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Mending fences: Raimondo latest on trade mission to China 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is the latest member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to visit China as his administration tries to mend the deteriorating ties between the world’s two largest economies. She promises to be “practical” without compromising the U.S. push to “responsibly” manage that economic relationship.Raimondo plans meetings with Chinese officials and U.S. business leaders in Beijing and Shanghai in an effort to “promote a healthy competition, a competition on a level playing field, playing by the rules.”“I’m also very realistic and clear-eyed about the challenges. And the challenges are significant,” she told reporters before leaving Washington on Saturday on a trip that ends Wednesday.The secretary said she wants to find “actionable, concrete steps where we can move forward on the commercial relationship,” but she offered few details. One matter to be discussed is promoting...

Patriots practice notes: Two players return, long list of absences ahead of cuts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

Two key Patriots starters returned to practice Sunday, according to reporters on scene.Sunday afternoon’s practice session saw the return of cornerback Jonathan Jones and left guard Cole Strange. Jones was present but not wearing a jersey. Strange was present but not participating in team drills.The Patriots open their season in two weeks against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tight end Mike Gesicki was also cleared for contact. Rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas was spotted in a red non-contact jersey.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots trade RB Pierre Strong for Browns offensive lineman New England Patriots | Patriots-Titans film review: Marte Mapu’s main area for growth and 19 more takeaways New England Patriots | Patriots’ eight most difficult decisions on 53-man roster cutdown day New England Patriots | Patriots roster cuts tracker: Among three players out New England Patriots | ...

Sheriff provides the first details of how a white man fatally shot 3 Black people at a Florida store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

By RUSS BYNUM and AARON MORRISON (Associated Press)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The white man who fatally shot three Black people in a racist attack at a Florida store shot one of his victims as she sat in her car, chased another through the store and shot the third as he entered, Jacksonville’s sheriff said Sunday.Shooter Ryan Palmeter, 21, legally purchased his guns in recent months even though he had been involuntarily committed for a mental health examination in 2017, Sheriff T.K. Waters said. He killed himself after killing his three victims. Waters identified those shot in Saturday’s attack at a Dollar General as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Gerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store. Palmeter used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Glock handgun in the shooting, Waters said. Palmeter lived with his parents in neighboring Clay County and had tex...

A House impeachment inquiry of President Biden is a ‘natural step forward,’ Speaker McCarthy says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested Sunday that an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden was becoming more likely, calling it “a natural step forward” as Congress soon ends its summer break and House Republicans seek to expand their investigative powers.McCarthy, R-Calif., has so far avoided committing to an impeachment vote or offering a timeline for possible action. Some House Republicans are eager to go after Biden over claims of financial misconduct involving his son Hunter, but the Democratic president has not been shown to have done anything wrong.Meanwhile, McCarthy said passing a short-term spending bill to keep the government running past the end of September would ensure that investigations of Hunter Biden could continue, a pitch directed at conservatives worried a bipartisan deal with Senate Democrats would not cut enough spending. The stopgap measure would buy time to work out a longer-term budget deal before mandatory spending cuts that neither party pr...

Jacksonville killings: What we know about the hate crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A white man wearing a mask and firing a weapon emblazoned with a swastika gunned down three Black people Saturday in what the sheriff described as a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida. The shooter, who had also posted racist writings, then killed himself. Here’s what is known about the killings:WHERE AND WHEN DID THE SHOOTING TAKE PLACE?The shooting happened Saturday afternoon at a Dollar General store in New Town, a predominantly Black neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The store is near Edward Waters University, a historically Black school with about 1,000 students. The school said the man was spotted on campus by a security guard shortly before the shooting and asked to leave when he refused to identify himself. He was seen putting on his bullet-resistant vest and mask before he drove away. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Sunday that it does not appear that he intended to attack the school.WHO WAS THE SHOOTER?Ryan Palmeter...

Tropical Storm Idalia forms in the Gulf of Mexico on a possible track toward the US, forecasters say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Idalia formed Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico on a potential track to come ashore as a hurricane in the southern U.S., the National Hurricane Center said.At 2 p.m. Sunday, the storm was about 80 miles (129 kilometers) east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, moving north at 2 mph (3.2 kph) with highest sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph), forecasters said. Hurricanes have winds of 74 mph (119 kph) and above.Forecasters said they expected Idalia to become a hurricane on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and then curve northeast toward the west coast of Florida. Initial forecasts indicated that Idalia could approach Florida on Wednesday as a Category 1 hurricane.Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk of seawater surging onto land and flooding communities when a tropical storm or hurricane approaches. That part of Florida is very vulnerable to storm surges, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, said Sunday.“So it will not take a s...

'Biggest, brightest' rare blue supermoon can be seen this week: What to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

(NewsNation) — People will get a glimpse of an extremely rare blue "supermoon" next week, with outlets reporting it is set to be the "biggest and brightest moon" this year.This blue supermoon can be seen the night of Aug. 30. InTheSky.org predicts the supermoon will rise at 7:10 p.m. ET (2310 GMT) and set at 6:46 a.m. ET (1146 GMT) on Aug. 31. Observers on the ground may notice a slightly larger moon at this time, but only by about 7%, Space.com writes. Saturn will also be especially bright that night, as the gas giant will be at the point where it lies directly opposite the sun as it is seen from Earth. Skygazers across the U.S. can see Saturn in the constellation Aquarius, which is above and to the right of the moon, while those in the Southern Hemisphere can see the planet right below the moon. Stop using these two types of eye drops, FDA warns "Warm summer nights are the ideal time to watch the full moon rise in the eastern sky within minutes of sunset," retired NASA astrophys...

What made the sun so red Friday morning?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meteorologist Nick Bannin explained what made the sun so red Friday morning.        Bannin said the cause was some Saharan dust and the addition of some low clouds early in the day. The result was the red sun.When the sun is low on the horizon, at either sunrise or sunset, the sun’s rays have to travel through more atmosphere to get to your eyes than they do during the middle of the day. That atmosphere Friday morning had Saharan dust and patchy low clouds in the way.Because blue and violet light have shorter wavelengths, they are scattered away before reaching your eyes when they travel through dust and other pollutants — that leaves you with a reddish-orange light that is left unscattered over that longer distance.This story came from a ReportIt story tip. Send your own story ideas to [email protected] or through KXAN's contact page.

Photos: rain doesn't dampen Tower Grove Park Festival of Nations event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Despite Saturday's rain, the Festival of Nations on Sunday brimmed with vendors, food, and music. The overcast day didn't deter the public from exploring Tower Grove Park.The International Institute of St. Louis produces the Festival of Nations, a multiracial event that first debuted in 1934. This two-day event is open to the public and showcases the traditions, flavors, sounds, and art of over 75 nations. Wood River’s Atomic Pinball Arcade is a haven for pinball and community The festival will continue until 9 p.m. today at Tower Grove Park.

Schoolkids in 8 states — including Colorado — can now eat free school meals, advocates urge Congress for nationwide policy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:31 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. — When classes resume after Labor Day, Amber Lightfeather won’t have to worry about where her children’s next meals will be coming from. They’ll be free.Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, and Massachusetts will make school breakfasts and lunches permanently free to all students starting this academic year, regardless of family income, following in the footsteps of California and Maine. Several other states are considering similar changes and congressional supporters want to extend free meals to all kids nationwide.Lightfeather, who has four kids who attend public schools in Duluth, Minnesota, said her family has sometimes qualified for free or reduced-price meals but would have had to pay in the upcoming school year if Minnesota had not made the change. Her earnings as a hospital worker and her husband’s as a tribal employee would have put them over the limit. Last year, the family was paying over $260 a month for school...