PANDEMIC - World Wide and U.S. Response

"Where the coronavirus is spreading worldwide — and why" PBS NewsHour 6/22/2020

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SUMMARY:  The World Health Organization says Sunday marked the largest global daily surge in new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began: 183,000.  In the U.S., daily fatalities from the disease have dropped since the initial peak this spring, but more than 600 people are still dying each day.  Amna Nawaz reports and talks to Stephen Morrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Why Gov. Asa Hutchinson says reopening Arkansas isn’t to blame for rising COVID-19 cases" PBS NewsHour 6/22/2020

As to Confederate monuments: The Confederacy conducted a war against the United States of America, killed American soldiers, and committed treason against the union they had they had signed a contract (Constitution of the United States) to support.  The Confederacy should never be celebrated.

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SUMMARY:  As states continue to lift pandemic restrictions and allow economic activity to resume, many are seeing new surges in coronavirus cases.  Arkansas has documented more than 3,500 new positive tests since it began the second phase of its reopening.  Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson joins Judy Woodruff to discuss where the increase in cases is coming from and his thoughts on moving Confederate monuments.

"Past pandemics have reshaped society.  Will coronavirus do the same?" PBS NewsHour 6/22/2020

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SUMMARY:  Although the coronavirus pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for people living through it, humans have endured similar health ordeals in the past.  Jeffrey Brown speaks to two historians, Frank Snowden of Yale University and Nancy Bristow of the University of Puget Sound, about how previous pandemics have shaped societies.  It’s part of our ongoing arts and culture series, Canvas.

"Fauci tells Congress more testing needed to combat ‘disturbing surge’ in virus" PBS NewsHour 6/23/2020

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SUMMARY:  Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before Congress Tuesday, referring to the spread of COVID-19 in a dozen U.S. states as “a disturbing surge.”  Fauci and other top health experts reiterated the need for more testing, even as President Trump claimed that “testing is a double-edged sword” in the pandemic fight.  Lisa Desjardins reports.

"As COVID-19 spreads in Texas, an ER doctor begs residents to stay home" PBS NewsHour 6/23/2020

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SUMMARY:  Texas is taking a particularly hard hit from COVID-19.  For about a week, the state has been reporting roughly 4,000 new cases per day.  In the Houston region alone, there are nearly 32,000 cases.  For a report from the front lines of the fight against the disease, Amna Nawaz turns to Dr. Hilary Fairbrother, who works in emergency medicine at the Texas Medical Center.

"Are professional sports ready to resume play amid the pandemic?" PBS NewsHour 6/24/2020

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SUMMARY:  The pandemic halted Major League Baseball's spring training in mid-March.  Now, the league has announced it will start a shortened regular season in July.  The plan to play 60 games comes after 40 players and staff tested positive for coronavirus in recent days.  Amna Nawaz talks to author and sportswriter John Feinstein about the pandemic’s challenges for professional sports.

"Stories of 5 Americans killed by the coronavirus" PBS NewsHour 6/26/2020

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SUMMARY:  As the United States approaches another coronavirus milestone, with nearly 125,000 deaths from the disease, we look back at the lives of a few of those lost.  Judy Woodruff shares their stories.

"Florida shuts bars and beaches as COVID-19 cases surge" PBS NewsHour 6/27/2020

aka "Florida regrets reopening"

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SUMMARY:  At least six states have reported a record increase in COVID-19 cases as the total number of cases in the U.S. nears 2.5 million.  Some states, like Florida, which saw more than 9,500 new cases Saturday morning, are rolling back some of the reopening including shutting beaches, parks and some bars.  Ben Conarck, who covers healthcare for the Miami Herald, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the state’s response.

"Why the race for a COVID-19 vaccine is complicated" PBS NewsHour 6/27/2020

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SUMMARY:  Pharmaceutical companies and governments around the world are chasing a coronavirus vaccine, fast tracking the usually years-long vaccine development procedure to a few months.  ProPublica reporter Caroline Chen joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the ambitious timeline and the unpredictability of the clinical trials.

WINTER OLYMPICS 2018 - What to Watch For and World Politics

"2018 Olympic stars, newcomers and comebacks to watch for" PBS NewsHour 2/8/2018

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SUMMARY:  The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, come at a particularly tense moment in the region.  But there's also a lot of excitement around the Games themselves.  John Yang talks to Christine Brennan of USA Today about what and who to watch, the Russian doping scandal, and how one athlete has spoken out against Vice President Mike Pence leading the American delegation.

"Olympics show U.S. and South Korea out of sync on North Korea" PBS NewsHour 2/9/2018

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SUMMARY:  Fireworks opened the 2018 Olympic Games, but competed for attention with a diplomatic spectacle.  The leaders of South Korea and North Korea showed off a historic handshake, while Vice President Mike Pence kept his distance, underscoring apparent divisions between Washington and Seoul.  John Yang gets two views from former State Department officials Anthony Ruggiero and Frank Jannuzi.

SUPER BOWL 2018 - The 'Underdogs'

"‘Underdog’ Philadelphia savors first-ever Super Bowl triumph" PBS NewsHour 2/5/2018

WOW!  What a game, from start to finish.

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SUMMARY:  The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl championship Sunday, defeating the favored New England Patriots 41-33.  Philadelphia fans took to the streets in celebration, climbing light poles and jumping off awnings.  Bob Ford, columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer talks about the Eagles’ championship drought and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles’ remarkable story.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - Alabama "The Crimson Tide will not be denied."

"How this Alabama game-time gamble paid off" PBS NewsHour 1/9/2018

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SUMMARY:  College football ended its season on Monday with high drama.  Alabama won its fifth championship since 2007 in a battle against its Southeastern conference neighbor, Georgia.  In storybook fashion, a [true] freshman player who never started a college game threw three touchdowns, including one in overtime that clinched the victory.  Jeffrey Brown takes a look back with Mike Pesca of “The Gist” podcast.

SPORTS - Technological Cheating

"Baseball teams have always stolen signs.  Here's what makes the Red Sox accusations different" PBS NewsHour 9/6/2017

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SUMMARY:  The Boston Red Sox are accused of using technology to record and decode the signals between New York Yankees' pitchers and catchers in order to use that information to their advantage in the middle of the game.  William Brangham is joined by journalist Joshua Prager to discuss the history of sign-stealing in baseball and whether this strategy clashes with the rules of the game.

NEWSHOUR SHARES - What?! Cricket in U.S.

"Can cricket go mainstream in the U.S.?" PBS NewsHour 7/4/2017

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SUMMARY:  In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, the second most popular sport in the world [cricket] is starting to catch on in the United States -- with a little help from some devotees who grew up playing it in other countries.

THE CHICAGO CUBS - Raising the Victory Flag

"Loveable Losers no more, Chicago raises the victory flag to celebrate its Cubs" PBS NewsHour 11/3/2016

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SUMMARY:  The World Series was destined for a dramatic finish:  The Chicago Cubs finally ended their 108 year-long World Series drought in a hard-fought victory against the Cleveland Indians.  In Chicago, fans who hadn't seen a Fall Classic win in living memory were ecstatic.  Hari Sreenivasan gets insight on the historic event from ESPN's Lester Munson.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Was there any other way for this World Series to end, other than with an epic finish?

Two of the league's oldest teams, the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, were both eager to make history and ready to end decades of frustration as they battled to the end.

The series finally ended with a stunning roller-coaster ride in game seven.

MAN:  The Cubs win the World Series!

HARI SREENIVASAN:  After more than a century of frustration, fandom and futility, the Cubs celebrated in Cleveland.  They became the first baseball team since 1979 to win the championship on the road after coming back from a three-game-to-one deficit.

The game lasted more than four-and-a-half-hours, including a rain delay, before finally ending in the 10th inning.  Players raced around the field and celebrated in the locker room.

Center fielder Dexter Fowler hit a home run to start the game.

DEXTER FOWLER, Chicago Cubs:  I cried.  I cried like a little kid.  You know, it hasn't been done in a century and some.  So, to be a part of this is definitely — it's a pleasure.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  Fans young and old gathered in the streets outside Wrigley Field, even writing names of loved ones on the outside wall of the ballpark, and they celebrated throughout the city.

JERRY POE, Chicago Cubs Fan:  I have been waiting for a long time, 76 years old.  And I couldn't wait to finally get a championship.  And they did for me tonight, finally.

MAN:  You could have a heart attack.

JERRY POE:  Tell me about that.

WOMAN:  They deserve it.  This is the best team we have had in years.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  The Cubs jumped out early and kept building their lead, getting runs against the best pitching squad of the postseason.  By the fifth inning, they were up 5-1.

But then the Cubs pulled their starting pitcher for another ace, Jon Lester.  He threw a wild pitch that led to two runs, narrowing the gap.  And in the eighth inning, this happened.  The game was tied.  After a rain delay, the Cubs scored the winning runs in the 10th.

Suddenly, the so-called curses of past Cub lore were gone, an idea that had crept back into some players during the game.

BEN ZOBRIST, MVP, World Series:  I got to be honest.  When they came back in the eighth, it was on my mind a little bit.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  Cubs manager Joe Maddon said it was time to end the talk of curses.

JOE MADDON, Manager, Chicago Cubs:  I love tradition.  I think tradition is worth time mentally, and tradition is worth being upheld.  But curses and superstitions are not.  So it's really great for entire Cubdom to get beyond that moment and continue to move forward, because now, based on the young players we have in this organization, we have an opportunity to be good for a long time.

SPORTS - Cubs WIN 2016 MLB World Series!

(satire)

"Millions Of Drunk Cubs Fans Rioting In Heaven Following World Series Win" The Onion 11/2/2016

THE HEAVENS—Following a 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians that clinched the team's first World Series title since 1908, sources confirmed Wednesday that millions of intoxicated Chicago Cubs fans are currently rioting across Heaven.

Moments after watching the game's final out from above Earth, massive throngs of intoxicated Cubs fans—most of whom went their entire lives without ever seeing the team win a World Series—poured out all over the eternal city, where they reportedly continued drinking heavily as they cheered, hugged strangers, and loudly played golden harps in celebration of their long-awaited championship.

“Let's go, Cubbies!” screamed Susan Leitch, who died of cardiac arrest in 1997 at the age of 70, before joining hundreds of fellow deceased Chicago fans as they repeatedly sang the chorus of “Go Cubs, Go!”  “World Series champs! Finally!”

“Woo!” continued Leitch as she drunkenly stumbled over her feet and broke out in a fit of laughter.

According to reports, after one fan managed to affix a large “W” win flag to the top of the Pearly Gates, a large mob of Cubs fans began violently shaking the gateway as they chanted third baseman Kris Bryant's name for nearly an hour.  Sources confirmed that the gold-paved streets were quickly littered with empty beer cans, cigarettes, spilled food, and other refuse, while a number of inebriated fans were also seen urinating against the sapphire, emerald, and diamond–encrusted walls that protect the sacred realm.

In addition to firing a slew of Roman candles upwards into infinity, a pack of belligerent fans reportedly succeeded in rocking the Throne of God back and forth until the seat of the Almighty Father tipped over onto the ground, after which several men and women began jumping up and down atop it.

Many witnesses also reported seeing at least one fan hunched over and vomiting over the side of a cloud.

“We did it!” shouted former Chicago resident Arnold Mathis, a victim of the 1918 flu pandemic, after climbing up the Tree of Life and bouncing on one of its branches.  “I can't believe we actually did it!”

“Everybody's getting fucked up tonight!” added Mathis.  “I've waited my entire afterlife for this!”

Some of the festivities reportedly began getting out of hand when a group of Cubs fans lit the Ladder of Divine Ascent on fire, and shortly thereafter, several teenagers dumped an entire pitcher of beer on the head of an archangel as he attempted to fly through the raucous crowds.  Numerous men were later seen stripping off their shimmering Heavenly robes and streaking through God's Kingdom.

However, reports also confirmed that dozens of small children were celebrating peacefully while sitting on the shoulders of their parents or grandparents, with many wearing youth Cubs jerseys bearing the names and numbers of Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, and Jake Arrieta.

According to sources, the championship celebrations are expected to continue for much of eternity.

“Cubbies!  The curse is over, baby!” said longtime fan and father of three Andrew Horton, slurring most of his words as he adjusted his Cubs hat underneath his halo.  “I just fuckin' [unintelligible], you know?  Man...[unintelligible].”

“Cubbies!” Horton added.

At press time, sources within Heaven confirmed that hundreds of disorderly Cubs fans had been apprehended and sent to Hell.

SPORTS - The Voice of the Dodgers

"Vin Scully ends his 67-year career as voice of the Dodgers" PBS NewsHour 10/4/2016

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SUMMARY:  After 67 years in the broadcast booth as a sportscaster for the Dodgers, Vincent “Vin” Scully is retiring.  On Sunday, he called his last game in Los Angeles, but he has been with the team since it was in Brooklyn.  Jeffrey Brown spoke with the baseball legend in 2009 about why he prefers to be the sole commentator of a game and the thrill he gets from the crowd.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  As the baseball playoffs get under way, one of the game's legendary figures, Vin Scully, is signing off; 88-year-old Scully called his last Los Angeles Dodgers game on Sunday.  That closed an incredible 67-year career that started back when the Dodgers called Brooklyn home.

Jeffrey Brown spent a day at the ballpark with Scully in 2009.

Here's an excerpt of that profile.

VIN SCULLY, Broadcaster, Los Angeles Dodgers:  It's time for Dodger baseball.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  It's a voice that generations of Dodger fans have grown up with, savored, loved.....

VIN SCULLY:  Ground ball to third, backhanded by Blake.  He straightens up to throw him out.  Easy inning for Randy Wolf.

JEFFREY BROWN:  ......In Los Angeles, but also, incredibly, going all the way back to Brooklyn in the 1950s.

VIN SCULLY:  The pitch at the right ankle of Andres Torres.  Ball one.

Now, admittedly, there are days where you think, you know, I'd rather sit under a tree and read a book than go to the ballpark.

JEFFREY BROWN:  Yes.  Everybody has those days, right?

VIN SCULLY:  But what's great is, you come to the park, you do the routine stuff, and then the crowd comes in, and the team takes the field, and the crowd roars.  And, all of a sudden, you're delighted as a kid in a candy store.

GOLF - Arnold Palmer, in Memoriam

"Remembering Arnold Palmer, charismatic sports star who changed golf" PBS NewsHour 9/26/2016

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SUMMARY:  It was a golf career that consisted of 67 victories, seven of which were major championships.  From his ferocious swing to his magnetic personality, Arnold Palmer helped turn golf into a major television sport -- and even had a drink named for him.  William Brangham remembers the sports legend, who passed away Sunday night at 87, with Golf Channel's George Savaricas.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  The tributes have poured in all day for golfing legend Arnold Palmer, from his friend and rival Jack Nicklaus, to recent champions like Tiger Woods, to dignitaries like President Obama.

A handful of other champions won more tournaments and titles, but Palmer set a standard for attracting public attention to the sport.

William Brangham has a look back at the king.

ANNOUNCER:  The U.S. Open, played in the shadow of the Rockies, saw Arnold Palmer sink an incredible putt.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour):  June 1960, Denver, Colorado, an improbable win in the U.S. Open became the stuff of golfing legend.

ANNOUNCER:  Coming from seven strokes behind, Palmer showed nerves of steel and a will of granite, as he battled to win the U.S. Open.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  And it defined the style of Arnold Palmer.

ANNOUNCER:  Golfing's man of the year.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  It was, perhaps, Palmer's greatest year.  He had won the Masters just two months earlier, and, all told, won eight times that season.  He followed up with victories at the next two British Opens, and two more Masters in 1962 and '64.

He reflected on his success in a 2011 interview with Charlie Rose.

ARNOLD PALMER, Former Professional Golfer:  Any time I got close, it was just I felt I had to win.  I had to.  I couldn't lose.  I couldn't let that happen to me.  And it worked.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  Arnold Daniel Palmer was born on September 10, 1929, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh.

He began swinging a club at age 4 and practically lived at the area country club, where his dad was first the greenskeeper, and later, the club pro.  Palmer won the U.S. Amateur in 1954, turned pro the next year and quickly began piling up victories, 62 over his career, including seven major championships.

He had a ferocious, muscular swing that made him one of golf's greatest drivers.  And his magnetic, down-to-earth personality drew an energetic fan base, dubbed Arnie's Army.  He helped turn golf into a major television sport.

ARNOLD PALMER:  The game is so fantastic.  If I had a little bit to do with some of the enjoyment that I see today, I'm pleased with that.

"Friends pay tribute to ‘king' of golf, Arnold Palmer" by Larisa Epatko, PBS NewsHour 9/26/2016

2016 OLYMPICS - The Refugee Team

"All-new refugee team wins hearts, if not medals, at Rio Olympics" PBS NewsHour 8/12/2016

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SUMMARY:  They may not be winning gold, but their stories are certainly medal worthy.  The first-ever Refugee Olympic Team is competing in Rio, stacked with athletes like 18-year-old Yusra Mardini, who saved herself and other Syrians stranded during a dangerous Aegean crossing.  Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, says that the team aims to counteract negative global sentiment toward refugees.

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  And we turn to another big story of these Games, away from the medal podiums.

Across the globe today, there are some 65 million people who've been forced from their homes, an unprecedented number.  Ten refugees are now on the world stage in Rio.

He didn't win the 100 meter butterfly yesterday, not even close, but 25-year-old Rami Anis, a Syrian refugee now living in Belgium, did get a standing ovation; 18-year-old Yusra Mardini, also from Syria, won a preliminary heat in her race before failing to advance further.  Still, by the very special terms she'd set for herself, this was a victory.

YUSRA MARDINI, Swimmer, Refugee Olympic Team:  For the refugees in Brazil, and all the refugees around the world, we are going to represent you guys in a really good picture.  And I hope you are going to learn from our story that you have to move on, because life will never stop with your problems or anything.  And I hope that everyone will continue to achieve their dreams.

JEFFREY BROWN:  Just last year, both Yusra Mardini and Rami Anis made the dangerous voyage across the Aegean Sea that's become a symbol of an international refugee crisis.

On Mardini's trip, the motor failed and she and her sister, also a swimmer, were the only ones strong enough to swim the crowded boat to safety.  One week ago, to a resounding welcome, the two young Syrians and eight other athletes made history as the first ever Refugee Olympic Team.

Filippo Grandi, U.N.  high commissioner for refugees, was there, and spoke with us yesterday from his Geneva headquarters.

FILIPPO GRANDI, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:  I was so nervous, like if I was going to give an exam, I can tell you.  And we had to wait for the whole ceremony, because they were the last but one team to enter before the hosts, Brazil.  And when they entered, the emotion was unlimited.

SPORTS - "This is Your Brain on Sports"

"The hidden psychology behind sports teams, coaches and their fans" PBS NewsHour 2/5/2016

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SUMMARY:  With the nation tuning in for Super Bowl 50 this Sunday, many sports fans have football on the brain, especially Sports Illustrated editor Jon Wertheim.  He recently co-wrote the book “This is Your Brain on Sports,” a look at the psychology and behavior of sports teams and their fans.  Hari Sreenivasan sits down with him to learn more about how athletes think.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  A TV audience of well over 100 million is expected to tune in to see the Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton go head-to-head with sentimental favorite Peyton Manning leading the Denver Broncos.

Both teams spent this week in preparations.  The game caps a season of big rivalries, bigger setbacks and some surprise comebacks.

In a new book, “This Is Your Brain on Sports,” “Sports Illustrated” executive editor, Jon Wertheim, along with co-author Sam Sommers of Tufts University, explore the psychology and behavior of sports teams and their fans.

For a closer look, Jon Wertheim joins me now.

So, “This Is Your Brain on Sports,” why the book?

JON WERTHEIM, Co-Author, “This Is Your Brain on Sports”:  We all love sports.

There is so much that goes on in sports, it seems irrational or counterintuitive.  And we dismiss that these are just sort of — these are the rules of the road of sports.  And we wanted to dig a little and say, what really explains — what are the underpinnings, everything from the crazy T-shirt cannon that we go crazy about, to the fact that teams seem to elevate when there’s a rivalry?

What is really going on here?  What is the human behavior?  What is the psychology?  What is going on here?

HARI SREENIVASAN:  Let’s talk a little bit about rivalries.

The likelihood is that this might be one of Peyton Manning’s last days.  So, it’s not a Peyton vs. Cam rivalry.  But, sometimes, when two teams get together at the Super Bowl, it’s a much bigger deal for entire cities and fans.  Why is that?

JON WERTHEIM:  Rivalry is one of these essential elements of sports.

And what the research says is that there really is a difference in performance a run-of-the-mill game vs. a rivalry team.  Physiologically, athletes in a rivalry game, testosterone levels are different.  Saliva levels are different.  These scores tend to be closer.

"5 early Super Bowl ads, starring athletes, Amy Schumer and hot dogs" by Larisa Epatko, PBS NewsHour 2/5/2016


Hee, hee, the 'old man' showed the young upstart how it's done.

KARATE - Master Mahiro Takano

Karate Master Mahiro Takano, all of 7 years old!




Her music video:  (she is so good)

AT THE MOVIES - "Concussion"

"New film tackles dangers of concussions in the NFL" PBS NewsHour 12/23/2015

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SUMMARY:  Dr. Bennet Omalu was working in a Pittsburg coroner's office when he was asked to examine the body of a local football hero.  What he discovered would bring new attention to the hazards of head injuries.  A new film, "Concussion," chronicles the NFL's early efforts to discredit the research.  Jeffrey Brown reports.

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  “Concussion” follows the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith.  A Nigerian-born forensic pathologist, Omalu was working in a Pittsburgh coroner’s office in 2002 when he was asked to examine the body of a local football hero, former Steelers center Mike Webster.

He discovered protein deposits in Webster’s outwardly healthy brain, which he linked to repeated head trauma from football, and a disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.  The film chronicles the league’s early efforts to discredit the research.

ACTOR:  If you retract, you will be fine.  This all goes away.

WILL SMITH, Actor:  Why are they doing this?

ACTOR:  They’re terrified of you.  Bennet Omalu is going to war with a corporation that has 20 million people on a weekly basis craving their product, the same way they crave food.  The NFL owns a day of the week.

DR. BENNET OMALU, Forensic Pathologist:  I knew nothing about football.  I knew nothing about the NFL

JEFFREY BROWN:  Recently, we had the chance to talk with the real Bennet Omalu.

DR. BENNET OMALU:  When I saw the pathologies of Mike’s brain, I reviewed all his medical records.  There was no single mention of any disease.  I thought America was a country made up of the most brilliant.  How come nobody has seen this?

JEFFREY BROWN:  An early ally, played in the film by Alec Baldwin, was Dr. Julian Bailes, a neurosurgeon and former team doctor for the Steelers.  He told us of his early trepidation at going public.

DR. JULIAN BAILES, Former Team Doctor, Pittsburgh Steelers:  I remember remarking to my wife that this wasn’t going to be a fun journey.  I had been a football player.  It was my favorite sport.  I didn’t want it to be true, but I felt that it was, and that we needed to bring it forward and that Bennet Omalu needed the help from myself and others to do that.

TENNIS - Serena's Loss

"Why Serena’s loss is one of the biggest upsets in sports history" PBS NewsHour 9/11/2015

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SUMMARY:  Winner of this year's French Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon, Serena Williams seemed poised to clinch a spectacular Grand Slam triumph at the U.S. Open (tennis).  But her hopes were dashed Friday when Roberta Vinci of Italy defeated the 21-time majors champion in a stunning upset.  Hari Sreenivasan talks to Christine Brennan of USA Today.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  When Serena Williams took to the court this afternoon, her match was expected by many to be one more victory on the road to a spectacular Grand Slam triumph.

Williams had won all three prior major titles this year, the French Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon.  She defeated her sister, Venus, in a tough match earlier this week.  But her opponent, unseated Roberta Vinci of Italy, dashed the hopes of the 21-time major champion in a stunning upset.

Serena was going for history and trying to become the first woman to win a Grand Slam, all four majors in the same season, since Steffi Graf last did that in 1988.

Christine Brennan of USA Today and a commentator for ABC News joins us now.

We were all watching.  What happened?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, USA Today:  Yes, exactly.  What happened?

Well, Vinci happened.  And one of the biggest upsets, Hari, we have ever seen in sports, men or women’s, any sport around the world happened, one of the biggest.  I’m not saying it’s the biggest.  But Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson in 1990.  You have had upsets in golf.  Of course, people remember the U.S. beating the Soviets in hockey at the Olympics in 1980.

I don’t know where that ranks that, to me, is always going to be the biggest.  But in terms of a story that had been building not just for the last week-and-a-half, almost two weeks of the U.S. Open (tennis), but all summer, as we have been looking at the stories of American Pharoah and Jordan Spieth, and we have been talking Grand Slams and Triple Crowns, and here comes Serena just blazing the trail with the Australian, the French, Wimbledon.

And she is at her home tournament.  Wow.  No one ever saw this coming.

SPORTS - Katie Ledecky

"How Katie Ledecky is dominating distance swimming" PBS NewsHour 8/7/2015

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SUMMARY:  Swimmer Katie Ledecky has been blowing by the competition and setting records at the world championships in Russia.  She’s currently on pace to sweep the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 meter freestyles at a single world championship.  To find out more about Ledecky’s incredible feats, Hari Sreenivasan speaks to sports commentator and former Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Just to try to put this in perspective, if Katie Ledecky wins tomorrow, she will have completed an unprecedented sweep of the 200, the 400, the 800 and 1,500 meter freestyles at a single world championship.

She also set world records this week.  And assuming all goes well, she will have raced 6,200 meters in seven days when you include heats and relays.  Since winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, she has set 13 of the fastest racing times in history.

Summer Sanders is a former Olympic gold medal swimmer herself, as well as a sports commentator and reporter who’s been watching all of this.  She joins me now from Salt Lake City.

You know, there’s a lot of people who don’t follow swimming who are starting to wake up to this story.  Why is this so spectacular?

SUMMER SANDERS, Olympic Gold Medal Winner, Swimming (1992):  Well, I think it goes back in history.

I think most people remember Janet Evans, the queen of distance swimming.  She held most of these world records up until Katie broke them. And so we haven’t seen this dominance from the American swimmers in the sport of distance swimming.  Honestly, most kids, if they have the distance gene, prefer to push themselves to the 400 and 200, because it’s so difficult to train for the 800 and 1,500.

But the fact that Katie is doing it and she’s dominating time and time and time again — and she just sort of has this inner personality.  I describe it as like she’s a sprinter personality on the inside, but a distance on the outside.  I love her fist pump when she wins and her enthusiasm that she is showing.  She’s making distance swimming cool.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  She are incredibly different events.  Training for a 200 meter, a sprint-type event, vs. essentially a mile in the pool, and she actually did both races in one day earlier this week.

SUMMER SANDERS:  Ya, she had the semifinals of the 200 freestyle right after she, like, shattered her own record in the 1,500 freestyle.

SPORTS - A New Golf Rivalry?

"Is Jordan Spieth’s Masters win the start of a great golf rivalry?" PBS NewsHour 4/13/2015

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SUMMARY:  Twenty-one-year-old Jordan Spieth made golf history this weekend as the second-youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament -- just a few months older than Tiger Woods was when he won his first green jacket.  He also set several records, including one for making the most birdies at a Masters.  Jeffrey Brown looks at Spieth’s career and accomplishment with John Feinstein of The Washington Post.

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  Jordan Spieth led the tournament from start to finish, the first time that’s happened in 39 years, as he beat back challenges from some of the game’s biggest names.

Along the way, he set several records, for lowest score after 36 holes and after 54 holes and for making the most birdies at one Masters.  After four days, he got to don the traditional green jacket of the Masters winner, having tied the 72-hole record of Tiger Woods.

Spieth spoke about that moment immediately afterwards.

JORDAN SPIETH, 2015 Masters Tournament Champion:  To put on this jacket is incredible.  This feels great.  I plan on not taking it off for quite a while.

(LAUGHTER)

JORDAN SPIETH:  Probably sleep in it for the next few nights.  But this is — it was a test.  There is a reason I have a hairline like this right now.  And that’s because it’s stressful, what we do, on a daily basis.

And to be able to come to the world’s greatest and to come out on top, it puts a lot of confidence in me.

JEFFREY BROWN:  Some perspective now from John Feinstein, a columnist for The Washington Post and the author of several books about golf, including “A Good Walk Spoiled.”  He was in Augusta this weekend.

John, what was the most interesting aspect to this?  Is it his age or the manner of his victory?  What was it?

JOHN FEINSTEIN, Washington Post:  I think it was the manner of his victory.

To sleep on the lead, as they say in golf, for three straight nights…

SPORTS - Legalized Sport Gambling?

"Is legalizing sports gambling a mad idea?" PBS NewsHour 3/21/2015

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Billions of dollars every year are wagered on the outcome of various sporting events, but except for bets made in Las Vegas and a few other states, they're all illegal.  Now, representatives from cash-strapped states and even the NBA commissioner are behind the push to legalize sports betting, which they say will yield economic benefits.  But plenty of opponents to the idea remain.  NewsHour's William Brangham reports.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour):  Right now, millions of basketball fans in America are breaking the law… by betting on the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.  And it’s not just college hoops, it’s bets placed on any sport:  the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA. Billions of dollars every year are wagered, but — except for bets placed in person, in Las Vegas — they’re almost all illegal.

Chad Millman is the editor of ESPN the Magazine, which put NBA Commissioner Adam Silver — and his discussion of legalizing sports betting — on last month’s front cover.

Right now, outside of Las Vegas, it is illegal for me to place a bet on sports.  So how does one go about doing that?

CHAD MILLMAN, ESPN:  You call your bookie.  You go online.  A lot– there’s a lot of internet sites where you can make a bet.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  Off-shore betting sites like this one, called Bovada, are a huge hub for betting on sports.  It’s illegal for Americans to use these sites, but they do.  Authorities have cracked down on these transactions, but they still continue.  Notice the website’s address — it’s bovada.lv — you might think that stands for ‘Las Vegas’?  No, it’s Latvia.

Because it’s a black market, it’s hard to know exactly how much money gets wagered illegally, but the Federal government estimated it ranges from 80 to 300 billion dollars — that’s billion with a 'b' — every year.

OPINION - Shields and Brooks 3/20/2015

"Shields and Brooks on Netanyahu’s election provocation, human trafficking holdup" PBS NewsHour 3/20/2015

Excerpts

SUMMARY:  Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including provocative pre-election comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the House Republicans’ budget priorities, the congressional standoff over the human trafficking bill, plus personal predictions for March Madness.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Let me turn you both to this country, to Congress.

Right now, the budget, Republicans — we now see, David, what the Republicans want to do with the budget.  Many of them are arguing we need to cut $5.5 trillion over the next 10 years, cutting Medicaid, cutting food stamps.  Democrats are screaming, this is way too much.  Do you see balance here?  What do you see?

DAVID BROOKS, New York Times:  Yes, this is sort of happening on two levels.

One is the grand vision level, what do you want, and the budget — the Republican budget in the House does have a grand vision.  They’re right to say we need massive changes to get the balance in budget.  Over the next 10 years, the national debt is rising significantly up to about 78 percent of GDP.  It’s very high, getting way higher the 10 out years.

So they do need to do things.  I think the Republican budget priorities are messed up.  I salute for the way they’re attacking some of the entitlement programs, but they are taking huge cuts, by pretending they’re just block-granting it to the states, out of Medicaid, from the least fortunate.

Then they’re taking huge cuts out of domestic discretionary spending, which is already at his historic lows.  And so I agree with the idea of cutting, but it should all be coming out of entitlements for the affluent and not out of domestic discretionary, which is welfare, education, all the stuff the government does, parks, FBI, and it shouldn’t be coming out of Medicaid.

So, I like their approach.  I just don’t like the priorities they demonstrate in the broad brush.  Let me just quickly on — the narrow thing is over where to cut defense.  And the Republicans are just hugely divided.

MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated columnist:  I think they want to increase defense, Judy.  It’s part of the Republican creed.

And they — for the first time, understandably, they have a real advantage on national security.  And it’s measured in the polls.  We’re going into what they hope would be a national security election.  But it’s also part of what has been the consistent Republican position.

And they now are a more interventionist party than they have been at any time since George W. Bush left office.  But I — at the same time, you have got the deficit hawks who really are — it’s beyond — they have given a bad name to smoke and mirrors.  I mean, they are saying, we’re going to report — repeal the Affordable Care Act and we’re going to cut — we’re going to cut Medicare and Medicaid.

The Senate doesn’t do that, the Senate Republicans.  They voted for it when they were not in power, but they don’t include it as part of their agenda when they are in power.  So I think what we’re seeing is a lot of back and forth.  As long as Republicans won’t — won’t raise taxes and as long as Democrats won’t in any way make entitlements based on need, rather than just across the board, I really think that we’re doomed to this deadlock.
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JUDY WOODRUFF:  Well, the other story out of the Senate this week has to do with holding up the nomination, the confirmation vote on Loretta Lynch, the president’s choice to be attorney general.

In fact, the President, in an interview today with Huffington Post, said, don’t hold the attorney general nominee hostage for other reasons.  It’s the top law enforcement job.  He’s been arguing that they need to break the logjam.

But, Mark, the argument that Democrats are making is — or that Republicans are making is that we’re going to hold this up until you pass this human trafficking bill.  That’s now being held up by language over abortion.

Is there a real difference here, or is it just — is it pure politics?

MARK SHIELDS:  It’s the Senate at its worst.

The human trafficking bill was reported out unanimously.  The Hyde amendment, which has been in power — been in office for 40 years, Judy, prevents the use of public funds for abortion, except in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother.

And it was on page four, page five of the bill.  It’s there.  And, finally, somebody at one of the pro-choice groups, ever vigilant, gets this language.  And it becomes a matter of faith for the Democrats.  You have to understand that Republicans are on lockstep on one issue.  They will not raise taxes.  Democrats are in lockstep on another issue, pro-choice in all cases on abortion.

So they have turned this in — human trafficking is lost.  Human trafficking is a human tragedy.  It’s an outrage against any decent people.  It’s — the victims are terribly, terribly treated, whether in sex trade or whatever.  This is a chance to get them back, to help them, to help local law enforcement do it.

And the Democrats are standing on one side, and the Republicans are playing games on the other.  Both sides are playing games.  They ought to pass the human trafficking immediately and they ought to confirm Loretta Lynch.

DAVID BROOKS:  Yes.  If we had a government that worked, the Republicans would say, OK, the attorney general has nothing to do with human trafficking.  We will let her go through.  And the Democrats would say, the Hyde amendment, it’s always been in these sorts of laws.  It has loopholes wide enough to drive a truck through.  It doesn’t have that much practical effect.  We will let that go through.

And both good things would get through.  But we don’t live in that country.

SPORTS - Technology to Prevent Brain Trauma

"Can a helmet sensor help prevent brain trauma in athletes?" PBS Newshour 3/17/2015

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  As we learn more about the effects of concussions and sports-related head trauma, parents, coaches and medical professionals are debating how to keep players safe.  Some are looking to technology, like a device worn under the helmet that shows the force of impact after a fall or collision.  Hari Sreenivasan reports as part of our Breakthroughs series.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Next, the risk of concussions in sports and trying to lower those odds.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland shocked the pro football world yesterday by announcing his decision to retire from the game after a strong rookie season.  Borland, who is 24 years old and was expected to earn more than a half-million dollars next season, told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” he was concerned about head trauma from repeated hits.

CHRIS BORLAND, Former NFL Player:  It was just kind of the realization.  I had just started my professional career.  And am I going to go down this road?  Am I going to commit the prime of my life to something that could ultimately be detrimental to my health?  And that just kind of triggered my thinking and changed the way I viewed the risks.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Borland becomes the most prominent player to leave the game in his prime based on those risks.

But worries are also growing among many parents of younger athletes and kids playing sports.  It turns out researchers are looking into whether electronics can make sports safer.

Hari Sreenivasan reports on new innovations for brain safety on the playing field.  It’s part of our continuing series on Breakthroughs.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Contact sports like hockey can be brutal; 19-year-old Oliver Bech-Hansen describes getting hit so hard, he lost his memory.

OLIVER BECH-HANSEN:  I just couldn’t remember everything.  It took me a couple weeks before I finally — I slowly started remembering things that happened.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  As the spotlight on concussions and head trauma intensifies, parents, coaches, and medical professionals are debating how to keep players safe, and some are looking to technology.

The Jersey Wildcats, a league of 16-to-20-year-olds, have been experimenting with a head impact device donated by Reebok.  The device, called Checklight, is worn under the helmet and features an LED light on the back of the neck that flashes if a player takes a big blow.