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Kyle Schwarber agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract to return to the Philadelphia Phillies, keeping the All-Star slugger with the defending National League East division champions.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “BREAKING: Slugger Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a five-year, $150 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The NL MVP runner-up, one of the best home run hitters and clubhouse leaders in baseball, is returning to Philadelphia.”

According to reports from MLB.com, ESPN the agreement secures Schwarber for the next five seasons at an average annual value of $30 million. Schwarber was a highly sought-after free agent after a career year in the 2025 season where he led the National League with a career-hight 56 home runs (second in Phillies franchise history) and MLB-best 132 RBI, finishing as the NL MVP runner-up.

The 11-year veteran, who joined the Phillies in 2022, hit .231 with 340 home runs through the first 1,291 appearances of his career. Schwarber, who won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, also played for the Red Sox and Washington Nationals.

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21 Savage has announced his upcoming album, What Happened To The Streets?, will drop this Friday, December 12th. The album will feature 14 unreleased tracks

The artist posted a cryptic trailer to his Instagram on Tuesday to reveal the project, and also revealed the cover art – an original painting and a collector’s item from British-Nigerian designer and artist Slawn, directly inspired by Kerry James Marshall’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self.

21 Savage released his last studio album American Dream in 2024, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This year, he’s been featured on Summer Walker’s Finally Over It, Metro Boomin’s A Futuristic Summa, and Travis Scott’s Jackboys 2 mixtape.

What Happened to the Streets? drops on December 12; presave: HERE.

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The final show of  Mariah Carey’s Christmastime in Las Vegas residency, taking place at Dolby Live at Park MGM Las Vegas on Saturday, December 13th, will be available to stream on TikTok Live and Apple Music. Apple Music subscribers can watch the show on demand after the livestream.

Dubbed the Mariah Carey Here For It All Holiday Special, the 90-minute show will feature holiday music as well as songs  from Carey’s latest album, Here For It All, including “Jesus I Do” and “In Your Feelings.”

Carey shares: “It’s time! Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I love celebrating it with my fans – whether they’re in Vegas with me or singing along on TikTok and Apple Music from home! I’m so excited to bring all the sparkle and joy of the show to the world through Apple Music and TikTok.”

Mariah Carey’s Christmastime in Las Vegas kicked off Nov. 28. A dollar from every ticket is being donated to The Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Mariah, which inspires kids ages 11-15 to explore various careers.

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President Donald Trump on Monday introduced a $12 billion federal assistance package aimed at helping American farmers absorb the financial blow of the prolonged trade conflict with China. Trump announced the initiative during a White House event joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers, and farmers from across the country.

Trump said the program will be funded through tariff revenue, arguing that “This money would not be possible without tariffs.” He added that “This relief will provide much-needed certainty to farmers as they get this year’s harvest to market and look ahead to next year’s crops,” noting that the support is also intended to ease food costs for consumers.

During Monday’s event, Rollins and Bessent emphasized the administration’s promise to strengthen the agricultural sector. Rollins said $1 billion would be held back to ensure assistance reaches specialty crop producers as well. She argued that farmers are still recovering from the “Biden years,” claiming Trump’s trade approach is creating new market opportunities despite the turbulence caused by tariffs.

According to administration officials, roughly $11 billion will be directed to crop producers through one-time payments under the Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance program. The remaining funds will support farmers not covered under the main program. Rollins said payments will begin rolling out in the coming weeks and must be distributed by Feb. 28, 2026.

The announcement follows steep losses in U.S. soybean sales after China halted purchases in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. China—historically the largest buyer of American soybeans—had resumed limited purchases under a preliminary trade understanding reached in October. The White House previously said the agreement would lead to at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybean purchases in the last two months of 2025, but analysts have warned that imports may fall short of normal levels.

Farmers nationwide have reported tightening margins as they contend with low crop prices, high input costs, and the ongoing fallout from the trade war. Prices for corn, soybeans, and cotton have fallen over the past two years, while some growers say they continue to face significant financial strain. Bessent said U.S. soybean prices have risen as much as 15% since the October agreement, adding that China is buying in a “perfect cadence.”

The administration began exploring farm relief as early as October, with initial estimates suggesting more than $10 billion in potential support. Those discussions were stalled by a 43-day government shutdown.

Alongside the aid announcement, Trump pledged to ease environmental rules for agricultural machinery manufacturers, saying federal regulations “don’t do a damn thing except make it complicated,” and warned companies to lower equipment prices once those restrictions are lifted. Trump said Monday that he expects China to buy “even more than he promised to do,” while administration officials insisted Beijing remains on track to meet its commitments. The White House says the new aid program is designed to stabilize farmers until markets more fully recover.

China’s reengagement with U.S. agriculture follows a period in which Beijing looked to suppliers in Argentina and Brazil. In October, the Treasury Department announced a $20 billion currency swap agreement with Argentina, a move some U.S. farmers criticized as giving an advantage to foreign competitors. Bessent later said Treasury made a profit on the swaps, though that provided little reassurance to growers awaiting long-promised federal support.

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Alina Habba, the former personal attorney to Donald Trump who was appointed earlier this year to serve as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced Monday that she is resigning. The move from Habba follows a decisive federal appeals court ruling that found she had been installed in the role without proper legal authority.

In a statement posted to X, Habba wrote that “as a result of the Third Circuit’s ruling, and to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love, I have decided to step down in my role as the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey,” adding later, “do not mistake compliance for surrender.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed she had accepted Habba’s resignation, saying the appeals court’s decision had made it “untenable for her to effectively run her office.” Bondi, who criticized the ruling, said Habba will continue serving as a “senior advisor to the Attorney General for U.S. Attorneys” and that the Justice Department intends to appeal the decision. She added that Habba hopes to return to the job if the ruling is overturned.

Habba’s departure ends a months-long dispute over whether she could legally lead the New Jersey office without Senate confirmation. The controversy began in August, when a federal judge ruled she was serving “without lawful authority,” a decision upheld unanimously last week by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Although Bondi attempted to keep her in place by designating her a “Special Attorney to the Attorney General,” the courts’ findings continued to cast doubt on her authority, prompting delays in several proceedings.

Before her appointment, Habba represented Trump in high-profile civil and defamation cases. Her legal work has drawn increasing scrutiny: last month, a federal appeals court upheld a $1 million sanction against her and Trump for filing a frivolous lawsuit targeting former FBI Director James Comey and Hillary Clinton.

The administration’s broader effort to place Trump-aligned attorneys in top federal prosecutor roles has faced repeated setbacks. Judges across multiple jurisdictions have rejected similar appointments, including the recent removal of Lindsey Halligan—another Trump ally—from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia. That ruling also led to the dismissal of criminal cases involving Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, and a grand jury last week declined to revive the James case.

Tensions escalated further on Monday when Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a joint statement rebuking judges who questioned Halligan’s authority, accusing them of “engaging in an unconscionable campaign of bias and hostility.” The statement said that “Lindsey and our attorneys are simply doing their jobs: advocating for the Department of Justice’s positions while following guidance from the Office of Legal Counsel. They do not deserve to have their reputations questioned in court for ethically advocating on behalf of their client. This Department of Justice has no tolerance for undemocratic judicial activism.”

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Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Monday that rookie QB Shedeur Sanders will remain the starting quarterback for the rest of the 2025 season. The decision solidifies Sanders’ role as the Browns’ QB1 for the final games after taking over for an injured Dillon Gabriel, who suffered a concussion in the Browns’ Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Stefanski emphasized that Sanders’ consistent improvement and intentional approach to getting better each game solidified the decision, stating at a press conference that “I think all along with our quarterbacks and our young players, you’re always making sure that you’re making the right decisions for our guys. And I think he has constantly and consistently gotten better in each one of these games. And how he’s approached this game, he’s been working very hard. So, I feel good about where his development is heading. He knows there are always going to be plays where he can be better and those types of things. But he’s very intentional about getting better each and every game he’s out there.”

Sanders has started the last three games and holds a 1-2 record as a starter, completing 52.4% of his passes for 769 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions to go with 50 rushing yards and a rushing score in four appearances this season. The move by the Browns follows Sanders’ best outing yet in his young NFL career, where he threw for 226 yards through the first three quarters, completing 23 of 42 passes for 364 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception to go with a 97.7 passer rating and a rushing touchdown in Cleveland’s 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

The Browns take on the Bears in Chicago in Week 15; and will close the season out with matchups against the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.

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Tulane has promoted assistant coach Will Hall to head coach as the program prepares for its first College Football Playoff appearance. Hall replaces Jon Sumrall, who will depart for Florida but remain on the sideline through the postseason.

Hall returned to New Orleans this season as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, after previously serving as Tulane’s offensive coordinator from 2019–20 and spent four years as head coach at Southern Mississippi. His ties to the program, relationships within the locker room, and extensive experience made him the leading internal option once Sumrall’s exit became imminent. ,” Hall said in a statement: “I’m truly honored to accept this opportunity to serve as Tulane’s head football coach. Tulane has been a special place for me. I’ve felt the unique spirit of Tulane and the strength of its culture. I’m excited to lead this program with a deep respect for its history, its people and the city of New Orleans. Together, we’ll build on our success and continue to embody the resilience, pride, and excellence that make Tulane and this community so extraordinary.”

The 45-year-old Hall brings a decade of head-coaching experience, including successful postseason runs at West Alabama and West Georgia and a 38–24 bowl win at Southern Miss. Though his final season in Hattiesburg ended with a midyear dismissal, Hall holds a combined 70–50 record across his head-coaching stops. Hall’s résumé also includes stops at Memphis and Louisiana, where he helped engineer high-powered offenses. At Memphis in 2018, he contributed to a unit that set school rushing records and ranked in the national top 10 in several major categories.

Tulane’s athletic director David Harris said:  “We are thrilled to select Will Hall to be our head coach. His character, integrity, and leadership qualities are evident both on and off the field. With extensive head coaching experience and a proven track record of success at every level, Will embodies the qualities we value in our program. We believe he is the right person to lead Tulane Football into its next chapter.”

President Michael A. Fitts echoed that sentiment, noting the momentum across the university’s academics, research, and athletics, while chief operating officer Patrick Norton praised Hall’s alignment with Tulane’s expectations for student-athlete success.

Tulane enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 11 seed and will face No. 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 in Oxford, Mississippi. Sumrall will coach through the postseason, after which Hall officially assumes control of a program riding historic momentum.

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DJ Premier announced that his collab album with NAS in the ‘Legend Has It’ series will drop on December 12.  The latest project from Preemo follows the releases from De La Soul and Big L in November and October, respectively.

Premier himself broke the news to fans at his and The Alchemist’s tour stop in Bristol, England, “How many people are ready for that Nas Premier album? Are you ready for it? December 12 get ready motherf*cker”

The announcement also comes after Nas and Premier dropped off “Define My Name” last April, which they confirmed at the time was part of an album rollout.  Their upcoming collab will be the final piece of Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It… rollout, which included releases from Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Big L, and most recently De La Soul’s Cabin In The Sky.

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Ice Spice has shared the new single, “Big Guy,” written and recorded for upcoming animated sequel The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants. Ice Spice also lends her voice to one of the characters in the film, marking her first-ever voice cameo.

The song arrives alongside the official video for the track, and the reveal of a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl collaboration with renowned Japanese graphic artist, Verdy — which features his esteemed panda-rabbit character, Vick.

Ice Spice said in a statement: “Being part of the SpongeBob soundtrack is such a full circle moment for me. It’s crazy to see my music in a movie that’s been part of so many people’s childhoods, including mine.”

“Big Guy” follows Ice’s recent singles, “Pretty Privilege” and “Baddie Baddie,” which was the first new music this year since she dropped Y2K!: I’m Just A Girl (Deluxe) last December. Ice also collaborated with Latto on “Gyatt;” and made her feature film debut in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, starring Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants is in theaters Dec. 19; see the video – HERE.

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Justice Department from accessing or using materials taken from a longtime associate of ex-FBI Director James Comey, adding a significant hurdle as prosecutors consider reviving a dismissed criminal case.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the emergency order Saturday in response to a lawsuit brought by Columbia law professor Daniel Richman, a close friend and former attorney for Comey. Richman argues the government violated his Fourth Amendment rights by holding on to—and continuing to search—a full copy of his computer despite the limits of earlier warrants.

In her four-page ruling, Kollar-Kotelly wrote that “Richman is likely to succeed on the merits of his claim that the government has violated his Fourth Amendment right … by retaining a complete copy of all files on his personal computer … and searching that image without a warrant.” She instructed prosecutors to “identify, segregate, and secure” the data, bar access without court approval, and comply with her directives by Monday morning. The order is in effect through Dec. 12 unless modified.

Richman’s devices were imaged under warrants obtained between 2017 and 2020 during a separate leak inquiry opened after President Donald Trump fired Comey. That investigation ended in 2021 with no charges, but according to both Richman’s lawsuit and court filings reviewed by Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick, the government appeared to have kept the full computer image instead of only the material authorized under the warrants. Fitzpatrick warned last month that prosecutors conducting this year’s renewed investigation into Comey seemed to have accessed that data again—this time without obtaining a new warrant—potentially exposing attorney-client communications and other protected material.

The DOJ’s first indictment accused Comey of misleading and obstructing Congress regarding whether he had authorized Richman to share information with reporters. That case collapsed in late November when U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie dismissed it without prejudice after finding that lead prosecutor Lindsey Halligan’s appointment was “invalid.”  The Justice Department had since signaled plans to pursue another indictment, reportedly within weeks, prompting Richman’s emergency request to block any further use of the seized materials. Prosecutors must now respond to his lawsuit by Tuesday, while the restraining order prevents the department from touching the data until at least Friday unless the judge lifts it.

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