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7/11 zapote caloocan In this interview, Senior Banking Advisor, Retail Banking at Access Bank Plc, Robert Gill, spoke extensively on the anticipated growth in remittances and the transformative impact this will have on Nigeria’s economy. He also spoke on the bank’s innovative strategies for advancing financial inclusion and digital banking, while addressing key developments in the nation’s digital financial landscape. Nume Ekeghe presents excepts: What role has digital innovation played in Access Bank’s retail banking strategy, and how has it impacted customer engagement? Digital innovation is at the heart of everything we do as a bank. With over 60 million customers, our journey over the past 15 to 20 years reflects a significant transformation. In the early days, customers would visit a branch, fill out paper forms, and officially become part of the bank. This was the foundation of financial inclusion, which initially focused on corporates and businesses before expanding through the rapid proliferation of branch-based banking to include the wider population. However, achieving 60 million customers with a paper-based system would have been impossible, or at least very inefficient, we would have needed tens of thousands of branches nationwide. This is where digital innovation came in. Pioneering one of the first mobile apps in the country and introducing USSD banking laid the foundation for our truly digital-first strategy. Today, most customers find us online. They come across us on news platforms, entertainment sites, and social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, and X where they can find out more about what we do and interact with us. From there, they can easily open an account from the comfort of their home, workplace, or anywhere else—simply by dialing #901. It’s that simple. The same applies to our mobile app where you can find out about us online, download the app and open an account and begin a relationship. The days when banks had to urge customers to explore digital channels as an alternative to branch banking are long behind us. Now, digital is no longer an alternate channel, it is the primary one. Branches have become the alternative. Today, more than 90 per cent of transactions occur outside the branch, predominantly on phones—whether feature phones or smartphones. This shift has revolutionized banking from the moment customers discover us to account opening to ongoing services, whether transactional or extending to non-traditional banking products. Digital has redefined customer engagement and continues to shape the future of financial services. What are the strategies put in place to increase the adoption of digital channels by retail customers and how does it enhance financial inclusion? Financial inclusion is central to our mission and a cornerstone of Nigeria’s broader economic objectives, as championed by the Bankers’ Committee and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Historically, Nigeria struggled with financial inclusion, ranking amongst the lowest on the continent. However, we have made remarkable progress in closing that gap through the co-ordinated leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers Committee. According to the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) reports, which show financial inclusion rates growing from less than 50% in 2008 to 74 per cent in 2023, Nigeria is now amongst the better-ranked countries for financial inclusion, largely driven by innovations in mobile financial services. This is also a continental phenomenon, with account ownership in Sub Saharan Africa more than doubling since 2011. This progress has been achieved through collaboration between banks and fintech’s’, leveraging tools such as USSD technology, mobile banking applications, and agency banking to reach underserved communities. The traditional branch-based banking model, while transformative in its time, is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of modern customers. For someone working in a company, government, or as a trader or small business owner, the time required to visit a branch to open an account or complete transactions is time lost from productive activities or family. Today, customers demand convenience, and digital innovation allows us to meet them where they are. Our network of over 600,000 AccessClosa agents ensures that customers are never far from financial services. While digital tools are critical, personal interaction remains essential for financial inclusion. Our agent network plays a crucial role in bridging this gap. Beyond accessibility, digital tools have significantly reduced the cost of serving customers. Consider the transportation costs and lost time involved in traveling to a branch—time that could be spent trading, working, or attending to other priorities. By bringing services directly to customers through mobile and digital channels, we have transformed the banking experience, ensuring customers are served where and how they prefer, rather than requiring them to adapt to our systems. This approach underscores our commitment to reshaping financial services to genuinely meet customer needs. How has the bank’s digital transformation journey addressed pain points in the retail banking customer experience? One of the key points we frequently emphasise in our team planning sessions is that customers don’t necessarily want to bank or make payments in the traditional sense; what they truly want is to keep their money secure, travel, work, eat, shop, and manage their lives with ease. When they engage with financial services, we must focus on understanding what they are trying to achieve, not just the transactions they need to complete. For example, services like embedded finance or buy-now-pay-later options are great ways to align financial products with everyday needs without thinking about the financial product as an extra step. Instead of going to a branch to apply for a personal loan, a customer can now make an online purchase and pay for it in installments. This approach brings us closer to the customer, providing financial solutions that are seamlessly integrated into their lives. Another critical area we’ve worked on is simplifying the Know Your Customer (KYC) process and reducing the documentation required to open an account. The banking sector in Nigeria has made significant strides in this regard, with the introduction of tiered KYC, allowing individuals to open basic accounts remotely by simply creating a digital wallet. This development has played a pivotal role in advancing financial inclusion. Regarding transactions, we’ve enhanced the customer experience by offering greater flexibility and accessibility. Customers now have multiple ways to pay through cards, mobile access, or peer-to-peer transfers. For example, with our Access More platform, you can make QR payments, order a new debit card, or even request a statement—all instantly. If you need a stamped statement for visa purposes or a loan, there’s no need to visit the branch. We already have your transaction history, turnover, and salary information, allowing us to pre-qualify you for a loan. With just a few clicks on the app, the loan can be in your account within seconds. By removing these pain points and shifting many traditional banking processes from the branch to the digital space, we are not just offering convenience but also ensuring that services are fast, accessible, and available at the customer’s fingertips. This is the future of banking—focused on understanding customer needs, simplifying processes, and providing instant, on-demand services through technology. Can we know some of the digital payment solutions you have and how they have helped retail business growth? Digital payments are a critical driver of economic activity; they are the lifeblood of business success. Without the ability to process payments efficiently, businesses face significant challenges. At Access Bank, we understand this dynamic, which is why, after transitioning into a financial holding company a few years ago, we diversified into multiple verticals, including banking, payments, lending, insurance, and pensions. One of our strategic partnerships has been with Hydrogen, enabling us to better serve merchants nationwide. Hydrogen’s innovative Instant Payment Links allow customers to make payments via links or codes, receiving instant confirmation and value at the point of sale, further enhancing the merchant experience. You’ll likely have seen Hydrogen’s branding on POS terminals, reflecting the success of this collaboration. In Nigeria, most transactions still occur on a person-to-person basis, often seen as individual payments. Through data and analytics, we’ve identified that a significant number of customers, around 7.5 million, are small business owners. We now have the capability to serve these individuals more effectively, providing them not only with financial products but also with non-financial services through our SME team. This includes business seminars on topics like setting up and managing a business, keeping personal and business finances separate, and best practices for growing a company. Payments are now more accessible than ever. Beyond traditional methods, customers can make payments via USSD, mobile apps, or even interact with our chatbot, Tamada, on the banking app. To simplify transactions, we’re pioneering payments through phone numbers, allowing customers who prefer not to remember their account number to simply use a phone number to send payments. This approach is a testament to how digital solutions transform people’s engagement with financial services, making transactions faster, more convenient, and more inclusive. Can you give us some insight into some specific products by the bank, especially women, SMEs and youths? At Access Bank, women are at the heart of everything we do and I’m extremely fortunate that the majority of the leaders in my team are women. Our W Banking initiative has evolved into a thriving community, going beyond just offering financial products to creating a comprehensive ecosystem that supports women in multiple dimensions of their lives. Access W is not just a Nigeria-focused solution; it’s a pan-African proposition, with Access Bank’s presence in numerous countries across the continent. We have recently launched Access W in Botswana, and our mission is to impact women across Africa, not just locally in Nigeria. Our aim is to foster intra-African trade and connect women across the continent with global markets. One of the key offerings under Access W is the W Power loan, which has been in place for over a decade, providing women with preferential rates and terms to fund their businesses. Additionally, our digital lending team provides instant loans accessible via mobile devices, ensuring that women, regardless of the size of their business, can access financing quickly and conveniently. The W-branded debit card helps identify and serve women within our community, and we organize a range of seminars and events tailored to support women in business. We also have partnerships designed to help women learn practical skills, such as driving, and access loans for purchasing their first cars. Our training programs empower women with the tools they need to grow and succeed in their businesses. Just this week, we held our 6 th annual Womenpreneur ‘Pitch a Ton’ event where we celebrated over 100 graduates of the mini MBA programme we run in conjunction with the IFC for women-led small and medium businesses. These businesses are all doing amazing things on the continent, solving problems, creating employment and wealth. At Access Bank, we understand that empowering women leads to broader societal benefits. When we support women, we uplift families and contribute to the overall economic growth. This commitment to women’s economic empowerment is central to our values, and we continue to invest heavily in W Banking. Our youth solutions are also tailored to different life stages. For younger children, we offer Access Solo, an account that transitions from a parent-operated to a child-operated account once they turn 18. This progressive approach ensures that as children grow, they become more financially literate and prepared to manage their own finances. By the time they reach adulthood, they have their own debit cards, mobile apps, and full control over their accounts, empowering them to take charge of their financial future. How do you collaborate with fintechs companies? Some bankers view fintech companies primarily as competitors, but the potential for collaboration far outweighs the competitive angle. Despite the increasing digitalization of the financial sector, most transactions in the market are still conducted in cash, presenting a significant opportunity for partnership. Fintechs, working with banks as part of the overall financial ecosystem, have helped to bridge the financial inclusion divide and increase the velocity of money in the economy. To tap into this potential, we established a dedicated team—the Partnership and Digital Capabilities Team. Their primary role is to forge strategic partnerships with fintech companies, helping them gain better market access. This includes collaborating to provide payment services such as instant payments, leveraging partnerships like the one with Hydrogen to facilitate quick transactions, and even supporting fintechs in issuing payment cards. This approach is central to our strategy and has been a key focus for several years. We are moving beyond the traditional banking partnerships focused on payments, lending, and deposits. We have expanded into more strategic collaborations, such as our partnership with Coronation, which allows our customers to access the stock market and invest in Nigerian equities in real-time via our mobile app. This innovation lowers the barriers to entry for investing, allowing customers to easily view the market and make real-time transactions directly from their mobile phones. This is a part of our broader financial inclusion strategy to provide customers with access to a wider range of financial services beyond traditional deposit products, enabling them to build long-term wealth and contribute to economic growth in the community. What upcoming digital innovations or initiatives will further drive retail business growth? We foresee significant growth in the remittance space, with Nigeria receiving over $20 billion annually in remittances. Digital solutions are driving down the cost of international money transfers, enhancing speed and efficiency. Our partnerships with fintechs and international remittance operators aim to expand financial access, ensuring that more funds flow into the formal economy. What is Access Bank doing in this regard? With presence in over 15 countries, Access Bank is building its proprietary payment route, Access Africa, which connects all our countries of presence facilitating individual and business payments on the continent. We also collaborate with global payment schemes like Visa and Mastercard to facilitate seamless international transfers to over 150 countries in the world. By partnering with fintechs, we broaden access to financial services enabling remittances into mobile wallets, making money transfers more affordable and efficient The reduction in remittance costs will not only benefit the economy but also increase the flow of funds through formal channels. This will drive economic growth and prosperity within the continent. What is the future of remittances, and how is Access Bank preparing for it? We anticipate that remittances will evolve beyond cash transfers to include goods and services. For example, remittances could directly fund education fees, support online food retailers, or pay for medical expenses. This approach ensures that remittances are used for their intended purpose while helping to grow commerce and lower costs.

Thomas Brown was talking through the massive task ahead of him in his second news conference as Chicago Bears interim head coach . How can he affect a team on a six-game losing streak? How does he plan to balance offensive play calling with head coach duties on game day? How can he further quarterback Caleb Williams’ development ? How does he look at the grand opportunity in front of him to show the NFL what he’s all about? But about four minutes in, when considering the most notable changes around Halas Hall since the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus , Brown veered down a lighthearted tangent — about weight loss. At 225 pounds early in November, Brown was trying to cut weight. It turned out being named offensive coordinator to replace Shane Waldron was just what he needed. Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, left, talks to Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers last month in Chicago. “You increase tasks to your day, you forget about food,” Brown said later. “I went a couple days and just really didn’t eat, didn’t really think about it, wasn’t hungry. I was thinking about the next moment, what to say to this player, doing game planning and I look up and I’m almost 30 pounds down. So we’ll keep going, see how long it lasts.” Brown was told he should market the unorthodox plan that has him down to 205 pounds. “I’ll write a book and we’ll see,” Brown said. “I hope you guys buy it. I’ll probably be pretty pissed if you don’t buy it.” The ensuing laughter was a surprising sound amid all the dreariness in Lake Forest lately. It’s that presence from Brown as the Bears’ new temporary leader that has players buying into his message ahead of their road game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Multiple players said Brown’s direct and clear approach to communication, his energy and his focus on accountability and unity have helped ease the transition from Eberflus, who was fired Nov. 29 after posting a 14-32 record in 21⁄2 seasons. “(Brown) is very deliberate in how he talks to us,” left guard Teven Jenkins said. “Everything he’s telling us right now is very intentional and all of us are very locked in. Everybody is sitting at the front of their seat, leaning in.” To be clear, that presence is not necessarily going to help Brown balance coordinator and head coach duties on game day. It doesn’t mean he’s going to formulate winning game plans or make better late-game decisions than the ones that ultimately led to the demise of Eberflus. That all remains to be seen. But it was Step 1 in steadying the upheaval at Halas Hall this week after the Bears fired a head coach midseason for the first time in team history. Now, Brown and the players hope to ride his spark and put an end to a maddening string of losses that have turned their season upside down . Brown doesn’t so much avoid the topic as indicate that he can’t really be concerned about it in this most hectic of all months. He interviewed for head coaching vacancies before — with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, the Houston Texans in 2023 and the Tennessee Titans in 2024. The former Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach under Sean McVay and the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator last season, Brown knows he’ll be assessed across the league for how he steps in for Eberflus. He surely knows the Bears, who promoted him twice in less than three weeks, will keep him on their candidate list for their next head coach if he handles himself well. And he knows his work between now and Jan. 6 may earn him consideration for other openings around the NFL. But he is focused on this job over the next month. “I’ve always had the thought process of every job I’ve had, try to excel at a high level,” Brown said. “What I realized about this profession is if you are bad at your job, they move on from you. If you’re good at your job, they give you an opportunity to stay around. If you’re great at your job, you get elevated. So my thought process was always to be the best I can be — not make it about myself — and let the chips fall where they may.” Bears President Kevin Warren gave Brown a strong endorsement Monday in talking about the coaching change and upcoming search, calling him bright, hardworking, talented, decisive and clear with “great leadership capabilities.” But nobody around Halas Hall will pretend that what lies ahead for Brown is easy. Interim coaches almost always are asked to step in because there are serious issues within a team — and the outcomes usually reflect that. In turn, the interims more often than not don’t return the next season. According to the Washington Post , from 1990-2021 interim coaches compiled a 111-209 record. Only 13 interim coaches — of the 46 the Post counted since 1990 — were hired into the teams’ full-time roles the next season. Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was the only interim coach of six from 2022-23 to be hired to the full-time job when he was promoted in January 2024. And there is speculation around the league that his job could be in jeopardy after the season. Brown is one of three NFL interims this season, joining Jeff Ulbrich with the New York Jets and Darren Rizzi with the New Orleans Saints. He’s accepting of the hand he has been dealt. “I said at the beginning, I wanted to thank God for the opportunity that he’s presented me with because I can’t complain about prayers being answered in certain different orders,” Brown said. “Maybe it’s not the ideal scenario, but I live every day to be at my best for those around me. Every job I’ve had that’s led me to the future is based on the current work I do. So that’s all I care about. “I’m not worried about what happens in five weeks. ... It’s not even in my thought process. I’m focused on this very moment and how to do the best job I can for this football team to help lead these guys the right way and go have success.” How Brown leads Williams over the next month is as valuable as anything. After his second game with Brown as offensive coordinator, Williams hesitated to use the word — but then decided it fit. Brown has “a certain aura to him,” Williams said, that allows the quarterback to play free. “He knows what he wants,” Williams said. “You know he knows what he wants.” Brown was a self-described introvert growing up. He wasn’t shy as much as quiet, someone who kept to himself. But he has grown to find his voice, first through the communication required during 16 years of marriage to his wife, Jessica, then through parenting three sons, each with unique personalities that require different approaches. “It’s about still being my authentic self but also (knowing) how to deliver a message,” he said. “I’m never going to lie to you. I’m going to tell you the truth, but how I deliver it is based on what brings the best out of you.” His communication with Williams is key as the Bears try to help the quarterback squeeze the most out of the rest of his rookie season. In three games with Brown as his play caller, Williams has completed 64% of his passes for 827 yards and five touchdowns. He hasn’t thrown an interception in six games. And he has made clutch fourth-quarter plays to keep the Bears in games late. Those are promising results against three solid NFC North defenses and certainly a step up from the previous three games that helped prompt the Waldron firing. Williams didn’t throw for more than 217 yards in a game, and the Bears totaled just 27 points in those three contests. There are still issues to iron out. The Bears offense, which has been slow to start games for much of the season under Williams, didn’t score in the first half and totaled just 53 yards before halftime against the Detroit Lions in Eberflus’ last game. Williams said Wednesday that he wasn’t moving with enough urgency at the end of the game, when the Bears got just one play off in the final 32 seconds despite having a timeout. He said he also wasn’t on the same page as coaches about the play they wanted to run to set up a potential tying field goal. But there have been more reasons than not to believe the union is working. Quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said Brown’s clear and concise communication methods have helped to simplify things for Williams, “the way it hits Caleb’s brain, the way he sees it.” And Joseph believes the confidence with which Brown delivers his plans — and his emphasis on how they prepare — have rubbed off on Williams in the right way. Brown has stated more than once that he wants Williams to play with “no fear.” “When you have that as a player, you feel that,” Joseph said. “As coaches around him, you feel that — just that, ‘Hey, you can run through that wall if you choose to.’ That’s the confidence and command he’s brought in the room. It’s infectious. It spreads. He has put his DNA on it, and guys are walking in and believing in it.” Williams said last month that he didn’t have a lot of one-on-one talks with Brown when he was the passing game coordinator. The Bears, while trying to limit the number of voices in Williams’ ear in his rookie season, instead stressed his relationships with Eberflus and Waldron. When Brown took over for Waldron, he called the quarterback to lay out what Williams could expect from him and vice versa. He said the relationship required some “blind trust” to get moving so quickly in the middle of the season. Williams didn’t initially have the comfort that comes with working with a coordinator for months, for example being at ease with expressing when he doesn’t like a play call. They’re working on getting more comfortable. “I’m a pretty direct person,” Brown said. “That can come off different ways to different people. But he is not soft, which I appreciate. Me and soft people sometimes don’t always see eye to eye, get along. But he likes being challenged, likes being coached. “I’m definitely all about encouraging, uplifting our guys when it comes to doing things the right way, but it’s finding a balance (between) we have made some great improvements, great strides, but being good is not to be confused with good enough. So I can be better. He can be better. The entire group can be better.” Williams has been appreciative of how demanding Brown is of young players and veterans alike. “One of the most important things is accountability,” Williams said. “He’s done a solid job so far with that and holding me accountable, holding all the guys accountable. And just how he is. He’s a lead-by-example type of guy, and that’s been great.” Now the Bears must see if the leadership extends to the whole team on game day. A few days ago, McVay reached out to Brown to talk with him about his new opportunity. Brown worked for three seasons under McVay from 2020-22, first as the running backs coach, then as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach. He was a part of the 2021 Rams Super Bowl-winning team. Brown, a former running back at Georgia, listed a few coaches who have made an impact on him over his 14 seasons of coaching at the collegiate and NFL levels. He was the running backs coach under offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig at Wisconsin and studied how to marry the run and pass. He learned from Mark Richt as the running backs coach at Georgia and the offensive coordinator at Miami. He valued his time learning how to be a communicator, leader and teacher with senior assistant Jim Caldwell in Carolina last year. But McVay is his biggest influence, both in how to design an offense and use personnel but also how to lead. He learned “the really good stuff” about how to be consistent and own the room but also lean on the people around him. Brown obviously made an impression on McVay, who at 38 years old is the same age and played against Brown in high school in Georgia. He told Los Angeles reporters last week that he always thought Brown would be a head coach at some point. “There are just certain people when you watch (them), you’re like, ‘Man, they’re a little different’ in terms of the competitiveness, the spirit, the never-say-die attitude,” McVay said. “And then just his overall presence in general is impressive. A good way to articulate it is he commands respect by the way he handles himself, and he gives it back.” That command will be put under a much bigger spotlight when he takes on his first game as interim head coach Sunday. Brown was matter of fact in the week leading up to his debut about how he is handling his expanded duties. He is not a micromanager, he said, so he will not do a lot of meddling with defensive coordinator Eric Washington and his staff as they navigate their first game without Eberflus as defensive play caller. Brown already has been working closely with newly named offensive coordinator Chris Beatty, also the wide receivers coach, over the last three games. But they’ve added discussions about in-game situations , such as clock management, over the last week as they try to purge some of the issues of the past. Wide receiver Keenan Allen said Thursday that late-game decisions — and accountability from the coaching staff on some of those decisions — were some of the biggest frustrations for players under Eberflus. When asked if he thinks accountability will be better under Brown, Allen said, “We’ve got to wait to see, but yeah, I do.” That’s the hopeful attitude many players have taken this week as they deal with the change and try to finish the season off right. Defensive end DeMarcus Walker believes in Brown’s direct, transparent, “grown men” approach to communication. And he’s behind Brown as he tries to help them put an end to a losing streak they think is not indicative of their talent. “We love his energy and his demeanor and attitude he brings for us as a team,” Walker said. “Obviously ever since he’s been calling plays, he’s brought a different level to it. And we’ve got his back.” When Brown considered what he wants the Bears’ identity to be under his leadership, he said he has “more of a defensive mentality, even as an offensive guy.” He wants players to understand the physicality they need to play with and the discipline they need to have when they apply themselves. And he wants them to maximize their next opportunity. “Life isn’t guaranteed; this game isn’t guaranteed,” Brown said. “It’s a privilege to be here, so I want us to maximize it every single day in the building. And when we have an opportunity to excel on game day, go cut it loose, man. Play with no fear.” Brown is approaching his big moment the same way. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox!

The Arizona Cardinals are 6-6 through 12 games, which makes them an average football team. That's much better than the previous two years, which both ended with just four wins. But after two straight frustrating losses, it's not providing much consolation for a franchise that feels as though it should be much better. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Dexter: Original Sin will take audiences back in time to find out how the man became the monster — er, the monster-slayer — in the Showtime thriller. The prequel series, which premieres on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday, December 13, takes place 15 years before we first met Dexter (then played by Michael C. Hall , who still narrates the new series) in the original Dexter . Taking over the title role in this iteration is Patrick Gibson , who has the character’s steely-eyed stares and smug sauntering style down to a science. With new characters being introduced in some familiar settings, the new series will bring some new details about Dexter’s past to light, but it will also inevitably retread some familiar territory from the first show, which had ample flashbacks. Here’s what to remember about Dexter ‘s past before Dexter: Original Sin . Dexter didn’t find out until he was a fully grown serial murderer that he had a big brother who was also running around slaughtering people. The Ice Truck Killer who stalked Dexter was actually Brian Moser, his slightly older brother who was not adopted (or even mentioned) by Harry. Dexter only found out about Brian because the Ice Truck Killer left clues that were tailored to catch his attention — reminding him of scenes from his past as part of the Morgan family. Laura Moser was the single mother to Brian and Dexter and worked as a confidential informant for Harry and the Miami-Metro Police Department against the Colombian cartel. She was brutally dismembered right in front of Brian and Dexter, who were left wading in her blood inside a shipping container. Harry adopted Dexter as his own upon finding him in the container, but Brian was sent into the foster system. In flashbacks in Dexter , it became clear that he was not a normal teenager with typical feelings or tendencies. In fact, he had an innate bloodlust that his father recognized and tried to quell with hunting trips, to the exclusion of his daughter Debra. Harry wanted to protect Dexter from himself — particularly his self-destructive impulses. Though Harry tried to find other ways for Dexter to quench his thirst for blood, so to speak, he soon gave in and encouraged him to kill someone when he discovered Nurse Mary was poisoning Harry and other patients in the hospital after his heart attack. Once Dexter began to kill, Harry worked hard to create a framework for his adoptive son to work within that, if he followed it to the letter, would keep his morality and freedom intact. The rules included being certain that the mark was worthy of being murdered and leaving no trace of evidence behind. Even after Harry’s death, Dexter worked to strictly adhere to this code in every kill. Randy Tepper/Showtime Dexter repeatedly revealed that he felt empty on the inside, and it was Harry who taught him to feign normal human feelings and social interactions around others — even if it meant faking a smile in his own family photos. Little by little throughout Dexter , we learn that Harry Morgan had several affairs while married to Doris, including with Laura Morgan and another confidential informant. Though Harry is definitely the most common star of Dexter’s flashback memories, his adoptive mother Doris is also a fixture of his past. She died when Deb was 16 and didn’t know about Dexter’s violent tendencies, even if she didn’t totally understand him at times. Dexter: Original Sin , Series Premiere, Streaming, Friday, December 13, Paramount+ with Showtime, Sunday, December 15, 10/9c, Paramount+ with Showtime More Headlines:

NoneBy ROB GILLIES TORONTO (AP) — Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official said Wednesday. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. A Canadian government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Many of the U.S. products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports $3 million worth of yogurt from the U.S. annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10% duty. Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border. The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024. Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are happy to work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations. Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Related Articles National Politics | Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia National Politics | Trump’s tariffs in his first term did little to alter the economy, but this time could be different National Politics | Trump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks National Politics | Southwest states certify election results after the process led to controversy in previous years National Politics | Political stress: Can you stay engaged without sacrificing your mental health? Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. “Canada is essential to the United States’ domestic energy supply,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. Trump has pledged to cut American energy bills in half within 18 months, something that could be made harder if a 25% premium is added to Canadian oil imports. In 2023, Canadian oil accounted for almost two-thirds of total U.S. oil imports and about one-fifth of the U.S. oil supply. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada’s provinces, who want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs “if the situation comes to that.”