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The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose Thursday, extending Wall Street’s rally in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, as traders weighed the latest rate cut from the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 gained 0.74% to close at a record high of 5,973.10. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.51% to reach 19,269.46 — its first close above 19,000. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed, ticking down less than one point to 43,729.34. All three indexes hit intraday record highs during the session. The moves built on a surge in stocks Wednesday after Trump’s win, which included a 1,500-point gain for the Dow . The S&P 500 jumped 2.53% for its best post-election day in history. The bond market has also been volatile since the election, ...

Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has done something no political opponent could: put an end date on his time atop the Republican Party. Well, sort of. Trump single-handedly remade the Republican Party in his own image, not only becoming its unquestioned leader but also rewiring what the Grand Old Party stands for. After he emerged on the scene in 2015, former party heavyweights who did not abide by the new MAGA ethos either were cast off to irrelevance or became the subjects of intense lines of attack from Trump and his supporters. But the fact is that the Constitution bars him from running for president again after a second term. And because Trump cannot run again, the process to figure out who will lead the party next has already begun, featuring a slate of ambitious and ...

The defense team for the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022 said Thursday that his trial should not permit the death penalty as punishment, arguing that the state has "no real means" of executing an inmate and the methods are unconstitutional. The death penalty hearing in Boise, Idaho, on whether suspect Bryan Kohberger can be executed if he is convicted, came as the campus community prepares to mark next week two years since the quadruple homicide in the college town of Moscow. "I don't believe our Constitution allows for us to move forward and make him sit in death row for years and years and years if the way Idaho is doing it right now isn't really working," Ann Taylor, Kohberger's public defender, said. "It's not a realistic option." ...

The best desktop computers can elevate your home computing setup in a way that a compact laptop never could. When you don’t have to cram your CPU, RAM, storage, graphics card, screen and keyboard into a single gadget, it’s possible to get much better performance than a standard laptop. Setting up a desktop computer in a specific location allows you to invest in parts that are designed more for performance than portability. However, there are many desktop computers to choose from and PC configurations can be notoriously complicated. That’s why we spoke to gadget experts who could advise us on a shortlist of the best desktop computers. So whether you’re looking for an all-in-one desktop PC with a monitor and keyboard, or a compact desktop computer that connects to your existing kit, we’ll...

President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory was powered by an overall voter shift in most places and most demographics compared to 2020 — with a new analysis of precinct data in pivotal Pennsylvania coloring in additional details about how Trump won. The NBC News Decision Desk collected and monitored precinct-level vote results in 50 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, totaling more than 8,300 of the state’s roughly 9,000 precincts. This granular data provides a detailed insight into what was happening neighborhood to neighborhood and block to block in the nation’s biggest battleground state. On average, Pennsylvania’s precincts shifted 1.6 percentage points toward the Republicans and 1.6 points away from the Democrats — a 3.2-point swing overall that flipped Pennsylvania from a 1-point v...

Nothing inspires dread like glancing at the drain to see how much hair you’ve lost while showering . Though it’s normal for hair thickness and quantity to change over time, (a person might shed anywhere from 50 to 100 strands per day) sudden hair loss can signal an underlying medical condition . Regardless of the reason behind it, pattern hair loss is not pleasant for anyone, and can cause significant psychological distress to those experiencing it. Though experts say pattern hair loss is dictated by genetics, some products can stimulate growth and work to prevent hair loss in the future. But before you buy some too-good-to-be-true elixir in a panic, it’s crucial to figure out what is causing your hair loss in the first place. I talked to dermatologists and...

For those with acne-prone skin , blackheads are a common concern that usually manifest as dark spots on the forehead, nose or chin. Though it may be tempting to pop and pick at blackheads when they show up, this only makes the problem worse, according to experts. And with so many cleansers and exfoliants on the market, it can become difficult to narrow down the ones that actually decongest your pores and minimize the appearance of enlarged ones. We spoke to board-certified dermatologists about the best blackhead-fighting ingredients, how to safely and effectively remove blackheads at home and which over-the-counter products they suggest. SKIP AHEAD What are blackheads? | The best blackhead treatments | How to shop...

Bentley Motors is once again pushing back a target to exclusively offer all-electric vehicles, with plans to continue leaning into plug-in hybrid electric vehicles until at least 2035. The British maker of ultra-luxury performance cars on Thursday said it continues to have “an ambition to be building only fully electric cars from 2035,” but the adjustment is needed due to changing market conditions. Bentley Chairman and CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser said “there’s not a lot of demand” for EVs from current customers. But he said the automaker needs to meet legislation and be ready for a new generation of customers . “Legislation, for sure, is driving electrification … but also competition,” Walliser said during an online media event Thursday. “We have to be honest, there’s...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, addressing the nation after Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris , urged Americans on Thursday to “accept the choice the country made” while encouraging his supporters to “get back up.” “We accept the choice the country made,” he said in brief remarks from the White House Rose Garden. “I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.” Biden’s speech comes exactly four years to the day he was declared the winner of the 2020 election against Trump, who has spent the years since insisting that those results were rigged and attempted to have them overturned. "I will do my duty as president: I will fulfill my oath and I will honor the C...

A police search is underway after 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday night. Police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, said the Rhesus macaque primates escaped from Alpha Genesis, a business that provides "nonhuman primate products and bio-research services," according to its website. The monkeys were a group of "very young females" that have never been used for testing. An Alpha Genesis spokesperson confirmed to police that the animals "are too young to carry disease," according to police statement. "Alpha Genesis currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food," police said Thursday afternoon. Traps have also been set up and officers are using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to recapture the animals, police ...