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WINDSOR, CALIFORNIA — Forecasters warned over the weekend that another round of winter weather could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving in parts of the U.S. In California, where a person was found dead in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more precipitation while still grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. And thousands in the Pacific Northwest remained without power after multiple days in the dark. A winter storm warning in California’s Sierra Nevada on Saturday was in effect through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 88 kph. Total snowfall of roughly 1.2 meters was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations coming Monday and Tuesday. Forecasters said the Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday, and the East Coast will be the most impacted on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. A low-pressure system will bring rain to the Southeast early Thursday before heading to the Northeast, where areas from Boston to New York could see rain and strong winds. Parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks could get snow. If the system tracks further inland, the forecast would call for less snow for the mountains and more rain. Deadly ‘bomb cyclone’ on West Coast The storm on the West Coast arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before its strong winds moved through Northern California. The system roared ashore on the West Coast on Tuesday as a ” bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed fierce winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes. Santa Rosa, California, saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 32 centimeters of rain falling by Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area. On Saturday vineyards in Windsor, about 16 kilometers to the north, were flooded. To the west, rescue crews in Guerneville recovered a body inside a vehicle bobbing in floodwaters around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Rob Dillion, a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy and spokesperson. The deceased was presumed to be a victim of the storm, but an autopsy had not yet been conducted. Dominick Conti, a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter, and a friend drove around the Santa Rosa … “Will a winter storm hit the US over Thanksgiving week? Here’s what forecasts show” →

HOUSTON — Kimberly Rubit had one priority in mind as Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston this summer: her severely disabled daughter. The 63-year-old worked nonstop to prevent Mary, 42, from overheating without air conditioning, water or lights after Beryl knocked out power to their home for 10 days. At least three dozen other people suffered heat-related deaths during the extended outage. “It was miserable,” Rubit said. “I’m sick of it.” Electric grids have buckled more frequently and outages have become longer across the U.S. as the warming atmosphere carries more water and stirs up more destructive storms, according to an AP analysis of government data. In the Pacific Northwest this week, a “bomb cyclone” caused roughly half a million outages. People with disabilities and chronic health conditions are particularly at risk when the power goes out, and many live in homes that lack the weatherizing and backup power supplies needed to better handle high temperatures and cold freezes, or can’t pay their electricity bills, said Columbia University sociomedical sciences professor Diana Hernandez, who studies energy instability in U.S. homes. At any given time, 1 in 3 households in the U.S. is “actively trying to avoid a disconnection or contending with the aftermath of it,” Hernandez said. In Texas, as another winter approaches, people can’t shake fears of another blackout like the one during a cold freeze in 2021 that left millions without power for days and killed more than 200 people. Despite efforts to create more resilience, a winter storm that powerful could still lead to rolling blackouts, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages most of the state’s power grid. Beryl also knocked out power to millions for days, sickening many in the sweltering July heat. Local and state officials showered criticism on CenterPoint Energy, Houston’s power utility, saying it should have communicated more clearly, taken more preventive measures such as tree trimming before the storm hit and repaired downed power lines more quickly. The utility’s response remains under investigation by the Texas attorney general. CenterPoint says it is focused now on improving resiliency, customer communications and community partnerships with the one defining goal: “to build the most resilient coastal grid in the country that can better withstand the extreme weather of the future.” Texas lawmakers, meanwhile, are debating whether assisted living facilities need more regulation. One suggestion: requiring them to have enough emergency generator fuel to … “People on breathing machines struggle without power after weather disasters” →

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping poor nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations in the city where industry first tapped oil. The $300 billion will go to developing countries who need the cash to wean themselves off the coal, oil and gas that causes the globe to overheat, adapt to future warming, and pay for the damage caused by climate change’s extreme weather. It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, but it’s three times a deal of $100 billion a year from 2009 that is expiring. Some delegations said this deal is headed in the right direction, with hopes that more money flows in the future. It was not quite the agreement by consensus that these meetings usually operate with and developing nations were livid about being ignored. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev gaveled the deal into acceptance before any nation had a chance to speak. When they did, they blasted him for being unfair to them, the deal for not being enough, and the world’s rich nations for being too stingy. “It’s a paltry sum,” India negotiator Chandni Raina said, repeatedly saying how India objected to rousing cheers. “I’m sorry to say we cannot accept it.” She told The Associated Press that she has lost faith in the United Nations system. Nations express discontent A long line of nations agreed with India and piled on, with Nigeria’s Nkiruka Maduekwe, CEO of the National Council on Climate Change, calling the deal an insult and a joke. “I’m disappointed. It’s definitely below the benchmark that we have been fighting for for so long,” said Juan Carlos Monterrey, of the Panama delegation. He noted that a few changes, including the inclusion of the words “at least” before the number $300 billion and an opportunity for revision by 2030, helped push them to the finish line. “Our heart goes out to all those nations that feel like they were walked over,” he said. The final package pushed through “does not speak or reflect or inspire confidence and trust that we will come out of this grave problem of climate change,” India’s Raina said. “We absolutely object to the unfair means followed for adoption,” Raina said. “We are extremely hurt by this action … “Climate deal gives developing nations $300B a year — ‘a paltry’ amount, say some” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, to be agriculture secretary. “As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country,” Trump said in a statement. If confirmed by the Senate, Rollins would lead a 100,000-person agency with offices in every county in the country, whose scope includes farm and nutrition programs, forestry, home and farm lending, food safety, rural development, agricultural research, trade and more. It had a budget of $437.2 billion in 2024. The nominee’s agenda would carry implications for American diets and wallets, both urban and rural. Department of Agriculture officials and staff negotiate trade deals, guide dietary recommendations, inspect meat, fight wildfires and support rural broadband, among other activities. “Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none,” Trump said in the statement. The America First Policy Institute is a right-leaning think tank whose personnel have worked closely with Trump’s campaign to help shape policy for his incoming administration. She chaired the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term. As agriculture secretary, Rollins would advise the administration on how and whether to implement clean fuel tax credits for biofuels at a time when the sector is hoping to grow through the production of sustainable aviation fuel. The nominee would also guide next year’s renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, in the shadow of disputes over Mexico’s attempt to bar imports of genetically modified corn and Canada’s dairy import quotas. Trump has said he again plans to institute sweeping tariffs that are likely to affect the farm sector. He was considering offering the role to former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, a staunch ally whom he chose to co-chair his inaugural committee, CNN reported on Friday. …

Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term. Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member of the Republican’s Cabinet. Here are some things to know about him: From professional football to politics Turner grew up in a Dallas suburb, Richardson, and graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was a defensive back and spent nine seasons in the NFL beginning in 1995, playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. During offseasons, he worked as an intern for then-Representative Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California. After Turner retired in 2004, he worked full time for the congressman. In 2006, Turner ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in California’s 50th Congressional District. Turner joined the Texas House in 2013 as part of a large crop of tea party-supported lawmakers. He tried unsuccessfully to become speaker before he finished his second term in 2016. He did not seek a third term. Motivational speaker and pastor Turner also worked for a software company in a position called “chief inspiration officer” and said he acted as a professional mentor, pastor and councilor for the employees and executive team. He has also been a motivational speaker. He and his wife, Robin Turner, founded a nonprofit promoting initiatives to improve childhood literacy. His church, Prestonwood Baptist Church, lists him as an associate pastor. He is also chair of the center for education opportunity at America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers to lay the groundwork if he won a second term. Headed council in Trump’s first term Trump introduced Turner in April 2019 as the head of the new White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Trump credited Turner with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” The mission of the council was to coordinate with various federal agencies to attract investment to so-called “Opportunity Zones,” which were economically depressed areas eligible to be used for the federal tax incentives. Role of HUD The Housing and Urban Development Department is responsible for addressing the nation’s housing needs. It also is charged with fair housing laws and oversees housing for the poorest Americans, sheltering more than 4.3 million low-income families through public … “What to know about Scott Turner, Trump’s pick for housing secretary” →

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — Wealthy countries raised their offer of climate finance to $300 billion a year at COP29 on Saturday, raising hopes of a deal with developing nations that had dismissed an earlier proposal as insufficient to address the impacts of global warming.  The United Nations climate summit had been scheduled to finish on Friday but ran into an extra day as negotiators from nearly 200 countries — who must adopt the deal by consensus — tried to reach agreement on the contentious funding plan for the next decade.  The two-week conference cut to the heart of the global debate over the financial responsibility of rich industrialized countries, whose historical use of fossil fuels caused the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions, to compensate for the damage wrought by climate change.  Negotiators from several developing countries and island nations aired frustration over a U.N. process they said was not rising to the challenge of global warming and temporarily walked out of talks on Saturday afternoon.  It was unclear if they would ultimately accept the proposed figure of $300 billion a year by 2035.  Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad said he was optimistic. “When it comes to money it’s always controversial, but we are expecting a deal tonight,” he told Reuters.  COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev asked country delegations to overcome their differences: “I ask you to now step up your engagement with one another to bridge the remaining divide,” he said in a plenary speech.  Developing countries had dismissed as insufficient a previous proposal, drafted by the Azerbaijan host on Friday, that would have seen the United States, Europe and other developed countries lead $250 billion in annual funding.  Past failures to meet climate finance obligations have also made developing countries mistrustful of new promises.  Five sources with knowledge of the closed-door discussions said the EU had agreed it could accept the higher number of $300 billion a year. Two of the sources said the United States, Australia and Britain also were on board.  A European Commission spokesperson and an Australian government spokesperson both declined to comment on the negotiations. The U.S. delegation and the UK energy ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  The new goal is intended to replace developed countries’ previous commitment to provide $100 billion in climate finance for poorer nations per year by 2020. That goal was met two years late, in 2022, and expires … “Rich nations raise COP29 climate finance offer in bid to break deadlock” →

HONOLULU, HAWAII — The latest lawsuit to take aim at Hawaii’s gun laws challenges the state’s ban on gun ownership for young adults 18 to 20 years old, which Second Amendment advocates say is an unconstitutional restriction on Americans’ right to bear arms.  Elijah Pinales, 19, and Juda Roache, who turns 18 next month, want to own guns for self-defense, according to their lawsuit filed Wednesday night in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.  Their lawyers assert that Hawaii is the only state with a complete ban on acquiring and owning firearms and ammunition by those who are 18 to 20. Some states allow 18-year-olds to purchase a long gun and some allow for private party transfer of handguns, said Alan Beck, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit and has lodged numerous other challenges to Hawaii weapons laws.  Roache’s mother wants to give him a firearm and ammunition, the lawsuit says.  Federal law requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer and 18 to buy a long gun from a dealer, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. There’s an 18-year-old minimum for handgun purchases from unlicensed sellers and no minimum age for long guns, according to the group’s research.  Chris Marvin, a Hawaii resident with Everytown, said states are raising the age for purchasing firearms and ammunition, noting a federal appeals court ruled earlier this month that a Colorado law raising the age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21 can take effect while the legal battle over it continues.  New York and Illinois also have broad laws limiting people under 21 from possessing firearms, said David Pucino, legal director and deputy chief counsel for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.  “Hawai’i has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and it has among the very lowest gun death rates,” he said in a statement Thursday. “That’s not an accident, but it hasn’t stopped extremists from attacking Hawai’i’s gun laws at every turn.”  Firearm suicide rate jumps According to Everytown, firearms are the leading cause of death for young people ages 18 to 20, the firearm suicide rate in that age group has jumped 41% in the last decade, and 18- to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of those 21 and older.  The Hawaii attorney general’s office said it had not been served with the … “Lawsuit challenges Hawaii law banning young adults from owning guns” →

dallas — More than 60 years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories still swirl and any new glimpse into the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas continues to fascinate.  President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify all of the remaining government records surrounding the assassination if he returned to office. He made a similar pledge during his first term, but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld.  At this point, only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released, and those who have studied the records released so far say that even if the remaining files are declassified, the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations.  “Anybody waiting for a smoking gun that’s going to turn this case upside down will be sorely disappointed,” said Gerald Posner, author of Case Closed, which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.  November 22, 1963  When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy touched down in Dallas, they were greeted by a clear sky and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection campaign on the horizon the next year, they had gone to Texas on political fence-mending trip.  But as the motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown, shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested Oswald, 24, and, two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.  A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that hasn’t quelled a web of alternative theories over the decades.  The collection  In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.  Trump, who took office for his first term in 2017, had said that he’d allow the release of all of the remaining records but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration, some still remain unseen.  … “Trump repeats pledge on JFK files; don’t expect big revelations, experts say” →

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide the legality of a congressionally authorized fund operated by the Federal Communications Commission to expand access to telecommunications services in a challenge accusing Congress of unlawfully delegating its authority to an independent federal agency. The justices took up an appeal by the FCC and a coalition of interest groups and telecommunications firms of a lower court’s decision that found Congress violated the U.S. Constitution by empowering the FCC to manage the fund. The court is expected to hear arguments in the case and issue a ruling by the end of June. Congress in a federal law called the Telecommunications Act of 1996 authorized the FCC to operate the Universal Service Fund to promote broad access to services such as phone and broadband internet. All telecommunications carriers contribute to the fund, which draws around $9 billion annually. The fund helps to extend service to people in rural areas, provides subsidies for low-income Americans, expands service in Native American tribal lands and assists schools and libraries. A group of challengers including the conservative group Consumers’ Research filed lawsuits against the FCC and the U.S. government, arguing that Congress delegated its revenue-raising function to the FCC in violation of the Constitution. The challengers also argued that the FCC unlawfully transferred its authority to the Universal Service Administrative Company, a private nonprofit that helps the agency administer the fund. The case involves the non-delegation doctrine, a legal concept that embraces the view that Congress cannot delegate the legislative powers given to it under the Constitution to other entities. The legality of the FCC’s handoff of power involves a similar concept known as the private non-delegation doctrine. The FCC was established as an independent federal agency by the Communications Act of 1934 and is overseen by Congress. Federal appellate courts have reached different conclusions on the legal question at issue in the case. The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found the funding arrangement unconstitutional, granting an appeal by the FCC and various interest groups. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel hailed the court’s decision to hear the agency’s appeal. “For decades, there has been broad, bipartisan support for the Universal Service Fund and the FCC programs that help communications reach the most rural and least-connected households in the United States, as well … “US top court to decide legality of Federal Communications Commission fund” →

HEALDSBURG, California — Heavy downpours fell over much of Northern California on Friday, causing small landslides and flooding a river and some streets, including in parts of San Francisco. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people were still without power in the Seattle area after several days in the dark.  The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed because of flooding and strong winds toppled trees.  Forecasters warned about the risk of flash flooding and rock slides in areas north of San Francisco from this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.  On the East Coast, another storm brought much-needed rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks. The rain eased the fire danger for the rest of the year and was a boost for ski resorts preparing to open in the weeks ahead. Parts of West Virginia were under a blizzard warning through Saturday morning, with up to 61 centimeters of snow and high winds making travel treacherous.  In California’s Humboldt County, the sheriff’s office downgraded evacuation orders to warnings for people near the Eel River after forecasters said the waterway would see moderate but not major flooding. Officials urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week.  Flooding closed scenic Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in neighboring Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River, and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.  Santa Rosa saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 32 centimeters of rain, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.  Mudslide danger  A small mudslide threatened a home in the community of Fitch Mountain, near Healdsburg, nestled in hills along the Russian River in Sonoma County. Moderate rain was falling, and officials worried the slide could grow and hit several homes downhill.  “Our concern is while this property may be OK, the earth between it and the road below is slipping, and the mudslide is affecting downhill properties,” said Tennis Wick, permits and resource director for Sonoma County.  Dana Eaton, who lives in one of the … “Storm inundates Northern California; thousands without power in Seattle” →

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate Scott Bessent as secretary of the treasury, according to a statement released Friday night. Bessent, 62, is the founder of Key Square Capital Management, a hedge fund, and has worked on and off for Soros Fund Managment since 1991. If confirmed, Bessent will be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He is a deficit hawk and has said he would work to lower the U.S. national debt. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he told Bloomberg in August. Trump followed the Bessent announcement with two more: The president-elect said he would nominate Russell Thurlow Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought served in the same role in the first Trump administration. “Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies,” Trump said in his statement. He also chose Oregon Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who lost her re-election bid in the state’s 5th Congressional District, to become secretary of labor. On Thursday, Trump said he would nominate Pam Bondi, as attorney general. Bondi was Trump’s second choice after former U.S. Republican Representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration in the face of widespread scrutiny of his alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Gaetz, a four-term archconservative congressman from Florida, said in a social media statement that he felt he had strong momentum toward Senate confirmation as the country’s top law enforcement officer. But, he said, “it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work” of Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance’s taking the reins of running the U.S. government at their inauguration on January 20. Bondi, 59, has established herself as a staunch conservative, Trump loyalist and outspoken defender of the president-elect, both personally and professionally. She was one of the lawyers on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial, and she played a leading role in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Bondi was born and raised in Florida. She received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from the Stetson University College … “Trump picks hedge fund manager for treasury secretary” →

Chinese hackers are positioning themselves in U.S. critical infrastructure IT networks for a potential clash with the United States, a top American cybersecurity official said Friday. Morgan Adamski, executive director of U.S. Cyber Command, said Chinese-linked cyber operations are aimed at gaining an advantage in case of a major conflict with the United States. Officials have warned that China-linked hackers have compromised IT networks and taken steps to carry out disruptive attacks in the event of a conflict. Their activities include gaining access to key networks to enable potential disruptions such as manipulating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in server rooms, or disrupting critical energy and water controls, U.S. officials said earlier this year. Beijing routinely denies cyber operations targeting U.S. entities. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Adamski was speaking to researchers at the Cyberwarcon security conference in Arlington, Virginia. On Thursday, U.S. Senator Mark Warner told The Washington Post a suspected China-linked hack on U.S. telecommunications firms was the worst telecom hack in U.S. history. That cyber espionage operation, dubbed “Salt Typhoon,” has included stolen call records data, compromised communications of top officials of both major U.S. presidential campaigns before the November 5 election, and telecommunications information related to U.S. law enforcement requests, the FBI said recently. The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are providing technical assistance and information to potential targets, the bureau said. Adamski said Friday that the U.S. government has “executed globally synchronized activities, both offensively and defensively minded, that are laser-focused on degrading and disrupting PRC cyber operations worldwide.” Public examples include exposing operations, sanctions, indictments, law enforcement actions and cybersecurity advisories, with input from multiple countries, Adamski said. …

Influential members of Congress, including the senator poised to become secretary of state in the incoming Trump administration, are pressing hard to revoke China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the U.S. Commonly known as “Most Favored Nation” status, PNTR means that Chinese goods being imported into the United States are granted the most advantageous terms that the country offers when it applies tariffs and other restrictions. China was granted PNTR in 2000, as it prepared for entry into the World Trade Organization. Since then, some of the advantages the status confers have been stripped away by sanctions applied by the first Trump administration and increased during the presidency of Joe Biden. Few non-PNTR countries Completely removing PNTR would expose all of China’s vast array of exports to the U.S. — $427.2 billion worth in 2023 — to even higher levies. The tariffs imposed by the U.S. on goods from countries without PNTR range from a minimum of 35% to as high as 100%. Currently, there are only four countries in the world that do not have PNTR status with the U.S.: Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Cuba. North Korea and Cuba have never held PNTR status, while the PNTR status of Russia and Belarus was revoked after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Belarus helped enable. If normal non-PNTR tariffs were levied on goods from China, and the increased tariffs applied by the Trump and Biden administrations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 were left in place, the average tax on Chinese imports could approach 60%. During his campaign this year, President-elect Donald Trump had suggested levying a 60% tariff on Chinese goods, though it is not clear how he arrived at that number. More assertive policy This week, the congressionally chartered U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission issued its annual report to Congress. Among its recommendations for changing U.S. relations with China was PNTR revocation. The bipartisan panel, which has been issuing annual reports since 2002, had not previously made a unanimous call for PNTR revocation. The report accused China of “engaging in practices such as intellectual property theft and market manipulation.” It said that PNTR repeal would improve U.S. leverage in trade negotiations and “would signal a shift toward a more assertive trade policy aimed at protecting U.S. industries and workers from economic coercion.” Asked for comment on this story, Liu Pengyu, the … “Calls to revoke China’s trade status widen in Washington” →