Article:
CLOSE President Donald Trump had another, previously undisclosed conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit it Germany. Time

 President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7. (Photo: Evan Vucci, Evan Vucci, AP)

 The White House acknowledged that President Trump "spoke briefly" with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a global meeting earlier this month, but insisted it was just a normal part of presidential duties and denied news reports surfacing Tuesday that it was a second private meeting.

 "There was no 'second meeting' between President Trump and President Putin, just a brief conversation at the end of a dinner," the White House said in a statement. "The insinuation that the White House has tried to 'hide' a second meeting is false, malicious and absurd."

 Trump also denounced press accounts of the meeting on Twitter.

 Fake News story of secret dinner with Putin is "sick." All G 20 leaders, and spouses, were invited by the Chancellor of Germany. Press knew! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2017

 The discussion happened in Hamburg, Germany, during a dinner among world leaders at the Group of 20 economic summit.

 It came after a formal conversation between Trump and Putin in which they discussed Russia's alleged attempts to influence the 2016 White House election. In that meeting, which lasted more than two hours, Trump says he questioned Putin about whether he meddled in the presidential election – and Putin denied he was involved.

 The U.S. intelligence community has concluded Putin orchestrated a campaign of cyberattacks and fake news to influence the election in favor of Trump. Multiple congressional committees and a special counsel are investigating Russian interference, as well as possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

 Earlier Tuesday, multiple news outlets reported the previously undisclosed talk between Trump and Putin as a second meeting that lasted up to an hour.

 Foreign leaders apparently witnessed the more private conversation, of which there is no public government record, and were taken aback by the two seeming to flaunt a close rapport, according to the New York Times.

 "Pretty much everyone at the dinner thought this was really weird, that here is the president of the United States, who clearly wants to display that he has a better relationship personally with President Putin than any of us, or simply doesn’t care,” Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a Washington-based research and consulting firm, told the Times.

 Trump was apparently not joined in the second conversation by his own translator, which The Hill reported is a breach of national security protocol.

 Bremmer responded to Trump's tweets about the meeting on Tuesday night.

 Press didn't know you spent an hour during dinner in 1-1 discussion w Putin (& his translator). Other G20 leaders found it...unusual. https://t.co/w3QIyJbMbp — ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) July 19, 2017

 Yet the White House version of events is quite different.

 At a publicly scheduled dinner for heads of state and their spouses only, First Lady Melania Trump was seated next to Putin. "During the course of the dinner, all the leaders circulated throughout the room and spoke with one another freely," the White House statement said. "President Trump spoke with many leaders during the course of the evening. As the dinner was concluding, President Trump went over to Mrs. Trump, where he spoke briefly with President Putin."

 The White House said the American translator accompanying Trump spokedd Japanese, and so both Trump and Putin used the Russian translator to speak to each other, since the American translator did not speak Russian. "It is not merely perfectly normal, it is part of a President's duties, to interact with world leaders," the statement said.

 Also on Tuesday, the White House said Trump plans to nominate Gov. John Huntsman of Utah as ambassador to Russia. Huntsman chairs the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank. He also has served as ambassador to China and to Singapore.

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 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2uGmqy9 ||||| There is no official United States government record of the intimate dinner conversation, because no American official other than the president was involved.

 “Pretty much everyone at the dinner thought this was really weird, that here is the president of the United States, who clearly wants to display that he has a better relationship personally with President Putin than any of us, or simply doesn’t care,” said Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a New York-based research and consulting firm, who said he had heard directly from attendees. “They were flummoxed, they were confused and they were startled.”

 The encounter occurred more than midway through the lengthy dinner, when Mr. Trump left his chair and approached Mr. Putin, who had been seated next to the first lady, Melania Trump. It was described to Mr. Bremmer by other guests as lasting roughly an hour and not initially disputed by a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

 But Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, disputed that account. He said Mr. Trump had described the exchange with Mr. Putin as purely social, and as lasting far less than an hour. “It was pleasantries and small talk,” Mr. Spicer said. In a separate statement, the White House said the two presidents had spoken through the Kremlin’s interpreter because the American translator with Mr. Trump did not speak Russian.

 Experts in United States-Russia relations said such an encounter — even on an informal basis at a social event — was a concern because of its length, which suggested a substantive exchange, and because there was no note taker or national security or foreign policy aide present.

 “We’re all going to be wondering what was said, and that’s where it’s unfortunate that there was no U.S. interpreter, because there is no independent American account of what happened,” said Steven Pifer, a former ambassador to Ukraine who also specializes in Russia and nuclear arms control.

 “If I was in the Kremlin, my recommendation to Putin would be, ‘See if you can get this guy alone,’ and that’s what it sounds like he was able to do,” added Mr. Pifer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. ||||| The Fake News is becoming more and more dishonest! Even a dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany is made to look sinister! |||||Summary:

– President Trump says his previously undisclosed one-on-one with Vladimir Putin was no secret and no big deal—and the media is "sick" for suggesting otherwise. Trump reportedly spoke to Putin for around an hour after leaving his seat during a couples-only dinner with other leaders during the G20 summit. He had met with Putin earlier in the day with aides present. "All G 20 leaders, and spouses, were invited by the Chancellor of Germany," Trump tweeted late Tuesday. "Press knew!" In a statement, the White House said the talk was a "brief conversation" and any insinuation that the administration tried to hide it "is false, malicious, and absurd," USA Today reports. "The Fake News is becoming more and more dishonest!" Trump said in a second tweet. "Even a dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany is made to look sinister!" But despite efforts to downplay the meeting, some analysts say it raises security concerns. Besides Putin and Trump, the only person party to the conversation was Putin's translator, meaning there is no independent American account of the meeting and what was discussed. "If I was in the Kremlin, my recommendation to Putin would be, 'See if you can get this guy alone,' and that's what it sounds like he was able to do," former ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer tells the New York Times.


Write an article based on this summary:

– The short version is easy enough: Trinidad and Tobago upset the US Mens National Team in soccer Tuesday night, and the 2-1 loss means that the Americans won't qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. But just how bad a loss is this? The defeat is "the most surreal and embarrassing night in US soccer history," writes Grant Wahl for Sports Illustrated. "Unthinkable," declares the New York Times. "With that loss, the USMNT gave a nation the lowest point in its sporting history, and it’s not really close," writes Andrew Joseph for USA Today. "It took 90-plus minutes for United States soccer to regress 30 years," writes Frank Isola at the Daily News. The kicker is that two other games fell the wrong way in unexpected fashion, one on a "phantom goal," sealing the US fate. Honduras rallied from two goals down to beat Mexico, and Panama rallied from one goal back to beat Costa Rica. Had either of those games gone the other way, or had the US even tied Trinidad and Tobago (which had previously been eliminated from qualifying), the Americans would have secured a spot in Russia for the 2018 competition. Of note: Phantom goal: The winning goal scored by Panama against Costa Rica didn't cross the goal line, per CBS Sports, which has video here. The story raises the faint hope that the US could appeal the goal ruling, but it seems unlikely. "As far as I know, there is no recourse," says a US soccer official. Pity Fox Sports: The network paid $200 million, outbidding ESPN, for the rights to televise the 2018 World Cup and showcase teen phenom Christian Pulisic, notes Business Insider. It's now going to be tough for that investment to pay off. Five culprits: Yahoo Sports looks at what went wrong in the US game, and why Bruce Arena has almost certainly coached his last game for the team.

It’s been 31 years since May 31, 1986 — the last World Cup that didn’t feature the United States. That’s 11,456 days of progress for a sport that’s come so far in a country that still hasn’t fully embraced it.

 All of that gone.

 With U.S. soccer’s dreadful 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago on the final day of CONCACAF’s qualifying hexagonal for the 2018 World Cup, next summer’s tournament will not feature the USMNT. No Christian Pulisic. No Tim Howard. No Michael Bradley. With that loss, the USMNT gave a nation the lowest point in its sporting history, and it’s not really close.

 CONCACAF is a grind, but compared to the other qualifying regions, the 3.5 World Cup spots out of six teams mean that the United States should be a lock to qualify. When it beat Panama, 4-0, on Friday, the U.S. put itself in position to escape a lackluster qualifying round with a spot in the tournament. All it really needed to do was take care of business at lowly Trinidad and Tobago.

 They couldn’t even do that. With no sense of urgency, USMNT players and coaches had to watch as their CONCACAF counterparts did them no favors. Four years after the USMNT saved Mexico’s World Cup dreams, El Tri instead blew a lead to Honduras and helped seal the USMNT’s fate. Costa Rica also blew a lead to Panama on a goal that shouldn’t have counted and gave up a late winner as the U.S. decided to score-watch rather than take matters into its own hands. A mostly empty stadium in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, felt even emptier on this night.

 It’s really difficult to quantify how bad this loss was for U.S. Soccer. Sunil Gulati and Bruce Arena should both be gone. Tim Howard, whose last World Cup appearance was a legendary performance, will likely leave U.S. Soccer with the lasting image of his worst performance with the national team. As bad as things got for the USMNT, the possibility of missing the World Cup didn’t actually seem real. It’s that arrogance that likely brought the team to where it is right now — out of the World Cup. When U.S. soccer legend Alexi Lalas called out the USMNT, its biggest star, Pulisic, laughed off the attempted gut-check rant.

 But when it comes down to it, though, the sport of soccer in the U.S. is going to feel the lasting effects the most. Every World Cup is an opportunity to grow the sport on the biggest stage.

 Even the growth from 2010, to 2014, to now has been tremendous. A nation went crazy when Landon Donovan sent the USMNT into the Round of 16 with his late winner in 2010 (a loss would have meant an early trip home). A nation went crazy when John Brooks put the U.S. ahead against Ghana in 2014, as he ran around not fully processing what he had done.

 Those moments forge memories and make lifelong fans of the sport. It creates momentum that makes it possible for an MLS team to draw 71,000 fans for a regular season match. Those moments inspire a young fan to kick around a soccer ball rather than throw a football. Those moments make it possible for a 19-year-old wonderkid to break through into the next level of international stardom.

 That’s not happening anymore. It’s five years — at best — of the USMNT out of the forefront of American sports. All because U.S. soccer let 95 minutes of arrogance erase 31 years of progress.

 And that is truly a shame. ||||| Ashley Allen/Getty Images

 The United States Men's National Team lost to Trinidad & Tobago, 2-1, on Tuesday night and were eliminated from the 2018 World Cup as a result.

 There is plenty of blame to go around, including to a phantom goal that helped Panama jump the Americans in the standings, but the brunt of it should and will be placed on the players and coaches who underperformed for the better part of a year of CONCACAF qualifying play.

 The loss is devastating to the US men's soccer program, which had not missed a World Cup since 1986. But some executives at Fox Sports are surely just as upset with the result as coach Bruce Arena and his players.

 To win a bidding war with ESPN, Fox agreed to pay $400 million for the English-broadcast rights to the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. With the Americans eliminated from 2018 contention, those broadcasts are most likely significantly less valuable than previously imagined.

 If the US had made next year's finals, Fox would've gotten the chance to broadcast three group-stage games for the US side, with the possibility of more if the Americans were able to make a run into the knockout round. Instead, Fox will have to dig a bit deeper to find compelling storylines for American fans in the biggest tournament in the world.

 While there will still be plenty of interest in Russia 2018, it's no doubt disappointing to both American soccer fans and Fox that the US will not be a part of the competition. USMNT supporters had hoped that this World Cup would be a swan song for some of the stars who had brought so them much joy, including Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Tim Howard. It was also supposed to serve as a coming-out party and passing of the torch for the American wunderkind Christian Pulisic, the 19-year-old who scored the Americans' lone goal Tuesday night and who is clearly the future of the team's success if it's to have any.

 But rather than a final goodbye to beloved superstars and a grand welcome to the future of the sport, the American men's soccer machine will have to collect itself, lick its wounds, and figure out a way to recover.

 And for Fox's initial investment to be worth anywhere near what it had anticipated, the USMNT must find a way to figure itself out ahead of 2022. ||||| On the final day of World Cup qualification Tuesday, Argentina needed a win in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, to advance to Russia. With everything to lose and a soccer mad country on pins and needles, the legendary Lionel Messi recorded a hat trick and Argentina was safe.

 It’s crazy to compare Argentina to the United States because one country has the history and youth system to remain an international force. And we certainly don’t have and perhaps never will have a player on the level of Messi.

 But the mission and the pressure were the same. And all Bruce Arena’s team had to do was earn a tie against tiny Trinidad and Tobago to keep the USA’s World Cup dream alive.

 And we failed.

 Spectacularly.

 A shocking 2-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago, the worst team in the final round of CONCACAF regional qualifying and already eliminated, means no 2018 World Cup for the Red, White and Blue next summer. No trip to Russia. No grand stage for Christian Pulisic. And no luck for Fox Sports, which paid a fortune for the television rights.

 It took 90-plus minutes for United States soccer to regress 30 years.

 “It’s a blemish for us,” U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. “We should not be staying home for the World Cup.”

 The U.S. finished fifth in the group. CONCACAF sends three teams automatically to the World Cup: Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. The fourth, Honduras, heads to a playoff against an Asian confederation team, Australia.

 It took 90-plus minutes for United States soccer to regress 30 years. (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

 The political backdrop was impossible to ignore. Mexico gave up an 88th minute goal and lost, 3-2, to Honduras. A Mexico draw would have moved the U.S. into fourth place and a playoff with Australia. The United States needed help from Mexico. Imagine that. We didn’t get it.

 But really, the United States has only itself to blame. A tie would have secured third place and spot in Russia. It wasn’t asking much.

 “We had everything there for us today,” Arena said. “No excuses for us not getting a second goal and at least a point.”

 The U.S. was poor throughout qualifying. Jurgen Klinsmann was fired as coach 11 months ago after losing at home to Mexico and getting embarrassed, 4-0, in a loss at Costa Rica over a four-day stretch. Arena, who led the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, was installed as head coach. But a home loss to Costa Rica, followed by a draw against Honduras, put the team in the danger zone.

 The U.S. last missed the World Cup in 1986. It clinched a berth in 1990 by winning at Trinidad and Tobago on the last day of qualification. That watershed victory sparked a growth for soccer in this country. Youth participation exploded, Major League Soccer started in 1996 and the popularity of the sport grew.

 Even our player development improved. The best example is Pulisic, the 19-year-old budding star who scored the lone goal after the U.S. had fallen behind, 2-0, in the first half.

 But we didn’t have enough players to replace some of our aging stars. Tim Howard, a world class goalie five years ago, simply doesn’t have it anymore. Clint Dempsey is no longer capable of playing 90 minutes. Michael Bradley has lost a step.

 And our center back play was abysmal. Poor Omar Gonzalez, burned last month for Honduras’ goal, had his attempted clearance sail over Howard and into the net for an own goal.

 The U.S. last missed the World Cup in 1986. (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

 “It’s one that will haunt me forever,” Gonzalez said.

 The fallout from this will be epic. Heads will roll. Arena is done. Sunil Gulati, the president of the United States Soccer Federation, could be in trouble.

 Maybe the United States needed a major setback to move forward. Good teams, even great teams, have missed the World Cup. England and France didn’t qualify in 1994. The Netherlands is out of the 2018 World Cup. Italy has to win a playoff to get in.

 But it’s also much tougher to qualify in Europe. Same with South America. The United States has a geographic advantage, especially with the financial resources and population.

 The players are here. We just haven’t discovered enough of them. And we haven’t developed enough of them.

 It’s time for a reboot.

 And now we have until 2022 to get it right. ||||| COUVA, Trinidad and Tobago — On the most surreal and embarrassing night in U.S. soccer history, the U.S. men’s national team lost 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago (the worst team in the CONCACAF Hexagonal) and was eliminated from contention for World Cup 2018.

 The doomsday scenario happened.

 All the U.S. needed to do to qualify for the World Cup was to win or tie. And they lost, a deserving defeat that ended a miserable qualifying campaign—three wins in 10 Hexagonal games—and will raise enormous questions about the overall direction of the U.S. Soccer Federation, the players and coach Bruce Arena. The U.S. loss opened the door to Panama and Honduras, which both needed to win to ensure the U.S. elimination, which was exactly what happened. Honduras rallied from two deficits to beat Mexico in San Pedro Sula, while Panama rode a controversial Blas Perez opener and a Roman Torres late winner to beat Costa Rica in Panama City.

 Here are three thoughts on the USA's ouster:

 The U.S. should be utterly embarrassed

 On a night when Arena’s team had control of its own destiny, the Americans had one of the most infamous belly-flops in U.S. soccer history, losing to the already-eliminated Trinis with everything on the line for the United States.

 In a pitiful first-half performance, the U.S. lacked urgency and went through the motions while the hosts looked like the ones who had a chance to qualify for the World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago took a 2-0 halftime lead on an own-goal by Omar Gonzalez and a golazo from distance by Alvin Jones, and the U.S. response was tepid at best. This was a team with players acting like they thought they had already qualified for the World Cup, and it showed.

 Only one U.S. player had a decent game

 Christian Pulisic pulled one back for the Americans early in the second half with a laser from outside the box. Pulisic was largely bottled up otherwise, but at least he had one dazzling moment. His teammates could hardly say the same. Forwards Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood were nonexistent. Wings Darlington Nagbe and Paul Arriola were invisible. Goalkeeper Tim Howard could have been in better position on both goals. And Gonzalez showed with his own-goal and what should have been called a penalty soon thereafter that he was a poor choice by Arena to be on the field, especially with Premier League starter Geoff Cameron on the bench.

 Tear it all down

 The far-reaching impacts of this colossal failure will be felt for a long time, not just by the figures on the field on Tuesday but also by the millions and millions of dollars lost by any number of stakeholders in the sport in the United States. The men’s World Cup only comes around once every four years, and the missed opportunity to create millions of new soccer fans in the U.S. is a crushing blow. Missing the World Cup won’t cripple the sport in the U.S., but it will be a huge step back for a sport that had been on the rise for a long time. ||||| So the U.S. men's national team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday, but there is reason to believe they shouldn't have been eliminated. Panama beat Costa Rica 2-1 to clinch the final spot and send the U.S. crashing out, but the Panamanian's first goal didn't even go in. As to whether it can be appealed remained to be seen.

 CBS Sports reached out to U.S. Soccer about whether an appeal could be filed. Press Officer Michael Kammarman said in an email, "As far as I know there is no recourse. Decisions of the referee are final."

 It all comes from Gabriel Torres's phantom goal that made it 1-1. You'll see here, the ball never crossed the line:

 Estados Unidos se queda fuera del Mundial por un gol de Panamá que ni entró pic.twitter.com/k2JojPf7bq — Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) October 11, 2017

 Shocking. No goal-line technology, and this is what happens. An unbelievable scene, and certainly unfair. Yes, there's the human error part in any officiated match, but what recourse does the U.S. have? Rules from CONCACAF say an appeal can be filed for "parties directly affected by a decision" and that there are 21 days to file it -- whether this would fall under that remains to be seen:

 Article 54. Jurisdiction of CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland) as an appeals arbitration body

 1. As an appeals arbitration body, CAS shall be entitled to hear appeals against final decisions passed by CONCACAF.

 2. Only parties directly affected by a decision may appeal to CAS. However, where doping-related decisions are concerned, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) may appeal to CAS.

 3. The time limit for appeal to CAS shall be twenty-one (21) days from the receipt of the

 decision in question.

 4. An appeal before CAS may only be brought after CONCACAF's or FIFA's internal

 procedures and remedies have been exhausted.

 5. An appeal shall not have any suspensory effect as a stay of execution of a disciplinary

 sanction, subject to the power of CAS to order that any disciplinary sanction be stayed

 pending the arbitration.

 6. CAS shall not take into account facts or evidence which the appellant could have

 submitted to an internal CONCACAF body by acting

 Now, it's certainly a long shot for anything like this to be overturned. CAS usually sees more cases about doping and was involved in CONMEBOL qualifying. The goal will almost certainly stand, but the U.S. would be wise to do whatever it takes to have its voice heard after this decision. It's the difference between the U.S. going still having a chance to go to the World Cup or sitting at home and watching it. ||||| The biggest failure in American soccer history is as complex as it is damaging. There is no one source, no single target for blame. The list of culprits exceeds five, 10, 20 and even 100. The building blocks of a national soccer team are nearly infinite.

 Every single one of those building blocks will be smashed to bits by criticism following Team USA’s 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago, a defeat that eliminated it from World Cup contention. And rightly so. Much of the criticism is long overdue.

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 But some of the blocks that will crumble are bigger than others. Some are massive. Here are the five most blameworthy culprits of a failure that touched every level of the sport in the United States, in descending order, beginning with the least culpable of the five.

 5. Jurgen Klinsmann

 The former national team boss is far from the biggest culprit. But he’s not exempt here. He dug the U.S. a qualifying hole with losses to Mexico and Costa Rica 11 months ago.

 But Klinsmann’s faults were spread out over much more than 180 minutes last November. He ran the program into the ground with aimless tactics, a stale vision and constant ill-preparedness. He stunted players’ development by playing them out of position, and generally didn’t fulfill the promises he made when he took over as manager in 2011.

 Despite all that, though, his team cruised through qualification last time around, and outperformed expectations at the World Cup. His successor couldn’t even get there …

 4. Bruce Arena

 Arena, previously in charge of the national team from 1998 to 2006, was brought in to dig the U.S. out of Klinsmann’s hole. And the odd thing is that, well, he did. He got eight points from his first four qualifiers, and had the U.S. in position to qualify with ease.

 Story continues

 Then it all went wrong. Horribly, painfully, catastrophically wrong.

 Not all of the wrongdoing was Arena’s. In fact, not much of it was even when the U.S. picked up just one point from two September games against Costa Rica and Honduras. Those were primarily on the players. Perhaps all of this is primarily on the players. But more on them later.

 Arena cleaned up some of Klinsmann’s mess. But he created messes of his own, and those messes caught fire in Trinidad. His close-mindedness when it came to squad selection – his outright refusal to even care about replenishing an aging squad – came back to haunt him.

 His lineup philosophies were also two-faced. He seemingly believed in rotation and freshness over consistency, which worked in Mexico City in June, and barely did again in Honduras in September. But then he stuck with an unchanged starting 11 Tuesday in Trinidad, presumably thinking he had found a winning formula. He hadn’t. Instead, he found a tactically naive method to engineer the U.S.’ failure.

 Tuesday’s task was fundamentally different from Friday’s in every possible way. On Friday, Arena went all-out attack at home with the U.S. needing a win against Panama. Understandable. On Tuesday, with the U.S. needing only a point in substandard conditions away from home, he inexplicably chose attack again over solidity and control. He effectively played three strikers and two wingers, leaving the U.S. disjointed as a unit.

 He also benched his best center back – a center back who played 90 minutes the previous weekend for Stoke City in the English Premier League, and who has been doing just that, and doing it well, consistently for a while now. With that center back, Geoff Cameron, sitting on the bench, the mistake-prone Omar Gonzalez made a horrendous error that ultimately cost the U.S. a spot at the World Cup. But he never should have been in that position in the first place.

 Arena had one job. He didn’t do it. And he’s now coached his last game with the national team.

 U.S. Soccer Sunil Gulati has his first contested election coming up in February – if he decides to run. (Getty)

 3. Sunil Gulati

 It is impossible to shy away from criticism of the man who hired No. 4 and No. 5 on this list as well. The head honcho. United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati.

 His hires aren’t the only issue. But they’re the most easily identifiable. He had courted Klinsmann basically ever since the former German World Cup-winning striker managed his native land to third at the 2006 tournament on home soil. Gulati finally got him in 2011. It was an ambitious choice. A pricey one too. But it was probably always misguided.

 Nonetheless, Klinsmann performed somewhat admirably, at least initially. The issue was that the allure of his stature in world soccer was too much for Gulati to assess his performances accurately. The president, for some reason, rewarded his manager with a long-term contract extension before the 2014 World Cup, then clung to the coattails of a regime going backward for too long thereafter. When he did pull the trigger and axe Klinsmann 11 months ago, Arena was the right choice. The wrong choice was letting Klinsmann survive as long as he did.

 The wrong choices were also many other things. Gulati’s presence in powerful positions has probably been a net positive for soccer in America. But, among other failures, one of them the mishandling of Klinsmann, he has not adequately invested in youth development. In the building blocks that allow a national team to sustain consistent success. He and the federation have invested in them, but haven’t devoted enough attention to actually solving real problems. They are sitting on millions of dollars that could be used to address the problems. Those dollars haven’t been used for that purpose.

 And Gulati himself could pay. A U.S. Soccer presidential election looms in four months. Gulati, for the first time, has challengers. There will be louder calls for change than ever before.

 2. The players

 Gulati, though, didn’t make defensive errors. Arena didn’t misplace passes in midfield. Klinsmann didn’t waste chances in front of goal.

 The players, in the end, are to blame for what just transpired. They were deserving of praise on several specific occasions. On the whole, they, as a collective, were sub-par. And then on Tuesday, they were worse than that. Far worse.

 Not all of them were at fault. Christian Pulisic is and was special. Michael Bradley carried a massive burden and handled it fairly well. But the rest … most of them were mediocre at best. Jozy Altidore was too inconsistent. The back four were disorganized and generally underwhelming, whoever the four were. Darlington Nagbe didn’t live up to his creative billing. Tim Howard made several mistakes throughout the Hex, and in his prime might have kept out both of Tuesday’s goals.

 The players did not perform up to the standard expected of them. At times, circumstances could be used as legitimate excuses. But none of them excuse 12 points from 10 games against mostly inferior opposition.

 The natural follow-up question, then, is this: Did the players underperform? Or are they simply not good enough?

 1. A broken system

 The answer is both. The second item on this list speaks to the underperformance. The first, this one, speaks to the inadequacy.

 The U.S. player pool is strong. Stronger than it was two decades ago. But the obvious point is the broad one: That player pool is nowhere near what a nation of 325 million should be able to produce. The reasons for this are deep-seated and poisonous.

 The main one is the youth soccer model that was established in the U.S. decades ago. Whereas talented young players in many other countries are given scholarships to soccer academies, the vast majority of children in the U.S. “pay to play.” This slashes the size of the player pool into a fraction of what it could be, because kids from low-income families can’t afford the hefty registration fees and travel-related costs. Elite coaching eludes them. The issue is far too complex for this forum, but it’s a major hindrance.

 Talent identification and youth coaching have also been severely lacking. Scouting efforts ignore many under-served communities. Potential pros slip through the cracks at young ages. In many cases, kids aren’t educated properly, because they’re taught by teammates’ dads who don’t know the game. The kids, therefore, don’t develop the most relevant and applicable skills. Again, the root causes are impossible to explain in two paragraphs. But they’ve plagued the U.S. for years.

 The symptoms of the problems are easier to explain. As American Soccer Now’s Brian Sciaretta explored just last week, there is a glaring gap in the age profile of the current U.S. squad. There are talented youngsters and accomplished veterans. But the 23-27 age range – made up of players born in the years 1990-1994, players who came through the system before youth development reform truly took effect – is alarmingly bereft. A generation of players that should be spearheading the national team is absent.

 The “Missing Years,” as Sciaretta called them, more than anything else, explain why the U.S. shockingly couldn’t beat Trinidad and Tobago, a nation 1/230 its size. With MLS academies growing, other revamped youth systems producing and problems gradually – very gradually; too gradually – being addressed, this won’t happen again. Or at least it shouldn’t.

 But the failures in scouting and coaching have left a massive hole in the men’s national team. A hole that not even Klinsmann could dig. And one that the U.S. finally tripped into Tuesday in Trinidad.

 – – – – – – –

 Henry Bushnell covers soccer – the U.S. national teams, the Premier League, and much, much more – for FC Yahoo and Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.

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 The WARC files associated with this crawl are not currently available to the general public. ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| FILE - In this Tuesday, April 10, 2001 file photo, pop singer Christina Aguilera accepts her award for favorite female artist of the year from presenter Michael Clarke Duncan at the Seventh Annual Blockbuster... (Associated Press)

 Michael Clarke Duncan was one big, irresistible jumble of contradictions.

 His presence was formidable, even intimidating: The former bodyguard had a muscular, 6-foot-4 frame, but it was topped by the brightest of megawatt smiles.

 His gravelly baritone was well-suited to everything from animated films to action spectacles, but no matter the role, a warmth and a sweetness was always evident underneath.

 The prolific character actor, whose dozens of movies included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in "The Green Mile" and box office hits including "Armageddon," `'Planet of the Apes" and "Kung Fu Panda," died Monday at age 54. And although he only turned to acting in his 30s, it's clear from the outpouring of prayers and remembrances he received across the Hollywood and sports worlds that his gentle-giant persona made him much-loved during that relatively brief time.

 Duncan died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fianc??e, Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.

 Duncan "suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered," the statement said. "Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date."

 Tom Hanks, star of 1999's "The Green Mile" _ the film that earned a then-little-known Duncan a supporting-actor nomination at the Academy Awards _ said he was "terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike. He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of `The Green Mile.' He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned."

 "I will miss my friend, Michael Clarke Duncan," comedian and talk-show host Steve Harvey said on Twitter. "What an incredible soldier in God's Plan." Other sad and shocked reactions came from a diverse field that included Dallas Mavericks basketball team owner Mark Cuban, actresses Alexa Vega, Niecy Nash and Olivia Munn, and former boxing champion Lennox Lewis.

 In the spring of 2012, Duncan had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier.

 "I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat," he said. "I'm a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat."

 Duncan had a handful of minor roles before "The Green Mile" brought him accolades and fame. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers.

 Duncan's performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for "The Green Mile" after the two appeared together in "Armageddon." Duncan would work with Willis again in "Breakfast of Champions," `'The Whole Nine Yards" and "Sin City."

 His industrial-sized build was suited for everything from superhero films ("Daredevil") to comedy ("Talladega Nights," `'School for Scoundrels"). He could have made a career out of his voice work alone, with appearances in several animated and family movies, including, "Kung Fu Panda," `'Racing Stripes" and "Brother Bear." Among Duncan's television credits were "The Apprentice," `'Two and a Half Men," `'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and a new series, "The Finder."

 Born in Chicago in 1957, Duncan was raised by a single mother whose resistance to his playing football led to his deciding he wanted to become an actor. But when his mother became ill, he dropped out of college, Alcorn State University, and worked as a ditch digger and bouncer to support her. By his mid-20s, he was in Los Angeles, where he looked for acting parts and became a bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and other stars. The murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., for whom Duncan had been hired to protect before switching assignments, led him to quit his job and pursue acting full-time.

 Early film and television credits, when he was usually cast as a bodyguard or bouncer, included "Bulworth," `'A Night at the Roxbury" and "The Players Club."

 ___

 AP Writers Steve Loeper and Hillel Italie contributed to this report. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– The heart attack that ultimately killed Michael Clarke Duncan happened in July, the AP reports. The gentle giant of an actor "suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered," reads a statement from Duncan's fiancée, Apprentice-star-turned-minister Omarosa Manigault. Duncan was still being treated at LA's Cedars-Sinai Medical Center when he died yesterday. The AP notes that Duncan became a vegetarian three years ago, and just this spring did a video for PETA saying he was "a lot healthier" since giving up meat. Duncan and Manigault were planning to wed in January, reports TMZ. Wedding preparations had just begun when Duncan went into full cardiac arrest. Though doctors were flown in to help him, he never left the hospital. Tributes to the actor are rolling in from all corners of Hollywood, but one of the most touching comes from Tom Hanks, Duncan's co-star in The Green Mile. "I am terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike," Hanks tells Entertainment Tonight. "He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of The Green Mile. He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned."


News article:

Robert H. Richards IV (Photo: .) Story Highlights Superior Court judge: du Pont heir "will not fare well" in prison

 Court records show Richards as 6-foot-4, between 250 and 276 pounds.

 Jurden ordered Richards to "participate in a sex offenders" treatment program

 A Superior Court judge who sentenced a wealthy du Pont heir to probation for raping his 3-year-old daughter noted in her order that he "will not fare well" in prison and needed treatment instead of time behind bars, court records show.

 Judge Jan Jurden's sentencing order for Robert H. Richards IV suggested that she considered unique circumstances when deciding his punishment for fourth-degree rape. Her observation that prison life would adversely affect Richards was a rare and puzzling rationale, several criminal justice authorities in Delaware said. Some also said her view that treatment was a better idea than prison is a justification typically used when sentencing drug addicts, not child rapists.

 Richards' 2009 rape case became public this month after attorneys for his ex-wife Tracy filed a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the abuse of his daughter.

 The fact that Jurden expressed concern that prison wasn't right for Richards came as a surprise to defense lawyers and prosecutors who consider her a tough sentencing judge. Several noted that prison officials can put inmates in protective custody if they are worried about their safety, noting that child abusers are sometimes targeted by other inmates.

 "It's an extremely rare circumstance that prison serves the inmate well," said Delaware Public Defender Brendan J. O'Neill, whose office represents defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. "Prison is to punish, to segregate the offender from society, and the notion that prison serves people well hasn't proven to be true in most circumstances."

 O'Neill said he and his deputies have often argued that a defendant was too ill or frail for prison, but he has never seen a judge cite it as a "reason not to send someone to jail."

 Commentary: Take into account entire sentencing process

 Our view: Real questions about the Richards case

 Earlier story: Police investigated du Pont sex abuse claim

 Earlier story: Du Pont heir faces child sex lawsuit

 Richards was no frail defendant, court records show, listing him at 6 feet, 4 inches tall and between 250 and 276 pounds. Nor do court records cite any physical illnesses.

 O'Neill said the way the Richards case was handled might cause the public to be skeptical about "how a person with great wealth may be treated by the system."

 Richards, who is unemployed and supported by a trust fund, owns a 5,800-square-foot mansion in Greenville he bought for $1.8 million in 2005. He also lists a home in the exclusive North Shores neighborhood near Rehoboth Beach, according to the state's sex abuse registry. His great-grandfather is du Pont family patriarch Irenee du Pont, and his father is Robert H. Richards III, a retired partner in the Richards Layton & Finger law firm.

 Buy Photo 04/04/12-Wilmington, De.-xxxf.dpc.doj-Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden answers a question from a public defender after holding Mental Health court on Wednesday, April 4, 2012. The News Journal/JENNIFER CORBETT (Photo: The News Journal/JENNIFER CORBETT)

 Jurden, who has been a judge since 2001, and Superior Court President James T. Vaughn Jr. did not respond to questions last week about the case.

 Deputy State Court Administrator Amy Quinlan said in an email that judges must consider the charges, state sentencing guidelines and "any mitigating or aggravating factors and recommendations" from prosecutors, defense lawyers, corrections officials and others. "That procedure was followed in this case as well."

 The lawsuit filed by Richards' ex-wife accuses him of admitting to sexually abusing his infant son between 2005 and 2007, the same period when he abused his daughter starting when she was 3.

 Police said they investigated allegations involving the boy in 2010 after his mother filed a complaint, but said they did not have sufficient evidence to justify charges. Investigators will take another look at the allegations included in the lawsuit, which are based on reports by probation officers.

 CLOSE Robert H. Richards IV, a du Pont family heir who raped his 3-year-old daughter nearly a decade ago but received no prison time now faces a lawsuit from his former wife that accuses him of sexually abusing his toddler son. (3/18/14)

 The plea offer

 Attorney General Beau Biden's office had initially indicted Richards on two counts of second-degree rape of a child – Class B violent felonies that carry a mandatory 10-year prison term for each count.

 According to the arrest warrant filed by a New Castle County Police Detective JoAnna Burton in December 2007, the girl, then 5, told her grandmother, Donna Burg, that Richards sexually abused her.

 Burg said the child reported that her father told her it was "our little secret" but said she didn't want "my daddy touching me anymore." The girl said her father molested her in the bedrooms of her mother and brother in the mansion at 10 Summit Lane near Winterthur Museum, the arrest warrant said.

 Tracy Richards, who confronted her then-husband, told police he admitted abusing his daughter but said "it was an accident and he would never do it again," the warrant said.

 Richards was free on $60,000 secured bail while awaiting trial on the charges that could have put him behind bars for years.

 But in June 2008, just days before a scheduled trial, prosecutor Renee Hrivnak offered Richards a plea to a single count of fourth-degree rape, which carries no mandatory time, and he accepted, admitting in court that he abused his child.

 "It was more than reasonable, an enlightened plea offer," Richards attorney Eugene J. Maurer Jr. said.

 Probation offered

 Fourth-degree rape is a Class C violent felony that by law can bring up to 15 years in prison, though guidelines suggest zero to 2½ years in prison.

 At his February 2009 sentencing, Hrivnak recommended probation, Biden's chief deputy Ian R. McConnel said, adding that in retrospect he wished she would have sought prison time. Hrivnak would not comment.

 Biden spokesman Jason Miller said the attorney general – who routinely hails the prosecution of child predators as a top priority for his office – did not know about the case.

 Miller said only Hrivnak and her supervisor, Allison Texter, were part of the decision on how to resolve the case. Texter, who is now in private practice in Wilmington, did not return calls for comment.

 State Prosecutor Kathleen M. Jennings could not discuss the case, McConnel said, because she had represented Richards while he was on probation. Jennings, a former chief deputy attorney general, rejoined the office in November 2011 after about 15 years in private practice. She would not say when she represented Richards.

 McConnel would not discuss the rationale behind the Richards' plea deal and Hrivnak's recommendation of probation for the fourth-degree rape conviction.

 He noted, however that prosecutors handling child sex cases routinely have difficulty relying on the testimony of youngsters, especially if the defendant is their father. The well-being of the child is paramount in such cases and parents and prosecutors are often reluctant to put children through the trauma of testifying and being cross-examined, he said.

 "These cases are extremely complicated and difficult and we strive to do justice in each and every case to the best of our ability given the facts and circumstances presented," McConnel said. "That sometimes results in a resolution that is less than what we would want."

 'Will not fare well'

 While judges have the latitude to sentence defendants within legal parameters, they are urged to follow more lenient guidelines established by the Delaware Sentencing Accountability Commission, a panel of judges and other top officials in the criminal justice system. The panel, known as SENTAC, has a policy that prison should be reserved for violent offenders, including rapists.

 Jurden gave Richards, who had no previous criminal record, an eight-year prison term, but suspended all the prison time for probation.

 "Defendant will not fare well in Level 5 setting," said the final line of her sentencing order. In Delaware's correctional system, Level 5 is prison.

 Joseph S. Grubb, chief New Castle County prosecutor, said he was not involved in the case, but stressed that whether Richards' might suffer or thrive in prison was not something prosecutors considered.

 "It's not a concern for us," Grubb said. "We try to do the right thing in each case. Absent that equation is the physical condition of the defendant."

 Grubb said he did not know "how the judge gathered" that Richards might have trouble in prison, but assumed the presentence report included information she used. That report was not available in the court file.

 Buy Photo Delaware Public Defender Brendan J. O’Neill (Photo: The News Journal/FRED COMEGYS)

 O'Neill, the public defender, said that while Jurden's rationale surprised him, "I commend her for making such a courageous ruling. When I find the appropriate place, I'm going to make that argument."

 Defense lawyer Michael W. Modica said he has argued that clients should be spared prison because of medical or mental issues, but judges routinely reject the suggestion. He said he recently persuaded a prosecutor not to recommend prison for a client who had cardiac bypass surgery while awaiting sentencing for a DUI, and the judge sentenced the man to home confinement.

 "I've never heard of the judge saying in general that he is not going to do well," Modica said. "Who thrives in jail?"

 Treatment sentence

 Jurden also ordered Richards to "participate in a sex offenders" treatment program after his lawyer provided her with an evaluation from a clinic in Massachusetts. Her order stipulated that he undergo inpatient treatment followed by outpatient treatment. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with children under 16 and prohibited him from possessing pornography.

 Jurden's order also included other mitigating circumstances considered before sentencing, citing his "strong family support" and "significant treatment needs which must be met." The order noted, "Treatment needs exceed need for punishment," which the SENTAC manual lists as a factor for judges to consider.

 Attorneys said a treatment sentence is more common for first-time drug offenders, drunk drivers and the mentally ill, but is not unheard of for sex offenders. "It's not completely out of left field that a judge would say that," Grubb said.

 Prosecutor Josette Manning, who spent six years in the sex crimes unit, said juvenile offenders in Delaware are often sent to out-of-state treatment facilities rather than a detention center. Some adults can get sex treatment in prison, she said, but when an offender can afford to pay the cost of inpatient treatment themselves, judges sometimes make that part of the sentence instead of prison.

 "It's absolutely appropriate for a judge to consider a defendant's treatment needs during sentencing" for sex crimes, Manning said.

 Modica, who has represented numerous sex offenders, said he has seen the need for treatment as a factor in reduced sentences for defendants in child porn cases but not for sex crimes. "I can't think of a case like that," he said.

 Richards spent eight months on Level 3 probation, which requires weekly contacts with a probation officer, before Jurden moved him down to Level 2, which requires only monthly visits with a probation officer.

 'Right on'

 County police chief Elmer Setting said that while police can't control how attorneys and a judge resolve a case, "In serious situations where we have a guilty plea, we hope for prison time."

 Kendall Marlowe, executive director of National Association for Counsel for Children, said the bottom line is that individuals who abuse youngsters deserve to be punished.

 "Child protection laws are there to safeguard children, and adults who knowingly harm children should be punished," said Marlow, whose nonprofit agency assists lawyers who handle child welfare cases.

 "Our prisons should be more rehabilitative environments, but the prison system's inadequacies are not a justification for letting a child molester off the hook."

 Defense lawyer Joseph A. Hurley said it makes sense to him that the judge would be concerned about Richards' time in prison.

 "Sure, they have protective custody, but that is solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. We're not a third-world society," Hurley said.

 "Sex offenders are the lowest of the low in prison," Hurley said. "He's a rich, white boy who is a wuss and a child perv. The prison can't protect them, and Jan Jurden knows that reality. She is right on."

 Contact senior reporter Cris Barrish at (302) 324-2785, cbarrish@delawareonline.com or on Facebook.

 Read or Share this story: http://delonline.us/1jZU1Uo ||||| Revealed: Multimillionaire du Pont family heir was spared jail for raping his three-year-old daughter because judge decided he would 'not fare well' behind bars

 Robert Richards was charged with fourth-degree rape of his young daughter but was spared jail

 Shocking details about the offense and an alleged assault on his infant son have emerged in a lawsuit brought about by his ex-wife Tracy

 Richards is an unemployed heir living off his multi-million dollar trust fund

 His ex-wife is suing for compensation for her two children and the emotional distress they've endured

 In sentencing him in 2009, Judge Jurden said Richards would benefit from participating in a sex offenders rehabilitation program rather than prison

 Shocking details have emerged of how a multimillionaire heir to the du Pont chemical business was convicted of raping his three-year-old daughter but escaped serving prison time after a Delaware Superior Court judge ruled he would ‘not fare well’.

 Robert H. Richards IV was charged with fourth-degree rape in 2009 after he admitted that he had raped his daughter almost a decade ago.

 News of the shocking leniency shown to Richards, 46, only emerged on Tuesday in the details of a lawsuit filed against him by his ex-wife Tracy.

 Robert H. Richards IV was charged with fourth-degree rape in 2009 after he admitted that he had raped his daughter almost a decade ago

 News of the shocking leniency shown to Richards emerged just last Tuesday in the details of a lawsuit filed against him by his ex-wife Tracy

 In her lawsuit, Tracy Richards charges that he penetrated his daughter with his fingers while masturbating, and subsequently also assaulted his toddler son as well.

 Tracy Richards, who along with the two children now live in a rental home, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for assault, negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress on his two children.

 Robert Richards is an unemployed heir living off his trust fund. He is the great grandson of du Pont family patriarch Irenee du Pont, a chemical baron.

 According to the lawsuit filed by Richards' ex-wife, he also admitted to sexually assaulting his infant son in addition to his daughter between 2005 and 2007.

 Richards was initially indicted on two counts of second-degree child rape, felonies that translate to a 10-year mandatory jail sentence per count. He was released on $60,000 bail while awaiting his charges.

 Judge Jan Jurden, right, said Roberts, the great grandson of Irenee du Pont, left, would benefit from participating in a sex offenders rehabilitation program rather than serving any prison time

 Richards hired one of the state's top law firms and was offered a plea deal of one count of fourth-degree rape charges - which carried no mandatory minimum prison sentencing.

 He accepted, and admitted to the assault, reports the Detroit Free Press.

 Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden sentenced Richards to eight years in prison but suspended that for Level II probation, which requires monthly visits with a case officer.

 In sentencing him, Judge Jurden said Richards would benefit from participating in a sex offenders rehabilitation program rather than serving any prison time.

 Currently on probation, Richards has never been charged with crimes against his son.

 The lawsuit claims that Richards raped his daughter, now 11, in 2005 when she was three.

 Lawyers for Tracy Richards, far right, hold up photos of where her husband lives, the $1.8m mansion on the right and where she and their children currently rent on the left

 Several times, he entered her bedroom at night while she slept and penetrated her with his fingers while masturbating, said the lawsuit, which includes documents from the criminal case.

 Abuse of the children occurred at both of Richards' homes, including the 5,800-square-foot Greenville mansion that he paid $1.8 million for.

 Richards, who is 6'4 and about 250 lbs, told the girl 'to keep what he had done to her a secret,' but in October 2007 she told her grandmother, who informed Tracy Richards, the lawsuit said.

 The girl was taken to her pediatrician, whom she told about the abuse, and New Castle County police arrested him that December.

 Abuse of the children occurred at both of Richards' homes, including the 5,800-square-foot Greenville mansion that he paid $1.8 million for, pictured

 The proven abuse of his daughter and alleged assault of his son has caused his children 'long-term injuries,' the lawsuit filed Tuesday said, perhaps including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual dysfunction and shame.

 His daughter also has 'repressed memories of some instances of the abuse she suffered,' and if the son was abused, the same is true with him, the suit said.

 With medical treatment, the lawsuit said, those memories will likely 'begin to surface.'

 'Making matters worse this self admitted rapist and child abuser has not paid a single penny to these children for his crimes. There is no provision whatsoever for them for their future after they turn 18,' said Attorney Thomas Crumplar, who is representing Tracy Richards.

 At Tuesday's press conference he stood alongside Tracy and her mother Donna Burg. Burg, the maternal grandmother, is the one who alarmed Tracy of the abuse after talking to one of the grandchildren in 2007.

 Richards is a scion of two prominent Delaware families - the du Pont family who built the chemical empire and the Richards family who co-founded the prestigious corporate law firm Richards Layton & Finger.

 His father, Robert H. Richards III, was a partner in the law firm until his 2008 retirement.

 Video: Du Pont heir sued over abusing his own children

  |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– You'd expect some jail time for a child rapist, right? Not so for du Pont heir Robert H. Richards IV, who admitted to raping his 3-year-old daughter almost a decade ago, the Daily Mail reports. In a 2009 case that's only now coming to light, the News Journal reports that Delaware Judge Jan Jurden sentenced Richards to an eight-year prison term but suspended it for probation, plus a sex offenders rehabilitation program, because Richards "will not fare well" in prison and "treatment needs exceed need for punishment." The News Journal calls it "a rare and puzzling rationale" from a judge who is known for her tough sentencing, especially given that treatment is usually reserved for first-time drug offenders, drunk drivers, and the mentally ill. While some attorneys say such a sentence isn't unheard of, a public defender notes that the case raises questions about "how a person with great wealth may be treated by the system." A defense lawyer adds, "I've never heard of the judge saying in general that he is not going to do well ... Who thrives in jail?" A suit recently filed against Richards by his ex-wife is seeking damages for assaults on the couple's two children. Initially indicted on two counts of second-degree child rape, Richards took a plea deal of one count of fourth-degree rape, which carries no mandatory minimum prison sentence, the Daily Mail notes.


Article:

Kanye West Checks Out of Hospital Back at Home

 Kanye West Checks Out of Hospital

 Exclusive Details

 Kanye West is out of UCLA Medical Center after more than a week of treatment for his mental breakdown.

 TMZ has confirmed Kanye is at home with Kim Kardashian and their kids. We're told he left the hospital under the care of Kim, and his personal physician, Dr. Michael Farzam ... who called 911 the day Kanye was admitted.

 As we reported ... Kanye suffered what people close to him say was a "nervous breakdown," triggered in large part by the anniversary of his mother's funeral.

 Our sources say Kanye is not out of the woods ... he needs ongoing psychological and medical treatment.

 X17 first reported Kanye getting out. ||||| Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were struggling to keep up even before his November 21 hospitalization for extreme exhaustion. In the aftermath of the October 3 Paris robbery, during which Kardashian, 36, was tied up and held at gunpoint while thieves stole $10 million in jewelry, “it’s just been hell for them,” a source says in the new issue of Us Weekly. Find out more in the video above, and detailed below.

 While the reality star struggled to feel safe again, West, 39, returned to his 63-date Saint Pablo tour. But Kardashian, normally a backstage fixture, was too anxious to tag along. “The trauma of the incident made her more hesitant to do things,” explains the source. “Of course it strained their relationship, because she hadn’t seen him.”

 When he was home at their 11,000-square-foot Bel Air spread with kids North, 3, and Saint, 12 months, West’s workaholic tendencies got the best of him. “He would be up all night ranting about things,” says a source close to the 21-time Grammy winner. “They were fighting because he was impossible to live with.”

 Kardashian’s Paris ordeal left West paranoid and “completely freaked out,” says an insider. The fact that it happened near the nine-year anniversary of the loss of his mother, Donda, only deepened his distress. “The mere thought of his wife being taken from him was too much — it was like his mother’s death,” says a source close to West. “Seeing Kim close to death did a major number on him. It sent him into a tailspin.”

 Kardashian, meanwhile, was enduring her own nightmares and flashbacks, say sources. But when she tried to lean on her husband of two years, she was disappointed. “She felt like now she needed him to be stable and her rock instead of the other way around,” explains the Kim confidant. “Kanye’s so used to getting Kim’s constant support and coding, but it’s always about Kanye.”

 But then — as she was preparing to attend the November 21 Angel Ball in New York — she got that fateful call. West, who hadn’t slept “in about a week,” according to a source — was at the L.A.-area home of his trainer Harley Pasternak acting paranoid and psychotic. “He was having difficulty identifying what was real,” explains the source.

 Despite the recent rocky patch, Kim sprang into action, setting up camp in West’s private hospital room at UCLA Medical Center. And though the incident was scary for the reality star, a source close to the couple says she thinks it will heal their relationship. “Kanye’s behavior took a huge toll on their marriage,” says the source. “But Kim feels relieved he is getting the help he needs. She thinks this is what it will take to save him — and help their marriage.”

 For more on the pair’s struggles — and how Kim is nursing West back to health — pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now!

 Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!

 Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now! ||||| Story highlights Kanye West was released from UCLA Medical Center Wednesday after being under observation since November 22

 A source close to West told CNN that the rapper was hospitalized for exhaustion

 (CNN) Kanye West is headed home.

 The rapper checked out of UCLA Medical Center Wednesday after being under observation since November 22 and treated for exhaustion, a source close to the family told CNN.

 West's wife, Kim Kardashian West, has been at his bedside each day, the source said.

 The day before West was admitted to the hospital, his concert promoter, Live Nation, announced that the remaining dates of his Saint Pablo Tour had been called off

 Read More ||||| Kanye West Concerts On Hold ... Indefinitely

 EXCLUSIVE

 Kanye West is not committing to any concerts after the first of the year, and there is no date set for when he'll return to the stage ... TMZ has learned.

 Sources connected with Kanye tell us he is in a fragile state and needs medical and psychological help to become healthy again. There is no way of projecting a date when Kanye will have fully recovered, and as a result all of his Saint Pablo Tour shows are on hold.

 As we reported ... Kanye canceled all concerts through the end of 2016 just hours before he suffered a mental breakdown. At the time, he planned to get back on the road early in 2017, but now all bets are off.

 Our sources are quick to add Kanye could bounce back before the new year, but it's just too early to tell.

 At least there's good news in the financial department. As TMZ first reported, Kanye has an insurance policy that covers his profits and obligations as a result of concert cancellations. |||||
What is a summary?

– Kanye West was released from the hospital Wednesday, sources tell CNN. West, who was brought to UCLA's medical center after a nervous breakdown, was reportedly treated for exhaustion and is now home with wife Kim Kardashian and their children. TMZ says the breakdown was triggered by the anniversary of his mother's funeral, and that his Saint Pablo concert tour, which he put on hold before being admitted to the hospital, is still on hold indefinitely. Sources say the rapper still requires medical and psychological treatment. Also on hold indefinitely: production of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Sources tell TMZ that thanks to West's hospitalization and Kardashian's robbery at gunpoint, there's no telling when filming will begin again. Kim is said to be "rethinking everything." Sources tell Us Kardashian and West were fighting a lot before his hospitalization. After the robbery, when West returned to his tour, Kardashian was too anxious to go along. "Of course it strained their relationship, because she hadn’t seen him," one source says. When he was home from the tour, "he would be up all night ranting about things" while continuing to work, adds a source. "They were fighting because he was impossible to live with." And then there was the fact that Kardashian was robbed so close to the anniversary of his mother's death, sources say; the combination was too much for West to handle: "Seeing Kim close to death did a major number on him. It sent him into a tailspin." That, in turn, led Kardashian to be unhappy, because she felt West wasn't supporting her in her time of need. Sources say she's relieved he's now getting help.


Selena Gomez Underwent Kidney Transplant Best Friend Donor

 Selena Gomez Underwent Kidney Transplant, Donor Best Friend Francia Raisa

 Selena Gomez underwent a kidney transplant this summer, and the donor was her best friend.

 Selena posted this pic post-surgery of her and kidney donor Francia Raisa. She said, "I'm very aware some of my fans had noticed i was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn't promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of."

 Selena goes on ... "So I found out I need to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health."

 And then she thanks her friend ... "There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift." ||||| Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

 Definition By Mayo Clinic Staff

 Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

 Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.

 Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms.

  ||||| Selena Gomez has been given the gift of life from her best friend.

 The 25-year-old singer revealed that the reason she quietly stepped back from her career over the summer was because she was recovering from a kidney transplant.

 Get push notifications with news, features and more.

 “I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of,” Gomez captioned the Instagram post. “So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health.”

 Selena Gomez Instagram

 The “Hands to Myself” singer also shared that the donor was her longtime pal Francia Raisa, an actress best known for her role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

 Gomez shared a photo of the friends holding hands from their hospital beds as well as photos of her stomach following the surgery.

 “There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,” said Gomez. “She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

 Selena Gomez Instagram

 Selena Gomez/Instagram

 In an October 2015 interview with Billboard, Gomez revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus and was undergoing chemotherapy for the autoimmune disease.

 In August 2016, Gomez took a career break after suffering from “anxiety, panic attacks and depression” due to her lupus diagnosis.

 “As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways. I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges,” she said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.

 “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”

 RELATED VIDEO: Selena Gomez Taking Time Off After Dealing with ‘Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Depression’ Due to Her Lupus Diagnosis

 Gomez told Billboard in December 2016 that she decided to go public with her diagnosis because she wanted to be an advocate for the disease.

 “I waited for the right time to talk about it because I am in a great place, and I’m very healthy,” she said. “I’m not trying to be loud about it: It was time to use my platform to help.” ||||| Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

 Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

 Selena Gomez has a new kidney from a longtime friend.

 “I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of,” the “Bad Liar” singer wrote on Instagram Thursday. “So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health.”

 Gomez, 25, thanked her doctors, family, friends and medical personnel for their care, but her biggest gratitude was for her best friend, dancer and actress Francia Raisa, who actually donated her kidney.

 “There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me,” the former Disney star gushed. “I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

 Gomez has been open about her struggle with the autoimmune disease before. In October 2015, she revealed that she underwent chemotherapy to treat the illness, and she took a break from the spotlight to go to a Tennessee rehabilitation center in August 2016 to deal with anxiety and depression reportedly caused by her lupus. ||||| Why us?

 Our funding is leading to key discoveries that are improving diagnosis and therapies, while enabling researchers to find the way toward prevention and ultimately a cure for lupus. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– TMZ has the scoop on why Selena Gomez was largely absent from the public eye over the summer—and it didn't have anything to do with Justin Bieber or any other petty drama that TMZ is often known for exposing. The singer revealed Thursday morning via an Instagram post that she hadn't been out promoting her new music because she was healing after a kidney transplant, which was necessitated by her lupus. The kidney donor shown holding hands with Gomez from their hospital beds in the accompanying pic: Francia Raisa, deemed Gomez's "best friend" by TMZ and other outlets. "There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa," Gomez wrote. "She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me." BuzzFeed and People note Gomez has been open in the past about her struggle with the chronic autoimmune disease, which can result in the inflammation of different organs, including the kidneys. That openness carried through on Instagram, where the 25-year-old not only posted the pic of herself and Raisa, but also a couple of images showing her post-surgery, including the scar she now sports across her abdomen. Gomez also included a link to the Lupus Research Alliance for those interested in more information about this "misunderstood" disease. "I am incredibly blessed," Gomez wrote on Instagram, adding to Raisa: "I love you so much sis."


News article:

A hiker died on Monday after falling from the cables near the summit of Half Dome at Yosemite National Park.

 The victim’s body was recovered on Tuesday.

 The National Park Service said two hikers were on the cables on Monday during thunderstorm activity when a male hiker slipped and fell. His name has not been released pending notification of his family.

 Rangers were contacted and assisted the other hiker.

 Half Dome is one of the symbols of Yosemite, and the trail to the top is one of the most popular routes in the park, requiring reservations to prevent overcrowding.

 Every spring, cables are put into place along the final 400 feet to help hikers make the steep ascent to the 8,839-foot granite summit. ||||| In this July 15, 2014 photo, hikers gather in the foreground as climbers use the assistance of cables to scale Half Dome in Yosemite National Park National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. A hiker... (Associated Press)

 YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A hiker in Yosemite National Park fell to his death while climbing the iconic granite cliffs of Half Dome in rainy conditions, authorities said Tuesday.

 The National Park Service said the accident occurred Monday at about 4:30 p.m. in the Northern California national park. The hiker's body was recovered Tuesday afternoon.

 NPS spokeswoman Jamie Richards said the man and a companion were scaling the steepest part of the trail where rangers recently installed cables to help hikers to climb the steepest part of the 4,800-foot (1,463-meter) ascent.

 Richards said the companion was helped from the trail and was unharmed.

 The cables are installed each summer to assist the thousands of hikers who make the popular 14-mile (23-kilometer) round trip. Richards said hikers can clip safety harnesses to the cables, but the vast majority don't.

 Richards said investigators are still trying to determine how the fall occurred. She said it's unclear if the hikers were climbing in the rain, but that the well-worn trail over smooth rock was wet.

 The NPS declined to release the man's name pending notification of his family. The NPS said it's the first fatal fall from Half Dome since 2010.

 NPS requires hikers to obtain permits to hike the popular trail to avoid overcrowding during the peak summer season. ||||| (CNN) A hiker fell to his death on Monday while ascending Yosemite National Park's famous Half Dome trail, the US National Park Service said.

 The hiker was on the trail's Half Dome cables, the park service said in a statement. He was hiking with another person during thunderstorm activity around 4:30 p.m. when he slipped and fell.

 The cables take hikers up the last 400 feet to the summit of Half Dome, which rises nearly 5,000 feet above California's Yosemite Valley.

 Park rangers were notified and went to the scene to assist the second hiker, the NPS said. The missing hiker's body was found around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

 His identity will be released after his family is notified.

 Read More |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– A hiker exploring California's Yosemite National Park died Monday when he slipped from cables leading to the 8,800-foot peak of its famed Half Dome. The man was climbing the last 400 feet of the summit with the help of installed metal cables when he slipped during a thunderstorm around 4:30pm, reports CNN. His body was recovered Tuesday afternoon, though his identity is being withheld until family members are notified. His lone companion was helped from the trail without injury, per the AP. Noting most park accidents occur in wet conditions, officials say this is the first fatality on the Half Dome cables since 2010 and the first visitor fatality this year, per CNN. Per the Huffington Post, hikers are advised to avoid the Half Dome during storms. "If a storm appears nearby, do not continue to the summit and, if in the summit area, leave the area (while still using caution when descending the cables and steps)," the National Park Service says. A rep adds most hikers don't attach safety harnesses to the cables. (A 2015 rock fall made the route more challenging.)


Here is a news article: Professor Shambaugh is an internationally recognized authority and author on contemporary China and the international relations of Asia, with a strong interest in the European Union and transatlantic issues.

 Before joining the faculty at George Washington, he held the positions of Reader in Chinese Politics at the University of London's School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) and Editor of The China Quarterly. He also previously served as an analyst on the staff of the National Security Council East Asia Bureau and the Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence & Research (1976-78). He was also a nonresident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at The Brookings Institution (1998-2015), previously directed the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (1986-87), served on the Board of Directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (2009-2015), and has been elected a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, U.S. Asia-Pacific Council, and other public policy and scholarly organizations. He is a recipient of research grants from the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, German Marshall Fund, British Academy, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and other philanthropic bodies. He has been appointed a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (2002-03), an Honorary Research Professor at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (2008–), a Senior Fulbright Research Scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of World Economics & Politics in Beijing (2009-10), and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the S. Ranjaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore (2017). Professor Shambaugh has also been a visiting scholar or professor at universities in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Japan, Russia, and Taiwan. He is also a frequent contributor to the international media, serves on a number of editorial boards, and has been a consultant to various governments, research institutions, foundations, and private corporations.

 Professor Shambaugh is a prolific author, having published more than 30 books and 300 articles. ||||| Propaganda officials warn state media off using moniker after push to portray leader as man of the people appears to backfire

 Chinese propaganda chiefs have reportedly ordered state-controlled media to refrain from using the nickname “Big Daddy Xi” to refer to the president.

 Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012 the epithet has been at the centre of an energetic push to portray the Communist party leader as an omnipotent people’s president.

 An entire genre of “Big Daddy Xi”-themed songs has sprung up, fuelling fears that he is attempting to build a Mao-like personality cult.

 Singing Xi's praises: chorus of Chinese pop songs celebrate president Read more

 However, China’s official news agency, Xinhua, and the leading 21st Century Business Herald newspaper have received instructions to steer clear of the nickname, Bloomberg reported.

 One Xinhua journalist told the Guardian the news group had become cautious in its use of the nickname “Xi Dada” – which translates as Big Daddy or Uncle Xi – although they had not seen a specific written instruction to avoid the term.

 The moniker has not appeared on Xinhua’s website since 27 April but did show up in a 1 May story on another party-run news website with the headline: “What Big Daddy Xi said at the Communist party’s Central Party School conference.”

 It is unclear why Beijing’s propaganda officials have decided to step back from Xi’s nickname. Experts believe it may hint at growing discomfort – both in and outside China – about how the leader is portrayed as a Mao-style autocrat.

 In recent weeks, Chinese officials have expressed discomfort over the perception that a cult of personality is growing around their leader. The website of the Economist was blocked in China after a cartoon on its front page showed Xi sporting a Mao-style Zhongshan suit beside the headline: “Beware the cult of Xi”.

 Writing in the New York Review of Books this month, Columbia University’s Prof Andrew J Nathan accused Xi of bringing back “many of the most dangerous features of Mao’s rule: personal dictatorship, enforced ideological conformity, and arbitrary persecution”.

 Kerry Brown, the author of CEO, China: The Rise of Xi Jinping, said the apparent move to purge Xi’s nickname from headlines was a possible admission that China’s portrayal of its leader had backfired.

 While spin doctors had hoped to paint Xi as a respected globe-trotting world leader, Brown said, large portions of the international community and media now viewed Xi as “a big, big dictator”.

 “That’s a big-time propaganda failure,” he said. “I can imagine that in their five-minute-a-month meeting with Xi Jinping, the head of publicity got told: ‘Whose bright idea was that [nickname]? Send him or her to Gansu [in China’s far west]!’”

 Brown added: “They don’t want [China] to be seen as an autocracy. So this interpretation of the outside world as a Xi Jinping autocracy must be driving them absolutely nuts.”

 'Rule the party strictly!': Chinese president 'Big Daddy Xi' makes rap debut Read more

 Roderick MacFarquhar, a Harvard University China expert, said the apparent abandonment of the nickname was unlikely to signal a change in direction for the authoritarian leader, who has suggested is the country’s most powerful since Mao.

 “My own feeling is that he may be tweaking the way he presents himself but I don’t think that he is changing his fundamental principles. [His belief remains] that if there is going to be a ‘Chinese dream’ it has got to be Xi Jinping who is in charge,” MacFarquhar said.

 “I don’t know whether his spies or informants have told him that ‘Xi Dada’ has made him look rather ridiculous … but there is some talk that the propaganda chief may have been overdoing it deliberately, and maybe Xi Jinping fell for that.”

 Qiao Mu, an outspoken journalism professor from the Beijing Foreign Studies University, said he was unaware of an explicit directive to avoid the nickname but said it was possible verbal orders had been given to tone down the intense media focus on Xi. The academic said he would welcome such a move.

 “The members of the politburo should all be equal. So why don’t we have a ‘Big Daddy Wang’ and a ‘Big Daddy Zhang’, as well as a ‘Big Daddy Xi’?”

 MacFarquhar admitted the inner workings of Chinese politics were so opaque it was hard to grasp the significance of the move. “I think there are all sorts of currents around Chinese leaders at the moment and it is difficult to tell who is on whose side,” he said.

 Additional reporting by Christy Yao. ||||| Rating is available when the video has been rented.

 This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. ||||| It was the dream of pop stardom that convinced Zhou Dandan, a belly dancing instructor from Hubei province, to pen her paean to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

 For Tang Jianyu it was a desire to canonise her country’s commander-in-chief. “He is the ideal husband for any girl,” gushed Tang, a 39-year-old amateur musician from Wuxi in Zhejiang province.

 As Xi moves into his fourth year as president of the world’s most populous nation, the two musicians are part of a growing chorus of Chinese minstrels singing the praises of the man they call “Xi Dada” which translates as Uncle or Big Daddy Xi.

 A rapidly expanding list of pop hits celebrating the president includes tracks such as Our Xi Dada, The Idol Xi Dada, If You Want to Marry, Marry Somebody Like Xi Dada, China has its Xi Dada, Be a Man Like Xi Dada and, best known of all, Xi Dada Loves Peng Mama (a reference to China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan).

 “I want to sing Big Daddy Xi’s praises,” explained Zhou, 29, who is from the city of Xiangyang and uses the stage name “A Yi Mi La”. “There are millions of reports telling Xi’s story so it struck me I should write a song about him.”

 She added: “I think he is a very ambitious [leader]. He is very bold but at the same time cautious.”

 Part of the fast-growing Xi repertoire seems to be genuinely spontaneous tributes to a leader whose high-profile anti-corruption campaign has won him many fans.

 Other works – such as a big budget television song and dance extravaganza that was reportedly bankrolled by the government of Hunan province – appear part of a coordinated propaganda push to bolster Xi’s standing.

 “We are in your hearts! You are in our hearts! You love us, the people! We the people deeply love you!” the performers of that state-backed song chant.

 Some detect a troubling attempt to build a Mao-esque personality cult around Xi.

 Carl Minzner, an expert in Chinese governance at New York’s Fordham University, said Xi’s time in office had seen an increasingly intense and fawning focus on the Communist party chief in the media and some sections of the arts.

 “You put all those things together … and it’s a budding cult of personality. And the fear about that is that this has echoes that go back to the Maoist era and you just wonder how that might get used,” he said.

 In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the revered China scholar David Shambaugh said: “I thought the Chinese system had moved beyond one-man-rule and personality cults.”

 He added: “Xi has obviously reversed this carefully crafted norm, and I do not think it is good for China. This is not the 1960s.”

 Daniel Leese, author of Mao Cult: Rhetoric and Ritual in China’s Cultural Revolution, said Xi had a long way to go before emulating Mao’s cult following. However, he too saw hints of a personality cult developing around Xi.

 Unlike the portrayal of Mao Zedong, Xi was not depicted as a god-like figure. “He is not superhuman,” Leese said.

 Rather, propaganda chiefs sought to craft the image of an approachable public servant who boasted both supreme leadership skills and the ability to act as a detached and influential political referee.

 Budding poets are also attempting to get in on the act, including Pu Liye, the author of one recent ode to Xi. “General secretary, my eyes follow in your wake. And in these eyes my verse takes shape,” reads one of the poem’s opening lines.

 Pu, a journalist at the state-run Xinhua news agency, declined to discuss his homage to Xi, which was received with widespread derision on the internet, but he confirmed that he wrote the politically-charged stanzas.

 “I don’t want to say much,” he said. “Is that OK?”

 Additional reporting by Christy Yao ||||| China has become the powerhouse of the world economy, its incredible boom overseen by the elite members of the secretive and all-powerful communist party. But since the election of Xi Jinping as General Secretary, life at the top in China has changed. Under the guise of a corruption crackdown, which has seen his rivals imprisoned, Xi Jinping has been quietly building one of the most powerful leaderships modern China has ever seen. In CEO China, the noted China expert Kerry Brown reveals the hidden story of the rise of the man dubbed the 'Chinese Godfather'. Brown investigates his relationship with his revolutionary father, who was expelled by Mao during the Cultural Revolution, his business dealings and allegiances in China's regional power struggles and his role in the internal battle raging between the old men of the Deng era and the new super-rich 'princelings'. Xi Jinping's China is powerful, aggressive and single-minded and this book will become a must-read for the Western world. ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| A push to rein in a popular nickname for Chinese President Xi Jinping signals his image-makers are refining their effort to portray him as a populist hero of the masses.

 In recent weeks, news outlets including the official Xinhua News Agency and the 21st Century Business Herald have been cautioned against using “Xi Dada” in reports and on social media, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

 QuickTake China's Pain Points

 Xinhua employees were told last Friday not to refer to Xi as "Dada," said one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal policies. The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission received a similar order for its publications, according to another person.

 Since Xi came to power more than three years ago, the name -- literally Xi Big Big, or Big Daddy Xi in his hometown vernacular -- has proliferated on social media, with videos, songs and poetry praising him as an affable father figure. While that image has helped offset perceptions of his privileged upbringing as the "princeling" son of a revolutionary leader, it’s fueled criticism that the Communist Party was building a new personality cult like the one blamed for political turmoil under Mao Zedong.

 Edicts banning the use of the name by state-controlled media show authorities feel they need to tone down the rhetoric, said Zhang Lifan, a Beijing-based historian and political commentator.

 "The deification effort has hit a snag," Zhang said. "The approach was a bit too crude and went overboard, and it met with resistance and even sparked repulsion. The propaganda team needs something different to accentuate Xi’s authority."

 Fan Club

 The name "Xi Dada" dates back to the early days of his ascension as party secretary, with a verified fan club using it in a December 2012 post on the Twitter-like Weibo, according to the website of the party’s People’s Daily newspaper. It’s a term used in Shaanxi, the northwestern region where Xi’s father was born and where the future president toiled as a "sent-down youth" during Mao’s Cultural Revolution.

 Tourists pose for photos at the Qing-Feng Steamed Dumpling Shop in Beijing on Dec. 29, 2013, a day after Xi Jinping dropped in unexpectedly and ordered a simple lunch meal. Photographer: Ng Han Guan/AP Photo

 Xi personally endorsed the nickname in September 2014, when he gave a school teacher visiting Beijing from the southwest province of Guizhou permission to address him by it. "Xi Dada" became a central feature of a social media campaign encouraged by state-controlled media, including smiling cartoons of Xi and photos of his impromptu visit to a Beijing dumpling shop.

 Before Xi’s visit to the U.S. last September, the People’s Daily posted the online video "Who Is Xi Dada?" featuring foreign students expressing admiration for the "cute" leader. A song with the lyric, "If you want to marry, marry someone like Xi Dada, a man full of heroism, with a strong backbone," was circulated widely this year.

 Personality Politics

 Such imagery struck others as a regression to personality politics. Deleted Weibo posts collected by the U.S.-based China Digital Times website include protests against the term, with one August 2014 post describing it as "only used by prostrating lackeys hungry for a daddy."

 Why authorities are now reining in the term is unclear. A 21st Century Business Herald journalist, who was informed about the policy recently and asked not to be identified, said the name was overused and probably seen as counterproductive. While media and government agencies have been told not to use the nickname, there’s no indication it’s being blocked from Internet searches or scrubbed from web pages and social media accounts.

 One contributing factor may have been public criticism of the Lunar New Year Gala in February, an event watched by 690 million people, according to China Central Television. Stages symbolizing steps in Xi’s political career and sequences extolling his leadership of last year’s military parade led Internet users to dismiss the show as politicized and an extended version of CCTV’s state-managed nightly news broadcast.

 "My guess is that Xi doesn’t want his image to be too familiar and warm," said Perry Link, author of "An Anatomy of Chinese: Rhythm, Metaphor, Politics," and a professor of Chinese studies at the University of California at Riverside. "He would rather it be imposing and awe-inspiring, like Mao’s." |||||
A summary of this is?

– It seemed a good idea at the time, but China's propaganda officials are now reportedly walking back one particular attempt to paint President Xi Jinping as the "people's president" by asking state media to stop referring to him by his nickname, per the Guardian. That nickname is "Xi Dada," or "Big Daddy Xi," and while the intent of the moniker was, as another Guardian article frames it, to "craft the image of an approachable public servant," it seems to have instead created a cult of personality that some fear is reminiscent of Mao Zedong. Sources tell Bloomberg that both the Xinhua News Agency and the 21st Century Business Herald were "cautioned" last month about using "Xi Dada," even though the name doesn't appear to have been blocked from online searches or scrubbed online, and no explicit written ban seems to have been issued. The nickname got its start after a fan club started circulating it in 2012, per the People's Daily, and Xi himself gave it the thumbs-up in 2014. There's even a series of songs that have been dedicated to Big Daddy Xi, including "Our Xi Dada" and "Xi Dada Loves Peng Mama" (referring to his wife). "I thought the Chinese system had moved beyond one-man-rule and personality cults," noted Chinese scholar David Shambaugh scoffs to the Guardian. "I do not think it is good for China. This is not the 1960s." Experts speculate it's that sort of thinking that may have caused officials to try to pull back the name, even blocking the Economist website for posting a cartoon Xi in a Mao-style getup next to the headline, "Beware the cult of Xi." Some say Xi is likely not pleased. "That's a big-time propaganda failure," the author of a book on Xi's rise tells the Guardian. "I can imagine that in their five-minute-a-month meeting with Xi Jinping, the head of publicity got told: 'Whose bright idea was that [nickname]? Send him or her to Gansu [in China's far west]!'" (Did Taiwan's president call him "Big Daddy Xi" during their historic handshake?)