By DAVID McHUGH and JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Leading global economic policymakers at the World Economic Forum in Davos urged countries and businesses to filter out the turmoil from a week of clashes with the Trump administration and focus on boosting growth and fighting inequality in a world where trade will continue to flow and international cooperation is still badly needed.

The global economy is showing unexpected resilience despite the noise, European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund head Kristalina Georgieva and World Trade Organization head Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in a panel discussion. But while growth is holding up, troubles like worrisome levels of government debt and inequality loom.

That resilience is holding up despite disruptions from US trade policy under President Donald Trump, who roiled the weeklong forum with threats to impose tariffs on countries supporting Greenland against a US takeover bid, then withdrew the tariff proposal.

President Donald Trump applauses during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

What is now needed, they said, are efforts to boost growth to offset heavy debt levels around the world and ensure that disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence don’t worsen inequality or devastate labor markets. And Europe needs to boost productivity and improve its business climate for investment.

Georgieva said the IMF’s recently raised forecast of 3.3% global growth for this year was “beautiful but not enough… do not fall into complacency.”

She said that level of growth wasn’t enough to wear down “the debt that is hanging around our necks” and that governments need to take care of “those who are falling off the wagon.”

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“We have to look at Plan B, or Plans B,” said Lagarde. “I think we’ve had a lot of noise this week… and we need to distinguish the signal from the noise… we should be talking about alternatives.”

She responded to the “Europe bashing” heard during the summit by saying, “we should say thank you to the bashers” for underlining Europe’s need to improve its investment climate and promote innovation.

Lagarde downplayed a provocative speech at the forum from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who called Trump’s approach a “rupture” with an international order based on rules, trade and cooperation and said that way of doing business was “not coming back.” “From an economic and business point of view we depend on each other,” she said.

Okonji-Oweal pointed out that 72% of global trade still takes place under WTO rules, where countries agree to charge all trading partners the same tariffs. That’s despite “the biggest disruption in 80 years.”

“Resiliency is built into the system, and that is showing up,” she said. She conceded that “I don’t think we’ll go back to where we were.”

Georgieva offered a historical perspective: “We have always traded and we will always trade. Trade is like a river, water. You put obstacle, it goes around it. Yes, it would be different, but there would be always the necessity of Dr. Ngozi to look over world trade.”

Georgieva also conceded things had changed for good: “How many of you have seen the movie, ”The Wizard of Oz?”…. We are not Kansas any more.”

There have been no guarantees made by the Vikings as far as who will start at quarterback next season.

That was perhaps the biggest takeaway last week when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to reporters at TCO Performance Center. If young quarterback J.J. McCarthy ends up with the starting job next season, it will be because he won a competition during training camp.

That’s the only certainty for the Vikings at the moment.

It’s hard not to think about what could’ve been when considering the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams are still alive in the NFL playoffs, and thus, still in contention for the Super Bowl.

You can’t help but notice that the Vikings have some sort of connection to each of the quarterbacks that have led the charge for their respective teams in the pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy.

Here’s a deep dive into those connections.

The quarterback the Vikings passed on

In an alternate universe maybe the Vikings select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix when they are on the clock in the 2024 NFL Draft instead of trading up for McCarthy. They ultimately decided to pass on somebody many considered to have a high floor with hopes of hitting on somebody who theoretically had a high ceiling.

After the Vikings traded up to take McCarthy with the No. 10 pick, the Broncos took Nix with the No. 12 pick. As a result, both players have been connected at the hip ever since, and McCarthy has severely lagged behind Nix in terms of accomplishments in the early stages.

To add to the drama, Broncos head coach Sean Payton indicated at the time that he might have baited the Vikings into moving up.

Though the Broncos will be forced to start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship Game due to Nix suffering a broken ankle, it’s safe to say they feel good about how the 2024 NFL Draft played out for them.

The quarterback the Vikings wanted

It’s no secret that the Vikings were enamored by North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye in the lead up to the 2024 NFL Draft.

It’s been reported by NFL insider Albert Breer that the Vikings made an aggressive offer early in the 2024 NFL Draft with hopes of moving up to the No. 3 pick so they could take Maye. They reportedly offered the Patriots the No. 11 pick and the No. 23 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, as well as a first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

It wasn’t enough as the Patriots had already decided Maye was the guy for them. They stood pat and made a selection that has worked out better than they could’ve ever imagined. Not only did Maye put himself at the forefront of the MVP discussions this season, he currently has the Patriots preparing for the AFC Championship Game.

The quarterback the Vikings had on the roster

Whether the Vikings made the right decision moving on from veteran quarterback Sam Darnold has been litigated countless times over the past few months.

It hasn’t been the fact that McCarthy has struggled to adapt to the highest level. It’s also been the fact that Darnold has picked up right where he left off.

Though many assumed that Darnold would fall off a cliff after leaving the Vikings, he has completely flipped that narrative on its head, proving to be a godsend for the Seahawks.

As good as the defense has been for the Seahawks this season, Darnold is among the biggest reasons they are currently in the NFC Championship Game. He’s been surgical while leading an offense that has more than held up its end of the bargain.

There’s no doubt the Vikings regretting letting Darnold walk out the door. The gravity of the mistake will be determined over the next few weeks if Darnold goes on to win the Super Bowl.

The quarterback the Vikings know better than most

There’s a chance O’Connell wouldn’t be in his current role with the Vikings if it wasn’t for future Hall of Fame quarterback Matthew Stafford finally realizing his potential with the Rams. The magical run the Rams went on in 2022 that ended with them winning the Super Bowl helped O’Connell get hired by the Vikings.

The connection to Stafford isn’t as blatant because the Vikings never had an opportunity to roster him. That said, Stafford is somebody with whom the Vikings are familiar, especially considering they played him countless times during his career with the Lions.

To say Stafford has taken his game to a different level since being traded to the Rams would be an understatement. He won a Super Bowl after being acquired in the blockbuster deal. He also is a frontrunner in MVP discussions this season.

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The Loop NFL Picks: Divisional Playoffs

NFC championship

Rams at Seahawks (-2½)

Exiled Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold led Seattle past the 49ers last week and is now just one victory away from his first-ever Super Bowl. If he’s able to lead the Seahawks to Santa Clara, the Vikings will pass the Buffalo Bills and retake the lead in the NFL’s Franchise Regret standings.

Pick: Rams by 3

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) was brought down to earth by the Lions’ defense, and his own demons, last Sunday night in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

AFC championship

Patriots at Broncos (+4½)

The pressure is intense on Denver backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham as he replaces injured starter Bo NIx. If he can lead the Broncos to victory Sunday, not only will he make a trip to Super Bowl LX, but he’ll also earn a berth alongside Vladimir Putin on Donald Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace.

Pick: Patriots by 11

DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 21: Jarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos warms up prior to a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field At Mile High on December 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Record

Last week

3-1 straight up

2-2 vs. spread

Season

170-111-1 straight up (.605!

135-147 vs. spread (.469)

All-time (2003-26)

3989-2212-15 straight up (.643)

3046-3026-145 vs spread (.502)

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Thursdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on X– @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.

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By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s top prosecutor on Friday called U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he halted the hangings of 800 detained protesters there “completely false.” Meanwhile, the overall death toll from a bloody crackdown on nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 5,002, activists said.

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

Activists fear many more are dead. They struggle to confirm information as the most comprehensive internet blackout in Iran’s history has crossed the two-week mark.

Tensions remain high between the United States and Iran as an American aircraft carrier group moves closer to the Middle East, something Trump likened to an “armada” in comments to journalists late Thursday.

Analysts say a military buildup could give Trump the option to carry out strikes, though so far he’s avoided that despite repeated warnings to Tehran. The mass execution of prisoners had been one of his red lines for military force — the other being the killing of peaceful demonstrators.

“While President Trump now appears to have backtracked, likely under pressure from regional leaders and cognizant that airstrikes alone would be insufficient to implode the regime, military assets continue to be moved into the region, indicating kinetic action may still happen,” New York-based think tank the Soufan Center said in an analysis Friday.

Prosecutor denies Trump claim

Trump has repeatedly said Iran halted the execution of 800 people detained in the protests, without elaborating on the source of the claim. On Friday, Iran’s top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi strongly denied that in comments carried by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency.

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“This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” Movahedi said.

His remarks suggested that Iran’s Foreign Ministry, led by Abbas Araghchi, may have offered that figure to Trump. Araghchi has had a direct line to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and conducted multiple rounds of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program with him.

“We have a separation of powers, the responsibilities of each institution are clearly defined, and we do not, under any circumstances, take instructions from foreign powers,” Movahedi said.

Judiciary officials have called some of those being held “mohareb” — or “enemies of God.” That charge carries the death penalty. It had been used along with others to carry out mass executions in 1988 that reportedly killed at least 5,000 people.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Haji Ali Akbari, the Friday prayer leader in Tehran, mocked Trump as a “yellow-faced, yellow-haired and disgraced man” who is “like a dog that only barks.”

“That foolish man has resorted to threatening the nation, especially over what he said about Iran’s leader,” the cleric said in comments aired by Iranian state radio. ”If any harm were to occur, all your interests and bases in the region would become clear and precise targets of Iranian forces.”

Death toll rises

The latest death toll was given by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which reported that 4,716 of the dead were demonstrators, 203 were government-affiliated, 43 were children and 40 were civilians not taking part in the protests. It added that more than 26,800 people had been detained in a widening arrest campaign by authorities.

The group’s figures have been accurate in previous unrest in Iran and rely on a network of activists in Iran to verify deaths. That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s government offered its first death toll Wednesday, saying 3,117 people were killed. It added that 2,427 of the dead in the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 were civilians and security forces, with the rest being “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, in part because of authorities cutting access to the internet and blocking international calls into the country.

US warships on the move

The American military meanwhile has moved more military assets toward the Mideast, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and associated warships traveling with it from the South China Sea.

A U.S. Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements, said Thursday that the Lincoln strike group is in the Indian Ocean.

Trump said Thursday aboard Air Force One that the U.S. is moving the ships toward Iran “just in case” he wants to take action.

“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said.

Trump also mentioned the multiple rounds of talks that American officials had with Iran over its nuclear program prior to Israel launching a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in June, which saw U.S. warplanes bomb Iranian nuclear sites. He threatened Iran with military action that would make earlier U.S. strikes against its uranium enrichment sites “look like peanuts.”

“They should have made a deal before we hit them,” Trump said.

The U.K. Defense Ministry separately said that its joint Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet squadron with Qatar, 12 Squadron, “deployed to the (Persian) Gulf for defensive purposes noting regional tensions.”

Iran shows off drones in Israel threat

Iran commemorated “the Day of the Guardian” on Friday, an annual event for its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which was key in putting down the nationwide protests.

To mark the day, an Iranian state television channel aired a typically religious talk show Thursday night that instead saw its cleric and prayer singers look at Iranian military drones. They fired up the engines of several of the Shahed drones, one version of which has been used extensively by Russia in its war on Ukraine.

A man identified as a member of the security forces, who wore a surgical mask and sunglasses during the telecast to hide his identity, also made a threat in mangled Hebrew toward Israel, trying to say: “We are closer to you than you think.”

Konstantin Toropin in Washington, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.