North America

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve's policy-making committee, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), could see more consensus on monetary policy in 2020 following the rotation of committee members, local media reported on Thursday.

Chiefs of the Cleveland, Philadelphia, Dallas and Minneapolis reserve banks will join the FOMC in January to get a formal vote on monetary policy decisions, while leaders of the Boston, Chicago, Kansas City and St. Louis reserve banks will step off the panel, The Wall Street Journal reported.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Russia, Syria, and Iran against violence in Idlib province of northwestern Syria, the stronghold of Syrian rebels.

"Russia, Syria, and Iran are killing, or on their way to killing, thousands of innocent civilians in Idlib Province. Don't do it!" Trump tweeted in the morning.

Trump added in his tweet that "Turkey is working hard to stop this carnage," without providing further details.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican senators have been predicting a "bipartisan" acquittal for President Donald Trump in the upcoming impeachment trial to be hosted by the chamber, although they stopped short of speculating on specific Democrats who will cross party lines, U.S. media reported Thursday.

"I think we might have a couple" of Democratic senators who will join the GOP not to convict Trump in the trial, David Perdue, Republican senator from the U.S. state of Georgia, was quoted as saying by Washington-based website The Hill.

MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT PARK, Calif. (AP) — A huge redwood tree fell and killed a man visiting Muir Woods National Monument in California on Christmas Eve, authorities said Thursday.

Subhradeep Dutta, 28, of Edina, Minnesota, died while walking on a marked dirt trail with two other people in the park north of San Francisco famous for its towering trees, according to the Marin County coroner’s office and a spokesman for the park.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A cold and blustery winter storm unleashed downpours and extensive snowfall on Southern California, triggering a tornado and snarling post-Christmas travel on major routes Thursday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Few states have changed politically with the head-snapping speed of Iowa.

In 2008, its voters propelled Barack Obama to the White House, an overwhelmingly white state validating the candidacy of the first black president. A year later, its Supreme Court sanctioned same-sex marriage, adding a voice of Midwestern sensibility to a national shift in public sentiment. In 2012, Iowa backed Obama again.

COLORADO SPRINGS (US), Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man with a white beard was being held on $10,000 bond for allegedly robbing a Colorado bank and throwing the stolen cash into the air while shouting, “Merry Christmas” to passersby, police and local media reported.

David Wayne Oliver, 65, was arrested at a nearby Starbucks coffee shop after he held up the Academy Bank in Colorado Springs on Monday afternoon, according to a police report.

WASHINGTON, December 26. /TASS/: The US Cyber Command (Cybercom) is developing information warfare tactics that can be used against Russia, Washington Post reported citing former and current US officials.

According to the paper, the US military started developing methods to counter external threats in cyberspace in connection with possible interference into the 2020 presidential election in the country.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday requested a meeting with Bolivia’s charge d’affaires to protest the “harassment and intimidation” of its diplomatic personnel in the Bolivian city La Paz.

Since Monday, Mexico has accused Bolivia of ramping up police presence outside its embassy and intimidating diplomats.

The spat follows a chill in relations after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last month gave political asylum to former Bolivian president Evo Morales, a fellow leftist.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has spent about 120 million U.S. dollars in digital and television advertising since joining the presidential race last month, local media reported on Wednesday.

Bloomberg, who runs as a Democrat, is spending in all 50 U.S. states but targeting the big, delegate-rich Super Tuesday states that can make or break his campaign, such as California, Texas and Florida, according to Politico, a top U.S. political website.