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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Allowing two kickoff return touchdowns and missing an extra point all in the final few minutes added up to the Washington Commanders losing a third consecutive game in excruciating fashion. The underlying reason for this slide continuing was a problem long before that. An offense led by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels that was among the NFL's best for a long stretch of the season put up just nine points and 169 yards for the first three-plus quarters against Dallas before falling behind 20-9 and teeing off on the Cowboys' conservative defense. “We just couldn’t really get it going,” said receiver Terry McLaurin , whose lengthy touchdown with 21 seconds left masked that he had just three catches for 16 yards through three quarters. “We’ve got to find a way to start faster and sustain drives, and that’s everybody: the whole coaching staff and the offensive players just going out there and figuring out ways that we can stay on the field.” This is not a new problem for Washington, which had a season-low 242 yards in a Nov. 10 home loss to Pittsburgh and 264 yards four days later in a defeat at Philadelphia. Since returning from a rib injury that knocked him out of a game last month, Daniels has completed just under 61% of his passes, after 75.6% over his first seven professional starts. Daniels and coach Dan Quinn have insisted this isn't about injury. The coaching staff blamed a lack of adequate practice time, but a full week of it before facing the Cowboys did not solve the problem. It is now fair to wonder if opponents have seen enough film of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's system to figure it out. “I think teams and coordinators are going to see what other teams have success against us and try to figure out how they could incorporate that into their scheme," Daniels said after going 12 of 22 for 80 yards passing through three quarters in the Dallas game. "We’ve been in third and longer a lot these past couple games, so that’s kind of where you get into the exotic pressures and stuff like that. We’ve just got to be better on first and second downs and stay ahead of the chains.” Daniels has a point there, and it predates this losing streak. The Commanders have converted just 36% of third-down opportunities (27 for 75) over their past seven games after 52% (31 for 60) in their first five. That challenge doesn't get any easier with Tennessee coming to town Sunday. The Titans, despite being 3-8, have the second-best third-down defense in the league at 31.6%. The defense kept the Commanders in the game against Dallas, allowing just 10 points until the fourth quarter and 20 total before kickoff return touchdowns piled on to the other side of the scoreboard. Even Cooper Rush's 22-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker with five minutes left came after a turnover that gave the Cowboys the ball at the Washington 44. The defense spending more than 35 minutes on the field certainly contributed to fatigue as play wore on. The running game that contributed to a 7-2 start has taken a hit, in part because of injuries to top back Brian Robinson Jr. The Commanders got 145 yards on the ground because Daniels had 74 on seven carries, but running backs combined for just 57. Daniels could not say how much the rushing attack stalling has contributed to the offense going stagnant. “You’ve got to be able to run the ball, keep the defense honest,” he said. "We got to execute the plays that are called in, and we didn’t do a good job of doing that.” Story continues below video Linebacker Frankie Luvu keeps making the case to be first-year general manager Adam Peters' best free agent signing. He and fellow offseason addition Bobby Wagner tied for a team-high eight tackles, and Luvu also knocked down three passes against Dallas. Kicker Austin Seibert going wide left on the point-after attempt that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left was his third miss of the game. He also was short on a 51-yard field goal attempt and wide left on an earlier extra point. Seibert, signed a week into the season after Cade York struggled in the opener, made 25 of 27 field goal tries and was 22 of 22 on extra points before injuring his right hip and missing the previous two games. He brushed off his health and the low snap from Tyler Ott while taking responsibility for not connecting. “I made the decision to play, and here we are,” Seibert said. “I just wasn’t striking it well. But it means a lot to me to be here with these guys, so I just want to put my best foot moving forward.” Robinson's sprained ankle and fellow running back Austin Ekeler's concussion from a late kickoff return that led to him being hospitalized for further evaluation are two major immediate concerns. Quinn said Monday that Ekeler and starting right tackle Andrew Wylie are in concussion protocol. It's unclear if Robinson will be available against Tennessee, which could mean Chris Rodriguez Jr. getting elevated from the practice squad to split carries with Jeremy McNichols. The Commanders still have not gotten cornerback Marshon Lattimore into a game since acquiring him at the trade deadline from New Orleans. Lattimore is trying to return from a hamstring injury, and the secondary could use him against Calvin Ridley, who's coming off a 93-yard performance at Houston. 17 — Handoffs to a running back against Dallas, a significant decrease from much of the season before this losing streak. Don't overlook the Titans with the late bye week coming immediately afterward. The Commanders opened as more than a touchdown favorite, but after the results over the weekend, BetMGM Sportsbook had it as 5 1/2 points Monday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday ruled out negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, denying that China was interfering in its operation. Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US vessels in response to Trump's threat to demand control of the vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans be returned to Washington. "There's nothing to talk about," Mulino told a press conference. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears," he added. The canal, inaugurated in 1914, was built by the United States but handed to Panama on December 31, 1999, under treaties signed some two decades earlier by then-US president Jimmy Carter and Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos. Trump on Saturday slammed what he called "ridiculous" fees for US ships passing through the canal and hinted at China's growing influence. "It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!" If Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question," he said. An estimated five percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America. The United States is its main user, accounting for 74 percent of cargo, followed by China with 21 percent. Mulino said the canal's usage fees were "not set at the whim of the president or the administrator" of the interoceanic waterway, but under a long-established "public and open process." "There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything to do with the Panama Canal," Mulino said. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social alleged, without evidence, that Chinese soldiers were "lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal." Mulino denied that allegation, too. "There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God," he added. Panama established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, after breaking off ties with Taiwan -- a decision criticized by Trump's first administration. On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Panama City chanting "Trump, animal, leave the canal alone" and burning an image of the incoming US president. jjr/fj/dr/aha

As I See It: Why I really resigned from the Corvallis Planning CommissionFor the bookworms who have long held against buying an eBook reader as they want to honor the traditions and experiences of reading a book from paper, this new Amazon Kindle device may be the one to change your mind. The latest Amazon Kindle Scribe offers massive features for users to enjoy, and it has been one of the outstanding technologies available in the eBook market for users to add to their collections. Not only does the new Amazon Kindle Scribe help users read digital copies of their favorite literature, but it also offers on-board AI and writing capabilities that may replicate the paperback or hardbound experience that you are longing for. Amazon Kindle Scribe: AI-Powered eBook For Readers Last Fall, Amazon introduced to the world its latest on the Kindle series which offers a powerful device that would introduce users to the benefits of eBook readers, with one of the most outstanding being the Kindle Scribe. There is the Kindle Paperwhite which offers the thinnest and fastest device there is, as well as the creative Kindle Colorsoft whichoffers various colors to display while reading. However, the New Kindle Scribe is the one that stood... Isaiah Richard

S&P/TSX composite rises on morning of Christmas Eve, U.S. stock markets also up

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Tech review: Gift options for the cord cutterTORONTO — Broad-based gains led Canada’s main stock index to close higher in the shortened Christmas Eve trading session, while U.S. stock markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index ended up 97.84 points at 24,846.82, as most sectors rose other than telecoms and health care. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 390.08 points at 43,297.03. The S&P 500 index was up 65.97 points at 6,040.04, while the Nasdaq composite was up 266.24 points at 20,031.13. The gains added to increases in recent days to help offset the drop in markets last week after the U.S. Federal Reserve released its latest outlook. The climb however was more likely related to year-end balancing than any change in sentiment, said Dustin Reid, chief fixed income strategist at Mackenzie Investments. “I think it’s mostly just year-end flows that are driving it. I don’t think there’s anything that’s particularly reversed in terms of sentiments since the Fed meeting,” said Reid. There’s reallocation by geography, moving asset classes and other adjustments to align portfolios that is likely affecting markets, he said. “I find that price action around month end, quarter end, and year-end, you shouldn’t try and ascribe a ton of fundamental cause as to why things are moving, because there’s a lot of flows happening below the surface that are probably driving the price action that are not necessarily fundamentally based.” The U.S. Fed guided for only two rate cuts in 2025 at its Dec. 18 meeting, which pushed down markets for the day. But Reid said the guidance was largely in line with expectations, and the strong U.S. economy has likely since helped boost markets. The Canadian market, meanwhile, might be benefiting a little from the expectations of even more rate cuts needed here than expected as the economy is showing softness. On Monday, Statistics Canada said its early estimate for November suggests real GDP for the month edged 0.1 per cent lower for the first drop this year. “The negative flash print for November really suggests that the bank is going to have a fair bit more work to do,” said Reid. “I think that the market is not pricing in enough easing for calendar ’25 for the Bank of Canada.” There was no economic data releases Tuesday to sway markets, he said. The Canadian dollar traded for 69.51 cents US compared with 69.47 cents US on Monday. The February crude oil contract was up 86 cents at US$70.10 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was up 16 cents at US$3.50 per mmBTU. The February gold contract ended up US$7.30 at US$2,635.50 an ounce and the March copper contract was up two cents at US$4.11 a pound.The Bears say they want to stay in Chicago, but their potential drive to the northwest suburbs just got easier. Team officials announced Monday they’ve reached a tentative agreement with the village of Arlington Heights and local school district leaders who’ve sparred with the Bears over the property tax valuation on the shuttered Arlington International Racecourse, the 326-acre plot the team closed on early last year as a potential new stadium site. After about a year of wrangling over the size of the team’s property tax bill — and a year of political roadblocks to the Bears’ hopes for funding a new stadium in Chicago — the team says it has a memorandum of understanding that opens the runway for them to land in Arlington Heights. But their first choice is still Chicago, team officials insist, raising the constant question of whether Bears’ latest announcement is a push for leverage in stadium negotiations that have now stretched over three years. In a statement, team officials said they “remain focused on investing over $2 billion to build a publicly owned enclosed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront while reevaluating the feasibility of a development in Bronzeville.” “That being said, we remain significant landowners in Arlington Heights and establishing a framework for potential future development planning, financing and property tax certainty has been a priority since the land was purchased. We continue to have productive conversations with the village and school districts and are aligned on a framework should we choose to explore a potential development,” team officials said. Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said the property tax deal was not yet signed, noting it requires approval from the boards of the village, Township High School District 214, Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 and Palatine Township Elementary District 15. “It’s pretty clear the Bears are still focused on the lakefront, but we’ve always considered Arlington Park and Arlington Heights a strong, if not the best contender, and I’m really optimistic about the progress we’ve made,” Hayes said. A spokesperson for the village and school districts said “we have a common understanding with the team on how to create a framework for potential development, financing, and property tax certainty in Arlington Heights that works for all parties.” Officials declined to say what number the sides landed on. It’s expected to be announced next week. A year after the Bears closed on their $197.2 million purchase, the Cook County Board of Review in February handed the Bears a $124.7 million valuation on Arlington Park, which would result in a property tax hit of about $9 million. The team argued their case to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, seeking to have the valuation lowered to $60 million, for a $1.7 million tax bill. The three suburban school districts, which are funded by property taxes, intervened in the case with proposals that would land the bill around $5 million. Once all but certain for a suburban move, the stalemate prompted the Bears to shift their focus back toward the Museum Campus, where the team in April unveiled a proposal for a $4.7 billion dome south of Soldier Field . Their plan, which requires upwards of $1 billion in public funding , drew cheers from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — and cold shoulders from state lawmakers in Springfield. The team called an audible from their city stadium playbook earlier this month, and are now reevaluating the former Michael Reese Hospital site in Bronzeville as a potential home, despite the fact team president Kevin Warren previously dismissed it as too narrow to house a modern NFL dome. Johnson’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday’s announcement. The Bears unveiled conceptual designs in 2022 for a massive mixed-use stadium district at Arlington Park, the home of Illinois’ most famous horse racing track for nearly a century until the last races were run in 2021. Their suburban proposal for the sprawling plot includes office space, a sportsbook, small residential neighborhoods, retail and park space alongside a $5 billion dome. They would need state help to fund that infrastructure work, a prospect similarly stymied so far in Springfield. Such a development would take about a decade to complete, the team has said. They’re under lease at Soldier Field through 2033 . The Arlington Heights mayor called it “a long road” to landing the property tax deal. “We’ve been working aggressively to get everyone singing from the same music over the last year,” Hayes said, adding that he doesn’t think the Bears are merely trying to raise pressure on state lawmakers to help them stay in Chicago. “I understand their desire to do their due diligence and get the best deal,” Hayes said. “That’s what we’re all doing.”