It shouldn't be a surprise.

The rise of populists such as Donald Trump in the US and Pauline Hanson in Australia is a sign of a lack of trust in politics-as-usual.

Compounding the trust deficit is the way in which senior politicians have shown a lack of respect for their advisers on whom they rely for frank and fearless counsel.

The spat between Attorney-General George Brandis and Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson is a case in point.

Gleeson, the second-top law officer in the land, is heading out the door after his working relationship with Brandis irretrievably broke down.

The attorney-general had issued a direction compelling ministers who wanted to seek Gleeson's learned independent advice to run it by him first. The direction even applied to the prime minister.

Gleeson took issue with it and when asked by shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus - during the election campaign caretaker period - whether he agreed with it, or was consulted about it, he gave the direct answers "no" and "no".

Brandis was furious about not being made aware of the contact between a Labor MP and Gleeson and expressed his displeasure at a Senate inquiry hearing last week - which led to Gleeson tendering his resignation, which noted they no longer enjoyed "complete trust and confidence".

Gleeson was badgered by coalitionl senators at the same hearing, with one suggesting he run for parliament if wanted to play politics.

Belling the cat on Wednesday, Liberal MP Andrew Laming admitted the legal direction from Brandis, likely to be disallowed by the Senate in coming weeks, had been issued "because they didn't trust Gleeson".

Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has also been the subject of heavy criticism by coalition MPs who have taken umbrage at her comments about the immigration detention system.

Dreyfus says the government has "lost the ability to admit mistakes and tramples on its critics".

Some coalition MPs are furious the Brandis-Gleeson battle has detracted from the government's economic agenda.

With the coalition trailing Labor 52-48 in the latest Newspoll, and Turnbull's personal rating now just below that of Tony Abbott's worst position, the anger is understandable.

Taken alongside last week's "guns for votes" debacle - in which the government reneged on a deal with Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm - it adds fuel to the minor parties' argument the "old parties" can't be trusted.

However, even the new generation of parties are having their trust difficulties.

Family First senator Bob Day last week issued a statement saying he would resign from the upper house to deal with the fallout from the liquidation of his Home Australia group of companies.

In a lengthy mea culpa, he pledged to spend all his waking hours helping creditors and even put his family home on the line, saying it was "untenable" to stay in parliament.

Then on Wednesday he mysteriously announced - via Twitter - he would stay on for the rest of the year to help the government pass its same-sex marriage plebiscite and laws to crack down on union misconduct.

Turnbull said it was a matter for Day.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said the situation "smells".

"Last week they got caught negotiating guns for votes - it just makes you wonder what has gone on this week between Bob Day and the government."

Treasurer Scott Morrison says the Labor attack on Day is more about Shorten protecting his union mates than any ethical argument.

The prime minister made a good call in spending the week in Queensland, talking to school students in Birdsville, spruiking the benefits of dams in Rockhampton and getting some political tips from the popular Brisbane mayor Graham Quirk.

However, he was dogged by questions about Day and whether his trip was about countering One Nation, which has a strong support base in Queensland.

"As you can see, we have a great plan ... that's being literally rolled out," he said, standing next to national broadband network fibre cable being rolled out.

While Turnbull is right to point to the NBN as a concrete example of the government getting on with the job, the issue of trust is a more important political problem in need of a solution.

Summary: A breakdown in trust is resonating across the political landscape, with implications for Malcolm Turnbull's future.


Republican President Ronald Reagan died 10 years ago today at 93. Below are some facts you may not know about the late Hollywood actor-turned-statesman.

• While running for California Governor in 1966, he started eating jelly beans to kick his smoking habit. Licorice was his favorite flavor. There would be a crystal jar of them on the table at Cabinet meetings.

• He liked to feed the squirrels outside of the Oval Office. In George H.W. Bush’s eulogy for Reagan, he said that on the 40th president’s last day in the White House, he left a sign on the Oval Office door addressed to the squirrels that said “Beware of the dog” because “our dog Millie came in and beat the heck out of the squirrels.”

• When he declared May 1983 National Amateur Baseball Month, he said he loved baseball so much, “I wouldn’t even complain if a stray ball came through the Oval Office window now and then.”

• Nancy Reagan published I Love You, Ronnie, a collection of love letters that he wrote to her from the 1950s to the 1990s. Among the writings, one dated 1956 is addressed to “Nancy Poo Pants,” while one dated Mar. 4, 1971, is signed “Your In Luv Guv.” Valentine’s Day, he wrote in 1960, is for people of “ordinary luck,” boasting that he had a “Valentine life.”

• She also wrote in her memoir that he was fed so many brussels sprouts during a trip to England that he swore them off for the rest of his life.

• He was known for writing personal checks (sometimes $4,000 or $5,000) to citizens who wrote to him about their money problems. “Reagan was famous for firing up air force jets on behalf of children who needed transport for kidney operations,” Frank J. Kelly, who wrote presidential messages, said in Ronald Kessler’s book In The President’s Secret Service.

• The day before the Group 7 summit meeting in 1983, White House Chief of Staff James Baker dropped off a briefing book and was furious the next day when he noticed it hadn’t been touched, prompting Reagan to joke, “Well, Jim, The Sound of Music was on last night.”

• He nominated the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor, who served from 1986 to 2001.

• His nickname “The Gipper” comes from his role as Notre Dame football player George Gipp in the 1940 movie about the school’s legendary football coach, Knute Rockne All American.

• His role in Bedtime for Bonzo as an anthropologist raising a chimp like a child — sleeping with it and nursing it — became a cult hit, especially after he won the 1980 presidential election. He once said he wouldn’t do the sequel Bonzo Goes to College (1952) because “Who could believe a chimp could go to college and play on the college team?”

Summary: Did you know jelly beans helped him kick a bad habit and that he couldn't resist feeding the squirrels outside of the White House?


Mae Heddlu'r Gogledd yn ymchwilio i wrthdrawiad angheuol yng Ngherrigydrudion fore Iau.

Dywedodd llefarydd fod dynes a phlentyn wedi eu cludo i'r ysbyty gyda'r hyn a gredir ar y pryd oedd yn fan anafiadau.

Ond ychwanegodd fod gyrrwr un o'r ceir yn y feichiog ac "yn anffodus ni wnaeth y babi oroesi ac felly rydym yn trin y digwyddiad fel gwrthdrawiad angheuol.

"Nid ydym yn gallu datgelu mwy o fanylion am y ddynes, ond nid yw hi'n byw yn lleol."

Cafodd yr heddlu eu galw i'r gwrthdrawiad rhwng Volkswagen Golf glas a Citroen Xsara gwyn ar yr A5 dwy filltir o Gerrigydrudion am 06:41.

Aed â'r ddynes feichiog i Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan.

Ychwanegodd y llefarydd: "Oherwydd pryder am ei chyflwr cafodd lawdriniaeth Cesaraidd, ond yn anffodus nid oedd modd achub y babi."

Cafodd plentyn 15 mis oed oedd yn teithio yn y Golf hefyd ei gludo i'r ysbyty gyda man anafiadau.

Ni chafodd unrhyw un arall ei anafu yn y digwyddiad.

Dywedodd sargant Gwyndaf Jones: "Rydym yn apelio am unrhyw un a welodd y gwrthdrawiad i gysylltu â ni. Yn anffodus nid oedd modd achub y babi ac mae ein cydymdeimlad gyda'r teulu."

Summary: Heddlu'r Gogledd yn ymchwilio i wrthdrawiad angheuol ar yr A5 fore Iau.


Heather Clancy is a contributing editor at Fortune.

Google’s legal team certainly has its hands full, and billions of dollars are at stake.

In San Francisco, its lawyers are fighting allegations that it skirted Oracle’s copyrights for Java, the open source software programming language, when it designed the Android mobile operating software. And now Europe’s tough antitrust policewoman, Margrethe Vestager, appears ready to make good on her threat to make Google pay up for its overwhelming success in search algorithms and mobile computing software.

Over the weekend, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the European Commission is preparing a fine of 3 billion euros (around $3.4 billion). That’s triple the amount that Intel was levied several years ago over sales practices that Europe said were unfair to its primary rival from the past decade, Advanced Micro Devices. On the bright side, it’s only half the amount Europe could fine Google, which is an estimated $6 billion based on its annual revenue. And it’s not official yet.

Some of the charges Google is fighting in Europe are reminiscent of the ones that gave Microsoft trouble about 13 years ago. Both have drawn the ire of competitors for their practice of “bundling” their own applications with their operating system software—Microsoft was targeted for preferring its Internet Explorer browser on computers running Windows (a practice it was forced to change), while Google is under attack for favoring its search app on smartphones and tablets that use Android.

Google is also in trouble over how its algorithms organize Internet search results—to the detriment of certain web price comparison and shopping sites that originate in Europe. The company actually managed to fend off these charges for seven years before Vestager turned up the heat again. As Europe circles, Google also faces renewed scrutiny in the United States—the Federal Trade Commission is reopening its investigation, even though the agency voted unanimously to close it just two years ago.

What should make Google’s situation in Europe especially concerning to other software companies is that the suggested remedy is likely to require that the company rewrite its software algorithms for how data is collected, analyzed, and displayed. The “fix” isn’t simply a matter of changing sales practices or processes, as was the case with Intel. It could force changes at the engineering level, which is something that Google has resisted adamantly along the way—appealing to the needs of consumers.

How Europe plans to enforce such changes technically is anyone’s guess—unless it hires programmers as smart as the ones employed by Google—especially since it fell down on the job when it came to policing the Microsoft agreement. And that was a far simpler change to monitor.

This unfolding case should give other big software companies facing antitrust scrutiny in Europe—especially Facebook, which is being investigated in Germany—plenty to think about for many years.

Share this essay: http://for.tn/1OuU8Lm. Find past editions of Data Sheet.

Summary: Google's comeuppance?


Diane Kruger and Garrett Hedlund

09/14/2016 AT 04:15 PM EDT

They're in a New York state of mind!

enjoyed a night out in the Big Apple on Monday.

The two actors were spotted out and about in Soho, enjoying wine and appetizers at The Butcher's Daughter before heading to one of the city's oldest bars, Ear Inn, for a nightcap.

Kruger looked happy and relaxed – wearing a strapless patterned grey top with white polka dot black leggings. The 40-year-old actress wore her hair back in a half bun – and accessorized the summertime look with black strappy sandals.

He was equally casual – in dark jeans, a black T-shirt and an opened navy button-down.

The 32-year-old actor has a busy fall ahead of him, with the November release of his new film,

. Kruger, meanwhile, has been working overseas as of late – recently completing films in Germany and France.

Both are single after recent breakups.

after 10 years together. At the time of their breakup, the two vowed to remain friends – and have been

pulled the plug on their relationship

after four years of dating. The pair met on the set of

"They have very different personalities and weren't on the same page when it came to their future,"

at the time. "Their relationship has been very rocky for a while, so the breakup is actually a relief for them."

Summary: Diane Kruger and Garrett Hedlund were all smiles during their evening out and about in New York City's SoHo neighborhood


07/10/2015 AT 05:10 PM EDT

isn't shedding too many tears after

, a source close to Kardashian tells PEOPLE.

"She is more angry and disappointed than sad," says the source. "She has been let down by Scott many times in the past, but she is done this time."

Kardashian, 36, who has three children with Disick –

, 6 months – is taking things day by day the source explains, adding that "she is focused on her kids."

, the 36-year-old mom is making sure her children are a "top priority."

"She doesn't want the kids to be around his behavior," the source says. "Kourtney will do whatever it takes to protect the kids."

Since splitting with Disick, 32, after photos surfaced of him partying in the South of France with stylist Chloe Bartoli, Kardashian has been receiving support from those closest to her.

"Her whole family is supporting and helping her," the source tells PEOPLE.

The source adds that Kardashian's sisters

"are helping her daily with whatever she needs." Kim accompanied her sister to Disneyland on Wednesday to celebrate niece

– an event that notably did not include Disick.

"Although things are difficult for Kourtney right now, everyone knows she will eventually be fine," says the source. "She is very strong."

Summary: The reality star, who split from longtime boyfriend Scott Disick earlier this week, is focused on her kids


was arrested in Ontario, Canada early this morning after cops say he smashed a wine glass at a downtown bar ... and then BIT the owner!!!

According to reports, the drama all began when the singer got into a "dispute" with the owner of the Peterborough pub he had been hanging out at.

Bach was asked to leave the joint shortly after midnight -- but he tried to take his glass of wine with him on the way out. When staff advised him that he had to leave his wine, Bach reportedly fired it at the front door.

Sources connected to the incident tell TMZ ... the owner of the bar then tried to restrain the 42-year-old singer ... and that's when Bach bit him on the left hand.

Bar staff detained Bach inside the bar until cops arrived. Officers reportedly found nearly 2 grams of weed on Bach's person.

Bach -- real name Sebastian Bierk -- was charged with assault, possession of marijuana and mischief. He's due to appear in court later today.

Summary: Former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach was arrested in Ontario, Canada early this morning after cops say he smashed a wine glass at a downtown bar ... and…


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

is the first product of its kind on the market. Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Lucky, and Glamour have all written it up as a beauty essential. The all natural formula kills 99% of bacteria, moisturizes skin, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles, so it's perfect for the perfectionist who's always on the go.

Shop this video: The first anti-aging hand sanitizer

Summary: This anti-aging hand sanitizer is the first product of its kind on the market. Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Lucky, and Glamour have all written it up a


This piece originally appeared on Oilprice.com.

Just over three months after the authorities lifted the four-decade ban on crude oil exports, the U.S. has actually exported less this year than it did over the same period the year before, when the ban was still in place.

According to Clipper Data market intelligence cited by the Financial Times, we’ve seen a 5 percent decline in U.S. crude oil export volumes since the beginning of this year. The data suggests that on average we are exporting (waterborne) 325,000 barrels per day now, compared to 342,000 barrels per day during the first months of 2015.

And there’s no official data yet—not since the beginning of this year, when the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) noted that during the week ending 22 January, the U.S. had exported just shy of 400,000 barrels of oil, which again was 25 percent less than what was exported for the same week in 2014.

An oil tanker that reached a French port in January was the first post-ban delivery of U.S. crude oil, but things haven’t really picked up pace since then.

January’s cargoes, totaling about 11.3 million barrels, marked a 7 percent decline from U.S. crude exports in December, according to data by the U.S. Census Bureau. Shipments during January went to Curacao and France, in addition to Canada, the primary destination. The total number of tankers that have set sail with U.S. crude oil will not be known until comprehensive data on February’s shipments is released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The immediate beneficiaries of the ban suspension are gas and oil companies such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil—among the most tireless lobbyers against the ban—and oil trading giants such as Vitol Group BV and Trafigura Ltd Pet.

Europe and Asia are flooded with oil from Russia and the Middle East, though the first two shipments to leave the U.S. post-export ban went to Europe: one to Germany and the other to France, to be used in a refinery in Switzerland. Dutch media outlets reported in January that a tanker from Houston had reached Rotterdam port, but this remains just a drop in the global export bucket.

In Asia, even China’s state-run Sinopec—the world’s second-largest refiner—has imported a consignment of U.S. oil, according to a Reuters source. Japan’s Cosmo Oil was the first Asian buyer of U.S. oil, purchasing some 300,000 barrels of U.S. crude in mid-January, which will be delivered to its refineries in mid-April.

The very first South American country that will import U.S. crude oil is Venezuela. In early February, Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA imported a 550,000-barrel cargo of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) through its U.S.-based Citgo Petroleum affiliate. Venezuela started importing foreign crudes in 2014 amid a fall in its own production – buying mostly Angolan and Nigerian light grades.

WTI is also expected to be exported to Israel, where Swiss commodities house Trafigura will ship some 700,000 barrels. Atlantic Trading & Marketing, the U.S. trading unit of French Total SA, has been planning an export cargo of U.S. crude from Cushing.

Also, earlier this month, Exxon became the first U.S. oil company to export U.S. crude, sending a tanker from Texas to a refinery it owns in Italy.

However, storage is now at the highest level in at least a decade. U.S., crude storage levels hit 487 million barrels in early November, closing in on the 80-year high of 518 million barrels in the last week of February. According to the EIA, about 60 percent of the U.S. working storage capacity is filled.

More from Oilprice.com: Offshore Lease Sale Disrupted by Protestors Shouting “Shut it Down” Why We Could See An Oil Price Shock In 2016 $40 Billion LNG Project In Australia Cancelled Amid Low Prices

Globally, the picture isn’t much better, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) saying that 1 billion barrels were added to storage in 2015 alone. OPEC has reported that crude oil stockpiles in OECD countries currently exceed the running five-year average by 210 million barrels.

Summary: Just months after the ban on crude oil exports from the U.S., we've exported less than last year.


Lawyers charged with untangling the multi-million dollar estate of music superstar Prince, who died with no known will, head to court on Monday for the start of what could be a years-long dispute over his fortune.

Six siblings or half-siblings of Prince, found dead at age 57 at his home in suburban Minneapolis on April 21, were listed as heirs in court documents filed in Carver County District Court in Chaska, Minnesota, where the hearing gets under way before Judge Kevin Eide.

The exact value of Prince’s estate has not yet been disclosed, but his music catalog alone has been estimated at over $500 million.

Bremer Trust, National Association, a bank where Prince conducted business for years, could play a key role as a special administrator to safeguard his fortune. The bank was appointed at the request of Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, and Judge Eide will hear any objections on Monday, Minnesota courts spokesman Kyle Christopherson said.

Creditors and inheritors also can file claims against the estate, he said. “We’re not sure who’s coming to sort of stake a claim,” Christopherson said.

Born Prince Rogers Nelson, Prince, whose hits included “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry,” was married and divorced twice. He had no living children. Under Minnesota law, his assets are likely to be split evenly among the siblings, tax attorney Steve Hopkins said.

Hopkins said the bigger the estate, the greater the likelihood there will be a dispute by claimants that could take years to settle.

Prince’s affairs seems destined for tax court, much like superstar Michael Jackson’s estate, which is in a high priced skirmish with the Internal Revenue Service over the value of Jackson’s name and image, Forbes reported.

Prince owned royalties from his more than 30 albums, regained ownership of his master recordings, and was said to have a cache of unheard recordings, including an album cut with late jazz trumpet great Miles Davis.

It could be weeks before results are released from an autopsy on Prince, whose body was found in an elevator at his home and studio complex called Paisley Park in a Minneapolis suburb. The cause of death remains undetermined.

Prescription opioid medication was found on him, CNN and other media reported, citing law enforcement sources.

Police have said they found no signs of suicide or obvious trauma in Prince’s death.

Summary: It's a bit complicated.


SO MANY corpses, so many lush and lively scores.

So it is at “Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton.” The concert opens the Lincoln Center Festival in majestic, macabre and playful fashion.

The two-and-a-half-hour, two-act event showcases suites hand-picked and arranged by Elfman, formerly of the rock band Oingo Boingo. The evening celebrates the collaboration of Elfman and Burton over 15 movies and 30 years together.

The duo’s work reaches back to “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” the lovably loopy story from 1985 of a man-boy and a bike. Like Pee-wee pedaling happily on a shiny red two-wheeler, the concert zips merrily along from one film to another.

There are no introductions or comments from conductor John Mauceri between suites, just a title on an enormous screen. It’s followed by film clips and Burton’s irresistibly ghoulish sketches from “Beetlejuice,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Planet of the Apes,” to name a few.

In a fun memory jogger, it’s a kick to see Sarah Jessica Parker’s head on the body of a Chihuahua during the “Mars Attacks!” sequence.

The music is performed in all its gothic and whimsical glory by an orchestra of 87, a chorus of 44 and a few soloists, including violin virtuoso Sandy Cameron. She dresses the part in deconstructed black leather for “Edward Scissorhands.”

To the audience’s delirious delight, Elfman gets in on the act for an extended selection from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

For fans of the Elfman and Burton, Christmas is arriving early.

“Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton” runs through Sunday at Avery Fisher Hall. Tickets and details at (212) 721-6500, lincolncenter.org.

Summary: The evening celebrates the collaboration of Danny Elfman and Tim Burton over 15 movies and 30 years.


allegedly flew into a booze-fueled rage, and punched his estranged girlfriend in the face THREE times before calling police to report himself.

were just released by cops in Marion County, Indiana -- and it paints a brutal picture. The girlfriend told police she and Oden had been at a nightclub where she says he'd been drinking shots and beers ... and when they got home things turned violent.

According to the docs ... Oden grabbed her and shoved her onto the couch ... and then started throwing "closed fist" punches to her face. The woman says he hit her 3 times -- once in the left eye, once in the forehead, and once in the nose.

She says the shot to her forehead opened a gash from which she started bleeding -- and Greg stopped attacking once he saw the blood. The victim was hospitalized and had to get 3 stitches between her eyebrows, and suffered a broken nose.

In the docs, a friend who was in the house says she overheard some talk of the girlfriend possibly cheating on Greg ... which might have sparked the fight.

Oden now faces 3 counts of battery -- one felony, and 2 misdemeanors.

Summary: Greg Oden allegedly flew into a booze-fueled rage, and punched his estranged girlfriend in the face THREE times before calling police to report…


Owners of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet are getting a 6-month digital subscription to the Washington Post for free, the retailer announced Thursday. The deal marks the first major collaboration between the newspaper and the retailer since Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought the Post last year.

Amazon Fire owners will have access to the Post through the paper’s brand new tablet-only app, which at first will be available only to Fire users. The Washington Post will package news for the Fire tablet in distinct morning and evening editions, along with updates for major breaking stories.

Both the newspaper and the online retailer have plenty to gain from the new arrangement. With its platform on the Kindle, the Post will aim at tapping into a wider audience. And Amazon could bring more customers to the Kindle Fire in order to gain exclusive access to the tablet version of the Post.

“Digital reading opens up so many possibilities for experimentation, and The Washington Post’s new app offers an immersive news-reading experience that we hope our customers find engaging and informative,” said Russ Grandinetti, Senior Vice President of Kindle, in a statement.

Bezos completed his $250 million purchase of the Washington Post in October 2013. He has since helped usher in substantive changes at the paper, dismissing the Post’s longtime publisher Katharine Weymouth and replacing her with former President Ronald Reagan aide Fred Ryan. He’s also hired 100 new journalists and cut retirement benefits for current employees.

Bezos played an outsized role in helping design the Post’s app, the newspaper’s chief technology officer Shailesh Prakash told the New York Times. “We talked to him constantly,” Prakash said about the feedback Bezos gave to developers. “He’s our most active beta tester.”

The Post’s app has been designed with high-resolution photos and graphics, Amazon said, and has an immersive read view as well as a bird’s eye browsing view. Readers can swipe once to move from story to story. The editions will be released at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET.

Amazon has a base of 22.7 million tablet users, according to Kantar World Panel analyst Carolina Milanesi, though its share of tablet sales dropped to 18% from 25% in the year ending in September. The Post saw its paper sales decline 44% in the six years before Bezos purchased it, and both the paper and Amazon hope to energize their businesses through the collaboration.

Analysts said that for Kindle Fire owners, who use the device much more for reading than do owners of other tablets, the new Post app will improve the tablet’s value. But it’s unclear whether the app will drive new Fire sales. “There’s a heavy skew in the amount of time during the day that Kindle Fire owners use it for reading,” said Milanesi. “So that would suit this kind of bundling. But would it make a huge difference to a readership when the free content offering ends? It’s hard to tell.”

For the Post, access to a new audience is instantaneous. “With 42 million monthly readers and growing, this is another step forward in our effort to serve an even larger national and global audience,” said the Post’s Ryan.

Summary: Jeff Bezos reshapes the Washington Post with new Kindle app


Can asking employees to fill out a daily survey improve workplace culture?

Amazon seems to think so. According to reporting by Bloomberg, the e-retail giant is posing questions to employees about things like job satisfaction and leadership and training opportunities.

The initiative is being being sent through a system called Amazon Connections, and though it has been around for a while for blue collar workers at Amazon’s fulfillment centers, the efforts have been ramped up and rolled out to corporate employees since the scathing New York Times expose about the company’s culture made major waves this August.

As part of the initiative, employees will send confidential responses to a team in Seattle, who will then aggregate them and share a daily report with company leadership, reports Bloomberg. Employees may also be asked to speak about their responses with the Connections team.

While the effectiveness of the initiative has yet to be proven, anything seems better than how the Times describes Amazon’s current feedback system, in which employees are asked to send secret feedback to one another’s superiors. One of the company’s sample texts? “I felt concerned about his inflexibility and openly complaining about minor tasks.”

Ironic that “openly complaining” is exactly what the company is now asking its employees to do.

Summary: Do Amazon employees even have time for this?


Havana, Cuba - People in Cuba have been relishing the easing of relations with the US, particularly through a shared passion that is basketball.

In one Havana street corner, a group started playing basketball and it has now grown into a vibrant, well-organised league, independent of the influence of the Cuban state.

The league has received support from Full Court Peace, one of a growing number of US organisations rekindling ties with Cuba.

"We're Americans, they're Cubans but on the court we can be friends," said Mike Ryan, organiser of Full Court Peace.

READ MORE: Meet Palestine's first professional basketball player

The league helps keep youngsters out of trouble and for many Cubans, basketball is how they express themselves.

"When I play basketball, I'm in tune with myself, with how my body works and I'm far from the temptations of vice in society," Etian Arnau, a basketball player from Havana, said.

"It forces me to develop my mind since basketball is the most creative of sports. We're always creating."

On the streets of Havana, the sport has its own unique style.

The use of creativity to establish courts wherever there is adequate space is visible. And so is the flexibility to adapt the rules to make it a tougher and more aggressive game.

Summary: A US organisation helps rekindle ties with Cuba by promoting solidarity through basketball in Havana.


Wal-Mart Stores wmt is taking a new tack in its efforts to become a much bigger player in China.

The world’s largest retailer said on Monday it would sell its Chinese online e-commerce marketplace, Yihaodian, to JD.com, the country’s No. 2 e-commerce player in an all-share deal. In exchange, JD.com will issue Wal-Mart stock amounting to about 5% of its total shares, worth roughly $1.5 billion based on JD.com’s recent share price.

There are only about 430 Walmart stores in China, a tiny presence compared to its 4,000+plus U.S. stores, and the deal with JD.com, second only to Alibaba baba in China, is a way to kick start its growth in a promising market.

Wal-Mart and JD.com will work together on the direct-to-retail part of Yihaodian’s business. The companies said Wal-Mart could win a lot of traffic from JD.com’s large base of online shoppers and same-day delivery infrastructure. And Sam’s Club will open a store on JD.com, among other areas of collaboration.

“We’re excited about teaming up with such a strong leader in JD.com, and the potential that this new relationship creates for customers in China,” Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement. Earlier in his career, McMillon was CEO of Walmart International, giving him responsibility for the retailer’s China strategy.

JD.com has been eating away at Alibaba’s market share, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited data from consulting firm iResearch.

As for Wal-Mart, the U.S. retailer has hit some speed-bumps in building its business in China, where it opened its first store 20 years ago. China is now Wal-Mart’s fourth biggest international market by sales, though last month executives said there are significant challenges in that market and that its e-commerce performance in China and other markets had been a drag on the company’s overall online growth. In the first quarter, Wal-Mart’s global e-commerce rose a modest 7%.

Still, the sale of Yihaodian was a surprise: it comes only 11 months after Wal-Mart announced it would buy out its minority partners to have full control.

Summary: The retailer is still a bit player in China


Chipmaker Marvell Technology named Matthew Murphy as chief executive and president, replacing its co-founders who stepped down from the posts in April after a probe raised questions about the top management’s operating style.

Murphy joins after 22 years at Maxim Integrated Products mxim , where he most recently led product development, sales and field applications, marketing and central engineering, Marvell said.

Murphy will join Marvell on July 11 and his appointment will increase the size of the company’s board of directors to 12. His annual base salary will be $750,000, according to a regulatory filing.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

His appointment comes after a troubling few months for investors at Marvell mrvl , which has seen an internal probe and several executive changes.

In March, an audit committee investigation found Marvell’s management put “significant pressure” on sales teams to meet targets and that the company booked revenue prematurely for some transactions, though there was no fraud.

A month later chief executive Sehat Sutardja and president Weili Dai stepped down, a move that analysts at the time had said could set up Marvell for a sale or a break-up.

This Is the Future of Tech Storage

Indonesia-born Sehat Sutardja co-founded the chipmaker in 1995, along with his brother Pantas and wife Dai.

The company has since hired a new chief operations officer, chief legal officer, as well as three independent board directors nominated by activist hedge fund Starboard Value.

Starboard disclosed a 6.5% stake in the company in February and urged Marvell to cut costs and exit its mobile-wireless business.

Chipmaker Marvell’s CEO, President Stepping Down

Marvell, whose weak sales have mirrored a declining market for personal computers, delayed its quarterly report filing for April, due to an ongoing internal accounting probe.

The company’s shares were flat with their closing of $10.14 in extended trading on Monday.

Summary: The new boss takes over on July 11.


The world for consumers has changed for the worse since some diabolical genius discovered it's possible to break a service into many separate fees. The airlines have led, if you can call it that, by charging additionally for bringing a suitcase on a plane, priority boarding, leg room, food and drink.

Hotels seem to be perfecting the practice. Especially insidious are mandatory "resort" fees: charges for services that historically have been part of a room rate. Resort fees are a single charge covering such services as Internet access and Wi-Fi, bottled water, use of the swimming pool, beach chairs, spa, gym and towels, parking, local phone calls and a "complimentary" newspaper at your door in the morning.

: "Most resort fees are mandatory and are on a per room, per night basis. Resort fees can range from as low as just a few dollars per night to over $30. Because they are mandatory, hotel guests often feel that they are used as a way to make the nightly rate appear lower than it actually is. A room at $70 per night with a $30 resort fee is no different than a $100 per night hotel with no fee."

Resort fees generally are found at higher-end properties and in popular vacation locales like Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,

. Orlando is the capital of hotel fees,

. USA Today found a traveler who paid a $60-per night hotel fee in addition to his room rate at a Puerto Rico resort.

But it doesn't end with resort fees. Other fees in the hospitality industry are multiplying like rabbits in spring. There are early check-in fees, early check-out fees, cancellation fees, fees for using the room safe, fees to hold your baggage behind the front desk and automatic gratuities (tips for staff),

Hotels have become adept at hiding fees, revealing them only in fine print on a website, in the final stages of a transaction or as you check out at the end of a stay to find, for example, a $25 charge on your bill for using Wi-Fi, or a fee for storing your own yogurt in the minibar fridge.

, says in an email: "Virtually all online travel agencies and most hotels hide or bury mandatory fees to some degree. In almost all cases, the fee is only disclosed after a consumer sees the basic room rates, decides on a hotel, and begins the booking process."

22 hotels against "drip pricing" through add-on fees that are not disclosed on their online sites and may only become apparent after arrival or upon checkout. If you've been misled about mandatory fees the FTC urges you to

As a result, though, hotels just ramped up the fees,

: "Instead of eliminating resort fees, as some predicted, hotels simply improved their disclosure, with the government's blessing. Hotels saw that as a green light to add more fees, as long as they told their customers."

Sadly, hotel fees may be here to stay. It's on consumers these days to be vigilant. So let's talk tactics. Here are 12 ways to help you find and avoid or fight hotel fees:

Shocked incredulity may not be an effective defense when, at checkout, you discover surprise fees added to your bill. You'll need to learn what you are up against:

"You can also avoid fees in many cases by calling ahead to the hotel and asking about packages, many of which include fee waivers, especially for Wi-Fi and parking," CNN advises.

to find fees charged at the hotels or resorts you are considering.

Some hotels will waive fees if you tell them at check-in that you won't be using the items covered by the fees - Wi-Fi, for example, or the hotel's gym or pool, Isar Meitis, president of Last Minute Travel,

The surest way to deal with hotel fees is to avoid hotels that charge them. Select establishments whose rates reflect all charges upfront:

and instead rent a private home through sites like AirBnB, HomeAway and VRBO. These typically charge a cleaning deposit and booking fee, but companies' websites should display these clearly and incremental fees for use of equipment or amenities are uncommon.

"Loyalty programs are the best way to avoid extra fees and surcharges, since loyalty programs typically offer fee waivers," Melanie Nayer, a travel journalist and hotel expert told

"Hotel-branded credit cards and hotel loyalty programs ... may be able to save you on certain fees, but you probably won't be able to avoid all of them,"

, adding: "Information for the American Express' Starwood Preferred Guest credit card, for example, clearly states that if you redeem points for a free stay, some hotels will still charge you for mandatory service and resort charges. Hotel loyalty programs may give you things such as free Internet access, free early check-in or late check-out, free newspapers or free gym access, but they won't get resort fees waived."

Some fees, like late check-out and for Internet, typically aren't charged to elite members of a chain's loyalty program,

. "I have also had mixed success with getting resort fees waived at select hotels," the blog says, adding that hospitality chain rewards programs typically offer elite status to guests who use their co-branded credit card.

features of hotel loyalty programs, including Hyatt Gold Passport, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards, Hilton HHonors, IHG Rewards Club (formerly Priority Club) and Club Carlson.

ThePointsGuy says that some chains or certain hotels in a chain will waive resort fees when you book using awards points.

Hotels, even suburban hotels and motels, have begun charging to park in their non-valet lots. (I know. What is the world coming to?) Your options:

Some hotels charge you just for picking up and replacing an item from the minibar.

for using your hotel room's refrigerator to store snacks you've purchased elsewhere. Your options:

One piece of good news

: "Fewer hotels are charging for in-room Internet services. Only 11 percent of respondents charge for Internet service. This figure is down from 23 percent in 2012." However, if you find your hotel charges for Wi-Fi, here are some workarounds:

Summary: Don't let fees added on to your basic hotel rate take you by surprise. Here's how to avoid, waive or mitigate them.


Hometown: Hainesport, New JerseyOccupation: Pharmaceutical sales recruiterStarting Weight: 309

For 43-year-old Stephen Kmet, a husband and father of two children, being overweight has not only impacted his health but also his career. As a former pharmaceutical sales manager, he says, "presentation and image are everything. Companies don't want to hire an obese person to represent them and their health products." So he has had to take a less lucrative position in his field and now works as a pharmaceutical sales recruiter. Born in Summit, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Union with an older sister, Stephen later graduated from Albright College with a degree in business administration and went on to get his MBA from Rutgers University. He was a big kid growing up, but says he really gained weight in the past five years after a job layoff, the diagnosis and death of his father from ALS and the diagnosis of his five-year-old son with juvenile diabetes. He also stopped playing hockey after his son was born, and consumes a lot of fast food and soda. Now 309 pounds and suffering from sleep apnea, the New Jersey Devils fan and avid poker player looks forward to being able to play ice hockey again, teaching his son how to play and to skate, coaching his 12-year-old daughter in field hockey, as well as learning how to surf.

Summary: Meet STEPHEN KMET on NBC.com.


The long history of people who wonder about the reality of Jesus Christ — Christians and non-Christians alike — is not limited to the question of what really happened on the first Noel.

As TIME reported in a 1963 story about rising theological interest in historical investigation, Christian efforts to uncover the historical truth of the life of Jesus Christ date back to the scientific developments of the late 18th century. By the turn of the 20th century, several scholars had attempted to write biographies of Jesus without the “miraculous and dogmatic elements,” culminating in Albert Schweitzer’s 1906 biography The Quest of the Historical Jesus.

That particular trend was later replaced by theological interest in the history of the early Church, rather than in Jesus as a man; in the 1920s, a leading theory argued that it was nearly impossible to know anything solid about Jesus, because all of the Gospel accounts were filtered through the time of their writing, so there was no point in trying to figure it out. As TIME phrased it, “although the New Testament might be a primary source for a study of the early church, it was only a secondary one for a life of Jesus.” That trend was reversed around the middle of the 20th century, as scholars increasingly argued that in fact it was possible to glean historical information from the New Testament.

The question of the historical Jesus returned to headlines in the late 1980s for a very different reason: a movie. As Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ was denounced by believers, theologians were yet again hashing out the question of the historical Jesus, in light of scholarly acceptance that the Gospels were not intended to be (or capable of being) precise historical accounts. Archaeological finds, however, were newly available to bolster those claims. By the mid-1980s, there was near consensus that Jesus, as a man, had existed — but an increasingly divergent set of possibilities as to the details of his life. Was he mostly concerned with ministering to those who needed him? Was he more like a Greek philosopher? Did he spend his days preaching of the apocalypse?

By the time the magazine revisited the question for a 1996 cover story, a controversial group called the Jesus Seminar was leading the charge to question the authenticity of the Gospels and the historicity of the Jesus story. But some things hadn’t changed: the specifics of Jesus’ life and personality were still as unclear as ever, and the people who cared or didn’t care were equally as divided.

There are only two or three references to Jesus in six pagan or Jewish sources, providing precious little corroborating data. Even if the standard for authenticity were agreement between the Gospels, there is less of that than one might imagine: the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan are just two of several parables that appear in only one version. By 1926, Rudolf Bultmann of Germany’s University of Marburg, the foremost Protestant scholar in the field, threw up his hands: he called for a halt to inquiries regarding the Jesus of history. So unreliable were the Gospel accounts that “we can now know almost nothing concerning the life and personality of Jesus.” He advised good Christian scholars to concentrate on the Jesus of faith. But, as it turns out, they didn’t.

Case in point: When TIME revisited the matter in 2007, finding proof of various biblical moments was still tempting scholars — in that case, two authors claimed that a tomb near Jerusalem contained the bones of a son born to Jesus and Mary Magdalene — but it was also still a process that could easily veer into Da Vinci Code territory.

This time of year, many people will conclude that those scholars are asking the wrong questions. They’ll answer as one reader did in the letters to the editor following the 1996 story: “It doesn’t matter who Jesus of Nazareth was or what he was,” he wrote. “What’s most important is the lessons he taught.”

Summary: TIME investigates the truth behind the New Testament


A freshly groomed Bichon Frise waits for his moment at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York.

Kim Jong Un attends a banquet in Pyongyang, North Korea.

A rainbow breaks over a refugee camp in Calais, France.

The Bryant Park fountain is frozen solid in New York.

Photo: G.N. Miller / NY Post

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Las Vegas.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) takes photos with supports in Florence, S.C.

Participants dressed as "minions" assemble at the start of the Minions Run charity event in Tokyo.

Leading opposition leader and presidential candidate Kizza Besigye, center, is surrounded by his bodyguards after being overcome by tear gas fired at him and his supporters by riot police, when they attempted to walk along a street in Kampala, Uganda.

Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush campaign for Jeb Bush in Columbia, S.C.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) campaigns in Aiken, S.C.

Deer herd in Algermissen, Germany.

A hippopotamus swims in a Berlin zoo compound.

Donald Trump campaigns in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Reuters photographer Max Rossi takes a selfie with Pope Francis while flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

Poppleton ("Pop") and Priscilla ("Prissy") pigs greet visitors at the GUND booth at the New York City Toy Fair.

{* #userInformationForm *} {* traditionalSignIn_emailAddress *} {* traditionalSignIn_password *}

{* traditionalSignIn_signInButton *}{* traditionalSignIn_createButton *}

{* #userInformationForm *} {* traditionalSignIn_emailAddress *} {* traditionalSignIn_password *}

{* #registrationForm *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_captcha *} {* traditionalRegistration_ageVerification *} By clicking "Create account", you confirm that you accept our

and have read and understand our

{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* traditionalSignIn_emailAddress *}

We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.

We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password.

{* #tradAuthenticateMergeForm *} {* traditionalSignIn_emailAddress *} {* mergePassword *}

Summary: The Westminster Kennel Club dog show brings out cute canines, Pope Francis visits Mexico and more.


After a journey lasting 12 years, a date has been set for the Rosetta spacecraft's final descent onto comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The European Space Agency says the probe will crash onto the comet September 30, joining its sidekick Philae.

The lander touched down nearly two years ago.

The agency said on Thursday that the final descent will require careful manoeuvres and offer a unique opportunity to take close-up images of the comet before Rosetta hits the icy surface at about 1.8 kilometres per hour.

Scientists decided to steer Rosetta onto 67P because the probe is unlikely to survive lengthy hibernation in orbit as the comet heads away from the sun.

Data from Rosetta and Philae have improved scientists' understanding of comets and the role they played in the early universe.

Summary: The Rosetta mission is set to end on September 30 when the spacecraft will land on the comet it has been studying.


April 27, 2016 | 1:42pm | Updated April 27, 2016 | 11:54pm

Ted Cruz named Carly Fiorina as his running mate during an April 27 rally in Indianapolis. Photo: Getty Images

In an unprecedented move for a sagging presidential candidate, Ted Cruz announced a vice-presidential running mate Wednesday, saying Carly Fiorina would be on the ticket with him if he wins the GOP nomination.

“Carly isn’t intimidated by bullies,” Cruz said in Indianapolis, taking a shot at front-runner Donald Trump.

No other Republican or Democratic presidential candidate has named a teammate at this early date, and Cruz’s move appeared to smack of desperation.

It came just a day after Trump demolished him in five Northeastern state primaries and declared the GOP contest “over.”

Fiorina, who endorsed Cruz after dropping out of the presidential race in February, cast the move in high-minded terms.

“This is a fight for the soul of the party and the future of our nation,” said the former Hewlett-Packard CEO.

She was so enthusiastic about the prospect of running with the Texas senator, she broke into song during her announcement speech, crooning a children’s lullaby from the podium toward Cruz’s two young daughters.

Cruz had earlier told the crowd that Fiorina sometimes sings the song to his little girls while she is campaigning with him.

Soon after the announcement, CBS reported that the Federal Election Commission has asked a Cruz super PAC called Keep the Promise I to explain why last year, it donated to Carly for America, a political action committee supporting Fiorina.

The $500,000 donation was made in June 2015 — when both candidates were still rivals.

Keep the Promise I President Kellyanne Conway claimed the money was delivered because Fiorina was an “effective” critic of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

By teaming with Fiorina, Cruz hopes she will help him in the June 7 primary in California, where she has deep ties, as well as in Indiana, which votes on May 3.

Summary: In an unprecedented move for a sagging presidential candidate, Ted Cruz announced a vice-presidential running mate Wednesday, saying Carly Fiorina would be on the ticket with him if he wins the GOP…


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

Oh these silly airline CEOs. Last year, Richard Branson

would beat that of AirAsia's CEO, Tony Fernandes. The two men bet that whoever lost would serve as a flight attendant--a female flight attendant--on the others airline.

With a slight delay, Branson will finally act the part and work a special charity flight from London to Kuala Lumpur on May 1st, dressed in full female garb,

The billionaire will don the official uniform of heels, makeup and dress and will perform all the duties regularly maintained by the flight crew, including cleaning the bathrooms.

While dressing in drag is somewhat part of Sir Branson's forte (he once dressed as a bride to launch the

Virgin Brides), Fernandes released a statement saying:

"As an AirAsia flight attendant, Richard would have to comply to our grooming standards, and that includes shaving his legs. Rather than shave him myself, Richard and I thought we could have a bit of fun, engage with our guests and raise more money for charity if we opened up the opportunity to the highest bidder."

Luckily for Branson, Fernandes is allowing him to keep his signature beard. Prior to the flight's departure, a bidding war will no doubt commence where people can pay to shave Branson in full getup. Proceeds from the bidding as well as ticket sales (which go for roughly $7,300 a pop) will go to Virgin Unite, Branson's nonprofit foundation.

More Articles You Might Like

Summary: Getty File 	  Oh these silly airline CEOs. Last year, Richard Branson bet that his Formula 1 team would beat that of AirAsia's CEO, Tony Fernandes. The two men bet that whoever lo


11/01/2009 AT 08:00 AM EST

How could one of Hollywood's highest paid actors find himself owing $6.3 million in back taxes and deep in money troubles? The answer is, "Easy," if you believe Nicolas Cage.

In a lawsuit filed Oct. 16 in Los Angeles, the

star, 45, claims that his longtime business manager, Samuel J. Levin, "lined his [own] pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin."

That journey began in 2001 when Cage – whose next movie is the crime drama

– hired Levin to oversee his investments and finances. Levin did not return calls seeking comment. A rep for Cage had no comment.

Though Cage claims it was only recently that he learned the gravity of his financial condition, the actor started selling off some of his prized possessions months ago. In April, Cage

to his Bavarian castle, selling it to his German advisor, lawyer Konrad Wilfurth.

Now, he has placed other homes on the market in California, Las Vegas and New Orleans, where two of his residences – each worth at about $3.5 million – are up for auction Nov. 12, according to the that city's

. Regions Bank foreclosed on Hancock Park Real Estate Co., the owner of Cage's properties, for $5.5 million in unpaid mortgage debts, the newspaper reported.

Cage's home liquidation comes as the U.S. government has placed a

on his real-estate holdings because of $6 million in unpaid taxes dating from 2007, according to court papers. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service has another lien for more than $350,000 in unpaid taxes dating from 2002 to 2004.

East West Bank also filed a breach-of-contract complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court that claims Cage had failed to repay a $2 million loan that was extended this past August.

In the lawsuit filed against his business manager, Cage says he "relied on Levin to handle his financial affairs to ensure that he and his family would have a financially secure future built on the foundation of the substantial monies Cage earned through years of hard work."

"He is now forced to sell major assets and investments at a significant loss and is faced with huge tax liabilities because of Levin's incompetence, misrepresentations and recklessness," the lawsuit alleges.(Interestingly, Cage sold off his rare comic-book collection for more than $1.6 million in 2002, a year after hiring Levin.)

Now as the actor gets ready to hit the big screen again this fall, he faces "catastrophic losses" of more than $20 million, according to his lawsuit. His next court hearing is scheduled for February 2010.

Summary: In a lawsuit, the actor says he's "the victim of an incompetent business manager"


Photo: Bob Levey, Getty Images

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 08: Luis Valbuena #18 of the Houston Astros hits a three run walkoff home run in the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics 10-9 at Minute Maid Park on July 8, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 08: Luis Valbuena #18 of the Houston Astros hits a three run walkoff home run in the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics 10-9 at Minute Maid Park on July 8, 2016 in Houston, Texas.

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 08: Luis Valbuena #18 of the Houston Astros hits a three run walkoff home run in the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics 10-9 at Minute Maid Park on July 8, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 08: Luis Valbuena #18 of the Houston Astros hits a three run walkoff home run in the ninth inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics 10-9 at Minute Maid Park on July 8, 2016 in Houston, Texas.

The Oakland Athletics Yonder Alonso (17) is congratulated by Marcus Semien (10) after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)

The Oakland Athletics Yonder Alonso (17) is congratulated by Marcus Semien (10) after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 8, 2016, in

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Daniel Mengden talks with a trainer after being hit by a ball during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Daniel Mengden talks with a trainer after being hit by a ball during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 08: Daniel Mengden #67 of the Oakland Athletics tosses to first base to retire Carlos Gomez #30 of the Houston Astros on a comeback to the mound in the second inning at Minute Maid Park on July 8, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 08: Daniel Mengden #67 of the Oakland Athletics tosses to first base to retire Carlos Gomez #30 of the Houston Astros on a comeback to the mound in the second inning at Minute Maid Park on

Oakland Athletics' Josh Reddick (22) connects with the ball but grounds out against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)

Oakland Athletics' Josh Reddick (22) connects with the ball but grounds out against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)

Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien fields a ball hit by the Houston Astros Jose Altuve during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)

Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien fields a ball hit by the Houston Astros Jose Altuve during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 8, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)

A’s late rally for naught in loss to Astros

HOUSTON - Oakland put together one of its best rallies of the season, and did so against one of the league’s best closers, but the A’s own closer couldn’t finish the deal.

With the A’s up by two in the ninth, Ryan Madson allowed a single by Jose Altuve and then Carlos Correa reached on a strikeout-wild pitch, putting men at the corners with one out for Luis Valbuena - who crushed a three-run homer to right to give the Astros a 10-9 victory.

“It’s frustrating especially because we battled back to take the lead,” Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said. “It stings.”

It was Madson’s fourth blown save in 21 tries; he had converted six of his previous seven opportunities.

“Cutter in and it backed up,” Madson said of the missed location.

Vogt said he and Madson got crossed up on the wild pitch. “He saw an extra sign, I hesitated a little giving the signs and we just weren’t on the same page,” Vogt said. “I was expecting a heater away and he threw a really good curveball. I wish I could say I could still block it but that’s one of those things.”

Houston’s Will Harris, selected as an American League replacement for Tuesday’s game in San Diego, hasn’t blown a save this season, but the A’s had scored four times against him in the ninth to take a 9-7 lead. Harris hadn’t even allowed an extra-base hit this season until Billy Butler doubled to open the ninth, then Yonder Alonso followed with a homer to cut the Astros’ lead to one.

Jake Smolinski rapped a pinch-hit single and Jed Lowrie doubled off Harris, who gave way to Michael Feliz, and Feliz couldn’t control the damage. Khris Davis drove pinch-runner Tyler Ladendorf and Lowrie in with a double off the wall in left center, and Josh Reddick sent Davis in with a soft single to right, ending an 11 at-bat hitless streak.

“Just huge at-bats across the board,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Any time they’re taking their closer out with one out means we’ve put some good at-bats together.”

Harris’ 0.72 ERA was the best among AL relievers entering the game. Alonso has hit safely in all eight games against the Astros this season, going 14 for 30.

“He’s got electric stuff, that’s why he’s got a .8 ERA or something,” Alonso said. “He’s a guy who knows what he’s doing.”

Oakland rookie Daniel Mengden, who is from Houston, had the worst outing in his seven career starts, allowing six runs in all. Nevertheless, he showed a lot of good things again, including some grit. He was smoked in the chest by a line drive by Carlos Gomez in the fourth inning, still got the out at first base and remained in the game.

“Tough kid, stayed in the game and pitched well,” Vogt said.

“It scared me more than it hurt me,” Mengden said. “Those are a little nerve-wracking.”

He also did some superb work in the third after walking A.J. Reed and hitting Jake Marisnick to start the inning, striking out the next three batter, Jason Castro, George Springer and Marwin Gonzalez, on a total of 10 pitches.

“It feels like he pitches well every time,” Melvin said. “Now he had a little something to deal with, he said it didn’t affect him. … When he’s on the mound we feel like we have a great chance to win. He’s not backing down to anyone.”

Correa, the Astros’ star shortstop, drilled a two-run homer off Mengden in the fourth; the two men are pals from the Houston minor leagues and have stayed in touch.

That homer was before Mengden was struck by the liner. The inning after he was hit, Mengden left a few more pitches up in the zone than he had earlier. Houston loaded the bases with no outs, then Gonzalez drove in a run with a first-pitch single to center, and Altuve sent in another on a fielder’s choice. Correa added an RBI single, and Altuve was thrown out on the play, attempting to score when Correa was caught in a rundown between first and second.

Left-hander Marc Rzepczynski took over and gave up an RBI single to Valbuena, concluding the scoring against Mengden.

Mengden allowed just eight runs, total, over his first four starts and 25 2/3 innings, but in his past two, has given up 10 in 10 innings. Opponents are 15 for 38 (.395) against him the third time through the order overall; the first two times through the order, opponents are batting .194.

Oakland took a 3-0 lead in the fourth when Danny Valencia singled to lead off against Collin McHugh and scored on Vogt’s triple; Vogt came in on a base hit by Butler; and after Alonso hit into a double play, Marcus Semien crushed his 19th homer of the season. The A’s added a run in the seventh when Alonso scooted home from third on a passed ball by Castro.

The A’s played error-free for the 14th consecutive game, extending the franchise record. The old mark of 12 was set June 3-15 2002.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @susanslusser

Summary: With the A’s up by two in the ninth, Ryan Madson allowed a single by Jose Altuve and then Carlos Correa reached on a strikeout-wild pitch, putting men at the corners with one out for Luis Valbuena - who crushed a three-run homer to right to give the Astros a 10-9 victory.  “It’s frustrating especially because we battled back to take the lead,” Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said.  Houston’s Will Harris, selected as an American League replacement for Tuesday’s game in San Diego, hasn’t blown a save this season, but the A’s had scored four times against him in the ninth to take a 9-7 lead.  Harris hadn’t even allowed an extra-base hit this season until Billy Butler doubled to open the ninth, then Yonder Alonso followed with a homer to cut the Astros’ lead to one.  Khris Davis drove pinch-runner Tyler Ladendorf and Lowrie in with a double off the wall in left center, and Josh Reddick sent Davis in with a soft single to right, ending an 11 at-bat hitless streak.  Oakland rookie Daniel Mengden, who is from Houston, had the worst outing in his seven career starts, allowing six runs in all.  Correa, the Astros’ star shortstop, drilled a two-run homer off Mengden in the fourth; the two men are pals from the Houston minor leagues and have stayed in touch.  Houston loaded the bases with no outs, then Gonzalez drove in a run with a first-pitch single to center, and Altuve sent in another on a fielder’s choice.  Correa added an RBI single, and Altuve was thrown out on the play, attempting to score when Correa was caught in a rundown between first and second.  Left-hander Marc Rzepczynski took over and gave up an RBI single to Valbuena, concluding the scoring against Mengden.  Oakland took a 3-0 lead in the fourth when Danny Valencia singled to lead off against Collin McHugh and scored on Vogt’s triple; Vogt came in on a base hit by Butler; and after Alonso hit into a double play, Marcus Semien crushed his 19th homer of the season.


It took Lalo Schifrin all of three minutes to write his famed theme — set to an unusual 5/4 time signature — for the TV series “Mission: Impossible.”

“Orchestration’s not the problem for me,” he says. “It’s like writing a letter. When you write a letter, you don’t have to think what grammar or what syntaxes you’re going to use, you just write a letter. And that’s the way it came.”

But Schifrin, now 83 and living in Groucho Marx’s former Beverly Hills home, spun a different tale while touring in Europe in the late 1960s.

“I was in Vienna and at a press conference and one lady asked me why I wrote ‘Mission: Impossible’ in 5/4 . . . I said, ‘Everybody knows that there have been beams from outer space coming because of interplanetary flights. The people in outer space have five legs and couldn’t dance to our music, so I wrote this for them.’ ”

“The lady believed it,” says Schifrin with a laugh, “and all the magazines in Vienna published it . . . my European agent called me and said, ‘What are you trying to do?!’ ”

The fifth installment of the “Mission: Impossible” film franchise is now in theaters, and Schifrin’s score is as integral to the flicks as Tom Cruise’s arsenal of shades.

“Bruce Geller, who was the producer of the series, put together the pilot and came to me and said, ‘I want you to write something exciting, something that when people are in the living room and go into the kitchen to have a soft drink, and they hear it, they will know what it is. I want it to be identifiable, recognizable and a signature.’ And this is what I did.”

Schifrin’s path to becoming one of the most-sought-after composers in Hollywood started in Argentina, where he grew up with his mother and late father, concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires.

“I had no idea what jazz was. I grew up in a classical music family,” he says.

Juan Perón, then president of Argentina, forbade the import of American records, but a young Schifrin, whose interest in jazz was growing, befriended an American merchant marine who snuck in records for the musician.

“I was breaking the law. Even in the summer, I had to put on an overcoat and put the records under the belly and covered them with my belt.”

He’d sit with his collection of Charlie Parker tunes and “copy and learn from the records.”

The studying paid off. Schifrin went on to study at the Paris Conservatory before returning to Argentina to form his own jazz orchestra. In 1960, Dizzy Gillespie tapped the young man to play in his NYC-based quintet. Schifrin had his first Hollywood film assignment with “Rhino!” in 1963. Four years later, he wrote “Mission: Impossible,” a career-changer for Schifrin, who went on to write scores for films like “Cool Hand Luke” and “Dirty Harry” and TV series including “Starsky and Hutch” and “Mannix.” Schifrin earned six Oscar nominations, and the “Mission: Impossible” theme won him a Grammy.

“I could say that, yes, it changed my career because it became so popular, which I did not expect,” he says. “I’m really lucky and really glad and I thank God and everybody who helped me . . . very few television shows extended their life to motion pictures.”

Summary: It took Lalo Schifrin all of three minutes to write his famed theme — set to an unusual 5/4 time signature — for the TV series “Mission: Impossible.” “Orchestration’s not the problem for me,” he sa…