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Heat wave updates: 100 million in US under advisory

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Heat wave updates: 100 million in US under advisory

Two vans loaded with precision instruments drove through the streets of New York and New Jersey in the heat earlier this week, sniffing out toxic chemicals in the air.

They found spikes in methane, a potent greenhouse gas, mostly from leaks or natural gas-burning buses. They found traces of nitrous oxide, possibly from sewage. Throughout the ride, they recorded elevated levels of ozone, a key ingredient in smog, as well as the cancer-causing formaldehyde — both of which form readily in hot weather.

Bottom Line: Streets are polluted places. And heat makes pollution worse.

“If you want a chemical reaction to go faster, you have to add heat,” said Johns Hopkins University atmospheric air pollution researcher Peter DeCarlo, who is working on an initiative to use vanes to measure emissions in Louisiana’s petrochemicals corridor. “On warmer days, same idea,” he said.

Air pollution increases as temperatures increase, increasing the harm caused by global warming. That’s one reason why cities and counties across the eastern United States, hit by a heat wave this week, are issuing air pollution warnings.

Three days ago, it warned that ozone levels in New York City were “unhealthy for sensitive groups”. Detroit and Chicago also issued air quality warnings this week. Drivers in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana are urged to avoid refueling before 8 p.m., and to carpool or avoid driving as much as possible to reduce smog.

Prof. that poor air is related to atmospheric chemistry. DiCarlo said his van took two New York Times journalists on a ride to the South Bronx, East Harlem and Midtown. Pollution from burning fossil fuels reacts with heat and sunlight to form ground-level ozone. Higher temperatures turbocharge that process.

Formaldehyde emissions, which can come from a variety of sources, such as forest fires and household products, rise with higher temperatures. “The same chemistry that creates high levels of ozone also creates additional hazardous air pollutants, such as formaldehyde,” Professor DiCarlo said.

Local hot spots can sometimes be found. For example, in some blocks in Manhattan, formaldehyde levels were double that of surrounding areas, likely due to dirty burning caused by nearby broken appliances.

Peter DiCarlo inside a van.debt…Blackie Migliozzi/The New York Times

Heat pollution is a growing concern worldwide. Health hazards from extreme heat aren’t the only effect of record-breaking temperatures. According to the World Meteorological Organization, air pollution will also increase as temperatures rise In a statement Last year.

“Climate change and air quality cannot be considered separately,” Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Talas said at the time. “They go hand in hand and must be tackled together to break this vicious cycle.”

Breathing in elevated levels of formaldehyde and ozone has been linked to respiratory irritation and inflammation, reduced lung function, and problems with preventing and controlling asthma attacks. Exposure is particularly high in people with lung diseases such as asthma or chronic bronchitis, said Kiev Nachman, an environmental-health and risk assessment researcher at the Johns Hopkins University and co-leader of the Mobile Monitoring Initiative.

Coincidentally this week, as New York was hit by a heat wave, the research team had its pollution-sniffing vans in the city to demonstrate their technology.

Professor Nachman said that while formaldehyde is carcinogenic to humans, the cancers are primarily expected from long-term exposures, not from temporary increases.

It’s important to recognize that chemical exposures don’t happen all at once, and that we’re constantly exposed to groups of chemicals that can work together to harm our health, he said. “Hot days can create situations where people are breathing in many harmful chemicals at the same time,” Professor Nachman said. “Formaldehyde and ozone are perfect examples.”

A van is set to return to Louisiana later this year to measure 45 pollutants from its petrochemical industry, part of a project funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Beyond Petrochemicals campaign. In an initial peer review A study published this monthResearchers found emissions of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas used in plastic production, were much higher than previously known.

Researchers operating the van, a high-tech lab-on-wheels built by environmental measurement technology company Aerodyne, can see pollution levels in real time and try to determine their source. “It’s like a video game,” Professor DiCarlo said. “We can measure everything at once.”

Blackie Migliosi Contributed report.

American Airlines CEO aims to ‘rebuild trust’ after removing black men from flight: NPR

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American Airlines CEO aims to ‘rebuild trust’ after removing black men from flight: NPR
Here, Isom speaks at a news conference in Seattle on Thursday, February 13, 2020, about the company's new partnership with Alaska Airlines.

In light of several recent incidents of alleged racial discrimination against its passengers, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says he is taking immediate steps to “rebuild trust” within the company. Isom spoke here at a news conference in Seattle on February 13, 2020 about the company’s new partnership with Alaska Airlines.

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In light of several recent incidents of alleged racial discrimination against its passengers, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom says he is taking immediate steps to “rebuild trust” within the company.

In a letter sent to staff and obtained by NPR, Isom wrote that he wanted to address the “unacceptable incident” in January when eight black male passengers were removed and then re-loaded from a US flight. He says the unfortunate incident is “contrary” to the airline’s values ​​and what it stands for.

“I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures,” Isom wrote. “We failed our duties and failed our customers in this incident.”

American Airlines planes are seen at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas on June 16, 2018.

Last month, NPR reported, three black people came forward and filed a federal lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging they suffered “blatant and egregious racial discrimination” after they were removed from a John F flight from Phoenix to New York on January 5. Kennedy International Airport. The three plaintiffs — Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Vale — say they and five other black male passengers were kicked off the plane “for no valid reason, solely on the basis of their race.”

The eight did not know each other and did not sit together on the plane.

Isom’s letter outlines a series of steps the airline is taking to “strengthen diversity and inclusion” at the company. The steps include:

  • Creating an advisory board focused on improving the travel experience for black customers,
  • Reviewing and improving the company’s internal reporting process for cases involving allegations of bias or bias;
  • Reassess its policies, procedures, ethics and organizational culture to identify and identify areas for growth and improvement;
  • Also, educating its employees to “recognize and address bias and discrimination.”
The NAACP is calling on American Airlines to provide an update on pending investigations and claims of racial discrimination involving passengers. Here, the American Airlines logo is seen at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 19, 2017.

Additionally, Isom wrote in his letter that he spoke with Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, about the civil rights organization’s concerns amid the most recent lawsuit against the airline. Isom thanked Johnson for sharing his concerns and viewpoints, adding that any form of discrimination is “unacceptable” and will not be tolerated within the company.

In a statement to NPR, Johnson said he’s pleased to see American has taken the initial steps to “create a path toward an inclusive experience.”

“While it is unfortunately common for black people to experience racism and discrimination at the hands of corporations, it is not common to see such swift and decisive action,” Johnson said, adding that he hopes the approach will serve as a model for others. Companies that may find themselves in similar situations.

American Airlines passenger accuses passenger of discrimination in first class restroom use

American Airlines did not respond to NPR’s request for comment on the letter or whether or not the employees involved in the incident will be fired. Representatives for Jackson, Joseph and Vale also did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

Incidents of racial discrimination have followed American Airlines for years, resulting in the NAACP issuing an advisory warning in 2017 asking black passengers to be cautious about flying.

The airline’s then-president, Doug Parker, responded that the company “does not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” resulting in the advisory being lifted in 2018.

Experts say the Louisiana Ten Commandments law tests religiously friendly courts

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Louisiana’s law requiring the Ten Commandments in every classroom will test a new legal environment created by the Supreme Court, which threw out previous standards protecting the separation of church and state, experts said Thursday.

The law, signed Wednesday by Gov. Jeff Landry (R), is the first of its kind in the country since 1980, and the moderate Supreme Court ruled a similar Kentucky law unconstitutional. The new law gives schools until Jan. 1 to display the Ten Commandments “on a poster or framed document at least eleven inches by fourteen inches” in every classroom. The law states that commands should be the “central focus” of the display and “printed in large, easily readable font.”

On Thursday, as legal experts debated how courts should view the Louisiana law, various religious leaders in the state expressed excitement and concern about what the Ten Commandments predict.

Advocates for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the ACLU said they plan to file a lawsuit next week against the new law.

“It’s true that the Supreme Court hasn’t been the best on church-state issues, but we think it’s a bridge. Nothing they remotely said would allow the Ten Commandments into every classroom where students are captive audiences and required to participate,” said a staff member at the ACLU’s Freedom of Religion and Belief Program. Attorney Heather Weaver said.

Some outside experts on church-state law are less certain.

“Right now we’re in uncharted territory,” said Michael Helfand, a professor focusing on religion and ethics at Pepperdine University’s law school.

Efforts to infuse religion into government institutions, including public schools, have increased over the past decade as the Supreme Court has sided with those who want less restrictions on religion. State lawmakers, particularly in conservative areas, have introduced hundreds of bills that aim to include everything from public school chaplains and “In God We Trust” signs at school entrances to public funding of religious schools through vouchers.

The Louisiana law is part of a new set of measures stemming from a 2022 Supreme Court ruling in favor of a high school football coach whose contract was not renewed because of a prayer he made after a play at the 50-yard line. rule in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District It threw out the test that had been used for more than 50 years to determine whether a law violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The Lemon test, named after a 1971 Supreme Court decision, asked questions like: Does the law “entangle excessive government with religion?” or “Does law promote or inhibit religion?” In the Football Coaches case, the Supreme Court said the lemon test is no longer good law and that judges must instead look to “history and tradition.”

Noting that Bramerton The coach’s actions were deemed unconstitutional, the ACLU’s Weaver said in a statement that the rationale was different from the Louisiana law. Because his prayers were not delivered to a “general” or “captive” audience, the court said.

“Regardless of the lemon test, there has always been an understanding in this country that the government should not favor one religion or one religion over others. Here, the government not only mandates the Ten Commandments, but also dictates which version the law says, and lays out the text,” Weaver said.

The law calls for a specific Protestant text based on the King James Bible, which differs from the versions used by Catholics, Jews and others, less than those used by other religions with their own texts of faith.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-chair of Freedom From Religion, said the new law is “overwhelming.”

“The religious right, Christian nationalist types and their legal paraphernalia have been clamoring ever since Bramerton The conclusion is that somehow the whole paradigm of anti-religion in public schools has been turned upside down. This is not the case,” she said. “The Supreme Court is captured under Trump, but it’s my belief that it’s not willing to go that far.”

“At our establishment, there was no history of the Ten Commandments in the Constitution, and a lot of ignorant people might think there was,” he said, calling the law “antithetical to the Bill of Rights.”

Pepperdine’s Helfand says it’s true that the Founding Fathers invoked the Bible and the Ten Commandments when America was born, but they still called for people to worship or not worship as they pleased. Now the legal debate may turn to the question of coercion, he said. When is a person forced to practice a religion they do not accept? Does that include seeing the Ten Commandments on their classroom wall?

“You still can’t prefer one religion over another,” Helfand said.

John Inazu, a religion and law expert at Washington University in St. Louis, noted that the Supreme Court, which struck down a similar law in 1980, was operating under a different legal approach. The earlier case, he wrote in an email, “was decided under a very different approach to the establishment rule. The Supreme Court then focuses on history, text and tradition. But it’s not clear to me that the Louisiana law survives even under the new framework.

Placing this version of the Ten Commandments in classrooms is not a long-standing relic or tradition, Inazu wrote, and is “blatantly religious and monotheistic.”

He noted that in 2005 the Supreme Court upheld a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol in Austin. However, the monument is separate from the Capitol, with an American flag and Star of David and the seal of the civic group that donated it. The court held that the memorial had a secular purpose and did not constitute state recognition of religion.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of post-Bramerton Bills aimed at promoting religion in public schools are an attempt to pass a Ten Commandments measure similar to the one in Texas last year in Louisiana. It passed the state Senate, but was not taken up by the House. But its supporters gave voice to Americans who see the Supreme Court as righting the American ship after half a century of wrongful separation of church and state.

“The separation of God and government is absolutely not there, and that’s what these bills are. It’s confusing; it’s not real,” Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R), who co-sponsored the Texas bill, said last year.

One of the authors of the Louisiana law said the measure was not about religion — or, he said, the Ten Commandments.

“It’s our basic law. Our sense of right and wrong is based on the Ten Commandments,” state Rep. Michael Bayham (R) told The Washington Post. He believes Moses was a historical figure, not just a religious one.

Opponents of the new bills say they reflect a country This leads to a new, dangerous phase in the balance of church and state, which in some places those in power are seeking To assert a version of Christian supremacy.

“Look, I love Jesus and the scriptures, but not this. Raise a glass to L.A. looking like a fool on the national stage,” Rev. Michael Allelo, a Catholic priest in Baton Rouge, Published Wednesday at X. “How much taxpayer money will be wasted defending this in the courts, only to have it overturned?”

But Baton Rouge Pentecostal pastor Rev. Tony Spell said the new law was an extension of his. 2022 success Louisiana’s Supreme Court Fights Pandemic Restrictions Judges dropped charges against him for presiding over religious gatherings in defiance of lockdown orders.

“We have a conservative court in Washington, but really it’s about the people, the warriors, the fighters,” Spell said.

Movements to incorporate Christianity into every area of ​​life have only grown since his court battle, he said. Now he’s working with groups to raise money for Ten Commandments posters they hope will soon be in classrooms across the state.

Asked what the new law would say to non-Christians or those who don’t subscribe to that version of the Ten Commandments, Spell said: “Being guilty is a choice.”

Mark Chauncey, a Southern Methodist University professor who studies the use of the Bible in public schools, said the Supreme Court has ushered the country into a new era.

“It’s the wild west when it comes to state-sponsored religion,” he said, adding: “It’s not clear how these things will play out.”

Sources – Lakers sign JJ Redick as coach to four-year deal

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Sources – Lakers sign JJ Redick as coach to four-year deal

  • Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPNJune 20, 2024, 03:06 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a four-year deal with JJ Redick to make him the franchise’s next coach, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Redick, an ESPN NBA analyst with 15 years in the league, met with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Belinka and owner Gene Buss over the weekend, and sources said conversations about the vacancy continued throughout the week.

Belinka offered Reddick the job Thursday morning, sources said.

Belinka is sold on Redick’s ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ, and hopes surrounding Redick with an elite coaching staff will help ease his learning curve in his first head coaching job, sources said.

Redick took the lead in the search a week ago after the Lakers’ pursuit of Connecticut coach Don Hurley was ultimately rejected.

The Lakers offered Hurley a six-year, $70 million contract, which he turned down earlier last week, sources said.

As Belinka sought out Hurley, he wants a teaching coach and staff that prioritizes the development of young players like Max Christie, Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura. said.

Redick has a strong relationship with Lakers star LeBron James, with whom he co-hosts a basketball podcast.

Louisiana orders a Ten Commandments poster in every classroom

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Louisiana orders a Ten Commandments poster in every classroom
image caption, Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, signed the legislation into law on Wednesday

  • author, Max Matza
  • stock, BBC News

A poster of the Ten Commandments has been ordered to be displayed in every public school classroom in Louisiana — a move that civil rights groups say will be challenged.

The Republican-backed operation is the first of its kind in the United States and governs all classrooms up to the university level. Gov. Jeff Landry signed it Wednesday.

Christians see the Ten Commandments as God’s main rules for how to live.

The new law describes it as a “foundation” for state and national governance. But opponents say the law breaks America’s separation of church and state.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution – known as the Establishment Clause – states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

State law requires that an 11-inch x 14-inch (28cm x 35.5cm) poster include the sacred text in “large, easily readable font” and that the commandments be the “centerpiece” of the display.

The mandates will also be displayed along with a four-paragraph “contextual statement” that describes how these mandates “have been an important part of American public education for nearly three centuries.”

Posters are required to be displayed in all state-funded classrooms by 2025 — but no state funding has been provided to pay for the posters.

Similar laws have recently been proposed by other Republican-led states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah.

Four civil rights groups have confirmed they are planning a legal challenge, highlighting the religious diversity of Louisiana’s schools.

A joint statement by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation called the law “blatantly unconstitutional.”

But the bill’s author, Republican state lawmaker Toddy Horton, has spoken of the importance of returning a “moral code” to classrooms. As the bill was rubber-stamped by the governor, he was quoted as saying, “Confidence seems to be in the air everywhere.”

There have been several legal battles in the past over the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings including courts, police stations and schools.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Kentucky law that required the document to be displayed in elementary and high schools. This precedent has been cited by groups fighting the Louisiana law.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the requirement to enact the Ten Commandments had “no secular legislative intent” and was “clearly religious in nature” — noting that the commandments refer to worshiping God.

The new law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments

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The new law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move by the GOP-dominated Legislature to advance a conservative agenda under the new governor.

The legislation, signed Wednesday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, would require a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easy-to-read font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you have to start with the original lawgiver, which is Moses,” who received the commandments from God, Landry said.

Opponents questioned the law’s constitutionality and vowed to challenge it in court. Supporters said the move was not religious, but had historical significance. In the language of the law, the Ten Commandments are “fundamental documents of our state and national government.”

The posters must be in classrooms by early 2025, accompanied by a four-paragraph “contextual statement” describing how the Ten Commandments “have been a staple of American public education for nearly three centuries.”

Under the law, state funds will not be used to implement the mandate. Posters are paid for by donations.

The law “recognizes” but does not require the display of other materials in K-12 public schools, including: The Mayflower Compact, signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620 and often referred to as America’s “first constitution.” The Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance, which paved the way for new states to join the Union in the Northwest Territory – today’s Midwest.

Shortly after the governor signed the bill at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lafayette on Wednesday, civil rights groups and organizations seeking to keep religion out of government vowed to file a lawsuit against it.

The law prevents students from receiving an equal education and makes children of different faiths feel unsafe in school, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a joint statement Wednesday. Afternoon.

“Even among those who believe in some version of the Ten Commandments, the specific text they adhere to may differ by religion or tradition. The government should not take sides in this theological debate,” the groups said.

The controversial legislation, tucked into the Bible Belt, comes in a new era of conservative leadership in Louisiana under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January. The GOP holds a majority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold every statewide elected office, paving the way for a conservative agenda for lawmakers.

Similar bills have been proposed in other states that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. Texas, Oklahoma and Utah. However, due to threats of legal battles over the constitutionality of such measures, no state except Louisiana succeeded in enacting the bills.

Legal battles over displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms are not new.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The High Court found that the Act did not have a secular purpose but served a religious purpose.

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Associated Press reporter Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina contributed.

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The story has been edited to make clear that the governor’s action is not running out of time. The governor signed the bill on Wednesday.

Louisiana becomes the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public classrooms

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Louisiana becomes the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public classrooms

Louisiana has become the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom under legislation signed Wednesday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.

GOP-Draft Law A poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” is required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Although the bill has not received final approval from Landry, the time for gubernatorial action — to sign or veto the bill — has expired.

Opponents question the law’s constitutionality and warn that lawsuits are likely to follow. Supporters say the move is not just religious, but has historical significance. In the language of the law, the Ten Commandments are described as “fundamental documents of our state and national government.”

American Civil Liberties Union said On Wednesday, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Freedom from Religion joined in filing a lawsuit challenging the new Louisiana law.

“The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the groups said in a joint statement. “The First Amendment guarantees that we are all free to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice without government pressure. Politicians cannot impose their preferred religious doctrine on students and families attending public schools.”

In April, State Senator Royce Duplessis said CBS affiliate WWL-TV That he opposed the law.

“That’s why we separate church and state,” said Duplessis, a Democrat. “We learned the 10 Commandments when we went to Sunday school. As I said on the Senate floor, if your kids want to learn the Ten Commandments, you can take them to church.”

The displays, which will be paired with a four-paragraph “contextual statement” describing how the Ten Commandments “have been a staple of American public education for nearly three centuries,” are to be in classrooms by early 2025.

Posters are paid for by donations. Based on language in the statute, state funds will not be used to implement the mandate.

The law also “authorizes” — but does not require — displays of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance in K-12 public schools.


State House Representative Todd Horton authored the bill. In April, he defended it before the House, saying the Ten Commandments are the basis for all laws in Louisiana, WWL-TV reported.

“I hope and pray that Louisiana will be the first state to allow moral codes to be put back into classrooms,” Horton said. “Since I was in kindergarten [at a private school], it was always on the wall. I learned that God exists and know how to respect Him and His laws.

Similar bills have been proposed in other states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah, to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. However, due to threats of legal battles over the constitutionality of such measures, no state other than Louisiana has succeeded in enacting the bills.

Legal battles over displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms are not new.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The High Court found that the Act did not have a secular purpose but served a religious purpose.

Louisiana’s controversial law comes during a new era of conservative leadership in the state, a state tucked into the Bible Belt, under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.

The GOP holds a two-thirds majority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold every statewide elected office, paving the way for lawmakers to pass a conservative agenda during the legislative session that ended earlier this month.

Connor McDavid dominates as Oilers win Game 5 of Stanley Cup Finals

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Sunrise, Fla. – Connor McDavid’s words turned into a rallying cry after the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

“We’ve got to go to Florida,” he said, “do a job and drag them back to Alberta.”

The Oilers did just that with a 5-3 win in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena. It wasn’t as dominant as Saturday’s 8-1 demolition, but they did more than enough — led by McDavid’s two goals and two assists — to stay alive. They need two more wins to reach Stanley Cup glory, but they’ll be back at home on Friday looking to get their first win

The Oilers led 3-0 and 4-1 in the second period, but had to fend off a furious comeback attempt by the Panthers, who pulled within a goal early in the third. Stuart Skinner made 29 saves for the Oilers. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots for Florida.

“It was a total effort by everybody,” McDavid said. “The special teams were obviously better. The penalty kill, there’s nothing else to say. They’ve been good. [Connor Brown] Scored a great goal to settle us. Five-five, that’s all we’ve done. It is a total team effort from top to bottom.

The Panthers started Game 5 on home ice looking like a team seeking its first Stanley Cup title, but Skinner’s talent continued during Florida’s many intense, high-pressure turnovers, starting with Aaron Ekplat’s steal in Game 4.

A penalty against Brett Gulak at just 4:47 felt like it would provide the release the home crowd had been waiting for. Instead, midway through the power play, Brown stole the puck at the blue line and beat Bobrovsky with a patient backhander. For the second game in a row, Edmonton opened the scoring on a shorthanded putt.

“The difference tonight was special teams,” Oilers coach Chris Knoblauch said. “I think we were plus-3 tonight on special teams targets. That will definitely help our team.

After Brown’s tally, the Panthers registered just one more shot on goal in the remaining 14:30 of the period. And Nico Mikkola was whistled for interference at the horn, giving the Oilers a power play to start the second period.

Edmonton’s vaunted power play had yet to click into gear in the Finals — its lone power-play tally in Game 4 came at five-on-three — and for 1 minute 58 seconds, it looked like the trend would continue. But a point by Evan Bouchard (three assists) deflected off Zach Hyman in front of the net and past Bobrowski for the man advantage with two seconds left, putting the Oilers up 2-0.

McDavid made it 3-0 by throwing Bobrowski 3 minutes later, which sent the Panthers into the game — and the likelihood of another 2,500-mile flight to Alberta looming large.

Evan Rodrigues stole the puck along the boards, fed it to Tkachuk with a low head of steam in the zone, then Matthew Tkachuk’s quick-release finish on Skinner 1:53 later got Florida on the board.

But a hooking penalty on Kyle Okboso at 10:02 put Edmonton’s newfound hope on the power play back to work, and McDavid did what he does best on the rush, turning the Panthers inside when he drove to the net and dished to Corey Perry. Tap at 11:54.

Rodriguez responded with his fourth goal of the series 14 seconds later, but Florida could get no closer with 40 minutes to go despite a strong push late in the period.

That drive carried into the third, and the Panthers needed just 4:04 to draw within a goal. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, playing on this stage for the first time in the 14th year of his NHL career, got a feed off Tkachuk to fuel the hopeful crowd.

Brown said the Oilers are ready for the challenge.

“We’re comfortable with one-goal games,” he said. “… I think we showed composure. They scored, they beat us in the first five minutes there. We were quiet. … I think we’re showing our maturity. We show our character as the season goes on. Our hope and confidence is increasing.

The crowd’s confidence began to wear thin as the period went untied, and tensions rose when Dmitry Kulikov was penalized for tripping, sending the Oilers back on the power play with 7:32 remaining.

Florida killed that penalty, but was given two minutes to come back by having to do so. The Panthers pulled Bobrowski for extra offense with just over 2:30 left, and McDavid hit the empty net with 17.3 seconds left to do what he wanted: pull the series back to Alberta. The goal gave McDavid his 42nd point of the postseason — and his second straight four-point game.

“I want to play in the playoffs,” McDavid said. “I love playing with this team. It’s been a fun ride and we’re excited to go one more day. But that’s all we’ve got here: another day, another flight. We’re ready to go to Edmonton on Friday.

The odds are stacked against the Oilers as they return home for Game 6 and take their growing confidence with them. But the odds were stacked against Edmonton early in the season, with a slow start leading to a coaching change and a steady rise in the standings throughout the season to make the playoffs.

Brown has had his back against the wall throughout the series, and he believes the Oilers are in better shape. Their situation is still precarious, but they don’t care about that.

“I know, a lot of people counted us out. We’ve been counted out a lot in the playoffs, regular season, whatever,” Knoblauch said. “That doesn’t bother the group over there. They have a lot of hope — a lot of hope — and enjoy every extra day a lot because we were counted out a long time ago and we’re still playing hockey here in June. We’re going back to Edmonton for Game 6. There’s a lot to smile about.

Justin Timberlake was arrested and charged with DWI and released from police custody

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Justin Timberlake was arrested and charged with DWI and released from police custody



CNN
—

Justin Timberlake has been arrested on a drunken driving charge and released from police custody in New York, his lawyer said.

According to police, the singer was observed “operating his vehicle under the influence” at 12:37 a.m. Tuesday in New York’s Sag Harbor. Timberlake was driving a 2025 BMW when he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and maintain the lane of travel, according to a report from Sag Harbor Police.

An officer initiated a traffic stop, and Timberlake told police he “had a martini and I followed my friends home,” according to court records.

Timberlake’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his breath emitted a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage,” court records said.

Sag Harbor Police Department

Justin Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY after he was observed “operating his vehicle under the influence,” according to the Sag Harbor Police Department.

A Sac Harbor Village Police Department officer described him as “unable to concentrate,” adding, “He had slurred speech, he was unsteady and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”

Timberlake refused chemical testing three times, the first time saying, “No, I didn’t do chemical testing.”

The report contains details of his field sobriety tests. He was arrested and remanded overnight, police said. He was cited for running a stop sign and failing to keep in his lane, his attorney, Ed Burke, told CNN.

Timberlake was released without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 26, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office told CNN. The appearance is expected to be virtual.

Sag Harbor is a village located in the Hamptons on eastern Long Island. Timberlake left the American Hotel in the area shortly before his arrest, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Matt Agudo/INSTARimages

Justin Timberlake leaves the courthouse in The Hamptons with Ed Burke on Tuesday, June 18.

Timberlake is currently on tour with his latest album.All I could think of.” He is scheduled to perform at the United Center in Chicago next Friday.

Over the weekend, Timberlake paid tribute to his two sons and shared his plans for Father’s Day in a post. Instagram.

“My 2 best gifts. I get to know more about myself every day because you both chose me to be your dad. Through your peaks and valleys I will always be there for you… to lift you up, show you how high you can take this life, pick you up when you fall. And, of course, you’ll be inundated with insufferable dad-jokes along the way. I love you both so much. Thank you for giving me my greatest purpose,” Timberlake wrote. “And now…for today: Let’s all play a cool game and let daddy watch the final round of the US Open.”

Timberlake, 43, is married to producer and actress Jessica Biel. The couple married in 2012 and are parents to Silas, 9, and Phineas, 3.

This story has been updated.

McDonald’s completes trial run of AI-powered drive-throughs with IBM

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McDonald’s completes trial run of AI-powered drive-throughs with IBM

NEW YORK (AP) — Ever messed up your McDonald’s order at an AI-powered drive-thru? The experiment behind the fast-food chain’s current automated order taker will soon end.

McDonald’s confirmed on Monday that it has decided to end its global partnership with IBM, which has been testing this artificial intelligence technology in select McDonald’s drive-throughs since 2021.

That doesn’t mean you won’t encounter some sort of chatbot while picking up fries in your car back home. As the IBM partnership for McDonald’s’ current automated order taker testing comes to an end, the Chicago-based firm suggested it has ruled out any other potential AI drive-through projects — “pointing to an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions. More broadly.”

“Our work with IBM has given us confidence that a voice ordering solution for the drive-thru will be part of the future of our restaurants,” McDonald’s said in a prepared statement this week — “and will continue evaluations to make an informed decision about a future voice ordering solution by the end of this year.”

Many fast-food chains have begun exploring the implementation of AI in recent years, with many pointing to the potential to increase speed and reduce costs.

In the US, Wendy’s partnered with Google Cloud to build a FreshAI chatbot. White Castle has teamed up with SoundHound AI with a goal of bringing voice-powered AI technology to more than 100 restaurants by the end of 2024. And a few Panera, RB’s and Popeyes locations have brought OpenCity’s “Tori” voice assistant to their order lanes.

Beyond the US, Popeyes UK launched its first AI-powered drive-thru (dubbed “Al”) last month, after the company said a pilot project was 97% accurate.

The success of AI-powered drive-throughs has been mixed. McDonald’s automated order taker with IBM has received a number of complaints in recent years, for example — many took to social media to document the chatbot got their orders wrong.

One is 2023 TikTok, for example, a drive-thru assistant appears to display a place order after ordering McDonald’s chicken nuggets on a car’s tape, despite customers laughingly telling them to stop. Additional posts show a series of other mishaps — including the addition of strange extras like ice cream With ketchup and butteror taking orders from other nearby cars.

Anonymous sources familiar with the technology told CNBC The technology also has difficulty interpreting different accents and dialects, affecting order accuracy, among other challenges.

McDonald’s declined to comment on the accuracy of the automated order taker. In an initial statement, IBM said, “This technology has been proven to have the most comprehensive capabilities in the industry, being fast and accurate in some of the most demanding situations,” but did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on the specifications. Potential challenges.

New York-based technology company Armonk also said it is currently in “discussions and pilots” with several quick-service restaurant customers interested in automated order taking.

According to a trade publication Restaurant business And CNBC, which obtained a memo sent to franchisees last week, said automated ordering technology would be discontinued at McDonald’s locations “after July 26, 2024.”

While IBM and McDonald’s both ended their AI drive-thru partnership, the two will continue their relationship on other projects. McDonald’s said it still plans to use many of IBM’s products throughout its global organization.

In December, McDonald’s A multi-year partnership began With Google Cloud. In addition to moving restaurant calculations from servers to the cloud, the partnership is also set to deploy AI that builds “across a number of key business priorities” in restaurants around the world.

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