The Political Thread

[Chris]

Honda and Nissan reportedly in merger talks to bolster automakers for EV future

Honda and Nissan are reportedly in talks to merge to better compete with other automakers such as Tesla and Toyota in electronic vehicle development.

www.usatoday.com

Two of Japan's biggest automakers, Honda and Nissan, have reportedly begun merger talks, according to a report in Japan's financial Nikkei Asia newspaper.

The two Japanese-headquartered automakers are looking to join forces as a way to contend in an ever-challenging industry increasingly focused on electric vehicles, the newspaper reported.

Both companies responded to a question about the report from USA TODAY with identical statements, which did not deny merger talks were underway.

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

C A P I T A L I S M

 

[Chris]

Congressional Leaders Unveil Short-Term Spending Bill Tied to Disaster Aid

What started out as a simple stopgap measure to avert a shutdown for a few months became a magnet for more than $100 billion in emergency disaster and farm aid, plus a host of unrelated policy measures.

www.nytimes.com

Congressional leaders on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would keep government funding flowing through the middle of March and provide nearly $100 billion in aid for communities ravaged by hurricanes and other disasters.

Negotiators in both parties had been toiling to reach a deal ahead of a Friday deadline to avert a shutdown. The sprawling bill, more than 1,500 pages, includes $10 billion in direct economic assistance for farmers and another $21 billion in disaster relief for farmers. It would keep government funding at current levels, and would punt another funding fight until March 14, when the Republican-controlled Congress will have to come to another spending agreement.

It is also stuffed with an array of unrelated policy measures on health, energy, digital privacy and other matters that lawmakers quietly agreed to slip in as part of a final round of haggling in the last days of the Congress, powered by billions in federal money and a collective desire to clear the legislative decks before the new year.