Latest news with #KevinOConnor
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Cam Johnson is a great fit for Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor is joined by Adam Mares to discuss Denver's additions this offseason and why Cam Johnson is a better fit for the team than Michael Porter Jr. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Adam, I am curious about your overall thoughts. I'm sure you've talked about them a lot with the Denver Nuggets. I feel like they have been one of the winners of this entire offseason so far. Valentunis, De'Anthony Melton back on the floor, get Bruce Brown back, among many other additions. What's your overall assessment of how Chris and this remade Nuggets front office has done so far? Well, first of all, I think there are so many fascinating layers to the Nuggets because they get a rookie head coach, rookie front office, at every position. My expectations were low. They didn't have a lot of assets. So my first impression is I was surprised. I'm shocked that they were able to do so much and not just do so much. I made a lot of moves I really believe in that I think are exciting. They have depth. They brought in shooting. I mean, they were missing depth last year. They didn't have any shooters outside of Michael Porter and Jamal Murray. They've added a bunch. And then they have this very unique situation with Vlatunis Valentina, a true backup center that we haven't really seen in the cache area. So the Nuggets to me did a lot of interesting things and answered a lot of the questions that I just thought were unanswerable going into the offseason. And I think, mate, the big move of all of them was trading Michael Porter Jr. In a 2032 first for Cam Johnson. And to me, on paper, as good as Michael Porter Jr. Was in his time in Denver, Cam Johnson is just better at some of the things that are gonna make him even a better fit next to Jokic because MPJ was a flamethrower shooter and he was like a, you know, helpful rim protector, a helpful rebounder, but Cam Johnson is an elite shooter off the catch, a developed shooter off the dribble as well, a guy who can attack a closeout, do some work in the mid-range area, can make the right pass, and is still a very good defender in his zone right as well. Do you view Cam Johnson as worth sacrificing that 22, 2032 first round pick for the Nuggets? To me, no question. There's absolutely worth it because I think Cam Johnson is meaningfully better at the things that are going to really matter about the fit for Denver, namely the ability to read the floor, the ability to guard and keep your guy in front of you. Not that Cam Johnson is a shutdown defender, but I think he's going to do a good job of executing the scheme and keeping the guys in front of him. So yes, I think it was worth it. I mean, look, Leoga is over. I've seen 60 years of Denver Nuggets basketball where it hasn't been pretty. I think Nuggets fans are prepared for whatever's coming their way in 2032 and beyond. It's gonna be ugly, but you use that asset to bolster your opportunity right now, and I just think Cam Johnson, this is, it's rare we get, uh, uh, a situation like this where we're going to be able to compare two players, very, very similar in different situations, swapping with each other because you always wonder how much you get a bump playing with Jokic. Michael Porter wants to expand his game. How much does he, how efficient can he be? Those questions will be answered this year, and it's kind of exciting. Close
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Do the Nuggets & Rockets threaten OKC? + Kuminga latest & CBA changes with Adam Mares
Subscribe to The Kevin O'Connor Show Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Kevin O'Connor is joined by Adam Mares from the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas to break down Denver's offseason moves, including the Cam Johnson-MPJ swap. Could the Nuggets revamped roster shake up the West enough to challenge Oklahoma City? Or are the Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant in a better position to threaten the Thunder? Plus, the pair dive into how the new CBA could change the landscape of the league forever. (0:11) Latest on Jonathan Kuminga (3:20) Adam Mares joins from Summer League (4:33) Nuggets trade MPJ to Nets for Cam Johnson (10:33) Can Nuggets threaten OKC? (12:45) Can Rockets threaten OKC? (16:32) How has the CBA changed the NBA? 🖥️
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Biden aide denounces GOP probe as baseless and denies any cover-up
WASHINGTON—A longtime close aide to President Joe Biden on Wednesday denounced Republican investigations into the former president as baseless in testimony to lawmakers and defended Biden as capable of carrying out his presidential duties at all times. Steve Ricchetti, a senior advisor to Biden during his presidency, wrote in his opening statement to the House Oversight Committee that he was willing to answer lawmakers' questions about Biden's mental state while in office despite Republicans' effort to intimidate officials who served in the previous administration. 'I believe it is important to forcefully rebut this false narrative about the Biden presidency and our role in it,' Ricchetti said. 'There was no nefarious conspiracy of any kind among the president's senior staff and there was certainly no conspiracy to hide the president's mental condition from the American people,' wrote Ricchetti, who has served as an aide to Biden since 2012. He said Biden was fully capable of carrying out his duties throughout his term. Ricchetti's testimony comes after weeks of appearances from former Biden aides as House Republicans seek to build their investigation, which is central to their oversight agenda as they seek to turn the spotlight back to the last administration. Some former staffers, including Biden's physician Kevin O'Connor and Anthony Bernal, a top aide to former first lady Jill Biden, invoked their Fifth Amendment rights and declined to answer questions from the committee. Others, including former White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Neera Tanden, former director of the Domestic Policy Council, have answered the committee's questions at length. The committee will hear from seven more senior Biden staffers in the coming weeks. The Trump White House has launched its own inquiry into Biden. In June, Trump issued an executive order that argued there were clear indications that Biden lacked the capacity to exercise his presidential authority and ordered an investigation into whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the president. Ricchetti argued the Republican-led inquiries were an obvious attempt to deflect from the chaos of this administration's first six months. He contrasted it with what he said were Biden's accomplishment on issues like infrastructure, inflation, climate policy, and the coronavirus response. 'I firmly believe that at all times during my four years in the White House President Biden was fulfilling his constitutional duties. Did he stumble? Occasionally. Make mistakes? Get up on the wrong side of the bed? He did–we all did. But I always believed–every day–that he had the capability, character and judgment to be president of the United States,' Ricchetti said. At the heart of the Republican probe is a legal dispute over the Biden White House's use of the autopen, a device used in all presidential administrations to issue the president's signature for laws and executive orders. Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration allege without evidence that Biden was not in a cogent state of mind for much of his presidency and that many policies enacted during his time in office may consequently be illegal. Biden has called Trump and House Republicans liars for the claim and said he made every single one of the decisions in office that involved an autopen. Biden's aides are now echoing that sentiment directly to the committee. Republicans are still eager to highlight Biden's various gaffes as a political cudgel against Democrats. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have largely dismissed House Republicans' probe as a distraction from the Trump administration's agenda. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat who sits on the House Oversight Committee, said Republicans in the probe look like losers after she exited the deposition for Anthony Bernal, the former chief of staff to Jill Biden.
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Investigate Biden's health in office, but investigate Trump's, too
The argument in the July 11 editorial, 'Why Congress should investigate Biden's health,' that Congress should investigate Joe Biden's health while he served as president, would have been far stronger if the board had also argued for looking into President Donald Trump's health. Investigating Biden's situation after the fact might help support arguments for greater transparency and awareness. But politicizing the move by focusing on one party dooms the effort at this point. Furthermore, demonstrating a clear, current focus on fitness for service strengthens the argument for investigating Biden's health now. And need I mention, investigating Trump's health would highlight any risks the nation faces now — not just hypothetically, were Biden to have won the 2024 election. Examining what health-related assessments are the norm in high-level executive positions in both private- and public-sector organizations would also offer insights into how Congress should handle these cases. Tom Martella, Washington The July 11 editorial on the congressional investigation into former president Joe Biden's health during his administration cited a number of concerns. Those included forgetting names of top aides, use of teleprompters and tiredness, which imply that Biden might have been unable to fully exercise the duties of the presidency. The editorial also pushed for Kevin O'Connor, Biden's onetime doctor, to be more forthcoming about his patient's health despite confidentiality laws that apply to health records. To expect an unbiased and nonpolitical investigation into this matter as the editorial would want is ludicrous, given the political environment of Congress. Though such an investigation could be useful, it could only provide meaningful information if conducted by an independent team of experts and if not politically motivated. Congress could authorize such a review. Congress's job is to investigate and react to what is going on in the country by proposing laws. What laws would be proposed after an investigation into Biden's health? Limit the age at which a candidate could run for president? Such an action would probably require a constitutional amendment and take years to enact. Though Biden might have exhibited some of the symptoms of age, whether they affected his ability to function as president is doubtful, as he achieved many positive things for the country during his term. With so much at stake in the country these days, Congress should spend its time on much more pressing issues. Jared Wermiel, Silver Spring Sadly, the 'unflinching investigation into Biden's fitness' that the July 11 editorial advocated would probably never happen in today's Congress. Extreme polarization has made it impossible. Democrats do not have faith in Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chairman of the Oversight Committee, to conduct a proper investigation. Nor should they, given that Comer's impeachment investigation of President Joe Biden was unbecoming of Congress. Even Comer's witness, conservative legal scholar Jonathan Turley, testified there was not enough evidence for impeachment. So, unlike the Editorial Board, I am not the least bit disappointed that former White House physician Kevin O'Connor is refusing to testify. But I do agree fully with the Editorial Board that Americans deserve an unflinching investigation into Biden's health. I am a Democrat of 45 years, and I am extremely disappointed in what has occurred with what seems to me to be a cover-up into the serious matter of a president's health. Democrats' claim that Donald Trump was a threat to democracy was undermined when they appeared to hide from American voters the condition of their 2024 presidential candidate. Attempting to conceal the true condition of their candidate would be a threat to democracy. Bruce Kirby, Rockville Does it really matter whether Congress investigates former president Joe Biden's health in office, as the July 11 editorial charged? He's retired. Leave him alone. Here's a better idea: Investigate the health of our current president. He's the only one who should really matter to Congress. During Donald Trump's first term, dozens of psychiatrists and mental health experts collaborated on a book alerting the American public to the potential danger he posed. Clues to Trump's mental state have been plainly observable for many years. So have at it, lawmakers. But, if they determine that Trump suffers from a health issue that makes him unfit for office, they must act for the nation's good and not for political advantage. Paul Mazich, Yorktown, Virginia The writer is a retired commander in the U.S. Navy. Regarding the July 19 editorial, 'The opioid settlement can help save lives': Naloxone, or Narcan, is a lifesaving tool, and expanding its accessibility should absolutely be a key target of opioid settlement fund spending. But it is not the only strategy worthy of investment. The settlement agreement allows for the funds to be used for opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders, recognizing the high rates of poly-substance use and that substance-specific strategies are often ineffective (particularly for prevention). These funds provide an unprecedented opportunity to address our nation's addiction crisis. Let's encourage states to spend them on the things that we know work not only to reduce opioid overdoses but also to end the recurring cycles of addiction and drug epidemics. Spending all settlement funds on increasing access to naloxone will not prevent the emergence of the next drug epidemic. This can only be done by investing the settlement funds in effective prevention strategies that promote resilience and emotional well-being among youths, targeting the root causes of substance use and an array of other negative health and social outcomes. Though naloxone is a powerful tool for preventing overdose, it will not prevent drug use, nor is it a treatment for addiction. It only reverses opioid overdoses; it does not reduce deaths from other major contributors to preventable deaths in the United States: alcohol and tobacco. Treatment, particularly Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for opioid use disorder, is also a critical tool for reducing overdoses. The suggestion that treatment only works for people willing to seek it out ignores the reality that treatment is widely unavailable and often unaffordable. Expanding access to effective treatment must also be a key focus of the settlement fund spending. States should absolutely use the settlement funds to prevent opioid overdoses and save lives. The danger is in suggesting that there is one solution to this multifaceted crisis. Lindsey Vuolo, New York Linda Richter, Scarsdale, New York Lindsey Vuolo is vice president of health law and policy at the Partnership to End Addiction. Linda Richter is senior vice president of prevention research and analysis. In 2013, we worked on the development of the White House drug strategy, which recommended broader access to naloxone and also recognized the need for an expanded system of care for people with substance use disorder. We are encouraged by The Post's July 19 editorial that called attention to the persistent issue of overdose deaths facing the United States. We also appreciated the Editorial Board's desire to see opioid settlement dollars spent on evidence-based interventions that will reduce overdose deaths. We heartily agree and have dedicated our careers to advancing these interventions. However, though we agree that naloxone and overdose prevention efforts are key elements of a state or local community's response to overdose deaths, naloxone cannot be the primary or sole response simply because this investment alone will not yield the greatest possible impact. Methadone and buprenorphine are the most evidence-based treatment medications for opioid use disorder, and they can have the biggest impact on mortality. That's because these medications provide long-term overdose prevention, decreasing mortality by nearly 50 percent; they support sustained recovery and improved outcomes for individuals, as well as stability for families and communities; and naloxone is estimated to have only a 3.6 percent mortality prevention effect. Treatment medications dramatically lessen illicit opioid use, thereby driving down the risk of overdose (and the demand for illicit opioids such as fentanyl). As the editorial states, long-term efforts are needed, but we must also look to the evidence to drive effective strategies that improve lives and prevent deaths. Regina LaBelle, Takoma Park Caleb Banta-Green, Seattle Regina LaBelle was acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Biden administration and also served at ONDCP in the Obama administration. Caleb Banta-Green was a senior science adviser at the White House ONDCP during the Obama administration. Post Opinions wants to know: What would you add to a time capsule to represent America today? Share your response, and it might be published as a letter to the editor.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lakers vs. Clippers: who won the summer? + Summer League superlatives & standouts
Subscribe to The Kevin O'Connor Show Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube KOC and Jack Simone both grew up in Boston, so naturally both were stunned to see the Marcus Smart/Lakers news! Don't miss their reasoning for why they think it was a great move by the Lakers. Both think this move could unlock PEAK Luka Doncic — is he primed for his 1st ever MVP season in the NBA? Then Kevin and Simone recap a wild Summer League: which rookie impressed them the most, which Year 2 player left the best mark in Vegas — and conversely which players disappointed? Then, KOC is joined by Es Baraheni at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas to break down the performances of the league's newest stars including Carter Bryant, Dylan Harper, Yang Hansen & more. Plus, what can we REALLY expect from the Toronto Raptors this season? (1:32) CP3 returns to Clippers (7:27) Lakers sign Marcus Smart (14:46) Summer League superlatives (38:39) Ben Simmons free agency update (44:41) Summer League recap with Es Baraheni (59:29) Expectations for Raptors this season 🖥️
