North America

Biden maintains grip on 2020 Democratic race after third debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Those expecting Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy to flame out any day now will have to keep waiting.

The former U.S. vice president survived another Democratic debate on Thursday largely unbloodied and unbowed, leaving those on the margins of the race for the party’s 2020 nomination wondering if their time to gain ground on the front-runner is running out.

Trump says not to pick Pompeo as national security advisor

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will not ask Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to assume a dual role of being his fourth national security advisor after the ouster of John Bolton.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he discussed the idea with Pompeo and "he (Pompeo) likes the idea of having somebody in there with him and I do too."

Trump added that he has 15 candidates for the job, but did not offer further details.

Study finds the universe might be 2 billion years younger

WASHINGTON (AP) — The universe is looking younger every day, it seems.

New calculations suggest the universe could be a couple billion years younger than scientists now estimate, and even younger than suggested by two other calculations published this year that trimmed hundreds of millions of years from the age of the cosmos.

The huge swings in scientists’ estimates — even this new calculation could be off by billions of years — reflect different approaches to the tricky problem of figuring the universe’s real age.

US budget deficit for 11 months up $169 billion over 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government’s budget deficit increased by $169 billion to $1.07 trillion in the first 11 months of this budget year as spending grew faster than tax collections.

The Treasury Department reported Thursday that the deficit with just one month left in the budget year is up 18.8% over the same period a year ago.

Ex-FBI No. 2 official faces prospect of criminal charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s wrath, faces the prospect of criminal charges after his lawyers failed to persuade senior Justice Department officials that he didn’t intentionally lie to internal investigators.

Two people familiar with the matter said Thursday that Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen declined an appeal from McCabe’s lawyers aimed at preventing a prosecution. The people weren’t authorized to discuss the issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Grand jury indicts man on capital murder for El Paso attack

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A man accused of gunning down people at a busy Walmart in El Paso last month was indicted Thursday for capital murder, prosecutors announced.

Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas, was indicted on one count in connection with the Aug. 3 mass shooting that left 22 dead in the border city, District Attorney Jaime Esparza said. El Paso prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Crusius, who remains jailed without bond.

US, China exchange goodwill gesture ahead of trade talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and China traded conciliatory gestures, raising hopes they can deescalate a standoff over trade that has shaken financial markets and cast gloom over the global economy.

In Beijing, China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday that Chinese importers are asking U.S. suppliers for prices of soybeans, pork and other farm goods. It’s a sign they might step up purchases of American agricultural products, a possible goodwill gesture ahead of talks next month aimed at ending the tariff war.

Heavy winds, rain expected for parts of Bahamas

HIGH ROCK, Bahamas (AP) — The latest on hurricane aftermath in the Bahamas (all times local):

11:10 p.m.

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning remains in effect for several northwestern islands in the Bahamas which are still reeling from Hurricane Dorian.

In a Thursday night advisory, the National Hurricane Center says a tropical disturbance is slowly moving over the southeastern Bahamas. The storm is about 320 miles (515 kilometers) southeast of Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.

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