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NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in morning trading Friday as Wall Street closes out a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 fell 1.4%, with more than 80% of stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. Still, the index is managing to hold onto a modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 402 points, or 0.9%, to 42,945 as of 10:41 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 2%. Both the Dow and the Nasdaq are also holding on to weekly gains. Technology stocks were the biggest drag on the market Friday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slumped 3.2%. Its enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes. Other Big Tech stocks losing ground included Microsoft, with a 2.2% decline. A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 2.2% and Best Buy slipped 1.9%. The sector is being closely watched for clues on how it performed during the holiday shopping season. Energy was the only sector within the S&P 500 rising. It gained 0.5% as crude oil prices rose 0.8%. Investors don't have much in the way of corporate or economic updates to review as the market moves closer to another standout annual finish. The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing. A report on Friday showed that sales and inventory estimates for the wholesales trade industry fell 0.2% in November, following a slight gain in October. That weaker-than-expected report follows an update on the labor market Thursday that showed unemployment benefits held steady last week. In Asia, Japan’s benchmark index surged as the yen remained weak against the dollar. Stocks in South Korea fell after the main opposition party voted to impeach the country’s acting leader. Markets in Europe gained ground. Bond yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury remained at 4.59% from late Thursday. The yield on the two-year Treasury slipped to 4.32% from 4.33% late Thursday. Wall Street will have more economic updates to look forward to next week, including reports on pending home sales and home prices. There will also be reports on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity.After marijuana measure’s failure, Florida’s hemp shops stand to benefitDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones' 21 points helped UC San Diego defeat James Madison 73-67 on Friday night. Tait-Jones also contributed six rebounds for the Tritons (4-2). Hayden Gray scored 16 points and added four steals. Nordin Kapic went 5 of 8 from the field (1 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 12 points. Bryce Lindsay led the way for the Dukes (3-3) with 17 points. James Madison also got 13 points and four assists from Xavier Brown. UCSD went into halftime ahead of James Madison 34-28. Tait-Jones scored 14 points in the half. UCSD took the lead for good with 5:46 left in the second half on a free throw from Tait-Jones to make it a 58-57 game. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

NEW YORK — Outside Nebraska football team’s hotel, sirens blared, horns honked and music cut through the cold December air. A lengthy procession of cars, escorted by the New York Police Department, paraded through the Manhattan streets reveling with passers-by as they celebrated Hanukkah in full force on Thursday night. While trips to a New York Knicks game, the 9/11 Museum and other sights around New York City have been highlights for the Nebraska football roster, head coach Matt Rhule is pleased with the level of focus he’s seen from his players. “Walking around New York City, there’s a lot of things to do that could pull you away (from the game), but they’ve done everything right and we’ve practiced well,” Rhule said. One final non-football activity took place Friday morning when Rhule, Ty Robinson, Isaac Gifford and Jahmal Banks went to the New York Stock Exchange. Rhule helped ring the bell to denote the opening of the stock markets for the day. “I’ve grown up here and if you’d told me in one day I’d be on the floor of the stock exchange ringing the bell and a couple hours later I’d be on the field at Yankee Stadium, I never would have believed you,” Rhule said. Having arrived in New York on Monday, Nebraska has practiced in multiple different locations which include the New York Giants practice facility, Fordham University and a Christmas-day walkthrough inside Central Park. “When we landed we went right to practice, and the first thing we did was put our pads on and hit,” Rhule said. “We’ve given them some free time, we’ve done a lot of cool things and celebrated Christmas together, but at the end of the day this is an opportunity for us to finish our season the right way.” * Friday marked the first time Nebraska stepped foot inside Yankee Stadium for an on-field walkthrough prior to playing in the Pinstripe Bowl. As players and coaches alike soaked up the feeling of being inside the legendary sports venue, Rhule found himself impressed with the bowl game’s setup. “A lot of times they play a football game in a baseball stadium and it’s kinda shoehorned in there, but when they rebuilt Yankee Stadium they certainly did it right because (the field) fits perfectly,” Rhule said. * A photo posted by Nebraska football’s social media accounts on Thursday showed the nine newcomers who traveled with the team and have taken part in NU’s bowl game practices. Transfer defensive end Jaylen George and eight incoming freshmen have gotten a “jumpstart” to their Nebraska careers, Rhule said, by being part of team meetings and the on-field preparation. * With wide receiver Isaiah Neyor having opted out of Nebraska’s bowl game, Rhule identified Jaylen Lloyd and Keelan Smith as two wideouts who could see increased opportunities on Saturday. * Nebraska’s transfer portal efforts are not yet fully finished. Following the New Year, the Huskers can again host transfer players on campus for visits. “We’ll be back at work on the first,” Rhule said. “There’s no break, there’s no vacation and there’s no time away; there’s the game and then we’ll be ready to host people that first week (of January).” Get local news delivered to your inbox!Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopesKarua: How I took on a Kanu behemoth, navigated gender wars and won

A musical inspired by the viral Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn — known in competition as Raygun — has been canceled after producers received a legal warning. Raygun: The Musical creator Steph Broadbridge confirmed on social media that the show, which was set to debut at Kinselas in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on Saturday (December 7), had been axed after she received a notice from lawyers. “They were worried I was damaging her brand, which I would never do,” the comedian, who was also set to star in the show, said in a video shared on Instagram. She said the show would be “back soon with a whole new story arc” and that ticket holders would receive a $10 refund. In a statement to The Guardian , Gunn’s legal and management team said it was committed to protecting her intellectual property. “While we have immense respect for the credible work and effort that has gone into the development of the show, we must take necessary steps to safeguard Rachael’s creative rights and the integrity of her work,” they said. “This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, but rather to ensure her brand is properly represented and protected in all future endeavours.” They added that the trademark application for “Raygun” was currently under examination and anticipated that it would soon be officially registered. “The use of the ‘Raygun’ name by a comedian without approval has caused confusion among the public, potentially leading them to believe that ‘Raygun The Musical’ had Rachael’s endorsement or approval,” they said. “This misuse of intellectual property is not only misleading but also jeopardises Rachael’s other commercial ventures, which rely on the integrity of her brand.” Gunn, also known as “B-girl Raygun,” shot to internet notoriety almost overnight in August after she performed unusual moves at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including a kangaroo hop and a wriggle on the floor. The 37-year-old university lecturer failed to score a single point in the competition, losing all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0. In the five months since her Olympic debut, Gunn and her dance moves have made it to the NFL, been imitated by Rachel Dratch on The Tonight Show , been declared “the best thing that happened in the Olympics ” by Adele, and become the inspiration for thousands of Halloween costumes. There was a dark side to the fame too, however. Gunn announced her retirement from the sport last month due to the abuse she received about her performance. “I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was. I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now,” Gunn told local radio station 2DayFM. “I think the level of scrutiny that’s going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online.” In her Instagram video, Broadbridge said the dancer’s lawyers were “very concerned that people would think that Rachael Gunn was affiliated with the musical.” “I want to assure everyone that she will not be part of the show. She’s very welcome to come; I would love for her to see it.”Majdal Shams, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Dec, 2024) In the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, residents took to the streets on to celebrate the dramatic fall of President Bashar Al-Assad. The jubilant mood contrasted with Israeli tanks deploying along the , which leaders said were there to protect any potential new threat. With speakers blasting patriotic songs, residents of the Druze town celebrated the political change across the , saying it would bring peace to the region, including with . "We are part of the people, and we are very happy today," Mais Ibrahim, 33, told AFP. "We want to see a free and a range of different people and voices there." The Druze are an ethno-religious living mostly in , , , and the occupied Golan. Ibrahim said the people had "paid a high under Assad's regime" and that she hoped the change would "end the wars and bring peace". There are around 150,000 Druze living in and the occupied Golan Heights, with most holding Israeli and serving in the . However, those living in the Israeli-controlled area of the Golan Heights -- captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed -- differ, with most still seeing themselves as nationals. For more than a decade, the Druze community has watched the unrest in , fearing for the fate of close relatives and friends. - 'Very emotional' - Alaa Safadi, 52, a whose brother-in-law was imprisoned and killed in a under Assad's rule, said the Druze people were "one body", whether they lived in , , or Jordan. Safadi, who under a special arrangement between and spent seven years studying in , said he was happy to see Assad fall. He said it brought him hope that it would break the physical borders and cultural barriers that exist in this war-torn region. "In the end, I believe that within two years we will be able to go freely here and drink coffee in the cafes of ," he said. Raya Fakher Aldeen, 42, meanwhile described how she nearly wept with joy when she heard the of Assad's fall at 6:00 am on . "I am very emotional right now, we almost don't believe this is happening or real," she said. Fakher Aldeen, who also spent years studying in , added, "we are not separated , we have relatives there." Despite uncertainty over 's future -- with various factions in control of different parts of the country, including Islamists -- she said she was not worried about what the future might hold for the people who live there. "What happened was not by any Islamic group," she said. "It was by the people." Nearby Yasser Khanjar, 46, said he wanted to send a message to incoming US President , who in formally recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, that the land still belonged to . "This is why we are happy for the fall of Bashar al-Assad, he did not ask to free the Golan," Khanjar said, adding that he was now hopeful for a change. reg/dcp/jsa

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Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes