newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Trump’s peace deal also exposes the follies of the West’s Middle East ‘experts’

The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain ...

“Suppose they gave a war, and nobody came,” went the anti-Vietnam War slogan that became the title of a 1970 film. “Suppose they made peace, and not everybody liked it” could be the title of a documentary about the Abraham Accords, the treaties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed at the White House this week. The West’s useless professional peace-processors are strangely glum, to put it mildly.
The Emiratis and Bahrainis became only the third and fourth Arab states ever to recognize the Jewish state. And more good news may be on the way: Oman issued a statement of support for the accords; there is talk of Sudan following suit and Morocco opening direct flights. And though Saudi Arabia may be the last Sunni-majority state to formally recognize Israel, it is now permitting Israeli aircraft to cross its airspace.
No less remarkably, when the Palestinian Authority petitioned the Arab League for a denunciation of the deal, the league voted it down.
We might expect the usual suspects to object: Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the English faculty of our more expensive universities. And it would be excessively idealistic to expect the immediate lying down of lions with lambs, though more than possible to imagine tech-minded businessmen and security experts pragmatically sitting together under vines and fig trees in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
But why the sour grapes among the ostensible supporters of peace in the Middle East?
Since the 1990s, the prospect of peace in the Middle East has created and sustained a class of professional peace-processors in the capitals of the West. Their gravy train, the Oslo Accords, was supposed to deliver peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Instead, it delivered the Palestinians’ war of suicide bombings and a mini-caliphate in Gaza.
No matter: The peace-processors failed up. As the region slid into the hell of religious war, and the Israeli public abandoned its trust in the Palestinians’ various leaderships, the peace-processors kept the faith on their “front lines”: think tanks and chairs at universities.
This year, Saeb Erekat, the late Palestinian arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat’s yes-man who said no to everything, is teaching diplomacy at Harvard: from peace-processor to peace-professor. You couldn’t make it up. You don’t need to: Erekat makes it all up anyway.
Imagine the pique of Aaron David Miller and Martin Indyk, professional negotiators who failed to negotiate anything at all for 30 years. Or John Kerry, who pontificated in 2016 that there could never be an Arab-Israeli treaty without a Palestinian state.
And then comes President Trump, a man whose prior experience in international diplomacy was limited to negotiating the price of gilded faucets. Trump ignored the founding principle of the peace-processing fantasy: a Palestinian state as the precondition of Israeli-Arab reconciliation. He circumvented the Arabists of the State Department and instead negotiated through his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.
How the experts laughed as the boyish developer flew to the Persian Gulf. How wrong they all were.
Trump, as would be expected from the Everyman from Queens, is a connoisseur of the “Godfather” films. He dealt with the Gulf royals as one family syndicate with another: You send your family to talk to theirs, and if your son-in-law is their cousin’s cousin, so much the better.
The one-eyed doctrine of “evenhandedness” and the chin-stroking of the Obama era always went over well with the Democratic-majority media and the pro-Arab chancelleries of Europe. But they have been repudiated by reality: Arab-Muslim reality. It’s now clear that the Western left, especially in Europe, cares more about a Palestinian state than the new generation of Muslim-Arab leaders do.
So we are told that this peace means less than the others because it is between leaders, not people — as if Egypt’s and Jordan’s recognition of Israel were not. We are told that the UAE wants Israeli know-how because it is a high-tech police state — as if the current alternatives among Arab states were not low-tech police states.
A diplomatic transformation, CNN tells us, was “always inevitable” — though it took everyone by surprise.
Our institutionalized cadres of failed peace-processors will not take kindly to their superannuation. So be it. It’s time to ditch the failed strategists and ignorant experts of our professional analyst class.
Times change, and even the Middle East can change, too.
Dominic Green is deputy editor of The Spectator.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Pandemic concerns weighed down an anxious New York Fashion Week

We expect edgy style at New York Fashion Week — but this season , the whole thing was on-edge .
After the event wrapped last week , insiders told Page Six about the uneasy experience of taking part in a Fashion Week during a pandemic .
“ We brought our own food because we didn ’ t trust eating catering that someone might have breathed on , ” T. Cooper , owner of hair and make-up company Major Face told us , “ No one could hear each other properly because they all sounded like mumbles under the mask.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for retailer Flying Solo ’ s show , added , “ It was super weird not being able to see each other ’ s facial expressions — and we prayed to God that the models were being responsible.
” The show was held on a Soho rooftop to make it safer .
“ It took a while to get to the rooftop because only four people at a time we ’ re allowed on the elevator , ” she said , adding that some of the outfits on show were coordinated with masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being able to hug and kiss people as normal , ” Cooper said , “ I missed that.
” Meanwhile , seventeen-year-old model and designer Julia Corso , who walked in the hiTechMODA show at ReGen , told us , “ It was kind of stressed out when the make-up girls were doing my eyes and lips and the touch-ups .
I was worried if she used that lip on someone else.
” She told us her mom even went to CVS to buy disposable make-up brushes and sponges , “ just to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She adds of the show , “ We walked with no audience .
It was so incredibly eerie .
I think it really took away from the experience of Fashion Week .
There were only 30 people allowed in a space between the models and makeup artists and the producers.
” It was streamed online .

We expect edgy style at New York Fashion Week — but this season, the whole thing was on-edge.
After the event wrapped last week, insiders told Page Six about the uneasy experience of taking part in a Fashion Week during a pandemic.
“We brought our own food because we didn’t trust eating catering that someone might have breathed on,” T. Cooper, owner of hair and make-up company Major Face told us, “No one could hear each other properly because they all sounded like mumbles under the mask.”
Cooper, who was the head hairstylist for retailer Flying Solo’s show, added, “It was super weird not being able to see each other’s facial expressions — and we prayed to God that the models were being responsible.”
The show was held on a Soho rooftop to make it safer. “It took a while to get to the rooftop because only four people at a time we’re allowed on the elevator,” she said, adding that some of the outfits on show were coordinated with masks. “It was really weird not being able to hug and kiss people as normal,” Cooper said, “I missed that.”
Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old model and designer Julia Corso, who walked in the hiTechMODA show at ReGen, told us, “It was kind of stressed out when the make-up girls were doing my eyes and lips and the touch-ups. I was worried if she used that lip on someone else.” She told us her mom even went to CVS to buy disposable make-up brushes and sponges, “just to make sure I only used it.”
She adds of the show, “We walked with no audience. It was so incredibly eerie. I think it really took away from the experience of Fashion Week. There were only 30 people allowed in a space between the models and makeup artists and the producers.” It was streamed online.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Danish TV show that pairs kids and naked adults slammed as depraved

The film revolves around Amy , 11 , who becomes fascinated with ...

On one TV show, the truth is actually naked.
In Denmark, an award-winning television program called “Ultra Strips Down,” puts nude adults in front of school-age children.
The series allows its young participants, ages 11 to 13, to ask the grown-up volunteers whatever questions are on their minds in order to promote body positivity and combat body-shaming, according to the New York Times.
Despite Denmark’s relatively permissive attitude towards nudity and its well-intentioned mission, the show, now in its second season on a channel called DR Ultra, has sparked backlash. One politician even said it is “depraving our children.”
A recent episode, which focused on skin and hair, placed students from Copenhagen’s Orestad School in the company of five buck-naked adults. The series’ creators want to challenge the idea that there are perfect body types.
“At what age did you grow hair on the lower part of your body?” one kid asked, per the Times, while another queried, “Do you consider removing your tattoos?” A third participant went deeper: “Are you pleased with your private parts?”
One of the adults, named Martin, responded he’d never had negative thoughts about them. Another man, also named Martin, said he worried about the size of his privates when he was younger. “But the relationship with myself has changed over time,” he added.
Despite the show’s popularity in Denmark — a nation where nudity isn’t as taboo or sensitive as it can be in other parts of the world — it has still attracted criticism.
A leading member of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, Peter Skaarup, reportedly claimed the show “is far too early for children” and is even “depraving” them. He told a Danish tabloid that kids “already have many thing running around in their heads.”
Viewers have vented their frustrations beneath a clip of the show posted on DR Ultra’s Facebook page. While a number of commenters voiced their support, others stood in clear opposition to the series’ central concept: exposing children to naked adult bodies.
“F–k this is disgusting!” wrote one woman, according to a translation, while another said, “Would you please remove that s–t? … you’re out in deep water.”
To the latter, the channel responded, “What a comment … It’s educational TV for kids and families who can have healthy talk about what bodies look like.”
This debate over appropriateness with minors comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding the French film “Cuties,” which debuted on Netflix in early September. The movie follows a Senegalese immigrant in Paris who adapts to French culture, and by doing so rebels against her family’s traditional values. But critics slammed the film for its perceived sexualization of little girls, specifically its portrayal of a group of 11-year-old dancers who wear skimpy outfits.
“Ultra Strips Down” host Jannik Schow, who also helped develop it, told the Times its overarching aim is educational.
“Perhaps some people are like, ‘Oh, my God, they are combining nakedness and kids,’ ” said Schow, 29. “But this has nothing to do with sex, it’s about seeing the body as natural, the way kids do.”
The show’s first season, aired in 2019, won an award for best children’s program at the Danish TV Festival. The 2020 season will have total five episodes centering on different topics. Kids must have parental consent to appear on the program; the middle schoolers and volunteers are not shown in a single shot; producers often check in with the students to make sure they feel comfortable.
For its part, “Ultra Strips Down” casts grown-up volunteers of different shapes, ages, races and genders. One volunteer has dwarfism, while another is a transgender adult who had a vasectomy and prefers “they/them” pronouns.
After the taping of the skin and hair episode, the school kids sat outside the studio to go over their impressions. They admitted to the Times they initially giggled at the concept, but that they all learned something.
Sonya Chakrabarty Geckler, 11, said that “she felt more confident about her own body now.”
“I’m not used to seeing volunteers butt naked and asking them questions,” 13-year-old Ida Engelhardt Gundersen told the Times. “But we learned about the body and about how other people feel about their bodies.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--World mourns loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The world mourned the loss of pioneering feminist , outstanding legal scholar and historic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Friday night .
The Brooklyn-born Justice — only the second woman appointed to the bench — died Friday due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer , the Supreme Court announced .
“ Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature , ” Chief Justice John G. Roberts , Jr. , said of Ginsburg .
“ We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.
” Ginsburg was praised from the left as a firebrand who developed a cult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bench .
“ Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women , including me .
There will never be another like her .
Thank you RBG , ” Hillary Clinton posted to Twitter .
Though Americans from both sides of the political spectrum honored her for breaking through glass ceilings as she rose in power .
“ Rest in peace Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a true legend , an iconoclast , a glass ceiling breaker , and a feminist icon , ” wrote Meghan McCain .
“ She changed the world in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love and strength to her family during this dark time .
I hope you have fun with Antonin Scalia in heaven… ” Minnesota Senator and one-time 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar added Ginsburg was “ an icon .
A hero .
A woman way ahead of her time.
” Even some of her fiercest opponents paid their respects .
“ Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a credit to the Court , ” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani posted on Twitter .
“ I disagreed with many of her decisions but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She was a close friend of her ideological opposite , Justice Scalia .
They both loved opera , law and the U.S.A. May She Rest In Peace ” Before she became known as the “ Notorious RBG ” for her sharp dissents , Ginsburg was the first tenured woman professor at Rutgers School of Law in Newark , where she began building her career as a champion of gender equality .
Comedian Mindy Kaling said Ginsburg was the role model for her daughter and children everywhere .
“ Ruth Bader Ginsburg was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get excited about explaining to your kids .
The kind of person who you say ‘ who knows , one day you could be HER , ' ” Kaling said .
“ I hope you rest well , RBG , you must have been tired from changing the world.
” Apple CEO Tim Cook said Ginsburg left an indelible mark on American history after arguing six landmark cases and prevailing victorious in five of them .
“ Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life in pursuit of an equal world , ” Cook wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and through her decisions , she changed the course of American history .
We can never repay what she has given us , but we all can honor her legacy by working toward true equality , together.
” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called Ginsburg “ one of the great justices in modern American history.
” “ The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tremendous loss to our country , ” Sanders tweeted .
“ She was an extraordinary champion of justice and equal rights , and will be remembered as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American history .
”

The world mourned the loss of pioneering feminist, outstanding legal scholar and historic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Friday night.
The Brooklyn-born Justice — only the second woman appointed to the bench — died Friday at age 87 due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer, the Supreme Court announced.
“Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said of Ginsburg. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.”
Ginsburg was praised from the left as a firebrand who developed a cult following over her 25 years on the bench.
“Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG,” Hillary Clinton posted to Twitter.
Though Americans from both sides of the political spectrum honored her for breaking through glass ceilings as she rose in power.
“Rest in peace Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a true legend, an iconoclast, a glass ceiling breaker, and a feminist icon,” wrote Meghan McCain. “She changed the world in so many incredible ways. Prayers, love and strength to her family during this dark time. I hope you have fun with Antonin Scalia in heaven…”
Minnesota Senator and one-time 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar added Ginsburg was “an icon. A hero. A woman way ahead of her time.”
Even some of her fiercest opponents paid their respects.
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a credit to the Court,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani posted on Twitter. “I disagreed with many of her decisions but they were all well reasoned and well-argued. She was a close friend of her ideological opposite, Justice Scalia. They both loved opera, law and the U.S.A. May She Rest In Peace”
William Barr, the conservative US Attorney General, said Ginsburg was “renowned among people of all backgrounds.”
“She was an incisive questioner, a clear and careful writer, and a model of dignity and civility,” Barr said in a statement. “In the process, Justice Ginsburg served as an inspiration to this office, the Supreme Court bar, and far beyond.”
All four former presidents sent their condolences and praise.
President Obama urged a slow process to replace Ginsburg, whom he called “a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist.”
George W. Bush said she “inspired more than one generation of women and girls.”
“Justice Ginsburg loved our country and the law,” he said in a statement. “Laura and I are fortunate to have known this smart and humorous trailblazer, and we send our condolences to the Ginsburg family.”
Bill Clinton tweeted, “We have lost one of the most extraordinary Justices ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life and landmark opinions moved us closer to a more perfect union. And her powerful dissents reminded us that we walk away from our Constitution’s promise at our peril.”
And Jimmy Carter said he was proud to have appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals back in 1980.
“A powerful legal mind and a staunch advocate for gender equality, she has been a beacon of justice during her long and remarkable career,” he said.
Before she became known as the “Notorious RBG” for her sharp dissents, Ginsburg was the first tenured woman professor at Rutgers School of Law in Newark, where she began building her career as a champion of gender equality.
Comedian Mindy Kaling said Ginsburg was the role model for her daughter and children everywhere.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the kind of scholar and patriot you get excited about explaining to your kids. The kind of person who you say ‘who knows, one day you could be HER,'” Kaling said. “I hope you rest well, RBG, you must have been tired from changing the world.”
Other stars also weighed in.
“Thank you for changing history,” tweeted pop star Mariah Carey. “We will never let it be undone. RIP RBG.”
Actress Alyssa Milano called Ginsburg her “hero.”
“I never got to meet her. But I loved her and the way she moved through this world with such strength and grace and conviction,” she wrote.
And Barbra Streisand mourned the passing of a fellow Brooklyn Icon.
“She was an inspiration to legal scholars and women,” the singer wrote. “As for her replacement, Mitch McConnell set the precedent: no nominees even get a hearing this close to an election.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Ginsburg left an indelible mark on American history after arguing six landmark cases and prevailing victorious in five of them.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life in pursuit of an equal world,” Cook wrote. “She fought for the unheard, and through her decisions, she changed the course of American history. We can never repay what she has given us, but we all can honor her legacy by working toward true equality, together.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called Ginsburg “one of the great justices in modern American history.”
“The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tremendous loss to our country,” Sanders tweeted. “She was an extraordinary champion of justice and equal rights, and will be remembered as one of the great justices in modern American history.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Ginsburg’s passing an “incalculable loss for our democracy.”
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg embodied justice, brilliance and goodness, the California representative wrote. “Her passing is an incalculable loss for our democracy and for all who sacrifice and strive to build a better future for our children.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York’s “heart breaks” over the news.
“During her extraordinary career, this Brooklyn native broke barriers & the letters RBG took on new meaning—as battle cry & inspiration,” he tweeted.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--By the numbers, it’s hard to see how lockdowns saved many lives

Sweden has recorded its highest death toll in 150 years ...

The New York Times describes Sweden’s approach to COVID-19, which has been notably less restrictive than the policies adopted by other European countries and the United States, as “disastrous” and “calamitous.” By contrast, Scott Atlas, the physician and Hoover Institution fellow who is advising President Trump on the epidemic, thinks Sweden’s policy is “relatively rational” and “has been inappropriately criticized.”
The sharp disagreement about Sweden is part of the wider debate about the cost-effectiveness of broad lockdowns as a strategy for dealing with the pandemic. While it is premature to reach firm conclusions, the evidence so far suggests that Sweden is faring better than the United States, where governors tried to contain the virus by imposing sweeping social and economic restrictions.
Despite some early blunders (most conspicuously, the failure to adequately protect nursing-home residents), Sweden generally has tried to protect people who are at highest risk of dying from COVID-19 while giving the rest of the population considerably more freedom than was allowed by the lockdowns that all but a few US governors imposed in the spring. That doesn’t mean Swedes carried on as usual, since the government imposed some restrictions (including a ban on large public gatherings) and issued recommendations aimed at reducing virus transmission.
The consequences of that policy look bad if you compare Sweden to Denmark, Finland and Norway, neighboring countries that have seen far fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita. Yet Sweden has a lower death rate than several European countries that imposed lockdowns, including Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The US-Sweden comparison is especially striking. The US per-capita fatality rate recently surpassed Sweden’s, and the gap is growing, since the cumulative death toll is rising much faster in the United States.
The seven-day average of daily deaths peaked around the same time last spring in both countries. Adjusted for population, the peak was higher in Sweden.
Since then, however, that average has fallen more precipitously in Sweden — by 99 percent since April 16, compared with 65 percent in the United States since April 21. The seven-day average of newly confirmed cases also has dropped sharply in Sweden, by nearly 80 percent since late June.
In America during the same period, daily new cases initially rose, an ascent that started a month and a half after states began lifting their lockdowns. The seven-day average peaked in late July and has since fallen by 46 percent.
Achieving herd immunity, which protects people in high-risk groups by making it less likely that they will encounter carriers, was never an official goal of Sweden’s policy. But recent trends are consistent with the hypothesis that Sweden has achieved some measure of herd immunity via a combination of exposure to the virus, T-cell response fostered by prior exposure to other coronaviruses, and greater natural resistance among the remaining uninfected population.
In the United States, lockdowns (despite the huge costs they entailed) have not had any obvious payoff in terms of fewer COVID-19 deaths, although they may have changed the timing of those deaths. Perhaps the outcome would have been different if lockdowns had been imposed earlier or if they had been lifted later and more cautiously. But perhaps not.
In a National Bureau of Economic Research paper published last month, UCLA economist Andrew Atkeson and two other researchers, after looking at COVID-19 trends in 23 countries and 25 US states that had seen more than 1,000 deaths from the disease by late July, found little evidence that variations in policy explain the course of the epidemic in different places.
Atkeson & Co. conclude that the role of legal restrictions “is likely overstated,” saying their findings “raise doubt about the importance” of lockdowns in controlling the epidemic. It would not be the first time people have exaggerated the potency of government action while ignoring everything else.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--CNN’s fixed ‘town hall’ proves the network is totally in the tank for Joe Biden

Joe Biden was tossed softball questions from mostly all Democratic ...

CNN’s town hall with Joe Biden on Thursday should put any doubts to rest: The network is all in for Joe.
Even Christopher Cadelago of left-leaning Politico called it a “kid-gloves” affair, in stark contrast to ABC’s “brutal town hall” for President Trump two days before, which gave the prez “few such comfortable moments.”
Indeed: It took over an hour into the 75-minute event before CNN let a Republican pose a question. In all, 13 of the 16 questioners were Democrats. At ABC’s town hall, only three of the 11 questioners had voted for Trump.
Even the “tough” questions for Biden were sycophantic. “I look out over my Biden sign in my front yard and I see a sea of Trump flags and yard signs,” began one of the Pennsylvanians selected to do something most reporters haven’t been able to do all summer: question the Democratic candidate.
As for the moderators: Trump underwent some grilling not just from the voters but from ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, famously a onetime President Bill Clinton staffer. Biden didn’t face any such interrogation from CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who called Trump a “thug” earlier this summer on air.
Cooper didn’t even bat an eyelash when Biden (after offering up his third different take on mandating masks) claimed Trump was responsible for every single death the coronavirus has caused.
“If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive,” Biden declared. “All the people. I’m not making this up, just look at the data. Look at the data.”
There’s no such data, of course. Across the world, no national leader has been able to prevent all coronavirus deaths. (And if anyone’s to get all the blame, it has to be China’s Xi Jinping.)
But Cooper gave Biden no pushback for that nonsense.
Of course, CNN isn’t the only outlet in the tank for Joe. Heck, Twitter’s director of public policy is leaving the company to join Biden’s transition team. But the network sure does less than most to pretend otherwise.
It’s still not clear if CNN chose all on its own to ensure Biden saw mostly softballs or if it agreed after his campaign insisted on having a fix in. But it’s beyond troubling to see such fear in Joe’s camp about exposing Biden to the same challenges that every past presidential nominee has faced.
And however CNN decided to hand Biden a free hourlong campaign ad, it did American voters a disservice.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Democrats latest awful idea: adding new states to lock in Senate control forever

Winter may be coming for Mitch McConnell .
No , he ( probably ) ...

What happens if, as seems much more likely now than it did a year or six months ago, Democrats overturn the Republican majority in the Senate?
No clear answer yet, but NBC News reports Democratic senators have set up a “war room” to enable them to abolish the filibuster and quickly pass a Biden-Harris agenda. Other Democrats have urged that a Democratic Congress admit new states to the Union to have a view to blocking a Republican majority forever.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer has a political incentive to back such extreme moves. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could challenge him in 2022, and the 2018 and 2020 results show an increasingly radical primary electorate in New York.
A Democratic sweep this fall might well produce statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. And possibly for the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
That would be out of line with the American tradition of admitting new states only when they reach a critical mass of population and present a local consensus for statehood. Voters in states with close Senate races this year might want to keep this in mind.
DC statehood would also be contrary to the Constitution’s provision requiring a national capital subject to Congress. The framers feared a local mob could overpower the federal government, as in London’s Gordon riots in 1780 — and as nearly happened in Lafayette Square outside the White House three months ago.
Puerto Rico is an even dicier candidate for statehood. Its territorial government is bankrupt and its government electricity system in large part unfunctional. Since 2010, some 550,000 Puerto Ricans, 14 percent of the population, have left for the mainland, primarily to low-tax Florida, not (as in the 1950s) to high-tax New York.
Plus, there’s no consensus support for statehood, as there was in Alaska and Hawaii in the 1950s. Politically, Puerto Rico is split down the middle between statehood advocates and those who favor a modified form of the current “estado libre asociado” status.
As for the other four territories, their combined population is only 375,000 less than the 579,000 or 624,000 of the smallest states, Wyoming and Vermont.
The territories were acquired for reasons now obsolete: the US Virgin Islands to protect the Panama Canal; American Samoa as a coaling station in the vast South Pacific; Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands after American victories over Spain in 1898 and Japan in 1945.
Today, the Virgin Islands, like its Caribbean neighbors, are a tourist center. American Samoa has two tuna canneries and produces top-notch college and professional football players. The Northern Marianas’ cheap-labor garment factories went bust after the Multifiber Agreement expired in 2005.
Guam is different. Directly south of Japan and southeast of China, it is loaded with military bases and essential to maintain American military capacities in a region threatened by an aggressive China. But that also means that its 168,000 residents include many military personnel from the 50 existing states and other territories.
And it’s not clear that statehood for these territories would produce reliable political gains for Democrats.
There’s historic precedent. When Republicans won congressional majorities and the presidency in 1888, they promptly admitted six new states to the Union and looked forward to the 12 new Republican senators they’d elect. But by 1896, five of those six states voted Democratic for president and, for years thereafter, these states — the Dakotas, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho — kept electing populists and progressives.
Republicans and, in Puerto Rico, candidates of the pro-statehood party who identify as Mainland Republicans, have won numerous elections in the territories. Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas have elected all Republicans as governors.
So just as Democrats are discovering that Hispanics in Florida and other states are trending away from Joe Biden and toward President Trump, they may discover, if they pursue their statehood ploy, that voters of varied origin in faraway territories are not as politically reliable as they assume.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Chuck Schumer says Ginsburg vacancy should be filled by new president

US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth @ @ @ @ @ filled until there is a new president .
“ The American people should have a @ @ @ @ @ their next Supreme Court Justice .
Therefore , this vacancy should not be filled until @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said on Twitter .

US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should not be filled until there is a new president.
“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” he said on Twitter.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--What’s next: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish was to not be replaced until January

The dying wish of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was to not be replaced until after the next president is inaugurated in January .
“ My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed , ” Ginsburg said in parting statement she dictated days before her death Friday , to her granddaughter Clara Spera , according to NPR .
Ginsburg died from complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas , the Supreme Court announced .
Her final wish acknowledged the battle to come .
Her departure as a left-leaning leader of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the right , setting the table for potential challenges of landmark decisions , like Roe V. Wade .
A third appointment from President Trump would give conservatives a 6-to-3 majority .
“ Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature , ” Chief Justice John G. Roberts , Jr. , said of Ginsburg .
“ We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.
” Without Ginsburg , the Supreme Court is left with three liberal justices : Stephen Breyer , Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor .
The conservative justices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neil Gorsuch , Samuel Alito , with John Roberts also leaning to the right .

The dying wish of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was to not be replaced until after the next president is inaugurated in January.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg said in parting statement she dictated days before her death Friday, to her granddaughter Clara Spera, according to NPR.
Ginsburg died from complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas, the Supreme Court announced.
Her final wish acknowledged the battle to come.
Her departure as a left-leaning leader of the court already jolts the bench farther to the right, setting the table for potential challenges of landmark decisions, like Roe V. Wade.
A third appointment from President Trump would give conservatives a 6-to-3 majority.
“Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said of Ginsburg.
“We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.”
Without Ginsburg, the Supreme Court is left with three liberal justices: Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. The conservative justices include Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, with John Roberts also leaning to the right.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Danny Masterson makes first court appearance since June in LA

Danny Masterson made his first appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday since being released on bail from rape charges in June .
The “ That ’ 70s Show ” actor , 44 , was accompanied by his lawyer , Tom Mersereau , and joined by supporters , E !
reports .
Actress Leah Remini , who has been a vocal critic of Masterson and the Church of Scientology — of which he is a follower — was also in attendance at the hearing .
Three women have accused Masterson of raping them at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District Attorney Jackie Lacey caved to media pressure to bring the three counts of rape by force or fear against Masterson , which Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller shot down as “ pure speculation.
” Lacey is up for re-election in November .
Mesereau filed paperwork requesting that the charges against Masterson be dropped , which will be decided during Masterson ’ s next court appearance on Oct. 19 .
Masterson and the Church are also facing a civil suit from the three accusers — plus a fourth woman — accusing them of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women who came forward .
“ It was part of the pressure campaign to force them into silence , ” one of the attorneys in the civil suit , Stewart Ryan , said .

Danny Masterson made his first appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday since being released on bail from rape charges in June.
The “That ’70s Show” actor, 44, was accompanied by his lawyer, Tom Mersereau, and joined by supporters, E! reports. Actress Leah Remini, who has been a vocal critic of Masterson and the Church of Scientology — of which he is a follower — was also in attendance at the hearing. Three women have accused Masterson of raping them at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
Mesereau argued that LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey caved to media pressure to bring the three counts of rape by force or fear against Masterson, which Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller shot down as “pure speculation.” Lacey is up for re-election in November.
Mesereau filed paperwork requesting that the charges against Masterson be dropped, which will be decided during Masterson’s next court appearance on Oct. 19.
Masterson and the Church are also facing a civil suit from the three accusers — plus a fourth woman — accusing them of conducting a campaign of harassment against the women who came forward. “It was part of the pressure campaign to force them into silence,” one of the attorneys in the civil suit, Stewart Ryan, said.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Is The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Movie on Netflix? Where To Stream ‘RBG’ Documentary

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died today at age 87 .
Ginsburg , a powerful figure in the fight for gender equality , died as a result of complications with cancer , according to the Supreme Court , which announced her death .
While Ginsburg was a well-known figure for years , thanks to her trailblazing career as the Supreme Court ’ s most prominent member , she gained a whole new generation of fans and admirers with the 2018 documentary , RBG , which followed her career path , professional achievements , and impact on women ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cohen and Betsy West chronicled Ginsburg ’ s life in the film , which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2018 .
RBG shows the accomplished judge ’ s most noteworthy feats , from her landmark rulings to her impressive exercise routine — if you ’ ve seen the film before , you ’ ll fondly remember the scene with Ginsburg , outfitted in a purple Super Dive sweatshirt , working out with her trainer to start off her day .
If you haven ’ t seen RBG before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to watch it , and no better way to honor the legacy of a powerful woman and her immeasurable impact .
Here ’ s how to watch RBG : There are plenty of places to stream RBG .
Unfortunately , Netflix is not one of them .
But don ’ t worry , we ’ ve got some options for you .
RBG is available to watch across multiple platforms .
If you have an active Hulu subscription , you can stream the doc there , right now .
RBG is also available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Prime Video , where it currently costs $ 3.99 to rent for a 24-hour period .
Your other options include iTunes ( also $ 3.99 ) , YouTube and Google Play or Vudu , , which both charge $ 2.99 for a 24-hour rental .
IS ON THE BASIS OF SEX ON NETFLIX ?
Sorry Netflix subscribers , the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On The Basis Of Sex is not currently on Netflix .
The Mimi Leder directed , Felicity Jones starring film is , however , currently available to stream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition to being available to rent on Amazon Prime , iTunes , Google Play , and other streaming services .
Where to watch On The Basis Of Sex

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died today at age 87. Ginsburg, a powerful figure in the fight for gender equality, died as a result of complications with cancer, according to the Supreme Court, which announced her death.
While Ginsburg was a well-known figure for years, thanks to her trailblazing career as the Supreme Court’s most prominent member, she gained a whole new generation of fans and admirers with the 2018 documentary, RBG, which followed her career path, professional achievements, and impact on women’s rights over the years.
Filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West chronicled Ginsburg’s life in the film, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2018. RBG shows the accomplished judge’s most noteworthy feats, from her landmark rulings to her impressive exercise routine — if you’ve seen the film before, you’ll fondly remember the scene with Ginsburg, outfitted in a purple Super Diva sweatshirt, working out with her trainer to start off her day.
If you haven’t seen RBG before, there’s no better time to watch it, and no better way to honor the legacy of a powerful woman and her immeasurable impact. Here’s how to watch RBG:
IS RBG ON NETFLIX?
There are plenty of places to stream RBG. Unfortunately, Netflix is not one of them. But don’t worry, we’ve got some options for you.
HOW TO WATCH RBG:
RBG is available to watch across multiple platforms. If you have an active Hulu subscription, you can stream the doc there, right now. RBG is also available to rent. You can watch RBG on Prime Video, where it currently costs $3.99 to rent for a 24-hour period. Your other options include iTunes (also $3.99), YouTube and Google Play or Vudu, which both charge $2.99 for a 24-hour rental.
IS ON THE BASIS OF SEX ON NETFLIX?
Sorry Netflix subscribers, the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On The Basis Of Sex is not currently on Netflix. The Mimi Leder directed, Felicity Jones starring film is, however, currently available to stream on Showtime and Showtime Anytime, in addition to being available to rent on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, and other streaming services.
Where to watch RBG
Where to watch On The Basis Of Sex


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Ex-de Blasio donor released from prison on medical furlough

City Hall has pulled the plug on its latest effort ...

A former fundraiser for Mayor Bill de Blasio who was convicted of bribing cops with access to hookers has been released from prison more than two years early on a medical furlough, The Post has learned.
Jeremy Reichberg, 46, was cut loose from the upstate Otisville Federal Correctional Institution on Thursday, sources said.
Reichberg, a Hasidic Jew, arrived at his home in Borough Park, Brooklyn, in time for Friday night’s celebration of the Jewish New Year, sources said.
The US Bureau of Prisons granted his release due to a host of medical ailments, sources said.
Reichberg tested positive for COVID-19 while locked up in Otisville but recovered after treatment, sources said.
“He was very sick,” one source said.
“He thought they were trying to kill him.”
In June, Reichberg hired a new lawyer who sought permission to file a motion for “compassionate release” under seal on grounds that it would reference unspecified medical records and information from his confidential, presentence investigation report by the US Probation Department, court records show.
But the motion was never filed after Manhattan federal Judge Gregory Woods denied the request, citing the “presumption of public access to judicial documents.”
Reichberg was convicted in January 2019 of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, bribery and related crimes in a massive gifts-for-favors corruption scheme involving former pal and fellow de Blasio donor Jona Rechnitz and several high-ranking NYPD officials.
Two of the cops — ex-NYPD Chief of Department Philip Banks and former NYPD inspector-turned Floral Park Police Commissioner Stephen McAllister — were named as unindicted co-conspirators, while a third, former NYPD Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, struck a no-jail plea bargain.
A fourth, former Deputy Inspector James Grant, stood trial as Reichberg’s co-defendant but was acquitted of all charges.
Evidence in the case included testimony from Rechnitz, who cut a cooperation deal with prosecutors following his arrest, and from former prostitute Gabi Grecko, who said Rechnitz hired her to service “anyone who asked” during a 2013 junket to Las Vegas.
Grecko testified that she engaged in “sexual activity” with Grant, with whom she shared a room at the MGM Grand hotel, and also had “sexual contact” with Rechnitz and Reichberg while traveling on a chartered jet.
Reichberg was sentenced to four years in prison and isn’t scheduled for release from custody until January 2023, according to the BOP website.
He’s appealing his conviction on grounds that he should have been able to call de Blasio as a witness after Rechnitz testified that he and Reichberg showered the mayor with political donations in exchange for access to City Hall.
Oral arguments in that case are set for Monday before the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Neither the lawyer who Reichberg hired to seek his release, Casey Donnelly, nor the BOP immediately returned emails seeking comment.


newyorkpost--2020-09-18--Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead at 87

She really did this wedding Justice .
Supreme Court Justice Ruth ...

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the unrelenting trailblazer for gender equality and the second-ever woman appointed to the high court, died Friday night. She was 87.
Ginsburg died surrounded by family at her home in Washington, D.C., due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer, the Supreme Court said in a statement Friday night.
“Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said of Ginsburg.
“We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.”
The Stars and Stripes was hoisted half-way up the flagpole outside the Court in Ginsburg’s honor, according to tweeted video of the somber remembrance.
“Today, we mourn,” Roberts’ statement continued.
“But with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
The small-but-mighty Brooklyn-born jurist had clawed her way through the male-dominated legal industry early in her career and shattered gender norms as a pioneer for women’s rights in the 1970s.
She argued six landmark cases before the Supreme Court and was victorious in five of them that led to fairer treatment of women, as well as men.
In her 25 years on the Supreme Court, the outspoken octogenarian unexpectedly earned a cult following — and the nickname “Notorious R.B.G.” for her scathing dissenting opinions.
Born on March 15, 1933, Joan Ruth Bader grew up in Flatbush the second daughter of Nathan Bader, a Russian Jew who emigrated to the United States in his teens, and Celia Bader (née Amster), whose parents were Polish immigrants.
Some of the future judge’s earliest memories include trips with her mother to the local branch of the Brooklyn Public Library — a cramped location just off Kings Highway that sat above a Chinese food restaurant.
The bright young student, who graduated from James Madison High School in 1950, went on to attend Cornell University and Harvard Law School.
She and Martin “Marty” Ginsburg were married in 1954. The couple had two children, Jane and James, together.
Marty, who was just a year older, was the first boy Ginsburg dated “who cared that I had a brain,” she recalled in the 2018 CNN documentary “RBG.”
At Harvard, Ginsburg was just one of just nine women in a class of more than 500 men.
“You felt you were constantly on display,” she said in the documentary. “So if you were called on in class, you felt that if you didn’t perform well, you were failing not just for yourself but all women.”
But she landed on the prestigious law reviews a top schools twice — first at Harvard and then again at Columbia Law School, where she transferred to in 1958 after Marty, who died in 2010, scored a job in Manhattan.
Despite her glowing academic achievements, no one would hire the young lawyer — because of her sex.
In 1960, she was rejected for a clerkship with then-Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, who told the professor who recommended her that he wasn’t ready to hire a woman.
“I became a lawyer, in days when women were not wanted by most members of the legal profession, because Marty and his parents supported that choice unreservedly,” she said years later at her Senate confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court.
As the first tenured woman professor at Rutgers School of Law in Newark, Ginsburg embarked on her lifelong career of fighting against gender inequality. She and other women employees at the school sued for fair pay after learning they were making substantially less than their male counterparts.
The women won the lawsuit — and that led to Ginsburg teaming up with the American Civil Liberties Union to handle sex discrimination cases and launching its Women’s Rights Project in 1972.
Between 1973 and 1976, she argued six gender discrimination cases before the Supreme Court and won five of them, changing the landscape for women — and men — forever.
She was victorious in her very first case, Frontiero vs. Richardson in 1973, in which an Air Force lieutenant sued for her husband to obtain medical benefits that were at the time only granted to wives of servicemen.
Two years later, Ginsburg proved gender discrimination hurts men just as much as women. She represented Stephen Wiesenfeld in challenging the constitutionality of the Social Security Act. The young dad was denied benefits after his wife died during childbirth. The court ruled unanimously in his favor.
“She is one of the most influential people of the 21st Century,” Wiesenfeld told The Post in early 2019. “She changed a lot of the way people think about gender-based discrimination.”
In 1980, Ginsburg went from arguing cases — to deciding them.
As a judge on the Washington, D.C. Circuit of the Court of Appeals, she penned more than 700 opinions over 13 years.
Ginsburg ascent to the Supreme Court — the highest court in the land comprised of nine justices — was in 1993 when she was tapped by Clinton to replace retiring Justice Byron White.
On the first day of her Senate confirmation hearing, the 60-year-old jurist said she sought the lofty position to “serve society.”
“Serving on this court is the highest honor, the most awesome trust that can be placed in a judge,” she said. “It means working at my craft — work with and for the law — as a way to keep our society both ordered and free.”
Ginsburg was the second woman behind Sandra Day O’Connor to be appointed to the Supreme Court. In the following years, she was joined on the bench by fellow New Yorkers Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Previous 1 of 3 Next Advertisement Ruth Bader Ginsburg Shannon Finney/Getty Images RGB at the 2018 swearing in for Justice Brett Kavanaugh. AFP/Getty Images Advertisement
In one of her most recognized opinions, Ginsburg led the charge in the court’s 7-1 decision that struck down Virginia Military Institute’s male-only admissions policy as unconstitutional in 1996.The ruling forced the nation’s oldest military school to begin enrolling women.
Ginsburg’s nickname “Notorious R.B.G.” — a riff off rap legend Notorious B.I.G. — spawned a book, memes and an entire clothing line prominently featuring the judge’s mug with a crown on her head.
“My clerks asked me, ‘Do you know where this comes from?’ And I said, ‘Yes I’ve heard of the Notorious B.I.G.,’” she said in 2017. “It seems altogether natural because we have one very important thing in common — we were both born and raised in Brooklyn.”
The soft-spoken jurist also made headlines for her glitzy jabots — but not just any.
She wore a gold collar with tiny pendants when she was set to vote with the majority — and a gothic-inspired necklace with jewels when she dissented.
As a judge, Ginsburg wasn’t afraid to go against the grain.
Ginsburg forged an unlikely friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a staunch conservative.
The odd couple — who adored each other despite their ideals that put them on either ends of the judicial spectrum — were even once photographed atop an elephant in India.
Long before her death, Ginsburg had battled other life-threatening complications, including colon and pancreatic cancer. She broke ribs in falls in 2012 and 2018, which is when doctors discovered the nodules on her lung.
But despite her advanced age, Ginsburg frequently worked out and could do as many as 20 pushups a session — as well as planks and squats.
“She’s tough as nails and she’s serious about her workouts,” the diminutive judge’s trainer, Bryant Johnson, told The Post in 2017.
Knowing her time was winding down, Ginsburg said she planned to retire at age 90.
Asked how she hoped to be remembered 100 years from now, Ginsburg — now one of the most recognizable heroines of modern day — evoked her work on the bench.
“That I was a judge,” she told students at Stanford University in 2016, “who worked as hard as she could to be the best of her ability to do the job right.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Son of Antonin Scalia shares details of dad’s bond with Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The son of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia shared a touching account of his father ’ s friendship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , following her death at the age of 87 .
While the conservative justice didn ’ t always see eye-to-eye with the left-leaning Ginsburg during their decades working together as judges in Washington — on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals before they were each appointed to the Supreme Court — the two maintained an intimate bond , Christopher J. Scalia said .
When Scalia was appointed to the high court in 1982 by President Ronald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his professional life without the Brooklyn-born Ginsburg by his side .
“ I have missed Ruth very much since leaving the court of appeals .
She was the best of colleagues , as she is the best of friends .
I wish her a hundred years , ” Scalia told an audience after delivering a “ roast ” to mark Ginsburg ’ s 10th anniversary on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals in the 90s , his son Tweeted .
Christopher Scalia also shared a passage written by Federal Judge Jeffrey Sutton , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which Sutton described the “ striking evidence of the Scalia-Ginsburg relationship ” he witnessed while working for the judge — in the form of two dozen roses Scalia once gifted Ginsburg for her birthday .
Sutton recalled telling his boss : “ Wow , I doubt I have given a total of 24 roses to my wife in almost 30 years of marriage.
” “ You ought to try it sometime , ” Scalia replied .
When Sutton pointed out the roses didn ’ t seem to sway Ginsburg when the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ some things are more important than votes.
” Scalia died in 2016 at the age of 79 .
Ginsburg died Friday at her home in Washington , DC , from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer .

Despite their deep ideological divide, liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her conservative court bestie Antonin Scalia had been such good pals that he once presented her with a bouquet of two dozen red roses.
Scalia took some ribbing for the romantic floral gift to Ginsburg, who was his adversary on the bench but his frequent companion at the opera, which both loved.
Opera houses across the U.S. have dimmed their lights to honor Ginsburg’s passing.
“Wow,” Federal Judge Jeffrey Sutton remarked upon seeing the bouquet in his boss’s chambers.
Scalia happily told Sutton he needed to take them down to “Ruth” for her birthday, Christopher Scalia, the jurist’s son, recalled in a poignant twitter post after Ginsburg’s death.
Scalia died in 2016 at age 79; Ginsburg died Friday at 87 due to metastacized pancriatic cancer.
“I doubt I have given a total of 24 roses to my wife in almost 30 years of marriage,” Sutton told Scalia, according to the son’s tweet.
“You ought to try it sometime,” Scalia replied.
Sutton pushed back, “So what have all these roses done for you? Name one five-four case of any significance where you got Justice Ginsburg’s vote.”
Scalia answered, “Some things are more important than votes.”
Scalia and Ginsburg’s friendship stretched back to their time on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, before each was appointed to the highest bench in the country.
After Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, he described the hole in his professional life in leaving the Brooklyn-born Ginsburg behind.
“I have missed Ruth very much since leaving the court of appeals. She was the best of colleagues, as she is the best of friends. I wish her a hundred years,” Scalia told an audience after delivering a “roast” to mark Ginsburg’s 10th anniversary on the D.C. appellate court in the 90s, his son Tweeted.


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Rochester shooting: At least two dead, 14 injured in ‘tragedy of epic proportions’

Two people were killed and 14 others hurt after a shooting in Rochester , New York , in what police are calling “ a tragedy of epic proportions.
” Shots broke out at about 12:25 a.m. Friday in a backyard party less than two miles from downtown , according to a report .
When police showed up , they found a chaotic scene and two victims — a man and a woman both between the ages of 18 and 22 — dead of gunshot wounds .
The hail of gunfire sounded like “ an all-out warzone , ” witnesses said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many directions , so many different ways , driving on the grass , trying to get out of here , ” said a witness interviewed at the scene by ABC 13 in Rochester who gave his first name as Billy .
The names of the victims have not been released .
The shooting did not immediately appear to be connected to the anti-police brutality protests that have rocked the city since disturbing video footage surfaced earlier this month of the fatal arrest of Daniel Prude .
The city ’ s mayor pleaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with police in the wake of the backyard shooting .
“ I ’ m begging everyone to remain calm and exercise deep restraint as RPD investigates what happened here and seeks those responsible , ” Mayor Lovely Warren said in a statement .

A shooting at a wild house party in Rochester early Saturday left two teenagers dead and 14 other victims injured in what police are calling “a tragedy of epic proportions.”
Shots broke out just before 12:30 a.m. in a backyard less than two miles from downtown, according to police. When officers showed up, they found roughly 100 young people running around — some fleeing, others dashing toward the house.
“So many people going in so many directions, so many different ways, driving on the grass, trying to get out of here,” said Billy, a witness interviewed at the scene by ABC 13.
The two who died were recent high school grads Jaquayla Young and state track champion Jarvis Alexander, both 19, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported. Neither was an intended shooting target, authorities said.
None of the wounded victims — who ranged in age from 17 to 23 — have life-threatening injuries, officials said.
“We have innocent victims that were attending a party with a few friends and unfortunately they lost their lives as a result,” said local police Capt. Frank Umbrino.
No suspects have been taken into custody.
Officials said the shooting happened after a small, invite-only party was infiltrated by people from two other house parties.
Handguns were pulled as the different groups argued.
Neighbors Jasmin Lopez and John Santiago woke up to the sound of gunshots and found two teens in their driveway.
“You could see the fear in his eyes,” Santiago told the Democrat & Chronicle of one of them. “He was scared.” They described the scene as chaotic.
“There were kids throwing up, hiding between bushes, bleeding,” Lopez said.
Police don’t think the shooting was an outgrowth of the anti-police-brutality protests that have rocked the city since the fatal arrest there of Daniel Prude.


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--College football picks: Notre Dame will cover big number

The Big Ten is back .
Reversing course on last month ’ s ...

Snap a shot of the Top 25. It won’t look this way for long — or anytime again soon.
Due to the current absence of the Big Ten and Pac-12 from the polls, this week’s rankings feature seven teams unaffiliated with power conferences. Louisiana-Lafayette sits at No. 19 in the AP poll. Army is No. 22. Appalachian State is No. 23.
Next month, the Big Ten returns and six teams from the preseason Top 25 will be back. An already unlikely Group of Five playoff berth will now require a miracle. Two playoff spots for one conference — which has happened once in six years — seems like a stretch now, too.
Notre Dame temporarily joined the ACC to save its season. Now, it must steal the league crown to return to the playoff.
Unlike in 2018, the Irish don’t need to be flawless before the selections are made — one loss and an ACC title win over Clemson will suffice — but they need to be far better than last week’s version to run through a slate which includes the top-ranked Tigers, No. 12 North Carolina and No. 18 Louisville.
Rust likely played a factor in the 27-13 win over Duke, as did the weather, producing an uncharacteristically underwhelming showing from Ian Book. But Notre Dame is too talented to put forth many more efforts like that. Against South Florida, the Irish (-24.5) will play like a champion Saturday.
Tulsa (+22) over OKLAHOMA STATE: The return of the nation’s leading rusher, Chuba Hubbard, elevated expectations in Stillwater, but the return of nearly the entire defense isn’t as impressive as it sounds, considering the unit ranked seventh in the Big 12 last season. Since three consecutive 10-win seasons, Mike Gundy has gone 15-11. Another underwhelming campaign could free him up to dig deeper into Pizzagate and the Easter Bunny’s control of the deep state.
Syracuse (+21.5) over PITTSBURGH: This pick will make you feel as safe as Orange quarterback Tommy DeVito, whose offensive line returned from a disastrous season to surrender seven sacks in the opener against North Carolina. However, Syracuse’s defense showed promise in holding the high-powered Tar Heels to 10 points through three quarters. The Panthers averaged just over 21 points per game last season and didn’t win any of their eight games by more than 10 points.
GEORGIA STATE (+16.5) over Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin’ Cajuns are set for a letdown, following their upset of Iowa State. Meanwhile, the Panthers will relish another chance to pull a shocker in their season opener after knocking off Tennessee in Knoxville last year.
Liberty (+14) over WESTERN KENTUCKY: I’m curious to see what Auburn transfer/dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis can do in Hugh Freeze’s system. I imagine former Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. will tune in, too. I know he likes to watch.
Navy (+7) over TULANE: It’s impossible to erase the memory of Navy’s 55-3 loss to BYU, but overreactions need to be avoided in the second game of the season. Expect 13th-year coach Ken Niumatalolo to get a team that won 11 games last season back on track after what he called “the worst Navy football game we ever played.”
DUKE (-5.5) over Boston College: The Eagles are a mystery, entering their first game under first-time head coach Jeff Hafley, but the Blue Devils have shown a glimpse of their potential. During a game in which Duke trailed Notre Dame by four points in the fourth quarter and held the 10th-ranked team in the country to 10 points below last season’s scoring average, Clemson transfer Chase Brice took his first steps out of Trevor Lawrence’s shadow, throwing for 259 yards, while rushing for 20 yards and a touchdown.
Appalachian State (-3.5) over MARSHALL: The Mountaineers will appear on CBS for the first time since 1983. It’s about time the entire country gets to see how strong the former Cinderella has become, having gone 25-3 since 2018.
GEORGIA TECH (+7.5) over Ucf: Led by former Florida State commit and true freshman quarterback Jeff Sims, the Yellow Jackets won their first ACC opener on the road in 24 years against the Seminoles. Another could be within reach late against the talented, but shorthanded Knights — 10 players opted out due to the pandemic — who suffered three road losses last season.
Charlotte (+29.5) over NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels will win big, but the 49ers have a wild card to cover, with transfer dual-threat Dom Shoffner making his first FBS appearance since 2018.
Troy (-3.5) over MIDDLE TENNESSEE: This isn’t the place to overthink overreactions. A 42-0 loss to Army demonstrated the Blue Raiders defense remains an issue, unlikely to be fixed against an offense returning the core of a group which averaged 34 points per game last season.
Smu (-14.5) over NORTH TEXAS: Shane Buechele received a much-needed week off after the Mustangs struggled to pull out a 31-24 win over Texas State. The senior quarterback won’t allow a lesser team to hang around with two interceptions again. He’d only thrown multiple picks in a game once since 2016.
Miami (+2.5) over LOUISVILLE: Last year, the Hurricanes put up 52 points in a blowout win. This year, Miami actually has an offense to fear — led by transfer D’Eriq King, who’ll outduel Micale Cunningham in an entertaining shootout.
Wake Forest (+2.5) over N.C. STATE: The season only gets easier after playing Clemson. And a date with the Wolfpack — who lost 44-10 at Wake Forest last season — couldn’t be timed more perfectly.
Best bets: Appalachian State, Liberty, Wake Forest
This season (best bets): 9-5 (1-2)
2014-19 record: 772-756-13


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Brett Gardner doesn’t want Yankees tenure to end like this

Brett Gardner isn ’ t ready for the ride to end .
Not without one more roll call .
Nearing the end of the improbable journey that has seen a former College of Charleston walk-on morph into the longest-tenured player on the Yankees — the final remaining piece of the 2009 championship team — the 37-year-old Gardner said Friday he hopes to return in 2021 for his 14th season in pinstripes , for his 13th season in front of the people who have made The Bronx feel like home .
“ I definitely don ’ t want my last games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans , and obviously would love to have my family have the chance to see me play again , ” Gardner said who did not play in the Yankees ’ 6-5 , 12-inning win over the Red Sox on Friday night .
“ I just know that the last few months playing in front of no fans — my family can watch on TV and see me play , but it ’ s not the same as in-person — I ’ d love that opportunity to do that again next year .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can still do it .
We ’ ll see what happens in a few months , but right now I ’ m just focused on this team and trying to go into the playoffs strong and try and win a World Series.
” The decision to return doesn ’ t just belong to Gardner , though .
Following a 2019 season in which Gardner hit a career-high 28 home runs and posted an .829 OPS , the veteran signed a one-year , $ 12.5 million deal to stay with the Yankees .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — has provided less incentive to bring him back to an already-crowded outfield , having recorded a career-worst .198 batting average through 42 games this season .
The Yankees have a $ 10 million option to bring back Gardner next season , with a $ 2.5 million buyout .
“ I feel great .
I feel healthy and strong , ” Gardner said .
“ I know that this season hasn ’ t gone maybe how I ’ ve wanted from a numbers standpoint , but recently I have been better and felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play well down the stretch .
“ I would love to play next year , but I ’ m really not too concerned about it .
Just continue to focus on this group of guys and this season and let all of that take care of itself in the offseason.
” The frustration of this season will continue until the offseason .
Though players have the option to bring family into the MLB postseason bubble , Gardner ’ s wife and two sons will remain at home , where the outfielder believes he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been all season .
“ My kids are back home and in school and things are pretty normal there .
I feel like the whole bubble situation makes it very difficult for guys ’ families to come do that and be a part of things , unfortunately , with where we ’ re at , ” Gardner said .
“ I understand the thought behind it .
I ’ m not happy about it for those reasons and other reasons .
I think our guys have done a great job over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and being very smart , haven ’ t had any issues and I don ’ t see any reason we shouldn ’ t be able to continue doing that over the next six weeks , but the rules are what they are .
… It ’ s been a frustrating year for me and for a whole lot of other people for a whole lot of reasons .
”

Brett Gardner isn’t ready for the ride to end. Not without one more roll call.
Nearing the end of the improbable journey that has seen a former College of Charleston walk-on morph into the longest-tenured player on the Yankees — the final remaining piece of the 2009 championship team — the 37-year-old Gardner said Friday he hopes to return in 2021 for his 14th season in pinstripes, for his 13th season in front of the people who have made The Bronx feel like home.
“I definitely don’t want my last games played to be in front of no fans, and obviously would love to have my family have the chance to see me play again,” Gardner said who did not play in the Yankees’ 6-5, 12-inning win over the Red Sox on Friday night. “I just know that the last few months playing in front of no fans — my family can watch on TV and see me play, but it’s not the same as in-person — I’d love that opportunity to do that again next year. I feel great and I feel like I can still do it. We’ll see what happens in a few months, but right now I’m just focused on this team and trying to go into the playoffs strong and try and win a World Series.”
The decision to return doesn’t just belong to Gardner, though.
Following a 2019 season in which Gardner hit a career-high 28 home runs and posted an .829 OPS, the veteran signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal to stay with the Yankees. But the homegrown talent — drafted in 2005 — has provided less incentive to bring him back to an already-crowded outfield, having recorded a career-worst .198 batting average through 42 games this season.
The Yankees have a $10 million option to bring back Gardner next season, with a $2.5 million buyout.
“I feel great. I feel healthy and strong,” Gardner said. “I know that this season hasn’t gone maybe how I’ve wanted from a numbers standpoint, but recently I have been better and felt much better, and hopefully continue to play well down the stretch.
“I would love to play next year, but I’m really not too concerned about it. Just continue to focus on this group of guys and this season and let all of that take care of itself in the offseason.”
The frustration of this season will continue until the offseason.
Though players have the option to bring family into the MLB postseason bubble, Gardner’s wife and two sons will remain at home, where the outfielder believes he should be, too, like he has been all season.
“My kids are back home and in school and things are pretty normal there. I feel like the whole bubble situation makes it very difficult for guys’ families to come do that and be a part of things, unfortunately, with where we’re at,” Gardner said. “I understand the thought behind it. I’m not happy about it for those reasons and other reasons. I think our guys have done a great job over the last few months following all the protocols and being very smart, haven’t had any issues and I don’t see any reason we shouldn’t be able to continue doing that over the next six weeks, but the rules are what they are. … It’s been a frustrating year for me and for a whole lot of other people for a whole lot of reasons.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Giants’ Will Hernandez on facing fierce Bears: ‘Bring it on’

Do you think the last thing the Giants offensive line needs , after a disastrous season-opening performance , is to face another one of the NFL ’ s best defensive fronts ?
Then Will Hernandez has three words for you .
The hog mollies are eager to flip the narrative Sunday against the Bears after quarterback Daniel Jones faced a NFL-high 22 pass pressures and running back Saquon Barkley was hit behind the line of scrimmage on 11 of his 15 carries against the Steelers .
Giants coaches didn ’ t pull any punches with criticisms behind closed doors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unshaken confidence .
“ Anybody who put that on tape deserves to be called out , ” Hernandez said .
“ We definitely learned from it .
We had an attitude of , we ’ re going to practice hard , and we ’ re going to show it the next opportunity we get.
” It ’ s the third straight year Hernandez is starting at left guard against the Bears , so he knows the challenge presented by Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols in the middle and Khalil Mack off the edge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Hernandez said .
“ We want to be challenged .
We didn ’ t come out here to pick and choose our teams .
We want to play the best guys , go out there , match up and kill it as an offensive line all together .
We ’ re not ducking anybody .
We ’ re not watching who we ’ re playing this week and not next week.
” As a quarterback , Jones is used to getting too much credit and too much blame .
But , thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticisms of his pass blocking , Barkley is under fire this week for the first time since he entered the NFL in the same draft class as Hernandez .
“ Everybody is always going to have something to say , ” Hernandez said .
“ I ’ m not worried about Saquon because he ’ s mentally tough .
He doesn ’ t let that kind of stuff get to him .
All I know is he is going to use it as motivation , and it ’ s just going to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it on.
” The Giants debuted three new starters on the line against the Steelers , including the players to each side of Hernandez — rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas and center Nick Gates .
But communication wasn ’ t the problem .
Execution was .
“ The three practices that we ’ ve had since our last game , it differs in energy , ” Hernandez said .
“ Guys doing specifically what they need to do .
Paying attention to the smallest details .
Coming out with all this purpose , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is you play how you practice.
” The numbers ( probably ) can ’ t go anywhere but up in Week 2 .
“ You ’ re always motivated by a loss , ” Hernandez said .
“ You get something like that , that happens , of course we ’ re going to come out with even more of a chip on our shoulder .
That ’ s not us .
That ’ s not what we want to do , .
That ’ s not what we want to put out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than ever now .
”

Do you think the last thing the Giants offensive line needs, after a disastrous season-opening performance, is to face another one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts?
Then Will Hernandez has three words for you.
“Bring it on,” Hernandez said.
The hog mollies are eager to flip the narrative Sunday against the Bears after quarterback Daniel Jones faced a NFL-high 22 pass pressures and running back Saquon Barkley was hit behind the line of scrimmage on 11 of his 15 carries against the Steelers.
Giants coaches didn’t pull any punches with criticisms behind closed doors, and Hernandez’s public approach suggests unshaken confidence.
“Anybody who put that on tape deserves to be called out,” Hernandez said. “We definitely learned from it. We had an attitude of, we’re going to practice hard, and we’re going to show it the next opportunity we get.”
It’s the third straight year Hernandez is starting at left guard against the Bears, so he knows the challenge presented by Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols in the middle and Khalil Mack off the edge.
“Give us the best,” Hernandez said. “We want to be challenged. We didn’t come out here to pick and choose our teams. We want to play the best guys, go out there, match up and kill it as an offensive line all together. We’re not ducking anybody. We’re not watching who we’re playing this week and not next week.”
As a quarterback, Jones is used to getting too much credit and too much blame. But, thanks in part to Tiki Barber’s criticisms of his pass blocking, Barkley is under fire this week for the first time since he entered the NFL in the same draft class as Hernandez.
“Everybody is always going to have something to say,” Hernandez said. “I’m not worried about Saquon because he’s mentally tough. He doesn’t let that kind of stuff get to him. All I know is he is going to use it as motivation, and it’s just going to help him in his game. So bring it on.”
The Giants debuted three new starters on the line against the Steelers, including the players to each side of Hernandez — rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas and center Nick Gates. But communication wasn’t the problem. Execution was.
“The three practices that we’ve had since our last game, it differs in energy,” Hernandez said. “Guys doing specifically what they need to do. Paying attention to the smallest details. Coming out with all this purpose, all that’s going to happen is you play how you practice.”
The numbers (probably) can’t go anywhere but up in Week 2.
“You’re always motivated by a loss,” Hernandez said. “You get something like that, that happens, of course we’re going to come out with even more of a chip on our shoulder. That’s not us. That’s not what we want to do,. That’s not what we want to put out there. We’re more motivated than ever now.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Brodie Van Wagenen upbeat about Steve Cohen owning Mets

Brodie Van Wagenen has not spoken with potential incoming owner Steve Cohen since the hedge fund billionaire ’ s announced intention to buy the Mets , and not at all since a cursory talk last winter .
The Mets ’ general manager is looking at the expected transition from the Wilpon family to Cohen as “ an opportunity ” for him and the franchise , but he ’ s solely focusing on the remainder of 2020 while $ 2.4 billion sale awaits MLB approval .
“ So far , [ nothing has changed ] on a day-to-day [ basis ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference now is that there has been an announcement , ” Van Wagenen said during a Zoom call before the Mets ’ 15-2 blowout loss to the Braves on Friday .
“ I think there is enthusiasm and excitement from obviously my relationship with the Wilpon family and the Katz family , but also within the organization , I think this may present itself as a great opportunity for the club .
“ We ’ ll look forward to how that integrates as we go forward.
” The 64-year-old Cohen ’ s previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winter for $ 2.6 billion fell through in February .
Van Wagenen is under contract for two more seasons under the four-year , $ 10 million deal he signed in November 2018 after establishing himself as one of baseball ’ s top agents with Creative Artists Agency .
“ I think from our communication , I did have a chance to sit down with Steve going back to last winter , and we had a chance to get to know each other a little bit and talked about some ideas and philosophies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ But as it relates to the offseason , going into it , I know there ’ s still a few odd I ’ s to dot and T ’ s to cross before it ’ ll become official .
But , at this point , my collaboration is still amongst the senior leaders in my department and then communication with [ longtime owners ] Jeff and Fred [ Wilpon ] and from there we ’ ll continue to go forward .
Right now , our transactions are focused on today , tonight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season.
” The Mets ( 23-28 ) enter their final nine games of the pandemic-shortened 60-game schedule three games behind the Phillies for the second wild-card position in the National League under first-year manager Luis Rojas .
Asked if he has received any assurances that he will remain in his current position following the 2020 season , Van Wagenen reiterated that he hasn ’ t “ had those conversations with ” Cohen .
“ My daily operations remains exactly the same , ” Van Wagenen said .
“ My daily communication with Jeff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s always been .
Our relationship is as close as ever .
I haven ’ t had any new discussions with Steve since last winter .
But in terms of my own job security , I ’ ve said it many times , I don ’ t think about that .
I don ’ t give it any thought because my task is to win today .
“ Beyond that , I ’ ve thought a lot about a quote that has motivated me in the past .
I ’ ve shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coaching staff .
Nelson Mandela said the words ‘ I never lose .
I either win or I learn.
’ I think that ’ s the approach we want to take to our team.
” From his previous talks with Cohen and from what he ’ s heard elsewhere about him , however , Van Wagenen looks forward to the possibility of working for the Point72 Asset Management hedge-fund founder , who also is a longtime Mets fan .
“ I anticipate from things that I ’ ve heard about Steve and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also my one-on-one interaction with him has been incredibly positive in regards to how motivated he is to put this franchise in a continued course towards our goals of winning consistently , ” Van Wagenen said .
“ He ’ s competitive .
Again the conversations weren ’ t very top-line , because there was no deal officially in place at that particular time .
“ But I know he ’ s competitive , I know he ’ s historically believed in investing in the infrastructure of his organizations and the intellectual capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With that mindset , if he carries that over to a team that I know he ’ s had a long-term passion for , I think it ’ s an opportunity for the organization to continue to go in a progressive way .
”

Brodie Van Wagenen has not spoken with potential incoming owner Steve Cohen since the hedge fund billionaire’s announced intention to buy the Mets, and not at all since a cursory talk last winter.
The Mets’ general manager is looking at the expected transition from the Wilpon family to Cohen as “an opportunity” for him and the franchise, but he’s solely focusing on the remainder of 2020 while $2.4 billion sale awaits MLB approval.
“So far, [nothing has changed] on a day-to-day [basis], but this point, obviously the difference now is that there has been an announcement,” Van Wagenen said during a Zoom call before the Mets’ 15-2 blowout loss to the Braves on Friday. “I think there is enthusiasm and excitement from obviously my relationship with the Wilpon family and the Katz family, but also within the organization, I think this may present itself as a great opportunity for the club.
“We’ll look forward to how that integrates as we go forward.”
The 64-year-old Cohen’s previous offer to purchase the team over the winter for $2.6 billion fell through in February. Van Wagenen is under contract for two more seasons under the four-year, $10 million deal he signed in November 2018 after establishing himself as one of baseball’s top agents with Creative Artists Agency.
“I think from our communication, I did have a chance to sit down with Steve going back to last winter, and we had a chance to get to know each other a little bit and talked about some ideas and philosophies,” the 46-year-old Van Wagenen said. “But as it relates to the offseason, going into it, I know there’s still a few odd I’s to dot and T’s to cross before it’ll become official. But, at this point, my collaboration is still amongst the senior leaders in my department and then communication with [longtime owners] Jeff and Fred [Wilpon] and from there we’ll continue to go forward. Right now, our transactions are focused on today, tonight, tomorrow to focus on this regular season.”
The Mets (23-28) enter their final nine games of the pandemic-shortened 60-game schedule three games behind the Phillies for the second wild-card position in the National League under first-year manager Luis Rojas.
Asked if he has received any assurances that he will remain in his current position following the 2020 season, Van Wagenen reiterated that he hasn’t “had those conversations with” Cohen.
“My daily operations remains exactly the same,” Van Wagenen said. “My daily communication with Jeff and Fred is consistent to what it’s always been. Our relationship is as close as ever. I haven’t had any new discussions with Steve since last winter. But in terms of my own job security, I’ve said it many times, I don’t think about that. I don’t give it any thought because my task is to win today.
“Beyond that, I’ve thought a lot about a quote that has motivated me in the past. I’ve shared this quote with the team and the coaching staff. Nelson Mandela said the words ‘I never lose. I either win or I learn.’ I think that’s the approach we want to take to our team.”
From his previous talks with Cohen and from what he’s heard elsewhere about him, however, Van Wagenen looks forward to the possibility of working for the Point72 Asset Management hedge-fund founder, who also is a longtime Mets fan.
“I anticipate from things that I’ve heard about Steve and the success that he’s had and also my one-on-one interaction with him has been incredibly positive in regards to how motivated he is to put this franchise in a continued course towards our goals of winning consistently,” Van Wagenen said. “He’s competitive. Again the conversations weren’t very top-line, because there was no deal officially in place at that particular time.
“But I know he’s competitive, I know he’s historically believed in investing in the infrastructure of his organizations and the intellectual capital of the people who work for him. With that mindset, if he carries that over to a team that I know he’s had a long-term passion for, I think it’s an opportunity for the organization to continue to go in a progressive way.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Gregg Williams: Jets defense was almost dominant in Week 1

Gregg Williams said he believes Quinnen Williams has already taken ...

Gregg Williams saw the potential for domination on Sunday — not of his defense, but by it.
Where others witnessed the Jets unit getting overwhelmed most of the afternoon, allowing 404 yards of total offense, getting gashed by Josh Allen for a career-high 312 yards through the air, being unable to get off the field on third down, the team’s defensive coordinator saw promise in the lopsided loss to the Bills.
“What could have been a dominant game — had we controlled the pocket — what could have been a dominant game, turned into production by the other team,” he said Friday following practice, forgetting the two gift fumbles by Allen and two missed field goals by the Bills. “[It] turned into extended plays, and if you go back and take a look at those things, it would have been a very dominant game could we have finished the pocket on the quarterback.”
Of course, you can throw an “if” in front of a lot of statements and that could change the result. If the Mets had more pitching, they would be a playoff team. If the Knicks had better luck, they wouldn’t be in this drought of one playoff series victory across the last two decades. If Mike Maccagnan had drafted better, he still would be the Jets’ general manager.
Williams said he felt his players were prepared for everything the Bills threw at them, but they just didn’t execute at key junctures. By missing Allen on a number of blitzes and rushes, it led to several big plays.
“That was it,” he said, of his unit’s shortcomings.
But that doesn’t account for the Jets being unable to cover Bills receivers John Brown and Stefon Diggs, who combined to catch 14 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. It doesn’t account for a lack of a pass rush — Allen had an average of 3.08 seconds per throw, the longest of any quarterback per NFL Next Gen Stats. It doesn’t account for starting No. 1 cornerback Pierre Desir getting benched for poor play. The tackling was shoddy, which even Williams admitted was a focus this week.
“We were very critical on our tackling and we have to do a better job of that, especially at that position,” Williams said, referring to the quarterback.
Now, there were bright spots in the performance. Safety Marcus Maye turned in the best effort of his career, registering 12 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. The defense allowed just 10 points in the second half after getting soundly outplayed over the final 30 minutes. Cornerback Nate Hairston held up fairly well in place of Desir.
“I definitely feel like we played better than the numbers showed,” defensive lineman Quinnen Williams said. “It could’ve been a lot better and it would’ve been a lot better if we finished plays.
“We were there. We wrap them up and tackle them, the play would’ve been made.”
This week will present a very different challenge. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won’t run nearly as frequently as Allen, and he won’t have his top target, tight end George Kittle (knee), available either. Instead, San Francisco will rely upon running backs Raheem Mostert, Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman through the air and on the ground.
But, according to the Jets’ two Williamses, Gregg and Quinnen, it will come down to the same basic principle for the defense: Finishing off plays.
If they can do that, Gregg Williams sees big possibilities for this defense. Then again, that’s no small feat.


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton back together in Yankees’ lineup

BOSTON — There were no fans in the stands and ...

BOSTON — For the first time since Aug. 8, the Yankees had both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup together, with both sluggers having recovered from leg injuries.
With lefty Martin Perez on the mound, manager Aaron Boone opted to put Judge in his customary No. 2 spot, with Stanton right behind him, hitting third. It’s the first time Stanton hadn’t hit cleanup all season.
Neither had a hit until the eighth, when Judge singled and scored on Stanton’s double in the 6-5, 12-inning win over Boston.
Judge struck out with Clint Frazier at third with one out in the 10th and had a scare on a play down the right field line, but Boone thought he was OK. And he was pleased to have them back with a week left in the regular season.
“It’s great,’’ Boone said before the game. “Obviously, getting those guys back here as we ramp up and getting [them] at-bats and hopefully finding their timing and rhythm.”
Though the offense had thrived recently, their absence had been felt while they were out.
“It’s significant to see those guys in the middle of the lineup,’’ Brett Gardner saidof Judge and Stanton. “It’s not just what they do on the field, they make the whole lineup tough to navigate.Both guys are very important to us having success. We have to do our best to keep them healthy.”
Luke Voit entered Friday night leading the majors with 20 homers in what Boone called an “MVP season.”
“I just think you’re seeing the growth of a really good hitter that’s gone to another level and now having an MVP season,’’ Boone said before Voit had an RBI single in the win. “It’s hard to imagine where we’d be without Luke Voit and it’s good to see him starting to find his way into the MVP conversation.”
The Red Sox had tied the game and had the winning run at third in the 11th when Jonathan Loaisiga fell behind J.D. Martinez 2-0. Gary Sanchez went to the mound and Loaisiga responded by fanning Martinez and getting Christian Vazquez to prolong the game.
“He had a rocky start, but he kept making pitches,’’ Boone said of the right-hander. “He’s gonna play an important role for us if we’re gonna get deep into this thing. It’s not always gonna go perfect. He continued to battle. It was a huge performance.”
The Yankees have J.A. Happ starting Saturday and Deivi Garcia on Sunday. How they line up their rotation for the final week of the regular season is still to be determined, as Boone has made it clear that Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka will start the first two games of the wild card series.
“We’re having those conversations now and we’re working through that,’’ Boone said of how they will work their way through the final two series of the year.
Boone left open the possibility that Cole and Tanaka could have throw days instead of pitching in a game in order to be able to control their workloads.
“We’re getting close to [making decisions],’’ Boone said. “Some things can remain a little fluid through the week, as we’re hopefully fighting for positions and home field. It’s a situation that could continue to evolve.”
With the Yankees’ success in The Bronx this season, Boone said that even without fans, they would prefer to play at home than on the road in the postseason.
“We certainly want to play at home,’’ Boone said. “We feel we have a home field advantage. Obviously, it’s a little bit different because of the crowd, but in a lot of ways, teams are built for their home ballpark.”
In addition to what they might gain on the field, Boone said the fact they’ve grown accustomed to playing there during this altered season also plays a factor.
“It’s home,’’ Boone said. “It’s our clubhouse, our facility, video [room] and [batting] cage and weight room. We know the set up and where to go eat and the protocols. It’s certainly something that provides little comforts of home. Whatever advantage there is to that, how do you really know? There is some comfort level in that.”
But he added, “We certainly feel like wherever we end up, whether it’s Yankee Stadium or on the road, we’ll take our chances.”
Gleyber Torres was back in the lineup for a second straight game after battling a tight left quad. Boone said he expected both Torres and Gio Urshela — just off the IL with a bone spur in his elbow — would get a day off at some point this weekend.
The Yankees made their first trip to Fenway this season and Gardner said it was especially strange to not have fans in attendance.
“I thought about it at batting practice,’’ Gardner said. “Usually you hear the gates open and fans come in. It’s still pretty quiet out there [during BP]. It’s no different than anywhere else we’ve been [this year], but this is a special place to play. I always enjoy it. What makes it special is the fans and the passion they have for the game and the atmosphere they create. We’ll miss that this weekend.”


newyorkpost--2020-09-19--Phil Mickelson looks to take ‘stress’ out of game after US Open flameout

And on the second day of the 120th U.S. Open , ...

Phil Mickelson came to this U.S. Open with a score to settle at Winged Foot, where he famously lost in 2006 with a double bogey on the 72nd hole.
He failed to find redemption, quietly missing the cut on Friday. One day after opening the tournament with a 9-over 79, Mickelson shot a 4-over 74 on Friday to finish 13-over for the week.
“I find that I’ve been playing very well at home, and I get out here where the penalty for a mis-hit is severe, and I find myself getting a little tight and a little steer-y, and playing some of my worst golf,’’ he said. “That’s something I’ve got to work on and fix. When I go back home, I don’t have the stress, and I seem to play just fine, but I’ve got to be able to bring it out here under these conditions.’’
Asked what’s next for him, he said, “I’m going to head home and take a few weeks off and go from there.’’
It’s possible this could have been Mickelson’s final U.S. Open, though the 2021 U.S. Open is at Torrey Pines, which is one of Mickelson’s home courses, and the USGA could grant him a special invitation if he’s not otherwise qualified. Mickelson, in the lead-up to this U.S. Open, though, said he would not accept an invite and wanted to earn it on it his own.
Amateur John Pak, from Scotch Plains, N.J., made the cut at 5-over after following his opening-round 69 with a 76 Friday. … Local pro Danny Balin, who lives in Westchester and is the head pro at Fresh Meadow on Long Island, finished 10-over after 73-77. Balin also missed the cut at the PGA Championship at Harding Park. … Brandon Wu, from Scarsdale, also finished 10-over with rounds of 74-76.
“It was such a thrill to be able to get to hit the first tee shot, to stay at home for a U.S. Open,’’ Wu said. “I just kind of tried to soak it all in. Obviously, it’s a tough golf course, and I didn’t have my best this week, but at the end of the day I think it’s all smiles and just move forward and kind of enjoy these experiences.’’
Jordan Spieth, who continues to search for his game, shot 81 Friday after a 73 on Thursday and finished 14-over for the week. … Thomas Pieters, who shot 66 on Thursday, had it to a tournament-low 6-under par with birdies on Nos. 1 and 5 Friday. But he faded to a 74 in the second round to stand at even par.
Eduard Rousaud, an amateur from Spain, had a dream start to his first U.S. Open with a hole out for eagle on the first hole Thursday. His U.S. Open experience went the other way from there. He finished his first round with a 76 and then shot 85 to Friday to finish 21-over par for the week.
Andrew Putnam withdrew while playing the fifth hole with a back ailment. He was 8-over at the time. … Shaun Norris had one of the biggest flip scores from one day to the next, following his opening-round 1-under-par 69 with a 79 Friday to miss the cut.