This holiday season isn't very merry for consumers, an AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll finds this holiday season isn’t quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares of them are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump. The vast majority of U.S. adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts. Roughly half of Americans say it’s harder than usual to afford the things they want to give as holiday gifts. It’s a sobering assessment for the Republican president, who returned to the White House in large part by promising to lower prices.

EU set to lock up Russia's frozen assets so Hungary and Slovakia can't veto their use for Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is set to lock up Russia’s assets in Europe until Russia ends its war on Ukraine and compensates for the damage. The move expected on Friday would allow EU leaders to decide how to use Russian Central Bank assets to support Ukraine financially and militarily when they hold a summit next week. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán opposes the decision. He has accused the European Commission of “raping European law.” The EU has frozen $247 billion in Russian assets. Most of the funds are held in Belgium. Hungary and Slovakia oppose more support for Ukraine. The EU argues the war has increased costs by raising energy prices and stunting economic growth.

Italy's national strike called by main union disrupts transport and school services

ROME (AP) — A national strike called by Italy’s largest trade union in protest against the government’s budget plans has widely disrupted transportation, health and school services across the country. The protest on Friday targeted the 2026 budget bill proposed by the conservative government of Premier Giorgia Meloni. It came just two weeks after another general strike organized by smaller trade unions with the same motivations. The strike mainly hit railway transportation. Cancellations and delays were registered for both long-distance and regional trains. Public schools across the country canceled classes.

Open AI, Microsoft face lawsuit over ChatGPT's alleged role in Connecticut murder-suicide

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The heirs of an 83-year-old Connecticut woman are suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft for wrongful death. They claim the artificial intelligence chatbot intensified her son’s “paranoid delusions” and helped direct them at his mother before he killed her. Police said Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, a former tech industry worker, fatally beat and strangled his mother, Suzanne Adams, and killed himself in early August. The lawsuit claims OpenAI designed a defective product that validated a user's paranoid delusions, leading him to kill his own mother.

Experts share their top tips to save money this holiday season

NEW YORK (AP) — The holiday season means time with family and new memories, but it can also mean lots of spending — sometimes too much. From gifts to travel plans to grocery shopping, costs can pile up and become overwhelming, especially in a difficult economic environment. Shopping expert Trae Bodge says it’s important to stick to a budget and keep the risk of debt under control. Kiersten Torok is a social media content creator known on Instagram and TikTok as Torok Coupon Hunter. She recommends keeping an eye out for holiday decorations and gifts on sale after the holiday season and saving them for next year.

Disney invests $1B in OpenAI in deal to bring characters like Mickey Mouse to Sora AI video tool

Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI to bring characters like Mickey Mouse and Luke Skywalker to the AI company's Sora video tool. Announced on Thursday, this three-year licensing deal makes Disney the first major content partner for Sora. Fans can generate and share videos featuring over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters. Disney and OpenAI emphasize responsible AI use to protect creators' rights. Some user-generated videos will be available on Disney+. Disney also sent Google a cease and desist letter for using Disney content without permission to train its AI models.

Broadcom and tech stocks fall, but the rest of Wall Street picks up some of the slack

NEW YORK (AP) — Broadcom is leading artificial-intelligence stocks lower, but other areas of the market that used to get left behind by Big Tech are picking up some of the slack. That’s keeping Wall Street indexes near their record heights on Friday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from its all-time high, and the weakness for tech had the Nasdaq composite down 0.4%. The majority of stocks on Wall Street were nevertheless rising, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 110 points to its own record. Lululemon Athletica helped lead the market after delivering a strong profit report and saying it’s looking for a new CEO.

Hunger and makeshift shelters persist in north Caribbean nearly 2 months after Hurricane Melissa

PETIT GOÂVE, Haiti (AP) — The Atlantic hurricane season may be over. But thousands of people in Haiti and beyond are still looking for food and struggling to rebuild their lives nearly two months after Hurricane Melissa pummeled the northern Caribbean. It was one of the strongest Atlantic storms in recorded history. Melissa killed at least 43 people across Haiti. Many of them were in Petit-Goâve where residents are still digging out from under the storm that unleased deadly flooding. Jamaica also is struggling to recover from the storm. Melissa made landfall in the western part of the neighboring island in late October. It caused an estimated $8.8 billion in damage.

Ford turns to stepped-up tech and cooperation with police to thwart F-150 pickup thieves

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has stepped up technology in its popular F-150 pickup to combat ever-evolving techniques car thieves have at their disposal. It is the latest cat-and-mouse move that the automaker hopes will help customers avoid the costly and frustrating process that occurs when vehicles are swiped. It includes a feature that won’t allow the pickups to start even if key fobs are present. Owners can use Ford’s “Start Inhibit” to disable their F-150’s engine from a smartphone. The pickup was in the top 10 of most stolen models over the first half of 2025. Ford Secure General Manager Christian Moran says there are a lot of F-150s on the road, and thieves like pickups.

New England's shrimp fishery to shut down for the long haul after years of decline

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishing regulators are extending a shutdown for New England’s historic shrimp fishing business, effectively shuttering an industry that fell victim to warming oceans. The sweet pink shrimp were once a winter delicacy. Maine fishermen used to catch millions of pounds of shrimp, but the business has been under a fishing moratorium since 2014. Scientists say rising temperatures have created an inhospitable environment for the shrimp, and their population is too low to fish sustainably. An arm of the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted on Thursday to shut down the fishery for at least another three years.