U.S. stocks rose for a fourth straight day, led by solid gains for technology companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Wednesday and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 314 points, or 0.7%. Nvidia, Microsoft and Broadcom were among the tech stocks that drove the market’s gains. Financial services companies also fared well. Robinhood posted the biggest gain in the S&P 500, 10.9%, after saying it planned to expand its prediction markets business with the launch of a new exchange. The recent gains for stocks have been helped by rising hopes for another rate cut from the Federal Reserve next month.

U.S. stocks rose for a fourth straight day, led by solid gains for technology companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Wednesday and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 314 points, or 0.7%. Nvidia, Microsoft and Broadcom were among the tech stocks that drove the market’s gains. Financial services companies also fared well. Robinhood posted the biggest gain in the S&P 500, 10.9%, after saying it planned to expand its prediction markets business with the launch of a new exchange. The recent gains for stocks have been helped by rising hopes for another rate cut from the Federal Reserve next month.

Federal health officials say 37 babies in 17 states have been sickened in an infant botulism outbreak tied to contaminated formula. ByHeart recalled all of its products sold throughout the U.S. No deaths have been reported. Health officials say parents and caregivers who have the formula in their homes should stop using it immediately. Botulism a rare but potentially deadly disease. The most recent case was reported Nov. 19. The company has said lab tests confirmed some samples were contaminated with the bacteria that can cause the illness.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.

The Enhanced Games is going public in two ways — with a new listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange and also by offering a direct-to-consumer business focused on performance products in a move it says “aims to democratize access to performance enhancement tools and protocols.”

The Trump administration says pharmaceutical companies have agreed to slash the Medicare prices for 15 prescription drugs after months of negotiations and that it's expected to produce billions in savings for older adults. But the net prices unveiled Tuesday aren't what Medicare recipients will pay at their pharmacy counters because those final amounts will depend on each individual's plan and how much they spend annually on prescriptions. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted the deals as part of efforts to address affordability concerns. The negotiation program is mandated by law and began under the Biden administration.

A senior Kremlin official confirms that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week. Efforts are picking up speed to find a consensus on ending the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Wednesday that Kremlin officials still haven't officially received the initial U.S. peace proposal. Representatives of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine held talks in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week. Meanwhile, the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia came under a large Russian drone attack overnight with at least 19 people wounded.

Small businesses are struggling to adapt since the U.S. ended the "de minimis" exemption on Aug. 29, which allowed imports under $800 to be tariff-free. Eliminating the exemption was meant to curb drug trafficking and stop low quality goods from flooding the U.S. market. But small businesses have been unduly affected, and they’re facing not only skyrocketing costs but confusion and complaints from customers. Sellers abroad are reporting drastic declines in U.S. sales. Some are paying the duties themselves instead of passing them to consumers, trying to focus on their domestic customers to replace U.S. ones and adjusting product lineups.

With Thanksgiving and the formal launch of the holiday shopping season, Americans will again take to the road for holiday gatherings before knocking off items on their Christmas gift lists. Most national grocery store chains are open on Thursday for last-minute needs, although many close early. Major U.S. retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day, either giving workers the day off or preparing for Black Friday. Many will open early on the day after Thanksgiving, which is typically the biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday has lost some of its frantic energy as customers increasingly shop for gifts online.

France’s top court has upheld ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing of his reelection bid in 2012. Wednesday’s decision by the Court of Cassation makes definitive Sarkozy’s conviction to a year in prison half of it suspended for fraudulently overspending on the failed campaign. The sentence can be served at home monitored with an electronic bracelet or other requirements set by a judge. The decision comes just two weeks after Sarkozy’s release from prison pending an appeal in another campaign financing case.

Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week with layoffs still low.

France’s top court upholds ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing in 2012.

China is turning to a well-used playbook to express its displeasure with Japan over a statement by its prime minister on Taiwan. Beijing is using its economic clout to pressure Tokyo while hurling a barrage of invective at its government. A Chinese advisory against travel to Japan has led to cancellations for hotels and tea ceremony classes. The Chinese release of two Japanese movies has also been called off and other sectors such as seafood exports could be next. China has employed similar economic pressure tactics before. One estimate says the travel advisory could cost Japan $11.5 billion.

President Donald Trump says his plan to end the war in Ukraine has been "fine-tuned." He said Tuesday that he is sending envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the Russian president and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials. Trump suggested he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once negotiations progress. Talks have been ongoing, with U.S. and Ukrainian officials meeting in Geneva. French President Emmanuel Macron says peace efforts are at a crucial juncture. Meanwhile, Russia launched attacks on Kyiv, and Ukraine responded with drone strikes on Russia. European leaders warn the road to peace will be long.

The turbulence caused by the longest U.S. government shutdown may still be fresh on the minds of travelers this Thanksgiving, but experts say preparing for the usual holiday crush of winter weather, heavy traffic and crowded airports can help ease the jitters.

Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors had accused RealPage of helping property managers illegally drive up rents across the country. The DOJ announced the settlement Monday, more than a year after federal prosecutors filed the antitrust lawsuit under President Joe Biden. Officials accused RealPage of facilitating “algorithmic coordination,” saying its popular software let landlords coordinate without ever having to gather in a “smoke-filled room.” RealPage would not have to pay any damages or admit any wrondoing. The company says it's pleased to settle the matter.

Over the weekend, Elon Musk’s X unveiled a feature that lets users see where an account is based. Online sleuths and experts quickly found that many popular accounts, often posting in support of the U.S. MAGA movement with thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers, are based outside the U.S. This raises concerns about foreign influence in U.S. politics. Researchers at NewsGuard identified several popular accounts that appeared to be run by Americans interested in politics – but instead were based in Eastern Europe, Asia or Africa. Other users were claiming, using fabricated screenshots, that accounts were based outside the U.S. when they weren't.

Stocks climbed again on hopes for a coming cut to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Tuesday after breaking out of a morning lull and is back within 1.8% of its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 664 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Stocks got a boost from easing yields in the bond market. Lower rates can cover up many sins in financial markets, including prices going too high, and hopes are strong that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting to juice the economy further. Small stocks had the market’s biggest gains.

Stocks climbed again on hopes for a coming cut to interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Tuesday after breaking out of a morning lull and is back within 1.8% of its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 664 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Stocks got a boost from easing yields in the bond market. Lower rates can cover up many sins in financial markets, including prices going too high, and hopes are strong that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting to juice the economy further. Small stocks had the market’s biggest gains.

The Campbell’s Co. said Tuesday it has placed one of its executives on leave while it investigates claims that he made racist comments and mocked the company’s products and customers in an audio recording. Martin Bally, Campbell’s vice president of information technology, was named in a lawsuit filed last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee. In the lawsuit, Garza claimed he met with Bally in November 2024 to discuss his salary. During the meeting, which Garza allegedly recorded, Bally described Campbell’s as “highly process(ed) food” and said it was for “poor people.” Garza also claims Bally made racist comments about Indian workers.

Trump says plan to end war in Ukraine has been 'fine-tuned' and he's sending envoys to meet with Putin and Ukrainians.

U.S. consumers were much less confident in the economy in November in the aftermath of the government shutdown and amid weak hiring and stubborn inflation. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dropped to 88.7 in November from an upwardly revised October reading of 95.5, the lowest reading since April, when President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs that caused the stock market to plunge. The figures suggest that Americans are increasingly wary of high costs and sluggish job gains, with perceptions of the labor market worsening, the survey found.

Sales at U.S. retailers and restaurants rose slightly in September as resilient consumers moderated their spending after splurging over the summer. Sales increased 0.2% last month from August, the Commerce Department said, in a report delayed more than a month because of the government shutdown. The retail sales figures suggest that Americans as a whole are still willing and able to boost their spending, a key driver of the economy, despite high prices for groceries, rent, and many imported goods hit by tariffs.

The makers of ByHeart infant formula say tests of products tied to a botulism outbreak show that all of the company's products may have been contaminated. Laboratory tests of 36 samples of formula from three different lots showed that five samples contained the type of bacteria that can lead to the rare and potentially deadly illness. At least 31 babies in 15 states have been sickened in the outbreak that began in August. In addition, health officials say other infants who consumed ByHeart formula were treated in earlier months, as far back as November 2024.

It's been a difficult year for the people who create video games, with layoffs persisting while the tech industry tries to force us to use artificial intelligence for everything. But great games emerged nonetheless — and I can't imagine AI ever being able to deliver the kind of thrilling, re…

The pollution from food is sneaky. Because the apple sitting on your kitchen counter isn't really causing any harm.

US retail sales rose slightly in September after three months of big gains as Americans continue to spend.

If you’ve chosen a target asset allocation—the mix of stocks, bonds, and cash in your portfolio— you’re probably ahead of many investors. But unless you’re investing in a set-and-forget investment option like a target-date fund, your portfolio’s asset mix will shift as the market fluctuates.…

Tyson Foods’ decision to close a beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska, could devastate the small city and undermine the profits of ranchers nationwide. The closure of the plant and one of two shifts at a plant in Texas will reduce beef processing capacity nationwide by 7-9% and lead to lower cattle prices. Consumers may not see prices change much at the grocery store over the next six months because all the cattle that are being prepared for slaughter now will still be processed. But in the long run, beef prices may continue to climb even higher than the current records unless U.S. ranchers expand their herds.

The Associated Press and the Trump administration renewed their argument over a president’s ability to limit media access to journalists he disagrees with. They resumed a courtroom dispute with potential First Amendment implications that began last winter when the president announced that he had renamed the Gulf of Mexico. Trump restricted the AP’s access to events in smaller spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One, leading the news outlet to sue. A lower federal court ruled that President Donald Trump improperly retaliated against the outlet because it did not follow and refer to the body of water as the Gulf of America. Now it's on appeal. No immediate ruling was issued.

A lawsuit claims design flaws caused a Tesla Model 3 to accelerate uncontrollably before crashing into a utility pole and bursting into flames, killing Wendy Dennis and severely injuring her husband, Jeff. The federal lawsuit filed Friday alleges the door handle design prevented rescuers from removing them. Wendy died in the Jan. 7, 2023, crash in Tacoma, Washington. The lawsuit seeks damages in California  as the 2018 Model 3 was designed and manufactured there. It also claims the car's automatic emergency braking system didn't engage before impact, and the doors couldn't be opened from inside or outside.

The U.S. stock market rallied. The S&P 500 climbed 1.5% Monday for one of its best days since the summer and added to its jump from Friday, finding some strength following a shaky few weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 2.7%. Stocks got a lift from rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again in December, which could boost the economy and investment prices. The market also benefited from strength for stocks caught up in the artificial-intelligence frenzy, particularly for Alphabet. Trading this week will be shortened by the Thanksgiving holiday.

It’s the start of Thanksgiving week, the time when home cooks across America suddenly recognize the daunting task ahead.

The U.S. stock market rallied. The S&P 500 climbed 1.5% Monday for one of its best days since the summer and added to its jump from Friday, finding some strength following a shaky few weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 2.7%. Stocks got a lift from rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again in December, which could boost the economy and investment prices. The market also benefited from strength for stocks caught up in the artificial-intelligence frenzy, particularly for Alphabet. Trading this week will be shortened by the Thanksgiving holiday.

FLOWOOD, Miss. (AP) — They’re both round, orange and probably bad for your health, but which is the better Thanksgiving dessert: pumpkin or sweet potato pie? For most people, the answer likely depends on where they’re from.

Democratic lawmakers are questioning the legality of a U.S. Border Patrol program that uses predictive intelligence to detain drivers for suspicious travel. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts sent a letter Monday to Border Patrol’s parent agency, calling the license plate reader program an “invasive surveillance network.” An Associated Press investigation revealed that the program monitors millions of American drivers to identify and detain people based on travel patterns. Courts have generally upheld license plate reader collection on public roads, but scholars argue it might be unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. Other lawmakers echoed Markey’s concerns about the program's legality.

Bird flu and another disease have shrunk the U.S. turkey population to a 40-year low this year. Wholesale turkey prices are expected to be up more than 40% as a result. But shoppers preparing for Thanksgiving may not see higher prices themselves because many grocers are offering discounted or even free turkeys to get customers in the door. Market research company Datasembly expects the 10 holiday meal staples it tacks to cost 4% more overall. Canned cranberry sauce had the biggest price increase after drought impacted production and new tariffs on steel made cans more expensive. Pricing out a Thanksgiving dinner isn’t an exact science, though, and the firm’s tally differed from other estimates.

Experts have mixed reactions to the recent U.N. climate talks in the Amazon. The talks, known as COP30, ended without a clear plan to phase out fossil fuels. U.N. Climate Executive Secretary Simon Stiell emphasizes the need for action, not just words. The meeting did highlight some positive steps, like a $1 trillion promise for renewable energy and infrastructure. However, the lack of consensus on fossil fuel reduction remains a concern. Experts warn that without strong agreements, climate impacts will worsen. Despite challenges, there's hope as various sectors continue to push for climate action.