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  • Week 15 NFL power rankings roundup: Eagles continue to fall after latest loss, but how far?

    Week 15 NFL power rankings roundup: Eagles continue to fall after latest loss, but how far?

    Monday’s loss to the Chargers was not a pretty one for the Eagles offense, which was led by a career-worst performance from Jalen Hurts.

    The Birds (8-5) are now riding a three-game losing streak, but they still sit in the driver’s seat in the NFC East with the Cowboys hot on their heels. That streak has not been good for their position in the NFL power rankings. Here’s where the Eagles stand heading into Week 15 …

    ESPN: Ninth

    The Eagles dropped three spots from sixth after their 22-19 loss to the Chargers. Tim McManus pointed to the Birds’ poor third-down conversion rate and high three-and-out percentage as some of the most shocking statistics from their skid.

    “The Eagles have been among the worst on three-and-outs for most of the season — shocking giving all the talent on that side of the ball,” McManus wrote. “But a mix of pre-snap penalties and a substantial drop in rushing success has prevented the offense from getting into a flow. They ranked 11th in third-down success rate last season (40.28%) but entered Monday’s game near the bottom at 34.46%.”

    A.J. Brown ‘wasn’t great when it mattered’ as key drops doomed the Eagles in loss to Chargers

    The Ringer: Seventh

    The Ringer dropped the Eagles to seventh, their lowest rating of the season. Diante Lee has the Birds on fraud watch given the team’s deterioration compared to how it looked one year ago.

    “Philadelphia’s offense has spent this entire season seemingly afraid of the shadow cast by its own immense roster talent, running away from any bit of discomfort and hoping that the rest of the league would quietly submit instead of challenging the Eagles’ right to the NFL throne,” Lee wrote. “Complacency kills in this sport, and it’s only the Eagles’ fault that they’ve allowed complacency to ruin two of their past four seasons.

    “While the Eagles offense has failed to evolve, their opponents have been picking away at every weak spot, notably Kevin Patullo’s scheme and the play of Jalen Hurts. The typically risk-averse QB committed five turnovers in Monday’s loss to the Chargers, a new low point for the Eagles’ passing offense. Philadelphia still has a comfortable lead in the NFC East, but this offense hardly looks like a playoff-caliber unit.”

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts committed five turnovers in his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

    The Athletic: 12th

    Josh Kendall and Chad Graff gave their most pessimistic take on every NFL team in this week’s power rankings. For the Eagles, that worst-case scenario is that A.J. Brown has been right about the offense all along.

    “The mercurial wide receiver has been advocating for a more wide-open offense (and himself) all year long,” Graff and Kendall wrote. “The last month has suggested he was right. The Eagles act like they’re getting extra points for degree of difficulty on offense, and Jalen Hurts isn’t making things much easier. He turned the ball over twice on one play Monday night and finished with four interceptions (one of which bounced out of Brown’s hands) and a 31.2 passer rating. Philly has lost three in a row.”

    NFL.com: 13th

    Eric Edholm said that time is running out for the Eagles to figure themselves out on offense, and the group wasted another elite performance from the Birds defense.

    “It’s hard to blame a defense that held the Chargers to 3.9 yards per play and didn’t allow a touchdown after Los Angeles’ opening drive,” Edholm wrote. “The Eagles consistently got good starting field position from the return teams but had eight empty drives and went 0-for-2 in the red zone. After a third straight loss, this will be another long week in Philly. If the Eagles can’t get right in Sunday’s home game against the lowly Raiders, the reigning champs are in serious trouble.”

  • The Frankford Arsenal once housed Philly’s narcotics unit. The site gave officers brain cancer, lawsuits say.

    The Frankford Arsenal once housed Philly’s narcotics unit. The site gave officers brain cancer, lawsuits say.

    Joseph Cooney joined the Philadelphia Police Department’s narcotics unit in 1998. For eight years, the officer began and finished each workday at the unit’s headquarters on the site of the old Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia’s Bridesburg section, where munitions were manufactured and tested from the Civil War through the Vietnam War.

    Cooney, 53, said he would joke with his colleagues that “we’ll all be glowing in the dark someday” because of the materials left behind in the ground and the chemical plants across the Frankford Creek. In 2024, that joke became a dark reality for Cooney when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer.

    In a lawsuit, filed along with lawsuits by the families of two narcotics officers who died of the disease, Cooney links his cancer to radioactive and toxic materials that had not been properly remediated when the munitions factory shut down and the site was converted to a business park.

    The lawsuit, filed Monday in Common Pleas Court, accuses the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, developer Mark Hankin, and Hankin’s businesses of having known about risks of exposure but failing to warn those working in the location or properly remediate the harm.

    “This type of cancer, at the end of the day, it’s a death sentence,” Cooney said. “When you go to work every day, you don’t expect to be dealing with this.”

    The Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development declined to comment. Hankin did not respond to requests for comment.

    Joseph Cooney, a police officer who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2024, seen after his third surgery in July 2025.

    ‘The street that beat Hitler’

    The Frankford Arsenal opened in 1816 as a weapons storage and repair shop for the U.S. Army, and in 1849 became the country’s largest developer and manufacturer of small arms and artillery shells. The arsenal’s campus grew over the years, including a massive expansion during World War II. By the end of the war, workers fondly referred to it as “the street that beat Hitler.”

    Each war throughout the century-plus of the arsenal’s existence brought its own challenges, and the complex between Bridge Street, Tacony Street, and the Frankford Creek adapted to support the nation’s military needs.

    This woman is loading powder into cartridges of .30 caliber tracer bullets in the assembly division of the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Penn., on July 27, 1940 during World War II. (AP Photo)

    The arsenal closed in 1977 and the authority for industrial development, an agency with a mayor-appointed board, became the campus’ steward. Hankin, a Montgomery County developer, bought the campus in the 1980s and transformed it into a business park, which included the narcotics unit headquarters from the early 1990s until 2015.

    As soon as the arsenal closed, decontamination needs were discussed, newspaper articles from the time show. An official report found the existence of dangerous materials in buildings in 1981, before the property was converted to civilian use, the lawsuits say.

    Throughout the 2000s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in a series of reports, flagged concerns over dangers in the old arsenal’s ground. A 2016 report found elevated concentrations of lead and potentially cancer-causing substances in six areas that posed “unacceptable risk or potential concerns to future human receptors.”

    One of the areas of concern noted in the report sits atop building 202 — the narcotics unit’s former home.

    A map showing areas of concern for hazardous materials at the Frankford Arsenal site, from a 2016 report on a feasibility study conducted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

    The common denominator

    Cooney has been hearing over the past decades about colleagues from his narcotics unit days who have gotten sick.

    Michael Deal, who spent 37 years on the police force and joined the narcotics unit in 1994, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018 and died the next year at age 64. Then, in 2023, Andrew Schafer, a 20-year veteran who worked at narcotics from 2002 to 2015, also was diagnosed with the brain cancer. He died in March at age 51.

    The families of Deal and Schafer also filed lawsuits similar to Cooney’s.

    Cooney heard through the grapevine about other cases. And then he was diagnosed.

    “Everyone sat down, started talking,” Cooney said. “The only common denominator was everybody worked in the same building.”

    Adding to their concern were the adjacent chemical plants, Cooney said.

    Fifty-four employees of the Rohm & Haas chemical plant, right across the Frankford Creek from the arsenal, died of lung cancer in the 1960s and early ’70s, the Philadelphia Daily News reported in 1981.

    The current suits allege that the contaminants in the arsenal ground were not properly cleaned up, and that those working at the site were not warned despite a series of reports.

    “The remediation was not done to the extent that it eliminated the risk,“ said William Davis, the attorney who filed the suits. ”Up until now we have no evidence that there was any warning to any tenants.”

    Cooney still works as a police officer, with a desk job supporting the city’s SWAT team. He has lost much of his independence to the disease, which can be slowed but not cured. He can no longer drive or coach youth sports, and relies on a cane to walk.

    “It’s tough now,” Cooney said. “You feel like you’re getting robbed.”

    The officer is concerned about who will take care of his wife and their seven children once he is gone, and Cooney is especially worried for the health of one of his daughters — a biology teacher at Franklin Towne Charter High School, which sits on the arsenal’s old site.

  • Eagles open as big favorites over Raiders; plus, updated odds for the playoffs, Super Bowl, and more

    Eagles open as big favorites over Raiders; plus, updated odds for the playoffs, Super Bowl, and more

    Jalen Hurts had only thrown two interceptions over his first twelve games this season. But the 13th game vindicated hotels and superstitious fans across the country — the Houston native was intercepted a career-high four times against the Chargers, including one near the end zone in overtime to seal a three-point Los Angeles victory.

    It was the Eagles’ third straight loss, their first time doing that since Weeks 13-15 in 2023, when Philadelphia started 10-1 before losing six of its next seven games, including to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round. The Birds have a chance to end their current losing streak against the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

    Here’s a look at the odds for that matchup, as well as the rest of the season …

    Eagles vs. Raiders odds

    Despite the offense’s continued struggles, the Eagles defense put up a bounceback performance against the Chargers. Vic Fangio’s unit allowed just one total touchdown the entire game, and turned over Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert twice while sacking him seven times. Other than running back Kimani Vidal, who recorded a 60-yard reception on the Chargers’ third offensive snap, no LA pass catcher finished with over 25 yards.

    Is ‘atrocious’ Jalen Hurts to blame? Is more Saquon Barkley the answer for Eagles? Here’s what they’re saying.

    The Eagles open as double-digit favorites on Sunday. That likely has to do with their opponent, the Raiders. It has not been a good season for Las Vegas, who is riding a seven-game skid, which included a 31-0 loss to the 6-7 Kansas City Chiefs and a 24-10 loss to the 3-10 Cleveland Browns. The Raiders have only scored 20 points once in their last seven games. Quarterback Geno Smith is also tied for the league lead in interceptions with 14.

    FanDuel

    • Spread: Eagles -11.5 (-105); Raiders +11.5 (-115)
    • Moneyline: Eagles (-770); Raiders (+560)
    • Total: Over 38.5 (-110); Under 38.5 (-110)

    DraftKings

    • Spread: Eagles -11.5 (-115); Raiders +11.5 (-105)
    • Moneyline: Eagles (-950); Raiders (+625)
    • Total: Over 38.5 (-112); Under 38.5 (-118)
    Jerry Jones’ Cowboys are the only NFC East team with a chance of catching the Eagles.

    NFC East odds

    The Dallas Cowboys remain 1½ games back of the division lead after losing to the Lions on Thursday night. Still, Dallas has gained two games on the Birds by winning three of its last four contests.

    It gets slightly more dicey for the ‘Boys when you take into account the Eagles’ remaining schedule. In addition to the Raiders matchup, the Eagles play the Buffalo Bills, and the Washington Commanders twice. Even if the Birds lose to Buffalo, Dallas would still need Philly to lose to a two- or three-win team to have a chance.

    Jalen Hurts hits his low point, which begs the question: Should he be benched for Tanner McKee?

    The good news for the Cowboys is that their schedule is similarly light. Dallas has one tough matchup remaining, against the Chargers, and three easier games against the Minnesota Vikings, Commanders, and New York Giants. If the Eagles were to drop two games, Dallas could take the NFC East by winning out. The Commanders and Giants have both officially been eliminated from playoff contention.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Forget 2023. The Eagles are in bigger trouble now after their loss to the Chargers. | Mike Sielski

    NFC odds update

    Even with three straight losses, the Eagles still have the fourth best odds in the NFC to make the Super Bowl at both FanDuel and DraftKings. Ahead of the Birds are the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    The Eagles beat the Rams at home earlier in the season, but Los Angeles has been the better team since.

    Super Bowl odds

    The Birds’ Super Bowl odds have taken a considerable dip. Last week, Philadelphia was listed with the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl by FanDuel and the fifth-best by DraftKings. This week, they rank seventh at both sportsbooks. On the AFC side, the Bills, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos all have shorter odds than the Eagles.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    A.J. Brown ‘wasn’t great when it mattered’ as key drops doomed the Eagles in loss to Chargers

    MVP odds

    The MVP is shaping up to be a two-player race.

    In his sophomore season, Drake Maye has led the Patriots to an 11-2 record, which is tied for the AFC lead. Maye ranks second in the NFL in passing yards. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Matthew Stafford has led the 10-3 Rams to the top of the NFC and has thrown an NFL-leading 35 touchdown passes. Next closest are Dak Prescott and Jared Goff, who have both thrown 26.

    Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Bills quarterback Josh Allen are both longer-shot candidates worth monitoring. Hurts and Saquon Barkley are not, but we included their odds for reference.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

  • Philly music featuring Jingle Ball, mgk, the Happy Fits, the Starting Line, and Algernon Cadwallader

    Philly music featuring Jingle Ball, mgk, the Happy Fits, the Starting Line, and Algernon Cadwallader

    This week in Philly music features hometown shows by two reunited Philadelphia pop-punk bands in the Starting Line and Algernon Cadwallader, plus South Philly arena dates with the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly and the all-star Jingle Ball tour. Also on tap: Club shows with the Dream Syndicate, Rhett Miller, and Greg Mendez.

    Pittstown, N.J.-born and Philly-based pop-rock quartet the Happy Fits headline the Fillmore on Thursday. The band, fronted by singer and electric cellist Calvin Longman, is on tour for Lovesick, their snappy fourth album, and first since founding member Ross Monteith left the band and new members Nico Rose and Raina Mullen (who sings lead on the title track) joined up.

    The ‘60s and early ‘70s live in the music of the Heavy Heavy, the Brighton, England, duo of Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, whose songs stand on their own while being unashamed for their affections for counterculture-era rock sounds.

    Will Turner and Georgie Fuller of England’s the Heavy Heavy play Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday.

    The band that previously recorded a psychedelic version of Father John Misty’s “Real Love Baby” plays Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia on Thursday.

    JD McPherson’s most recent album of rockabilly and old school R&B-influenced originals was last year’s Nite Owls. Hopefully, the Oklahoma singer-guitarist will dip into his entire discography, but his show Thursday night at Arden Gild Hall in Wilmington is a “A Rock ’N’ Roll Christmas Tour” stop centered on the songs on his 2017 album Socks.

    Algernon Cadwallader play Union Transfer on Dec. 13.

    King Mala is Los Angeles alt-pop artist Areli Lopez, the El Paso native who’s touring behind her Billie Eiish-ish moody full-length debut And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing. She’s at Nikki Lopez on South Street with Dezi opening.

    If Steve Wynn isn’t touring doing solo shows, or playing with indie supergroups Gutterball and the Baseball Project (the latter with whom he was in Philly in September), he’s on the road with the Dream Syndicate, the band that emerged from the 1980s Los Angeles psychedelic rock scene known as the Paisley Underground.

    The band’s 1984 album Medicine Show mixed neo-noir mystery and Southern literary flair on epic guitar tracks like “John Coltrane Stereo Blues.” They’ll open with a set that surveys their career before playing Medicine Show in its entirety at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday.

    Rhett Miller divides his time between the Old ‘97s and his solo career. His ninth Rhett Miller album is the new A lifetime of riding by night, which is a stripped-down affair that was recorded before (successful) vocal surgery and captures him in a reflective, philosophical mood. He plays Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday, then heads down the road to play 118 North in Wayne that night.

    Rhett Miller plays Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday and 118 North in Wayne later that night. The Old ’97s singer’s new solo album is “A lifetime of riding by night.”

    Philly “apocolectric” folk-rock quartet Bums in the Attic celebrate the release of their The Denouement EP at Dawson Street Pub on Friday, with Ms. J & the Cresson Street Band and Anthony Baldini.

    Philly pop-punkers the Starting Line — originally from Churchville in Bucks County — have released only three albums in an initial burst of activity that began with 2002’s release, Say It Like You Mean It.

    Philly pop-punk band the Starting Line’s new album “Eternal Youth” is their first in 18 years. They play two nights at the Fillmore Philly on Friday and Saturday.

    The band went on hiatus in 2008, but has regrouped for several tours throughout the years and got a boost in the pop cultural consciousness in 2024 when Taylor Swift name-checked them in “The Black Dog” from The Tortured Poets Department. Now they’re back in earnest with Eternal Youth, their first album in 18 years, and shows at the Fillmore on Friday and Saturday.

    Jon Langford & Sally Timms of the Mekons return to the charming confines of Harmonie Hall in Manayunk on Saturday. Expect a survey from the 40-plus year career of the Leeds, England-born country-punk pioneers featuring the divine-voiced Timms and offhand brilliance of the prolific Langford, who will be coming back to Philly together with the full-sized Mekons at the Latvian Society in June.

    Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on Saturday. His new album is “Starburst.”

    Inspired and eccentric Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street on Saturday. He’s touring behind his new album Stardust, which vividly chronicles his journey to sobriety.

    Algernon Cadwallader hail from Yardley in Bucks County. But in a world of inscrutable micro-genres, they’re often labeled a “Midwest emo” band. After going their separate ways after their 2011 album Parrot Flies, the band that includes singer Peter Helmis and guitarist and Headroom Studio owner Joe Reinhart (also a member of Hop Along) got back together in 2022. Trying Not to Have a Thought, their first album in 14 years, came out in September, and they’re playing a hometown show at Union Transfer on Saturday, with Gladie and Snoozer opening.

    Machine Gun Kelly gets slimed after performing “Cliche” during the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The artist, now known as mgk, plays Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

    Mgk isn’t just shorthand for Philly classic rock radio station WMGK-FM (102.9). It’s now the stage name of the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly, who ditched his previous moniker in 2024 to disassociate himself from gun violence.

    The rapper and singer is touring behind his new album, Lost Americana, which was released in June accompanied by a trailer narrated by none other than Bob Dylan, who is apparently his biggest fan. “From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles,” Dylan said. “This is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined, and the future is forged on your own terms.” The “Lost Americana” tour comes to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.

    Philly indie songwriter Greg Mendez is playing one more show in the super-intimate side chapel of the First Unitarian Church on Monday. This Mendez and Friends show features guest Amelia Cry Till I Die, Mary St. Mary and Shannen Moser singing traditional folk ballads. Most likely they will be making beautiful music together.

    BigXthaPlug performs during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., on June 13, 2024. The Texas country rapper plays the Jingle Ball at Xfinity Mobil;e Arenea on Monday. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

    On Monday, it’s the Jingle Ball. This year’s iHeart Radio package tour of hitmakers at Xfinity Mobile Arena runs alphabetically from AJR to Zara Larsson. The show presented by Q102 — Philly station WIOQ-FM (102.1) — serves up a crash course in contemporary pop with Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Laufey, Monsta X, Miles Smith and Raven Lenae, plus a KPop Demon Hunters sing-along.

  • Penn State faculty say they will vote on forming a union

    Penn State faculty say they will vote on forming a union

    A Pennsylvania State University faculty group has taken the next step to form a union across the system’s campuses, which eventually could represent some 6,000 faculty.

    Officials from the Penn State Faculty Alliance and the Service Employees International Union said they had filed Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor after having obtained at least the required signatures of 30% of eligible faculty.

    The next step would be an election, and if approved by a majority, a union would be formed and contract negotiations could begin. How long it takes to schedule an election depends on whether the university opposes the move.

    “It would be the largest single union election in the public sector in the history of the Commonwealth if not the last 50 years,” Steve Cantanese, president of SEIU 668 said at a news conference held at the Capitol building Tuesday in Harrisburg.

    Some Penn State faculty want to unionize as the university considers campus closures

    The announcement comes about a month after graduate student workers at Penn State voted to unionize, with 90% in favor. That vote came nearly a year after the Coalition of Graduate Employees at Penn State filed the required signature cards with the labor board. Their vote came amid a wave of graduate union workers’ efforts to unionize.

    Penn State is the only state-related university of the four in the Commonwealth without a faculty union. Faculty concern about the university’s decisions began to accelerate during the pandemic and have continued to mount amid budget cuts and the decision in May to announce the closure of seven of the school’s Commonwealth campuses. A seeming lack of shared governance, salary, and workload inequities across campuses, and transparency are among other concerns cited by faculty involved in the effort.

    PSU board approves closure of seven Commonwealth campuses by a 25-8 vote

    “Penn State faculty are filing for a union election to bring transparency to their workplace, to bring job security to their workplace, to have an opportunity to have a greater voice at their workplace, to have some economic security at their workplace,” Cantanese said.

    Julio Palma, associate professor of chemistry at Fayette, one of the campuses selected for closure, said faculty tried to fight the Commonwealth campus closure plan but didn’t have enough power.

    “We organized,” he said. “We held rallies on campus. We talked to our elected officials. Nothing moved the needle.

    “If we had a faculty union, we wouldn’t be in this situation… We need a faculty union now.”

    Cantanese said SEIU reached out to the university in the hope that it will welcome faculty’s efforts to unionize.

    Penn State in a statement said it would review the petition when it is received.

    “Penn State deeply values the teaching, research, and service of our faculty, who play a critical role in fueling the success of our students and advancing our mission,” the school said.

    Faculty at the press conference said a union is needed.

    “As a teacher, I know that my working conditions are my students’ learning conditions,” said Kate Ragon, an assistant clinical professor of labor and employment relations at University Park, Penn State’s main campus. “We want a voice in the decision-making that affects us, affects our students, and affects our work.”

    The three other state-related universities in Pennsylvania ― Temple, the University of Pittsburgh, and Lincoln ― already have faculty unions. Temple’s has existed for more than 50 years, and its graduate student workers have been unionized for about 25 years. Lincoln’s formed in 1972. Pitt’s is more recent. It was established in 2021.

    Faculty at Rutgers, New Jersey’s flagship university, are unionized, too. So are the 10 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

    Faculty in the alliance have said they hope to secure better wages and benefits, job security protections, and a greater role in decision-making. When they announced plans to form a union last March, they said they wanted full and part-time, tenure, and nontenure faculty to be included as members and believed all campuses would be involved except for the medical school faculty at Hershey.

  • Your next chance to get FIFA World Cup tickets starts Thursday

    Your next chance to get FIFA World Cup tickets starts Thursday

    The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially six months away, and Philadelphians’ next chance to buy general admission tickets starts Thursday.

    From Dec. 11 to Jan. 13, fans can enter a lottery for the chance to buy World Cup match tickets, like the two previous lottery phases. The “random selection draw” is the third of several ticket sale phases leading up to the World Cup’s first match on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City.

    During the first two ticket phases, the United States, Canada, and Mexico (in that order) drove the bulk of ticket sales, according to FIFA. Fans in 212 countries have bought tickets.

    However, since the final draw on Friday, the World Cup matchups and schedule have been finalized. This will be the first ticket sale phase in which fans can apply for single-game tickets for exact matchups and teams.

    Next year’s World Cup will take place in 16 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including in Philadelphia, where six matches will be played. Powerhouses Brazil and France, home to some of the world’s best players, are confirmed to be playing in the City of Brotherly Love.

    Brazil’s Raphinha (center) celebrates with teammate Vinícius Júnior after scoring his side’s opening goal against Venezuela during a World Cup qualifying match.

    How to enter the random selection draw for FIFA World Cup tickets

    To enter the ticket lottery, applicants must first create a FIFA ID at FIFA.com/tickets.

    The lottery application form will become available on FIFA’s website starting at 11 a.m. Thursday and will close at 11 a.m. on Jan. 13.

    Log in during the application window and complete the random selection draw application form.

    Winners will be selected in a random draw, with notifications starting soon after Jan. 13. Those selected will receive an assigned date and time to purchase tickets, subject to availability.

    Single-match tickets to all 104 games, plus venue-specific and team-specific options, will be made available to choose from. That means fans in the Philadelphia area could buy tickets for matches at Lincoln Financial Field — if selected.

    Fans who have applied to previous ticket sale lotteries must submit a new application form.

  • Retail workers would need to earn double to afford the typical Philly-area apartment

    Retail workers would need to earn double to afford the typical Philly-area apartment

    Typical Philadelphia-area retail workers would need to make more than twice their annual wages to afford the region’s median-priced apartment, according to Redfin.

    Retail workers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, which includes Camden and Wilmington, made a median of $35,006 in 2024. But to comfortably afford the median monthly rent for an apartment in the area in October — $1,783 — they would need to make a median of $71,331, according to a report Redfin published last month.

    In all 40 of the major areas Redfin analyzed, typical retail workers make less money than they need to afford the median rent for an apartment.

    “As the cost of living has increased, so have the sacrifices renters must make to afford a place to live,” Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Since most retail workers don’t earn enough to afford the typical apartment, many are opting to share rent with a family member or friend, move far away from their job, or live in a very small space.”

    More Philly renters are ‘scraping by’ each month, saddled by low incomes and higher costs

    A typical U.S. retail worker would have to work 83 hours per week to afford the typical apartment alone.

    Renters struggling

    Rents are considered affordable if they are no more than 30% of a renter’s income. A growing number of Philadelphia renters are spending more than 33% of their income and struggling to pay rent, according to Census Bureau data.

    In a nationwide survey in May of about 1,600 renters, almost one in four said they regularly or greatly struggle to afford housing costs, Redfin found. Renters said they were dining out less, taking fewer vacations, and borrowing money from family and friends to pay their rent.

    In Redfin’s November report, even retail workers with wages in the top 25% earn 44% less than they need to afford the median-priced apartment.

    Data on rent affordability for retail workers in the Philadelphia metro area closely mirror national trends. The typical U.S. retail worker made $34,436 in 2024 but would need to make $71,172 to afford the typical apartment, priced at $1,779 in October.

    Rents have gotten slightly more affordable for the typical retail worker in the last few years. Prices aren’t rising as much because of all the apartments that have been built in recent years.

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    Bigger gaps in New York

    Redfin analyzed wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and retail workers fell into three categories: cashiers, retail salespersons, and first-line retail supervisors.

    The New York region had the biggest gap between what retail workers make and what they need to make to afford an apartment. Workers’ median annual wage was $39,185 in 2024. Workers would need to make $134,896 — almost 3½ times as much. The median apartment rent in October was $3,372.

    The affordability gap for retail workers was smallest in Cleveland’s metro area — $31,982 vs. $47,654.

    Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated the definition of the study’s metro area.

  • Trump says Somalis are ‘garbage’ and wants them to leave America. No one should be surprised by his ignorance.

    Trump says Somalis are ‘garbage’ and wants them to leave America. No one should be surprised by his ignorance.

    Donald Trump let us know exactly who he is when he rode down that escalator in June 2015, declared his presidential candidacy, and said this about Mexicans: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”

    We’ve heard him refer to Haiti, African nations, and El Salvador as “shithole countries.” Last year, he accused Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, of eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats. Trump allows mask-wearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to terrorize undocumented immigrants, most recently in New Orleans, as reported by my colleague Will Bunch.

    No one should be surprised he called Somalis “garbage” who “contribute nothing” and should leave America during a cabinet meeting last week.

    “These are people that do nothing but complain,” Trump said. “When they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

    Trump talks a really good game about putting America First, but he really means people of color last. An example of that was when he suspended refugee admissions, but then turned around and made an exception for white South Africans.

    Even knowing Trump’s agenda, it’s still upsetting to hear a sitting U.S. president denigrate the roughly 250,000 Somalis in this country.

    He’s talking about law-abiding folks like Salma Hussein. She made headlines in 2022 when she became the first female Somali principal in her school district in suburban Minneapolis, and possibly in the entire state of Minnesota.

    Hussein was born in Somalia, but has lived in America since the age of 7, and is a naturalized citizen. She’s a wife. She’s a mother of two. She’s a good person. “It’s really hurtful, and he’s giving permission to people to be hateful, and that’s really disheartening,” Hussein said.

    I stumbled across some of her social media posts about what’s been happening and decided to reach out. When I got her on the phone last week, Hussein, 37, and I talked about a lot of things, including how a stranger had emailed her saying: “Watch out. You’re not wanted. We’re taking out the trash from our country.”

    Salma Hussein, a Somali American who’s lived in the U.S. since she was 7, said the president is “giving permission to people to be hateful.”

    I shouldn’t even have to write this: Most Somalis are honest, law-abiding people. Many settled in Minnesota during the early 1990s after fleeing their war-torn country. Of the state’s foreign-born Somalis, most are naturalized U.S. citizens. They have every right to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. They vote. They pay taxes. Trump is their president, too. Some, oddly enough, even voted for him.

    I wish they’d thought longer and harder before voting for Trump, who posted on Truth Social that Minnesota is “a hub of fraudulent money laundering” and announced he was terminating Somalis’ Temporary Protected Status.

    Dozens of Somalis in Minnesota are facing charges in connection with a nefarious scheme to defraud the U.S. government of hundreds of millions in funding that had been set aside to feed hungry children at the height of the pandemic. Still, it’s unfair for a sitting U.S. president to stereotype an entire community for the actions of a subset. “As a Somali American, I’m just as upset about the people in my community who use fraud to make money,” Hussein told me.

    Somalis, who have built a large and influential enclave in Minnesota, are terrified that masked agents from ICE will take them into custody. Some have started carrying their passports. Others refuse to even leave their homes.

    “This kind of dangerous rhetoric and this level of dehumanizing can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday.

    It’s textbook Trump — and, of course, MAGA loves it.

    Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) speaks during a news conference, May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

    In New Orleans last week, Trump sicced ICE on undocumented Hispanic immigrants. At around the same time, his agents were also targeting Somalis in Minnesota.

    Which ethnic minority Trump will single out next for harassment is anybody’s guess. The only thing we can be certain of is that they will be from a Black or brown community.

  • She was hired to supervise troubled youth. She gave one a gun and had sex with him, Bucks DA says.

    She was hired to supervise troubled youth. She gave one a gun and had sex with him, Bucks DA says.

    A New York woman who worked as a “house mom” supervising troubled teens at a group home in Feasterville gave a 16-year-old boy money, posed in pictures with him holding a gun, and forced him into a sexual relationship, prosecutors in Bucks County said Tuesday.

    Cristal Betancourt, 30, told the teen in text messages in December 2024 that she was pregnant and asked him to buy her an emergency contraceptive, according to the affidavit of probable cause for her arrest.

    But the boy, in an electronic diary he kept on his iPhone’s Notes app, said he was afraid of Betancourt, writing that she was “crazy” and once demanded sex from him at gunpoint, the affidavit said.

    Betancourt has been charged with institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors, and related crimes. She had not been arraigned as of Tuesday afternoon. Efforts to reach her were unsuccessful.

    Investigators were first notified of the alleged abuse in January, six months after the teen was court-ordered to move into the home at 700 Ross Dr. in Feasterville.

    The property, operated by Community Service Foundation, provides housing and behavioral therapy for troubled teens, usually after they are taken into custody for criminal offenses. It operates similar to a foster home, with a full-time “house parent” who lives on the premises and supervises the teens.

    That supervisor also makes recommendations to CSF as to whether the teens are worthy of being granted “home passes” to visit family and friends.

    CSF did not return a request for comment on Betancourt or the charges she faces.

    Lower Southampton police were notified by investigators in Lancaster County, where the boy lived before being assigned to the group home, that they had a photo of the teen holding a Walther PPQ handgun and standing next to Betancourt, the affidavit said. Records show that she had purchased a gun similar to the one in the photo, the document said.

    In an interview with investigators, the affidavit said, Betancourt told them she owned two handguns, including the Walther, which she said had been recently stolen from her car. She said she had not reported the gun stolen and asked detectives to do that for her, according to the document.

    Detectives later examined the 16-year-old’s phone and found other photos of him holding both of Betancourt’s guns, the affidavit said. He told police she had taken him to a gun shop to look at firearms and then purchased a second gun, a Palmetto Arms 5.7-caliber pistol. Text messages found on the boy’s phone showed that he had bragged to his friends that he was carrying a handgun of that caliber, the document said.

    The teen’s cell phone showed that he had taken detailed notes of his sexual encounters with Betancourt inside the group home in November 2024, according to the affidavit. He wrote that he no longer wanted to have sex with her but was afraid she would “get him in trouble” or harm him if he refused, the affidavit said.

    Cell phone records revealed that Betancourt had taken the teen on unauthorized trips to Lancaster in violation of his probation, while lying and saying they were at a Costco store in Warminster, the document said, and detectives found she had sent him $600 via CashApp the week before Christmas 2024.

  • Phillies give the incomparable Kyle Schwarber an incomparable contract, still need another big bat behind him

    Phillies give the incomparable Kyle Schwarber an incomparable contract, still need another big bat behind him

    Kyle Schwarber was going to finish his career in a Phillies uniform. They’d been saying it without saying it since October. On Tuesday, they said it explicitly.

    Five years, $150 million.

    It is a remarkable sum of money on many levels. But, then, Schwarber is a remarkable hitter on many levels. Only three players in major league history have hit more home runs in the first three years of their 30s. Aaron Judge is the only player who has done it since the height of the steroid era. Sammy Sosa and Jim Thome are the other two. Schwarber’s 141 home runs between 30 and 32 years old are nine more than Babe Ruth hit at the same age.

    Source: Phillies, Kyle Schwarber agree to five-year, $150 million contract

    You can bet that Thome was on John Middleton’s mind when the Phillies owner signed off on his latest megabucks deal. Heading into his age-33 season, Schwarber is older than most free agents who sign contracts like his. But he is only one year older than Thome was when the latter signed his six-year, $85 million contract with the Phillies in December 2002.

    That deal aged well. Thome remained one of the game’s elite power bats well into his late 30s. He averaged 28 home runs and 484 plate appearances per season between the ages of 34 and 38. That was a significant drop-off from the 45 and 651 he averaged between 29 and 33. But no matter. The Phillies will be thrilled to be paying Schwarber $30 million in 2030 dollars if they can pencil in 30 home runs from him at the age of 38.

    Mostly, though, that fifth year is the cost of doing business. Schwarber’s elite-elite power would have meant a dramatic upgrade to virtually any lineup in the majors. There was a market for his services. And the Phillies would have been devastated to lose him.

    Middleton surely will tell you that a deal like this is bigger than dollars and cents and on-field statistics.

    Kyle Schwarber hit 56 home runs in an epic 2025 season. Here’s what to know about each one.

    The Phillies feel like they need Schwarber in the middle of their lineup, yes. That much is obvious. He has scored or driven in 21.7% of the 3,105 runs they’ve produced in the last four regular seasons. But the Phillies also feel they need Schwarber in the clubhouse and on the team charter and on the Wall of Fame when all is said and done. Certain players belong with certain franchises. The Phillies were willing to pay to cement that association.

    They also were willing to bear the risk that Schwarber ages like so many sluggers who came before him. There really isn’t a recent comparable for giving a 33-year-old designated hitter a five-year, $150 million deal. Schwarber’s representation probably pointed to the six-year, $162 million contract Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers in 2022. Freeman was one year younger than Schwarber, and he plays the field.

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    So, yes, there is plenty of risk. Over the last 15 years, only three players have had more than two seasons of 30-plus home runs between the ages of 33 and 37. Eight had two or more. That’s not exactly a bankable track record. In 2030, the Phillies will be paying a combined $115-plus million to 37-year-old Schwarber, 37-year-old Bryce Harper, 37-year-old Trea Turner, and 37-year-old Aaron Nola.

    Free agent Pete Alonso is an impact bat that could transform the Phillies lineup.

    There also is some risk on the front end. The Phillies have never shown a blatant disregard for luxury tax spending the way the Dodgers and Mets have. All indications are that they live in a world that has limits. Every dollar they pay to someone is a dollar less they can pay to someone else. In such a world, $30 million is a lot to commit each year to a player who is locked into the designated hitter position. If the Phillies intend to match their spending pattern of previous offseasons, they already are running out of disposable funds. Schwarber’s deal puts them at a projected $288 million in payroll commitments for 19 players.

    If ever there was a time to go for broke, that time is now. While Schwarber may have been the biggest question of the offseason, nearly as big is the questions of where he hits and who hits behind him. The Phillies have been missing a third power bat in the middle of the order ever since Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn ACL in 2023 and then left via free agency.

    In Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, there are a couple of marquee free-agent bats available who would push the Phillies lineup much closer to reaching its potential. Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández is rumored to be available via trade, although at $22 million a year, he wouldn’t offer much of a discount on an annual basis over the top of the free-agent market.

    In short, Schwarber was a given. Only something drastic and unforeseen would have prevented him from wearing red pinstripes in 2026 and beyond. Any judgment of the Phillies’ offseason will depend on what happens next.