Nike Unveils Futuristic Self-Lacing Sneakers

(AP) – Nike is going “Back to the Future” with its new self-lacing sneakers. Owners of Nike’s new Huaraches shoes can untie their laces by voice command. Users can activate the wearable technology through the Apple Watch, iPhone or Nike’s app.

The latest version of its FitAdapt trainer shoe will be available next month for an undisclosed price.

Nike launched its original sneakers with power laces in January for around 300 dollars a pair.

Analysis: Coco vs. Osaka At US Open Could Be Rivalry’s Start

(NEW YORK (AP) –  It’s rather rare that a third-round Grand Slam match involving a player ranked merely 140th and playing in her second major tournament would generate a ton of buzz.

When that player is Coco Gauff, though, the calculus changes. And when her opponent is the U.S. Open’s defending champion and No. 1 seed, Naomi Osaka, well, the hype and hyperbole are bound to be limitless.

In this case, it might just be justified.

”I definitely think it’s the future of women’s tennis,” 23-time major champion Serena Williams said Friday after winning her third-round match. ”And I’m really excited to just be a `fan girl’ and kind of watch.”

These are two of the most dynamic young players on tour at the moment and Saturday night’s showdown at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the round of 32 might just be the start of a rivalry between the 15-year-old Gauff and Osaka, who is the grizzled veteran in this one at 21.

”They both have something to prove in this match,” said Chris Evert, who won six of her 18 Slam trophies in New York and is calling matches for ESPN. ”Coco will really get an accurate reading on where she is, compared to the other women. And Naomi has something to prove, too. She has to prove that she’s really No. 1 in the world and that, even though she’s had a mediocre year (lately), she can still find that `A game’ when she needs to.”

The two players have known each other for a while now, even practicing together at the Miami Open when Gauff was 13. Their fathers are friends.

Osaka, who’s been wearing a black sleeve on her problematic left knee, looks out for Gauff in the locker room.

Gauff looks up to Osaka.

”She’s a big inspiration for everyone,” said Gauff, who teamed with 17-year-old Caty McNally to win a first-round doubles match Friday. ”She’s 21. She has two Slams. She’s still (striving) for more.”

Both are, of course.

Osaka followed up her major championship breakthrough in New York a year ago – who could forget that chaotic final against Williams? – by adding a second trophy at the Australian Open in January, then becoming the first player representing Japan to ascend to No. 1 in the rankings.

What got lost amid the controversy in 2018 was how supremely well Osaka played, essentially producing a better version – for that evening, at least – of Williams’ power-based game, filled with dangerous serves, booming groundstrokes and confident court coverage.

Gauff can wallop a ball, too, which became apparent during her fascinating trip to Wimbledon in July.

She arrived there ranked 313th, recipient of a wild card from the All England Club into qualifying. Gauff, who is based in Florida, was a known quantity in the tennis world, having been a junior runner-up at the U.S. Open two years ago and a junior champion at the French Open last year, but not the world at large, which quickly learned all about her.

First came a victory over Williams’ older sister, five-time Wimbledon champ Venus. Then came two more wins against older, more experienced players, before it took the eventual champion, Simona Halep, to put an end to the riveting run in the fourth round.

Gauff is now ranked 140th, which would have been too low to get her into the field at Flushing Meadows, but the U.S. Tennis Association opted to ignore the WTA’s age eligibility rule limiting how many wild cards someone her age can be offered and gave her one, anyway.

”Coco’s … obviously the underdog at this point, but I’m excited to watch it,” said Kathy Rinaldi, the USTA’s head of women’s tennis and Fed Cup captain. ”It’s two very talented, young players. It’s going to be fun.”

Gauff sure looks as if she belongs, having gutted out a pair of three-setters so far.

Osaka has the edge in experience and accomplishments, but hasn’t played at her highest level this week.

”Coco is playing like a top-20 player now. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she did win the match, from just the way she’s been playing and what I’ve seen. On the other hand, this is just the type of match Naomi Osaka will get psyched up for and maybe we’ll see her best tennis – because we really haven’t seen it here,” Evert said.

”Even though they might downplay it, believe me, it’s a pressure match for both of them,” she said. ”You know there’s going to be that electricity, because everyone’s seeing the future for maybe the first time.”

Coroner’s Report: Skaggs Died From Overdose

(Tarrant County, TX) – A medical examiner in Texas has ruled that Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died from an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a report released Friday that Skaggs had the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system along with alcohol.

The 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in the Dallas area July 1 before the start of what was supposed to be a four-game series against the Texas Rangers.

His family has suggested a team employee was being investigated by police in the 27-year-old pitcher’s death.

Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler says the report was like ”a shot to our core” that ”brings back a lot of pain for that tragic day.’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Provides Update on Hurricane Dorian

(Palm Beach County, FL-AP) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is recommending that residents prepare for the worst ahead of Hurricane Dorian.

Speaking today in Palm Beach County, DeSantis recommended that residents have at least seven days’ worth of food, medicine and water in the event of a power outage. DeSantis says the latest forecast shows that Dorian is a much slower-moving storm than originally expected and the potential for flooding is high.

DeSantis says the state is making sure assisted living and nursing facilities have complied with rules about preparing for the storm.

Accused 9/11 MasterMind To Stand Trial In 2021

(Guantanamo Bay-AP) – The accused mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. will go on trial in 2021. A military judge has ordered Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to stand trial at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he’s being detained with other suspected Al Qaeda terrorists.According to the New York Times, jury selection for the military court will begin on January 11th, 2021.

Mohammed and four others charged in the attacks that killed nearly three-thousand people in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania on September 11th, 2001 all face the possible death penalty.

Woman Sues After Being Forced To Deliver Baby Alone In Jail

(Denver, CO) – Diana Sanchez was in the Denver County Women’s Correctional Facility when she went into Labor.  She alerted officials around 5 in the morning to no avail and again about an hour and a half later.

At one point she’s given a pad to lay on what is supposed to be a bed, but still no help. Around 10:44am, Sanchez is seen on surveillance video writhing in pain partially clothed preparing to deliver her baby.  She’s clearly in pain and still no help for her or the baby.  She’s left to her own devices in a dirty jail cell with nothing.

What happens next is even more disturbing. Check out the video!

Virginia Town Struggles To Come To Grips With Triple Slaying

(CHATHAM, Va. (AP) A close-knit community in southern Virginia is struggling to come to grips with the slayings of three family members and the arrest of a teenage relative as new details emerged Thursday about the killings.

Matthew Bernard, 18, of Keeling, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his sister, Emily Bernard Bivens; his nephew, Cullen Bivens; and his mother, Joan Bernard.

Emily Bivens was married to Blake Bivens, a 24-year-old pitcher for Alabama’s Montgomery Biscuits, a Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Cullen Bivens was the couple’s 14-month-old son.

”You don’t wish this on any community, any family,” Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said.

”We’re a small community. It affects us all,” he said.

A ”celebration of life” service for the slain family members is planned for Saturday.

In Montgomery, the Biscuits painted ”BIV” on the ground behind home plate before a game against Pensacola while players and coaches grappled with the situation. Before that game, they were to hold a moment of silence, with another planned before the Rays’ home game Friday against the Cleveland Indians.

”Nobody’s thinking about baseball,” said Biscuits Manager Morgan Ensberg, who traveled back to Virginia with Bivens from a road trip Tuesday.

”It was awful,” Ensberg said of the plane ride. ”Blake is an incredibly strong man. He’s an incredibly strong man, and he went through just a rotation of tearing up, and then he would shake and then he would just stare.

”I didn’t let him out of my sight.”

Montgomery pitching coach R.C. Lichtenstein remembers pregame moments when Bivens would walk over to see his wife and hold Cullen.

Biscuits pitcher Ryan Thompson said Bivens’ family was on his mind ”all the time.”

”His family was everything to him,” said an emotional Thompson, who described Bivens as a close friend with a ”hilarious” sense of humor.

”He never lets the game get in the way of who he is as a human being. He’s such a great guy, and something like this couldn’t happen to a better human being,” Thompson said.

New details about the slayings were released Thursday in a criminal complaint filed against Matthew Bernard.

According to the complaint, Bernard’s rampage began Tuesday morning at a neighbor’s house when he came to her home, punched her in the arm and then ran away.

The neighbor then heard multiple gunshots at the house next door, police said. The neighbor drove to the house and found a woman’s body in the driveway. Inside, she found the bodies of another woman and a small child.

Officers found two victims with visible gunshot wounds to the head and rifle shell casings near all three bodies.

A .30-30 rifle was found in a wooded area behind the house and a sledgehammer with blood was found in the garage, the court documents said.

The criminal complaint did not offer any motive for the killings, and authorities have declined to comment.

After the bodies were discovered, an intense manhunt brought as many as 100 officers to Keeling, a tiny community near the North Carolina border.

Bernard emerged naked from the woods about four hours later, running past TV cameras to a church parking lot, where he was recorded trying to choke a church caretaker.

An officer unleashed pepper spray and struck Bernard with a baton before he was captured, officials said.

Bernard banged his head against the cage in a police vehicle after being taken into custody and was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. He was released and was in jail Thursday, where he was being held without bail and kept on suicide watch, police said.

A vigil was held at The River Church in Danville, Virginia, Wednesday night. Senior pastor Jackie Poe led those in attendance in prayer for the Bivens and Bernard families.

Avery Stevens, pastor of Keeling Baptist Church, said he was in his office where he also works as an insurance agent when he saw the television coverage of Bernard’s capture near his church.

”This is a small, rural community, pretty quiet most of the time like most small, rural communities. But the fact of the matter is, it can happen anywhere, and right there at the doorstep,” he said.

”Pray for the family,” he said. ”Praying for the community. Praying for healing.”

13-Year-Old Gets 78 Stitches After Slashing In Brooklyn

(Brooklyn, NY-AP) — A 13-year-old boy is recovering after being slashed in the face by an 11-year-old boy in Brooklyn Wednesday morning.

Cops say the victim was apparently slashed following a dispute on MacDonough Street near Marcy Avenue around seven a.m.

The boy ran into a nearby school for help, before receiving 78 stitches at the hospital. Police say they took the 11-year-old into custody, however charges have not yet been filed.

Taylor Swift Highest Paid Woman In Music

(New York, NY-AP) – Taylor Swift is the highest paid woman in music. The Me! singer takes the top spot on Forbes list, after earning 185-million-dollars before taxes last year.

Beyonce is in second place, earning 81-million-dollars, while Rihanna comes in third with 62-million-dollars. The 29-year-old Swift earned most of her money from her Reputation stadium tour, which grossed 266-million-dollars, a U.S.-record.

She also has a nine-figure deal with Republic Records.

Gillibrand Drops Out Of Democratic Race

(Washington, DC-AP) — Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is ending her presidential campaign. Gillibrand failed to gain traction in the crowded field of Democratic candidates, falling short of the criteria to qualify for the third Democratic presidential debate.

The New York Democrat said in a video that this wasn’t the result she hoped for, adding that it’s important to “know when it’s not your time.”

She said she believes that she can now best serve by helping to unite people against President Trump in 2020

On Twitter, the President joked that he’s glad Democrats never found out that she was the one he was really afraid of.