U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in a push to finalize a deal to allow the popular social media app TikTok to continue operating in the United States.
It would be the second call with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and launched sky-high tariffs on China, triggering back-and-forth trade restrictions that strained ties between the two nations. But Trump has expressed willingness to negotiate trade deals with Beijing, notably for TikTok, which faces a U.S. ban unless its Chinese parent company sells its controlling stake.
Farm Aid — the annual fundraising concerts launched by Willie Nelson,Neil Young and John Mellencamp during the farm crisis of the 1980s — celebrates its 40th anniversary on Saturday in Minneapolis.
The star-studded festivals are still raising public awareness of the challenges facing family farmers, and assisting struggling producers connect with help.
Nelson is now 92,Young is 79 and Mellencamp is 73, but they’re still going strong. Organizers announced Wednesday that Minnesota native Bob Dylan will be joining them. Others taking the stage at the University of Minnesota’s football stadium will include Dave Matthews, Margo Price, Kenny Chesney, Wynonna Judd, and Nathaniel Rateliff.
The House on Friday passed a short-term spending bill to extend government funding for seven weeks and avoid a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, but prospects looked dimmer in the Senate, where the two parties show no signs of budging on the matter.
The bill would generally continue existing funding levels through Nov. 21. Democratic leaders are adamantly opposed and are threatening a government shutdown if Republicans don’t let them have a say on the measure, as some Democratic support will be needed to get a bill to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
The vote was 217-212.
Morgan Hanson can be reached at hans6846@stthomas.edu.
