AP PHOTOS: This couple's divided on politics, but glued together by love

They were arguing about abortion.

It was on Interstate 74, driving past the endless cornfields of rural Illinois, when Lesley Dzik realized she’d been raising her voice at her husband, Matt. She stopped, and suggested they drop the topic. He agreed, and quiet settled into the cabin of the pickup truck.

“I love you,” they told each other, and the hands that had been gesturing to articulate their opposing views collapsed into each other on the center console.

The Dziks have navigated issues common to so many marriages, from parenting to money.

But politics? That’s complicated.

Lesley, 56, is a Republican. Matt, 68, is a Democrat. She is anti-abortion. Matt believes women should have the choice. She refused to be vaccinated during the pandemic. He got the shots.

When they started dating, all it took was the sight of Democratic lawn signs outside his house ahead of the 2020 election to make her question if their relationship could work.

But they both wanted it to work. Lesley read books by other politically divided couples for inspiration and eventually came across Braver Angels, a nonprofit started by a therapist after former President Donald Trump’s 2016 election to help people bridge the political divide. They found a community there that is both red and blue.

“It gave me enough hope,” said Lesley. “I felt safe, I’m not alone.”

They seem, in so many ways, the ideal couple. Matt, who is retired, routinely brings flowers home for her. She helps him with handy-man jobs he does for people who can’t afford professionals. He drives her to the library at the University of Illinois where she works. They volunteer together at a local theater so they can see shows for free.

Lesley is deeply Christian. Matt, an Army veteran, was raised Catholic, but now sees himself as more spiritual than religious.

“I get worried with Matt because I believe the Bible is truth and Matt is iffy about that,” she said. “I wonder what I got myself into.”

But they attend church regularly and when they pray, they hold each other.

Acts of kindness bring them together, whether helping a man who uses a wheelchair get to church or caring for a nonverbal boy so his parents can go out and his mother can work. But their political differences seem to worsen before presidential elections.

At times, things get so heated, they don’t speak for days.

A suggestion from their therapist that has helped them navigate their insecurities hangs on the refrigerator door. “Can I give you a hug?” it reads. “If no, then say, ‘I love you. You don’t suck. I’ll come back in ten minutes.’”

At Braver Angel workshops they’ve learned some techniques to keep political talk civil. Speak to understand, one rule says, don’t speak to win.

Their need for one another is too great to avoid the discomforts of their many disagreements.

“We share the same heart,” said Lesley.

“I love looking in her eyes and seeing her smile,” said Matt. “Why would I want to lose that?

They’ve found things they can agree on, like putting up a flagpole in their front yard and flying the American flag.

“It’s much more inspiring than any yard sign will ever be for me," she said. "It’s more enduring.”

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This story has been amended to clarify that the mother of a non-verbal boy is not a single mother.

Matt Dzik, right, embraces his wife, Lesley, as he greets her after waking up in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Their need for one another is too great to avoid the discomforts of their many disagreements. "We share the same heart," said Lesley. "I love looking in her eyes and seeing her smile," said Matt. "Why would I want to lose that? (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A message decorates the wall behind Lesley, left, and Matt Dzik, as they read the Bible at their home in Champaign, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. When they came across Braver Angels, a nonprofit that helps people bridge the political divide, they found a community there that is both red and blue. "It gave me enough hope," said Lesley. "I felt safe, I'm not alone." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley, left, and Matt Dzik, stand in their backyard in Champaign, Ill., Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. When they started dating, all it took was the sight of Democratic lawn signs outside his house ahead of the 2020 election to make her question if their relationship could work. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley Dzik looks out her kitchen window, in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Lesley is deeply Christian. Matt, her husband sees himself as more spiritual than religious. "I get worried with Matt because I believe the Bible is truth and Matt is iffy about that," she said. "I wonder what I got myself into." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley, left, and Matt Dzik, pose for a portrait in Urbana, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Lesley, a Republican, and Matt, a Democrat, have navigated issues common to so many marriages, from parenting to money. But politics? That's complicated. But love overcomes political differences for this couple. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A sign encouraging voting sits behind Lesley Dzik, left, and her husband, Matt, in the lobby of The Station Theatre as they volunteer as ushers during a performance of "POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive," in Urbana, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Matt Dzik talks to his son on the phone outside The Station Theatre while volunteering as an usher during a performance in Urbana, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Matt and his wife, Lesley, who enjoy going to concerts and shows, volunteer together at the local theater so they can see the productions for free. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Matt, left, and Lesley Dzik, talk during intermission in the lobby of The Station Theatre while volunteering as ushers during a performance of "POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive," in Urbana, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley, right, and Matt Dzik, hold hands as they pray after reading the Bible, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, at their home in Champaign, Ill. The couple attend church regularly and when they pray, they hold each other. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Matt, left, and Lesley Dzik transport Richard Wellbank to services at The Vineyard Church in Urbana, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. The couple have both been caregivers to Wellbank who has cerebral palsy and whom they bring to church on occasion from his assisted living facility. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Husband and wife, Lesley, left, and Matt Dzik, argue about abortion as they drive through Champaign County, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Sometimes for the Dziks knowing when to end the conversation is more important than winning it. “He’s not good at stopping but I’m getting better at walking away,” said Lesley. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Attendees from across the political spectrum listen to a Braver Angels lecture on depolarization at the Rogers Free Library in Bristol, R.I., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. The non-profit organization holds workshops and mock debates across the country to help opposing political viewpoints communicate and understand each other's positions. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley Dzik pulls up an online workshop by Braver Angels, a non-profit that helps people bridge the political divide, to show her husband, Matt, at their home in Champaign, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. At Braver Angel workshops they've learned some techniques to keep political talk civil. Speak to understand, one rule says, don't speak to win. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley, left, and Matt Dzik, watch a seminary studies presentation by Lesley's son on a laptop in their home in Champaign, Ill., Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. When they started dating, all it took was the sight of Democratic lawn signs outside Matt's house ahead of the 2020 election to make Lesley question if their relationship could work. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley Dzik, left, helps her husband, Matt, place a sheet of plywood at a renovation job he's doing for a fellow church member in Urbana, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Acts of kindness bring them together and Matt often does handy-man jobs to help people who can't afford professionals. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

An American flag flies outside the home Matt Dzik shares with his wife, Lesley, in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. "The country is flawed but it's a national symbol that transcends all our differences," said Matt. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Matt Dzik, right, drops his wife, Lesley, off at work at the engineering library at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A chart and clothespins with their names hangs on the refrigerator of Lesley and Matt Dzik as a communication tool to help express their feelings, in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Matt Dzik, left, and his wife Lesley, discuss their plans for the day at their kitchen table in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. The couple's political differences seem to worsen before presidential elections. At times, things get so heated, they don't speak for days. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesley Dzik, left, and her husband, Matt, embrace each other while praying with Richard Wellbank at The Vineyard Church in Urbana, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Lesley, a Republican, and Matt, a Democrat, have navigated issues common to so many marriages, from parenting to money. But politics? That's complicated. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks closed higher after a surprisingly strong U.S. jobs report raised optimism about the economy. The S&P 500 added 0.9% Friday and neared its all-time high set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.8% and reached its own record. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.2%. Banks, cruise-ship operators and other companies whose profits can benefit the most from a stronger economy led the way. But jumping Treasury yields and diminished expectations for future cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve dragged down home builders to keep the stock market’s gains in check. Oil prices rose, but not by as much as earlier in the week.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising Friday after a surprisingly strong report on the U.S. job market raised optimism about the economy.

The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in late trading and nearing its all-time high set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 223 points, or 0.5%, with a little less than an hour remaining in trading, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% higher.

Leading the way were banks, cruise-ship operators and other companies whose profits can benefit the most from a stronger economy where people are working and better able to pay for things. Norwegian Cruise Line steamed 3.8% higher, JPMorgan Chase rose 3.3% and the small companies in the Russell 2000 index gained 1.3%.

They helped stock indexes claw back some of their losses from earlier in the week, caused by worries that worsening tensions in the Middle East could lead to disruptions in the global flow of oil. Crude prices ticked higher again on Friday, but the moves were more modest than earlier in the week, as the world continued its wait to see how Israel will respond to Iran’s missile attack from Tuesday.

In the meantime, the strength of the U.S. economy reclaimed its spot as the top mover of markets.

Treasury yields soared in the bond market after the U.S. government said employers added 254,000 more jobs to their payrolls last month than they cut. That was an acceleration from August’s hiring pace of 159,000 and blew past economists’ forecasts.

It was a “grand slam” of a report, according to Lindsay Rosner, head of multi-sector investing within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. She said policy makers at the Federal Reserve, who have been trying to pull off the difficult feat of keeping the economy humming while getting inflation under control, “must be smiling.”

Friday’s report capped a week of mostly encouraging data on the job market, helping to allay one of Wall Street’s top questions: Can the job market continue to hold up after the Federal Reserve earlier kept interest rates at a two-decade high?

Before Friday’s jobs report, the general trend had been a slowdown in hiring by U.S. employers. That’s not surprising given how hard the Fed pressed the brakes on the economy through higher rates in order to stamp out high inflation.

But Friday's blowout numbers bolstered hope that the U.S. economy will avoid a recession, particularly now that the Federal Reserve has begun cutting interest rates to give it more juice. The Fed last month lowered its main interest rate for the first time in more than four years and indicated more cuts will arrive through next year.

Friday's jobs data was so strong that it pushed traders to abandon bets that the Federal Reserve will deliver another larger-than-usual cut to interest rates at its next meeting. They’re now forecasting zero chance for a cut of half a percentage point, according to data from CME Group. Just a week ago, they were saying it was better-than-a-coin-flip’s chance.

“This report tells the Fed that they still need to be careful as a strong labor market along with sticky housing/shelter data shows that it won’t be easy to engineer meaningfully lower inflation from here in the nearer term,” according to Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

At Bank of America, economist Aditya Bhave said he expects the Federal Reserve to stop cutting its target for the federal funds rate when it hits a range of 3% to 3.25%. That's a quarter of a percentage point higher than the bottom that he was earlier forecasting. The federal funds rate is currently sitting in a range of 4.75% to 5%.

Such diminished expectations for future cuts sent the yield on the two-year Treasury shooting up to 3.92% from 3.71% late Thursday. The 10-year yield jumped to to 3.98% from 3.85%.

The forced rethink about how much lower rates will ultimately go also hurt stocks of home builders, real-estate owners and other companies that flourish when rates are easier for mortgages.

D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Lennar all sank at least 2.7% for three of the biggest losses in the S&P 500. Home Depot dropped 1.3% and was the biggest single reason the Dow Jones Industrial Average was lagging other stock indexes.

Also Friday, some 45,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports returned to work after their union reached a deal to suspend its three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. That helped calm worries that a lengthy strike could have pushed up on inflation and dragged on the economy.

In the oil market, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.6% to $78.05 per barrel to bring its gain for the week to 9.1%. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 0.9% to $74.38, up from roughly $68 at the start of the week.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe following the strong jobs report from the world’s largest economy.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.8% in its latest sharp swerve. It soared a bit more than 10% this week on excitement about a flurry of recent announcements from Beijing to prop up the world’s second-largest economy.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

FILE - Signs mark the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street in the Financial District on Oct. 2, 2024, in New York. Trinity Church is in the background. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

FILE - The entrance to the New York Stock Exchange at Wall and New Streets is shown on Oct. 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)