Jury clears 3 Washington officers in death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who said he couldn't breathe
A jury has cleared three Washington state police officers of all criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained face down on a Tacoma sidewalk as he pleaded for breath.
Closing arguments start in trial of 3 Washington state police officers charged in Black man's death
A Black man who was shocked, beaten and hogtied face down on a sidewalk pleaded for breath during his arrest in Washington state and the three police officers charged in his death did not respond to his pleas, a prosecutor told the jury in closing arguments Monday.
Judge in trial of 3 Washington police officers allows a breathing expert to testify over objections
Five weeks into the trial against three Tacoma, Washington, police officers charged in the 2020 death of Manny Ellis and prosecutors had to convince the judge to let their breathing expert tell the jury what happens to a person who is held face down with pressure on their back.
Trial to determine if GEO must pay detainees minimum wage
After nearly four years of litigation and pandemic-related delays, a trial is underway to determine whether the GEO Group must pay minimum wage to detainees who perform cooking, cleaning and other tasks at its Northwest immigration detention center in Washington state.
US allows 2 more over-the-counter COVID-19 home tests
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)WASHINGTON โ U.S. health officials have authorized two more over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that can be used at home to get rapid results. The FDA said Abbottโs BinaxNow and Quidelโs QuickVue tests can now be sold without a prescription. Most other COVID-19 tests require a swab sample taken by a health worker at a testing location. AdThe agency authorized an over-the-counter COVID-19 test from an Australian company in December but it is still not widely available. The program will provide free home tests to as many as 160,000 people in two counties in North Carolina and Tennessee.
US trade deficit up 1.9% in January on record goods imports
The Commerce Department said Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, the U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November as a surge in imports overwhelmed a smaller increase in exports. โ The level of imported goods to the U.S. in January reached unprecedented levels and pushed the trade deficit 1.9% higher as the coronavirus pandemic continues to distort global commerce. Exports rose 1% to $191.9 billion, while imports increased 1.2% to $260.2 billion. The trade deficit with Mexico rose $1.6 billion to $11.9 billion in January. Year-over-year, the goods and services deficit climbed to $23.8 billion, or 53.7%, from January 2020.
Plunging demand for COVID-19 tests may leave US exposed
After a year of struggling to boost testing, communities across the country are seeing plummeting demand, shuttering testing sites or even trying to return supplies. โWe just donโt have enough people who are immune to rule out another surge.โU.S. testing hit a peak on Jan. 15, when the country was averaging more than 2 million tests per day. โPeople just arenโt going to go out to testing sites.โAdBut testing remains important for tracking and containing the outbreak. Thatโs more than 25 times the countryโs current rate of about 40 million tests reported per month. From a public health viewpoint, testing is effective if it helps to quickly find the infected, trace their contacts and isolate them to stop the spread.
U.S. trade deficit rises to 12-year high $679 billion
The Commerce Department said Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, the U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November as a surge in imports overwhelmed a smaller increase in exports. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)WASHINGTON โ The U.S. trade deficit rose 17.7% last year to $679 billion, highest since 2008, as the coronavirus disrupted global commerce and confounded President Donald Trump's attempts to rebalance America's trade with the rest of the world. Services exports dropped 20.4% last year. But that was overwhelmed by a $916 billion deficit in trade in goods such as aircraft and auto parts. In the December, the trade deficit dropped to $66.6 billion, down 3.5% from November.
2 injured after police car drives through crowd at race
Tacoma Police and other law enforcement officers stand in an intersection near the site of a car crash Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in downtown Tacoma, Wash. At least one person was injured when a police car plowed through a crowd of people Saturday night who were watching a downtown street race, the Tacoma News-Tribune reported. A police car arrived, then drove through the crowd after people tried to block the vehicle, a witness said. Video posted on social media shows the police car hitting several people and running over at least one person. Haddow said a responding officer used his carโs bullhorn to address the crowd. โThe officer, fearing for his safety, tried to back up, but was unable to do so because of the crowd,โ Tacoma Police said in a statement.
US trade deficit jumps to $68.1 billion in November
The Commerce Department said Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, the U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November as a surge in imports overwhelmed a smaller increase in exports. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)WASHINGTON โ The U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November, the highest monthly deficit in 14 years, as a surge in imports overwhelmed a smaller increase in exports. The politically sensitive deficit with China rose 1.9% to $30.7 billion in November and totaled $283.6 billion for the first 11 months of 2020. The monthly deficit in goods and services of $68.1 billion was the largest imbalance since August 2006. Michael Pearce, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that the rising trade deficit would act as a drag on economic growth in the fourth quarter.
US trade deficit rises 1.7% to $63.1 billion in October
The U.S. trade deficit rose in August to the highest level in 14 years. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)WASHINGTON โ The U.S. trade deficit widened 1.7% in October to $63.1 billion. The deficit in the trade of goods with China rose 9% to $26.5 billion and the gap with Mexico rose 10% to $11.8 billion. President Donald Trump, who vowed to reduce the trade deficit, has imposed tariffs on foreign steel, aluminum and on $360 billion in Chinese products. The U.S. ran an October deficit of $81.4 billion in the trade of goods such as autos and appliances.
Caterpillar sales weaken but 2Q results top Street
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)Caterpillar's sales tumbled 31% in the second quarter as dealers culled construction equipment from showrooms during the pandemic. Still, the Deerfield, Illinois, manufacturer topped Wall Street expectations and shares jumped sharply before the opening bell in what has been an extraordinarily difficult year. Stripping out one-time costs, earnings were $1.03 per share, easily beating the 66 cents Wall Street was looking for. Company shares rose 4% in premarket trading. The U.S. reported last week that sales of new homes rose 13.8% in June, the second consecutive monthly increase.
Sequoia in, Tacoma out at San Antonio Toyota manufacturing plant
SAN ANTONIO โ The Toyota manufacturing plant in San Antonio will undergo some major production changes in the next couple of years. The Tacoma has been built in San Antonio since 2010. Toyota to invest $391 million to expand San Antonio plantBeginning in 2022, the plant will build the Toyota Sequoia. The production changes are not expected to affect employment at the San Antonio plant, which currently has 3,200 employees. The San Antonio plant will continue manufacturing the Toyota Tundra.