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Ted Cruz to announce presidential bid Monday

 Sen. Ted Cruz plans to announce Monday that he will run for president of the United States, according to his senior advisers, accelerating his already rapid three-year rise from a tea party insurgent in Texas into a divisive political force in Washington.

 Cruz, scheduled to speak Monday at a convocation ceremony at Liberty University in Virginia, will not form an exploratory committee but rather launch a presidential bid outright, said advisers with direct knowledge of his plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made yet. They say he is done exploring and is now ready to become the first Republican presidential candidate.

 Over the course of the primary campaign, Cruz will aim to raise between $40 million and $50 million, according to advisers, and dominate with the same tea party voters who supported his underdog senate campaign in 2012. But the key to victory, Cruz advisers believe, is to be the second choice of enough voters in the party's libertarian and social conservative wings to cobble together a coalition to defeat the chosen candidate of the Republican establishment.

 The firebrand Texan may have few Senate colleagues who will back his White House bid, but his appeal to his party's base who vote disproportionately in Republican primaries could make him competitive in Iowa and beyond.

 Yet critics of Cruz argue that he will have trouble raising high-dollar donations from traditional contributors, will land few endorsements from the nation's political establishment and be unable to escape comparisons to President Barack Obama, who also ran for president in his first Senate term. And if he advances to a general election, Cruz trails likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton solidly in early public opinion polls.

 "I don't consider him a mainstream candidate, and usually to win you've got to be inside the 45-yard lines," said Greg Valliere, a political adviser to Wall Street firms who believes that if Cruz did earn the nomination, he would not win more than a dozen states in the general election. "The enthusiasm for him will be tremendous in maybe a third of the party, but another third of the party will be strongly opposed and another third of the party will be wary."

 Senior advisers say Cruz will run as an unabashed conservative eager to mobilize like-minded voters who cannot stomach the choice of the "mushy middle" that he has ridiculed on the stump over the past two months in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

 "Ted is exactly where most Republican voters are," said Mike Needham, who heads the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action for America. "Most people go to Washington and get co-opted. And Ted clearly is somebody that hasn't been."

 Upon arriving in Washington, D.C., Cruz discarded the expectation of deference that accompanies a freshman senator, launching frequent one-man stands to stymie congressional Democrats and Republicans alike. After Cruz led a shutdown of the federal government in October 2013 as part of an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, conservative activists flocked to their new hero even as Republican leaders excoriated him.

 For Cruz, 44, Monday's planned announcement will culminate two years of open musing about running for president that began nearly the moment voters elected him to the Senate in 2012. Only a month later, as senator-elect, Cruz established a political action committee to back conservative candidates nationwide. During his first congressional summer recess, he was already visiting Iowa.

 And over the past seven months, the Jobs, Growth and Freedom PAC has added a coterie of nationally experienced political operatives to the 2012 team of Texas strategists who engineered the surprise dethroning of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary. Joining the team Monday will be Cruz's wife, Heidi, a managing director at Goldman Sachs in Houston, who will take leave from the firm and accompany her husband on the campaign trail. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will announce Monday his plans to run for president, becoming the first high-profile Republican formally to enter the 2016 presidential contest.

 FILE - In this March 10, 2015, file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Legislative Conference and Presidential Forum in Washington. Cruz plans... (Associated Press)

 Cruz has hinted openly at his intentions to seek the White House for months, and his intention to jump into the race was confirmed by a strategist for the first-term Republican senator, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so as not to preclude the formal announcement.

 While Cruz is the first Republican to declare his candidacy, he is sure to be followed by several big names in the GOP, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and two Senate colleagues, Kentucky's Rand Paul and Florida's Marco Rubio.

 Details about Cruz's Monday campaign launch were first reported by The Houston Chronicle.

 Cruz, 44, has considerable appeal among the Republican Party's base of conservative voters.

 Following his election to the Senate in 2012, the former Texas solicitor general quickly established himself as an uncompromising conservative willing to take on Democrats and Republicans alike. Criticized by members of his own party at times, he won praise from tea party activists for leading the GOP's push to shut down the federal government during an unsuccessful bid to block funding for President Barack Obama's health care law.

 One of the nation's top college debaters while a student at Princeton University, Cruz continues to be a leading voice for the law's repeal. He also promises to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, scrap the Education Department and curtail federal regulators, likening them to locusts.

 Cruz has left little doubt about his 2016 intentions in recent weeks. He made his first trip to New Hampshire earlier this month to help lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign, having already begun to ramp up outreach to party activists and donors.

 While in New Hampshire, Cruz told voters his daughter, Caroline, had given him permission to join the presidential race in the hopes that the family puppy would get to play on the White House lawn instead of near their Houston high-rise condo.

 "If you win, that means Snowflake will finally get a backyard to pee in," Cruz said his daughter told him.

 Cruz is set to release a book this summer that he said would reflect themes of his White House campaign.

 In a recent Associated Press interview, he said he wants to counter the "caricatures" of the right as "stupid," ''evil" or "crazy."

 "The image created in the mainstream media does not comply with the facts," he said.

 The son of an American mother and Cuban-born father, Cruz would be the nation's first Hispanic president. While born in Canada, two lawyers who represented presidents from both parties at the Supreme Court recently wrote in the Harvard Law Review that Cruz meets the constitutional standard to run.

 Cruz would retain his Senate seat through early 2019 if he fails to win the presidency. |||||

– If it seems like it's already gone on for years, we are currently 596 (five hundred ninety-six) days away from the election that will determine the next president of the United States of America. But we are only one day away from the first official hat getting tossed into the 2016 ring by one of the many who been circling it, and the Houston Chronicle reports that it belongs to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Unnamed senior advisers say the Republican will announce his candidacy tomorrow, skipping right past the exploratory committee fun (looking at you, Jim Webb) and going right for the hat-tossing. More unnamed sources confirm the pending announcement to the AP, which notes Cruz will likely be soon joined by the likes of Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio. And if 2016 doesn't work out for Cruz, he'll keep his current day job until 2019.


UPDATES with NFL’s reaction below, then President Obama’s:

 “We appreciate Senator Sweeney’s interest, but officiating controversies have always been a part of sport,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. “Our staff, including Commissioner [Roger] Goodell, has been in negotiations with the referees union for the past week. We hope to reach agreement as soon as possible.”

 President Obama this afternoon was asked about the game’s ending:

 “Terrible,” he told reporters. “I’ve been saying for months, we’ve gotta get our refs back.”

 There has been vociferous negative reaction nationwide to the controversial ending to the Monday Night Football game between Green Bay and Seattle – especially among bettors: professional sports bettor R.J. Bell estimates that the “house,” which was stuck with twice as much money bet on the Packers, collected an extra $150 million overall because the Packers lost against the point spread instead of the Seahawks.

 But Jersey always like to step things up a notch in their own way – and has done so again.

 State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester County, whose beloved Packers came out on the wrong end of a bad call in the game’s final play, on Tuesday announced that he isn’t going to take it lying down.

 Sweeney noted to the Associated Press that the NFL is the same league that has sued New Jersey to stop sports betting for a perceived threat to the integrity of the game.

 So here’s Sweeney’s press release in response to the botched finish:

 “New Jersey state Senate President Stephen Sweeney today said he plans to introduce legislation prohibiting the playing of professional sporting events with replacement officials, citing the potential for increased injury by inexperienced referees who cannot control a game.

 “This past weekend in the NFL has not only made a mockery of a great sport, but shined a very bright light on how important fully trained and professional officiating is to player safety,” said Sweeney. “We wouldn’t allow a factory or construction site to operate without fully trained supervisors on hand to ensure the safety of employees. Why should we do anything differently when the job site is a playing field?”

 Sweeney said that the litany of missed calls or blatantly miscalled penalties over the first three weeks of the National Football League (NFL) season has proven the replacement officials do not have the ability to control a game in a highly physical sport where players get injured on routine plays even under the most well-trained of referees.

 Sweeney said that replacement officials also lower the quality of play, devaluing the often large investments fans have made in tickets.

 “Whether the sport is football, soccer or baseball, when referees don’t know how to properly enforce the rules, there is a real chance for unnecessary and serious injury,” said Sweeney. “If the NFL insists on putting replacement officials on the field, putting players at risk, then the state shouldn’t be playing a part in that.”

 Comments

 comments ||||| Monday night's controversial touchdown call that gave the Seattle Seahawks a 14-12 victory over the Green Bay Packers had an immediate impact for gamblers.

 If the Hail Mary pass by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson would have been ruled an interception by Packers safety M.D. Jennings, Green Bay -- 3½ point favorites -- would have won by five, covering the spread.

 Instead, the replacement officials' call that Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate had possession shifted all those who bet on the Packers to those who took the underdog Seahawks.

 "Most of the customers in the sportsbook were not happy with the final call," said John Avello, director of the race and sportsbook at the Wynn in Las Vegas. "The shift was 100 percent. After the (Seahawks) score, all bets were reversed."

 Avello's best guess as to how much money was shifted worldwide on the call? $150 million in total bets worldwide.

 Jeff Sherman, assistant director of the race and sportsbook at the Las Vegas Hotel, says he estimates that the game shifted $15 million in Nevada alone and also concurs with Avello that the worldwide number, including offshore sportsbooks and in Europe, is worth about 10 times more.

 Those who take bets online estimated the shift in money was even greater.

 Mike Perry, spokesman for betting site Sportsbook.ag, told ESPN.com his estimate in the money swing on the call at the end of the game is closer to between $200 million and $250 million.

 Perry said that 70 to 80 percent of the money on his site was put on the Packers, which is in line with the percentage bet in Vegas. At Mandalay Bay, the sportsbook took in about $500,000 in total bets, with about 85 percent of the money on the Packers.

 Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, who sets the lines for USA Today, had the highest estimate of those surveyed by ESPN.com. Sheridan said Tuesday morning that he believes that $1 billion in total money changed hands with the touchdown call.

 While there has been no way to handicap the exact part that replacement officials play in spreads, Avello says that it's not the first time this year that spreads have been altered by bad calls.

 "It's the first call that has directly affected the outcome, but there have been many that have affected the outcome or the spread directly," he said.

 The call didn't just have an immediate impact on gamblers, it also impacted the Packers' Super Bowl odds. After Monday night's game, the Las Vegas Hotel has changed the odds for the Packers to win the Super Bowl from 7-1 Monday to 9-1 Tuesday. |||||

Write a summary.

– New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney has introduced a bill that would make it illegal for replacement referees to work in the state, arguing that they are a danger to players' safety, the Bergen Record reports. "We wouldn’t allow a factory or construction site to operate without fully trained supervisors on hand to ensure the safety of employees," Sweeney reasoned in a statement. "Why should we do anything differently when the job site is a playing field?" Both the Giants and the Jets play in New Jersey. The NFL brushed aside Sweeney's concerns, saying that "officiating controversies have always been a part of the sport." But judging by the reaction so far, that's not likely to appease anyone. ESPN tweeted that the NFL offices have gotten more than 70,000 voicemails regarding the botched call. And more than pride and playoff berths are at stake: Las Vegas bookies estimate that between $150 million and $200 million in bets swung on the call.


Legend has it that the infamous Hope diamond brings misfortune to whoever owns it. Well, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History added the magnificent sky-blue gemstone to its collection 53 years ago today (Nov.10), and the institution has fared just fine so far.

 As the museum states on its website, it "appears to have maintained the Hope curse-free."

 So what's the evidence that the Hope diamond is cursed?

 There are plenty of stories of the stone's owners meeting horrible fates, but scholars tend to believe that many of these tales were cooked up or embellished on, at one time or another, by the gem's various owners, in hopes that an incredible history would fetch the diamond a better price in a sale. The diamond has changed hands many times, and for a few periods in its life, the name of the owner is lost to history.

 Here, we'll focus on the people who owned the rock for the most significant chunks of time, and whose fates historians can confirm.

 The most commonly accepted origin of the curse dates back to 1653, when a French merchant named Jean Baptiste Tavernier obtained the original 115-carat blue diamond in India. The story goes that Tavernier plucked the gem from one of the eyes of a Hindu idol and, for this sacrilege, was later mauled to death by dogs. In fact, the story is a myth: Tavernier returned to France and sold the gem to King Louis XIV for a pretty penny, after which he retired to Russia and died peacefully there. Scholars even question how Tavernier came upon the gem, as a second diamond never turned up, and no one else ever found the statue in question.

 Louis, too, escaped misfortune despite his ownership of the "French Blue," as the Hope was then called. However, one of Louis' descendants who inherited the stone was not as lucky. King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, lost their heads to the guillotine during the French Revolution, and their crown jewels – including the diamond – were ransacked by thieves. [How Are Fake Diamonds Made?]

 A cut-down piece of the French Blue resurfaced in London two decades later, and the financier Henry Philip Hope bought it in 1839 (the diamond is now known by the family's name). The stone's "curse" skipped over Henry but came down with a vengeance on a descendant, Lord Francis Hope. After Lord Francis received his inheritance at the age of 21, he married an American showgirl named Mary Yohe and lived so far beyond his means that he was eventually forced to sell the magnificent diamond and declare bankruptcy. The showgirl ran off with one of his rivals and eventually died in poverty.

 The Hope diamond exchanged hands a few times before American jeweler Pierre Cartier obtained it, and again the "curse" skipped him. In fact, historians suspect Cartier embellished some of the curse rumors to entice the diamond's next buyer, the glamorous Washington socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, who became the modern poster child for the stone's curse.

 McLean and her husband obtained it in 1912 and proceeded to lead a notably tragic life. Her young son was killed in a car accident, and her daughter committed suicide. Her husband left her for another woman and eventually ended up in an insane asylum. In the words of the Smithsonian, "More than anyone, Evalyn Walsh McLean became the poster child for the Hope diamond's legendary curse."

 The jeweler Henry Winston bought the diamond from McLean's estate and avoided its curse, eventually selling it to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in 1958. The museum, too, did well — attendance grew and the museum is now home to one of the world's finest gem collections — but James Todd, the postman who delivered it, did indeed meet with misfortune: He was hit by a truck (not fatally), his wife and dog died not long after, and his home caught fire.

 Perhaps the museum is lucky to be one of the owners spared the wrath of the Hope diamond. Or perhaps there is no ruinous curse at all. That's what its market value would imply, anyway: Today the sky-blue gem is worth a quarter of a billion dollars.

 This article was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow us on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on Facebook. ||||| Every day, thousands of visitors to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum crowd around a glass case on the second floor to gaze at the Hope Diamond, one of the world's most famous jewels. It's been the subject of dozens of books, games, documentaries and scientific inquiries, partly due to persisting legends that it's cursed. Despite all this attention, though, it seems that the inch-wide, 45.52-carat diamond still conceals secrets waiting to be uncovered.

 One of these secrets was recently discovered by François Farges, a professor of mineralogy at the National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and Jeffrey Post, the Smithsonian museum's curator of minerals. Using computer modeling, a recently-rediscovered 17th century lead replica and scientific analysis, they've determined that back when the Hope was known as the "French Blue" and part of the personal collection of King Louis XIV of France, during the late 17th century, it was likely placed on a gold background and specially cut to produce an effect reminiscent of a sun at its center. Only after it was stolen in 1792, during the French Revolution—and before it resurfaced in Britain in 1812—was it recut to the familiar, smaller shape we know today.

 Their new discovery, described in an article published in the month's Rocks and Minerals magazine, stems from Farges' 2009 discovery of a lead replica of the French Blue in the National d'Histoire Naturelle mineral collections, which provided the exact dimensions of King Louis XIV's French Blue for the first time. Both Post and Farges are mineral scientists, and much of their other work on the Hope is concerned with the science behind its distinctive hue, but they've also used the tools of science to investigate the gem's complex provenance.

 And the history of the diamond is a complex one: It was bought somewhere in India in a rougher, less finely-cut shape by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a French merchant, and brought to France in 1668. "Unfortunately, Tavernier wrote some really wonderful journals about the trip, but nowhere in them did he say anything about where he actually bought the diamond," Post says. It's believed that the stone was plucked from the Kollur Mine, in what's now the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, but no one knows for sure.

 From there, it became part of the French crown jewels, and was cut by Jean Pittan, one of King Louis XIV's court jewelers, sometime between 1669 and 1672, eventually becoming known as the French Blue. That the Hope and the French Blue were the same stone was suggested by diamond experts as far back as 1858, but only proved definitively in 2009, when Farges unearthed the lead replica at the Paris museum. At the time, jewelers made metal replicas for extremely precious stones and used them as placeholders when designing settings.

 "They didn't even know they had it. It was in their collection, but filed under lead specimens," Post says. Drawings and descriptions of the French Blue had previously suggested it could have been recut to produce the Hope, but the exact physical dimensions provided by the lead replica allowed Farges to collect digital 3D measurements that would prove it. When they compared these measurements to those of the Hope, "it fit into the French Blue perfectly—you could see exactly how the French Blue was cut to form the Hope," says Post.

 The replica, though, also raised a question: Why was the French Blue cut into such an uncommon shape?

 Nowadays, when jewelers cut diamonds, they use sharp angles on the back of the stone—always higher than 23 degrees, the critical angle of diamond, so that light that enters the gem reflects inside it several times. The ubiquitous brilliant cut, for instance, is designed to maximize the number of reflections that light entering the diamond encounters, thus maximizing the distance that light travels within the diamond. This heightens the brilliance for the viewer.

 But the back of the French Blue had low angles and even an entirely flat culet on its back, allowing some light to travel through and straight out the back of the stone. Compared to the rest of the stone, the material right in front of the culet at the gem's center would have appeared relatively clear and colorless, almost like looking through a glass window.

 Farges and Post's intriguing explanation: that the jeweler intended for the center of the stone to serve as a window. Along with the flat culet, the French Blue had a series of star-shaped facets that were also below the critical angle, which would have caused the region in front of them to also appear relatively clear.

 A 1691 inventory of the French Crown Jewels notes that the gem was "set into gold and mounted on a stick." If placed in front of a gold sheet, they realized, these unique cuts would have caused a dazzling golden sun to appear at the center of the deep blue stone.

 Farges and Post have used computer modeling to produce an image that simulates exactly how this would have appeared, shown above. "King Louis XIV was the 'Sun King,' and so this would have been an emblem representing his power," Post says. "His colors were blue and gold, and so to have a blue diamond with a gold sun in the center—that'd be something that no one else has, something that would almost seem divine."

 The researchers are planning on comissioning a cubic zirconia replica, cut and colored to match the French Blue, which would demonstrate this effect and could someday be put on display with the Hope to illustrate the stone's transformation and history. They're also scrutinizing archives of Louis XIV's jewelers from that era to look for conclusive evidence that this design was intentional.

 One thing they know for sure is that the sun effect was eradicated around 1749, when the Sun King's great-grandson, King Louis XV, ordered the stone to be lifted from its mounting and incorporated into an elaborate emblem. During the French Revolution, it was stolen along with the rest of the Crown Jewels, and although most of the other gems were recovered by French officials, the famous French Blue disappeared. The slightly smaller Hope Diamond—which we now know was cut from the French Blue—was first documented as being in London in 1812, and became well known when it showed up in the collection catalogue of banker Henry Philip Hope in 1839.

 More than a half century after it was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958, the Hope is still one of the Natural History Museum's most-visited and well-known artifacts. "It speaks to the remarkable power of a gemstone. It has generated so much research, interest and curiosity, and it's focused people on a history that might otherwise go untold," Post says. "All due to a gem one inch in diameter."

 Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Louis XV was the son of Louis XIV. He was the great-grandson of XIV. Many thanks to reader Joshua Stopple for catching the error. ||||| Picture this: You’re on a train that’s traveling fast through the mountains. A man is tied to a chair in front of you. A bear growls from behind a closet door. And everywhere around you are stolen priceless gems, statues and paintings.

 Welcome to “Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond,” the first video game that the Smithsonian Institution has helped create. From a train in India to the hills of Switzerland to the Smithsonian Castle, the game released in December takes you on an adventure around the world.

 You are the explorer

 Your task is to find pieces of the Hope Diamond before a group of thieves gets to them. As the game unfolds, you realize that you are an explorer working for the Smithsonian, challenged with solving riddles and puzzles in order to get to the next stage of the game. You can’t actually lose, but the faster you piece together what you need to do, the better your score.

 Along the way you learn about the real Hope Diamond, a hugely popular attraction at the National Museum of Natural History.

 “It never has failed to fascinate me, the draw the diamond has on people . . . no matter what we do with it,” said Jeffrey Post, who is a curator, or overseer, of gems and minerals at the Smithsonian. “It’s valuable, rare and famous. It’s like wanting to see a movie star. The Hope Diamond is a bit of a celebrity.”

 Post worked closely with Big Fish Games to make sure the information and images were correct. The game is littered with trivia, such as whose statue is in front of the Smithsonian Castle (Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian).

 Hope Diamond legend

 It makes sense that the Hope Diamond would play a central role in a video game. The story of the real diamond is full of mystery.

 A Frenchman named Jean Baptiste Tavernier was the first known owner of the diamond, but no one is sure how he got it. Legend says that in the 17th century he stole a large stone from a statue of a god in India. Because of that, the diamond is supposedly cursed.

 Many people around the globe, including kings, have owned the blue stone, and some have had bad luck. The Hope family, for which the diamond is named, owned it in the 1800s but went into debt and was forced to sell it. A rich Washington woman named Evalyn Walsh McLean bought the jewel in 1911. Her son and daughter died young. Was that because of the diamond’s curse?

 Post said it’s possible there are shards of the Hope Diamond, just like those mentioned in the game. (The diamond was recut over the years.) He is working with a French museum to figure out more about where the diamond came from.

 Post’s favorite story about the diamond is true. When you shine an ultraviolet light on the diamond in a dark room, it glows bright red. That’s because of a chemical called boron in the diamond that makes it blue in the light but a fiery red in the dark.

 “It’s something you don’t expect to see,” Post said. “It’s also one of those secrets of the Hope Diamond. . . . So you can see there’s a lot of different hooks in the Hope Diamond that would create a story.”

 Try the game

 What: “Hidden Expedition: Smithsonian Hope Diamond”

 Platforms: Mac and PC

 How old: Best for age 8 and older.

 How much: $19.99.

 Where to buy: www.bigfishgames.com. Always ask a parent before going online. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– It's legendary, supposedly cursed, admired daily by thousands, and the star of a video game—and yet we don't know all there is to know about the Hope Diamond, or so a recent discovery indicates. The 45.52-carat diamond has given up one of its secrets to French mineral scientist François Farges and Jeffrey Post, the Smithsonian's curator of minerals. Their detective work involved computer modeling and a 17th-century lead replica that Farges found in 2009 among the National d'Histoire Naturelle's collection, and led them to an intriguing conclusion: When King Louis XIV possessed the diamond, it was mounted on a gold background and cut in a way that could cause a sun to appear at the blue stone's center—all too appropriate for the Sun King, whose colors were blue and gold, reports Smithsonian Magazine. Louis XIV bought the originally 112 3/16-carat, crudely cut diamond in 1668 from a French merchant who obtained the jewel somewhere in India. Five years later it was recut to its 67 1/8-carat size, according to the Smithsonian Encyclopedia, at which time it became known as the French Blue. In the years between its theft (in 1792, during the French Revolution) and reappearance (in 1812, in Britain), it was again cut to its current size, obliterating those former dimensions—until Farges uncovered the replica, which would have been used by jewelers in need of a stand-in for the actual diamond while creating settings. But the replica made clear that the French Blue was cut in an unusual way, eschewing the sharp angles that maximize the reflection of light. In exploring the reasoning behind the cut, Farges and Post arrived at their conclusion. Interestingly, it was only with the discovery of the replica that it was conclusively proven that the French Blue and the Hope Diamond were the same stone. (Click for another fascinating story about diamonds.)


News article:

Now this is what I call a summer movie. Baby Driver has it all: thrills, laughs, sex, nonstop action, a killer soundtrack, a star-making performance from Ansel Elgort and a director – Edgar Wright – who can knock the wind out of you. When was the last time to got pumped by a car chase? This revved-up ride of a movie is loaded with them, and they're spectacular.

 OK, let's back up and get our bearings. Elgort, the teen dream of The Fault in Our Stars, plays Baby, an Atlanta getaway driver with chronic tinnitus. That constant ringing and buzzing in his ears is why he's never without his earbuds; the music in his head drowns out the buzz and replaces it with nonstop beats. The first getaway, set to "Bellbottoms" by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, is choreographed by Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) with a precision to match anything in La La Land.

 Here's the deal with Baby: To care for Pops (CJ Jones), the deaf gent who raised him after his mother died, he's been driving for crime boss Doc (a wickedly sly Kevin Spacey). The kid never robs a bank himself (no stomach for it); he also wants out, but there's one more job ... there always is. Doc sets up a crew that redefines the term "natural born psychos": Folks with criminal handles like Bats (Jamie Foxx) and Griff (Jon Bernthal), along with Buddy (Jon Hamm) and his main squeeze Darling (Eiza Gonzalez). Everyone in the supporting cast goes for broke here – but we'll single out Hamm, who adds glaze and a slice of pineapple in a performance of bracing, nutty perversity.

 Baby Driver slows down a bit when our hero falls hard for a diner waitress named Debora (Cinderella's Lily James). But the sweetness of their romance makes a pleasing contrast to the violence that escalates in the film's final third. Debora, who enters the movie singing "Baby" by Carla Thomas, is miffed that so few songs give her a name check. "You have us all beat," she tells Baby. "Every song is about you." James is enormously appealing as this dreamer who shares her beau's wish "to head west on the 20, in a car we can't afford, with a plan we don't have." Since Baby is a man of few words, Elgort uses his expressive eyes as a window into Baby's heart. It's a challenging beast of a role and Elgort just crushes it.

 Still, this is Wright's show. Best known for his Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End), the ever-dazzling Wright tops himself with this start-to-finish sensation. It's not computers that generate the fireworks – the stunts are mostly done in camera (kudos to cinematographer Bill Pope), which gives the action a you-are-there urgency that the digiverse can't match. Expanding on an idea from his own 2003 music video for Mint Royale's "Blue Song," Wright spent years perfecting how he wanted Baby Driver to look and sound on screen.

 The British director's attention to detail pays off handsomely. Glib comparisons to 2011's Drive with Ryan Gosling don't hold up, mainly because that expressionist film noir is not what Wright is aiming for. Think Walter Hill's 1978's The Driver (in tribute, Hill has a voice cameo), along with what Wright calls the Holy Trinity of 1990's pulp fiction: Point Break, Reservoir Dogs and Heat. As Baby Driver progresses, with Queen, Young MC, Martha Reeves and the Vandellasand Simon & Garfunkel reverberating in Baby's ears and on the soundtrack, this one-of-a-kind filmmaker leaves his indelible stamp on every frame. Wright is a true man of action, a cinematic grandmaster. Buckle up. ||||| ‘Baby Driver’ a high-speed vehicle for the fast and the hilarious

 Now we’re talking.

 Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” is one of the most entertaining thrill rides of this year, this decade.

 This century.

 It’s wall-to-wall pure pop heaven, crackling with originality and dark humor, teeming with action sequences so perfectly timed and executed you almost want to run out of the theater on the spot so you can call a friend and rave about it — but you wouldn’t dare leave your seat because you wouldn’t want to miss a frame of this brilliant, pulse-quickening gem.

 “Baby Driver” is set in real world, present-time Atlanta — but it’s spun in the fashion of a semi-fantastical folk tale, with familiar archetypes and classic conflicts. It feels a little bit like a 21st century urban Western. It’s “Pulp Fiction” meets “La La Land,” and why shouldn’t those two meet? (Wright is also clearly a fan of the films of Walter Hill — the veteran director even has a cameo in this film — and I wouldn’t be surprised if he really dug Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” as well.)

 The appropriately baby-faced Ansel Elgort delivers a charming and cocky and infectious and borderline irritating performance as Baby, who is charming and cocky and infectious and, yes, borderline irritating.

 Baby is a savant behind the wheel who doesn’t talk much, rarely goes without shades and is always, always wearing ear buds and grooving to his iPod tunes, the better to drown out the constant ringing in his ears from tinnitus that’s plagued him since a tragic car accident when he was just a boy.

 We meet Baby as he’s parked outside a downtown bank in a bright red, tricked-out Subaru. He fidgets with his iPod and clicks on “Bellbottoms” by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

 A moment later, three armed robbers come flying out of the bank and dive into Baby’s car. Baby cranks up the volume, races the engine, shifts gears — and off we go on one of the most creative and exhilarating car chases you’ll ever see.

 At the obligatory rendezvous in a remote warehouse, we get to know the team of hardened criminals that pulled off the heist. There’s the tattooed and menacing Griff (Jon Bernthal); the weirdly coiffed and dangerous but outwardly amiable Buddy (Jon Hamm), and Buddy’s tough and gorgeous and wisecracking wife Darling (Eiza Gonzalez).

 Oh, and a perfectly deadpan Kevin Spacey is Doc, the big boss and mastermind who plans the heists and hires various gun-persons for each job — the only constant being Baby behind the wheel, because Baby never gets caught and Baby has become Doc’s good-luck charm. (Also, Baby owes Doc and doesn’t have a choice. We’ll leave it at that.)

 Writer-director Wright serves up familiar, almost corny tropes that might have us rolling our eyes if we didn’t feel we were in on the references. Lily James is the sweet-faced Debora, a dreamy waitress who talks and moves as if she’s in a 1950s B-romance. CJ Jones is Baby’s foster father, Joseph, who is deaf and mute and in a wheelchair. Jamie Foxx is sensational as Bats, the obligatory bloodthirsty maniac who’s so psycho he even freaks out semi-psycho fellow criminals.

 We even get the old “One last job and then I’m out!” plot development.

 Yet nothing about “Baby Driver” feels like a retread. The dialogue pops and crackles with sharp one-liners, the chase sequences are gritty and exuberant and fueled by the eclectic pop soundtrack, the editing is tight and timely and the performances are spectacular.

 At one point during a shootout sequence, each blast of gunfire is in sync with the rhythm section of the pop song on the soundtrack. It’s goofy and precise and really, really cool.

 “Baby Driver” is rich with intriguing characters. I’d love to see an entire movie about Hamm’s Buddy and Gonzalez’ Darling, and how they got to where they are. (In a tense diner scene, the seemingly unhinged Bats speculates about their back story, drilling deeper and deeper, and seems to be hitting some pretty serious nerves, judging by their expressions.)

 And what’s the deal with Spacey’s Doc? He knows all and sees all, and he’s capable of cold and calculating retribution if someone crosses him — and yet he has an almost fatherly affection for Baby. Where did THIS guy come from?

 In sepia-toned flashbacks, we learn about Baby’s beloved mother — a singer with the voice of an angel — and his monstrous father. In brief fantasy sequences, Debora appears as a black-and-white vision. Like Baby’s mother, she is pure and lovely and she represents all that is good and innocent and wonderful about life.

 As opposed to the maniacs with guns who want Baby dead after Baby makes some, shall we say, questionable decisions.

 And all the while, we hear the soundtrack feeding Baby’s every move and reflecting Baby’s every mood — literally dozens of songs, from “Tequila” by the Champs to “Brighton Rock” by Queen to “Nowhere to Run” by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas to “Radar Love” by Golden Earring to “Hocus Pocus” by Focus, arguably the most ridiculous and undeniably catchy gimmick tune of the 1970s.

 It all works. All of it. The music, the performances, the twists and turns in the plot, the sheer energy and life force of the movie.

 If you see this movie and tell me you didn’t have a great time, we’re going to have to sit down and talk about your idea of a great time.

 ★★★★

 TriStar Pictures presents a film written and directed by Edgar Wright. Rated R (for violence and language throughout). Running time: 113 minutes. Opens Wednesday at local theaters. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Published on Mar 29, 2017

 This Summer, all you need is one killer track #BabyDriverMovie

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 Synopsis:

 A talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.

 Written & Directed By: Edgar Wright

 Cast:

 Ansel Elgort

 Kevin Spacey

 Lily James

 Jon Bernthal

 Eiza González

 with Jon Hamm

 and Jamie Foxx ||||| The music-drenched film stars Ansel Elgort as Atlanta’s best getaway driver and Kevin Spacey as the crime boss who won’t let him go. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 4.

 Yes, that catchy Simon & Garfunkel song “Baby Driver” comes into play during Edgar Wright’s zippy thrill ride of a movie; no, it will not easily leave your head (I’ve been humming it for a week); and yes, the movie’s just what you want a summer movie to be.

 “Baby Driver” isn’t a musical (though I’m having a blast at my desk imagining it as one, particularly Jon Hamm singing a bad-boy ballad), but it’s a movie drenched in music. Its hero, Baby (the perfectly baby-faced Ansel Elgort, from “The Fault in Our Stars”), lives his life with a perpetual soundtrack playing through earbuds, to drown out chronic tinnitus. He’s a getaway driver by trade, and he drives like he’s conducting a very fast symphony. Behind the wheel, he disappears into his music; out of the car, even more so: fingers tapping imaginary piano keys, body pretzel-twisting to the rhythm. And the movie dances, too: It’s uncannily choreographed, with gestures and movements timed precisely to the soundtrack’s beat.

 The story’s one you’ve heard many times: the old One Last Heist chorus. Baby, who has the misfortune of owing money to a crime boss known as Doc (Kevin Spacey), has developed a reputation as the best bank-robbery driver in Atlanta, and regularly ferries Doc’s crew — Buddy (Hamm), Darling (Eiza Gonzalez) and Bats (Jamie Foxx) — on jobs. After finally paying off his debts, he thinks about a different kind of life with sweet diner waitress Debora (Lily James), whose smile is like a happy song. Doc, however, has another plan in mind, and gunfire rains down in the movie’s third act.

 Movie Review ★★★½ ‘‘Baby Driver,” with Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx. Written and directed by Edgar Wright. 113 minutes. Rated R for violence and language throughout. Opens Wednesday, June 28, at several theaters.

 But you’re not watching “Baby Driver” for the story; you’re watching to see the relish with which the cast dives into Wright’s pool (just listen to what Spacey, in his usual robo-evil fashion, can do with the line “I just drew a whole goddamn map in chalk”) and the way the film marries sight and sound. A laundromat becomes Technicolor poetry with a row of dryers tumbling primary colors; a trio of lollipop-red sedans becomes a speeding shell game set to music; a camera whirls like a dance partner around Baby and Debora at a restaurant table, as she idly twirls a finger around the rim of a wineglass — producing an eerie hum. And, in a climactic chase scene late in the film, Baby abandons his car and just runs — you realize, breathless, that you think he can probably fly.

 This movie has long been a passion project for Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “At World’s End”) and you can see that dizzy, heady obsession in every frame. Plus there’s a wonderfully random celebrity cameo (watch for a character called The Butcher) and a perfect “Monsters Inc.” ref. “Baby Driver” should steal a good chunk of this summer’s box office, and deservedly so. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– With a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's safe to say that Baby Driver was worth the many years director Edgar Wright put into crafting it. The film focuses on the best getaway driver in Atlanta, who goes by Baby, and happens to want to leave his life of crime behind. The problem is that the crime bosses he runs with aren't keen to let that happen. Some reviews: It isn't just a "brilliant, pulse-quickening gem," but "one of the most entertaining thrill rides of this year, this decade. This century," writes Richard Roeper at the Chicago Sun-Times. It features "perfectly timed" action sequences, "one of the most creative and exhilarating car chases you'll ever see," and "spectacular" acting from Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, and Ansel Elgort. Plus it's "crackling with originality," he raves. Moira Macdonald agrees it's a "zippy thrill ride of a movie" and "just what you want a summer movie to be." The highlight is "the way the film marries sight and sound," she writes at the Seattle Times. It's "uncannily choreographed, with gestures and movements timed precisely to the soundtrack's beat" and "dances" in front of your eyes. Wright "turns every one of his protagonist's actions into a signifier of mood, thought and character," writes Justin Chang at the Los Angeles Times, referring to one scene in which Elgort displays "the woozy grace of an under-caffeinated Gene Kelly." Eventually there's a "dark turn" that puts a damper on the fun, but it doesn't take away from the fact that "this is movie craftsmanship and showmanship of a very high order," he says. "Baby Driver has it all: thrills, laughs, sex, nonstop action, a killer soundtrack,” and the list goes on," writes Peter Travers at Rolling Stone. He was especially impressed with the performances. Jon Hamm delivers one "of bracing, nutty perversity," while Elgort gives a "star-making" turn in a "challenging beast of a role." Still, it's Wright who "tops himself with this start-to-finish sensation," he writes.


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 Thank you for reading 5 free articles. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 5 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you are a current 7-day subscriber you are granted an all-access pass to the website and digital newspaper replica. Please click Sign Up to subscribe, or Login if you are already a member.

 Thank you for reading 5 free articles. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 5 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you are a current 7-day subscriber you are granted an all-access pass to the website and digital newspaper replica. Please click below to Get Started. ||||| Thursday, police are back out looking for missing University of Virginia second-year student Hannah Graham. Investigators hope new surveillance video will them help figure out what happened to her.

 Police are now looking for a person of interest, described as a black male in his late 20s or early 30s, with a close-shaved head, a goatee, and a slight "beer belly." The witness who saw him says he was about 5'10" or 5'11" and between 250 and 285 pounds, wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt.

 Graham, 18, was reported missing on Sunday when friends and family realized they hadn't seen or heard from her since late Friday/early Saturday morning. Anyone with information about her whereabouts or the person of interest in the case can call the tip line at 434-295-3851. A reward totaling $50,000 is being offered for information about the cause of her disappearance.

 Thursday, police are back on Charlottesville's downtown mall in the search for Graham. Police canvassed the downtown Charlottesville area looking for more surveillance videos, trying to corroborate the story that Graham was last seen with the man who is now a person of interest. Police are currently waiting for banks to get surveillance video to them.

 "We are still checking with businesses in and around the downtown area to see if there is any more video of Friday night that may show Hannah's movements," said Captain Gary Pleasants with the Charlottesville Police Department.

 Police released two surveillance videos of Graham Wednesday night. One is from Sal's Caffe Italia at 1:06 a.m. Saturday. The video shows an unidentified white male following Graham. The other surveillance video is from Tuel Jewelers at 1:08 a.m. Saturday. That video shows Graham walking with the same man still behind her.

 Investigators have interviewed that man. He says he was trying to help Graham, but another man stepped in – the unidentified black male for whom police are now searching.

 "Hopefully we come up with other leads just like the last two days have led to other videos and other movements," said Pleasants.

 Police met Thursday morning to talk about new search locations. The search moved east toward the Rivanna River. Search crews moved north on East High Street Thursday, through the wooded area along the Rivanna River. Searchers looked for any sign of Graham - like shoes, a driver's license, or a phone - but so far, nothing has been recovered.

 Police say they have not recovered Graham's cellphone but believe she had it with her when seen in surveillance videos. Police also say her cellphone never pinged downtown. It only pinged in the Wertland/14th/15th street area.

 “In the urban areas, it is so densely populated there are small yards you know little alley ways. As we get out toward the suburban area, you have larger little patches of woods between the neighborhoods. There is more open areas there is more green spaces creeks like that,” said Mark Eggeman, VA search and rescue.

 The area is so tough to cover that search teams need help from the community. Charlottesville police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and other agencies are coordinating a community search this coming Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21. Participants, who must meet certain criteria, must sign up online by 5 p.m. Friday. A briefing for all volunteers will take place Friday at 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena.

 A candlelight vigil will be held for Graham at the UVA Amphitheater at 9 p.m Thursday.

 Graham is described as approximately 5'11" tall with a skinny build, with blue eyes, light brown hair and freckles. She was last seen wearing a black crop top with mesh cutouts. Graham is a second-year student at UVA who graduated from West Potomac High School last year. She's originally from the U.K., but her parents live in Alexandria in Fairfax County.

 Police still want to hear anyone who may have seen Graham or from businesses who might have surveillance video. They urge anyone with information to call the tip line at 434-295-3851.

 City of Charlottesville Police Department Press Release The Charlottesville Police Department has released the description of a man a witness identified as having contact with Hannah Elizabeth Graham the night she disappeared. This person is described as a black male, 5'10”-5'11”, 250-285 pounds, close shaved head, goatee, with a slight ‘beer belly'. He is described as being in his late 20's-early 30's and wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt. He was seen with Ms. Graham in the 3-500 blocks of E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall in the City of Charlottesville around 1-1:15 am on September 13th (Friday night/Saturday morning). He is a person of interest and if anyone has any information on him or saw him this night, please call the tip line. The number is: (434) 295-3851. |||||Summary:

– A man shown in two separate videos tailing missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham was interviewed by Charlottesville police on Wednesday and told officers he saw another male approach Graham, put his arm around her, and walk away with her, the Daily Progress reports. The witness said Graham "looked to be somewhat physically distressed and he wanted to make sure she got safely to wherever she was going," a police spokesman said. That second male, now a person of interest in the case, is described as a black male in his late 20s or early 30s; about 5 feet 10 inches; and between 250 and 285 pounds, NBC 29 reports. He was sporting black jeans and a white T-shirt and has a bit of a potbelly. Police say they're on the hunt for other surveillance video from the area to back up the sighting of this man with Graham.


– The backlash over Colin Kaepernick's appearance in Nike's latest ad campaign continues: Now President Trump has weighed in. "I think it’s a terrible message," Trump tells the Daily Caller. "I think it’s a terrible message that they’re sending and the purpose of them doing it, maybe there’s a reason for them doing it, but I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it." The ad features Kaepernick, who started the controversial NFL anthem protests and who is now accusing NFL owners of colluding to keep him off any team's roster, overlaid with the message, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." Trump conceded, though, "As much as I disagree with the Colin Kaepernick endorsement, in another way—I mean, I wouldn’t have done it. In another way, [but] it is what this country is all about, that you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do, but I personally am on a different side of it." Trump also noted "Nike is a tenant of mine. They pay a lot of rent," referring to Niketown New York at 6 East 57th Street in New York City. Meanwhile, the AP reports that in the league's first statement since Nike announced the ad campaign, an NFL exec says the social justice issues raised by Kaepernick and other players "deserve our attention and action" and that the league supports players promoting "meaningful, positive change in our communities."

Expand this summary.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Nike sent a “terrible message” this week by making former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick one of the faces representing the 30th anniversary of the company’s “Just Do It” campaign. But he also said the company’s ability to make its own business decisions “is what this country is all about.”

 “I think it’s a terrible message. Nike is a tenant of mine. They pay a lot of rent,” Trump said, referring to Niketown New York, which is — for now — located at 6 East 57th Street in New York City.

 The president made the remarks during an exclusive Oval Office interview with The Daily Caller Tuesday afternoon. (RELATED: Trump Says Bob Woodward Has ‘A Lot Of Credibility Problems’)

 Kaepernick kicked off a protest movement among some NFL players during the 2016 pre-season when he began kneeling at games during the national anthem, rather than standing.

 Kaepernick, who now alleges that league owners are colluding to keep him off an NFL roster, explained the rationale behind his protest in August of that year: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

 President Trump has been staunchly and vocally opposed to players protesting during the anthem, tweeting in September 2017, for instance, “The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!”

 On Monday afternoon, Kaepernick tweeted an image from Nike’s campaign, with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” written across the athlete’s face.

 Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO — Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018

 Trump added Tuesday that “there’s no reason” for the famous sports apparel company to tap Kaepernick for the campaign.

 “But I think it’s a terrible message that they’re sending and the purpose of them doing it, maybe there’s a reason for them doing it,” Trump mused, “but I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Says He Won’t Be Watching Neil Armstrong Movie After American Flag Snub)

 Despite that, Trump acknowledged that it’s Nike’s right to make its own business decisions.

 “As much as I disagree with the Colin Kaepernick endorsement, in another way — I mean, I wouldn’t have done it,” Trump said.

 “In another way, it is what this country is all about, that you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do, but I personally am on a different side of it.”

 Follow Vince and Saagar on Twitter ||||| FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Seattle. Kaepernick has... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Seattle. Kaepernick has a new deal with Nike, even though the NFL does not want him. Kaepernick’s attorney, Mark Geragos, made... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Seattle. Kaepernick has a new deal with Nike, even though the NFL does not want him. Kaepernick’s attorney, Mark Geragos, made... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Seattle. Kaepernick has... (Associated Press)

 NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Colin Kaepernick's Nike deal. (all times local):

 5:25 p.m.

 President Donald Trump says Nike is sending a "terrible message" by making Colin Kaepernick part of a new ad campaign tied to the 30th anniversary of its "Just Do It" series.

 Trump told The Daily Caller that "there's no reason for it" but he also feels Nike's ability to make its own business decisions "is what this country is all about."

 Trump has been a frequent critic of protesting NFL players. He has loudly urged the league to suspend or fire players who demonstrate during the anthem.

 The Republican president is also a key figure in Kaepernick's grievance case against the league. Some NFL owners have said Trump made clear to them his feelings about demonstrations during the anthem and his intention to continue to raise the issue.

 Kaepernick is arguing the owners colluded to keep him off any roster.

 ___

 4:45 p.m.

 An NFL executive says the social justice issues raised by Colin Kaepernick and other football players "deserve our attention and action."

 Jocelyn Moore is the league's executive vice president of communications and public affairs. She said Tuesday that the NFL embraces the role of players and others in the game to promote "meaningful, positive change in our communities."

 The statement is the league's first since Nike and the former 49ers quarterback announced he would be part of a new ad campaign tied to the 30th anniversary of the famed "Just Do It" series. Kaepernick tweeted an image Monday that said: "Believe in something. even if it means sacrificing everything."

 Moore's statement came with a detailed breakdown of things players and league executives have done together to learn about and address social issues, including community meetings, lobbying and financially supporting local programs.

 ___

 12:45 p.m.

 Country singer John Rich of Big & Rich is criticizing Nike for hiring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for a new ad campaign and posted a picture of cut up Nike socks.

 Rich tweeted on Monday night that a member of his crew cut the trademark swoosh off his socks and that he was also planning to burn them. Kaepernick began a wave of protests by NFL players two seasons ago, kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.

 In a series of tweets that continued Tuesday, Rich, who was also on "The Celebrity Apprentice," said he supported the right to protest, but that Nike lost his support when they endorsed Kaepernick.

 ___

 9:35 a.m.

 Nike's stock is falling in early trading on Tuesday following an announcement that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a new deal with the athletic clothing and footwear maker.

 Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, made the announcement on Twitter, calling the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback an "All American Icon."

 Kaepernick already had a deal with Nike that was set to expire, but it was renegotiated into a multiyear deal to make him one of the faces of Nike's 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign, according to a person familiar with the contract.

 The NFL and Nike extended their partnership in March to run through 2028. Nike provides all NFL teams with game-day uniforms and sideline apparel that bears the swoosh logo.

 Shares of Nike Inc. dropped 2 percent.

 ___

 More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL |||||


Here is a news article: Police union hiring of Jason Van Dyke sparks outrage

 Jason Van Dyke — the white Chicago cop charged with murder after firing 16 shots into a knife-wielding black teenager in 2014 — works for the Fraternal Order of Police, the union president confirmed Wednesday night.

 WFLD-Channel 32 first reported Wednesday night that Van Dyke was working at the FOP hall in the West Loop because he couldn’t find another job.

 The fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald prompted a U.S. Justice Department investigation of the Chicago Police Department — and the city’s release of a video of the shooting in November led to the firing of police Supt. Garry McCarthy on Dec. 1.

 Dean Angelo, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he decided to hire Van Dyke after receiving a call from the Chicago Sun-Times several weeks ago asking whether the officer was working for the union.

 At the time, Angelo said that Van Dyke wasn’t working for the FOP. The Sun-Times made the inquiry after hearing from former FOP officials who thought Van Dyke was working for the union and were opposed to the arrangement.

 On Wednesday night, Angelo said he then considered the idea and decided to give Van Dyke a job.

 Van Dyke, who is stripped of his police powers and is on unpaid status, makes $12 an hour from the FOP — slightly above what a typical unarmed security guard is paid — to be a jack-of-all-trades for the union.

 “He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need,” Angelo said.

 Angelo said it’s not unprecedented.

 “We’ve probably had 100 people in no-pay status who we got jobs or hired at the hall. This is nothing new,” he said.

 Angelo said one of those officers was Serena Daniels, who was stripped of her police powers and was eventually fired after fatally shooting LaTanya Haggerty, an unarmed passenger in a car, in 1999.

 The FOP’s move drew quick criticism and sparked promises of protests.

 The Rev. Michael Pfleger blasted the move, saying in part on a Facebook post: “The Police Union says to Chicago we don’t give a Damn what he did or what you think he is one of ours, and we are going to take care of him . . . ”

 The post was shared by more than 1,000 people by early Thursday morning. ||||| ...

 ately the FREE Dinners for Fed Workers at BJ'S 79th and Racine will continue.

 Although the Government will reopen, many will not get checks immedi ||||| Protests are expected Thursday after news broke that the Chicago police officer charged with Laquan McDonald’s murder has been hired by the Fraternal Order of Police. NBC 5's Christian Farr reports. (Published Thursday, March 31, 2016)

 Protests are expected Thursday after news broke that the Chicago police officer charged in the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald has been hired by the police union as a janitor and "jack-of-all-trades."

 Officer Jason Van Dyke now makes $12 an hour at the Fraternal Order of Police hall in the city’s West Loop, union president Dean Angelo told the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday evening.

 In a statement Thursday, the union said it reached a decision "weeks ago" to "assist the Van Dyke family."

 "Due to the notoriety of the incident, the on-going threats of harm and intimidation and other issues caused him to become completely unemployable," Angelo said in a statement. "Furthermore, after several threats against the safety of his spouse and her clients his wife was forced to shut down her family-run business; resulting in zero household income."

 Angelo added that it is not the first time the union has hired officers "forced into a no pay status" and said the decision was based on the "sustenance needs of a police officer and his family."

 "For anyone to believe that the Lodge entered into this arrangement without consideration and forethought is improper and short sighted," the statement read. "Accuracy under these circumstances is paramount to truly grasping the significance to the decision made."

 Over the past several months, Van Dyke has appeared in court numerous times to face a judge on first-degree murder charges stemming from the October 2014 shooting. Van Dyke is accused of firing 16 shots at McDonald, who was seen on surveillance video walking away from police.

 Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty and his attorney has requested a change of venue, arguing it's impossible for his client to have a fair trial in Cook County.

 Officer Jason Van Dyke Hired by Police Union

 The officer charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald got a new job with the police union. NBC 5's Emily Florez reports. (Published Thursday, March 31, 2016)

 Already there has been heavy pushback against Van Dyke's new role. Father Michael Pfleger, a Roman Catholic priest and social activist, took to Facebook late Wednesday after news of the hiring broke. His heated post calling the move a "disgrace" and arguing that every union member should demand he be fired garnered more than 1,000 shares in just 10 hours.

 "The Police Union says to Chicago...we don't give a damn what he did, what you think, he is one of ours, and we are going to take care of him," he wrote.

 Other activists followed suit, planning demonstrations for outside the FOP at both noon and 6:30 p.m.

 "Officers under that uniform are regular people," activist Ja'mal Green said at the noon protest. "If I killed someone, I wouldn't get bail, I wouldn't get bail. If I killed someone I don't have a union to make sure that I'm employed."

 Some groups called for Van Dyke to be fired immediately and for the union to issue an apology.

 "Chicago’s going to get tired of doing these marches and being peaceful," Green said. "We have been peaceful over the last four months, we have made statement and we have made change but at the end of the day the residents are tired of these types of decisions, getting slapped in the face."

 Soon after, protesters were seen trying to enter the FOP office, but a line of police officers blocked the entrance.

 "The F.O.P. just declared war with the people of Chicago," wrote Jedidiah Brown. "The ultimate slap in the face is to hire a man who shot a child sixteen times."

 Prosecutor Bill Delaney had asked that Van Dyke remain held without bond on Nov. 30, 2015, but the judge rejected that, saying everyone is presumed innocent. He set Van Dyke’s bail at $1.5 million. Five hours later, Van Dyke posted bond and walked out of jail.

 Van Dyke is currently stripped of his police powers and is on unpaid status. His new job is considered to be at a level slightly higher than that of a typical security guard, according to the Sun-Times.

 "He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need," Angelo told the newspaper, adding that the hiring of Van Dyke is not an unprecedented move.

 "We’ve probably had 100 people in no-pay status who we got jobs or hired at the hall," he told the Sun-Times. "This is nothing new."

 In an interview with The Associated Press, Angelo said Van Dyke's suspension has been a "very difficult situation, financially" for the husband and father, adding that the union would do the same for any CPD officer.

 Van Dyke had been turned down for all other jobs, Angelo said, and his wife's business had to close its doors due to an onslaught of threats against the officer and his family. ||||| FILE - In this March 23, 2016 file photo, Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke, charged with murder in the 2014 videotaped shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, walks in a courtroom during... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this March 23, 2016 file photo, Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke, charged with murder in the 2014 videotaped shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, walks in a courtroom during... (Associated Press)

 CHICAGO (AP) — A white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting of a black teenager has been hired to work as a janitor for the city's police union as he awaits trial, the union president said Thursday.

 Dean Angelo, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago, says the union hired Jason Van Dyke about three weeks ago. Van Dyke is accused of shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014. The shooting was captured on squad-car video and has prompted investigations, including a federal civil rights probe of the Chicago Police Department. Van Dykes has been suspended from the department without pay.

 The union would do the same for any Chicago officer and have hired dozens of people who are in no-pay status, Angelo said.

 "This officer is in a very difficult situation financially. He has a family and we would do it for anybody that works as a Chicago Police officer," Angelo said.

 Van Dyke does various tasks, Angelo said.

 "He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need," Angelo said.

 Van Dyke has lost other jobs due to publicity and that threats closed his wife's business, the union said. Van Dyke's attorney last week asked court officials to let the officer not attend hearings because he has received threats of violence and death when he comes to court. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Jason Van Dyke, the white Chicago police officer charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of black teen Laquan McDonald, has a new gig with the police union: janitor. The AP reports Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police hired Van Dyke—who is on unpaid leave from the police department—about three weeks ago. The Chicago Sun-Times describes him as a "jack-of-all-trades" making $12 an hour. “He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need,” union president Dean Angelo says. According to the union, Van Dyke has been unable to hold a job due to bad publicity, and threats forced his wife to close her business. "This officer is in a very difficult situation financially," Angelo tells the AP. "He has a family, and we would do it for anybody that works as a Chicago police officer." The announcement of Van Dyke's job with the police union on Wednesday sparked immediate criticism, and protesters were outside the Fraternal Order of Police Thursday, NBC Chicago reports. "If I killed someone, I wouldn't get bail," one protester says. "If I killed someone, I don't have a union to make sure that I'm employed." Van Dyke posted bond on $1.5 million bail, which the prosecution was against. The protester calls his hiring by the union a slap in the face to Chicago residents. In a Facebook post, a Catholic priest and social activist calls Van Dyke's hiring a "disgrace" and says "every union member should demand he be fired." Video released last year shows Van Dyke firing 16 shots at the 17-year-old McDonald, who was holding a knife, as McDonald walked away from officers in October 2014.


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 I blame the Proclaimers I really do. I will be riding a bicycle from east coast to west coast for a few reasons:

 1. To prove things to my wife and my love.

 2. To take back my health and to lose the pounds I have collected over the years.

 3. I was 567 pounds when I started, I got below 480 during the process. i've had success and failures but i will not give up. I've had an especially rough time for the last year and gained back plus more Topping at 600. I'm ashamed and FIGHTING again to overcome and finally beat this, and i will.

 4. I will be blogging and video blogging the whole trip and interviewing people along the way.

 5. I will be doing cool things seeing cool places and meeting cool people. Rebuilding my soul and EXPERIENCING everything along with riding my bicycle.

 6. After I complete my trip I will write a book on the experience.

 For now the journey is unfolding at home with medical intervention and hormone therapy, working with a trainer and therapy. Once medically released I will start my trip over and attempt the whole trip again.

 at this point i am trying to self fund the trip with sponsors and sales of our products on this page, personal funds from work and the occasional donation. All funds are used for the process WHETHER its a hotel to a tire to medicine, whatever is needed for the goal. ||||| TIVERTON, R.I. (July 23, 2015) — A 560-pound man from Danville is biking across the United States in hopes of losing weight and saving his marriage.

 Eric Hites started his journey two weeks ago in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Thus far, he’s traveled 90 miles and he’s already lost 60 pounds, but a bent rim on his bicycle has kept him in Tiverton, Rhode Island since late last week

 The Newport Daily News reports that Newport Bicycle is outfitting him with a new bike that can withstand his weight so he can continue his journey.

 Hites, who currently wears size 70 pants and a 10X T-shirt, says he’s always been a big person.

 “I hit 40 and I said, ‘I’ve got to change this,’” Hites told The Newport Daily News.

 He hopes to lose hundreds of pounds, and he says he’ll be happier and healthier if he can get down to 300 pounds.

 Hites has a website called Fat Guy Across America where people can follow his journey. ||||| When 560-pound Eric Hites was dropped off by his dad on the side of the road in Massachusetts with his $170 bike last month, nobody believed that he’d actually start pedaling across the entire country. But he had nothing to lose.

 And he wanted his wife back.

 At 40 years old and weighing more than a quarter-ton, Hites hit a wall in life. His estranged wife, already a widow, said she didn’t want to repeat the past. He couldn’t hold a job, in part because of his weight, and prospects in his hometown in Danville, Indiana, were scarce. Friends and loved ones were tired of his excuses, and so was he.

 “I was just failing as a human being,” said Hites, a DJ, pizza maker, telemarketer. “You name it, I’ve done it.”

 Today: Hites is 60 pounds lighter and 55 miles into the journey of his life. And a man who described himself as a miserable failure just a few months ago now finds himself in a story becoming bigger than, well, himself.

 “Everyone seems connected to this story,” he said from a tent outside Bliss Congregational Church in Tiverton, a coastal town in Rhode Island where he’s been on a layover for more than a week. “Everyone is coming forward and wants to be a part of it.”

 When he wobbled into town, his rims were warped from all the bumps in the road against his immense weight. His spirits were a bit dashed, his meager funds were dwindling and any sane soul would say he should probably call it quits.

 “I get thinking a lot and parts of me scream ‘What are you doing? Go home you idiot. But I know I’m not going to do that.”

 With not much cash left and a busted bike, he was thinking about rigging up a harness and pulling his trailer of 300 pounds of stuff like a horse, feet on the ground, heading forward.

 From a post inside a Dunkin’ Donuts, Hites has been doing what he’s done since he first pushed off from the side of the road in Falmouth, MA, and that’s telling his story. A story of love for a woman, determination to shed not just weight, but the self-loathing and sadness that comes with it.

 ‘Bigger than just me’

 It didn’t take long for word to spread, and on Friday, Hites will set off once again on a brand new bike donated by Newport Bicycle, supplies donated by the Tiverton Police Department, and a growing online community of thousands rooting for him and inspired by his story.

 “I’m just trying to lose weight and build a new future for me and my family,” Hites said. “But now, it’s grown bigger than just me.”

 Like many people who arrive at crossroads in life, Hites knew something had to change. And he was determined to finally follow through. After decades of falling short of expectations, it was time to prove everyone wrong — including himself.

 A few months into the separation, he called his wife and said, “I’m going to change. I’m going to get my health back and give us a future.”

 “I’ll believe it when I see it,” she replied.

 She thought he was all talk, as usual, but he was driven in part by a song by The Proclaimers: “500 Miles.”

 “I told her, ‘I don’t think I can walk 500 miles, but I’ll ride my bike that far just to prove my love for you,’” Hites said. “’While on the road I’ll find somewhere for us to move, out of our crappy town, to start our life over again.’”

 He started hitting the gym to prepare. He picked what he thought was a sturdy bike. He rigged a trailer to haul 300 pounds of stuff. And on June 10, after a long ride from Indiana, he was alone on the side of the road, watching his dad drive away.

 And he was ready to pedal across the United States.

 Overcoming obstacles

 The initial goings were a slog. It turns out he got a bike with the wrong type of suspension and less-than-ideal gearing, so much of his energy was wasted. He labored to make progress, sleeping on the side of bike paths, in a hostel and sometimes resorting to a hotel room if no kind stranger offered a place. He posted his progress on his blog and on Facebook, though not many people noticed at first.

 He kept pushing ahead as best as he could.

 It didn’t take long for his wife to take notice. After two weeks, she realized that he’d actually meant what he said.

 “When she realized I was gone, that I had left and actually was doing what I said, she said it pretty much was the most romantic thing,” Hites said.

 Along the way he’s met artists, shopkeepers, craftspeople, tourists, young children, old men and women. He’s fought rain, heat, met up with a personal trainer in Martha’s Vineyard and attended church services in places of worship dotting the route. One night, he nearly lost all his charging gear and his wife’s diamond ring, but a friendly police officer saved the day and found it after multiple trips.

 It has been lonely and there were occasions, “I get thinking a lot and parts of me scream ‘What are you doing? Go home you idiot,’” he wrote on June 27. ”But I know I’m not going to do that, but it still makes me feel like I’m never going to make it home, or hit my goal, or that I will fail and be a laughing stock and lose what I hold so dear.”

 When he rolled into Tiverton about a week ago, Hites was facing yet another crossroads. It looked like he had won his wife back, but his bike was broken and the Herculean effort ahead was no less daunting than when he began. He could have stopped.

 Afterall, he did win his woman back.

 Community steps up

 Things, though, have taken on a life of their own. His posts on Facebook made the rounds and messages started to pour in. Even after Newport Bicycle offered to give him a bike with a suspension set up for his frame, offers and messages kept pouring in. Meanwhile, his dwindling GoFundMe account started to balloon in value, increasing from a few hundred to nearly $3,500.

 “I’ve had offers for 60 bikes now,” he said. “Everybody came through.”

 By Wednesday, his story was starting to get national attention. The Beach Body network of personal trainers is working to launch a national campaign to get people moving with Hites as he pedals his way across the nation.

 “When she realized I was gone, that I had left and actually was doing what I said, she said it pretty much was the most romantic thing.”

 And most profound for Hites are the messages he has been getting from people who find themselves exactly where he was a few months ago: stuck, alone and overweight.

 “This trip has so many meanings for me and now it seems to have so many meanings for everyone else,” he said. “This is my job now. To make it the whole way.”

 As his coach said, “This is your job until you’re done. You job is to talk to people and do all of these things.”

 And even if he wanted to quit, he can’t now. For a man who set off to save his life, he now finds himself the driving force for others to save their own.

 “Everyone is counting on me now,” Hites said. “I don’t have an exact route or a plan. I’m taking it day by day, sort of letting myself randomly choose which roads to go on.”

 Whatever route Hites takes, he’s blazing a trail. This “Fat Guy” has found a path that leads to a better future, and not just for himself. ||||| ...

 short minutes. Thank you so much for your help this morning.

 Newport Bicycle has amazing customer service. Helped me get my kiddos bike up and running in a few |||||Summary:

– Eric Hites recently hit 40 and decided it was time to make some serious lifestyle changes. Having reached 560 pounds thanks to soda and a whole lot of sitting around, the DJ says both his health and his marriage are at stake, reports the Newport Daily News. Unfortunately, after getting off to a good start in Falmouth, Mass., (Tiverton-Little Compton Patch reports his dad dropped him and his $170 bike "on the side of the road") and losing 60 pounds in those first two weeks, the Indiana man hit a bump in the road, reports Fox 59: He bent the rim of one of his wheels in Tiverton, RI. "I thought it would take four months, but [having started in June] I’m only in Rhode Island," he says. Fortunately the owner of nearby Newport Bicycle, who says it "seems like a really good cause," built him a new bike by fitting a frame with mountain bike wheels that should support his weight all the way to California; he'll reportedly hit the road again today. Having first made a name for himself when he published the cookbook Everybody Loves Ramen, a compilation of 50 recipes from his college days (he studied graphic design but never graduated), Hites hopes to publish again, this time about his journey. He's traveling with his gear in tow, and writes on his website Fat Guy Across America that first and foremost he's got "to prove things to my wife and love." Patch reports the two were estranged when he set off, and that his wife, who was widowed once before, didn't want to repeat the experience. She has reportedly told him his quest is "the most romantic thing." Hites says he doesn't know his exact weight now (he dresses in size 70 pants), but he may weigh himself on the big scale at the junkyard up the road before getting back on the saddle. He says he hopes to drop down to a chubby but healthier 300 pounds. (When it comes to marriage, this is apparently the best age to wed.)