BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM news outlet reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The insurgency announced later Saturday that it had taken over Homs. The city's capture is a major victory for the rebels, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad's erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.AP News Summary at 3:38 p.m. ESTFBI Director Christopher Wray could soon be out of a job. President-elect Donald Trump recently said he will fire Wray after he takes the oath of office next month and replace him with former Justice Department official Kash Patel. During his first presidential term, Trump nominated Wray to be the eighth director of the FBI, calling him “a man of impeccable credentials.” Wray’s 10-year term expires in 2027, which means he would have to either resign or be fired in order to be replaced by Patel, who must still win Senate confirmation. Patel, a Trump loyalist, is a longtime critic of the bureau and has called for shutting down its Washington headquarters and then reopening it as a “museum of the deep state.” Although Wray has been FBI director in Washington for the past seven years, he continues to have deep Atlanta ties. Here are five things you need to know about him. 1. An Atlanta lawyer: Wray, 57, moved to Atlanta in 1993 to join King & Spalding, one of the city’s top law firms. He left King & Spalding in 1997 to become a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office here. He tried a number of high-profile cases. Among them: He helped secure a guilty plea to a mail fraud charge from Pat Jarvis, once a popular Atlanta Braves pitcher who later served as DeKalb County sheriff. He obtained corruption convictions against the city of Atlanta’s former chief investment officer and a politically connected businessman. And he was instrumental in the prosecution of a man convicted of setting church fires, one of which killed a Georgia firefighter. 2. Wray goes to Washington: Wray was recruited to join the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001 by Larry Thompson, a former King & Spalding colleague serving as deputy attorney general. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Wray worked closely with Thompson coordinating anti-terrorism and counterespionage efforts. “Chris was very deliberate, made sound decisions, had good judgment and never got panicked,” Thompson said in a 2018 interview. “I relied upon him a great deal.” In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wray to be assistant attorney general. He won unanimous Senate approval to head the department’s criminal division and became the youngest person to hold that position since the Kennedy administration. “At the age of 36, Mr. Wray has accomplished more in the legal profession than many of us as attorneys do in a lifetime,” then-Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said at Wray’s confirmation hearing. While heading the criminal division, Wray oversaw the prosecutions of terrorism cases as well as several high-profile corporate fraud cases, such as the Enron scandal. He returned to King & Spalding in 2005 in Atlanta and worked there as a partner until being tapped to head the FBI. 3. An independent streak: On a number of occasions, Wray pushed back against Trump. When Trump tweeted in December 2017 that the FBI’s reputation was in “tatters” and was the worst in its history, Wray told the House Judiciary Committee a few days later that the bureau he saw had “tens of thousands of brave men and women who are working as hard as they can to keep people they will never know safe from harm.” After being confirmed by the Senate with a 92-5 vote , Wray held an invitation-only, swearing-in ceremony in Washington. Among Wray’s invitees: Sally Yates, his former colleague at the U.S. Attorney’s Office here and whom Trump had fired as acting U.S. attorney general when she refused to defend the administration’s travel ban. 4. Personal: Wray was born and grew up in Manhattan. He attended Phillips Academy, a prestigious preparatory school in Andover, Mass., where he played in rock bands and was a member of the wrestling and rowing teams. He then graduated cum laude from Yale University with a degree in philosophy. During his freshman year, he met fellow student Helen Howell, an Atlantan who graduated from Westminster Schools and whose great-grandfather, Clark Howell, once owned The Atlanta Constitution. They were married at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead before Wray returned to Yale to get his law degree. They have two children. After Yale law school, Wray clerked for conservative jurist J. Michael Luttig on the federal appeals court in Richmond. Since retiring from the bench, Luttig has strongly criticized Trump and he even endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. 5. Has not seen eye to eye with Trump on several occasions. Just months into his tenure as FBI director, Wray found himself at loggerheads with Trump . In January 2018, Wray went public with a request that the White House block the release of a classified House GOP memo that alleged abuses by the FBI in the Russian election interference investigation. In a statement, the FBI said it had “grave concerns” about the memo’s accuracy. Even so, Trump declassified the memo and it was soon released by House Republicans, enraging Democrats and alarming national security officials. This past Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that those convicted of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol were “J-6 hostages” and victims of “an abuse and miscarriage of justice.” Patel, Wray’s possible successor, has called the Jan. 6 attack part of a “free speech movement.” But Wray condemned it during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2021, calling the riot “domestic terrorism.” During his Senate confirmation hearing, Wray was asked what would he do if the president asked him to do something that was illegal or unethical. “First, I would try to talk him out of it,” Wray answered. “If that failed, I would resign. There isn’t a person on this planet whose lobbying or influence could convince me to just drop or abandon a properly predicated and meritorious investigation.” ©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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The five-part series will debut globally on December 10, following elite global players on and off the field as they compete in the US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida. A trailer for the series titled Polo, executive produced by Harry and Meghan, was released on Thursday, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the “fast-paced and glamorous world of polo”. In a statement, Harry said: “This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour. “We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport — and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.” It has been produced by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions, having previously released three documentaries with Netflix as part of a multimillion-pound deal with the streaming giant. Heart Of Invictus, which aired last August, followed a group of service members on their road to the Invictus Games, the Paralympic-style sporting competition set up by Harry in 2014 for injured and sick military personnel and veterans. Netflix also released the documentary series Live To Lead and the controversial six-part Harry & Meghan documentary in December 2022. Harry and Meghan moved to the US in 2020 after stepping down from royal duties.MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — The Marrakech International Film Festival bestowed its top prize Friday on “Happy Holidays,” a Palestinian drama set in Israel whose screenplay won an award at the Venice Film Festival in September. The film, directed by Scandar Copti, follows Israeli and Palestinian characters facing familial and societal pressures in present-day Haifa and stars both professional and non-professional actors. It is the first Palestinian film to win Marrakech’s Etoile D’Or award. Screenwriter Mona Copti in an acceptance speech said the film team’s joy at winning was tempered by war in the Middle East and she denounced what she called the dehumanization of Palestinians Eight features, each a director’s first or second film, competed in the festival. The winning films tackled social issues through the lens of family, a theme that the festival’s artistic director Remi Bonhomme underlined at its opening. The festival awarded its jury prize to two additional films from Somalia and Argentina. The nine-member jury awarded Mo Harawe’s “The Village Next to Paradise” — a story about a family living under the threat of drone strikes dreaming of a better life — and Silvina Schnicer’s “The Cottage” about children who commit an unspeakable act at a rich family’s summer vacation home. RELATED COVERAGE How ‘Mufasa’ rose with Aaron Pierre and Blue Ivy’s voices along with new Lin-Manuel Miranda music Philadelphians channel their inner Italian Stallion at Rocky and Adrian look-alike contest Movie Review: A wordless Latvian cat parable about climate change is the year’s best animated movie ★ ★ ★ ★ “The Village Next to Paradise” participated last year in the Marrakech festival’s Atlas Workshops, an initiative to develop filmmakers from Morocco, the Middle East and Africa and promote their work. In his acceptance speech, Harawe lauded the film’s Somali cast and crew and highlighted the significance of the award for Somalia. Cecilia Rainero, the lead actor of “The Cottage,” thanked the jury and said it was meaningful amid Argentinian President Javier Milei’s moves to defund the country’s film industry.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said dealing with incoming president Donald Trump and his thundering on trade will be “a little more challenging” than the last time he was in the White House. Speaking at an event put on by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Trudeau said that’s because Trump’s team is coming in with a much clearer set of ideas of what they want to do right away than after his first election win in 2016. Even still, Trudeau said the answer is not to panic and said Canada can rally together to address the tough scenario the nation will face following Trump’s inauguration in January. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, if the two nations do not beef up their borders to his satisfaction. On the weekend, Trump appeared in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where the president-elect said he can’t guarantee the tariffs won’t raise prices for U.S. consumers but that eventually tariffs will “make us rich.” “All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field,” he said. Trudeau warned that steep tariffs could be “devastating for the Canadian economy” and cause “just horrific losses in all of our communities,” and that Trump’s approach is to introduce “a bit of chaos” to destabilize his negotiating partners. But he also said that Canada exports a range of goods to the U.S., from steel and aluminum to crude oil and agricultural commodities, all of which would get more expensive and mean real hardship for Americans at the same time. “For years, Americans have been paying more for their homes than they should because of unjust tariffs on softwood lumber. Maybe this level of tariffs will actually have them realize that this is something they are doing to themselves,” Trudeau said. “Trump got elected on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive.” Experts, including Canada’s former top trade negotiator Steve Verheul, have warned the country needs to be ready to respond if Trump goes through with his tariff threats. The prime minister said his government is still mulling over “the right ways” to respond, referencing Canada’s calculated approach when Trump hit Canada with steel and aluminum tariffs. “It was the fact that we put tariffs on bourbon and Harley-Davidsons and playing cards and Heinz ketchup and cherries and a number of other things that were very carefully targeted because they were politically impactful to the president’s party and colleagues,” he said. That’s how Canada was able to “punch back in a way that was actually felt by Americans,” he added. Trudeau also said the country needs to rally together and work past its political differences. He offered up some rare words of praise for Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — a frequent political thorn in his side and “no big fan of mine” — as one of Canada’s strongest voices during that tumultuous time period when NAFTA was under threat. “His voice with governors down south, his making the case for Canadian workers and Canadian trade in a way that complemented the arguments that we were making, did a better job of showing what Canadian unity was and (what) Canada’s negotiating position could be to a United States that has a political system that is incredibly fractured and fractious,” Trudeau said. On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said “every single Conservative would tell every single American” that tariffs on Canada would be a bad idea — and also took time to bill Trudeau as a weak leader. One member of his caucus, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, said he had dinner with incoming vice-president JD Vance and British Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch over the weekend in Arlington, Va. He said it’s crucial right now to be building “strong relationships with our allies.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024. — With files from The Associated Press, Kelly Geraldine Malone and Rosa Saba in TorontoAlso on the menu — all the NFL and college sports you can handle. Here's a roadmap to one of the biggest sports weekends of the year, with a look at marquee games over the holiday and how to watch. All times are in EST. All odds are by BetMGM Sportsbook. What to watch Thursday • NFL: There is a triple-header lined up for pro football fans. Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m., CBS: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears go against the Lions, who are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in February. Lions favored by 10. New York at Dallas, 4:30 p.m., Fox: The Giants and Cowboys are both suffering through miserable seasons and are now using backup quarterbacks for different reasons. But if Dallas can figure out a way to win, it will still be on the fringe of the playoff race. Cowboys favored by 3 1/2. Miami at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m., NBC/Peacock: The Packers stumbled slightly out of the gate but have won six of their past seven games. They'll need a win against Miami to try to keep pace in the NFC North. Packers favored by 3. • College Football: Memphis at No. 18 Tulane, 7:30 p.m., ESPN. If college football is your jam, this is a good warmup for a big weekend. The Tigers try to ruin the Green Wave’s perfect record in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane is favored by 14. What to watch Friday • NFL: A rare Friday showdown features the league-leading Chiefs. Las Vegas at Kansas City, 3 p.m. Prime Video: The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are 12-point favorites over the Raiders. • College Basketball: Some of the top programs meet in holiday tournaments around the country. Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 5:30 p.m., ESPN: One of the premier early season tournaments, the eight-team field includes No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana and No. 24 Arizona. Rady Children's Invitational, 6 p.m., Fox: It's the championship game for a four-team field that includes No. 13 Purdue and No. 23 Mississippi. • College Football: There is a full slate of college games to dig into. Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State, noon, Fox: The Broncos try to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt when they host the Beavers. Boise State favored by 19 1/2. Oklahoma State at No. 23 Colorado, noon, ABC: The Buffaloes and Coach Prime are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship game when they host the Cowboys. Colorado favored by 16 1/2. Georgia Tech at No. 6 Georgia, 7:30 p.m., ABC: The Bulldogs are on pace for a spot in the CFP but host what could be a tricky game against rival Georgia Tech. Georgia favored by 19 1/2. • NBA. After taking Thanksgiving off, pro basketball returns. Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m., ESPN: The Thunder look like one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference. They'll host Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers. What to watch Saturday • College Football. There are more matchups with playoff implications. Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, noon, Fox: The Wolverines are struggling one season after winning the national title. They could make their fan base a whole lot happier with an upset of the Buckeyes. Ohio State favored by 21. No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, noon, ABC: The Volunteers are a fairly big favorite and have dominated this series, but the Commodores have been a tough team this season and already have achieved a monumental upset over Alabama. Tennessee favored by 11. No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson, noon, ESPN: The Palmetto State rivals are both hanging on the edge of the CFP playoff race. A win — particularly for Clemson — would go a long way toward clinching its spot in the field. Clemson favored by 2 1/2. No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ABC: The Aggies host their in-state rival for the first time since 2011 after the Longhorns joined the SEC. Texas favored by 5 1/2. Washington at No. 1 Oregon, 7:30 p.m., NBC: The top-ranked Ducks have been one of the nation’s best teams all season. They’ll face the Huskies, who would love a marquee win in coach Jedd Fisch’s first season. Oregon favored by 19 1/2. • NBA: A star-studded clash is part of the league's lineup. Golden State at Phoenix, 9 p.m., NBA TV: Steph Curry and the Warriors are set to face the Suns' Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. What to watch Sunday • NFL: It's Sunday, that says it all. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1 p.m., CBS: Joe Burrow is having a great season for the Bengals, who are struggling in other areas. They need a win to stay in the playoff race, hosting a Steelers team that's 8-3 and won five of their past six. Bengals favored by 3. Arizona at Minnesota, 1 p.m., Fox: The Cardinals are tied for the top of the NFC West while the Vikings are 9-2 and have been one of the biggest surprises of the season with journeyman Sam Darnold under center. Vikings favored by 3 1/2. Philadelphia at Baltimore, 4:25 p.m., CBS: Two of the league's most electric players will be on the field when Saquon Barkley and the Eagles travel to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Ravens favored by 3. San Francisco at Buffalo, 8:20 p.m. NBC/Peacock: The 49ers try to get back to .500 against the Bills, who have won six straight. Bills favored by 7. • NBA. The best teams in the Eastern Conference meet in a statement game. Boston at Cleveland, 6 p.m., NBA TV: The defending champion Celtics travel to face the Cavs, who won their first 15 games to start the season. • Premier League: English soccer fans have a marquee matchup. Manchester City at Liverpool, 11 a.m., USA Network/Telemundo. The two top teams meet with Manchester City trying to shake off recent struggles. • Auto Racing: The F1 season nears its conclusion. F1 Qatar Grand Prix, 11 a.m., ESPN2 – It's the penultimate race of the season. Max Verstappen already has clinched his fourth consecutive season championship.
Now, about all that grumbling ... . Yes, Philly sports fans, media and social media doomsayers are usually the ones with a complaint even in the best of times for the pro teams. Perhaps it’s a bit unsettling around Philadelphia, then, that the grousing after a win over Carolina this weekend came from inside the locker room. Wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, and even Jalen Hurts, made public their complaints about the state of the (diminishing) passing game, putting the coaching staff on notice that enough was enough and it was time to rev up the engine on a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and get the offense humming headed into the postseason. Even Sirianni conceded that yes, it was fair to raise questions about an offense that allowed Smith and Brown to combine for only eight catches and 80 yards. The problem this week? “Being on the same page,” Smith said. Smith is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has yet to break 100 in a game this season. Brown has four 100-yard games, well off last season's run when he topped 100 yards in six straight games and seven times overall. Hurts threw for just 108 yards with two TDs passing and one rushing score. Should an offense getting on the same page develop into this much of a concern for the Eagles (11-2) after 13 games? “No. I just say no," Hurts said. There are reasons the numbers are down. The easy one, of course, is that the traditionally pass-happy Eagles have leaned on Barkley and his team-record 1,623 yards to steer the offense in his first season. Hurts also shoulders his share of the blame given his propensity for holding on to the ball. He was sacked four times and missed Smith and Brown the few times he did chuck the ball deep to open receivers on long routes. Hurts didn’t throw Brown the ball a couple of times when he was open, including on a TD pass to Smith. “Have to find a way to come together and come and sync as a unit and play complementary ball,” Hurts said. Hurts has topped 300 yards passing only once this season and his last three games are at 179-118-108. He does have only five interceptions and has thrown just one during the winning streak. The offensive woes start at the beginning. The Eagles have yet to score a touchdown on their opening possession through the first 13 games and average only 10.7 points in the first half. They had only 46 total yards in the first quarter. The slow starts are one reason why teams with losing records such as Carolina, Jacksonville and Cleveland are able to keep games close at the Linc and make last-gasp drives at an upset victory. The running game. That really only means one name: Barkley. Barkley rushed for 124 yards to break the Eagles' season record, and Eric Dickerson's NFL mark is in his sights. Barkley needed just 13 games to pass McCoy, who rushed for 1,607 yards in 2013. Barkley also maintained his pace to break Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is one pace for 2,122 yards, just 17 yards beyond Dickerson’s 2,105 total. Linebackers Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean. Dean led the Eagles with 12 tackles while Baun had 11 tackles and a sack. They both had strong games in shutting down Carolina's — albeit banged-up — running game. Jake Elliott. Elliott was wide right on a 52-yard attempt in the third quarter and has missed all five attempts of 50-plus yards this season. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was evaluated for a concussion and treated for an additional injury in the fourth quarter but had a game-changing interception. 9 — The Eagles won nine straight games only three other times, in the 2017, 2003 and 1960 seasons. The Eagles host cross-state rival Pittsburgh in a potential all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl preview. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflOTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says dealing with incoming president Donald Trump and his thundering on trade will be "a little more challenging" than the last time he was in the White House. Trudeau says Trump's team is coming in with a much clearer set of ideas of what they want to do right away than after his first election win in 2016. Even still, Trudeau says Canada can rally together and address the tough scenario the nation will face after Trump's inauguration in January. The prime minister made the comments at an armchair discussion in Halifax put on by the local chamber of commerce. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, if the two nations do not beef up their borders to his satisfaction. Trudeau says U.S. citizens are beginning to wake up to the reality that stiff tariffs on Canada would make life more expensive for them. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press