Here is a news article: White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci took a page out of President Trump’s playbook Wednesday night with a tweet threatening to sic the FBI on a supposed information leaker. “In light of the leak of my financial disclosure info which is a felony. I will be contacting the FBI and the Justice Department,” Scaramucci wrote, inexplicably tagging White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Scaramucci did not specify what information was leaked, but a Politico article cited the incoming communications director’s required financial disclosure in reporting he earned $4.9 million since last year from his ownership stake in investment firm SkyBridge. Scaramucci appeared to delete the tweet, but in a subsequent post said Priebus was among the senior White House officials helping to crack down on leaks. ||||| The incoming White House communications director earned $4.9 million from his ownership stake in SkyBridge. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Scaramucci still stands to profit from SkyBridge from the White House The newly named White House communications director has earned millions from ownership stake since last year, according to his financial disclosure.

 Anthony Scaramucci finally has his White House job, but he still stands to profit from an ownership stake in his investment firm SkyBridge Capital.

 The incoming White House communications director earned $4.9 million from his ownership stake in SkyBridge in addition to more than $5 million in salary between Jan. 1, 2016, and the end of June, when he joined the Export-Import Bank, according to a financial disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics.

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 The disclosure form, which is publicly available upon request, hasn’t been previously reported.

 The disclosure highlights the extensive wealth Scaramucci has accumulated in his career — much like many of Trump’s other top advisers and Cabinet secretaries — and also the challenge he faces in extracting himself from the potential conflicts his investments could pose.

 Scaramucci’s financial filing values SkyBridge Capital at more than $50 million and states that he owns nearly 44 percent of the firm. When the sale of the company is completed, expected to be in the third quarter of this year, he will receive “the agreed-upon purchase price for his share of the sale proceeds,” according to the filing.

 Bloomberg valued the Skybridge deal at between $200 million and $230 million when it was announced in January.

 “It’s black and white that he’s going to get money,” said Austin Evers, executive director at American Oversight, a watchdog group that focuses on transparency in government.

 The SkyBridge website continues to advertise Scaramucci as the firm's managing director, despite the fact that he has been a government employee for more than a month. A SkyBridge spokeswoman said Scaramucci stepped down from the executive post Jan. 17, when the company’s sale was announced. He remained an employee of the firm, collecting a salary, until starting at Ex-Im last month.

 The investment firm, which Scaramucci founded in 2005, is in the process of being sold to RON Transatlantic and Chinese conglomerate HNA Group. The sale, set in motion in January when Scaramucci was shedding his holdings in anticipation of landing an administration job, has drawn the scrutiny of regulators and is taking longer than expected to close.

 The interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is examining the deal to ensure that it carries no risk to national security. The panel’s review, which comes amid ramped-up scrutiny of business dealings with China, ultimately can be overruled by President Donald Trump.

 Scaramucci said Friday his start date wouldn’t be until August so that everything can be “100 percent totally cleansed and clean and I don’t see an issue with it.”

 White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom referred questions about Scaramucci’s SkyBridge investment to the Treasury. Treasury spokeswoman Marisol Garibay did not respond to requests for comment.

 Scaramucci, a Trump fundraiser and frequent campaign surrogate whose appointment to an administration post was delayed in part because of the complicated nature of the SkyBridge sale, joined Ex-Im in June.

 Ex-Im was seen as a "very temporary move," a way to get the Trump loyalist to Washington until a higher-level position could be found, according to one White House adviser.

 The bank is across the street from the White House, where Scaramucci was free to come and go thanks to security credentials that gave him 24-hour access. That allowed him to elude the detection of senior White House staffers, including chief of staff Reince Priebus.

 Scaramucci has been on unpaid leave from Ex-Im since the day he started there, June 19, a bank spokeswoman said, forgoing his $172,100 salary as chief strategy officer.

 A friend said Scaramucci thought his stay at the bank would be longer-lived and that the White House job came unexpectedly.

 In his disclosure, Scaramucci listed assets worth as much as $85 million. He has several real estate investments, including single-family rental homes on Long Island.

 A minority stake in the New York Mets is worth as much as $5 million. He also is an investor in Juice Press, a chain of snack and smoothie shops in the Northeast.

 Scaramucci earned $200,000 in income from a majority stake in Hastings Capital Group, according to his financial disclosure. That ownership share also will be sold as part of the SkyBridge deal with RON and HNA.

 As a contributor to Fox News, Scaramucci earned about $88,000, according to his financial disclosure.

 He has three mortgages with U.S. Bank for a total liability of $2.5 million to $7 million.

 Josh Dawsey contributed to this report. ||||| Tweet with a location

 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| WASHINGTON — In the five days since he was named White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci has vowed to hunt down leakers and fire anyone he catches. By the end of his fifth day, he was on the receiving end of what he called a leak about himself.

 The financial disclosure form that Mr. Scaramucci filed with the government appeared on Politico’s website on Wednesday night, showing that he has assets worth as much as $85 million. He made $5 million in salary and another $4.9 million from his ownership stake in his investment firm SkyBridge Capital in the first six months of this year, according to the filing.

 Mr. Scaramucci responded angrily. “In light of the leak of my financial disclosure info which is a felony,” he wrote on Twitter, “I will be contacting @FBI and the @TheJusticeDept.”

 He added the hashtag #swamp, reflecting President Trump’s promise to drain the swamp, and then included the Twitter handle of Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, who opposed Mr. Scaramucci’s appointment last week. |||||
A summary of this is?

– New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was not happy about what he believed was a leak of information from his financial disclosure Wednesday—though it later emerged that the form was available to the public. "In light of the leak of my financial disclosure info which is a felony. I will be contacting @FBI and @TheJusticeDept #swamp @Reince45," Scaramucci said in a now-deleted tweet, per the Daily Beast. Scaramucci later denied suggestions that his tagging of Reince Priebus was a declaration of war on the White House chief of staff. "Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks," Scaramucci said in a second tweet. The disclosure information believed to have enraged Scaramucci appeared in a Politico report late Wednesday. According to the report, Scaramucci earned $4.9 million from his ownership stake in the SkyBridge Capital plus more than $5 million in salary from Jan. 1, 2016, to the end of June this year, when he began a short-lived stint at the federal Export-Import Bank. The New York Times notes that Scaramucci filed the disclosure form June 23 and under federal law, it would have been available to the public 30 days later. "They aren't in process yet," Scaramucci wrote to the Times after being asked why he thought the report had been leaked. He didn't respond after being told it would have been available July 23.


The deputy director of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy admitted Tuesday that marijuana was less deadly than alcohol, but insisted that pot was not a benign drug.

 At a House Oversight Committee hearing, the drug czar’s second-in-command, Michael Botticelli, received a stern questioning from Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) about the harms of marijuana in light of President Barack Obama recent comments on the subject.

 “How many people die from marijuana overdoses every year?” Connolly asked.

 “I don’t know that I know. It is very rare,” Botticelli replied.

 “Very rare. Now just contrast that with prescription drugs, unintentional deaths from prescription drugs, one American dies every 19 minutes,” Connolly said. “Nothing comparable to marijuana. Is that correct?”

 Botticelli admitted that was true.

 “Alcohol — hundreds of thousands of people die every year from alcohol related deaths: automobile [accidents], liver disease, esophageal cancer, blood poisoning,” Connolly continued. “Is that incorrect?”

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 But Botticelli refused to answer. Guessing where the line of questioning was headed, he said the “totality of harm” associated with marijuana indicated it was a dangerous drug, even though it was not associated with deaths.

 “I guess I’m sticking with the president — the head of your administration — who is making a different point,” Connolly fired back. “He is making a point that is empirically true. That isn’t a normative statement, that marijuana is good or bad, but he was contrasting it with alcohol and empirically he is correct, is he not?”

 Botticelli again tried to dodge the question, but Connolly interrupted him and told him to answer.

 “Is it not a scientific fact that there is nothing comparable with marijuana?” Connolly asked. “And I’m not saying it is good or bad, but when we look at deaths and illnesses, alcohol, other hard drugs are certainly — even prescription drugs — are a threat to public health in a way that just isolated marijuana is not. Isn’t that a scientific fact? Or do you dispute that fact?”

 “I don’t dispute that fact,” Botticelli said.

 Watch video below. ||||| A administration official confirmed to Congress on Tuesday that, in spite of President Obama’s recent comments, the administration still opposes state-based efforts to legalize marijuana.

 The administration has been “consistent in its opposition to attempts to legalize marijuana and other drugs,” Michael Botticelli, the deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the House Oversight Committee’s Government Operations subpanel.

 Congress deemed marijuana a harmful drug under the Controlled Substances Act, he said, and “the Department of Justice’s responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged.”

 The comments follow Mr. Obama’s assertion that it is “important” to let the experiments with legalization in Colorado and Washington state proceed, and that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol.

 Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the subpanel, suggested the president’s attitude may contribute to the growing use of marijuana among adolescents.

 “Given the recent statements... the president may, in fact, be a major contributor now to some of the declines we see in the perception of risk” associated with the drug, Mica said. “We’re going from ‘Just say no,’ to ‘I didn’t inhale,’ now it’s 'Just say maybe.’”

 Mica added, “We have the most schizophrenic policy I have ever seen.”

 Botticelli insisted that the administration is attempting to take a “balanced” approach that rejects the so-called “war on drugs” but also rejects legalization efforts.

 “The president has indicated this is a public health challenge and that we need to deal with it as a public health challenge,” he said.

 Nevertheless, the White House and Congress are left in an awkward spot, now that two states have legalized the drug for adults, while 20 states and the District of Columbia have approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

 In fact, while the subpanel discussed the matter, the D.C. city council voted overwhelmingly in favor of decriminalizing marijuana possession. The D.C. vote puts Congress on the spot, since the federal legislative body technically has authority over all Washington, D.C., municipal laws.

 Before the new law goes into effect, it must go through a 30-day period during which Congress could pass a resolution “disapproving” of it. Congress could also use the power of the purse as leverage over the District.

 While Congress in recent years has shown more deference to the District’s lawmaking, it has a history of intervening on this issue -- the District approved medical marijuana use in 1998, but it took more than 10 years for Congress to let the city implement the new rules. This year, however, Congress doesn’t seem inclined to get involved.

 A committee aide for Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del. -- whose committee has jurisdiction over D.C. issues -- said Carper has yet to take a position on whether Congress should intervene or not.

 Mica said in a statement to CBS News that the city council vote is “just one more example of the conflict between state and federal law... This is a discussion that is long overdue.”

 While Mica criticized the president’s recent remarks, some Democrats at Tuesday’s hearing defended them.

 “I think the president was exactly right,” Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said with respect to Mr. Obama’s point that poor kids, along with minorities, are more likely to get “locked up” for smoking pot.

 Cummings said he has “serious questions about the disparate impact of federal government’s enforcement policies on minorities.”

 Those concerns are exacerbated, he said, by the divergent laws at the state level.

 “It’s one thing when you have equal enforcement, but it's another thing when some people are engaged in purchasing marijuana in the streets and other ones in the suites.” he said. “You have many African-American young men... spending long sentences sitting in prison while others law enforcement don’t even touch.” |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– The deputy director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy admitted yesterday—only after much prodding—that pot is less dangerous than alcohol and other drugs. Michael Botticelli was questioned at a House Oversight Committee hearing by Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, who first asked how many people die from marijuana overdoses per year, the Raw Story reports. Botticelli said he didn't know, but that it's "very rare." Botticelli then admitted there's no comparison between the volume of marijuana deaths and deaths from prescription drugs. But when Connolly turned the line of questioning to alcohol, Botticelli deflected the question—twice. Connolly finally ordered him to answer: "When we look at deaths and illnesses, alcohol, other hard drugs are certainly—even prescription drugs—are a threat to public health in a way that just isolated marijuana is not. Isn’t that a scientific fact? Or do you dispute that fact?" Responded Botticelli, "I don't dispute that fact." Connolly used that to argue that President Obama wasn't being reckless when he said he doesn't think pot is more dangerous than alcohol. Botticelli went on to clarify that despite that comment, the White House opposes states legalizing marijuana, CBS News reports. He added that Obama thinks pot "is a public health challenge and that we need to deal with it as a public health challenge."


Here is a news article: If you're like Lena Dunham, or all the other people on the internet who are packing up their bags and getting ready to move to Canada in case Donald Trump wins the presidency, have I got some great news for you! Thanks to a brand spankin' new dating site called Maple Match, you can get a leg up on the surge of competition in the Canadian dating market and start getting introduced to sexy Canadian singles before you cross the northern border.

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 "Moving to Canada" Google searches spike as Trump becomes the presumptive GOP nominee pic.twitter.com/RVpi18n6J0 — Chris Kerns (@chriskerns) May 4, 2016

 The site's slogan is "Making dating great again," because of course it is, and it comes with a *extremely Donald Trump voice* huuuuuuge promise: "Maple Match makes it easy for Americans to find the ideal Canadian partner to save them from the unfathomable horror of a Trump presidency."

 Maple Match

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 And just so you know, this is all "very real." "People ask me all the time if Maple Match is joke," Maple Match CEO Joe Goldman told Cosmopolitan.com. "Donald Trump is a joke. Finding true love in a place where you can be happy is not a joke. Maple Match is very real."

 Unfortunately, there's a waiting list right now. I'm obviously already on it, because like hell am I missing out on the chance to meet a Bieber or Drake-level piece of hot Canadian ass.

 Also here's a very ungentle reminder that some of your favorite celebs (and hottest, *cough* Tim Riggins *cough*) are from Canada. Like, I'm not saying everyone there looks like this, but I also can't help but notice the pattern among these gentlemen (the pattern being that they're all sexy AF).

 Getty Krystalina Tom

 Follow Hannah on Twitter and Instagram. ||||| With Donald Trump running unopposed for the Republican nomination, more people are turning to drastic measures to get away from a country that may elect the real estate mogul as president.

 Google searches for “move to Canada” spiked following Trump’s Super Tuesday win, and an Ontario immigration official said he’s seen a steady stream of calls from U.S. residents looking to immigrate to Canada.

 READ MORE: CNN reporting from Cape Breton as Trump-inspired spotlight continues

 Now there’s a new website offering another way to get away from the reality TV star: find a romantic partner in Canada.

 Maplematch.com was founded earlier this year and offers “opportunities for like-minded Canadians and Americans to build meaningful relationships and escape the unfathomable horror of [a] Trump presidency,” CEO Joe Goldman told Global News.

 It’s slogan is “Make dating great again.”

 “As Barack Obama said during Justin Trudeau’s official welcoming ceremony at the White House, ‘we’re two different countries, but we’re like one big town,’” Goldman explained.

 “Our side [of] this ‘town’ happens to have a megalomaniac trying to seize power, so we’re naturally concerned.”

 Goldman said interest for his service is high, but they haven’t matched anyone yet.

 “We have seen immense traffic on our site over the last few days, and signups have surpassed our expectations,” he said.

 “At this time, we are currently wait listing users and will begin matching as soon as we are able.”

 Goldman says he isn’t funded by any anti-Trump group, he just wanted to offer people a way to meet their “ideal Canadian partner.”

 RELATED: Dana Carvey returns as Church Lady on ‘SNL’ in Church Chat with Trump ||||| Close Philippines President Duterte sings love song at Trump's request

 With Donald Trump the likely Republican presidential nominee, many people may already be planning their escape plan out of this country if and when he actually becomes commander-in-chief. If you are already thinking about going to Canada, why not sweeten the deal and make the big move to shack up with someone you've been dating online?

 Making dating great again — for those looking to leave the U.S. — Maple Match is a new dating website that will help Americans hook up with Canadians. Just in case Trump becomes president, they will already know and possibly have a strong connection with someone they met on the platform — because there is nothing like running away from a possible four-year bad relationship with the new president to get into a new relationship in a new country with a stranger you met online.

 "Maple Match makes it easy for Americans to find the ideal Canadian partner to save them from the unfathomable honor of a Trump presidency," the website reads.

 The dating site has not yet officially launched, but those looking for love and a big move can fill out the Maple Match form to get on the waiting list. Along with entering in their name, age and email, the users checks off whether they have an American or Canadian citizenship. Make sure to select who you are interested in dating, and click the "save me from this madness" button to complete the process.

 "Maple Match started as a fun idea about Americans and Canadians connecting during the admittedly disturbing possibility of a Donald Trump presidency. However, over the past few days we have seen countless Americans and Canadians tell us about the frustration they've experienced with current dating platforms," Joe Goldman, Founder and CEO of Maple Match told Tech Times. "After more than 35,000 hits and more than 4,500 signups in just 4 days, we are confident that Maple Match will fulfill a clear need in the dating space."

 via GIPHY

 With its growing interest, Goldman revealed that he plans on launching the site "as soon as possible."

 Besides having no Donald Trump and maybe even your potential soulmate, Canada actually has a lot to offer. It's big on hockey for sports fans, has universal health care and has low business taxes. Democrats will enjoy the fact that the country is left-leaning when it comes to politics, and it may even soon legalize marijuana. Since many speak French, it's like living in a version of the European country, only it's much closer to your U.S relatives.

 However, would people really leave the U.S. to escape Trump and find true love?

 "Call me a softie, but I really do believe that if two people truly love each other, they will overcome any obstacle and cross any border to start a meaningful life together, and that's what Maple Match is all about," Goldman said.

 Who knows, maybe you will have Donald Trump to thank for being the reason you found your match.

 © 2017 Tech Times, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Looking for true love? Thinking of fleeing to Canada if Donald Trump wins the general election in November? Now you can take care of both in one fell swoop thanks to a site that promises to "make dating great again," Global News reports. Maple Match "makes it easy for Americans to find the ideal Canadian partner to save them from the unfathomable horror of a Trump presidency," per the site—a mission that CEO Joe Goldman says is just part of the Great White North's neighborly duties. "As Barack Obama said during Justin Trudeau's official welcoming ceremony at the White House, 'We're two different countries, but we're like one big town," Goldman says. "Our side [of] this 'town' happens to have a megalomaniac trying to seize power, so we're naturally concerned." Goldman insists this isn't a spoof. "Donald Trump is a joke," he tells Cosmopolitan. "Finding true love in a place where you can be happy is not a joke. Maple Match is very real." There's already a waiting list for the site, which hasn't started matching anyone yet, and Goldman tells Tech Times there've been more than 4,500 signups in just four days' time. (A Maple Match couple's ideal first date: Cheetos tacos and "America" beer?)


News article:

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey authorities say a driver fled the scene of an accident with a fire hydrant stuck to his car and then tossed it in the trash.

 Parsippany police say the motorist drove off after his car struck the hydrant and a mailbox Tuesday. Police followed a trail of water from the scene to a township home, where they found the car and the hydrant. The driver was found in a nearby diner.

 Police say 27-year-old township resident Domingo Moreno has been charged with criminal mischief, hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence, and was turned over to federal immigration officials. It wasn't known Saturday if he's retained an attorney.

 Police are investigating the cause and other details of the crash. ||||| PARSIPPANY -- Police say a fluid trail and a broken yellow fire hydrant led them to the driver responsible for a hit-and-run crash on Edwards Road on Tuesday.

 Domingo Moreno, 27, of Parsippany, is facing criminal mischief, tampering with evidence, and other charges after he allegedly crashed a 1999 Nissan Quest into a mailbox and a fire hydrant on Edwards Road at about 1 a.m. and fled the scene, police said in a news release.

 Officer John Garza responded to the scene to investigate the reported property damage and determined a hit-and-run crash had occurred. The fire hydrant was also missing, police said.

 Garza then followed a fluid trail from the crash site to the a residence on Norman Avenue where he found Moreno's vehicle and a yellow fire hydrant lying among the garbage cans, police said.

 Moreno was located at a nearby diner and placed under arrest.

 Besides criminal mischief and tampering with evidence, he was also charged with hindering apprehension, failure to report an accident, unlicensed driver, careless driving, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane.

 Moreno was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a court appearance.

 Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– New Jersey authorities say a driver fled the scene of an accident with a fire hydrant stuck to his car and then tossed it in the trash. Parsippany police say the motorist drove off after his car struck the hydrant and a mailbox Tuesday. Police followed a trail of water from the scene to a township home, where they found the car and the hydrant. The driver was found in a nearby diner, reports NJ.com. Police say 27-year-old township resident Domingo Moreno has been charged with criminal mischief, hindering apprehension, and tampering with evidence, and was turned over to federal immigration officials, reports the AP. It wasn't known Saturday if he's retained an attorney. Police are investigating the cause and other details of the crash.


Write an article based on this summary:

– Details of Keith Olbermann’s abrupt exit from MSNBC—as well as what’s in store for him now—are trickling out. The latest: Olbermann’s exit package was “well in excess” of $7 million, sources tell TMZ. The deal includes a clause that benches Olbermann for a while—at least when it comes to television—but sources claim he’ll only have to sit out for four-and-a-half months or less. The New York Times has a different estimate, citing executives involved in the deal: Olbermann must stay off TV for six to nine months, and can’t talk about his departure, although he can work on the Internet or in radio. His exit comes after years of behind-the-scenes conflict at MSNBC, the Times reports, noting that Jeff Zucker was one step away from firing him during his campaign contributions brouhaha in November. The usually prolific Olbermann has tweeted only once since his departure, and the message—apparently since removed—read “WATCHTHISSPACE MLB.com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14.” Of course, that sparked all sorts of speculation that Olbermann may return to his sports roots. But Olbermann has often promoted his Baseball Nerd blog, Mediaite notes, so the message could mean … nothing. Next up for Olbermann: Writing for TV with Aaron Sorkin? A source tells Entertainment Weekly Sorkin has a pilot script about a cable news show in the works—he even shadowed Olbermann while writing it—and he might tap Olbermann to contribute rants. Click for more on what may have been behind Olbermann’s departure.

cable news news Keith Olbermann Has Reportedly Been Negotiating His Exit for a While

 After Keith Olbermann suddenly announced his departure last night, some speculated that the impending NBC-Comcast merger played a role. NBC executives quickly denied any Comcast involvement in the decision. But how did it all really go down? Details are trickling in, and early anonymous sources say Olbermann was not flat-out fired. However, most outlets are also reporting that Olbermann and network brass have long been butting heads.

 According to TMZ, the exit was partially about money: "Olbermann's agent went to NBC complaining that Keith was underpaid," the site reports. "NBC execs told Olbermann's agent they would not cough up more money. Network execs were well aware that Comcast wanted Keith gone because he was 'a loose cannon that could not be controlled.' It became clear to both sides that Olbermann's days were numbered and they began negotiating an exit, completed just before airtime Friday night." Under the deal, Olbermann is allegedly barred from appearing on television for a certain period of time, but he will reappear soon with "a presence on the Internet," where all fugitives of the television end up.

 Deadline reports a similar story: "This was all Keith's choice. He has said several times over the years said that he wants out of his contract." The site says he began negotiating his out a few months ago, but, "because of all the false threats in the past, it was impossible for the network to know if he was really going to sign the final document." Even his own staff learned he was quitting when they heard him say it on TV.

 And the New York Times concurs that NBC and Olbermann have been in negotiations to end Olbermann's run for weeks. The Times notes: "Mr. Olbermann had butted heads with his superiors long before the Comcast deal, including Phil Griffin, the top MSNBC executive ... and NBC’s management had been close to firing Mr. Olbermann before." One executive said Comcast "dreaded the prospect" of being blamed if Olbermann were to quit soon after the takeover.

 Only the New York Post reported that Olberamnn was "unceremoniously dumped," but the paper also repeatedly refers to him as "a garrulous gasbag." So. ||||| The ball was chopped slowly and to get the out the first baseman would have to pick it up barehanded in the grass corner between the foul line and the infield dirt. The pitcher would have to hustle over but as the game’s most abused cliche reminds us every 43 minutes, that’s why they have PFP in spring training. With a speedy runner it would still be close but this was the majors and he who executes best laughs last.

 The fans at Yankee Stadium didn’t think twice about it when it happened in the top of the fourth yesterday. The play was difficult, but the pitcher was CC Sabathia and his hustle and athleticism have been one of the under-publicized aspects of the franchise’s success since 2009. And of course, the New York first baseman for exactly the same length of time has been Mark Teixeira and the goaltender-like whip-lash catches he makes at the bag and his other defensive wizardry obscures the fact that if that comparatively ordinary slow chopper is hit to him 500 times over a decade he’s going to pick it cleanly at least 499 times.

 Except the Yankee first baseman yesterday wasn’t Teixeira, it was Kevin Youkilis. And no offense to Kevin Youkilis, but when he reached down to scoop up the Jose Iglesias chop and toss it to Sabathia for the out he got nothing but grass and air.

 An inning later Jarrod Saltalamacchia shot one into the corner in left, where Brett Gardner should have made an adroit pick-up of the ball as it rattled around. Except Gardner was in center because like Teixeira, Curtis Granderson is hurt and it was Vernon Wells. And no offense to Vernon Wells, but when he waited for the straight bounce off the fence that never comes out there, it didn’t come, and he was left to play ‘go chase’ for awhile. All things considered Saltalamacchia probably would’ve gotten a double out of it anyway but there would have been a play and every tenth or twentieth time – an out.

 In neither case did the Red Sox score. But those two plays alone added ten pitches or more to Sabathia’s count and send him packing after five innings down 4-to-2, which opened things for the Yankee bullpen, which may be the least recognized problem among the cascade of them that started yesterday, and soon it would 5-to-2 and then 8-to-2 and then just as in “Young Frankenstein,” it got worse – it started raining.

 The effect on the offense of the subtraction of Teixeira, Granderson, Derek Jeter, and even Alex Rodriguez is obvious. What will kill the Yankees – and I mean last place kill the Yankees; this is not the collapse of 1965, that was last year in the ALCS, this is 1966 – will be its effect on the defense. Bad defense is not only its own punishment but it makes bums out of the best of the pitchers. And to re-use yet another old joke, kid, these aren’t the best of them.

 And much of this mess will never show up in the box score. The Iglesias and Saltalamacchia plays were both clearly to be scored base hits. Unfortunately this Yankee team – the Muddlers’ Row of Brennan Boesch, Ben Francisco, Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, Wells, and Youkilis – has been assembled through (in the memorable phrase of the equally memorable San Francisco baseball writer Hank Schulman) dumpster-diving. And defensively they’re just bad enough to not make the plays, but just good enough to not get the errors.

 It’s hard to say how this impending disaster will be received in the Bronx. The Yankees haven’t had a losing season since 1992 and they’ve either won or been in contention every year since 1993. Hal Steinbrenner was still at the University of Florida Business School then, and the Yankees could and often did draw half of what they draw these days. A front office with no memory of the Bad Old Days never mind experience with alleviating them is likely to panic and throw some babies out with the bathwater (heck, the Yankees began panicking about mild media criticism more than a year ago). And the front-running fans who have filled the place during these later glory years will not know what that they were seeing, and never fully realize the implications of the fact that their new platoon third baseman was guy who had been released by the Red Sox exactly a week ago today.

 Toronto: I’m not one of those stick-in-the-muds who looked at the Dodgers last year and tut-tutted “you can’t parachute in four new guys in mid-season and expect to form a team.” I mean, for one thing I’m an entirely different kind of stick-in-the-mud. But more importantly, that conclusion ignores the reality that the Giants have won two World Series while parachuting in four guys (last year) and five guys (2010).

 So my refusal to jump on the Bandwagon going doing Blue Jay Way is nothing about team chemistry or parachuting or trying to meld a team while competing or Jose Reyes’s hamstrings on turf. I just think that the laudable effort to rebuild a once-great franchise has somewhat obscured some remaining problems – like a very average bullpen, very average production out of the DH spot, and trouble at third base until Brett Lawrie returns.

 Plus there’s this little scandal from last year that sneaked in under everybody’s radar. The big trade for the noble Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey? It came less than a year after Dickey became one of a handful of major league pitchers to admit to taking painkiller injections during the season (Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz were among the others). In Dickey’s case this was 2011; I’ve seen no reporting about him and the drug – Toradol – in 2012:

 Dickey is among the players who believe Toradol is more effective than taking over-the-counter pain pills. He said he believed the injections helped keep him on the field to pitch 2082/3 innings last season (2011), despite his injured foot. Some doctors, though, said athletes might believe Toradol to be more effective only because of the way it is commonly administered.

 The emphasis there was mine.

 Giving your starting pitcher a series of anti-inflammatory pain-dulling injections all seasons long is ok because the drug, while requiring a prescription, supposedly only has a slightly greater impact than a couple of Advil (injected directly into the source of your pain). Except, oh by the way, that pesky drug insert sheet references limiting its use to five days in pill form and two days for injections, and oh by the way in England physicians are instructed to start patients on Toradol only in a hospital, and oh by the way when Clay Buchholz was in a hospital with internal bleeding last June he said he thought his use of the drug contributed to his crisis and the fact that doctors had to transfuse him with three or four pints of blood.

 Dickey is hardly deserving of being the only one with a finger pointed at him. My understanding is there isn’t a rotation in the majors that doesn’t have at least one regular Toradol, and that some of them may be in new uniforms this year in part because of their teams’ fears that the painkiller could mask necessary pain, the kind that warns you of impending injury. For as with any drug that dulls pain, or covers up muscular damage or exhaustion, or which neutralizes tiredness, the possibility is increased of sudden serious injury. You don’t know you’re hurting and you push it to far – and something snaps.

 In short, if a Toradol scandal, or a Prescription Drug scandal, breaks in baseball this year the guys on the record as (past) users are few and far between. And only one of them is a defending Cy Young Winner.

 Almost as an aside I also have doubts about the efficacy of Toronto’s rotation. Dickey went from 8-13 in 2011 to 20-6 last year. His strikeouts soared from 134 to 230 in only 25 more innings. His offensive support went up 8/10ths of a run. I don’t know if any of that is sustainable or repeatable this year – especially without the joy of facing pitchers every ninth batter. Tell me how much you’re willing to rely on Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, to say nothing of Ricky Romero, currently of the Dunedin Blue Jays.

 Boston: The gift of Jackie Bradley being ready as much as a year early – and it is a gift, his at bats are those of a 10-year veteran who draws 100 walks every year – may hide some dubious free agent signings. When your key acquisition does so poorly on his physical that you (and he) agree to cut the deal from three years to one, that’s a problem. When you are hoping that Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Dempster all had ‘blips’ last year, that’s a lot of high-odds wagering.

 The Red Sox probably did themselves a favor by sacrificing the stability that was Adrian Gonzalez in order to offload the franchise-sinking contracts of Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford. But as has been noted elsewhere, they were left with a lot of contract room and not that many people to spend it on. Instead of a Josh Hamilton they went for “Clubhouse Guys” – which is great for long road trips, flights, bus rides in traffic, rain delays, etc. – but rarely seems to be the corrective folks assume insomuch as the last time I checked the game was still played out on the field and very rarely in the clubhouse.

 Bradley, of course, is the real deal (though I’ve never seen a player whose Dad didn’t reach the majors use the “junior” on his uni – his reads “BRADLEY JR.”). Will Middlebrooks is legit too. If Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia stay healthy that’s four of nine positions that will excel offensively and defensively. But with David Ortiz hurt and presumably waning there is no longer a feared hitter in this line-up and given the depth of this division that’s a serious impediment to contention.

 Baltimore: As mentioned in the AL Central preview the Orioles could’ve easily offed the Yankees in the ALDS last year even though they were relying on two outfielders – Lew Ford and Nate McLouth – who had been released earlier in the same season (Ford, by a team in an independent league). The O’s were reshaped by two guys who were largely viewed as having been bypassed by the proverbial parade, Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette, and featured the contributions of only a couple of homegrown guys (Markakis, Machado, Wieters, Jim Johnson).

 What becomes of the Orioles when the revivified farm system begins to contribute? Dylan Bundy was arguably the game’s top pitching prospect, until this spring when he was bypassed by his teammate Kevin Gausman. Will they step into the rotation or be used out of the bullpen a la David Price? Could WBC-tested infielder Jonathan Schoop help out? Or outfielder L.J. Hoes? Could any American League team add more key parts from its own farm system as 2013 rolls along?

 Tampa Bay: Well, yeah, actually.

 Even while trading off Wade Davis and James Shields, the Rays still have a complete back-up rotation (Jeff Niemann in the bullpen, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and Alex Colome in the minors) to say nothing of a Cy Young Winner (David Price) and two possible future candidates (Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore) at the front of Plan A.

 And if the primary bounty in the Shields trade, Wil Myers, is not summoned into the Tampa line-up it will only be because of injury, or because the traditional small-ball line-up is producing satisfactorily and there’s no need to squeeze out James Loney or the platooners at second or DH.

 The key Tampa weakness would seem to be behind the plate. They kept Jose Molina intact enough to appear in 102 games last year and one wonders if that can be done again, or if Jose Lobaton is a satisfactory alternative. There isn’t a catching prospect in the system and despite the sense that the Rays hit the bullseye with every one of their very few economic darts, the minors are thin generally in terms of position players (2009 was a bad draft, and every year that passes makes the 2008 selection of Tim Beckham as the overall number one pick instead of some kid named Posey look that much sillier). But the arms keep appearing, the down-market free agent signings keep producing (you realize that Loney could out-hit his predecessor Carlos Pena by a hundred points and still not hit .300?), and the veterans get transformed either into more draft choices (or guys like Wil Myers. Good grief, the team with the thinnest tightrope in the sport was somehow able to trade for Wil Myers). Marc Topkin has a superb and concise explanation of how the Rays keep the machine turning here and I offer the usual disclaimer here that I went to college with the future Mrs. Stuart Sternberg and their oldest son was an intern for me one summer.

 The Division: I know this is viewed as a three, four, or even five team race. I just don’t see anybody seriously challenging the Rays, especially when Myers comes up. I’m not certain on whether the Orioles’ Tampa-like structuring and youth flood can overcome the value of Toronto’s mass additions in the race for second place; either way it’ll be close. The Red Sox are not likely to compete but also not likely to be challenged by the Yankees who – even in the disaster of last place – will still be the division’s lead story.

 Tomorrow we’ll finish it up with the Tarot Card reading that those one-game wild cards make trying to predict the playoffs six months in advance. ||||| Keith Olbermann -- The Rich Get Richer

 Keith Olbermann -- The Rich Get Richer

 scored an even sweeter exit package than previously reported. Sources connected with NBC tell us Keith is pocketing "well in excess" of $7 million.Sources tell us ... Olbermann was due for two salary hikes during the last two years of his contract, which would have netted him just over $17 million. The exit deal, we're told, gives Keith much more than $7 million, though our sources would not be more specific.And we're told ... Olbermann agreed as part of his exit deal not to do television, but our sources say he'll be benched for less than 4 1/2 months.had to sit out twice that amount of time.And speaking of Conan, we're told attorney Patty Glaser, who negotiated Conan's exit from the same network, did the heavy lifting for Keith, along with his agent and manager. We're told negotiations for the exit went on for seven weeks. ||||| Image Credit: Olbermann: Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Sorkin: Valer Now that Keith Olbermann is leaving MSNBC, could he be setting his sights on Hollywood and Aaron Sorkin’s next TV project? The Golden Globe-winning scribe behind The Social Network has long had a pilot script in the works about a cable news show, and Olbermann could be tapped to contribute rants, says a source familiar with the project.

 Sorkin spent time on Olbermann’s set while penning the behind-the-scenes script (think Sports Night meets Countdown), something he did while juggling The Social Network and working on an early draft of the upcoming film Moneyball (starring Brad Pitt). Sorkin recently told BBC News that he also shadowed Chris Matthews and Fox News and that he’s working with HBO on the project. (Unfortunately, the pay cabler is not confirming anything.)

 Any network giving serious consideration to Sorkin’s next series may want to wait until Tuesday’s Oscar nominations to make a bigger publicity splash since it seems all but guaranteed that Hollywood’s premier scribe will snag a screenplay nod for The Social Network. Sorkin already won a Golden Globe for writing the movie, which was also recognized as the year’s best drama flick by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In addition, Sorkin scored a BATFTA nomination.

 Should the behind-the-scenes script become a series, it’s practically a given that Sorkin would call upon his trusted allies to help carry out his vision. Besides Olbermann’s potential contribution, Emmy-winning scribes like Kevin Falls (Franklin & Bash) and Eli Attie (House M.D.) — both of whom worked on The West Wing – could help Sorkin run the show, while Thomas Schlamme would be a natural to direct. And what do you say, Sorkin; how about Bradley Whitford as Olbermann’s doppelganger? Stay tuned. ||||| Since joining Twitter early last year, now-former Countdown host Keith Olbermann has become one of the platform’s most loquacious users, tweeting more frequently than a meth-tweaked canary. All of that came to an abrupt end in the hour before his Friday announcement that he, and his show, were leaving MSNBC.

 Saturday night, though, Olbermann-watchers saw the first sign of post-Countdown life from his Twitter feed: an update to his profile which read “WATCHTHISSPACE MLB.com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14.”

 At this point, very little should be read into this, but that won’t stop people from trying. The New York Daily News speculates that maybe the update signifies a return to sports for the former Sportscenter co-anchor:

 Since his sudden split with MSNBC, Keith Olbermann could be going back to his roots – at least on Twitter. “W A T C H T H I S S P A C E MLB.Com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14,” he wrote on his biography line– the only update he’s written on his usually prolific account since Friday evening.

 They go on to note that a return to ESPN is unlikely, for a variety of reasons that Sportsgrid details here.

 The problem here is that promoting the Baseball Nerd blog is nothing new to Olbermann’s Twitter feed, and so “Watch this space” isn’t necessarily related to it. If Olbermann does remain silent until February 14, though, you can bet that will be the most widely-read edition to date.

 In any case, those watching Olbermann’s feed for dirty laundry, or laundry of any kind, regarding his departure from MSNBC are likely in for a big disappointment. As much as it’s probably killing the normally-outspoken Olbermann, news accounts from respected journalists generally concur that the terms of his exit include some kind of gag order.

 Much more likely is the prospect that Olbermann will share, in fairly short order, some level of detail about his future plans. Ironically, his departure has elevated his Twitter feed to near-Sarah Palin status, anticipation-wise. The parallel has been noted by some conservatives on Twitter, who wondered if Olbermann could continue to slam Palin for resigning the Alaska Governorship, which caused Olbermann to dub Palin the “former Half-Governor.” (This says more about their attitudes about the gravity of elected office than anything else.)

 In that vein, it would be a satirical masterstroke if Olbermann emerged from Twitter exile to tweet about “Death Panels,” as they relate to cuts to transplant funding in Arizona.

 Either way, Olbermann has to be aware that his status as a Palin-level Twitter celebrity has a short shelf-life, and if he wants to use the platform to promote his next move, sooner is better than later.

 Update: On Sunday, perhaps in response to the Daily News’ speculation, the message on Olbermann’s Twitter profile was tweaked to more clearly separate the messages. It now reads “W A T C H__________T H I S__________S P A C E (Also: MLB.Com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14)” |||||


Summarize this article:

SALT LAKE CITY — President Barack Obama designated two national monuments Wednesday at sites in Utah and Nevada that have become key flashpoints over use of public land in the U.S. West, marking the administration's latest move to protect environmentally sensitive areas in its final days.

 The Bears Ears National Monument in Utah will cover 1.35 million acres in the Four Corners region, the White House said. In a victory for Native American tribes and conservationists, the designation protects land that is considered sacred and is home to an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings.

 It's a blow for state Republican leaders and many rural residents who say it will add another layer of unnecessary federal control and close the area to new energy development, a common refrain in the battle over use of the American West's vast open spaces. Utah's attorney general vowed to sue.

 This April 5, 2012 file photo shows rock formations in Gold Butte, located about 90 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Jeff Scheid / AP

 In Nevada, a 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument outside Las Vegas would protect a scenic and ecologically fragile area near where rancher Cliven Bundy led an armed standoff with government agents in 2014. It includes rock art, artifacts, rare fossils and recently discovered dinosaur tracks.

 The White House and conservationists said both sites were at risk of looting and vandalism.

 "Today's actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes," Obama said in a statement.

 Related: Obama to Create First Marine National Monument in the Atlantic

 His administration has rushed to safeguard vulnerable areas ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. It has blocked new mining claims outside Yellowstone National Park and new oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean. Obama's creation and expansion of monuments covers more acreage than any other president.

 But Trump's upcoming presidency has tempered the excitement of tribal leaders and conservationists, with some worrying he could try to reverse or reduce some of Obama's expansive land protections.

 Utah's Republican senators vowed to work toward just that.

 "This arrogant act by a lame duck president will not stand," U.S. Sen. Mike Lee tweeted about Bears Ears, which is named for a set of rock formations.

 I will work tirelessly with Congress & incoming Trump administration to honor the will of Utahns and undo this monument designation. #utpol — Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) December 28, 2016

 Sen. Orrin Hatch said Obama showed "an astonishing and egregious abuse of executive power" and that "far-left special interest groups matter more to him than the people who have lived on and cared for Utah's lands for generations."

 Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said the Antiquities Act that allows a president to create monuments does not give a president authority to undo a designation, a rule the courts have upheld. She acknowledged that Congress could take action, though.

 Related: President Obama Designates Stonewall a National Monument

 Opponents agreed the area is a natural treasure worth preserving but worried the designation would restrict oil and gas development as well as residents' ability to camp, bike, hike and gather wood.

 New mining or energy development will be banned, but existing operations won't be affected, federal officials said. Wood and plant gathering is still allowed as well as hunting, fishing and other recreation, they said.

 The Colorado River winds around the northern reaches of the proposed Bear Ears National Monument, with Canyonlands National Park in the background, viewed from Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab, Utah, 12 November 2016. JIM LO SCALZO / EPA

 Members of Utah's all-GOP congressional delegation had backed a plan to protect about 1.4 million acres at Bears Ears, while opening up other areas of the state for development.

 The boundaries of the monument are roughly based on that plan — significantly smaller than what a coalition of tribes had sought.

 But Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye called it an exciting day for his tribe and people of all cultures.

 "We have always looked to Bears Ears as a place of refuge," Begaye said. "The rocks, the winds, the land — they are living, breathing things that deserve timely and lasting protection."

 The Navajo Nation is one of five tribes that will get an elected official on a first-of-its-kind tribal commission for the Bears Ears monument. It will provide federal land managers with expertise about the area, officials said.

 Related: First Family National Parks Vacation Highlights Obama's Environmental Push

 Tucked between existing national parks and the Navajo reservation, the monument features stunning vistas at every turn, with a mix of cliffs, plateaus, towering rock formations, rivers and canyons across wide expanses covered by sagebrush and juniper trees.

 At the Gold Butte site, Native American rock art and artifacts are scattered amid rugged mountains, sandstone formations and Joshua tree forests. Pioneers used the area for cattle ranching and mining, while campers and ATV riders enjoy it today. It's named for an early 1900s mining town.

 2 new national monuments protect gorgeous landscapes, important cultural sites & wildlife habitat for future gens: https://t.co/02leB01DUV pic.twitter.com/a113oZELY6 — US Dept of Interior (@Interior) December 28, 2016

 Retiring Democratic Sen. Harry Reid pushed for protection of the remote area northeast of Lake Mead, but GOP members of Nevada's congressional delegation have been vocal opponents.

 The "designation is a wonderful capstone to a career of fighting to protect Nevada's pristine landscapes," Reid said in a statement.

 Nevada Sen. Dean Heller and Gov. Brian Sandoval, both Republicans, said Congress should make land designations.

 But the governor said he "recognized the inevitability" of the move and met with landowners and White House officials to ensure it aligned with state water law and the land would be open to recreation. ||||| If only the sandstones could sing, imagine the stories they'd tell, of dinosaurs, mammoth hunters and the "ancient ones" known as the Anasazi.

 All roamed southern Utah over the eons, long before Native Americans struggled to hold their land against Mormon settlers, modern life and now, Donald Trump.

 As the President arrives in Utah Monday afternoon, this rocky corner of the Wild West is a battlefield once again, but this time the warriors will carry briefcases and lawsuits.

 Trump, by signing two presidential proclamations on Monday, shrunk the size of Bears Ears National Monument by more than 80% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by roughly 45%, fundamentally reshaping the two large national monuments.

 The proclamations split the two national monuments into several smaller sections. Bears Ears will be shrunk from 1.35 million acres to 228,337 acres, according to the spokesperson for Interior, and split into two separate monument sections. Grand Staircase-Escalante, a monument designated by President Bill Clinton, will be split into three sections and shrunk from 1.9 million acres to just about 1 million acres.

 Trump slammed past administrations -- namely Clinton's and President Barack Obama's -- for what he called "federal overreach." The two former Democratic president designated Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante for protection, hoping to preserve their culture, history and natural beauty.

 Past administrations, Trump said, thought "the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They are wrong."

 "The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best and you know the best how to take care of your land," Trump said. "You know how to protect it. And you know best how to conserve this land for many, many generations to come."

 President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore pose at the edge of the Grand Canyon, during the signing of a proclamation establishing Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

 Locals in the area saw the designations as nothing more than a 3-million-acre federal land grab. The drillers, miners and frackers who were shut out by Clinton's and Obama's use of the Antiquities Ac t would have new leases on life. Sen. Orrin Hatch and his fellow Utah Republicans would have a major victory to celebrate.

 Hoodoos are among the natural wonders in Bears Ears National Monument.

 But those who believe the rocks can talk, through countless fossils, sacred ruins and desert solitude, are bracing for a fight.

 "I'm going to sue him," says Yvon Chouinard, founder and CEO of outdoor gear maker Patagonia. "It seems the only thing this administration understands is lawsuits. I think it's a shame that only 4% of American lands are national parks. Costa Rica's got 10%. Chile will now have way more parks than we have. We need more, not less. This government is evil and I'm not going to sit back and let evil win."

 Chouinard led the effort to move a major outdoor show from Salt Lake City to Denver in protest of Utah's land use politics and he's been a big supporter of the historic coalition of the five local tribes, which put aside ancient rivalries and lobbied for monument protection.

 Outdoor retailer Patagonia also lent its voice in opposition to the move Monday, setting the home page of Patagonia.com to a blacked-out page that says, "The President Stole Your Land," with the option to learn more about "the largest elimination of protected land in American history."

 The site also gave visitors the option to support groups that are pushing back.

 Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he was unmoved by people like Chouinard who are threatening lawsuits.

 "I don't yield to pressure, only higher principle," he said. "And I don't think public policy should be based on the threat of lawsuit ... I feel very confident."

 San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman says the designation of Bears Ears as a national monument never felt right.

 But Chouinard's arguments carry no sway at a pro-Trump, anti-monument rally in Monticello. Here, Chouinard represents all the liberal interests from outside, conspiring to pit neighbor against neighbor. "What's his net worth? One billion dollars? Two billion?" says San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman. "You got Patagonia in here waving the flag of environmentalism while he's completely exploiting the outdoors for industrialized tourism. For a person in that position to try and lecture morality to one of the poorest counties in the entire nation is wrong."

 There has been opposition to Bears Ears as a monument since it was designated.

 The size of New Jersey, San Juan is the biggest and poorest county in Utah and with this moment of political victory, Lyman finds kinship with the coal miners of Appalachia.

 He points out that Bears Ears is the fifth national park or monument in his county and argues that oil and gas extraction would have less impact on the landscape than the brand of adventure tourism that has transformed nearby Moab. "By designating a monument, you are using a tool that will bring hordes of people to a place that is very sensitive," he says.

 Mark Maryboy walks in Bears Ears, home to generations of his ancestors.

 But according to former county commissioner and Navajo elder Mark Maryboy, cultural sensitivity is hard to find in San Juan County. "They didn't want to work with us," he says. "In fact, one of the county commissioners told me 'You guys lost the war so you have no business talking about the land planning process.'"

 With efficient strides, he drops into a canyon near the San Juan River, past one of the 100,000 sacred ruins in Bears Ears, to a wall covered in 1,200-year old rock art. The spindly renderings of man and animal are the work of an artist they've dubbed "Wolfman" for the paw print signature that accompanies the pictoglyphs. And then he points out the modern bullet holes.

 Ancient rock art is pockmarked by bullet holes.

 To his Navajo faith, this canyon holds the spirits of his loved ones and these carvings are just as sacred as any art in the Vatican or any wall in Jerusalem, yet someone has been using it for target practice.

 "The local white community members are determined to get rid of all the art rock," he says. "It stands in the way of progress for them. It stands in the way of a job. New cars. New clothes. Rolex watch."

 He's heard the argument that his people need jobs and that the extraction industry could provide them while protecting the most important sites.

 Native Americans built grain stores and other structures in what is now southern Utah.

 But, he feels, history hasn't shown that to be true.

 "The experience that Native Americans see in this county is discrimination," he says. "They are the last ones to be hired for any position. Even if there's a huge mining operation opening up, they will not be hired for that position. And they will be exposed to the toxic materials that are left on the ground or in the air."

 Regardless of Trump's decision and unless Utah politicians can figure out a way to take them back and sell them off, the 3 million acres around Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will remain public.

 If you are an American, this is your land and these are your rocks. Pay them a visit sometime. You'll be amazed at the stories they tell. ||||| IDEAS Marcario is CEO of Patagonia.

 President Donald Trump’s Dec. 4 proclamation robs the American people of their public lands heritage. The President and a handful of politicians would like you to believe that they are doing what is best by rescinding 85% of Bears Ears National Monument and nearly half of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Nothing could be further from the truth. This action is unprecedented and widely unpopular. It is also illegal, and Patagonia will be challenging his decision in court.

 By eliminating so much of Bears Ears National Monument, the President is putting over a million acres of land at risk for permanent destruction, and we aren’t going to just stand by. Protecting public lands is a core tenet of our mission and vitally important to our industry, and we feel we need to do everything in our power to protect this special place.

 People often look at this as a states’ rights issue. We acknowledge that people who live closest to these lands often want what is best for them, like the Native American tribes near Bears Ears who are filing suit alongside us. We must also acknowledge that history shows when states control public-trust land, 70% is sold off — and then often used for oil drilling, mining and other industrial activities. This also means that hunters, fishers, outdoorsmen and families like yours can no longer enjoy them.

 While our complaint contains the specific legal arguments we’re making in challenging the President’s illegal actions, some very basic principles explain why we’re joining this lawsuit:

 To enforce the law. The Property Clause of the U.S. Constitution — Article IV, section 3, clause 2 — vests Congress with the power to manage federal lands. Through the Antiquities Act of 1906, Congress delegated a limited amount of power to the President — specifically, the authority to create national monuments protecting certain federal land. But it did not give the President the power to undo a prior president’s monument designations. It kept that power for itself.

 To carry out our purpose as a benefit corporation. Patagonia became a California benefit corporation in 2012, in order to legally enshrine our longstanding environmental and social values into the foundation of our business. Our articles of incorporation require that we confront urgent environmental threats by investing our resources as a growing business into environmental nonprofits.

 To stand with our grassroots partners. Since 1985, Patagonia has supported hundreds of grassroots organizations in all 50 states fighting to protect public lands at the community level. As a company, we have donated more than $80 million to these groups. Beginning in 2013, we joined tribal leaders and grassroots allies to advocate for the designation of Bears Ears National Monument, and have worked together to defend it from the President’s threats.

 To defend our business. Patagonia’s business relies directly on public lands, like Indian Creek in Bears Ears, which hosts world-class climbing. Powered by national monuments, national parks and other special public lands that draw millions of visitors a year, outdoor recreation is America’s fourth-largest industry — driving $887 billion in annual consumer spending and 7.6 million jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

 For more than a century, presidents of both political parties have upheld their solemn responsibility as stewards of America’s public lands by protecting our most special wild places. In every corner of the country and across the political spectrum, the American people resoundingly support this tradition. This is not about politics; it’s about protecting the places we love and keeping the great promise of this country for our children and grandchildren.

 We won’t let President Trump tear down our heritage and sell it to the highest bidder. We’re proud to keep fighting with everything we’ve got. ||||| The Latest on President Donald Trump's plan to shrink two national parks in Utah (all times local):

 6:30 p.m.

 Outdoor company Patagonia has sued to block President Donald Trump's cuts to Utah's Bears Ears National Monument.

 Patagonia's lawsuit was filed Wednesday night, becoming the fourth legal challenge after Trump announced Monday he would shrink Bear Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.

 The California-based company argues shrinking the monument by 85 percent is an "extreme overreach in authority" and strips much-needed protections from sacred tribal lands. It filed the suit on behalf of several organizations.

 The lawsuit came after Patagonia replaced its usual home page with a stark message, "The President Stole Your Land."

 Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke shot back by saying the claim is "nefarious, false and a lie."

 A coalition of five tribes has also sued to preserve Bears Ears. Two lawsuits have been filed to protect Grand Staircase.

 ———

 1:54 a.m.

 More lawsuits are expected Wednesday over the Trump administration's plans to shrink several national monuments.

 Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and outdoor retail giant Patagonia traded harsh words Tuesday — an opening salvo in an imminent legal battle that could last for years.

 On Monday, President Donald Trump ordered drastic reductions to Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Three lawsuits had been filed by Tuesday night.

 Trump said he was reversing federal overreach by drastically cutting the sprawling monuments named by Democratic presidents. But tribal leaders, environmentalists and others argue the president doesn't have that authority and his move jeopardizes a wealth of Native American artifacts, dinosaur fossils and rugged spaces. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

 / Updated / Source: Associated Press

 SALT LAKE CITY — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and outdoor retail giant Patagonia traded harsh words over the Trump administration's plans to shrink several national monuments, an opening salvo in an imminent legal battle that could be waged for years.

 A barrage of lawsuits is expected by groups looking to block President Donald Trump's order on Monday drastically reducing Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Three lawsuits had been filed by Tuesday night, with more expected Wednesday.

 Trump said he was reversing federal overreach by drastically cutting the sprawling monuments named by Democratic presidents. But tribal leaders, environmentalists and others argue the president doesn't have that authority and his move jeopardizes a wealth of Native American artifacts, dinosaur fossils and rugged spaces.

 Patagonia, which is expected to file a lawsuit by Wednesday, replaced its usual home page with a stark message, "The President Stole Your Land."The California-based company called Trump's actions illegal and described Monday's action as the largest elimination of protected land in American history.

 Zinke shot back, calling that "nefarious, false and a lie." He told reporters that the land targeted by Trump remains protected because it is still under federal control.

 "I understand fundraising for these special interest groups," Zinke said. "I think it's shameful and appalling that they would blatantly lie in order to gain money in their coffers."

 Related: Trump cutting national monuments sets up environmental showdown

 Outdoor retailer REI also criticized Trump but in less harsh language.

 Zinke took a defiant tone in a conference call with reporters, saying, "I don't yield to pressure, only higher principle. And sound public policy is not based on threats of lawsuits, it's doing what's right."

 Patagonia has "always viewed public lands as our special interest," said company spokeswoman Corley Kenna. "And it's odd that Ryan Zinke has no problem with special interests when they're paying for his private jets. We have been fighting for these lands for decades, so that hunters, fishers, hikers and everyone else can use them and help us protect them."

 A full moon sets behind Cedar Mesa, which is within Bears Ears National Monument, near Mexican Hat, Utah on Nov. 14, 2016. Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA file

 Patagonia's statements follow more than a year of the company's activism on the issue, which is not the only time the retailer has stepped in a debate over Utah's public lands. The company joined with REI and other outdoor recreation companies in leading a push to move the industry's lucrative trade show from Salt Lake City to Denver after two decades in Utah. The move was a high-profile protest over Utah leaders' insistence on getting the Bears Ears designation rescinded and trying to take more control of federal lands.

 Zinke argued that Bears Ears is still larger than Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks combined even after being downsized to about 202,000 acres while Grand Staircase-Escalante retains about 1 million acres.

 Environmental and conservation groups and a coalition of tribes filed lawsuits Monday that ensure Trump's announcement is far from the final word in the yearslong battle over public lands in Utah and other Western states. The court cases are likely to drag on for years.

 A coalition of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni tribes and Navajo Nation sued late Monday to challenge the Bears Ears reduction, which cuts monument status for the rugged land in southeastern Utah by about 85 percent. Bears Ears features thousands of Native American artifacts, including ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

 The tribes argue that federal law only gives presidents the ability to create a national monument, not the ability to downsize one.

 Two lawsuits also have been filed to try to block the Grand Staircase decision, which cuts the monument nearly in half. Grand Staircase contains scenic cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and arches — and one of the nation's largest known coal reserves.

 The two monuments were created by Democrats Barack Obama and Bill Clinton under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historically, geographically or culturally important.

 Trump acted on a recommendation by Zinke, who also has urged that two other large national monuments in the West be reduced in size, potentially opening up thousands of acres of land revered for natural beauty and historical significance to mining, logging and other development.

 The interior secretary's plan would scale back Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou, in addition to the two Utah sites.

 Zinke said Tuesday he would focus changes in Gold Butte on the site's water districts. Gold Butte protects nearly 300,000 acres of desert landscapes featuring rock art, sandstone towers and wildlife habitat for the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and other species.

 Zinke declined to specify how many acres he wants to remove from monument status, stressing that the administration is working with Nevada's governor and congressional delegation to find a solution. ||||| Monuments 1996: Clinton takes a 1.7 million-acre stand in Utah A Bold Stroke: Clinton takes a 1.7 million-acre stand in Utah

 Diane Sylvain

 Tom Brownold

 At Hartmann/Salt Lake Tribune 1 2 3

 "God's handiwork is everywhere in the natural beauty of the Escalante Canyons and in the Kaiparowits Plateau, in the rock formations that show layer by layer the billions of years of geology, in the fossil record of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life, in the remains of ancient civilizations like the Anasazi Indians. "

 "In protecting it, we live up to our obligation to preserve our natural heritage. We are saying simply, "Our parents and grandparents saved the Grand Canyon for us; today, we will save the grand Escalante Canyons and the Kaiparowits Plateau of Utah for our children." "

 * President Bill Clinton, Sept. 18, 1996

 Though the day starts cool and gray, by noon the sun breaks through the clouds, casting golden rays on some 2,000 people gathered on the south rim of Arizona's Grand Canyon. Environmentalists, Native Americans, government bureaucrats, politicians, scholars and even a few movie stars mingle in the warm September light, excitedly awaiting a pronouncement.

 As the ceremony begins, a few Hopi elders rise and deliver a blessing: "This is a time of healing," they say. "The healing must begin."

 Then, with a stroke of his pen, President Clinton signs a document establishing 1.7 million acres in southern Utah as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Thanks to the little-known Antiquities Act of 1906, which grants the president executive powers to designate new monuments, the declaration is final. No Congress, no mind-numbing or raucous public hearings, no mess: "Here Utah, have a monument."

 The crowd roars its approval, but three men wearing black ribbons on their lapels stand quietly in the back. Perhaps the only time they smile during the ceremony is when the chopping of a helicopter interrupts Utah writer and wilderness advocate Terry Tempest Williams at the precise moment she asks the assembly to "listen to the silence." These three men from Kane County, the home of the new monument, are virtually the only Utah officials present, and they are mad as hell.

 After all, the battle over wilderness has raged for more than a decade here. County commissioners sent bulldozers into proposed wilderness areas one Fourth of July, wilderness supporters have been hung in effigy and environmentalists have decided that compromise and consensus are dirty words. It remains to be seen whether the designated monument will heal Utah's environmental war, or prolong it.

 Following the announcement at the Grand Canyon, solemn and angry locals in Kanab, Utah, 70 miles to the north, file into the high school gym for their own ceremony. To protest their loss of rights, they wear black arm bands and bear signs reading, "Shame on you Clinton" and "Why Clinton, Why? You're our President." And while environmentalists in Washington, D.C., release festively colored balloons on tethers, schoolchildren in Kanab free 50 black balloons to symbolically warn other states that the president could unilaterally lock away their lands, too.

 For six years, Kanab, pop. 3,000, has eagerly awaited coal development by Andalex, a Dutch-owned company that would tap into a mother lode of coal - 62 billion tons according to a recent federal analysis - under the remote, grassy Kaiparowits Plateau. The 50-year project was to provide locals with hundreds of decent-paying jobs and billions of dollars in state and local taxes. Now, with one simple proclamation, Clinton had derailed the plan.

 Utah's mostly Republican congressional delegation, which fought hard to keep the Kaiparowits open to mining, blasted Clinton for steamrolling Westerners. "This is the mother of all land grabs," said Sen. Orrin Hatch. "An outrageous, arrogant approach to public policy," echoed Sen. Bob Bennett.

 Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah, vowed to cripple the monument by stripping it of funds while state and county officials began crafting a legal challenge to the designation. The outrage wasn't confined to Utah. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, immediately introduced a bill to prevent the president from making a similar designation in his state without full public participation and congressional approval.

 The monument will not be managed by the National Park Service, but by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which already administers the area and has long-standing relationships with local communities. Grazing, hunting and fishing will still be allowed (see accompanying story).

 This helps some, but not a lot: "I'd like to see local people involved," said Kane County Commissioner Joe Judd. "I'd like to see taxes for school trust lands (in the monument), and I'd like to see 900 well-paying jobs. But I come across as un-American because the president says this land should be a national monument. Well, the reason this land is so beautiful is because we've been taking care of it for the last 150 years."

 Before Clinton's announcement, but after rumors had been leaked to the national press, Judd flew back to Washington, D.C., to confront White House officials. "They said they knew nothing about it," he said. "Then the next day we find out it's a done deal and that it's been in the works for four months."

 Even some environmentalists felt miffed by the administration's secretiveness. "All kinds of people I work with are angry about the process that didn't happen," said Bill Hedden, a Grand County council member who also works for Grand Canyon Trust, the environmental group that helped host the ceremony.

 And while newspapers on either coast ran glowing editorials about the plan, most Utah papers - even the generally pro-environment Salt Lake Tribune - took positions decrying the lack of public participation, if not the plan itself.

 From defense to offense

 Behind the anger, some Utahns were searching their souls. How had control over public land management been so easily wrested from their hands? And would the new monument divide or unite the state in its future struggles over wilderness designation?

 Less than a year ago, the state's political leaders seemed on the verge of resolving the struggle over Utah's unprotected wild lands once and for all. They passed legislation based on county recommendations that would have designated as wilderness approximately 1.8 million acres of land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (HCN, 12/25/95). The rest would have been thrown open to development, including large portions of the Kaiparowits Plateau.

 Environmentalists complained bitterly about the delegation's bill - they were pushing for 5.7 million acres of BLM wilderness - and the process, which they said gave too much influence to rural counties and ignored pro-environmental sentiments in Utah's densely-populated Wasatch Front.

 Led by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, environmentalists nationalized the debate, calling on people across the country to stand up for Utah's magnificent wild lands, to pressure their members of Congress to defeat the Utah delegation's wilderness bill. It worked. Last December, opposition within the House of Representatives forced Hansen to pull his bill before a vote.

 The defeat created a political vacuum, and into it stepped the Clinton administration. One anonymous White House official says administration staffers had been on the lookout for environmental victories they could achieve without congressional support. They'd considered making Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a monument, but decided that the president could use his veto powers to stop destructive oil drilling in the refuge, so they targeted Utah instead. A team from the Department of the Interior, including Interior Solicitor John Leshy, and some outsiders, was asked to work out the details.

 Administration officials involved realized the designation was a stroke of political genius. It would resonate well with a public irritated at Republican efforts to roll back environmental laws and regulations; it would shore up the president's green credentials; and it wouldn't affect Clinton's prospects in Utah, where he had finished third behind Ross Perot in 1992. Some say Clinton also got swept away by enthusiasm after announcing a month earlier that the administration would halt a gold mine near Yellowstone National Park. "It's fun to be president; let's do some more of this," he reportedly told a nearby staffer at the park ceremony.

 But it seems that even the administration was caught a little off-guard. Officials were still crafting the monument proposal when reporter Frank Clifford of the Los Angeles Times broke news of it. Then it appeared in the Washington Post, and the White House decided it could wait no longer.

 Already, officials were inundated with pleas from both sides. Utah's delegation begged the president's staff to back off and let Utahns decide the fate of the wildest country left in the lower 48 states. They told Clinton that Utah's schoolchildren would suffer if Andalex couldn't develop and pay fees on 200,000 acres of school trust lands scattered throughout the proposed monument. Finally, they resorted to name-calling in the media: They said the president was a midnight land-grabber seeking to burnish his image just weeks before the November election. Some even charged that environmentalists cozy with the administration had crafted the proposal.

 Utah environmentalists denied the allegation and said the Utah congressional delegation itself had set the stage for Clinton's decision.

 "The stars were aligned," said an exultant Ken Rait of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "The backdrop was created by the arrogance of the Utah delegation which snubbed much of its constituency. It pushed a wilderness bill that tried to bring down the spirit and intent of the wilderness act, (and that) put Utah public lands on the national map."

 Added the Grand Canyon Trust's Hedden: "The creation of the monument was a reaction to the fact that we are so polarized in this state that we can't communicate at all with each other. We have failed to come up with a solution on our own, so basically we took ourselves out of the debate."

 What happens now?

 Will Utahns hold a permanent grudge or will they sit down together to craft an agreeable management plan for the monument?

 So far, cooperation seems unlikely. Kane County Commissioner Judd says his county will now back away from an expected agreement with state and federal agencies to reintroduce California condors to the area. "We're not going to sign it now," said Judd. "If one of those condors sits its butt in the monument, why, then, we've got an endangered species problem."

 "We're going to be a whole lot less cooperative with the federal government," echoes Kane County's attorney Colin Winchester. "I know it's playground stuff - you know, my daddy's bigger than yours - but that's the way we feel now."

 Others believe that the president's move will ultimately be seen as a watershed leading to more peaceful resolutions of public land issues. Writer Terry Tempest Williams says she believes many Utahns support the monument. "To hear what's going on in the papers, you'd think Utah is in a wake," she said. "But my family is Republican and they're absolutely thrilled. This is one important step toward a growing conservation ethic that we are seeing in Utah. I think things will calm down and the hard work will begin."

 Pollsters at the Salt Lake Tribune are waiting for the anger to subside before trying to find out what Utahns really think. The Deseret News, however, released an early poll showing 49 percent opposed to the monument and 29 percent for it; 61 percent said the process used to create it was unfair.

 Beyond the immediate question of the monument lurks the larger question of how much additional public land in Utah should be designated wilderness. Some environmentalists fear the monument will be the extent of it for a long, long time. Others say it strengthens their hand. Says Tempest Williams, "I view (the monument) as a down payment."

 One precedent for such a view is Alaska. Following President Jimmy Carter's designation of some 56 million acres of national monuments there in 1978, Alaska's congressional delegation began holding serious talks with industry leaders and environmentalists about which lands warranted protection and which could be exploited for resources. The result: the 1980 Alaska Lands Act, the largest and perhaps most remarkable piece of public-lands legislation in the last century.

 Optimists might also take heart from a marquee outside a roadside business in Kanab. Clinton is clearly a villain, but the monument could be something locals warm to. "Shame on you Clinton," read the sign. Then below: "Buses welcome."

 Paul Larmer is HCN's associate editor. HCN's assistant editor Elizabeth Manning contributed to this story.

 The following sidebar articles accompany this feature story:

 - The mother of all land grabs

 - A daunting, beautiful place

 - Managing the monument: The devil is in the details |||||

– Go to Patagonia's website and you're greeted with a message Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has deemed "nefarious": "The President Stole Your Land." The California company is referring to President Trump's move to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, but it's not stopping at that: It filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the Bears Ears slashing, joining three other legal challenges to save the monuments, the AP reports. The suit, which the AP notes was filed on behalf of several groups, says the proposed 85% reduction at Bears Ears is an "extreme overreach in authority" and puts at risk dinosaur fossils and Native American artifacts, among other resources. Patagonia owner Yvon Chouinard told CNN of his litigious plans earlier this week, noting, "This government is evil, and I'm not going to sit back and let evil win." President Obama designated Bears Ears a national monument at the end of 2016; Grand Staircase-Escalante received the protection 20 years earlier from President Clinton. At the heart of the commotion is whether a current president can walk back a former president's creation of a national monument under the Antiquities Act, with Native American tribes, environmental groups, and paleontologists arguing that Trump doesn't have the authority to do so; two legal experts interviewed by the AP had varying opinions on the matter. NBC News, which notes the legal wrangling over the national monuments could stretch out for years, adds that Patagonia has long been active in fighting for Utah's public lands. The AP notes more lawsuits are anticipated, especially if Trump moves on Zinke's push to cut other national monuments. More in Time from Patagonia's CEO on why the company is suing.


ATLANTA (AP) — Grambling State won the Celebration Bowl when it blocked an extra-point kick set back 15 yards by an excessive celebration with just over two minutes left, holding off North Carolina Central 10-9 Saturday.

 Joseph McWilliams surged in and swatted Brandon McLaren's 35-yard try with 2:14 remaining to preserve the Tigers' edge.

 Down 10-3, North Carolina Central had a chance to pull even after Quentin Atkinson shook loose and caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from scrambling Malcolm Bell. But Atkinson took off his helmet while reveling with the crowd, drawing a personal foul penalty.

 Martez Carter's 32-yard touchdown run to open the second half gave Grambling State (11-1) its first lead. The Tigers earned the bowl bid by winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship to complete a dramatic resurgence by the program.

 The Eagles (9-3) won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference under third-year coach Jerry Mack.

 Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Grambling State opened the third quarter with a run-first plan. Following five power runs by 240-pound running back Jestin Kelly, the 175-pound Carter looked extra-quick on his sharp cuts through the line on his touchdown run for a 7-3 lead.

 The Tigers threw only one play-action pass for a short gain on the touchdown drive.

 Grambling State's defense later set up more points. Arkez Cooper sacked Bell, forcing a fumble recovered by Malcolm Williams at the Eagles 25. The turnover set up a 26-yard field goal by Jonathan Wallace.

 McLaren's 23-yard field goal provided the only points of the first half. The kick capped a 13-play drive and followed a dropped 6-yard pass in the end zone by Atkinson on third down.

 McLaren missed a 34-yarder late in the half.

 THE TAKEAWAY

 Grambling State: The Tigers placed a cap on their continued strong progress made in three years under coach Broderick Fobbs, who won seven and nine games, respectively, in his first two years. Fobbs, who played for former coach Eddie Robinson, showed on the national stage the program has returned to prominence as a force among historically black colleges.

 North Carolina Central: Despite being a two-touchdown underdog, the Eagles played even with Grambling State, posting a shutout in the first half.

 UP NEXT

 Grambling State: The Tigers will return a good talent base, including Devante Kincade at quarterback, as they try to defend their SWAC championship. They'll need to replace six starters on offense and 10 overall. Key losses from the defense include noseguard Blain Winston and leading tacklers Guy Stallworth and Cooper.

 North Carolina Central: The Eagles must replace nine senior starters, including six on offense, as they look to defend their MEAC championship. Freshman Naiil Ramadan was listed as the top backup to Bell at quarterback. The Eagles also lose four of their five starting offensive linemen, with only left tackle Nick Leverett returning. The Eagles have not released their 2017 schedule.

 ___

 More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 ||||| Grambling State won today’s Celebration Bowl 10-9 after a would-be tying touchdown had the extra point fouled up by an excessive celebration penalty.

 North Carolina Central’s Quentin Atkinson caught a 39-yard touchdown pass with just over two minutes remaining, but was called for excessive celebration after taking his helmet off in excitement. That pushed back the extra point attempt, which Grambling blocked—and the subsequent onside attempt failed as well.

 It’s Grambling’s 15th black college football national championship; the Tigers trail all-time leader Tennessee State by just one title.

 [ABC] |||||

Write a summary.

– Grambling State won the Celebration Bowl when it blocked an extra point set back 15 yards by an excessive celebration with just over two minutes left, holding off North Carolina Central 10-9 Saturday, the AP reports. Down 10-3, North Carolina Central had a chance to pull even after Quentin Atkinson shook loose and caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from a scrambling Malcolm Bell late in the 4th quarter. But Atkinson took off his helmet while reveling with the crowd, drawing a personal foul penalty and moving the extra point back. Grambling State's Joseph McWilliams surged in and swatted kicker Brandon McLaren's 35-yard extra-point try to preserve the Tigers' edge. Deadspin has the video.


News article:

PHOENIX - The defense team for an Arizona teen accused of terrorism revealed Friday that he has been attacked while in jail.

 In court records obtained by ABC15, the defense team for 18-year-old Mahin Khan said "Mr. Khan has already been attacked once while in the jail, based on the charges."

 According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Khan was offered the chance to be placed in "voluntary segregation" due to his charges, but he declined. He was placed at Towers Jail in a medium security general population housing where he was assaulted by other inmates on July 2.

 Khan suffered some minor injuries and was evaluated at the hospital. He is now at the Lower Buckeye Jail in segregated housing.

 Sheriff Joe Arpaio has ordered that Khan, and any inmate in the future who has similar charges, be automatically placed in segregation.

 Khan has been indicted and accused of planning to bomb a Motor Vehicle Division office in Maricopa County between April 2015 and July 1, 2016. Khan entered a not guilty plea to the charges on July 12.

 He is being held in jail without bond at this time. A hearing to discuss his bond is set to take place on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

 Maricopa County public defenders filed a request to seal future hearings involving Khan. In the request, they argue that media presence at the trial would harm Khan's right to a fair trial. In the argument that they laid out to persuade the court to seal the trial, they mention that further release of information could be dangerous to Khan's family and has already resulted in an attack on Khan while in jail. ||||| The Arizona man arrested this month for allegedly planning a terror-related strike was attacked in jail, authorities confirmed to NBC News.

 Mahin Khan, 18, of Tucson was assaulted by other inmates in a Maricopa County jail on July 2, the day after his arrest, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department said.

 Mahin Khan, of Tucson, Ariz. was arrested by the FBI and the Arizona Attorney General's Office for threatening to commit acts of terrorism on government buildings in Tucson and Phoenix. Maricopa County Sheriff's Office - AP

 Khan suffered "some minor non-life-threatening injuries" and has been moved to segregated housing in Lower Buckeye Jail, authorities said.

 Khan declined to be placed in segregation when it was offered, the sheriff's office said.

 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpalo has ordered for Khan and any inmate with similar charges to be automatically isolated from the rest of the jail population going forward.

 Khan was arrested this month on terrorism-related charges linking to a conspiracy targeting government buildings in two Arizona cities.

 Related: Arizona Terror Suspect Sought Guns, Bomb Instructions: Court Docs

 The FBI alleges that Khan made contact with the terrorist group Terik-e Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban or TTP. Khan also made contact with an individual in hopes of obtaining two rifles and a handgun.

 Khan is due back in state court in Phoenix on Tuesday. He is being held without bond, according to jail records. ||||| Tucson terrorism suspect Mahin Khan has been assaulted in jail.

 The 18-year-old had just pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism.

 [READ MORE: Tucson terrorism suspect Mahin Khan pleads not guilty]

 According to the Marcicopa County Sheriff's Office, Khan was initially asked if he would like to be placed in voluntary segregation, but he declined.

 So, he was put in medium-security general population in the Towers jail.

 MCSO says Khan was assaulted by other inmates on July 2.

 Khan's lawyers say he suffered minor injuries. He was evaluated at a hospital, and now is in segregated housing at the Lower Buckeye Jail.

 Khan was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to launch acts of terrorism against government buildings in Maricopa and Pima counties, although what acts and which buildings were not made clear.

 Copyright 2016 KPHO/KTVK (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– An Arizona teen charged with plotting terrorist attacks in his home state was attacked in jail earlier this month, NBC News reports. Eighteen-year-old Mahin Khan suffered minor injuries when he was attacked by fellow inmates July 2—the day after his arrest. According to KNXV, Khan was being held in medium security at Maricopa County Jail at the time of the attack, which was only revealed Friday. Following his arrest, Khan was offered "voluntary segregation," which he turned down. He's now been moved to segregated housing. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says all inmates facing terror-related charges will be automatically isolated from the general population in the future. Khan, who's from Tucson, pleaded not guilty to terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism on Tuesday, KPHO/KTVK reports. The FBI says Khan contacted terrorist group Terik-e Taliban Pakistan. He was allegedly planning bomb attacks at government buildings in Arizona. Khan's public defenders want his future hearings made off limits to the media, blaming previous coverage for the jail attack and expressing concern for his family's safety.