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online games xbox (TNS) — A teacher-turned-legislator wants Missouri to join a growing list of states that restrict student cellphone use in schools. Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, a Democrat from Columbia and 34-year public school teacher who retired in June 2022, said classroom engagement became a “real challenge” in the years before she left teaching, adding cellphone use was “probably the biggest factor in that.” She said as she spoke with her former colleagues, “it sounded like the problem just was continuing to get worse.” Steinhoff filed a proposal Monday for the upcoming 2025 session that would require public school districts and charters to adopt policies that largely prohibit use of electronic personal communications devices during regularly scheduled instructional activities. The bill includes certain exceptions to allow phone use during emergencies, when a teacher directs a student to use a phone as part of a lesson, or when the phone is authorized by federal laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Minnesota, Ohio and California have all enacted legislation since last year requiring local policies on in-school cellphone use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Steinhoff’s legislation is similar to requirements in Florida and Indiana that districts prohibit phone use during instructional time, except in certain circumstances outlined in the law. Ohio and Minnesota have approved more open-ended legislation. Ohio’s law requires districts to adopt policies that limit phone use and that reduce cellphone-related distractions in classroom settings. In addition to Florida’s requirement that districts largely prohibit school cellphone use, the state also requires districts to adopt Internet safety policies including a prohibition on students using district Internet to access social media unless directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes. “We don’t want the kids on the phone the whole time while the teachers are trying to teach,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said last year. “It’s rude for the teacher. There’s no way you’re learning what you need to be learning.” “Things like these social media ... it can wait,” DeSantis said. “Honestly it’s not that important to be doing. It’s much more important what’s going on in the classroom.” A statewide crackdown on in-class phone use in Missouri may find broad support — at least among voting-age adults. An August survey of likely Missouri voters by St. Louis University and YouGov found 72 percent support for prohibiting high school students from accessing their cellphones during school hours. Overall, 15 percent of respondents opposed the idea and 12 percent weren’t sure. The sample size for the question was 450 and the margin of error was 5.4 percent. Older adults were more likely to support the prohibition, indicating a generational divide on the issue. About four-fifths of survey respondents 45 and older supported the cellphone restrictions while less than half of 18- to 29-year-olds did. Many St. Louis-area districts have already begun cellphone crackdowns amid school administrator complaints that the devices hinder learning, and after teachers struggled to get students to fully engage. Punishments for violating new rules this school year range from verbal warnings to out-of-school suspensions, the Post-Dispatch reported in August. Pew Research surveys show increasing access to smartphones. Ninety-five percent of 13- to 17-year-olds surveyed last year reported having access to smartphones, up from 73 percent in 2014-2015. A Pew survey last year found 38 percent of U.S. teens surveyed said they spent too much time on their smartphones, and 27 percent said they spent too much time on social media. While 74 percent of teens said they sometimes or often felt happy without their smartphones, 44 percent said they sometimes or often felt anxious without them. Steinhoff said her legislation gives districts some freedom and she hopes any new law will allow local control as opposed to a one-size-fits-all statewide ban. She noted that not all parts of the school day are spent in class, such as passing time, lunch and study hall. “There are different people that have different ideas about whether students should be able to use cellphones during those times,” she said. This is the second year Steinhoff is trying to limit phone use in school. As a Democrat, she will need Republican support in the GOP-controlled Legislature. She may find an ally in state Rep. Ed Lewis, a Moberly Republican and former public high school chemistry and physics teacher. “I’m contemplating filing something similar,” he said. “I know cellphones are an absolutely huge distraction.”

NoneSANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), today announced a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per share of common stock payable on January 30, 2025 to shareholders of record as of January 10, 2025 . About Marvell To deliver the data infrastructure technology that connects the world, we're building solutions on the most powerful foundation: our partnerships with our customers. Trusted by the world's leading technology companies for over 25 years, we move, store, process and secure the world's data with semiconductor solutions designed for our customers' current needs and future ambitions. Through a process of deep collaboration and transparency, we're ultimately changing the way tomorrow's enterprise, cloud, automotive, and carrier architectures transform—for the better. Marvell® and the Marvell logo are registered trademarks of Marvell and/or its affiliates. For further information, contact: Ashish Saran Senior Vice President, Investor Relations 408-222-0777 ir@marvell.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marvell-technology-inc-declares-quarterly-dividend-payment-302331636.html SOURCE MarvellMahama's Comeback: A New Chapter for Ghana

AP Trending SummaryBrief at 4:56 p.m. EST

Environment Minister Inaugurates 'International Dates Conference and Exhibition' in RiyadhGenesis Bryant scores 27 and No. 19 Illinois women beat UMES 75-55 in Music City ClassicBOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts judge dismissed criminal charges Monday against a backer of Karen Read who admitted placing dozens of yellow rubber ducks and fake $100 bills around town in support of Read. Richard Schiffer Jr. had argued in Stoughton District Court that he had a First Amendment right to support the defense theory that Read — accused of ramming into her boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving the Boston police officer to die in a snowstorm — has been framed in the polarizing murder case. Schiffer's attorney Timothy Bradl said Monday that the judge made the right call by quickly tossing the felony witness intimidation and criminal harassment charges against Schiffer. The ruling comes as another judge decided Monday to push back Read's retrial to April after a mistrial was declared in July when jurors couldn’t reach an agreement. Read was facing second-degree murder charges and two other charges. Her attorneys have argued that other law enforcement officers were responsible for O’Keefe’s death. Regarding Schiffer's charges, Bradl said, “There wasn't a leg to stand on.” “Hats off to the judge. He didn’t make everyone wait and ruled from the bench. Everything was completely protected by the First Amendment. This was political speech," Bradl said. The Norfolk District Attorney’s office declined to comment. Schiffer has said he got the ducks idea after thinking about a defense lawyer’s closing argument that Read was framed . Alan Jackson told jurors that “if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck.” Schiffer's actions did not rise to the level of witness intimidation and criminal harassment "nor does his speech, or in this case his written word on fake currency and use of rubber toys, which are afforded the protections of the First Amendment," Judge Brian Walsh wrote. “It is the view of this Court that the defendant's conduct and speech, though a rather sophomoric expression of his opinion, is nonetheless protected speech,” he wrote. Walsh concluded the two-page ruling with quotes from Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, believed to have coined the “walks like a duck” phrase, and Robert McCloskey, author of the children's book “Make Way For Ducklings.” The defense alleged that O’Keefe was actually killed inside the home of his fellow Boston officer Brian Albert and then dragged outside. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider law enforcement officers as suspects. Schiffer has been among the dozens of Read supporters who accuse state and local law enforcement of a widespread cover-up. Their demonstrations have led to confrontations, especially in the town of Canton where the murder happened, between those who support Read and others who believe she is guilty. Schiffer, who owns Canton Fence and has said that he knows practically everyone in town through his contracting work, was accused of placing some of the ducks outside a pizza shop run by Brian Albert’s brother, Canton Selectman Chris Albert. Other ducks appeared in O’Keefe’s neighborhood.

Lawmakers call for progress on marijuana law before end of Biden administrationThe decision by special counsel Jack Smith, who had fiercely sought to hold Mr Trump criminally accountable for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, represented the end of the federal effort against the former president following his election victory this month despite the election-related cases and multiple other unrelated criminal charges against him. The move, announced in court papers, marks the end of the Justice Department’s landmark effort to hold Mr Trump accountable for what prosecutors called a criminal conspiracy to cling to power in the run-up to his supporters’ attack on the US Capitol on January 6 2021. In court papers, prosecutors said the Justice Department’s position “is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated”. Mr Smith’s team emphasised that the move to abandon the prosecutions, in federal courts in Washington and Florida, was not a reflection of their view on the merits of the cases but rather a reflection of their commitment to longstanding department policy. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the prosecutors wrote in Monday’s court filing in the election interference case. The decision was expected after Mr Smith’s team began assessing how to wind down both the 2020 election interference case and the separate classified documents case in the wake of Mr Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. The Justice Department believes Trump can no longer be tried in accordance with longstanding policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. Mr Trump has cast both cases as politically motivated and has vowed to fire Mr Smith as soon as he takes office in January. The 2020 election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing the Republican as he vied to reclaim the White House. However, it quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Mr Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The US Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Mr Smith’s team filed a lengthy brief in October laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will over voters after he lost to President Joe Biden.

AP News Summary at 6:06 p.m. EST

Judge dismisses charges against Karen Read supporter who scattered rubber ducks and fake $100 billsSpecial counsel moves to dismiss election interference case against Donald Trump

ISANTI, Minn. — The young Buddhist lama sat on a throne near an altar decorated with flowers, fruits and golden statues of the Buddha, watching the celebrations of his 18th birthday in silence, with a faint smile. Jalue Dorje knew it would be the last big party before he joins a monastery in the Himalayan foothills — thousands of miles from his home in a Minneapolis suburb, where he grew up like a typical American teen playing football and listening to rap music. But this was not an ordinary coming-of-age celebration. It was an enthronement ceremony for an aspiring spiritual leader who from an early age was recognized by the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders as a reincarnated lama. Young women in white long bearded masks danced, jumping acrobatically and twirling colorful sticks to wish him luck in a tradition reserved for dignitaries. Hundreds lined up to bow to him and present him with a khata, the white Tibetan ceremonial scarves that symbolize auspiciousness. From a throne reserved for lamas, he smelled the aroma of Tibetan dishes prepared by his mother over sleepless nights. He heard the monks with shaved heads, in maroon and gold robes like his own, chant sacred mantras. Behind them, his shaggy-haired high school football teammates sang “Happy Birthday” before he cut the first slice of cake. One of his buddies gave him shaker bottles for hydrating during training at the gym; another, a gift card to eat at Chipotle Mexican Grill. “I was in awe!” Dorje recalled later. “Usually, I’d be at the monk section looking up to whomever was celebrating. But that night it was for me.” Since the Dalai Lama’s recognition, Dorje has spent much of his life training to become a monk, memorizing sacred scriptures, practicing calligraphy and learning the teachings of Buddha. After graduation in 2025, he’ll head to northern India to join the Mindrolling Monastery, more than 7,200 miles from his home in Columbia Heights. Following several years of contemplation and ascetism, he hopes to return to America to teach in the Minnesota Buddhist community. His goal is “to become a leader of peace,” following the example of the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi “There’s going to be a lot of sacrifice involved,” Dorje said. He’s not new to sacrifices. He remembered all the early mornings reciting ancient prayers and memorizing Buddhist scriptures, often rewarded by his dad with Pokémon cards. “As a child, even on the weekend, you’re like: ‘Why don’t I get to sleep more? Why can’t I get up and watch cartoons like other kids.’ But my dad always told me that it’s like planting a seed,” he said, “and one day it’s going to sprout.” It all began with the process of identifying a lama, which is based on spiritual signs and visions. Dorje was about 4 months old when he was identified by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, a venerated master of Tibetan Buddhism and leader of the Nyingma lineage. He later was confirmed by several lamas as the eighth Terchen Taksham Rinpoche — the first one was born in 1655. After the Dalai Lama recognized him at age 2, Dorje’s parents took him to meet the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism when he visited Wisconsin in 2010. The Dalai Lama cut a lock of Dorje’s hair in a ceremony and advised his parents to let their son stay in the U.S. to perfect his English before sending him to a monastery. Dorje is fluent in English and Tibetan. He grew up reading the manga graphic novel series “Buddha,” and is an avid sports fan. He roots for the Timberwolves in basketball, Real Madrid in soccer and the Atlanta Falcons in football. His teammates praised his positivity on the football field; playing as a left guard, he often reminded them to have fun and keep losses in perspective. “It’s someone to look up to,” said Griffin Hogg, 20, a former player who took Dorje under his wing. He said they learned from each other and he credits Dorje with helping him find his spirituality. “I’m more of a relaxed person after getting to know him and understanding his own journey.” While Dorje tries to never miss Monday Night Football, he’s always there to help with any event hosted by the local Tibetan community, one of the largest in the U.S. “He has one foot in the normal high school life. And he has one foot in this amazing Tibetan culture that we have in the state of Minnesota,” said Kate Thomas, one of his tutors and the teachings coordinator at Minneapolis’ Bodhicitta Sangha Heart of Enlightenment Institute. “You can see that he’s comfortable playing a role of sitting on a throne, of participating and being honored as a respected person in his community, as a religious figure. And yet, as soon as he has the opportunity, he wants to go and hang out with his high school buddies,” she said. “That’s testimony to his flexibility, his openness of mind.” For years, he followed the same routine. He wakes up to recite sacred texts and then attends school, followed by football practice. He returns home for tutoring about Tibetan history and Buddhism. Then he might practice calligraphy or run on a treadmill while listening to rap music. Though he was officially enthroned in 2019 in India, an estimated 1,000 people gathered at the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota for his recent ceremony. “He unites us — Jalue is always here for us,” said Zenden Ugen, 21, a family friend and neighbor who performed Tibetan dances at the event. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Illinois (6-0) moved to 6-0 for the second time under third-year coach Shauna Green. Illinois scored the opening nine points of the game and took a double-digit lead for good with 2:11 left in the first quarter when Makira Cook made a 3-pointer to begin 13-2 run. UMES scored 13 straight points midway through the second quarter to get as close as 32-22, but Cook answered with a basket to end Illinois' three-minute drought. Bryant finished the first half with 14 points and Cook added 13 to help Illinois build a 43-26 lead. The pair combined to make seven of Illinois’ 14 field goals. UMES was 9 of 36 (25%), including 0 of 7 from 3-point range at halftime. Illinois also got 15 points from Cook and a career-high 11 rebounds from Brynn Shoup-Hill. Bryant, who reached double figures in the first quarter, scored 20-plus for the first time this season. Zamara Haynes led UMES (4-3) with 20 points and Mahogany Lester added 14. Illinois stays in Nashville to play No. 14 Kentucky on Wednesday. UMES travels to Piscataway, New Jersey, to face Georgia Southern in the Battle on the Banks on Friday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

NFL odds, Week 13 lines, ATS predictions, game picks, times, tips: Model simulates each game 10,000 timesNEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball switched a pair of series involving the Tampa Bay Rays to the first two months of the season in an attempt to avoid summer weather problems at open-air Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home following damage to Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay is scheduled to play 13 of its first 16 games at home and 47 of 59 through May 28, then play 69 of its last 103 games on the road. The Rays are home for eight of 25 games in July and eight of 26 in August. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.You Cannot Break A Treat Into Two And Call It Two Treats EmilySkeels/iStock via Getty Images That dog may chase tennis balls, but he won't chase yield. abrdn Global Premier Property ( NYSE: AWP ) has been a really poor-performing fund over Are you looking for Real Yields which reduce portfolio volatility? Conservative Income Portfolio targets the best value stocks with the highest margins of safety. The volatility of these investments is further lowered using the best priced options . Our Enhanced Equity Income Solutions Portfolio is designed to reduce volatility while generating 7-9% yields. Take advantage of the currently offered discount on annual memberships and give CIP a try. The offer comes with a 11-month money guarantee , for first time members. Trapping Value is a team of analysts with over 40 years of combined experience generating options income while also focusing on capital preservation. They run the investing group Conservative Income Portfolio in partnership with Preferred Stock Trader. The investing group features two income-generating portfolios and a bond ladder. Trapping Value provides Covered Calls, and Preferred Stock Trader covers Fixed Income. The Covered Calls Portfolio is designed to provide lower volatility income investing with a focus on capital preservation. The fixed income portfolio focuses on buying securities with high income potential and heavy undervaluation relative to comparatives. Learn more . Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Energy will make a $6.6 billion loan to Rivian Automotive to build a factory in Georgia that had stalled as the startup electric vehicle maker struggled to become profitable. It's unclear whether the administration can complete the loan before Donald Trump becomes president again in less than two months, or whether the Trump administration might try to claw the money back. Trump previously vowed to end federal electric vehicle tax credits , which are worth up to $7,500 for new zero-emission vehicles and $4,000 for used ones. Rivian made a splash when it went public and began producing large electric R1 SUVs, pickup trucks and delivery vans at a former Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois, in 2021. Months later, the California-based company announced it would build a second, larger, $5 billion plant about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Atlanta, near the town of Social Circle. The R1 vehicles cost $70,000 or more. The company plans to produce R2 vehicles, a smaller SUV, in Georgia with lower price tags aimed at a mass market. The first phase of Rivian’s Georgia factory is projected to make 200,000 vehicles a year, with a second phase capable of another 200,000 a year. Eventually, the plant is projected to employ 7,500 workers. But Rivian was unable to meet production and sales targets and rapidly burned through cash. In March, the company said it would pause construction of the Georgia plant. The company said it would begin assembling its R2 SUV in Illinois instead. CEO RJ Scaringe said the move would allow Rivian to start selling the R2 sooner and save $2.25 billion in capital spending. Since then, German automaker Volkswagen AG said in June it would invest $5 billion in Rivian in a joint venture in which Rivian would share software and electrical technology with Volkswagen. The money eased Rivian's cash crunch. Tuesday's announcement throws a lifeline to Rivian's grander plans. The company said its plans to make the R2 and the smaller R3 in Georgia are back on and that production will begin in 2028. “This loan would enable Rivian to more aggressively scale our U.S. manufacturing footprint for our competitively priced R2 and R3 vehicles that emphasize both capability and affordability,” Scaringe said in a statement. The Energy Department said the loan would substantially boost electric vehicles made in the United States and support Biden’s goal of having zero-emission vehicles make up half of all new U.S. sales by 2030. “As one of a few American EV startups with light duty vehicles already on the road, Rivian’s Georgia facility will allow the company to reach production volumes that make its products more cost competitive and accelerate access to international markets,” the department said in a statement. The loan includes $6 billion, plus $600 million in interest that will be rolled into the principal. The money would come from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which provides low-interest loans to make fuel-efficient vehicles and components. The program has focused mostly on loans to new battery factories for electric vehicles under Biden, but earlier helped finance initial production of the Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf, two pioneering electric vehicles. The loan program, created in 2007, requires a "reasonable prospect of repayment" of the loan. Under Biden, the program has announced deals totaling $33.3 billion, including $9.2 billion for massive battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky for Ford’s electric vehicles. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff , who has been a vocal supporter of electric vehicle and solar manufacturing in Georgia, hailed Tuesday's announcement as “yet another historic federal investment in Georgia electric vehicle manufacturing.” Ossoff had asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support the loan in July. “Our federal manufacturing incentives are driving economic development across the state of Georgia,” Ossoff said in a statement. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says his goal is to make Georgia a center of the electric vehicle industry. But the Republican has had a strained relationship with the Biden administration over its industrial policy, even as some studies have found Georgia has netted more electric vehicle investment than any other state. Kemp has long claimed that manufacturers were picking Georgia before Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, was passed. Efforts to bring Rivian to Georgia predated the Biden administration and "our shared vision to bring opportunity to Georgia will remain no matter who resides in the White House or what party controls Congress,” Kemp spokesperson Garrison Douglas said Tuesday. The loan to Rivian could rescue one of the Kemp administration's signature economic development projects even as Biden leaves office. That could put Rivian and Kemp in the position of defending the loan if Trump tries to quash it. State and local governments offered Rivian an incentive package worth an estimated $1.5 billion in 2022. Neighbors opposed to development of the Georgia site mounted legal challenges. State and local governments spent around $125 million to buy and prepare the nearly 2,000-acre (810-hectare) site. The state also has completed most of $50 million in roadwork that it pledged. The pause at Rivian contrasts with rapid construction at Hyundai Motor Group’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle and battery complex near Savannah. The Korean automaker said in October that it had begun production in Ellabell, where it plans to eventually employ 8,500. Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this story.

Toronto's 2026 World Cup office growing as tournament kickoff nears 500 days awayTWO units have been completely destroyed by fire overnight and investigators have been called to the scene in Cessnock. Login or signup to continue reading Emergency services were called to a property on Dixon Street at 10.45pm on Monday December 9 to reports of a blaze. On arrival at the scene, firefighters found two units well alight and immediately began action to stop the fire spreading further. A total of eight fire crews were called to the scene, as well as a duty commander. It took one hour to gain control of the blaze, with crews wrapping the job up at about 1am on Tuesday, December 10. According to a spokesperson for NSW Fire and Rescue, both units were "totally destroyed" with significant smoke damage inside the properties. Four people were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Fire investigators have been called to the scene on Tuesday. No further details have been released at this time. Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017. Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!

NoneMajor stock indexes on Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish Friday, capping a rare bumpy week for the market. The S&P 500 ended essentially flat, down less than 0.1%, after wavering between tiny gains and losses most of the day. The benchmark index posted a loss for the week, its first after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%, ending just below the record high it set on Wednesday. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Gains in technology stocks helped temper losses in communication services, financials and other sectors of the market. Broadcom surged 24.4% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Some tech stocks were a drag on the market. Nvidia fell 2.2%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Google parent Alphabet slid 1.1%. Among the market's other decliners were Airbnb, which fell 4.7% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500, and Charles Schwab, which closed 4% lower. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 17% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. All told, the S&P 500 lost 0.16 points to close at 6,051.09. The Dow dropped 86.06 points to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq rose 23.88 points to 19,926.72. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year . The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed's policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7% in November from 2.6% in October. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5% rise in November, up from 2.3% in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% month-on-month in October, following a 0.1% decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower.OXFORD, Miss. — Sean Pedulla and Matthew Murrrell each had 19 points, and Mississippi defeated Oral Roberts 100-68 Thursday night as the Rebels remained unbeaten. Five players scored in double figures for Ole Miss (5-0) with Jaemyn Brakefield and Davon Barnes adding 13 apiece, and Mikeal Brown-Jones scoring 12. Oral Roberts (2-4) got 19 points from Darius Robinson Jr., 14 from Sam Alajiki and 13 from Issac McBride. Takeaways ORU: The Eagles, a fifth-place preseason pick in the Summit League, were just 12-19 last season. Ole Miss: The Rebels went 13-0 in non-conference play last season and have now won 18-straight non-conference games, the longest streak in the nation. North Carolina State and Memphis were non-conference highlight wins a year ago. Ole Miss hasn’t faced a high major this season. Key moment Late-arriving 3-point shooting after Ole Miss missed its first nine behind the arc. The Rebels hit their last four 3s to withstand 52% shooting by ORU and lead 50-40 at the break. The lead reached 20 at 71-51 with 11 minutes, 39 seconds left when Brown-Jones gained an angle on his defender and scored at the rim with his left hand. The rout was on. Key stat The Rebels scored 37 points of 21 ORU turnovers. The turnovers led to layups, and the Rebels outscored the Eagles 44-16 in the paint. Ole Miss had just eight turnovers of its own and was credited with 13 steals, five of them by Pedulla. Up next Ole Miss faces 4-0 Brigham Young in San Diego on Thanksgiving. North Carolina State and Purdue make up the other half of the neutral-site event.

The decision by special counsel Jack Smith, who had fiercely sought to hold Mr Trump criminally accountable for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, represented the end of the federal effort against the former president following his election victory this month despite the election-related cases and multiple other unrelated criminal charges against him. The move, announced in court papers, marks the end of the Justice Department’s landmark effort to hold Mr Trump accountable for what prosecutors called a criminal conspiracy to cling to power in the run-up to his supporters’ attack on the US Capitol on January 6 2021. In court papers, prosecutors said the Justice Department’s position “is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated”. Mr Smith’s team emphasised that the move to abandon the prosecutions, in federal courts in Washington and Florida, was not a reflection of their view on the merits of the cases but rather a reflection of their commitment to longstanding department policy. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the prosecutors wrote in Monday’s court filing in the election interference case. The decision was expected after Mr Smith’s team began assessing how to wind down both the 2020 election interference case and the separate classified documents case in the wake of Mr Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. The Justice Department believes Trump can no longer be tried in accordance with longstanding policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. Mr Trump has cast both cases as politically motivated and has vowed to fire Mr Smith as soon as he takes office in January. The 2020 election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing the Republican as he vied to reclaim the White House. However, it quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Mr Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The US Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Mr Smith’s team filed a lengthy brief in October laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will over voters after he lost to President Joe Biden.