Ben Leonard @_BenLeonard_ Twitter profile

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Ben Leonard

1 month

Recently reached three years full-time at @politico . Grateful for all the experiences and the many people who have made it possible

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

5 years

Line to get into @BetoORourke talk, and it loops around the corner way more

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

INVESTIGATION: @VUMCHealth put resident @EugeneGu on leave one day after a patient’s mother complained about him kneeling to protest white supremacy:

Vanderbilt puts Duke Med alum on leave after complaint about kneeling to protest white supremacy

Duke medicine alumnus Eugene Gu has been no stranger to controversy.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

My parents gave the bakery a Duke logo shaped sugar decal to put on a graduation cake. We got this. Nailed it.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Dan Hurley on Duke: "They looked like an NBA team out there."

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

. @EugeneGu was put on leave one day after a patient complained he kneeled to protest white supremacy. @VUMChealth now denies that was why he was put on leave:

After criticism, VUMC issues new statement denying doctor was placed on leave for kneeling against...

Amid public backlash for its decision to put a prominent Duke Medicine alum on leave after a complaint that he kneeled to protest white supremacy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has changed its...

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

#Duke ’s Brennan Besser is going to bike from Seattle to New York this summer to raise awareness for the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) community.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

1 year

Some news: I’ve been promoted to anchor @Politico ’s flagship Pulse newsletter and be a Congressional health care reporter for the team, starting Aug. 7, covering health care politics and policy on the Hill. Can’t wait to get started! 🧵

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

My predictions for the NCAA tournament—predicting a #Duke championship. Why? Since 2002, every champion has been in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Duke is No. 3 in offense and No. 7 in D.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

My take: Trevon Duval should have stayed at Duke for another season:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

No Duke player I talked to in the locker room knew anyone who went to Chipotle for dinner recently

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

Today is my first day at the @baltimoresun reporting on the breaking/emerging news desk as the Mary J. Corey intern. So excited to report on Baltimore! Working remotely and am living in the city. DM's are open for story ideas/food recs! My email is bleonard @baltsun .com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Duke looks like it might be able to handle UMBC right now

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Coach K is the winningest coach ever. Why? His ability to adapt, among other things:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Coach K on @dandakich calling Bagley 'selfish: "Just like everyone is entitled to write their own expense reports, it doesn't mean that what he says is true."

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be covering breaking news for @POLITICO as a spring intern, starting January 11th. I’ve dreamed of joining this team for years, and I’m looking forward to learning from and working with them.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Quinn Cook has been scoring like crazy with Stephen Curry out:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

1 year

NEWS: The DEA will extend pandemic rules through Nov. 11, allowing doctors to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine, without meeting patients in person. If patient relationship established before Nov. 11, rules will extend another year

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

3 years

Some news: After a great breaking news internship here, I’m thrilled to be joining @POLITICO 's health care team full-time as a health technology reporter! Today’s my first day — very excited to start. People in health care/health tech: I’d love to chat! 📬: bleonard @politico .com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Rhode Island guard Stanford Robinson on #Duke : "I don't think they really watched us. Someone told me they seen them in Chipotle yesterday or two days ago, and they asked them about Rhode Island, and they said they didn't know who we were."

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

#Duke commits R.J. Barrett and Tre Jones are two of three finalists for the Gatorade National Player of the Year

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

#PennState 's Saquon Barkley (8 games): 801 yards, 5.8 YPC, 9 TD's #Stanford 's Bryce Love (7 games): 1,387 yards, 10.3 YPC, 11 TD's

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

My take: If Trevon Duval is starting, everyone but him is losing. Alex O'Connell needs to start:

Why Alex O'Connell may provide a lineup upgrade for Duke

There has been an easy fix sitting right on the bench for a while.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Duke looks like the complete package right now. Great defense, offense that has been able to shake off bad starts to be really good. Let's see how it holds up against tougher competition—perhaps MSU

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

No, Grayson Allen's hip check wasn't intentional:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Allen could make an instant impact in Utah:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

2 years

In today's Future Pulse, I talked with @mcuban about his @costplusdrugs company and how he aims to compete with the big pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. "Transparency is a powerful drug."

Mark Cuban vs. your drugstore

www.politico.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Duke will need Gary Trent Jr. to stay hot from deep to help beat Syracuse's zone:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

This Duke team plays with so much more energy than it did last year. Big things to come

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

This defense is back. Had no faith in Duke's ability to go deep in March just two weeks ago, but Blue Devil fans should be much more optimistic now.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Marvin Bagley III has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Award, given to basketball's player of the year

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Thoughts as this game closes: Duke is a scary team when Duval is playing well. It will need to clean up the defense a bit and avoid stretches like it gave up early in the game, but they're in good shape

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

With a win today against Rhode Island, Coach K would have the most wins of all time, men’s or women’s, passing Pat Summitt:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

2 years

I talked with @mcuban about his Cost Plus Drug Company on today's @POLITICO Pulse Check. He wants to sell to Medicare and is working on insulin. He also discussed what he thinks Congress has a "fundamental misunderstanding" on. That plus much more:

POLITICO's Pulse Check

Listen to POLITICO's POLITICO's Pulse Check podcast on Apple Podcasts.

podcasts.apple.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

The old, aggressive Grayson Allen is back. 13 points in the first 16 minutes.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

First half takeaways: Duke can have Allen and Bagley play well at the same time, and when it does, it's scary. But when they don't play defense, it's equally scary for Duke fans.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

ESPN says UNC’s starters didn’t show up and play...not inaccurate

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

2/ The patient's mother wrote two public Facebook posts confirming that she kicked him out of the room for @EugeneGu ’s actions—specifically, posting this photo on Twitter

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

After dropping 19 points and dishing out seven assists, Trevon Duval says he has his swagger back:

Trevon Duval heats up to spark Duke men's basketball's first-round win vs. Iona

Trevon Duval shook off an ankle injury he suffered in one of his worst performances of the season his last time out, igniting Duke’s offense.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

Some Baltimore voters are headed to the polls in style today: in limos. Local funeral home directors say they hope to transport up to 21,000 people in Baltimore to voting booths.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Jayson Tatum on R.J. Barrett: “He’s more athletic than I was at that age, he’s probably stronger than me. My advantage was that I’m a little taller, and my ability to score the ball was my strong suit.... He’s a great player and a great athlete.

Duke men's basketball commit R.J. Barrett named Gatorade National Player of the Year

Another elite recruiting class, another national player of the year for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

“Two weeks ago, I was falling out of aggressive mode. It’s at a point now where I have the ball in my hands, I’m staying in that mode"—Grayson Allen:

Duke men's basketball returns home to face stingy Louisville defense

With Marvin Bagley III once again a game-time decision, Duke will face a Cardinals team that has lost four of its last six games.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

2 years

Doctors have sometimes failed to diagnose serious Covid cases for people of color — and FDA says one reason may be flaws in pulse oximeters. "It’s really shocking that it was only until 2021 for the FDA to actually issue an alert" — @uche_blackstock

Flawed oxygen readings may be behind Covid-19’s toll on people of color

The Food and Drug Administration is convening an advisory panel later this year to investigate.

www.politico.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

. @dandakich called Marvin Bagley III "selfish" and said Duke went on its winning streak because he wasn't playing. Bagley: "It’s funny how some people try to become relevant by spewing ignorance on National TV."

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

It's really impressive that Duke is up without any real contributions from Bagley and Carter. Bagley has five points, Carter has more fouls than points, and they have just four rebounds together. Other takeaways and things to watch....

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Joel Berry II on Cameron: "I always love winning there....It’s kind of like going back to play in a high school, the fans right there on the court doing the twinkle fingers or whatever." Berry has won once in three tries at Duke

Duke men's basketball ready to host North Carolina on Grayson Allen's Senior Night

Duke and Carolina in a nutshell. Whatever you thought knew about a basketball game, throw it out the window.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

3 years

Scoop: At least a half dozen other states are considering deploying vaccine passports, taking on an initiative the Biden administration signaled this spring that it would own by issuing nationwide standards.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

5 years

Life after graduation news: Thrilled to announce that I'll be the Mary J. Corey intern this summer at the @BaltimoreSun ! Can't wait to get started.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Bagley on #Duke 's performance last night: “Coming out and not winning, that’s not going to fly, especially against that team. If I had to grade it, I’d say it was an F."

'I'd say it was an F:' Rebounding woes in second half doom Duke men's basketball

Duke owned the boards against the nation’s top rebounding team at the outset, but imploded as the game wore on.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Reminder: Grayson Allen called Chipotle queso "underwhelming" at ACC media days:

Rhode Island guard says Duke players 'didn't know who we were' at Chipotle

Set to take on Duke Saturday afternoon in the NCAA tournament, Stanford Robinson doesn’t think the Blue Devils know who his team is.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

. @SethDavisHoops : "When #Duke is playing at its best, there is no better team in the country."

CBS analyst Seth Davis joins Cameron Chronicles to break down Duke men's basketball

The Chronicle's Mitchell Gladstone and Hank Tucker talked with Seth Davis—Duke alumnus and managing editor of The Fieldhouse—about the Blue Devils and the college basketball landscape as a whole.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

5 years

JUST IN: Nike officials texted about paying former #Duke star Zion Williamson more than $35,000 in 2017, @MichaelAvenatti 's legal team alleges. Latest for @DukeChronicle :

Nike execs texted about paying Zion Williamson more than $35,000, Avenatti alleges

Avenatti files motion alleging Nike employees texted about paying Williamson.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Biggest development of the season: Alex O'Connell says he cut his hair because it got in his eyes when he shot. "I didn’t want the whole Luke thing. It was distracting.”

Band of misfits for Duke men's basketball develops into productive bench

Even Trevon Duval finds himself coming off the bench—albeit in a crucial sixth-man role—for a team with national championship aspirations.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

6/ @VUMCHealth declined to comment to the @DukeChronicle on many occasions.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Alex O'Connell's leads Duke in hair adjustments per minute

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

3/ Emails obtained by the @DukeChronicle show VUMC chairman of dept of surgery asking for someone to document the mother's concerns.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Trevon Duval and Gary Trent Jr. are not at the draft, according to a team spokesman

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

4/ One day later—Nov. 9— @EugeneGu was placed on administrative leave for almost two weeks and is on probation until March.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

3 years

Telehealth has become a rare bipartisan issue in Congress. “We've gone from the point where if I talked about telehealth to someone their eyes would start to glaze over,” @brianschatz said. “Now...their head nods vigorously up and down.” Story:

Virtual care becomes a common cause in a divided Congress

Lawmakers are lining up to decide what Medicare will pay for after the pandemic is over, with sponsors of a leading Senate plan confident they have the votes to include it in a must-pass piece of...

www.politico.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Look for #Duke to try to get Syracuse's bigs into foul trouble by attacking the basket:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

2 years

The FBI has searched the Mar-a-Lago home of Donald Trump @nicholaswu12 @kyledcheney

Trump's Mar-a-Lago home searched by FBI in unprecedented move

At issue is the former president's handling of materials taken from the White House to his Florida estate. Law enforcement remains hush about it.

www.politico.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

5 years

#Duke 's Deon Jackson is one of college football's 15 most exciting players, according to ESPN:

College football's most exciting players (and no Tua or Trevor!)

What makes players like Alabama's Jerry Jeudy the most exciting in college football? We have the stats and the highlights for these 15 can't-miss stars.

www.espn.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

5/ A letter from VUMC dated Nov. 10: We are investigating “concerns about safety of other employees, complaints that VUMC has received from patients and external sources, and other related concerns.”

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Carter on playing with Markkanen: “We’re going to be unstoppable”

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

One key takeaway from #Duke 's win against Clemson: its new defense is for real:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

What can #Duke fans expect from No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett?

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Although Duke was able to beat UNC, it will need to be better at the free throw line going forward:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

Duke has moved classes online for the rest of the semester, my last in college. It's safest for me to stay here in my off-campus housing than to fly home to California, so I'll be staying in Durham, reporting on coronavirus and the city. Email and DM's are open for tips

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

2 years

NEW: Pressure from lawmakers and advocates is growing on President Joe Biden to safeguard abortion patients’ data. “The best time to have taken forceful action...would have been the day Dobbs leaked. The second best time is now,” said @mattbc .

Lobbying heats up to protect evidence in potential abortion cases

Prosecutors in states where abortion is now illegal have access to troves of personal data.

www.politico.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

This cuts out Trae Young pushing him down. Misleading

SB Nation

@SBNation

6 years

Grayson wyd

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

“Especially with a very young team, everything is a first, and it's your first game on camera, your first true road game, first tournament. Everything's a first, so you have to try to prepare them"—Grayson Allen

Duke hopes to avoid another first-round shocker on quest for national title No. 6

With the painful memories of falling to a No. 15 seed in 2012 and a 14th-seeded side in 2014, Coach K and his young Blue Devils aren't taking Iona lightly.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

A new assistant joined me today

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Take of the week: The ACC is Duke's to lose:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Coach K and Grayson both vote most likely to be late to practice: Jordan Tucker.

ACC Men's Basketball

@accmbb

7 years

Before the teams face off in tonight's @NewYorkLife #ACCTourney Semifinals, go behind the scenes at #ACCMediaDay for some fun and games with @UNC_Basketball and @DukeMBB :

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

The Crazies didn't show up for #Duke against Virginia:

Make Cameron Great Again

Fans around me had to desperately plead to “Crazies” in the front few rows to stand up and cheer.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

How could Wendell Carter Jr.'s mother and Christian Dawkins, the business associate of disgraced agent Andy Miller, have spent $106 at LongHorn Steakhouse? We investigate the menu:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

What can #Duke fans expect from Tre Jones?

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

This tent...didn’t quite survive the storm

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

11 months

SCOOP: A quarter of the nation’s wastewater testing sites — one of the most dependable ways of tracking Covid surges — are shut down indefinitely over a contract dispute. State public health officials are concerned ahead of the fall and winter.

Detecting Covid surges is getting harder, thanks to a contract dispute

A quarter of CDC-sponsored wastewater surveillance sites are shut down.

www.politico.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

Psaki: Biden called Putin this afternoon, raised concerns about bounties, Navalny, 2020 election interference, SolarWinds hack

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Some late-night thoughts: #Duke needs to stop playing like "five individuals," as Coach K said:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

O'Connell on the notion that Stanford Robinson manufactured the Chipotle story to motivative Rhode Island: “Maybe that’s something they can do for themselves as a team....If that’s something they need to do, they can do it.”

Rhode Island guard says Duke players 'didn't know who we were' at Chipotle

Set to take on Duke Saturday afternoon in the NCAA tournament, Stanford Robinson doesn’t think the Blue Devils know who his team is.

www.dukechronicle.com

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Duke's starting guards shot just 6-of-28 against Syracuse. That'll need to get better against Virginia Tech:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

2 years

News: Rep. Anna Eshoo, ranking member of the E&C health subcomittee, says that lawmakers are close to a bipartisan agreement to ban the use of quality-adjusted life years.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

What can #Duke fans expect from Zion Williamson?

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Bryce Love just passed McCaffrey to set the single-season all-time school rushing record. On one leg for half the year. Unreal. #Stanford #AlamoBowl

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Bagley and Allen combined for 56 points Thursday for Duke—it seems like they can co-exist:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

My take: If #Duke wants to make a deep March run, it's going to need to learn how to play man defense. A zone is just a temporary fix.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Coach K really needs Grayson Allen to step up and calm this young team. Doesn't seem to be doing that right now

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

Rest in peace Fenway, the best dog the world has ever seen. Miss you so much. My best friend.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

“I see this as the opportunity for a rebirth,” Scott told reporters at a watch event at Baltimore Soundstage. "The rebirth’s going to come when we all have to work together each and every day and do that tough work to make Baltimore a better place."

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

Sign outside the Science Drive garage at Duke.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Duke looks lost without Bagley

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

The Baltimore area received “F’s” in five of the 12 categories: job access by transit, affordability, disconnected communities, air pollution and commute time.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

10 years

Tyler #Beede , the #SFGiants first round pick from #Vandy will make his pro debut tonight. @VandyBaseball

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

4 years

Still not convinced this is real

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

Grayson Allen hasn't played with the fire he showed before this year. Maybe this will get him going

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

7 years

2/ VUMC didn't initially deny this. After a wave of backlash and national news coverage, they did. @EugeneGu remains on probation until March.

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

6 years

. @mpgladstone13 : Duke should have no trouble keeping up its offensive success, even against higher seeds:

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

5 years

Duke athletic director Kevin White to @DukeChronicle : "We are aware of the allegation and, as we would with any compliance matter, are looking into it. Duke is fully committed to compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations."

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Ben Leonard

@_BenLeonard_

1 year

Late to the party, but finally made it. Trust the process

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