Just blame the bank, Hank. In March, Blackstone and GE Capital Solutions, a unit of General Electric, teamed up to acquire PHH, a fleet-management and mortgage company. (The plan: GE Capital would buy PHH and then sell the mortgage operations to Blackstone.) However, as the spring wore on and PHH’s mortgage unit racked up losses, JPMorgan Chase and Lehman Brothers, the banks that had agreed to fund Blackstone’s purchase, grew anxious....
A victory over Rutgers lately has not qualified as significant news in the world of NCAA Basketball, but Monmouth’s 73-67 escape Sunday afternoon at the RAC stands as an exception. MORE: College basketball’s best rivalries | Monmouth’s instructional bench-celebration video This was the last scheduled game Monmouth will play this season against a high-major opponent, which no doubt is very good news for the high majors. The Hawks played seven such games in November and December, and they won five....
The state measure, which has received approval in Montana’s House and Senate, now faces new obstacles due to an executive order from President Joe Biden banning gender-based discrimination. In Montana, universities receive roughly $350 million from federal funding, $250 million of which goes to student loans and grants to cover tuition costs, AP said. University officials warned that the stipulations of Biden’s order imperiled that $250 million, prompting a GOP-dominated committee of Montana House and Senate members to vote to amend....
Ivan Perisic scored in stoppage time to grab a 2-2 draw in Stefano Pioli’s first match at the helm of Inter after Suso’s double – either side of Antonio Candreva’s strike – looked like it would give Montella’s men victory. However, the Rossoneri head coach insisted on positivity after the match, highlighting Inter’s ecstatic response to the draw – Pioli ran on to the pitch to celebrate – as a sign of how far Milan have come given their opponents were tipped to be Scudetto candidates....
Atlanta United looks like the real deal Aside from a beer tossed from the stands and a few clashes between supporters and security at Sunday’s Pumas-America game (more on the on-field action in point two), things went mostly according to plan across Liga MX. Thankfully, that means we learned plenty from this weekend’s games. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Round 11 of the Liga MX Clausura....
Drogba was an essential part of Montreal’s run to the postseason in 2015, when he scored 12 goals in 14 games (12 starts) after joining the Impact midseason. But this season the 38-year-old striker’s form has not been as stellar, as he has just 10 goals from 22 MLS appearances (18 starts) for the Impact. Furthermore, the Impact as a team have not reaped the benefit of Drogba’s presence this year, at least on the scoreboard....
Not as surprised as Utah politicians. In Washington, the entire delegation joined in a press conference where Sen. Orrin Hatch denounced the move as ““the mother of all land grabs.’’ The tiny town of Kanab in Kane County shut down for an hour in protest, released 50 black balloons and flew the flag at half-mast, while vendors hawked ““Clinton burgers: 100 percent chicken.’’ Kane Commissioner Joe Judd fumed, ““The most powerful politician in the world just kicked me in the teeth....
Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) completed their Malaysia Cup group stage in fine fashion after a comprehensive 3-1 win over Selangor at Tan Sri Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium on Saturday night. The win gave the Southern Tigers the top spot in the group, which also meant that they avoid Kedah in the quarterfinal stage and will instead, go up against Melaka United. Ulisses Morais sprang a few surprises with his team selection, electing to give the likes of Safiq Rahim and Safawi Rasid a breather after their respective international commitments....
The problem is that all of these countries allow licensed gambling at home, and in some cases are promoting its expansion very aggressively. So what’s it really about? In recent months the EU has launched proceedings against all these nations (except of course the United States) for protecting national monopolies in violation of EU laws guaranteeing free movement for goods and services. Gambling may be the world’s most tightly regulated industry....
It’s bad enough cranky owner Dan Snyder is snipping at coach Jay Gruden about his quarterback choice. Some day soon we expect Senate investigations to open on whether Robert Griffin III should start rather than Colt McCoy. So for the record, let’s say something good about an NFL franchise whose mascot remains the object of protest and derision: The Redskins don’t have the league’s worst record. That unfortunate distinction belongs elsewhere....
Countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. are looking to relax COVID rules as cases have fallen consistently in recent weeks. Last week, officials in multiple U.S. states announced that indoor mask mandates would be lifted while U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people in England would no longer have to isolate even if they tested positive for COVID from the end of February. Both nations have seen a significant drop in recorded COVID cases this month....
Using health information from participants enrolled in the United Kingdom Biobank cohort, Monash University researchers found that participants reported spending a median of 2.5 hours in daylight per day. They found that every additional hour spent outdoors was associated with lower odds of developing depressive disorder. “In this study, we observed that the greater time spent in outdoor light during the day was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, lower odds of using antidepressant medication, better sleep and fewer symptoms of insomnia,” Angus C....
The overall war spending bill proposal calls for $163 billion to fight the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while the GI Bill add-on expects to raise $54 billion over the next 10 years through the surtax. The bill would also allow veterans 15 years to use the benefits, whereas currently the limit is 10 years. The White House weighed in with an official veto promise Thursday that also attacked the Democratic plan for increasing taxes....
The Brazilian’s arrival at Camp Nou in 2013, coupled with the £65 million signing of Luis Suarez a year later, meant that a certain World Cup winner was nudged towards the exits. Chelsea 14/1 to win Champions League Having been a key component of Pep Guardiola’s mesmerising tiki-taka brand of football, Pedro was an unfortunate victim of a Catalan revolution. Despite helping Spain to conquer Europe and the world, and Barca to countless major honours at home and abroad, the hard-working frontman’s face no longer fit – there was no place for a ‘P’ in the era of ‘MSN’....
Last week, nine plaintiffs filed suit against the BSA in New York and Long Island, all claiming the Scouts failed to protect them from abuse, some in incidents going as far back as the 1950s. One alleged victim, now 61, told The Washington Post the Scouts allowed his abuser to keep working with other boys—despite, he alleges, the organization knowing of the man’s behavior. “It’s bad enough what one individual human being does, that’s between him and God,” the alleged victim, identified as David, told the Post....
More players have come forward to talk about Illinois coach Tim Beckman and incidents where he was rough with players. The latest comes from a CNN report where they talked to several departed players from the football team. The players had plenty to say about Beckman’s aggressive coaching style, via CNN. MORE: SN coach rankings, 1 to 128 | Best Big Ten games in 2015 | Big Ten non-con rankings...
