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NFL coaches reportedly believe that a rule designed for player safety might be backfiring

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tom brady practice

The NFL has taken several measures over the years to try to minimize contact in the name of player safety.

One such measure, enacted in the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011, limits the amount of contact and padded practices teams can have during training camp and the regular season.

By cutting down on the amount of contact players have in practice, practice injuries can be reduced and players can recover from the wear-and-tear of the actual games.

However, according to Albert Breer of MMQB, some coaches actually believe these rules have had a negative effect on offensive lines, which struggle to get meaningful reps without contact. As a result, it may be hurting quarterbacks.

"Coaches are pointing to league-wide offensive line issues as a reason to loosen practice rules. Less hitting in camp + Not much hitting in-season = Tough to develop young backup linemen.

"Where could it get the attention of the owners? Quarterback injuries are one place to look. Too many backup linemen just aren’t ready when called."

Injuries to linemen aren't uncommon. However, when teams' best linemen get injured and backups have to substitute in, they haven't had productive practice sessions to prepare for the games. According to Breer, coaches think this makes quarterbacks more susceptible to injury.

As Kevin Clark documented for the Wall Street Journal in 2015, the practice rules have led to some wacky methods from NFL teams. While offenses can run plays against the air, other positions need to get more creative. According to Clark, the Raiders were letting their defense practice against remote-controlled cars with flags. Other teams were filming plays with drones to provide unique angles for film.

It will be a tough issue for the NFL to address. Is the lack of contact in practices really leading to more quarterback injuries? If not, it may be hard to convince players, who negotiated for the contact rules, to go back to more physical practices.

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UBS rolls out robo advisor product

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Robo Advisors Assets

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Fintech Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

In October, Swiss wealth manager UBS joined the robo-advice market with the limited launch of its SmartWealth solution.

That service is now available to all customers, with its full launch completed on Tuesday, Wealth Manager reports.

In many ways, SmartWealth is a fairly standard robo-advisor product. Clients can open an account entirely online, and are given access to investment strategies through a number of passive and active funds constructed and managed by UBS. SmartWealth continually monitors the portfolio's performance and suggests adjustments of necessary. Its active portfolios charge fees between 1.7% and 1.8%, while its passive funds charge 1%. As compared to UBS' traditional wealth management services, which have an investment threshold of £2 million ($2.5 million), SmartWealth sets the bar at just £15,000 ($18,500). The service was built entirely in-house.

However, SmartWealth stands apart with its emphasis on advice:

  • It uses behavioral analytics to understand its clients' needs. The questionnaire that users fill out to construct a portfolio incorporates behavioral analytics software, which the human advisors behind SmartWealth can leverage to gain an insight into a user's psychology and offer more targeted and actionable advice. This means personalization can be achieved in real time.
  • It provides extensive educational material. The team behind SmartWealth worked extensively with writers and financial journalists to provide helpful research and financial articles on their website, as well as access to daily podcasts by UBS' chief economist. This will likely appeal to investors seeking more context around their investments.

SmartWealth seems well designed to appeal to a wider market. The service's relatively modest minimum investment will give the average consumer the opportunity to invest with an otherwise exclusive wealth manager; UBS' reputation alone is likely to draw users. Moreover, the average consumer's investment knowledge tends to be limited, potentially putting them off investing. UBS' personalized and hands-on approach to client advice and education therefore seems likely to reassure hesitant consumers, and help UBS capture a much larger market. This, in turn, could help it pull ahead of the intensifying robo-advisor competition from other incumbents.

Robo advisors are threatening to upend the enormous global wealth management industry in several ways, and they are likely to arrive in full force within the next few years.

Sarah Kocianski, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on robo advising that looks at the market for robo advisory services, the drivers behind consumer adoption of robo advising, why the robo advisor market presents an opportunity to traditional wealth management firms, and how startup robo advisors can succeed as massive legacy companies begin offering their own services.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

  • Large incumbent wealth managers won't lose out to startups like Betterment and Wealthfront. Instead, they are embracing the technology and launching their own products, which are scaling quickly. 
  • Consumers across all asset classes are receptive to robo advisors — including the wealthy. 49% of this group would consider investing some of their assets using a robo advisor.
  • The majority of assets managed by robo advisors will come from people who already have some investments. We estimate that the volume of assets that comes from people who don't currently invest will be less than 1% of the total by 2020. 
  • Startups are going to find it difficult to scale, and will need to differentiate their products to succeed. They are already doing this by providing white label services to wealth managers, and more customized stand alone solutions. 

 In full, the report:

  • Provides a forecast for the volume of assets robo advisors will manage by 2020.
  • Highlights the factors that will drive the growth of robo advisors
  • Explains the different types of robo advisor business model.
  • Details the outlook for incumbents and startup robo advisors in the wealth management industry.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

  1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of robo advisors.

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Hundreds of people chant 'Coward!' as Paul Ryan visits Rhode Island

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Paul Ryan

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Around 200 people chanted "Coward!" and booed as Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan attended an event in the heavily Democratic state.

A strong police presence kept the crowd across the street from a Providence office building, where Ryan was meeting Thursday with Year Up, a nonprofit career training organization.

Ryan was not seen entering the building, but a motorcade carrying him pulled into an alley, where there's a back entrance, away from protesters.

"We want him to hear loud and clear that his values are Wall Street values, they're not Rhode Island values," said Georgia Hollister Isman, the state director of Rhode Island Working Families. "We're also here in solidarity with our friends in Wisconsin who've been trying for months to get a town hall meeting with him."

Ryan spokesman Zack Roday said "it is unfortunate protesters chose to demonstrate at Year Up," where Ryan toured the facilities and took questions from students.

A Republican state lawmaker called the protests "shameful" and said they could hurt the tiny state's chances of fostering better relations with the White House.

The demonstrators said they were protesting the policies of Republicans including Ryan and President Donald Trump, especially their plans to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act. People also carried signs that said, "No Ban No Wall" and "Hey! Wisconsin we found him!"

"No matter where he goes, wherever he takes his radically dangerous Ryan-Trump agenda, the resistance will be there to meet him," said state Rep. Aaron Regunberg, a Providence Democrat, who spoke to the crowd through a megaphone.

The protesters said their ire wasn't aimed at Year Up, which offers low-income young adults six months of intensive career training followed by a six-month internship with one of its corporate partners.

But its board president, Paul Salem, is with a private equity firm whose members have donated to the GOP. Campaign finance records collected by the Center for Responsive Politics show people with Providence Equity Partners gave more than $700,000 to groups associated with the Republican Party and candidates in the 2016 election cycle.

Roday said Ryan also met Thursday with executives from CVS Health, based in Woonsocket.

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A dairy scientist reveals why cheese tastes so good

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mac and cheese

Cheese is jam-packed with science.

Everything from how it's made to the trial-and-error process of creating new kinds of cheese can be attributed to reactions between microbes, sugars, fats, and proteins.

We asked with Michael Tunick, a research chemist with the US Department of Agriculture and the author of the book "The Science of Cheese," our most pressing questions about cheese — from why it tastes so darn good to whether organic cheese is really better for you. 

Here's what we found out.

SEE ALSO: 14 of your most embarrassing questions about wine answered with science

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First thing's first: How do you make cheese?

Most cheese is made of basically the same thing: Milk, microbial cultures, and rennet.

Rennet is an enzyme that helps the milk proteins coagulate, binding together into what will become the curds. Traditionally it comes from calf's stomachs, but since the 1960s, it's been more common to get rennet from a cloned microorganism.

To start the cheese-making process, you take some (usually) pasteurized milk and add a starter culture to it. Those microbes snack on the lactose in the milk, beginning the fermentation process. Then you add in the rennet. When the curds form, what's left over is a liquid called whey. The curds are then heated and cut up.

In the end, you get a bunch of curds that get packed together and aged into cheese, Tunick said. 



Where did cheese originate?

Cheese has been around for thousands of years — traces of dairy fat have been found on pottery from 7,500 years ago

Though its exact origin story isn't known, like most great inventions, it was likely made by accident when someone stored milk in an animal stomach. When the milk mixed with the rennet, which is found in the stomachs of ruminant mammals (like cows, goats), it began to curdle into an edible substance. 



What are the best kinds of milk to make cheese?

Cheese can be made from the milk of a wide variety of animals, from your average cow or goat to sheep and even reindeer or camel. Some milks aren't great at curdling, which is why you won't see horse cheese — and yes, that takes human breast milk off the table.



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There's a secret teaser for 'Deadpool 2' in front of 'Logan' screenings

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If you head out to see the new Wolverine movie "Logan" this weekend — and you should— don't stay after the movie for any additional scenes. There aren't any post-credit scenes. However, make sure you get to the theater by the time the teasers start rolling.

Multiple outlets reported that Thursday screenings of "Logan" have showed teasers for the "Deadpool" sequel starring Ryan Reynolds. 

Slashfilm first reported a "Deadpool" sequel teaser in front of "Logan."Comicbook.com has since confirmed one of its reporters viewed the teaser in front of a Thursday night showing of the film. One of my colleagues at INSIDER has also confirmed seeing the teaser in front of the film.

There were reports back in December 2016 that Reynolds had filmed a cameo for "Logan." Shortly thereafter, director James Mangold denied the rumor on Twitter. Instead, it looks like this is what Reynolds was actually filming.

If you want to know what occurs in the scene, keep reading, but there are spoilers ahead. 

deadpool ryan reynolds

My colleague Tony Manfred described the teaser as showing two people fighting outside a movie theater where "Logan" is showing. It looks like one of the guys is getting mugged. Wade Wilson (Reynolds) goes into a phone booth across the street to change into his Deadpool suit, which he struggles to get on quick enough. 

When he eventually emerges, one of the people is dead "so he lays down on him." 

According to ComicBook.com, the short teaser also has a nod to Cable, another X-Men character, who was previously confirmed to show up in the sequel. Earlier rumors suggested Stan Lee may appear in the teaser. ComicBook.com says that isn't the case.

It's not known whether the "Deadpool" teaser will be in front of every screening nationwide or select viewings. INSIDER has reached out to Fox for comment.  If you head to a screening of "Logan" and don't see the "Deadpool" teaser in front of the film, let me know at kacuna@thisisinsider.com

SEE ALSO: The photographer who saw the Oscars screwup go down reveals what happened behind the scenes

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'There is a climate of intimidation': Trump aides' bid to plug leaks is fueling government paranoia

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U.S. President Donald Trump looks up while hosting a House and Senate leadership lunch at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 1, 2017.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTS110BK

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin used his first senior staff meeting last month to tell his new aides he would not tolerate leaks to the news media, sources familiar with the matter said.

Current and former officials said that in a departure from past practice, access to a classified computer system at the White House has been tightened by political appointees to prevent professional staffers from seeing memos being prepared for the new president.

And at the Department of Homeland Security, some officials told Reuters they fear a witch hunt is under way for the leaker of a draft intelligence report which found little evidence that citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries covered by Trump's now-suspended travel ban pose a threat to the United States.

The clampdown has fueled paranoia among Washington career civil servants who say it appears designed to try to limit the flow of information inside and outside government and deter officials from talking to the media about topics that could result in negative stories.

Some reports of government dysfunction have infuriated Trump just weeks into his presidency. Trump has described media outlets as "lying", "corrupt", "failing" and "the enemy of the American people."

At a Feb. 16 news conference, Trump said: "The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake" and that he had asked the Department of Justice to look into leaks of "classified information that was given illegally" to journalists regarding the relationship between his aides and Russia.

Several officials in different agencies who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said some employees fear their phone calls and emails may be monitored and that they are reluctant to speak their minds during internal discussions.

In addition, the sources say that limits imposed on the flow of information have blindsided cabinet-level officials on some major issues and led to uncertainty among foreign governments about U.S. policy.

In perhaps the most trenchant effort to deter leaks, White House spokesman Sean Spicer demanded that some aides there surrender their phones so they could be checked for calls or texts to reporters, Politico reported on Sunday.

Word of the inspection quickly leaked.

Steven Mnuchin Jeff Sessions

Efforts to plug leak not new

Two sources familiar with Mnuchin's first meeting with senior Treasury staff said he told them that their telephone calls and emails could be monitored to prevent leaks. One of the sources said that staff were told that monitoring could become policy.

Asked about Mnuchin's comments to his senior staff, a Treasury spokesman said: "Secretary Mnuchin had a discussion with staff about confidential information not being shared with the media nor any other sources. In the course of that conversation, the idea of checking phones was not discussed."

Asked in a follow-up email whether Mnuchin had raised the possibility of monitoring phones or emails as a matter of policy, the Treasury spokesman replied: "It was not discussed."

Attempts by Republican and Democratic presidents to limit leaks are not new.

During Republican Richard Nixon's administration, the FBI wiretapped White House aides and journalists. Trump's predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, aggressively pursued leaks to try to "control the narrative," as White House aides put it.

New York Times reporter James Risen, whose articles led to investigations of leaks, said the Obama administration prosecuted nine cases involving whistleblowers and leakers, compared with three by all previous administrations combined.

Leonard Downie, a former executive editor of the Washington Post, said it was too early to make historical comparisons, and that it is rare to learn about an administration's internal efforts to impose message discipline.

Rex Tillerson Wang Yi

'Climate of intimidation'

At the State Department, the fear of getting caught in a leak investigation or running afoul of White House positions is so acute that some officials will discuss issues only face-to-face rather than use phones, email, texts or other messaging applications, two State Department officials said.

  "There is a climate of intimidation, not just about talking to reporters, but also about communicating with colleagues," said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner did not respond directly to the officials' statements but said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson aimed to foster an open climate where new ideas are raised and considered on their merits.

"There does have to be some degree of trust among colleagues in order to have those kinds of conversations," Toner said.

There also is high anxiety in parts of DHS, officials there said.

"The atmosphere has become toxic, and that is not conducive to the work," said a DHS official on condition of anonymity.

They said officials fear phone calls and emails are being monitored to try to find who leaked the draft intelligence report to the Associated Press.

The report found that being a citizen of countries covered by Trump's Jan. 27 temporary immigration ban - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - was "an unreliable indicator of terrorist threat."

The Homeland Security Department did not respond to three requests for comment.

Some examples of how the administration is trying to limit the flow of information are relatively subtle, but significant.

Before Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, National Security Council officials drafting memos, or "packages," for the president on a classified computer system could choose other officials who should have input.

Under a change made after Trump took office, staffers cannot choose who may see and edit a memo. Instead, access is approved by the office of the NSC executive secretary, retired Army lieutenant general Keith Kellogg.

Asked about the new restrictions, National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton said: "President Trump takes very seriously the criminal release of classified information critical to U.S. national security. Access procedures are designed to ensure that appropriate personnel see material relevant to their duties, while protecting sensitive information."

One U.S. official called the new system "inefficient," saying Kellogg's office may not know who has "equities" in a given issue and may not share the drafts widely enough.

Another administration official said the White House changed the access procedures about a month ago in reaction to leaks of the contents of Trump's conversations with the president of Mexico and the prime minister of Australia.

"It was changed in response to two very significant leaks," said the administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "This was a reactive move on the NSC’s part."

Asked if the change had made the NSC less efficient, this official replied: "No, because we are being conscientious about ensuring that all relevant staff members and experts are included on materials that they need to see."

Steven Aftergood of the nonprofit Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, which works to limit official secrecy, said the policy change suggested the White House wants to tighten control over internal deliberations.

"Why would it do that? Perhaps in order to discourage leaks. Or perhaps it lacks confidence and trust in the existing NSC staff," said Aftergood. "From a management perspective, this move seems like a mistake.

"Restricting information workflow this way adds friction to the deliberative process, making it more cumbersome and less responsive," he added. "Inferior policy decisions are a likely result."

 

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel Additional reporting by John Walcott, Julia Edwards Ainsley, Steve Holland, David Lawder and Yeganeh Torbati; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Grant McCool)

SEE ALSO: http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-jeff-sessions-recuse-russian-ambassador-russia-2017-3

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'The Daily Show' brutally mocks the Trump team's ties to Russia

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trevor noah daily show jeff sessions

Praise for President Donald Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday quickly got swallowed by the revelation this week that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak while a senator and an adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016.

As Trevor Noah pointed out on Thursday's "Daily Show," allegations that Trump's team has been in "cahoots" with Russia have followed him since the campaign — and Noah did not hold back in mocking the latest news.

"No matter how hard the Trump administration tries, Russia just keeps coming back," Noah said. "I'd say that Russia is Trump's herpes."

The bigger problem for Sessions than the meeting is the fact that he did not disclose it when asked about the Trump campaign's potential meetings with Russia during his confirmation hearings for attorney general. Sessions said he had not met with "the Russians."

"He lied under oath while interviewing to be the guy who prosecutes people for lying under oath," Noah said.

A Justice Department official explained that Sessions simply "did not remember" his meeting with the Russian ambassador, which Noah found lacking.

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" the "Daily Show" host said. "I'm sorry, that is not a decent excuse. How do Trump's people keep forgetting that they've met with Russians? This is a thing. Let me tell you something: If you meet a Russian, you'll remember that s---."

Noah even brought out a Russian nesting doll as a visual for how leaks of the Trump team's ties to Russia keep getting exposed.

Watch Trevor Noah's "Daily Show" tackle Jeff Sessions' Russia revelation below:

 

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This remote-controlled truck is actually a cake

UN human rights expert: Trump's torture remarks 'make my blood run cold'

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U.S. President Donald Trump looks up as he boards Marine One to depart the White House in Washington, U.S. March 2, 2017.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights expert voiced alarm on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump might allow torture in interrogations and called for senior officials from George W. Bush's administration to be prosecuted for allowing the illegal practice.

U.S. officials responsible for the secret detention, rendition and torture programs run by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) included "those in the most senior positions" under Bush, said Ben Emmerson, U.N. special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism.

"To hear President Trump, in the first days after his inauguration, glibly extolling the virtues of torture as a weapon in the fight against terrorism, and confirming his personal willingness to authorize the use of torture if asked to do so, was enough to make my blood run cold," Emmerson said.

Trump has acknowledged that U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis disagrees with him about the usefulness of torture in interrogation and said he would defer to him on the issue.

There was no immediate response from the U.S. delegation to the 47-member state forum in Geneva.

Emmerson, a British barrister and international criminal justice expert, said that Trump's comments showed a "staggering level of ill-preparedness to govern." He was making his final speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council after six years in the independent post.

A veteran CIA clandestine service officer who ran one of the agency's "black site" prisons set up after the 9/11 attacks has named deputy director of the U.S. spy agency.

Trump's nominee to be the director of national intelligence, former Republican Senator Dan Coats, has raised concerns over his record on the previous U.S. use of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, which are widely seen as torture.

"If one of the most powerful nations in the world, a permanent member of the Security Council, is once again prepared to abandon our collective values on the pretext of defending them, then one is left to wonder whether anything at all has been achieved in the last 15 years," Emmerson said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay)

SEE ALSO: McCain rebukes Trump: 'We are not bringing back torture' in the US

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14 photos of the most beautiful and remote places on earth

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Tbilisi, Georgia eyeem 96362800

Sometimes it's worth going far off the beaten path. Photo-sharing app EyeEm recently hosted a contest asking their members to submit shots from their most interesting travel experiences.

The results are stunning views from less obvious — but still very tourist-worthy — stops in Iceland, Myanmar, Canada, and more. Ahead, see 14 amazing destinations that could be your next truly unique getaway. 

SEE ALSO: More than 30 years after the Chernobyl disaster, no people can live in the area — but the animal population is thriving

Visitors can hike along and into the Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon in southern Iceland.



The Royal Angkhang Station Project provides agricultural support to locals in the Chiang Mai province of Thailand.



Here's a shot of a naturally formed cave inside the Athabasca Glacier in Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park.



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Victims of crimes committed by immigrants now feel they have an advocate in White House

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trump guests victims of immigrant crime

PHOENIX (AP) — Two years ago, Steve Ronnebeck's son was gunned down at work in a Phoenix-area convenience store over a pack of cigarettes. The man accused of pulling the trigger was an immigrant who was in the country illegally and had been released by federal authorities.

The suspected killer, captured on camera calmly stepping over the body of 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck to grab a few more packs, faced deportation but was free on bond.

Ronnebeck and other families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants now have a forceful advocate at the highest level with President Donald Trump in the White House. During his speech to Congress on Tuesday, Trump announced that he would create a new office to serve victims of immigrant crime and their relatives.

Although immigrants are responsible for only a small fraction of the crimes committed daily around the country, the issue played an outsized role in the race for the White House. Trump repeatedly invoked such crimes at rallies and frequently appeared with victims on the campaign trail, pointing to case after case in which people were killed by immigrant assailants who slipped through the cracks.

Many of the families have doggedly pressed for changes in the immigration system for years, lobbying lawmakers in Washington and even disrupting congressional hearings to make their point.

"To lose a child, especially when it was preventable, you know there's no coming back from that. You don't ever recover, but to have a president that is putting Americans first and putting the victims' families first, it's amazing," Ronnebeck said. "Finally we're being heard. My family feels like we actually matter again."

The man charged in Grant Ronnebeck's slaying has pleaded not guilty to murder, armed robbery and other charges. Adolfo Altamirano is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 18 in Maricopa County.

Trump's new agency will be the office of Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, or VOICE, and will be part of the Department of Homeland Security. Department Secretary John Kelly described the agency's planned work in a memo last month.

Under President Barack Obama, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency protected information about immigration cases from public inspection, including from victims. It also created a public advocate position in 2012 that helped immigrants facing deportation and answered complaints or offered explanations about the agency's work.

Opponents criticized the administration for using government money to advocate for immigrants in the country illegally.

Don Rosenberg said an office like VOICE would have been useful when he was trying to navigate the judicial system after an immigrant named Roberto Galo killed his 25-year-old son, Drew, in a car collision after striking the law student's motorcycle in San Francisco in late 2010.

Rosenberg struggled to keep track of hearings and did not know what his rights were as the father of a victim.

Galo did not have a driver's license and was in the country illegally, although he had temporary protected status, meaning he was shielded from deportation. He was sentenced to six months in jail but was let out after 43 days, Rosenberg said.

He was eventually deported to Honduras.

donald trump

 

Rosenberg became vocal against policies protecting immigrants. He was detained by U.S. Capitol police in July 2015 after getting into an argument with another man at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining the Obama administration's approach to immigration. Rosenberg said he got loud but not violent while arguing with a man. He was not charged.

Several studies have concluded that immigrants are less likely to commit crime than native-born U.S. citizens. A 2014 study published in the journal Justice Quarterly concluded that immigrants "exhibit remarkably low levels of involvement in crime across their life course."

Not all relatives of crime victims agree with Trump.

Andy Ostroy, of New York, said it's wrong for the president and others to demonize a group of people based on the actions of a few.

Ostroy's wife, Adrienne Shelly, was an actor and filmmaker with a young daughter. She was killed in 2006 by an Ecuadorean immigrant who was working in construction without legal status. Diego Pillco strangled Shelly and staged her death as a suicide. He confessed, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Ostroy said a program such as VOICE will fuel anti-immigrant rhetoric.

"Let's just work on crime, period," he said. "Let's not go down a dark, dangerous path of demonizing whole segments of our population."

Mary Ann Mendoza is the mother of a Mesa, Arizona, police sergeant killed in 2014 in a head-on collision with a drunken driver who was suspected of being in the country illegally. The driver, Raul Silva Corona, who had been driving the wrong way, was killed in the crash.

Mendoza said she has been working with members of the Trump administration as they create VOICE and is grateful for the president's actions.

"So many times families are left grieving the loss of their loved ones, and they're left wondering what happened in the system," she said. "I wish we had leadership in our state that stood up for Americans and would reach out to our families."

SEE ALSO: Trump wants to publicize crimes committed by immigrants — critics call it 'scapegoating'

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Anti-Defamation League: Arrest made in connection to bomb threats against Jewish centers

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jewish center miami bomb threat

The Anti-Defamation League said on Friday that federal and New York law enforcement had informed them of an arrest made in connection with bomb threats made against the Jewish advocacy group and other Jewish groups in the United States.

The group said it had been told of an "arrest made" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department and the New York State Police, according to a posting on its Twitter account. Further details of the arrest were not immediately available.

SEE ALSO: UN human rights expert: Trump's torture remarks 'make my blood run cold'

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These are the top 5 Lush bath products you need right now

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The INSIDER Summary:

  • Lush is a treasure trove of handmade bath and beauty products, and it's easy to get obsessed.
  • Their bath bombs are filled with soothing ingredients like cocoa butter, essential oils, and floral fragrances.
  • Lush's limited products capture the highlights of holiday seasons, from their Santa Belly Jellies to their Valentine's Day soaps made with real rose petals.
  • Their Golden Egg Bath Bomb Melt is one of their most luxurious products, and made its first appearance during Easter 2014. It's making a big comeback this spring.

 Featured in this video: Lush Cosmetics

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McDonald's is making a big change after years of complaints from customers (MCD)

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McFlurry

McDonald's is finally replacing its ice cream machines, after years of complaints from customers. 

New machines with fewer parts that are intended to be easier to maintain will be rolled out in the US and Europe, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

The change comes after customers complained that more often than not machines were broken just when they were craving shakes and McFlurries the most. Scrolling through Twitter or Facebook provides ample evidence that broken machines aren't just an annoyance — they've become a joke. 

Even rival fast-food chains have poked fun at McDonald's malfunctioning machines. Celebrity gossip site The Shade Room recently posted a photo of what appears to be a sign at a Sonic location that reads, "Our ice cream machine works unlike Mc... nvm [never mind]." 

According to the Journal, some former McDonald's employees said that they would turn off the machines long before closing for the night, to allow time for the lengthy disassembling and cleaning process.

 

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The largest contributor to US economic growth just had its strongest month in nearly a year

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The US services sector, which makes up the largest part of the overall economy, was stronger than expected in February, according to the Institute of Supply Management.

The non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 57.6, the highest since April 2015, from 56.5 in January. It had been forecast to be unchanged. 

A reading above 50 shows that the sector remained in expansion. 

The recent improvement in both services and manufacturing indicators suggests that business investment may be on the rise again after a slowdown. 

Labor-market tightness and strong business conditions since the start of the year were among the comments that survey respondents made to ISM. Other indicators of business confidence have shown a spike in optimism since the election, as executives anticipate corporate tax cuts. 

Markit Economics' separate survey released on Friday showed that service providers' outstanding business fell for the first time in three months. 

Markit's PMI fell to 54.1, revised downwards from a flash reading of 54.3.

"The burning question is whether the February slowdown merely represents some payback after a strong start to the year for US businesses, or whether it’s the start of a more entrenched slowdown," said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit.  

SEE ALSO: US manufacturing surges to a 3-year high in February

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Trump's EPA budget would slash efforts to clean up lead pollution

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is proposing to slash a quarter of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's budget, targeting climate-change programs and those designed to prevent air and water pollution like lead contamination, a source with direct knowledge of the proposal said on Thursday.

President Donald Trump has long signaled his intention to reverse former Democratic President Barack Obama's climate-change initiatives. But the Republican president has vowed his planned overhaul of green regulation would not jeopardize America's water and air quality.

The 23-page 2018 budget proposal, which aims to slice the environmental regulator's overall budget by 25 percent to $6.1 billion and staffing by 20 percent to 12,400 as part of a broader effort to fund increased military spending, would cut deeply into programs like climate protection, environmental justice and enforcement.

State grants for lead cleanup, for example, would be cut 30 percent to $9.8 million.

The Washington Post was first to report the staff and overall budget cuts, but the source disclosed new details on the impact the cuts would have on programs.

The EPA had until Wednesday to report back to the White House. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the budget proposal or its counter proposal.

The proposal, sent to the EPA this week, would cut into grants that support American Indian tribes and energy efficiency initiatives, according to the source, who read the document to Reuters.

State grants for lead cleanup, for example, would be cut 30 percent to $9.8 million. Grants to help native tribes combat pollution would be cut 30 percent to $45.8 million. An EPA climate protection program on cutting emissions of greenhouse gases like methane that contribute to global warming would be cut 70 percent to $29 million.

The proposal would cut funding for the brownfields industrial site cleanup program by 42 percent to $14.7 million. It would also reduce funding for enforcing pollution laws by 11 percent to $153 million.

The budget did not cut state revolving funds for programs, that Congress tapped last year to provide aid to Flint, Michigan, for its lead pollution crisis.

All staff at a research program, called Global Change Research, as well as 37 other programs would be cut under the plan.

Congressional Hurdles

The Republican-led Congress would have to approve any EPA cuts. Some of the cuts are unlikely to pass as they are popular with both Democrats and Republicans. Congress would be unlikely to approve a proposal to cut all staff in a diesel emissions program, for example.

Scott Pruitt, the new head of the EPA, told U.S. mayors on Thursday he would make a priority of cleanups of industrial and hazardous waste sites and improving water infrastructure, even as the White House proposed severe proposed cuts to those programs.

"In this budget discussion that is ongoing with Congress that is just starting, there are some concerns about some of these grant programs that EPA has been a part of historically," Pruitt said.

"I want you to know that with the White House and also with Congress, I am communicating a message that the brownfields program, the Superfund program and the water infrastructure grants and state revolving funds are essential to protect," he said.

A state air pollution expert said the program cuts, if enacted, would harm some of the people most at risk from particulate and lead contamination.

"Any of these programs where they've cut air pollution or water pollution is going to have a direct effect on inner cities," said Bill Becker, director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

SEE ALSO: The EPA will no longer require oil and gas companies to report their methane emissions

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Here is eMarketer's guide to the future of digital media

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Global Media Intelligence Report

The future of media is quickly changing right before our very eyes.

Digital is taking over the world, and the generational shift is in full effect as millennials and Generation X grow older and smartphones, computers, and tablets become the primary outlets for media consumption.

This increase in digital dominance won't just affect news. Advertising and television will also deal with major disruption in the next few years.

But we can't know where we're going until we have a thorough understanding of where we are now. eMarketer, the leading research firm for marketing in a digital world, has done just that in itsGlobal Media Intelligence Report 2016.

This is the authoritative guide to country-by-country digital media and digital adoption. This deep dive into the state of digital media covers more than 40 countries and highlights the prevalence of various media in each of them through more than 450 detailed charts.

The areas covered include:

  • Television
  • Over-the-top streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.)
  • Internet
  • Mobile Phones
  • Newspapers
  • Radio
  • Magazines

Furthermore, the report breaks down the demographic profile of media consumers in these nations by gender, age, and socioeconomic status.

For example, in the United States:

  • Television is the most widespread content-based medium in the nation, as 89.1% of adults watched at least one half hour of free-to-air or cable television during a typical week in Spring 2016.
  • Internet penetration reached 81.7% of the adult population in Spring 2016.
  • Nearly 80% of adults had listened to radio, but just 18.1% had done so through the Internet or apps.
  • 72.4% of respondents had read a print magazine during an average month in Spring 2016.
  • 46.3% of adults had read a print newspaper in the last month, and 21.3% had read a daily newspaper.
  • Social media usage was more common among females than males at 71.7% to 60.2%.
  • Nearly 56% of males had watched a YouTube video in the last 30 days, compared to 49.6% of females.
  • More than 95% of adults had a mobile phone in Spring 2016, and 77.6% had a smartphone. And 45.1% had a tablet or e-reader.
  • 71.6% of adults had gone online with a mobile phone or smartphone in the last month, which surpassed the 69.8% who had done so with a laptop or desktop.

But that's just a sample of the wealth of information this report contains. Some of the other nations include Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Thailand, and more. And eMarketer analyzes each country with the same high level of insight you see here.

Here's how you get this exclusive Digital Media research:

To provide you with this exclusive report, eMarketer has partnered with BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. This report is not available for individual sale anywhere else, and we're bringing it to you at a deep discount!

If you’re involved in media at any level, you simply must understand the tremendous shifts that are occurring in this space.

Executives at major media outlets, reporters at digital startups, and everyone in between is eager to understand how the future of media will look.

And the digital media field is evolving right before our eyes. Companies are figuring out on the fly how to best attract viewers and advertisers. What lessons are they learning? Who’s doing it best? What threats are traditional media companies facing? Where are the opportunities for exponential growth for newer outlets?

eMarketer's Global Media Intelligence Report 2016 is the ONLY resource that answers all of these questions and more. Click here to purchase this exclusive report.

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In aftermath of fatal SEAL raid, US hits al Qaeda in Yemen with new wave of strikes

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A crater caused by a Saudi-led coalition air strike is seen at the yard of a hospital operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Abs district of Hajja province, Yemen August 16, 2016. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad

ADEN, Yemen/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States carried out another wave of strikes against al Qaeda in Yemen overnight, residents and U.S. officials said on Friday, in the latest sign of increasing U.S. military focus on a group whose strength has grown during Yemen's civil war.

A day after U.S. forces carried out more than 20 air strikes in Yemen, residents reported another U.S. assault in the Wadi Yashbum village in the southern Shabwah province including about 10 to 15 air strikes.

Residents said some of the strikes hit civilian homes and a number of civilians were among the wounded.

About three hours later, residents in the Jabal Mugan area of neighboring Abyan province also reported air strikes.

Residents also cited ground battles involving American soldiers and al Qaeda militants but two U.S. officials told Reuters the latest operations did not involve ground combat.

"None of our troops were involved in a firefight over the last period of darkness," one of the U.S. officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The strikes follow a Jan. 29 raid against AQAP by U.S. commandos, an operation that resulted in the death of 14 militants and a Navy SEAL, as well as civilians.

The White House and other U.S. officials have said the mission yielded valuable intelligence but critics questioned its value and effectiveness.

Houthi militants ride on the back of a patrol truck as they attend a tribal gathering held to show support to the Houthi movement in Sanaa, Yemen November 10, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

AQAP has been a persistent concern to the U.S. government since an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 that was traced back to the militant group.

It has exploited a civil war in which the Iran-aligned Houthi movement is fighting the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by U.S.-aligned Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and put millions of people, including half a million children under age 5, on the brink of starvation, U.N. officials say.

The Saudi-led coalition, which benefits from U.S. military assistance, has focused most of its firepower against the Houthis and allied forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but has also targeted some AQAP strongholds.

(By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Phil Stewart; writing by Katie Paul and Phil Stewart; editing by Robin Pomeroy and Bill Trott)

SEE ALSO: Iraqis are giving their kids Valium in order to escape from ISIS in Mosul

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6 tips to ace your next performance review

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Performance reviews can be downright nerve-wracking.

Most people get anxious because they go all year without speaking to their manager about their performance or progress. Or worse, they never had a goal-setting conversation in the first place.

But you can change that. Don’t let an assessment of your performance rest on one conversation. It’s not fair to anyone and will only impede your growth. Try to establish an open-door policy with your manager and have conversations about your development throughout the year.

When everyone is on the same page in terms of goals, it enhances both the work product and relationship. The key to a stellar review is ample preparation long before the meeting itself. Here are my tips for success:

1. Schedule semi-annual performance reviews with your boss.

You make time to keep your manager up to date on your projects; likewise, you should take the initiative to ask if you can put time on their calendar to have professional development check-ins once a quarter. These can serve as informal touch points throughout the year to ensure you’re on track. You don’t want to wait for a once-a-year discussion, only to be surprised that you’re not on the same page.

If your manager is resistant, scale back the frequency to two times a year or ask if you can submit a memo and get their feedback in writing. Either way, at least you’ve established that you’re serious about your growth and contributions. And, if an opportunity for promotion or recognition comes up, you’ll have the receipts to show why you’re ready.

2. Come prepared.

You should always prepare an agenda to send at least two days in advance of the meeting to see if your manager wants to add anything. You’ll also want to know your talking points…big wins, quantitative figures, anecdotal support, etc. I keep a folder in my inbox of any praise I receive from colleagues and external partners, from which I draw quotes (and inspiration).

If you’re having a formal review that involves feedback from other colleagues, you should send your manager a list of names you’d like to be tapped for input and what projects they worked on with you. You should also prepare a self-evaluation and send it in advance to give your manager time to react to it and prepare their response. You can attach those “praise reports” from your saved folder and any official recap documents of successful projects to round-out the materials.

3. Set goals you know you can meet.

job interview office workFirstly, your goals should always align with the immediate goals of your boss and the department as a whole. Then, think about dividing your goals into a few buckets: team-wide contributions, individual contributions (projects you own), and professional development (improving your leadership).

For me, the most important characteristic of a S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goal is that it’s actually achievable. I’ve been put in numerous situations where I’ve had to question if a plan is set up for failure. You want to avoid these at all costs. Although a big lofty goal will be impressive once it’s done, you don’t want to sign on for a project that will realistically take six months if you only have three. Be honest about limitations so that your manager/team can plan accordingly.

Set no more than three to five goals that are time bound with specific outcomes. For example: “Relaunch e-store with new vendor and five new products by June 1.” Avoid goals that aren’t specific or measurable, like “manage e-store.” That’s harder to track and report.

4. Feel out the right time to ask for a raise.

Look for cues from your manager and/or department head to determine whether or not salary increase discussions or bonuses will be part of the formal evaluation. Some companies have ratings systems that are already baked into performance reviews that will automatically trigger salary discussions. If that’s not the case for you or if this is your first review cycle, it’s okay to ask trusted colleagues how those talks have been approached in the past. First ask someone in HR if a raise structure exists and do your own research within the written policies of your company to gain a primary understanding of the tone and timing for these conversations.

If you’ve done the steps above and have had ongoing talks about performance with your manager, a request for greater compensation should not be alarming. You will have already made it clear that you are building towards advancement, inclusive of earning more money and more responsibility. If it’s still an uncomfortable subject, put your request in a memo. In a former role, I asked for a raise twice. I was told “not now” the first time, so I set a mutually agreed upon date for it to be revisited. I addressed the memo to my manager (who knew it was coming) and copied the CFO. As I was given more and more responsibility, I added the justifications to the document and, because my request was in writing, it couldn’t be ignored. I successfully negotiated a substantial raise during my review (even when it was announced that all salaries would remain flat), because I had already put the wheels in motion.

5. Look beyond just the money.

Even if a salary adjustment is not in the cards, identify meaningful professional development opportunities that align with your work. Your review is the time to get feedback on the types of trainings your manager thinks will enhance your skills and add to the department, along with the approval and funding to pursue them.

6. Learn from negative feedback.

If you get any negative feedback, make sure you’re respectful in receiving it and ask your manager for their recommendations on how you can best address areas for improvement. If you disagree with your manager’s assessment, that’s not really the point, so don’t get hung up trying to defend yourself.

For whatever reason, they’re not seeing you and your work in the best possible light, so it’s up to you to improve the work product and/or perception. It could just be a matter of communication, but either way, as a professional, you are responsible for figuring it out. Coming out of the review, work with your manager on a written development plan and start letting him or her know the gains you’re making and where you could use their help at future check-ins. The trick is not to wait till the next review to get feedback.

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