Syria's Future Unclear As Assad Falls

Good Monday morning. Try some of these weird candy cane flavors if you are feeling adventurous. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

• Florida: Telemarketer sentenced

• Romania: Vote annulled

• Trump: NBC interview

• S&P 500: Record close

• Juan Soto: Amazin’ deal

... and more

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Top Tips

1) A new day

Syrian rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad, capping a stunning two-week rout.

• The news: Assad and his family fled to Russia as opposition forces overran Damascus, Syria's capital city. The dictator and his late father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, had ruled the country since 1971. Syria has been racked by civil war for the last 13, but the conflict had been largely frozen until the rebels' recent surge.

• Leading the charge: The overthrow was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. considered a terrorist organization. Its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is a former al-Qaeda member. But he has spent years positioning his group as a more moderate force and he has pledged to respect the country's religious minorities and focus on rebuilding Syria.

• The reactions: President Joe Biden praised Assad's downfall, calling it a "moment of historic opportunity." The ouster is viewed as a major victory for Turkey, which has supported the rebel forces. It is an embarrassment for Iran, Hezbollah and the Kremlin, which were all unable to prop up Assad amid conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine. Israel claimed it helped bring about the collapse and said it was temporarily seizing Syrian territory in the Golan Heights to assure border-area security.

• Next steps: Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said he will not leave the country and would faciliate a peaceful transfer of power -- something opposition groups signaled support for. But what happens next remains quite unclear. The U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in the country; Syrian Kurdish forces also control large swaths of the country.

2) On the clock

TikTok is one step closer to a U.S. ban.

• The news: A federal appeals court panel upheld a law mandating the popular social media's prohibition unless its Chinese-owned parent company divests the U.S. subsidiary. The ban is scheduled to begin Jan. 19 unless President Biden grants a 90-day extension based on ByteDance making progress toward a sale.

• Next steps: ByteDance said it will continue its appeals process at the Supreme Court and claims a sale is not feasible. Several First Amendment groups argue the law is unconstitutional and the appeals court was misguided in its ruling. The judges said Congress' law is designed to protect national security, not restrict speech.

• Big picture: President-elect Donald Trump once called for TikTok's ban, but has since reversed his stance. Key members of his incoming administration are split on the app. Most legal experts doubt the Supreme Court will overturn the law, so the platform's best hope appears to be stalling until Trump takes office and hoping he takes action that allows it to stay in business.

3) In the field

The first 12-team College Football Playoff is set.

• The teams: Big Ten champion Oregon, SEC champion Georgia, Mountain West champion Boise State and Big 12 champion Arizona State received the top-4 seeds and first-round byes. Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Indiana, SMU and Clemson are seeded Nos. 5-12 in that order.

• The controversy: Alabama was the first team left out of the tournament. The Crimson Tide was knocked out when Clemson upset SMU in the ACC Championship Game. The victory earned the Tigers an automatic bid as the final of the top-5 conference champions; the CFP selection committeee then opted to pick SMU over Alabama for the final spot.

• The schedule: First-round games will be held at campus sites on Dec. 20-21. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be held at the major bowl games -- the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls -- during the first two weeks of the new year. The national title game is Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A Florida telemarketer received a 15-year federal prison sentence for Medicare fraud. Jose Goyos conspired to bilk the government out of $67M in unnecessary genetic tests through a call center scheme; nine co-defendents were also convicted and sentenced (More)

• The Department of Agriculture will launch a nationwide bird flu testing program for milk supplies. The program will focus on pre-pasteurized product, but all dairy facilities must participate (More)

• Officials said they recovered a Pennsylvania sinkhole victim's body. The woman fell into an abandoned coal mine about 40 miles outside of Pittsburgh while looking for her cat (More)

World News

• Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the nation's first round of presidential voting and said it has evidence of Russian interference on behalf of far-right winner Calin Georgescu. The ruling canceled yesterday's scheduled runoff, throwing the European Union and NATO member into political upheaval (More) 

• South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to resign after surviving an impeachment effort, but his exit date is unclear. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested over his alleged role in Yoon's failed martial law decree (More | More)

• A motorcycle bomb detonated at a police checkpoint in Colombia. The driver killed himself and injured 14 people; the incident occurred in a region critical to the country's drug trade where dissident bombing attacks often occur (More)

Political News

• President-elect Trump said he plans to pardon some Jan. 6 offenders and wants to end birthright citizenship, among other newsworthy comments in an interview with NBC. His appearance on Meet The Press was his first sit-down media session since being re-elected (More)

• Trump reiterated his support for embattled Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. The ex-Fox News host will sit down with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst this week; her support is viewed as make-or-break for his chances to win Senate approval (More | More)

• Massachusetts Rep. Lori Trahan said she and her family were targeted by a bogus bomb threat. The Democrat is the latest high-profile politician to deal with a bomb hoax or swatting incident in recent weeks (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed mixed on Friday. The S&P 500 posted another record close to cap its third straight winning week (Dow -0.28%, Nasdaq +0.81%, S&P 500 +0.25%).

• The U.S. economy added 227K jobs in November. The report beat expectations, but economists still expressed concern about labor market weakening (More)

• A Texas federal judge declined to remove an injunction blocking a new regulation capping credit card late fees at $8. The policy has been challenged by banking and business groups; it is part of the Biden Administration's effort to crack down on so-called junk fees (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• The New York Mets stole free agent star Juan Soto from the New York Yankees with a 15-year, $765M deal. It is the biggest contract in professional sports history; escalators could push the value over $800M (More)

• The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Cup. It is the franchise's sixth championship, the most in the professional soccer league's 29-season history; Inter Miami's Lionel Messi was named MVP (More | More)

• Judy Garland's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz were auctioned for $28M. The footwear is now the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold; it is one of four known surviving pairs from the film (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A group of kids lost a balloon when it floated up to the ceiling at a mall. But a tall man happened to be walking by and saved the day.

• Take Note: Awkward interactions are a less-discussed holiday tradition. Here are some tips on how to navigate tricky social situations.

• Go Deep: A tremendous number of food products have been recalled in the U.S. this year. Here is an expert's take on the surge and what it says about safety protocols.

• History Lesson: Many holiday displays on public property will include a reindeer. There is a reason for that, and it startswith the Supreme Court.

• Life Hack: You do not need to shell out subscription fees for entertainment and other utilities. Here is a rundown of completely free, high-quality digital offerings.

Watch This

Amazon Prime has released the first trailer for the third season of Reacher, which will debut on Feb. 20.

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Looking Ahead …

Netflix is producing a new comedy film starring Eric Andre and John Cena. Little Brother will be about a successful real estate agent whose life is thrown for a loop when his eccentric sibling suddenly resurfaces.

Question of the Day

Friday’s results:

Trivia: What city claims to be the birthplace of "Jingle Bells?"

The answer is Medford, Massachusetts.