newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Nancy Pelosi must apologize for salon violations and stop treating Americans as idiots

It ’ s “ hair-esy.
” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got her hair done ...

Just quit it, Madam Speaker: This “I was framed” stuff isn’t flying. You, Nancy Pelosi, have been insistent that everyone needs to comply with pandemic restrictions, which makes your salon visit the rankest of hypocrisy.
Businesses across America are at, or over, death’s edge because of the politicians’ rules. The least that you and other leaders can do is comply.
San Francisco salons weren’t even allowed to offer outdoor service until Tuesday. How is anyone supposed to believe you really thought there was some exception that kosherized your indoor visit on Monday?
The city also requires masks whenever social distancing is impossible, which clearly covers your unmasked stroll through the salon premises after your wash.
Yes, your stylist now backs up your story: She wants to keep working in lefty ’Frisco, after all. (The salon owner, who released the damning security tape, expects she’ll have to leave town after all the threats on her life and business.)
Lots of people will understand: After months of lockdown, you wanted to get out for a minor indulgence. Lots of people are cheating, and you didn’t think anyone else would ever know.
But you got caught, and with no real excuse. And rather than offer an apology to the public, you’re demanding one. It doesn’t get more imperious.
Stop trying to play the victim: Admit you did wrong, and then help the rest of us go back to having salon services and indoor dining and in-person school, legally.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Longtime fans missing the in-person US Open experience

The most jarring difference comes while driving in the car , ...

Mark Kaufman and Ned Dorman each saw their 58-year streaks broken during this fan-less U.S. Open fortnight.
Kaufman, a former Cornell tennis player, and Dorman have attended every year since 1962. They don’t know each other, but have something in common, along with more than a dozen other Open diehards. They all have seen their Open streaks of more than 40 years busted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Looking at the bright side, Kauffman said he has saved $36,000 — not including gas. In another moment, he became despondent, as it was the No. 1 family outing of his life.
“It sucks,’’ Kaufman told The Post. “One of the annual things in your life. It’s like missing Thanksgiving. You go with the same friends — some who would fly in.’’
Kaufman, who just turned 70 and grew up blocks from Ebbets Field, turned into a tennis nut. When the Open moved from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows in 1978, he bought a box that seats six and paid $1,800. After two seat upgrades, Kaufman, a manufacturer of “terry towels,” renewed his box in 2019 for $36,000.
Now Kaufman is watching the Open on ESPN for free — and still enjoying it. The Post reported ESPN is situating its cameras in lower spots because of the empty seats.
“Tennis more than any other sport is able to show angles we haven’t seen before on TV,’’ Kaufman said. “I wonder if some may wonder next season it’s better on TV’’
Dorman, who attended Game 7 of the Knicks-Lakers NBA Finals in 1970, can emphatically say it is not better. ESPN’s ratings are down 48 percent from last year’s Open.
“My immediate reaction was to call it off,’’ Dorman said. “We didn’t have Wimbledon. Now that it’s on, I’m watching and I’m into it, but I’m trying to work my way into the tournament. It doesn’t feel right. It feels funny. It’s weird.
“What I love about the Open more than anything — and I’ve been to Wimbledon and Australian Open — they are special but nobody has the energy of the Open and karma of the night crowd. I miss that. To hear a couple of people clapping, I’m struggling with it. I’m not sure it was the right thing.’’
The first baby steps of his daughter, Maddy, were taken 36 years ago at the 1984 Open and she has gone every year since.
“It’s part of my life,’’ Dorman said. “On the other hand it’s COVID and you don’t mess around. They made the right call. We need to be vigilant to kill this thing. It’s still tennis matches, not life.’’
Daniel Prine has attended the Open since the 1960s and has been an usher in the President’s Box at Arthur Ashe Stadium since 1998 — annually dealing with celebrities of all types, political figures, athletes, Fortune 500 executives, even astronauts.
It’s not only the fans that are missing, but several hundred ushers a day. Prine once had to tell Mike Tyson he didn’t have a box seat for his daughter — and lived to tell about it.
Prine would work 200 hours during the tournament — doing day and night sessions. In the box he once hooked up former Braves teammates Hank Aaron and Joe Torre, who hadn’t seen each other in dozens of years.
“It’s strange not being there,’’ Prine said. “I am enjoying the tournament coverage on TV though. I can turn off the blow out matches. I can’t do that at the stadium.’’
Wendy Grant hasn’t turned off a match yet despite her 47-year Open streak ending.
“I have been going to the U.S. Open my whole life,’’ said Grant, who attended her first Open at Forest Hills in 1973. “I look forward to the Open as a summer highlight every year. It’s like a home coming — seeing a lot of the same ticketholders faces and catching up. While I have been glued to the television watching each and every match, it’s disappointing to not be there. I understand and appreciate the protocols in place. I just hope that things will get back to normal for next year’s event.’’


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Bill de Blasio’s still chasing an insane, squalid NYC school bus deal

For all their claims to be desperate for cash , City Hall and the Department of Education are still looking to buy a yellow bus company .
It ’ s nuts — and squalid .
Yes , squalid : Post reporting IDs the company as Reliant Transportation , whose owner is one of Mayor Bill de Blasio ’ s donors and which has long gotten favorable treatment .
The mayor not only has a hiring freeze on , he ’ s on the verge of laying off 22,000 city workers — yet he ’ s looking to add 1,800 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million pension liability .
Meanwhile , the DOE still hasn ’ t finalized the contracts to transport vulnerable special-needs kids — barely a week before school was to start .
( Was the realization that the DOE needed to settle a whole host of bus issues a secret reason the mayor agreed to delay reopening ? )
Chancellor Richard Carranza , with typical incompetence , has gone through three heads of the Office of Pupil Transportation .
Last year , he canned Alexandra Robinson for mismanaging a $ 9 million project to outfit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a scoop by The Post ’ s Susan Edelman to get the DOE to cancel bus contracts , weeks after the pandemic closed all schools .
And now the city ’ s still chasing the Reliant deal , which apparently aims to give the DOE its own bus fleet to transport special-needs students .
To escape scrutiny by the City Council and comptroller , City Hall aims to do the deal via the Economic Development Corp. — which is supposed to be fostering new jobs , not adding existing ones to the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the contracting process .

For all their claims to be desperate for cash, City Hall and the Department of Education are still looking to buy a yellow bus company. It’s nuts — and squalid.
Yes, squalid: Post reporting IDs the company as Reliant Transportation, whose owner is one of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s donors and which has long gotten favorable treatment.
The mayor not only has a hiring freeze on, he’s on the verge of laying off 22,000 city workers — yet he’s looking to add 1,800 new employees, plus an estimated $150 million pension liability.
Meanwhile, the DOE still hasn’t finalized the contracts to transport vulnerable special-needs kids — barely a week before school was to start. (Was the realization that the DOE needed to settle a whole host of bus issues a secret reason the mayor agreed to delay reopening?)
Chancellor Richard Carranza, with typical incompetence, has gone through three heads of the Office of Pupil Transportation.
Last year, he canned Alexandra Robinson for mismanaging a $9 million project to outfit 6,000 buses with GPS-trackers. It took a scoop by The Post’s Susan Edelman to get the DOE to cancel bus contracts, weeks after the pandemic closed all schools.
And now the city’s still chasing the Reliant deal, which apparently aims to give the DOE its own bus fleet to transport special-needs students. To escape scrutiny by the City Council and comptroller, City Hall aims to do the deal via the Economic Development Corp. — which is supposed to be fostering new jobs, not adding existing ones to the city’s payroll in a clear abuse of the contracting process.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Yankees need extra innings to get past lowly Orioles

BALTIMORE — With the Yankees preparing to continue their dominance ...

BALTIMORE — To a lot of people, including the fraternity of self-loathing Yankees fans, the outcome of the first game of a Friday night doubleheader didn’t mean much.
After all, the Yankees had beaten the brutally bad Orioles 18 consecutive games and even with stars on the injured list the Yankees had a big advantage in talent.
Still, when a team is scuffling as badly as the Yankees have been lately, they were in no position to take anybody wearing a big league uniform lightly. Even if it has “Orioles’’ scripted across the front.
And it is not like the Yankees punished a very poor Baltimore pitching staff or that Mike King turned the Birds’ bats to dust.
Yet a 6-5 win in nine innings at Camden Yards over a very bad team might look like spam to some, but it tasted like filet mignon to the Yankees who had lost 10 of the previous 14 games and starting a seven-game road trip that includes three in Buffalo against the plucky Jays who started Friday night’s action tied with the Yankees for second place in the AL East and five games behind the first-place Rays.
Elevated from the alternate site in Moosic, Pa., to take Gio Urshela’s place, Miguel Andujar delivered an RBI single in the ninth that broke a 4-4 tie and Clint Frazier added a run-scoring single for a two-run advantage.
With Zack Britton pitching the sixth and Aroldis Chapman the seventh, Aaron Boone chose Chad Green to work the ninth. The runner who opened the inning on second and scored on a ground ball double play but Green recorded the final out for the save.
Two of the Yankees’ coldest hitters played a part in the victory. Gary Sanchez homered in the second and Brett Gardner hit a two-run single to highlight a three-run third.
King didn’t let a leadoff homer in the first to Cedric Mullins rattle him. He also gave up a two-run home run to Rio Ruiz in the fourth. In four innings King allowed three runs and four hits.
Ben Heller, who was ejected in his previous outing when the umpires wrongly ruled he hit the Rays Hunter Renfroe on purpose this past Wednesday, replaced King. Heller retired the first two batters before Renato Nunez turned a 0-2 pitch into a home run to center that tied the score, 4-4.
After Heller walked Chance Sisco, pitching coach Matt Blake visited the mound before Hanser Alberto grounding out to third.
With a pitch count of 56 through three frames, King took the mound to start the bottom of the fourth with a 4-1 lead that quickly turned into a one-run cushion.
Alberto opened with a single to center and Renato Nunez hit a towering two-run homer to right that made it 4-3. As quickly as the Orioles pulled within a run, King retired the next two Orioles to preserve the lead.
In his third start of the year, King was handed a 4-1 lead via a three-run third and quickly put it in jeopardy by walking Anthony Santander and hitting Jose Iglesias with a 1-2 pitch and one out. King was a pitch away from loading the bases but struck out Nunez with a 3-2 curveball. King stranded two by getting Sisco on a harmless fly to left.
Tyler Wade started the third inning by reaching on Nunez’s fielding error at first base. Wade immediately stole second and moved to third on DJ LeMahieu’s bloop single to center. A walk to Luke Voit loaded the bases for Gardner, who Boone had batted third despite his .177 average.
Gardner made the move look very smart when he whistled a two-run single up the middle off Thomas Eshelman that scored Wade and LeMahieu. A walk to Clint Frazier reloaded the bases for Mike Ford, who flied out to left.
With the bases full and the Yankees leading, 3-1, right-hander Branden Kline surfaced from the Orioles’ bullpen to face Sanchez, who had homered in the second.
Kline got Sanchez to miss a two-strike fastball clocked at 96-mph for the second out and forced in a run when he walked the frigid Mike Tauchman on a 3-2 count that hiked the Yankees’ lead to 4-1. Tauchman opened the game in a 4-for-34 (.118) slide in his previous 13 games, in which he didn’t homer and drove in one run.
Sanchez started the first game of the doubleheader with 12 hits in 92 at-bats, which calculated to a horrifying .130 batting average. Worse the right-handed hitting catcher had whiffed 41 times.
If there were a bright spot in Sanchez’s season, it was that six of those hits were home runs.
With the Yankees trailing, 1-0, in the second inning Sanchez crushed a two-out, bases-empty homer deep into the left-field seats off Eshelman that matched Mullins opening the home first with a homer off King.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Jessica Krug won’t teach at George Washington University this semester

Jessica Krug , the white college professor who faked being black , ...

The disgraced African history professor who lied about being black will not teach this semester at George Washington University, school officials announced Friday — as her fellow faculty members urged she leave for good.
Jessica Krug’s colleagues said they “are shocked and appalled” by her lying about her identity.
“She has betrayed the trust of countless current and former students, fellow scholars of Africana Studies, colleagues in our department and throughout the historical discipline, as well as community activists in New York City and beyond,” the university’s history department said in a joint statement.
“The discipline of history is concerned with truth telling about the past,” the statement said.
“With her conduct, Dr. Krug has raised questions about the veracity of her own research and teaching.”
The statement ends with Krug’s colleagues calling on her to resign.
“Failing that, the department recommends the rescinding of her tenure and the termination of her appointment,” it concludes.
Krug had admitted in a Medium post on Thursday that she had lied about her blackness and was actually white and Jewish.
“Many of you understandably have many questions in the wake of the Medium post by GW faculty member Jessica Krug,” the University said in a statement.
“While the university reviews this situation, Dr. Krug will not be teaching her classes this semester,” the statement said.
Krug’s fate remains unclear at the university, where she has taught an introductory-level history class and advanced courses on African studies.
“We are working on developing a number of options for students in those classes, which will be communicated to affected students as soon as possible,” said the statement, which was signed by M. Brian Blake, the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, and Paul Wahlbeck, the dean of the school’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
“We want to acknowledge the pain this situation has caused for many in our community and recognize that many students, faculty, staff and alumni are hurting,” they said.
Krug, 38, had outted herself as a “culture leech” in her Medium post, which was titled “The Truth, and the Anti-Black Violence of My Lies.”
“For the better part of my adult life, every move I’ve made, every relationship I’ve formed, has been rooted in the napalm toxic soil of lies,” she wrote, adding that she has taken on several different racial identities over the years.
“To an escalating degree over my adult life, I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in suburban Kansas City under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness,” she went on.
“I have built my life on a violent anti-Black lie, and I have lied in every breath I have taken.”
Students at the university expressed outrage over the announcement, with some going as far to say they would like to be reimbursed for their classes they took with Krug.
“In my ‘Afro Latinx History’ class, Jessica Krug discussed dynamics of white scholars engaging in black studies,” wrote Lena Haime on Twitter. “She really had the audacity pull up an image of the white woman who won an award over her, illustrating how black scholars are often overlooked in the academy. LOL.”
Some praised George Washington for acting quickly, but others felt the university had not gone far enough.
“Another day, another WEAK ASS pathetic response from this university,” one complained on Twitter.
“Basically she’s not fired… at least not for now,” wrote Rebecca Enonchong.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Tiffany Haddish reveals she contracted COVID-19

In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel on Aug. 31 , actor Tiffany Haddish opened up about her experience with COVID-19 and interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci about how the virus specifically affects the Black community .
Haddish said that she had the coronavirus around three months ago after two people she had been in contact with contracted it .
“ I was working on a movie , and someone in the movie contracted coronavirus , right ?
I wasn ’ t in direct contact with them , but they sent all of us home and stopped the movie .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested .
I went and got tested , got the results two days later , they said I did not have the coronavirus , ” Haddish said .
“ Then someone else I know who was around the week before , they contracted the coronavirus and so I went and got tested again… Anyway , I get the test , I ’ m not feeling any symptoms or anything , it comes back two days later and they say I did have the virus.
” After she felt better , Haddish got tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had them .
But , when she got tested again , they had disappeared .
Fauci , who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 , encouraged Haddish that she did the right thing by getting tested often and quarantining in her household once she found out she was sick .
“ The most important thing is that you have the societal responsibility not to be propagating the outbreak , ” Fauci said .
“ To be part of the solution , not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the disparity in COVID-19 infections within minority communities , and how the virus can take a greater toll on Black and Latinx people .
“ Not only do they have a greater chance of getting infected , because they usually – not always , it ’ s dangerous to generalize – but people know they usually have jobs that don ’ t allow them to talk to a computer .
They ’ re out on the front lines , doing the manual labor jobs that require interaction with people , ” Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the African American and Latinx population… they have a much greater likelihood of having the underlying conditions that means that when you do get infected , you likely would have a serious outcome.
” In order to prevent contracting the virus , Fauci said that physically distancing oneself from others not in their household is still the best way to go , and commented on its political implications .
“ The thing that we ’ re facing that is unfortunate is the divisiveness in our society is making it almost a political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trying to do public health things is the enemy of opening the country , that ’ s nonsense .
We should use the public health measures as a vehicle and as a pathway to safely reopening the country .
”

In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel on Aug. 31, actor Tiffany Haddish opened up about her experience with COVID-19 and interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci about how the virus specifically affects the Black community.
Haddish said that she had the coronavirus around three months ago after two people she had been in contact with contracted it.
“I was working on a movie, and someone in the movie contracted coronavirus, right? I wasn’t in direct contact with them, but they sent all of us home and stopped the movie. Then they suggested that I go get tested. I went and got tested, got the results two days later, they said I did not have the coronavirus,” Haddish said. “Then someone else I know who was around the week before, they contracted the coronavirus and so I went and got tested again… Anyway, I get the test, I’m not feeling any symptoms or anything, it comes back two days later and they say I did have the virus.”
After she felt better, Haddish got tested for the antibodies and was told she had them. But, when she got tested again, they had disappeared.
“I’ve been tested 12 times now,” Haddish said.
Fauci, who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, encouraged Haddish that she did the right thing by getting tested often and quarantining in her household once she found out she was sick.
“The most important thing is that you have the societal responsibility not to be propagating the outbreak,” Fauci said. “To be part of the solution, not the problem.”
Fauci and Haddish also spoke about the disparity in COVID-19 infections within minority communities, and how the virus can take a greater toll on Black and Latinx people.
“Not only do they have a greater chance of getting infected, because they usually – not always, it’s dangerous to generalize – but people know they usually have jobs that don’t allow them to talk to a computer. They’re out on the front lines, doing the manual labor jobs that require interaction with people,” Fauci said. “Then when you look at the African American and Latinx population… they have a much greater likelihood of having the underlying conditions that means that when you do get infected, you likely would have a serious outcome.”
In order to prevent contracting the virus, Fauci said that physically distancing oneself from others not in their household is still the best way to go, and commented on its political implications.
“The thing that we’re facing that is unfortunate is the divisiveness in our society is making it almost a political thing,” Fauci said. “Trying to do public health things is the enemy of opening the country, that’s nonsense. We should use the public health measures as a vehicle and as a pathway to safely reopening the country.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Mississippi AG drops charges against black man tried 6 times in same murder case

The US Supreme Court on Friday threw out the 2010 ...

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Friday dropped the charges against Curtis Flowers, a black man tried six times for the same 1996 quadruple murder — and always by the same white prosecutor.
“It is in the interest of justice that the State will not seek an unprecedented seventh trial of Mr. Flowers,” Fitch’s order states, according to WLBT, one of several outlets reporting that Flowers is at long last off the hook.
Flowers — whose case was the subject of the second season of the award-winning “In the Dark” podcast — was elated.
“Today is a great day!” the 50-year-old wrote in a statement obtained by the Clarion Ledger.
“I am finally free from the injustice that left me locked in a box for nearly 23 years.
“I’ve been asked if I ever thought this day would come. I have been blessed with a family that never gave up on me and with them by my side, I knew it would,” he said.
Flowers was accused of murdering four people at a furniture store and had been jailed for more than 22 years.
He was allowed to walk free on bond in December 2019 after the Supreme Court overturned his sixth conviction.
In the 7-2 ruling, the court had found that the prosecutor, Fifth Circuit District Attorney Doug Evans, unconstitutionally kept African Americans off the jury.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the court’s majority opinion, which ruled that prosecutors “engaged in dramatically disparate questioning of black and white prospective jurors” at Flowers’ sixth trial.
Flowers was found guilty in his first three trials, but those convictions were tossed out by Mississippi’s top court. His other two trials ended in hung juries.
Fitch on Friday filed the motion to dismiss Flowers’ case, in part, over a lack of witnesses, the Clarion Ledger reported. The AG’s office noted in court filings that the all the state’s key witnesses are either dead or have previously given conflicting statements.
One of Flowers’ attorneys, Rob McDuff, also expressed relief the case — which he said “never made sense” — came to end.
“This prosecution was flawed from the beginning and was tainted throughout by racial discrimination. It should never have occurred and lasted far too long, but we are glad it is finally over,” McDuff said in a statement to the Clarion Ledger.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler moves to escape protester violence — but businesses can’t

The Democratic mayor of Portland , Ore. is moving from his ...

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has told his neighbors that he’s moving out of their building, relieving everyone there of the need to put up with the regular demonstrations by the lefty mobs plaguing the city.
Nice for the other condo residents, and for Wheeler. Too bad for the small-business owners who are in the mob’s way and don’t have that option.
Not to mention the cops, correction officers and other civil servants stuck handling the months-long siege of the courthouse district, with zero support from a mayor who still seems more concerned for the tender feelings of the “peaceful protesters.”
Such as the 200-plus who Monday night set fires and broke windows in the 16-story building he’s called home since 2017. The gangs, who’ve hit the complex many times since June, dropped by this time to demand Wheeler’s resignation on his 58th birthday.
Yet the mayor opted to condemn a police officer who tackled one thug and hit him in the head. With no thought of what might have provoked the cop, Wheeler publicly denounced the anarchists and the officer alike for their “senseless violence.”
Then he emailed his neighbors that he was leaving, offering “sincere apologies for the damage to our home and the fear that you are experiencing due to my position.”
Meanwhile, businesses across the city, already hurting from losses during the pandemic, still must put up with the nightly violent demonstrations.
Downtown Portland is a mess each morning, with streets full of trash as well as glass from broken windows. Graffiti covers boarded-up shops as well as benches and other buildings. More and more tents are popping up everywhere, too — those out-of-town antifa and Black Lives Matter radicals have to sleep somewhere.
Helen Ying of the Old Town Community Association also cites increases in assaults, drug activity and human waste plaguing the area, The Oregonian reports, as well as more clearly mentally ill folks on the streets.
Sadly, Wheeler is the least pro-thug candidate in November’s election: Both his opponents are full-on defund-the-police loons.
New Yorkers: Your misery has company.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Tennessee trooper arrested after allegedly ripping man’s mask off — on camera

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn accused Democrats of trying to “ cancel ” ...

A Tennessee state trooper has been arrested after allegedly ripping the facemask off a man during a filmed confrontation just outside of the state capitol.
Trooper Harvey Briggs, 52, was booked by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office; he has been charged with assault and released on a $1,000 bond over the Aug. 10 incident.
Briggs was allegedly caught on camera pulling off the mask of Andrew Golden, who claims he was trying to film a traffic stop at the time when Briggs approached him.
A 22-year veteran at the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Briggs was fired on Aug. 14 for “unprofessional conduct” after Golden posted the video on Facebook, WKRN reported.
The video was taken at about 6:30 p.m., with Golden rolling his camera as he walked toward the car that was pulled over.
“Get back!” Briggs can reportedly be heard yelling off-camera to Golden.
“I’m filming and I’m on the f–king sidewalk,” he responded.
Briggs can be heard admonishing Golden for cursing as Golden repeats that’s he’s on a public sidewalk.
As the two continue to yell at each other, Briggs walks over and warns Golden not to “impede” the officers making the traffic stop.
“I’m not impeding them!” Golden responds.
Briggs then moves in to gets inches away from Golden.
“Do not impede them, you understand?” the trooper repeats.
After Golden points his camera toward Briggs’ identifying nametag, Briggs then rips off his facemask and throws it to the ground.
“What the f–k!? Golden yells.
“He just ripped the mask off my f–king face!”
Briggs dismisses him as a liar, saying, “C’mon. C’mon….I’m tired of you people making stuff up.”
“What do you mean, you people? I have it on film!” Golden answers.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security conducted an internal investigation and found Birggs had violated department policy, the Miami Herald reported.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--What it takes to preserve friendship amid deep divisions over politics and COVID-19

I am a member of a community of Catholics that ...

I have friends who think the pandemic is bunk. I have friends who mask and quarantine religiously. And they are friends with each other. It’s possible. What makes it possible is a lost virtue called affability.
One of the most deranged aspects of the pandemic has been the rifts it has caused in relationships, even close friendships. The media love to amplify stories of friends who drift apart, or even cut each other off, over beach vacations, masking habits or opinions of Dr. Anthony Fauci.
For some virus obsessives, a friend’s long weekend to a region with an uptick isn’t just a case of bad judgment but an assault on their conception of themselves — an act of war against their health-conscious, science-informed and expert-trusting tribe. The wrong vacation signals both personal betrayal and class treason.
This is the final step in the corrosion of our common life caused by identity politics. As all politics become subsumed by identity, we elevate every single thing we believe to a part of our identity. And we create tribes based on those political identities — tribes that zealously enforce their orthodoxies.
But when friendship can only withstand the barest of differences, like favorite colors and pizza toppings, then something is wrong. Community isn’t possible when we only tolerate unanimity, when we only want to be friends with slightly altered versions of ourselves.
Among my own politically diverse friends, it is precisely that we share things more important than politics that makes it all possible. First, we share something that transcends politics: a faith.
As Catholics, we can be secure in the knowledge that even if we differ about politics and plagues, we remain united by a supernatural bond — something that’s worth preserving even if we sometimes get on each other’s nerves.
Of course, not everyone has such a community of shared belief. Nearly as important to cohesion, though, is living out friendships in service. We form a real community, not just an identity-tribe, by living near one another, by asking for and offering help with groceries and home improvement and child care, by sharing life and death together, not just talking points and buzzwords.
When one couple suffered a miscarriage, we had them over to eat, to talk and simply to be together. And when they buried their baby, every child in the group old enough to wield a trowel tossed earth on the casket. It’s harder to fall out over politics when you’ve shared an experience like that.
There is a word for this virtue of getting along: affability. And it’s a real virtue, not an inborn personality trait. It can be practiced and improved and is available to everyone.
Affability is about treating others with goodwill not only when their views are in accord with ours, but precisely when they aren’t. It’s about the wisdom of knowing the difference between the conflicts that should be discussed (or simply left alone) in good humor, those that require a serious conversation and those that really are worth putting everything on the line for.
I have had serious, even tense conversations with my friends about the pandemic. I think some of their views are outright dangerous, and I have said so. Sometimes, I think they are a little nutty, and I am sure they think the same of me.
Then those same people bring us a casserole, or host a board-game night, or pray for us when misfortune strikes. And we are reminded that service and friendship give our lives much more meaning than political identities ever could.
Affability, then, is a political virtue. It puts the lie to the strictest identity politics and makes organizing our common life possible, without every difference ending in rupture.
The collapse of affability, especially among those who would consider themselves fit to rule, is no small matter. It demonstrates an inability even to desire sharing a community — or a nation — with those who differ from the tribe’s orthodoxies.
And it shows how modern liberal politics, in replacing communities defined by service with communities defined by identity, undermines the very virtues that liberalism claims to foster.
The future will belong to civilizations that can work together for the common good. And that starts with simply getting along. It starts with affability.
Brandon McGinley is the author of “The Prodigal Church: Restoring Catholic Tradition in an Age of Deception.”
Twitter: @BrandonMcG


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Never forget Kamala Harris’ cruel lies in the Kavanaugh confirmation fight

President Trump on Tuesday attacked Kamala Harris for being `` extraordinarily ...

When Joe Biden announced that Sen. Kamala Harris would be his running mate, The New York Times called her a “pragmatic moderate.” In fact, she’s not at all moderate and is “pragmatic” only in the sense that cynics sometimes ascribe to shameless opportunists.
Considering that Biden, while chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas hearings, helped pioneer the transformation of Supreme Court nominations into hyper-politicized, slander-laden circuses, his running mate’s actual record should come as no surprise.
Harris was a ringleader in the circus surrounding Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination two years ago. Remember that? She may prefer you forget.
Two years ago today, during his initial hearing, Harris tried to steal the show with a bizarre series of “gotcha” questions asking if he’d ever had a discussion about Robert Mueller’s investigation of the Trump campaign with any employees of the law firm Kasowitz, Benson & Torres.
Kavanaugh appeared to have no idea what she was talking about, but he was astute to the Democrats’ tactic of setting perjury traps that would lead him into making inconsistent statements that could later be spun as lies.
Harris’ tactics would not have been permitted in a courtroom. As it turned out, both Kavanaugh and the law firm denied any such conversations, and Harris said nothing more on the subject. A San Francisco Chronicle headline reported: “Kamala Harris’ viral grilling of Kavanaugh ends with a thud.” But she had gotten what she was looking for — a “viral moment” for social media — even though she later would be mocked for pursuing such viral moments indiscriminately.
That was the sideshow before the main circus event. Only two days after Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations were made public, Harris declared, “I believe her.” Others then lobbed seemingly defamatory accusations at Kavanaugh, including an anonymous, undated letter that Harris’ office forwarded to the Judiciary Committee alleging Kavanaugh had raped a woman in a car.
When it came time for the committee to vote, Harris staged a walkout and went to a press conference. Not only had she presumed Kavanaugh guilty, she had concluded it from the outset and would not budge. For her, even a full committee hearing and an extra FBI investigation were not enough to dismiss unsubstantiated sexual-assault allegations against a public figure.
Of course, Harris’ concerns were all politics. She blanketed Facebook with thousands of ads fundraising off the Kavanaugh nomination, surpassing every other senator. She was not up for re-election but looking ahead to a presidential run.
As a presidential candidate, she was willing, briefly, to side with women making allegations against a Democrat — as long as it was a Democrat against whom she was running. When Tara Reade and other women claimed Joe Biden touched them inappropriately in various contexts, she initially said she believed them.
At the time, she was running against Biden. But when Reade’s more serious allegations were revealed a year later, at which time Harris had already become a top vice-presidential contender, she said she believed Biden. And all of a sudden, no more investigation was needed — the polar opposite of her position on Kavanaugh. Harris was one of the first of many Democratic women for whom political interests had overridden a previous insistence on believing all women.
Harris and Biden are now a walking double standard. She hasn’t completed a single term in the Senate, but her fast track to be on the Democratic Party’s national ticket was facilitated by her prioritizing opportunism over principle.
After taking up Biden’s mantle of politicizing the judiciary in the Senate, there is now discussion of Harris playing a prominent role in judicial selection if the two are elected. At least her vicious tactics against political targets while a member of the party out of power in the Senate did not succeed. It’s frightening to think what she might get away with as vice president.
Carrie Campbell Severino is president of the Judicial Crisis Network.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Tesla stock sinks after failing to make S&P 500

Shares of Tesla dropped nearly 7 percent in extended trade Friday after the electric-car maker was excluded from a list of companies being added to the S & P 500 .
The decision by S & P Dow Jones Indices is a blow to Tesla investors who widely expected the company to join the benchmark stock index after a blockbuster quarterly report in July cleared a major hurdle for its potential inclusion .
S & P Dow Jones Indices said in statement it was adding online craft seller Etsy , semiconductor equipment maker Teradyne and pharmaceutical technology company Catalent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sept. 21 , and removing H & R Block , Coty and Kohls .
Shares of Etsy jumped 6 percent in extended trade , Teradyne rose 2 percent , and Catalent added 2 percent .
With a market capitalization over $ 300 billion , Tesla is one of the most valuable companies on Wall Street , and by far the most valuable publicly listed US company not included in the S & P 500 .
Due to its large stock market value , adding Tesla to the S & P 500 would trigger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funds that track the benchmark would have to bring their portfolios into line .

Shares of Tesla dropped nearly 7 percent in extended trade Friday after the electric-car maker was excluded from a list of companies being added to the S&P 500.
The decision by S&P Dow Jones Indices is a blow to Tesla investors who widely expected the company to join the benchmark stock index after a blockbuster quarterly report in July cleared a major hurdle for its potential inclusion.
S&P Dow Jones Indices said in statement it was adding online craft seller Etsy, semiconductor equipment maker Teradyne and pharmaceutical technology company Catalent to the S&P 500, effective Sept. 21, and removing H&R Block, Coty and Kohls.
Shares of Etsy jumped 6 percent in extended trade, Teradyne rose 2 percent, and Catalent added 2 percent.
With a market capitalization over $300 billion, Tesla is one of the most valuable companies on Wall Street, and by far the most valuable publicly listed US company not included in the S&P 500.
Due to its large stock market value, adding Tesla to the S&P 500 would trigger massive demand for its shares because index funds that track the benchmark would have to bring their portfolios into line.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Naomi Campbell sued for millions by billionaire ex Vladislav Doronin

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) In court documents obtained by TMZ , Doronin — who dated Campbell from 2008-2013 — alleges that his supermodel ex is refusing to pay back a sum he loaned her over the years , though the exact amount remains unclear .
He also claims she ’ s still holding on to some unspecified belongings of his , worth in excess of $ 3 million .
Doronin earned his fortune as an international real estate developer and is the owner and chairman of Aman Resorts .
While they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — as one does — to yacht trips and getaways to his private home on Cleopatra Island in Turkey .
It was recently revealed that another man from Campbell ’ s past — alleged “ fling ” Mike Tyson — may have pushed the runway diva out of his vehicle .
“ I think Mike pushed you out of a moving car one night … I think you gave somebody your number and he lost his head , ” comedian Chris Rock told Campbell during a YouTube chat .
Campbell quipped : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that pushed him ?
That ’ s if I even got in the car with him … It ’ s a good thing we ’ re all grown-ups today and we ’ re family … It ’ s nice to see him blossom.
” She added , “ Those were fun times in New York … can never go back to those .
”

Billionaire businessman Vladislav Doronin has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against ex-girlfriend Naomi Campbell.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, Doronin — who dated Campbell from 2008 to 2013 — alleges that his supermodel ex is refusing to pay back a sum he loaned her over the years, though the exact amount remains unclear. He also claims she’s still holding on to some unspecified belongings of his, worth in excess of $3 million.
Doronin earned his fortune as an international real estate developer and is the owner and chairman of Aman Resorts. While they were dating, he frequently treated Campbell — as one does — to yacht trips and getaways to his private home on Cleopatra Island in Turkey.
It was recently revealed that another man from Campbell’s past — alleged “fling” Mike Tyson — may have pushed the runway diva out of his vehicle.
“I think Mike pushed you out of a moving car one night … I think you gave somebody your number and he lost his head,” comedian Chris Rock told Campbell during a YouTube chat.
Campbell quipped: “You sure it wasn’t me that pushed him? That’s if I even got in the car with him … It’s a good thing we’re all grown-ups today and we’re family … It’s nice to see him blossom.”
She added, “Those were fun times in New York … can never go back to those.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--BLM protesters attacked car that plowed through Times Square crowd, passenger says

A woman who was accused of defacing a “ Black Lives Matter ” street painting was in the car that plowed through a group of protesters in Times Square — and claimed Friday that the driver was merely trying to get her and others “ to safety.
” Juliet Germanotta , 39 , told the “ Freedom News ” website that she and several pals went to “ counter-protest ” at the Crossroads of the World on Thursday and were confronted by hundreds of demonstrators who “ started verbally harassing and taunting us.
” Germanotta and her friends made their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car and got in , she said , but the protesters were “ trying to open the car , hitting the car.
” “ I heard something really heavy hit the car and that ’ s when we just went , ” she told the site .
“ The driver then drove through to try to get us to safety.
” Germanotta said her group “ did not know that our lives were going to be put in jeopardy.
” “ I literally saw my life flash in front of me , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to die last night.
” She added : “ Black lives do matter , but I say all lives matter and it ’ s so scary to see what ’ s going on that people want to hurt someone because they are more conservative.
” Cops have interviewed the driver and everyone else in the car , but no charges have been filed , law enforcement sources said .
Earlier Friday , Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said authorities needed to interview people on both sides before determining if any crimes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have nobody that came forward that is saying they were injured or that will cooperate but we are asking anyone , ” the city ’ s top cop told Fox 5 .
Germanotta , who described herself as a transgender woman “ livin ’ with the AIDS , ” was busted last month for allegedly splashing blue paint over the giant yellow lettering in support of Black Lives Matter on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower .
Court records in that case are sealed and it ’ s unclear how it was @ @

Craig McCarthy, Larry Celona, Bruce Golding

A woman who was accused of defacing a “Black Lives Matter” street painting was in the car that plowed through a group of protesters in Times Square — and claimed Friday that the driver was merely trying to get her and others “to safety.”
Juliet Germanotta, 39, told the “Freedom News” website that she and several pals went to “counter-protest” at the Crossroads of the World on Thursday and were confronted by hundreds of demonstrators who “started verbally harassing and taunting us.”
Germanotta and her friends made their back way to one person’s car and got in, she said, but the protesters were “trying to open the car, hitting the car.”
“I heard something really heavy hit the car and that’s when we just went,” she told the site.
“The driver then drove through to try to get us to safety.”
Germanotta said her group “did not know that our lives were going to be put in jeopardy.”
“I literally saw my life flash in front of me,” she said.
“I thought I was going to die last night.”
She added: “Black lives do matter, but I say all lives matter and it’s so scary to see what’s going on that people want to hurt someone because they are more conservative.”
Cops have interviewed the driver and everyone else in the car, but no charges have been filed, law enforcement sources said.
Earlier Friday, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said authorities needed to interview people on both sides before determining if any crimes were committed.
“Right now, we have nobody that came forward that is saying they were injured or that will cooperate but we are asking anyone,” the city’s top cop told Fox 5.
Germanotta, who described herself as a transgender woman “livin’ with the AIDS,” was busted last month for allegedly splashing blue paint over the giant yellow lettering in support of Black Lives Matter on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower.
Court records in that case are sealed and it’s unclear how it was resolved.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Trump suggests using leftover $300B in COVID relief funds for stimulus checks

President Trump on Friday urged Congress to approve stimulus checks to Americans by redirecting $ 300 billion in unused coronavirus pandemic relief funds .
Trump said at a White House press briefing that he considered redirecting the funds unilaterally , but prefers for Congress to approve the idea .
“ We have $ 300 billion ready to go , all Congress has to do is say , ‘ Use it.
’ I ’ d like to use it without their permission but I guess I ’ m not allowed , ” Trump said .
Trump called on Democrats in Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for him to redirect the funds .
A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post .
Trump did not identify the exact funding source , but apparently was referring to unused business loan money approved in March in the $ 2 trillion CARES Act .
Trump floated the idea amid gridlock on new COVID-19 relief legislation that would send another round of $ 1,200 checks to most Americans .
Both sides agree on more checks , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local governments should receive .
Democrats and Republicans also disagree on how large a federal unemployment insurance supplement should be — leaving workers with nothing , though Trump last month signed an executive order allowing a $ 400 weekly boost if states chip in $ 100 .
Republican leaders want to peg unemployment checks to 70 percent of pre-pandemic pay , but Democrats want to revive an expired $ 600-a-week boost that in some cases resulted in workers earning more than they did before COVID-19 left them jobless .
Other Trump executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on evictions during the pandemic , proposed a temporary payroll tax cut and extended deferral of college loan payments .
New government job data released Friday showed the US economy added 1.4 million jobs last month in the latest sign that the nation ’ s recovery from the pandemic .
The jobless rate fell to 8.4 percent in August , down from 10.2 percent in July .

President Trump on Friday urged Congress to approve stimulus checks to Americans by redirecting $300 billion in unused coronavirus pandemic relief funds.
Trump said at a White House press briefing that he considered redirecting the funds unilaterally, but prefers for Congress to approve the idea.
“We have $300 billion ready to go, all Congress has to do is say, ‘Use it.’ I’d like to use it without their permission but I guess I’m not allowed,” Trump said.
“We’re willing to spend it, I’d like to get approval from Congress. There’s a theory that I don’t have to do that, but I’d rather be up front and I’d like to get approval from Congress.”
Trump called on Democrats in Congress to issue a “one sentence approval” for him to redirect the funds.
A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
Trump did not identify the exact funding source, but apparently was referring to unused business loan money approved in March in the $2 trillion CARES Act.
Trump floated the idea amid gridlock on new COVID-19 relief legislation that would send another round of $1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans.
Both sides agree on more stimulus checks, but they disagree strongly on how much money state and local governments should receive.
Democrats and Republicans also disagree on how large a federal unemployment insurance supplement should be — leaving workers with nothing, though Trump last month signed an executive order allowing a $400 weekly boost if states chip in $100.
Republican leaders want to peg unemployment checks to 70 percent of pre-pandemic pay, but Democrats want to revive an expired $600-a-week boost that in some cases resulted in workers earning more than they did before COVID-19 left them jobless.
Other Trump executive orders last month resurrected a federal ban on evictions during the pandemic, proposed a temporary payroll tax cut and extended deferral of college loan payments.
New government job data released Friday showed the US economy added 1.4 million jobs last month in the latest sign that the nation’s recovery from the pandemic.
The jobless rate fell to 8.4 percent in August, down from 10.2 percent in July.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Breaking down where Giants stand as cut-down day nears

John Mara was a young man when the Giants hit ...

It is never easy to trim a roster from 90 to 53. This summer, the task is to go from 80 to 53 then figure out how to fill an expanded 16-player practice squad that can be comprised with as many as 10 veterans.
The good news for the Giants on Friday: Defensive back Logan Ryan passed through his COVID-19 testing and officially signed his contract. The bad news: Ryan took the roster spot that opened up when wide receiver David Sills was placed on injured reserve with a fractured right foot, ending his season. Sills, a member of the practice squad last season, made a strong push this summer for a spot on the team.
The Giants have plenty of decisions to make heading into Saturday’s cut-down day. Here is a position-by-position look at what figure to be the key roster decisions for head coach Joe Judge and the Giants to consider:
Quarterback: Daniel Jones and Colt McCoy are set. A third will likely be kept, and Cooper Rush, with knowledge of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s system, could get the nod over survivor Alex Tanney.
Running back: Breaking news: Saquon Barkley will make the team. Veteran pickup Dion Lewis had a strong camp and will be a valuable handyman in reserve. Wayne Gallman deserves to stick around or get traded to a team that will give him a shot. Does a fullback get to stay? If so, Eli Penny is the guy — unless someone who shakes loose around the league is more appealing.
Wide receiver: There are just three locks: Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton. As long as Corey Coleman proved he is healthy, he makes sense — especially with his value as a kick returner. Alex Bachman belongs, somewhere. He seems like a pain in the neck to cover. It’s a jump ball with Austin Mack and C.J. Board, though Board’s speed could be a deciding factor. Johnny Holton factors in here as a special teams guy. The season-ending injury to Sills takes one of the hopefuls out of the picture.
Tight end: Evan Engram is in and Kaden Smith should be, as well. Has veteran newcomer Levine Toilolo shown enough as a blocker to make it? Uncertain. Garrett Dickerson had a nice camp. Help from outside the organization could be forthcoming.
Offensive line: The starting unit is all set at guard with Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler. Rookie Andrew Thomas and Cam Fleming start at tackle and, most likely, Nick Gates in a new role at center. If Spencer Pulley is not fully healthy, perhaps newly returned Jon Halapio takes his spot. In reserve, rookies Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux should be safe. Does second-year Eric Smith stick as a reserve tackle option? Undrafted rookie Tyler Haycraft has some position versatility.
Defensive line: The starting trio is Leonard Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence. Solid group. After that it gets sticky. B.J. Hill did not flash much, if at all, this summer and the 2018 third-round pick needed to impress a new coaching staff. Austin Johnson has experience, Daylon Mack has girth. Chris Slayton has a chance.
Inside linebacker: Blake Martinez is a given. So, it appears, is Devante Downs, who worked a bunch with the starting unit. Ryan Connelly made a strong return from ACL surgery, and this staff will appreciate his instincts. Josiah Tauaefa is active. Practice squad for rookie seventh-round picks Tae Crowder or T.J. Brunson?
Outside linebacker: Lorenzo Carter, Kyler Fackrell, Oshane Ximines and Markus Golden are an intriguing group. Is there strength in numbers? In the rookie battle, Carter Coughlin seems to have the edge over Cam Brown but both could stay around.
Cornerback: This remains a rough area. After James Bradberry, there is, what, exactly? Corey Ballentine had an uneven camp, to be kind. Rookie Darnay Holmes looked as if he belonged right away, and the fourth-round pick factors in the rotation in the slot. No one else really rose to claim a job. Perhaps Grant Haley did enough. The trade for Isaac Yiadom, a former third-round pick of the Broncos, could pay dividends. Maybe practice squad for Jarren Willilams.
Safety: Jabrill Peppers was consistent all summer and looks primed for a big year. The loss of second-round pick Xavier McKinney for 10-12 weeks with a broken foot hurts, but should be mitigated somewhat by the late signing of Logan Ryan, a savvy veteran versatile enough to fill a variety of roles. Watch for Julian Love — his second NFL season promises to be a good one. Nate Ebner makes it but as a special teams ace. Sean Chandler has special teams value, as well.
Specialists: The Giants are set with kicker Graham Gano, punter Riley Dixon and new long snapper Casey Kreiter. Dixon is an ascending player. If Gano is fully healed from his injury issues, he provides power and talent.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Jessica Krug tried to hold flag-burning event in high school, ex-classmate says

Jessica Krug , the white college professor who faked being black , started out as a politically active student at one of Kansas City ’ s most prestigious schools and once tried to organize a flag-burning event , the mayor of Kansas City , a former classmate , told The Post on Friday .
“ I am very surprised that a Jewish girl I knew from Kansas City has gone [ on ] to be a purported black woman from The Bronx , ” said Mayor Quinton Lucas , who attended The Barstow School with Krug in the 1990s .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jewish .
We didn ’ t even have that many black people at my high school , ” Lucas , who is black , continued .
Krug outted herself as a race-faker in a viral Medium post Thursday , confessing she has been pretending to be black for years .
She ’ s a 2020 version of Rachel Dolezal , a white NAACP leader who was outed for pretending to be black in 2015 .
Lucas told The Post that he was in a political club with Krug and called her a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave a talk in an assembly about hosting a gay prom , which in the late 1990s , which in middle America , would have been very different for us , so I actually appreciated that , ” Lucas said .
She also tried to organize a flag-burning event , he said .
“ In no way knowing her back then would I have thought that she would be one who either passed or attempted to pass for black , ” Lucas said .
“ She was always what one would consider to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to go to this level of extreme to misrepresent who she is.
” Krug attended the pricey private school , which charges between $ 15,000 and $ 22,000 a year , from eighth to eleventh grade , but she didn ’ t graduate from the institution , a rep for Barstow confirmed .
The mayor said he was not “ angry ” over Krug ’ s choices and instead felt sorry for her .
“ If she felt she had to live that kind of lie , there must have been something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praying for her , ” Lucas said .
“ As someone who was from Kansas City , it makes me a bit sad because you can be woke and from Middle America .
You don ’ t have to make up that you ’ re from The Bronx and there is some unique African American experience that only exists in a place .
That black experience existed in her hometown , too .
… I don ’ t know why she felt the need to reject that.
” Krug was unable to be @ @ @ @

Jessica Krug, the white college professor who faked being black, started out as a politically active student at one of Kansas City’s most prestigious schools and once tried to organize a flag-burning event, the mayor of Kansas City, a former classmate, told The Post on Friday.
“I am very surprised that a Jewish girl I knew from Kansas City has gone [on] to be a purported black woman from The Bronx,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended The Barstow School with Krug in the 1990s.
“She identified fully as white and Jewish. We didn’t even have that many black people at my high school,” Lucas, who is black, continued.
Krug outted herself as a race-faker in a viral Medium post Thursday, confessing she has been pretending to be black for years. She’s a 2020 version of Rachel Dolezal, a white NAACP leader who was outed for pretending to be black in 2015.
Lucas told The Post that he was in a political club with Krug and called her a “pretty strident political participant.”
“She gave a talk in an assembly about hosting a gay prom, which in the late 1990s, which in middle America, would have been very different for us, so I actually appreciated that,” Lucas said.
She also tried to organize a flag-burning event, he said.
“In no way knowing her back then would I have thought that she would be one who either passed or attempted to pass for black,” Lucas said.
“She was always what one would consider to be an activist. I never knew her to go to this level of extreme to misrepresent who she is.”
Krug attended the pricey private school, which charges between $15,000 and $22,000 a year, from eighth to eleventh grade, but she didn’t graduate from the institution, a rep for Barstow confirmed.
The mayor said he was not “angry” over Krug’s choices and instead felt sorry for her.
“If she felt she had to live that kind of lie, there must have been something deeper going on … I’m praying for her,” Lucas said.
“As someone who was from Kansas City, it makes me a bit sad because you can be woke and from Middle America. You don’t have to make up that you’re from The Bronx and there is some unique African American experience that only exists in a place. That black experience existed in her hometown, too. … I don’t know why she felt the need to reject that.”
Krug was unable to be reached for comment.


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Fauci warns these 7 states are at risk for COVID-19 surge over Labor Day weekend

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic .
Residents of seven Midwest states need to be on high alert for catching COVID-19 over Labor Day weekend , Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned .
“ There are several states that are at risk for surging , namely North Dakota , South Dakota , Iowa , Arkansas , Missouri , Indiana , Illinois , ” Fauci , the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , told Bloomberg in an interview published Thursday .
“ Those states are starting to see an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing ; that is generally predictive that there ’ s going to be a problem.
” Illinois is currently the riskiest state with the most confirmed cases compared to the other six , John Hopkins University data shows .
There ’ s 241,704 confirmed cases in the Prairie State ; 96,854 in Indiana ; 89,639 in Missouri ; 67,692 in Iowa ; 63,081 in Arkansas ; 14,337 in South Dakota ; and 12,977 in North Dakota , Newsweek reported .
Aside from confirmed cases , Illinois also has the highest number of deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 8,324 , the outlet said .
Indiana comes in second with 3,332 deaths .
Fauci cautioned the numbers are troubling and a Labor Day weekend filled with large gatherings in these states could cause an uptick in cases , as have other holiday weekends .
He spoke with Vice President Mike Pence and several governors to warn them about the potential for a spike and to urge social distancing and mask wearing , Bloomberg reported .
“ If we ’ re careless about it , then we could wind up with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It really depends on how we behave as a country .
”

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Residents of seven Midwest states need to be on high alert for catching COVID-19 over Labor Day weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned.
“There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois,” Fauci, the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Bloomberg in an interview published Thursday.
“Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there’s going to be a problem.”
Illinois is currently the riskiest state with the most confirmed cases compared to the other six, John Hopkins University data shows. There’s 241,704 confirmed cases in the Prairie State; 96,854 in Indiana; 89,639 in Missouri; 67,692 in Iowa; 63,081 in Arkansas; 14,337 in South Dakota; and 12,977 in North Dakota, Newsweek reported.
Aside from confirmed cases, Illinois also has the highest number of deaths compared to the other states with at least 8,324, the outlet said.
Indiana comes in second with 3,332 deaths.
Fauci cautioned the numbers are troubling and a Labor Day weekend filled with large gatherings in these states could cause an uptick in cases, as have other holiday weekends. He spoke with Vice President Mike Pence and several governors to warn them about the potential for a spike and to urge social distancing and mask wearing, Bloomberg reported.
“If we’re careless about it, then we could wind up with a surge following Labor Day,” Fauci said. “It really depends on how we behave as a country.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-04--Here’s the coolest stuff to watch on Labor Day 2020

Barbecues and far-flung vacations might be iffy this Labor Day — but , luckily , TV can still take you on a journey from the comfort of your couch .
From old favorites to new releases and specials , here ’ s what to watch on the small screen on The Big Day .
The latest in Disney ’ s live-action adaptations of its classic cartoon films , this version of “ Mulan ” hews closer to the original Chinese folklore and cuts the animated version ’ s music numbers such as “ I ’ ll Make a Man Out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gritty war epic following a young girl ( Yifei Liu ) who disguises herself as a man to fight for her country so that her ill father doesn ’ t have to .
It has a premium fee of $ 29.99 if you want to watch it now , or you can wait until December and watch it at no extra cost to your regular Disney+ subscription .
Written , directed , and produced by auteur Charlie Kaufman ( “ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ” ) and based on a novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychological horror film follows an unnamed woman ( Jessie Buckley ) who considers breaking up with her boyfriend Jake ( Jesse Plemons ) amidst the backdrop of increasingly surreal events .
The latest entry in the animated “ Madagascar ” franchise follows animal pals Alex the lion , Marty the zebra , Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo when they were kids in the Central Park Zoo If you ’ re looking for your entertainment to be Labor Day-themed , this 2006 comedy follows Zack Bradley ( Dane Cook ) , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the employee of the month at the retail store in which he works .
“ Biography : The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne ” ( A & E , 9 p.m. ) All aboard the “ crazy train.
” This 2-hour special looks at the life and antics of rock icon Ozzy Osbourne , 71 , covering his childhood in poverty , his time in “ Black Sabbath , ” his solo career and his entry into fatherhood .
“ Devil ’ s Road : The True Story of Ed and Lorraine Warren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) This 2-hour special follows the couple who inspired the “ Conjuring ” horror films .
For over 50 years ( mostly in the 1970s and ’ 80s ) , the duo were paranormal investigators examining hauntings such as the real “ Amityville Horror ” house .
Their daughter and son-in-law , Judy and Tony Spera , appear in this special .
The season finale of “ The Bachelor ” recap series looks at Juan Pablo Galavis ’ stint in Season 18 , which aired in 2013 , to gear up for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Starring Clare Crawley , who was in Galavis ’ season .
If you ’ re in the mood for a tawdry , cheesy movie , this one ’ s out just in time to ring in the end of summer .
The suspense thriller follows Gale ( Jessica Morris ) , a divorced woman who gets involved with her pool boy Adam ( Tanner Zagarino ) — only to have events spiral out of control as Gale tries to end it and Adam becomes obsessed .
Of course he does .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movies are currently on Netflix , so why not make it a marathon ?
Follow Marty McFly ( Michael J .
Fox ) on his travels through time thanks to his eccentric friend Doc Brown ( Christopher Lloyd ) .
This Sandra Bullock classic fits a Labor Day theme — if you squint .
It follows FBI Special Agent Gracie Hart ( Bullock ) on an undercover mission at a beauty contest , as she goes above and beyond in the course of doing her job .

Barbecues and far-flung vacations might be iffy this Labor Day — but, luckily, TV can still take you on a journey from the comfort of your couch.
From old favorites to new releases and specials, here’s what to watch on the small screen on The Big Day.
The latest in Disney’s live-action adaptations of its classic cartoon films, this version of “Mulan” hews closer to the original Chinese folklore and cuts the animated version’s music numbers such as “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” The result is a gritty war epic following a young girl (Yifei Liu) who disguises herself as a man to fight for her country so that her ill father doesn’t have to. It has a premium fee of $29.99 if you want to watch it now, or you can wait until December and watch it at no extra cost to your regular Disney+ subscription.
“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
Written, directed, and produced by auteur Charlie Kaufman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) and based on a novel of the same name, this new psychological horror film follows an unnamed woman (Jessie Buckley) who considers breaking up with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) amidst the backdrop of increasingly surreal events.
“Madagascar: A Little Wild: Part 1” (Hulu)
The latest entry in the animated “Madagascar” franchise follows animal pals Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo when they were kids in the Central Park Zoo
“Employee of the Month” (Amazon)
If you’re looking for your entertainment to be Labor Day-themed, this 2006 comedy follows Zack Bradley (Dane Cook), who’s on a quest to become the employee of the month at the retail store in which he works.
“Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne” (A&E, 9 p.m.)
All aboard the “crazy train.” This 2-hour special looks at the life and antics of rock icon Ozzy Osbourne, 71, covering his childhood in poverty, his time in “Black Sabbath,” his solo career and his entry into fatherhood.
“Devil’s Road: The True Story of Ed and Lorraine Warren” (Travel Channel, 9 p.m.)
This 2-hour special follows the couple who inspired the “Conjuring” horror films. For over 50 years (mostly in the 1970s and ’80s), the duo were paranormal investigators examining hauntings such as the real “Amityville Horror” house. Their daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Tony Spera, appear in this special.
“The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever!”(ABC, 8 p.m.)
The season finale of “The Bachelor” recap series looks at Juan Pablo Galavis’ stint in Season 18, which aired in 2013, to gear up for “The Bachelorette,” premiering Oct 13. Starring Clare Crawley, who was in Galavis’ season.
“Pool Boy Nightmare” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.)
If you’re in the mood for a tawdry, cheesy movie, this one’s out just in time to ring in the end of summer. The suspense thriller follows Gale (Jessica Morris), a divorced woman who gets involved with her pool boy Adam (Tanner Zagarino) — only to have events spiral out of control as Gale tries to end it and Adam becomes obsessed. Of course he does.
“Back to the Future” (Netflix)
All three “Back to the Future” movies are currently on Netflix, so why not make it a marathon? Follow Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) on his travels through time thanks to his eccentric friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).
“Miss Congeniality” (HBO Max)
This Sandra Bullock classic fits a Labor Day theme — if you squint. It follows FBI Special Agent Gracie Hart (Bullock) on an undercover mission at a beauty contest, as she goes above and beyond in the course of doing her job.


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--E-bike rider dies in crash with pedestrian in the Bronx: cops

A man on an e-bike died when he collided with a pedestrian in the Bronx and flew from his seat @ @ @ @ @ the pavement , police said .
The cyclist , 25 , was riding northbound on @ @ @ @ @ path around 1:15 a.m. when he hit the man , police said , propelling the @ @ @ @ @ The rider was not wearing a helmet and suffered head trauma , according to authorities @ @ @ @ @ , was taken to the hospital with a shoulder injury , according to police .
@ @ @ @ @ has not been released pending family notification , was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital .

A man on an e-bike died when he collided with a pedestrian in the Bronx and flew from his seat, striking his head on the pavement, police said.
The cyclist, 25, was riding northbound on the Willis Avenue Bridge bike path around 1:15 a.m. when he hit the man, police said, propelling the rider from the bike. The rider was not wearing a helmet and suffered head trauma, according to authorities.
The pedestrian, 46, was taken to the hospital with a shoulder injury, according to police.
The cyclist, whose name has not been released pending family notification, was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital.


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--Luis Rojas admits Mets’ rotation is a continuing problem

In this almost-everybody-has-a-shot season , the Mets ’ chances of winning the ...

Starting pitching wasn’t supposed to be an issue for the Mets this season.
But with three weeks left in the abbreviated regular season, manager Luis Rojas is at a loss for who he’s giving the ball to much more often than not.
Before Rick Porcello’s solid outing in Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field, Rojas wouldn’t commit to Robert Gsellman or Michael Wacha remaining in the rotation — though it’s almost certain one of the underachievers must stay.
The easy solution would be reinserting rookie David Peterson to fill one of the spots. Peterson threw four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Baltimore on Wednesday.
Beyond that, Rojas has ample reason for concern, since the Mets are in need of a hot streak if they plan to play into October.
“That’s been one of the biggest challenges we have and right now it’s a real challenge,” Rojas said when asked about the rotation. “It’s a big key for us in the last 22 games we have of the season, so we are looking for consistency and every possible length that they can give us.”
Gsellman was dreadful in his Thursday start against the Yankees in which he surrendered four earned runs over 1 ²/₃ innings and boosted his ERA to 7.84. That came a day after Wacha struggled in his start against the Orioles, lasting only three innings with Peterson as his piggyback. Wacha owns a 7.20 ERA this season. Another disappointment has been Steven Matz. He is sidelined with left shoulder bursitis, but was demoted to the bullpen and owns a 9.63 ERA.
Compared to that group, Porcello — who lowered his ERA to 5.54 by allowing two runs in six innings on Friday — has been a booming success. He fanned six, gave up three hits and walked two in his 100-pitch performance.
“The bullpen has been doing an unbelievable job of picking up the load,’’ Porcello said. “We’ve had some injuries [in the rotation] and we haven’t pitched deep into games. It’s time for us as starters to start doing that on a consistent basis and help those guys out.”
The Mets moved Gsellman to the rotation after subtracting Matz, but the right-hander hasn’t provided the Mets with the length or quality that has been needed.
Rojas pointed to an ineffective sinker as one of Gsellman’s issues.
Further taxing the bullpen, Seth Lugo is still stretching out as a starter as he transitions from a reliever. Jacob deGrom is the one constant in the Mets’ rotation.
The reinforcements were needed after Marcus Stroman opted out of the season, which followed the loss of Noah Syndergaard to Tommy John surgery this spring.
And with Friday’s loss, according to Elias Sports Bureau, the Mets tied a franchise record set in 1980 of going 19 consecutive games without a win by a starter. Peterson was the last starter to pick up a victory, which came on Aug. 13 against the Nationals.


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--Joe Judge facing another Giants first: Cut-down day

It is never easy to trim a roster from 90 ...

The firsts keep piling up for Joe Judge.
First press conference. First introductions to his players. First Zoom meeting with his players. First virtual offseason program. First actual on-the-field training camp practice.
Last week, his first free-agent waiting game as a head coach culminated in the signing of defensive back Logan Ryan. Previously, as an assistant and later special teams coordinator with the Patriots, Judge was privy to some, but not nearly all, of the machinations involved in biding time as the price tag drops.
“I’d say there’s a little bit more foot-tapping when you’re the assistant or the coordinator and you don’t have every piece of information going on at the time,’’ Judge said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re in the dark. But when there’s something you need to know, you get informed.’’
Judge is in the know with everything there is to know with the Giants, which is why what happens next is another untraveled road for him. He has sent players packing this summer, but nothing to the extent of what goes down Saturday, when his roster is slashed from 80 down to 53.
It is always a jolting experience when such personnel turbulence takes place. Judge was part of it for eight years in New England. But never like this. These are the Giants’ cuts, of course, but they are also Joe Judge’s cuts.
“That’s the unfortunate part of the business and that’s the reality for every coach and player in the NFL,’’ Judge said. “It’s a not an easy thing to do. No one likes to sit there and tell a player that they are going have to move on from them on the roster at that point in time. It’s not a fun part of the job, it’s not something you enjoy. You try to give the player as much information as they can use going forward. Something they can improve on in their own game, something you felt was a strength of theirs that they can really make sure they keep strong and highlight going forward.
“As well, you remind the player it’s important to stay in shape, they have been in our system. We have familiarity with them. There is going to be a lot of movement in the early part of the year as well as throughout the year with both the 53 roster and the practice squad itself. You try to encourage the player on what they can do to improve themselves professionally as well as stay in shape and stay ready. Because when those phone calls happen, they happen fast.’’
True enough, several players Judge informs are cut on Saturday a day later will get signed to the expanded 16-player practice squad.
Discussions as to the makeup of the roster took place throughout training camp and intensified after Thursday’s situational scrimmage — the final audition for so many players trying to be included on Judge’s first Giants roster.
“It’ll be busy,’’ Judge said. “We just want to make sure we do all of our diligence to get every player the right evaluation, to think long-term in terms of what this team is going to be like throughout the season, what meets our needs, where our depth is. Ultimately, we’re looking to keep as many good players in our program as possible. That’s true for our 53-man roster, the practice squad, and whatever other means we have. It’s going to be busy, but we’ve done a lot of leg work on the front end, giving everybody a fair opportunity every day. We just want to make sure we take our time to review everything and make sure we make the right decisions.’’


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--LeBron James, Lakers had no answers for Rockets in Game 1

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. — The Houston Rockets may play small , but they don ’ t use size to determine toughness .
And in Game 1 , their style caused big problems for the Los Angeles Lakers .
James Harden scored 36 points and the Rockets ran away from the Lakers 112-97 on Friday night , the second straight round the No .
1 seed in the Western Conference lost its opener .
“ It doesn ’ t matter how tall you are .
If you have the heart and you ’ re a competitor you can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harden said .
Russell Westbrook added 24 points , nine rebounds and six assists , and Eric Gordon had 23 points for the Rockets , the No .
4 seed who had just one day of rest after needing seven games to win their first-round series .
They sure didn ’ t look tired , flying around the court all night to make up for the size disadvantage they face with their small-ball style .
They forced 17 turnovers that led to 27 points and played the much bigger Lakers even on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out there so we ’ ve got to be scrappy , ” Westbrook said .
“ We ’ ve got to play hard.
” The Lakers never led after the first quarter and the Rockets blew it open by starting the fourth with a 16-3 run , turning a six-point advantage into a 101-82 cushion on Harden ’ s basket with 7:15 to play .
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers .
LeBron James had 20 points , eight rebounds and seven assists .
He compared the Rockets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Super Bowl championship team of two decades ago , nicknamed the “ Greatest Show on Turf.
” “ There ’ s no way you can simulate their speed , ” James said .
“ So getting out on the floor and having a Game 1 gives you a good feel for it.
” The Rockets committed to playing small in February , believing they weren ’ t built to compete with the best of the West playing conventionally .
They debuted their style with a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can work .
They were constantly on the move defensively , deflecting passes and corralling loose balls .
It ’ s the kind of plays they have to make while staring a lineup that has nobody taller than 6-foot-8 Robert Covington .
They opened the game with the 6-3 Gordon guarding the 6-8 James and Harden defending 7-footer JaVale McGee .
The Lakers were playing for only the second time in 11 days .
They beat Portland in Game 4 of their series on Aug. 24 , but then didn ’ t play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playoffs were delayed as players and the NBA committed to finishing the season following the Milwaukee Bucks ’ decision not to play a game as a statement against racial injustice .
They didn ’ t appear to have any rust at the start , breaking to a 7-0 lead .
But the rest of the first quarter was tight from there , Houston leading 29-28 after Rajon Rondo ’ s final shot came after the buzzer .
The Lakers never led again .
“ The Game 7 versus a team with rest — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team that played a Game 7 has a slight advantage , ” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said .
“ But you can ’ t look at that as any type of excuse .
We ’ re not an excuse team .
We ’ ve got to come out and compete to win a game .
This one ’ s behind us .
We lost it .
Got to move on to Game 2.
” The Lakers are one of sports ’ marquee franchises , their 16 championships one behind Boston for most in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second round for the first time since 2012 , a month before James won his first NBA title and Davis was drafted with the No .
1 pick .
And it was a rocky start to it , just as it was when the Blazers beat them in Game 1 of the last round .
Gordon scored Houston ’ s first nine points of the fourth quarter before Westbrook ’ s 3-pointer extended the lead to 97-82 with 9:07 remaining .
Gordon then scored again before Harden ’ s basket while Davis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the run .
Harden made a 3-pointer for the last basket of the half and a 63-55 lead , giving him 25 points in the half .

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Houston Rockets may play small, but they don’t use size to determine toughness.
And in Game 1, their style caused big problems for the Los Angeles Lakers.
James Harden scored 36 points and the Rockets ran away from the Lakers 112-97 on Friday night, the second straight round the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference lost its opener.
“It doesn’t matter how tall you are. If you have the heart and you’re a competitor you can be out there on the court,” Harden said.
Russell Westbrook added 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Eric Gordon had 23 points for the Rockets, the No. 4 seed who had just one day of rest after needing seven games to win their first-round series.
They sure didn’t look tired, flying around the court all night to make up for the size disadvantage they face with their small-ball style. They forced 17 turnovers that led to 27 points and played the much bigger Lakers even on the backboards.
“We’re small out there so we’ve got to be scrappy,” Westbrook said. “We’ve got to play hard.”
The Lakers never led after the first quarter and the Rockets blew it open by starting the fourth with a 16-3 run, turning a six-point advantage into a 101-82 cushion on Harden’s basket with 7:15 to play.
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers. LeBron James had 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
He compared the Rockets to the speedy St. Louis Rams’ Super Bowl championship team of two decades ago, nicknamed the “Greatest Show on Turf.”
“There’s no way you can simulate their speed,” James said. “So getting out on the floor and having a Game 1 gives you a good feel for it.”
Game 2 is Sunday.
The Rockets committed to playing small in February, believing they weren’t built to compete with the best of the West playing conventionally. They debuted their style with a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles and proved again why it they think it can work.
They were constantly on the move defensively, deflecting passes and corralling loose balls.
It’s the kind of plays they have to make while staring a lineup that has nobody taller than 6-foot-8 Robert Covington. They opened the game with the 6-3 Gordon guarding the 6-8 James and Harden defending 7-footer JaVale McGee.
The Lakers were playing for only the second time in 11 days. They beat Portland in Game 4 of their series on Aug. 24, but then didn’t play again until five nights later after the playoffs were delayed as players and the NBA committed to finishing the season following the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision not to play a game as a statement against racial injustice.
They didn’t appear to have any rust at the start, breaking to a 7-0 lead. But the rest of the first quarter was tight from there, Houston leading 29-28 after Rajon Rondo’s final shot came after the buzzer. The Lakers never led again.
“The Game 7 versus a team with rest — I’ve always felt that the team that played a Game 7 has a slight advantage,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “But you can’t look at that as any type of excuse. We’re not an excuse team. We’ve got to come out and compete to win a game. This one’s behind us. We lost it. Got to move on to Game 2.”
The Lakers are one of sports’ marquee franchises, their 16 championships one behind Boston for most in NBA history. But they are in the second round for the first time since 2012, a month before James won his first NBA title and Davis was drafted with the No. 1 pick.
And it was a rocky start to it, just as it was when the Blazers beat them in Game 1 of the last round.
Gordon scored Houston’s first nine points of the fourth quarter before Westbrook’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 97-82 with 9:07 remaining. Gordon then scored again before Harden’s basket while Davis was trying to draw a charge ended the run.
Harden made a 3-pointer for the last basket of the half and a 63-55 lead, giving him 25 points in the half.


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--Clarke Schmidt’s debut shows the Yankees are still in peril

It turned out to be , in every way , the exact opposite of the narrative the Yankees wanted to craft Friday night .
One young pitcher ’ s encore falling short of his debut .
A second pitcher ’ s debut occurring in about as tough a spot as you would construct for your worst enemy .
Two streaks of dominance screeching to a halt .
A long day in Baltimore concluded with a 6-3 loss to the Orioles on Friday night , ending the Yankees ’ overall 19-game winning streak over the O ’ s as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run .
Both of those rolls peaked with a 6-5 , nine-inning victory in Game 1 of this doubleheader , a roller coaster of a contest that spoke as much about these Yankees ’ travails as their successes .
At 21-17 overall and 5-11 in their past 16 games , the Yankees swallowed the moral that even the arrival of young , promising arms can ’ t efficiently cure what ails them .
Instead of talking with excitement about Clarke Schmidt ’ s highly anticipated introduction to the big leagues , we found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The bottom line : Yup , Aaron Boone put his rookie in one tough spot , asking the starter Schmidt to relieve his fellow prodigy , Deivi Garcia , with two outs , runners on first and second and a one-run lead in the fifth inning .
And while the Orioles hardly welcomed Schmidt to prime time by mashing his pitches , they placed their hits well enough — a Ryan Mountcastle single , Rio Ruiz single and Pat Valaika double — to plate four runs before the 24-year-old recorded the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rip city on Boone for this poor timing .
Yet after hearing who else the Yankees , their bullpen in tatters from the schedule and the club ’ s struggles , had available — Albert Abreu and Miguel Yajure — it ’ s pretty hard to go too hard on the manager .
Sticking with Garcia , whose 95th pitch had just been lined to left field for a Pedro Severino single , would ’ ve been a terrible idea , too .
With no good options , Boone wound up , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not an ideal situation to bring him in , ” Boone acknowledged , “ but by need .
I ’ m glad he got out there to get one under his belt now.
” “ To make it to the major leagues , I ’ m very very blessed and very , very thankful , ” Schmidt said .
“ I ’ ve got a lot of work to do , obviously , and I ’ ve got to be better next time.
” The Yankees remained tied for second in the AL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ split their doubleheader with the Red Sox , and they remained sputtering overall .
If their Game 1 win spoke to their determination , as Miguel Andujar — just recalled to replace the injured Gio Urshela — delivered the go-ahead single that scored Jonathan Holder ( not a misprint ) from third base — it also reflected their mediocrity , as they repeatedly blew chances early to blow the game open and had to turn over a 4-3 , fifth-inning lead to Ben Heller , who quickly served up a gopher ball to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alternate site after the game to make room for Schimdt .
It was Game 1 starter Michael King , of all people , who acknowledged ( between games ) , “ There ’ s definitely a little bit of pressure on us .
We talk about it a lot in the bullpen.
” How could there not be ?
On the heels of signing Gerrit Cole to a $ 324-million contract ( that dropped to $ 301.3 million thanks to the pandemic shutdown ) , the Yankees entered this shortened season as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2-8 against their low-payroll rivals the Rays as , crushed by injuries for the second straight year , they ’ ve failed to re-enact their “ Next Man Up ” masterpiece of 2019 .
Urshela ( right elbow bone spur ) and Jonathan Loaisiga ( unspecified medical condition ) became their 14th and 15th players to go on the injured list this season .
“ I feel like it ’ s difficult for us right now , ” Boone said after Game 1 , and Game 2 proved him a soothsayer .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative right now .
Not even in the ballpark that had inspired them like none other .

It turned out to be, in every way, the exact opposite of the narrative the Yankees wanted to craft Friday night.
One young pitcher’s encore falling short of his debut. A second pitcher’s debut occurring in about as tough a spot as you would construct for your worst enemy. Two streaks of dominance screeching to a halt.
A season remaining in peril.
A long day in Baltimore concluded with a 6-3 loss to the Orioles on Friday night, ending the Yankees’ overall 19-game winning streak over the O’s as well as an 18-0 Oriole Park at Camden Yards run. Both of those rolls peaked with a 6-5, nine-inning victory in Game 1 of this doubleheader, a roller coaster of a contest that spoke as much about these Yankees’ travails as their successes.
At 21-17 overall and 5-11 in their past 16 games, the Yankees swallowed the moral that even the arrival of young, promising arms can’t efficiently cure what ails them. Instead of talking with excitement about Clarke Schmidt’s highly anticipated introduction to the big leagues, we found ourselves debating the circumstances of that introduction.
The bottom line: Yup, Aaron Boone put his rookie in one tough spot, asking the starter Schmidt to relieve his fellow prodigy, Deivi Garcia, with two outs, runners on first and second and a one-run lead in the fifth inning. And while the Orioles hardly welcomed Schmidt to prime time by mashing his pitches, they placed their hits well enough — a Ryan Mountcastle single, Rio Ruiz single and Pat Valaika double — to plate four runs before the 24-year-old recorded the third out.
I was ready to go rip city on Boone for this poor timing. Yet after hearing who else the Yankees, their bullpen in tatters from the schedule and the club’s struggles, had available — Albert Abreu and Miguel Yajure — it’s pretty hard to go too hard on the manager. Sticking with Garcia, whose 95th pitch had just been lined to left field for a Pedro Severino single, would’ve been a terrible idea, too. With no good options, Boone wound up, not shockingly, with bad results.
“Not an ideal situation to bring him in,” Boone acknowledged, “but by need. I’m glad he got out there to get one under his belt now.”
“To make it to the major leagues, I’m very very blessed and very, very thankful,” Schmidt said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do, obviously, and I’ve got to be better next time.”
The Yankees remained tied for second in the AL East with the Blue Jays, who split their doubleheader with the Red Sox, and they remained sputtering overall. If their Game 1 win spoke to their determination, as Miguel Andujar — just recalled to replace the injured Gio Urshela — delivered the go-ahead single that scored Jonathan Holder (not a misprint) from third base — it also reflected their mediocrity, as they repeatedly blew chances early to blow the game open and had to turn over a 4-3, fifth-inning lead to Ben Heller, who quickly served up a gopher ball to Renato Nunez and wound up optioned to the alternate site after the game to make room for Schimdt.
It was Game 1 starter Michael King, of all people, who acknowledged (between games), “There’s definitely a little bit of pressure on us. We talk about it a lot in the bullpen.”
How could there not be? On the heels of signing Gerrit Cole to a $324-million contract (that dropped to $301.3 million thanks to the pandemic shutdown), the Yankees entered this shortened season as the American League favorites and instead went 2-8 against their low-payroll rivals the Rays as, crushed by injuries for the second straight year, they’ve failed to re-enact their “Next Man Up” masterpiece of 2019. Urshela (right elbow bone spur) and Jonathan Loaisiga (unspecified medical condition) became their 14th and 15th players to go on the injured list this season.
“I feel like it’s difficult for us right now,” Boone said after Game 1, and Game 2 proved him a soothsayer. The Yankees can’t create a functional narrative right now. Not even in the ballpark that had inspired them like none other.


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--Barry Trotz: Lou Lamoriello a valuable ‘resource’ for Islanders

And then there is this , too , for Barry Trotz to ...

Barry Trotz certainly knows what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, having coached the Capitals to their long-awaited first NHL title in 2018.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello also knows a thing or three about hoisting the Cup, and the Hall of Fame executive’s wealth of experience and history of success — three championships and five Finals appearances with the Devils — makes him an invaluable sounding board as the Islanders face a seventh game Saturday night after leading 3-1 in their second-round playoff series against the Flyers.
“Lou’s always there for a resource. He’s outstanding there,” Trotz said Friday. “He understands our games and in a lot of our meetings we ask for his input because of his years of knowledge and success in this game. So he’s a resource.
“You as a coach, or as an organization, you want people … like we have people like [former Devils coach] Jacques Lemaire in our organization as a great resource. Lou is a great resource. This game is hard enough that you need some people that have gone through it a little bit, 100 percent.”
Defenseman Andy Greene, who played for Lamoriello with the Devils, added: “He’s always around. I guess he doesn’t address us as a team, but as you’re walking by him and passing him in different areas, it’s just words of encouragement. … It’s just a lot of positive messages.”
Trotz remained noncommittal regarding whether he will stick with goalie Semyon Varlamov or switch to Thomas Greiss for Game 7.
“Both of them are really good options for me. We’re blessed with two really good goaltenders,” he said.
Scott Mayfield’s stick snapped just ahead of the Flyers’ double-OT winner by Ivan Provorov, and the Islanders defenseman got caught between getting off the ice and remaining in the defensive play without a stick as the Flyers gained the offensive zone.
“I think it’s easy to sit there or stand behind the bench or sit behind a computer or watching a TV screen and make a judgment what a player should do in the situation,” Trotz said. “He’d just broke his stick, we’re in double-overtime, he probably played 30 minutes, and he’s looking at his first glance he’s seeing maybe a possible 3-on-1. They have to make that decision right then and there.
“So I think he was hoping in that case that he would have the opportunity to keep them to the outside a little bit more to get our back-pressure into the fold. We actually did that, but they were able to slip the puck through the middle to Provorov. We needed a block there and a big play and maybe it doesn’t go into the back of the net. Scotty had to make that quick decision, but when you’re out there, the game is going a lot quicker than it looks on TV. I wish at some point, we could get a fan behind the bench during a National Hockey League game and see how fast it’s happening for players and their decision-making. It’s astounding.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-05--US Open: Borna Coric shocks No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas

Taylor Fritz seemed to be headed for the breakthrough he ...

The match seemed all but over — to everyone but Borna Coric.
He was down two sets to one and behind 5-1 in the fourth set. Somehow, at that point, the 23-year-old Croatian found a way to get off the mat and pull one off the biggest upsets of the U.S. Open five days into the Grand Slam tournament.
The 27th seed reeled off six consecutive games and knocked off No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I have to be honest and say that I was real lucky,” Coric said in his on-court interview following the marathon four-hour and thirty-six minute match that ended at 1:10 a.m. Saturday morning. “I just made some unbelievable returns, and I was a little bit lucky.”
Even after losing the fourth set, Tsitsipas went up a break in the fifth, only to blow the ensuing game at 15, leading to a tiebreak. He never led there and lost the match on his serve with the final of his 42 unforced errors.
Minutes after the defeat, in which he failed to convert on six match points, Tsitsipas tweeted, “This is probably the saddest and the funniest at the same time thing that has ever happened in my career!”
Coric moves onto the fourth round, equaling his best showing at the Open, where he will meet unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson. The 23-year-old Croatian, who won his previous match over Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero in five sets as well, has never reached a major quarterfinal.