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BEIJING (AP) — China’s exports fell by double digits in January and February as anti-virus controls closed factories. Imports sank by a smaller margin. Exports tumbled 17.2% from a year earlier to $292.4 billion, a sharp reverse from December’s 7.8% rise. Imports declined 4% to $299.5 billion, down from the previous month’s 16.3% gain. Trade was poised for a boost after Beijing and Washington removed punitive tariffs on some of each other’s goods in a trade truce. But those gains were offset by Chinese anti-virus controls that shut down much of the world’s second-largest economy starting in late January.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two people who attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington earlier this week have tested positive for the coronavirus. The group made the disclosure Friday on Twitter. The cases are the first linked to the nation's capital. Thousands of people attended the AIPAC policy conference, including some members of Congress, and Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were among the speakers. AIPAC says it has been in touch with health officials in New York and Washington. It is urging attendees to get in touch with their medical providers if they feel ill.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is shaking up White House leadership, replacing his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney with Republican Rep. Mark Meadows. Trump announced the staff reshuffle in Friday night tweets. The long-rumored move comes as Trump has been surrounding himself with loyalists as he prepares for a tough reelection bid. But the timing — as the Trump administration was already facing criticism over its handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak — threatened to exacerbate concerns about the government's ability to protect the nation. Meadows will be fourth chief of staff in as many years.
NEW DELHI (AP) — For weeks India has watched as the new virus spread in neighboring China and elsewhere while its own caseload remained static. But with the disease now spreading inside the country of 1.4 billion, authorities are scrambling to ready the understaffed medical system for a potential surge in patients. Schools have been closed, exports of key pharmaceutical ingredients have been halted, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced he will not join public celebrations of Holi, the Hindu springtime holiday in which crowds of people douse one another with colored water and paint.
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's campaign has filed its third lawsuit against a news organization in the past two weeks. Friday's action, against CNN, follows similar arguments made against The New York Times and The Washington Post. Each of the cases concern opinion pieces that talk about Trump campaign involvement with Russia. The CNN lawsuit says the campaign was damaged by an assertion in a website opinion piece that the idea of Russia helping in 2020 was still on the table. CNN said it would not comment on the lawsuit; other critics say the cases are designed to send a message to the press to not mess with Trump.
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