Jurors end 1st day of deliberations without a verdict in the YSL gang and racketeering trialNo. 1 South Carolina experiences rare sting of lossTrump's tariff threat a grim reminder of turbulent trade in first administration
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks closed at more records after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to reach another all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6% as Big Tech stocks helped lead the way. Stock markets abroad saw mostly modest losses, after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office. U.S. automakers and other companies that could be hurt particularly by such tariffs fell. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising toward records Tuesday after created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% and was on track to top its set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 81 points, or 0.2%, to set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher, with less than an hour remaining in trading. Stock markets abroad were down, but mostly only modestly, after President-elect Trump said he on Mexico, Canada and as soon as he takes office. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada's main index edged down by just 0.1%. Trump has often praised the , but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. General Motors sank 8.2%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.9%. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support to the . While lower interest rates can boost the overall economy and prices for investments, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed's earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to released Tuesday afternoon. Unlike tariffs in Trump's first term, his proposal from Monday night would affect products across the board. Trump’s tariff talk came almost immediately after U.S. stocks rose Monday amid excitement about his pick for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent. The hope was the hedge-fund manager could steer Trump away from policies that balloon the U.S. government deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another set of mixed profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates instituted by the Fed to get inflation under control. tumbled 17.6% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. fell 4.7% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. J.M. Smucker jumped 5.4% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 after topping analysts' expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 2.8% for Amazon and 2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.30% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after late last week. It's since dipped back toward $91,600, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.The record will show that tight end Trey McBride had a great season, Marvin Harrison Jr. has a promising future, the Cardinals' defense played over its head for much of the year and Arizona was almost a good football team in 2024. Key word — almost. A frustrating stretch continued on Saturday when the Cardinals (7-9) lost 13-9 to the host Los Angeles Rams . Arizona was pushing for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, but Kyler Murray's pass took an unlucky bounce off McBride's helmet and LA's Ahkello Witherspoon made a spectacular grab for the interception, snagging the ball just before it hit the turf. “I think we can compete with anybody, but again, that doesn’t count,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It’s about winning and losing, you what I mean? I just got to do a better job, but I know they’re doing the right things.” The Cardinals did a lot of things right against the Rams. Despite being eliminated from the postseason, Arizona competed hard. Murray completed 33 of 48 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown — but also had two interceptions. McBride caught 12 passes for 123 yards, including his first TD catch of the year. Harrison had one of his best games with six catches for 96 yards. “I’m going to choose to be positive about it,” Murray said. “I see a light at the end of that tunnel. I think we’re a couple plays away, a couple of plays away from being a 10-win team or right where we want to be, going to the playoffs or winning the division.” The Cardinals' defense played well for most of the game, limiting the Rams to 257 yards. But in the end, it was another loss. The Cardinals have dropped five of six after starting 6-4. “I know we’re close, man, and I know it’s hard to see that,” Gannon said. “For me, that’s hard to take on the chin but we’ll get better from it. We’ll get better.” What’s working The Murray-to-Harrison connection was much better on Saturday, producing several big plays. Gannon challenged Harrison to be more physical against opposing defensive backs last week, and the receiver responded, looking much more like the player the Cardinals expected when they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick. “I think the physicality of it, coming from college to the league, guys don’t realize how physical you can be when you get to the league,” Murray said. “He's going to be big time.” What needs help After doing a great job of taking care of the ball over the first 11 games, Murray has thrown seven interceptions over the past five. A few of those came in late-game situations when he had to take a chance and force a pass, but it's still not a good trend. Stock up McBride had his third 100-yard game of the season, showing sure hands and fighting through contact for extra yards. The third-year player has 1,081 yards receiving this season, becoming just the second tight end in franchise history to exceed 1,000 yards. The other was Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who had 1,205 yards in 1967. He has 104 catches and is just the 10th tight end in NFL history to top 100 in a season. Stock down Arizona's special teams have been very good for most of the year, but Los Angeles' block of an extra point attempt by Chad Ryland in the third quarter proved costly. If the Cardinals had trailed by three points on the final drive instead of four, they would have had the option of kicking a tying field goal in the final minute. Injuries RB James Conner tried to battle through a knee injury against the Rams, but gained just 4 yards on the ground. His status for the season's final game is uncertain. LB Joey Blount (ribs) and CB Elijah Jones (ankle) were inactive. Key number 822 — Harrison's receiving yards on the season. That ranks third for a rookie in franchise history behind Anquan Boldin (1,377 in 2003) and Frank Sanders (883 in 1995). Next steps Arizona's final game will be at home on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, who are also eliminated from the playoff race. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl David Brandt, The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. The jury started deliberating Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning. If they don’t reach a verdict by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the judge will send them home for the Thanksgiving weekend and they will return Monday morning. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Sunday, said there was no way the private planes of privileged Nigerians can leave the country directly from their airstrips without first securing clearance from relevant authorities. Keyamo made the clarification when he was featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today. His statement comes barely two months after members of the House of Representatives called for a revocation of airstrip licences issued to certain individuals and private organisations, citing security reasons. The House also called for an immediate halt to new airstrip licences for individuals and organisations. However, Keyamo insisted that there was no way a plane or drone, even if it belongs to the military, can leave or come into the country without first getting a nod from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency. When asked if the airstrip of the Founder of Living Faith Bible Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, also passed through the same due process, Keyamo nodded. He said, “Oh yes, absolutely. That’s no problem. They were only concerned about the fact that they thought that somebody could take off from a private airstrip and fly out of Nigeria or fly into Nigeria. It is not possible. Related News Keyamo unveils special marshals to boost airport standards, curb misconduct USA, France join to examine crashed helicopter wreckage – FG FG engages US, French experts to investigate helicopter crash wreckage “You must land in an international airport first. Then the Customs, Immigration and NDLEA will process you before you take off from there to your private airstrip. “If you are also flying out, you must land at an international airport. You will go through Customs, Immigration and all the normal processes before flying out. “So, nobody uses an airstrip for any such purpose without seeking clearance. At every point in time, the authorities must approve.” When quizzed on how many airstrips the country is operating at the moment, Keyamo said they are in the range of 40. “We have a number of them, more than 40. For the federal airport, we have 23. The state airport has about eight or nine now. “And then the airstrips are about 40 or thereabouts. I have been there myself,” he stated.
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5 takeaways from Trump's 'Meet the Press' interviewhosts and Ainsley Earhardt after privately dating for several years, the latest Fox News couple to take their relationship to the next level. In an official statement from the network, the two said they with the blessing and support of their families – including their children from previous marriages. Hannity, 62, and Earhardt, 48, have become well-known conservative commentators due to their longtime careers on Fox News. Hannity hosts his own primetime show, while Earhardt co-hosts the morning show, . Earhardt first joined the network in 2007, anchoring the news overnight. By the time she joined Fox News, Hannity had been working there for 11 years. Soon after joining Fox, Earhardt began hosting her own segment on called “Ainsley Across America.” At the time, Earhardt was married to her first husband, Kevin McKinney. The two would eventually divorce in 2009. Earhardt’s commitment to the network eventually landed her a job hosting a new show called in 2012. That same year she married her second husband, Clemson University quarterback Will Proctor. The two had one daughter together in 2015 named Hayden. While , Earhardt landed the job co-hosting the well-known morning show – a favorite of President-elect Donald Trump. Though she knew “nothing” about politics when she joined Fox News, Earhardt has developed a reputation for defending Christianity and espousing traditional conservative views. Memorably, during a , Earhardt suggested with exasperation that “the majority” should be protected while discussing a Missouri sheriff being criticized for putting an “In God we Trust” bumper sticker on the back of police cruisers. "What about the majority? I’m so tired of protecting the minority! What about the rest of the country?” Earhardt said at the time, assuming the majority of Americans agreed with her. Earhardt has never been shy about her religious beliefs. She told that reading “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby during her college years inspired her to devote her life to Jesus Christ. In a , Earhardt said she looks forward to “sitting down with Jesus Christ” when asked about her dream interview. She told earlier this year that “the first thing” she would grab during a house fire is her black leather Bible embossed with her name. It is ultimately her faith that led her to Hannity, according to Fox News. Earhardt and her second husband divorced in 2019. The same year, Hannity and his first wife of more than 20 years, Jill Rhodes, also divorced – though the couple said they had separated years earlier. Hannity and his ex-wife share two children, Patrick and Merri. It is unclear when Hannity and Earhardt began dating. Sources and in 2020 that the two had been privately dating “for years” but the Fox News hosts denied the allegation. Sources claimed Hannity and Earhardt attended the wedding of fellow host Pete Hegseth and producer Jennifer Rauchet in August 2019 together. Hegseth fathered a child with Rauchet while married to his second wife. Regardless of when they began dating, Hannity and Earhardt have maintained a long-distance relationship between Florida and New York, respectively. The couple told Fox News they made their previous spouses “aware” that they were getting engaged and have a good relationship with their co-parents.
Greg Gumbel dead at 78 as sports fans pay tribute to legendary broadcaster
Governor-elect Bob Ferguson taps state senator to lead state Department of CommerceThis past summer, I reviewed , but now I have the AMD Ryzen AI version in house. It should make for an interesting comparison, given the stellar battery life and terrific performance I saw previously. Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift! . This is a 14-inch ThinkPad T14s with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 processor and Radeon 880M graphics, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB NVMe SSD. The display is Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and I’m guessing it’s the same entry-level and low-power IPS panel the previous T14s came with. Expansion looks identical, too. There are two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Type-C ports and a full-sized HDMI port (plus a combo microphone/headphone jack) on the left, and then two full-sized USB 3 Type-A ports on the right, plus a Kensington nano security slot. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 are available for connectivity, as with the Snapdragon version. There are two top-firing speakers, with grills on either side of the keyboard, that support Dolby Atmos immersive sound. And that keyboard is full-sized and backlit, and appears to be Lenovo’s most modern version, with island-style scalloped keys, correct Ctrl/Fn placement, and an overloaded arrow key area with physical PgUp and PgDn keys. The T14s features Lenovo’s vaunted TrackPoint pointing system, with the nubbin in the center of the keyboard and dedicated keys, plus a small-ish (for these days) mechanical touchpad. The round power button to the upper right of the keyboard doubles as a Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-In Security (ESS) fingerprint reader, and there’s a Windows Hello ESS compatible webcam too, of course: This is, or soon will be, a full-featured Copilot+ PC. All the useful ThinkPad bits are present and accounted for, from the light-up red dot on the “i” in the ThinkPad logo on the exterior display lid to the subtle Lenovo branding. It comes in one color, Eclipse Black, as one should expect from a ThinkPad. It’s light for a 14-inch laptop, at just 2.86 pounds. Power comes via a standard 65-watt Lenovo USB-C power adapter. Prices start at about $1500 for a model with 32 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and the non-touch display. I’m loading it up with apps as I write this, but I’m eager to get started. More soon. Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with 30 years of industry experience and the author of 30 books. He is the owner of and the host of three tech podcasts: with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, , and with Brad Sams. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows from 1999 to 2014 and the Major Domo of Thurrott.com while at BWW Media Group from 2015 to 2023. You can reach Paul via , or . Join the crowd where the love of tech is real - become a Thurrott Premium Member today! Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each FridayA Connecticut couple has been charged in Minnesota with being part of a shoplifting ring suspected of stealing around $1 million in goods across the country from the upscale athletic wear retailer Lululemon. Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, both of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged this month with one felony count of organized retail theft. Both went free last week after posting bail bonds of $100,000 for him and $30,000 for her, court records show. They're due back in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul on Dec. 16. According to the criminal complaints, a Lululemon investigator had been tracking the pair even before police first confronted them on Nov. 14 at a store in suburban Roseville. The investigator told police the couple were responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses across the country, the complaints said. They would steal items and make fraudulent returns, it said. Police found suitcases containing more than $50,000 worth of Lululemon clothing when they searched the couple's hotel room in Bloomington, the complaint said. RELATED STORY | Florida social media influencer arrested for stealing from Target According to the investigator, they were also suspected in thefts from Lululemon stores in Colorado, Utah, New York and Connecticut, the complaint said. Within Minnesota, they were also accused of thefts at stores in Minneapolis and the suburbs of Woodbury, Edina and Minnetonka. The investigator said the two were part of a group that would usually travel to a city and hit Lululemon stores there for two days, return to the East Coast to exchange the items without receipts for new items, take back the new items with the return receipts for credit card refunds, then head back out to commit more thefts, the complaint said. In at least some of the thefts, it said, Richards would enter the store first and buy one or two cheap items. He'd then return to the sales floor where, with help from Lawes-Richards, they would remove a security sensor from another item and put it on one of the items he had just purchased. Lawes-Richards and another woman would then conceal leggings under their clothing. They would then leave together. When the security sensors at the door went off, he would offer staff the bag with the items he had bought, while the women would keep walking out, fooling the staff into thinking it was his sensor that had set off the alarm, the complaint said. Richards' attorney declined to comment. Lawes-Richards' public defender did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday. "This outcome continues to underscore our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable," Tristen Shields, Lululemon's vice president of asset protection, said in a statement. "We remain dedicated to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this industrywide issue." The two are being prosecuted under a state law enacted last year that seeks to crack down on organized retail theft. One of its chief authors, Sen. Ron Latz, of St. Louis Park, said 34 states already had organized retail crime laws on their books. "I am glad to see it is working as intended to bring down criminal operations," Latz said in a statement. "This type of theft harms retailers in myriad ways, including lost economic activity, job loss, and threats to worker safety when crime goes unaddressed. It also harms consumers through rising costs and compromised products being resold online." Two Minnesota women were also charged under the new law in August. They were accused of targeting a Lululemon store in Minneapolis.
Stock market today: Wall Street rises to records despite tariff talkLive Nation Entertainment's LYV short percent of float has fallen 8.52% since its last report. The company recently reported that it has 12.44 million shares sold short , which is 7.95% of all regular shares that are available for trading. Based on its trading volume, it would take traders 4.49 days to cover their short positions on average. Why Short Interest Matters Short interest is the number of shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. Short selling is when a trader sells shares of a company they do not own, with the hope that the price will fall. Traders make money from short selling if the price of the stock falls and they lose if it rises. Short interest is important to track because it can act as an indicator of market sentiment towards a particular stock. An increase in short interest can signal that investors have become more bearish, while a decrease in short interest can signal they have become more bullish. See Also: List of the most shorted stocks Live Nation Entertainment Short Interest Graph (3 Months) As you can see from the chart above the percentage of shares that are sold short for Live Nation Entertainment has declined since its last report. This does not mean that the stock is going to rise in the near-term but traders should be aware that less shares are being shorted. Comparing Live Nation Entertainment's Short Interest Against Its Peers Peer comparison is a popular technique amongst analysts and investors for gauging how well a company is performing. A company's peer is another company that has similar characteristics to it, such as industry, size, age, and financial structure. You can find a company's peer group by reading its 10-K, proxy filing, or by doing your own similarity analysis. According to Benzinga Pro , Live Nation Entertainment's peer group average for short interest as a percentage of float is 8.07%, which means the company has less short interest than most of its peers. Did you know that increasing short interest can actually be bullish for a stock? This post by Benzinga Money explains how you can profit from it. This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and was reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
