NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes drifted lower in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% Tuesday and marked its first back-to-back losses in three weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite also fell 0.3%. Oracle dragged on the market after reporting weaker growth than analysts expected. Treasury yields rose in the bond market ahead of Wednesday’s inflation report, which will be among the final big pieces of data before the Federal Reserve’s meeting on interest rates next week. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are drifting lower Tuesday in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation that’s coming on Wednesday. The S&P 500 dipped by 0.2% in late trading, a day after pulling back from its latest all-time high . The index is on track for its first back-to-back losses in more than three weeks, as momentum slows following a big rally that has it on track for one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 7 points, or less than 0.1%, with roughly an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%. Tech titan Oracle dragged on the market and sank 7.8% after reporting growth for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, even though CEO Safra Catz said the company saw record demand related to artificial-intelligence technology for its cloud infrastructure business, which trains generative AI models. AI has been a big source of growth that’s helped many companies’ stock prices skyrocket. Oracle’s stock had already leaped nearly 81% for the year coming into Tuesday, which raised the bar of expectations for its profit report. C3.ai fell 2.1% despite reporting a smaller loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The AI software company increased its forecast for how big a loss it expects to take this fiscal year from its operations. In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher ahead of Wednesday’s report on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. Economists expect it to show roughly similar increases as the month before. That and a report on Thursday about inflation at the wholesale level will be the final big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week, where many investors expect the year’s third cut to interest rates . The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to lift the slowing jobs market, after bringing inflation nearly down to its 2% target. Lower rates would help give support to the economy, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.22% from 4.20% late Monday. Even though the Fed has been cutting its main interest rate, mortgage rates have been more stubborn and have been volatile since the autumn. That has hampered the housing industry, and homebuilder Toll Brothers’ stock fell 5.2% even though it beat analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the latest quarter. CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the luxury builder has been seeing strong demand since the start of its fiscal year six weeks ago, an encouraging signal as it approaches the beginning of the spring selling season in mid-January Elsewhere on Wall Street, Alaska Air Group soared 13.6% after raising its forecast for profit in the current quarter. The airline said demand for flying around the holidays has been stronger than expected. It also approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock, along with new service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul . Boeing climbed 5.2% after saying it's resuming production of its bestselling plane , the 737 Max, for the first time since 33,000 workers began a seven-week strike that ended in early November. Vail Resorts rose 2.7% after the ski resort operator reported a narrower first-quarter loss than expected in what is traditionally its worst quarter. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in China after the world’s second-largest economy said its exports rose by less than expected in November. Stocks rose 0.6% in Shanghai but fell 0.5% in Hong Kong. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Stan Choe, The Associated PressAcross the Middle East and beyond, the fall of Syria’s authoritarian government at the hands of jihadi militants set off waves of jubilation, trepidation and alarm. Expatriate Syrians and many residents across the Middle East exulted at the overthrow of a leader who led his country through 14 years of civil strife that left half a million Syrians dead and displaced millions to countries around the world. While others are worried about further instability rocking a region already in turmoil. Governments — whether allies or opponents of Bashar Assad — scrambled to absorb the sudden, stunning development and assess the implications for the Middle East and the world. In the US, President Joe Biden said that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Mr Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East.Speaking at the White House, Mr Biden said the US was not sure of Mr Assad’s whereabouts, but was monitoring reports he was seeking refuge in Moscow. Mr Biden credited action by the US and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Mr Assad’s grip on power. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East,” Mr Biden said. In a social media post on Saturday, before Mr Assad’s fall was confirmed, President-elect Donald Trump said: “Syria is a mess but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” The US has about 900 troops in Syria, including US forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held north east to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. In Lebanon, thousands of Syrians headed for the Masnaa border crossing to return to their home country, despite the uncertainty. “Anything is better than Bashar,” said Sami Abdel-Latif, a refugee from Hama who was heading back to join his wife and four children. “This is a feeling we’ve been waiting 14 years for,” said Malak Matar, who was preparing to return to the capital of Damascus. Now, he said, “Syrians have to create a state that is well organised and take care of their country.” Many citizens in Syria’s neighbouring countries reacted with joy to the news Mr Assad was gone. In Jordan’s capital, Amman, resident Muhab al-Majali said his fall marked the end of “unjust and tyrannical rule”. “I believe that the future is beautiful and prosperous for the Syrians,” he said. Syria’s neighbours stepped up security along their borders. Lebanon said it was closing all but one of its land border crossings with Syria. Jordan also closed a border crossing. Iran, a key ally of Mr Assad, said the Syrian people should decide their country’s future “without destructive, coercive foreign intervention”. The Foreign Ministry in Tehran said Iran supports Syria’s unity and national sovereignty and hopes to see “the end of military conflicts, the prevention of terrorist activities and the start of a national dialogue” with the participation of all groups. The Iraqi government, which is close to Iran, said it “supports all international and regional efforts seeking to open a dialogue” for Syria. Egypt’s foreign ministry urged a “comprehensive political process” to establish a new era of peace in the war-torn country. The head of Yemen’s internationally recognised government welcomed the fall of Mr Assad as “a historic moment”. Turkey has backed anti-Assad militant groups in Syria and could play a key role in what happens next. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the fall of Assad brought “hope” and he called on the world to help “unite and reconstruct” Syria. In Europe, many governments welcomed Mr Assad’s departure while urging a rapid return to stability. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement that the end of Mr Assad’s rule was “good news”, adding that “what matters now is that law and order are quickly restored in Syria”. France’s foreign ministry welcomed the fall of Mr Assad, saying “the Syrian people have suffered too much”. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also welcomed the end of Mr Assad’s “barbaric regime”. “We call on all sides to protect civilians and minorities and ensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerable in the coming hours and days,” he said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for calm and urged work to ensure an “orderly political transition to renewed institutions”. Russia, which backed Mr Assad with troops and warplanes, said it has been following the “dramatic events” in Syria “with extreme concern”. State media later reported that Mr Assad was in Moscow with his family and they had been granted asylum. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha of Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, wrote on X that the ousted Syrian leader had suffered the fate of “all dictators who bet on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him”.
UL Monroe at Georgia Tech — ACCNX Southern at Texas — SECN+ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .BillionToOne to Present at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare ConferenceMINNEAPOLIS -- More than 100 people were waiting in the locker room Sunday evening for one man. was conducting a pair of on-field interviews after his team's over the , and no one -- owners, coaches, players, front office staff members -- wanted to begin the celebration without him. So they waited for Darnold to speak with Fox Sports reporter Tom Rinaldi. Then they waited a few more minutes while Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady awarded Darnold his "LFG" trophy for the game. "We felt like we waited for a long time," coach Kevin O'Connell said. In the meantime, linebacker launched a plan to commemorate Darnold's eventual arrival. They , pouring what linebacker called "a waterfall of water" over him and eventually lifted him onto their shoulders -- all to honor a season that has the Vikings headed to their biggest regular-season game in recent memory. Darnold smiled throughout his postgame news conference with local reporters, even offering a rare glimpse of his personality by referencing the movie "Talladega Nights." "It was mayhem," Darnold said. "I think I blacked out when [players] grabbed me and lifted me up. I didn't know what to do with my hands in that situation, Ricky Bobby-style. That was an interesting moment but a fun moment to be embraced by your teammates like that." The Vikings are now set for a winner-take-all Week 18 game at the to determine both the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. None of it would have been possible without Darnold, who signed a one-year contract in March to serve as a short-term starter until rookie was ready to take over. McCarthy's season-ending knee injury left Darnold to start all 16 of the Vikings' games. He has won 14, breaking the NFL record for most victories by a quarterback in his first season with a team. His season-high 377 passing yards pushed him to the first 4,000-yard season of his career, and his three touchdown passes Sunday gave him 35 for the season, the fourth-most in NFL history for a quarterback in his first season with a team. "He's playing quarterback at a very, very high level," O'Connell said, "and has been for the majority of the season. You can tell by the locker room. You can tell by the way I call plays. I know for us to get to where we want to go, we've got to be aggressive, and we've got to play football in a way that allows us to have our whole offense at our disposal." Indeed, O'Connell once again relied on Darnold to execute his unconventional but now unsurprising approach to finishing close games. As the Packers cut a 17-point deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, O'Connell did not simply rely on his running game to take time off the clock and/or force the Packers to use their timeouts. Instead, in their final two possessions, Darnold threw on six of the Vikings' seven plays before kneeling down on the final three. Darnold completed four of those passes for 46 yards, including a 6-yard floater to running back on third-and-2 -- which Akers caught inches from the ground -- to seal the game. "When guys are packing the box trying to stop the run, I know that [O'Connell] is going to be aggressive if that's the case," Darnold said. "Obviously, there's been times throughout the course of the season where we have tried to run it. So it's not always going to be that way. But whenever he does call a pass in that situation, I'm always prepared for it, and I feel like our guys did a really good job of executing that." As the locker room cleared out about 30 minutes later, Akers was one of the last players remaining. He was still grinning about what he called an "electric" moment. "He deserves that," Akers said. "He's put in a lot of work to be here, and we're all behind him -- the players and the staff."
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