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Honda reported Tuesday a 42% drop in profit for the nine months through December, compared to a year earlier, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs hurt the Japanese automaker’s earnings.Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co.’s profit over the three quarters totaled 465.4 billion yen ($3 billion), down from 805.2 billion yen.That marked the second straight year that profit declined during the period at Honda, the maker of the Accord sedan, Civic compact and Odyssey minivan.Sales for the three quarters dipped 2.2% to 15.98 trillion yen ($102.6 billion) from the previous year. Honda stuck to its full fiscal year profit forecast at 300 billion yen ($1.9 billion).The slowdown in electric vehicles in the U.S. market was one negative factor, according to Honda, while the relatively healthy performance in its motorcycle division worked as a plus.Honda lowered its global EV sales ratio projection for 2030 to 20% from its previous target of 30%. It also said it canceled the development of some EV models, because the EV market was changing.The Trump administration, which has favored the oil and gas industry, has backpedaled on prior programs supporting the proliferation of EVs, dismantling programs that kicked in during the Biden administration, which had encouraged environmentally cleaner cars and trucks.Last year, Trump lowered the tariffs on automobiles and auto parts to 15% from an earlier 25% that he had initially announced. Japan promised to invest $550 billion in U.S. projects.Tariffs are a major blow to Japan’s export-reliant economy, including the automakers. Last week, Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. reported a decline in recent profit, and announced that its chief financial officer, Kenta Kon, will become its new chief executive and president.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October as Japan’s first female leader, scored a landslide parliamentary election victory for the governing party over the weekend. That’s expected to make it easier for her Liberal Democratic Party to push forward on its policies, including bolstering growth by boosting government spending, especially in technology and defense.Honda stock jumped 2.1% in Tuesday’s trading. The Nikkei 225 benchmark finished 2.3% higher, renewing a record high for the second day straight, in a rally set off, in part, by Takaichi’s popularity. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer
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Shortly after 7:00 local time this morning, the internet-famous walk for peace monks began the final miles of their 2,300-mile walking journey. They left Alexandria, Virginia, and are set to arrive in Washington, D.C., before 9:30 a.m., where theyll take part in a public event at Bender Arena. The group plans to spend the next three days in and around the nations capital before traveling by bus to Fort Worth, Texas, where the journey began. Find out how they plan to spend the next few days. Who are the monks and why did they walk to D.C.? More than three months ago, a group of about 19 Buddhist monks and their rescue dog companion, Aloka, set out on a 2,300-mile walking journey to promote peace. The movement has been well-received in the United States and globally. Throughout the journey, massive crowds of people have gathered to welcome and celebrate the monks. They started the walk in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025. After 108 days of walking, they arrived in Washington, D.C., this morning. The groups Facebook page notes that theyre walking to raise awareness of inner peace and mindfulness across America and the world. The monks have been using their Facebook page to provide updates, share photos, and announce official events. An interactive map powered by Google Maps also let people follow along with the monks in real time. As their message of hope and peace has reached more people, their social media following has continued to grow significantly. They now have nearly 6 million combined followers across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The monks’ rescue dog, Aloka, who has been part of the walking journey, has become an internet fan favorite. In January, Aloka had surgery to heal a leg injury. Hes doing well, but because hes still recovering, hes been traveling in an escort car that follows the walking route. Aloka has his own official social media accounts. He has a combined following of over 1.5 million fans across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Heres where the monks will be this week The group has shared the following schedule for the week: Tuesday, February 10: 7:00 a.m.: Walk from Alexandria, VA, to Washington, D.C. 9:30-10:45 a.m.: Public Event at Bender Arena Lunch stop: Theyll attend an invite-only lunch at the National United Methodist Church 1:002:30 p.m.: Interfaith Ceremony at Washington National Cathedral 2:30 p.m.: Unity Walk on Embassy Row In the evening, theyll attend a private event at George Washington University Wednesday, February 11: 9:30 a.m.: Walk to Peace Monument / Capitol Hill begins Lunch stop: Theyll attend an invite-only lunch at St. Marks Capitol Hill Church 1:30 p.m.: Begin walking to the Lincoln Memorial 2:30-4:00 p.m: Peace Gathering and Concluding Ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial 4:30-7:30 p.m.: Meditation session with Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara at George Washington University Smith Center Thursday, February 12: 9:00 a.m.: Begin walking from the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Maryland to the Maryland State Capitol 10:00-10:45 a.m.: Peace gathering at the steps of the Maryland State Capitol 12:30 p.m.: Depart for Fort Worth, Texas, by bus Saturday, February 14: The group is set to arrive in Fort Worth around 8:00 a.m. They plan to walk from downtown Fort Worth to the Hng Đo Vipassana Bhavana Center, where the 2,300-mile journey began. The homecoming walking route is approximately six miles. To celebrate the completion of their journey, a peace gathering will be held at the Hng Đo Vipassana Bhavana Center. If youd like to follow along throughout the coming days, check their Facebook page for updates.
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Americans’ hope for their future has fallen to a new low, according to new polling.In 2025, only about 59% of Americans gave high ratings when asked to evaluate how good their life will be in about five years, the lowest annual measure since Gallup began asking this question almost 20 years ago.It’s a warning about the depth of the gloom that has fallen over the country over the past few years. In the data, Gallup’s “current” and “future” lines have tended to move together over time when Americans are feeling good about the present, they tend to feel optimistic about the future. But the most recent measures show that while current life satisfaction has declined over the last decade, future optimism has dropped even more.The finding comes from a longstanding Gallup question that asks Americans to rate their current and future lives on a scale from 0 to 10. Those who give themselves an 8 or higher on the question about the future are categorized as optimists.“While current life is eroding, it’s that optimism for the future that has eroded almost twice as much over the course of about that last 10 years or so,” said Dan Witters, the research director of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.Gallup assesses people who rate their current life at a 7 or higher and their anticipated future at an 8 or higher as “thriving.” Fewer than half of Americans, about 48%, are now in that category.Democrats and Hispanic Americans, in particular, were in a darker mood last year. But even with President Donald Trump back in the White House and his party in control of both houses of Congress, Republicans aren’t feeling nearly as good about the future as they were in the last year of Trump’s first term. Democrats’ optimism fell significantly Americans’ attitudes toward the future tend to shift when a new political party enters the White House generally, the party in power grows more optimistic, while the party without control is more down. For instance, Democrats became more positive about the future after Joe Biden won the presidency, while Republicans’ outlook soured.Witters notes that these changes typically happen “by roughly the same amount, same level of magnitude, so they cancel each other out.”That didn’t happen in 2025.Toward the end of Biden’s term and the start of Trump’s second term, Democrats’ optimism fell from 65% to 57%. Republicans grew more hopeful, but not enough to offset Democrats’ drop.“The regime change in the White House almost certainly was a big driving factor in what’s happened,” Witters said. “And a lot of that was just because the people who identified as Democrats really took it in the chops.”But Republicans are still quite a bit gloomier about the future than they were in the last year of Trump’s first term. A January AP-NORC poll found that while the vast majority of Republicans are still behind the president, his work on the economy hasn’t lived up to many people’s expectations. Hispanic adults grew more pessimistic Hispanic adults’ optimism for the near future also declined during Trump’s first year in office, dropping from 69% to 63%.That decrease was sharper than among white and Black Americans, something that Witters said could be tied to overall cost concerns, health care worries or alarm about Trump’s recent immigration policies.Last year, a survey by the American Communities Project found that people living in heavily Hispanic areas were feeling less hopeful about their future than in 2024. Trump’s favorability fell among Hispanics over the course of 2025, according to AP-NORC polling, which also found that Hispanic adults reported higher levels of economic stress than other groups.A Pew Research Center poll conducted in October found that the administration’s tough immigration enforcement is highly visible in Hispanic communities. About 6 in 10 Latinos said they had seen or heard of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids or arrests in their community in the past six months.“(Deportations are) something that everybody can see and look at with their own eyes,” Witters added. “But if you’re Hispanic, I think it’s fair to think that that might hit a little closer to home.” This data is a part of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. The 2025 results are based on data collected over four quarterly measurement periods, totaling 22,125 interviews with U.S. adults who are part of the probability-based Gallup Panel. Linley Sanders, Associated Press
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