DALLAS (AP) — Star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets agreed Sunday to a record $765 million, 15-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press, a deal that could escalate to $805 million and is believed to be the largest pact in team sports history.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement, first reported by the New York Post, was subject to a successful physical.
While there are no definitive records in sports beyond the United States, Soto’s deal is thought to eclipse those in all other team sports. The deal, spurning the New York Yankees’ attempt to retain the star who helped them reach the World Series, was reached on the eve of the first full day of baseball’s annual winter meetings.
He would have the right to opt out of the contract after the 2029 season if the Mets don’t at that time increase the average annual value by $4 million annually. Soto will get a $75 million signing bonus, payable upon the deal’s approval by the commissioner’s office.
The Yankees’ final offer to Soto was for $760 million over 16 years, a second person familiar with the talks said, also on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced. That offer had a $47.5 million average annual value.
A four-time All-Star at age 26, Soto is the most accomplished free agent at that age since shortstop Alex Rodriguez agreed to a record $252 million, 10-year contract with Texas in December 2000 at age 25.
Soto was 19 when he made his major league debut with Washington in 2018 and helped the Nationals win the World Series the following year, when he hit .282 with 34 homers and 110 RBIs.
Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks, hitting second in the batting order ahead of Aaron Judge to power an offense that led the major leagues with 237 homers. He hit a go-ahead homer in the AL Championship Series opener against Cleveland and a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the 10th inning that won the pennant against the Guardians in Game 5.
Soto has a .285 batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks over seven major league seasons.
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Sean “Diddy” Combs are accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at an after-party following the 2000 Video Music Awards, according to an amended civil lawsuit filed Sunday.
“Another celebrity stood by and watched as Combs and Carter took turns assaulting the minor,” the lawsuit said without naming the celebrity.
In a statement posted to the Roc Nation X account on Sunday, Jay-Z denied the allegations made against him in the filing.
Jay-Z was added to the lawsuit that was originally filed in October as one of several anonymous complaints by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee.
Many of the lawsuits did not survive because the plaintiffs declined to be named; however, in this case, the judge said the then-13-year-old showed sufficient cause to continue anonymously.
Carter was identified in the original complaint as Celebrity A.
The plaintiff alleged she was noticed by a limousine driver who invited her to the after-party where Combs and Carter raped her.
In his statement, Jay-Z claimed Buzbee had sent his lawyer a “demand letter” ahead of the filing.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z wrote.
“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!” he added in the statement.
In his response, the music mogul questioned why the filing was a civil lawsuit rather than a criminal filing.
“Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case,” Jay-Z wrote.
Jay-Z went on to address the fact that his family, including his children, may be affected by the filing.
“My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people,” he wrote.
In a statement to ABC News Buzbee said, “The pleading speaks for itself. This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court.”
Buzbee also took to his personal Instagram account on Sunday, saying he would not be “bullied or intimidated,” without mentioning the specific lawsuit, Jay-Z or Diddy by name.
“People will see through this effort to discredit me and my clients and the truth will be revealed,” Buzbee wrote. “I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming,” he added.
Combs’ legal representatives responded to the filing in a statement to ABC News on Sunday, saying, “This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”
“As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor,” Combs’ representatives said in the statement.
A person of interest is in custody following the targeted attack of Brian Thompson, the CEO of major insurance group UnitedHealthcare who was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel ahead of an investor conference, police said Monday.
Luigi MangioneFacebook
‘Strong’ person of interest identified
A “strong person of interest” has been locatedin Pennsylvania, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a press briefing on Monday.
The individual — identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione — was brought in for questioning after an employee at a McDonald’s in Altoona recognized him from the wildly circulated images of the suspect in the shooting and called police, authorities said. Mangione was eating at the establishment, police said.
VIDEO: Latest in arrest of person of interest in CEO shooting
Multiple law enforcement officials have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as a person of interest in the assassination…Show more
He matches the description of the suspect being sought in the shooting, Adams said.
He was carrying a firearm and suppressor “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during the press briefing. He also had “multiple fraudulent IDs,” including a fake New Jersey ID matching the ID the suspect used to check into his New York City hostel before the shooting incident, Tisch said.
Police also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with those worn by the wanted individual, as well as a “handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” she said.
Mangione was arrested on unrelated charges Monday, police said. He was in possession of a ghost gun capable of firing a 9mm round and will face gun charges in Altoona, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters during the briefing.
The NYPD is sending detectives to Altoona to interview him and are going through the recovered writings and his social media, police said.
The unidentified man suspected of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan…Show more
“It does seem that he had some ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny said.
Mangione was born and raised in Maryland and has ties to San Francisco and Honolulu, Kenny said. He has no prior arrest history in New York, Kenny said.
Police have said the suspect appeared to be lying in wait outside the Hilton hotel on Wednesday in what they said was a “premeditated” attack. The shooter arrived at the scene about five minutes before Thompson before shooting the victim in the chest around 6:40 a.m., police said. The suspect is believed to have left New York City following the shooting, police said.
Mangione was a valedictorian in Baltimore and graduate of Penn
Mangione is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a university spokesperson told WPVI-TV.
He received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer science in May 2020.
According to the The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s newspaper, Mangione founded Penn’s Game Research and Development Environment, also known as UPGRADE.
He was raised in the Baltimore suburbs of Maryland. Before Penn, he attended the Gilman School, a private all-boys school in Baltimore.
Mangione was Gilman’s valedictorian the year he graduated and gave a speech at commencement in which he credited his classmates for their “inventive, pioneering mentality that accompanies a strong commitment to Gilman tradition.”
Mangione thanked the graduates’ families for their time and love, and every Gilman teacher in all three divisions.
“Our imagination draws from your inspiration, and our courage largely depends on your encouragement in the classroom, on the field, and on the stage,” he said.Skip Ad
New photos released
NYPD officials released new images this weekend of the suspect being sought in the shooting in the back of a taxi, where he could be seen peering through the open slider in the partition between the seats.
Backpack contained Monopoly money
Police found a backpack believed to belong to the suspected shooter in Central Park on Friday evening, police sources told ABC News. The backpack contained fake money from the game Monopoly and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, sources said.
The backpack was found after NYPD deployed an army of officers and drones to conduct a grid search, police sources said earlier.
As of Saturday, three days after the shooting, sources close to the investigation told ABC News the New York Police Department is making progress toward identifying the gunman but, as of now, still has not done so.
On Friday, police said they believed the gunman left New York City following the shooting — ditching his bike on the Upper West Side and taking a taxi to a Port Authority bus facility at 178th Street. Police said they believe he boarded a bus there because they did not see him on video leaving the facility.
Suspect stayed at hostel
The NYPD released on Thursday new photos of the suspect, seen without a mask, while asking for the public’s help in identifying him. The images were taken from a surveillance camera at the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Police had obtained a warrant to search after coming to believe the suspect stayed there, sources told ABC News.
Police were able to find an image of the suspect without his face mask because he was flirting with the woman who checked him into the hostel, police sources told ABC News.
As he stood at the check-in desk, the sources said the woman asked to see his smile. The suspected shooter obliged, pulling down his mask long enough for the surveillance camera to capture his face.
It appears the suspect shared a room with two other men, according to police sources.
The suspect likely checked into the hostel on Nov. 24, checked out and then checked back in again on Nov. 30, according to sources. It’s not clear when the surveillance image was captured.
The suspected shooter checked into the hostel using a New Jersey license that wasn’t his own, according to police sources. Detectives ran the name and found it did not resemble any known photos of the suspect or other evidence amassed so far, the sources said.
Suspect arrived in NYC 10 days before shooting: Sources
The suspect came to New York City on Nov. 24 on a Greyhound bus, when a surveillance camera at Port Authority Bus Terminal caught his arrival at 9 p.m., law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The inbound bus originated in Atlanta but it was not immediately clear where the suspect boarded. The sources said he was spotted on board in Washington, D.C., so he boarded there or somewhere between D.C. and Atlanta.
Both Greyhound and the parent company of the hostel, Hostelling International USA, said in a statement that they are “fully cooperating with the NYPD” but cannot comment further due to the active investigation.
The 10-day period has been the focus of investigative efforts. Police have collected a lot of video of the suspect all over the city — in the subway, in cabs, in a McDonald’s, according to sources. Each place he paid with cash and he made sure to keep his mask on, according to sources.
Whereabouts day of the shooting
Police have released photos of the suspect in a mask, captured at a Starbucks near the hotel before the shooting, according to New York ABC station WABC. He was described by police as wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a “very distinctive” gray backpack.
The NYPD released new, clear images of the suspect’s face on Thursday as they continue to search for the shooter.
Sources told ABC News the suspected shooter was also seen on video much earlier, at 5 a.m. the day of the shooting, near the hostel carrying what appears to be an e-bike battery.
New cleared CCTV video shows a man who appears to be the suspect walking west on 55th Street at 6:19 a.m. The video shows him stoop down as he appears to momentarily drop an object on the garbage before continuing to walk.
Writing discovered on shell casings
Detectives later discovered writing on the shell casings found at the scene where Thompson was gunned down, police sources told ABC News.
Detectives were working to determine whether the words were meant as a message from the shooter and a hint at his motive.
Written on the shell casings were the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” according to sources.
Other evidence: cellphone, water bottle, candy wrapper
After the shooting, the suspect fled on foot into an alley, where a phone was recovered, according to Kenny. He then fled on an e-bike and he was last seen riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m., police said.
Police released photos of the suspect holding a firearm and on a bike.
Detectives have also retrieved a water bottle and candy wrapper from the area where he was apparently waiting, law enforcement sources said. After analysis, NYPD investigators believe the cellphone, candy wrapper and water bottle are linked to the shooter, police sources said.
Investigators believe they were able to score DNA samples from several pieces of the evidence, law enforcement sources told ABC News on Friday. The samples are currently at the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be run through databases for a possible match, the sources said. That process could take a couple days.
At the same time, NYPD detectives are working with the U.S. Marshals Service to try and track down the shooter along with the FBI, which has the most sophisticated technology for retrieving usable data from cellphones, sources said.
Professional killer appears unlikely
The victim’s hotel room has already been accessed by investigators, whose top priority is determining Thompson’s most recent conversations and movements, sources said.
The working theory among detectives right now is that the shooting was carried out by someone who is not a professional killer because too many “mistakes” were made, sources said. Hitmen typically don’t carry cell phones to their hits and the shots were fired from a distance that would be considered “too far” away from the victim, the sources said.
Another photo appeared to show the man walking by the window of a cab.
At this point, detectives are trying to determine whether Thompson was targeted because of some type of personal conflict or as a result of his work as an insurance executive, sources said. The killer apparently had some knowledge of Thompson’s schedule on Wednesday and the fact that he would be arriving at the Hilton well before the company meeting was to begin, the sources said.
Police are interviewing Thompson’s colleagues and family about any potential specific threats, Kenny said.
What we know about the victim
Thompson, 50, was in New York City for the UnitedHealthcare investors conference, which was scheduled to start at 8 a.m. The conference was being held at the Hilton outside of which he was shot, but he was not staying there, police said.
UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the world, said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson.”
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the company said. “We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
Police and the FBI urge the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or 1-800-CALL-FBIwith any information. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
NEW YORK — As the investigation into the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan enters its fifth day, police are missing key pieces of evidence and are combing through what they have gathered for more clues, as the suspect remains on the run.
The New York Police Department is getting help from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies across the country to search for the suspect, with the public being encouraged with rewards. Two new photos released by police show the suspect masked with a hood in the backseat of a vehicle and wearing a jacket walking on the street.
While authorities say they believe the suspect has long left New York City after fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, officials said they feel confident he will be captured.
“Let him continue to believe he can hide behind a mask,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said of the suspect. “We’re going to reveal who he is, and we’re going to bring him to justice.”
And here are some of the key pieces of evidence they’ve gathered:
Images of the suspect’s unmasked face
Video evidence of the path he took to escape
The backpack possibly worn by the suspect, with a jacket inside
DNA from a discarded Starbucks water bottle
A partial fingerprint from the water bottle
A discarded “burner” cell phone
9 mm shell casings with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on them
But crucially, there was no gun in the backpack.
That sent investigators back to the park. On Saturday, police divers searched a body of water known as the Lake, in an area of Terrace Drive near the park’s iconic boathouse and Bethesda Fountain, a law enforcement official said.
After recovering the Peak Design backpack from Central Park on Friday, police examined it at a forensic lab in Queens. Inside, they found Monopoly money, a law enforcement source told CNN. It also contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, and it was not immediately clear if other items were in the backpack, officials said.
There has still been no sign of the bicycle.
Meanwhile, photos of the suspect have been circulated to multiple law enforcement agencies, including airports and border patrol stations along the Mexican and Canadian borders in the hope he won’t slip out of the country.
The FBI is offering up to $50,000 of reward money for information leading to his arrest and conviction. The NYPD has added another $10,000.
Piecing together clues
The search for the suspect and more physical evidence come after Thompson, 50, was shot on a busy Manhattan street early on December 4 as he approached the New York Hilton Midtown on West 54th Street to attend his company’s annual investor conference while the killer waited for him, according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The shooter then crossed the street from the Hilton and fled northbound through an alley between 54th Street and 55th Street. He rode off on an electric bike on 55th, investigators told CNN. From there, the suspect headed north on Sixth Avenue toward Central Park.
Police say the man was spotted near the George Washington Bridge and George Washington Port Authority bus terminal at 178th Street around 45 minutes after the shooting.
The killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has rattled other health care companies concerned about their own leadership’s safety and prompted some of them to ramp up security and scrub top executives’ photos from their websites.
The backpack, photos, surveillance videos, ammunition left behind, a burner phone, a water bottle and DNA evidence have thus far helped investigators get closer to zeroing in on the suspect despite hitting dead ends with the use of facial recognition software and an unusable fingerprint previously obtained by police, according to Joseph Kenny, the NYPD’s chief detective.
Investigators continue to search for the electric bike the suspect rode the day of the shooting and are examining whether the shooter used a veterinary gun, a larger firearm used on farms and ranches to put down animals without causing a loud noise, Kenny said Friday.
Police are looking into whether the words, similar in phrasing to a common description of insurance company tactics – “Delay, deny, defend” – may point to a motive.
“That might be him sending a message saying why it was that he shot (Thompson), but at the same time, it could be a diversion to try to get taken away from the real reason behind it,” former FBI Special Agent Kenneth Gray told CNN on Saturday.
“Until he’s caught, we won’t actually know the purpose of those words,” Gray said.
Authorities are seeking the public’s help identifying Thompson’s killer through surveillance images showing the unmasked suspect in an Upper West Side hostel where he checked in using a fake New Jersey driver’s license.
But with some portraying the killer as a vigilante enacting justice against a health care system they believe values profits over lives, and with other users on social media mocking the CEO’s death, it could hinder motivation to report sightings of the killer to police.
What’s next in the investigation?
Police are tracking down as many tips as they can, as the manhunt spreads and authorities try to determine where the suspect might surface.
NYPD officials said they believe the suspect left New York City on an interstate bus, the same mode of transportation investigators believe he used to get to the city days earlier: He traveled to New York on a Greyhound bus starting its route in Atlanta, multiple law enforcement sources told CNN. Those sources added authorities do not know whether the suspect boarded in Atlanta or elsewhere.
The Atlanta Police Department announced Friday, without elaborating, it will assist the investigation after the NYPD contacted it. NYPD detectives arrived in Atlanta on Saturday as part of the probe, two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told CNN.
In the meantime, the gun remains the key piece of outstanding evidence police are searching for, building a case against the shooter for when he’s found.
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump said he can’t guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers and he suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned.
The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere.
Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.”
A look at some of the issues covered:
Trump hems on whether trade penalties could raise prices
Trump has threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn’t believe economists’ predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. an households won’t be paying more as they shop.
“I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow,” Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market.
That’s a different approach from Trump’s typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation.
In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are “going to make us rich.”
He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production.
“All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field,” Trump said.
Trump suggests retribution for his opponents while claiming no interest in vengeance
He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
“Honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power.
The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump’s role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office.
As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: “I have the absolute right. I’m the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I’m the president. But I’m not interested in that.”
At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who had investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
“Cheney was behind it … so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,” Trump said.
Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, “No,” and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies.
But at another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. “I want her to do what she wants to do,” he said.
Such threats, regardless of Trump’s inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration.
Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, “I’m not looking to go back into the past.”
Swift action on immigration is coming
Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program.
“I think you have to do it,” he said.
He suggested he would try to use executive action to end “birthright” citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens – although such protections are spelled out in the Constitution.
Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and have been shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, “I want to work something out,” indicating he might seek a solution with Congress.
But Trump also said he does not “want to be breaking up families” of mixed legal status, “so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.”
SMU captured the last open spot in the College Football Playoff, edging Alabama to land in a first-of-its-kind, 12-team bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1.
The selection committee preferred the Mustangs (11-2), losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama (9-3) of the SEC but, ultimately, still one fewer loss.
The expanded bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear that there is no perfect formula for identifying a champion.
“We just felt, in this particular case, SMU had the nod above Alabama,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, the chair of the selection committee. “But it’s no disrespect to Alabama’s strength of schedule. We looked at the entire body of work for both teams.”
The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games involving teams seeded 5-12. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta.
Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State join Oregon with first-round byes
Georgia, the SEC champion, was seeded second; Boise State, the Mountain West champion, earned the third seed; and Big 12 titlist Arizona State got the fourth seed and the fourth and final first-round bye.
All will play in quarterfinals at bowl games on Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Clemson stole a bid and the 12th seed with its crazy win over SMU — the result that ultimately cost Alabama a spot in the field. The Tigers moved to No. 16 in the rankings, but got in as the fifth-best conference winner.
Texas, Penn St, Notre Dame and Ohio St get home field in first round
There was some tension around how the rest of the teams were seeded because that determined who gets home-field advantage in the first round. The games are No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas; No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State; No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame; and No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State.
Alabama comes up short in the bracket’s biggest debate The Big Ten will lead the way with four teams, followed by the SEC with three and the ACC with two.
The lasting memory from the inaugural bracket reveal will involve the decision that handed the ACC that second bid.
There’s a portion of college football fandom that believes almost everything in the sport has been rigged in favor of Alabama and the SEC over recent years. The Crimson Tide has won three national titles in the 10-year history of the playoff and had made the field eight times, including last year when it edged out undefeated Florida State for the last of what was then four spots.
SEC backers argue the preferential treatment is deserved, mainly because the SEC is a 16-team league loaded with powerhouse programs.
This season, for instance, the Tide had the 16th toughest schedule and went 3-1 against teams in the top 25. SMU’s numbers: 60th in strength of schedule and 0-2 against the top 25.
But the committee also indicated it was reluctant to penalize teams that play in conference title games. SMU did. Alabama didn’t. And the way the Mustangs fought back from a three-touchdown deficit before finally losing to Clemson had an impact among the 13 people making the decision.
“We were impressed with the fact that SMU came back the way they did,” Manuel said. “They performed better in that second half offensively,” sort of like they have all season.
Automatic byes and bids made the bracket strange
Conference commissioners OK’d the idea of giving conference champions preferable treatment in this first iteration of the 12-team playoff. There’s a good argument that needs to change.
The committee actually ranked Boise State, the Mountain West Champion, at No. 9 but the Broncos are the 3 seed, set to play in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Arizona State was 12th-ranked but jumped to the No. 4 seed and will play in the Peach bowl on New Year’s.
There’s also no reseeding of teams after each round, which means No. 1 Oregon will face the winner of Tennessee-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 earlier this year in one of the season’s best games.
“Winning a national championship is not supposed to be easy,” said Oregon coach Dan Lanning, apparently unbothered by the potential matchup.
Meanwhile, Georgia got the second ranking and second seed, and will play in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, but quarterback Carson Beck injured his hand in Saturday’s win over Texas, leaving his availability in question.
The committee has factored in injuries in the past, though it didn’t appear to make a difference in how it treated Georgia.
Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
BEIRUT — The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free.
The man who read the statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, an opposition group, called on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of “the free Syrian state.”
The statement emerged hours after the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus following the remarkably swift advance across the country.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not address reports that Assad had fled.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told The Associated Press that Assad took a flight Sunday from Damascus.
State television in Iran, Assad’s main backer in the years of war in Syria, reported that Assad had left the capital. It cited Qatar’s Al Jazeera news network for the information and did not elaborate.
There was no immediate statement from the Syrian government.
As daylight broke over Damascus, crowds gathered to pray in the city’s mosques and to celebrate in the squares, chanting “God is great.” People also chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked car horns. In some areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.
Soldiers and police officers left their posts and fled, and looters broke into the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.
“My feelings are indescribable,” said Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer. “After the fear that he (Assad) and his father made us live in for many years, and the panic and state of terror that I was living in, I can’t believe it.”
Daher said his father was killed by security forces and his brother was in detention, his fate unknown. Assad “is a criminal, a tyrant and a dog,” he said.”
“Damn his soul and the soul of the entire Assad family,” said Ghazal al-Sharif, another reveler in central Damascus. “It is the prayer of every oppressed person and God answered it today. We thought we would never see it, but thank God, we saw it.”
The police headquarters in the capital appeared to be abandoned, its door left ajar with no officers outside. An Associated Press journalist shot footage of an abandoned army checkpoint where uniforms were discarded on the ground under a poster of Assad’s face. Footage broadcast on opposition-linked media showed a tank in one of the capital’s central squares.
It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.
The pro-government Sham FM radio reported that the Damascus airport had been evacuated and all flights halted.
The insurgents also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated” their prisoners there.
The night before, opposition forces took the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it. The city 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 rebels had 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 into Damascus 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.
The advances in the past week were by far 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 U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called Saturday 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. Lebanese border officials closed the main Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many stuck waiting.
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 U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution.
Assad’s status
Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said Sunday he does not know where Assad or the defense minister are. He told Saudi television network Al-Arabiyya early Sunday that they lost communication Saturday night.
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 the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Separately, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.
Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation of 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, 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.”
The insurgents’ march
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.
The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011.
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.
A few days after the season-ending hit that Trevor Lawrence received from Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson defended his team, stating “We’re not out to hurt anybody. We’re not out to ruin careers.”
“We’re out to win a football game and play hard within the rules. That’s our job. That’s how we coach it, that’s how we play it,”
Pederson stated at a team press conference. “If they’re asking or suggesting we go after someone, we’re not doing that. Flat out, we are not doing that. It’s not how I coach. It’s not how I’m going to coach these teams, these players. We’re just going to go out and do our jobs. Play hard, play fast, play physical within the rules.” “Azeez is a really, really good guy. A pure football player as I have ever known,” says Richard Sherman on the Richard Sherman podcast.
“I think that when people start to get to a space where calling players dirty and acting like he intended to hurt somebody, like get out of here. We can hurt people in this game. Understand that. Understand that please fans. If we want to hurt people, they will be hurt, and it doesn’t have to be a sliding quarterback.”
A positive response from the legendary wide receiver, shows the realization of the difficulty it takes to make decisions in the milliseconds the game requires. It is entirely frustrating to hear naive fans bring in unnecessary trash talking with the idea of religion being relevant, just really makes the situation worse.
“When you are going to commit to hitting, it comes with violent intentions. Watch him play the game. That’s how he plays. It happens. Trevor understands what he signed up for and what could potentially happen if he slid late. Just stop, man. This game has gotten soft,” says Sherman and it is a valid point.
NFL veteran cornerback Jalen Collins on the RAW Room podcast exclaimed that “It was a late hit! There is no way you could flip that, and I am sure his intention wasn’t to F his brain up, but you gotta send an apology out,” which Azeez did.
“It was an obvious slide and a move that was manipulated by the quarterbacks to get extra yards,” It is the game they play, and violence is the aroma in the air. Decisions are made in seconds, sometimes less time and consequences are vital and potentially fatal. Lawrence is done for the season, and with understanding Azeez appealed the 3-game suspension with pride stating,”IF you want me to be your villain, i’ll be your villain! See you soon,” with a picture of the Joker, which comes off as unapologetic, respectively.
The greatest quarterback ever, Tom Brady had his 2 cents to put in on the GET UP show this Thursday morning on ESPN, explaining “There is an aspect to me that I think the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves.
I see Josh Allen running a lot. I see Lamar Jackson running a lot. When you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that is really far for the defense.” If Azeez really wanted to be dirty, he would have led with his head. The concussion occured when the head of Lawrence hit the turf. It is the nature of the game, a cold nature. Azeez led with his forearm, the casual form a hit like that requires.
“Certainly for Trevor Larence, nobody wants to see players get hurt, but it is also the reality of the physical game we play. The quarterbacks need to learn how to take care of themselves,” and this is coming from the greatest QB to play the game. It was late slide and what is Azeez supposed to do? Defensive players have to be aggressive and this is the nature in how the game is played.
After more than 150 shows across five continents, Taylor Swift‘s record-breaking Eras Tour comes to a close Dec. 8 in Vancouver, Canada. It’ll likely be both a happy and a sad occasion for fans — but there may be some news before Taylor exists in a hail of fireworks.
Rob Sheffield, author of the New York Times bestseller Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music, tells ABC Audio of the tour’s impending end, “People have been thriving on the energy of it town to town, night after night, even not being there, just kind of tuning in for livestreams and the gossip. And so it’s kind of a period of mourning as well as celebration.”
But Sheffield thinks Taylor may use the tour’s end for one of her patented surprise announcements. “She loves to announce things in big moments when she knows that the world is watching,” he notes.
As for what she’ll announce, he points out, “She’s been teasing ‘Debutation’ really hard … a lot of her surprise song mash-ups; she’ll have a song from the debut and a song from Reputation. And because those are the two albums that she hasn’t done Taylor’s Versions of yet, it makes me think that she’s tantalizing people to be prepared for an announcement like that.”
Sheffield doesn’t think the tour ending means Taylor will go into hibernation — he suggests she’ll keep on releasing a steady stream of music.
“She’s not a big fan of downtime, as we know,” he says. “Even on this tour, the biggest stadium tour ever, she made a 31-song double album in her spare time. So I think it’s fair to say that she’s not going to be going to a beach and putting her feet up.”
The price of bitcoin dropped below $100,000 late Thursday, just a day after topping the milestone for the first time.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency continued to slide in early trading on Friday, before recovering some of the losses.
The turmoil for bitcoin did not appear to impact other major crypto coins. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, climbed nearly 5% in early trading on Friday, exceeding $4,000 for the first time since March.
The turn of fortune for bitcoin interrupted a rally set off by the election of former President Donald Trump, who is viewed as friendly toward cryptocurrency.
Since Election Day, the price of bitcoin has climbed nearly 50%. That performance far outpaces the S&P 500, which has risen about 5% over the same period.
Bitcoin has proven highly volatile since its launch about 15 years ago.
As recently as 2021, bitcoin suffered a downturn that cut its value in half. The same thing happened a year earlier, when the initial outset of the pandemic triggered a panic among investors.
“As long as the narrative stays positive, there’s always room to grow,” Bryan Armour, the director of passive strategies research at financial firm Morningstar, toldABC News before bitcoin reached $100,000.
“It’s still a highly volatile asset,” Armour added.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, July 27, 2024. Brett Carlsen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A surge had propelled bitcoin past $100,000 late Wednesday, just hours after Trump nominated crypto booster Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Atkins, the CEO of consulting firm Patomak Partners, serves as co-chair of the Token Alliance, a cryptocurrency advocacy organization.
Once a crypto critic, Trump has vowed to bolster the cryptocurrency sector and ease regulations enforced by the Biden administration. Trump has also promised to establish the federal government’s first National Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
In a post on Truth Social early Thursday, Trump took credit for the gains: “CONGRATULATIONS BITCOINERS!!! $100,000!!! YOU’RE WELCOME!!!.”
Trump has not spoken publicly about bitcoin since it fell below $100,000.
