Paul George Joins USA Basketball for Training Camp

Klay Thompson 17 Pts Highlights | USA vs China | July 24, 2016 | 2016 USA Basketball Showcase

Last Updated: Thursday, July 21 at 4:30 PM

Pacers All-Star forward Paul George officially joined USA Basketball in Las Vegas on Monday to begin preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. George was one of 12 players named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men"s Basketball team last month.

Team USA will spend the week in Vegas, practicing for four days (with help from the 2016 USA Men"s Select Team, which features Pacers big man Myles Turner) before their first exhibition on Friday night against Argentina. The team will then spend the next week and a half touring the country, with training stops and exhibitions in Los Angeles, Oakland, Chicago, and Houston, before heading to Rio. Olympic competition runs from Aug. 6-21.

PHOTO GALLERY: 2016 USA Basketball Men"s National Team Training Camp

All week long, we"ll be keeping tabs on PG and Myles at USA Basketball Training Camp in Vegas. Here are some of the early highlights:

PG, Coach K Talk Exhibition Schedule

In this video compiled using footage provided by USA Basketball, Paul George and USA Men"s National Team head coach Mike Krzyzewski discuss the importance of the U.S."s five-game exhibition schedule before heading to Rio:

Turner Turning Heads

Myles Turner is just 20 years old, but according to reports from observers at USA Basketball training camp, the Pacers" rising star has more than held his own this week in scrimmages against the Men"s National Team. Several national pundits praised Turner"s performance on social media during Wednesday"s practice:

Turner himself seems to be very grateful for the opportunity to compete with the best of the best:

He"s made it very clear that he would like to be on the Men"s National Team one day (for what it"s worth, George was on the Select Team in 2012 and four years later is bound for Rio), and he appears well on his way to making that dream a reality.

PG Perfecting His Shooting StrokeDay 2 Highlights

George looked good once again in practice, as evidenced by this highlight of him scoring over Miami Heat forward and U.S. Men"s Select Team member Justise Winslow:

But PG"s Pacers teammate Myles Turner got the best of him on one occasion, swatting away his mentor"s shot attempt:

After practice, George caught up with NBA-TV"s Jared Greenberg:

Why PG Came Back

As expected, a major storyline at the first day of training was George"s return to USA Basketball. Monday marked his first official practice with the team since breaking his leg in the 2014 USA Basketball Showcase just before the FIBA World Cup. Though the injury kept George sidelined for all but six games in the 2014-15 season, he returned to All-Star form last year.

All the while, George insisted that he would return to USA Basketball despite his injury two years ago. He kept that promise and is now hoping to help win a gold medal for the Stars and Stripes in Rio.

"All the bad that happened to myself on that night, I owed it to myself to come back out here and compete for my country," George told SB Nation.

George later said that coming back from his injury wasn"t even the primary reason he decided to play in the Olympics.

"I wanted to win a gold medal more than I wanted to come back and play because of the injury," George said.

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird, who cherished his opportunities to represent the United States in international competition during his playing days, has publicly supported George"s desire to return to USA Basketball since his injury. Bird reiterated that stance in a recent Q-and-A with ESPN.com.

"If you love your country and you get to represent them and you can win, it"s one of the greatest feelings, and I wanted Paul to have the same feeling," Bird said. "And I know he cares, he wants to play and he wants to win, and I think it"s awesome."

Day 1 Practice Highlights

PG fights through the contact:

Practicing alley oops with DeAndre Jordan:

Figuring Out His Role

As always, the U.S. men"s basketball team boasts incredible depth. This year, that"s especially true at the wing position. In addition to George, the roster also features former NBA MVP Kevin Durant, former scoring champ Carmelo Anthony, and All-Stars Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.

As such, George will likely have to take on a different role than the one he has with the Pacers. Given his defensive abilities, George figures to play a prominent role in head coach Mike Krzyzewski"s rotation, but he might not be asked to take a ton of shots with world-class scorers like Durant and Anthony also on the wing.

George, however, is ready to embrace whatever role he"s given.

"I understand what Coach K wants from me but I also know what I need to add," George said in quotes supplied by USA Basketball. "We have so many guys that can do so many things. I pride myself as one of those guys. I feel like I am just adding on to the environment and DNA of this team. Coach made it very clear of what he expects from me and I just need to be myself."

Picture Day

See More Photos of PG with USA Basketball

Source: http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/paul-george-joins-usa-basketball-training-camp/

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Kristen Bell Shares Wedding Photos With Dax Shepard

Kristen Bell"s Epic Trip to Africa
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Source: http://time.com/4422116/kristen-bell-dax-shepard-wedding-photos/

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What are the rules for asylum seekers in Germany?

Wave of Horror: 4 attacks hit Germany in one week

While none of the attacks are related, at least two appear to have been carried out by asylum seekers.

Sunday"s bombing, which killed only the attacker but injured 15 others, was carried out by a 27-year-old Syrian national in the southern city of Ansbach. The attacker"s application for asylum had been rejected but he was able to stay in the country anyway.

Just hours before, another 21-year-old Syrian asylum seeker killed a woman in a machete attack in Reutlingen.The country was already reeling from a shooting spree in Munich on Friday by an 18-year-old German-Iranian that left nine people dead. That attacker was not an asylum seeker -- he was born and raised in Munich.And last Monday, a 17-year-old carried out an ax attack on board a train outside of Wurzburg. He was originally reported to be an Afghan refugee, but his nationality and refugee status have since come into question.

As Germany grapples with an extraordinary week of violence, critics have raised concerns over the system for admitting and settling asylum seekers and migrants from war-ravaged countries.

Here are some questions answered about how the system works:

Who can stay?

Sunday"s suicide bomber entered Germany two years ago and his application for asylum had been rejected, according to authorities.

But he was able to remain in the country, as rejected applicants cannot legally be deported to a place where they face serious harm -- Syria"s war zone is clearly one of them.

This leaves the bomber, and many more asylum seekers like him, in a state of limbo, unable to gain residential status or return to their homeland.

"While they wait for an appeal to go through or a change in their circumstances, they"re also not permitted to work or receive benefits," explained CNN"s Tim Lister, who estimated that tens of thousands of migrants in Germany were in this position.

How does it work?

On entering Germany, refugees are placed in a reception center, where a long procedure for asylum gets underway.

While applications are being considered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), asylum seekers are given temporary rights to stay while their case is heard.

"If neither asylum nor refugee protection is granted, the BAMF examines whether there are grounds for a deportation ban -- this can be an extensive review," said Lister.

Meanwhile, those granted asylum status receive a temporary residence permit and are given the same status as Germans within the social insurance system -- meaning they are entitled to social welfare, child benefits, integration allowances and language courses.

Why Bavaria?

Many of these attacks, including the Munich shootings, happened in or near the southeastern German state of Bavaria, which is the first point of contact in the country for many Middle Eastern migrants arriving through Greece and then the Balkans.

"The Munich residents were really the ones in Bavaria who came out with big placards saying "welcome refugees" -- there was a huge movement to accept refugees at the time," explained CNN"s Berlin-based correspondent Atika Shubert.

"I think that probably now a lot of people might be starting to think: "Well, we welcomed a lot of refugees, but is this now coming back to harm us?""

Since the initial influx of refugees, there has been a concerted effort by the German government to spread them beyond Bavaria to hostels and camps across the country.

What does the public think?

During a memorial for the victims of the Munich shooting over the weekend, Shubert found a number of people questioning whether the recent string of attacks was due to an increase in refugee numbers.

"Even though these attacks are unrelated -- and one was carried out by a German-born national -- the public in part see it as a wider threat brought about by the influx of refugees," said Shubert.

"On a normal day, this is not how people feel," she continued. "But because you"ve got some of these attacks perpetrated by refugees, it"s playing into their worst fears."

Against this backdrop, the far-right political group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West -- known as Pegida -- will also be capitalizing on any resentment of foreigners.

What does this mean for Merkel?

Chancellor Angela Merkel"s plan to set aside 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to house and care for 800,000 new refugee applicants last year is coming under greater scrutiny from the public.

"When the refugee crisis initially started, people were already skeptical that the government had the ability to actually handle the sheer numbers that were arriving," said Shubert.

"So when you see these violent attacks, it compounds this feeling that Merkel may have had good intentions by opening the door, but that there was no plan to adequately deal with the influx."

CNN"s Tim Lister and Atika Shubert contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/europe/germany-attacks-asylum-seekers-refugees/

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Michael Jordan makes rare statement in response to police brutality

Michael Jordan Top 50 All Time Plays

Democrats kick off their national convention in Philadelphia on Monday, aiming to project the image of a party united behind Hillary Clinton. The task was made tougher after a batch of internal Democratic National Committee emails leaked late last week, showing some party officials were biased against Clinton"s opponent, Bernie Sanders. The leak prompted DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz"s resignation Sunday, and on Monday she told the Sun Sentinel that she would no longer be opening and closing her party"s convention. Wasserman Schultz was also was heavily booed at a breakfast for her Florida delegation Monday morning. Sanders, for his part, said he still planned to do everything he could to defeat Donald Trump, elect Clinton, and "keep focusing on the real issues facing the American people" though he too was booed by supporters for calling for Clinton"s election. He"ll make a prime-time speech Monday night.

Source:The Associated Press, Sun Sentinel

Source: http://theweek.com/5things/638594/michael-jordan-makes-rare-statement-response-police-brutality

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What we learned from WWE Battleground 2016

Darren Young vs. The Miz - Intercontinental Title Match: WWE Battleground 2016 on WWE Network

The directions of both RAW and SmackDown are more set today than they were, thanks to a largely entertaining Sunday night.

Battleground has come and gone, and the stacked card didnt disappoint. Somehow, a match with no title changes managed to advance multiple stories, generate excitement for the now separate brands of RAW and SmackDown, and help plant the first few seeds for WWEs largest remaining show of 2016: SummerSlam. Lets dive into this successful event.

Breezango defeats The Usos

Occasionally, WWE will feature tag matches on the pre-show that lack energy or purpose. This was not one of those tags, as Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) and Usos Jimmy and Jey showed off some new moves, fantastic teamwork, and drama not often seen on the kickoff show.

What we learned: Its a good sign going forward for SmackDowns tag division and not just because the newer, fresher team, Breezango, picked up the victory against the established Usos. SmackDown doesnt have the tag titles (or any tag titles) yet, but building a competitive division from the ground up will help generate interest in such a championship.

Sasha Banks and Bayley defeat Charlotte (c) and Dana Brooke

Sasha Banks had a mystery partner coming into the night, and the smile on her face let everyone who could see it know that said partner was going to be Bayley. This was maybe the moment of the entire night, as Bayley whose call-up to WWE was at first delayed by injury and then by a lengthy run as NXTs Womens Champion to help anchor the burgeoning touring brand finally made it to the main roster. The match itself was great, too, with hard-hitting attacks coming from both sides, plenty of drama to be found, and Sasha tapping out Womens Champion Charlotte to likely setup a championship match at SummerSlam.

What we learned: We are all this young lady when Bayley shows up on our televisions.

Six-Man Tag Match: The Wyatts defeat The New Day (c)

The Wyatt Family tried to warn The New Day repeatedly that they were to be taken seriously, and outside of Xavier Woods, no one was listening. It became apparent to Big E and Kofi Kingston as the match went on and Bray Wyatt and crew proved difficult to put away, though. New Day would eventually succumb in this non-title match, maybe finishing off this feud and raising questions on both sides.

What we learned: Bray Wyatt is still super dope in the ring, and might have helped create a situation where The New Day needs to evolve theyre the longest-reigning WWE tag champs, sure, but now what? With Braun Strowman on RAW while Bray and Erick Rowan are on SmackDown, its to be seen how this victory is used to enhance the Wyatts for more than just the one night.

United States Championship Match: Rusev (c) crushes Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder put up a good fight, even coming out in a super pro-American getup, but nothing we know of can stop Rusev from crushing at this point. Ryder even made a valiant effort to break out of the Accolade something only a handful of wrestlers have managed but Rusev wrenched backward and put even more force into the submission, making it so Ryder had no chance but to tap.

What we learned: WWE is taking Zack Ryders resurgence seriously, and are also using it as a way to launch the main roster career of Mojo Rawley Ryders tag team partner from NXT. Mojo came out for the save of Ryder after Rusev decided to keep attacking the defeated challenger post-match. Rusev seemed unimpressed by Mojos energy and hype, and the idea of these two big dudes throwing each other around is the kind of thing we didnt even know we wanted until it was presented to us as a possibility.

Sami Zayn defeats Kevin Owens

This was billed as the match to end the Zayn-Owens feud for good. You know thats a lie, but given how the two pulled out every stop and then some more we didnt even know they had, they might have earned a little break from destroying each other week in and week out, as Zayn seems to finally have gotten revenge for Owens taking him out and betraying him back in NXT.

What we learned: There might not be better chemistry in all of wrestling than what Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens share, and the fruits of that relationship were plain to see on Sunday. We didnt necessarily learn that for the first time, but it feels amazing every time they remind us.

Natalya defeats Becky Lynch

This match took a little bit of time to get going, but that was mostly because it followed the emotionally draining Zayn vs. Owens. Natalya picked up the victory after the two traded submissions back and forth, and now gets to taunt Becky repeatedly for her defeat. Of course, if you come at Becky on Twitter, you best not miss:

What we learned: This had a surprising outcome, but only at first: when you stop and think about the shape of the womens division on SmackDown and what else you can get out of a lengthy Natalya vs. Becky Lynch feud, Natalya picking up the first victory makes all kinds of sense. Natalya doesnt have to be a cheating heel to be a successful heel: she can just be a jerk who shows off and has legitimate talent that Becky needs to contend with and lose clean to. Becky will eventually rise to the level she needs to in order to defeat Natalya and win this feud, and the matches that get us there will power SmackDowns womens division in the meantime.

Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (c) retains against Darren Young via double disqualification

This match had its stumbles, but it was more of a building block for a much more significant showdown between the two in the future, anyway. The Miz is so easy to root against, and continued to be so here, while Darren Youngs current character arc of being made into something great once again is one that fans seem to be getting behind. A double DQ is a shame in the sense you wanted some closure, but well appreciate it when we see where these two go next against each other.

WWE.com

What we learned: More like what Darren Young learned, as he came to the realization that the Crossface Chicken Wing submission gives him a serious tool to pull out whenever he needs to dismantle an opponent. Youngs mentor, Bob Backlund, might be teaching him about the more dangerous parts of being like Backlund, too, and its going to be great when Young completely snaps on Miz and Miz cant do anything but tap.

Six-Man Tag Match: John Cena, Enzo and Big Cass defeat The Club

Cena lost to AJ Styles at Money in the Bank when The Club (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) interrupted the match, but this time, with Enzo and Big Cass there to help, Cena was able to get his win back. This wont be the last match between Cena and Styles nor should it be but it was a great way to prove Cena right while also giving Styles motivation to evolve in the future so he can continue to torment the face that runs the place.

What we learned: Enzo and Big Cass are already huge stars, with John Cena even giving them deferential treatment and appearing honored by their praise for him. This team defeating The Club makes sense given the split directions of the groups AJ Styles and Cena are on SmackDown, where neither team can call on their boys to help given that the two tag teams are on RAW post-draft. Two feuds turn into one and elegantly back into two again.

WWE Championship Triple-Threat Match: Dean Ambrose defeats Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins

The expectation from many was that Ambrose was a temporary, short-term champion who was just holding the belt while Roman Reigns came back from his suspension. Seth Rollins didnt get the title back from Ambrose, though, meaning Reigns cant try to get it back from Seth, and SmackDown is now the show with WWEs most prestigious belt. The Shield triple-threat weve all been waiting for didnt happen at one of WWEs largest shows, but it was important for the performers and the direction of the company all the same.

Roman Reigns took the pin maybe a sign that his push is going to slow down enough for fans to stop resenting him so hard and Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins worked together in a way that harms my Shield-loving heart. Even if it was to take Reigns out of the equation.

What we learned: Ambrose and the WWE Championship remaining on SmackDown is huge for both the wrestler and the brand, as SmackDown is trying to stop being considered the B-show as it goes live and splits off from RAW. Now, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley the authority figures on RAW are going to have to figure out how to introduce their own primary championship on the show. Whether they just give it to Rollins because hes their top draft pick and it will make people furious, or they setup a tournament that finds RAWs champion at SummerSlam next month barely matters: either way is going to help draw attention to the show.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/wrestling/2016/7/25/12270720/wwe-battleground-dean-ambrose-roman-reigns-seth-rollins

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Germany attacks: What is going on?

Germany: what we know so far on Munich attack
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The incidents included a suicide bombing in Ansbach

Germany is reeling from a series of four violent attacks in a week in its south.

Ten people have been killed and dozens more injured in separate gun, bomb, axe and machete attacks. Three were in Bavaria and one in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

The authorities say they were not linked - but do they herald a new era of insecurity for the country?

German press concern at spate of violence

What has happened?

On 18 July, a teenage Afghan refugee hacked at passengers on a train in Wuerzburg with an axe and knife, wounding five. He was shot dead by police.

On 22 July, a German teenager of Iranian heritage shot dead nine people in Munich before shooting himself dead.

On 24 July, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee killed a woman with a machete and wounded five other people as he fled before being arrested.

Later that day, a 27-year-old Syrian whose refugee application had been refused blew himself up outside a bar in Ansbach. Fifteen people were wounded.

Were they terror attacks?

The attack in Wurzburg has been claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS) while the Ansbach bomber had videos on his phone showing him pledging allegiance to the group, Bavaria"s interior minister said.

The attacker"s bomb was packed with metal fragments and he had been attempting to gain entry to a music festival which more than 2,000 people were attending.

However, police have ruled out a political motive for the killings in Munich.

Image copyright AP Image caption Nine mostly young people were killed in Munich

Gunman David Ali Sonboly was inspired by other mass shootings that had no political motivation, such as a school massacre carried out by 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer in Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2009.

Sonboly carried out his attack on the fifth anniversary of the 77 murders by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik in Norway.

Investigators in Reutlingen said the Syrian machete attacker knew his victim and the attack was probably to do with their relationship.

Any links?

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said the attacks were not connected and did not show a "consistent pattern".

But Raffaello Pantucci from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) says the first attacks may have influenced what was to follow.

"Was the Ansbach bomber waiting for the right moment because all these other things were happening? It would not surprise me to find out that some activity was accelerated," he said.

Did mental illness play a role?

Sonboly had a history of mental illness. He had spent two months as an inpatient at a mental care facility in 2015, was depressed and feared contact with others, the Munich prosecutor"s office said.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The attacker in Reutlingen was arrested after killing a woman

The suicide bomber in Ansbach had also spent time living in a mental care facility and had twice attempted to take his own life, officials said.

In Reutlingen, the attacker also showed signs of being mentally disturbed.

He was also already known to police for assault, theft and drugs offences, police said.

Is the refugee background relevant?

The big influx of refugees to Germany was already controversial, so the fact that three of the attackers arrived as refugees is likely to sharpen criticism further.

The German government has already attempted to deflect this, saying the risk of someone being a perpetrator of terrorism is not greater among refugees than among the general population.

"Most of the terrorists who committed attacks in Europe in the past months were not refugees," said Ms Demmer.

Image copyright EPA Image caption "Not in my name" - refugees in Wuerzburg protest against the attack by a 17-year-old asylum seeker

However, there were likely to be a few individuals with "psychopathic tendencies" as well as links to criminal and terror networks among such a large group of people, Mr Pantucci said.

Should Germany expect more attacks?

Germany has not yet suffered a massive terrorist attack of the type seen in Paris and Nice - but that does not mean it is not a target, Mr Pantucci says.

Returning jihadists are known to have told investigators that the IS group was keen to recruit in Germany and the UK to boost its ability to carry out attacks in those countries.

"Their networks in these countries are not as close to criminal networks or as substantial as in francophone countries such as France and Belgium," he says.

"Most Muslims in Germany are of Turkish origin and while there are Turkish jihadists present, it is more of an Arab story and has deeper roots in France and Belgium."

Are the German authorities ready?

The country has different police and intelligence agencies for each region as well as federal agencies and this bureaucratic layering could allow plots to "slip through" if intelligence is not shared effectively, Mr Pantucci says.

Image copyright AFP/getty Image caption IS has said it wants to target Germany and claimed the Wuerzburg attacker acted for the group

A review of French intelligence has already found that attacks there could have been prevented if different forces and agencies had communicated with one another.

Efforts to disrupt plots could also be hobbled because of German legislation preventing agencies from eavesdropping on citizens in the same way as their counterparts in the UK and US routinely do, Mr Pantucci says.

The German government is currently attempting to broaden the scope of the intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst, to collect data, but a proposed new law has not yet been passed.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36882445

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Kristen Bell Sloth PSA Food Stamps - Refinery29

Melissa McCarthy & Kristen Bell Answer The Web’s Most Searched Questions | WIRED
Kristen Bell has never been shy about her love of sloths. Remember, her sloth meltdown on Ellen? But, now Bell"s using her obsession with the slow-moving mammals for a good cause.

As E! reported, Bell put out a PSA with Thrive Market, an online grocery store, to promote a petition that would allow food stamps to be used online.

In it, Bell attempts to buy a Pygmy three-toed sloth "you know...that good shiz" off the internet, played here by an adorable little girl.

Turns out, it doesn"t take too much for Bell to get one. All she needs is an address and a credit card. That"s it.

Bell wants you to see the irony in that, explaining mock angrily, "Even the biggest sloth lover in the world me knows you can"t keep a perfect, exotic, endangered animal as a pet. Despite how badly I want one."

And she wants one real bad, but not as bad as she wants you to sign this petition to make it as easy for food stamps recipients to get groceries via the world wide web.

The video stresses that point even further with its final message: "You can buy anything online, even a sloth...But you can"t buy healthy food using food stamps."

You can go here to sign the petition.

But, definitely make sure and watch this video to the very end. If you do, you"ll get to see Bell"s adorable sloth impression, which is honestly too cute for words.

As cute as her recently released wedding photos no lie, it"s that cute.

Source: http://www.refinery29.com/2016/07/117803/kristen-bell-sloth-psa

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