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Surge of cheap Chinese goods into US prompts reconsideration of $800 duty-free limit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

Conservatives anxious to counter America’s leading economic adversary have set their sights on a top trade priority for labor unions and progressives: cracking down on the deluge of duty-free packages coming in from China.The changing political dynamic could have major ramifications for e-commerce businesses and consumers importing products from China valued at less than $800. It also could add to the growing tensions between the countries.Under current U.S. law, most imports valued at less than $800 enter duty-free into the United States if packaged and addressed to individual buyers. It’s referred to as the de minimis rule. Efforts to lower the threshold amount or exclude certain countries altogether from duty-free treatment are set to become a major trade fight in this Congress.“De minimis has become a proxy for all sorts of anxieties as it relates to China and other trade-related challenges,” said John Drake, a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who argues that the ...

Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into the Yellowstone River as bridge fails

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

COLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) — A bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed early Saturday, plunging portions of a freight train carrying hazardous materials into the rushing water below.The train cars were carrying hot asphalt and molten sulfur, Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services said. Officials shut down drinking water intakes downstream while they evaluated the danger after the 6 a.m. accident. An Associated Press reporter witnessed a yellow substance coming out of some of the tank cars. David Stamey, the county’s chief of emergency services, said there was no immediate danger for the crews working at the site, and the hazardous material was being diluted by the swollen river. There were three asphalt cars and four sulfur cars in the river. The train crew was safe and no injuries were reported, Montana Rail Link spokesman Andy Garland said in a statement. The asphalt and sulfur both solidify quickly when exposed to cooler temperatures, he said.Rai...

Ford Explorer recall prompts Transportation Department investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a Ford Motor Co. recall of more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. after receiving complaints about repairs intended to prevent the vehicles from unexpectedly rolling away even while placed in park. The problem, ascribed to fractures of a rear axle mounting bolt that could lead the drive shaft to disconnect, was addressed by a Ford software update designed to apply the electronic parking brake if the drive shaft failed, the agency said. But according to two complaints from vehicle owners, their SUVs behaved erratically following the repair.In one of those cases, the Explorer would reportedly slam to a complete stop at speeds of up to 30 or 40 miles per hour. In the other, it would reportedly lurch into motion while the driver was attempting to disengage the electronic brake. No injuries were reported in these cases, although the first driver reported striking a utility pole when th...

Hajj pilgrims perform final rituals in Mecca before heading to Mina

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Pilgrims streamed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Saturday to perform their final rituals before heading to Mina in preparation for the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam and one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.They moved through the white marble courtyards of Islam’s holiest site to perform the tawaf, the walking circuit around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure covered in a black, gold-embroidered cloth, their fervent recitations ringing through the air. People on the ground floor closest to the Kaaba shuffled due to the sheer number of participants. Those on the upper floors were able to walk more briskly, even run. Pilgrims raised their hands in supplication, took selfies or video, and phoned their relatives as they performed the tawaf. They then walked or ran between two hills in a re-enactment of Hagar’s search for water for her son, Ismail, a story that occurs in different forms in Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions.Pilgrims must e...

Mexico imposes 50% tariff on white corn imports amid trade dispute with U.S. and Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

Mexico on Saturday began imposing a 50% tariff on white corn imports, a move the president says looks to boost national production and prevent imports of genetically modified corn.The measure, published late Friday in the Mexican government’s official gazette, will be in force until the end of the year and occurs amid a trade dispute between Mexico and its North American trade partners, Canada and the United States, over genetically modified corn.White corn was among the basic foods that were exempted from tariffs earlier this year in an attempt by the Mexican government to control inflation. But according to the decree, the decision “has not generated a significant impact on the decrease in prices in the national market, so it’s considered appropriate to eliminate it.”At 5.84% in May, the Mexican government considers inflation more or less under control.Mexico imports some white corn – the kind used for human consumption – mainly from the United ...

Sikh protesters in Vancouver decry Nijjar shooting death as foreign interference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

Protesters in Vancouver say many Sikh community members firmly believe the shooting death of a British Columbia temple president was linked to foreign interference.About 200 protesters from the Canadian Sikh community gathered outside Vancouver’s Indian consulate this morning, accusing the South Asian nation’s government of being involved in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.Police have not linked the shooting to foreign interference, saying that investigators have no reasons to believe that the Sikh community in Canada is at risk.Most of the protesters are advocates for an independent Sikh state in India and came from cities ranging from Metro Vancouver to Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton for today’s protest.Protesters who knew Nijjar, who was organizing an unofficial referendum in India prior to his death, described him as a “peaceful” man who was “loved in the community.”Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle last week while leaving the Guru...

SWAT team responds to domestic disturbance in Schiller Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

SCHILLER PARK, Ill. — Schiller Park police are asking some residents to stay indoors and avoid the area as they handle a SWAT situation.According to police, officers were called Saturday afternoon to a domestic disturbance at an apartment building on Ruby Street between Waveland Avenue and Ivanhoe Avenue. Park Ridge warning community of man impersonating police officer, assaulting teen girls Police haven't released specific details about what led to the SWAT situation, but said one person is barricaded inside and no one is injured.While they are on scene, police have asked people to avoid the area and those who are in the area to stay indoors.

Person shot on Interstate 80 in Northwest Indiana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — A person was shot early Saturday morning on Interstate 80 near Hammond, according to Indiana State Police.Around 3 a.m., a person was shot during a road rage incident in the westbound lanes of I-80 near Indianapolis Boulevard. Anti-gay graffiti spray-painted on Chesterton Municipal Complex sign ISP Sgt. Glen Fifield said the person, who was driving a black Ford Mustang GT, was shot by someone in a light-colored sedan.The person who was shot was taken to a hospital, treated and released, Fifield said. Anyone with information or photos and or videos of the vehicles involved to call Det. Eagles at 219-696-6242.

Hot summer for Illinois ahead: Weather predictions heat up in new NOAA forecast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – An already sweltering summer forecast just got even steamier. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a new long-range weather outlook Thursday that favors above-average temperatures for basically the entire United States.Between July and September, all but a few states have between a 33% and 70% chance of a hotter-than-normal summer.The highest chance for heat is in Arizona — which is already hot on even a normal summer day. The average high in Phoenix in July is 106 degrees. El Niño officially arrives early: What it means for 2023 weather The entire East Coast, from Maine down to Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest is “likely” to see an above-normal summer, according to the forecast. NOAA gives about half of U.S. states a 50% to 60% chance of extra-hot weather over the next three months.Things are a bit better in California and the Midwest, but those regions are also still more likely to see a hot summer than a...

'That's the way to go,' Senate plan aims to give Texans $18B in property tax relief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:20 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - Texas leaders are still at odds over plans to lower your property taxes. On Tuesday, the Texas Senate unanimously approved its largest property tax relief plan yet. "The senate plan is a record $18 billion of tax relief going straight to school taxpayers across the state," said State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) the author of the legislation. His bill would require voter approval in a constitutional amendment election.But it's not clear if the $18 billion dollar plan will break the stalemate between the state's top leaders over how to provide tax relief.The new proposal preserves the Senate's top priority of raising the homestead exemption to $100,000, the most direct benefit to homeowners and the major sticking point between the upper chamber and Gov. Greg Abbott. It also dedicates $400 million more towards buying down school district property tax rates, the strategy Abbott prefers exclusively.Bettencourt said he believes combining an increased homestead ...