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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Trump express optimism for US peace deal with Taliban

February 23, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday he’s ready to sign a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan if a temporary truce holds in America's longest war. “Time to come home,” he said.“They want to stop. You know, they've been...

‘Promises kept’ mantra doesn’t always match Trump’s reality

By KEVIN FREKING | February 23, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — “It's been three years of promises made and promises kept, but we’re just getting started, (insert state here)."That line from Vice President Mike Pence is a hallmark of how he introduces President Donald Trump to campaign rally...

Afghan truce worry: 1 militant could threaten peace process

By LOLITA C. BALDOR | February 22, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hopes for ending America's longest war hinge on maintaining a weeklong fragile truce in Afghanistan that U.S. officials and experts agree will be difficult to assess and fraught with pitfalls.What if one militant with a suicide vest...

India, US struggling to bridge trade dispute as Trump visits

By PAUL WISEMAN | February 22, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — American dairy farmers, distillers and drugmakers have been eager to break into India, the world’s seventh-biggest economy but a tough-to-penetrate colossus of 1.3 billion people.Looks like they’ll have to wait.Talks between the...

South Sudan’s rivals form unity government meant to end war

By MAURA AJAK | February 22, 2020

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan opened a new chapter in its fragile emergence from civil war Saturday as rival leaders formed a coalition government that many observers prayed would last this time around.A day after President Salva Kiir dissolved...

At Trump’s India rally, Modi bets on bolstering his image

By SHEIKH SAALIQ | February 22, 2020

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — A festive mood has enveloped Ahmedabad in India’s northwestern state of Gujarat ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting there on Monday with President Donald Trump, whom he's promised millions of adoring fans.The rally...

UN: 100,000 civilians casualties in Afghanistan in 10 years

By KATHY GANNON and RAHIM FAIEZ | February 21, 2020

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A United Nations report says Afghanistan passed a grim milestone with more than 100,000 civilians killed or hurt in the last 10 years since the international body began documenting casualties in a war that has raged for 18...

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.

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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 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...

US, Taliban truce takes effect, setting stage for peace deal

By KATHY GANNON and MATTHEW LEE | February 21, 2020

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban took effect on Friday, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal next week aimed at ending 18 years of war in Afghanistan and bringing U.S. troops home.If successfully...

World markets slip on renewed fears over virus outbreak

By JOE McDONALD | February 21, 2020

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets slipped on Friday after a spike in new virus cases in South Korea and other countries refueled investor anxiety about China's disease outbreak.Benchmarks in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney closed down and London, Frankfurt...

South Sudan rival leaders agree to form coalition government

By MAURA AJAK | February 20, 2020

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan’s rival leaders on Thursday announced they have agreed to form a coalition government just two days before the deadline, a breakthrough after months of delays and a major step in the emergence from a five-year...