2019 MLB Draft Picks: Live Team-by-Team Day 1 Grades and Analysis

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    Julio Cortez/Associated Press

    The 2019 MLB draft is upon us as the next wave of high school and college talent gets ready to join the professional ranks.

    The three-day event kicks off Monday night with the first two rounds and 78 total selections.

    All 78 of those picks are laid out team-by-team in the following article, with pick analysis and draft grades provided for each selection.

    Note: Portions of the following prospect profiles originally appeared in earlier mock drafts.

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    Adley Rutschman

    Adley RutschmanChris Pietsch/Associated Press

    First Round (No. 1 Overall): Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State

    A switch-hitter with a 60-grade hit tool and 60-grade power, Rutschman is arguably the most polished batter in this year’s class. The fact that he is also a strong defensive catcher with a plus throwing arm makes him a rare talent and the consensus No. 1 guy. Standout collegiate catchers Buster Posey and Mike Zunino—selected in 2008 and 2012, respectively—made their MLB debuts the year after they were drafted. Rutschman will be on a similarly fast track.

    Grade: A+

    This was a no-brainer. The Orioles now have the centerpiece for their ongoing rebuilding efforts and a potential franchise cornerstone.

    Second Round (No. 42 Overall):

    XX

    Grade: 

    Balance Round B (No. 71 Overall):

    XX

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2 of 30

    Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 2 Overall): Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Colleyville Heritage HS (Texas)

    Shortstops with five-tool potential don’t come along very often, so it’s no surprise that Witt has been listed among the elite 2019 prospects for years. He has the size, strength and instincts to be a 20-20 hitter while also providing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop. An inconsistent summer on the showcase circuit raised some questions about his hit tool, but he provides enough value elsewhere that he could bat .250 in the majors and still be a star.

    Grade: A

    The Royals did an excellent job stocking up on college pitching to fill out a thin farm system last year. Now they get a high-ceiling prep standout with five-tool potential to add some balance. Great pick.

    Second Round (No. 44 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round B (No. 70 Overall):

    XX

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3 of 30

    Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

    First Round (No. 3 Overall):

    XX

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    Second Round (No. 45 Overall)

    XX

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    Rob Foldy/Miami Marlins/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 4 Overall): 

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 35 Overall):

    XX

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    Second Round (No. 46 Overall):

    XX

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    Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 5 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 47 Overall):

    XX

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    Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 6 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 48 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round B (No. 73 Overall):

    XX

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    Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 7 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 49 Overall):

    XX

    Grade: 

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    Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 8 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 41 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 50 Overall):

    XX

    Grade: 

9 of 30

    G Fiume/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 9 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    First Round (No. 21 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 60 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Rich Schultz/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 10 overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 51 Overall):

    XX

    Grade: 

11 of 30

    Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 11 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 52 Overall)

    XX

    Grade:

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    G Fiume/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 12 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 53 Overall):

    XX

    Grade: 

13 of 30

    Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 13 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 39 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 54 Overall):

    XX

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    Rich Schultz/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 14 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 15 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 55 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

16 of 30

    Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 16 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    First Round (No. 26 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    FA Comp Pick (No. 33 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    FA Comp Pick (No. 34 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 56 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round B (No. 74 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round B (No. 75 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    John McCoy/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 17 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

18 of 30

    Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 18 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 37 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 57 Overall):

    XX

    Grade: 

    Balance Round B (No. 72 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Dylan Buell/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 19 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 58 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 20 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 59 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round B (No. 76 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Chris O’Meara/Associated Press

    First Round (No. 22 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 36 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 40 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 61 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 23 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 62 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round B (No. 77 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 24 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 63 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 25 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    First Round (No. 31 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    FA Comp Pick (No. 78 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Dylan Buell/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 27 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 64 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Dylan Buell/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 28 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 65 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 29 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 66 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

28 of 30

    Rob Carr/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 30 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Balance Round A (No. 38 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 67 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

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    Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

    First Round (No. 32 Overall):

    XX

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    Second Round (No. 68 Overall):

    XX

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    Hunter Martin/Getty Images

    Second Round (No. 43 Overall):

    XX

    Grade:

    Second Round (No. 69 Overall):

    XX

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Report: Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard Files Lawsuit Against Nike over ‘Klaw’ Logo

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerTwitter LogoFeatured ColumnistJune 3, 2019
TORONTO, CANADA - JUNE 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors talks to the media during a press conference after Game Two of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on June 2, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard has filed suit against Nike regarding the use of his “Klaw” signature logo with the company, according to Portland Business Journal’s Matthew Kish

In the suit, Leonard says he helped design the logo and that Nike filed for a formal copyright without first receiving his consent.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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    Raptors Have Proven They Can Overcome Adversity

    via CBC

    Report: Kawhi ‘Purchased a Property’ in Toronto

    via Bleacher Report

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Theresa May’s passive-aggressive parting gift for Trump

LONDON — Donald Trump can do insults, but he could learn a thing or two from Theresa May about British passive aggression.

The outgoing prime minister will meet the U.S. president at Downing Street on the second day of his state visit Tuesday, and present him a gift laden with symbolism — and just a little snark: Winston Churchill’s own draft of the Atlantic Charter of 1941, a foundational text of the United Nations.

Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the U.N., pulling the U.S out of some of its key initiatives and structures. And the gift will inevitably be read as a parting shot from the prime minister about the importance of multilateralism and the rules-based global order; territory where the U.K. and U.S. are increasingly at opposite side of an ideological divide.

Queen Elizabeth herself also asserted the importance of the international institutions the U.S. helped found after the war. Addressing Trump at the state banquet in Buckingham Palace, she said: “After the shared sacrifices of the Second World War, Britain and the United States worked with other allies to build an assembly of international institutions, to ensure that the horrors of conflict would never be repeated.”

“While the world has changed, we are forever mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to safeguard a hard-won peace,” she added.

After the royal pageantry of day one, Tuesday could see political fireworks, with the president’s delegation engaging on policy matters with May’s government over a meeting in the Cabinet room and a lunch at No. 10 Downing Street’s State Dining Room. Trump and May are due to hold a joint press conference in the afternoon, before visiting the Churchill War Rooms museum beneath the streets of Westminster.

Day of protest

Protests are expected around the U.K., and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is due to speak at the London rally, a party official said.

Trump marked his arrival in the U.K. on Monday morning by lambasting the Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who on Sunday wrote in the Observer newspaper that Trump should not have been granted a state visit, and compared his methods to those of “the fascists of the 20th century.”

Trump branded Khan a “stone cold loser,” attacked his record on crime in London and mocked his physical stature.

The president was still talking about Khan while being greeted on the tarmac at London Stansted Airport, according to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who was there to meet him. “He mentioned to me some of his very strong views about the mayor of London. What he said to me was consistent with what was in his tweet,” Hunt told the BBC.

People protest over Donald Trump’s state visit to the U.K. outside Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019 in London | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Trump later received a ceremonial welcome at Buckingham Palace, had a private lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, visited Westminster Abbey and had tea with Prince Charles and Camilla, the duchess of Cornwall, at Clarence House. He attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening, also attended by May and other U.K. Cabinet ministers, including leadership contenders Hunt and Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

The closest the president came to a Brexit reference was in his remarks at the banquet. Referring to the 75th anniversary of the D-day landings, he said: “The courage of the United Kingdom’s sons and daughters ensured that your destiny would always remain in your own hands.”

Shortly after, the White House Tweeted: “President Trump supports Brexit being accomplished in a way that maintains global economic stability while securing voters’ wishes for U.K. independence.”

A clever gift 

While the first day of the tour delivered the kind of pomp and ceremony that Trump admires the U.K. for, Tuesday is set to be more of a minefield, with London at loggerheads with Washington over the Iran nuclear deal, climate change policy and the U.K. government’s openness to allowing Chinese telecoms giant Huawei access to its 5G network.

Downing Street in particular — which, with a lame duck prime minister, is viewing the trip in terms of “disaster management” — will be hoping Trump does not undermine May’s position any further at the joint press conference. He has already effectively endorsed one of the front-runners in the race to succeed her — former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson — and urged her government to bring his friend Nigel Farage, leader of the insurgent Brexit Party, into the Brexit negotiating team.

But May’s choice of gift — which has echoes of a 2017 speech to the Republican Party in Philadelphia, in which she urged Trump to take pride in multilateral organizations like the U.N. — is likely to raise eyebrows in the U.S. delegation.

Trump has spoken favorably of Nigel Farage as a potential Brexit negotiator | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Robin Niblett, director of the London-based Chatham House think tank, read it as “a clever gift, making the most of British history and soft power to make an important point to Britain’s most important ally at a critical time.”

“Clearly, the U.N. is an institution Trump disparages. But the Atlantic Charter underlined the leadership role the U.K. and U.S. played together in bringing about peace post-1945. It suggests the two countries could overcome their current differences in tactics … in order to achieve common goals this century,” he said.

Tom Tugendhat, Conservative chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, said the gift was a reminder that both Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who co-signed the Atlantic Charter, “knew we would need partners in the future.”

“It’s great to see history used to remind us of the depths of our alliance and our duties,” he said.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II views items in the royal collection at Buckingham Palace with U.S. President Donald Trump in London on June 3, 2019 | Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Melania Trump, meanwhile, will be presented with a “bespoke No. 10 tea set.”

Before their Downing Street bilateral, May and Trump will attend a reception for U.S. and U.K. businesses at St. James’ Palace, involving firms such as BAE Systems, Goldman Sachs, GSK and Lockheed Martin.

While May is expected to talk up prospects of a post-Brexit free-trade agreement, Trump’s visit has highlighted serious hurdles before this can be agreed.

U.S. Ambassador Woody Johnson insisted on Sunday that agriculture and health would be part of any such pact, a statement that appeared to be at odds with the U.K. position outlined by Hunt and Downing Street on Monday. The foreign secretary said he could not see National Health Service procurement ever being part of trade talks, while May’s spokesman insisted that the U.K. was not going to lower its environmental standards; a likely prerequisite for some U.S.-produced foods to enter the country.

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Nate Diaz Rips Conor McGregor, Says He’s ‘Not Interested’ in UFC Trilogy Fight

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 20:   (R-L) Conor McGregor of Ireland punches Nate Diaz in their welterweight bout during the UFC 202 event at T-Mobile Arena on August 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Nate Diaz doesn’t want anything to do with Conor McGregor or a trilogy matchup after the two MMA fighters split their first two fights.

“I’m not interested in it at all,” he told ESPN.com’s Ariel Helwani on Monday, per Greg Rosenstein of ESPN.com. “I’m interested in winners. He lost his last fight, and I won my last fight. You think I’m trying to fight someone who just got his ass beat all over the place? I’m a black belt in jiu-jitsu. That s–t wouldn’t happen to me.”

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Even some Trump allies want Kushner to ice his peace plan


Jared Kushner

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner has been working on a peace deal in the Middle East for two years. | Anna Moneymaker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

foreign policy

Fears range from the possibility that the peace proposal could trigger violence to worries that its offerings could forever kill efforts to craft a two-state solution.

Jared Kushner’s Middle East peace plan isn’t even out yet, but there are already intensifying calls to scrap the rollout — including from some Trump allies.

Prominent conservative and pro-Israel voices close to the White House are increasingly sharing their fears, which range from the possibility that the peace proposal could trigger violence to worries that its offerings could forever kill efforts to craft a two-state solution. And some are going on the record to urge the Trump administration to set aside the plan indefinitely, even though many have not laid eyes on the closely held proposal.

Story Continued Below

“Releasing the plan now would make the U.S. seem unserious,” James Carafano, a senior foreign affairs scholar with the conservative Heritage Foundation who usually sides with the administration, said in an email. “It’s better to wait, perhaps even until after the U.S. elections.”

Trump himself conceded Sunday that Kushner’s proposal, which few people have seen, might not be workable, agreeing with an unvarnished private assessment Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave in a meeting last week that was recorded and leaked to The Washington Post.

If those assessments weren’t enough to doom the proposal, the deep skepticism from Middle East specialists from across the political spectrum would rob Kushner of powerful surrogates who could help sell it both domestically and abroad.

Among the most prominent Middle East observers urging Kushner to kill the proposal is Rob Satloff, the executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank that generally advocates hawkish pro-Israel policies.

In op-eds, Satloff, who describes himself as a nonpartisan independent, has warned of a negative chain reaction that could follow the plan’s release. For instance, if Palestinians reject the plan, Israelis on the right could pressure their government to go ahead and annex parts of the West Bank. Such a move, he said, would further isolate Israel on the world stage and effectively weaken its ability to counter Iran.

“Issuing the Middle East peace plan in the current environment is a lose-lose-lose proposition,” Satloff wrote April 10 in Foreign Policy.

“For now, Rob is right — they definitely shouldn’t release it now,” said a Middle East analyst at a conservative think tank, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

“This plan is doomed,” added Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security, who worked on Israeli-Palestinian issues while serving in the Democratic Obama administration.

For their part, Kushner and other aides to Trump appear intent on going full speed ahead.

Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law, is expected to unveil an economic component of the peace proposal at a conference later this month in Bahrain. The Trump administration is hoping to bring investment to the Palestinian territories as part of a broader agreement between the two sides. A number of leading Arab countries, as well as Israel, plan to attend the conference, set for June 25-26. The Palestinians, however, are boycotting.

“We look forward to presenting our ambitious and exciting economic vision in Bahrain,” an administration official told POLITICO.

White House officials have said they will release the political aspects of the plan — covering major topics such as whether Palestinian refugees will be allowed to return to Gaza, the West Bank and perhaps other disputed territories — at an unspecified later date. Kushner has already indicated the proposal will not include the phrase “two-state solution,” suggesting the Palestinians will not be offered their own country.

Few details of the peace proposal have been released to anyone outside the White House, let alone the public. But the Trump administration’s actions thus far have convinced Palestinian leaders that the plan will not offer much of interest for them.

Already, the Trump administration has cut financial aid to the Palestinians, shut their offices in Washington and recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital — a rebuke to the Palestinians, who claim parts of Jerusalem as their future capital. Trump officials also have remained silent about longtime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hints that he may move to annex parts or all of the West Bank.

These moves have also raised unease among America’s Arab allies, who, despite their desire to maintain good ties to the Trump team, fear alienating their own populations if they turn their back on the majority Muslim Palestinians.

“A diplomatic initiative this ham-handed, in a context where the U.S. administration has gone out of its way to alienate and pressure one side while aligning its own political fortunes with the other, and in which regional governments whose support for peace is crucial are asking real questions about American credibility — well, that’s destined for failure,” said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a Middle East analyst with the Brookings Institution.

Should Kushner reveal even the economic piece of the plan later this month, it could affect the electoral prospects of Netanyahu, a close Trump ally who has cheered many of his seemingly anti-Palestinian moves.

Kushner had originally held off on unveiling the plan until after Israel’s April 9 elections, counting on Netanyahu’s party to win the election. Netanyahu emerged victorious, but he was unable to form a governing coalition in the required time frame, spurring the need for a new election.

The Trump administration has already had to repeatedly delay the proposal’s release, a fact Pompeo acknowledged in his private remarks last week, saying the process “has taken us longer … than I had originally thought it might — to put it lightly.”

And putting off the release until after the new Israeli election comes with the risk could run into the U.S. election calendar as the 2020 race for the White House heats up. As a result, officials may wager they have little to lose by at least offering up the economic portion of the proposal.

Some Middle East specialists say Kushner should release the plan by the fall. At the very least, it could serve as an “aspirational” document that future negotiators could plumb for ideas.

“The administration issuing their plan … should have value as setting down a guidepost for when the environment for a deal is more suitable,” said Michael Makovsky, the president of the right-leaning Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

Some added that by dragging it out too long, the administration is risking embarrassment.

“It’s hard for me to imagine this administration, with all of the anticipation leading up to this, not releasing the plan,” said Jonathan Schanzer, a senior vice president for research at the hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “It’s too hard for them to walk back.”

But others say no plan is better than one destined for defeat.

Aaron David Miller, who has worked on Israeli-Palestinian issues for both Republican and Democratic presidents, noted that President Bill Clinton told him that trying and failing was better not trying at all in the run up the 2000 Camp David summit. But those talks ended without an agreement, and the Israeli-Palestinian relationship still hasn’t fully recovered, Miller said.

“Failure, particularly repeated failure, costs and can make matters much worse,” he said. “Kushner should take a deep breath, lie down and wait quietly until the rush to put the ultimate deal on table passes. Go back to drawing board and make sure what you’re proposing is equitable, durable and in the end advances, not crushes, U.S. credibility.”

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Conservatives push to reinstate Steve King on committees despite racist remarks


Steve King

Rep. Steve King was booted from his committee assignments after making racist comments earlier this year. | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

A small group of House Republicans is leading a long-shot bid to get embattled Rep. Steve King back on his committee assignments after the Iowa Republican was booted for making racists remarks earlier this year.

The cadre of hard-line conservatives, spearheaded by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), among others, has been trying to round up signatures for a draft petition that would force the GOP to consider reinstating King. The effort, however, has failed to garner enough support in the caucus. The letter needed the backing of 25 lawmakers to raise the issue with the Republican Steering Committee and 50 members to force a closed-ballot vote in the wider GOP conference.

Story Continued Below

Republican leaders have made clear that they have no plans to reverse course after stripping King of his committee assignments for defending white supremacy and white nationalism in an interview with The New York Times in January. The House also overwhelmingly voted to condemn King, who maintains that his comments were misinterpreted.

“Steve King’s rhetoric has been a thorn in everyone’s side for years and I don’t think anyone is eager to return to the incessant headaches that lending him credibility brings,” said a GOP aide. “While there may be a very small faction of his friends that want to help him out, the vast majority of Republicans know that his offensive views haven’t changed, and that those views have no place in our party.”

While King has been ostracized in the House, the lawmaker was recently invited to attend an Iowa GOP fundraising event later this month, where President Donald Trump will be in attendance, according to the Des Moines Register.

The push to rally around King comes as Republicans have been furious over how Democratic leadership handled the firestorm surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who made comments widely seen as anti-Semitic. The House ended up voting twice to condemn anti-Semitism and all forms of hate speech, but did not call out Omar by name and allowed the freshman lawmaker to keep her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

King, however, has a long history of making inflammatory and controversial remarks — and has shown no sign that he is toning down his rhetoric. Just last week, the lawmaker told a constituent at a town hall that all cultures do not contribute equally to society.

“If we presume that every culture is equal and has an equal amount to contribute to our civilization, then we’re devaluing the contributions of the people that laid the foundation for America and that’s our founding fathers,” King said, according to the Des Moines Register. “It is not about race, it’s never been about race. It is about culture.”

King also told constituents that he is making progress toward getting his committee seats back. King and his office did not return multiple requests for comment asking whether he has been in touch with his colleagues about their effort to help him win back his committee seats.

King has been openly campaigning for a comeback. In February, he tweeted out a letter from 200 “pro-family leaders” calling on GOP leadership to reinstate King on all of his committees.

“I’ve been Mr. Nice Guy about this all along and let the cooler heads take over and now … pretty soon I’m going to start pushing,” King said last week.

King, who has already drawn multiple GOP primary challengers, has become somewhat of an outcast on Capitol Hill since being stripped of his committee assignments.

His controversial comments — and ejection from committees — could be a serious issue for him during his reelection campaign. King once held a House Judiciary subcommittee gavel and also served on the House Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over a range of issues important to his rural Iowa district.

King, however, has previously downplayed getting kicked off the two panels, telling his constituents that being on a committee means less now that the GOP is in the minority. He also predicted that Republicans would miss his presence on the Judiciary Committee, which has become the main battleground for the ongoing oversight war between Trump and congressional Democrats.

But King has struggled to raise funds since the controversy unfolded earlier this year. The Iowa Republican raised just $61,666 in the first quarter of 2019 — an ominous sign for the nine-term incumbent as he seeks to hang on to his seat.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Advocates for Shorter Preseason Schedule

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during the NFL football owners meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, in Key Biscayne, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes it’s not “necessary” for each team to have four preseason games, according to John Wawrow of the Associated Press.

He apparently spoke to coaches who said they are able to develop players and evaluate the roster in less time before the start of the season. Another issue is the lack of high-quality play he wants associated with the NFL.

“I’m not sure preseason games meet that level right now,” Goodell said Monday.

The commissioner has been supportive of reducing the preseason for several years, commenting on the issue in 2017.

“When I go around to fans, that’s maybe the No. 1 thing I hear,” he said, per Bob Glauber of Newsday. “The NFL should do things to the highest possible standards. Preseason games are not that.”

Almost every coach has agreed we could get done what we need to in three games,” he added.

Teams currently all play at least four preseason games, while the two teams involved in the Hall of Fame Game compete in five. The Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons are the unlucky teams getting the extra game this year.

While organizations use these exhibitions to get their players up to game speed ahead of the regular season, many top players are rested to avoid injury. Considering Tyler Bray was the leading passer and Chris Warren was the leading rusher in last year’s preseason, it’s clearly a much different product than what we come to expect during the year.

On the other hand, these games still generate revenue for teams, especially with ticket sales packaged along with the regular-season seats. Owners might not want to give up this money without potentially replacing it with a game that counts.

The NFL and the Players’ Association will have to weigh these options when the CBA expires after the 2020 season.

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Knicks Rumors: RJ Barrett to Visit NY for Workout, Meetings Amid NBA Draft Buzz

Duke forward RJ Barrett (5) reacts after scoring against Michigan State during the second half of an NCAA men's East Regional final college basketball game in Washington, Sunday, March 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The New York Knicks are expected to get a full look at potential No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett next week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Duke forward RJ Barrett – the presumptive No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft – will make a visit to the New York Knicks early next week for meetings, medical evaluation and light court work, league sources tell ESPN. The Knicks are selecting third in this month’s draft.

In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman predicted the Knicks will take the Duke wing with the third pick after Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are off the board.

Barrett seems excited about the possibility of playing in New York based on his comments at his pro day last week:

SNY @SNYtv

R.J. Barrett on what parts of New York he loves and the relationship he has with a few current Knicks: https://t.co/3FJn0ZJPVT

“It would be a lot of fun, playing in the Garden, the bright lights,” Barrett added, per Ian Begley of SNY. “They have so much history down there. It would be amazing.”

He reportedly turned down a chance to work out with the Memphis Grizzlies, who own the No. 2 pick, per Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN.

The upcoming workout will be Barrett’s chance to show the Knicks why he deserves to be their selection.

After averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game during his freshman season, Barrett could become the Knicks’ No. 1 option on offense as they try to work their way back toward playoff contention.

However, the Knicks don’t appear certain that Barrett will be their guy.

Begley reported that Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver will also work out for New York this week while noting that some members of the front office are “high” on him.

Per Givony and Schmitz, the Knicks could also trade back in the lottery for more assets.

New York’s range of options will keep the drama high heading into the June 20 draft.

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Sri Lanka Muslim ministers quit to protest ‘threat to community’

Colombo, Sri Lanka – All of Sri Lanka’s Muslim ministers and their deputies have resigned from their portfolios after accusing the government of failing to guarantee the security of the nation’s minority Muslim community amid fears of attacks following the Easter suicide bombings.

The decision comes after hardline Buddhist monks, including firebrand monk Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, set a deadline to the government to fire Muslim provincial governors and a minister.

Gnanasara, who has long been accused of instigating hate crimes against Muslims, was released from jail on a presidential pardon last month.

If our ministerial portfolios is in the way, we are willing to give it up for the safety of our community

Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress

The resignations of nine ministers and two provincial governors come after thousands of people led by Buddhist monks began demonstrating this morning in the country’s central city of Kandy, 115km east of the capital Colombo.

Three weeks ago, mobs swept through Sri Lanka’s North Western Province, destroying hundreds of Muslims’ properties and killing one in apparent reprisal for the April suicide bombings in the island nation – a popular tourist destination.

A direct challenge to the state, and its monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, by a pardoned criminal who has threatened and condoned violence numerous times. How will @RW_UNP @MangalaLK @SagalaRatnayaka @HarshadeSilvaMP and the rest of the UNP government respond?

— Alan Keenan (@akeenan23) June 2, 2019

Police have been accused of failing to intervene in the attacks in Kottaramulla and Minuwangoda in spite of a government curfew.

More than 250 people were killed in the coordinated attacks on churches and hotels blamed on a local Muslim group, National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).

At a press conference on Monday, Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka’s primary Muslim political party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said: “All Muslim cabinet, non-cabinet and deputy ministers – all those representing Muslims – will resign [from their portfolios].

“If our ministerial portfolios is in the way, we are willing to give it up for the safety of our community.”

He added that the Muslim community was paying a heavy price due to the crimes of a few individuals even after complying with security forces and the government on various rules and regulations such as the closure of madrasas.

He said that the Muslim politicians would continue in their positions as Members of Parliament. The former ministers will sit at the back of parliament and will cease to hold any ministerial positions.

“We will continue to support this government but will give them a grace period of one month to complete their investigations,” he said. “Until such time we dont feel that its suitable to remain in this government.”

Tension in Kandy

Meanwhile in Kandy, protesters gathered in support of hardline Buddhist monk Athuraliye Rathana Thero, who began a “fast-unto-death” on Saturday, demanding the sacking of two Muslim governors and a Muslim cabinet minister in the Buddhist-majority island nation of 21 million people, nearly 10 percent of whom are Muslims.

Thero has said the two governors are linked to the Easter bombings.

The monk ended his three-day fast earlier on Monday after Western Province Governor Azath Salley and Eastern Province Governor MLAM Hizbullah submitted their resignations to President Maithripala Sirisena, whose office said they have been accepted.

He was subsequently whisked away in an ambulance to the Kandy National Hospital for treatment.

Tension prevailed in Kandy as the crowd rallied outside the famous Temple of the Tooth Relic, where Buddhists believe a tooth of the Buddha is enshrined. Shops were forced to close and public transport came to a halt in the city that witnessed anti-Muslim riots last year.

Gnanasara, head of the hardline Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) or “Buddhist Power Force”, gave a speech at the protest saying, “for the sake of the children of this country, we will defeat these extremists even if it means dying”.

The head of the Catholic Church in Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, also travelled to Kandy on Monday to express solidarity with Thero.

“We support the monk’s campaign because so far justice has not been served,” Ranjith told AFP in Kandy.

‘Create fear psychosis’

Mangala Samaraweera, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Finance, tweeted that the cardinal was “fanning the flames of hatred” by participating in the protest.

In his resignation letter addressed to Sirisena, Hizbullah said there had been a “calculated attempt to discredit the Muslim community and create fear psychosis” over the Easter bombings.

“As part of an attempt to target my community, racist forces have called for my resignation without any reason,” he wrote.

The Muslim politician said as he was “convinced that the Muslim community’s safety cannot be guaranteed” he had decided to resign “only in the interest of my community”.

Sri Lanka imposed a state of emergency in the wake of the Easter attacks, empowering security forces to arrest and detain suspects. Nearly 100 people linked to the local NTJ group have been arrested since then, according to the government.

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Jai Paul Returns After Six Years With Two Wild New Songs

London’s glorious R&B experimentalist Jai Paul went on a self-imposed hiatus in 2013 following the leak of six years worth of music. Now, he’s ready for a return, and it starts with turning over the past — the right way. He’s launched a new website and shared two new singles, “Do You Love Her Now” and “He.” These are his first official releases since 2012 and they bring the world back to his land of stormy funk and icy grooves.

Paul shared two songs on June 1 after posting an extremely complex return to Twitter after vacating the social media space six years ago.

He then went on to share the link to his new website with the new music. “I’ve been working on some music and a website recently so I’d like to share that with you,” he wrote. “I hope u like it, cheers, Jai.”

If you want to get into some bubbly funk, “Do You Love Her Now” is what to sink your teeth into. It starts slow before unfolding itself as a ball of electricity and molten lava spread over a field of flowers. Tight rumbling and bumbling guitars are gripped with vines by snare drums that snap like turtles. Paul’s falsetto drizzles like chocolate syrup over Maraschino cherries on ice cream, for a sweet treat with an explosive center.

“He” is more tightly woven than its groovy tether: shiny and nostalgic, a modern-day replica of a Woodstock relic. It’s deeper and more open and it shakes and hisses with the soft and sharp voice of Paul filling its cracks. It’s nearly six minutes long and it works thanks to its immersive nature.

Paul’s website also contains the songs from the leak in Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones). It’s available to download and you can pay what you want for it. In an accompanying letter with the download, Paul elaborated on the journey to the new music and reflected on the leak. He also revealed that 10 percent of profits on merch will go to mental illness organization SANE.

Listen to the funky worlds of “Do You Love Her Now” and “He” up above.

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