providing beauty services must graduate from a certified cosmetology school , pass exams and get a state license .
But in practice , the requirement has applied to coloring , cutting and styling hair , not shampooing .
The same people who answer the phone , fold towels and sweep up handle the shampooing .
The Salon & Spa Professionals of New York State are pushing the new restrictions .
The organization rakes in membership fees from cosmetology schools .
Its goal is to prevent people from working in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a huge tuition to get a cosmetology certificate .
Tuition at Academy NYC of Cosmetology and Esthetics runs $ 14,500 for the 1,000 hours required to apply for a cosmetology license .
Aveda Institute is even pricier , $ 16,995 for the course .
It ’ s a racket .
Many students go into debt and have little chance of ever making enough to pay it back .
This racket wouldn ’ t exist , except for the cooperation of New York legislators .
To complete the money trail , Richard Ostroff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that represents Salon & Spa Professionals of NYS , has donated $ 1,150 to Assemblyman John McDonald III and $ 1,500 to Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner , two of the Albany Democrats pushing for Shampoo Assistant certification .
( The industry group insists the measure is aimed at clarifying ambiguities in existing law . )
Everybody makes out like a bandit .
Everybody , that is , but the working person who needs a salon job .
Similar licensing scams are hurting working people all across the nation .
New York ’ s requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some states require as many as 2,100 hours of cosmetology school training to work in a salon .
That ’ s almost twice what is needed to become an emergency medical technician , making life and death decisions in the back of an ambulance .
State licensing abuses extend to many other occupations , from hair braiding and makeup artistry to interior designer and landscape architecture .
The goal is always to keep out competition .
Now , in the depths of the pandemic downturn , states should be eliminating barriers to employment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida just enacted the Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act , a law to deregulate many occupations and make it easier for people to earn a living .
Unreasonable educational requirements and licensing fees keep people out of work .
New York should copy Florida ’ s new law .
Albany lawmakers should be culling existing state occupational regulations to eliminate all but the few needed to protect the public ’ s health and safety .
For example , instead of 1,000 hours of expensive training at a cosmetology school , beauty salon workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course in hygiene , to protect their clients from infectious diseases such as the coronavirus and common bacterial diseases , such as staph , which are often transmitted in nail salons .
But there is one profession that seems to need more oversight , not less .
That ’ s the politicians themselves , who could use lessons on the harms done by overregulation .
And , oh yes , on ethics .
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York .

New Yorkers are hurting for jobs. But New York state lawmakers are poised to make it even tougher to earn a paycheck, by concocting licensing requirements for something as simple as giving a shampoo. The Albany pols have something to gain: campaign contributions from those pushing the new requirement. But if you’re eyeing a job in a hair salon, the Legislature is making your life harder. Irrational occupational licensing is a job killer.
More restrictions on who can work is the last thing the Empire State needs right now. Unemployment is over 15 percent statewide and 20 percent in New York City. Jobs in personal care are down a staggering 37 percent, owing to the coronavirus lockdowns.
Even so, Albany lawmakers want to create a new state certificate for “Shampoo Assistant,” the person who helps you on with your plastic cape, bends you back to the wash sink and shampoos your hair. “Wet, Wash, Rinse, Repeat.” Sounds simple. But in New York, it will require completing 500 hours of training at a state-certified cosmetology school.
New York law already requires that anyone providing beauty services must graduate from a certified cosmetology school, pass exams and get a state license. But in practice, the requirement has applied to coloring, cutting and styling hair, not shampooing. The same people who answer the phone, fold towels and sweep up handle the shampooing.
The Salon & Spa Professionals of New York State are pushing the new restrictions. The organization rakes in membership fees from cosmetology schools. Its goal is to prevent people from working in the beauty industry until they’ve forked over a huge tuition to get a cosmetology certificate.
Tuition at Academy NYC of Cosmetology and Esthetics runs $14,500 for the 1,000 hours required to apply for a cosmetology license. Aveda Institute is even pricier, $16,995 for the course. It’s a racket. Many students go into debt and have little chance of ever making enough to pay it back.
This racket wouldn’t exist, except for the cooperation of New York legislators. To complete the money trail, Richard Ostroff of Ostroff Associates, the lobbying firm that represents Salon & Spa Professionals of NYS, has donated $1,150 to Assemblyman John McDonald III and $1,500 to Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, two of the Albany Democrats pushing for Shampoo Assistant certification. (The industry group insists the measure is aimed at clarifying ambiguities in existing law.)
Everybody makes out like a bandit. Everybody, that is, but the working person who needs a salon job.
Similar licensing scams are hurting working people all across the nation. New York’s requirements aren’t even the worst. Some states require as many as 2,100 hours of cosmetology school training to work in a salon. That’s almost twice what is needed to become an emergency medical technician, making life and death decisions in the back of an ambulance.
State licensing abuses extend to many other occupations, from hair braiding and makeup artistry to interior designer and landscape architecture. The goal is always to keep out competition.
Now, in the depths of the pandemic downturn, states should be eliminating barriers to employment, not piling on new ones. Florida just enacted the Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act, a law to deregulate many occupations and make it easier for people to earn a living. Unreasonable educational requirements and licensing fees keep people out of work. New York should copy Florida’s new law.
Albany lawmakers should be culling existing state occupational regulations to eliminate all but the few needed to protect the public’s health and safety. For example, instead of 1,000 hours of expensive training at a cosmetology school, beauty salon workers should be required to take only a course in hygiene, to protect their clients from infectious diseases such as the coronavirus and common bacterial diseases, such as staph, which are often transmitted in nail salons.
But there is one profession that seems to need more oversight, not less. That’s the politicians themselves, who could use lessons on the harms done by overregulation. And, oh yes, on ethics.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--New York City is headed for a serious decline

There have been 821 shootings and 1,000 victims as of ...

New York City’s relentless crime spike and chaos on the streets make it painfully clear: Gotham — significant parts of it, anyway — is headed for a steep decline. The big question now is whether it can be stopped.
As The Post reported Monday, shootings in the city are running at nearly twice the rate of last year. As of Saturday, there have been 821 outbursts of gunfire, with 1,000 victims this year; 2019 saw just 446 shootings, with 551 victims at this same point.
Police recorded a dozen gunplay incidents Saturday into Sunday morning alone. At least four people were killed over the weekend.
Vagrants and addicts, meanwhile, began commandeering public streets long before the pandemic, with Mayor Bill de Blasio doing little to address the problem.
On Manhattan’s Upper West Side after the outbreak — as The Post reported last week — the city moved hundreds of vagrants into hotels. Men are now seen peeing or masturbating in public or lying sprawled out on the streets. A 40-year-old woman was randomly stabbed near the subway at 72nd Street. Convicted rapists and sex abusers were stuffed into a hotel just a block from the PS 87 playground.
The Post’s Doree Lewak reported Sunday that even one of the most vocal anti-crime activists in the area, Elizabeth Carr (among others), is giving up and moving away.
“We reached our New York expiration date,” Carr sighed. “Things weren’t heading in the right direction.” A friend, she noted, couldn’t even find a broker to sell her apartment at 72nd Street and Columbus, a usually highly sought-after location.
De Blasio’s response is simply to rail that the crime and chaos are “unacceptable.” But his own policies — and new state and city laws — have fueled the problem.
Neither he, nor Gov. Andrew Cuomo, nor state lawmakers, all of whom share blame, care to address those laws and policies.
Columnist Kyle Smith argues that there’s “no push for law and order” in the city. “New Yorkers aren’t hypocrites,” Smith writes, “they’re masochists.”
We hope he’s wrong. Because without public pressure, decline is inevitable.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Lebanon proves President Trump right on the Middle East

The Lebanese people are outraged .
If the official explanation is true , then their divided and do-nothing government bears a lot of the responsibility for the horrifying explosion of an abandoned shipment of ammonium nitrate that destroyed part of their capital , Beirut , last week .
Their anger also vindicates President Trump ’ s fundamental instinct that any further intervention in the Middle East is a fool ’ s errand .
The neglect that led to the deaths of more than 150 people in Beirut ’ s port is just the tip of the iceberg of Lebanese dysfunction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fact that Hezbollah terrorists , who take their orders from Iran , dominate the government .
The problem is that Lebanon is not a country in any real sense .
It is a place where warring tribes — Maronite Catholics , Sunni and Shitte Muslims and Druze — are locked inside borders where they have torn each other to pieces going back to the 1970s .
The same is true of neighboring Syria , which is just now winding down its own civil war between rival religious and ethnic groups — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and created more than 5 million refugees .
The same can likewise be said of Iraq , which is , as the United States learned to its sorrow after the 2003 invasion , another patchwork collection of ethnic and religious foes stuffed inside artificial frontiers .
These nations were created after World War I , when Britain and France carved up the remains of the Ottoman Empire and created new entities , whose borders were arbitrarily drawn and whose inhabitants lacked any sense of shared nationhood .
In Lebanon , the French cooked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an on-and-off civil war between its competing ethno-religious tribes .
A country that might be a prosperous bridge between East and West is instead a conflict-ravaged economic basket case .
Lebanese demonstrators are now calling for throwing out all of their leaders .
But there is no formula for governing this country that would satisfy any of these warring tribes .
The world wants to help the Lebanese recover from the port disaster .
But the question we should be asking is whether there is anything the West can do to change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over the last few decades , both the United States and Israel have been dragged into Lebanon ’ s civil wars in ways that didn ’ t benefit anyone .
The same is true in Syria , where Washington has fought ISIS and Jerusalem seeks to fend off incursions by Iran and Hezbollah .
Some outsiders might be tempted to try to “ fix ” Lebanon by helping impose a state modeled on modern and democratic norms , rather than its current tribal and sectarian format .
As the United States proved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a task is ignoring history and common sense and will pay for the hubris in blood and treasure .
Also unfortunately , Lebanon , like Syria and Iraq , is a breeding ground for terrorism .
We will have to deter those baddies by other means , never again by entangling ourselves in these nations ’ broken political lives .
We can wish young , aspirational democrats well as they try to fix their countries — but they should do it on their own .
Anyone who criticizes Trump ’ s refusal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contemplate more military involvement isn ’ t being realistic .
Pure isolationism isn ’ t the answer , of course .
The United States should support Israel ’ s efforts to ensure that violence in Lebanon and Syria doesn ’ t spread .
And the West should , as Trump has done , continue sanctioning and isolating Iran , to prevent it from creating more mischief .
Sensible people should also worry about creating a Palestinian state that would be just as much of a disaster as Lebanon or Syria .
Americans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can heal the Middle East .
But the internecine slaughter in Syria and Iraq and the catastrophe that is Lebanon should remind us that the only sensible approach is to stop letting ourselves get dragged into the region ’ s bloodstained sands .
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS.org .
Twitter at : @ JonathanS_Tobin

The Lebanese people are outraged. If the official explanation is true, then their divided and do-nothing government bears a lot of the responsibility for the horrifying explosion of an abandoned shipment of ammonium nitrate that destroyed part of their capital, Beirut, last week.
Their anger also vindicates President Trump’s fundamental instinct that any further intervention in the Middle East is a fool’s errand.
The neglect that led to the deaths of more than 150 people in Beirut’s port is just the tip of the iceberg of Lebanese dysfunction. Nor is the problem limited to the fact that Hezbollah terrorists, who take their orders from Iran, dominate the government.
The problem is that Lebanon is not a country in any real sense. It is a place where warring tribes — Maronite Catholics, Sunni and Shitte Muslims and Druze — are locked inside borders where they have torn each other to pieces going back to the 1970s.
The same is true of neighboring Syria, which is just now winding down its own civil war between rival religious and ethnic groups — a war that cost half a million lives and created more than 5 million refugees. The same can likewise be said of Iraq, which is, as the United States learned to its sorrow after the 2003 invasion, another patchwork collection of ethnic and religious foes stuffed inside artificial frontiers.
These nations were created after World War I, when Britain and France carved up the remains of the Ottoman Empire and created new entities, whose borders were arbitrarily drawn and whose inhabitants lacked any sense of shared nationhood.
In Lebanon, the French cooked up a complicated power-sharing formula that led to an on-and-off civil war between its competing ethno-religious tribes. A country that might be a prosperous bridge between East and West is instead a conflict-ravaged economic basket case.
Lebanese demonstrators are now calling for throwing out all of their leaders. But there is no formula for governing this country that would satisfy any of these warring tribes.
The world wants to help the Lebanese recover from the port disaster. But the question we should be asking is whether there is anything the West can do to change these countries. The answer is no.
Over the last few decades, both the United States and Israel have been dragged into Lebanon’s civil wars in ways that didn’t benefit anyone. The same is true in Syria, where Washington has fought ISIS and Jerusalem seeks to fend off incursions by Iran and Hezbollah.
Some outsiders might be tempted to try to “fix” Lebanon by helping impose a state modeled on modern and democratic norms, rather than its current tribal and sectarian format. As the United States proved in Iraq, anyone who takes on such a task is ignoring history and common sense and will pay for the hubris in blood and treasure.
Also unfortunately, Lebanon, like Syria and Iraq, is a breeding ground for terrorism. We will have to deter those baddies by other means, never again by entangling ourselves in these nations’ broken political lives. We can wish young, aspirational democrats well as they try to fix their countries — but they should do it on their own.
Anyone who criticizes Trump’s refusal, backed by most Americans, to contemplate more military involvement isn’t being realistic.
Pure isolationism isn’t the answer, of course. The United States should support Israel’s efforts to ensure that violence in Lebanon and Syria doesn’t spread. And the West should, as Trump has done, continue sanctioning and isolating Iran, to prevent it from creating more mischief. Sensible people should also worry about creating a Palestinian state that would be just as much of a disaster as Lebanon or Syria.
Americans have long labored under the delusion that we can heal the Middle East. But the internecine slaughter in Syria and Iraq and the catastrophe that is Lebanon should remind us that the only sensible approach is to stop letting ourselves get dragged into the region’s bloodstained sands.
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS.org. Twitter at: @JonathanS_Tobin


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Gov. Cuomo is snubbing the victims of his fatal nursing-home orders

Relatives of New York nursing home residents Monday blasted the ...

Gov. Cuomo keeps nixing demands for an independent probe into his fatal nursing-home orders, claiming they’re political. But at a hearing Monday, survivors just wanted answers.
“The COVID crisis in New York’s nursing homes was a preventable crisis,” fumed Jerry Maldonado, whose 81-year-old mom came down with symptoms at a Rockland County home and later died. He said the director of nursing at the home told him “he had been forced to admit COVID patients into the facility by the state.”
Maldonado wasn’t alone in wondering how that could’ve happened. Some 6,400 deaths at nursing homes were linked to COVID, and families — and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — want to know what role Cuomo’s mandate played.
That March 25 order not only required homes to accept COVID-positive patients; it even banned them from testing for it.
At a hearing last week, Cuomo’s health czar, Howard Zucker, stonewalled, refusing to answer key questions.
And Monday, the gov (yet again) tried to pretend the demands for an independent probe were just politically motivated.
“I think you’d have to be blind to think it’s not political,” he said. “Just look at where it comes from and look at the sources and look at their political affiliation.”
Yes, look at the sources: They’re Republican and Democratic officials alike — and everyday citizens who just want answers.
Cuomo’s continued resistance to a probe speaks volumes. After all, if he and his team made no mistakes, why fear one?


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--After 75 days, Louisville has had enough of its too-often violent protests

Police in Louisville are laying down the law .
Cops in ...

Protests over the past few months in cities like Portland, Seattle and even New York have led to violence all too often. Louisville, Ky., has had enough.
On Sunday, its police department banned street marches and caravans that block city streets, restricting protesters to sidewalks.
It’s more than reasonable; it’s wise. Clashes with police have led to injuries and arrests, and though the right to assemble is guaranteed by the First Amendment, public safety matters, too.
After 75 days of protests, no one can say Louisville doesn’t allow dissent.
Meanwhile, radicals, cop-bashers and downright criminals have hijacked Black Lives Matter protests, there and elsewhere. The movement — which has its own radical roots and openly says its goal is to “disrupt” Louisville — is susceptible to that, especially from groups like antifa.
That’s likely what Attorney General William Barr had in mind Sunday when he castigated BLM as an anti-government “revolutionary group” interested in “some form of socialism, communism.”
Barr warned that antifa members were waging “a new form of urban guerrilla warfare,” looking to “insinuate themselves” into lawful, peaceful protests and “shield themselves” as they attack police.
The right to dissent is a bedrock American freedom. But when the right to assemble infringes on the rights of others to go about their business, as in Louisville, a constitutional line is crossed. Barr is right to call out such radicals. And other cities should take a cue from Louisville.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--In a second term, Trump could build on his foreign-policy successes

President Trump on Monday said he submitted a request with ...

Democrats and their media allies like to paint Donald Trump as a foreign-policy catastrophe. Even some conservatives have joined the angry chorus. Neocon stalwart Eliot Cohen, for example, has attacked Trump’s policies as “deeply misguided” and a strategic disaster.
The critics couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is, Trump has scored a series of foreign-policy and national-security successes, based on key principles we can call the “Trump Doctrine” — an approach sharply different from that of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush but still rooted in longstanding American traditions.
First, the Trump Doctrine is about renewing American sovereignty. The president believes the primary actors in world affairs aren’t international organizations like the United Nations but nation-states. Sovereign states are able to set the agenda because they control territory, population and borders. They pursue their interests by mobilizing their economic, political and military power. That applies to America as much to anyone else.
Second, protecting that sovereignty has led Team Trump to withdraw from multilateral agreements that limit US freedom of action, including economic action, such as the Paris climate accords, or that place it at a disadvantage to competitors such as China and Russia, such as the outmoded Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Even more crucially, the Trump Doctrine has identified China as the greatest threat not just to America but to the autonomy and sovereignty of countries around the world. Beijing’s effort to conceal the COVID-19 outbreak only confirms Trump’s intuition.
The same Trump Doctrine applies to the Kremlin regime. Although critics blast Trump as being soft on Vladimir Putin, it was Trump, not Obama, who armed Ukraine with lethal weapons to resist Putin’s aggression; who ratcheted up economic sanctions against Russian leaders; and who withdrew from treaties that limited America’s ability to respond to sophisticated nuclear threats.
Finally, Trump used unilateral American action to cancel Obama’s flawed Iran nuclear deal, which paid the mullahs billions of dollars for a temporary delay in their nuclear-weapons program. Instead, he pushed Iran outside the world economy and has sought to contain it with a robust military cordon. He has also begun an overdue rebalancing of American forces from areas of less importance to our interests, such as the Middle East, and toward the rising economies of Asia.
What will the Trump Doctrine look like in a second term? Under the best scenario, Trump can leverage earlier successes with friends as well as foes to expand American influence without entangling us in quagmires. For example, Trump could build a new alliance to contain China by bringing new attention to the pandemic’s origins, Beijing’s human-rights abuses and its serial cyber theft. Europe and America could reach new agreements that curb or eliminate the Chinese Communist-serving company Huawei’s influence in the 5G sector and expand opportunities for Western firms.
A second term, moreover, would free Trump to shift more of NATO’s defense burden to its European members. While Europe can supply the ground forces for any conflict with a declining Russia, the United States can offer its dominance of air, sea, space and cyber and cooperate on developing advanced technologies such as autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.
In Asia, the Trump Doctrine can frame a more comprehensive security architecture to deter Beijing. Washington can lead in halting the Communist regime’s militarism in the South China Sea and in securing the strategic first-island chain running from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The president can also encourage India, Japan and Australia to cooperate with the United States to create a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
In the Middle East, Trump could unify the growing opposition to Iran. He could promote the growing but still-nascent Israeli-Sunni alliance as the keystone of a new regional stability without the need for an American military presence.
Finally, in Latin America, Trump could reboot the Monroe Doctrine to force Chinese, Iranian and Russian footholds out of our backyard, while joining with our southern neighbors to promote economic growth and the rule of law — and to crush the drug cartels that have triggered the illegal-migrant crisis.
Pursuing these goals in his second term, should he win one, will only highlight the remarkable, and undervalued, successes of his first.
John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of “Defender in Chief: Donald Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power,” just out from St. Martin’s Press. Arthur Herman is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Family of NY nursing home residents lost to COVID testify to woe

Apparently you don ’ t talk ill of Ramon Laureano ’ s mother .
The ...

Relatives of New York nursing home residents Monday blasted the conditions that drove the facilities’ coronavirus hell — including Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s directive barring the refusal of COVID-positive patients.
“The COVID crisis in New York’s nursing homes was a preventable crisis,” Jerry Maldonado testified before a joint hearing of state lawmakers via video-conference.
“It was fueled by poor public policy decisions, like the Department of Health’s March 25 directive.”
That order barred nursing homes from turning away COVID-positive patients, even as Cuomo in press briefings repeatedly likened the bug’s effect on the elderly to fire in dry grass.
“In a cruel twist of fate, while healthy families like mine were locked out of nursing homes and forced to stay away from our loved ones, my mom was locked into a facility with COVID-positive patients released from a hospital,” testified Maldonado, a Newburgh resident whose 81-year-old mother, Maria, was living in a Rockland County home when the pandemic hit.
Maldonado said that his family and others like it were “kept in the dark” about the policy, as he reached out to workers at his mother’s facility, Northern Metropolitan Residential Healthcare Facility, in late March asking whether the coronavirus had reached the home.
“For nearly two weeks, we got no response,” he testified. “It was only after my mom developed her first COVID symptoms that I confronted the director of nursing and he finally admitted to me that, in his words, he had been forced to admit COVID patients into the facility by the state, and that he could not guarantee that my mom had not been exposed to COVID.”
Cuomo has defended — and continues to defend — the policy by saying that nursing homes always had not just a right, but a responsibility to turn away patients they couldn’t care for.
But the state “did not proactively verify that nursing homes had the ability to safely care for COVID patients before releasing them into these facilities, knowing full well that many of them are understaffed and overcrowded, even on their best day,” Maldonado said.
On April 11, Maldonado’s mother died from complications related to the coronavirus, Maldonado said, becoming one of the more than 6,400 nursing home residents statewide lost in confirmed or presumed cases of the bug.
Virginia Wilson-Butler testified that her aunt, Eva Johnson, received years of substandard care in Bushwick, Brooklyn’s Buena Vida Continuing Care and Rehabilitation Center — a level that hardly improved once the coronavirus hit.
“Finally, from March 2020 to May 4, 2020 — the day she died — Miss Johnson lost 15 pounds, received oxygen on April 21, and an IV fluid with antibiotics,” Wilson-Butler told the panel. “She was diagnosed presumed COVID.”
“X-rays showed pneumonia,” Wilson-Butler continued. “She never had a fever, she never had a cough. In that timeframe, they stated at first, everything with her was normal: Her weight, her eating, her therapy … her bedsore.
“Until all of a sudden, she’s not eating the bedsore got bigger, it doesn’t look good.”
Throughout the ordeal, Wilson-Butler testified that she had great difficulty getting up-to-date information from her aunt’s caretakers.
Wilson-Butler said she was speaking up that another’s loved one won’t have to suffer through the same hardship.
“I can’t help my aunt anymore — rest in peace — but I can help someone else,” she said.
Previous 1 of 3 Next Advertisement Mikko Cook testifying about her father. Advertisement
Testifying from her home in California, Mikko Cook recounted the horror of her family being out of touch with her father — a resident of Albany’s Hudson Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center — as the virus raged.
“Frequent visits to see him … helped my family see whether or not he was eating well, getting decent sleep and still smiling,” she said. “More importantly, it gave dad time in a world quickly disappearing to him, surrounded by people he loved, holding his hand and making him laugh. For dad, in those fleeting moments, he was safe and his life made sense.
“And then, one day, we just never returned.”
Since, Cook’s father, Ron, was injured in an alleged assault by another resident, Cook said, with her family only able to be connected to a video call with him after five days of calls to facility management.
“We need to see dad, and not through a glass with a telephone,” Cook said. “My father has not breathed fresh air or felt the sun on his face since March 9.”
A spokesman for Northern Metropolitan said that the facility diligently adhered to state and federal health guidelines throughout the pandemic, and made sure residents and their families could stay in touch.
“Northern Metropolitan never kept the residents or staff in the dark with this pandemic,” said Jeff Jacomowitz in a statement in part, noting that the facility gave family members regular updates via phone, letters and email.
“We would also like to express our condolences to the Maldonado family for the loss of Maria,” the statement continued. “Every resident becomes part of our family and when something like this occurs, the staff is deeply affected.”
Spokespeople for Buena Vida and Hudson Park could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Ramon Laureano says nasty remark about mom sparked Astros-A’s brawl

The Oakland Athletics outfielder told ESPN that a nasty comment from Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron about his mom set @ @ @ @ @ dugout , sparking a bench-clearing brawl between the teams during their game Sunday .
Laureano @ @ @ @ @ Spanish something you don ’ t say about my mother.
” He was already heated @ @ @ @ @ pitch for the third time in the series and second time in the game .
@ @ @ @ @ Humberto Castellanos , sparking a reaction from the Astros bench .
Laureano claims Cintron then @ @ @ @ @ , which he returned prior to the alleged comment about his mother .
Cintron , @ @ @ @ @ denied to ESPN that he spoke about Laureano ’ s mom .
He did not @ @ @ @ @ say .
MLB ’ s coronavirus protocols discourages against fighting , and Sunday ’ s @ @ @ @ @ disciplinary action for those involved .

Apparently you don’t talk ill of Ramon Laureano’s mother.
The Oakland Athletics outfielder told ESPN that a nasty comment from Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron about his mom set him off toward the Houston dugout, sparking a bench-clearing brawl between the teams during their game Sunday.
Laureano said Cintron “said in Spanish something you don’t say about my mother.”
He was already heated after being hit by a pitch for the third time in the series and second time in the game. Laureano initially gestured toward pitcher Humberto Castellanos, sparking a reaction from the Astros bench. Laureano claims Cintron then sent an expletive his way, which he returned prior to the alleged comment about his mother.
Cintron, through an Astros employee, denied to ESPN that he spoke about Laureano’s mom. He did not comment on what he did say.
MLB’s coronavirus protocols discourages against fighting, and Sunday’s incident will likely lead to disciplinary action for those involved.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--Lori Loughlin buys $9.5 million home — after selling $18 million mansion

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) They may be headed to the big house , but for now they ’ re in a slightly smaller one .
Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have purchased a new , $ 9.5 million home ahead of their sentencing in the college admissions scandal later this month , according to a report .
The celebrity couple relocated to a six-bedroom , nine-bathroom farmhouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boasts a temperature-controlled walk-in wine cellar , a gym and a movie theater , according to PEOPLE .
The two-story estate provides “ a fresh take on luxury country living , ” according to the listing , with a backyard pool , spa and fire pit and barbecue area overlooking the hills .
The former “ Full House ” star , 55 , and her fashion designer husband , 56 , sold their 12,000-square-foot Bel Air mansion earlier this year .
That villa , with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms , sold to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 million , about $ 10 million below the original asking price , Variety reported at the time .
Loughlin and Giannulli in May agreed to cop to conspiracy charges for paying $ 500,000 to get their daughters , Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli , into the University of Southern California as bogus rowing recruits .
Under their plea agreements , Loughlin will serve two months in prison , perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $ 150,000 fine .
Her husband will serve five months in prison , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 250 hours of community service .
Both sentences are subject to a judge ’ s approval .
The couple ’ s next court date , when they are expected to be officially sentenced , is set for Aug. 21 .

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They may be headed to the big house, but for now they’re in a slightly smaller one.
Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have purchased a new, $9.5 million home ahead of their sentencing in the college admissions scandal later this month, according to a report.
The celebrity couple relocated to a six-bedroom, nine-bathroom farmhouse in Hidden Hills, Calif., that boasts a temperature-controlled walk-in wine cellar, a gym and a movie theater, according to PEOPLE.
The two-story estate provides “a fresh take on luxury country living,” according to the listing, with a backyard pool, spa and fire pit and barbecue area overlooking the hills.
The former “Full House” star, 55, and her fashion designer husband, 56, sold their 12,000-square-foot Bel Air mansion earlier this year.
That villa, with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, sold to Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen for roughly $18 million, about $10 million below the original asking price, Variety reported at the time.
Loughlin and Giannulli in May agreed to cop to conspiracy charges for paying $500,000 to get their daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli, into the University of Southern California as bogus rowing recruits.
Under their plea agreements, Loughlin will serve two months in prison, perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $150,000 fine. Her husband will serve five months in prison, pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
Both sentences are subject to a judge’s approval. The couple’s next court date, when they are expected to be officially sentenced, is set for Aug. 21.


newyorkpost--2020-08-10--College football cancellation talk fueled by heart condition linked to COVID-19

The Big Ten blinked first .
The conference is expected to ...

The Power Five conferences weren’t just worried about their athletes contracting the coronavirus but a heart condition that could come with it, causing them to consider postponing the fall sports season.
Myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle being linked to COVID-19 — is one of the big factors that went into the Big Ten’s expected decision to nix its fall season. At least five Big Ten athletes along with several other athletes in other conferences have been diagnosed with myocarditis, according to ESPN.
Myocarditis, while rare, has shown up more in patients with coronavirus than other viral infections such as the common cold or the flu, according to limited studies done during the pandemic. If untreated, it can cause heart damage or sudden cardiac arrest. Severe myocarditis weakens the heart so that the rest of the body doesn’t get enough blood.
The long-term effects of myocarditis have been discussed among the brass of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and other conferences and reports about the condition played a role in the MAC postponing its fall sports as well, according to ESPN.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told the Associated Press on Sunday the “growing evidence and the growing pool of data around myocarditis” is one of the reasons the situation around college athletics is not in a better place today than a few weeks ago.
A Big Ten spokesman told multiple outlets no official vote had been taken, but the presidents are expected to meet again Monday night, according to the Lansing State Journal. The Detroit Free Press reported that in one vote Big Ten vote the school presidents voted 12-2 to not play this fall.
Leaders of the Power Five conference met on Sunday to discuss canceling the fall season. The Pac-12 is in favor of doing so while the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are holding out, Dan Patrick reported on his radio show.


newyorkpost--2020-08-11--Chicago man whose arrest sparked looting charged with attempted murder

The Chicago man whose arrest after a shootout with cops sparked looting in the city has been charged with attempted murder , according to officials .
Latrell Allen , 20 , was confronted in an alley Sunday because he matched the description of an armed suspect — and then “ pointed a gun and fired multiple rounds at uniformed Chicago police officers ” as he fled , the force said .
He was arrested after being struck by return fire from the officers , the department said in an earlier release , as a spokesman also tweeted a photo of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scene .
His injuries were not immediately known , but he is expected to survive , the Chicago Tribune said .
Three officers were also hospitalized for observation after the shootout in Englewood in the city ’ s troubled South Side .
Allen was charged late Monday with two counts of first-degree attempted murder as well as one count of unlawful possession of a weapon .
He is expected to have a bond hearing Tuesday but it is unknown whether he will be able to attend court in person because of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Larticsa Allen , to say , “ Mom , the police shot me !
… they shot me five times !
’ ” she told CBS Chicago .
“ I said , ‘ Latrell , did you shoot them ?
’ He said : ‘ No mama , I did not shoot them .
I was just running , ' ” she told the station , with her son insisting he was not armed — despite police showing a photo of the alleged weapon .
She confirmed a social media photo of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pose was her son , telling the station , “ It says terrible , be careful of him.
” Allen pleaded guilty to burglary last year and was sentenced to probation , and also faces a pending misdemeanor reckless conduct and child endangerment case , the Tribune said , citing court records .
The arrest was the spark for disgraceful scenes of looters trashing sections of the city — largely following what cops called “ blatant misinformation ” that a teen had been shot .
Chicago ’ s top cop , Supt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly shot at during the rampage which saw 100 arrests .
“ When officers are doing their jobs , making arrests under the threat of being shot at , I would do nothing but applaud the efforts of the Chicago police officers , ” Brown said at a press conference .

The Chicago man whose arrest after a shootout with cops sparked looting in the city has been charged with attempted murder, according to officials.
Latrell Allen, 20, was confronted in an alley Sunday because he matched the description of an armed suspect — and then “pointed a gun and fired multiple rounds at uniformed Chicago police officers” as he fled, the force said.
He was arrested after being struck by return fire from the officers, the department said in an earlier release, as a spokesman also tweeted a photo of Allen’s handgun allegedly found at the scene.
His injuries were not immediately known, but he is expected to survive, the Chicago Tribune said. Three officers were also hospitalized for observation after the shootout in Englewood in the city’s troubled South Side.
Allen was charged late Monday with two counts of first-degree attempted murder as well as one count of unlawful possession of a weapon.
He is expected to have a bond hearing Tuesday but it is unknown whether he will be able to attend court in person because of his injuries.
Allen called his mom, Larticsa Allen, to say, “Mom, the police shot me! … they shot me five times!’” she told CBS Chicago.
“I said, ‘Latrell, did you shoot them?’ He said: ‘No, Mama, I did not shoot them. I was just running,'” she told the station, with her son insisting he was not armed — despite police showing a photo of the alleged weapon.
She confirmed a social media photo of a man holding two guns in a threatening pose was her son, telling the station, “It says terrible, be careful of him.”
Allen pleaded guilty to burglary last year and was sentenced to probation, and also faces a pending misdemeanor reckless conduct and child endangerment case, the Tribune said, citing court records.
The arrest was the spark for disgraceful scenes of looters trashing sections of the city — largely following what cops called “blatant misinformation” that a teen had been shot.
Chicago’s top cop, Superintendent David Brown, said officers were again repeatedly shot at during the rampage that saw 100 arrests.
Previous 1 of 5 Next Advertisement The gun that Chicago police officers say was used by Latrell Allen to shoot at them Chicago PD Chicago police stand guard on the Magnificent Mile and the Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River. AP Advertisement CBD Kratom was damaged after looting broke out in the Loop and surrounding neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois. AP Advertisement
“When officers are doing their jobs, making arrests under the threat of being shot at, I would do nothing but applaud the efforts of the Chicago police officers,” Brown said at a press conference.


newyorkpost--2020-08-11--Lebanon’s leaders were warned in July about explosives at port, documents show

The massive stockpile of fertilizer that exploded this week in ...

Just two weeks before the giant blast in Beirut, Lebanese security officials warned the country’s prime minister and president that the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the port could destroy the capital if the highly volatile material exploded, according to a report.
The General Directorate of State Security, which reviewed the events leading up to the Aug. 4 explosion, mentioned a private letter sent to President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab on July 20, according to Reuters, which said it viewed the documents.
While the content of the letter was not in the report viewed by the news outlet, a senior security official said it summarized the findings of a judicial probe from January that concluded the chemicals had to be secured.
“There was a danger that this material, if stolen, could be used in a terrorist attack,” the official told Reuters.
“At the end of the investigation, Prosecutor General (Ghassan) Oweidat prepared a final report which was sent to the authorities,” the official added, referring to the letter sent to Diab and Aoun by the General Directorate of State Security, which oversees security at the city port.
“I warned them that this could destroy Beirut if it exploded,” the official, who was involved in writing the letter and declined to be identified, told Reuters, which said it could not independently corroborate his account.
The office of the president did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters about the letter.
A spokesman for Diab — who announced his resignation Monday amid the unrest over the blast — said he had received the letter on July 20 and that it was sent to the Supreme Defense Council for advice within 48 hours.
“The current cabinet received the file 14 days prior to the explosion and acted on it in a matter of days. Previous administrations had over six years and did nothing,” the rep told Reuters.
The prosecutor general did not respond to requests for comment by the news outlet.
As protests over the explosion — which killed more than 200 people and injured about 6,000 — continued to rage in Lebanon on Monday, Diab’s government resigned, though it will remain as a caretaker administration until a new cabinet is formed.
Last week, Aoun confirmed that he had been informed about the ammonium nitrate.
He said he had instructed the secretary general of the Supreme Defense Council, a group of security and military agencies chaired by the president, to “do what is necessary.”
“(The state security service) said it is dangerous. I am not responsible. I don’t know where it was put and I didn’t know how dangerous it was. I have no authority to deal with the port directly,” Aoun said.
“There is a hierarchy and all those who knew should have known their duties to do the necessary,” he added.
Previous 1 of 6 Next Advertisement A helicopter battles a fire at the scene of the explosion in Beirut last week. STR/AFP via Getty Images A man carries away an injured girl while walking through debris after the explosion in Beirut last week. MARWAN TAHTAH/AFP via Getty Imag Advertisement A man walks through debris on a residential street after the explosion in Beirut. Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images Damaged buildings in a neighborhood near the site of last week's explosion in Beirut AP/Felipe Dana Advertisement
Myriad questions remain over why the huge stash of ammonium nitrate — which is used used in fertilizer and bombs — was stored for six years in a port warehouse after being confiscated from an impounded Russian cargo ship whose crew at one point described the stockpile as a “floating bomb.”
The letter sent to Diab and Aoun followed multiple missives sent to the country’s courts over the years by port, customs and security officials, repeatedly urging judges to order the removal of the material.
“But until now, no decision has been issued over this matter. After consulting one of our chemical specialists, the expert confirmed that this material is dangerous and is used to produce explosives,” the General Directorate of State Security report said, according to Reuters.


newyorkpost--2020-08-11--Tennessee couple brutally tortured, raped and killed woman: cops

A Tennessee couple who allegedly promised a woman a place to stay , tortured , raped and strangled her before storing her mutilated body in a freezer , police said .
Sean Finnegan , 52 , and girlfriend Rebecca Dishman , 22 , were arrested Thursday at their Oak Ridge home after a search warrant was executed there and the remains of 36-year-old Jennifer Gail Paxton were found , WATE reports .
The couple lured Paxton into their residence by offering her a place to stay in December , but police said she was instead held against her will and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was also restrained with a dog collar , chained to a bed and had her arms bound with zip ties , according to court documents obtained by the station .
Paxton was also repeatedly raped , as well as being denied food and medical care , before she was strangled and left to die in a freezer , WVLT reports .
Once Paxton was dead , Finnegan “ physically mistreated [ Paxton ’ s corpse ] in such a way as to be shocking and offensive ” by mutilating her body with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of at least one of her breasts and her nose , court documents show .
He also broke several of Paxton ’ s ligaments and bones to fit Paxton ’ s body in a stand-up freezer , where he kept her body before removing the woman ’ s frozen corpse and hiding it beneath his bed , investigators said .
Finnegan and Dishman , who are facing charges of first-degree murder , aggravated kidnapping and related counts , both admitted to the allegations following their arrest , according to warrants cited by WATE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with aggravated rape , was arraigned Friday .
A judge set his bail at $ 1 million .
Bond was also set at $ 1 million for Dishman .
Both she and Finnegan are due back in court on Aug. 18 , Oak Ridge Today reports .
Oak Ridge police responded to the couple ’ s home after getting a report of a homicide there .
Paxton ’ s body was then found early Thursday as a search warrant was executed .
Dishman had used bleach and other cleaning products to remove blood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bedroom floor , as well as in bathroom shower , where she tried to scrub Paxton ’ s body of evidence , warrants show .
An online fundraiser set up to offset Paxton ’ s funeral costs had eclipsed $ 500 as of early Tuesday .
“ Jennifer was brutally murdered , and tortured at such a young age , ” the website reads .
“ Nobody in the world deserves what happened to her .
Her mother is not in any shape to pay for it all .
Please find it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman and her family give her the send-off she deserves .
”

A Tennessee couple who allegedly promised a woman a place to stay tortured, raped and strangled her before storing her mutilated body in a freezer, police said.
Sean Finnegan, 52, and girlfriend Rebecca Dishman, 22, were arrested Thursday at their Oak Ridge home after a search warrant was executed there and the remains of 36-year-old Jennifer Gail Paxton were found, WATE reports.
The couple lured Paxton into their residence by offering her a place to stay in December, but police said she was instead held against her will and beaten with a baseball bat. She was also restrained with a dog collar, chained to a bed and had her arms bound with zip ties, according to court documents obtained by the station.
Paxton was also repeatedly raped, as well as being denied food and medical care, before she was strangled and left to die in a freezer, WVLT reports.
Once Paxton was dead, Finnegan “physically mistreated [Paxton’s corpse] in such a way as to be shocking and offensive” by mutilating her body with a sharp instrument, cutting off a portion of at least one of her breasts and her nose, court documents show.
He also broke several of Paxton’s ligaments and bones to fit Paxton’s body in a stand-up freezer, where he kept the woman’s frozen corpse before removing it and hiding it beneath his bed, investigators said.
Finnegan and Dishman, who are facing charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and related counts, both admitted to the allegations following their arrest, according to warrants cited by WATE.
Finnegan, who was also charged with aggravated rape, was arraigned Friday. A judge set his bail at $1 million.
Bond was also set at $1 million for Dishman. Both she and Finnegan are due back in court Aug. 18, Oak Ridge Today reports.
Oak Ridge police responded to the couple’s home after getting a report of a homicide there. Paxton’s body was found early Thursday as a search warrant was executed.
Dishman had used bleach and other cleaning products to remove blood and bodily fluids from a living room and bedroom floor, as well as in a bathroom shower, where she tried to scrub Paxton’s body of evidence, warrants show.
An online fundraiser set up to offset Paxton’s funeral costs had eclipsed $500 as of early Tuesday.
“Jennifer was brutally murdered, and tortured at such a young age,” the website reads. “Nobody in the world deserves what happened to her. Her mother is not in any shape to pay for it all. Please find it in your hearts to help this beautiful woman and her family give her the send-off she deserves.”