USA
US not ready to make trade deal with China, Trump says
President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not ready to finalize a trade deal with Beijing and signalled he might cancel talks set for September, raising the stakes in the intensifying US-China trade war.
“We’ll see whether or not we keep our meeting in September,” Trump told reporters at the White House before heading out on vacation at his New Jersey golf resort.
Relations have soured further in the past week after Trump announced a new round of punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, despite a truce agreed with President Xi Jinping, and Beijing responded by halting all purchases of US agricultural goods.
e US Treasury then declared China a currency manipulator, after the yuan lost value in the face of the new round of tariffs due to take effect September 1.
“We’re not ready to make a deal but we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have all the cards. We’re doing well.”
US and Chinese negotiators met in Shanghai in late July for the first time since talks collapsed in May, and were due to hold another round in September.
“Whether or not they’re cancelled, we’ll see,” Trump said.
The countries have imposed tariffs on $360 billion in two-way trade and with the new round Trump announced, all Chinese goods would be subject to punishing duties.
Trump on Thursday lamented the strength of the US dollar which puts American manufacturers at a disadvantage, and once again demanded the Federal Reserve lower interest rates to counteract that.
His latest comments continued the relentless campaign against the US central bank, but backed away from calls for a weaker exchange rate for the dollar.
“No I wouldn’t do that,” Trump said when asked if he wanted to devalue the dollar.
However, “If the Federal Reserve would bring down interest rates over a period of time, I would love to see a point or a little more than that.”
The Fed raised the benchmark US interest rate four times last year, a total of a full percentage point, but pulled back with a rate cut last week.
USA
Donald Trump Sworn in As 47th American President, Pledges Swift Border Crackdown
USA
Double Tragedy As Earthquake Strikes California Amid Raging Wildfires
A 3.7 magnitude earthquake has struck California, United States of America, adding to the State’s ongoing tough challenges with worsening wildfires.
This comes as Los Angeles continues to fight raging wildfires, which were allegedly started by an arsonist who has since been arrested.
Mail Online reported on Friday that the tremor was detected near the San Francisco Bay Area at 7:02 am PT, with its epicentre approximately five miles Southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge and two miles west of the Great Highway.
The quake was followed by a 2.2 magnitude aftershock four minutes later and a 2.5 magnitude tremor six minutes after the initial hit.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that more than 5,000 people in the area felt the shake, and the number of reports continues to grow.
This seismic activity occurred about 350 miles away from the Los Angeles area, where wildfires have caused widespread destruction.
“I ordered city government into action immediately this morning, and our first responders have been out across the city ensuring the safety of our residents.
“We have also been sharing information and giving people the tools to protect themselves and their families in an event like this,” Mayor Daniel Lurie commented on the situation.
Despite the tremors, no injuries or damage have been reported from Friday’s earthquake.
The USGS had detected a 3.0 magnitude earthquake the day before, disrupting San Francisco’s Muni subway service.
Many reported that the quake lasted only a second.
USA
US Announces January 9 for Burial of Jimmy Carter
A state funeral for Jimmy Carter, the former US President who died on Sunday at the age of 100, will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on January 9, according to the US Army.
US President, Joe Biden, who last year said that Carter had asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral, has directed that January 9 be a national day of mourning for Carter throughout the US
The official six-day state funeral for Carter begins on Saturday as his remains travel by motorcade through his hometown of Plains, Georgia, the Army said in a statement.
The motorcade carrying Carter will stop at the farm where he grew up. There, the National Park Service will ring the historic farm bell 39 times – Carter was the 39th US President.
Carter’s remains will then be carried to Atlanta, where he will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center until the morning of Jan. 7. His body will then be flown to Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state in the rotunda of the US Capitol until his national funeral ceremony.
The family will hold a private funeral and interment in Georgia later on Jan. 9, after the ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral.
Carter will be buried in a plot next to his wife, Rosalynn Carter, on the grounds of their longtime home in Plains.
Carter, a Democrat, became President in January 1977 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. His one-term presidency was marked by the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East.
Carter spent his long post-Presidential career devoted to humanitarian work, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. World leaders and former US Presidents have paid tribute to a man they praised as compassionate, humble and committed to peace in the Middle East.
– Reuters –
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