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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes got back to climbing on Wednesday after the latest update on inflation appeared to clear the way for more help for the economy from the Federal Reserve . The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to break its first two-day losing streak in nearly a month and finished just short of its all-time high. Big Tech stocks led the way, which drove the Nasdaq composite up 1.8% to top the 20,000 level for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, lagged the market with a dip of 99 points, or 0.2%. Stocks got a boost as expectations built that Wednesday’s inflation data will allow the Fed to deliver another cut to interest rates at its meeting next week. Traders are betting on a nearly 99% probability of that, according to data from CME Group, up from 89% a day before. 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. “The data have given the Fed the ‘all clear’ for next week, and today’s inflation data keep a January cut in active discussion,” according to Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Expectations for a series of cuts to rates by the Fed have been one of the main reasons the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times this year , with the latest coming last week. The biggest boosts for the index on Wednesday came from Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks. Their massive growth has made them Wall Street’s biggest stars for years, though other kinds of stocks have recently been catching up somewhat amid hopes for the broader U.S. economy. Tesla jumped 5.9% to finish above $420 at $424.77. It’s a level that Elon Musk made famous in a 2018 tweet when he said he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share . Stitch Fix soared 44.3% after the company that sends clothes to your door reported a smaller loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also gave financial forecasts for the current quarter that were better than expected, including for revenue. GE Vernova rallied 5% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500. The energy company that spun out of General Electric said it would pay a 25 cent dividend every three months, and it approved a plan to send up to another $6 billion to its shareholders by buying back its own stock. On the losing end of Wall Street, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment tumbled 20.1% after reporting a worse loss for the latest quarter than expected. It also said CEO Chris Morris has resigned, and the board has been working with an executive-search firm for the last few months to find its next permanent leader. Albertsons fell 1.5% after filing a lawsuit against Kroger, saying it didn’t do enough for their proposed $24.6 billion merger agreement to win regulatory clearance. Albertsons said it’s seeking billions of dollars in damages from Kroger, whose stock rose 1%. A day earlier, judges in separate cases in Oregon and Washington nixed the supermarket giants’ merger. The grocers contended a combination could have helped them compete with big retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon, but critics said it would hurt competition. After terminating the merger agreement with Kroger, Albertsons said it plans to boost its dividend 25% and increased the size of its program to buy back its own stock. Macy’s slipped 0.8% after cutting some of its financial forecasts for the full year of 2024, including for how much profit it expects to make off each $1 of revenue. All told, the S&P 500 rose 49.28 points to 6,084.19. The Dow dipped 99.27 to 44,148.56, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 347.65 to 20,034.89. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.27% from 4.23% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, edged up to 4.15% from 4.14%. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was an outlier and slipped 0.8% as Chinese leaders convened an annual planning meeting in Beijing that is expected to set economic policies and growth targets for the coming year. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1%, up for a second straight day as it climbs back following last week’s political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet as he speaks with reporters after meeting with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks with reporters after meeting with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet as he speaks with reporters after meeting with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win enough votes for confirmation. He said he will not back down after allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell. It’ll be a first for him. National Politics | FBI Director Christopher Wray says he intends to resign at the end of Biden’s term next month National Politics | The Trump and Biden teams insist they’re working hand in glove on foreign crises National Politics | ‘You don’t know what’s next.’ International students scramble ahead of Trump inauguration National Politics | Trump is threatening to raise tariffs again. Here’s how China plans to fight back Collins said after the hourlong meeting that she questioned Hegseth about the allegations amid reports of drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She said she had a “good, substantive” discussion with Hegseth and “covered a wide range of topics,” including sexual assault in the military, Ukraine and NATO. But she said she would wait until a hearing, and notably a background check, to make a decision. “I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters as she left her office after the meeting. “I pressed him both on his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him, so I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.” The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow moderate Republican, did not shy from opposing Trump in his first term when they wanted to do so and sometimes supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and executive branches. And Hegseth, an infantry combat veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host, is working to gain as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed concerns about his personal history and lack of management experience. “I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands,” Hegseth said as he left Collins’ office. “This is a process that we respect and appreciate. And we hope, in time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor that we can earn her support.” Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has also been meeting repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran who has said she is a survivor of sexual assault and has spent time in the Senate working on improving how attacks are reported and prosecuted within the ranks. On Monday, Ernst said after a meeting with him that he had committed to selecting a senior official to prioritize those goals. Republicans will have a 53-49 majority next year, meaning Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any of his nominees. It is so far unclear whether Hegseth will have enough support, but Trump has stepped up his pressure on senators in the last week. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform last week. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular Colonial Williamsburg’s Grand Illumination has echoes across the US Colonial Williamsburg's Grand Illumination has echoes across the US Kingsmill residents address James City County officials with concerns about future development Kingsmill residents address James City County officials with concerns about future development Former NFL player opens Newport News youth empowerment center Former NFL player opens Newport News youth empowerment center Cause of underground fire at Williamsburg Premium Outlets still unknown — and may stay that way, fire chief says Cause of underground fire at Williamsburg Premium Outlets still unknown — and may stay that way, fire chief says Well-known Virginia Tech professor Nikki Giovanni remembered as talented poet and literary celebrity Well-known Virginia Tech professor Nikki Giovanni remembered as talented poet and literary celebrity DA suggests judge could permanently halt Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction DA suggests judge could permanently halt Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction The Dome, Virginia Beach’s upcoming venue, is booking shows. 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Donald Trump Jr. ‘flaunts’ new romance with Palm Beach socialite: reportShould migrants get the right to vote? Currently, only Irish and British citizens over the age of 18 have the right to cast a ballot on Friday. Citizens of the European Union can vote in elections to the European Parliament, while all people resident in the State can participate in local elections . For some this might seem non-controversial but for migrant rights campaigner Teresa Buczkowska, it is something that she would dearly love to see changed. Ms Buczkowska has been living in Ireland for 19-years and has paid her taxes; however, on Friday, she will not be voting because she is a Polish citizen. “Even though, people who will be elected on Friday will be deciding about my life for the next five-years,” she told The Hard Shoulder . “Democracy is always work in progress; over 100-years ago, people granted voting rights to Irish women . “At that time, that idea was, for so many people, preposterous. “Right now, I know that the idea of voting rights for migrants might also sound weird but we have to think about what is the realistic implementation of democracy? I’ve been living in this country for 19-years, why can’t I vote? Why can I not participate in making decisions for this country?” Ms Buczkowska noted the migrant population is only likely to increase in the years ahead and feels the fact that so few have the vote undermines the spirit of a democratic society. “One-in-seven people living in Ireland are migrants,” she said. “So, when we have such a large number of people unable to cast a vote, what’s the value of our democracy? What’s the strength of our democracy?” Although she still has the right to vote in Polish elections, Ms Buczkowska said she would much rather vote in Ireland. “I haven’t been living in Poland for 19-years and I haven’t been paying my taxes for 19-years,” she said. “So, even though I still have voting rights in Poland, I don’t really do that anymore because it doesn’t feel right making decisions for Polish people.” In an ideal world, Ms Buczkowska said all people living in Ireland would have the right to vote after living in the country for a certain period. “I feel that because there are so many barriers to citizenship, I feel it would be fair voting rights for migrants who have been here for five-years,” she said. “If you are here for five-years, you can apply for citizenship. “So, if you are here and you are entitled to citizenship, you should be entitled to vote.” Polling takes place on Friday, November 29th. You can listen back here: Main image shows a person casting a vote. Image by: roibu / Alamy Stock Photo

Hegseth meets with moderate Sen. Collins as he lobbies for key votes in the SenateConnections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections , the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. What is Connections Sports Edition? The NYT 's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic , the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends. Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media. Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try: Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories: Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle. Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #68 is... What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands . If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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