newyorkpost--2020-07-16--Lisa Lucas takes senior VP role at Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House has tapped Lisa Lucas to be the new senior VP and publisher of its Pantheon and Schocken Books imprints , marking the second time in recent weeks that a major book publisher tapped an African-American woman to head an imprint .
Dana Canedy had become the first black woman to ever head the flagship Simon & Schuster ’ s prestigious namesake imprint , which is in the process of being divested by its parent company Viacom .
Both of the new publishers were outsiders to the book publishing industry .
Canedy , a former New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pulitzer Prizes when she was tapped .
Lucas is the current executive director of the National Book Foundation .
“ Wouldn ’ t it have been nice if it happened naturally over 20 years , ” Lucas said in an interview with Media Ink , noting that women and people of color have been landing top jobs this year in a business that had been run overwhelmingly by white men .
But she said part of the problem was always that people tended to stay in publishing jobs for years .
“ Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Knopf ’ s ] Sonny Mehta and [ Simon & Schuster ’ s ] Carolyn Reidy and [ Randon House ’ s ] Susan Kamil there was no place to put anyone , ” she said .
Her immediate boss , Regan Arthur , was only named to replace the late and legendary Sonny Mehta in January .
When Lucas assumes the new roll in January , she will inherit a veteran staff of editors .
She said her arrival is likely to be “ more evolution than revolution .
I think having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for any business .
All I want is more readers , and the kind of books that reflect the world we live in.
” Lucas , before her three-year stint leading the nonprofit foundation that hands out the coveted National Book Awards , was the publisher of the online art and literary magazine Guernica from 2012 to 2016 and before that was the director of the Tribeca Film Institute .
She will take up her new post in January and step down from the Foundation In December .
During her tenure at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with introducing a new annual award for translated literature and for bestowing lifetime achievement awards to John Lewis , Ibram X. Kendi , Colson Whitehead , Jesmyn Ward , Masha Gessen and Robert Caro and for distributing 1.4 million books to young readers in public housing projects .
“ The future feels very bright for books , ” she said .
“ When we ’ re confused or sad or in need of distraction or enlightenment , books are what we trust .
”

Penguin Random House has tapped Lisa Lucas to be the new senior VP and publisher of its Pantheon and Schocken Books imprints, marking the second time in recent weeks that a major book publisher tapped an African-American woman to head an imprint.
Dana Canedy had become the first black woman to ever head the flagship Simon & Schuster’s prestigious namesake imprint, which is in the process of being divested by its parent company Viacom.
Both of the new publishers were outsiders to the book publishing industry. Canedy, a former New York Times reporter, was the administrator for the Pulitzer Prizes when she was tapped. Lucas is the current executive director of the National Book Foundation.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice if it happened naturally over 20 years,” Lucas said in an interview with Media Ink, noting that women and people of color have been landing top jobs this year in a business that had been run overwhelmingly by white men.
But she said part of the problem was always that people tended to stay in publishing jobs for years.
“Before you had the significant passing of [Knopf’s] Sonny Mehta and [Simon & Schuster’s] Carolyn Reidy and [Randon House’s] Susan Kamil there was no place to put anyone,” she said. Her immediate boss, Regan Arthur, was only named to replace the late and legendary Sonny Mehta in January.
When Lucas assumes the new roll in January, she will inherit a veteran staff of editors. She said her arrival is likely to be “more evolution than revolution. I think having a fresh set of eyes is good for any business. All I want is more readers, and the kind of books that reflect the world we live in.”
Lucas, before her three-year stint leading the nonprofit foundation that hands out the coveted National Book Awards, was the publisher of the online art and literary magazine Guernica from 2012 to 2016 and before that was the director of the Tribeca Film Institute.
She will take up her new post in January and step down from the Foundation In December. During her tenure at the National Book Foundation, she is credited with introducing a new annual award for translated literature and for bestowing lifetime achievement awards to John Lewis, Ibram X. Kendi, Colson Whitehead, Jesmyn Ward, Masha Gessen and Robert Caro and for distributing 1.4 million books to young readers in public housing projects.
“The future feels very bright for books,” she said. “When we’re confused or sad or in need of distraction or enlightenment, books are what we trust.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-16--Obscene federal ‘diversity training’ scam prospers — even under Trump

Critical race theory — the far-left academic discourse centered on the concepts of “ whiteness , ” “ white fragility ” and “ white privilege ” — is coursing through the federal government ’ s veins .
Under a GOP administration , no less .
Last month , a private diversity-consulting firm conducted a training titled “ Difficult Conversations About Race in Troubling Times ” for several federal agencies .
The training called on white employees at the Treasury Department , the Federal Reserve , the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , the National Credit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Comptroller to pledge “ allyship [ sic ] amid the George Floyd Tragedy.
” According to a trove of whistleblower documents I ’ ve reviewed , the training begins with the premise that “ virtually all white people contribute to racism ” and hold narratives that “ don ’ t support the dismantling of racist institutions.
” Therefore , the trainers argue , white federal employees must “ struggle to own their racism ” and “ invest in race-based growth.
” The trainers then ask “ white managers ” to create “ safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explain “ what it means to be black ” and to be “ seen in their pain.
” White staffers are instructed to keep silent and to “ sit in the discomfort ” of their racism .
If any conflicts arise , the trainers insist that whites “ don ’ t get to decide when someone is being too emotional , too rash [ or ] too mean.
” Whites are told they can ’ t protest if a person of color “ responds to their oppression in a way [ they ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the consultant who created the training , has been a fixture in what might be called the diversity-industrial complex .
Since 2006 , he has billed the feds more than $ 5 million for trainings .
In 2011 , he billed the General Services Administration $ 3 million for “ consulting services.
” NASA coughed up $ 500,000 for “ power and privilege sexual-orientation workshops.
” It is somewhat distasteful but crucially important to note that Ross is a white man .
He has a bachelor ’ s degree in history but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neuro-cognitive and social-science research ” and has spent the past three decades selling the unscientific snake oil of “ unconscious bias.
” The irony : Ross has used his own privilege to enrich himself at taxpayer expense .
In the language of his own discourse , he has monetized collective black pain to create individual white profit .
Incredibly , Ross and his colleagues in the diversity-industrial complex have only expanded their footprint under the Trump administration .
Since President Trump ’ s inauguration , Ross himself has done at least 17 trainings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department , the National Institutes of Health and the Office of the Attorney General .
The permanent bureaucracy knows that it can ignore the priorities of any one commander-in-chief — and continue to remake US institutions in its own ideological image .
The larger goal is explicit : The diversity apparatchiks want to convert “ everyone in the federal government ” to the work of “ anti-racism.
” While that sounds innocuous , it emphatically is not what most Americans understand by the term .
“ Anti-racism , ” as the diversity hustlers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans to judge each other according to the contents of their character .
Rather , the ideology stands for precisely the opposite : a rigid and simplistic account of race , in which minorities are permanent victims and whites are forever tainted by racism .
By promoting this toxic nonsense , activist bureaucrats seek to transform the federal government into power centers for this new racial orthodoxy .
As documents from the Treasury Department reveal , the new orthodoxy won ’ t be contained in the workplace .
At the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ talk to [ their ] children about race , ” because “ bias begins to take shape in our brains [ when we ’ re ] around 3 years old.
” It ’ s easy to see where it goes from here : a nonstop sequence of diversity seminars , trainings and curricula from preschool to graduate school and beyond — all of it naturally good for Ross ’ bank account .
What can be done ?
First , the Senate Finance Committee should immediately launch a probe into the Treasury Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Second , Trump should issue an executive order banning federal agencies from teaching the toxic principles of critical race theory , race essentialism and neo-segregationism .
And the rest of us must brace for a long war against the diversity-industrial complex and its profiteers .

Critical race theory — the far-left academic discourse centered on the concepts of “whiteness,” “white fragility” and “white privilege” — is coursing through the federal government’s veins. Under a GOP administration, no less.
Last month, a private diversity-consulting firm conducted a training titled “Difficult Conversations About Race in Troubling Times” for several federal agencies. The training called on white employees at the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Credit Union Administration and the Office of the Comptroller to pledge “allyship [sic] amid the George Floyd Tragedy.”
According to a trove of whistleblower documents I’ve reviewed, the training begins with the premise that “virtually all white people contribute to racism” and hold narratives that “don’t support the dismantling of racist institutions.” Therefore, the trainers argue, white federal employees must “struggle to own their racism” and “invest in race-based growth.”
The trainers then ask “white managers” to create “safe spaces,” where black employees can explain “what it means to be black” and to be “seen in their pain.” White staffers are instructed to keep silent and to “sit in the discomfort” of their racism. If any conflicts arise, the trainers insist that whites “don’t get to decide when someone is being too emotional, too rash [or] too mean.” Whites are told they can’t protest if a person of color “responds to their oppression in a way [they] don’t like.”
Howard Ross, the consultant who created the training, has been a fixture in what might be called the diversity-industrial complex. Since 2006, he has billed the feds more than $5 million for trainings.
In 2011, he billed the General Services Administration $3 million for “consulting services.” NASA coughed up $500,000 for “power and privilege sexual-orientation workshops.”
It is somewhat distasteful but crucially important to note that Ross is a white man. He has a bachelor’s degree in history but pitches himself as an expert in “neuro-cognitive and social-science research” and has spent the past three decades selling the unscientific snake oil of “unconscious bias.”
The irony: Ross has used his own privilege to enrich himself at taxpayer expense. In the language of his own discourse, he has monetized collective black pain to create individual white profit.
Incredibly, Ross and his colleagues in the diversity-industrial complex have only expanded their footprint under the Trump administration. Since President Trump’s inauguration, Ross himself has done at least 17 trainings for federal agencies, including the Justice Department, the National Institutes of Health and the Office of the Attorney General. The permanent bureaucracy knows that it can ignore the priorities of any one commander-in-chief — and continue to remake US institutions in its own ideological image.
The larger goal is explicit: The diversity apparatchiks want to convert “everyone in the federal government” to the work of “anti-racism.” While that sounds innocuous, it emphatically is not what most Americans understand by the term. “Anti-racism,” as the diversity hustlers define it, doesn’t teach Americans to judge each other according to the contents of their character. Rather, the ideology stands for precisely the opposite: a rigid and simplistic account of race, in which minorities are permanent victims and whites are forever tainted by racism.
By promoting this toxic nonsense, activist bureaucrats seek to transform the federal government into power centers for this new racial orthodoxy.
As documents from the Treasury Department reveal, the new orthodoxy won’t be contained in the workplace. At the end of the training, Ross instructs federal employees to “talk to [their] children about race,” because “bias begins to take shape in our brains [when we’re] around 3 years old.” It’s easy to see where it goes from here: a nonstop sequence of diversity seminars, trainings and curricula from preschool to graduate school and beyond — all of it naturally good for Ross’ bank account.
What can be done? First, the Senate Finance Committee should immediately launch a probe into the Treasury Department training and Ross’ massive contracts. Second, Trump should issue an executive order banning federal agencies from teaching the toxic principles of critical race theory, race essentialism and neo-segregationism. And the rest of us must brace for a long war against the diversity-industrial complex and its profiteers.
Christopher Rufo is a contributing editor of City Journal. Twitter: @RealChrisRufo


newyorkpost--2020-07-16--Yankees glad DJ LeMahieu is set to return from coronavirus

Luke Voit saw DJ LeMahieu on Wednesday and was bubbling with excitement that the All-Star second baseman has made it back from COVID-19 .
Right-hander Luis Cessa , who like LeMahieu tested positive for COVID-19 and wasn ’ t allowed to be at Yankee Stadium for spring training 2.0 until testing negative twice , posted on Instagram Thursday that he was also back .
When LeMahieu was placed on the injured list before camp officially opened it wasn ’ t known if he would have enough time to be ready for Opening Day on July 23 .
Voit ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not guaranteed the right-handed hitting LeMahieu will be in the lineup Thursday in Washington against Nationals stud Max Scherzer .
The same goes for Cessa being in the bullpen .
“ I don ’ t , ’ ’ Aaron Boone said when asked if he had a date for when LeMahieu and Cessa will join what ’ s left of spring training 2.0 .
“ When you see them in uniform , then we will be ready to talk about it.
’ ’ Nor did the manager want to guess how long it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ready to play in regular-season games .
The Yankees have one intrasquad game and three exhibition games left .
“ I really don ’ t know .
You would have to make the evaluations where they are at , what exactly have they been doing , what have they been able to do and have a plan for what they would need from a buildup standpoint , ’ ’ Boone said .
“ Until we see them and see how they are responding and how they are feeling and we make those evaluations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speculate.
’ ’ LeMahieu remained in Tampa to work out when spring training was shut down March 12 and doesn ’ t have a complicated swing , so getting ready shouldn ’ t be a problem .
As for what the 32-year-old means to the Yankees lineup , Voit gushed about LeMahieu .
“ He is a table-setter and one of the best players in the game .
He had a great year last year .
Guys are super excited to have him back and it was good seeing him around the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LeMahieu , who batted .327 with career highs in home runs ( 26 ) and RBIs ( 102 ) and posted a .893 OPS in 2019 .
“ I am glad he is back just in the nick of time and I know he is going to be ready .
He is a guy who has played the game and always making sure he is prepared .
I am excited to have him back .
The Machine is finally back.
’ ’ Voit ’ s first year playing with LeMahieu left an impression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the only guy really I believe in baseball who doesn ’ t get shifted .
Up in the zone , down in the zone , breaking balls , changeups , any type of pitch I feel like he can hit and it makes pitchers overthink and they end up making mistakes and he makes you pay , ’ ’ said Voit , who added he didn ’ t see LeMahieu on Thursday .
“ It can be a base hit on the ground or a home run .
He is very versatile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it and he is fun to watch.
’ ’ Mike Tauchman didn ’ t see LeMahieu either , but was anxious to greet the leadoff hitter .
“ Can ’ t wait to see him , ’ ’ Tauchman said of the reserved LeMahieu , whom teammates respect for his professionalism and personality .
“ From a production standpoint everyone saw what he did last year offensively so just to have that presence at the top of the lineup , kind of kick-start the whole thing.
’ ’ LeMahieu ’ s bat overshadows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him three Gold Gloves and helped him make three All-Star teams .
“ From a defense standpoint , just solidify the whole thing because he has shown Gold Glove ability at three positions , ’ ’ Tauchman said .
“ Whatever the case , to get him back right before we go is huge .
’ ’

Luke Voit saw DJ LeMahieu on Wednesday and was bubbling with excitement that the All-Star second baseman has made it back from COVID-19.
When LeMahieu was placed on the injured list before camp officially opened it wasn’t known if he would have enough time to be ready for Opening Day on July 23. Voit’s optimism aside, it’s still not guaranteed the right-handed hitting LeMahieu — who wasn’t allowed to be at Yankee Stadium for spring training 2.0 until testing negative twice — will be in the lineup Thursday at Washington against Nationals stud Max Scherzer.
“I don’t,’’ Aaron Boone said when asked if he had a date for when LeMahieu and right-hander Luis Cessa, who remains out with the coronavirus, will join what’s left of spring training 2.0. “When you see them in uniform, then we will be ready to talk about it.’’
Nor did the manager want to guess how long it would take LeMahieu and Cessa to be ready to play in regular-season games. The Yankees have one intrasquad game and three exhibition games left.
“I really don’t know. You would have to make the evaluations where they are at, what exactly have they been doing, what have they been able to do and have a plan for what they would need from a buildup standpoint,’’ Boone said. “Until we see them and see how they are responding and how they are feeling and we make those evaluations, I wouldn’t want to speculate.’’
LeMahieu remained in Tampa to work out when spring training was shut down March 12 and doesn’t have a complicated swing, so getting ready shouldn’t be a problem.
As for what the 32-year-old means to the Yankees lineup, Voit gushed about LeMahieu.
“He is a table-setter and one of the best players in the game. He had a great year last year. Guys are super excited to have him back and it was good seeing him around the other day,’’ Voit said of LeMahieu, who batted .327 with career highs in home runs (26) and RBIs (102) and posted a .893 OPS in 2019. “I am glad he is back just in the nick of time and I know he is going to be ready. He is a guy who has played the game and always making sure he is prepared. I am excited to have him back. The Machine is finally back.’’
Voit’s first year playing with LeMahieu left an impression on the first baseman.
“He is the only guy really I believe in baseball who doesn’t get shifted. Up in the zone, down in the zone, breaking balls, changeups, any type of pitch I feel like he can hit and it makes pitchers overthink and they end up making mistakes and he makes you pay,’’ said Voit, who added he didn’t see LeMahieu on Thursday. “It can be a base hit on the ground or a home run. He is very versatile when it comes to where he hits it and he is fun to watch.’’
Mike Tauchman didn’t see LeMahieu either, but was anxious to greet the leadoff hitter.
“Can’t wait to see him,’’ Tauchman said of the reserved LeMahieu, whom teammates respect for his professionalism and personality. “From a production standpoint everyone saw what he did last year offensively so just to have that presence at the top of the lineup, kind of kick-start the whole thing.’’
LeMahieu’s bat overshadows his defensive ability, which has earned him three Gold Gloves and helped him make three All-Star teams.
“From a defense standpoint, just solidify the whole thing because he has shown Gold Glove ability at three positions,’’ Tauchman said. “Whatever the case, to get him back right before we go is huge.’’


newyorkpost--2020-07-16--The MTA’s finances are in free-fall — even if Uncle Sam helps out

Even if the MTA gets the new federal bailout it ’ s hoping for , it ’ s going to have to seriously retrench , warn the fiscal watchdogs of the Citizens Budget Commission .
That means revamping its $ 55 billion modernization plan as well as hikes to fares and tolls .
The agency wants another $ 4 billion from Congress , but its projected revenue shortfalls are now $ 8.4 billion to $ 12.6 billion through the end of 2021 .
And it also clearly won ’ t be collecting congestion-pricing fees this year , as once planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amped-up cleaning , as well as retrofitting of buses to protect drivers .
So the MTA faces some very tough decisions — as does its workforce .
It ’ s already got a hefty debt load , so fresh borrowing must be a last resort , the CBC warns .
Fare and toll hikes will be needed , and the modernization plan scaled back .
The CBC lists five ideas : Get concessions to reduce overtime and fringe-benefit costs while boosting productivity .
Put off longer-term capital projects .
Boost tolls more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in traffic as virus-spooked commuters avoid mass transit .
But still raise fares to cover half of costs , up from about a third now .
The MTA probably needs to do all of the above to avoid major service disruptions that would mean trouble for the whole city .

Even if the MTA gets the new federal bailout it’s hoping for, it’s going to have to seriously retrench, warn the fiscal watchdogs of the Citizens Budget Commission.
That means revamping its $55 billion modernization plan as well as hikes to fares and tolls.
The agency wants another $4 billion from Congress, but its projected revenue shortfalls are now $8.4 billion to $12.6 billion through the end of 2021. And it also clearly won’t be collecting congestion-pricing fees this year, as once planned. Yet it faces new expenses for amped-up cleaning, as well as retrofitting of buses to protect drivers.
So the MTA faces some very tough decisions — as does its workforce.
It’s already got a hefty debt load, so fresh borrowing must be a last resort, the CBC warns. Fare and toll hikes will be needed, and the modernization plan scaled back.
The CBC lists five ideas: Get concessions to reduce overtime and fringe-benefit costs while boosting productivity. Put off longer-term capital projects. Boost tolls more than fares, to counteract the likely increase in traffic as virus-spooked commuters avoid mass transit. But still raise fares to cover half of costs, up from about a third now.
The MTA probably needs to do all of the above to avoid major service disruptions that would mean trouble for the whole city.


newyorkpost--2020-07-16--Alex Rodriguez won’t call Mets games on ‘Sunday Night Baseball’

Steve Cohen may have more money , but Alex Rodriguez and ...

Alex Rodriguez will be spared the awkwardness of criticizing players who may end up under his employ.
Rodriguez, who is currently leading a group bid with fiancée Jennifer Lopez to assume ownership of the Mets, will remain in his role as an analyst on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” this season, but the network will avoid putting the three-time MVP on any games involving the team he hopes to purchase.
Currently, the Mets’ only Sunday night game is scheduled for July 26 against the Braves, during which Chipper Jones will replace Rodriguez as the analyst. Rodriguez will call the Dodgers-Giants game that day. Future Sunday night games are subject to change.
Last year, Rodriguez’s former co-analyst, Jessica Mendoza, created a highly criticized conflict of interest when she held a dual role as a Mets adviser.
This time, ESPN has preemptively addressed a potential issue.
“[We’ll] shy away from having Alex do a Mets game, so we don’t put him in a bad position … given what’s going on,” Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president of production and remote events, said on a conference call.
Though Rodriguez, 44, said he could not discuss details regarding his pursuit of the Mets, the former superstar said the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t dissuaded him from ownership, even with uncertainty surrounding whether this season’s 60-game regular season sprint will be completed and when fans will be permitted back into ballparks.
“Downside protection is always the most important part of investing in anything … [but] I do think with a crisis comes an opportunity, and I think the opportunity for us in the game of baseball is to lean into the forward-thinking that other leagues have adapted quicker than us,” Rodriguez said. “This is a business of entertainment. It’s not just baseball or sport. The more we broaden our breadth, the more we’re gonna paint this game in revenues from 10 to 15 to 20 billion, and we’re gonna do it by collaborating and everyone being on the same page and thinking big picture.”
Even if MLB reclaims a semblance of normalcy in 2021, a potential work stoppage threatens the 2022 season.
Following recent months of contentious negotiations between owners and the players’ union, Rodriguez said he still can speak honestly about the dynamic despite his aspirations to join the sport’s most powerful club.
“I think I can because my goal as a fan first is to grow the game and make it more popular,” Rodriguez said. “We want to be spokesmen for the game of baseball, and the conversation should be more about growing the pie, not which percentage of a smaller pie am I gonna take. We have to really work collaboratively with the owners and the players to say, ‘How do we compete together to become No. 1?’ The only way it’s gonna happen is if they get to the table and say, ‘The No. 1 goal is, let’s get from 10 to 15 billion and maybe we split the economics evenly.’ But that’s the type of conversation instead of fighting against each other because there’s too much competition out there right now.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-16--The lunatic drive for racial quotas for COVID-19 vaccines

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At least two COVID-19 vaccines are scoring major successes in trials. That means a vaccine might be ready by year’s end, but not in sufficient quantity to vaccinate more than 300 million Americans. Frontline health workers and national-security personnel will be top priority, but after that, who comes next?
A federal committee is considering pushing blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans to the front of the line, ahead of whites.
Dr. José Romero, who chairs the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, wants minority groups to get favored treatment. Billionaire donor Melinda Gates likewise is pushing for blacks to get vaccinated right behind health workers but ahead of “people with underlying health conditions, and then people who are older.”
Americans need to speak up, before such a plan is adopted. If the virus surges, getting the vaccine could mean the difference between leaving your house safely or being shut-in, or even the difference between life and death. Making race a factor is unjustified by medical science and will only inflame the racial hostilities already roiling America.
If blacks were more vulnerable because of race, as they are with sickle-cell anemia, there would be a medical argument for racial preferences. But scientific data show no direct causal connection between race and COVID-19 deaths.
Scientists in the United States and Europe have plentiful data on who gets infected and who is least likely to survive COVID-19, and their findings can help prioritize who should get vaccinated.
Forget using crude racial proxies.
Who is at risk of dying? The elderly, above all, and anyone with medical conditions such as heart disease, morbid obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
People of all ethnicities can suffer from these conditions, but blacks do so disproportionately. That’s why, if they contract COVID-19, they’re more apt to need hospitalization and ICU care than infected whites, according to new research in the New England Journal of Medicine. African Americans made up 31 percent of the Louisiana population studied, but 70 percent of the infected, 77 percent of hospitalized cases and 80 percent of patients in the ICU.
New York City data show that blacks with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalized than whites are, largely because obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other complications make the virus more life-threatening.
ACIP should prioritize vaccinating people with these complications. Many will be black, to be sure, but they will be getting priority treatment for medical reasons, not skin color.
People who live in crowded urban areas and in multi-generational households are at higher risk of COVID-19. So are mass-transit riders and people who work in close contact with the public, such as fast-food attendants and bus drivers.
In Britain, that group is heavily Middle Eastern and East Asian. In the United States, it’s often black and Hispanic. But not always. Using race to prioritize vaccinations would result in unfair situations, like putting the black college professor who works from home ahead of the white transit worker.
Instead, the CDC committee should prioritize population-dense neighborhoods and multi-generational households, as well as highly exposed workers like supermarket cashiers and bus drivers.
What about claims that blacks with COVID-19 are getting inferior medical care? That’s an insult to frontline health workers of all races, and the evidence suggests it’s also untrue. In the New England Journal of Medicine study, 80 percent of patients sick enough to be in the ICU were black, but only 71 percent of those who died. In other words, blacks in the ICU had a better chance of surviving than whites in the ICU did.
The same holds true in New York City, though the data are incomplete. Black hospital patients with COVID-19 appear to survive at slightly higher rates than do hospitalized COVID-19 patients of other races.
To get Americans vaccinated — a huge challenge — we need to put aside racial politics and be guided by science. Many minorities will still go to the front of the line, but based on medical need, not woke ideology.
Betsy McCaughey is author of the forthcoming book “The Next Pandemic.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-16--NYPD-bashing ideologues just don’t care about reality

Four firebugs are wanted for lighting a marked NYPD vehicle ...

Every day makes it more obvious that facts just don’t matter to the cop-bashers and the politicians who cater to them.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea gamely told the truth again Thursday, calling out state and city lawmakers for “going too far” to “handcuff” the NYPD.
“I think we’ve crossed a tipping point on many levels in terms of taking tools away from the police that maybe these last two months it’s just a completely different situation where it’s a toxic environment,” Shea told CNN.
He says these issues should be beyond politics, but the problem is that the NYPD’s enemies are all about politics. Heck, Shea’s remarks came a day after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a package of police reforms into law, including ones the mayor admits will make cops’ jobs harder at a time when violent crime is soaring.
How much harder? Well, the head of the State Police union called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to pull state troopers from assignments in the city because the new law poses major legal risks for any cop who winds up in a struggle with a civilian.
De Blasio and the City Council don’t care, just as the progressives who run the Legislature ignore the follies of their no-bail law.
No matter that the victims of the crime wave are overwhelmingly black and Hispanic: That reality doesn’t fit the cop-bashers’ narrative, so it gets ignored.
They won’t even admit that the criminal-minded have infiltrated the ranks of peaceful protesters. Witness the video showing the handing out of bats to Occupy City Hall thugs shortly before a community and clergy march against gun violence and to show support for the demonized, demoralized NYPD.
What’s next? Well, police foundations here and across the country are scrubbing their websites of information IDing board members and corporate sponsors: It’s an effort to head off harassment by activists making threats to stop the charities from helping local PDs buy new policing technologies.
It’s a national, ideological war on the men and women who keep innocents safe. Elected officials who play along are, in effect, siding with the gang-bangers and other thugs blazing away in the streets.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Tamar Braxton rushed to hospital after ‘possible overdose,’ family asks for prayers

Tamar Braxton is reportedly recovering in the hospital after being found unresponsive on Wednesday .
Braxton , 43 , is being monitored around the clock as sources believe she made an attempt to take her own life , NME reports .
She is currently in stable condition .
The singer and reality TV star had been staying at the Ritz Carlton Residences in Downtown Los Angeles with her partner David Adefeso , according to The Blast .
When he found her unconscious , he called 911 and reports suggest that Braxton has been drinking and appeared to have consumed an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed to the outlet that a call had been made around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday , in regards to a “ possible overdose ” by a woman matching Braxton ’ s description .
A spokesperson for the Braxton family released the following statement : “ Tamar has had a very tough and emotional day – more information will be coming in the next few days .
Please pray for her.
” Braxton also made headlines when she shaved her head in 2018 .
“ My family did get on me ; it was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she told Page Six Style earlier this summer .
“ They were like , ‘ Girl , what you are you going through ?
Are you all right ?
Do I need to come see you ?
Do you need some help ?
When was the last time you ate ?
’ I got all of that.
” The entertainer has starred alongside her famous sisters in “ Braxton Family Values ” since 2011 .
She also co-hosted the daytime talk show “ The Real ” for three years , ending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the second season of “ Celebrity Big Brother ” that same year .
The R & B vocalist has put out for albums , most recently in 2017 with “ Bluebird of Happiness.
” Her new reality docuseries , “ Tamra Braxton : Get Ya Life !
” was set to premiere July 30 on We TV .
Reps for the production have not responded to The Post ’ s request for comment .

Tamar Braxton is reportedly recovering in the hospital after being found unresponsive on Wednesday.
Braxton, 43, is being monitored around the clock as sources believe she made an attempt to take her own life, NME reports. She is currently in stable condition.
The singer and reality TV star had been staying at the Ritz Carlton Residences in Downtown Los Angeles with her partner David Adefeso, 49, according to The Blast. When he found her unconscious, he called 911 and reports suggest that Braxton has been drinking and appeared to have consumed an unknown number of prescription pills.
LAPD confirmed to the outlet that a call had been made around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, in regards to a “possible overdose” by a woman matching Braxton’s description.
A spokesperson for the Braxton family released the following statement: “Tamar has had a very tough and emotional day – more information will be coming in the next few days. Please pray for her.”
Braxton also made headlines when she shaved her head in 2018.
“My family did get on me; it was a natural reaction with my sisters and girlfriends,” she told Page Six Style earlier this summer. “They were like, ‘Girl, what you are you going through? Are you all right? Do I need to come see you? Do you need some help? When was the last time you ate?’ I got all of that.”
The R&B vocalist has also put out four albums, most recently 2017’s “Bluebird of Happiness,” and has starred alongside her famous sisters in “Braxton Family Values” since 2011.
She co-hosted the Emmy-winning daytime talk show “The Real” for three years, ending with her high-profile firing in 2016. She bounced back in 2019 as the winner of the second season of CBS’s “Celebrity Big Brother.”
Her new reality docu-series, “Tamra Braxton: Get Ya Life!” was set to premiere July 30 on We TV. Reps for the production have not responded to The Post’s request for comment.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Chris Herndon’s response to lost season means so much for Sam Darnold

As the Jets get close to training camp , I am examining the roster and giving you my top 25 players .
Each weekday , we will reveal another person on the list , leading right into camp .
I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game .
How acquired : Selected in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft Big things were expected from Herndon in his second season , but it ended up being a total washout for the tight end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four-game suspension from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy .
Then , he pulled his hamstring while training just before the suspension ended .
That cost him another four games .
He returned to face the Giants in November , but that comeback lasted 18 snaps when he broke a rib , which ended his season .
Herndon ended up with just one catch for seven yards all season .
Herndon had a really strong rookie season in 2018 with 39 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns .
He and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Submit your Jets questions here to be answered in an upcoming Post mailbag The Jets enter this season with the same hope for Herndon they had last year – that he can build off a strong rookie season and become a key target for Darnold .
After the way last season went , Herndon will now face questions about staying healthy and whether 2019 was an anomaly or a sign of things to come .
All indications are Herndon is fully healthy and ready to go .
Herndon looked like a steal in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factor in Darnold ’ s development .
The two of them became close off the field in 2018 and it carried over onto the field .
The Jets might have a nice tight end combination with Herndon and Ryan Griffin , who excelled in Herndon ’ s place last season .
There has been a lot of focus on what the Jets are lacking at wide receiver , but they could make up for that with a strong performance from their tight ends .
Herndon also showed that he was a good blocker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could help the Jets ’ running game as well as the passing game this season .

As the Jets get close to training camp, I am examining the roster and giving you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.
No. 6: Chris Herndon
Last year’s ranking: 10
Position: TE
Age on Opening Day: 24
How acquired: Selected in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft
Years left on contract: 2
2020 Salary Cap figure: $917,381
Looking back at 2019
Big things were expected from Herndon in his second season, but it ended up being a total washout for the tight end.
The 2019 season began with a four-game suspension from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy. Then, he pulled his hamstring while training just before the suspension ended. That cost him another four games. He returned to face the Giants in November, but that comeback lasted 18 snaps when he broke a rib, which ended his season. Herndon ended up with just one catch for seven yards all season.
Herndon had a really strong rookie season in 2018 with 39 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns. He and quarterback Sam Darnold showed instant chemistry.
Submit your Jets questions here to be answered in an upcoming Post mailbag
Outlook for 2020
The Jets enter this season with the same hope for Herndon they had last year – that he can build off a strong rookie season and become a key target for Darnold.
After the way last season went, Herndon will now face questions about staying healthy and whether 2019 was an anomaly or a sign of things to come.
All indications are Herndon is fully healthy and ready to go. Herndon looked like a steal in 2018. He could be a huge factor in Darnold’s development. The two of them became close off the field in 2018 and it carried over onto the field.
The Jets might have a nice tight end combination with Herndon and Ryan Griffin, who excelled in Herndon’s place last season. There has been a lot of focus on what the Jets are lacking at wide receiver, but they could make up for that with a strong performance from their tight ends.
Herndon also showed that he was a good blocker as a rookie, so I think he could help the Jets’ running game as well as the passing game this season.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Hackers targeted 130 of Twitter’s most popular accounts in shocking attack

Hackers targeted about 130 Twitter accounts in their unprecedented attack on some of the platform ’ s most visible users this week , the company revealed .
The attackers were only able to take over a “ small subset ” of the targeted accounts — including those owned by Apple , Uber , Kanye West and Elon Musk — that they used to post fraudulent tweets , Twitter said in a statement late Thursday .
The San Francisco-based firm said it is “ working with impacted account owners ” while it examines whether the hackers compromised their private data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps to secure our systems while our investigations are ongoing , ” the company said .
The FBI and other law-enforcement authorities are also probing the attack , in which hackers infiltrated more than a dozen high-profile Twitter accounts to push a bitcoin scam .
The affected accounts belonged to major business and political figures including Barack Obama , Joe Biden , Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett .
More than 400 payments worth $ 121,000 flowed into three bitcoin addresses mentioned in the bogus tweets , according to Elliptic , a cryptocurrency analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came from Asia-based exchanges — including a single payment worth $ 42,000 — but about a quarter of the proceeds likely came from North American victims , Elliptic said .
The hackers reportedly paid a Twitter employee to help them carry out the attack .
The company acknowledged that the hackers targeted staffers who had access to internal tools and systems .

Hackers targeted about 130 Twitter accounts in their unprecedented attack on some of the platform’s most visible users this week, the company revealed.
The attackers were only able to take over a “small subset” of the targeted accounts — including those owned by Apple, Uber, Kanye West and Elon Musk — that they used to post fraudulent tweets, Twitter said in a statement late Thursday.
The San Francisco-based firm said it is “working with impacted account owners” while it examines whether the hackers compromised their private data.
“We have also been taking aggressive steps to secure our systems while our investigations are ongoing,” the company said.
The FBI and other law-enforcement authorities are also probing the attack, in which hackers infiltrated more than a dozen high-profile Twitter accounts to push a bitcoin scam. The affected accounts belonged to major business and political figures including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett.
More than 400 payments worth $121,000 flowed into three bitcoin addresses mentioned in the bogus tweets, according to Elliptic, a cryptocurrency analysis firm. The majority of the money came from Asia-based exchanges — including a single payment worth $42,000 — but about a quarter of the proceeds likely came from North American victims, Elliptic said.
The hackers reportedly paid a Twitter employee to help them carry out the attack. The company acknowledged that the hackers targeted staffers who had access to internal tools and systems.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--At least three injured in early-morning NYC shootings

Whad ’ ya know : The rent was too damn high .

At least three people were shot early Friday in two separate incidents in Brooklyn and the Bronx, cops said.
Two men were shot, one in the leg and one in the torso, during a dispute on Hoyt Street near Warren Street in Boerum Hill, around 2 a.m., police confirmed.
Both were taken to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in stable condition. The nature of the dispute was unclear.
About two hours later, a 42-year-old man was blasted in the leg at 183rd Street and Davidson Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of University Heights during a dispute and attempted robbery, cops said.
He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition.
The continued shootings come amid a wave of gun violence across the city.
On Thursday, a total of nine shooting incidents with 11 victims were reported, according to the NYPD.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--New Movies + Shows to Watch this Weekend: ‘The Last Dance’ on Netflix + More

Happy Friday , everyone !
Okay , I am going to make this intro as short as possible because I am still feeling personally victimized by Iliza Shlesinger ’ s call to cancel the intros to top 10 articles .
Because these intros serve the same purpose , no ?
All jokes aside , it ’ s the end of the week and all you want to do is celebrate by kicking back to relax , adn there is no better way to do so than by turning on some great new titles from your favorite streaming platforms .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new movies and shows to stream now !
But don ’ t worry about trying of figure out what to watch tonight or what to stream this weekend , because we here at Decider are happy to lighten the load .
Whether you ’ re scrolling through Netflix , Hulu , Amazon Prime , HBO or all of the above , we believe that starting with the newest and hottest titles is the best way to go .
And with any luck , these highlights will help you decide what to watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
New Movies and Shows to Stream This Weekend : The Last Dance , Freestyle Love Supreme and Absentia Season 3 I have to admit , coming up with the top three movies and shows to watch this weekend was a tough one because there are so many great options this weekend !
Over on Netflix you can finally binge-watch the amazing ESPN docuseries The Last Dance .
For those living under a rock , The Last Dance follows the 1997 Chicago Bulls and their star , Michael Jordan , as they work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seasons .
The revelations that come out of this series will leave you looking at the touted team and the sports mogul in a whole new way .
In addition , after its creators delayed the release to support the Black Live Matters movement , We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is now finally available to watch on Hulu !
And finally , season 3 of the thrilling crime series Absentia is back on Amazon Prime Video .
We could drone on and on about these awesome highlights , but we will leave that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netflix July 19 : The Last Dance It caused a major stir in both the entertainment and sports worlds , and now , the sports docuseries The Last Dance has made its way over to Netflix .
This phenomenal series follows Michael Jordan and the 1997 Chicago Bulls on their journey to win their sixth NBA title in eight seasons .
This stunning portrait of one of sports ’ most highly venerated athletes and respected teams has left people talking since it came out on ESPN all those weeks ago .
Starting this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top shows to watch this month on Netflix , so get ready to follow it all over again !
Stream The Last Dance on Netflix New on Hulu July 17 : We Are Freestyle Love Supreme After a much-respected delayed release , We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is now available to stream on Hulu !
This foot-tapping documentary follows the story of Freestyle Love Supreme , an improv rap group founded by renowned Broadway director Tommy Kail and featuring his buddies , Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and George Washington himself , Chris Jackson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will thoroughly enjoy watching the young , scrappy and hungry artists move from spitting freestyle raps on the NYC streets to their very own Broadway show .
Want to see an avant-garde Broadway show get made , or just want to bask in the glory that is Lin-Manuel Miranda after watching Hamilton for the 17th time , then check out We Are Freestyle Love Supreme !
Stream We Are Freestyle Love Supreme on Hulu Absentia , is back for another crazy , twisty season on Amazon Prime this weekend .
For those a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the traumatizing adventures Emily Byrne : a former FBI agent who mysteriously disappears while investigating a serial killer and then resurfaces with no memory of what happened while she was gone .
Now back , Byrne and her support system must embark on a labyrinth-like journey to solve her own mystery , all while piecing together the conspiracy that surrounds her .
Now in season 3 , we catch up with Emily as she begins to go to therapy to find some peace .
But , like many things in Absentia , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ List of New Movies and Shows on Streaming This Weekend The options above only scratch the surface , so you know that this weekend ’ s full lineup will have amazing options for what to watch this weekend !
For the full breakdown of the best movies and shows to stream now , or if you ’ re still undecided on what to stream this weekend , then check out the complete list below : We Are Freestyle Love Supreme Into the Dark : The Current Occupant : New Episode Premiere *Hulu Original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paranormal Activity With The Devil Inside The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ( 2012 ) 7 Seconds ( 2005 ) Amelia ( 2009 ) Ana ( 2019 ) Apache Territory ( 1958 ) A Troll In Central Park ( 1994 ) Comanche ( 1956 ) Double Team ( 1997 ) Drive Me Crazy ( 1999 ) Gunfighters Of Abilene ( 1959 ) Hollywood Homicide ( 2003 ) How High ( 2001 ) Krush Groove ( 1985 ) Living Out Loud ( 1998 ) Smart People ( 2008 ) Swift ( 2019 ) Taxi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It ( 2010 ) The Adventures Of Pluto Nash ( 2002 ) The Far Country ( 1954 ) The Marine 2 ( 2009 ) The Pick-Up Artist ( 1987 ) The Pickup Game ( 2019 ) The Wolf Hour ( 2019 ) Die Another Day Laggies Revenge of the Green Dragons The Rover Son of a Gun Tusk

Where to Stream: We Are Freestyle Love Supreme Powered by Reelgood
Happy Friday, everyone! Okay, I am going to make this intro as short as possible because I am still feeling personally victimized by Iliza Shlesinger’s call to cancel the intros to top 10 articles. Because these intros serve the same purpose, no? All jokes aside, it’s the end of the week and all you want to do is celebrate by kicking back to relax, adn there is no better way to do so than by turning on some great new titles from your favorite streaming platforms. And as always, there are a ton of new movies and shows to stream now! But don’t worry about trying of figure out what to watch tonight or what to stream this weekend, because we here at Decider are happy to lighten the load. Whether you’re scrolling through Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO or all of the above, we believe that starting with the newest and hottest titles is the best way to go. And with any luck, these highlights will help you decide what to watch and where to stream it this weekend!
New Movies and Shows to Stream This Weekend: The Last Dance, Freestyle Love Supreme and Absentia Season 3
I have to admit, coming up with the top three movies and shows to watch this weekend was a tough one because there are so many great options this weekend! Over on Netflix you can finally binge-watch the amazing ESPN docuseries The Last Dance. For those living under a rock, The Last Dance follows the 1997 Chicago Bulls and their star, Michael Jordan, as they work towards their sixth NBA title in eight seasons. The revelations that come out of this series will leave you looking at the touted team and the sports mogul in a whole new way. In addition, after its creators delayed the release to support the Black Live Matters movement, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is now finally available to watch on Hulu! And finally, season 3 of the thrilling crime series Absentia is back on Amazon Prime Video. We could drone on and on about these awesome highlights, but we will leave that for the content below:
New on Netflix July 19: The Last Dance
It caused a major stir in both the entertainment and sports worlds, and now, the sports docuseries The Last Dance has made its way over to Netflix. This phenomenal series follows Michael Jordan and the 1997 Chicago Bulls on their journey to win their sixth NBA title in eight seasons. This stunning portrait of one of sports’ most highly venerated athletes and respected teams has left people talking since it came out on ESPN all those weeks ago. Starting this weekend, it becomes one of the top shows to watch this month on Netflix, so get ready to follow it all over again!
Stream The Last Dance on Netflix
New on Hulu July 17: We Are Freestyle Love Supreme
After a much-respected delayed release, We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is now available to stream on Hulu! This foot-tapping documentary follows the story of Freestyle Love Supreme, an improv rap group founded by renowned Broadway director Tommy Kail and featuring his buddies, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and George Washington himself, Chris Jackson! Hamilton lovers and rap lovers alike will thoroughly enjoy watching the young, scrappy and hungry artists move from spitting freestyle raps on the NYC streets to their very own Broadway show. Want to see an avant-garde Broadway show get made, or just want to bask in the glory that is Lin-Manuel Miranda after watching Hamilton for the 17th time, then check out We Are Freestyle Love Supreme!
Stream We Are Freestyle Love Supreme on Hulu
New on Amazon Prime Video July 17: Absentia Season 3
Absentia, is back for another crazy, twisty season on Amazon Prime this weekend. For those a little rusty, this thrilling series follows the traumatizing adventures Emily Byrne: a former FBI agent who mysteriously disappears while investigating a serial killer and then resurfaces with no memory of what happened while she was gone. Now back, Byrne and her support system must embark on a labyrinth-like journey to solve her own mystery, all while piecing together the conspiracy that surrounds her. Now in season 3, we catch up with Emily as she begins to go to therapy to find some peace. But, like many things in Absentia, not everything is what it seems.
Stream Absentia Season 3 on Amazon Prime Video
Full List of New Movies and Shows on Streaming This Weekend
The options above only scratch the surface, so you know that this weekend’s full lineup will have amazing options for what to watch this weekend! For the full breakdown of the best movies and shows to stream now, or if you’re still undecided on what to stream this weekend, then check out the complete list below:
New on Netflix- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
Boca a Boca (Kissing Game) *NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Cursed *NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Funan
Released Saturday, July 18
Gigantosaurus: Season 1
The Notebook
Released Sunday, July 19
The Last Dance
New on Hulu- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
We Are Freestyle Love Supreme
Into the Dark: The Current Occupant: New Episode Premiere *Hulu Original
Released Sunday, July 19
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019)
New on Amazon Prime- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
Absentia: Season 3 * Amazon Original Series
Released Sunday, July 19
Marianne & Leonard: Words Of Love (2019)
New on HBO- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
Abuelos (Aka Grandpas), 2020 (HBO)
Released Saturday, July 18
Harriet, 2019 (HBO)
New on Starz- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
21 (2008)
30 Nights Of Paranormal Activity With The Devil Inside The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2012)
7 Seconds (2005)
Amelia (2009)
Ana (2019)
Apache Territory (1958)
A Troll In Central Park (1994)
Comanche (1956)
Double Team (1997)
Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Gunfighters Of Abilene (1959)
Hollywood Homicide (2003)
How High (2001)
Krush Groove (1985)
Living Out Loud (1998)
Smart People (2008)
Swift (2019)
Taxi (2004)
The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It (2010)
The Adventures Of Pluto Nash (2002)
The Far Country (1954)
The Marine 2 (2009)
The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
The Pickup Game (2019)
The Wolf Hour (2019)
Released Saturday, July 18
The Notebook (2004)
Released Sunday, July 19
P-Valley – Episode 102
New on Showtime- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
Waves (Premiere)
Released Sunday, July 19
Die Another Day
Laggies
Revenge of the Green Dragons
The Rover
Son of a Gun
Tusk
New on BritBox- Full List
Released Friday, July 17
Rebus: S1 | New To BritBox


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Johnny Depp pal calls photos of bruised Amber Heard ‘phoney baloney’

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Twitter ( Opens in new window ) Click to share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ) Johnny Depp arrived an hour late to his libel trial Friday , as his childhood pal told London ’ s High Court that snaps of Amber Heard ’ s bruised face were “ phoney baloney ” — and claimed he spotted her suspected lover Elon Musk outside her Los Angeles pad at least twice after the Hollywood couple split up .
Depp didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a.m. after his friend of 40 years , Isaac Baruch , had begun testifying via video link , Sky News reported .
Baruch , an artist , who lived rent-free in one of Depp ’ s penthouse apartments , said he ’ d seen the Tesla founder twice at the building after the volatile couple split up .
He said Musk was exiting the elevator the first time and walking around outside Heard and Depp ’ s apartment the second , according to Sky News .
“ [ Musk ] could have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to look out on the roof .
It ’ s a nice view , ” Baruch testified .
Depp has accused the “ Aquaman ” actress of having an affair with Musk — who he derisively dubbed “ Mollusk ” — during their marriage , which the billionaire businessman has denied .
Baruch called Depp a “ nobel-mensch ” who had given him $ 100,000 over the years and let him live rent-free at his various properties .
“ I would ask for dough when I needed it…to cover expenses , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan but had never paid back .
Baruch said that after Heard and Depp split up , the actress would call him .
“ She was worried about herself not being able to get in touch with him , ” he said .
He also called Heard ’ s claims of domestic violence “ fraudulent ” and the photos of her bruised face published in People magazine “ phony baloney pictures , ” Sky News reported .
He saw her May 22 , 2016 , a day after Depp allegedly lobbed a cellphone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple ended their wildly tumultuous romance .
“ She wasn ’ t wearing a speck of makeup , and there was nothing on her face , ” he said .
Heard allegedly asked him if he could see a mark from a foot away , and he said he “ could see nothing.
” It was the ninth day of Depp ’ s libel trial against The Sun , who he ’ s suing for branding him a “ wife beater ” in an April 2018 article based on Heard ’ s allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sasha Wass , showed Baruch a photo taken May 21 of Heard ’ s alleged injury and asked him if he observed the bruising on her right cheek on May 22 .
“ Absolutely not , ” he replied .
Wass also read a text exchange between British presenter Amanda de Cadenet and Heard .
“ Sleeping sounds like the best thing — put some arnica on your face , make sure you have photos of the injuries please and text them to me or Rocky , ” Cadenet wrote .
The “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the stand last week that his “ sociopathic ” ex was the violent one in their marriage — and denied ever laying a hand on her .
The Golden Globe winner is also suing Heard for $ 50 million in the US for allegedly defaming him in a Washington Post article about domestic abuse .
That case is due to be heard next year .

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Johnny Depp arrived an hour late to his libel trial Friday, as his childhood pal told London’s High Court that snaps of Amber Heard’s bruised face were “phoney baloney”– and claimed he spotted her suspected lover Elon Musk outside her Los Angeles pad at least twice.
Depp didn’t show up to court Friday until 11 a.m. after his friend of 40 years, Isaac Baruch, had begun testifying via video link.
Baruch lambasted Heard’s claims of domestic violence as “fraudulent” and the widely published photos of her bruised face as “phoney baloney pictures.”
He saw her May 22, 2016, a day after Depp allegedly lobbed a cellphone at her face. A month earlier, Depp said he had demanded a divorce after Heard or one of her friends defecated in their bed as a prank.
“She wasn’t wearing a speck of makeup, and there was nothing on her face,” Baruch said. Heard allegedly asked him if he could see a mark from a foot away, and he said he “could see nothing.”
It was the ninth day of Depp’s libel trial against The Sun, who he’s suing for branding him a “wife beater” in an April 2018 article based on Heard’s allegations.
The Sun’s lawyer, Sasha Wass, showed Baruch a photo taken May 21 of Heard’s alleged injury and asked him if he observed the bruising on her right cheek on May 22. “Absolutely not,” he replied.
Wass read a series of texts from Depp to Baruch in which he called his then-wife “That c–t who ruined such a f—— cool life.”
Depp’s lawyer David Sherborne asked Baruch why the actor had used the expletive to refer to Heard. “Because she filed for a fraudulent domestic violence claim to push her hand and extort and blackmail him,” he replied.
Baruch, an artist, who lived rent-free at the time in one of Depp’s penthouse apartments, said he’d seen the Tesla founder twice at the building after the volatile couple split up.
He said Musk was exiting the elevator the first time and walking around outside Heard and Depp’s apartment the second.
“[Musk] could have been going to the gym, or maybe to look out on the roof. It’s a nice view,” Baruch testified, according to Sky News.
Depp has accused the “Aquaman” actress of having an affair with Musk — who he derisively dubbed “Mollusk” — during their marriage, which the billionaire businessman has denied.
Baruch called Depp an “ubermensch” who had given him $100,000 over the years.
“I would ask for dough when I needed it…to cover expenses,” he said of the cash he called a loan but had never paid back.
Baruch said that after Heard and Depp split up, the actress would call him.
“She was worried about herself not being able to get in touch with him,” he said.
Wass also read a text exchange between British presenter Amanda de Cadenet and Heard.
“Sleeping sounds like the best thing — put some arnica on your face, make sure you have photos of the injuries please and text them to me or Rocky,” Cadenet wrote.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star said on the stand last week that his “sociopathic” ex was the violent one in their marriage — and denied ever laying a hand on her.
The Golden Globe winner is also suing Heard for $50 million in the US for allegedly defaming him in a Washington Post article about domestic abuse. That case is due to be heard next year.
With Post wires


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Toddler caught after four-story fall off A/C unit

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People are “flipping” out over this amazing rescue. When a toddler fell from a fourth-floor apartment in Huai’an, China, a heroic man caught the child at the bottom. Watch as the 2-year-old clings to an air conditioning unit before slipping and flipping in the air in this heart-stopping video.
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newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Manhattan rents drop for first time in a decade thanks to COVID-19

Nearly a third of renters across the US weren ’ t able ...

Whad’ya know: The rent was too damn high.
Manhattan rents have dropped for the first time since 2010, according to a new study.
The July 16 report from real-estate listings site StreetEasy, which analyzed property prices during the second quarter of 2020, attributed the first year-over-year decrease in 10 years to the lack of demand for apartments and an increase in vacancies as New Yorkers flee the city due to the coronavirus pandemic.
From April to June of 2019, the median Manhattan rent was $3,395 a month, according to StreetEasy. Over the same period in 2020, it was $3,300 — a 2.8 percent reduction.
Not only did 34.7 percent of all Manhattan rentals get a discount — a new high for that metric — but landlords in the borough also slashed a record 6.7 percent off asking rents. That amounts to $221 per month, or $2,652 per year.
As work-from-home orders remain for many city professionals, there’s not a current need to live near the offices, or even to pick a pad for its easy commute. As a result, landlords looking to fill empty apartments are turning to rent reductions to lure new tenants to what was once the epicenter of the virus.
Many rentals in prime Manhattan districts cut their prices during the second quarter, a StreetEasy search shows. For instance, a studio at 145 W. 12th St. in the usually coveted neighborhood of Greenwich Village listed at the end of June for $2,700 a month, then decreased its price by 8 percent to $2,495 five days later. (It is still on the market for $2,000 following two further price chops.) In nearby Soho, a one-bedroom rental at 104 Sullivan St. hit the market for $2,800 in early June before lowering its ask to $2,650 by the end of the month.
Rents are falling in Brooklyn, too. In that borough, 25.6 percent of rental units received discounts in the second quarter — 8.6 percent more than the same period in 2019. In Queens, the downward trajectory is the same. There, 22.5 percent of rentals saw discounts — a 4.7 percent increase from last year, StreetEasy notes.
Beyond price cuts, tenants are getting other perks, such as more flexible move-in dates.
One 25-year-old Brooklyn renter told The Post that she was able to negotiate the price of her new Carroll Gardens one-bedroom. Listed for $1,950 per month, she got down to $1,900 — and was able to sign the lease a full month before moving in mid-June.
“A lot of places in New York won’t let you do it that far in advance,” she said.
While prices and demand have both slipped, New Yorkers are still ogling apartment listings. StreetEasy reports that the number of visitors to the site has actually increased.
For instance, Brooklyn received the biggest jump in year-over-year search interest during the second quarter, with 26 percent more searches than in 2019. In Queens, that figure rose by 24 percent; in Manhattan, 15 percent year-over-year.
It’s not just renters with expiring leases on the horizon, according to StreetEasy, but also people checking to see how the ongoing pandemic may affect rent prices. Many are assuming they may be able to get better deals by moving.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--How Masahiro Tanaka ‘processed’ line drive terror

The aftershock of Masahiro Tanaka getting hit in the head ...

Manager Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake were encouraged by Masahiro Tanaka’s crisp bullpen session Thursday at Yankee Stadium, the right-hander’s first time on a mound since getting hitting hit in the head by a 112-mph Giancarlo Stanton liner on July 4.
Yet, Boone hinted Tanaka might not be ready to pitch in the first trip through the rotation when the 60-game season is scheduled to open next Thursday.
“I probably would be a little bit surprised if it was the first rotation through,’’ Boone said of Tanaka, who threw 30 pitches in the pen workout. “And then again, it is seeing how his next bullpen goes, seeing how facing live hitters go and what is the best decision for us and Masa as far as do we want to build him up entirely at the big-league level or do we want him to continue to build up and get to a point where he is built up more like a starter? Those will be conversations that we have internally and with Masa, for that matter. We will see where we are in the next few days, especially after he faces hitters for the first time.’’
Blake was impressed with Tanaka’s performance.
“Higher intensity than we initially expected coming in, which was really encouraging. He was right around 88 to 91 [mph]. It was good to see him step on it and show all his pitches. Very crisp first bullpen, so I am really happy where he is at,’’ Blake said of Tanaka, who will repeat the bullpen session Sunday and likely face hitters early next week.
Blake is also impressed with the way Tanaka has rebounded from the frightening scenario.
“I think he has been really good about how he has processed it all. He spent some time talking to Chad Bohling, our mental skills guy, just to make sure they are going through the necessary steps in terms of how he is processing that moment and what it means going forward,’’ Blake said. “Kind of the necessary steps to get himself to compete at a high level again without a lot of hesitation about getting back on the mound. He has been very firm about, he feels OK with what happened and he understands the risks associated with pitching.’’
Aaron Judge was on the field hitting before the Yankees worked out at and took batting practice during the workout one night after returning to the lineup and homering in an intrasquad game.
“Everything looks good with Aaron,’’ Boone said of the right fielder, who had been dealing with a stiff neck since being scratched from an intrasquad game Saturday.
Gerrit Cole will make his final start Friday night before his scheduled Opening Day assignment.
“We will probably keep him similar. I think he threw 85 [pitches] the last time. We will probably keep him around there,’’ Boone said. “He pushed pretty hard the last time on a pretty hot day. We will keep him there with the idea he would obviously go on the sixth day.’’
Beginning with Friday night’s intrasquad game at the Stadium, Boone figures his club has four exhibition games remaining instead of two against the Mets this weekend and one versus the Phillies on Monday.
“In my mind I am counting [Friday] like a game. Friday we got eight innings to play. I am looking at these next four games, pretty much all of our guys will play in three of those games and probably push them pretty far into the game,’’ Boone said. “I feel like they are ready to do that and so that’s been nice.’’
Hal Steinbrenner dropped by the Yankees’ first-base dugout to visit with GM Brian Cashman on Thursday and watch veteran lefty J.A. Happ and highly touted pitching prospect Clarke Schmidt face live hitters Thursday.
Among the hitters Happ faced were Judge, Miguel Andujar and Gio Urshela. Schmidt, the Yankees’ top pitching prospect, threw to Stanton, Mike Tauchman and Andujar.
Add Tauchman to the list of Yankees who aren’t in love with putting a runner on second base to start an extra inning, even if he has a chance to be employed in that circumstance. This past week Boone used Tauchman to start innings on second base to prepare the pitchers and hitters for such a the situation.
“I am not a huge fan of it,’’ Tauchman said of the rule that has been used in the minor leagues and is in play this shortened major league season to keep games from going deep into extra innings. “I understand why it is being done but I understand why pitchers don’t like having to deal with a runner that they didn’t create.’’
Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle believes the fake crowd noise and music that will be pumped into a fan-less Yankee Stadium when the regular season starts will be a positive.
“Personally, I think it will,’’ Kahnle said when asked if it the noise will help players. “Some kind of noise, even when you are playing, it gives you a big adrenaline boost. I think it will give a better situation than just being out there with no sound, you could hear people talking. It is a good idea to do that but I did see a video today and it looked like the noise was a little too loud but I am sure they are just kind of working with it right now.’’
Kahnle is aware that without fans in the seats and TV microphones throughout ballparks players will have to be careful what they say on the field and in the dugouts.
“They can pump in the crowd noise but I don’t think it is going to be the same effect it would be if you had fans in there,’’ said Kahnle, who predicted he will let something slip. “I am still going to obviously let major F-bombs go. That is just who I am. I know a lot of guys, we get really passionate on the mound.’’
The Yankees reassigned the following players to the spring training alternate site: RHP Domingo Acevedo, RHP Daniel Alvarez, RHP Luis Gil, C Max McDowell, RHP Luis Medina, RHP Adonis Rosa and RHP Alexander Vizcaino.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Tyler Johnson ‘ecstatic’ to finally be with the Nets

The fact Jamal Crawford might be the most intriguing part ...

Four summers ago — when Sean Marks was in his first offseason as Brooklyn GM, and current interim coach Jacque Vaughn a newly hired assistant — they tried to lure Tyler Johnson to the Nets. Four years later, they finally got their man, Better late than not at all.
Johnson, signed on June 24 to replace the waived Theo Pinson, cleared quarantine in Orlando and begun practicing with the Nets in the NBA restart at Disney.
“My mom still says Sean is one of her favorite people of all time. We’re very fortunate to be in this position. I signed that offer sheet four years ago, so I was ready at that time to become a Net,” Johnson said, referring to a restricted free agent offer sheet.
“Obviously we know the story, Miami matched it. But … we were very interested in what was being built here. So we actually did sign that offer sheet and I was ecstatic when we got that call to come back over here.”
Johnson’s mother, Jennifer, has good reason to like Marks. The Nets’ pitch included Marks, Vaughn, Brook Lopez, then-coach Kenny Atkinson, the training staff — oh, and a four-year, $50 million offer sheet.
“When they brought everyone there to that hotel room,” Johnson said, “that’s when I truly believed it.”
The Heat matched, but traded him to Phoenix during the third season of that deal. The Suns dumped him in the fourth, waiving him Feb. 9.
But now he’s on the Nets, where it almost seems he belonged.
“I did meet Tyler and overall impression was this was a guy we’d love to have with us in our organization, a guy that understands what it means to play and consider more than just himself when he’s on the floor. So he fit into the description of what a Net is,” Vaughn said.
“Part of life’s twists and turns. We get him a little later, and fortunate to have him on the team now.”
Both sides can use each other. The Nets have lost eight players to injury or coronavirus. After three straight seasons scoring in double figures, Johnson had knee surgery that ended that 2018-19 campaign and hindered the start of this season with the Suns.
“Maybe I wasn’t at 100 percent. I was working through it, trying to get right. But I didn’t have that pop, that bounce I used to have where I’d try to go up over the top of people. Who knows if that played a role in anything,” said Johnson, adding his knee is OK now. “I don’t put any blame anywhere but myself. At the end of the day I can only control myself.
“Obviously it didn’t work out the way I would’ve wanted. There was a handful of things that could’ve gone better, not necessarily being anybody’s fault. Coming in and having the quick change, it took a long time for everyone to get on the same page. Unfortunately it didn’t work out. But fortunately, I’m here. I find myself in a position where I can have a little bit of redemption.”
Johnson gets that shot at redemption and the Nets get the lefty combo guard they wanted years ago. But with $19.2 million salaries the past two seasons, they’ll pay him just $212,753 during the restart, and have non-Bird rights on him for next season if it works out.
Humbling? Certainly.
“For sure. At the time, you feel like you’ve got the world at your feet,” Johnson said. “And you find as you go on your NBA journey that some places work for you and some places don’t.”
For Johnson, Miami worked. He’s hoping Brooklyn does as well.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Florida man accused of spray painting ‘I can’t breathe’ on 100 stop signs

A Florida man was arrested Saturday for allegedly going on a vandalism spree , scrawling anti-racism messages on some 100 stop signs in one community , a report said .
Zachary Kato , 32 , is accused of using stencils and paint to write “ racism ” or “ I can ’ t breathe ” under the word “ stop ” on traffic signs in the city of Port Orange , the Orlando Sentinel reported , citing an arrest affidavit .
Kato ’ s alleged vandalism spree cost the city $ 12,500 in damage , the report said .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help of surveillance footage .
Officers recovered paint cans in his garbage and other evidence , including receipts and cellphone screenshots .
Upon the discovery of the evidence , Kato went on an expletive-filled rant , according to the report .
He allegedly dared the cops who searched his home to arrest him , fuming : “ I want to see a judge and jury tell me that speaking out against ( expletive ) racism is wrong.
” He has several prior arrests , including one in 2013 , when he was accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

A Florida man was arrested Saturday for allegedly going on a vandalism spree, scrawling anti-racism messages on some 100 stop signs in one community, a report said.
Zachary Kato, 32, is accused of using stencils and paint to write “racism” or “I can’t breathe” under the word “stop” on traffic signs in the city of Port Orange, the Orlando Sentinel reported, citing an arrest affidavit.
Kato’s alleged vandalism spree cost the city $12,500 in damage, the report said.
Police tracked him down on Friday with the help of surveillance footage.
Officers recovered paint cans in his garbage and other evidence, including receipts and cellphone screenshots.
Upon the discovery of the evidence, Kato went on an expletive-filled rant, according to the report.
He allegedly dared the cops who searched his home to arrest him, fuming: “I want to see a judge and jury tell me that speaking out against (expletive) racism is wrong.”
Kato was charged with criminal mischief.
He has several prior arrests, including one in 2013, when he was accused of strangling his father in a fight.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Jacob deGrom says he’s OK, and the Mets need him to be right

Jacob deGrom has eyes toward Opening Day .
After incurring back ...

“I must have slept wrong,” a healthy-looking Jacob deGrom theorized Thursday at Citi Field, and the ace proceeded to outline a plan that would still have him on the mound for Opening Day, July 24, perhaps just with a few less pitches in his tank.
Nevertheless, you know that no one with a rooting interest in this team will sleep right until the Mets’ most important player — by far — gets on a mound again and completes his work in a way he couldn’t Tuesday due to back tightness.
“This is a day-to-day approach that we’re taking,” manager Luis Rojas said. “We’re excited for the news that came out from the MRI [exam Wednesday] obviously being clean, but this is the day-to-day approach we’re taking. We are all hopeful for a lot of things. Jake to throw, Jake to do Opening Day, but right now, it’s a day-to-day approach that we’re taking.”
Following the Mets’ intrasquad game, Rojas said deGrom had played catch without difficulty, setting him up to start Sunday’s exhibition game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium and, on his normal rest, go against the Braves in the opener. The upshot of his early departure Tuesday, deGrom mused, could be throwing 80 to 85 pitches on Opening Day as opposed to 100 if not for his setback.
This is an organization that very much wants to under-promise and over-deliver on the player-injury front, after doing the opposite for too many years in its past — hence Rojas sounding more tentative than Dr. Anthony Fauci at a toga party. Yet the straight shooter deGrom calmly painted a picture of optimism. The fact he just couldn’t loosen up during his intrasquad outing Tuesday, as opposed to feeling something dramatic after a single pitch, heartened him, and the MRI result confirmed his hunch.
“I think being around for a little bit, knowing my body … if that was a regular game, I wouldn’t have said anything,” he said.
He rightly said something, and the Mets universe rightly shook. DeGrom has led the Mets in wins above replacement for four of his five full big-league seasons. In 2016, the exception, he finished second to Noah Syndergaard, who will miss this season rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery.
Last year, when the Mets won 86 games, deGrom compiled an 8.2 WAR to finish three full wins ahead of his closest teammate, Pete Alonso (5.2).
Though Alonso, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, brings leadership and moxie in addition to his prodigious power, the Mets cover for him far more ably — by playing Dom Smith at first, plus they’re well-equipped to capitalize on the designated-hitter addition — than they could their two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner deGrom, whose absence would compel the Mets to choose among Walker Lockett, Corey Oswalt or youngster David Peterson to fill their fifth starter’s slot.
Removing himself from the intrasquad contest “was out of an abundance of caution and trying to play it smart,” deGrom said. His status creates an abundance of caution after the fact.
Even in this reduced season, amidst an ultracompetitive NL East that has seen the Braves and Nationals both take some coronavirus-related hits, it’s difficult to see the Mets capturing the division without considerable help from deGrom. So mark Sunday down on your calendar. Suddenly that Subway Series scrimmage will feel as vital as a September game in Washington.
After all, you do want to start sleeping soundly again, don’t you? As long as you see deGrom get through his shift against the Yankees lineup, you’ll be dreaming of a parade once more.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Derrick Rose’s agent B.J. Armstrong supports Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks candidacy

Entering the process , the sense around the league was the ...

B.J. Armstrong, former Bulls guard and current agent for Derrick Rose, has been in awe of how well Tom Thibodeau got along with his client.
Rose became the league’s youngest MVP at age 22 under Thibodeau’s watch in 2011. Then Rose followed the coach from Chicago to Minnesota. Armstrong calls it “a beautiful relationship.’’
The factors that built their strong connection is why Armstrong believes he needs to return to the sidelines to coach the Knicks, who view him as their top candidate.
“I always admired how [Thibodeau] coached,’’ Armstrong told The Post. “He brings the fire and the heat. And most importantly, he’s always prepared for the game. He loves the game. He had an excellent career in this league. He made a life commitment to the game. I’ll be really happy for him [if he gets the job].’’
Thibodeau and the former Knicks point guard were cut from the same cloth, Armstrong said.
“Every now and then, you find someone who matches your personality,’’ said Armstrong, who hosts the “Pushinthru” podcast on which Thibodeau was a recent guest. “Tom and Derrick just hit it off. They’re peas in a pod. They’re basketball junkies. They love the game. They both love to compete. They had a unique understanding amongst themselves.
“I’ve seen those two sit there and talk basketball hours on end. Coach Thibodeau loves basketball. There’s no doubt about it. When you meet Derrick, he loves the game. When you put those two together, you just have this chemistry and mutual respect for their passion for basketball.
“Derrick would play basketball all day if he could,’’ Armstrong added. “Coach Thibodeau will watch film and coach the game all day if he could. It’s the most important thing in their lives.’’
Some Thibodeau observers have wondered if he is actually too obsessed with basketball and if the former Knicks assistant coach could use other outlets. Thibodeau never married and has no kids.
But maybe this is exactly what the woebegone Knicks, a clown show for seven non-playoff years, needs.
“Coach Thibs is one of the more exceptional bright minds in this league,’’ Armstrong said. “No doubt about it. He has the respect of a lot of people in this league who he has touched. He’s always been a person whose served his players and fought for his players, and I know he respects his players immensely.’’
Though Thibodeau has been out of work since January 2019 after being fired by the Timberwolves, Armstrong knows he’s not been far from basketball. Indeed, Thibodeau visited several coaches and their team practices this past season. The 62-year-old from New Britain, Conn., also attended the Sloane Conference at MIT to absorb himself in analytics.
“No matter, he’ll find ways to be around the game,’’ Armstrong said. “He watched a couple of games every night and went to visit multiple coaches and teams, and was in close contact with all the coaches. He’s a lifer. Some play or coach as a job. Some of us, it’s what they do regardless of [employment]. He probably spent more time talking the game than when he was coaching. He’s going to talk basketball. Life hasn’t changed much for him.’’
Thibodeau’s head-coaching record stands at 352-246, but still faced criticism after his Minnesota stint ended 18 months ago despite breaking the franchise’s 13-year playoff drought.
Thibodeau had been charged with being out of touch with millennial players while not adhering to new load-management principles. Theories abound that his overplaying Rose caused his ACL injuries. Rose does not think that way, according to his agent.
“It never occurred to us,’’ Armstrong said. “Their track record together speaks for itself. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I get it. That’s the business we’re in. We live in a public life. But they are going to be lifelong friends.’’
When Rose was waived by Utah in 2018, Thibodeau signed him when a roster spot opened.
“As soon as the opportunity arose, he was first in line,’’ Armstrong said.
Rose weaved a productive bounce-back season for Detroit, but has one year left on his pact. If Thibodeau returns to New York, you can never count out Rose returning, too.
“I’ve never questioned [Thibodeau’s] understanding of the game or knowledge of the game and he will always be one of the top coaches in the league as long as the talent is there,’’ Armstrong said.


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Iowa drug kingpin who killed five people set for execution Friday

A meth kingpin from Iowa who killed five people , including two young girls , is scheduled Friday to become the third federal inmate to be executed this week , following a 17-year pause in federal executions .
Dustin Honken , 52 , was sentenced to death for killing government informants and children in his effort to thwart his drug trafficking prosecution in 1993 .
Honken is set to die by a lethal injection of the powerful sedative pentobarbital at the federal prison in Terre Haute , Indiana , where he ’ s been on death row since 2005 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a reprieve , but their chances of success seem remote after the Supreme Court reversed lower-court orders that sought to block the executions of two other men this week .
Daniel Lewis Lee was executed Tuesday morning and Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death two days later , each after hours of legal wrangling that the high court ended with 5-4 votes to allow the executions to take place .
Lee was convicted of murdering an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying just before he died , “ I ’ ve made a lot of mistakes in my life , but I ’ m not a murderer .
You ’ re killing an innocent man.
” Purkey was executed for kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl , Jennifer Long , in Kansas City , Missouri , before dismembering , burning and dumping her body in a septic pond .
In his final words , the inmate expressed regret for killing Long and said : “ This sanitized murder really does not serve no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal judge had ordered an eleventh-hour delay in both executions , citing the prospect that the inmates would suffer severe pain from the execution drug .
The judge also would have allowed Purkey ’ s lawyers to pursue claims that he was suffering from dementia and was unable to understand why he was being executed .
The Supreme Court removed those obstacles , noting Tuesday that Texas and other states have used pentobarbital “ without incident ” in more than 100 executions .
The court didn ’ t comment in rejecting the delay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dementia .
Honken ’ s execution would be the 10th carried out in the U.S. in 2020 , including three in Texas , which executes more inmates than any other state .
Last year , 22 prisoners were executed , the fifth straight year that fewer than 30 people were put to death in the U.S. — far lower than the 65 executions that were carried out in 2003 , the last time a federal inmate was executed .
Honken grew up in Iowa , but moved with a friend to Arizona to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which he learned to do after studying chemistry in college .
They distributed their product through two dealers based in Iowa .
One of those dealers was Greg Nicholson , who began cooperating with investigators in 1993 after coming under suspicion .
Honken was arrested and indicted for conspiring to manufacture meth after Nicholson secretly recorded Honken and testified before a grand jury .
Honken informed the court that he would plead guilty .
But days before his July 1993 plea hearing , he and his girlfriend , Angela Johnson , went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the home where he lived with his girlfriend , Lori Duncan , and her daughters , 10-year-old Kandi and 6-year-old Amber .
The four were kidnapped , shot to death and buried , but their bodies weren ’ t found for seven years .
Honken also killed his other dealer , 32-year-old Terry DeGeus , whose body was found a few miles away from Honken ’ s other victims .
Honken was convicted of the Iowa killings in 2004 in a trial that featured extraordinary security measures , including an anonymous jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the courtroom and wore a stun belt under his clothing to prevent escape attempts .
The jury recommended a death sentence and U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett , who said he generally opposes the death penalty , agreed .
“ I am not going to lose any sleep if he is executed , ” said Bennett , who has since retired from the bench .
“ Normally I would , but the evidence was so overwhelming .
”

A meth kingpin from Iowa who killed five people, including two young girls, is scheduled Friday to become the third federal inmate to be executed this week, following a 17-year pause in federal executions.
Dustin Honken, 52, was sentenced to death for killing government informants and children in his effort to thwart his drug trafficking prosecution in 1993.
Honken is set to die by a lethal injection of the powerful sedative pentobarbital at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he’s been on death row since 2005. His lawyers are making last-minute pleas for a reprieve, but their chances of success seem remote after the Supreme Court reversed lower-court orders that sought to block the executions of two other men this week.
Daniel Lewis Lee was executed Tuesday morning and Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death two days later, each after hours of legal wrangling that the high court ended with 5-4 votes to allow the executions to take place.
Lee was convicted of murdering an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest. He maintained his innocence to the end, saying just before he died, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I’m not a murderer. You’re killing an innocent man.”
Purkey was executed for kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl, Jennifer Long, in Kansas City, Missouri, before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. In his final words, the inmate expressed regret for killing Long and said: “This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever. Thank you.”
A federal judge had ordered an eleventh-hour delay in both executions, citing the prospect that the inmates would suffer severe pain from the execution drug. The judge also would have allowed Purkey’s lawyers to pursue claims that he was suffering from dementia and was unable to understand why he was being executed.
The Supreme Court removed those obstacles, noting Tuesday that Texas and other states have used pentobarbital “without incident” in more than 100 executions. The court didn’t comment in rejecting the delay relating to claims of Purkey’s dementia.
Honken’s execution would be the 10th carried out in the U.S. in 2020, including three in Texas, which executes more inmates than any other state. Last year, 22 prisoners were executed, the fifth straight year that fewer than 30 people were put to death in the U.S. — far lower than the 65 executions that were carried out in 2003, the last time a federal inmate was executed.
Honken grew up in Iowa, but moved with a friend to Arizona to try to get rich by cooking meth, which he learned to do after studying chemistry in college. They distributed their product through two dealers based in Iowa.
One of those dealers was Greg Nicholson, who began cooperating with investigators in 1993 after coming under suspicion. Honken was arrested and indicted for conspiring to manufacture meth after Nicholson secretly recorded Honken and testified before a grand jury.
Honken informed the court that he would plead guilty. But days before his July 1993 plea hearing, he and his girlfriend, Angela Johnson, went searching for Nicholson.
They found him at the home where he lived with his girlfriend, Lori Duncan, and her daughters, 10-year-old Kandi and 6-year-old Amber. The four were kidnapped, shot to death and buried, but their bodies weren’t found for seven years. Honken also killed his other dealer, 32-year-old Terry DeGeus, whose body was found a few miles away from Honken’s other victims.
Honken was convicted of the Iowa killings in 2004 in a trial that featured extraordinary security measures, including an anonymous jury. Honken was bolted to the floor of the courtroom and wore a stun belt under his clothing to prevent escape attempts.
The jury recommended a death sentence and U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett, who said he generally opposes the death penalty, agreed.
“I am not going to lose any sleep if he is executed,” said Bennett, who has since retired from the bench. “Normally I would, but the evidence was so overwhelming.”


newyorkpost--2020-07-17--Teen boy grew breasts from ‘experimental’ estrogen prescribed in jail, lawsuit says

A California teen who says he developed enlarged breasts from taking prescribed estrogen while locked up in a juvenile facility is reportedly suing the doctor who gave him the pills .
The teen was given the hormones , which help develop the female reproductive system , after being diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder , or ODD , two days into his June 2019 stint at Eastlake Juvenile Hall , the Los Angeles Times reported .
Thirteen days after taking one pill a day as prescribed , the teen ’ s breasts began to enlarge and swell .
He developed gynecomastia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high estrogen levels , according to medical records .
The county health department doctor who diagnosed the teen and prescribed him estrogen , Danny Wang , did so without the consent or knowledge of his parents , the suit says .
The treatment is described in the suit as “ experimental ” and health professionals told The Times that the hormone is not meant to help with ODD .
ODD is described as a disorder suffered by children and teenagers who are routinely averse to discipline and flout demands of parents and authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment for ODD , ” James McGough , a professor of clinical psychiatry at UCLA , told the newspaper .
“ I can ’ t be more emphatic about that .
You won ’ t find a reference anywhere that supports the use of estrogen for ODD.
” The teen stopped taking the pills in July 2019 when he complained about the side effects .
He was released from the lockup in April and will need surgery to reverse the pill ’ s effects , his lawyer , Wesley Ouchi , told The @ @

A California teen who says he developed enlarged breasts from taking prescribed estrogen while locked up in a juvenile facility is reportedly suing the doctor who gave him the pills.
The teen was given the hormones, which help develop the female reproductive system, after being diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, or ODD, two days into his June 2019 stint at Eastlake Juvenile Hall, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Thirteen days after taking one pill a day as prescribed, the teen’s breasts began to enlarge and swell. He developed gynecomastia, a condition suffered by men with high estrogen levels, according to medical records.
The county health department doctor who diagnosed the teen and prescribed him estrogen, Danny Wang, did so without the consent or knowledge of his parents, the suit says.
The treatment is described in the suit as “experimental” and health professionals told The Times that the hormone is not meant to help with ODD.
ODD is described as a disorder suffered by children and teenagers who are routinely averse to discipline and flout demands of parents and authority figures.
“Estrogen is not a treatment for ODD,” James McGough, a professor of clinical psychiatry at UCLA, told the newspaper.
“I can’t be more emphatic about that. You won’t find a reference anywhere that supports the use of estrogen for ODD.”
The teen stopped taking the pills in July 2019 when he complained about the side effects.
He was released from the lockup in April and will need surgery to reverse the pill’s effects, his lawyer, Wesley Ouchi, told The Times.