GLENDALE, Ariz. - The matchup is set for a tantalizing College Football Playoff national championship game.
On one side, defending champion Clemson, with its 29-game winning streak. On the other, unbeaten and No. 1 LSU, with its record-setting offense and Heisman Trophy winner.
But first, we interrupt this playoff for a 15-day break that is far from ideal.
LSU and Clemson will play the final game of the 2019 college football season on Jan. 13 in New Orleans after winning semifinals Saturday night.
Heisman winner Joe Burrow and his Tigers routed No. 4 Oklahoma 63-28 at the Peach Bowl. Clemson's No. 3 Tigers beat No. 2 Ohio State 29-23 in a Fiesta Bowl thriller.
"The challenge is keeping the conversation in the forefront against two weeks of NFL," said Nick Dawson, ESPN's vice president of programming and acquisitions.
ESPN will try to keep the college football conversation going with lower-level bowl games scheduled for Jan. 2, 3, 4 and 6.
The LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, matching Louisiana-Lafayette and Miami (Ohio) will essentially be a three-hour promo for LSU-Clemson.
"We launch with a championship game spot on Monday and have really two weeks to run it and really sell the matchup," Dawson said. "We think that could be an advantage for us."
ESPN also will have the final three episodes of "Inside the College Football Playoff" available on its subscription online streaming service, ESPN+. The behind-the-scenes-with-the-teams series will now follow Clemson's and LSU's championship game preparation.
The CFP schedule did not end up here by design. It was a correction.
When the College Football Playoff was crafted by the Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners in 2012 and '13, they decided the semifinals would be played on Dec. 31 two out of every three years. The semifinals would rotate through six bowl games and when they were played at the Rose and Sugar bowls, as they will next season, the games would be on Jan. 1.
That's the perfect spot: a national holiday when most people are off from work, being couch potatoes after ringing in the New Year.
But the conferences that partner with the Rose (Pac-12 and Big Ten) and Sugar (Southeastern and Big 12) bowls chose to lock their showcase games into those Jan. 1 time slots for the 12-year duration of the playoff. Even when they weren't hosting semifinals.
That led to the ill-fated idea to reinvent New Year's Eve as a night to watch college football. It did not work and after one season the plan was scrapped. Future schedules in which the semifinals were planned to be played on Dec. 31 were moved to the closest Saturday, unless New Year's Eve was a Saturday.
This year's schedule became particularly problematic because while the semifinals could be moved up to Dec. 28, the championship game could not be moved from Jan. 13.
CFP officials have said the Superdome in New Orleans was not able to accommodate the switch, which would have provided a more normal eight-day lead-up.
So instead, the teams have more than two weeks between games, and two rounds of NFL playoffs will be played in the meantime.
Fiesta Bowl coaches Dabo Swinney of Clemson and Ryan Day of Ohio State said before their game they would prefer consistency in playoff scheduling and the semifinals to be played Jan. 1 always.
"I know that the schedule, the NFL or whatever, I don't know what all dictates all that stuff, but this year's been a little different because of the way it was laid out and the national championship," Swinney said Friday. "There's a bye week this year. That's another difference that the teams are going to have to manage in preparation for that because it is a little unique."
CFP executive director Bill Hancock said he was not concerned about fans losing interest due to the longer-than-usual layoff.
"I don't think so because the championship game is so big and I learned a long time ago not to worry about things you can't control," he said. "I think the coaches are going to appreciate it. More time to get ready. More time to rest up."
For LSU, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been nursing a hamstring injury. He played sparingly in the blowout of Oklahoma and looked OK.
For Clemson, quarterback Trevor Lawrence took some shots carrying the ball a career-high 16 times in the intense, hard-hitting game against Ohio State. The Tigers' top two receivers, Tee Higgins (evaluated for a concussion) and Justyn Ross (arm), were both banged up.
"We're going to celebrate this one, and then give these guys a couple of days off," Swinney said Saturday night. "Then we're going to get focused on trying to find a way to win one more. It's going to be a heck of a task, but we're thankful that we got the opportunity."
New Year’s Day 2020 is on Wednesday Jan. 1, 2020. Traditions include attending parties, watching fireworks and making resolutions for the new year.
In 46 B.C., emperor Julius Caesar initiated Jan. 1 as the first day of the year. It was partly to honor the month’s namesake, Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. Pope Gregory XIII reestablished Jan. 1 as New Year’s Day in 1582.
Here is everything you need to know about what’s open and what’s closed on New Year’s Day 2020.
Most malls will be closing early, but will still be open to offer deals to kick off the New Year. Here are New Jersey mall hours on New Year’s Day 2020:
Bridgewater Commons — 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Brunswick Square Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Cherry Hill Mall — 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Cumberland Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Deptford Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Freehold Raceway Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Hamilton Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Hudson Mall — 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Livingston Mall — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Menlo Park Mall — 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Marketfair Mall — 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monmouth Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Moorestown Mall — 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Newport Centre — 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Ocean County Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Paramus Park Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Phillipsburg Mall — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Quaker Bridge Mall — 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Rockaway Townsquare — 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Short Hills Mall — 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
The Mills at Jersey Gardens — 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
The Shops at Riverside — 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Voorhees Town Center — 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Westfield Garden State Plaza — 10 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
JOLIET, IL — Wednesday will be a historic day in the city of Joliet as two recreational marijuana businesses open their doors to customers. At 6 a.m. on New Year's Day, the former Mattress Firm near the Louis Joliet Mall will begin selling recreational cannabis. The new marijuana business is called Rise.
On Tuesday morning, Joliet Patch visited the property and interviewed Derrick Levy, who is the district manager for Green Thumb Industries, which is part of 3C Compassionate Care Center.
The 3C Compassionate Care Center acquired the empty building in November 2018 and renovations have been ongoing the past several months.
Levy told Joliet Patch he and his staff are prepared for a giant turnout on New Year's Day. Rise plans to be offering a shuttle service for customers on New Year's Day in the event that Rise's parking lot is full.
Rise only has about 30 parking stalls. Levy said there will be signs posted in the area of Mall Loop Drive to direct cannabis customers on where to find the shuttle bus service.
On New Year's Day, Rise plans to be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. "We do have a process in place to move the line at a good pace," Levy told Patch on New Year's Eve. "We just ask people to be patient."
Levy said Rise does not offer a drive-thru window service at its new store in Joliet. People who at least 21 years old will be allowed inside to buy limited amounts of recreational cannabis products.
Joliet customers can purchase 30 grams of flower, 500 milligrams of edible products or 5 grams of concentrates, Levy explained.
"It's a good location," Levy said of opening the new store in Joliet. "We're excited to be a good addition to the community. We're going to strive to be the best neighbors and contributors to the community."
Levy said that the Rise store near the mall will employ "upwards of 40 to 50 people when we're fully staffed."
Starting Jan. 1, the Rock Creek site will serve as a dual-purpose location, offering recreational marijuana and remain a dispensary for its medical marijuana patients, Levy said.
The following products will be available for Joliet customers of Rise:
Image provided to Patch for use by Green Thumb IndustriesImage provided to Patch for use by Green Thumb IndustriesImage provided to Patch for use by Green Thumb IndustriesImage provided to Patch for use by Green Thumb IndustriesRise is located near the Binny's Beverage Depot by the Louis Mall. Image via John Ferak
We are waiting for someone to tell us when the attacks on our brethren will cease.
We are waiting for someone to tell us that there is a plan of action to respond to the frightening spike in hate crimes against us.
We are waiting to see increased security around our places of worship, our schools, our celebrations.
We are waiting for our senators, governors, congressmen, local representatives, and school boards to speak out on our behalf and do something – anything – to demonstrate that they grasp the severity of the crisis in our region.
We are waiting for deeds, not words.
We are waiting for the next attack and praying it is not in our own sacred spaces.
We are waiting to be targeted.
Jews of New Jersey, New York, and everywhere else facing this surge of antisemitic crimes and acts of hate not seen since the time of the Holocaust – it is time to stop waiting.
Our governmental leadership is silent. All we hear echoing in the silence is their apathy and indifference to our plight. We are not interested in pithy twitter comments written by a staffer and bolstered by no concrete actions.
Senator Corey Booker – where are you? Are you so engrossed in your failing presidential campaign that you have no time to spare (beyond the time it takes for a low-level staffer to fire off a twitter comment) to take action on behalf of your constituents who are being shot and whose children are being targeted in Jersey City?
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand – where are you? Are you so consumed with mourning your failed presidential bid that you cannot hear the cries of your constituents being stabbed, beaten, threatened, and hacked with machetes?
Senator Chuck Schumer – Thank you for presenting your plan to combat anti-Semitism yesterday, but where have you been? Have you been so focused on impeachment that you did not have the time before the murder of innocent people celebrating their faith to present tangible measures to protect your fellow Jews of New York. Most of these attacks are occurring in your own hometown of Brooklyn where people are living in fear as a result of daily acts of violence targeting them because of who they are, who you are? Why did we have to wait for someone to attack us with a machete for you to see and act on an ongoing crisis?
Governor Cuomo and Governor Murphy – where are you? Are you incapable of protecting enormous number of residents of your respective states who are expressing unwillingness to wearing clothing that identifies them as Jewish for fear of being attacked in broad daylight without consequence?
Our leadership has failed us.
When our leadership fails us in a democratic society, it signals the time for new leadership. Fellow Jews – Let us remember this the next time we are at the polls. These were the people who stood on watch while our lives were threatened with relative impunity.
As Rabbi Hillel stated so long ago, “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?” We need to vote with our safety and security in mind. We need to press our current leaders and future candidates to show us what they will do to stem this tide of hate. We need to run for office ourselves in greater numbers to replace an apathetic leadership that has shown little to no regard for our lives.
Fellow Jews – stop waiting. Run for office and supplant the insensate leadership in New Jersey and New York. Write articles and tell people what is happening in your community. Go to the next Board of Education meeting in your town and raise your hand. Fight for better education on the Holocaust and the legacy of intolerance. Engage in interfaith dialogues and activities. Don’t stuff your kippah in a drawer or quietly slip your Magen David necklace to the back of your jewelry box. Wear them proudly and defiantly. Don’t hide who you are. Don’t wait for someone else to take these steps for you. No one else is going to stand up for you if you don’t stand up for yourself. Act now.
Because, as Hillel also taught, “If not now, when?”
Ellen Ginsberg Simon is an attorney and compliance professional in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. She has an M.Phil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University and is also a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School.
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 7: Head coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys talk on the field before the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Houston, Texans. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
When the regular season came to an end, the consensus around the league was that Dallas would move on from head coach Jason Garrett. Although the Cowboys could still follow through with that move, the front office has not made a decision just yet.
This season was disappointing for the Cowboys, especially when you see all the talent they have on their roster.
Instead of making it official that Garrett will not be the head coach in 2020, the Cowboys have decided to meet with him later this week.
Most fans in Dallas are worried about this development, but NFL Network Ian Rapoport believes the team has already decided that Garrett will not be back for next year.
“The reality is that the decision is already made. The Cowboys are expected to move on from Jason Garrett,” Rapoport said. “They just have not done it yet. What Jerry Jones told Jason Garrett is that he just wants another 24-48 hours to ponder this decision and make sure it’s the right one.”
Here’s the full report from Rapoport:
From @gmfb: #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanted 24-48 hours to let his decision marinate before officially moving on from coach Jason Garrett… so we wait. pic.twitter.com/fydoJGTope
Garrett has taken the Cowboys to the playoffs three times as the head coach. He owns an 85-67 overall record since taking over in 2010.
The upcoming meeting between Garrett and Jones should most likely give the world an answer as to whether or not Dallas will make a change to its staff.
We’ll continue to provide updates on the Cowboys’ coaching situation.
Apple pioneered the modern concept of a retail store for technology brands.
The tech giant opened its first location in 2001 to give customers first-hand experience with and knowledge of its line of products. People could actually use the products in-store and store associates could offer useful tidbits about devices. The stores were considered an experimental feat in retail at the time.
But the concept has proven to be a hit ever since, allowing customers to test out everything from smartphones, computers, and other gadgetry to providing device repair and support. Other tech and non-tech retailers have followed suit, like Glossier, AT&T, Tesla, and Verizon, as reported by Digiday. Because shoppers are increasingly gravitating to the web for their shopping needs, retailers have needed to evolve the traditional retail experience if they are going to bring customers into stores.
In 2016, rival Samsung joined that mix when the South Korea-based electronics titan opened its first retail store in New York City. It’s since launched four locations, with the most recent in the heart of Silicon Valley.
We paid the Palo Alto store a visit ahead of its grand opening in December and decided to compare it to Apple’s retail space. We found that they differed in lighting setups and retail displays, but were similar in that they both offer the full breadth of each company’s product lines and have a heavy focus on more informed product use.
Check it out.
Samsung now has four US retail locations with its latest store opening in Palo Alto, California. We visited ahead of its opening in mid-December 2019, and the storefront was still in the works.
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
It’s similar to Apple’s minimal and to-the-point storefront branding. The Cupertino, California-based company now has over 500 stores.
Foto: An Apple store in Shanghai, China.sourceAlex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The most noticeable characteristic upon entering the Samsung store in Palo Alto was its purple- and blue-hued lighting.
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
It’s a far cry from Apple’s crisp, white lighting setup.
Foto: An Apple store in New York City.sourceSpencer Platt/Getty Images
Another difference was that there were many more informational blurbs worked into the retail displays in the Samsung store.
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
Display columns were in place beside the company’s varying smartphone series, like the Galaxy Note 10 Plus or the A-Series.
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
Beside each phone, tablet, watch, or other device were individual information panels.
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
You won’t find as many display tags or info blurbs in an Apple store, perhaps because Apple’s products have become so ubiquitous that they’re unwarranted, or because the company would prefer you talk to a store employee instead.
Foto: An Apple store in Vienna, Austria.sourceAndrew Michael/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
There are plenty of similarities between the two stores. Samsung allocates a section of the store for its line of phone accessories …
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
… and Apple’s accessory display is similar.
Foto: An Apple Store in New York City.sourceTaylor Hill/WireImage
There’s a section for wearables in the Samsung store, like the Galaxy Watch Active …
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
… similarly, Apple sections-off part of the store for its own line of wearable devices, like the Apple Watch.
Foto: An Apple Store in New York City.sourceTaylor Hill/WireImage
Educational classes and training sessions are available in the Samsung store …
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
… an amenity that Apple has boasted about for years.
Foto: An Apple store in Tokyo, Japan.sourceJun Sato/WireImage
As the retail apocalypse looms overhead, brands are constantly having to rethink how they engage consumers in brick-and-mortar spaces …
Foto: An Apple Store in New York City.sourceDrew Angerer/Getty Images
… and even though Apple’s had a foothold in that arena for two decades, Samsung and other retailers are catching on.
Foto: The Samsung store in Palo Alto ahead of its opening.sourceKatie Canales/Business Insider
Nemanja Matic is unsure as to what the immediate future will hold for him, with the Serbian midfielder waiting to discover if Manchester United will trigger an extension clause in his contract or move him on during the January transfer window.
As things stand, the 31-year-old will see his current deal at Old Trafford expire next summer.
He has taken in just eight appearances for the Red Devils this season, with a first Premier League start coming in the 2-0 victory over Burnley.
It remains to be seen where he figures in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans, with a switch having been mooted for some time – with Inter and Atletico Madrid said to be among his suitors.
Matic is reluctant to speculate on what 2020 could bring for him, with there still several directions in which his career could head.
The former Benfica and Chelsea star told Telegraf when quizzed on what the next few weeks will bring: “I don't know what to say. I have a contract for another six months, we'll see in January what's going to happen.
“Will I extend the contract or try to find something else?
“United have some option to extend my contract, but we will see if the plans of the club match my plans. I couldn't say anything more because I don't really know either.”
Nemanja Matic Manchester United 2019-20
Matic joined the Red Devils during the summer of 2017, with Jose Mourinho moving to put a reunion in place with a player he had previously worked with at Chelsea.
Tangible success has evaded the two-time Premier League title winner during his time at Old Trafford, but he is happy to have spent time working at one of the biggest and most distinguished clubs in world football.
“United is a bigger club, looking at history, but Chelsea have done better in the last 10 years,” said Matic, who took in 154 appearances for the Blues across two spells.
“They are different, but for the last 20 years they have been competitive in everything.
“United is history, while in Chelsea we tried to get over United. We didn't have the titles behind us, but we had to win. We made history and Chelsea will never be able to erase those of us who did it. That will remain forever.
“I knew roughly what was waiting for me at Old Trafford, I played many times against United. It fascinated me when we went to Asia to tour how big the club is, how much they love United.
“Regardless of the fact that we have no titles in recent years, I think United, with Real Madrid, are the biggest clubs around.”
White House advisor Peter Navarro on Tuesday said the "Phase One" trade deal between the U.S. and China is a certainty at this point, telling CNBC that the accord is "in the bank."
Asked by "Squawk Box" host Joe Kernen how sure he is over the hotly anticipated agreement, Navarro was upbeat.
"That one's in the bank, Joe," he said. "We're just waiting for the Chinese translation of the 86-page agreement and I'm trying to figure out whether it's going to be more pages or less in Chinese."
Navarro, a longtime China trade hawk, refrained from commenting on rumors that the deal could be signed by U.S. and Chinese officials as early as next week, saying he'd prefer to defer to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on specific timing.
But he did laud the Phase One deal for including provisions proposed earlier in negotiations before a breakdown in talks earlier this year.
"It's got great stuff in it," he said. "It's got essentially the same chapter we had in the May deal that the Chinese walked away from on intellectual property theft. So that's a good deal."
"For Wall Street ... financial market access for the banks, insurance companies and credit card companies," he added.
Navarro also alluded to potential trade priorities for the Trump administration in 2020, including a new deal with a post-Brexit United Kingdom and other countries in Europe.
"Next year, 2020, we're going to try to get something going with Great Britain, Vietnam, Europe and anybody else who wants to fairly trade with the United States of America," he said.
As one of President Donald Trump's top trade counselors, Navarro has encouraged the president's hardline strategies on global trade and efforts to challenge the longstanding multilateral agreements that had come to dominate overseas commerce over the last three decades.
For his part, Trump has attacked U.S. trade deficits as harmful to American manufacturers and farmers, saying that "by the time I finish trade talks, that will change." The administration has leaned on the imposition of tariffs — a tax on foreign imports to the U.S. — to protect American producers and forced the renegotiation of landmark trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, China and the European Union.
In addition to his comments on trade, Navarro also said Tuesday that he sees the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing to "at least" 32,000 and economic growth closer to 3% in 2020.
"It's going to be the roaring 2020s next year," he said. "32,000 is a conservative estimate of where we'll be at the end of the year."