Tag Archives: Santa

Santa Ana High School lockdown lifted after reports of bomb threat; campus is safe, police say

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — Santa Ana High School has been cleared and declared safe Thursday afternoon after the campus was placed on lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” due reports of a possible bomb threat and a potentially armed person on campus, officials said.

According to an update issued by the school district shortly after 3 p.m., there was not an active shooter at the school and no injuries were reported.

Police officially declared the campus safe around 4:30 p.m.

Officers first responded to the school at 520 Walnut Street shortly after 1 p.m. and a bomb squad was summoned to the scene, according to police.

A suspect was initially believed to be a student, a police spokesperson told ABC7, but investigators later said a suspect was not found.

News video from AIR7 HD showed officers who arrived at the campus in several patrol and SWAT vehicles.

Students have since been released.

Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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Santa Ana High School remains on lockdown after reports of bomb threat; no shooter or injuries, district says

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — Santa Ana High School remains on lockdown Thursday afternoon “out of an abundance of caution” after reports of a possible bomb threat and a potentially armed person on campus, officials said.

According to an update issued by the school district shortly after 3 p.m., there is not an active shooter at the school and no injuries have been reported.

“This is only a threat at this point,” said the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Officers first responded to the school at 520 Walnut Street shortly after 1 p.m. and a bomb squad was summoned to the scene, according to police.

The suspect was initially believed to be a student, a police spokesperson told ABC7.

“No one is currently allowed in or out of the campus to help ensure the safety of our students and staff,” SAUSD said in a statement. “Students are safe and all security protocols are being followed.”

News video from AIR7 HD showed officers who arrived at the campus in several patrol and SWAT vehicles.

One person, who appeared to be conscious and alert, was wheeled away from the campus on a gurney by first responders and placed in an ambulance. Whether that person was seriously injured was unclear.

The Police Department urged the public to avoid the area.

Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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Earthquake Santa Paula: 4.0 magnitude earthquake strikes near the city of Santa Paula in Ventura County Saturday evening

SANTA PAULA, Calif. (KABC) — A preliminary 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck about five miles northwest of the city of Santa Paula in Ventura County Saturday at 5:44 p.m., according to USGS.

The quake had a depth of about 16 miles, USGS reported. Shaking was felt throughout the Ventura County region as well as various parts of Los Angeles County.

No injuries or damage have been reported.

USGS initially reported the quake as a magnitude 3.9 before upgrading it to 4.1, then adjusting it to 4.0.

“Felt it big time in East Ventura — three hard shakes and some rolling,” said Jennifer Diane on Facebook.

Caltech seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, noted on her Twitter page that Saturday’s quake “is in essentially the same location as the M3.9 on Feb. 11. Both are very deep for Southern California.”

An magnitude 3.1 aftershock was recorded at 8:44 p.m. about six miles northwest of Santa Paula. That quake had a depth of 11 miles.

Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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Alec Baldwin grabs a bite in the Hamptons as authorities in Santa Fe continue probe of Rust shooting

Alec Baldwin was snapped Monday in East Hampton, New York grabbing a bite amid the latest developments in the October death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The actor, 63, donned a puffy black coat with grey pants and black shoes, and had his hair combed to the side on the weekday outing in the luxe enclave of New York.

The 30 Rock actor was seen eating lunch while seated on a bench on the winter weekday. He had a bag of food and drank a Dr. Brown’s soda on the daytime outing. 

The latest: Alec Baldwin, 63, was snapped Monday in East Hampton, New York grabbing a bite amid the latest developments in the October death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

The Glengarry Glen Ross star was previously spotted heading out for coffee in New York City on Saturday, as a New Mexico DA revealed it was possible the actor might have fired the bullet that killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins without pulling the trigger. 

The breakthrough revelation by Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies comes just days after Hutchins’ family sued the beleaguered actor, claiming he is in ‘complete denial’ of his role in her death and is ‘blaming others’ over the October 21 shooting. 

The slain cinematographer’s family also claimed Baldwin is ‘not accepting any responsibility’ for her sudden death last year and noted that he ‘refused any gun safety training, number one.’   

Carmack-Altwies told Vanity Fair that it was possible the gun that killed Hutchins went off without Baldwin pulling the trigger, as he had previously claimed in a December interview with ABC. 

The actor donned a puffy black coat with grey pants and black shoes, and had his hair combed to the side on the weekday outing in the luxe enclave of New York 

The veteran actor had a bag of food and drank a Dr. Brown’s soda as he stopped for lunch

The 30 Rock actor was seen eating lunch while seated on a bench on the winter weekday 

‘I didn’t pull the trigger,’ Baldwin said at the time. ‘I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.’ 

The DA said she asked an investigator in the case to bring their own revolver and conducted an unofficial test with two independent inspectors who made sure the gun was empty. 

‘One of the investigators in my office happens to have a very old type revolver, and so he brought it, at my request, so that we could look at it and see if that was at all possible,’ Carmack-Altwies told Vanity Fair.   

‘Then they visually showed me you can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it,’ she added. ‘So you pull it back partway, it doesn’t lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet.’ 

Exclusive photos by DailyMail.com show Baldwin, who is back in the United States from his first acting gig since the tragic shooting on the set of Rust, chatting with wife Hilaria, who waited inside the couple’s SUV as he made a coffee stop in New York City on Saturday. 

Alec Baldwin was spotted heading out for coffee in New York City just days after he was hit with a wrongful dead lawsuit by the family of Halyna Hutchins 

Baldwin, who is back in the States from his first acting gig since the tragic shooting on the set of Rust, chatted with wife Hilaria, who waited inside the couple’s SUV, as he made a coffee stop in New York City

Baldwin was in England filming the thriller 97 minutes, his first foray back into acting since the prop gun that he was holding went off on the set of now-abandoned Western Rust

The slain cinematographer’s family also claimed Baldwin is ‘not accepting any responsibility’ for her sudden death last year and noted that he ‘refused any gun safety training, number one’

In an interview with abc in December, Baldwin claimed the prop gun that killed Hutchins went off without him pulling the trigger 

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies (pictured) corroborated that Baldwin’s claims he did not pull the trigger could be true 

Baldwin and Hilaria, 38, are parents to six children – daughter Carmen, eight, and sons Rafael, six; Leonardo, five; Romeo, three, and Eduardo, one; and newborn Lucia, one. Alec is also father to model Ireland Baldwin, 26.    

On Tuesday, the actor purchased a historic 50-acre farm in Vermont for $1.7 million – the same day he was hit with a wrongful death suit by Hutchins’ family. 

The purchase in the small mountain town of Arlington, comes after the actor spent months in the area after fleeing his home in New York City following the tragedy in New Mexico. 

‘Obviously a purchase is public information,’ broker Faith Rhodes, who handled the sale, told local outlet the Bennington Banner on Thursday when asked about the deal. 

‘It’s an historic farm. East Arlington Village is historic itself.’

According to Rhodes, the farmhouse is nearly 250 years old and was built in 1780 or 1783.  

Baldwin’s family has deep ties to the area, with his wife Hilaria’s grandfather, David Lloyd Thomas Sr., having having resided there for most of his life until his death in March 2020, at 92. 

On Tuesday, the actor purchased a historic 50-acre farm in Vermont for $1.7million – the same day he was hit with a wrongful death suit by Hutchins’ family 

The home features ‘a 3,600 [square foot] main house, and a nicely renovated 1800 [square-foot] guest cottage with 2 baths’ (pictured)

As the Santa Fe Sheriff Office approaches its fourth month of investigation into the tragic accident on the set of the low-budget Western, criminal charges have yet to be filed against Baldwin. 

‘Everyone was shocked. The gun was supposed to be empty,’ Baldwin said during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in December. 

‘I was told I was handed an empty gun. She [Hutchins] goes down, I thought to myself ”Did she faint?”’  

Carmack-Altwies’ office is expecting that a full forensic report to be conducted later this month will shed light on the make and type of ammunition that killed Hutchins. 

The Santa Fe DA was reportedly shocked when she first heard Baldwin’s claim that he had not pulled the trigger. 

‘I didn’t know too much about guns, certainly not about 1850s-era revolver. So, when I first heard that, I was like, ”Oh that’s crazy,”’ she told Vanity Fair.   

Carmack-Altwies’ remarks followed Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza’s comments saying that ‘guns don’t just go off. So whatever needs to happen to manipulate the firearm, he did that, and it was in his hands.’

She said her office is investigating claims that the shooting had been the result of a carefully planned sabotage by scorned staff, but highlighted there was not evidence that had actually occurred.   

‘The notion that there’s sabotage — I mean, there is not one iota of evidence at this point,’ she said. 

An aerial view of the film set on Bonanza Creek Ranch where Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza 

The Hutchins’ family attorney, Brian Panish said that Baldwin had ‘refused’ training for the kind of gun draw he was doing when he shot Hutchins

The revelation comes after Baldwin’s return from England, where he was filming the thriller 97 Minutes, his first foray back into acting since the prop gun that he was holding went off on the set of the now-abandoned Western Rust. 

The movie follows the tale of a hijacked 767 plane that will crash in just 97 minutes when its fuel runs out. Baldwin’s role has not been revealed.  

The actor took to Instagram on Tuesday as he was in Hampshire, saying that ‘it’s strange to go back to work.’

‘I said I would keep a little diary of when I was traveling and working,’ Baldwin said in the clip. ‘We had our first day today which is always tricky. I don’t work as much as I used to … you go to work and you forget what you’re supposed to do.’  

He added he continues to ‘find that hard to say’ nearly four months after the tragic incident.

‘I went back to work today for the first time in three-and-a-half months,’ he said. ‘Movies are nearly always the same – everyone’s young compared to me, everyone’s young. Especially in independent films where there are good people, there are very good people.’

Baldwin commented how independent films often feature young people earlier in their careers working hard under time constraints. 

The suit against Alec and Rust producers, filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles, claimed ‘reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures led to the death of Halyna Hutchins,’ noting that Hutchins ‘would be alive and well, hugging her husband and nine-year-old son’ had proper protocols been followed on set.  

The suit says industry standards call for using a rubber or similar prop gun during the setup, and there was no call for a real gun.

It goes on to say that both Baldwin and assistant director David Halls, who handed him the gun, should have checked the revolver for live bullets.

The suit also names as defendants Halls, unit production manager Katherine Walters, the film’s armorer Hannah Guttierez Reed and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney.

‘Any claim that Alec was reckless is entirely false,’ Aaron Dyer, attorney for Baldwin and other producers, said in a statement Tuesday. ‘He, Halyna and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a ”cold gun” – meaning there is no possibility of a discharge.’

He added that ‘actors should be able to rely on armorers and prop department professionals, as well as assistant directors, rather than deciding on their own when a gun is safe to use.’ 

At least three other lawsuits have been filed over the shooting, but this is the first directly tied to one of the two people shot.  

A 10-minute video created by the attorneys showed a 3D animated recreation of the shooting during a rehearsal in a church. 

The law firm handling the case produced this video that shows an animated recreation of the shooting, complete with a Baldwin avatar 

In the video, Baldwin accepts the revolver and points it at Hutchins, who is standing next to the camera in a church set 

Baldwin fires, and the round strikes Hutchins, 42, in the chest (left). Moments later Hutchins collapses on the floor after being shot (right)

The animation shows that the round in the gun was not a typical ‘dummy’ bullet with a hole drilled in the middle

It shows a computer-generated avatar representing Baldwin accepting the Colt gun from Halls, pointing it in Hutchins’ direction and firing.

The animation shows that the bullet in the chamber was live and not a ‘dummy’ with a hole drilled into it. The round strikes Hutchins, who clutches her chest and collapses in the video.

The Hutchins’ family attorney, Brian Panish,  said that Baldwin had ‘refused’ training for the kind of gun draw he was doing when he shot Hutchins. The lawsuit also claims that Baldwin never checked the gun himself for ammunition before using it.

They also presented a list of ‘at least 15 industry standards’ an attorney for the family said producers had ignored on set.

These included failure to use a prop gun rather than a live weapon, a lack of individuals qualified to handle weapons on set at the time of the shooting, and lack of protective equipment for crew.  

Panish also produced a copy of a text message where a local camera operator made safety complaints to producers that there had been three unsafe weapons discharges on the set, calling the environment ‘super unsafe’.

The unit production manager responded ‘with callous sarcasm,’ according to the lawsuit. He said in response that it was ‘awesome’ and ‘sounds good.’  

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Tim Allen To Headline ‘The Santa Clause’ Sequel Series For Disney+ – Deadline

Tim Allen is returning to Disney — and to the North Pole. The actor-comedian is set to star in and executive-produce The Santa Clause (working title), a Disney+ original limited series, in which he will reprise his role as Scott Calvin from the hit Walt Disney Pictures holiday franchise.

photo: Ross Pelton

On the series, Allen is reuniting with Jack Burditt, creator of Allen’s hit sitcom Last Man Standing, who will serve as executive producer and showrunner on The Last Clause. Last Man Standing writer-executive producer Kevin Hench will executive produce the new series, alongside Allen’s managers, Richard Baker and Rick Messina who also had EP credits on LMS.

In Disney Branded Television’s The Santa Clause series, produced by 20th Television, Scott Calvin (Allen) is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever. He’s starting to lose a step in his Santa duties, and more importantly, he’s got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children, and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole.

Production on the series is set to begin in March in Los Angeles.

Classic holiday movie franchises from the Disney library are being mined for Disney+; this past holiday season, the streamer premiered a new Home Alone film.

Allen won a People’s Choice Award for his portrayal of Scott Calvin, Santa Claus’s proxy, complete with expanding waistline, rosy cheeks and snow-white whiskers in the 1994 film The Santa Clause. He went on to play the role in two sequels, 2002’s The Santa Clause 2 and 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. (You can watch a trailer for the third movie below.) Allen reunited with the creative team from The Santa Clause to make Disney’s Jungle 2 Jungle, and also starred in Disney’s remake of The Shaggy Dog in 2006.

Additionally, Allen voices one of the most popular Disney animated characters, Buzz Lightyear, in Pixar’s Toy Story franchise.

On the TV side at Disney, the comedian headlined one of ABC’s signature comedy series, Home Improvement. Allen also starred for nine seasons on Last Man Standing, which started on ABC before moving to Fox and was produced by 20th Television.



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‘Let’s go Brandon’ Santa Tracker caller insists he meant no disrespect to Biden | Joe Biden

The caller who ended a conversation with Joe Biden with the rightwing meme “Let’s go Brandon” – which means “fuck Joe Biden” – has insisted he was joking and meant no disrespect to the president.

“At the end of the day I have nothing against Mr Biden,” Jared Schmeck, 35, told the Oregonian newspaper. “But I am frustrated because I think he can be doing a better job. I mean no disrespect to him.”

Schmeck, from Central Point, also said he was not a “Trumper” but rather a “free-thinking American and follower of Jesus Christ”.

On Christmas Eve, the president and his wife, Dr Jill Biden, took calls to the North American Aerospace Defense Command Santa Tracker, which each year purports to follow the progress of Santa and his reindeer.

A traditional duty for American presidents, in 2018 it was nearly upended when Donald Trump told a seven-year-old belief in Santa Claus was “marginal” at that age.

Biden and Schmeck discussed presents Schmeck’s four children were hoping to receive, and how one, Hunter, shared a name with the president’s son and grandson. Schmeck said he was hoping for a “quiet night”.

Biden sad: “Lots of luck, dad.”

All on the call laughed.

At the end of the call, Schmeck said: “Merry Christmas and Let’s go Brandon.”

“Let’s go Brandon, I agree,” Biden said, as his wife winced.

Biden also said: “By the way are you in Oregon? Where’s your home?”

But the call was disconnected.

“Let’s go Brandon” originated in an interview with a racing car driver by a TV reporter who may have misheard a crowd’s obscene chant.

It has flourished in rightwing and pro-Trump circles – even being promoted by Republican congressmen and the Texas senator Ted Cruz.

Schmeck and his wife promoted the remark on social media. But they met with a tide of opprobrium, including a tweet in which the California congressman Eric Swalwell pointed to Biden’s painful personal history.

“I refuse to believe we are this indecent as people,” the Democrat wrote. “Not on Christmas Eve. And not to a person who lost his wife and daughter at Christmastime. We are better than this. Be kind and Merry Christmas.”

Schmeck, a former police officer, told the Oregonian he was “being attacked for utilising my freedom of speech”.

He also said he had received some potentially threatening phone calls of his own.

“I understand there is a vulgar meaning to ‘Lets go Brandon’ but I’m not that simple-minded, no matter how I feel about him,” Schmeck said.

“[Biden] seems likes he’s a cordial guy. There’s no animosity or anything like that. It was merely just an innocent jest to also express my God-given right to express my frustrations in a joking manner.”

Schmeck said subjects stoking those frustrations with Biden included vaccine mandates and supply chain problems.

He also insisted: “I love him just like I love any other brother or sister.”



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Father interrupts Biden’s Norad Santa call with ‘Let’s go Brandon’ insult

An Oregon father hijacked his children’s Christmas Eve phone call with the North American Aerospace Defence Command’s annual Santa Tracker to deliver a vulgar insult to President Joe Biden.

The Norad Santa Tracker is an annual tradition that dates back to 1955, when a child in Colorado Springs accidentally placed a call to the on-duty commander of what was then known as Continental Air Defence Command, looking to speak with Santa Claus, inspiring him to order a public affairs officer to inform the press that the US military was tracking Santa’s reindeer-pulled flying sleigh.

Norad now publishes the phone number of a volunteer-staffed hotline children can dial to receive updates on the cookie-eating, toy-delivering jolly man’s progress on his annual around-the-world delivery run. And in recent years, most presidents have joined in on the tradition by answering a few calls.

Mr Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were patched in to Norad’s Santa tracker line from an auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and were finishing a call with children from an Oregon family when the children’s father, a man who identified himself as Jared, interjected: “Merry Christmas and let’s go Brandon”.

Conservatives and supporters of former president Donald Trump have used the “let’s go Brandon” slogan as code for “f**k Joe Biden” since an NBC sports reporter misreported the content of the vulgar slogan, which was being chanted by the crowd at a September Nascar race.

The phrase has become somewhat of a shibboleth among consumers of right-wing media in recent months, but Mr Biden, who replied “let’s go Brandon, I agree,” did not appear to be in on the vulgar joke.

Mr Biden’s encounter with the caller was not the first time a presidential Santa Tracker call has gone horribly awry.

In 2018, a call between a seven-year-old girl named Collman and Mr Trump raised eyebrows after the then-president implied to the girl that Santa Claus was not real.

After asking what the youngster was doing for Christmas, Mr Trump followed up with: “Are you still a believer in Santa?”

“Because at seven it’s marginal, right?” he continued.

Mr Trump, who did not appear to realise that he’d told a child that Santa Claus did not exist, laughed to himself for a moment before concluding with: “Well, you just enjoy yourself”.

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NORAD is tracking Santa around the world on Christmas Eve

While you are waiting to hear the jingle of bells in the air that means Santa is near, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has a tracking system to show the jolly man’s progress worldwide.

NORAD, which is responsible for protecting the skies over the United States and Canada, activates its Santa tracking system at 6 a.m. ET on Christmas Eve. People can follow Santa’s journey around the world on NORAD’s website or they can call the command center at 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).

A live operator, or a recording, will give the caller Santa’s current whereabouts.

“Due to COVID concerns, the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center will have fewer phone operators, so callers who do not reach a volunteer will hear a regularly updated recording as to Santa’s current location,” reads NORAD’s news release.

The tracking service can also be accessed through Amazon Alexa, OnStar and the Bing search engine, according to the news release.

This is the 66th year NORAD has been tracking Santa’s yuletide journey around the world. It started by accident, according to the news release, in 1955 when a local newspaper advertisement informed children they could call Santa directly — only the contact number was misprinted.

“Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty, US Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD,” reads the release. “Col. Shoup was quick to realize a mistake had been made, and assured the child he was Santa.”

Thus the tradition was started, according to NORAD, and they have carried it on since NORAD was created in 1958. Millions of families and children around the world have used the tracking service, according to NORAD.

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NORAD is tracking Santa around the world on Christmas Eve

While you are waiting to hear the jingle of bells in the air that means Santa is near, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has a tracking system to show the jolly man’s progress worldwide.

NORAD, which is responsible for protecting the skies over the United States and Canada, activates its Santa tracking system at 6 a.m. ET on Christmas Eve. People can follow Santa’s journey around the world on NORAD’s website or they can call the command center at 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).

A live operator, or a recording, will give the caller Santa’s current whereabouts.

“Due to COVID concerns, the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center will have fewer phone operators, so callers who do not reach a volunteer will hear a regularly updated recording as to Santa’s current location,” reads NORAD’s news release.

The tracking service can also be accessed through Amazon Alexa, OnStar and the Bing search engine, according to the news release.

This is the 66th year NORAD has been tracking Santa’s yuletide journey around the world. It started by accident, according to the news release, in 1955 when a local newspaper advertisement informed children they could call Santa directly — only the contact number was misprinted.

“Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty, US Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD,” reads the release. “Col. Shoup was quick to realize a mistake had been made, and assured the child he was Santa.”

Thus the tradition was started, according to NORAD, and they have carried it on since NORAD was created in 1958. Millions of families and children around the world have used the tracking service, according to NORAD.

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Dow Jones Futures: Santa Claus Rally Comes Early As Tesla Surges, These 5 Stocks Flash Buy Signals

Dow Jones futures will open on Sunday evening, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. The stock market rally revived last week, with the S&P 500 nearly at a new high while a diverse list of leaders flashed buy signals, including AMD stock and Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL).




X



While it might not be everything investors wanted from Santa heading into Christmas holiday, it’s a lot better than the lump of coal they were expecting after Monday, Dec. 19.

Tesla (TSLA) was a big winner last week, rebounding powerfully from the top of a prior base to clear its 50-day line. But Tesla stock isn’t in buy range yet. Meanwhile Tradeweb Markets (TW), ArcBest (ARCB), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) and Google stock all are actionable now.

Tesla, Google, AMD and TW stock are on IBD Leaderboard. Google stock is on SwingTrader. Google and WST stock are on IBD Long-Term Leaders. Google, West Pharma, Tradeweb and AMD stock are on the IBD 50. Tradeweb also is IBD Stock Of The Day.

The video embedded in this article covers the market rebound and analyzed Tradeweb, AMD and ARCB stock.

Dow Jones Futures Today

Dow Jones futures open at 6 p.m. ET, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures.

U.S. stock markets and many exchanges around the world are closed on Christmas Eve.

Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.


Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live


Coronavirus News

Coronavirus cases worldwide reached 278.64 million. Covid-19 deaths topped 5.4 million.

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have hit 52.78 million, with deaths above 834,000.

New Covid cases are at their highest number in months, as the super-infectious omicron variant turbocharges an already-rising case count in much of the world. However, omicron cases appear to be much milder on average than with prior Covid variants.

Stock Market Rally

The stock market rally started off the past week poorly but then came on strong, with three solid gains and closing near session highs. Technically, it’s a little early for a Santa Claus rally, but investors didn’t mind opening up gifts a bit early.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.65% in last week’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index climbed 2.3%. The Nasdaq composite and small-cap Russell 2000, which looked the worst on Monday, both rallied for 3.2% weekly gains.

The 10-year Treasury yield jumped 9 basis points last week to 1.49%. Crude oil prices popped 4% to $73.79 a barrel.

Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) rebounded 4.75% last week. The Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) climbed 3.5%, nearly at a record high. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) advanced 2.4%. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) rallied 4.4%, with AMD stock a major component.

SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) rose 3.1% last week. The Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) was up 1.7%. U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) ascended 6.7%. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) climbed 2.7%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) edged up 0.9% and the Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) 0.6%, after both erased steep losses earlier in the week. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) climbed 1%, right at new highs.

Reflecting more-speculative story stocks, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) rose 1.9% last week and ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) inched up 0.6%. Tesla stock remains the No. 1 holding across ARK Invest’s ETFs.


Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now


Tradeweb Stock

Tradeweb stock jumped 3.8% to 98.89 on Thursday, capping a 4.2% weekly gain. TW rebounded bullishly from its 50-day line and broke a trend line, flashing an early buy signal Thursday. But it kept rising, briefly hitting a record high and topping a 99.35 buy point from a four-weeks-tight pattern that was almost a flat base. The relative strength line for TW stock is near a record high.

In another positive sign, other financial market or exchange stocks, including NYSE-owner Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Nasdaq (NDAQ), CME Group (CME) and more are acting well.

ArcBest Stock

ArcBest stock popped 5.45% to 111.65 higher, in a bullish outside week, clearing a trend line and a short-term peak as it extended a 50-day line rebound. That offered an early entry for ARCB stock, which has an official buy point of 116.89.

Several other trucking firms, including J.B. Hunt (JBHT) and Saia (SAIA), are also shaping up.

AMD Stock

AMD stock rose 1.6% to 146.14 on Thursday, breaking a trend line and capping a strong weekly bounce from the 50-day line. It’s actionable here, with the Dec. 16 high of 147.93 another key hurdle.

Several other chipmakers, including AMD rival Nvidia (NVDA), are at or near buy points.

West Pharma Stock

West Pharmaceutical stock broke out past a cup-with-handle base buy point of 458.09 on Thursday, according to MarketSmith analysis. That continued a strong bounce from the 21-day and 10-week lines. WST stock rose 2.2% to 459.84 for the week. As a medical supplier, WST stock is another “picks and shovels” play, generating steady growth.

A wide variety of medical stocks are showing strength in recent weeks.

Google Stock

Google stock, after hitting a two-month low intraday Monday, rebounded for a 3.7% weekly gain to 2,938.33. That’s back above the 50-day line, a short trend line and an old buy point of 2,925.17. GOOGL stock now has a new flat base with a 3,019.43 buy point.

Tesla Stock

Tesla stock hit a low of 886.12 on Tuesday morning, more than round-tripping a 38% rally from a 900.50 cup-base buy point cleared in late October. But shares then roared higher, surging more than 14% for the week to 1,067 and reclaiming its 50-day moving average. Tesla stock was the S&P 500’s biggest winner on Wednesday and Thursday.

CEO Elon Musk, amid some confusion, signaled that he’s nearly finished selling TSLA stock to cover a tax payment.

While the rebound from the prior base and running past the 50-day line are bullish moves, Tesla stock is not yet actionable. The EV giant has a consolidation that can be viewed as a double-bottom base with a 1,202.05 buy point. A downward-sloping trend line from the early November peak offers an early entry around 1,115.

Musk said Friday evening that Tesla was rolling out FSD Beta 10.8, the latest version of its driver-assist system being used by several thousand Full Self-Driving owners.

In early January, perhaps before the open of the first trading session of 2022 on Jan. 3, Tesla will release fourth-quarter production and delivery figures. Analysts are expecting another record quarter for deliveries, with plants near Berlin and Austin set to begin production soon.


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Market Rally Analysis

The stock market rally is looking promising again. On Monday, the Nasdaq undercut the early December lows, ending its rally attempt. But the S&P 500 did not, so the overall market rally continued. It didn’t look good at the time. But the major indexes rebounded strongly over the next three sessions, reclaiming their 50-day moving averages.

The S&P 500 hit a closing high Thursday, while the Nasdaq broke a trend line and cleared its high on Dec. 16, when the market reversed sharply lower. That action provides more confidence in the health of the market rally.

The Russell 2000 rebounded from Monday’s nine-month low, but is still below its 200-day and 50-day lines. That’s a good proxy for overall market breadth, which improved in the past few sessions but remains woeful. New highs easily passed new lows on the NYSE on Thursday but still lagged on the Nasdaq.


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Market Leadership

On the plus side, market leadership continues to broaden.

Travel stocks were big winners, and a clear signal that markets, for now, are once again feeling more confident about the omicron Covid variant. Medicals have quietly been very strong. Networking stocks are clear leaders in recent weeks. TW stock and other exchange plays are doing well, while many financials aren’t that far off from looking interesting.

Several chips are flashing buy signals, including AMD stock but also several chip-equipment makers. Trucking plays are looking solid, with ARCB stock perhaps leading a convoy in the coming weeks. Housing-related stocks, despite some bumps, are standing tall.

Software remains a weak area, but there are a few kernels of strength.

What To Do Now

The stock market rally is showing real momentum. If you haven’t already, you can start to add to your exposure. But don’t suddenly rush into stocks. See how some initial buys do. If your stocks and the market continue to act well, you can gradually come off the sidelines.

To get ready, work on your watchlists. Look for stocks with strong relative strength that are holding or reclaiming key support. Make sure to include stocks from a variety of groups and sectors. Then focus on stocks that are actionable or nearly so.

Historically, investors might expect more presents this coming week. The traditional Santa Claus rally covers the last five trading days of the year, plus the first two trading sessions of the new year.

But it’s no guarantee. While the market reacted favorably to the latest omicron Covid headlines, coronavirus or other headlines could roil markets amid light volume.

Read The Big Picture every day to stay in sync with the market direction and leading stocks and sectors.

Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.

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