Canadian Kurtis Rourke leads upstart Hoosiers into U.S. college football playoffsJim Rossman | Tribune News Service Cord cutting used to refer to abandoning pay TV and putting up an antenna to watch free over-the-air TV. Then cord cutting expanded to include streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and individual streaming sources. Related Articles San Jose Sharks debut catchy sequel video to ‘Holiday Sweater’ Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Why American travelers are choosing Europe for Christmas Jaw-dropping holiday light displays worth the trip this December Now we also include streaming bundles, like YouTube TV or Hulu Live or DirecTV Stream. These bundled services mimic cable and satellite service, in that they have hundreds of channels. The ease or complexity of the cord cutting experience depends on how you have things set up. Let’s take a look at some gift options for your favorite cord cutter. As far as I know DirecTV is the only streaming bundle service that offers its own hardware. The Gemini Air is a small dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV. It is paired with a remote control to allow for easy navigation. If you were an AT&T U-Verse TV customer, the Gemini Air/DirecTV Stream experience will be very familiar. The Gemini Air is a rarity in that it has number buttons. DirecTV Stream has the option of turning on channel numbers in the guide. I’ve used DirecTV Stream with my Roku TV and with the Gemini Air and the Air makes navigating the huge list of channels much easier. The Gemini Air runs the Google operating system, so you can see and use all your other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Max and more. You can also load apps and games from the Google Play store. The Gemini Air connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, and it can stream 4K content to your TV. The remote control has a microphone so you can use your voice to search or interact with Hey Google’s voice assistant. DirecTV Stream customers can get a free Gemini Air from AT&T with their service. Additional units are available for $120. There are lots of smart TV brands. Some run on the Roku operating system, some run Google TV and some use their own brand of smart TV apps. If you’d like to add Google TV to any set, you can get Google’s new TV Streamer (4K) for just $99 from store.google.com. The small device connects to your TV’s HDMI port. It also can connect to your home’s internet via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet connection. The Google TV interface is not tied to any specific streaming service. You can use any streaming service or app that’s available on the Google Play store. It features a simple remote with voice control and the Google TV Streamer is also a hub and controller for Matter and Thread home devices that work with Google’s home ecosystem. If you use an over-the-air antenna for watching your free local channels, I’m betting you’d like the option to record those channels. TiVo used to be the best/easiest way to record OTA TV, but they’ve discontinued their OTA recorders. A great alternative is from TabloTV, which is a small box that you connect to your TV antenna. The TabloTV does not directly connect to your TV. Instead it connects to your home’s Wi-Fi, and the antenna signal is wirelessly sent to any TV or compatible device in your home. Your TV picks up the signal through a free app, which is compatible with smart TV brands like Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Android TV. This method is extremely handy if you don’t want to be bothered running an antenna wire from your attic or roof all the way to your TV. It’s also great if you want to use an indoor antenna, but your TV is not situated in a room that faces the broadcast towers. You can place the antenna and TabloTV where you get the best reception. The TabloTV comes in two models – with either two or four tuners. This means you can record or watch two or four shows at a time. TabloTV has onboard storage to record up to 50 hours of shows, but you can plug in any USB hard drive and expand to record thousands of hours of programming. You can also bundle a TabloTV with an OTA antenna if you like, or you can use your own antenna. Two things to know, there are no ongoing subscription costs for guide data, and there is no streaming service integration. You will need another way to add in streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. TabloTV models start at $99.95 for the two tuner model at tablotv.com. The four-tuner model is $139.95, but they may be on sale during the holidays. ©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Vikings staying on track and in control behind Sam Darnold's composure and confidenceThe S&P 500 ( ^GSPC 0.56% ) soared 26.3% (including dividends) in 2023, and it's up 27.8% in 2024 so far. That means it's on track for consecutive annual gains of at least 20% for the first time since 1999. In fact, going back to when the S&P 500 was established in 1957, that has only happened on six occasions. History suggests it could lead to another strong year in 2025, but the data is skewed by a period of time many investors would probably rather forget. Back-to-back gains of 20% (or more) are extremely rare The S&P 500 has delivered a compound annual return of 10.5% since 1957, so its performances during 2023 and 2024 are already significantly above average. Let's dive into some historical data below, and examine what happened every other time the index gained at least 20% in consecutive years. The S&P 500 generated a 37.2% return in 1975, and then a 23.8% gain in 1976. That strong back-to-back performance was followed by a 7.2% loss in 1977. The index generated a 21.5% return in 1981, and then a 22.5% gain in 1982. That occasion was followed by a modest 6.2% return in 1983. The S&P was up 37.5% in 1995, followed by a 22.9% gain in 1996, a 33.3% gain in 1997, a 28.5% gain in 1998, and a 21% gain in 1999. The streak ended with a 9.1% loss in the year 2000. In hindsight, that incredible five-year streak between 1995 and 1999 became known as the dot-com technology bubble, when internet companies surged in value without having the revenue, earnings, or fundamentals to support their gains. The dot-com bubble became the dot-com bust with a brutal three-year run of losses for the S&P 500 between 2000 and 2002. It took seven years for the index to reclaim its all-time high from that period. If we calculate the average S&P result from 1977, 1983, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, we get an average return of 12.1%. That might be the gain we can expect in 2025, based purely on the above historical data alone. As I mentioned earlier, the data is heavily skewed by the dot-com era, which was an unprecedented time in stock market history. But we are in the midst of another technology boom right now, this time driven by artificial intelligence (AI). This isn't 1999, but the S&P 500 is unquestionably expensive AI has played a key role in the incredible S&P 500 gains during 2023 and 2024. Nvidia ( NVDA 2.15% ) , for example, has added a staggering $3.1 trillion to its market capitalization over the last two years, primarily based on sales of its graphics processing units ( GPU s) for the data center that are used to develop AI . Nvidia is on track to generate $129 billion in revenue during its current fiscal year, which will be a near-fivefold increase from two years ago. In other words, the AI boom is underpinned by tangible financial results, which wasn't the case with the internet bubble. In fact, Morgan Stanley predicts four tech companies -- Microsoft , Amazon , Alphabet , and Meta Platforms -- will invest a combined $300 billion in AI infrastructure during 2025 alone. Those four companies, plus Nvidia, represent 22.6% of the total value of the entire S&P 500, so it will be great for the broader market if that spending eventually pays off. With that said, the S&P is expensive right now. It trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 24.7, which is a 36% premium to its long-term average of 18.1 going back to the 1950s. However, we are still comfortably below the dot-com-era peak of around 46, which suggests valuations are elevated but not necessarily irrational just yet. Opposing economic forces could spark volatility in 2025 Given the valuation of the S&P 500, next year will have to be almost perfect in order for investors to see another strong return. That means corporate America will have to meet expectations when it comes to earnings growth, and macroeconomic conditions need to remain supportive. On the one hand, the U.S. economy will be supported by falling interest rates. The Federal Reserve has already cut rates twice since September, and there should be more on the way . On the other hand, the incoming Trump administration plans to levy sizable tariffs on important trading partners like Mexico and Canada, which could disrupt global trade and potentially even spark inflation. The last time President Trump was in office, he imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from practically every country in the world. Many countries (like China) decided to retaliate with tariffs of their own, sparking fears of a painful trade war that could have derailed the global economy. That was a key reason the S&P 500 almost slipped into bear market territory during 2018. So if tariffs are on the agenda as soon as President-elect Trump moves back into the White House in January, the stock market could be in for a rough ride in 2025.

Matt Gaetz withdraws attorney general nominationWSDOT provides update on pilot project using drones to fight graffitiMeghan McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, took to social media Monday to criticize President Joe Biden for pardoning his own son, Hunter Biden. “No one is above the law except the Presidents nepo baby is a helluva parting message for democrats...” McCain wrote on X. The president’s son was convicted earlier this year on tax evasion and drug charges. ADVERTISEMENT Some commenters pointed out that McCain herself has enjoyed a career as a political commentator at least partly because of her father’s successful career in Washington. “You’re a nepo baby and no one would have known you were it not for your dad,” one commenter said. “Says the nepo baby,” another commenter wrote. McCain launched her career in 2008 during her father’s unsuccessful run for president with a blog about life on the campaign trail. She then worked for multiple news organizations as a columnist and commentator, including the Daily Beast, ABC News, Fox News and MSNBC. She also was a co-host of daytime talk show The View from 2017 to 2021, and famously left the program after feuding on-air with Joy Behar. Many Republicans have criticized Biden’s sweeping pardon of his son, a surprising move that happened just days before Hunter’s sentencing in separate tax and gun cases. Biden pardoned his son for all offenses he “committed or may have committed or taken part in” from January 2014 to December 2024, writing in a statement that he believed politics had infected both cases and that his son had been “treated differently” than other defendants charged with similar crimes. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Biden said.AP News Summary at 9:54 a.m. EST

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