WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump told Congress Friday that he wants to go forward with a U.S.-Mexican trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement – possibly leaving Canada out in the cold.

Even though Trump’s top trade negotiator said he would continue talking to Canadian officials next week, Trump made clear publicly something that he previously would only say privately: He has no interest in compromising with Canada now that he has a Mexican deal in hand.

In Charlotte, N.C., Trump complained about a leak of an off-the-record portion of his interview Thursday with Bloomberg News in which he said he would not compromise with Canada. But then he added, “It’s O.K., because at least Canada knows how I feel.”

In a statement Friday afternoon, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer sent a conflicting message, saying talks with Canada “were constructive, and we made progress.”

By sending a formal notification to Congress Friday, Trump triggered a 90-day clock to fast-track the new trade deal. 

“I hereby notify the House of Representatives and the Senate that I intend to enter into a trade agreement with Mexico – and with Canada if it is willing, in a timely manner, to meet the high standards for free, fair, and reciprocal trade,” Trump said in his letter to Congress.

The three nations have been trying to reach a trade agreement since Trump threatened to pull out of the NAFTA last year.

The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee said Trump is moving too fast.

“It sure looks like the president is more concerned with announcing a deal during election season, rather than getting the best deal possible for American workers,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

The decision came at Trump’s self-imposed Friday deadline for negotiations – a timeline that could allow him to win a political victory just in time for the November congressional elections that have Republican trying to defend their majorities in the House and Senate.

Any deal with either or both countries will need approval from Congress, where members are certain to scrutinize its provisions to see how they would affect industries in their states.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland suggested that Canada wouldn’t be rushed into a bad deal, but struck an optimistic tone.

“We know that a win-win-win agreement is within reach,” Freeland told reporters late Friday at a news conference. “With goodwill and flexibility on all sides, I know we can get there.”  

Earlier in the day, she said “we will only agree to a deal that is a good deal for Canada.”

Those talks were upended by a Canadian newspaper report on Trump’s off-the-record comments. The Toronto Star reported that Trump said any U.S.-Canadian agreement would be “totally on our terms” and that he could not be seen publicly refusing to compromise.

“It’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal,” he was quote as saying in the Bloomberg interview.

Trump later confirmed the remarks.

A U.S. trade official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations, said Canada had not made any concessions on agriculture.

That could be a significant sticking point, since Trump has been particularly critical of Canada’s 270% tariff on dairy products. “We can’t have that. Can’t have that,” President Trump said at a rally in Evansville, Ind. Thursday night.

“So we made a great deal with Mexico,” Trump said. “And as you know, Canada didn’t want to do what we have to have done. And after the deal was made with Mexico, Canada came along, and they’re negotiating right now at the White House, at our territory.”

Trump said the U.S. wins whether Canada stays in the free trade zone or not. “If it doesn’t happen, we’ll put tariffs on the cars coming in from Canada, and that’ll be even better,” he said.

Canada is the second biggest supplier of automobiles to the United States, after Mexico. Trump has proposed tariffs of 25 percent on Canadian-built cars coming into the United States. 

The tentative deal with Mexico, meanwhile, would provide for duty-free imports of cars assembled in Mexico – but only if at least 75 percent of the parts originate in the U.S. or Mexico. And many of those parts would have to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour.

After reaching the agreement with Mexico earlier this week, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross had expressed optimism that Canada would join in. “But if not, they will then have to be treated as a real outsider,” Ross told Fox Business News.

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If there’s anyone out there who still thinks cartoons are only for children, they simply haven’t been paying attention. Even discounting adult-oriented shows like Rick & Morty and Bojack Horseman, the animated spectrum of television has never been more appealing to older audiences than it is now. 

Smart, appealing animated shows must toe the line between creating a world that children can understand while still remaining interesting to people who expect more substance in their entertainment, and shows like Star Wars Rebels, We Bare Bears, and Adventure Time all do this wonderfully. 

Another example, and perhaps the best of its genre, is Steven Universe. 

Steven Universe tells the story of Steven, a half-human, half-alien boy whose extraterrestrial lineage comes through his mother, a warrior named Rose Quartz who fought thousands of years in the past to free Earth from her own planet’s rule. In the absence of his mother (she gave up her corporeal form in order to give birth to Steven…it’s a whole thing), he is raised by both his human father Greg and a trio of aliens called the Crystal Gems, who themselves fought alongside Rose to free the earth. 

As Steven grows up, he learns more about his mother’s past, how to control the alien powers she bequeathed to him, and becomes tangled in the intergalactic conspiracies that led to his mother and the Gems defending the earth in the first place. Sometimes after an adventure, Steven and the Crystal Gems get pizza. 

This simple-sounding premise highlights several of the show’s more important and grown-up themes, like the importance of family (found and otherwise), the limitations of being born into someone else’s legacy, and the effects of war on its soldiers and survivors. Its stories are character-driven, and Steven Universe uses its quick, 11-minute episodes to build its characters from seemingly one-dimensional stereotypes — the “cool” gem, the “anxious” gem, the “gross” gem, the excitable little boy — into fully realized people/aliens with motivations and secrets that guide every moment of their behavior.

And then there’s the music. Not every episode of Steven Universe features an original song, but many do and they’re almost universally good. The show uses music both to bring its characters together, like in Season 4’s “Here Comes A Thought,” and to isolate them in contemplative moments, as in Season 3’s “It’s Over Isn’t It,” and its genres span from smooth jazz to metal to Broadway. 

The most impressive thing about Steven Universe, however, is also what makes it a remarkable watch for older audiences: its dedication to worldbuilding. While the show begins on a seemingly small scale with stories of Steven’s everyday life in Beach City, throwaway lines, songs, and minor plot points snowball into stunning, macro-level reveals about the world of the Gems that as much fun to sleuth out as they are to be surprised with. 

Come to Steven Universe for the charming characters, great music, and wonderful messages about love and family. Stay for the edge-of-your-seat intergalactic war mysteries and beautifully queer ethos.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia have hinted, in recent statements, that a push to retake the northern province of Idlib, the last major rebel-held area, may begin soon.

It is a sign that Syria’s seven-year civil war may be entering its final stages, but also a warning that the conflict will not end without at least one more humanitarian crisis.

Russia has called Idlib a “hotbed of terrorists”, and even Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, says he believes as many as 10,000 al-Qaeda-linked fighters may now be gathered in the province.

Idlib is also home to nearly three million people – almost half of them displaced from territory already recaptured by the Syrian government – including Aleppo, Eastern Ghouta and Deraa province.

Syria’s foreign minister said on Thursday that his government plans to “liberate” Idlib, and Russia is reported to be building up its naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea.

There has been talk of humanitarian corridors to help ease human suffering in the province, but there is little doubt any government offensive to retake Idlib will come at a terrible human cost.

What is next for Idlib and for Syria as a whole, if its civil war is, indeed, entering its final phase?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Alexey Khlebnikov – Middle East expert at the Russian International Affairs Council

Mamoun Abu Nowar – retired Jordanian air force general

Haid Haid – research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation 

Source: Al Jazeera News

Moeen Ali’s 5-63 led England’s fightback on the second day of the fourth Test against India in Southampton.

The off-spinner ran through the India lower order as they lost six wickets for 53 runs to slip from 142-2 to 195-8.

However, the tourists were hauled to 273 by an unbeaten 132 from Cheteshwar Pujara, who added 78 for the final two wickets with Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

That gave them a first-innings lead of 27 after England were bowled out for 246 on day one.

Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings came through four overs at the end of the day as England closed on 6-0, 21 behind.

It left the match and the series tantalisingly poised. England lead 2-1 and can seal the series with victory on the south coast, while a win for India would keep alive their own hopes of winning the series going into the final match at The Oval.

To add to the intrigue, the Southampton pitch is showing signs of sharp turn, potentially aiding India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as well as England pair Moeen and Adil Rashid in the fourth innings.

Moeen’s love of Southampton

Moeen is playing in his first Test since March and, like Sam Curran on day one, has justified his recall.

He was dropped after a poor winter in which he took five wickets at an average of 126.80.

However, in contrast to his struggles abroad, he has a fine record at home. Indeed, on this ground and against the same opponents four years ago, he returned match figures of 8-129.

Having made 40 in England’s first-innings 246, he bowled beautifully, fizzing the ball into the footholes to take all his five wickets in a 10-over spell either side of tea.

Rishabh Pant was lbw for a curious 29-ball duck and Hardik Pandya tamely chipped to short mid-wicket.

Ashwin thoughtlessly bottom-edged a reverse sweep on to his stumps, Mohammed Shami was bowled first ball and, after surviving for 40 minutes, Ishant inside-edged to a juggling Cook at short leg.

Pujara and tail defy England

Pujara was left out of India’s defeat in the first Test, but returned to form with 72 in the second innings of their third Test win at Trent Bridge.

For a while on Friday, he was the support act in a stand of 92 with captain Virat Kohli, who edged to first slip off Curran for 46 to begin India’s slide.

While wickets were falling around him, Pujara remained patient. Very occasionally he drove through the covers, but often his scoring came through wristy flicks on the leg side or dabbed cuts to third man.

Only when he was joined by Ishant, then Bumrah, did he show more intent in two chaotic partnerships that frustrated England in the evening sunshine.

Pujara, who was twice struck on the helmet by bouncers, survived a review for lbw off Moeen on 99 and, next ball, lofted down the ground to complete his 15th Test century.

At that point, the total was 232 and Bumrah had not faced a delivery. Over the course of the next 11.5 overs – which included England taking the second new ball – Pujara opened his shoulders and farmed the strike.

Bumrah provided brave assistance, clinging on for 70 minutes before gloving Stuart Broad to first slip to leave Pujara unbeaten on 132.

The curious case of Ben Stokes

Before this match began, England captain Joe Root said all-rounder Ben Stokes was not “100% fit” to bowl because of a knee injury.

That did not seem to be a concern for England during a morning when Broad bowled beautifully to remove openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.

When Pujara and Kohli were together, the sight of Jennings bowling his medium pace suggested that Stokes would not be able to bowl at all.

However, he was introduced after lunch and was excellent, hooping an inswinger to trap Ajinkya Rahane lbw.

But Stokes did not bowl again after that seven-over spell, even when England were desperately trying to wrap up the India tail.

It addition, it was a difficult day for James Anderson, who returned figures of 0-50 and even surrendered the second new ball to Curran.

‘England can play the pressure card’ – what they said

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on BBC Test Match Special: “Moeen Ali bowled exceptionally well. He didn’t try to do too much; he bowled a tight line, stump to stump. He found a bit of turn early on and that put doubt in the batsmen’s minds.”

England’s Moeen Ali on Sky Sports: “I know deep down I am not a perfect spinner, but I know on my day I can bowl a side out.

“If we can get to 300 ahead that would be a good lead. It will be difficult, though.”

Former captain Michael Vaughan on TMS: “Pujara stood up and it was a wonderful innings, the perfect Test match innings.

“India couldn’t chase a small total against South Africa or at Edgbaston, so England can ask if they can get 200. If they can’t they have lost the series. That’s the pressure card England can play.”

How’s stat?!

• Moeen Ali’s 5-63 was his second successive five-wicket haul in a Test against India at Southampton, after taking 6-67 in 2014.
• In reaching six, Virat Kohli passed 6,000 Test runs in 119 innings, the second quickest for India after Sunil Gavaskar’s 117. Sachin Tendulkar needed 120.
• Rishabh Pant’s 29-ball duck was the joint third longest for India, matching Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina.

Tiny as she may be in stature, Ariana Grande had a huge presence at Aretha Franklin’s funeral Friday.

Accompanied by her fiance Pete Davidson, Grande traveled to Detroit to attend the ceremony and perform one of Franklin’s signature hits, “(You Make Me Feel Like) “A Natural Woman,”which she previously sang on the “Tonight Show” on Aug. 16 shortly after Franklin’s death.

Her fiery rendition even moved her ex-boyfriend, Big Sean. The rapper was also in attendance at the funeral and was spotted swaying to Grande’s singing and giving her a standing ovation when she finished. 

After Grande’s performance, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, the officiant leading the service, brought the singer to the podium, where he cracked a joke about her name sounding like a Taco Bell menu item.

“I’ve got to apologize, because I have to brush up. My 28-year-old daughter told me, ‘You are old at 60,’” Ellis said. “When I saw Ariana Grande on the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell.”

Grande laughed at his comment, hugged him and told the crowd, “I love you, Aretha” before leaving the podium.

Some Twitter users were up in arms over Grande’s funeral attire, criticizing the singer for wearing a minidress to church. 

“Ariana Grande baby that’s not what you wear to a funeral,” one user tweeted, with someone else comparing her outfit to “how you look when you come straight to church after being out at the club.”

Grande also had her defenders, with some fans arguing in favor of her sartorial choices.

“If Ariana Grande’s dress makes anyone uncomfortable, I’d suggest you check that demon within yourself and not blame that young lady for YOUR perverted mind and or the perverted minds of others whom for whatever complicit reason you choose not to check instead,” read one pro-Grande tweet.

Twitter also had plenty of jokes about Davidson’s presence at the funeral, with people puzzling over why, besides being Grande’s plus-one to the event, he got an invitation in the first place.

“Ok we all have limits and my limit is Pete Davidson sitting VIP at Aretha Franklin’s funeral,” one user tweeted. Another wondered, “Can you imagine being at #ArethaHomegoing…looking over and seeing Pete Davidson?”

But there was no doubt on social media that Ellis was too close during his awkward Grande embrace from the podium.

 

 

 

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In the latest episode of Hot Ones, Jeff Goldblum is his Goldbum-iest self as he compliments host Sean Evan’s teeth, shares his love of Quavo, and talks about how he likes to be called “daddy.”

If you’ve never seen an episode of this hit YouTube series, here are the CliffsNotes: celebrities are interviewed while eating spicy wings that range from mild to mouth-numbingly hot.

The interview begins (as it always does on Hot Ones) with a few softball questions. Goldblum talks about his failed TV show Tenspeend and Brown Shoe, one of his favorite Pittsburgh eateries, and jazz lingo. 

Oh, and if you’re interested in watching Goldblum expertly scat, I suggest you fast forward to about the 9:20 mark.

Evans asks Goldblum about what kinds of Instagram comments he receives, and if he likes it when his fans call him “daddy.” 

“Isn’t that sexy talk? I think it means sexy talk,” Goldblum asks Evans, before explaining that he is literally a “daddy” to his two children.

“Sometimes they say zaddy,” Goldblum added. “What’s that mean? Really hot, more like this side [motions to spicier wings], spicy daddy. Yeah sure, I like it. Zaddy.”

Goldblum is able to keep up with Evans, eating the progressively spicier wings, but has difficulty pushing through when he takes a bite out of the Da’ Bomb’s Beyond Insanity-coated wing. 

But of course, Goldblum perseveres through the rest of the interview, discussing fashion, his fascination with his wife, the hot sauces he sampled.

Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary suffered an inauspicious start as President Joseph Kabila‘s anointed candidate for the highest political office in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

En route to filing his candidacy on August 8, the last day of registrations for December’s long-delayed elections, Shadary found the gates guarding the electoral commission offices in the capital, Kinshasa, barred shut.

A moment of confusion ensued but Shadary, known to supporters as the “man for difficult situations”, eventually found a way through to ensure his name will be on the ballot – effectively putting to rest years of speculation about whether Kabila would seek to prolong his 17-year rule.

Shadary said at the time running for the presidency was a “great honour” and pledged to outline a “social programme” to voters in the near future.

He also praised Kabila for “keeping his word” by standing aside.

Shadary’s comments came after almost two years of political limbo caused by Kabila’s refusal to step down when his second and final constitutional term officially expired in December 2016. His move sparked violent demonstrations during which security forces killed scores of anti-government protesters, as well as donor threats to withhold aid funding for the resource-rich country.

The president’s decision to obey the two-term limit may signal the beginning of a new era in which the DRC will finally have a new president, but analysts predict little change if Shadary – a die-hard Kabila loyalist currently sanctioned by the European Union for his role in the crackdowns on protesters – wins the December 23 poll.

On the contrary, Kabila, who will be eligible to run again in 2023, is expected to keep exercising considerable power behind the scenes in the event of a Shadary win.

“Shadary is someone Kabila knows he can control,” says Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, professor of African and Global Studies at the University of North Carolina.

“If there is no alternation of power, things are not going to change.”

Tumultuous politics

The DRC has never had a peaceful transition of power since the assassination of its first democratically elected leader, Patrice Lumumba, in 1961, one year after the country gained independence from Belgium.

Kabila took power in 2001 after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, an opposition leader and former rebel who in 1997 had forced out President Mobutu Sese Seko, whose decades-long rule was marked by authoritarianism, brutality and corruption.

Joseph Kabila was declared the winner of elections in 2006 and 2011, but both polls were marred by violence and opposition allegations of widespread fraud.

The announcement on August 8 that he would not run again was welcomed by regional and international powers, but DRC’s already-tumultuous politics were complicated even further last week when electoral officials disqualified the candidacy of popular opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba.

In June, Bemba, a former rebel leader, was acquitted on appeal at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by fighters he sent to suppress a coup in neighbouring Central African Republic between October 2002 and 2003.

Following his release after 10 years in prison at The Hague, the 55-year-old received a hero’s welcome by his supporters upon his return to Kinshasa in early August to register his candidacy.

But on August 24, the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) cited a separate ICC conviction for witness-tampering to deem Bemba inadmissible – according to DRC law, people convicted of corruption are barred from running for president.

The commission’s decision can be appealed before a final list of candidates is published on September 19.

‘More of the same’

Bemba, a former vice president who finished second behind Kabila in the 2006 election, was widely tipped as a frontrunner in December’s vote.

In a rare opinion poll published by the Congo Research Group in late July, he ranked joint-first alongside opposition leaders Felix Tshisekedi, son of the late veteran politician Etienne Tshisekedi, and Moise Katumbi, a wealthy businessman who has been living in self-imposed exile since a 2016 conviction in absentia for alleged real estate fraud.

An erstwhile Kabila ally and governor of Katanga, Katumbi himself was also effectively barred from running for president after DRC’s authorities blocked his attempts to return to the country – first by airplane and then by car – and submit his candidacy before the deadline. The government subsequently issued an international arrest warrant for him on August 16.

According to Kris Berwouts, a political analyst and author of Congo’s Violent Peace: Conflict and Struggle since the Great African War, the events of the past few weeks laid bare the authorities’ intention to “organise the election in an environment which is as controlled as possible”.

“Keeping people out of the process, as they have done with Katumbi and Bemba, is reinforcing their own candidate,” Berwouts said, adding that the removal of key presidential challengers from the race cast doubt on the credibility of the election.

“This does not give many guarantees for free and fair elections.”

Nzongola-Ntalaja agreed.

“I don’t see the [possibility] that the elections are going to be free, fair, transparent and democratic,” he said, adding that upcoming poll promised “more of the same” following the votes in 2006 and 2011.

‘Regime stalwart’

Running against a curtailed opposition could prove critical to Shadary’s performance in the election, given that he remains relatively unknown outside the country’s political circles.

Shadary was born in the DRC’s eastern Maniema province in November 1960. He went on to study political science, first in Lubumbashi and then in Kinshasa, before being appointed in 1998 Maniema governor by then-President Laurent-Desire Kabila.

Four years later, Shadary co-founded the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) alongside Joseph Kabila, and has since proceeded to hold several roles in the party.

“Shadary is a creature of the Kabilas, both Lauren and Joseph,” Reuben Loffman, a lecturer in African history at UK-based Queen Mary University of London, told Al Jazeera.

“He is a very loyal, regime stalwart for the PPRD and latterly the FCC … and seen as a safe bet in terms of someone who will protect people from the international community,” Loffman said, referring to the ruling Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition.

“For the PPRD and the Kabila camp, protection is absolutely crucial,” he added.

In February, after serving as the government’s interior minister for 13 months, Shadary was appointed permanent secretary of the PPRD, marking an elevation to the upper echelons of party politics and government.

During his time at the interior ministry, he oversaw several crackdowns on anti-government protesters, especially after Kabila’s refusal to step down as president. Last year, the European Union hit him with an asset freeze and travel ban for his involvement “in planning, directing, or committing acts that constitute serious human rights violations in DRC”.

“The regime has deployed repression and he has been part of that,” Berwouts said.

“He [Shadary] is someone within the regime machinery with his own power base,” he added. “[But] If the party wants to go to the election and win, there is immense work to do to sell him to the public,” he added.

According to Loffman, Shadary’s “instrumental” role in the suppression of opposition could mean he struggles to concoct a convincing narrative on which to campaign for support.

“Opposition politicians have stories; Felix Tshisekedi can call on his father’s legacy of opposition and Jean-Pierre Bemba can, albeit controversially, call on fighting in the Second Congo War,” he said.

“But Shadary is tainted by the past … his story seems to be ‘I have been oppressing you for a long time, please let me continue to oppress you’” he added, noting that Shadary’s candidacy is particularly jarring when weighed against the decision to ban Bemba from the vote.

“Bemba still has this outlying conviction, and I think it’s problematic, but given the fact that Shadary has sanctions against him it’s kind of glass houses and stones, I think there is a lot of political motivation and that the election commission is acting under a lot of pressure from the regime,” Loffman said.

‘Firefighting’

All of the candidates permitted to run for the presidency will have to confront a daunting set of issues currently afflicting the DRC, the world’s leading cobalt producer and Africa’s top copper miner.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 13.1 million people are in need of aid throughout the DRC and 4.5 million others are internally displaced – the highest number among all African countries.

In particular, violence in the southern Kasai region and throughout the Kivu provinces in the eastern DRC has left the country reeling under several ongoing security and humanitarian crises.

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 100 armed groups are operating in North and South Kivu, which, combined, border Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Meanwhile, northern Kivu province has been hit by the country’s latest Ebola crisis – its 10th since 1976 – leaving health authorities scrambling for a response amid the “active conflict” zone.

The DRC’s turmoil has contributed to the fact that despite its vast natural resources and some 80m hectares of arable land, the country still ranks among the 11 poorest countries in the world.

“The level of violence, and the fact that there is an Ebola crisis going on, is going to mean in effect a lot of the election is about firefighting,” Loffman said.

Myles Truitt is a name you might want to know. In the past few years, the 16-year-old Atlanta native has landed roles in Atlanta, Queen Sugar, and Black Lightning, making him a prime candidate for Variety’s 2018 Young Hollywood Impact Report alongside the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Millie Bobby Brown, Elsie Fisher, and more.

Bulking up his portfolio further, Truitt now stars in Kin, the family drama with a sci-fi twist executive produced by Michael B. Jordan and produced by Stranger Things’s Shawn Levy. “It’s a different kind of sci-fi movie,” Truitt told MTV News. “Not every movie comes with family, action, and drama.”

He makes his feature-film debut as Eli, a young teen getting used to life with his adopted father (Dennis Quaid) after his adopted mother passed. But his world completely shifts when his older brother, Jimmy (Jack Reynor), comes home from prison and takes Eli on the run from his violent prison protectors-turned-debt collectors, led by James Franco’s menacing Taylor. Little does everyone else know, Eli has all the protection he needs, thanks to a mysterious, futuristic weapon he salvaged from an abandoned warehouse.

Still fairly new to acting at the time of filming, Truitt was fully aware that this role came with an elevated importance. “There’s not really a lot of black young men that are main roles, so that was a big responsibility on my part, but it wasn’t a negative responsibility. I was ready to hold that responsibility and take advantage of it,” he said.

However, that responsibility was not without its perks — all thanks to Zoe Kravitz, whose real-life nurturing of her younger co-star mirrored that of her character, Milly, who joins Eli and Jimmy’s journey partway through the movie. “She was really there for me, knowing that I was the only kid on set … not having anybody there that was really my age,” Truitt raved. “She was really cool.”

The Big Little Lies actress was especially cool when, weeks after Truitt casually named Drake as his favorite artist, she casually walked up to him with a FaceTime call from “a fan,” giving him a moment he will never forget (with the cameras rolling, just in case). “I just see Drake’s face on the phone and I’m crying and just really surprised that she actually called him and remembered what I said.”

As seen in the exclusive video above, the then-14-year-old’s emotions took control from there, the shock on his face dissolving into tears and rendering him speechless. “I really didn’t say anything to him because I was so shell-shocked,” he said of his perfectly understandable reaction.

Truitt hasn’t been in touch with Drake since, but did receive a 2 a.m. delivery of OVO gear from the Toronto rapper after the call. “He really didn’t have to do that,” Truitt said, a hint of disbelief still lingering. “That was really cool that he did that for me.”

Here’s more from Truitt on Kin, his unexpected stuntwork, and MBJ’s sage advice:

MTV News: How did you get into acting?

Myles Truitt: I initially wanted to play basketball professionally, like I really was going deep into basketball. I was around 11 years old and I was trying to be placed into a basketball summer camp and the slots were filled up, so the only thing that was left was theater camp. My mom was like, “Would you rather go to theater camp or go to work with your grandmother all summer?” I didn’t really want any of that, so I went to theater camp.

MTV News: Did you feel like there was any stigma you had to overcome going from athletics into something more emotional?

Truitt: Not really, and I don’t know why. I felt really comfortable on stage and around people. You know, when it comes to a group of people I’m always the happy part of the crowd. It really wasn’t really hard transitioning into that. It just came naturally.

MTV News: What attracted you to Kin?

Truitt: The short film, Bag Man. I could really connect with the character and there’s a lot of similarities with that, just how he carried himself. And there weren’t really a lot of lines in that short film, it was just acting with his eyes and the connection he had with the weapon itself.

MTV News: What were your first reactions when you read the feature script?

Truitt: Eli, my character, is really going through a lot of emotional things. He’s really going on an emotional roller coaster with things, so I was excited to act that out, just putting it on screen and working with the cast, as well.

MTV News: How closely did you get to work with Michael B. Jordan?

Truitt: Very close! His scenes are very emotional. He’s a really down-to-earth person and caring and charismatic. He just has that energy that the cast and everybody that was working with us needed.

MTV News: What did you learn from him?

Truitt: He had a humbling vibe to him that I just took from him and invited into myself. I really appreciate him for that. I told him, “I really want to be you when I grow up.” He was like, “Don’t be me; be the best version of yourself and I’ll be the person to help provide the blueprint.” From that point on, I’ve just been thinking about that every day.

MTV News: Did you have bonding moments with the whole cast?

Truitt: Yeah, we did have a lot of bonding moments. Especially me, Zoe, Jack, just in the car. When the camera wasn’t on us, we would just have a lot of funny moments, especially when we were in Las Vegas, in the casinos and go to the circuses and just chill out with each other and bond.

MTV News: Did you actually get to drive the car?

Truitt: Yeah, I did! I actually did get to drive the car. At the age of 14, I got to do donuts. It’s not most people who get to do that, but it was really fun. I actually drove the car. There were no gimmicks or wiring or anything — just turn the steering wheel and gas it. So that was really fun doing that. My first-ever stunt in a movie.

MTV News: Were you scared?

Truitt: No, I wasn’t! I was ready to get in there. I’d always wanted to drive a car. As soon as they said that I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’

MTV News: Was that your first time driving?

Truitt: I mean, I’d sat on my dad’s lap and driven in the parking lot, but not really driving a car like I did in the movie. So yeah, I would say that was my first time.

MTV News: Looking into the future, do you have any dream roles?

Truitt: Yeah, I want to be a part of Black-ish, I want to do something with Yara Shahidi, maybe something with Will Smith, Kevin Hart. I want to do comedic roles and stuff like that. There’re a lot of things I would like to do.

MTV News: You could revive Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Truitt: Yeah, I love Fresh Prince! That’s my guy right there.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

England secured their place at the 2019 World Cup with a superb second-half display to break the resistance of a determined Wales side.

Second-half goals from Toni Duggan, Jill Scott and Nikita Parris in Newport saw England book their passage to France as Wales’ own impressive campaign was dealt a disappointing blow.

A squad filled with amateur players, Wales did not lose any of their other qualifiers and went an incredible 687 minutes without conceding in Group 1 before Duggan’s goal.

But they were second best to Phil Neville’s side, who stuck at their task before finding a more clinical edge after the break.

The result means the Lionesses are guaranteed to be group winners even before their final qualifier in Kazakhstan, while Wales must rely on other results going their way to get a second chance via the play-offs.

Rodney Parade unsettles England… for a time

Wales would certainly have felt they got all the home advantage they could have wished for at League Two Newport County’s compact ground, more famous for rugby than football.

The idea was to create a cauldron of noise, and that was exactly what Jayne Ludlow’s side got, as the Welsh broke their attendance record for a women’s international.

But if the idea was to unsettle the Lionesses, the opening exchanges did not suggest they were too rattled by the vociferous Welsh support.

Neville’s side could and should have led after only six minutes when Parris turned home an Alex Greenwood deflected shot that came back off the post.

Surprisingly, given the shot was deflected, Parris was onside and the assistant did not raise initially her flag, it was ruled out for offside.

Any English sense of injustice will have been tempered by the fact Wales had an early goal controversially ruled out in Southampton in the reverse fixture as a lack of goal-line technology potentially denied Natasha Harding a winner.

And other than Parris’ stroke of misfortune, Wales keeper Laura O’Sullivan was surprisingly underworked in a first half where England had plenty of possession but little to show for it.

Jordan Nobbs shot wide from long range, while O’Sullivan and Loren Dykes almost got themselves into danger when neither cleared with Jodie Taylor lurking, but O’Sullivan grabbed the ball at the second attempt. She also made a smart save from Duggan’s free-kick on the stroke of half-time.

Wales’ defensive masterclass is ended

Wales came into the contest with seven clean sheets from seven matches and their incredible organisation and team ethic was evident in both games against the Lionesses.

However, as at St Mary’s, their rearguard effort came at the expense of leaving their front two – Helen Ward and Kayleigh Green – somewhat isolated and ultimately the effort expended in defending took its toll.

Green did find space to race clear on 36 minutes and rounded goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who managed to get a faint touch on the ball to deny the Brighton forward as Rodney Parade screamed for a penalty.

That was as close as Wales came.

England, for their part, looked devoid of ideas for how to break through for long periods.

The breakthrough finally came when O’Sullivan spilled Nobbs’ cross, allowing Fran Kirby to find Duggan, the Barcelona forward making no mistake as she drilled home.

And, once they took the lead, England did not look back as they finally made their superior quality tell.

Steph Houghton almost doubled the advantage with a curling free-kick that O’Sullivan tipped behind, but there was nothing the Wales goalkeeper could do on the hour when the impressive Scott headed home from Lucy Bronze’s touch to all but kill the contest.

Helen Ward came close for Wales as they looked to push forward, but the visitors added a third from another O’Sullivan error as she dropped Greenwood’s free-kick, allowing Taylor to find Parris who nodded home.

Player of the match – Jill Scott (England)