A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk also sought to be CEO and in an email outlined a plan where he would “unequivocally have initial control of the company” but said that would be temporary. He grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI's board in early 2018. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights

EVs top the safest cars list for 2025STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two-time defending champion Barcelona clinched the last quarterfinal spot in the Women’s Champions League by beating Hammarby 3-0 in Stockholm on Thursday. Ewa Pajor fired Barcelona ahead with two first-half goals from close range and Aitana Bonmatí finished it off 10 minutes before the final whistle. Following a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the opening group stage game, Barcelona scored 23 goals in the following four games and conceded one. Man City defeated St. Pölten 2-0 to keep a perfect record and lead Group D with 15 points. Barcelona is three points behind and will host City next Wednesday in the final group game. In Group C, Alessia Russo scored twice and Arsenal beat last-place Vålerenga 3-1 to keep pressure on group leader Bayern Munich. Arsenal produced another dominant display under interim coach Renée Slegers. Frida Maanum also scored for Arsenal and set up Russo’s opener. Vålerenga, which retained its domestic league title and just claimed the Norwegian Cup to complete a double, got a consolation goal from substitute Tilde Lindwall. Bayern routed Juventus 4-0 to lead the group with 13 points, one ahead of Arsenal. The two will clash over the top spot in London next week. ___ AP soccer:

US podcaster Joe Rogan has hit back at after the media boss accused him of preying on audience's vulnerabilities, fears and anxieties. or signup to continue reading Tech businessman Elon Musk also chimed into the debate on November 28, comparing Australia's national broadcaster to the Russian newspaper Pravda. Mr Williams was responding to a question about Mr Rogan's broad appeal to America's 'bro-market' at the when he called the podcaster "deeply repulsive". "People like Mr Rogan prey on people's vulnerabilities: they prey on fear, they prey on anxiety, they prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society," he said. "They entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part of social narrative - I personally find it deeply repulsive. "To think that someone has such remarkable power in the United States is something that I look at in disbelief. "I'm also absolutely in dismay that this can be a source of public entertainment, when it's really treating the public as plunder for purposes that are really quite malevolent." Videos of Mr Williams' answer circulated on social media for seven hours before Mr Rogan hit back. The host reposted a clip of Mr Williams's speech posted to X by saying, "LOL WUT". Mr Musk responded to the podcaster half an hour later, saying the clip was "From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda". The ABC Chair said in his November 27 address that a growing number of Australians are turning against media institutions because they feel their needs, stories and perspectives are not being heard. He said Australia's media landscape must evolve as sources of misinformation and disinformation grow thanks to bot farms, AI tools and controversial influencers like Andrew Tate. "(Australians) are hurting, their dissatisfaction needs to be taken more seriously - anger can't be allowed to build up until it explodes," Mr Williams said. "The continuing existence of the ABC as a trusted source of the truth will help save our democracy from the populist damage going on elsewhere," he said. "We need to challenge Australians to think widely about the world and respond with delight and wonder." Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementSocial media users are misrepresenting a report by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, falsely claiming that it’s proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report’s finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That’s false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau’s informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day’s events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office’s counterterrorism division told the inspector general’s office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report’s findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!” reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray’s resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s announcement Wednesday that he at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. Asked for comment on the false claims spreading online, Stephanie Logan, a spokesperson for the inspector general’s office, pointed The Associated Press to a about the report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI’s involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general’s recommendation “regarding potential process improvements for future events.”

Labour has today unveiled its plan to change planning rules. Councils have been told that they must start meeting the Government’s higher house-building target of more than 370,000 a year. A list of the delivery targets for the number of new homes per year in each local authority area of England has been released. The goals have been published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the department headed by the Sir Keir Starmer's Deputy Prime Ministers, Angela Rayner . The target for the total number of new homes per year in England has been set at 370,408. Of these, 87,992 (24 per cent) are in London, 70,681 (19 per cent) are in the South East and 45,429 (12 per cent) are in eastern England. The rest of the total breaks down as 39,992 (11 per cent) in the South West, 34,678 (9 per cent) in the North West, 29,940 (8 per cent) in the West Midlands, 25,764 (7 per cent) in the East Midlands, 24,957 (7 per cent) in Yorkshire and the Humber and 10,976 (3 per cent) in the North East. The Tories have called the plan a "war on rural England". The list below is arranged in alphabetical order by local authority: Adur (SE England) 558 Amber Valley (East Midlands) 615 Arun (SE England) 1,476 Ashfield (East Midlands) 535 Ashford (SE England) 952 Babergh (Eastern England) 775 Barking & Dagenham (London) 1,325 Barnet (London) 4,057 Barnsley (Yorkshire/Humber) 944 Basildon (Eastern England) 1,287 Basingstoke & Deane (SE England) 1,127 Bassetlaw (East Midlands) 613 Bath & North East Somerset (SW England) 1,471 Bedford (Eastern England) 1,202 Bexley (London) 1,860 Birmingham (West Midlands) 4,448 Blaby (East Midlands) 542 Blackburn with Darwen (NW England) 506 Blackpool (NW England) 585 Bolsover (East Midlands) 353 Bolton (NW England) 1,184 Boston (East Midlands) 356 Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (SW England) 2,958 Bracknell Forest (SE England) 766 Bradford (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,828 Braintree (Eastern England) 1,115 Breckland (Eastern England) 903 Brent (London) 3,080 Brentwood (Eastern England) 724 Brighton & Hove (SE England) 2,498 Bristol (SW England) 2,986 Broadland (Eastern England) 868 Bromley (London) 3,001 Bromsgrove (West Midlands) 713 Broxbourne (Eastern England) 775 Broxtowe (East Midlands) 621 Buckinghamshire (SE England) 4,319 Burnley (NW England) 340 Bury (NW England) 979 Calderdale (Yorkshire/Humber) 854 Cambridge (Eastern England) 1,135 Camden (London) 3,137 Cannock Chase (West Midlands) 518 Canterbury (SE England) 1,216 Castle Point (Eastern England) 701 Central Bedfordshire (Eastern England) 2,150 Charnwood (East Midlands) 978 Chelmsford (Eastern England) 1,454 Cheltenham (SW England) 824 Cherwell (SE England) 1,118 Cheshire East (NW England) 2,461 Cheshire West & Chester (NW England) 1,914 Chesterfield (East Midlands) 500 Chichester (SE England) 1,305 Chorley (NW England) 564 City of London (London) 170 Colchester (Eastern England) 1,300 Cornwall (SW England) 4,421 Cotswold (SW England) 1,036 County Durham (NE England) 2,011 Coventry (West Midlands) 1,388 Crawley (SE England) 654 Croydon (London) 2,887 Cumberland (NW England) 1,105 Dacorum (Eastern England) 1,355 Darlington (NE England) 440 Dartford (SE England) 712 Derby (East Midlands) 906 Derbyshire Dales (East Midlands) 580 Doncaster (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,198 Dorset (SW England) 3,219 Dover (SE England) 746 Dudley (West Midlands) 1,462 Ealing (London) 3,407 East Cambridgeshire (Eastern England) 682 East Devon (SW England) 1,188 East Hampshire (SE England) 1,142 East Hertfordshire (Eastern England) 1,265 East Lindsey (East Midlands) 1,009 East Riding of Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,924 East Staffordshire (West Midlands) 602 East Suffolk (Eastern England) 1,644 Eastbourne (SE England) 702 Eastleigh (SE England) 922 Elmbridge (SE England) 1,562 Enfield (London) 2,762 Epping Forest (Eastern England) 1,299 Epsom & Ewell (SE England) 889 Erewash (East Midlands) 523 Exeter (SW England) 800 Fareham (SE England) 800 Fenland (Eastern England) 592 Folkestone & Hythe (SE England) 859 Forest of Dean (SW England) 600 Fylde (NW England) 410 Gateshead (NE England) 811 Gedling (East Midlands) 609 Gloucester (SW England) 685 Gosport (SE England) 442 Gravesham (SE England) 672 Great Yarmouth (Eastern England) 525 Greenwich (London) 2,575 Guildford (SE England) 1,170 Hackney (London) 2,796 Halton (NW England) 471 Hammersmith & Fulham (London) 2,783 Harborough (East Midlands) 723 Haringey (London) 2,956 Harlow (Eastern England) 637 Harrow (London) 2,294 Hart (SE England) 750 Hartlepool (NE England) 361 Hastings (SE England) 710 Havant (SE England) 892 Havering (London) 1,979 Herefordshire (West Midlands) 1,363 Hertsmere (Eastern England) 1,034 High Peak (East Midlands) 553 Hillingdon (London) 2,292 Hinckley & Bosworth (East Midlands) 649 Horsham (SE England) 1,357 Hounslow (London) 2,052 Huntingdonshire (Eastern England) 1,213 Hyndburn (NW England) 301 Ipswich (Eastern England) 723 Isle of Wight (SE England) 1,062 Islington (London) 2,460 Kensington & Chelsea (London) 5,107 King’s Lynn & West Norfolk (Eastern England) 989 Kingston upon Hull (Yorkshire/Humber) 993 Kingston upon Thames (London) 1,589 Kirklees (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,840 Knowsley (NW England) 600 Lambeth (London) 3,327 Lancaster (NW England) 619 Leeds (Yorkshire/Humber) 3,811 Leicester (East Midlands) 1,557 Lewes (SE England) 853 Lewisham (London) 2,644 Lichfield (West Midlands) 745 Lincoln (East Midlands) 413 Liverpool (NW England) 1,847 Luton (Eastern England) 1,082 Maidstone (SE England) 1,358 Maldon (Eastern England) 569 Malvern Hills (West Midlands) 651 Manchester (NW England) 2,430 Mansfield (East Midlands) 495 Medway (SE England) 1,594 Melton (East Midlands) 362 Merton (London) 2,081 Mid Devon (SW England) 572 Mid Suffolk (Eastern England) 734 Mid Sussex (SE England) 1,356 Middlesbrough (NE England) 522 Milton Keynes (SE England) 1,724 Mole Valley (SE England) 833 New Forest (SE England) 1,501 Newark & Sherwood (East Midlands) 707 Newcastle upon Tyne (NE England) 1,206 Newcastle-under-Lyme (West Midlands) 545 Newham (London) 2,358 North Devon (SW England) 803 North East Derbyshire (East Midlands) 591 North East Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 623 North Hertfordshire (Eastern England) 1,018 North Kesteven (East Midlands) 652 North Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 637 North Norfolk (Eastern England) 932 North Northamptonshire (East Midlands) 1,978 North Somerset (SW England) 1,593 North Tyneside (NE England) 989 North Warwickshire (West Midlands) 364 North West Leicestershire (East Midlands) 595 North Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 4,077 Northumberland (NE England) 1,649 Norwich (Eastern England) 779 Nottingham (East Midlands) 1,247 Nuneaton & Bedworth (West Midlands) 737 Oadby & Wigston (East Midlands) 382 Oldham (NW England) 910 Oxford (SE England) 1,087 Pendle (NW England) 333 Peterborough (Eastern England) 1,006 Plymouth (SW England) 1,290 Portsmouth (SE England) 1,021 Preston (NW England) 590 Reading (SE England) 1,028 Redbridge (London) 2,407 Redcar & Cleveland (NE England) 559 Redditch (West Midlands) 486 Reigate & Banstead (SE England) 1,306 Ribble Valley (NW England) 310 Richmond upon Thames (London) 2,513 Rochdale (NW England) 918 Rochford (Eastern England) 689 Rossendale (NW England) 321 Rother (SE England) 932 Rotherham (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,080 Rugby (West Midlands) 618 Runnymede (SE England) 626 Rushcliffe (East Midlands) 830 Rushmoor (SE England) 586 Rutland (East Midlands) 266 Salford (NW England) 1,308 Sandwell (West Midlands) 1,346 Sefton (NW England) 1,368 Sevenoaks (SE England) 1,149 Sheffield (Yorkshire/Humber) 2,390 Shropshire (West Midlands) 1,994 Slough (SE England) 808 Solihull (West Midlands) 1,323 Somerset (SW England) 3,769 South Cambridgeshire (Eastern England) 1,174 South Derbyshire (East Midlands) 581 South Gloucestershire (SW England) 1,702 South Hams (SW England) 910 South Holland (East Midlands) 542 South Kesteven (East Midlands) 895 South Norfolk (Eastern England) 943 South Oxfordshire (SE England) 1,242 South Ribble (NW England) 489 South Staffordshire (West Midlands) 651 South Tyneside (NE England) 623 Southampton (SE England) 1,214 Southend-on-Sea (Eastern England) 1,405 Southwark (London) 2,914 Spelthorne (SE England) 793 St Albans (Eastern England) 1,660 St. Helens (NW England) 718 Stafford (West Midlands) 751 Staffordshire Moorlands (West Midlands) 454 Stevenage (Eastern England) 478 Stockport (NW England) 1,815 Stockton-on-Tees (NE England) 746 Stoke-on-Trent (West Midlands) 948 Stratford-on-Avon (West Midlands) 1,126 Stroud (SW England) 820 Sunderland (NE England) 1,059 Surrey Heath (SE England) 684 Sutton (London) 1,654 Swale (SE England) 1,048 Swindon (SW England) 1,205 Tameside (NW England) 1,124 Tamworth (West Midlands) 445 Tandridge (SE England) 843 Teignbridge (SW England) 1,090 Telford & Wrekin (West Midlands) 857 Tendring (Eastern England) 1,034 Test Valley (SE England) 934 Tewkesbury (SW England) 614 Thanet (SE England) 1,148 Three Rivers (Eastern England) 832 Thurrock (Eastern England) 1,071 Tonbridge & Malling (SE England) 1,096 Torbay (SW England) 940 Torridge (SW England) 526 Tower Hamlets (London) 2,265 Trafford (NW England) 1,599 Tunbridge Wells (SE England) 1,098 Uttlesford (Eastern England) 804 Vale of White Horse (SE England) 949 Wakefield (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,541 Walsall (West Midlands) 1,148 Waltham Forest (London) 2,535 Wandsworth (London) 4,383 Warrington (NW England) 1,064 Warwick (West Midlands) 1,062 Watford (Eastern England) 831 Waverley (SE England) 1,481 Wealden (SE England) 1,433 Welwyn Hatfield (Eastern England) 848 West Berkshire (SE England) 1,070 West Devon (SW England) 443 West Lancashire (NW England) 562 West Lindsey (East Midlands) 487 West Northamptonshire (East Midlands) 2,515 West Oxfordshire (SE England) 905 West Suffolk (Eastern England) 1,195 Westminster (London) 4,341 Westmorland & Furness (NW England) 1,331 Wigan (NW England) 1,418 Wiltshire (SW England) 3,525 Winchester (SE England) 1,157 Windsor & Maidenhead (SE England) 1,449 Wirral (NW England) 1,602 Woking (SE England) 794 Wokingham (SE England) 1,336 Wolverhampton (West Midlands) 1,086 Worcester (West Midlands) 552 Worthing (SE England) 871 Wychavon (West Midlands) 971 Wyre (NW England) 582 Wyre Forest (West Midlands) 584 York (Yorkshire/Humber) 1,217The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It's a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 234 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its record set the day before. A report early in the morning said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected. A separate update, meanwhile, showed that inflation at the wholesale level, before it reaches U.S. consumers, was hotter last month than economists expected. Neither report points to imminent disaster, but they dilute one of the hopes that's driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year: Inflation is slowing enough to convince the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates, while the economy is remaining solid enough to stay out of a recession. Of the two reports, the weaker update on the job market may be the bigger deal for the market, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. A surge in egg prices may have been behind the worse-than-expected inflation numbers. "One week doesn't negate what has been a relatively steady stream of solid labor market data, but the Fed is primed to be sensitive to any signs of a softening jobs picture," he said. Traders are widely expecting the Fed will ease its main interest rate at its meeting next week. If they're correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It's hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. A cut next week would have the Fed following other central banks, which lowered rates on Thursday. The European Central Bank cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as many investors expected, and the Swiss National Bank cut its policy rate by a steeper half of a percentage point. Following its decision, Switzerland's central bank pointed to uncertainty about how U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's victory will affect economic policies, as well as about where politics in Europe is heading. Trump has talked up tariffs and other policies that could upend global trade. He rang the bell marking the start of trading at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to chants of "USA." On Wall Street, Adobe fell 13.7% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company gave forecasts for profit and revenue in its upcoming fiscal year that fell a bit shy of analysts'. Warner Bros. Discovery soared 15.4% after unveiling a new corporate structure that separates its streaming business and film studios from its traditional television business. CEO David Zaslav said the move "enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities," raising speculation about a spinoff or sale. Kroger rose 3.2% after saying it would get back to buying back its own stock now that its attempt to merge with Albertsons is off. Kroger's board approved a program to repurchase up to $7.5 billion of its stock, replacing an existing $1 billion authorization. All told, the S&P 500 fell 32.94 points to 6,051.25. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 234.55 to 43,914.12, and the Nasdaq composite sank 132.05 to 19,902.84. In stock markets abroad, European indexes held relatively steady following the European Central Bank's cut to rates. Asian markets were stronger. Indexes rose 1.2% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai as leaders met in Beijing to set economic plans and targets for the coming year. South Korea's Kospi rose 1.6% for its third straight gain of at least 1%, as it pulls back following last week's political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. In the bond market, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.33% from 4.27% late Wednesday.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Technically, the standings still show the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North. It just doesn't exactly feel that way at the moment. While the Steelers still have everything in front of them even after a 34-17 loss in Baltimore on Saturday in which a pair of Russell Wilson turnovers and a battered defense starting to show signs of wear allowed the Ravens to pull away, the grasp they had on the division two weeks ago is now far more tenuous. There were no excuses offered afterward. Yet there's also no time to pout either. Not with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs visiting Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Day. “The one thing I’m not going to do is keep my head down," Wilson said shortly after a fourth-quarter pick-6 allowed Baltimore to pull away. "I know for us, we got so much great confidence in who we are and what we can do and how we’re going to respond.” If Pittsburgh wants the home playoff game that capturing a division title for the first time since 2020 would provide, it doesn't really have a choice. To do it, the Steelers will likely have to beat the two-time defending Super Bowl champions on three days' rest and then the Bengals in the regular-season finale, not exactly ideal opponents for an injury-marred defense that has given up more than 400 yards in consecutive weeks for the first time since the first three games of the 2019 season. Beating Philadelphia and Baltimore on the road even in the best of times is a tough ask. The Steelers came up empty twice in six days, and while Wilson's turnovers didn’t help, Pittsburgh’s inability to match up with either team in the trenches could be a far bigger problem going forward if it can't find a way to regain the physicality it showed earlier this season. True, the Ravens and Eagles have the two best running games in the league led by backs who are putting together Hall of Fame resumes. Still, every team the Steelers figure to face in the postseason will almost certainly try to follow the blueprint Philadelphia and Baltimore used so effectively. Pittsburgh's truncated schedule — the visit by the Chiefs will be its third game in 11 days — means the tackling issues that have popped up of late will have to be addressed more in theory than in practice. It's a less-than-ideal situation. Yet despite the step or two back recently, the Steelers believe that everything they want to do this season is still in front of them. That's certainly true. Wilson — who knows a thing or two about winning this time of year — remains upbeat. “We can’t let a tough game like this take us into a negative state of mind because there’s a lot more to play for and a lot more we’re searching for, and we can still win the (AFC) North,” he said. "There’s still a lot of opportunity there, too, as well. And so we just got to buckle down and get back to work.” What's working Being disruptive in the red zone. Minkah Fitzpatrick's fourth-quarter pick of Lamar Jackson — his first in 26 games — was the fifth takeaway by the Steelers inside their 20 this season, tied for second most in the NFL. What needs help Just about everything else in the red zone. The Steelers allowed Baltimore to score touchdowns on its first three drives that reached the Pittsburgh 20. The other two ended with Fitzpatrick's interception and a chip-shot field goal by Justin Tucker in the final minutes. Two short touchdown throws from Jackson to tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews bothered Steelers coach Mike Tomlin the most. “It is just too late in the year to have guys running open like that, to be quite honest with you," Tomlin said. “So we’ve got some work to do this week and try to shore some of that up.” Stock up Calvin Austin III is the only wide receiver who seems capable of being a difference-maker with George Pickens out of the lineup. The 5-foot-9 Austin has nine receptions for 130 yards over the past two games, and while Wilson's fourth down heave to Austin at the goal line in the third quarter fell incomplete, it also symbolized the faith Wilson has in a highly motivated player who thrives on being underestimated. Stock down Complementary football. The Steelers surged to the top of the division by having a team that thrived in all three phases. That hasn't happened of late. The Ravens turned Wilson's fumble into a 96-yard touchdown drive. Fitzpatrick's interception appeared to give the Steelers momentum only to have Wilson give it right back with a poor throw that Marlon Humphrey turned into the clinching score. Injuries Pickens could return from the hamstring injury that has forced him to miss the past three games. Safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin), cornerback Donte Jackson (back) could also play after sitting out against Baltimore. The news isn’t as positive for starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hip), both of whom left against the Ravens and did not return. Key number 39 — field goals this season by Chris Boswell, five short of the NFL record set by David Akers with San Francisco in 2011. Next steps Try to heal up quickly and beat Mahomes for the first time. The Kansas City star is 3-0 against the Steelers with 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Will Graves, The Associated PressAston Villa boss in 'very soft' claim after dramatic ending to Juventus stalemate