President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscows prestige, as he took questions at his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday.

He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted about 4 1/2 hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware.

Sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russias military and economic power, Putin said, adding that if he could do it over, such a decision should have been made earlier and Russia could have prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly.

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"Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country, he said. We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defense potential and our military capability now is the strongest in the world.

Putin, who has held power for nearly a quarter-century and began another six-year term earlier this year, said the military was advancing toward achieving our goals in what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine.

In response to a question about a new hypersonic ballistic missile that Russia used for the first time last month to strike Ukraine, Putin scoffed at claims by some Western experts that it could be intercepted by NATOs air defenses.

He mockingly challenged Ukraines allies to a high-tech duel, suggesting that Moscow could give advance notice of a strike on Kyiv with the Oreshnik missile and see if the West could protect the city.

Let them select a target, possibly in Kyiv, put their air defense assets there and we shall strike it with the Oreshnik, he said with a dry smile. Lets see what happens.

Speaking on a visit to Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Putins comment by asking, Do you think its a sane person?

Putin calls general's killing a security blunder

Russia is making steady, if slow, advances in Ukraine, but has also suffered embarrassing setbacks. On Tuesday, Lt. Gen Igor Kirillov was killed by a bomb planted outside his apartment building in Moscow a brazen assassination claimed by Ukraine that brought the conflict once again to the streets of the Russian capital.

Putin described Kirillovs killing as a major blunder by Russias security agencies, noting they should learn from it and improve their efficiency.

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Moscow's troops are also battling Ukrainian forces in the Russian region of Kursk, where they have launched an incursion. Asked when they would drive the Ukrainians out, Putin said we will certainly kick them out but wouldnt say how long it would take.

In a flourish typical of the marathon news conferences, he asked members of the audience to unfurl a banner presented to him by marines fighting in Kursk as he spoke about Ukraine.

Open to talks on Ukraine but reiterates Russia's demands

Putin said he was open to possible talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to negotiate a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine.

If we meet with Mr. Trump, we will have things to discuss, he said, without elaborating.

Putin said Russia also is open for compromise in potential peace talks on Ukraine.

Politics is the art of compromise, he said. We have always said that we are ready for both talks and compromises. At the same time, Putin added that the talks should be based on the situation on the ground referring to some of the conditions he previously laid out.

Putin has previously demanded that Ukraine renounce its bid to join NATO and recognize Russias gains. Kyiv and the West have rejected those demands.

Putin says he'll ask Assad about missing American Tice

In his first comments on Assads downfall, Putin said that he hadnt yet met the former Syrian ruler, whom he has given asylum in Moscow, but plans to. He said he will ask him about Austin Tice, an American journalist who vanished in Syria 12 years ago.

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We also can pose the question to people who control the situation on the ground in Syria, Putin said, responding to a question from NBCs Keir Simmons, who cited a letter he said Tices mother wrote to the Russian leader seeking assistance.

Moscow has sought to establish contacts with the rebels who ousted Assad to secure its diplomatic and military personnel and try to extend the lease on its air and naval bases in Syria.

If we stay there, we will need to do something in the interests of the host country, he said, adding that Moscow offered to use its Hemeimeen air base and naval base in Tartus for humanitarian aid deliveries. What those interests could be, what could we do for them is an issue to be thoroughly examined by both parties.

But its unclear how much influence Russia will have in Syria. Assads fall has dealt it a painful blow after Russia fought for nine years to prop him up in the countrys civil war.

Still, Putin denied the events had weakened Moscow, arguing it achieved its goal of destroying terrorist groups in Syria via an air campaign launched in support of Assad in 2015. He claimed that rebel groups fighting Assad have changed and the West is ready to establish ties with them.

That means that our goals have been achieved, Putin said.

He described Israel as the main beneficiary of Assads downfall, noting the deployment of Israeli troops in southern Syria and voicing hope for their eventual withdrawal.

He noted the Syrian army offered little resistance to the opposition offensive and said Russia flew 4,000 Iranian troops from Hemeimeem air base to Tehran.

Putin declines to criticize Biden over pardoning his son

Asked about President Joe Bidens decision to pardon his son, Hunter, to spare him a possible prison sentence for felony gun and tax convictions, Putin said he wouldnt criticize the U.S. leader.

As for Biden, hes a politician, and its always important which side prevails: political or human, he said. It turned out that there was more human in Biden. I wouldnt condemn him for this.

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Putin said Russia shouldn't rush to bury the body of Soviet Union founder Vladmir Lenin, which has been displayed in a mausoleum on Red Square for nearly a century, to avoid splitting society.

Like in previous years, the live show was dominated by domestic issues, with journalists and ordinary citizens asking about soaring consumer prices and mortgages, paltry pensions and a shortage of doctors. Russian state media reported that the public submitted over 2 million questions in advance.

Putin opened the session by saying the economy is on track to grow by nearly 4% this year. He acknowledged that consumer prices are high, with inflation at 9.3%, but insisted the situation remains stable.

The show was as much spectacle as news conference as journalists in the hall near the Kremlin waved colorful signs and placards to attract Putins attention, many of them acting as proponents of local issues.

Seven foreign tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar were not poisoned by alcohol or illicit drugs, officials said Wednesday following a toxicology report.

The cause of the tourists' illness over the weekend remains under investigation, Fiji's Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka said.

"I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples," Gavoka told reporters in the capital, Suva.

"The findings that there is no evidence of alcohol poisoning is great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry," he added.

All seven tourists have since fully recovered, he said.

They became ill at the five-star Warwick resort near the town of Sigatoka on Saturday.

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The tourists, including Australians and an American, were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, Fiji's Health Ministry said.

News outlets had reported the cause of the foreigners' illness was suspected alcohol poisoning, similar to a case in Laos last month in which six tourists including two Australian teenagers died after consuming drinks tainted with methanol.

The suspicion of methanol poisoning was a blow to Fiji's tourism industry, which has a reputation for providing safe food and drinks.

Alcohol poisoning is a common danger in many poorly regulated tourist destinations, where reputable brands of spirits are substituted with locally distilled ethanol. Methanol can be an unintended byproduct of unprofessional distillation.

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Fiji Permanent Secretary for Health Jemesa Tudravu said the illnesses could have been caused by a chemical reaction or infection. His department was continuing to investigate.

Gavoka urged foreign governments to remove from their travel advisories warnings a risk of drink spiking in Fiji that emerged this week.

He said the tourist industry had been rocked by media reports of suspected contaminated drinks, but tourists had not canceled their vacations.

"There is no indication of people canceling. What we hear is people who are in a sense of disbelief that Fiji could be spiking drinks or Fiji could be adding some harmful stuff into the cocktails," Gavoka said.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the incident had been confined to a single resort.

"We'd like to tell everybody that it's safe to come to Fiji and we have to also find out who has been giving out the negative press about Fiji as a destination. Are they competitors for our tourist visitors?" Rabuka said to reporters.

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Grubhub Inc., an online food ordering and delivery platform, will pay $25 million to settle a dispute over alleged deceptive business practices with the Illinois attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission, officials said Tuesday.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he launched an investigation into the 20-year-old operation after receiving dozens of consumer complaints and engaged the FTC on the nationwide settlement.

Grubhub tricked its customers, deceived its drivers and unfairly damaged the reputation and revenues of restaurants that did not partner with Grubhub all in order to drive scale and accelerate growth, FTC chairperson Lina M. Khan said.

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Chicago-based Grubhub, which allows consumers to order delivery from nearby restaurants via drivers contracted with the company, will pay $24.8 million in restitution, while $200,000 will fund the attorney general's consumer education and enforcement operations.

Raoul and Khan said the investigation found that Grubhub engaged in illegal practices by misleading customers about the cost of delivery and the benefits of a Grubhub subscription, deceived drivers about the amount of money they could make, and listed restaurants on its app without their knowledge or consent and in some cases over their objections.

In a statement, Grubhub denied wrongdoing. It said the company is committed to openness in its practices and said it cooperated with the FTC in its multiyear review.

While we categorically deny the allegations made by the FTC, many of which are wrong, misleading or no longer applicable to our business, we believe settling this matter is in the best interest of Grubhub and allows us to move forward, the statement said.

In addition to the settlement payment, Grubhub said it will make changes to its platform to make it easier for diners to understand fees and to better explain what delivery drivers could earn.

The settlement also requires Grubhub to immediately remove from its listing any unaffiliated restaurants, Raoul said.

The FTC said it doesn't yet know how many consumers may benefit from the payout. After court approval of the agreement, the agency will put together a remediation plan.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday granted two requests from California to enforce strict standards for vehicle emissions, including a rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The incoming Trump administration is likely to try to reverse the action.

The California rule is stricter than a federal rule adopted this year that tightens emissions standards but does not require sales of electric vehicles.

EPA said its review found that opponents of the two waivers did not meet their legal burden to show how either the EV rule or a separate measure on heavy-duty vehicles was inconsistent with the federal Clean Air Act.

"California has longstanding authority to request waivers from EPA to protect its residents from dangerous air pollution coming from mobile sources like cars and trucks," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. "Today's actions follow through on EPA's commitment to partner with states to reduce emissions and act on the threat of climate change."

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The new waiver is important not only to California but to more than a dozen other states that follow its nation-leading standards on vehicle emissions.

Even so, the waiver is likely to be short-lived. President-elect Donald Trump has said he will move to revoke all California waivers as part of an industry-friendly approach that includes boosting production of fossil fuels and repealing key parts of a landmark 2022 climate law.

Trump rescinded California's authority on emissions in 2019, only to be reversed three years later by the Biden EPA, which restored the state's authority in 2022.

Any effort by the new administration is likely to spawn a new set of legal challenges that could delay any action.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who often touts California's leadership on climate policy, said EPA's approval of the advanced clean-cars rule was a vote of confidence in California's accomplishments in "protecting our people by cleaning our air and cutting pollution."

"Naysayers like President-elect Trump would prefer to side with the oil industry over consumers and American automakers, but California will continue fostering new innovations in the market," Newsom said.

Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and other major automakers are meeting current California emission standards, but some major car companies questioned the latest EPA waiver.

Most of the Democratic-leaning states that have adopted California's rules clustered along the West Coast and in the Northeast are not selling anywhere near the 35% level of EV sales required next year and are unlikely to meet the 2035 target of 100% EV sales, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a large industry group.

"Achieving the sales mandates under current market realities will take a miracle. There needs to be balance and some states should exit the (California) program,'' said John Bozzella, the group's CEO.

Automakers are producing electric vehicles, Bozzella said, "but there's a huge gap between these EV sales mandates and a customer's reasonable expectation they can still choose what kind of vehicle to drive." He expects Trump to revoke the California waiver next year.

Scott Vazin, a spokesman for Toyota in North America, said approval of the California waiver "will distort the auto industry as companies funnel zero-emission vehicles to the states that have adopted California's rules." If a customer in a state that follows California can't afford an EV "or it doesn't meet their needs, there may not be a non-electric vehicle on the lot to purchase for their mobility needs,'' Vazin said.

Environmental groups hailed the Biden administration's action.

"EPA's approval is a critical step forward in protecting our lungs from pollution and our wallets from the expenses of combustion fuels," said Paul Cort, director of Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign. "The gradual shift in car sales to zero-emissions models will cut smog and household costs while growing California's clean energy workforce."

Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the decision shows respect for California and other states.

"California decided that transitioning to cleaner, zero-emission vehicles is the best way to address the unique (air pollution) burdens it faces," she said. "This is exactly how our system of federalism should work. If other states don't like California's approach, they don't need to follow it. But no one should object to the longstanding authority of states to act to protect their residents."

The EPA's action comes as the Supreme Court said last week that it will take up a business-backed appeal challenging an earlier California waiver issued by the Biden administration. The justices agreed to hear an appeal filed by fuel producers who object to an EPA waiver granted in 2022.

The high court will not be reviewing the waiver itself but a related issue: whether fuel producers have legal standing to challenge it. A federal appeals court ruled that the companies lacked the right to sue because they produced no evidence that they would be affected by the waiver, which directly affects vehicle manufacturers.

President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate days before a deadline when federal funding runs out.

Trump's sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays. It leaves Johnson scrambling to engineer a new plan before Friday's deadline to keep government open.

Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement.

The president-elect made an almost unrealistic proposal that combined the some continuation of government funds along with a much more controversial provision to raise the nation's debt limit something his own party routinely rejects. Anything else is a betrayal of our country, they wrote.

Democrats decried the GOP revolt over the stopgap measure, which would have also provided some $100 billion in disaster aid to states hammered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government, said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

And hurt the working class Americans they claim to support. You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow.

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Already, the massive 1,500-page bill was on the verge of collapse, as hard right conservatives rejected the increased spending, egged on by Trumps billionaire ally Elon Musk who rejected the plan almost as soon as it was released late Tuesday night.

Rank-and-file lawmakers complained about the extra spending which includes their first pay-raises in more than a decade a shock after one of the most unproductive chaotic session in modern times. A number of Republicans were waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no.

Even the addition of much-needed disaster aid, some $100.4 billion in the aftermath of hurricanes and other natural calamities that ravaged states this year, plus $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers failed to win over the budget-slashing GOP.

This should not pass, Musk posted on his social media site X in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

The outcome comes as no surprise for Johnson, who like other Republican House speakers before him, has been unable to convince his majority to go along with the routine needs of federal government operations, which they would prefer to slash.

It all shows just how hard it will be for Republicans next year, as they seize control of the House, Senate and White House, to unify and lead the nation. And it underscores how much Johnson and the GOP leaders must depend on Trumps blessing to see any legislative package over the finish line.

What does President Trump want Republicans to do: vote for the CR or shut down government? Absent direction, confusion reigns, said retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, in a sly post on X.

Musk, who is heading the his new Department of Government Efficiency was leading the charge against it, warned that Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!

It's not an idle threat coming from Musk, the world's richest man, who helped bankroll Trump's victory and can easily use his America PAC to make or break political careers.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said this is the problem with an oligarchy a handful of wealthy people run everything and everyone is supposed to live in fear of them; and their wealth becomes an instrument of coercive power over everything.

Democrats, who negotiated the final product with Johnson and Senate GOP leadership, will be expected to provide enough support to help Johnson ensure passage, as is often the case on big bills. Federal government funding runs out at midnight Friday.

The sooner Congress acts, the better, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

The final package extends existing government programs and services at their current operating levels for a few more months, through March 14, 2025.

The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to pass its annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies in the federal government, from the Pentagon and national security apparats, to the health, welfare, transportation and other routine domestic services. When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires Friday.

But the inches-thick bill goes beyond routine funding and tacks on several other measures that lawmakers are trying to push through to passage before the end of this congressional session, especially as some elected officials will not be returning in the new year.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., a called it essentially a junk sandwich, using a swear word. The chairman of the Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said a lot of lawmakers "are a little disappointed at how this last week has worked out.

And then there's the pay-raise.

Some lawmakers expressed concern that the bill turns off a pay freeze provision that was included in the previous short-term spending measure. That change could allow a maximum pay adjustment of 3.8% or $6,600 in 2025, bringing their annual pay to $180,600, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

Members of Congress last got a raise in 2009, when the salary was increased 2.8% to $174,000 annually. If member pay had not been frozen since 2009, salaries would be about $217,900.

When adjusted for inflation, salaries have decreased about 31% from 2009, the research report said.

By what measure do we deserve a pay increase? said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.

Among other provisions in the package, theres full federal funding to rebuild Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed when struck by a cargo ship that reported losing power just before the crash. Federal taxpayers will be reimbursed through proceeds from insurance payments and litigation.

And there's also a provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, which could potentially lead to a new stadium for the Washington Commanders.

On the health care front, the legislation seeks to extend coverage of telehealth appointments for Medicare enrollees and rein in how much money pharmacy benefits managers the companies that negotiate how and what drugs are covered by insurance plans make off those deals.

The bill also includes provisions focused on countering China, including expanding on President Joe Biden's executive order that seeks to restrict investments into countries that pose a national security threat to the United States. Blocking Chinas high-tech ambitions is one of the few issues that enjoys broad support in Washington from both Republicans and Democrats.

The House passed legislation Wednesday requiring more oversight of youth residential treatment facilities, a feat for hotel heiress Paris Hilton who has spent years lobbying lawmakers to regulate an industry marred by child abuse allegations.

The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act gained overwhelming bipartisan support in the House after passing the Senate unanimously last week. It will now go to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

"This moment is proof that our voices matter, that speaking out can spark change, and that no child should ever endure the horrors of abuse in silence," Hilton said in a social media post following the vote. "I did this for the younger version of myself and the youth who were senselessly taken from us by the Troubled Teen industry."

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Hilton has spent the last several years testifying about the abuse she says she suffered years ago at a boarding school in Utah. She was sent to Provo Canyon School for 11 months at age 17 where she says she was abused mentally and physically, recalling that staff members would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, watch her shower and send her to solitary confinement without clothes as punishment.

The 43-year-old said the treatment was so "traumatizing" that she has suffered nightmares and insomnia for years.

Details of the abuse were also chronicled in a documentary she released, titled "This is Paris" that was released in September 2020.

The legislation passed this week would establish an interagency work group under the Department of Health & Human Services that would bring greater transparency around the treatment of youth in these programs, particularly when staff use restraints and seclusion rooms as forms of punishment.

Hilton's advocacy has helped change laws to protect minors in at least eight states, including in Hilton's home state of California, where similar legislation will go into effect on Jan. 1.

The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday by a quarter-point its third cut this year but also signaled that it expects to reduce rates more slowly next year than it previously envisioned, largely because of still-elevated inflation.

The Feds 19 policymakers projected that they will cut their benchmark rate by a quarter-point just twice in 2025, down from their previous estimate in September of four rate cuts. Their new quarterly projections suggest that consumers may not enjoy much lower rates next year for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of borrowing.

Fed officials have underscored that they are slowing their rate reductions as their benchmark rate nears a level that policymakers refer to as neutral the level that is thought to neither spur nor hinder the economy. Wednesday's projections suggest that policymakers may think they are not very far from that level. Their benchmark rate stands at 4.3% after Wednesdays move, which followed a steep half-point reduction in September and quarter-point cut last month.

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This years Fed rate reductions have marked a reversal after more than two years of high rates, which largely helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers.

But now, the Fed is facing a variety of challenges as it seeks to complete a soft landing for the economy, whereby high rates manage to curb inflation without causing a recession. Chief among them is that inflation remains sticky: According to the Feds preferred gauge, annual inflation was 2.8% in October, the same as in March and still persistently above the central banks 2% target.

At the same time, the economy is growing briskly, which suggests that higher rates havent much restrained the economy. As a result, some economists and some Fed officials have argued that borrowing rates shouldnt be reduced much more for fear of overheating the economy and re-igniting inflation. On the other hand, the pace of hiring has cooled significantly since 2024 began, a potential worry because one of the Feds mandates is to achieve maximum employment.

The unemployment rate, while still low at 4.2%, has risen nearly a full percentage point in the past two years. Concern over rising unemployment contributed to the Feds decision in September to cut its key rate by a larger-than-usual half point.

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On top of that, President-elect Donald Trump has proposed a range of tax cuts on Social Security benefits, tipped income and overtime income as well as a scaling-back of regulations. Collectively, these moves could stimulate growth. At the same time, Trump has threatened to impose a variety of tariffs and to seek mass deportations of migrants, which could accelerate inflation.

Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials have said they wont be able to assess how Trumps policies might affect the economy or their own rate decisions until more details are made available and it becomes clearer how likely it is that the president-elects proposals will actually be enacted. Until then, the outcome of the presidential election has mostly heightened the uncertainty surrounding the economy.

Ive got the least amount of conviction about what will happen with the economy over the next 12 months than Ive had in years, said Subadra Rajappa, head of U.S. rates strategy at Societe Generale. This is going to be a work in progress as things evolve.

Most other central banks around the world are also cutting their benchmark rates. Last week, the European Central Bank lowered its key rate for the fourth time this year to 3% from 3.25%, as inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro has fallen to 2.3% from a peak of 10.6% in late 2022. The Bank of Canada also cut its rate by a quarter-point last week, as did the Bank of England last month.

Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, dissented from Wednesdays Fed decision because she preferred to keep rates unchanged. It was the first dissent by a Fed committee member since September.

Japanese automakers Nissan Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday that they are discussing closer collaboration but denied reports they have decided on a merger.

Nissan's share price soared nearly 24% in Tokyo after reports citing unnamed sources said it might merge with Honda to form the world's third-largest automaking group. Honda's share price fell as much as 3%. Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is also part of the talks.

Trading in Nissan's shares was suspended but then resumed after the companies jointly issued a statement saying they were "considering various possibilities for future collaboration, but no decisions have been made."

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An industry shakeup

The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China's BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere.

Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March.

A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.

Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan's market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany's Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

What would Honda need from Nissan?

Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.

Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

"Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn't currently play," that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt.

While Nissan's electric Leaf and Ariya haven't sold well in the U.S., they're solid vehicles, Fiorani said. "They haven't been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology," he said. "They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation."

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Why now?

Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).

Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.

Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan's credit outlook to "negative," citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).

Nissan's share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector.

The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.

Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.

More headwinds

Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker.

All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico.

Meanwhile, analysts say there is an "affordability shift" taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that's forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits.

Congressional leaders have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

The measure would prevent a partial government shutdown set to begin after midnight Friday. It would kick final decisions on this budget year's spending levels to a new Republican-led Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. The continuing resolution generally continues current spending levels for agencies.

Passage of the measure is one of the final actions that lawmakers will consider this week before adjourning for the holidays and making way for the next Congress. It's the second short-term funding measure the lawmakers have taken up this fall as they struggled to pass the dozen annual appropriations bills before the new fiscal year began Oct. 1, as they typically do.

The bill will provide $100.4 billion in disaster relief, with an additional $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers struggling with low commodity prices and high input costs.

We have to be able to help those who are in these dire straits, said House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.

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Net farm income is projected to decline 4.1% this year after falling 19.4% the year before from the record highs reached in 2022. Johnson indicated more farm aid could be delivered in the next Congress, saying we can't do all it right now.

Congress is doing the best it can under difficult circumstances, and I think it will be a big boost for the industry, Johnson said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the agreement was free of cuts and poison pills, and would provide money for Democratic priorities like child care, workforce training and job placement.

With this agreement, we are now on our way to avoiding a government shutdown," Schumer said.

Rep. Glenn Thompson, the Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, said he was hoping for more economic relief for farmers, but its a great start.

I think its going to send the right signal to the markets that most farmers and ranchers are going to be able to get eligible for the credit they need to borrow in order to plant a crop or raise a herd, Thompson said.

President Joe Biden has sought about $114 billion in disaster aid, submitting a $99 billion request in November, telling lawmakers the funding was urgently needed. The administration subsequently updated its request to include funding to repair federal facilities damaged due to natural disasters.

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The largest share of the money, about $29 billion, will go to the main disaster relief fund at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The fund helps with debris removal, repairing public infrastructure and providing financial assistance to survivors. About $21 billion goes to help farmers who have experienced crop or livestock losses.

Another $8 billion will go to help rebuild and repair highways and bridges in more than 40 states and territories. And some $12 billion would go toward helping communities recover through block grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. About $2.2 billion would go to low-interest loans for businesses, nonprofits and homeowners trying to rebuild after a disaster.

While this is not the legislation I would have written on my own, it is a strong, bipartisan package that provides the resources communities urgently need to recover, said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Congress is expected to pass the measure just before another shutdown deadline. House Republicans generally give lawmakers 72 hours to review text of the legislation, which would push a vote on final passage to Friday if they follow through on that rule. The Senate is not known for acting speedily, but many lawmakers are anxious to adjourn for the year and make way for the next Congress.

Since the bill is the last must-pass legislation of the current Congress, lawmakers have worked to get certain priorities included. On the health care front, the legislation seeks to extend coverage of telehealth appointments for Medicare enrollees and rein in how much money pharmacy benefits managers the companies that negotiate how and what drugs are covered by insurance plans make off those deals.

The bill also includes provisions focused on countering China, including expanding on a Biden executive order that seeks to restrict investments into countries that pose a national security threat to the United States. Blocking Chinas high-tech ambitions is one of the few issues that enjoys broad support in Washington from both Republicans and Democrats.

There's also a provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, which could potentially lead to a new stadium for the Washington Commanders.

The legislation also provides full federal funding to rebuild Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed when struck by a cargo ship that reported losing power just before the crash. Federal taxpayers will be reimbursed through proceeds from insurance payments and litigation.

A judge Monday rejected President-elect Donald Trumps bid to have his hush money conviction dismissed because of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the case's overall future remains unclear.

Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan's decision eliminates one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of Trumps return to office next month, but his lawyers have raised other arguments for dismissal.

Prosecutors have said there should be some accommodation for his upcoming presidency, but they insist the conviction should stand.

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A jury convicted Trump in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump denies wrongdoing.

The allegations involved a scheme to hide a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels during the final days of Trumps 2016 presidential campaign to silence her claims that theyd had sex years earlier, which he denies.

A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents cant be prosecuted for official acts things they did in the course of running the country and that prosecutors cant cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct.

In Monday's ruling, Merchan denied the bulk of Trumps claims that some of prosecutors' evidence related to official acts, and so implicated immunity protections.

The judge said that even if he found that some evidence related to official conduct, he'd still find that prosecutors' decision to use "these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch.

Trumps lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trumps presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made while he was in office.

Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only a sliver of their case.

Trump takes office Jan. 20.

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Trump communications director Steven Cheung on Monday called Merchans decision a direct violation of the Supreme Courts decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence.

This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed, Cheung said in a statement.

Seven foreign tourists were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar, Fijian authorities said on Monday.

The cause of their illness was not known and officials said it was too soon to know if tainted alcohol was involved.

Those who became ill at the five-star Warwick resort near the town of Sigatoka on Saturday included Australians and an American, according to local news reports. They were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, said Jemesa Tudravu, a Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson.

Two people remained in the hospital, conscious and in stable condition, Fiji's Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka told reporters on Monday. One person was discharged on Sunday and four others on Monday.

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David Sandoe, an Australian man who said his daughter and granddaughter were hospitalized, told Sky News Australia that his relatives had been released from the hospital and were due to fly home on Monday night.

Local news outlets reported on Sunday that the cause of the foreigners' illness was suspected alcohol poisoning, similar to a case in Laos in November in which six tourists including two Australian teenagers died after consuming tainted drinks.

But Tudravu said no cause had been identified in the Fiji episode. Police have ordered toxicology tests and are awaiting results which are expected to take three or four days Gavoka said.

The bar was full of customers on Saturday night and many had ordered pia coladas, the drink consumed by those who became ill, said the official.

Gavoka said no other reports of similar illness were recorded at the resort or across Fiji, a South Pacific island nation of 930,000 people.

"The resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests," Gavoka said. The hotel, located on the picturesque Coral Coast of the largest island, Viti Levu, has operated for many years and "holds a strong reputation," he added.

"This is the only reported case of its kind that we've experienced in recent memory, and certainly nothing like this has been experienced this year," Gavoka said.

Australia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that officials are providing consular assistance to two Australian families in Fiji.

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The ministry did not comment on the cause of the Australians' illness, but its website advising tourists was updated on Monday to caution travelers about "potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks."

A spokesperson for the resort, Savaira Molaucake, said staff were "conducting a thorough investigation" of the incident and were working closely with authorities.

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said in a far-ranging news conference that he would consider pardoning embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Yeah I would, consider pardoning Adams, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, before saying that he was not familiar with the specifics of the charges Adam is facing.

Adams is facing federal fraud and corruption charges, accused of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel perks valued at $100,000 along with illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence. Multiple members of his administration have also come under investigation.

Speaking at his first press conference since winning the election, Trump also threatened legal action against the Biden administration over sales of portions of border wall, saying he has spoken to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Texas officials about a potential restraining order.

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Were going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on building the same wall we already have," Trump said. Its almost a criminal act."

Congress last year required the Biden administration to dispose of the unused border wall pieces. The measure, included in the massive National Defense Authorization Act, allows for the sale or donation of the items to states on the southern border, providing they are used to refurbish existing barriers, not install new ones. Congress also directed the Pentagon to account for storage costs for the border wall material while it has gone unused.

Im asking today, Joe Biden, to please stop selling the wall, Trump said.

While Trump described the handover between Biden and his incoming team as a friendly transition, he also took issue with efforts to allow some members of the federal workforce to continue working from home. Trump said that if government workers dont come back into the office under him, they will be dismissed.

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Trump was joined at the appearance by SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, who announced that the Japanese company is planning to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years.

It was a win for Trump, who has used the weeks since the election to promote his policies, negotiate with foreign leaders and try to strike deals.

In a post on his Truth Social site last week, Trump had said that anyone making a $1 billion investment in the United States will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.

GET READY TO ROCK!!! he wrote.

Deals announced with much fanfare have sometimes failed to deliver on promised investments. But the announcement nonetheless represents a major win for Trump, who has boasted that he has done more in his short transition period than his predecessor did in all four years.

More than 3,700 residents were allowed to return to their Malibu homes on Thursday after calmer winds and rising humidity in Southern California helped firefighters battle a blaze that had forced thousands, including college students and celebrities, to evacuate earlier this week.

But another 1,600 people with homes in Malibu a city typically known for its rugged canyons, stunning bluffs and celebrities' seaside mansions remained under evacuation orders. All told, some 20,000 residents in the city and neighboring areas had been affected by mandatory evacuation orders and warnings since the fire broke out late Monday.

Firefighters continued to battle the blaze, dubbed the Franklin Fire, which was only 20% contained over about 6.3 square miles Thursday. The flames were fed by powerful winds that swept through the region at the beginning of the week. But the weather improved so much Wednesday that meteorologists discontinued all red flag warnings, which indicate high fire danger, and fire crews were able to successfully push back against the flames.

Winds would continue to ease, said meteorologist Mike Wofford with the National Weather Service's office for Los Angeles.

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"We'll even get a little sea breeze there that will increase humidity in the fire zone," Wofford said Thursday. "Generally everything's getting better."

It's unclear how the fire started. Officials said four homes have been destroyed and at least six others have been damaged, though crews had only surveyed about 25% of the affected area, said Deputy Chief Eleni Pappas of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

"This is a tragedy that goes beyond our personal residences," Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said, adding that restaurants have lost food in their freezers from power outages and people who travel to Malibu for employment are out of work.

The 3,700 residents were allowed to return Thursday after the county sheriff's department lifted mandatory evacuation orders.

Flames also reached just short of Pepperdine University, where students were forced to shelter in place on campus on Monday and again Tuesday.

An early analysis showed little to no damage to structures on campus, the university said. Final exams were postponed or canceled and faculty members were determining how best to complete the semester, which ends at Pepperdine this week.

Lonnie Vidaurri's four-bedroom home in the Malibu Knolls neighborhood was one of those impacted. He evacuated to a hotel in Santa Monica with his wife and two young daughters.

"It's pretty torched all around," Vidaurri said of his house. He expects that the family's pet bunnies did not survive the fire, and that they lost most of their things. "My girls cried, obviously, but it could have been worse."

Mimi Teller, a Red Cross spokesperson who works at a shelter in nearby Pacific Palisades, said many evacuees arrived in pajamas and were "definitely in shock."

"Nobody even had a backpack, it was, 'Get out now,'" Teller said.

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Cher, one of many celebrities with homes in Malibu, evacuated from her home when ordered and was staying at a hotel, her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said Tuesday. Jane Seymour also fled the seaside city. "The fires in our community are a stark reminder of how quickly life can change," the actress wrote on Instagram Tuesday.

And Dick Van Dyke said in a Facebook post that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuated as the fire swept in. The actor later told NBC's "Today" that neighbors helped them get out.

"I was trying to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn't get up," said Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday. "And three neighbors came and carried me out, and came back and put out a little fire in the guesthouse and saved me."

The fire erupted shortly before 11 p.m. Monday and swiftly moved south, jumping over the famous Pacific Coast Highway and extending all the way to the ocean. It was propelled by Santa Ana winds, with erratic gusts that topped 40 mph (64 kph). Santa Anas are notorious seasonal winds that blow dry air from the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes.

Utilities preemptively shut off power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses, starting Monday night, to mitigate the impacts of the Santa Anas, which can damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires. As of Thursday morning, electricity had been restored for all Southern California Edison customers, said utility spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas.

The Woolsey Fire that roared through the area in 2018, killing three people and destroying 1,600 homes, was sparked by Edison equipment. Asked Thursday if Edison equipment was involved in the Franklin Fire, Ornelas referred all questions regarding the cause to fire officials.

Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society.

Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, just two days before his 88th birthday, still displaying a faded bruise from a fall a week ago.

He frequently deviated from his prepared homily during Mass at the outdoor La Place dAusterlitz, remarking at one point that he had never seen so many children as in Corsica except, he added, in East Timor on his recent Asian tour.

Make children, he implored. They will be your joy and your consolation in the future.

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Earlier, at the close of a Mediterranean conference on popular piety, Papa Francescu, as he is called in Corsican, described a concept of secularity that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic, that can adapt to unforeseen situations and promote cooperation between civil and ecclesial authorities.

The pontiff said that expressions of popular piety, including processions and communal prayer of the Holy Rosary can nurture constructive citizenship" on the part of Christians. At the same time, he warned against such manifestations being seen only in terms of folklore, or even superstition.

The visit to Corsicas capital Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon, is one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italys borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. Francis met privately with Macron at the airport before flying back to Rome.

Francis was joined on the dais by the bishop of Ajaccio, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo, who organized the conference that brought together some 400 participants from Spain, Sicily, Sardinia and southern France. The two-day meeting examined expressions of faith that often occur outside formal liturgies, such as processions and pilgrimages.

Often specific to the places where they are practiced, popular piety in Corsica includes the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the "Madunnuccia," which protected the island from the plague in 1656 when it was still under Genoa.

Corsica stands out from the rest of secularized France as a particularly devout region, with 92 confraternities, or lay associations dedicated to works of charity or piety, with over 4,000 members.

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It means that there is a beautiful, mature, adult and responsible collaboration between civil authorities, mayors, deputies, senators, officials and religious authorities, Bustillo told The Associated Press ahead of the visit. There is no hostility between the two. And that is a very positive aspect because in Corsica there is no ideological hostility.

The visit was awash in signs of popular piety. The pope was greeted by children in traditional garb and was continually serenaded by bands, choruses and singing troupes that are central to Corsican culture from the airport, to the motorcade route, convention center and cathedral. Thousands stood along the roadside to greet the pontiff and more waved from windows.

Ren Colombani traveled with 2,000 others by ship from northern Corsica to Ajaccio, on the western coast, to see the pope.

It is an event that we will not see again in several years. It may be the only time that the pope will come to Corsica. And since we wanted to be a part of it, we have come a long way Colombani said.

The island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768, is located closer to the Italian mainland than France.

From the conference, the pope traveled to the 17th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta to meet with clergy, stopping along the way at the statue of the Madunnuccia where he lit a devotional candle.

The pope celebrated Mass beneath a looming statue of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor whose armies in 1808 annexed the papal states and imprisoned two of Francis predecessors Popes Pius VI and VII before being excommunicated and eventually defeated on the battlefield. Thousands packed the esplanade where Napoleon is said to have played as a child.

Francis met with Macron at the airport before departing for the 50-minute flight back to Rome.

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They discussed Russias war in Ukraine, the Middle East and security issues in Africa's Sahel and Great Lakes regions, Haiti and Sudan, Macron's office said in a statement. Macron welcomed the pope's calls for peace, non-violence and respect for human rights, the statement said.

Both Macron and Francis expressed their deep concern regarding the situation in Gaza and called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the massive delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid, according to Macron's office. On Syria, they reiterated their wish to see a fair and inclusive political transition, the statement said.

Macron presented the pope with two books about Notre Dame Cathedral.

The pontiff pointedly did not make the trip to Paris earlier this month for the pomp surrounding the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral following the devastating 2019 fire. The visit to Corsica seems far more suited to Francis priorities than a grand cathedral reopening, emphasizing the church of the peripheries.

It was Francis third trip to France, each time avoiding Paris and the protocols that a state visit entails. He visited the port of Marseille in 2023, on an overnight visit to participate in an annual summit of Mediterranean bishops, and went to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and Council of Europe.

Corsica is home to more than 340,000 people and has been part of France since 1768. But the island has also seen pro-independence violence and has an influential nationalist movement. Last year, Macron proposed granting it limited autonomy.

Given the short flight back to Rome, Francis didnt hold an airborne press conference en route home, the first time he has skipped the traditional briefing in 47 foreign trips as pope. Francis did come to the back of the plane though to greet reporters and receive a pretend birthday cake.

A tornado near a mall in central California swept up cars, uprooted trees and sent several people to the hospital. In San Francisco, authorities issued the first-ever tornado warning.

Elsewhere, inclement weather plagued areas of the U.S., with dangerous conditions including heavy snow in upstate New York, a major ice storm in Midwest states and severe weather warnings around Lake Tahoe.

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The ice storm beginning Friday evening created treacherous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska Friday and into Saturday and prompted temporary closures of Interstate 80 after numerous cars and trucks slid off the road. In upstate New York, more than 33 inches was reported near Orchard Park, which is often a landing point for lake-effect snow.

On Saturday, a tornado touched down near a shopping mall in Scotts Valley, California, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, around 1:40 p.m. The tornado overturned cars and toppled trees and utility poles, the National Weather Service said. The Scotts Valley Police Department said several people were injured and taken to hospitals.

Some trees toppled onto cars and streets and damaged roofs in San Francisco. The damage was being assessed to determine if the city was indeed hit by a tornado, which had not occurred since 2005, according to the weather service.

Roger Gass, a meteorologist in the weather services office in Monterey, California, said the warning of a possible tornado in San Francisco was a first for the city, noting an advanced alert did not go out before the last tornado struck nearly 20 years ago.

I would guess there wasnt a clear signature on radar for a warning in 2005, said Gass, who was not there at the time.

The fast-moving storm prompted warnings for residents to take shelter, but few people have basements in the area.

The biggest thing that we tell people in the city is to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible, Meteorologist Dalton Behringer said.

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More than a foot of snow fell at some Lake Tahoe ski resorts, and a 112-mph gust of wind was recorded at the Mammoth Mountain resort south of Yosemite National Park, according to the weather services office in Reno, Nevada. Up to 3 feet of snow was forecast for Sierra Nevada mountaintops.

The Tahoe Live music festival at Palisades Tahoe ski resort in California was expected to go ahead as planned Saturday and Sunday in spite of a winter storm warning for the area. Lil Wayne was scheduled to perform Saturday night, with Diplo as the headliner on Sunday, the festivals website said.

A winter storm warning was set to expire at 10 p.m. Saturday, but an avalanche warning remained in effect into the following night for elevations above 8,000 feet around Tahoe.

Interstate 80 was closed along an 80-mile stretch from Applegate, California, to the Nevada line just west of Reno on Saturday. The California Highway Patrol reopened the road in the afternoon for passenger vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive and snow tires.

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The severe weather in the Midwest resulted in at least one death. The Washington County Sheriffs office in Nebraska said a 57-year-old woman died after she lost control of her pickup on Highway 30 near Arlington and hit an oncoming truck. The other driver sustained minor injuries.

Businesses announced plans to open late Saturday as temperatures rose high enough in the afternoon to melt the ice in most places.

Luckily some warmer air is moving in behind this to make it temporary, said Dave Cousins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services office in Davenport, Iowa.

Tens of thousands of people in western Washington state lost electricity Saturday as the system delivered rain and gusty winds, local news outlets reported.

Two-way star Travis Hunter of Colorado won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, punctuating a tireless performance all season by a dynamic player with a unique combination of skills.

The wide receiver and lockdown cornerback dominated on both sides of the ball for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, joining late running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the only players in school history to take home college football's most prestigious individual award.

Hunter received 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points in a comfortable victory. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was the runner-up with 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel came in third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward finished fourth in balloting for the 90th Heisman Trophy, presented annually since 1935 to the nations most outstanding player. This years ceremony was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, where Sanders was in attendance.

It marked only the fifth time this century a quarterback didnt win. The last time no signal-caller placed in the top two was 2015, when running backs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Christian McCaffrey ran 1-2 in voting.

Hunter also won The Associated Press Player of the Year award this week. He helped spark an impressive turnaround at Colorado, from 4-8 in 2023 when he missed 3 1/2 games because of injuries to 9-3 this year in Sanders second season. The 20th-ranked Buffaloes got their first bowl bid in four years and will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

Hunter has pledged to play, rather than skip the game to prepare for the NFL draft and prevent any possible injury as many top prospects do. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Suwanee, Georgia, plans to pass up his senior season in Boulder and is expected to be a top-five pick by the pros perhaps even No. 1 overall.

Showcasing his blazing speed and explosive playmaking, Hunter rarely came off the field this year making him an every-down throwback to generations gone by and the first full-time, true two-way star in decades.

On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a rushing score. On defense, he made four interceptions, 32 tackles, broke up 11 passes and forced a critical fumble that secured an overtime victory against Baylor.

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With the Buffaloes winning games and challenging for a Big 12 title, he soared from a long-shot underdog in Heisman futures last summer to a heavy betting favorite this week.

All the while, striking the Heisman pose with teammates to celebrate big plays as it became more and more clear Hunter was the man to beat.

He played 688 defensive snaps and 672 more on offense the only Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research.

It would seem an overly exhausting workload for any player these days, both mentally and physically, but not Hunter.

I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways, he said Friday. It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then youll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.

Rated the countrys top recruit in the 2022 class, Hunter surprised many when he committed to play for Sanders at Jackson State, an HBCU that competes in the lower-level FCS, with the promise of playing both offense and defense.

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After one season, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado and was a consensus All-America selection as an all-purpose player last year despite sitting out three games with a lacerated liver caused by a late hit.

Following his recovery, a healthy Hunter finished strong in 2023 and then really took off this season, catching passes from Shedeur Sanders, the coachs son, and becoming Colorados first Heisman Trophy finalist in 30 years.

Deion Sanders, nicknamed Prime Time during his playing days seemingly by himself was a two-time All-America defensive back at Florida State and finished eighth in the 1988 Heisman voting.

An electrifying kick returner, who also played major league baseball by the way, Neon Deion went on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL cornerback but mostly just dabbled on offense besides a 36-catch season with the 1996 Dallas Cowboys.

Nothing quite like Hunter, who now has a Heisman leg up on Coach Prime forever.

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trumps presidential library to settle a lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos' inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.

According to settlement documents made public Saturday, ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in a March 10 segment on Stephanopoulos This Week" program and pay $1 million in legal fees to Trumps lawyer.

In a statement, ABC News said: We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing.

Trump sued Stephanopoulos and ABC for defamation days after the anchor claimed during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., that Trump had been found liable for rape," which misstated the verdicts in Carroll's two lawsuits against him

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Last year, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll and was ordered to pay her $5 million. In January, he was found liable on additional defamation claims and ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million. Trump is appealing both verdicts.

Neither verdict involved a finding of rape as defined under New York law.

The judge in both cases, Lewis Kaplan, has said that the jurys conclusion was that Carroll had failed to prove that Trump raped her within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law.

Kaplan noted that the definition of rape was far narrower than how rape is defined in common modern parlance, in some dictionaries, in some federal and state criminal statutes and elsewhere.

The judge said the verdict did not mean that Carroll failed to prove that Mr. Trump raped her as many people commonly understand the word rape. Indeed ... the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.

The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcares CEO has added a prominent defense lawyer to his legal team as Manhattan prosecutors work to return him from Pennsylvania to face a murder charge.

Luigi Mangione will be represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who was a high-ranking deputy in the Manhattan district attorneys office for years before entering private practice.

Friedman Agnifilo's law firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, confirmed in a statement late Friday that she had been retained to represent Mangione. The firm said she will not be commenting on the case at this time.

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Mangione was arrested Monday after a customer at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, saw him eating breakfast and noticed a resemblance to the person being sought by police in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson in Manhattan.

Police say Mangione was found with a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson was arriving for his company's annual investor conference.

Mangione, 26, remained jailed without bail Saturday in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with gun and forgery offenses. Altoona is about 230 miles west of New York City.

Mangione's lawyer there, Thomas Dickey, has cautioned against prejudging the case and said that his client would contest his extradition to New York.

But Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Friday that there were indications Mangione may now give up on that fight.

We (are) going to continue to press forward on parallel paths, and we'll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he is going to contest extradition, Bragg said at an unrelated press conference in Times Square.

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Hours after Mangione's arrest on Monday, Bragg's office filed paperwork charging him with five counts, including intentional murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she's prepared to ask her Pennsylvania counterpart, Gov. Josh Shapiro, to intervene and issue a governor's warrant requiring Mangione's extradition if he does not agree to be moved voluntarily.

Mangiones new lawyer, Friedman Agnifilo, was the chief assistant district attorney from 2014 to 2021 and was previously chief of the office's trial division. She has made frequent TV appearances, including as a CNN legal analyst, co-hosts a weekly podcast and is the legal adviser for Law & Order.

Her husband and law partner Marc Agnifilo is representing Sean Diddy Combs in the hip-hop moguls Manhattan federal sex trafficking case.

President-elect Donald Trump will huddle with allies and a Republican cause clbre at Saturday's Army-Navy football game, a chance to take in one of most stories rivalries in college sports while spotlighting his emerging national security team.

Trump is expected to be joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance, embattled Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, potential backup defense option Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others for the 125th matchup between service academies.

Also planning to attend is Daniel Penny, a military veteran who was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide this week in the chokehold death of an agitated subway rider in New York. Penny was invited by Vance, who accused prosecutors of trying to ruin" Penny's life by charging the Marine veteran in the death of Jordan Neely in 2023.

Trump, who attended Army-Navy games as president-elect in 2016 and during his first term, has been making an increasing number of public appearances before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. He was accompanied by his family and Vance on Thursday as he rang the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized as Time magazine's Person of the Year.

Trump spent the weeks after the Nov. 5 election holed up at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida assembling a team to help lead his next administration. He and his aides have become bullish about Hegseth's chances of winning Senate confirmation. The Army combat veteran and former Fox News host's chances of becoming defense secretary had appeared in peril amid allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat.

DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer who competed against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, is among the possible replacement candidates Trump has considered if Hegseth's bid fizzles.

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said Friday in a Newsmax interview that Hegseth has made it through the gauntlet." Miller predicted Hegseth would be confirmed.

This is someone whos literally been shot at on the battlefield, Miller added. "Thats the type of person who I want leading the (Department of Defense) because as we make these decisions about whether or not to put American troops into harms way, I want someone who knows at a personal level what thats like before you go and send some young man or young woman into battle.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is also expected to attend the game and bring with him a contingent of other GOP lawmakers vying for face time with the incoming president weeks before Republicans take control of the three branches of the federal government.

Johnson said he intends to discuss with Trump plans for a legislative package that could move through Congress next year with a simple majority in the face of expected Democratic opposition.

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Vance said Friday that Penny, a fellow Marine veteran, had accepted his invitation to be in Trump's suite on the Army side. Penny was cleared of criminally negligent homicide in Neely's death after a judge had dismissed a more serious manslaughter charge last week because the jury deadlocked on that count.

The case was a flashpoint in the long-standing debates over racial justice and as well as failures by New York City to address homelessness and mental illness, both of which Neely had struggled with.

Daniels a good guy, and New Yorks mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone, Vance said in a post on X. Im grateful he accepted my invitation and hope hes able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.

Hegseth planned to be in a suite with some Medal of Honor recipients, according to a person familiar with Hegseths schedule.

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Trumps picks for Navy secretary, John Phelan, a businessman who never served in the military, and for Army secretary, Dan Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and former senior adviser to Vance, also are expected to attend, said the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss those details and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kickoff is after 3 p.m. EST at Northwest Stadium, home to the NFL's Washington Commanders, in Landover, Maryland.

Army (11-1) is ranked 19th in The Associated Press Top 25 after beating Tulane on Dec. 6 to win the American Athletic Conference the first league title of any kind in the teams 134-year history. Navy (8-3) was ranked earlier this season after starting with six straight victories