News You Ought to Know
Clinton seizes historic primary win
NEW YORK (AP) — Powered by a strong showing in California, Hillary Clinton declared victory in her yearlong battle for the heart of the Democratic party, seizing her place in history and setting out on the difficult task of fusing a fractured party to confront Donald Trump.
Clinton cruised to easy victories in three of the six state contests on Tuesday — including delegate-rich New Jersey. With each win she further solidified Sen. Bernie Sanders’ defeat and dashed his already slim chances of using the last night of state contests to refuel his flagging bid.
The much-needed winning streak allowed Clinton to celebrate her long-sought “milestone” — the first woman poised to lead a major political party’s presidential ticket. Standing before a flag-waving crowd in Brooklyn, the former secretary of state soaked up the cheers and beamed.
“Barriers can come down. Justice and equality can win,” she said. “This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us. This is our moment to come together.”
Clinton had already secured the delegates needed for the nomination before Tuesday’s contests, according to an Associated Press tally. Still, Sanders had hoped to use a victory in California to persuade party insiders to switch their allegiances. Sanders picked up wins in Montana and North Dakota. But Clinton’s substantial lead in California made it clear his effort was faltering.
Official: Truck slams into bicyclists in Michigan, killing 5
COOPER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities were seeking a pickup truck due to reports that it was driving erratically minutes before it struck a group of bicyclists on a street in western Michigan, killing five, a local prosecutor said.
Four other bicyclists suffered serious injuries in the crash early Tuesday evening in Cooper Township and were being treated at area hospitals, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting said during a news conference Tuesday night.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims,” Getting said. “I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through.”
The driver of the pickup, described as a 50-year-old western Michigan man, fled from the wrecked vehicle, and police caught him a short time later. He remains in custody. No charges have yet been filed, but they could come by Thursday, Getting said.
Authorities began receiving calls about a blue pickup truck about 30 minutes before the crash, he said.
Muhammad Ali wasn’t always ‘The Greatest’ at sponsorships
NEW YORK (AP) — Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he didn’t cash in during his prime the way you’d expect today. Product endorsements deals for the boxer were scarce, and in fact his most notable commercial during his earlier years was for a roach trap .
In the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, his political activism and racial pride made many advertisers wary. But it was also a different era in which athletes weren’t generally rich role models and advertising itself focused largely on bland mass-market products.
“There was so much less money in things like sports and sponsorships at the time,” said Mike Lewis, Emory University marketing professor. “If he had that level of stature now, he could be a multibillion dollar marketing entity.”
Ali was a genius at self-promotion, and his brand — the “Greatest of All Time,” as he labeled himself — remains unparalleled in sports. In 2016, decades after he stopped boxing, Muhammad Ali was tied — with Michael Jordan and Tom Brady — for No. 1 in ‘familiarity’ on Marketing Evaluations’ annual sports Q ratings, which measures various aspects of athlete and celebrity marketability. He was more familiar to 18- to 34-year olds than some the most popular current athletes including LeBron James, Serena Williams and Peyton Manning.
So why didn’t that translate into Jordan-level of endorsements? The former Chicago Bulls star, the most successful sports-star pitchman of all time, is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions due to his lucrative Nike Jordan brand and other deals. But Ali was in a different league from the beginning.
(AP) – Kimbo Slice, the bearded street fighter who parlayed his internet popularity into a mixed martial arts career and worldwide fame, has died. He was 42.
Slice, whose real name was Kevin Ferguson, was taken to a hospital in Margate, Florida, near his home Monday, Coral Springs Police Sgt. Carla Kmiotek said.
Slice’s death was confirmed by Mike Imber, his longtime manager.
“We lost our brother today,” Imber said in a text message to The Associated Press.
