Northern Star

 

Advertisement

 

 
Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student news organization since 1899

 

Ensure student journalism survives. Donate today.

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Democrats try to blunt strong California showing for Sanders

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE | February 21, 2020

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is the largest prize in the calculations of any Democratic presidential candidate, and Bernie Sanders has been working the state for months, worrying his rivals.Sanders has been organizing intensively among Latinos...

Venezuela’s Maduro taps DC firm to fight US sanctions

By JOSHUA GOODMAN | February 21, 2020

MIAMI (AP) — A top official for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government has hired a Washington law firm that also represents Turkey, taking over from another legal team that backed out last month following an outcry from critics who accused...

Sanders condemns Russian influence in election

By STEVE PEOPLES | February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Friday he was briefed by U.S. officials “about a month ago” that Russia has been trying to help his campaign as part of Moscow's efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential...

McConnell-linked group funds ads helping N Carolina Democrat

By GARY D. ROBERTSON | February 21, 2020

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A political committee linked to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is funding ads and other campaign materials designed to meddle in North Carolina's Democratic Senate primary, the group acknowledged on Friday.Campaign finance...

Bright lights, big stakes for Democrats in Nevada

By STEVE PEOPLES, MICHELLE L. PRICE, and JONATHAN J. COOPER | February 21, 2020

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Just past the roulette wheel and slot machines, the smoky bars and blinking lights, Nevada Democrats are preparing to weigh in on their party's presidential nomination fight.Seven casino-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip stand among 200...

Iowa Democrats agree to Buttigieg, Sanders limited recount

By THOMAS BEAUMONT | February 21, 2020

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Democratic Party is agreeing to recount the results in about two dozen of almost 1,700 precinct caucuses as part of the ongoing process to resolve the weeks-long question of who won Iowa's tarnished presidential caucuses.Campaign...

Deere sees some stability on farms in bruising trade fight

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN | February 21, 2020

Deere had a surprisingly strong first quarter after an extended period in which it was bruised by the ongoing trade war between the United States and China.

“Farmer confidence, though still subdued, has improved due in part to hopes for a relaxation of trade tensions and higher agricultural exports,” CEO John May said in a prepared statement Friday.

China announced Friday that it suspended more punitive tariffs on imports of U.S. industrial goods in response to a truce in its trade war with Washington. Under their “Phase 1” agreement signed in January, Washington agreed to cancel additional tariff hikes and Beijing committed to buy more American farm exports.

China's retaliatory tariffs have clobbered exports of soybeans and other commodities, hurting farmers, and in turn, farming equipment manufacturers.

The Trump administration has provided $27 billion in aid to farmers to ease the pain of his trade war. And in a tweet Friday, he promised to expand the bailout if farmers need it as they await the economic benefits of his recent trade deals with Mexico, Canada and China. He said the aid would be financed by revenue from his tariffs on foreign goods — taxes that are paid by American importers.

Deere, based in Moline, Illinois, has posted three consecutive quarters of falling profits and slowing sales growth with trade tensions between the world's two largest economies ongoing.

For the three months ended Feb. 2, Deere & Co. earned $517 million, or $1.63 per share. The per-share earnings easily beat the $1.28 that industry analysts had expected, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research, and it topped last year's quarterly profit of $498 million, or $1.54 per share.

Adjusted revenue —which excludes financial services revenue— was $6.53 billion, also beating Wall Street's estimate of $6.2 billion.

The quarterly performance is in contrast to a year ago, when Deere cautioned on anxious farmers and rising costs.

Looking ahead, the companystill foresees fiscal 2020 earnings of $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion,unchanged from its previous guidance.

Shares of Deere & Co. jumped more than 6% at the opening bell.

—————

Portions of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/DE

Trump not a ‘Parasite’ fan, praises ‘Gone with the Wind’

February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is apparently not a fan of Oscar winner “Parasite," his biggest complaint being that the movie was made in South Korea.Trump started talking about the Academy Awards during a campaign rally in Colorado Springs,...

Trump signals he’s prepared to give farmers more federal aid

By KEVIN FREKING | February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signaled Friday that he’s prepared to tap federal coffers again to help farmers suffering from the tariff fights that he initiated.The Trump administration over the past two years has committed to providing...

Son of Mexican drug kingpin pleads not guilty to US charges

By ASHRAF KHALIL | February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of a fugitive Mexican drug kingpin pleaded not guilty Friday to federal drug charges during an appearance in U.S. District Court after his overnight extradition from Mexico.Ruben Oseguera faces charges of conspiracy to distribute...

South Korea becomes newest front in shifting virus outbreak

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and MATT SEDENSKY | February 21, 2020

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Cases of a new virus swelled Friday in South Korea, making the country the newest front in a widening global outbreak centered in China and now reverberating elsewhere.South Korea said two people have died and 204 have been...

Trump rallies Nevada GOP ahead of state’s Dem caucuses

By ZEKE MILLER | February 21, 2020

LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Donald Trump rallied supporters in the battleground state of Nevada on the eve of the state's caucuses and predicted chaos once again for Democrats for their management of the voting process,Looking to exploit Democratic divisions...