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Charles Barkley says some of the best money advice he ever got came from Michael Jordan on a golf course.
The Hall of Famer recalled the moment Jordan pulled him aside while playing golf in the early 1990s. On The Dan Patrick Show in June 2025, Barkley said he was making about $3 million a year from his Nike endorsement deal at the time.
"We were playing golf and he says, 'Chuck, I was talking to somebody, I want you to quit taking $3 million. Take $1 million and take the other $2 million in stock options,'" Barkley said.

#million

Rapper Nicki Minaj publicly endorsed US President Donald Trump at a Republican campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, 25 October, ahead of the November midterm elections. After travelling aboard Air Force One, the Trinidadian-born artist joined him on stage, telling the crowd "We love Trump" and promising to support him "forever".
Nicki Minaj's increasingly public support for Donald Trump represents a notable political shift for a rapper whose provocative performances and **** ually explicit lyrics have often sparked controversy.
In 2020, she had criticised his administration's strict immigration policies, particularly the separation of children from their parents at the US border. More recently, however, she has appeared at events **** ociated with his presidency.
The Michigan rally also featured renewed attacks by Trump against Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate. The president questioned El-Sayed's loyalty to the United States, allegations the former public health official has repeatedly rejected.
Trump's remarks came as Republicans campaigned ahead of the midterms, with Minaj's appearance adding a prominent celebrity endorsement to the event. A video shared by White House communications director Steven Cheung also showed the rapper joking about becoming the administration's press secretary.

#Trump #nicki

Harry Kane has received another ringing endorsement in his bid for the Ballon d'Or, with England international Morgan Rogers arguing that the Bayern Munich striker has done more than enough to claim football's most prestigious individual honor.
Rogers believes Kane's accomplishments have pushed the boundaries of what could reasonably have been expected from him, pointing to his remarkable combination of club and international success.
"Harry Kane should win the Ballon d'Or. He defied what people can imagine that he could do. Treble, and hattricks in finals, Goals in the World Cup, goals for Bayern. What more can he do? That has to be rewarded," Rogers told Hayters TV (as captured by iMiaSanMia).
It is difficult to argue with the basic premise. Kane has continued to produce at an extraordinary level for Bayern while also delivering on the biggest stages for England. His ability to combine ridiculous scoring numbers with major trophies has strengthened his case considerably.
The Ballon d'Or debate will inevitably include several other elite candidates, but Rogers believes Kane's résumé speaks for itself.

#bayern

Britney Spears shared pictures and video from a rare public outing with her two adult sons, Sean Preston Federline, 21, and Jayden James Federline, 20, on her Instagram on Wednesday (Oct. 7). In a sweet pic, Spears can be seen posing between the two young men, who tower over her, in front of the sign at Dolly Parton's beloved Dollywood resort in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
"Wow wow!!! I didn't know this place existed, so incredibly cool and exciting," Spears, 44, wrote of the 165-acre amusement park and resort the late country icon took over and rebranded in 1986. The singer was pictured wearing a short blue skirt, flip-flops, a red-and-white striped shirt and a white surgical mask, while the boys rocked baggy jeans and white T-shirts, with Britney lamenting that it was "extremely hot and my skirt is too big for me."
More from Billboard
Britney Spears' Son Jayden James On Being Chip Off the Pop Block: 'Expressing Myself Through Music Has Always Been My Best Therapy'
Dollywood to Celebrate Dolly Parton With New Installations & Experiences: 'We Will Carry Her Dreams Forward'

#britney #white

Hollywood superstar Ben Affleck ended up using MLB legends Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan as examples of how athletes shouldn't act on camera.
All the best sports athletes have to face the camera at some point. They do it regularly for press conferences and media appearances, but those don't involve acting. For those at the very top, though, advertisements and endorsement deals mean they do have to act a little.
Some, like NBA superstar LeBron James or the NFL's Patrick Mahomes can do it well. Others have struggled with it at times. Often, they work with the biggest Hollywood superstars on such projects. Ben Affleck is among those, and he recently used two MLB stars as examples of what not to do.
Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan are two of the greatest pitchers ever. Clemens built a 24-year career with 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and a record seven Cy Young Awards. Ryan pitched for 27 seasons, winning 324 games and setting MLB records with 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.
They were undoubtedly great at what they did. However, they weren't so good on camera, and that's exactly what Affleck pointed out.

#affleck #clemens #examples #athletes

Barry Keoghan has built a career by choosing characters that are rarely easy to understand. The Irish actor can appear vulnerable in one film and deeply unsettling in the next, often bringing an unpredictable quality to his performances. His journey into acting was equally unconventional, beginning far from the traditional routes into the entertainment industry. A difficult childhood in Dublin shaped his early years, while an unexpected opportunity introduced him to acting. Since then, Keoghan has developed into an internationally recognized performer with roles spanning independent dramas, major blockbusters and psychological thrillers.
Born in Dublin, Keoghan experienced considerable instability while growing up. His mother struggled with drug addiction and died when he was young, and he and his brother spent several years in foster care before being raised largely by their grandmother and aunt. Despite his later success, Keoghan has spoken warmly about returning home and immediately slipping back into ordinary family life, joking that celebrity status does not excuse him from making his bed or cleaning up after himself.
His entrance into acting came almost by chance. As a teenager, Keoghan noticed a casting advertisement in a local shop window for the Irish crime film Between the Canals. He responded despite having little professional experience and eventually secured a role. Television work followed, including the Irish drama Love/Hate, helping him develop his craft and attract greater attention.
His international profile grew dramatically in 2017. Keoghan appeared in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk as George Mills, a young civilian caught up in the evacuation of Allied soldiers from France. That same year, he delivered a very different performance opposite Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman in Yorgos Lanthimos's The Killing of a Sacred Deer. As the mysterious Martin, Keoghan demonstrated the unnerving screen presence that would become one of his greatest strengths.
Rather than remaining within one genre, he continued moving between dramatically different projects. He entered the Marvel universe as Druig in Eternals, appeared in The Green Knight and gained major acclaim for Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin. His performance as Dominic Kearney earned him a BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

#keoghan #irish #dublin #despite

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after President Donald Trump said he would start paying for controversial taxpayer-funded ads with a campaign account, there's no sign he plans to refund the millions of federal dollars already spent on them.
Nearly $12 million worth of ads have already aired, according to AdImpact, as part of the $20 million the Department of Homeland Security tapped for the contract.
But Trump's plan to pay for the ads with MAGA Inc. doesn't mean there's any reimbursement coming, said a White House official who was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said the ads were "really good" and "promotion for the country, done by many presidents before." Asked whether he'd repay the funds already spent, he said, "We'll decide."
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Trump for not committing to reimbursement and said he believes the president's plan for covering future costs represents illegal coordination with his super PAC.

#Trump #donald

Princess Eugenie has reportedly sidelined Meghan Markle amid the ongoing royal feud, and according to a source, Eugenie has allegedly decided to side with Prince William and Kate Middleton. She reportedly wants to stay out of the drama, but the Sussexes' return apparently left her no choice. The claims come after a signed copy of Meghan's children's book reportedly surfaced for sale online.
Princess Eugenie "had to take a stand" against Meghan Markle with a signed book, as per the source. According to New Idea, the copy of "The Bench" was originally listed by London seller Drive Easy's Signed Books. It allegedly featured a personalized message from the **** ss of Sussex to Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank. It was reported that the book was listed for $26,423 before the advertisement disappeared.
Reportedly, Eugenie was "horrified" and didn't know how the book ended up on the site. However, the outlet was told that it might not be as accidental as it seemed. With the tension between William and Prince Harry showing little signs of easing, insiders allegedly claimed that she was keen to make her loyalties clear.
A royal insider said, "Eugenie's always tried to stay out of controversy," but with Harry and Meghan apparently "on her doorstep" demanding a "catch up," she likely couldn't stay quiet anymore.
Meanwhile, it was claimed that Eugenie has been forced to apologize to Meghan. This allegedly happened after watchers spotted the personal inscription on the listing. It reportedly mentioned "the special bond between father and son." Meghan also wrote that she penned the poem at Frogmore and hoped Eugenie would witness the same love there.

#eugenie #signed #stay

Open the schools!
Black Americans have heard it all before. We've been called "lazy," "not as qualified," "uneducated," "uncultured," and all manner of other reasons the world can come up with for why our disenfranchisement is somehow of our own design and perpetuation. But there's a long history behind why.
During an appearance on Cam Newton's "Funky Friday" podcast, actor Da'Vinchi certainly kept it funky when he revealed why, from his experience, non-American actors are offered American parts and kicked off a diaspora war in the process.
Roughly 11 minutes into the conversation, Newton star asks the 30-year-old "All-American" star what he thinks about non-American actors getting American parts in television and film. The actor says there is a perception that Americans are lazy, later lumping Black Americans into the conversation when discussing why non-American Black actors may be cast in Black American roles.
"What I had to learn early is that this is the entertainment business, not the entertainment arts," the "Why Did I Get Married Again?" actor said. "When there's a business, there's certain things involved."

#americans #funky #lazy #conversation

Sydney Sweeney recently found herself again at the center of a heated public conversation, this time over a provocative campaign that has divided opinions across sports and Hollywood.
What began as an advertisement for sports betting platform Novig quickly became a much bigger debate about women, sports, and the use of ***** appeal in advertising.
While some familiar names have been willing to make their feelings known, the silence of her former "Euphoria" costar, Zendaya, on the controversy has not gone unnoticed.
Image Press Agency / MEGA
As criticism continues to follow Sweeney's Novig campaign, Zendaya has chosen not to publicly join the conversation.

#sports #novig

Selma Blair has revealed new details about the career fallout she faced following a controversial Instagram comment she made amid the Israel-Hamas war in February 2024.
The veteran star said she lost her entire career and the team that supported it — talent agency CAA, a manager of 30 years, a lawyer and personal and book publicists — in the wake of leaving a comment widely criticized as anti-Islamic under a video posted by immigration reform advocate Abraham Hamra. Though she apologized, Blair noted it wasn't enough and not only did she lose that team but also brand deals, payment for a supposed Super Bowl advertisement, her son's godmother and more. So much that, she says, she came to learn "what erased feels like."
More from The Hollywood Reporter
The IDF Calls Gaza Documentary 'NAZA' "Distorted, Misleading and Disingenuous"
Selma Blair Set for Bridget Stokes' Mystical Coming of Age Film 'Schmoolie The Deathwatcher'

#Career #Instagram #Israel #islamic

Is there any investment market segment more debated than gold (XAUUSD)? I'm not sure there is. We have "gold bugs," including those who see the yellow metal as the ***** et to own when the world goes haywire.
Then, there are the "we're going back on the gold standard" types. The ones that preceded crypto bros in believing fiat currencies weren't for this world. It follows that gold would return to its former role as the reserve currency.
Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market ***** ysis you won't find anywhere else.
Of course, there are also plenty of investors who don't really think about gold investing very much, and who will simply trade it when there's a good opportunity. I'm in this camp.
Financial media pundits routinely tout gold as some sort of bulletproof allocation. Inflation worries? Own gold. Currency debasement? Own gold. Want your kitchen to be decorated like the Oval Office? You'll need a lot of gold.

#Gold #free #barchart #brief

Gold is the ******* et people buy when they have stopped believing in promises. Then most of them hand it to a bank in another country for safekeeping, which is itself a promise.
That arrangement is older than most of the world's central banks. The Bank of England has provided gold custody services to developing nations for decades, according to Reuters, and it usually works for the simple reason that ******* ody involved has any incentive to argue about it.
Custody is boring. It stays boring right up until two governments claim the same account.
Then the metal in the vault ceases to be a reserve ******* et and becomes a legal exhibit. It does not move, and it does not get sold.
It sits in a basement in London, earning nothing and settling nothing, while lawyers on two continents argue over whose signature counts on the paperwork.

#reuters

For decades, CVS seemed like the perfect business. It was convenient, sold a mix of products people wanted, and everyone was forced to go there (or to one of its rivals) when they needed to pick up a prescription.
Now, however, the company has been fighting a war on many fronts. Consumers can order much of what made the chain convenient for delivery, and various online services, including Amazon, now fill prescriptions.
"At the rear of the store, business at pharmacy counters is being squeezed by stingier drug reimbursement rates and pharmacist wages. In the aisles, sales of everything from greeting cards to cosmetics are feeling the effects of cut-price competition," according to the Financial Times.
It's an evolving situation that has caused CVS rival Rite Aid to shut down all its stores, while CVS and Walgreens have closed thousands of locations between them.
"The whole drugstore four-wall economic model is collapsing on itself, in my opinion," said Josh ****** s, a portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors, told the Financial Times.

#business #amazon #walgreens

By Nolan D. McCaskill
WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Democrats are seeking to reclaim Congress, but lingering divisions from a bruising run-up to the November election threaten to imperil the party's attempt to claw back power from President Donald Trump's Republicans.
With control of both chambers at stake, Democrats have sought to move past the bad blood of the primaries, but in several competitive states, influential party figures have withheld endorsements or so far declined to campaign with nominees for the November 3 US midterm elections.
In ‌Maine, the governor has yet to endorse the Democratic US Senate candidate. In Texas, a congresswoman has declined to campaign alongside the state representative who defeated her in the Democratic Senate primary. In Michigan, establishment centrists are steering clear of the party's progressive Senate ‌pick. In New York, victorious democratic socialists are criticizing congressional Democrats for joining Republicans in condemning socialism. In Florida, the party has yet to rally behind its Senate nominee.
"Whether you are a progressive or an establishment Democrat or a conservative Democrat, we all have a vested interest in getting every single person over the finish line in November," said US Representative Summer Lee, a progressive Pennsylvania Democrat up for reelection.

#november #democrat #representative #declined

Property and casualty insurer Progressive (NYSE: PGR) is probably best known for selling auto insurance. That's a highly competitive segment of the industry, but the company has proven its chops, reporting a strong combined ratio of 87.3% in the second quarter of 2026. Is the roughly 10% pullback from the 52-week high, and about 25% drawdown from 2025's peak, as of this writing, enough to make the stock a buy? Probably not if you are a value investor.
The combined ratio is a measure of profitability in the insurance sector, with numbers below 100% indicating that a company is earning more from premiums than it costs to support those premiums and cover claims. Progressive has a strong history of running its business well on this front. Basically, it is a good business. But paying too much for a good business can turn it into a bad investment, as Benjamin Graham was fond of saying (Graham notably helped train Warren Buffett).
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
So the real question here is whether the drawdowns noted above were sufficient to make Progressive's valuation attractive. The answer there isn't clean cut. For example, the price-to-sales ratio of 1.4x is in the middle of the historical range of roughly 0.5x to 2.2x. If anything, the P/S ratio is kind of toward the high side. The same general story holds with the price-to-book ratio. So these two metrics hint at a stock that isn't expensive, but it also isn't trading at bargain-basement prices.
The price-to-earnings ratio is a bit more positive, with the 11.1x P/E toward the lower end of its historical range. And the average insurance company has a P/E ratio of around 11.8x, so this makes Progressive look reasonably priced. Only Progressive's P/B ratio is 3.7x compared to the industry average of 1.7x, so the broader industry comparison still isn't a clear-cut win.

#ratio #progressive

Kestra Medical Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ:KMTS) reported on September 14 that fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue increased 60% to $31.0 million. Gross margin reached 56.5%, up from 45.7%, for the quarter ended July 31, 2026.
Management raised fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $141 million from $137 million, implying 48% annual growth. The outlook strengthens the commercial story, but the expanding organization still consumes substantially more than the business generates in gross profit.
Kestra Medical Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ:KMTS) attributed revenue growth to wearable cardioverter defibrillator market expansion, competitive share gains, new sales territories, a higher proportion of in-network patients and improvements in revenue cycle management.
These drivers suggest several ways to expand: reach more patients, improve reimbursement outcomes, and collect revenue more effectively. Their investment value depends on sustaining growth without requiring a matching increase in support costs.
Gross profit nearly doubled to $17.5 million from $8.9 million. Management attributed the margin improvement to higher volume, the in-network patient mix, and cost initiatives. The company is retaining more of each revenue dollar to fund selling expenses and product development.

#million #kestra #kmts

As President Donald Trump tries to convince voters that Democrats have let crime run amok, he's digging into the country's political past to cite one of the most controversial campaign advertisements that relied heavily on racist tropes.
During a campaign stop Wednesday in Gastonia, North Carolina, to stump for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, Trump resurrected a 1988 George H.W. Bush presidential campaign ad featuring Willie Horton, a Black man convicted of rape and ****** ault after his release through a Massachusetts prison furlough program.
A grainy black-and-white prison photo of Horton was used in the ad targeting then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was ahead of Bush in the polls. On Wednesday, Trump evoked the Horton ad in an effort to convince voters Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper, Whatley's opponent in the Senate race, is soft on crime.
"Willie Horton was a bad guy, really bad guy," Trump said, before comparing Dukakis's release of Horton to the pretrial release of a Black man who faces a murder charge for last year's killing of a white Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina.
But Cooper was not the governor when the man was released or when he was later charged with killing the refugee.

#black

The financial unraveling of Jon Venetos' Lurin Capital is now the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe.
An email sent to an investor from the FBI's Dallas Division shared with The Real Deal revealed that the agency has opened an investigation into Venetos, Lurin Capital and **** ociated entities. The note provided an email address through which victims can provide comments and ask questions: LurinVictimsfbi.gov.
The Real Deal also obtained a public link to an FBI form **** led "Lurin Investigation Questionnaire" seeking information from "possible victim" investors. The form asks for details about investors' contributions and any distributions received.
The company's downfall has been punctuated by claims of fraudulent dealings from lenders and former Lurin employees. Keybank accused Venetos of transferring $25,000 from his accounts with the bank to a personal account. Vista Bank accused him of falsifying account statements from the lender in an attempt to take out loans elsewhere.
In addition, a former employee who worked in property management and asked to remain anonymous claimed Lurin lied on reimbursement requests to lenders by inflating costs of repairs and submitting invoices for work that wasn't done.

#email

Sydney Sweeney is facing a fresh wave of backlash from female athletes after appearing in a provocative advertisement for sports prediction platform Novig.
The actress appears largely nude in the commercial, using sports equipment to cover her body while promoting Novig's sports-only market.
Sydney Sweeney has since defended the concept as a playful celebration of sports, while the controversy has also renewed discussion about celebrity involvement in prediction-market advertising.
Confirmed: Sydney Sweeney knows ball. pic.twitter.com/EXQ4PzVZsi
— Novig (Novig) September 9, 2026

#sports #september

Sydney Sweeney Novig ad controversy, explained: Why women are speaking out against 'Just Sports' commercial originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
For the second consecutive year, actress Sydney Sweeney is at the center of controversy over an advertisement she appeared in.
Previously facing backlash in 2025 for her involvement in an American Eagle campaign, this time, Sweeney appeared in an ad for sports trading app Novig. In response, a collection of female athletes have criticized her, responding on social media.
The "Euphoria" actress partnered with Novig in a viral campaign last week that featured her posing naked, using sports equipment to cover parts of her body.
Here's what to know about the backlash to Sweeney's Novid ad campaign.

#sports #campaign

Coming into the season, everyone thought the NFC West would be a dogfight. With the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, the division features the defending Super Bowl champions and the current favorites to win it all. The San Francisco 49ers are also legitimate contenders, especially after dominating the Rams in Week 1.
What few people expected was the Rams being in last place after the first week of the season. With their 27-7 loss to the 49ers, paired with wins by the Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, the Rams are the only winless team in the division.
The Cardinals' double-digit win over the Chargers was particularly shocking, as former Rams OC Mike LaFleur led his new team to a 26-14 win on the road over Los Angeles. Perhaps the Cardinals won't be the easy out many people thought they would be.
It's only one week, but this certainly wasn't the way the Rams expected to start the season, sitting in the basement of the West.
49ers: 1-0

#west #division

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) could be positioning itself for its next major phase of growth following its roughly $10 billion acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals. The deal gives the company immediate exposure to the endocrinology market and provides a new commercial platform beyond its established cystic fibrosis franchise.
On September 3, Citigroup **** yst Geoff Meacham highlighted the strategic importance of the Crinetics acquisition, arguing it could diversify Vertex's business while complementing its existing cystic fibrosis franchise and newer businesses in renal disease, hematology, and pain.
Through the transaction, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) gains access to Palsonify (paltusotine), an oral treatment for acromegaly that has already received regulatory approval in Europe. Paltusotine is also in Phase 3 development for carcinoid syndrome **** ociated with neuroendocrine tumors.
Palsonify is particularly important because it provides an immediate commercial revenue opportunity, rather than requiring the company to wait several years for an entirely new drug to reach the market.
Early uptake of Palsonify has been encouraging, supported by expanding physician adoption and improving reimbursement coverage. If that momentum continues, the drug could become an important contributor to Vertex's revenue growth.

#palsonify

Jim Cramer sees Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) as a major beneficiary of the disruption surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, as he said during the September 8 episode of Mad Money:
When I wrote How to Make Money in Any Market… I didn't know that Enterprise Products Partners was going to be the, maybe the single biggest pipeline winner in this country thanks to the war. I didn't see that war coming. The CEO of Enterprise, Jim Teague, has raised awareness for the company's profit opportunity because of the Hormuz closing. The margins of some of its liquids, like ethane to ethylene, ethylene to polyethylene, have soared. As Teague says, the Houston Ship Channel is now just as important as the Strait of Hormuz. Now, there's an endorsement. Stock yields 5.8%.
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) reported record second-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $2.8 billion, up 17% year over year, while operational distributable cash flow reached a record $2.3 billion, up 21%. Moreover, pipeline volumes reached a record 14.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, up 8%, while marine-terminal volumes increased 33% to 2.8 million barrels per day. Co-Chief Executive Officer James Teague said:
Volumes at our marine terminals have returned to normal levels in June and July after the initial rush to backfill volumes affected by hostilities in the Middle East in April and May.
In July, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) declared a quarterly distribution of $0.56 per unit, or $2.24 annualized, a 2.8% increase from a year earlier. At EPD's September 8 closing price of $38.83, that equates to a yield of approximately 5.8%. The company has increased its distribution for 27 consecutive years. The company's latest investor materials show $6.5 billion of major capital projects under construction. It expects 2026 organic growth capital spending, net of ***** et-sale proceeds, of $2.9 billion to $3.4 billion. The company retained $1.1 billion of DCF for internally funded growth capital expenditures and buybacks.

#partners #hormuz

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Republicans are well known for opposing tax increases and since 1986, many Republican officeholders have signed on to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge (1).
Rolled out with former President Ronald Reagan's endorsement, the pledge is a commitment in writing to oppose "any and all" tax increases. Currently, 44 members of the Senate and 194 representatives in Congress have signed the pledge.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
A record 45% of central banks plan to grow gold reserves — and many investors are following suit. Get your free gold IRA guide from Priority Gold

#republicans #republican

Rudy Gobert has spent years dealing with mixed reviews about his defense. That debate looks different when one of the NBA's best offensive players gives him credit for making the game harder.
Nikola Jokic has faced Gobert plenty of times and knows where the Timberwolves center can cause problems. His latest comments give Gobert a notable endorsement from someone who has spent years trying to attack him.
Jokic discussed the defenders who make his job difficult during an appearance on the Jao Mile podcast. When the conversation reached Gobert, the Denver star dismissed the idea that the Timberwolves center is overrated on defense.
Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) position themselves for a rebound in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
"Rudy Gobert, I know people have all kinds of opinions about him, but Rudy is a good defender. He showed it in the last playoffs," Jokic said.

#gobert #jokic #nikola #credit

It started with yelling about toilets. Steve Ballmer was so serious about turning the Los Angeles Clippers into a serious franchise for the first time in their existence that he wanted to make sure no fan ever waited in a long line to use the bathroom when the team opened its new arena. Ballmer's drive to win eventually led the Clippers to courting Kawhi Leonard in free agency, fresh off leading the Toronto Raptors to a 2019 NBA championship. Leonard wanted to live in Los Angeles, yes, but he also wanted Paul George as his running mate, so the Clippers shipped out a boatload of draft picks and future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to get him.
Leonard's people also made it known that their client wanted the type of big endorsement deals his off-putting, robotic personality couldn't land legitimately. Leonard's now infamous Uncle Dennis Robertson never tried to be subtle about his desire to secure similar off-court bags to the ones Kawhi's contemporaries like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant were landing on their own accord, and leaks of his demands circulated as soon as Leonard hit free agency.
The Clippers became so entangled in pleasing Leonard that it led to blatant salary cap circumvention, first reported by investigative journalist Pablo Torre. The NBA found enough evidence supporting Torre's claims that it hammered the Clippers with the most severe penalty in league history, stripping five future first-round draft picks, suspending executives including Ballmer, and more. That figured to be the end of the story, with the Clippers spending the next decade trying to climb out of the abyss. Torre continued to hint that there was another shoe to drop, and now that it's here, the Clippers might be in much bigger trouble than anyone first believed.
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the Clippers, according to the New York Times, and it's already issued one subpoena. While the scope of the investigation is unclear for now, the fact that the feds are watching the Clippers for under-the-table dealings potentially makes this a much bigger deal than simply breaking NBA rules.
How does breaking NBA rules amount to a federal crime by the Clippers? While there's a lot left to come out, the main idea is that the Clippers committed some level of fraud. Daktronics was a publicly traded company, the only one of the four tied up in the Leonard scandal to fit that description, while Aspiration, Lockton Insurance, and Boingo Wireless were not. Publicly traded companies have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to disclose big investments, and it sure feels like that never happened when dealing with Leonard.

#ballmer

Today is the day of the first on-ice activity for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2026-27 season. A group of 25 rookies are gathering at Family Sports Center at 9:00 a.m. for a one-day practice before they head off to San Jose, Calif. for the annual rookie tournament.
Late last week the roster was announced which features almost as many defensemen (8) as forwards (13). The only two players with NHL experience expected to attend are forwards Nikita Prishchepov and Taylor Makar, though several others on this list could see their NHL debut soon. All eyes will be on goaltender Ilya Nabokov and forward TJ Hughes who might even make an impact on the Avalanche this year.
It's nice to see five of the nine members of the 2026 Avalanche draft class in attendance including including forwards Beckett Hamilton and Shawn Carrier, defenseman Ondrej Ruml and goaltenders Alexandre Raymond and Tobias Tvrznik,
Those prospects playing in the NCAA or Europe this season are not listed and were not expected to attend rookie camp or Avalanche training camp. However, it is curious the class headliner, 43rd overall Egor Shilov is missing especially since he has chosen to spend one more year in the QMJHL with Victoriaville. But, there is a clue from those who cover the Canadian junior leagues that ongoing visa issues are to blame.
Translated from Quebec journalist Matthew Vachon this reads:

#expected #attend

The Justice Department has initiated a criminal investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers used secret endorsement deals to boost its star player Kawhi Leonard's income while violating the NBA's salary cap, the New York Times reported, just a week after the league suspended the team's billionaire owner Steve Ballmer for a year.
Owner Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers congratulates Kawhi Leonard #2 after his 55-point game to win 112-99 against the Detroit Pistons at Intuit Dome.
Citing unnamed sources briefed on the matter, the Times reported that the matter is being investigated by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn and the probe is in its "earliest stages."
The report noted that prosecutors have already issued a subpoena as part of the probe, but details of the crimes being investigated remain unclear.
The DOJ investigation began before the NBA handed out its own punishments against the Clippers—including a year-long suspension of the team's owner and ninth-richest person in the world.

#owner #angeles #kawhi

The NBA brought the hammer down on the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer for circumventing the salary cap to funnel more money to Kawhi Leonard — and now federal prosecutors are looking into the matter.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Clippers' efforts to secure "no-show" endorsement deals for Kawhi Leonard, the New York Times reports. This investigation is being run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, the office that has traditionally looked into issues with professional sports leagues.
The investigation is in its earliest stages, and it's unclear what, if any, federal charges could come out of it, according to the report.
The Justice Department investigation comes in addition to the Securities and Exchange Commission looking into Daktronics' role in the scandal, as it had an endorsement deal with Leonard despite never having had a celebrity endorser before and there being no evidence Leonard did anything for the company. Daktronics is publicly traded, and the SEC is tasked with protecting shareholders.
The NBA oversaw a year-long investigation of its own into the Clippers working to circumvent the salary cap with Leonard and last month came down with the harshest penalties ever imposed on a team:

#salary