A top Fed official leans toward December rate cut but says it depends on economic data WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Federal Reserve official says he is leaning toward supporting an interest rate cut when the Fed meets in two weeks but that evidence of persistent inflation before then could cause him to change that view. Speaking at George Washington University, Christopher Waller, a key member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, said he was confident that inflation is headed lower and that the central bank will likely keep reducing its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans. But he noted that there’s a risk that inflation “may be getting stuck above” the Fed’s 2% target, which would support an argument for keeping the Fed’s rate unchanged this month. Cyber Monday shoppers expected to set a record on the year's biggest day for online shopping Consumers in the U.S. are scouring the internet for online deals as they look to make the most of the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon on Cyber Monday. The National Retail Federation coined the term for the Monday after Black Friday in 2005. Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of many people’s regular routine, Cyber Monday continues to be the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to steady discounts and a fair amount of hype. Several major retails actually started their Cyber Monday promotions over the weekend. Consumer spending for the online shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday provides an indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays. Supreme Court doesn't seem convinced FDA was unfair in blocking flavored vapes teen use increased WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Supreme Court justices didn’t seem convinced Monday that federal regulators misled companies before refusing to allow them to sell sweet flavored vaping products following a surge in teen e-cigarette use. The court did raise questions about an FDA crackdown that included denials on sales of more than a million nicotine products formulated to taste like fruit, desert or candy. The case comes a month before the start of the second Trump administration, which could change the FDA's approach after he vowed to “save” vaping. Can AI chatbots make your holiday shopping easier? Tired of thinking about what gifts to get everyone this year? Artificial intelligence chatbots might help, but don’t expect them to always give you the right answers. Scouring the internet for Cyber Monday deals may yield an encounter with more chattier iterations of the chatbots that some retailers built to provide customer service. Some companies have integrated models that allow shoppers to ask questions like “What’s the best wireless speaker?” Retailers hope consumers use these shopping assistants as virtual companions that help them discover or compare products. The technology is still in its infancy, though, and chatbots are prone to hallucinations, so most of the new tools sometimes get things wrong. Intel CEO Gelsinger retires; Zinsner and Johnston Holthaus named interim co-CEOs Struggling chipmaker Intel says in a surprise announcement that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired. Two company executives, David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, will act as interim co-CEOs while the company searches for a replacement for Gelsinger, who also stepped down from the company’s board. The departure of Gelsinger, whose career spanned more than 40 years, underscores turmoil at Intel. The company was once a dominant force in the semiconductor industry but has ben eclipsed by rival Nvidia, which has cornered the market for chips that run artificial intelligence systems. Nvidia’s ascendance was cemented earlier this month when it replaced Intel on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Stock market today: Rising tech stocks pull Wall Street to another record NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks pulled Wall Street to another record amid mixed trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Monday after closing November at an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared after saying an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or the company’s board. Retailers were mixed coming off Black Friday and heading into what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Better drugs through AI? Insitro CEO on what machine learning can teach Big Pharma WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is changing the way industries do business. But executives in the pharmaceutical industry are still waiting to see whether AI can tackle their biggest challenge: finding faster, cheaper ways to develop new drugs. Despite billions poured into research and development, new medicines still typically take a decade or more to develop. Insitro is part of a growing field of AI companies promising to accelerate drug discovery by using machine learning to analyze huge datasets that could lead to new medicines. FTC opens Microsoft antitrust investigation that Trump administration must carry on or drop Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft’s business practices, starting off a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon. The FTC is investigating Microsoft’s cloud computing business and related product lines such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, according to a person who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It’s the latest action of more than three years of aggressive antitrust enforcement shepherded by FTC Chair Lina Chan, who was elevated to lead the agency by President Joe Biden after he came into office pledging tougher scrutiny of monopolistic behavior by Big Tech companies. More than 3 million travelers screened at US airports in a single day. That's a record Travelers heading home after the Thanksgiving holiday are setting a record. The Transportation Security Administration says that it screened nearly 3.1 million travelers on Sunday, breaking the previous record by about 74,000. That mark was set on July 7, also a Sunday after a holiday, July Fourth. Hundreds of thousands of travelers were delayed or had their flights canceled. FlightAware says more 6,800 flights were delayed on Sunday, with the highest numbers at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. General Motors to sell its stake in Lansing, Michigan, battery factory to LG Energy Solution DETROIT (AP) — General Motors has reached an agreement to sell its stake in a nearly completed electric vehicle battery plant in Lansing, Michigan. The company said Monday that it has a nonbinding agreement for the sale to joint venture partner LG Energy Solution of South Korea. The companies expect to close the sale by the end of March. Financial details were not released Monday, but GM said it expects to recoup its investment. The company has spent about $1 billion on the Lansing factory. GM says it will rely on joint venture factories in Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, to supply factories that make seven electric vehicles now on sale in the U.S.

The Detroit Lions have equaled the franchise record for most consecutive victories and stand alone atop the NFC standings. They still have plenty of obstacles to clear to remain at that perch. Even the NFC North remains up for grabs and they'll try to create a little more separation when they host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. The Lions (11-1), who have won 10 straight, haven't been able to shake free from Minnesota (10-2) or Green Bay (9-3). Detroit will host Minnesota, which has won five straight, in the regular-season finale next month. The Packers have remained in contention by winning seven of their last eight, with the only loss coming at the hands of the Lions. Detroit opened up a 21-point lead early in the third quarter and held on for a 24-14 victory. Lions coach Dan Campbell says the fun really begins now. "The best part of all of this -- we're in playoff football right now, that's where we're at," he said. "We're in December, and our schedule says that. Man, we play tough opponent after tough opponent -- we've got plenty coming up. So, man, this is the type of stuff that you live for and it's also the type of stuff that gets you ready for the tournament. "So, yeah, we're a resilient bunch and nothing's going to change that. We've just got to worry about the one in front of us." Detroit is coming off a 23-20 win over Chicago on Thanksgiving Day in which it nearly blew a 16-point lead. The Bears' poor clock management cost them an opportunity to send the game into overtime and led to coach Matt Eberflus' firing. The Lions have been hit with a wave of injuries, particularly on the defensive side. They signed four players over the past week to fortify their depth. "I know the elephant in the room is all the injuries that have happened with us on the defensive side," defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. "Our personnel staff does a really good job of acquiring players that fit exactly who we are. I would say this, it's not the playbook that's the most important thing for these guys to come in and learn. It's the style of play that we have and that's easy to learn." Jared Goff has thrown for six touchdowns and zero interceptions in the past three games after tossing five picks against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10. The Packers also played on Thanksgiving, defeating Miami 30-17. Green Bay opened up a 24-3 halftime lead as Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes to Jayden Reed. Now the Packers face a Detroit team that has defeated them in five of the last six meetings. "With most good teams, they play the game the right way," Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said. "Certainly, Detroit's been doing that for a couple years now. That's who they are and that's who we are as well. It should be a great game on Thursday night." The Packers might have to win via a shootout, considering the Lions are averaging a league-best 31.9 points per game (Green Bay ranks eighth at 26.5). Stopping the running game will be key, according to LaFleur. "They're two very dynamic backs. (David) Montgomery, he's going to beat you up physically and the other guy (Jahmyr Gibbs), you've got to try to corral because he can take it the distance," he said. "Jared (Goff) is playing at an MVP level, so they've got a really potent offense." Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker (knee) and three defensive linemen -- DJ Reader (shoulder), Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwezurike (hamstring) -- didn't practice on Tuesday. Offensive guard Elgton Jenkins (knee), Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and cornerback Corey Ballentine (knee) missed the Packers' practice. --Field Level Media

NoneThe footage, posted to the Christchurch Dash Cams Facebook page this week, has received hundreds of reactions and comments. The incident was captured by an anonymous driver's dashcam and titled "NOT a passing lane". It appears to have been shot on a West Coast road. The footage has attracted more than 150 comments so far, many of them divided over the manoeuvre. The campervan driver was criticised for not pulling over to allow others to pass, while one commenter said the driver made a “complete dick move”. "Definitely not a passing lane but there is a viable sign just beforehand saying ‘traffic behind you? let is pass’ (sic)," one person said. "The camper van should have definitely had pulled over to let both of you past. "This is a never-ending problem on the West Coast and probably everywhere else. My own opinion is that if tourists wish to drive on the roads they should be made to read the road code or be aware of common sense/courtesy of the roads. Too many close calls and just idiotic driving in general. Another person said: "People claiming it’s the vans fault for not using the “slow vehicle lane” are so off the mark with their opinion (sic). "That is a dangerous move by an arrogant impatient driver in the white car. It IS NOT a slow vehicle lane, as people claim. It is not marked as a slow vehicle lane, does not have standard signage or line marking to indicate it’s a slow vehicle lane, and is not of sufficient length to be treated as a slow vehicle lane. "It is simply standard widening associated with lookout area on the right hand side, widening to allow cars safely pull left while waiting for a gap to turn right, or to turn into when turning right out of the rest area to build up speed in case someone races up on them, etc. "It is NOT a slow vehicle bay, and van driver had no obligation to pull left so the person in the white car could over take. "Besides which, did people not see the “pedestrian” warning signage, indicating its clearly a place where people are frequently stopping and parking to access the rest area/look out, so for a someone to think he/she has the right to undertake a slower vehicle, is the most ridiculous display of driving I can imagine. "Having investigated hundreds of fatal crashes in my career, and having designed hundreds of intersection and road safety improvements, people blaming the van driver, and excusing the driver of the white car, is so infuriating, and so wrong, that Im not sure whether to laugh or cry."Paris stocks wobbled and the euro fell Monday as a budget standoff in France fueled concern about the eurozone's second-biggest economy. Positive data from China helped boost equity markets elsewhere, with Germany's DAX index hitting a record above 19,900 points. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.

Matt Gaetz Breaks Silence on His Next Move After Resigning From CongressBURLINGTON, N.J., Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE: BURL), a nationally recognized off-price retailer of high-quality, branded apparel, footwear, accessories, and merchandise for the home at everyday low prices, announced today that Shira Goodman, former Chief Executive Officer of Staples, Inc., is joining its Board of Directors and its Audit Committee effective January 1, 2025. John Mahoney, Chairman of the Board, stated, "We are very pleased to welcome Shira to our Board as a highly accomplished business leader with considerable public company board experience. I believe that she will enhance the depth and strength of our Board as it continues to oversee the Company's continued strategic growth.” Michael O'Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are very excited to have Shira as a Board member. She has almost three decades of experience in the retail industry, and her perspectives and expertise will benefit us as we continue to execute on the Burlington 2.0 strategy and aim to drive sales and earnings growth in the years ahead.” Ms. Goodman added, "I am excited to join Burlington's Board and work with the leadership team. I believe the Company is well positioned for continued growth and I am eager to contribute to the Company's continued success.” About Shira Goodman Ms. Goodman has served as an Advisory Director to Charlesbank Capital Partners, a private equity firm, since January 2019. She previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Staples, Inc. from September 2016 to January 2018. Ms. Goodman served in roles with increasing responsibility at Staples since joining the company in 1992, including President and Interim Chief Executive Officer from June 2016 to September 2016, President, North American Operations from January 2016 to June 2016, and President, North American Commercial from February 2014 to June 2016. Prior to that, she served as Executive Vice President of Global Growth from February 2012 to February 2014, Executive Vice President of Human Resources from March 2009 to February 2012, Executive Vice President of Marketing from May 2001 to March 2009, and in various other management positions. Prior to Staples, Ms. Goodman worked at Bain & Company from 1986 to 1992, in project design, client relationships and case team management. She currently serves on the board of directors of CarMax, Inc. and CBRE Group, Inc., and previously served on the board of directors of Henry Schein, Inc., Staples, Inc. and The Stride Rite Corporation. About Burlington Stores, Inc. Burlington Stores, Inc., headquartered in New Jersey, is a nationally recognized off-price retailer with Fiscal 2023 net sales of $9.7 billion. The Company is a Fortune 500 company and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BURL.” The Company operated 1,103 stores as of the end of the third quarter of Fiscal 2024, in 46 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, principally under the name Burlington Stores. The Company's stores offer an extensive selection of in-season, fashion-focused merchandise at up to 60% off other retailers' prices, including women's ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, baby, beauty, footwear, accessories, home, toys, gifts and coats. For more information about the Company, visit www.burlington.com . Investor Relations Contacts: David J. Glick Daniel Delrosario 855-973-8445 [email protected] Allison Malkin ICR, Inc. 203-682-8225 Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements discuss our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements, except as required by law, even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those we expected, including general economic conditions, such as inflation, and the domestic and international political situation and the related impact on consumer confidence and spending; competitive factors, including the scale and potential consolidation of some of our competitors, rise of e-commerce spending, pricing and promotional activities of major competitors, and an increase in competition within the markets in which we compete; seasonal fluctuations in our net sales, operating income and inventory levels; the reduction in traffic to, or the closing of, the other destination retailers in the shopping areas where our stores are located; our ability to identify changing consumer preferences and demand; our ability to meet our environmental, social or governance ("ESG”) goals or otherwise expectations of our stakeholders with respect to ESG matters; extreme and/or unseasonable weather conditions caused by climate change or otherwise adversely impacting demand; effects of public health crises, epidemics or pandemics; our ability to sustain our growth plans or successfully implement our long-range strategic plans; our ability to execute our opportunistic buying and inventory management process; our ability to optimize our existing stores or maintain favorable lease terms; the availability, selection and purchasing of attractive brand name merchandise on favorable terms; our ability to attract, train and retain quality employees and temporary personnel in sufficient numbers; labor costs and our ability to manage a large workforce; the solvency of parties with whom we do business and their willingness to perform their obligations to us; import risks, including tax and trade policies, tariffs and government regulations; disruption in our distribution network; our ability to protect our protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data, breaches of security, or other cyber-related attacks; risks related to the methods of payment we accept; the success of our advertising and marketing programs in generating sufficient levels of customer traffic and awareness; damage to our corporate reputation or brand; impact of potential loss of executives or other key personnel; our ability to comply with existing and changing laws, rules, regulations and local codes; lack of or insufficient insurance coverage; issues with merchandise safety and shrinkage; our ability to comply with increasingly rigorous privacy and data security regulations; impact of legal and regulatory proceedings relating to us; use of social media by us or by third parties our direction in violation of applicable laws and regulations; our ability to generate sufficient cash to fund our operations and service our debt obligations; our ability to comply with covenants in our debt agreements; the consequences of the possible conversion of our convertible notes; our reliance on dividends, distributions and other payments, advance and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations; the volatility of our stock price; the impact of the anti-takeover provisions in our governing documents; impact of potential shareholder activism; and each of the factors that may be described from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading "Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. For each of these factors, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.

NoneTrump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday. Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico . "The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well," LeBlanc said in Parliament. If Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods. The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate. Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat. After his dinner with Trump, Trudeau returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. “The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. ... The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.” Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants. On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments. “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.” Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.