Another rally for Alphabet leads the US stock market higher

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NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rising again on Monday, for now at least, ahead of a week with shortened trading because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and added to its jump from Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 72 points, or 0.2%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% higher.

Stocks got a lift from rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in December, a move that could boost the economy and investment prices.

The market also benefited from strength for stocks caught up in the artificial-intelligence frenzy. Alphabet, which has been getting praise for its newest Gemini AI model, rose 5.6% and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. Nvidia slipped 0.3% after bobbing up and down.

An early gain for the U.S. stock market guarantees nothing, though, as the last few weeks have so painfully shown. Stocks have been swinging sharply, not just day to day but also hour to hour, as worries weigh about what the Fed will do with interest rates and whether too much money is pouring into AI and creating a bubble.

Even within Monday’s first 15 minutes of trading, the S&P 500 rallied to a gain of 1% and then halved it.

All the uncertainty is creating the biggest test for investors since an April sell-off, when President Donald Trump shocked the world with his “Liberation Day” tariffs. Still, despite all the recent fear, the S&P 500 remains within 3.3% of its record set last month.

Several more tests lie ahead this week for the market, though none loom as large as last week’s profit report from Nvidia or the delayed jobs report from the U.S. government for September.

One of the biggest will arrive Tuesday, when the U.S. government will deliver data showing how bad inflation was at the wholesale level in September.

Economists expect it to show a 2.6% rise from a year earlier, the same inflation rate as August. A higher-than-expected reading could deter the Fed from cutting its main interest rate in December for a third time this year, because lower rates can worsen inflation. Some Fed officials have already been arguing against a December cut in part because inflation has stubbornly remained above their 2% target.

Traders are nevertheless betting on a nearly 79% probability that the Fed will cut rates next month, up from 71% on Friday and from less than a coin flip’s chance a week ago, according to data from CME Group.

U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. A day later, it’s on to the rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

On Wall Street, U.S.-listed shares of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk fell 8.3% Monday after it reported that its Alzheimer’s drug failed to slow progression of the disease in a trial.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, continued it sharp swings. It was sitting near $86,000 after bouncing between $82,000 and $94,000 over the last week. It was near $125,000 last month.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2% for one of the world’s biggest moves. It got a boost from a 4.7% leap for Alibaba, which has reported strong demand for its updated Qwen AI app. Alibaba is due to report earnings on Tuesday.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.04% from 4.06% late Friday.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

AP and Trump administration argue access case before federal appeals court

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By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press Media Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press and the Trump administration were due back before a federal appeals court Monday in their fight over media access, with the AP arguing that a news outlet should not be punished for its point of view and the White House insisting that the president should determine who can question him in the Oval Office.

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AP sued three Trump administration officials, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in February after its reporters were barred from the “pool” of journalists who follow the president up close. The administration’s action was, it said, in response to an institutional decision by AP to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” as its default style after Trump renamed it the “Gulf of America.”

The case has wound its way through federal district court and, more recently, federal appellate court throughout the year.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, wrote in an op-ed piece Monday morning that the question of access is not just about AP; it’s about people’s access to the government that works for them.

“When we talk about press freedom, we are really talking about your freedom. Reporters ask questions, photographers take pictures, and video journalists record history on your behalf to ensure that you are informed about the things you don’t have the time to unearth, watch or learn about for yourself,” Pace wrote.

“Letting the government control which journalists can cover the highest office in the land and setting rules about what those journalists can say or write is a direct attempt to undercut the First Amendment,” Pace wrote. “It should worry all of us.”

The Trump administration says it is up to the White House, not the press, to decide access to areas where space is limited. The White House Correspondents’ Association had been deciding who is in the press pools since the Eisenhower administration. The White House reset that tradition in February, saying it wanted to broaden access to include other news outlets.

“If the AP means to suggest that the White House lacks authority to limit who may engage in news gathering activities from sensitive areas of the White House, it is legally mistaken,” the administration said in its supporting brief.

A lower court ruled this spring that the government couldn’t retaliate against a news organization for its speech, but the appeals court halted any response to the ruling until an appeal takes place.

AP style recommends also acknowledging Trump’s renaming of the Gulf. The president said that AP’s access would remain restricted until it changed its style.

Nearly four dozen press organizations, and news outlets from ProPublica to Fox News Channel, along with The New York Times and The Washington Post, filed a brief in support of the AP.

“When any news outlet is chilled … the press and the public as a whole lose out, no matter how many reporters or cameras remain in the room,” the outlets said.

David Bauder covers media for The Associated Press.

Malaysia to ban social media for children under 16 next year

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia plans to ban social media accounts for people under 16 starting in 2026, joining Australia and a growing number of countries pushing tighter digital age limits for children.

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Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Sunday the Cabinet approved the move as part of a broader effort to shield young people from online harm like cyberbullying, scams and sexual exploitation. He said the government is studying approaches taken by Australia and other countries, and the potential use of electronic checks with identity cards or passports to verify users’ ages. He did not say when exactly the ban will be enforced.

“I believe that if the government, regulatory bodies, and parents all play their roles, we can ensure that the Internet in Malaysia is not only fast, widespread and affordable but most importantly, safe, especially for children and families,” he said.

Since January, major social media and messaging platforms with at least 8 million users in Malaysia are required to obtain a license as part of a broader tightening of state oversight over digital platforms. Licensed platforms must implement age verification, content-safety measures and transparency rules, reflecting the government’s push for a safer digital space.

Australia’s parliament enacted the world’s first ban on social media for children that will begin Dec. 10, setting the minimum age at 16. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube as well as message board Reddit and livestreaming service Kick face fines of up to $33 million for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

Australia’s move is being closely watched by countries that share concerns about social media impacts on young children.

Denmark’s government also announced earlier this month plans to ban access to social media for anyone under 15, though details on how the measures would be enforced remain unclear. Norway is also moving forward with a proposed law that would set a minimum age limit of 15 for accessing social media platforms.

Your Thanksgiving leftovers are harming the planet. There are ways to shop and cook smarter

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By KIKI SIDERIS and CALEIGH WELLS, Associated Press

A major highlight of Thanksgiving is the menu, but the big meal can come with a lot of wasted food. Experts say a pinch of extra planning can ensure more gets eaten.

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Roughly 320 million pounds (145 million kilograms) of food will be wasted at Thanksgiving this year, according to ReFED, a nonprofit that tracks food waste. ReFED says that’s largely because people prepare more food than is needed for the meal and then don’t finish the leftovers.

“That is essentially like five meals each for all of the food insecure people in the U.S.,” said Yvette Cabrera, food waste director at Natural Resources Defense Council.

It’s also a problem because most of that waste ends up in landfills, where it releases the potent planet-warming gas methane, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But a lot of those emissions are avoidable.

Here are some tips for a climate-smarter Thanksgiving meal without ditching tradition.

Curbing waste starts at the store

Chef and cookbook author Joel Gamoran, who focuses on cooking with food scraps, says the key to cutting Thanksgiving waste starts before you even turn on the oven.

FILE – Cans of cranberry sauce line a turkey display case at Bongi’s Turkey Roost in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Duxbury, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

He recommends a quarter pound of cooked turkey per person and about a fistful — or half a cup — of each side dish per person. Cabrera said the most wasted foods are typically turkey and dairy products such as milk or cream bought for recipes.

When you’re buying a whole bird, you should factor in the weight of the bones and giblets. The Natural Resources Defense council’s food estimation tool recommends 0.75 pounds per person.

Cabrera also recommends buying food in the grocery store that’s close to its expiration date, or produce that’s misshapen or unattractive, because those are more likely to go unsold and be discarded.

Cooking with common food scraps

Lots of food gets wasted because home cooks don’t think to use it.

“It’s OK to make the whole bird,” Gamoran said. “But have a plan for how you’re going to take advantage of that later on. What are you going to do with the carcass, all that extra meat?”

He likes to make turkey stock with the carcass by covering it in a pot with cold water, bringing it to a boil and then simmering it for two hours. You can fold that stock into mashed potatoes, use it to thicken soup, or freeze it for months.

Gamoran’s favorite trick for the rest of the scraps is to use them like ingredients, not trash.

“Carrot tops are like an herb,” he said. “You can treat it like basil or parsley and make a really beautiful pesto out of it, and then put them in ice cube trays to freeze them. Those go really nice in stir fries and salads and soups.”

He’ll also roast butternut squash shells, cover them with vinegar and strain them out after a day for a rich umami vinegar that can be used in cooking.

Potato skins can be tossed in oil and paprika, air fried and turned into potato chips or croutons.

Onion peels can be dried in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (94 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes, then ground in the food processor for homemade onion powder. This method also works with garlic skins.

Getting creative with leftovers

For many, leftovers are one of the perks of hosting Thanksgiving. They can also be given a second life.

Gamoran says mashed potatoes can be transformed into breakfast foods like waffles and pancakes, or you can make potato bread by adding flour and yeast.

If you get sick of sliced turkey, Gamoran recommends using the leftover meat for meatballs or patties by chopping it in a food processor, adding an egg and then baking it.

If you want to get really creative, pumpkin pie can be made into a savory curry by adding sauteed onions and spices. And cranberry sauce can be added to smoothies, or even ketchup and mustard for a tangy twist.

If it sounds overwhelming to launch into new recipes just after the holiday, Cabrera recommends freezing leftovers. She said it’s important to create space in the freezer before Thanksgiving starts.

Home-cooked food doesn’t come with easy expiration dates. Cabrera said that’s what your senses are for.

“Smell it, look at it, inspect it, maybe taste a little bit to make sure it’s good to eat,” she said.

There are some scraps, such as eggshells, that just don’t have much culinary value. And if, despite all your best efforts, the green bean casserole in the back of the fridge goes bad, there’s still one final move to keep it out of the landfill: composting.

“Having a plan for what you’re going to do with anything that’s not able to be eaten is going to be really critical to reducing those kind of end-of-life emissions on food that you couldn’t eat,” she said.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.