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Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots are 9-8 in the playoffs when facing a team they've already played earlier in the regular season. What does it mean for the Colts, who New England beat in November? | 1 | 3,100 | sports |
By Larry Brown John Calipari took a jab at Dick Vitale during his halftime interview of Kentucky's game with Missouri on Tuesday night over the analyst questioning his strategy. Calipari knows that the ubiquitous ESPN college basketball analyst is a big believer in rhythm and disagrees with the way the coach handles his substitutions for the Wildcats (Cal has his team broken into two platoons and plays them five guys at a time like a hockey shift). Cal was asked at halftime by sideline reporter Shannon Spake about the team's intensity and energy. ( Watch the video here ) "I went back to full platoons. Five on five. Five in, five out. It hasn't hurt our rhythm," Calipari said. "I know Dickie V -- who got fired as a coach by the way -- talking about rhythm, it hasn't hurt our rhythm. What it does is it adds energy. And the guys on the bench know when they're going in, so they're ready." Vitale took the shot in stride and made a joke about it. "I got fired! I'm undefeated! I got a better record than him in TV for 36 years!" However, Vitale maintained his stance about Calipari's substitution patterns. "And I'll disagree with him again! It hurts them offensively. Let them match up the great ones -- the Virginias and the Dukes -- he won't play those platoons! I love John, though," Vitale admitted. Keep in mind that Kentucky is undefeated this season and was up 44-18 at halftime when Calipari did the interview. I'd say what Cal is doing seems to be working. And the good news is at least Vitale handled this better than the last time he talked about Calipari . | 1 | 3,101 | sports |
Jon Jones' mother has said Jones only stayed at rehab for one night before checking himself out. | 1 | 3,102 | sports |
The guys take a closer look at the Associated Press' final college football poll of the season and reveal their top four teams. Did the crew get their rankings right? #120Talk | 1 | 3,103 | sports |
HLN's Nancy Grace talks to hip-hop artist 2 Chainz about the legalization of marijuana. | 8 | 3,104 | video |
Seahawks fans have started a petition to stop the NFL from forcing star running back Marshawn Lynch to talk to the media. Lynch's postgame interviews have taken on a life of their own. Reporters ask him questions, and he responds by not responding. During one press conference he gave one- or two-word answers to every question; in another, he responded, in various ways , "Thanks for asking." Last weekend he gave the response "I'm thankful" to every question. MORE: Must-see photos from divisional round games | Lynch grabs crotch after Chancellor TD Lynch's non-answers were his responses to the $100,000 fine he received for not speaking to the media. He unsuccessfully appealed the fine . Well, one fan, identified online as Wendi Bromlie, has had enough of the NFL's tactics and has started an online petition. The headline is "Enough is enough! Stop bullying Beast Mode!" The plea : As a 12, I am calling on the NFL to revise its media policy so that all players are given equal and fair rights as a human being without fear of financial intimidation. As a fan, I have witnessed enough harassment and undeserving consequences regarding Marshawn Lynch due to his very obvious anxiety interacting with the media. I feel, and many agree, that what you are doing is wrong. You advocate against bullying and domestic violence, but force your players into uncomfortable situations? With a fine attached? There are other players willing to talk to the media and it should be a personal choice. Your rules state "Reasonable cooperation with the news media is essential to the continuing popularity of our game and its players and coaches." I don't feel your rules are reasonable as they read currently, considering the only benefit "popularity" wise the NFL gets by bullying Marshawn is money out of his paycheck. This is not ok. And it needs to change because its unnecessary and cruel, as well as hypocritical. Enough is enough! The petition has acquired more than 21,000 signatures as of late Tuesday. Former Redskins running back Clinton Portis also spoke out on the issue. In a recent interview with The Washington Post , he said the media should just leave Lynch alone if he doesn't want to talk. "I don't think it's funny," Portis said. "You're making him talk, and this is what you're getting. He tried to walk out. He tried to avoid the media. Now you're forcing (him) to say nothing. You're forcing (him) to stand here and make a mockery of the situation instead of letting (him) walk on by. (Lynch doesn't) want to stand here for five minutes. (He doesn't) don't have anything to say to you. … You can avoid all of that. If a guy don't want to do an interview, then he don't want to do an interview." | 1 | 3,105 | sports |
By Vincent Frank In a glaring example of the devaluation of the running back position in today's NFL, the Dallas Cowboys apparently have a four-year, $16 million deal on the table for upcoming free agent running back DeMarco Murray. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport says that was the latest offer from the Cowboys to their running back. Murray, a former third-round pick out of Oklahoma, had shown signs of not being able to shoulder the load in the offensive backfield prior to a breakout 2014 campaign that saw him rack up nearly 500 touches, postseason included. This past regular season saw Murray lead the NFL in rush attempts (392), rushing yards (1,845), rushing touchdowns (13) and total yards (2,261). He's a top-tier candidate for NFL Offensive Player of the Year and was one of the primary reasons that Dallas finished the regular year with a 12-4 record, its best season since 2007. Those numbers listed above may very well be eye-opening. But it's also important to take into account the Cowboys' offensive line, which features three Pro Bowlers and was the best run-blocking unit in the entire league during the regular season. While stopping short of saying that any marginal running back could produce similar numbers, the Cowboys must have confidence that they can find a cheaper alternative to Murray. Even with the devaluation of the running back position in recent seasons, the $16 million offer over four seasons seems to be just a bit out of whack. A prime example of this would be the three-year, $10.5 million contract Toby Gerhart signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars last offseason. Needless to say, Gerhart did not have the track record of success that Murray has. Another factor here is the likelihood that Dallas will place the franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant, which would put the team behind the proverbial eight-ball in relation to the salary cap, a cap that Jerry Jones and company have struggled managing in recent seasons. It seems unlikely that the Cowboys would be able to sign both Murray and Bryant to long-term extensions. And in today's NFL, it makes more sense to choose the star receiver over the star running back. | 1 | 3,106 | sports |
The Brewers are selling a "timeless ticket" for $1,000 dollars. Once purchased, the ticket can be redeemed for ANY future game. Good idea? | 1 | 3,107 | sports |
Random dribbles following the Cavaliers' 107-100 loss to the host Phoenix Suns on Tuesday: 1. Let's start with LeBron James, because he just happens to be the Cavs' greatest hope. After eight games off with a back/knee strain, LeBron's zip returned. He was aggressive and attacked the basket from the start. He played with finesse and power. He gave the Cavs a chance to win a game that normally would've resulted in a blowout. RELATED: James' 33 in return not enough, Cavs lose sixth straight 2. This isn't to make light of the outcome, because the Cavs still lost. And that's no good. Too many bad things happened in the first half, as the Cavs surrendered a whopping 59 points. You can't allow an opponent to shoot and score like the Suns did early, and then try to come back. It just doesn't work. 3. Anyway, back to LeBron. He finished with 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting, and it's obvious the ball moves so much better when he's on the floor. He also sets the tone defensively. Now the rest of the Cavs need to follow suit. In the second half, many Cavs did. But again, it was too late. 4. LeBron on his return: "I felt OK. I didn't feel great. I felt better than I did two weeks ago, though." 5. He added that he did feel more like himself. "I couldn't make those moves two weeks ago," he said. 6. The Cavs fell to 18-12 with LeBron in the lineup. That's a heck of a lot better than the 1-8 mark without. But it still results in a 19-20 record overall, and believe you me, I never thought the Cavs would be a game under.500 this far into the season. 7. Emotionally, the Cavs must do better. By that, I mean they have to start the game with energy, and it has to come on defense. With LeBron on the floor, the offense will take care of itself. 8. J.R. Smith can also keep the Cavs alive all by himself at times. He scored 29 points in just his fourth game with the team. He can spot up and drill it in your face. So again, it comes down to doing the dirty work on defense and keeping the ball moving. Those two things have not been the Cavs' strengths lately. 9. The Cavs continue to be in the teens in assists, passing for a measly 16 vs. the Suns. That's ridiculous, and much of it is on coach David Blatt. The ball must move and it has to be the coach who demands that it does. No player is gonna think, "I can't wait to get on the floor and do something other than shoot!" So the coach must ingrain the value of making the extra pass and finding the second and third options of a play. 10. On the bright side, Tristan Thompson continues to impress with his all-out hustle. He came off the bench to score 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds. He has just been playing determined basketball all year. 11. The Cavs trailed by 19 points and came back to take the lead. Read: They need more entire games like the fourth quarter. Understandably, they kind of got in each other's way -- as LeBron played for the first time with Smith and center Timofey Mozgov. 12. Still, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love (just nine points apiece) MUST be involved and major parts of the offense. The Cavs get a pass this game. It's tough to integrate all these new bodies on the fly. But the time is nearing for this thing to click. 13. For the fans, Blatt really needs to get a technical. I know, he tried a little on this night, and LeBron sort of cut him off from yelling at the official. It doesn't matter. The fans want a coach with a pulse, a coach who will come to the defense of his team, a coach who will do anything to give his team an edge. Blatt has been much too soft on the sidelines. I know this isn't the case, but Blatt sometimes comes across as a guy who's just happy to be part of the NBA coaching fraternity. 14. Blatt's rotation can also be baffling, with substitution patterns and playing time a major mystery. Granted, the guy has had a constantly changing lineup because of injuries and trades -- but that's life in the NBA. And if you think fans and media are confused, imagine how the players feel. 15. For instance, I'm not sure what James Jones did to warrant playing almost the entire fourth quarter. I'm not sure what Kevin Love did so awful to have to sit all of crunch time in a close game. I'm not sure Blatt could answer any of that, either. 16. The questions about Blatt aren't out of line. This isn't the team he was hired to coach. No one knew LeBron or Love or the other newcomers would be here. But they are, and it's up to the coach to make it work -- and more. Blatt actually needs to make it sing, and soon. 17. This isn't intended to trash Blatt. Far from it. But the Cavs went out and filled a lot of needs -- landing J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov via trades. Newcomer Iman Shumpert will be a major part of the rotation when he comes back from injury, too. So that's three more guys who Blatt has to work in the game and help them produce. That's not been his strength. 18. Suns forward Markieff Morris (35 points on a sizzling 15-of-21 shooting) played out of his mind. The Cavs had no answers. Defending opposing versatile forwards is a major issue. 19. I know some of you want to write off the Cavs. Sorry, I'm not joining you. For James' first game with his new teammates (Mozgov and Smith), well, it could have been worse (and almost was). 20. There's a theory among some league execs that very little matters before the Super Bowl. The NBA doesn't really begin to take shape until after the NFL's big game, they say. I won't even bother worrying about the Cavs until mid-February. But I promise, if this continues after that, I'll be concerned. Until then ... whatever. Worry all you want. That's your right. And my right as someone who has covered this league for 20 years is to act reasonable. That's what I plan to do. Follow on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO | 1 | 3,108 | sports |
It's not just for preschoolers! Snack time is important for adults, too, because it can satiate hunger between meals to prevent overeating and help you lose weight. Snacks can also be a way to get valuable nutrients you're missing from meals alone. But not all snacks are good ones. We've enlisted the expertise of two nutritionists - Stephanie Clarke, RD, and Willow Jarosh, RD, of C&J Nutrition - to share the perfect equation for how to choose a delicious and filling snack that will help you reach your weight-loss goals. Follow their advice below to start seeing results. Calories Aim for two 150-calorie snacks each day. Think of them as ways to fill nutrition holes in your diet, such as getting your fill of fiber or a boost of calcium. Carbs Anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of your calories at snack time should come from carbs, which works out to 14 to 20 grams. Choose high-fiber carbs such as fruit, whole grains, and starchy veggies like peas, corn, sweet potato, pumpkin, and Winter squash. Carbohydrates that are naturally high in fiber tend to be less refined and processed and also typically yield a larger portion size for fewer calories, making them more satisfying. Protein Go for six to 10 grams of protein, which is 15 to 20 percent of your total snack calories. Protein is essential in order to make what you nosh on feel more satisfying. Protein also helps to even out the rate that carbohydrates enter your bloodstream, so if you eat a snack that's low in protein, a spike in your blood sugar levels could result in stronger cravings and the need to munch on more. Fats Far should constitute 30 to 40 percent of your snack's calories, which works out to between six and 10 grams. Including healthy fats also adds to the "I feel satisfied" feeling. The one thing to watch out for is portion size, since fats like nuts, seeds, and avocado tend to be high in calories. Fiber Getting enough fiber in your snack - at least three grams - is a must to not only help you feel satiated for longer, but to also help you reach your daily goal of 25 grams. Getting your fill of fiber will ensure you stay regular, which can help you avoid that bloated feeling, making you feel more energetic. It can also help maintain stable blood sugar levels, which keeps cravings at bay. Sugars Aim for no more than 10 grams of total sugar and no more than four grams of added sugar (one teaspoon of honey, sugar, or maple syrup). Timing Most people like to include their two 150-calorie snacks between their three main meals, so one in the late morning and one in the late afternoon. A good rule of thumb is to eat every couple of hours, so find the schedule that works for you. Maybe you eat a later lunch and an earlier dinner so an afternoon snack isn't necessary but a bedtime snack is. Remember that experiencing a little hunger is OK , but snacking can prevent that famished feeling that makes people overeat. And eating late at night won't cause weight gain , but overdoing it on your daily calorie intake will. If you know you like to eat a little something before bed, make sure you save 150 calories in order to stick to your daily limit. Eating and Working Out If you're grabbing a pre-workout snack, aim for a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein. After a workout, go for a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. A banana with some nut butter or a small smoothie is a great option. For workouts that are an hour or shorter, don't stress too much about getting the exact amount. As long as your snack includes a combo of carbs, protein, and healthy fats, and is under 150 calories, you're good! Generally it's good to enjoy a pre-workout snack 30 to 90 minutes before a workout, but eating beforehand isn't a necessity. Some people prefer working out on an empty stomach , so do what's right for you. Then refuel with a post-workout snack within 30 to 60 minutes. A Few Examples of Snacks The above info would make an ideal snack, but if you can't meet all the requirements, it's OK to fall short of one of these - fats, carbs, fiber, or protein - just make sure your snack meets the other three. Source: Instagram user mutiasd Avocado Toast: Take half a slice of whole wheat bread, smear with one tablespoon avocado, and top with sliced or mashed hard-boiled egg, two slices of tomato, and an eighth-teaspoon sprinkling of chia seeds. Calories: 156 Total fat: 8.2 g Saturated fat: 2.2 g Carbs: 13.6 g Fiber: 4.3 g Sugars: 2.7 g Protein: 9.3 g Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar Greek Yogurt With Apple and Walnuts: Enjoy a quarter-cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt with half an apple, four teaspoons chopped walnuts, half a teaspoon raisins, and a dash of cinnamon. Calories: 149 Total fat: 6.2 g Saturated fat: 0.4 g Carbs: 17.3 g Fiber: 3.1 g Sugars: 12.7 g Protein: 8.3 g Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar High-Protein Banana and Peanut Butter: Mix half a tablespoon of peanut butter with half an ounce of protein powder and half an ounce of water. Cut half a banana in half lengthwise. Smear the peanut butter mixture on half and then top with the other half of the banana. Calories: 158 Total fat: 4 g Saturated fat: 0.8 g Carbs: 17.4 g Fiber: 4.1 g Sugars: 7.8 g Protein: 13.6 Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Lizzie Fuhr Roasted Edamame: Toss two cups frozen edamame with two teaspoons olive oil, one teaspoon sea salt, and one tablespoon black sesame seeds. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 450° F. Enjoy a quarter of the batch, and save the rest for later. Calories: 153 Total fat: 8.3 g Saturated fat: 1.1 g Carbs: 10.5 g Fiber: 4 g Sugars: 8.3 g Protein: 4 g Snack Mistakes to Avoid Not enough variety: While a cheese stick seems like a healthy snack, it's only offering you protein, so you'll soon feel hungry afterward. To feel satiated, make sure your snack has at least two of these - carbohydrate, protein, and fat - or, better yet, aim for all three. Skipping: If you head into lunch and dinner completely starving, you know all too well how easy it is to eat way more calories than normal. Snacking between meals controls hunger, which controls cravings and can help you consume fewer daily calories. Not counting calories: A snack is just that - a snack. It's not a minimeal, so stick to that 150-calorie amount. Be mindful that prepackaged snacks like granola bars, protein bars, smoothies, or bags of crackers can offer almost 200 calories or more. On the same token, mindlessly reaching into a bag can result in devouring more than one portion without you even realizing it. So measure out your portion and put the bag away! Looking to drop pounds during other times of the day? Here's what to eat for breakfast and lunch , and dinner to lose weight . | 7 | 3,109 | health |
We get you caught up with Tuesday's top stories, including Miami's upset win over Duke on the hardwood, Al Horford's first career triple-double and the day's best NHL action. | 1 | 3,110 | sports |
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mario Chalmers scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Hassan Whiteside added 15 points and the Miami Heat completed a Staples Center sweep with a 78-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Chris Bosh scored eight points on 4-of-17 shooting for the Heat, who followed up their surprise victory over the Clippers two days ago by winning an ugly game against the Lakers despite losing Dwyane Wade to a strained left hamstring late in the first half. Kobe Bryant scored 12 points on 3-of-19 shooting in his return to the Lakers' lineup after missing three of the last four games to rest. Bryant's 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play trimmed Miami's lead to three points, but he missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left. Ed Davis and Jordan Hill also scored 12 points apiece for the Lakers, who have lost eight of 11. In its fifth straight victory over the Lakers, Miami never trailed after jumping out to an 18-0 lead to open the game. Los Angeles silenced its home crowd by missing its first 11 shots and two free throws before Bryant finally hit a jumper more than 7 1/2 minutes in. Nick Young went 2 for 11 and Wesley Johnson went 3 for 13 for the Lakers. Wade finished with four points in 14 minutes. The three-time NBA champion missed seven games in November with a hamstring strain, and his availability is uncertain for the final two games of Miami's West Coast road trip this week. Bryant sat out six of the Lakers' previous 11 games to rest from the accumulated wear of 19 NBA seasons, but coach Byron Scott determined he was healthy enough to play against the Heat, albeit on a strict limit of 32 minutes. Bryant missed 11 of his first 12 shots, including four 3-pointers, before finally hitting a 3-pointer with 2:44 to play, trimming Miami's lead to 72-68. The Lakers missed 15 of their first 16 3-point attempts overall. The Lakers got off to one of the worst starts imaginable, with all five starters combining on their miserable shooting. Los Angeles missed 18 of its 22 shots in the first quarter, yet trailed only 44-34 at halftime with a second-quarter rally. Miami's lead nearly vanished several times in the second half, but the Heat repeatedly rallied to stay ahead. TIP-INS Heat: Former Lakers forward Shawne Williams hit a 3-pointer and grabbed two rebounds in 3 minutes of play. ... Wade also had five assists and five rebounds. ... Chris Andersen had 12 points and eight assists. Lakers: Young has made 30 consecutive free throws. ... Newcomer Tarik Black had another impressive game in a reserve role, getting nine points and nine rebounds. ... Miguel Herrera, the manager of the Mexican national soccer team, attended the game. UP NEXT Heat: At Golden State on Wednesday. Lakers: Host Cleveland on Thursday. | 1 | 3,111 | sports |
DURHAM, N.C. -- No. 4 Duke (14-2, 2-2) did not just have their 41-game winning streak in Cameron Indoor Stadium snapped -- it was broken in half and splintered by a final score of 90-74 by Miami (12-4, 2-1). Duke hasn't lost consecutive regular-season games since 2009, which is an absurd stat in its own right, and a big reason why head coach Mike Krzyzewski is one of the best in the game and just a few away from 1,000 wins. He reached 997 on January 7 against Wake Forest as his team got out to 14-0, and it seemed like the game at Louisville this Saturday would be for 1,000. But the loss at NC State meant it would be delayed until at least Monday the 19th (at home against Pittsburgh), and now this loss means it's delayed once again. With consecutive trips to St. John's, No. Notre Dame and Virginia looming in that stretch, getting to 1,000 wins will be the last thing on his mind anyway. Three-Point Take 1. Duke's lack of confidence is evident right now in everything that the Blue Devils are doing. It's a young team, yes, but these are some of the best freshmen in the country accustomed to playing on big stages. And this Duke team was rolling at the beginning of the year, even getting a win against a fully healthy Wisconsin team on the road. The freshmen were clutch, the upperclassmen were leading the way and everything seemed fine. Until it didn't. Dec. 15 against Elon was the first time it seemed like something might be amiss with the Blue Devils. They had a sloppy ending, and Krzyzewski talked about the need to push his team to avoid human nature. Duke would go on to win a tough one against Connecticut, and struggle at times with Toledo and Wofford but ultimately beat both convincingly. A close win at Wake Forest included Duke trailing for the first time this season, but they overcame. Suddenly at NC State and even at home against Miami, Duke couldn't hit shots. The freshmen weren't as assertive as they were, even Jahlil Okafor, who had seemed like an unstoppable machine. On the road, those types of things can happen. No big deal, right? Duke always bounces back at home. Duke hasn't followed up a loss with a loss at home since 2007, and has beaten many of the opponents it's faced in those bounce-back games by double digits. Miami hung around and hung around, and shots that seem to roll in the basket as if by divine intervention at Cameron rolled off the side of the rim instead. Bad body language -- slumped shoulders, frustrated faces -- made it obvious that Duke wasn't shooting anywhere confidently. And Duke is now a combined 13-of-48 from three in the last two games, not to mention 10-of-20 at the foul line -- AT HOME -- against Miami. "We got a little tight. Missed free throws, myself included," Duke senior captain Amile Jefferson said. "We shot horribly from the free-throw line. We have to get better. Good teams make free throws." Jefferson capitalized on Miami's strategy of doubling Okafor enough to confuse him, and finished with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Okafor got his too, although he was just 6-of-13 shooting. Without the bigs, though, Duke just didn't shoot well. It's not just the freshmen who lack confidence -- it's everyone, to a degree. Senior point guard Quinn Cook has averaged 19 points in the last two games and shot pretty well, but junior Rasheed Sulaimon was 5-of-14 against Miami while freshman point guard Tyus Jones is shooting 22.2% in the last four games. "I don't think we're confident right now. I'm not saying we have no confidence, but we don't look confident when we shoot it," Krzyzewski said. "I just don't -- I don't see it. I don't feel it. That happens. It can happen with a baseball team in hitting or whatever. And I think it can happen with a younger group more than an older group where that doesn't impact other things. If it happened with a veteran group, then they're going to play harder defensively or rebound, execute. They know we're not scoring, we'd better do something else. That's all part of learning." Krzyzewski is right that this is a young group and has plenty to learn. Not a bad time to take some early lumps, certainly. But the way that the team can't seem to generate any of their own confidence is a bit jarring, to say the least, particularly after the hot start Duke had. As great as Krzyzewski is, even he's stumped right now. "We'll see. There's always things to do. The first thing is for all of us to accept full responsibility for what we're doing. Coaching staff, players -- we're all responsible for it," Krzyzewski said. "And then you try to figure it out. I don't know that answer right now. But I love my team. I believe in my team. I'm disappointed with how we've played in conference. We're going to try to do all that we can to change that." 2. The Blue Devils will figure out the offense. The defense thing has to be a priority. "Our defense has been nonexistent for two games," Krzyzewski said. And that's true, as both NC State and Miami have gotten out to nearly 20-point leads in the second half and three guards over the last two games have put up 20 points on the Blue Devils (two from Miami and one from NC State). Yes, Duke has faced off against consecutive teams with talented guards who can either shoot the basketball (in the case of NC State's Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey) or both drive AND shoot the basketball (in the case of Miami's Manu Lecomte and Angel Rodriguez). Yes, Duke often gets an opponent's so-called best shot. NC State's guards hit some contested shots, and so if you're Duke, you can more or less tip your hat (and that's what Duke did after the game). But Miami shot 51.8% for the game and a blistering 66.7% in the second half, getting anything they wanted around the rim (12-of-18 from two and 6-of-9 from three). "On defense we have to be stronger, more together. We have to talk more on defense. They hit a lot of big shots. They're a really good team and they came in here prepared," Jefferson said. "Teams are going to shoot their best percentage, they're going to play their best ball and they're going to work together because they're playing Duke. We've got to be ready for that." The ball screen defense, in particular, for Duke was troubling. Seemingly, Duke had no one that could effectively stay in front of Rodriguez (who finished with 2 points) or Manu Lecomte, who finished with a career-high 23 points. "Our goal was to set at least one, if not two or three or four ball screens on every possession because our guards are best when they're on the attack," Miami head coach Jim Larranaga said. "The ball screen gives them a chance to get free just a little bit and then attack the big. Manu's very good at it. Angel's very good at it. Ja'Quan Newton is very good at it. So we had some success with that and we just tried to keep that going throughout the game." That was an understatement. Cook could only sigh and shake his head when asked about Duke's inability to stop opposing guards and keep them out of the lane. "I don't know. Y'all see it," Cook said, gesturing. "Y'all see it, like us. I don't know. People are hitting shots, getting in the lane and doing whatever, and we're not playing with a sense of urgency. "We've played against great guards -- (Wisconsin's) Traevon Jackson, (UConn's) Ryan Boatright -- we've played against great guards. We're just struggling right now, but we're going to figure it out." Some of that lack of confidence on the offensive end is feeding into the defense, too. When Duke is missing shots, opponents are getting long rebounds and starting a fast break. Miami finished with 13 points in transition. "We gave them runouts. We've been giving more runouts. I think part of that is missing shots. It only takes a fraction of a second and you're watching and a shot's missed. If you think about that missed shot, you're not thinking about getting back," Krzyzewski said. "I thought we did that a few times. You give people runouts or dunks and (they) get a level of confidence." 3. Miami might have had a bit of a slump after a hot start, but make no mistake about it -- the Hurricanes are legit. As Rodriguez and Larranaga fielded questions from the media, perhaps the funniest -- and most appropriate -- was "how in the world did you lose to Eastern Kentucky?" Miami started out the year 8-0 with wins over Florida (on the road) and Illinois. But from Dec. 6-22, they lost three of four, including a nearly 30-point loss at home to Eastern Kentucky (who is Ken Pom's No. 71 team, by the way, but still). Rodriguez grinned knowingly when asked, though. "I think it was a humbling experience with so many new guys on the team, sometimes it could be hard to handle success. Early in the season, we had a lot of success, and we made the top 15," Rodriguez said. "Ever since then, the intensity was not there on defense, the attention to detail wasn't there. Every day, no matter who you play, you've got to come to play because if not, you see what happens. You lose to Eastern Kentucky. But it was a humbling experience and thanks to that, we're getting better and better and better. We're reacting the way I expected us to react." Miami is now 2-1 in the ACC with the only loss coming in double overtime at home to Virginia, which is now the No. 2 team in the country. Miami has a ton of good guards who vary between athletic and talented (or both, in some cases), and the Hurricanes have just enough size that they can compete with other teams with traditional bigs. And the Hurricanes offer a somewhat similar prisoner's dilemma that teams face when defending Okafor. "Our guys...what they're good at is dribbling and shooting. So if you go behind that ball screen, they can hit a 3," Larranaga said. "If you fight over the ball screen, then they have a chance to attack the big man. They did that and got fouled. And once they get a sense that they can do it, then they share that confidence. "Angel did it and then I told Angel 'you go to the corner and let Manu do it for awhile'. It leaves out some of the other guys until the defense adjusts, and then you throw a lob to Sheldon (McClellan) or you hit Omar (Sherman) for a three. You've got to have some balance and tonight, we did." That's how dominant Miami's guards were -- they basically had to take turns using ball screens, like as if they were children taking turns with a favorite toy. That toy, in this case, being Duke's defense. And make no mistake -- Duke's defense isn't the first plaything, nor will it be the last. Good guard play can get you a long way in basketball, and Miami has excellent guard play. Don't count out the Hurricanes just because of some non-conference losses. Well, you can, but do it at your own peril. Stats That Matter -21 points off of 15 turnovers. That's what Miami did to Duke, often just straight up taking the ball out of the hands of a Duke player (usually a guard) on one end and running to the other end for a transition basket. -42. Duke has been whistled for 42 fouls in the last two games, a relatively high number for the Blue Devils. While most of their fouls at NC State were off the ball (NC State only shot 16 foul shots), they put Miami on the line 30 times (Miami made 30). Duke, on the other hand, was just 10-of-20 from the foul line. At home. Straight Talk "We didn't just lose tonight -- we got our butts beat tonight. In some respects, some of that's good. None of my teams have won here without losing. We just can't lose that much. That's it. The taste of losing has to be distasteful. You try to figure out how not to have that taste. If you become really good, then you got it. That's what I'm going to try to do with this group. We'll see how successful we'll be." -Krzyzewski "Our guys are like -- they say (they're) 5-11. That must be in high heels." -Larranaga on guards Manu Lecomte and Angel Rodriguez | 1 | 3,112 | sports |
The New York Jets have hired Todd Bowles to fill their head coaching vacancy. Bowles was the former defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. Is this a good signing for the Jets? | 1 | 3,113 | sports |
Army lieutenant convicted of murder in 2012 incident | 5 | 3,114 | news |
It's official: Long-sleeve dresses are everything and more in L.A. right now. We're not speaking of any one style in particular. Take, for example, the Twiggy-influenced mod mini long-sleeve dress, which pairs perfectly with retro tennis shoes for a "Yes, I always dress this cute for coffee" coffee date. No need to take it off after the sun goes down; instead, test it out with a cool pair of Chelsea boots, and voila! you're ready for a night of music at the Greek Theatre. There's nothing we love more than a good multi-use piece we can live in all weekend. After all, this is L.A.: Who wants to change outfits mid-day? Of course, we haven't forgotten about the equally versatile, bohemian, long-sleeve muumuus, à la Mary-Kate. Or, toasty turtleneck sweater dresses that have long winter walks along Malibu's beaches written all over them. From striped to slouchy, brightly patterned to pale, vintage-inspired to modern and fresh, the long-sleeve dress can do no wrong at the moment at least in our eyes. Ahead, we've rounded up 22 of the best we could find. And, yes, we want them all, desperately. A plain, black mini? Nope! Made of neoprene, this one has a very tailored appeal, which elevates the entire look. J Brand Colleen Dress, $210, available at The Dreslyn . Looks like Zara is on the same page as us, pairing a long-sleeve dress with retro, all-white tennis shoes. Zara Pleated Dress, $49.99, available at Zara . This minidress looks so chic over white jeans a fresh alternative to standard black tights on colder days. Free People Striped Cowl Dress, $168, available at Free People . The plaid shirt just got a major update. Also, note the super-cute sock-boot combo. Steven Alan New Classic Shirt Dress, $215, available at Steven Alan . The cure to an all-black winter wardrobe. Suno Fitted Turtleneck Dress, $201.25, available at Suno . The winter way to do a maxi dress. Dawn Bowie Dress, $154, available at Dawn . A dress that's both work-appropriate and date-appropriate is a must-buy. Topshop High Neck Geo Jacquard Bodycon Dress, $60, available at Topshop . How a tomboy does a minidress. Kenzo Knit Dress with Monster Logo, $248, available at Stylebop . For anyone who's ever thought a mock turtleneck is not sexy, may we present Exhibit A. Nasty Gal After Party Vintage Esther Dress, $48, available at Nasty Gal. Little House on the Prairie off Abbot Kinney. Band of Outsiders Stripe Eyelet Shirtdress, $425, available at Band of Outsiders . Over a bathing suit in summer or now, with chic stockings! Faircloth Supply Collard White, $105, available at Faircloth Supply . It's all in the details... Shaina Mote Signal Dress, $302, available at Shaina Mote . This dress can be femme by day with a pair of sandals and minimal makeup, and a showstopper by night with a sexy, little heel and some mascara. Mango Vent Cotton Dress, $49.99, available at Mango . Mix-matched prints and a '70s cut? Yes, please. Tanya Taylor Harley Dress, $477, available at Les Nouvelles . Turtleneck sweater dress + high tops = great call. Madewell The Introduction Sweaterdress, $98, available at Madewell . Pair this with a messy ponytail and red lips. Trust... MaxMara Katia Dress, $397, available at MatchesFashion.com . Because, orange can be cheery and easy, and it doesn't always have to be overly bold. ASOS WHITE Viscose Mini Dress, $123.18, available at ASOS . What would this list be without a little French-girl style? Samuji Roma Dress, $196, available at Mohawk General Store . A summery, long-sleeve dress that can very easily be winterized. Rodebjer Kollum Dress, $500, available at TENOVERSIX . The dress that says, "I'm wearing my boyfriend's shirt, but it looks way better on me." James Perse Striped Shirt Dress, $245, available at James Perse . Love this dress and, wild for the mismatched styling choices! Electric Feathers Boat Dress, $785, available at Electric Feathers . | 4 | 3,115 | lifestyle |
Mathieu Perreault scored four goals to help the Winnipeg Jets take down the Florida Panthers 8-2 on Tuesday night. The eight goal performance was a season high for the Jets. | 1 | 3,116 | sports |
These 10 tips can help you save on taxes for this calendar year and on. The key is to start preparing now. 10 TAX-SAVING TIPS As you fine tune your New Year's resolutions for 2015, there's a good chance that something related to personal finance is on the list. Taxes may not be on the agenda until the April crush, but it makes sense to start preparing now for the current tax year and perform maintenance check-ins periodically. The following 10 tips can help individuals and small business owners lower their tax burden, avoid audits, and feel a little better about the whole tax thing. OPTIMIZE WITHHOLDINGS Although it's nice to get a big refund after sending in your return, it's even better to optimize tax withholdings and receive a little more money in every paycheck. "The IRS has a withholding calculator you can use," says Bill Hendricks, former TurboTax leader and co-founder of Common-form.com. "Once you figure out the right amount to be withheld, request your employer to change the number of withholding allowances." SAVE RECEIPTS If you're looking for a new job this year be sure to save all the relevant receipts. You can take deductions for everything from buying resume paper to traveling for job interviews. This may not amount to a lot, and only applies if you itemize deductions, but it takes some of the sting out of the search process. CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION Is this the year you pursue the learning you've long wanted to acquire? If you (or a spouse or dependent) are enrolled in a post-secondary school, such as a two-year or four-year college or vocational school, you may be eligible for a Lifetime Learning Credit worth up to $2,000 a year. (Note: income restrictions apply.) PURCHASE HEALTH INSURANCE In 2015, the penalty for not having health insurance increases to the greater of 2 percent of household income or $325. Although enrolling in a plan may be more expensive, the penalty is worth avoiding if you can. Individuals receive a subsidy towards their premium if their annual income is less than $46,680 and pay lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs if their income is below $29,175. REPORT LIFE-CHANGING EVENTS Michael Raanan, a former IRS agent, reminds taxpayers that a major "life event," such as the birth of a child or a marriage, should prompt submission of a new Form W-4 to employers. Your new circumstances may affect the number of withholdings you're entitled to claim (see "Optimize Withholdings" above). PAY ESTIMATED TAXES ON TIME If you're earning money on the side through a freelance job, your own business, or even from interest or rent income, remember to pay estimated federal and state (when applicable) taxes four times a year. Failure to do so can result in costly penalties. MAINTAIN SEPARATE BUSINESS ACCOUNTS If you're starting a business, open separate business credit card, checking, and savings accounts. Using a single account for personal and business expenses can get you in trouble during an IRS audit. Moreover, keeping the finances separate will help you stay organized all year while providing accurate real-time information. TRACK YOUR TRAVELS Dr. Phillip Kochan, the creator of mileage-tracking software MileageWiz, says small business owners should track how far and when they drive for any work, medical, volunteer, or non-profit activity. Even short trips to the local drugstore to pick up a prescription or to a local charity to drop off a donation add up to a decent tax deduction. RECORD OTHER EXPENSES In addition to keeping an accurate mileage log, business owners should keep expense reports for all business-related travel as well as receipts for business-related meals (note with whom you dined and the purpose of the meeting). DOCUMENT EVERYTHING If you're not sure if you need to keep a copy of something, or you expect to claim an exemption, deduction, or expense that might not be clear to the IRS, make notes and keep documentation. This is particularly important for events that occur early in the year, which may be long forgotten when it comes time to file your taxes in 2016. | 4 | 3,117 | lifestyle |
The Capitals are 13-1-4 in their last 18 games and the Rangers are 13-2-0 in their last 15. Brian Cazeneuve lets us know why these Eastern Conference teams turned things around over the last month | 1 | 3,118 | sports |
Jimmy Howard is going to miss 2-4 weeks because of a slight groin tear; Peter Mrazek and Tom McCollum will be in-house replacements. How will this impact the Detroit Red Wings? | 1 | 3,119 | sports |
The Denver Broncos have been bounced from the NFL Playoffs, lost their head coach John Fox, and are unsure of Peyton Manning's future. Are the Broncos in trouble next season? | 1 | 3,120 | sports |
Watch as one mother-daughter duo dramatically boosts their backsides with Brazilian butt lifts! | 7 | 3,121 | health |
Boston Bruins rookie David Pastrnak scored two goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning to lift the Bruins to a 4-3 victory. We recap that game and other one goal games from the NHL. | 1 | 3,122 | sports |
Adore Me founder Morgan Hermand-Waiche pitches his lingerie line to the "Power Pitch" panel. Will they find his start-up hot, or not? | 3 | 3,123 | finance |
CNBC's Phil Han tracks oils dramatic fall over the last few months. | 3 | 3,124 | finance |
Papa Murphy's CEO Ken Calwell says the number of the bake at home pizza locations could triple before it shifts its focus to international locations. Calwell says Papa Murphy's growth in 2015 wil be expanding in markets where it already has a presence. On the product front, Papa Murphy's recently launched gluten free pizza and Gourmet Delite. Gourmet Delite, which has 25 percent less fat and 35 percent fewer calories has quickly become its highest volume pizza, according to Calwell. The new gourmet pizzas have allowed the bake at home chain to raise prices slightly and at the same time, increase margins. TheStreet's Ruben Ramirez has details from Orlando. | 3 | 3,125 | finance |
When the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2014, they entered the Finals as the low seed. We take a look back at the Kings rise to the top despite being the underdog. | 1 | 3,126 | sports |
Cardale Jones started this season as a third-string quarterback, eventually leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship as a starter. We look at how Cardale Jones got to Ohio State. | 1 | 3,127 | sports |
The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets have found their new head coaches for next season. After two failing seasons, which of these teams will have a better year in 2015? | 1 | 3,128 | sports |
The following is an excerpt from " The Self-Made Billionaire Effect: How Extreme Producers Create Massive Value " by John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen. Understanding the relationship between time and creativity gave us insight into a tendency that we observed firsthand in the billionaires we met. That habit could be best described as being present. It was one of the first things we noticed about Joe Mansueto, for example. When we walked into Morningstar's office on the day of our meeting, he was sitting at a table in a conference room with his hands crossed over each other, waiting for us. "Yes," he said, "I am ready for you." We expected that our time with him would be interrupted by other obligations, questions, or commitments, but that wasn't the case, neither with him, nor with Glen Taylor, Chip Wilson, Jeff Lurie, Steve Case, T. Boone Pickens, or the Spanos children. When we were with Mansueto, it seemed as if our interview was the only commitment he had. His phone didn't ring. No one entered the room in the middle of the conversation to give him a message. He was completely present. This trait is almost universal among the billionaires we interviewed. They were focused, attentive, and entirely present as we spoke. Steve Case even thanked us for taking the time to talk with him about the research we were doing and the ideas we wanted to explore. We call attention to this trait because it is so different from our daily interactions with the executives we work with our colleagues, our clients, even ourselves. We all seem to be doing three things at once in addition to having a conversation with someone. Not so with the billionaires. They appear far less busy than most executives, and we suspect that isn't an accident of seniority. They intentionally guard their time, doing away with extras, distractions, and nonessential activities so that they are able to support their most vital work. By guarding their time preciously billionaires are able to constantly cultivate and grow their innate curiosity. It gives them the time to read or converse widely on the subjects that let them make remote connections. We cannot say that such strict time management causes success, but the evidence is strong in support of the idea that disciplined even ritualistic practices open up the mental space to observe long-term trends and develop a compelling and real vision around them. Reprinted from " The Self-Made Billionaire Effect: How Extreme Producers Create Massive Value " by John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen with permission of Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright (c) PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, 2015. | 3 | 3,129 | finance |
There was a Big Apple battle on Tuesday in the NHL between the Islanders and the Rangers. The Islanders were able to shut down the Rangers 3-0 and end their five game winning streak. | 1 | 3,130 | sports |
Every team in the NHL has played at least 41 games as we reach the halfway point of the season. Brian Cazeneuve gives us his midseason winners for the Hart, Vezina, and Norris awards. | 1 | 3,131 | sports |
Officers use arm bar technique to catch thief | 5 | 3,132 | news |
The two points leaders for each conference in the NHL are the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders. Brian Cazeneuve lets us know which team is the bigger surprise. | 1 | 3,133 | sports |
In the middle of winter, microgreens are a sign of life when you're desperate for something green. Elegant as garnishes, full of delicate flavors and zesty notes, a windowsill crop of microgreens tastes of spring. (See where microgreens rank in Michelle's 10 Ten Garden Design Trends of 2015 .) And for the gardener who loves to cook? Mini sprouts go from seed to salad bowl in less than 14 days. Microgreens are one of the easiest plants to grow, but catching a glimpse of my waterlogged begonia, I called an expert anyway. Conor Fitzpatrick owns Minifarm Box , an LA-based company that sells starter kits. The latest is a Microgreens Crate , designed to house (and hide) the not-so-cute plastic nursery trays often used for growing micros. A passionate gardener, Fitzpatrick calls green thumbs "nothing more than a little knowledge applied to nature." With his tips and step-by-step instructions, yes, you can snip your own salad in two weeks' time. Photograph by Plant Chicago . 1. Find a sunny windowsill. A southern exposure, where light pours in, "gives you more robust crops, with better flavor, color, and longer shelf life." If you live in Southern California, as Fitzpatrick does, grow them outdoors. 2. Don't forget drainage. Select a tray at least 1.5 inches deep, with drain holes. 3. Use a seed starting mix. A fluffy, lightweight soil, like EB Stone's Seed Starter Mix , will help tiny sprouts grow. Fill a tray with 1 inch of seed starting mix and fully wet the soil so that it is moist (not dripping) from the surface to the bottom. Above: Photograph via Suzie's Farm . 4. Think beyond lettuce. "I really like sunflower microgreens, but there's lots of interesting stuff out there, including radish, micro basil, bok choi, red amaranth, arugula, broccoli, and mustard greens," says Fitzpatrick. 5. Scatter seeds about one-eighth to a quarter inch apart. "It's not an exact science, so don't worry if you find yourself over-seeding. I find more is better than less," says Fitzpatrick. Cover the seeds evenly with another half-inch layer of seedling mix and wet that down also. 6. Skip fertilizer. Microgreens are actually cotyledon leaves, meaning they're the first ones to sprout after germination. They need only sun and water to grow. Depending on the seeds, you will see sprouting shoots in three to five days. 7. Mist, and don't overwater. Heavy watering may crush seedlings or cause mold to grow in the soil. Above: Photograph via Plant Chicago . 8. Harvest. Most microgreens will be ready for harvest in from 10 to 14 days. Cut them with scissors in clusters just above the soil line. Rinse in cold water and eat. 9. Repeat. After you harvest, microgreens do not grow back. For a continuous supply, you can reuse the soil by turning it over. Sprinkle seeds, and cover with another layer of soil mix. The roots from the previous crop will have created a mat that will eventually compost itself, says Fitzpatrick, "so it's all very self-sustaining." Above: Ideal for bringing the outdoors in, and vice versa, the Cedar Microgreens Crate comes with handles and is available for purchase at Fitzgerald's company Minifarm Box for $49. | 0 | 3,134 | foodanddrink |
@RyanHKing wants to know if Jozy Altidore was a waste in the Premier League. | 1 | 3,135 | sports |
The UCONN Huskies won the 2014 National Championship, becoming the first team to do so as a No. 7 seed. We take a look back at UCONN's rise to the top as the underdog. | 1 | 3,136 | sports |
The Ford GT is a stunner of a supercar. And it really stunned the crowd at the Detroit auto show when it rolled out on stage. We asked our editors in attendance what their first, gut reactions were: I was very surprised. The cynicism I felt during Mark Fields' ham-handed Steve Jobs impersonation ("Oh and one more thing…") that immediately preceded the reveal vanished when the Ford GT pulled out of the tunnel. Hard to believe they were able to keep so much a secret. And the bodywork, how it tapers to the rear! It's basically a formula car with a body draped onto it -- you know, like a Le Mans Prototype… -Ed Loh "Exotic!" That's the word that burst through my brain as the new GT rolled onto the stage inside Joe Louis Arena. I don't even think I noticed the front end. All I could concentrate on were the insane side vents/buttresses. It was instantly part Lamborghini Aventador, part Vector WX-3/M-12. Put another way: If I were still 12 years old, I would have already printed out a photo and pinned it to my bedroom wall. As for the front end, there's a little GT40 Mark III and a bit of Tesla Roadster. And the wastegates vent out the tailpipes! The last time a car reveal took my breath away was the Cadillac Ciel Concept . Difference is, Ford's building this particular exotic. -Jonny Lieberman I watched the live unveiling of the Ford GT on the Jumbotron screen "behind the Blue Oval" up in the Ford stand. It looked nice from the (mostly high) camera angles, but didn't make my knees go all wobbly. That happened later, when the car had taken its place on the stand. I stood there, mouth agape, recalling the last time a car grabbed me this hard at an auto show. It was Tokyo, 1991, with the unveiling of the also unspeakably long, low, and lascivious Jaguar XJ220 supercar. This one's sexier. -Frank Markus I was floored. The only thought I had was simply "wow." I was also rather gratified to see our detractors proven wrong, but that's another story. -Scott Evans "Nooo waaay" was my initial reaction after I realized Ford was about to show something big, only because I was convinced there was no way the automaker could possibly top itself after already bringing out the Raptor and the Shelby GT350R . Showing something like a production GT just seemed like too much of a good thing, but when images of designers working on a clay model were displayed on the big screen at the Joe Louis Arena, my eyes got wide and I leaned forward in my seat. Then it came. The GT rolled onto the stage and I was in awe at how stupid gorgeous it was. I never considered myself a Ford fan, but this car has me smitten hard. Just wow. -Karla Sanchez First came the Raptor, then the GT350R, burning some rubber as it drifted a little before rolling onto the stage. Then the moment we were all waiting for, the thunder of that turbocharged engine as a video of the GT rolled on the huge screen. There was this montage of closeups, the floating rear taillamps, the carbon-fiber mirrors, the hard lines of the hood, everything looked perfect. Then it rolled onto the stage. My jaw dropped and I may have been drooling just a little bit. Wow. Ford just owned the 2015 North American International Auto Show and it was just 9:30 a.m. on the first day. -Scott Burgess | 9 | 3,137 | autos |
The last time oil plunged below $50 a barrel, Warren Buffett issued a mea culpa. He had purchased billions of dollars of ConocoPhillips stock near its peak in 2008 and then watched the energy producer's shares tumble along with crude prices as the recession deepened. "I still believe the odds are good that oil sells far higher in the future than the current $40-$50 price," he wrote in a February 2009 letter to shareholders of his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. "But so far I have been dead wrong." Oil is back at those low levels after falling from more than $100 a barrel in July. At the very least, that will let the billionaire shave a few dollars at the pump. Last year, he bought a Cadillac XTS -- 18 miles per gallon in the city. Here are some of the ways that lower crude prices could help and hurt his Omaha, Nebraska-based company this time around: 1. Berkshire is one of the biggest shareholders in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and also holds a stake in Costco Wholesale Corp., both of which are trading near all-time highs. Lower gasoline prices could boost consumer spending this year, benefiting retailers. 2. Berkshire agreed in October to buy Van Tuyl Group, the largest privately owned network of auto dealerships in the U.S. Cheaper gas has helped increase auto sales and could benefit one of the newest additions to Buffett's empire. 3. Both jet-fuel and diesel prices have been falling, potentially reducing costs for Berkshire's luxury aviation unit, NetJets, and its trucking company, McLane. 4. Falling prices at the pump tend to spur people to drive more. That can increase the frequency of accidents and boost costs for car insurers. Berkshire's Geico is the second-largest seller of auto coverage in the U.S. 5. Surging U.S. oil production has been a boon to Berkshire's largest subsidiary, BNSF Railway Co. The company has seen an increase in oil carloads from North Dakota's Bakken region and spent heavily to accommodate them. Some of that demand could go away if oil prices stay low for a prolonged period. 6. Buffett loaded up on Exxon Mobil Corp. in 2013, paying $3.74 billion for about 1 percent of the energy company. While the shares initially climbed after his stake was disclosed, they've since fallen back near the price at which he bought them. 7. Buffett's back-up stock pickers probably underperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 Index in 2014 partly because of their bets on energy companies. Both Suncor Energy Inc. and National Oilwell Varco Inc. have continued their slide in 2015. Suncor said yesterday that it was cutting jobs and lowering its capital budget to weather collapsing oil prices. 8. Berkshire's Lubrizol boosted its capacity to make chemicals for the oil industry in December by agreeing to buy two units from Weatherford International Plc. Lubrizol CEO James Hambrick said in December that he wasn't worried about the short-term effects of declining oil prices on those businesses and expects demand to go up over time. | 3 | 3,138 | finance |
Ezekiel Elliott was the star of the CFP National Championship, but how did Elliott decide on Ohio State? We look at Elliott's road from high school to the moment he decided to become a Buckeye. | 1 | 3,139 | sports |
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a minor health scare on Tuesday night when he reportedly had to leave the team's bus with sharp pains in his chest. According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, Popovich is going to be fine. "Spurs not commenting but Gregg Popovich is with the team and flying to Charlotte after suffering "a very minor issue" following the Wizards game," Aldridge wrote on Twitter late Tuesday night. "Popovich is physically fine." All indications are that Popovich will coach the Spurs on Wednesday. We hope it's not a serious issue. Even a single game where Pop can't do stuff like this to reporters would be a major disappointment. | 1 | 3,140 | sports |
The Miami Hurricanes topped the Duke Blue Devils 90-74 on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils have now lost their second-straight game in a row. Time to panic for Duke? | 1 | 3,141 | sports |
CNBC's Jim Cramer emphasizes the market is in some sort of new volatility mode, not in crash mode. | 3 | 3,142 | finance |
The Nashville Predators beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Tuesday night to become the points leader in the NHL with 62. Is this Nashville team Stanley Cup contenders? | 1 | 3,143 | sports |
Aged just ten months old, morbidly obese baby Juanita Valentina Hernandez weighs the same as an average five-year-old. The baby, from Libano Tolima, Colombia, began rapidly gaining weight just weeks after her birth and since then her worried mother Sandra Franco has not been able to stop it. Last month charity Gorditos de Corazon (Chubby Hearts) brought Juanita to the capital, Bogota, where a team of specialists - including founder Salvador Palacio Gonzalez - began treatment. She is now undergoing tests to determine the cause of her weight gain. Videographer / Director: Gorditos de Corazon Producer: Jack McKay Editor: Joshua Douglas / Ian Phillips | 8 | 3,144 | video |
Crowdpac released convention-busting data to plot where potential White House contenders fall on the political spectrum. | 8 | 3,145 | video |
Dashcam captured a Montana police officer sobbing after fatally shooting an unarmed man during a traffic stop. | 5 | 3,146 | news |
Senior Digital Editor Elana Fishman shares one of her favorite fall layered looks: a Uniqlo heat tech "cat suit" plus a body conscious dress and a trench coat. | 4 | 3,147 | lifestyle |
CNN's Errol Barnett speaks to Imam Ibrahim Mogra about the new issue of "Charlie Hebdo". | 8 | 3,148 | video |
Cheap oil, which this week closed below $50 (£33) a barrel for the first time in nearly six years, has been a boon for beleaguered motorists who are enjoying lower prices at the pump. But will airfares follow the same downward spiral? The short answer is: Don't hold your breath. Jet fuel, airlines' biggest expense, has fallen by roughly a third over the past year. Meanwhile, airfares have continued to climb, along with airlines' profits. So what gives? There are several reasons for staying the course on price, according to airline executives: First, airlines that have put big bets on future oil prices say that being locked into those investments doesn't allow for short-term changes in how they charge customers. Others say there's no telling what will happen to oil prices in future, and that sudden price changes can hurt airlines long-term. And some say too many consumers are clamouring for plane tickets to justify dropping prices even when costs are down. Flying may start to get cheaper in six months or so, when airlines' fuel investments change, according to one global industry airline association. But you wouldn't be able to tell from the way airline CEOs are talking. We pulled together a smattering of commentary on oil prices by airline executives from their third quarter earnings calls and investor meetings. By that measure, the future of airfares is decidedly bleak: Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines: "It's wonderful that fuel has run down we love it. There's a $2 billion opportunity out there if we hold fare levels constant. But over the very long-term horizon, it's just more conservative and prudent to use a high fuel assumption when you're buying airplanes or making other investments, and then when it comes in lower, hang on to all of it." Scott Kirby, American Airlines president: "Air travel remains a great bargain. We'll continue to keep it a great bargain for customers. But in a strong demand environment, we don't have plans to go off and just proactively cut fares." Gary Kelly, CEO and chairman of Southwest Airlines: "You remember 1999, crude oil, I think was down to $10 a barrel only to be followed with increases every single year for the next decade. […] So that's what worries me. […] There's no way that we can count on $80 crude oil going forward. I'm not willing to do that." As a point of caution, Kelly referenced 2008, when airlines tried unsuccessfully to lower fares and then raise them again when energy prices spiked: "What I would not want to do to customers is take them through the same volatile ride with fares, lowered in one day, raised in the next day, I think that that would be absolutely the worst thing that we could do when we have absolutely no plan to do that." Pierre-Francois Riolacci, CFO of Air France-KLM: Riolacci affirmed that airlines will be holding on to most of the benefits, but at a risk of overcapacity where there is too much supply, customers could see some cost-savings. "[W]e definitely believe that we will keep some of the price advantage. But we also make the assumption that part of it will be transferred to customers in a market where there is overcapacity. […] I think that we need to be careful. And I will not permit in saying that we will keep the majority of it. We'll keep a significant chunk. It could be well above the majority, it could be below." B. Ben Baldanza, CEO, president, and director of Spirit Airlines: "It's really going to be a demand-based pricing environment, as it has always been. Lower fuel prices create a little bit of tailwind in the margin right now, which is good for us and probably good for the industry. But as long as demand stays strong, as we see it right now, we believe that, that will we can we'll take good advantage of that in the pricing environment as well." | 3 | 3,149 | finance |
Some well deserved love from the NBA for Mr. 1,000. Hear a special congratulations to Mike Krzyzewski from former Wake Forest Demon Deacon Chris Paul and former Blue Devil J.J. Redick, who also shares his favorite story on why the Duke coach is so special. | 1 | 3,150 | sports |
One of the selling points for modular smartphones like Project Ara or the Puzzlephone is that they reduce waste. But little has been said about how discarded modules could be put to use. Finland's Circular Devices, the company developing the Puzzlephone, has now revealed its answer to that question: it's called the Puzzlecluster, and it's a scalable supercomputer. Reuse and reduce The concept is pretty simple: when a Puzzlephone owner inevitably decides to upgrade their modular phone's "brain" (read: processor unit), the old module can be repurposed to power a versatile computer. With many different outdated smartphone CPUs combined, the cluster should have enough processing power to make the Puzzlecluster a useful addition to someone's business and give the modules a new lease on life. In addition to a traditional power supply, the concept calls for the case to be able to accept battery modules from the Puzzlephone as well, to maintain the system's heartbeat. Circular Devices says that the Puzzlecluster's "applications can range from research and data analysis, to rendering farms and in-house cloud services, as well as any other case that requires parallel computing." The initial illustrations show a small cube that can only accept a few modules at once, but multiple units could be combined together to create an even more powerful computer. For now, the Puzzlecluster is just a concept it seems to be little more than a few ideas on a whiteboard. But it's a good idea, and whether or not the Puzzlephone takes off, it's good to see that someone is thinking about what we can do with smartphone modules once they become outdated. | 5 | 3,151 | news |
See how a retired teacher named Nancy Denen uses her two cats as therapy animals. Plus, veterinarian Dr. Karen Halligan and Lisa Erspamer, creator of the book "A Letter to My Cat," share the health benefits of owning pets. | 7 | 3,152 | health |
For the world economy, it's a case of U.S. and them. That was the conclusion of investors, executives and policy makers as they ended their annual trip to Davos, Switzerland last week with the U.S. poised to outpace world growth for the first time since 1999. Celebrations were muted by questions over whether the strongest U.S. expansion in 11 years will prove strong enough to power the global economy or whether it will be undone by slowing growth in Europe and China. "The U.S. can marginally help the world, but it cannot do it alone," said former Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Stuart Eizenstat. He said there's still a 50 percent chance that the drag from the rest of the world will prove greater than the momentum from the U.S. recovery. The multi-speed global economy is already threatening the U.S. by driving the dollar to an 11 year-high against the euro, with few in Davos willing to bet against further gains for the greenback. "Right now the U.S. seems to be the greatest place in the world to invest," said David Rubenstein, the co-founder of Carlyle Group LP. "The biggest problem in the U.S. is that the dollar could become very, very strong." U.S. economic might was on display throughout the four-day retreat in the Swiss Alps as executives such as Facebook Inc.'s Sheryl Sandberg and PepsiCo Inc.'s Indra Nooyi roamed the conference hall and companies from Salesforce Inc. to McKinsey & Co. threw splashy parties. Global Hotspots The world's largest economy is one of the few global hotspots as Europe seeks to avoid deflation, China slows and falling commodity prices hurt countries such as Brazil and Canada. The International Monetary Fund last week made the steepest cut to its global growth forecast in three years, reducing it to 3.5 percent in 2015 from 3.8 percent previously. "When you look around the globe, it's just very hard to find a lot of big, bright lights on the economic horizon," with the exception of the "amazing" U.S., Michael Sabia, chief executive officer of the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, said in Davos. Sabia's C$215 billion ($173 billion) fund, which is Canada's second-biggest pension manager, is betting on America with this month's $2.2 billion acquisition of a Manhattan skyscraper and last year's participation in a consortium that bought Phoenix-based PetSmart Inc. for about $8.3 billion. European Malaise Economists at Deutsche Bank AG predict the U.S. will contribute close to 18 percent to global growth in 2015, compared with the 11 percent for all other industrialized countries combined. The IMF forecasts that the American economy will grow 3.6 percent this year. The concern in Davos was that the malaise in Europe and parts of Asia may end up undermining that strength. "I'm a little more worried about the U.S. in the next quarter or so," Larry Fink, chief executive officer of BlackRock Inc., said in a Bloomberg Television interview. Fink was among those to note the economy is already feeling the downside of its relative good fortune in the form of the rising dollar. The greenback has climbed about 15 percent on a trade-weighted basis in the last year, threatening to pinch exporters and slow already-weak inflation. Continued gains for the dollar would "have a chilling effect," said Goldman Sachs Group Inc. President Gary Cohn. Few Options Investors looking for alternative investment opportunities have few other options. After powering the world out of its 2009 recession, China grew in 2014 at the slowest pace in at least 24 years as its leaders try to rebalance the economy towards consumer spending. The euro-area and Japan face deflationary threats, and weak prices for oil and iron ore threaten both emerging markets like Brazil and developed commodity exporters such as Australia. Evidence of the alarm came last week as the Bank of Canada and European Central Bank both eased monetary policy either unexpectedly or by more than investors predicted. The ECB won praise in Davos for deploying a 1.1 trillion euro ($1.23 trillion) quantitative-easing program. "We can't have Europe in the situation where they find themselves right now," U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said in Davos. "The U.S. is in a good position and will do well, but look -- we're part of a global community." Lackluster Growth Lackluster growth globally also may prevent Federal Reserve policy makers from delivering on their plan to raise interest rates this year, many Davos delegates said. Despite the recent growth and jobs recovery, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index, has undershot its 2 percent goal for 31 straight months. "The Fed should not be fighting against inflation until it sees the whites of its eyes," former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said on a Bloomberg panel in Davos. "That is a long way off." European and Japanese central bankers told Bloomberg Television they are willing to take further action if inflation looks likely to keep undershooting their targets. ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said his institution will "have to do more" if it fails to revive inflation, while Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said "we can make adjustment to our monetary policy" if needed. Kuroda still warned against excessive pessimism, arguing that monetary stimulus and cheap oil should support global growth. Nonetheless, Blackstone Group LP Chairman Stephen Schwarzman summed up the prevailing mood in Davos. "The consensus here is worry because if you're not domiciled in the United States there's a lot to worry about," he told Bloomberg Television. "There's more caution in the face of a strong U.S." --With assistance from Zoe Schneeweiss and Stefan Riecher in Davos, Erik Schatzker in New York, Andres R. Martinez in Accra, Maher Chmaytelli in Dubai and Zijing Wu in Hong Kong. To contact the reporter on this story: Simon Kennedy in Paris at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at [email protected] John Fraher | 3 | 3,153 | finance |
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. On Monday Night Football four weeks into the season, there was no hint the New England Patriots were on to anything. Kansas City Chiefs 41, New England 14. With the nation watching, critics suggested three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady was done at age 37 and the Patriots' run under coach Bill Belichick had crested. Brady and Belichick are back for a sixth Super Bowl. The loss in Kansas City wasn't the finish; it was the start. Belichick set the tone two days later as he was grilled at a press conference about Brady's age and the talent around him. Belichick gave the same answer five times. "We're on to the Cincinnati," he said. The Patriots beat the Bengals 43-17 the next week. They've lost only twice since, once in a meaningless regular-season finale. After another AFC title, Belichick grinned on the field for a national TV moment. "I only have one thing to say. 'We're on to Seattle,'" said Belichick. The Patriots have made fixes since their 2-2 start, such as stabilizing their offensive line. But the key to their revival has been a return to their familiar formula under Belichick. Victory or a lopsided loss, he preaches moving on. "We've learned this year there can be a lot going on outside this building, but if everything is right inside of this building, we give ourselves a chance to win. And I think being in in the Super Bowl is a prime example of that," said safety Devin McCourty. "After we lost to Kansas City, I don't think there were many people that believed in Tom as a quarterback. You know, it sounds crazy for me to say that right now, and during that week it sounded crazy for us to hear. "In a way ... we just used that as, 'We lost this one. It was a tough one, but ... how good of a team we are is all about how we bounce back.' " Brady was replaced in the fourth quarter in Kansas City after throwing two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and losing a strip-sack fumble. "(There are) definitely times where you're kind of back-against-the-wall and you've got to show a lot of mental toughness and a lot of fight," said Brady. "The best teams that I've been around have been the most mentally and physically tough teams and anything that can challenge those and strengthen those definitely ends up being a positive." After the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC title, team owner Robert Kraft looked back on the Kansas City loss as the "worst one I had felt since Bill was here." At the time, the schedule ahead wasn't encouraging with the likes of Cincinnati, the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis, the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. The Patriots beat all but Green Bay despite losing starting running back Stevan Ridley and star linebacker Gerard Mayo to season-ending injuries in October. "We had a six- or seven-week stretch there were it seemed like every team was at the top of their division and playing really well," said Belichick. "In the end, it served us really well. ... Our guys had to prepare and work really hard every week and to be ready for those challenges. They did that." Early in the season, the Patriots were sorting out their offensive line and working through injuries up front. In Kansas City, Brady was sacked twice and harassed all night. The Patriots have stabilized up front. One bright spot in Kansas City: wide receiver Brandon LaFell, a free agent acquisition, had his first touchdown catch of the season. He ended up leading the team with seven in the regular season. "That was the first game where I didn't rotate. ... It just started building from there," said LaFell. LaFell said the Patriots applied Belichick's "Do your job" mantra. "We've got a lot of talent on this team, and we went out there to Kansas City and we just stunk the place up," said LaFell. "We didn't do our job. Everybody was more worried about what the next guy had to do instead of what you had to do. And everybody came back here and focused on ourselves ... and we got better as a team." Linebacker Rob Ninkovich said the calendar helped. "It was early in the season, and we understood that wasn't going to define our season," said Ninkovich. "He (Belichick) is always preaching to us that you've got to play good football. ... We were able to turn that around and continuously get better." On to Seattle. "We just want to keep building on what we've been trying to do all season and that's to improve every week," said guard Dan Connolly. "... Hopefully, in the Super Bowl we can improve again." Follow Gary Mihoces on Twitter @ByGaryMihoces . | 1 | 3,154 | sports |
We ask Brent Sopel which team that is currently in the playoffs will not be in the mix come April. | 1 | 3,155 | sports |
REPORTING FROM PARIS - The mother had her suspicions before her 16-year-old son fled from the southeastern French city of Nice to Syria. Her son was Christian and popular and liked football and making wood sculptures. But she had seen him change, converting to Islam and falling under the influence of an extremist neighbor, refusing to eat with the family and isolating himself in his room. Still, the mother of four said, "I didn't know he was going to leave." She has sued the French government over what happened next: Bryan (a pseudonym used in court papers) said he was going to a sleepover, but instead, accompanied by some friends, he went to an airport and boarded a flight to Turkey using his national identification card, eventually making his way to Syria. "How could they let him leave for Turkey with his ID card? They should have called me," said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Nadine, 39, because of the pending court case. Nadine said when her son didn't return the morning after the sleepover, she spoke with neighbors who told her where the youths had gone. She said she contacted police, but they did not take her complaint seriously. "They listened but I had the impression that they were not really listening," she said. Three years ago, an administrative change by the government allowed youths with valid identification to leave the country without a parent's permission. Since then, dozens of youths have left for Syria via Turkey. In response to the family's lawsuit filed last month, officials at the Interior Ministry told the newspaper Le Parisien that Bryan left the country legally. He fled a year ago. He initially said he was going to work for a humanitarian group, but later admitted that he had joined one of the extremist organizations fighting to overthrow the Syrian government - it's unclear which one. He still calls his mother twice a week from a cellphone in Syria. He says he is happy, but she can't tell. They talk only for a few minutes, and in the background she can hear men speaking in French, monitoring his conversations. "I don't know if he is really able to talk," she said. Attorney Samia Maktouf, who represents other families of young people who have fled to join fighters in Syria, said the government needs to work with families to stop the exodus. "I want the French government to be aware of the danger of those people," she said. After the terrorist attacks in Paris, she said, authorities need to be more vigilant. "By the time they're in prison, the crime has been committed already and it's too late. We should act before," she said. Nadine fears for her younger son, who is 14. "What I want is that fewer young people leave like this," Nadine said. "These are our children; they are French." | 5 | 3,156 | news |
Cleveland Browns' defensive back Joe Haden was mic'd up for Team Irving's Pro Bowl practice. To see more Browns videos download the Browns DeskSite. | 1 | 3,157 | sports |
NFL is selling a commemorative collage that includes Marshawn Lynch grabbing his crotch. The guys share their thoughts on the collage. | 8 | 3,158 | video |
Claire has a hacking cough. There is only one thing for it.... whisky. | 8 | 3,159 | video |
Perez Hilton doesn't "give a sh*t" what the public thinks of him. The celebrity blogger, who is currently starring on the reality TV show 'Celebrity Big Brother' in the UK, said he's unwilling to censure his behaviour to please his fellow housemates or the British public. The 36-year-old star said: "I am going to behave as I see fit and manoeuvre myself in this house to only please myself ... If that doesn't please the public, then f**k you, I don't give a sh*t!" Perez's outburst came after an explosive argument between himself and journalist Katie Hopkins. During their verbal confrontation, Perez told the mum-of-three: "If I was one of your children I'd kill myself." Katie, 39, responded to the insult by saying her children "loved their mummy" and "had the benefit of a mother and father", unlike the blogger. Perez - who has one child, named Mario Armando Lavandeira - replied: "How dare you bring my child into this. Shut the f**k up, b***h'." At that point, Perez stormed off towards the diary room, saying Katie is "hungry, she's thirsty, famished". He added: "I'm not here to feed her. She should get her nourishment from [fellow housemates] Michelle's t**s and Cami's p***y." | 6 | 3,160 | entertainment |
President Obama may have talked up the benefits of low gas prices in his State of the Union address, but they could also spell trouble for a tentpole of his climate plan. When gas prices are low, car buyers have traditionally ditched small cars in favor of trucks, which become less expensive to fill up. Last year, when gas prices dipped down to just above $2 a gallon, was no exception. And that's a problem for the expected emission savings from the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards set in 2012 that would double the fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks by 2025. Obama boasted about the standards in his State of the Union for cutting Americans' spending on gas, and they'd also represent arguably the biggest chunk of the Obama administration's climate plan. The standards are projected to lead to cuts of 580 million metric tons of greenhouse gases by 2030, even more than than will be cut from standards on existing power plants. To get there, the administration needs automakers to make every car and truck they sell run with less fuel and spew less pollution from the tailpipe, but they also need consumers to defy the current marketplace and start buying smaller, fuel-sipping cars. But in negotiations with the White House, automakers built in a midterm review expected in 2017 and 2018, creating a chance to discuss the market and technology forces impacting automakers' ability to meet the standards, such as low gas prices and consumer preferences. Environmentalists have long feared that this could be an "exit ramp" for car companies to chip away at the targets. A weaker standard may help automakers avoid costly non-compliance penalties, but would also mean fewer pollution cuts. In December, when gas prices fell to an average of $2.26 by the end of the month, overall car sales were huge, but SUVs and pickups reaped the greatest benefits. The Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra saw 35 percent increases in December, Ram Trucks were up 32 percent and Jeep sales were up 40 percent. Car sales were also up, but at a much slower pace than trucks. And hybrids like the Toyota Prius were way down in 2014 -- the Prius was down 12 percent compared to 2013. The Detroit Free Press reported that gas-electric hybrids made up just 2.8 percent of car sales last year, down from 3.2 percent the previous year and well below expectations of market growth. General Motors is even idling a plant that makes small cars for two weeks this spring, according to the Detroit News . And what does that mean for efficiency? According to the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan, the average fuel economy for new vehicles sold in December was 25.1 mpg, down 0.2 mpg from December and 0.7 mpg from a peak in August. Global Automakers CEO John Bozzella, speaking at the Washington Auto Show Thursday, said there's only so much car companies can do when faced with an unfriendly marketplace. "You've got tremendous investments in technology, but you do have this question about what the customer is doing," said Bozella, whose group represents 12 foreign automakers. "These vehicles can be produced, but low gas prices create a real challenge for a regulatory target that is a challenge as it is." A "footprint" approach does allow automakers to keep selling SUVs and pickups if they're cleaner, but the fuel economy targets -- which also have an earlier 2016 compliance date at a lower level -- will be nearly impossible to meet if consumers keep looking to big cars. Of course, in the 13-year span between when the standards were signed and come due, a six-month oil dip is more likely a small ripple rather than a game-changing tidal wave. An EPA review found that automakers were on pace last year with a 24.1 mpg average and there's still a decade to go before the standards are due. EPA administrator Gina McCarthy told reporters last week that she saw "no indication long term that people are changing their buying habits," and that EPA didn't think "this small timeline, where there is this extreme fluctuation, is going to continue." At the Washington Auto Show, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said that while we should "enjoy this price of gasoline now, but let's not count on it being the new normal as we go forward." Automakers aren't necessarily pulling the plug on their advanced vehicles -- Chevy is rolling out a second generation gas-electric Volt and an extended range electric car called the Bolt, and the Nissan Leaf has actually showed strong sales even amid low fuel prices (state incentives and infrastructure promotions helped boost the car). Companies like Hyundai and Toyota are even looking to hydrogen fuel cell cars to come online in the coming years, although that will be a slow rollout. And gas prices aren't likely to stay this low for long -- the Energy Information Administration projects they'll average $2.33 a gallon in 2015 and $2.72 the following year, but projections that low were almost out of the question a year ago. "The only thing we can say about the oil market is that it's volatile," said John DeCicco, a research professor at University of Michigan at the Washington Auto Show. "There's no expansive business story to make … so to achieve the 2025 targets it's going to be largely evolutionary." | 5 | 3,161 | news |
HOUSTON Rand Paul wants to lead the United States. On Saturday in Texas, his father was speaking at a conference about how to leave it. "A lot of times people think secession, they paint it as an absolute negative," said former representative Ron Paul (R-Tex.). After all, Paul said, the American Revolution was a kind of secession. "You mean we should have been obedient to the king forever? So it's all in the way you look at it." This weekend was a crucial one for Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky and undeclared candidate for the presidency. He was in California, trying to line up donors at an opulent retreat organized by the billionaire Koch brothers. At the same time, his father retired after 12 terms in Congress and three presidential runs was in the ballroom of an airport hotel here, the final speaker at "a one-day seminar in breaking away from the central state." He followed a series of speakers who said that the U.S. economy and political establishment were tottering and that the best response might be for states, counties or even individuals to break away. "The America we thought we knew, ladies and gentlemen, it's a mirage. It's a memory. It's a foreign country," Jeff Deist, Ron Paul's former press secretary and chief of staff, told the group. "And that's why we should take secession seriously." The contrasting scenes this weekend illuminate the odd situation of the Pauls as the 2016 campaign season begins. They are a father and son tied together but running in opposite directions. Rand, 52, is contemplating a presidential run at its heart, an act of optimism. He is moderating some hard-line positions and introducing himself to donors and voters. At the same time, Ron, 79, has embraced a role as libertarianism's prophet of doom, telling his supporters that the United States is headed for catastrophes and might actually need catastrophes to get on the right track. Which puts Rand Paul in the unusual position of trying to win over the country while his father says it is going down the tubes. Asked by a reporter whether he was worried about making trouble for his son's presidential campaign by talking about secession here, Ron Paul deflected the blame to the press: "If we had decent reporters, there would never be any problems. You think you could ever meet one? Have a heart, buddy." A spokesman for Rand Paul said he was not available to comment for this story. Both Pauls have said that if Rand Paul runs for president, his father will not campaign with him. But supporters of the two men are concerned that Ron Paul's continued activism will weigh on his son, even if they never appear onstage together. They worry that Rand Paul may have to repeatedly draw and re-draw the lines between his father's views and his own. "If I were Ron, and my son were running for president, and we were in the same situation, I would shut up," said Walter Block, an economics professor at Loyola University in New Orleans. He rated Ron Paul a 98 on his personal scale of libertarianism and Rand Paul a 70, and said he supported them both. "Ron is a millstone around Rand's neck, in the sense that he's not helping him or, at least, he's not helping him be Rand," Block said. "Because Rand is a compromiser, and Ron and 'compromise' don't belong in the same sentence." The two Pauls share many political positions. Both, for instance, have concerns about National Security Agency surveillance. But the son has called for reforming the agency's practices, while the father wants to kill the NSA. Both Pauls are skeptical of overseas wars. But the father wants to pull all U.S. forces out of the Middle East, while the son has supported using U.S. warplanes to strike at the Islamic State, believing the group is a threat to American installations in the region. The most important differences, however, are in the solutions they see to the nation's problems. Rand Paul's solution is Rand Paul: a new president, with the right ideas and the guts to make the system work. "All is not well in America. America is adrift. Something is clearly wrong," Paul said in his downbeat response to President Obama's upbeat State of the Union address last week. "America needs many things, but what America desperately needs is new leadership." Ron Paul's solution, it appears, is to invite more calamity so that Americans are forced realize that the system is broken. "Sanity will not return to U.S. leaders until our financial system collapses an event for which they are feverishly working," he wrote in an online column this month. The same column included predictions of greater inner-city strife, increased casualties among American armed forces overseas, and a dangerous escalation of tensions with Russia. "Before we can actually restore our liberties, we most likely will have to become a lot less free and much poorer," he wrote. Those opposing worldviews one looking up, the other looking for rock bottom have led the two Pauls to enunciate sharply different outlooks on American politics. Last year, for instance, the younger Paul campaigned for Republicans in 30 states before the midterm elections. On Election Day, his father said he didn't expect much to change. "We don't have true democracy," he told the Kremlin-based Russia Today network (although he said that his son was one of the forces for good in Washington). "We have a monopoly of ideas that are controlled by leaders of two parties, and though they call it two parties, it's really one philosophy." And on Saturday, he came to Houston to talk about secession. The event was organized by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, an Alabama-based think tank named after an Austrian economist whose writings are highly respected by libertarians. Ron Paul is a member of its board. "We've been conquered. We've been occupied by the state, with its phony veneer of democratic elections," Deist, the day's first speaker, said, contending that the federal government has taken on powers the Founding Fathers never envisioned. He continued: "Why not seek out ways to split apart, rationally and nonviolently? Why dismiss secession, the rational alternative that's staring us in the face?" Other speakers offered a number of definitions for "secession." They said individual states could break off, notwithstanding the experience in the Civil War ("Lincoln violated the Constitution" to keep the union together, one speaker said). States could even break off and join other countries, if they wanted. "If Texas wanted to secede and join Mexico, I think they can do that. There's nothing stopping them," said Brion McLanahan, another speaker. "I think Mexico is in many ways far freer than the United States," Deist agreed. But the speakers said that there were other ways to "secede," beyond convincing your state to go it alone. Individual people could "secede" by doing such things as home-schooling their children, not going to mainstream colleges, owning gold and foreign currencies, and stockpiling food, fuel, firearms and cash ("seceding from dependency," that was called). In theory, speakers said, every American could just secede from the others, creating a nation where no one was subjugated to anyone else's rule. "What do we do for national defense?" someone in the audience asked. "National defense is largely a myth. In other words, my fears for my family from Mr. Putin are far more remote than my fears of Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner," Deist said, meaning Russian President Vladimir Putin and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). He conceded there was one problem with this plan: "The thorn . . . is that nuclear weapons exist," and somebody would have control over them, Deist said. "But secession is not perfection. It's not utopia." Paul speech, the day's last, was titled "Secession and Liberty," but the focus was largely on the latter. Paul spent relatively little time on the mechanics or morality of secession, instead talking about the virtues of a smaller federal government and the ways in which big governments impose war on peace-loving people. Paul's son the one headed to California was mentioned only once onstage. "We have five children. There's one involved, I think, in politics. I can't remember his name . . ." he said, as the audience laughed. Rand Paul will need to broaden his appeal far beyond his father's hard-core supporters if he hopes to win the GOP nomination his father never could. But some members of that core said he was losing them by adopting policies closer to the GOP mainstream. "He is the 'Star Wars, Episode I,' " said Kent Ohler, 38, who records sound for TV and movies. He meant that the younger Paul was like the long-anticipated but largely disappointing sequel to the "Star Wars" movie franchise. "You have to like him to some degree, just because the name's still stuck [on him]. But at the end of the day, he's just not freakin' right ." Ohler and his younger brother Adam, sitting next to him, took the analogy further: Rand Paul's endorsement of Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 election was his "Jar Jar Binks" comparing the Romney endorsement to the annoying alien that many "Star Wars" aficionados said made the "Phantom Menace" prequel irretrievably bad. Chris Williams, 23, of Austin was at the same table, trying to find a way to make sense of the differences between father and son. "Would it be so bad for one guy to totally fake and pretend, like a neocon, and then revert" to his true libertarianism? Williams asked. "Like a libertarian 'Manchurian Candidate'?" asked Kent Ohler. "It's dumb. It's so many layers," Williams said, realizing his idea wouldn't work. | 5 | 3,162 | news |
PHOENIX -- Relishing no longer the "villain" role, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is painting his team's Super Bowl opponent as occupying that position. He also doubts that the Patriots will be punished by the NFL if they are found guilty of doctoring footballs in the AFC championship game. "I think the perception is the reality," Sherman said Sunday after the defending champions arrived in Phoenix. "It is what it is. Their resume speaks for itself. The past is what the past is. Their present is what their present is. And, will they be punished? Probably not." The All-Pro cited NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's close relationship with New England owner Robert Kraft as his main reason for being skeptical. "Not as long as Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are still taking pictures at their respective homes. He was just at Kraft's house last week for the AFC championship," Sherman added. "You talk about conflict of interest. "But as long as that happens, it won't affect them at all. Nothing will." Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Saturday the team "followed every rule to the letter" in preparing footballs on game day. New England arrives in Phoenix on Monday as the league's investigation into under-inflated balls continues. This is the second Super Bowl in which accusations of cheating have followed the Patriots. During their unbeaten 2007 regular season, they were fined $250,000 and Belichick was docked $500,000 for spying on New York Jets coaches' signals. New England lost to the New York Giants in that Super Bowl. For many of the Seahawks, the focus on football deflation is a non-topic. Quarterback Russell Wilson brushed aside questions about the subject the way he escapes onrushing defenders. All-Pro safety Earl Thomas admitted he knew nothing at all about it: "I've been in my own little world. I don't watch TV too much." Sherman, as always, was not reticent about discussing it. "I think more people might be inclined to root for us, to see history made," Sherman said, noting the Seahawks are seeking to become the first repeat champions in a decade -- when the Patriots did it. "I guess the controversy gives us a little edge in that respect." When it was revealed that some of the Patriots' footballs were under-inflated in the AFC championship, Sherman said "I didn't think it was a big deal at the time." "It's a big deal," Sherman added, laughing. The edge that Sherman plays with has helped him become one of the premier players in pro football. It also catapulted him into that "villain" role last year after his rant against 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree following the NFC title game. He didn't understand the reaction. "To be painted villains I guess you need to do something heinous," he said, "and I didn't. You learn a lot about people around you and about society." While he was at it, Sherman also criticized the NFL for not coming through on the booty he is entitled to for being selected to the Pro Bowl. Players who make the Super Bowl are replaced for the Pro Bowl. "Only thing I'm disappointed about is that we didn't get our gifts from the Pro Bowl," he said. "Which is kind of dumb; the NFL is the only league that punishes the players who actually make the all-stars by not giving them their gifts." He believed the gifts included "watches and stuff." | 1 | 3,163 | sports |
At every mention of their struggles a year earlier, the Ravens offensive linemen and coach Juan Castillo were steadfast in redirecting their thoughts to the 2014 edition of the group - a collectively healthier, more talented bunch that found itself in the perfect scheme. After a season in which Joe Flacco was sacked barely more than once per game, a journeyman running back ran for more than 1,200 yards, and the line blocked for the league's sixth-best rushing attack, the unit that took the worst of the criticism for 2013's 8-8 campaign emerged as a strength this past season, and potentially will be for years to come. "It's pretty evident. I think if we maintain the same guys in the room, the sky is the limit," left tackle Eugene Monroe said. "You can watch the film - we've been the most physical line in the league, hands down, and that's only going to get better." By every measure, the 2014 offensive line improved over the group in 2013. The team's yards per carry increased from 3.1 to 4.5. Flacco took 60 percent fewer sacks than a year ago. And with every meaningful lineman under contract for 2015, the potential for an even better unit is real for coach John Harbaugh. "The future is really great for our offensive line," he said. "When we first came in here in 2008, we said, 'You start in the trenches.' A team is built from the trenches out, and we were pretty strong in the trenches this year. That's the foundation of our team. ... We have some really good, young players on both sides of the ball up front going forward, and we need to build on that." Despite the departure of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who took the Denver Broncos' head coaching job and was replaced by former Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman, Harbaugh anticipates the same successful scheme to carry over. "That's one of the major reasons that Marc [Trestman] is the right man for the job, because he has got a heck of a background in this particular system, and he wants to build on that," Harbaugh said. "We've got a lot of coaches in place, and we're going to build on the past." Harbaugh called Kubiak and his former staffers from Houston "the foremost guys around the stretch-zone" running scheme. "We've learned from that, and that's a part of us now going forward, and we'll keep it," Harbaugh said. Trestman said he anticipates continuing "complementary football" in Baltimore, with a run-pass balance that the team has come to be known for. The success in 2014 was built on the strength of the Ravens' longest-tenured starting linemen, guards Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele. The former, a year after he was admittedly limited coming off a winter shoulder surgery, played nearly every snap for the Ravens while earning his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection and making multiple All-Pro teams. He even showcased his versatility by moving out to right tackle in place of the injured Rick Wagner for the season's final three games. Osemele, despite missing a pair of games with a knee injury in October, proved capable of playing at an All-Pro level. Establishing his brutal standard of dominace was a priority for Osemele as he returned from a back injury that limited him to just six games in 2013. "That was something that was my primary concern - to come back healthy, and I was able to do that," Osemele said. "I was able to come back healthy. I really wanted to kind of make a statement that, 'I'm here. I'm back again. I'm ready to play.' I think I did that." On either side of the guards, three players in their first full seasons as starters for the Ravens provided substantial upgrades. Monroe started 11 games at left tackle, a year after being acquired in a midseason trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Center Jeremy Zuttah, acquired last spring from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played all but eight offensive snaps for the Ravens and took over as the signal-caller on the offensive line. His athleticism meshed well with offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak's zone running scheme, and he took over as a leader in the offensive line room from the moment he arrived. And at right tackle - a position that seemingly went unaddressed after Michael Oher's departure - the Ravens had a top-flight solution in-house in Wagner, a 2013 fifth-round draft pick. The Wisconsin product played sparingly in his rookie season, but stepped in as the starter at right tackle last season and didn't let go until he was injured in Week 16. Wagner was penalized just twice all season, and graded out as the team's best pass blocker, according to ProFootballFocus.com. He suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his foot against the Houston Texans, but that injury only served to showcase the line's promising future in another way. With Wagner and Monroe both going down in Houston, Castillo brought rookies James Hurst and John Urschel back into the starting lineup for the first time since Week 8. The former was chosen to fill in for Monroe when he suffered a Week 4 knee injury instead of reserve Jah Reid, while Urschel started two games for an injured Osemele over Gino Gradkowski, the starting center in 2013. Hurst started five regular season games, and became the first undrafted rookie left tackle to start a playoff game, the AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Urschel started three games in the regular season, plus two in the postseason. "Honestly, I really feel like Urschel, in a few years, is going to be a Pro Bowler himself if he gets the opportunity, if he gets in there and plays," Osemele said. "I think [Urschel and Hurst] are just both really hard-working guys." Hurst believes that came from Castillo. "He's a hard worker in everything he does," Hurst said. "And his job, coaching and everything he has to do, he's going to outwork everyone. So, he takes that mentality to us." In his season-ending press conference, Harbaugh said Monroe would enter training camp as the starting left tackle, meaning Hurst returns to a swing tackle role and Urschel likely backs up the guards and center. But for a unit that succeeded in part because of able deputies behind its starters, that depth will be "crucial," Osemele said. "Having everybody come back, and knowing that it's going to be competitive, guys are going to have to stay in shape to be able to stay on this team," he said. "I definitely think that's going to be a strength for next year, knowing that we're going to have that much depth and that much competitiveness." [email protected] twitter.com/JonMeoli | 1 | 3,164 | sports |
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Anthony Davis capped a 28-point, 10-rebound outing with go-ahead free throws in the final seconds and a pivotal steal, and the New Orleans Pelicans won their third straight game, 109-106 over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. BOX SCORE: PELICANS 109, MAVERICKS 106 Tyreke Evans scored 24 points, including a clutch running hook in the final half-minute, and Ryan Anderson added 18 points. Monta Ellis scored 36 points, giving Dallas a 106-105 lead with a running scoop over Quincy Pondexter and Omer Asik with 12.3 seconds left, but Davis drew a foul from Tyson Chandler while receiving Evans' inbound pass and hit the go-ahead free throws. Davis, who had five steals, then intercepted Rajon Rondo's inbound pass intended for Dirk Nowitzki and added two more free throws. Ellis had one more chance to tie it, but his 27-foot shot missed in the final seconds. Nowitzki scored 24 points for Dallas, which has lost two straight. | 1 | 3,165 | sports |
Hear from the players one final time before they depart to Arizona for the Super Bowl. To see more Patriots videos download the Patriots DeskSite. | 1 | 3,166 | sports |
It may not feel like it, but stocks are actually more expensive than they've been since 2005. Still, most investors say that shouldn't be a huge cause for concern. The S&P 500 (.SPX) 's price-to-earnings ratio, which compares the price of the S&P to analyst projections of what S&P companies will earn over the next 12 months, has risen to 16.6, according to FactSet. Not only is that above historical norms, but it is the highest that metric has been since March of 2005. What's unusual is that stocks have gotten more expensive in terms of valuation, even as the market itself has been relatively stagnant: The S&P has logged only mild losses on the year through Friday's close. That's because earnings estimates have fallen dramatically of late. In fact, from the end of the year until now, analysts have decreased their estimate for what S&P 500 companies will earn over the next year by nearly $3, or 2.2 percent. So even as the price/earnings (P/E) equation's numerator has stagnated, earnings have fallen. Unsurprisingly, much of the decline in earnings expectations comes from energy sector analysts, who are still reeling over oil's 50 percent plunge from its 2014 highs. From the end of the year, earnings per share estimates for the energy sector have swooned 27 percent. Since share prices haven't fallen nearly as much, the overall impact is that the P/E for the energy sector has risen to 22.4, FactSet senior earnings analyst John Butters finds the highest for any sector in the S&P. The cuts have indeed come fast and furious. For instance, when Credit Suisse downgradedExxon Mobil (XOM) on Friday morning, it slashed its 2015 EPS estimate for the oil giant from $5.04 to $2.82. Still, the stock is down just 13 percent over the past six months, which gives a flavor of the dynamic in the energy sector that has sent valuations way higher. But those taking the longer view note that there's another reason why valuations have risen of late, and that's interest rates. The 10-year Treasury yield has plunged to levels previously thought unthinkable given the state of the economy, which provides a natural tailwind for stocks. Noting that assets like stocks are valued based on their expected cash flows given the risk-free rate, rather than on strict price-to-earnings multiples, Convergex chief market strategist Nicholas Colas wrote in a recent and slightly peeved-sounding note that with Treasury yields "falling like a stone, discount rates are lower than all but the most crisis-ridden periods of the last 100 years." He added, "so yes, the U.S. stock market carries a high multiple to earnings relative to history. But that's not magic or mania; that is just math." And traditional measures of market anxiety like the CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX) aren't registering much concern, either. Even as stocks are slightly down, the VIX has dropped 13 percent this year, indicating that investors now have less interest in buying "insurance" on the market in the form of downside puts. "Valuations in the U.S. are probably a little on the high side, but I don't think they're grossly overvalued, and a lot of times stocks can be fairly valued or even overvalued for a long time," said Curtis Holden, senior investment officer at Tanglewood Wealth Management. "So even assuming valuations are a little rich, it's doesn't necessarily mean you'll see a crack in the market immediately." In fact, Holden says he has actually become more bullish over the past few months, due to precisely the same catalyst that has sent valuations rising the plunge in oil (@CL.14) and gas prices. "When you look at the fact that we're a net importer rather than exporter of oil and gas, it becomes clear that it's a net positive. There are going to be a lot of industries that benefit from low oil prices," including airlines, chemical and other industrial companies, and certain retail names. The money that consumers save on gasoline "might not show up in earnings immediately, but eventually it will start filtering out into the market, and that will be something to watch," he said. By CNBC's Alex Rosenberg. Watch " Futures Now " Tuesdays & Thursdays 1 p.m. ET exclusively on FuturesNow.CNBC.com ! | 3 | 3,167 | finance |
BRIGHTON, United Kingdom Arsenal is through to the fifth round of the FA Cup, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil have made goalscoring returns, and the early exit of many of their rivals has made the Gunners favorites to win the competition. But still, the victory over Championship side Brighton was as much a source of frustration as excitement at times for the travelling fans. A second half that should not have been much of a spectacle sped up to an alarming pace. Arsenal led by two at the break, had delighted more than 4,000 away supporters with some sublime football and the focus of our attention now should be on Tomas Rosicky, who was sensational. "If you love football, you love Rosicky," Arsene Wenger said after. But instead, Brighton was allowed back into the game in a fashion that bordered on farcical. Rosicky, ironically, was at fault as Chris O'Grady woke the Amex from its disappointed slumber, slicing a wild clearance across the pitch that Calum Chambers bizarrely opted not to head to safety. The ball bounced off his knee and straight into the path of the journeyman striker, who held off a weak challenge from Mathieu Flamini and beat Wojciech Szczesny to his right. The host always was likely to have a spell where the wind blew behind it, but it looked to have come to an abrupt end when Rosicky volleyed in a brilliant third after exchanging passes with Olivier Giroud. Not so, as Danny Holla was permitted the time and space in the Arsenal half to pick out Sam Baldock, who lofted a cool finish over Szczesny. There followed an end-to-end finish that left Arsenal digging deeper than they had ever expected to. Francis Coquelin was required to steady the midfield and even Alexis Sanchez, on what had likely been marked as a rest day, was introduced. The Gunners' safest route to victory would be scoring another goal. It seems to stem from a complacency as much as a lack of organization. Szczesny, in goal, gives the impression of being too comfortable at times and perhaps it is telling that Arsenal has improved with David Ospina stepping up as No. 1. Aaron Ramsey was one of the deeper midfielders as Rosicky and Ozil pushed on and is not as attentive or as determined as Santi Cazorla when he loses the ball. He also looks unfit. A lot will be said about the magic of the FA Cup after a wonderful weekend of shocks, but applying that narrative here would let the Gunners off the hook. The second-half drama was of Arsenal's own making. Without taking anything away from the spirit Brighton showed, Wenger's team should have had the quality and professionalism to see this out in a far more straightforward manner. The step backward was disappointing after such a fine display against Manchester City, but at least the bare facts are largely positive. City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Southampton are all out of this competition and Manchester United and Liverpool face replays, leaving Arsenal looking in excellent shape to defend the trophy. Wenger admitted after the match that he has never been so spoiled when it comes to attacking options. Walcott is getting sharper by the game - he had chances in the last round, against Hull but rediscovered a clinical touch today - and Ozil was as effortlessly productive as ever. Giroud has taken steps forward from last season, too. It all points toward the kind of run that will deliver another top-four finish and a decent stab at keeping this trophy for another year. On a day when it seemed any kind of win would do, Arsenal delivered. "The most difficult games are not especially the expected ones," Wenger noted. But if the Gunners lapse like they did against Brighton in the face of tougher opposition, they will be put to the sword. | 1 | 3,168 | sports |
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Bill Haas pulled off another imaginative escape to win the Humana Challenge. "I think of myself as more of a painter and not a mechanic," Haas said. Far less dramatic or lucrative than the shot he splashed out of the water to 3 feet in a playoff victory in the 2011 Tour Championship, Haas came through with another bold play Sunday after his drive on the par-5 18th stopped on top of the front lip of a right fairway bunker. "You got to come up with something," Haas said. Standing in the sand with the ball in dormant grass at nearly waist level, he choked up on an 8-iron and gave it a whack. "I easily could have whiffed it, could have chunked it and moved it 5 yards," Haas said. Instead, he hit it 80 yards down the fairway. That left him 170 yards and he hit another 8-iron safely to the middle of the green to set up his winning two-putt par. He was afraid to hit left-handed and considered a one-handed shot standing backward. "Using the little toe of the club left-handed, the water was in play, out of bounds might have been in play, I just didn't feel comfortable doing that," Haas said. "I have done the thing before backwards where you do it one-handed and poke it down the fairway. I almost did that." Haas pulled ahead with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and escaped with the par on 18 for a one-stroke victory. He closed with a 5-under 67 for his sixth PGA Tour title. The 32-year-old former Wake Forest player won the 2010 event for his first tour victory. "Honestly, if you would have told me I would have done this last week, I would have laughed at you," Haas said. "To be here is an unbelievable feeling." Haas earned $1,026,000, a fraction of the $11.44 million he made in in Atlanta in the 2011 Tour Championship. His father, Jay, won the 1998 tournament. Haas' great uncle, 85-year-old Bob Goalby, was in the gallery at PGA West's Arnold Palmer Private Course. Goalby won the 1968 Masters. Haas was making his first start since November. He took the break to rest his left wrist, fractured in April when he fell down stairs. "I played a little bit," Haas said. "I didn't just put the clubs up." Haas got to 22 under with the birdie on 16, breaking a six-man tie for the lead. "I've been in a tournament where I've been maybe one ahead or tied, but not with five or six guys right behind me knowing that if I dump one in the water, I go from winning to finishing 10th," Haas said. Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman, Brendan Steele, Steve Wheatcroft and Sung Joon Park tied for second. Hoffman and Steele shot 64, Park had a 65, and Kuchar and Wheatcroft shot 67. Haas kept a share of the lead with a key par save on the par-3 15th. Short-sided in the left bunker, he blasted to 6 feet. "That was one of the moments where I knew if I missed that I was going from leading to maybe not even top 10," Haas said. He had a chance to increase the lead on the par-3 17th, but missed a 10-foot birdie try with a bighorn sheep grazing nearby at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. On 18, with water on the left, his drive went too far right. "I was doing everything I could to not go left. So, what do you do? You go right," he said. Haas eagled the par-5 sixth for a share of the lead, setting up his 15-foot putt with a 260-yard shot from the dormant left rough with the ball below his feet. "That was huge," Haas said. "Just fortunate that 5-wood came out like it did, because out of that Bermuda rough, anything can happen." Justin Thomas, Webb Simpson and Boo Weekley tied for seventh, two strokes back. Thomas, playing alongside Haas and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, dropped out of the lead on 16 with a double bogey after hitting into the canal from a fairway bunker. "Hit fractionally behind it and in the water she went," Thomas said. The 21-year-old former Alabama player birdied 18 for a 69. Compton shot 70 to tie for 10th, three strokes back at 19 under. "I wasn't pleased with the way I started," Compton said. "You got to put your foot down." Phil Mickelson had a 68 to tie for 24th at 15 under in his first start since the Ryder Cup. "It was a good week to get the year started," Mickelson said. "Now we'll see the next two weeks if I can get that fine-tuning done." DIVOTS: Colt Knost had a 63 -- the best round of the day -- to tie for 10th at 19 under. He was in the first group off the 10th tee and played his final nine holes behind Haas' group. ... Patrick Reed, the winner last year, shot 71 to finish at 15 under. He started the year with a playoff victory in the Tournament of Champions. | 1 | 3,169 | sports |
DES MOINES, Iowa Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney face big trouble in Iowa influential conservatives have had enough of them. Disdain for the party's center-right powerhouses, who are both considering seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nominations, could have implications well beyond the nation's first caucus state. Iowa conservatives mirror the views of like-minded activists nationwide, and having the party's vocal right wing blasting away could stagger either candidate throughout 2016. And it's uncertain that conservatives would actively work in a general election for Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, or Bush, the former Florida governor. "This could be a big problem," said Craig Robinson, editor-in-chief of theIowaRepublican.com, a partisan web site. With its town-hall-like precinct caucuses the first test of the nomination next winter, Iowa usually winnows the field of a party's nomination contest and previews campaign styles and weaknesses. Just ask the Romneys and Bushes. The families have had a candidate in five competitive caucuses since 1980, and in all but one instance, the outcome foreshadowed the future. George H. W. Bush was a barely-known former CIA director in 1980 when he stunned the political world by topping Ronald Reagan. Though Reagan would win the nomination, Bush showed enough strength to become Reagan's running mate. Bush faltered in Iowa in 1988 when he ran for the nomination a second time, this time as the sitting vice president, finishing third behind Kansas neighbor Bob Dole and evangelist Pat Robertson. The caucus prodded Bush to run a tougher campaign, and he went on to win the nomination and the White House. In 2000, his son cemented his standing as the candidate to beat with a big victory over magazine editor Steve Forbes. Romney finished second in 2008 and 2012, both times losing to Christian right favorites. It was a signal that that bloc was leery of Romney's record. Today, memories of Romney's previous efforts dog him. "He's a proven loser," said John Eggen, a Des Moines air conditioning and heating contractor. Another campaign, he said, would mean more debate over the 2006 Massachusetts health care law that Romney approved when governor. It's considered the model for the 2010 federal health care law that Republicans hate. Bush is also yesterday's candidate, said Sabrina Graves, a stay-at-home mother from Blue Grass. Bush's support for Common Core educational standards, which many conservatives view as big government reaching too far into local education, also gets slammed. "I don't know what is worse, nominating someone merely because he's been nominated twice before or nominating a liberal supporter of Common Core because he has a familiar name," said former New Hampshire House Speaker Bill O'Brien, who spoke at a daylong conservative forum in Iowa Saturday featuring a long list of potential presidential candidates. Romney and Bush did not attend. Bush, who last week spoke at length with the Iowa Republican chairman and hinted at a White House bid, cited a scheduling conflict. A spokesman for Romney did not respond to a request for comment. Some of Saturday's loudest cheers came when businessman Donald Trump fired away. "It can't be Mitt because Mitt ran and failed," Trump said, adding "the last thing we need is another Bush." The audience was largely hardcore conservatives, the crowd that boosted former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, also a Baptist preacher, in 2008 and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a hero of the Christian right, four years later. Both won the Iowa caucus. They watched Romney market himself as a fierce conservative in 2012, but never quite bought it. Saturday, they saw New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another moderate favorite, argue that he's a true conservative. "If the values I'm fighting for every day in New Jersey and all across this country are not consistent with your values, then why would I keep coming back? I wouldn't," he said. Reaction was spotty. The conservatives say they've had enough of nominees with appeal to independent and more moderate voters. "We are tired of being told who our candidates should be," said Donna Robinson, a Marengo saleswoman. "They say they're conservative, then they run to the middle." The right wants new faces and new ideas. They were particularly impressed Saturday with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, 47, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, 44. "He has a proven record and he's young," Eggen said of Walker. They also like people without lengthy political resumes. That's why retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former business executive Carly Fiorina got warm receptions. "People who have been in and around government and politics for their entire lives may no longer be able to see the truth: our government must be fundamentally reformed," Fiorina said. The conservatives loved it. Romney and Bush? "They're all cronies," Graves said. "I want someone this time who's not a politician." | 5 | 3,170 | news |
An Iranian website Sunday laid out plans to kill the sons of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in apparent retaliation for last week's death of an Iranian general in a presumed Israeli airstrike on the Syrian Golan Heights. The Mashark website also detailed plans to kill the sons of former Israeli Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. Jerusalem Online reported senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Hussein Salami called for "unique measures" to be taken against Israel in retaliation for the death of Gen. Mohammed Ali Allahdadi, who was killed along with six Hezbollah militants and another Iranian. The website published what it said was detailed intelligence data on Yair and Avner Netanyahu. However, Jerusalem Online reported, most of the information appeared to have come from Wikipedia. The report said Marshark is "known for being in close relations" with the Revolutionary Guards. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied conducting the airstrike last Sunday on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. Maariv reported Allahdadi may have died because he failed to turn off his cell phone. Quoting the Lebanese newspaper al-Jomhouri, Maariv said Allahdadi was in the area to help set up "popular defense units" to help fight Syrian rebels. The death threat comes as Netanyahu prepared to address the U.S. Congress Feb. 11 as the result of an invitation extended by House Speaker John Boehner and the pointed refusal of the White House to set up a meeting with President Obama while the Israeli leader is in Washington. Obama and Netanyahu are at odds over how Iran's nuclear program should be handled. Talks between Iran and the so-called P5-plus-1 -- the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany -- have been extended to July as the two sides failed to meet previous deadlines. The Israeli intelligence site DebkaFile has reported Tehran has held off signing any deal because the Revolutionary Guards have threatened to unseat supreme leader Ali Khamenei if he allows President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohamed Zarif to sign a comprehensive, binding nuclear accord. The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would impose new sanctions on Iran, a move supported by Netanyahu but opposed by the Obama administration. Administration officials said if sanctions are passed, it would be like throwing a grenade into the talks. | 5 | 3,171 | news |
John Tavares scored four goals for Team Toews in their 17-12 NHL All-Star Game victory over Team Foligno. | 1 | 3,172 | sports |
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Milwaukee is developing a dynamic defense, but the San Antonio Spurs demonstrated how far the young Bucks still have to go. Tim Duncan had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and 14 rebounds and San Antonio rallied in the second half for a 101-95 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday night. BOX SCORE: SPURS 101, BUCKS 95 Boris Diaw added 14 points, helping the Spurs win their fifth straight against the Bucks. Khris Middleton had 21 points and Jerryd Bayless had 15 points for the Bucks, who lost after defeating Detroit on Saturday. San Antonio's fifth straight win at home over Milwaukee started off on a bad note as the Bucks raced to a 24-12 lead 9 minutes in the game. "It felt bad that we couldn't score," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We were taking some bad shots, some turnovers; they were really picking us apart at that point. It was looking bad." The Spurs struggled to score in the first half against a Bucks defense that is holding opponents to 44 percent shooting. Middleton had 12 points in the first half against a San Antonio team that seemed confounded by Milwaukee's defensive energy. The Spurs trailed 55-47 while shooting 40 percent from the field. "Actually, when they're young and they've changed their team a bit, and their coach, it takes a little while to get used to it," Duncan said. "We hadn't seen them. It took a half to get used to what they were doing. And then when we did, we did a much better job; taking care of the ball, moving the ball and luckily we made some shots." San Antonio rallied by holding Milwaukee to 4-for-19 shooting in the third quarter, turning what had been a 12-point deficit into a burgeoning lead. The turnaround was simply due to greater effort, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "We were more competitive," Popovich said. "We were stronger with the ball. We competed harder in the second half than we did in the first half. We made a few more shots, but it was about being more physical and focused." The Spurs forced eight turnovers in the third quarter, sparking an 18-5 run to close the period. Leonard made a pair of free throws with 26.5 seconds remaining in the third to give the Spurs a 69-67 lead, their first lead since midway through the first quarter. "For us, in the third quarter, we turned the ball over," Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said. "We're playing the world champs. We know that they're going to make a run." San Antonio shot 5 for 22 on 3-pointers, but took 17 more free throws and forced Milwaukee into 21 turnovers. Spurs: San Antonio is two games into a six-game homestand before hitting the road for their annual rodeo roadtrip, which consists of eight road games over a three-week period in February. ... Duncan has 817 career double-doubles, which trails Lakers Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 885 for fourth all-time. ... San Antonio has used 23 different starting lineups in 46 games, which is second only to the New York Knicks (25) this season. UP NEXT Bucks: visit Miami on Tuesday. Spurs: host Charlotte on Wednesday. | 1 | 3,173 | sports |
Phoenix point guard Goran Dragic could opt out of his contract this summer and test the free agency market. Which team would be a good fit for the Suns floor general? | 1 | 3,174 | sports |
Which NFL team made the best coaching hire this winter? The crew makes their picks. | 1 | 3,175 | sports |
A supermarket deflated Patriots balloons to sell in their store. | 1 | 3,176 | sports |
PITTSBURGH Change is a multi-platform proposition with Chris Jones. Slimmed down and speeded up, Louisville's point guard has evolved from a conscience-free scorer to a pass-first playmaker. His transformation in temperament, though, appears to be more incremental. "From crazy to a psycho?" was how Rick Pitino put it Sunday afternoon. He may have been kidding. Formerly Russ Smith's backcourt sidekick, Jones has inherited Smith's role as his coach's favorite foil. He played 35 productive minutes in Sunday's 80-68 victory at Pitt, scoring 17 points and making nine assists, but he also exasperated his coach by earning a technical foul with his team leading by 16 points and less than seven minutes to play. Presumably, the sign referenced Jones' number instead of his name because Pitt also has a player named Chris Jones. Undoubtedly, Pitt would trade its Chris Jones for Louisville's Chris Jones and throw in a truckload of Iron City beer. If Louisville's Chris Jones is prone to emotional explosions (and, formerly, to artless flopping in pursuit of fouls), there's also a lot to recommend his game and a lot more than there was just a month ago. Since removed from the starting lineup on Dec. 30 for his clumsy flop against Kentucky, Jones has started the new year resolved to play a more mature game. Sunday's game marked the third time in six conference games that Jones was credited with more assists than he made in any game last season. It was the fourth time in those six games that he was able to temper his natural aggressiveness well enough to avoid careless fouls and play at least 35 minutes. If Jones is a psycho, there would seem to be some method to his madness. "What's changed?" he was asked Sunday evening. "Me," he replied. "For us to make a run for the national championship, to be a Final Four contender, I've got to change my game," he said. "So I just get my teammates involved. Terry (Rozier) came out on fire and I had to find him. I had to get Montrezl (Harrell) back in his rhythm, so that's what I did. "... I just balance it out. If I feel it that night, they want me to score. But still, at the same time, I want to find my teammates. There's less pressure on my shoulders. That makes me look better and (means) more time for me not to get tired." Eight days after a dispiriting loss to Duke, the same Louisville players who had demonstrated such miserable marksmanship at the KFC Yum! Center put on a shooting exhibition worthy of Chris Kyle against Pitt. The Cardinals sank 30 of their 46 shots from the field a season-high 65.2 percent after Pitino spent a week tweaking his offense to place more emphasis on dribble penetration and less on perimeter shooting. "We did a lot of good things by getting to the paint with drives," Pitino said. "That was our point of emphasis all week. I thought if we could do that, we'd shoot a high percentage." Initially, the Cardinals relied largely on getting the ball to Rozier, who sank his first six shots only one a layup and finished with 26 points. But Jones dominated the second half with his penetration and his passing. His six field goals included three layups and his nine assists produced five dunks and three layups. That's pretty much the definition of a distributor. Having trimmed down slightly since last season, Jones has seen a return in his first step. He is driving past more people now, forcing defenses to converge on him at the expense of leaving a Louisville teammate free. This makes for a pretty potent weapon. "For a guy that size, 7-8 pounds, maybe 9 pounds is a lot," Pitino said. "It enables your quickness. When he lost that weight, he suddenly became a different ballplayer in terms of his speed. He always relied on being a little bulldog and his strength, but now he's got speed." If other parts of Chris Jones have some catching up to do, he appears to be moving in the right direction. Tim Sullivan writes for the Courier-Journal, a Gannett property. | 1 | 3,177 | sports |
Rick Strom gets you caught up on Sunday's top stories including Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th win, the Cavaliers victory over the Thunder and the NHL All-Star Game. | 1 | 3,178 | sports |
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) J.J. brought some Wattage to the Pro Bowl with an array of athleticism and hip-shaking shimmying. Even in a game his team didn't win, J.J. Watt found a way to steal the show - just like he had all season. Capping an electrifying season, Watt intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and showed off his dance moves to a sellout crowd at the Pro Bowl Sunday night. ''I just tried to enjoy it; that's what the Pro Bowl is all about, giving the fans a good show,'' Watt said. ''Everybody worked so hard to get here, you want to enjoy yourself and play some good ball.'' OK, maybe the good ball was a stretch. As is the case with most Pro Bowls, the game wasn't exactly scintillating, filled with shoddy tackling and less-than-full effort from the players. Team Irvin won it over Watt's Team Carter team 32-28. BOX SCORE: TEAM IRVIN 32, TEAM CARTER 28 The 6-foot-5, 289-pound defensive end showed off his athleticism with an interception in the second quarter, leaping to swat down Matthew Stafford's pass, then gathering the deflection. He recovered a fumble in the third quarter, swatted down another pass and defended four passes in the defensively-lacking game. Watt also put his dance moves on display during a third-quarter timeout, raising his arms in the air and shaking his hips, drawing big cheers from the crowd when it was shown on the video board. He shimmied again during timeout in the fourth quarter, this time drawing Team Carter teammate Marcell Dareus into the mix. Watt was named the defensive player of the game - his cheers were much louder than for Stafford, the offensive MVP - and closed out the night by posing for a selfie with Team Carter defensive end Robert Quinn. ''Guys are dancing around and having a good time, that's what it's all about,'' Watt said. Now his attention turns toward Saturday's NFL Awards show. Watt is one of the favorites to win the NFL's MVP award, though faces long odds, at least historically. The MVP award has been an almost exclusively-offensive club through the years, handed out to defensive players twice in NFL history: Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971 and New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986. The award usually goes to a player from a winning team; the last MVP from a non-playoff team that was Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson in 1973. Whatever happens, Watt proved his worth this season after becoming the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history with a six-year, $100 million contract. Watt was the NFL defensive player of the year in 2012 and may have had a better season in 2014, becoming the first player in NFL history to have two 20-sack seasons by tying a career with 20.5. He led the league with five fumble recoveries, was tied for second with four forced fumbles and his sack total was tied for second. Watt also scored five touchdowns: three on offense and one each on a fumble and interception returns. Numbers like those ratcheted up the MVP talk, but Watt deflected it, just as he has all season ''I'm sure it'll be a fun show,'' Watt said of the awards shot. ''My family will be out, so it will be cool.'' It always seems to be with Watt around. --- AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL | 1 | 3,179 | sports |
COLUMBUS, Ohio Who won and who lost Sunday's NHL All-Star game will soon be forgotten, as it should be. What should not be lost in the All-Star-record flood of 29 goals in Team Toews' 17-12 victory over Team Foligno was the grin that constantly illuminated the face of Chris Sutter, son of Los Angeles Kings and Team Foligno coach Darryl Sutter, as he stood behind the bench at Nationwide Arena to offer encouragement and strategy, as always a friend and an inspiration. Chris Sutter, who will be 22 in March, has Down syndrome. It has never limited his ability to love or to lift those around him, whether he's dancing during Kings games a familiar sight on the Staples Center video screen or chatting in the locker room. He was excited about this long before he arrived in Columbus and wasn't going to waste a moment. "He's gotten wound up for a couple days," Darryl Sutter said before the festivities began. "He won't be in autograph mode he'll be in visiting mode. He likes to sit down and visit." Chris visited with players during Saturday's skills contests and shared the bench with his dad as well as with Kings assistant coach Davis Payne and the team's equipment managers, Darren Granger and Dana Bryson. Granger's and Bryson's sons made the trip too. It created a family atmosphere, especially for the Kings' delegation, but Chris also counted Bobby Ryan of the Ottawa Senators and others as favorites. "I had a great time," said Chris, the youngest of Darryl and Wanda Sutter's three children. "It was a fun weekend for me. I had a great time with my dad. It was a fun three days here." He singled out Jonathan Toews and rightly so, as the Chicago Blackhawks' captain contributed a goal and four assists in a winning cause. Jakub Voracek of Team Toews and the Philadelphia Flyers, formerly of the hometown Blue Jackets, led all scorers with six points. John Tavares of the New York Islanders and Team Toews tied an All-Star record by scoring four goals. Fans voted Ryan Johansen of Team Foligno the game's most valuable player, keeping the sold-out crowd happy. Chris said it didn't matter that his dad's team lost. He wanted to "just have fun and be supportive," and he succeeded. "I found out about the players," he said. "I know their names." And they know his. "He made us laugh a lot. It was great to have him around the room," Kings and Team Foligno defenseman Drew Doughty said. "All the boys loved him and it made him happy, which makes us happy." For Kings center Anze Kopitar, having his father, Matjaz, here this weekend and having Doughty as a teammate were among the highlights. "I never had an All-Star game with a teammate before," said Kopitar, one of only three skaters who didn't record a point in the game. He added that it was "pretty cool" to share the occasion with the rest of the Kings' contingent, "and Chris most importantly, of course. It was nice to see Chris running around here, enjoying himself." Sutter agreed to coach on the condition that his family, assistants and equipment managers also went. It was his best decision of the weekend, more meaningful than the decisions he made in putting defense pairs and lines together for a glorified game of shinny in which players freewheeled without fear of being checked and no hits were delivered. Sutter quit his job as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1995 to spend more time with Chris and was out of coaching for two years before he was hired in San Jose, where he worked with then-Sharks General Manager Dean Lombardi. The rest is etched in Kings history, resulting in two Stanley Cup championships in the last three seasons after Sutter and Lombardi reunited in Los Angeles. It's vital to Sutter that Chris likes Southern California, though Wanda often takes Chris back to the family farm in Alberta, Canada, when the Kings are on the road. "I think it's worked out really well," Darryl Sutter said. "I tell him he's the luckiest boy on Earth because he gets all the time he wants in California and all the time he wants back on the farm." He was the luckiest boy on Earth on Sunday. "It was awesome," Chris said. Forget the goals but remember him, with his arm draped over Ryan's shoulder and his big grin in the team photo and remember this All-Star game as a success in a way few of these ever turn out to be. | 1 | 3,180 | sports |
SEOUL, South Korea Asian stocks and the euro were weaker Monday after Greece's anti-austerity opposition party won a big victory in national elections, renewing fears the European common currency bloc could unravel. KEEPING SCORE: Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.6 percent to 17,402.97 and South Korea's Kospi was down 0.2 percent at 1,935.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.3 percent to 24,783.09. China's Shanghai Composite shed 0.8 percent to 3,325.80. The euro was down 0.4 percent at $1.116, its lowest since April 2003. Wall Street futures were sharply lower. Dow futures dropped 0.7 percent to 17,469 and S&P 500 futures fell 0.6 percent to 2,031.80. GREEK ELECTION: Syriza party, the left-wing party vowing to end Greece's painful austerity policies, won a historic victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Alexis Tsipras, the party leader, promised to end "humiliation and pain" that Greece has endured since a 2010 international bailout imposed harsh spending cuts, setting up a showdown with the country's international creditors that could shake the eurozone. The nearly completed vote count shows Syriza close to an outright majority. ANALYST'S TAKE: "Doubts over whether the EU bailout program will be extended should keep Greek bonds and the euro under pressure," said Chang Wei Liang at Mizuho Bank in a commentary. Within Europe, "Syriza's victory could signal a broadening shift of support away from mainstream political parties toward economic populism, and might lead to more active political pressure to pare back austerity measures within Spain and Italy as well." ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude was down 45 cents to $45.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 72 cents to settle at $45.59 on Friday. The price of oil has fluctuated since the death of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah late last week. Analysts said the king's death is unlikely to change Saudi's oil production levels, a key factor in the global prices, but it has created a small amount of additional uncertainty that has unsettled markets. Brent crude was up 40 cents to $48.39 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London. CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 117.62 yen from 117.80 yen late Friday. | 3 | 3,181 | finance |
The Secret Service is investigating a device that was recovered from White House grounds. CNN's Michelle Kosinski has more. | 5 | 3,182 | news |
President Bashar al-Assad has said U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria should be subject to an agreement with Damascus and Syrian troops should be involved on the ground. Assad was speaking in an interview with the U.S.-based Foreign Affairs Magazine published on Monday. "With any country that is serious about fighting terrorism, we are ready to make cooperation, if they're serious," Assad said, when asked if he would be willing to take steps to make cooperation easier with Washington. Washington supports opposition forces fighting for the past four years to topple Assad, but its position has become complicated since Islamic State and other hardline groups emerged as the most powerful rebel factions. Since Islamic State took over much of Syria and Iraq last summer, the United States has mounted regular air strikes against it. But it has rejected the idea of allying itself with the Syrian government despite them now having a common enemy. When asked what he would like to see from the United States, Assad said Washington should pressure Turkey not to allow money and weapons into northern Syria and "to make legal cooperation with Syria and start by asking permission from our government to make such attacks". "The format we can discuss later, but you start with permission. Is it an agreement? Is it a treaty? That's another issue," he said. Washington informed Damascus before it started strikes in Syria in September. The power of the hardline Islamists, including Islamic State and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, makes it more difficult for the United States to find a suitable ally on the ground. It plans to train and equip members of the mainstream Syrian opposition to fight Islamic State as part of its strategy to roll back the group's gains in Syria. A first group of about 100 U.S. troops will head to the Middle East in the next few days to establish training sites for Syrian opposition fighters. Assad said the campaign should be backed up by the Syrian army on the ground. "The question you have to ask the Americans is, which troops are you going to depend on? Definitely, it has to be Syrian troops." The United Nations says 200,000 people have been killed in the civil war, which started with pro-democracy protests that were violently repressed. (Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Angus MacSwan) | 5 | 3,183 | news |
After Elon Musk appeared on the Simpsons last night and jetted off at the end of the episode in his Dragon spacecraft , Lisa points out that "for a man who likes electric cars he sure burns a lot of rocket fuel." Musk apparently heard this as a slight against his technological prowess, and took to Twitter to point out why electricity will never get people off the planet: If u saw @TheSimpsons and wonder why @SpaceX doesn't use an electric rocket to reach orbit, it is cuz that is impossible Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2015 Musk goes on to explain: "Reason is Newton's Third Law. In vacuum, there is nothing to "push" against. You must react against ejected mass … Ion thrusters are great, but have extremely tiny force (photon thruster even less). Must have more thrust than weight or you don't go up." He also notes that another futuristic trope for getting off the planet the space elevator still needs a lot more research into the raw materials before it'll actually work: And pls don't ask me about space elevators until someone at least builds a carbon nanotube structure longer than a footbridge Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2015 It wasn't just electric rockets that were suggested in the Simpsons though. Musk arrives in the town as an inventor out of ideas but is soon inspired by Homer's free-form rambling and ends up overhauling the nuclear power plant and installing electric, self-driving cars in every home. There are gags about violin-playing quadcopters, self-packing luggage, and even a working hyperloop ( it's no monorail ). However, Musk's dedication to saving the planet for future generations ends up putting current Springfielders out of work, and the inventor is soon given his marching orders by Homer blasting off once again in the Dragon spacecraft. On Twitter, however, Musk had a few more words of wisdom for those trying to get into space without rockets: Final one: anything launched by a railgun (if you could ever reach ~ Mach 27) would explode upon exiting the barrel in our dense atmosphere Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2015 | 5 | 3,184 | news |
CAIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The sons of deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak were released from prison on Monday, security officials said, a move that could fuel tension after the violent anniversary on Sunday of the 2011 uprising that toppled the autocrat. An Egyptian court last week ordered the release of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak pending their retrial in a corruption case. Mubarak's sons, big businessmen in his era of crony capitalism, were released at 2 a.m. Accompanied by their lawyer and bodyguards, they were driven to their home in Cairo's upscale Heliopolis area, security officials said. Security and medical officials said they had also visited Mubarak in the military hospital where he is still in detention. Judicial sources have said Mubarak could soon be freed pending retrial in a corruption case as the former air force commander currently has no convictions against him. Elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the latest man from the military to rule Egypt, has restored a degree of stability after Mubarak's fall triggered nearly four years of political and economic distress. But signs of discontent, including rare protests in downtown Cairo, emerged in the run-up to Sunday's anniversary of the start of the uprising. On Saturday, activist Shaimaa Sabbagh was shot dead during a protest in central Cairo. In rare criticism of Sisi, a front-page column in state-run newspaper al-Ahram blamed "the excessive use of force" for her death and called for changes to a law passed on Sisi's watch which severely restrict protests. "Four years after Egypt's revolution, police are still killing protesters on a regular basis," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "While President Sisi was at Davos (at the World Economic Forum) burnishing his international image, his security forces were routinely using violence against Egyptians participating in peaceful demonstrations." INTERIOR MINISTER BLAMES BROTHERHOOD FOR VIOLENCE At least 25 people were killed in anti-government demonstrations on Sunday on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that raised hopes of greater freedom and accountability in Egypt, a close U.S. ally with influence across the Arab world. Witnesses say security forces with rifles and police armed with pistols fired at protesters. Some called for a new uprising. Security officials said 19 people were killed in the Cairo suburb of Matariya, a stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that then army chief Sisi removed from power in 2013 after mass protests against its rule. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim told a news conference on Monday that members of the Muslim Brotherhood fired on crowds in Matariya during the protests and killed people, including two policemen. Ibrahim said 516 Brotherhood members were arrested during the unrest in several cities and reiterated that Egypt was "committed to fighting terrorism." In November, an Egyptian court dropped its case against Mubarak over the killing of protesters in the revolt of 2011 which raised hopes of greater freedom and accountability. Many Egyptians say Mubarak's rule enriched an elite that included his sons but neglected millions of poor in the biggest Arab nation. Analysts say Mubarak's perceived plans to set up his son Gamal to succeed him alienated the military, which largely turned a blind eye to the protests that helped end his 30 years of iron-fisted rule. Critics accuse Sisi of returning Egypt to authoritarian rule, allegations the government denies. After toppling elected president Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood in 2013, following mass protests against him, then army chief Sisi announced a political road map that he said would lead to democracy. Mursi's removal was followed by one of the toughest crackdowns in Egypt's history. Security forces killed hundreds of Brotherhood supporters at a Cairo protest camp and arrested thousands of others. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed by Islamist militants since Mursi's ousting. When liberal activists challenged the government, they too were jailed on charges of violating a law enacted under Sisi's watch that severely restricted protests. More than a dozen Egyptians approached by Reuters seemed too nervous to comment on the release of Mubarak's sons. A few were indifferent. "Honestly we don't pay attention to these things any more. Free them, don't free them, it doesn't matter. Conditions are bad," said a man who asked not to be named. | 5 | 3,185 | news |
Japanese superstar Kei Nishikori swept into the last eight at the Australian Open Monday to tee up a match with defending champion Stan Wawrinka. Nishikori had a relatively comfortable win over Spanish terrier David Ferrer to advance to his third Grand Slam quarter-final. The US Open finalist won 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena and will now play Swiss world number four Wawrinka for a place in the semi-finals. Nishikori expected a longer match with the tenacious Ferrer, but has now beaten the Spanish ninth seed and former Australian semi-finalist in their past five encounters. "It actually felt a little bit weird on the court because I usually play longer matches against him," Nishikori said. "I played really comfortable on the court. I had a lot of confidence going into this match and I was playing really aggressive with a good forehand, and serving really well. "It's not like I'm always the favourite to play against him. But today was a little bit different." Nishikori has a losing 1-2 record against Wawrinka but defeated the Swiss on the way to becoming the first Asian man to play in a Grand Slam final at the US Open last year. He is nevertheless wary of the threat he poses. "It's going to be a really tough match because he is playing really good," he said. "He can hit balls forehand, backhand, a great backhand actually. He can hit anywhere, even from the back. "But I'm in the quarter-finals, so there are never easy matches coming up. Hopefully I can play another good match." It was a strong performance by the Japanese icon, who hit 43 winners and restricted Ferrer to just 14 winners. He broke the Spaniard's serve six times and lost his service just once, while winning 72 percent of his first serves. Significantly, Nishikori won the majority of the nine shots or more rallies, which usually are the domain of the tigerish Ferrer. Nishikori said he feels uneasy with the number five world ranking after winning four ATP Tour titles last year. "It's just a number. But still I'm really new to be number five," he said. "It's been only a couple of months with this ranking. I just am not comfortable. "I was top 10 early last year. This is pretty new for me. So I need some time to get more experience. I might feel the pressure, but I think I need some more time to get used to it." | 1 | 3,186 | sports |
A GREAT white shark desperately fights for its life - after being caught by a fisherman's hook.The dramatic footage was shot by Lars Liedberg, 38, who had just finished having breakfast in a restaurant, in Plettenberg Bay South Africa, when he saw a struggle on the beach below. However, multimedia designer Liedberg, who is originally from Zimbabwe, said that the man seemed more concerned with retrieving his hook than saving the shark. Liedberg said that following a prolonged effort to get the fish back in the water, the distraught shark was eventually helped into the ocean and was able to swim away. Videographer / Director: Lars Liedberg Producer: Nick Johnson Editor: Kyle Waters / Joshua Douglas | 8 | 3,187 | video |
Venus Williams advanced into her first grand slam quarter-final since the 2010 U.S. Open with an upset 6-3 2-6 6-1 victory over sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska at the Australian Open on Monday. The 34-year-old, who suffers from Sjogren's syndrome, an auto-immune disease that can cause fatigue, was forced into a lengthy baseline battle with one of the best retrievers in the women's game. Williams, however, put pressure on Radwanska's serve throughout, illustrated by the seventh game of the first set which lasted 15 minutes with the score locked at deuce 12 times before the American converted her sixth break point. Radwanska appeared to have taken Williams' legs out from her in the second set before the 18th seed found a second wind in the decider, jumping out to a 4-1 lead as the Pole's accuracy disintegrated, then breaking to love and serving out to set up a quarter-final against fellow American Madison Keys. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by John O'Brien) | 1 | 3,188 | sports |
Nigerian entrepreneur Tara Fela Durotoye on being recognized as one of the 20 Young Power Women In Africa. | 8 | 3,189 | video |
We've rounded up 11 fun activities for the entire family. So bundle up, and head outside - you won't regret it! 11 Things to Do With Your Kids in the Snow With every inch that comes down, you're likely to hear homebound kids begging to go outside and play in the snow. If it's been a while since you've done anything but complain about the snow, or if you're looking to shake up your snow day routine, we've rounded up 11 fun activities for the entire family. So bundle up, and head outside - you won't regret it! Build a Snowman A classic activity that every kid loves. Send the kids outside with a carrot, an old scarf, and a fun hat, and see what they're able to create. Go Sledding Is there any activity kids beg to do more than sledding down their neighborhood's biggest hill? Grab a saucer, an old sleigh, or a lunchroom tray, and join the crowds for an afternoon of downhill racing. Build an Igloo Yes, it looks complicated, but according to Flickr user Ian carroll, this igloo only took two hours to build. As for the light? You don't need an electrician - just some tea lights to create the glowing effect. Ride a Snow Scooter Part snowboard, part scooter, the Snow Scooter IGGI ($50) will get the kids off their butts and onto their feet on the local sledding hill. Have a Snowball Fight You probably won't have to suggest this one more than once! As long as everyone knows the rules of the game, a snowball fight is always a way to get the kids outside! Build a Snow Fort Whether you use it for your snowball fight or just for hanging out, a snow fort is sure to be a hit! Use a Snowball Blaster Your kids' snowball fight opponents won't stand a chance if your tots have Wham-O's SnowBall Blaster ($34). The Blaster makes up to three balls at a time and shoots them up to 80 feet. Play Tic-Tac-Snow There's endless space for playing boards for an outdoor version of Tic-Tac-Toe. Go on a Snow Hike Once the blizzard conditions wind down, lace up your boots or put on some snowshoes, and head out for a snow hike. Not only is it great exercise, but you also never know what you'll see! Make Snow Angels What kid (or parent) doesn't like to plop down in the snow and make a beautiful snow angel? Make Snow Art Your snow-covered lawn is your kids' canvas if you have Ideal's Sno-Art Kit ($20). Just mix the Sno-Marker color packet with warm water, and start spraying the "marker" on the snow to create some beautiful art. | 4 | 3,190 | lifestyle |
Dark comedy "Birdman" boosted its Oscars hopes after landing the top prize at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, a barometer of likely success at the all-important Academy Awards. The film about a washed up superhero movie star attempting to revive his career on Broadway took the SAG equivalent of the Oscars best picture with victory in the outstanding performance by a cast category. The comedy emerged victorious ahead of coming-of-age drama "Boyhood," Wes Anderson's screwball caper "The Grand Budapest Hotel," World War II drama "The Imitation Game" and the Stephen Hawking biopic "The Theory of Everything." The honor for "Birdman" came just 24 hours after Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film scooped the top prize at the Producers Guild of America awards, another significant Oscars bellwether. The victory leaves the film on pole position heading into next month's Academy Awards, which will be handed out in Hollywood on February 22. In the acting honors, Britain's Eddie Redmayne thrust himself into Oscars contention by winning the best actor award for his portrayal of stricken physicist Hawking in "The Theory of Everything." Redmayne, 33, beat out competition from Michael Keaton ("Birdman"), seen by many as a favorite, Benedict Cumberbatch ("The Imitation Game"), Steve Carell ("Foxcatcher") and Jake Gyllenhaal ("Nightcrawler"). In his acceptance speech, Redmayne paid tribute to the wheelchair-bound Hawking, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). "Thank you for allowing someone who gave up science when they were 14 years old to enter your orbit," Redmayne said. "And thank you for reminding me of the overwhelming power of the will to love and the will to live every second of your life as fully and as passionately as possible." Perennial Hollywood favorite Julianne Moore, who has swept most of the awards season honors for her portrayal of a woman suffering from Alzheimer's in "Still Alice," took the best actress prize. "When I was 17 and I decided I wanted to be an actor it didn't seem possible because I'd never met a real actor," Moore said. "So I want to say to all you kids in drama club: You guys are the real actors." - More wins for 'Boyhood' - A star-studded night at Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium largely went to form, with veterans J.K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette scoring the first major film awards of the evening with wins in the supporting categories. Veteran Simmons cemented his status as the overwhelming Oscars supporting actor favorite by picking up the corresponding SAG award for his portrayal of a fearsome music teacher in the acclaimed indie drama "Whiplash." Simmons, 60, who has already won a Golden Globe award for the performance, dedicated his win to all members of his profession. "I feel like all of us are supporting actors," he said. "Each of us is essential, crucial, because if there's one false moment the train comes off the rails." Others nominated in the category were Robert Duvall ("The Judge"), Ethan Hawke ("Boyhood"), Edward Norton ("Birdman") and Mark Ruffalo ("Foxcatcher"). Arquette scooped her award for her performance in "Boyhood," director Richard Linklater's 12-year labor of love. The 46-year-old paid a moving tribute to her late mother Olivia -- who died in 1997 from breast cancer -- after collecting her award. "You are my hummingbird, you are always with me," she told the audience. Elsewhere Sunday, Netflix prison comedy-drama "Orange Is The New Black" and British stately home drama "Downton Abbey" were the big winners in the television categories. "Orange Is The New Black" took home the comedy ensemble honors and outstanding actress award for Uzo Aduba. "Downton Abbey" meanwhile took the coveted outstanding ensemble drama award. | 6 | 3,191 | entertainment |
Milos Raonic struck a blow for the next generation of male players by felling Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-7(7) 6-3 to reach his first Australian Open quarter-final on Monday. Eighth seed Raonic became only the second Canadian to reach the last eight at Melbourne Park, nearly 50 years after Michael Belkin achieved the feat in 1968. In a battle of big servers, Lopez coolly saved two match points in the fourth set tiebreak before sending the contest into a decider but double-faulted in the eighth game of the final set to hand Raonic the initiative. Raonic closed it out on the third match point when Lopez pushed a shot wide. The Canadian advances to play the winner between top seed Novak Djokovic and Gilles Muller for a place in the semi-finals. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by John O'Brien) | 1 | 3,192 | sports |
U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to discuss the fight against Islamist militants and Yemen's political crisis with the new king of Saudi Arabia during his visit to Riyadh this week, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on Monday. Rhodes also told a briefing in New Delhi that King Salman was committed to continuity on key bilateral issues with the United States. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Krista Mahr) | 5 | 3,193 | news |
U.S. stock index futures signaled a lower open on Monday after the anti-austerity Syriza won a general election in Greece on Sunday, creating uncertainty about the future of the euro zone. Global stock markets are now braced for further volatility after the radical left-wing party took around 36 percent of the vote and are now entering into talks with other parties to form a coalition. The results immediately hit the euro (EUR=) with the single currency falling to a fresh 11-year low of $1.1098, before recovering some ground, having already weakened dramatically last week after the European Central Bank announced new stimulus measures. European stock fluctuated between positive and negative territory for much of the morning session. In Germany, Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said he hoped "the new Greek government will not make promises it cannot keep and the country cannot afford", according to Reuters. Major earnings on Monday include Citizens Financial (CFG) , homebuilder DR Horton (DHI) , Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Seagate Technology (STX) before market open. Investors will also be watching for Microsoft (MSFT) and Texas Instruments (TXN) fourth quarter earnings after the bell. Ashland (ASH) , Plum Creek Timber (PCL) , BBCN Bancorp (BBCN) , Brown & Brown (BRO) , Graco (GGG) , MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) are amongst the firms also reporting. There are no major data releases on Monday. This week, investors will be eyeing Wednesday's conclusion of the latest Federal Reserve policy meeting, where policy and forecasts are likely to remain unchanged, but given the further drop in the oil price since the Committee met in mid-December, the post-meeting statement should be closely watched. | 3 | 3,194 | finance |
MELBOURNE, Australia For the first time since 2004, three American women are into the quarterfinals of a major. Both Venus and Serena Williams won their matches on Monday at the Australian Open, as did 19-year-old Madison Keys. How did the 34-year-old Venus come through her upset over No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska? Here's the story. Scoreline: (18) Venus Williams (USA) def. (6) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 Williams hadn't been to the quarterfinals of a major herself since the 2010 US Open and had lost her last three outings to the crafty Radwanska, who is now coached by the one and only Martina Navratilova. But Williams was in vintage form on this night, which saw her finish the match on a second serve ace up the T. What it means : Venus will now take on the teenager Keys, who said Monday that she started playing the sport because she was inspired by the Williams sisters. It marks a full-blown return to form for the former world No. 1 and seven-time major champion Venus, who hasn't been a great force in the upper reaches of women's tennis since she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease known as Sjogren's Syndrome, which causes fatigue. How it happened : Williams won the all-important seventh game of the first set, a back-and-forth affair that gave the American a break advantage. She closed out the set by breaking again, but Radwanska turned things around in the second set by consistently running down balls and changing up the pace on the power-hitter Williams. In the third, however, Williams broke through, hitting cleanly and chasing down balls that she has often been unable to reach these last three years. She ended the match with a bang, delivering an ace and putting her into the last eight of this event. Key stat : Against a player who tracks down everything, Venus needed to hit more winners than unforced errors on this night and she did just that, blasting away 43 untouchables compared to 36 errors. She didn't serve abundantly well, but held Radwanska to only 40 percent receiving points won, a strong number for a returner of her stature. What she said : "My sister Serena (is my inspiration), she's the ultimate champion," Venus said in an on-court interview. "I really have to thank my fans for sticking with me. In the third set I think I went into a trance and I just wanted to win." | 1 | 3,195 | sports |
Libby Lane becomes the Church of England's first female bishop on Monday despite entrenched opposition from traditionalists, who say that the clergy's top rung is no place for a woman. Lane, 48, will go from being a regular parish priest to taking on one of the trickiest jobs in the Church of England since King Henry VIII founded it in 1534. A Manchester United fan and saxophone player, who has been praised for her humour and common sense, Lane was named as the next Bishop of Stockport in northwest England in December. Her appointment came five months after the Church of England's General Synod voted to admit women bishops following a reconciliation process led by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby after decades of disagreement. Lane, who will be consecrated in a ceremony at York Minster in northern England, has said she is "excited though not a little daunted" by the prospect. Church of England moderates are overjoyed at the chance of moving on from an often obscure theological debate over gender, which left many ordinary Britons baffled. "It's going to be very healing, actually," Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, a vicar and vice-chair of WATCH, which campaigns for gender equality in the church, told AFP. "Fundamentally, it's about whether the church believes that men and women are equally made in God's image and it's going to be a really powerful symbol." While countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia have already appointed Anglican women bishops, Lane's appointment in the home of Anglicanism will also send a strong message to those which have not, such as Nigeria. - Hopes for more women bishops - Nevertheless, divisions continue to fester. In recognition of this, the Church of England will allow parishes that do not want to be led by a female bishop because of their theological convictions to be tended to by a man instead. Lane may be more likely to encounter problems from the clergy itself than from her parishes, though. Threlfall-Holmes said that ordinations conducted by Lane would probably not be recognised by conservatives who would see them as tainted by her gender. "People are literally keeping pedigrees from now on," she said, highlighting how clergymen associated with female bishops in religious ceremonies could face discrimination from traditionalists throughout their church careers. The Christian Today website reported that the bishops who perform the traditional laying of hands on Lane at her consecration will not do the same for a traditionalist priest becoming a bishop days later after being asked to show "gracious restraint". "We understand that there are only about three bishops who will actually be able to lay hands on Philip North because everyone else will have laid hands on Libby Lane the week before," it quoted a source as saying. Lane's allies are hopeful she will be able to handle the extraordinary pressure on her and moderates are hopeful that more women will be named to the six vacant posts currently available. "She will face the difficulties that the church is facing as a whole and will cope with them with majesty," said John Pritchard, a former Bishop of Oxford who was warden of Cranmer Hall in Durham when Lane trained for the ministry there in the early 1990s. | 5 | 3,196 | news |
It is getting easier for some buyers to land a house with less money up front. More lenders are lowering down-payment requirements, allowing borrowers to commit 3% or even less of a home's purchase price to get a mortgage. Many had been requiring down payments of at least 20% since the recession began. Some lenders also are waiving mortgage-related fees, and more are allowing down payments to be made by other parties, such as the borrower's family. The deals are aimed at buyers with good credit scores and a steady income who have been unable to save enough for a sizable down payment. They are often targeted at buyers who live in expensive housing markets, where even a small down payment can equal tens of thousands of dollars. MSN Money: Find the lowest mortgage rates. Low-down-payment mortgages have long been available. The Federal Housing Administration insures mortgages with down payments as low as 3.5% and it is lowering the annual mortgage-insurance premiums on new mortgages beginning on Monday. The trend has picked up since mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , which buy most mortgages from lenders, recently lowered the minimum down payments they will accept to 3% from 5%. The changes are driven by an Obama administration effort to make homeownership affordable to a wider group of buyers. Borrowers should be aware that small down payments leave them more at risk of owing more on their mortgage than the property is worth should home values in their market decline, says Jack McCabe, an independent housing analyst in Deerfield Beach, Fla. In addition, borrowers likely will incur higher costs over the life of the loan, including higher interest rates and, often, mortgage insurance. The moves come as mortgage originations declined substantially last year. Lenders gave out an estimated $1.12 trillion in mortgages in 2014, down 39% from a year earlier and the lowest amount since 1997, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, a Washington-based trade group. Most mortgages have been going to existing homeowners who are refinancing into lower interest rates, as demand among home buyers has been low compared with historical norms. Regions Bank, a unit of Regions Financial , launched a mortgage program in September that allows some borrowers to make a 5% down payment. The bank says it will lower that requirement in the next few weeks to 3%. Borrowers must not have owned a property or had a mortgage in the past three years, among other requirements. TD Bank, the U.S. unit of Toronto-Dominion Bank , is allowing first-time buyers to put as little as 3% down through its "Right Step" loan program. The bank which also is extending the offer to low- and moderate-income borrowers as well as those purchasing a home in some up-and-coming neighborhoods lowered its cash-down requirement from 5% last year. The banks allow borrowers' down payments to be partially or fully funded by family, nonprofits or other sources. Lenders also have been lowering the bar for larger mortgages, known as "jumbos," which they typically hold on their books. Such loans exceed $417,000 in most parts of the country and $625,500 in pricier housing markets such as New York and San Francisco. In November, PNC Financial Services Group began allowing exceptions to its down-payment requirements for jumbos, says Tyler Case, a loan officer at PNC's Fords, N.J., branch. The lender, which has been requiring at least 20% down for jumbos up to $1.5 million, lowered that to 15% for borrowers whose income and assets go beyond what the bank generally requires. To qualify, borrowers will need a higher credit score and less debt relative to their income than is usually required, as well as having savings after the home purchase equal to at least 12 months of mortgage payments. PNC also is offering exceptions on down-payment amounts for larger loans up to $3 million. Wells Fargo , meanwhile, began permitting down payments of as little as 10.1% last year on jumbo mortgages. Previously, its lowest down payment on jumbos was 15%. Borrowers who want to get a mortgage with a particular lender could ask if it would allow a lower down payment than what is officially offered. PNC, for example, isn't advertising its 15% option, Mr. Case says. Instead, it is offering it to eligible borrowers who inquire or mention that they have been offered lower down-payment loans at competitors, he says. The costs associated with these low-down-payment mortgages can vary significantly. The interest rate and fees borrowers pay often depends on whether the lender plans to sell their mortgage to Fannie or Freddie, or if it plans to hold the loan on its books, in addition to borrowers' qualifications. Borrowers need to compare costs, including the interest rate, whether they have to pay any upfront fees to get that rate, and what their total costs to get the loan will be. A lower interest rate might not be a good deal if it requires larger out-of-pocket payments. Often, borrowers have to pay an extra fee for private mortgage insurance, which protects the lender from incurring significant losses if the borrower defaults, in exchange for a low down payment. In most cases, the fee is included in the monthly mortgage payment, though borrowers sometimes have the option to pay it as an upfront charge. Mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac usually require private mortgage insurance if the down payment is less than 20%. Lenders generally decide which mortgage-insurance firm to work with. Borrowers with higher credit scores, smaller loan amounts and fixed-rate mortgages pay less. The size of the down payment also matters. Typically, someone with a FICO credit score of 760 or more on a scale that tops out at 850 who is making a down payment of just under 5% and getting a $400,000, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will incur at least a 0.57% fee, according to Radian Guaranty, a unit of Radian Group, and Mortgage Guaranty Insurance, a unit of MGIC Investment, two of the largest private mortgage insurers. That comes out to $190 a month. The same borrower with a down payment of just under 10% would incur a fee of at least 0.43%, or $143 a month. Before signing up, borrowers should find out if they will incur these costs, and for how long. They should consider asking their lender if they can stop paying this fee when they reach at least a 20% equity stake in the home through a mix of home-price appreciation and amortization, for example, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at mortgage-information website HSH.com. Lenders who hold low-down-payment mortgages on their books typically don't require this insurance. But the loans may not be a bargain, he says, because they often charge interest rates that can be an eighth to a quarter of a percentage point higher. | 3 | 3,197 | finance |
Newly elected Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson had a problem. The Medicaid expansion program under Obama's new health care law would cost Arkansas $778 million more than expected . Yet it serves more than 200,000 low-income people in his state with no health insurance. Unlike other GOP governors in southern states with similar demographics, Hutchinson made a bold move. He announced last week that his state would continue Medicaid expansion for two years--putting the program, which has run into serious financial issues, on parole until the state could come up with ways to reform or replace it. The governor's decision to keep the program came as a surprise to many who had serious doubts about its future because of the enormous financial burden on the state. Related: Arkansas Expanded Medicaid Program Will Cost $778 M More Than Expected As Hutchinson said in his speech last Thursday, getting rid of the program might save the state some money, but it would come at an enormous cost to the thousands currently enrolled in the private option, which was implemented as an alternative to Obamacare. People are eligible for the program if they earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (around $16,000 for an individual, $33,000 for a family of four)---the same as traditional Medicaid expansion. Since it took effect, the state's uninsured rate has been cut in half. "This avoids harm to the 200,000-plus in the private option, and it assures our hospitals and providers of financial stability," Hutchinson said. "The human side tugs at our heartstrings and is rightfully part of the debate," he said. Instead, the state will have one year to continue the program while coming up with ways to replace or reform it in the interim. "This gives us stability for the present and an opportunity in the future to create new reforms that accomplishes the objective of compassion for those currently being served but looking broadly at how we accomplish that in an affordable way," Hutchinson said. He highlighted how the state has benefited from the program, but also expressed concern over its ballooning price tag. Right now, the federal government picks up the check, but the state will start footing 5 percent of the bill in 2017. Related: The Battle to Expand Medicaid in Arkansas The private option was championed by Hutchinson's predecessor Democratic Governor Mike Beebe who worked with Republican state legislators and the Obama administration to come up with a way to expand access to coverage for Arkansas' poor residents. The private option gave Arkansas' lawmakers the ability to safely distance themselves from Obamacare. Since Arkansas' private option took effect, a handful of other states that chose to opt out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion have been lining up to create similar programs that allow them to expand access to coverage to their poor residents without having to subscribe to Obamacare. That's a very appealing deal for Republican-controlled states that aren't too fond of the law. Related: Americans Rank Health Care as Top Financial Burden States like Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wyoming and Utah have all submitted similar proposals to the federal government to move forward with their own alternatives and private options. Utah's plan, for example, includes a three-year block grant to cover about 110,000 low-income residents with private insurance. North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, meanwhile, have also expressed interest in creating their own proposals. Those states, which are among the 25 that opted not to expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA, tend to have some of the largest uninsured populations in the country. Texas has the highest uninsured rate at about 27 percent, according to Gallup. Arkansas' uninsured rate meanwhile, dropped from 22 percent to 12 percent under its private option. So it's not hard to see why such a proposal looks appealing to these other states. Of course, the future of Arkansas' program is still very much up in the air since the governor has only supported its extension for one year. Whether the state manages to come up with any real reforms or alternatives is to be determined. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: The 10 Worst Places for Obamacare in 2015 Health Care Costs, Confusion Have Many Avoiding the Doctor How Obamacare Will Impact Your 2014 Taxes | 5 | 3,198 | news |
Hong Kong police are on the hunt for a teenage girl and three adult accomplices allegedly involved in stealing a diamond necklace worth $4.6 million. | 8 | 3,199 | video |
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