k rice iloilo PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley wanted to be a student in team history before he had a chance to make some with the Eagles. The running back who had just signed with Philadelphia for $26 million guaranteed took a deep dive on some of the franchise’s greats out of the backfield. He learned about Wilbert Montgomery. Brushed up on LeSean McCoy. Barkley then put them in his sights — and this week against Carolina, he could become the top single-season rusher in Eagles history. Get past those two Eagles Hall of Famers and the target narrows: McCoy has a chance to break Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. “That's your goal,” Barkley said. “You want to come in here, you want to leave a legacy on a place, on a franchise.” Here's where things stand with Barkley in his pursuit of records: — Barkley has an NFL-best 1,499 yards rushing through 12 games, an average of 124.9 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would surpass the NFL mark that's stood for 40 years. — Barkley needs to run for 108 yards against the Panthers to break McCoy's Eagles record of 1,607 yards set in 2013. Montgomery ran for 1,512 yards in 1978. “I'm aware of the things I can accomplish,” Barkley said. “The way I accomplish that is sticking to the script.” The Eagles (10-2) have won eight straight to take control of the NFC East and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Barkley — with a little help from Jalen Hurts — has largely led the way and moved into MVP consideration. The former New York Giant also ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. It's reasonable to expect Barkley to pile on the yards against Carolina (3-9). The Panthers are 32nd in the league against the run and just allowed Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving to run for a career-high 152 yards last week (he had never broken 100). “It’s incredible what he is doing. The record has stood up for a while. I mean 17 games or 14 games, it’s ridiculous,” Panthers defensive lineman Shy Tuttle said. “It’s a record that has been held for a long time and whoever breaks it, Saquon or someone else, it’s an incredible achievement.” Barkley leads the NFL with four rushing touchdowns of 25-plus yards this season and tied Montgomery for the most 100-yards games in an Eagles season with eight. “You get to see the player on Sundays. We get to see the person every other day during the week,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “He’s special. At the end of the day, he’s a special teammate, special person. The way he connects with everyone, rallies everyone together. He’s one of the best.” Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is eager to get back on the field and put last week behind him. Carolina’s leading rusher had a costly fumble in overtime last Sunday against Tampa Bay as the Panthers were driving for a potential game-winning field goal, resulting in a 26-23 loss to division rival Tampa Bay. A dejected Hubbard remained on the bench for several minutes after the loss. “You definitely use it as motivation,” Hubbard said. “I have come a long way and I know what it’s like to play great football. That was a big mistake on my end, but I don’t just lose all of the work I have put in because of that one mistake.” Bryce Young is beginning to show he can be a factor with his legs, scoring on a 10-yard run last week against the Buccaneers. However, Young still receives plenty of good-natured ribbing from his teammates when it comes to his sliding ability, which the QB has previously admitted is limited because he wasn’t much of a baseball player. “He definitely has to work on his slide,” Hubbard said. “He has been making people miss so he hasn’t had to slide like that a lot. I mean I’m not trying to hate on my dog’s slide but it’s just a work in progress. He will be all right.” Panthers guard Robert Hunt said it’s always interesting playing in Philadelphia because of the team’s passionate fan base. Last year, while Hunt was playing for the Dolphins, he said an Eagles fan attempted to board the Miami team bus. “They have some characters there — some people who don’t really give a damn,” Hunt said. “He was trying to trash-talk us. But he was confident and that is what makes them them.” Hunt said the fan never made it on the bus. “Aw hell no, we would have stomped that boy,” Hunt said with a laugh. “He tried. He was talking his noise. Good for him. I don’t want to say you want a fan base like that, but you want a fan base that cares about the team.” AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLIn the B2B world, where deal sizes can soar into the millions, financial relationships are anything but straightforward. This makes B2B payments acceptance a complex terrain of both challenges and opportunities. By 2030 , the B2B payments market size is projected to hit north of $170 trillion. But unlike their consumer-facing counterparts, B2B payments lack a standardized payment method. While credit cards dominate retail, B2B payments are a fragmented web of checks, wire transfers, ACH payments, digital payments and even cold hard cash. The sheer diversity of payment options is both a blessing and a curse. Each comes with unique costs, settlement times and risks, creating a labyrinth for organizations to navigate as they seek to best serve their B2B partners of all sizes and geographies. Businesses need to align their payment acceptance policies with their corporate goals, which can be a complex process. Despite the availability of various payment methods, many businesses still rely on traditional, comparatively inefficient processes like paper checks and manual reconciliation. This leads to delays, errors, increased costs and a lack of transparency. While challenges such as legacy systems, data security and supplier resistance remain, after talking to dozens of senior payments industry executives for PYMNTS’ B2B Payments: Outlook 2030 event, it’s increasingly clear that the opportunities presented by automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and strategic partnerships offer a compelling case for change. Read more: B2B Payments Aren’t Boring Anymore Why B2B Payment Acceptance Still Feels Like a Rubik’s Cube In an era where every dollar counts, rethinking how businesses accept payments isn’t just a technical upgrade — it’s a strategic imperative. The B2B payments landscape is undergoing a transformation , driven by technological advancements, evolving business needs and the increasing consumerization of business processes. This shift presents opportunities for innovation and growth, redefining how businesses interact financially. 21st century businesses have access to a wide range of modern payment tools. Among the innovations shared by experts in “ Outlook 2030: How Platforms and Networks Will Power the Future of Business Payments ,” a PYMNTS eBook, include B2B platforms meant to replicate the efficiency of consumer marketplaces by facilitating end-to-end transactions online, virtual cards and tokenization, real-time payments, embedded finance, digital wallets and even blockchain-based solutions like stablecoins. Many of these tools, like B2B platforms and real-time payments, allow for the automation of financial processes, improving efficiency and reducing manual work. Tools like virtual cards , real-time payments and embedded finance can give businesses quicker access to funds and help them manage their working capital more effectively. At the same time, technologies like tokenization and stablecoins, coupled with robust security protocols, can help to reduce fraud risks and improve security in B2B transactions. Digital platforms also can provide real-time data and insights into transactions, enabling better forecasting and strategic decision-making. However, it’s crucial to note that, especially with innovations like stablecoins, the use of certain technology in corporate finance can commonly attract regulatory attention, requiring companies to maintain robust compliance practices. Read more : The Great Paper Escape: Transforming Accounts Payable for the Digital Age Unlocking B2B Payment Acceptance: Challenges and Opportunities Integrating modern payment solutions with existing legacy systems can be complex and pose a significant challenge for businesses. Adopting new payment methods can often meet resistance from suppliers, who harbor misconceptions about the associated costs, complexity and benefits. This lack of understanding frequently creates friction in payment cycles and slows the adoption of innovative solutions. “The B2B money movement space has not yet benefited from some of the real innovations,” Seamus Smith , executive vice president group president at FIS , told PYMNTS, noting that checks still account for “nearly 40%” of B2B payment volume in the U.S., even though they are prone to fraud and reconciliation errors. Automation offers a clear path to addressing inefficiencies in accounts receivable processes. From invoicing to payment reconciliation, automated systems reduce errors, speed up payment cycles and free up resources for strategic initiatives. By eliminating manual tasks, businesses can focus on growth and innovation. Collaborating with FinTech companies and payment providers can help open the door to innovative solutions and a broader ecosystem of payment networks. Such partnerships can provide expertise and resources that amplify a company’s capabilities and competitiveness, although compliance and third-party risk management remain crucial. Separately, AI-powered tools are transforming B2B payment processes by automating tasks, detecting fraud and providing predictive insights. These advancements empower CFOs to shift from reactive number-crunching to proactive strategic planning, positioning finance as a driver of innovation, as well as helping smooth out onboarding and acceptance professes. In today’s evolving ecosystem, companies that prioritize innovation and adaptability will not only be positioned to overcome hurdles but also to unlock new growth avenues. By reimagining payment acceptance as a strategic enabler rather than a back-office function, businesses can stay ahead in a competitive world.Americans support increasing government efficiencyAs the leaves fall, the heat goes on, the temperatures drop and the sweaters and jackets are pulled from storage, it's also a great time to think about making a pot of soup.

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A former Regina high school teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old female student was acquitted on Tuesday of all five charges he faced, Regina’s Court of King’s Bench confirmed to CTV News. Jeffery G. Dumba, now 52, faced charges including luring, sexual exploitation and making sexually explicit material available to a person under 16 years of age. The alleged offences were said to have occurred in the summer of 2021 after Dumba and the female student, who attended the school where he was employed, began communicating on the social media platform Snapchat. Their communications allegedly evolved to sexual images being exchanged on the app as well as through iPhone messages. Dumba’s trial had been ongoing since June of this year. He was initially arrested in 2021 after police were made aware of the alleged relationship. Digital evidence found on a laptop, Apple Watch, and two cell phones included explicit images which were exchanged between two distinct Snapchat user IDs, which were believed to belong to the student and accused. Over the course of the trial, the court heard testimony from police officers, the victim, the victim’s mother and Dumba himself. Closing arguments were heard in October, where Dumba testified he was not aware of the student’s age and claimed she told him she was 20-years-old. Dumba’s defence also argued that the 15-year-old “sought out the [then] 49-year-old teacher," something the girl's mother said in June she believed had occurred. The student was said to have had two Snapchat accounts and usernames, with one later being her actual first and last name. Dumba had a username that was different from his given names because he said it helped keep his students from finding him on social media. During closing arguments, the defence argued that the student was lying about not knowing who the teacher was prior to them communicating on Snapchat. "She portrayed herself as a victim after the fact, but that's not what's going on ... I think its pretty clear that she felt good about what she had done and was sort of bragging about this sort of relationship she had with Mr. Dumba." the defence said in October, adding the student was a “very convincing liar.” The crown argued Dumba did not take enough steps to verify the student’s age. "She's not concealing her identity from him if she's interacting with him on Snapchat using the username [first and last name of the alleged victim] and if she's sending him pictures that include pictures of her face ... he knows that people lie about their age on social media, because he lied about his age on social media," the crown said during closing arguments. In June court heard a recording of a preliminary police interview from September 2021 that included a conversation between the student and her mother. The following dialogue was exchanged between the two: Mother: “You do understand how wrong this is, right?” Victim: “Ya, but it’s my fault.” Mother: “Can I ask why you think it’s your fault?” Victim: “I added him [on Snapchat].” Mother: “Did you know who he was when you added him?” Victim: “No, but I added him.” The student's mother went on to testify that she had "guilt" in feeling as though her daughter held a portion of responsibility for the situation. Dumba maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and pleaded "not-guilty" to all five charges he faced. -- With files from Hallee Mandryk

(The Center Square) – The majority of Americans generally support the idea of cutting back on the federal government, polling finds. The Pew Research poll from this summer found that 56% of Americans say the government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.” Gallup’s recent polling data shows that 55% of Americans say the government is doing “too much” while only 41% say it should do more. Americans are more evenly split how big the government should be, but increasing government efficiency has more broad support. “Gallup polling earlier this year showed that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government,” Gallup said. “A slight majority of Americans say the government has too much power. Seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government.” The survey comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the White House and issued broad, sweeping plans to decrease the scope of the federal government. To accomplish this task, Trump appointed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’” Trump said in his announcement. Both Ramaswamy and Musk have publicly issued scathing remarks about the waste of federal resources currently occurring in Washington, D.C. Ramaswamy, for instance, has laid out a specific plan on how thousands of federal workers could be fired. The pair of businessmen have said publicly DOGE could cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Ramaswamy and Musk visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential cuts, which could even include ideas as drastic as eliminating the Department of Education and returning that responsibility to the states. Trump's allies have also discussed cutting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are seen by Trump's camp as taxpayer-funded investment in woke ideology. Whether such stark actions would be supported by Americans remains unclear, but for now the latest polling shows Americans want something to be done. On top of that, Americans’ desire for smaller government seems to be more than a momentary political phase. “Gallup has asked this question annually over the past 24 years. On average, 52% of Americans have said the government is doing too much, compared with 42% saying the government should do more...” Gallup said. “Only twice have more Americans chosen the ‘government should do more’ alternative over the ‘government doing too much’ alternative -- in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.”

Mother orca and her children make 'grocery shopping' trip near downtown Vancouver

A bankruptcy judge on Monday delayed a hearing in conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ effort to stop the satirical news outlet The Onion from buying Infowars, keeping the auction sale up in the air for at least another few weeks. Jones alleges fraud and collusion marred the bankruptcy auction that resulted in The Onion being named the winning bidder over a company affiliated with him. A trustee overseeing the auction denies the allegations and accuses Jones of launching a smear campaign because he didn't like the outcome. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez had been scheduled to hear an emergency motion to disqualify The Onion's bid on Monday, but put it off until either Dec. 9 or Dec. 17. That's also when the judge will hear arguments on the trustee's request to approve the sale of Infowars to The Onion. Lopez said it made sense to have one hearing on both requests. “I want a fair and transparent process and let’s just see where the process goes," Lopez said. Lopez could ultimately allow The Onion to move forward with its purchase, order a new auction or name the other bidder as the winner. At stake is whether Jones gets to stay at Infowars’ studio in Austin, Texas, under a new owner friendly to him, or whether he gets kicked out by The Onion. The other bidder, First United American Companies, runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements. Jones continues to broadcast his show from the Infowars studio, but he has set up a new location, websites and social media accounts as a precaution. The trustee shut down the Austin studio and Infowars' websites for about 24 hours last week after The Onion was announced as the winning bidder, but allowed them to resume the next day, drawing more complaints from Jones. Jones declared bankruptcy and liquidated his assets after he was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion to relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. He was ordered to pay damages for defamation and emotional distress in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas after he repeatedly said the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was a hoax staged by actors to increase gun control. Proceeds from the liquidation are to go to Jones’ creditors, including the Sandy Hook families who sued him. Last year, Lopez ruled that $1.1 billion of the Sandy Hook judgments could not be discharged in the bankruptcy. On Monday, he denied a request from Sandy Hook families to make the full $1.5 billion not dischargeable, meaning the debt cannot be wiped clean. Also Monday, lawyers for the social media platform X objected to any sale of the accounts of both Jones and Infowars, saying X is the owner of the accounts and it has not given consent for them to be sold or transferred. Jones' personal X account, with 3.3 million followers, was not part of the auction, but Lopez will be deciding if it should be included in the liquidation. Jones has praised X owner Elon Musk on his show and suggested that Musk should buy Infowars. Musk has not responded publicly to that suggestion and was not among the bidders. Jones was permanently banned from Twitter in 2018 for abusive behavior, but Musk restored Jones’ account on the platform he has since renamed X in December last year. Jones alleges The Onion’s bid was the result of fraud and collusion involving many of the Sandy Hook families, the humor site and the court-appointed trustee. First United American Companies submitted a $3.5 million sealed bid, while The Onion offered $1.75 million in cash. But The Onion's bid also included a pledge by Sandy Hook families to forgo some or all of the auction proceeds due to them to give other creditors a total of $100,000 more than they would receive under other bids. The trustee, Christopher Murray, said that made The Onion's proposal better for creditors and he named it the winning bid. Jones and First United American Companies claimed that the bid violated Lopez’s rules for the auction by including multiple entities and lacking a valid dollar amount. Jones also alleged Murray improperly canceled an expected round of live bidding and only selected from among the two sealed bids that were submitted. Jones called the auction “rigged” and a “fraud” on his show, which airs on the Infowars website, radio stations and Jones' X account. He filed a counter lawsuit last week against Murray, The Onion's parent company and the Sandy Hook families in the bankruptcy court. In a court filing on Sunday, Murray called the allegations a “desperate attempt” to delay the sale of Infowars to The Onion and accused Jones, his lawyers and attorneys for First United American Companies of a “vicious smear campaign lobbing patently false accusations.” He also alleged Jones collaborated with First United American Companies to try to buy Infowars. Lopez’s September order on the auction procedures made a live bidding round optional. And it gave broad authority to Murray to conduct the sale, including the power to reject any bid, no matter how high, that was “contrary to the best interests” of Jones, his company and their creditors. The assets of Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, that were up for sale included the Austin studio, Infowars' video archive, video production equipment, product trademarks, and Infowars' websites and social media accounts. Another auction of remaining assets is set for Dec. 10. Jones is appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments citing free speech rights, but has acknowledged that the school shooting happened . Many of Jones’ personal assets, including real estate, guns and other belongings, also are being sold as part of the bankruptcy. Documents filed in court this year say Jones had about $9 million in personal assets, while Free Speech Systems had about $6 million in cash and more than $1 million worth of inventory.

Wife faces murder for striking husband with pot, burning log in domestic rowThe Onion's bid for Alex Jones' Infowars hangs in the balance as judge orders new hearingMinnesota will try to bounce back from two straight losses when it hosts Bethune-Cookman on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers (5-3) are coming off a 57-51 loss against Wake Forest on Friday, which followed a 68-66 overtime loss against Wichita State on Thursday. Both games took place at the ESPN Events Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Minnesota coach Ben Johnson cited inconsistency on offense as the main reason for his team's recent skid. "We're painfully figuring that out," Johnson said. "I thought our defense, though, (Thursday and Friday) has proven this is a top-40 or top-30 defense. We've got to be able to show up with offense and free throws." Golden Gophers starter Lu'Cye Patterson said he and his teammates remain confident in their potential as the Big Ten conference season approaches. "We just have to keep doing what we're supposed to do and keep our level of defensive play up," Patterson said. "It's going to win us a lot of games. The offense is going to come." Bethune-Cookman (2-5) will try to play spoiler on the road. The Wildcats have split their past two games as they beat North Dakota 79-67 on Tuesday and lost to Gardner-Webb 79-64 on Wednesday, both games played in the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. Four players for Bethune-Cookman scored in double digits in their most recent game. Reggie Ward Jr. and Daniel Rouzan led the way with 14 points apiece, Trey Thomas scored 13 and Brayon Freeman chipped in 10. Bethune-Cookman is coached by Reggie Theus, who enjoyed a long NBA career and coached the Sacramento Kings for parts of two seasons. Theus said the Wildcats were in better position to compete this season compared with a season ago. "We've got a lot of depth, and we have age and experience," Theus said. "One of the biggest differences in our team is that we have great size now, where last year we were pretty small." Dawson Garcia leads Minnesota with 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Patterson is next with 10.1 points per contest. Bethune-Cookman is led by Freeman, who is averaging 15.9 points per game. Thomas (11.7 points per game) and Ward Jr. (11.0) also are scoring in double digits. --Field Level Media

Courtland Sutton's surge is helping rookie Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos make a playoff pushAmericans support increasing government efficiency