Knicks fans are doing almost anything to be at parade: ”Unless I was having a kid born today’ (Video)
Owner of Stop & Shop, Giant grocery chains to pay $40M over pharmacy scandal: ‘Inflated prices’
A massive grocery store operator has agreed to pay $40 million to settle claims it reported inflated prescription prices to federal healthcare programs – which led the government to pay higher reimbursements than it should have.
Ahold Delhaize USA Inc. – the Quincy, Mass.-based operator of Stop & Shop, Giant, Hannaford and Food Lion – manages grocery stores with in-store pharmacies that offer prescription savings programs to members, according to the Department of Justice.
Pharmacies with these savings programs are required to report the discounted prices as “usual and customary” prices on claims submitted to federal healthcare programs, according to federal authorities.
But instead, Ahold Delhaize’s pharmacies reported the higher, pre-discount prices when billing Medicare Part D, Medicaid and TRICARE – prompting the government to pay inflated reimbursements, the DOJ alleged.
“Federal healthcare programs rely on pharmacies reporting accurate pricing information used in the applicable payment formulas,” Brett A. Shumate, assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Division, said in a statement last week.
“If pharmacies report inflated ‘usual and customary’ prices on claims to federal healthcare programs, the programs pay more than they should on those claims.”
Of the $40 million settlement, about $32.9 million will go toward the federal government, while the rest will be paid to states participating in the case.
Lawrence LaBenne, a former pharmacist at an Ahold Delhaize supermarket in Pennsylvania and the whistleblower in the case, will receive more than $6 million as part of the federal share of the settlement.
“Pharmacies are trusted with charging the contracted prescription prices to Medicare and Medicaid and not unfairly and unlawfully taking advantage of the government and the public,” said Troy Rivetti, US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
“This settlement confirms that the United States will take all necessary steps to bring to justice dishonest pharmacies.”
The settlement was part of a coordinated effort between the DOJ’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, along with assistance from the Health Department, Defense Health Agency and state Medicaid programs.
Knicks fans give their hottest takes at NYC parade
Follow the New York Post’s live coverage of the Knicks’ historic NBA championship ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes.
Source link
Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart mic’d up in behind-the-scenes Yankee Stadium video
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson and guard Josh Hart met with some Yankees players before throwing out the first pitch during Wednesday’s 10-5 win over the White Sox.
Fresh off a 2026 NBA championship victory, Brunson and Hart received an outpouring of congratulatory messages from Yankees manager Aaron Boone, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, catcher J.C. Escarra, pitcher Came Schlittler and more in the clubhouse, as seen in a video posted by the Yankees.
“Long week, but great week,” Brunson, who was named the MVP of the 2026 NBA Finals, told Boone.
“I got goosebumps for you,” Boone said.
The two champs — who helped bring a title back to Madison Square Garden for the first time in 53 years — dapped up a bunch of Yankees players and exchanged pleasantries in the video.
Hart said he played baseball “when I was younger,” when asked by Goldschmidt if he was ready to toss the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium.
“We’ll be alright,” Brunson said.
“It’s just New York fans out there, you know, waiting for a strike,” Goldschmidt joked.
At one point, hey were seen practicing throwing in the bullpen.
Hart also congratulated outfield prospect Spencer Jones on being called up by the Yankees.
Brunson’s wife, Ali, and Hart’s wife, Shannon, were there and sporting Yankees jerseys.
He also has a Yankees connection; his great-uncle, Elston Howard, was the franchise’s first African-American player and is enshrined in Monument Park, per MLB.com.
The Yankees actually will have a Josh Hart bobblehead night in September.
Brunson and Hart, former Villanova teammates, threw the first pitches in front of 38,558 in The Bronx before the Knicks’ championship parade Thursday.
The ticker-tape parade will begin at 10 a.m. ET.
As Hungary’s Magyar joins EU summit, sidelined Orban meets with far-right allies
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday without Hungarian politician Viktor Orbán for the first time in 16 years.
Prime ministers, chancellors and presidents have come and gone, but Orbán has been a stable fixture in Brussels’ halls of power, piloting Europe’s drift to the right and pioneering a brand of nationalist populism that has found growing success on the continent and is idolized by the Make America Great Again movement in the U.S.
Orbán, who is now Hungary’s leading opposition figure, had repeatedly clashed with the EU as he vilified its institutions and leaders and broke regulations as he hollowed out institutional checks and balances in Hungary.
Long a foil to EU ambitions in Ukraine and beyond, the former Hungarian prime minister, who lost a pivotal election in April, is now sitting on the sidelines for the first time in a generation — and watching as his successor Péter Magyar joins leaders including Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz as they advance policies likely at odds with Orbán’s vision.
As the EU summit opened to discuss ramping up support for Ukraine, among other things, Orbán was surrounded by his far-right allies from his new position outside the halls of power he once roamed.
Orbán was in the Belgian capital to take part in a Thursday summit of his Patriots for Europe party group, a collection of far-right parties from across the bloc that forms the third-largest caucus in the European Parliament.
Despite Orbán’s bruising election loss — welcomed with relief by many EU leaders and viewed by many observers as a rebuke of his combative approach to the EU and close ties to Russia — he’s remained steadfast in his belief that far-right parties in Europe are on the verge of a breakthrough.
Orbán told a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday that his election defeat had not interrupted “the rise of patriotic political organizations, communities, and parties across Europe.”
“No one election loss can stop this historical process,” he said. “Anti-migration and sovereigntist political forces in Europe will continue to grow stronger in the coming months and years.”
Orbán hopes the Patriots for Europe will be a vehicle for transforming the EU to his vision, for example, by decreasing the bloc’s purview in matters of rule of law and democracy, taking a zero-tolerance approach to immigration and steering toward deeper cooperation with Russia and China.
He had been the primary impediment to the EU’s efforts to draw Ukraine into the bloc. But Hungary’s new government, led by Magyar and his center-right Tisza party, has pledged more constructive cooperation with the EU.
Last week, Hungary lifted its veto on beginning Ukraine’s accession process after weeks of negotiations with Kyiv on restoring minority rights for ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine.
“Hungary obviously had issues that they were able to resolve to allow this to happen this week,” said Thomas Byrne, Minister for European Affairs for Ireland, which will take the rotating EU presidency in July for six months. During that time, accession talks are slated to accelerate for Ukraine and Moldova, among others.
Europe’s far right has indeed scored some recent successes. France’s National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, gained ground in municipal elections earlier this year, while Alternative for Germany (AfD) is performing increasingly well in polls. The populist leader of the Czech Republic, Orbán ally Andrej Babis, returned as prime minister last year and is now the only Patriots member who leads an EU-member nation.
They were able to deeply reform the EU’s migration policy, too, because of an alliance with the center-right European People’s Party. Human rights groups fiercely criticized the measures for increasing the bloc’s surveillance authorities, ramping up deportations of migrants, and the setting up of detention centers outside the EU dubbed “return hubs.” When the right-wing coalition won the vote to pass the migration reform on Wednesday, far-right and center-right lawmakers broke out in cheers inside the European Parliament chamber in Strasbourg, France.
“Send them back,” they chanted.
Still, fractures have emerged within Europe’s far right stemming from discomfort over the United States and Israel’s war in Iran as well as U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, a territory held by EU member Denmark.
And now that Orbán can no longer veto EU decisions — a tactic that increasingly defined his role at the bloc’s summits — Ukraine’s main obstacle to beginning the process of joining the EU has been taken off the table. ___
Spike reported from Budapest, Hungary. Associated Press writer Sylvain Plazy contributed to this report from Brussels.
Jamie Lynn Spears details daughter Maddie having last rites read post-ATV accident
Jamie Lynn Spears’ daughter Maddie had her last rites read after her near-fatal ATV accident in February 2017.
The “Sweet Magnolias” star, 35, told People on Wednesday that the then-8-year-old, who was in a coma, “physically sit[ting] up in all her restraints and tubes” when the priest arrived to her hospital room.
“I [was] screaming for the doctors, like ‘Come in here now!’” the actress recalled. “Even the priest was like, ‘I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening.’”
Spears continued, “I knew she was in there and felt all of us praying. We were given a miracle, and I don’t take it for granted.”
The “Zoey 101” alum shared more details with the outlet of her eldest child surviving “against all odds.”
She remembered witnessing the ATV Polaris accident, which took place at husband Jamie Watson’s Louisiana home.
“We were watching her, and we still don’t quite know if she was dodging a dog or what it was,” the former Nickelodeon star said. “She went in the water and me, my father-in-law and my husband ran as fast as we could to go jump in to get her out, but she was stuck.”
Maddie being pulled out of the water by emergency responders minutes later was “really not a sight anybody wants to see,” Spears told the outlet.
“At that point, she was not breathing. We thought that she had passed,” the “Special Forces” alum explained, noting that paramedics ultimately “got a pulse.”
During the little one’s two-day coma, Spears decided to have another baby since Maddie had been “begging for a sibling.”
Sure enough, Maddie asked about expanding the family when she woke up from her coma.
Spears and Watson, 54, conceived daughter Ivey, now 8, a few months later, and the infant arrived in April 2018.
“We always say [Maddie] went up to heaven to go pick out her little sister,” Spears said. “Ivey’s like, ‘So you did all of that to find me?’”
Looking back on the freak accident, Maddie said, “Seeing everybody rally around me, it made me realize how blessed I am. It really made me so grateful for every day.”
The teenager graduated from high school last month and is set to play softball at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Disgraced Texas cop fired for allegedly giving homeless man a poop sandwich is now a police chief
A disgraced San Antonio cop who was fired — twice — for allegedly giving a homeless man a sandwich stuffed with dog poop is now heading up a different police department in another Texas town.
Matthew Luckhurst was promoted to police chief in Benavides, about 150 miles south of San Antonio, three years after the department hired him despite the stink of his past, according to city records and reports.
He took over his new role on June 1 after city council members voted to appoint him as the area’s top cop during an April 30 meeting, the San Antonio Current reported.
Luckhurst will earn $28 an hour in the small city of about 1,100 people, council records show.
Benavides officials did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Luckhurst had his badge yanked in 2016 after a fellow cop alleged he put street feces on bread in a Styrofoam container and left it for a snoozing homeless man – who never ate the soiled sandwich.
The troubled cop maintained his innocence from the outset, insisting he gave the vagrant the poop-stuffed meal to throw away, not consume.
Bizarrely, that same year, Luckhurst – a five-year veteran at the time – was accused of defecating in a San Antonio Police Department women’s restroom and smearing a “brown substance” on a toilet seat, the outlet reported.
He reportedly never denied being behind the bathroom incident.
Luckhurst successfully appealed his firing in 2019 and briefly returned to the force before a judge upheld his dismissal in 2020. He was back in uniform by February 2022 in nearby Floresville, where he worked for 10 months before being canned when his rancid past resurfaced.
He was hired by then-Benavides Police Chief Andrew Hines in 2023, who said the appointment “reflects the department’s commitment to honesty and accountability.”
Where To Stream The Knicks Parade: Start Time, Route, How To Watch
Knicks in five, baby!
After conquering the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday (June 13) and earning their first NBA championship since 1973, the New York Knicks are being honored with a ticker-tape parade through downtown Manhattan
Team icons like NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby will make their way toward City Hall, where the team is expected to receive keys to the city from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, per The Athletic.
For those living outside of the Big Apple, those who can’t make it to the parade, or for those just wanting to avoid the traffic downtown, here is more on how to stream the Knicks parade.
What Time is The Knicks Parade On? Knicks Parade Start Time:
The Knicks ticker-tape parade begins at 10 a.m. ET.
Where Does The Knicks Parade Start? Knicks Ticker-Tape Parade Route:
According to New York City’s official website, the Knicks ticker-tape parade kicks off near Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan. The parade route continues through what is known as the “Canyon of Heroes,” and should wrap up around City Hall, as noted by NBA.com
Where To Watch The Knicks Parade On TV:
According to the NBA’s official website and The Athletic, those in the New York area can tune in on local stations like ABC 7, MSG Network, NBC 4, CBS 2, My9, and SNY (regional). People outside of the New York area can watch stream the parade on NBA TV. You can also stream the Knicks ticker-tape parade on fuboTV.
Body found in search for missing California woman Ashley Phillips who vanished in Costa Rica
A body has been found in the area where a California woman went missing in Costa Rica.
Ashley Phillips, 30, vanished after she went on a hiking trail while a devastating storm struck.
The body has not been confirmed to be Phillips. A video showed harnessed rescuers taking a body out of a river in the country.
Her family is devastated but takes some solace in knowing her potential body will come home. Costa Rican authorities previously told them that it was likely she disappeared in a “water-related accident.”
She has been missing for more than two weeks, as search efforts, which were initially underway, were once paused due to the torrid conditions before they resumed.
A GoFundMe set up on June 9 said: “For the past seven days, the Jonkey and Phillips family have been living through every parent’s and sibling’s worst nightmare.
“Their beloved daughter and sister, Ashley Phillips, has been missing in Costa Rica after severe weather caused flooding and mudslides during a hike.”
The fundraiser has a goal of $20,000 and has raised more than $18,000 as of Thursday.
In another update posted on June 12, the family marked 10 days since her disappearance, noting search efforts had become difficult because of the weather.
It continued: “Today marks 10 days since Ashley went on a hike and did not return. Due to ongoing severe weather conditions in Costa Rica, the search efforts have been temporarily paused.”
It added: “However, the search is expected to resume once conditions improve and the drier season begins.”
Jeffrey Phillips, her father, said Ashley was staying in an “isolated area” where emergency services would be limited. Ashley Phillips appeared happy, and last spoke to her father about a little baby pineapple that was growing on a pineapple bush.
The woman was aiming for a restorative stay at HOME Farm (which stands for “Heaven On Mother Earth”) in Costa Rica’s Diamanté Valley, a regenerative sanctuary nestled in the heart of the rainforest resting on 55 acres of lush tropical jungle and sitting atop the Nauyaca waterfalls.
England vs New Zealand 2nd Test: Ben Duckett run out for 36
England lose their first wicket as Ben Duckett is run out for 36 by New Zealand’s Nathan Smith on day two of the second Test at The Oval, with the home side 45-1 in their first innings.
FOLLOW LIVE: Second Test: England v New Zealand – day two
Available to UK users only.