News Wrap: Paramount Skydance starts bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day's other headlines with a brewing bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount Skydance launched a hostile all-cash offer directly to the company's shareholders valued at some $108 billion. It comes just days after Netflix agreed to a $72 billion deal to buy the company's TV, movie studio and streaming assets. Paramount's counteroffer would buy those businesses, plus CNN,among others.

Paramount is run by the Ellison family, which has close ties to President Trump. And its offer includes financing from Affinity Partners, the investment firm run by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

President Trump's former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, resigned today as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Her announcement comes a week after an appeals court found she'd been serving in the role unlawfully. In a social media post, Habba said she's stepping down — quote — "to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love" adding — quote — "But do not mistake compliance for surrender."

Habba says she will remain with the Justice Department as a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has signed a one-year contract extension with ABC. The comedian was briefly suspended in September amid backlash over comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel's current contract was due to expire next May, meaning he's now due to stay on the air through May of 2027.

Turning overseas now, Syria has been marking one year since a swift rebel uprising toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad, ending decades of his family's iron-fisted rule. Thousands of jubilant Syrians gathered in the capital city of Damascus, where officials put on a parade of tanks, helicopters, and other military hardware.

But behind the ceremonial show of force, many Syrians remain guarded about the future, especially when it comes to their basic needs.

Samir Shaar, Damascus Resident (through interpreter):

The situation is 50 percent better. There's security, and we can go anywhere comfortably, but some things are still lacking. Like, financially, for example, there's no supply and things have become more expensive and people are raising the prices.

Amna Nawaz:

In remarks today, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that — quote — "Victory is only the start." The former al-Qaida commander pledged a new chapter for the nation, saying his government would help to rebuild the country.

The Christian Association of Nigeria says that 100 students who were abducted last month have been freed, though more than 100 others remain in captivity. Gunmen attacked the Catholic school in Niger State on November 21, seizing more than 300 schoolchildren and a dozen of their teachers; 50 escaped shortly afterward.

Video from today shows the newly released children arriving at the state government house, where they were expected to be reunited with their families. It's not clear how they were freed or if any arrests were made, and no group has claimed responsibility.

In Japan, at least 23 people were injured after a powerful 7.5- magnitude earthquake struck off the country's northern coast. Alarms sounded as the quake hit around 11:00 p.m. local time. Officials reported one tsunami of up to 28 inches and ordered evacuations for 90,000 people amid wider tsunami warnings, which were later lifted. Japanese officials say there could still be aftershocks in the coming days.

Thailand and Cambodia are accusing each other of breaking their cease-fire, as new clashes reignited the country's longstanding border dispute. Thailand says it bombed Cambodian targets after a Thai soldier was killed in cross-border fire. Cambodian officials say at least four civilians have been killed in the latest violence.

Tens of thousands, meanwhile, have fled their homes in both nations, seeking shelter in bunkers or sprawling evacuation sites. The Thai prime minister vowed to proceed with what he called appropriate measures.

Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Thailand (through interpreter): Thailand never wants to see violence. We insist that Thailand has never initiated the clashes or encroached into their land whatsoever. But Thailand will not stand for its sovereignty being violated.

Amna Nawaz:

Cambodia's prime minister called for his country to — quote — "unite for the cause of the nation during this difficult period."

President Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 chips to what he called approved customers in China and other countries. In a social media post, Trump also said the U.S. government would get a 25 percent cut of future sales of the chip. The announcement is a win for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who's been pressing the White House for such access to China's market.

But critics worry the chip would help China to compete with the U.S. in artificial intelligence. This comes as China's trade surplus has surged past the $1 trillion mark for the first time ever. That's according to new data out today, and it comes despite a continued drop in shipments to the U.S. amid ongoing trade tensions between the two countries.

Instead, China is selling more goods to places like Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa.

Meantime, on Wall Street, stocks pulled back from recent highs. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped more than 200 points. The Nasdaq gave back about 30 points. The S&P 500 also ended in negative territory.

And a 3-year-old Indian boy has become the youngest player in chess history to earn an official rating. Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha surpassed the minimum requirement at the age of just 3 years, seven months and 20 days. He broke the previous record by about a month by winning five of his eight rated matches.

According to local media, the toddler, who's still in nursery school, enjoys playing chess up to five hours a day.