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In the news today: President Donald Trump boasts that his tariffs can finance a windfall for American families; the longest government shutdown in history could end as soon as today; and record-low temperatures shock the Southeast U.S. Also, the severe solar storms that could produce colorful northern lights and temporarily disrupt communications. |
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) |
What to know about Trump’s plan to give Americans a $2,000 tariff dividend |
President Donald Trump boasts that his tariffs protect American industries, lure factories to the United States, raise money for the federal government and give him diplomatic leverage. Now, he’s claiming they can also finance a windfall for American families: He’s promising a generous tariff dividend. Read more.
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The idea was proposed on Trump’s Truth Social media platform Sunday, five days after the Republican Party lost elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere largely because of voter discontent with his economic stewardship — specifically, the high cost of living. Details are scarce, including what the income limits would be and whether payments would go to children.
Budget experts scoffed at the idea. John Ricco, an analyst with the Budget Lab at Yale University, says Trump’s tariffs will bring in $200 billion to $300 billion a year in revenue. But a $2,000 dividend — if it went to all Americans, including children — would cost $600 billion. “It’s clear that the revenue coming in would not be adequate,’' Ricco said.
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Although historic shutdown is nearly over, it leaves no winners and much frustration |
The longest government shutdown in history could conclude as soon as today, Day 43, with almost no one happy with the final result. Read more. |
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Democrats didn’t get the health insurance provisions they demanded added to the spending deal. Republicans, who control the levers of power in Washington, didn’t escape blame, according to polls and some state and local elections that went poorly for them.
Around 60% of Americans say Trump and Republicans in Congress have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
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The fallout of the shutdown landed on millions of Americans, including federal workers who went without paychecks and airline passengers who had their trips delayed or canceled. An interruption in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional distress going into the holiday season.
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Record-low temperatures shock the Southeast US while snow blankets parts of the Northeast |
The first major cold spell of the season brought record-low temperatures to parts of the southeastern U.S. on Tuesday, delivering a shock for 18 million people under a freeze warning across Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Read more. |
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Some daily records were “absolutely shattered,” said meteorologist Scott Kleebauer, including a low of 28 degrees Fahrenheit at the airport in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday morning, which broke the previous record low of 35 degrees set in 1977.
The cold in Florida creates an unusual problem: falling iguanas. Iguanas begin to “freeze” and fall from trees when temperatures dip to 40 degrees or below, according to Kleebauer. Posts of the stunned reptiles trickled in on social media.
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The cold air over the Great Lakes’ relatively warmer waters created ripe conditions for significant snowfall in some communities along the Great Lakes and downwind, farther inland in Pennsylvania and New York.
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