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(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — The first phase of a U.S.-China trade agreement will be inked at the White House in mid-January, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, adding that he will visit Beijing at a later date to open another round of talks aimed at resolving other sticking points in the relationship. The so-called “Phase One” agreement is smaller than the comprehensive deal Trump had hoped for and leaves many of the thorniest issues between the two countries for future talks. Few economists expect any resolution of “Phase Two” before the presidential election in 2020. And the two sides have yet to release detailed documentation of the pact, making it difficult to evaluate. Trump said high-level Chinese government officials will attend the signing on Jan. 15 of “our very large and comprehensive Phase One Trade Deal with China.” “At a later date I will be going to Beijing where talks will begin on Phase Two!” Trump said in his tweet. He did not announce a date for the...

(NEW YORK) — After a year of nirvana, investors may need to get ready for something a little more normal. Markets are coming off a fabulous 2019, where stocks and bonds around the world climbed in concert. But for the next year — and decade, in fact — Wall Street is telling investors to set their expectations considerably lower. It’s not calling for another crash like the U.S. stock market suffered just over a decade ago. Or for another run like the last 10 years, where the S&P 500 returned more than 13% on an annualized basis. A gain less than half of that may be more likely, both for next year and annually for the coming decade. “People need to have a more realistic expectation of what returns are going to be,” said Greg Davis, chief investment officer at Vanguard. “That means investors who are saving for retirement or for college education will likely need to set aside more, because returns won’t be as generous as what we’ve seen over the last decade.” It’s not bec...

Australia's fires have killed at least three in recent days and left hundreds homeless or displaced. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/39DEnia

Australian authorities on Wednesday confirmed a third death in devastating bushfires that engulfed the country's southeast coastal region this week and said a fourth person was missing and feared dead. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2tlCsOk

Protesters angry about U.S. air strikes on Iraq hurled stones and torched a security post at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, setting off a confrontation with guards and prompting the United States to send additional troops to the Middle East. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2tiBsKX

The world celebrated the New Year on Wednesday with fireworks displays from Sydney to London, although celebrations were clouded by deadly wildfires in Australia, protests in Hong Kong and India and new nuclear tensions with North Korea. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2QABwOb

The United States is immediately deploying about 750 soldiers to the Middle East in response to the violent protests at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2Qe9dWQ

Iran denied it was behind violent protests at the U.S. embassy in Iraq on Tuesday and warned against any retaliation, after President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for an attack on the mission and said it would be held responsible. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2MIeILq

U.S. Population Growth In 2019 Is Slowest In A Century Falling birth rates and rising death rates, combined with a significant drop in immigration, have slowed U.S. population growth to its lowest level since 1918. Read more on NPR

It's New Year's Eve. Let's Drop Something From The Sky "The things we choose to drop are visual symbols about the importance of the event or the place," sociology professor Michelle Janning said. That may mean dropping a giant Moon Pie down a building. Read more on NPR

By BY SHEILA KAPLAN AND MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2FbfqMQ

DETROIT (AP) — Sorry, Latin teachers: Quid pro quo has got to go. The centuries-old Latin phrase, which means an exchange of favors, leads a Michigan university’s 45th annual “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.” Quid pro quo got new life during the impeachment of President Donald Trump. He repeatedly declared there was no “quid pro quo” with Ukraine over U.S. military aid to that country and an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. “No quid pro quo was offered during the creation of this meticulously curated list of words,” said Rodney Hanley, president of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. The school each year invites the public to nominate words and phrases that seem tired or annoying through everyday speech, news coverage and more. The latest list has more than a dozen, including “artisanal,” “influencer,” “living my best life” and “chirp.” There’s “jelly,” short for jealous,...

The fatal Dec. 29 crash of a Tesla Inc vehicle in Southern California will be investigated by the U.S. government's auto safety regulator, the agency said on Tuesday. from Reuters: U.S. https://ift.tt/2Qh2DPz

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said late on Tuesday it will investigate a fatal Dec. 29 Tesla Inc crash in Los Angeles that killed two people. from Reuters: U.S. https://ift.tt/39sMk9z

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into nighttime sightings of unidentified drones flying in formation over rural northeastern Colorado and southwest Nebraska over the last two weeks, the agency said on Tuesday. from Reuters: U.S. https://ift.tt/2SH6qXR

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday he hoped North Korea would choose peace over war, a response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying would introduce a "new strategic weapon" in the near future. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2SG2o1W

Protesters angry about U.S. air strikes on Iraq hurled stones and torched a security post at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, setting off a confrontation with guards and posing a new challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/36fVtQS

Farmers Got Billions From Taxpayers In 2019, And Hardly Anyone Objected Farmers got more than $22 billion in government payments in 2019 — and most of the money came through a program that Congress never approved. It's the highest level of farm subsidies in 14 years. Read more on NPR

Moni Yakim Knows How To Move You The movement coach has taught at Juilliard for 50 years. Stars of stage and screen credit him with helping them create physically demanding roles by manipulating their bodies. Read more on NPR

By BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/36oXN8x

By BY DAVE MONTGOMERY, ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS AND RICK ROJAS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/37mK6XF

By BY CAROL ROSENBERG AND WENDY MACNAUGHTON from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/2uaRjvL

By BY CORAL DAVENPORT AND LISA FRIEDMAN from NYT Climate https://ift.tt/356WYj6

Thousands of tourists and residents in an Australian seaside town hunkered down in public buildings or waded into water at the seafront on Tuesday as wailing emergency sirens warned of a looming, fierce firefront. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/3581Wfh