Stephen A. Smith once implored Kyrie Irving to retire from the NBA over his refusal to take the jab. Now, with Irving on the doorstep of the NBA finals, Smith is apologizing. In his attempt to make amends, Smith mentioned Kenny Smith’s conversation with him about Kyrie and went on to say that Kenny’s brother helped train the ESPN host in basketball and was one of the reasons he was able to secure a full ride to Winston-Salem State. “My boy Kenny Smith and I go back decades. His brother Vincent Smith used to train me,” Smith said on his podcast. “I got a scholarship, basketball scholarship, because of Vincent Smith.” Jason Whitlock isn’t letting it slide and believes that was an important piece of information that should’ve been included in his memoir, what Whitlock calls a work of historical fiction. “First time I’ve heard it, and you guys know how much time I’ve spent researching Stephen A. Smith, reading his memoir, tracking and monitoring what he has said and contradicted,” Whitlock says. “I’ve been tracking all of it, but I had never heard Stephen A. Smith assert that Kenny Smith’s brother is responsible or played a role in him getting a full-ride basketball scholarship.” Whitlock then went and refreshed his memory, going back to the two times Kenny Smith was referenced in Smith’s memoir. “Along the way, there’s an inordinate number of friendships I’ve been blessed to have with colleagues at ESPN, as well as people who don’t work at ESPN: Snoop Dogg; Jamie Fox; Charlie Mac; Michael Ealy; Charles Barkley; Shaq; Kenny Smith,” Smith wrote in memoir. That was the first reference. “I just didn’t have the money (or the talent) for those travel and AAU programs, like the Gauchos or Riverside. They were reserved for the young phenoms I knew about, from Rod Strickland, Dwayne ‘Pearl’ Washington, Mark Jackson, and Kenny Smith, then on to Kenny Anderson and Lloyd ‘Sweet Pea,’” Smith wrote in his second reference. Not one mention of Kenny Smith’s brother helping Smith get a scholarship. “That’s not the story Stephen A. Smith told in his book. He talked about a guy, either Howard or Harold Kit, taking him out on the playground in February in New York City and then driving him down to Winston-Salem State on a Sunday to try out in front of the big house games in the middle of their basketball season. That’s the story he told in his book,” Whitlock says. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Armed individuals walked up to a 53-year-old woman sitting in her car overnight Tuesday in a Walmart parking lot in Auburn, Washington, and demanded her property, KCPQ-TV reported. Auburn is about a half hour south of Seattle.Thing is, the woman also was armed, and the station said she shot at the suspects.'Always carry. The law states if a gun is pulled on you, you can use the same force — and remember shoot once, and shoot to kill.'The suspects shot back, KCPQ said, and the woman was wounded.Police arrived at the scene around 3:30 a.m. and treated the victim's single gunshot wound at the scene, the station said, adding that she's expected to be okay.KCPQ said police employed a K-9 to track the suspects, after which they were found and taken into custody. Police noted in a news release that the suspects, both males, are 19 and 21 years of age.The station said additional information is "limited at this time," and police didn't offer further information about the suspects in its news release.How are people reacting?A number of folks commented under KCPQ's story about the incident posted on Facebook. Here's what some of them had to say:"This is exactly why I carry ALL the time now," one commenter said. "Auburn has become dangerous.""I hate that you can't go anywhere without having fear," another user wrote."While she was still shot, she at least had the chance to defend herself," another commenter observed."Very little good happens at 0330, especially in a Wallyworld parking lot," another user quipped."Always carry," another commenter declared. "The law states if a gun is pulled on you, you can use the same force — and remember shoot once, and shoot to kill.""Auburn is pretty rough these days!" another user exclaimed.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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In the days leading up to Apple's 2024 WWDC, virtually everything the company plans to reveal has started to leak online. Just yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Siri is getting an AI overhaul in iOS 18, and now, even more iOS 18 details have been unveiled. Shortly after Bloomberg's Mark Gurman published an article about the Siri revamp on Thursday, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a few additional pieces of information. First, he noted the iOS Settings app is getting a new, cleaner UI that should be easier to navigate. He also claimed that updates are coming to Control Center but didn't provide any specifics: https://x.com/markgurman/status/1796399911526920509 Rumors of a redesigned Control Center have been spreading off and on for years, but it sounds like Apple might finally go through with it later this year. Then, on Friday morning, MacRumors jumped in with an iOS 18 leak of its own. According to the site, Apple will upgrade text effects in iMessage for its next major iOS release. Currently, iPhone owners can send messages with effects that change individual message bubbles or full-screen effects that fill up the entire display with animations like lasers or fireworks. In iOS 18, users will be able to add message effects to individual words within a text message. It should make for a much more chaotic texting experience, but if you really need to emphasize a word or two in your text, you'll apparently be able to do so. AI will be the star of the show at WWDC 24, but it looks like Apple has several other tweaks and updates in store for its mobile operating system as well. Don't Miss: Apple’s cheapest iPhone 16 might still get the most powerful new AI features The post iOS 18 will revamp Control Center, add new text effects in iMessage appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best Apple deals for May 2024 Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $355+ free Today’s deals: $3.25 smart plugs, $79 AirPods, $849 M2 MacBook Air, $329 Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, more Today’s deals: Amazon Father’s Day sale, $714 Apple Watch Ultra 2, $23 Fire TV Stick 4K, more

Republican Rome, emerging from the ashes of monarchy, left a tangible legacy in the landscape of ancient Italy. With the expulsion of kings in 509 BC, Rome sought to carve its own identity. Temples like the Temple of Castor and the Temple of Saturn, dating back to the 5th century BC, stand as silent witnesses to this period of transition. The Campus Martius, notably the Villa Publica, serves as a testament to early Republican structures, showcasing the evolving civic architecture.  Read moreSection: NewsHistoryRead Later 

It's going to cost even more money to send a letter.The Postal Regulatory Commission approved a United States Postal Service proposal to raise the price of stamps five cents in July, from 68 cents to 73 cents for a first-class mail stamp.

Childcare costs have been rising since 1990 and far outpacing even the high rate of inflation, an audit firm report determined.