The Latest: Harris says Green New Deal has sound principles

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The Latest: Harris says Green New Deal has sound principles

2019-02-16 03:17 Last Updated At：03:30

The Latest on Democratic presidential candidates on the campaign trail(all times local):

2:10 p.m.

Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris of California is in Charleston, South Carolina, making her second trip to the state since announcing her 2020 presidential campaign.

Ahead of a North Charleston town hall on Friday, Harris visited Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ for lunch, where she ordered whole hog, collard greens and cornbread.

Speaking to reporters after lunch, Harris said she will vote in favor of the Green New Deal, Democrats' plan to combat climate change. Harris says that the underlying principles behind the plan are "sound and important" and that President Donald Trump is engaged in "science fiction instead of science fact."

While in South Carolina, Harris said she earlier visited the church known as Mother Emmanuel, where nine black members were fatally shot during a 2015 Bible study session.

12:50 p.m.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is calling President Donald Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border "inappropriate" and says Trump manufactured a crisis to justify the move.

Gillibrand, a Democratic presidential candidate, said during a visit to New Hampshire that the only national emergency "is the humanitarian crisis that President Trump has created at our border from separating family from children and treating people who need our help inhumanely."

Trump declared a national emergency on Friday that allows him to bypass Congress and use billions of dollars from other agencies to build the wall. Congress approved far less money than Trump had sought, and the move drew bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.

Gillibrand visited a coffee shop in downtown Concord before stopping to listen to a homeless man, Kevin Clark, play a song by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), "Father and Son." She praised his singing and gave him a hug before heading off to a consignment shop, where she bought a vase and a small plate.

11:35 a.m.

Several Democratic presidential candidates are spending the long holiday weekend on the campaign trail.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris are visiting early voting states on Friday that will be critical to securing the Democratic nomination next year.

Gillibrand is in New Hampshire to participate in a walking tour of downtown Concord before visiting businesses in Dover and meeting members of the LGBT community in Somersworth. New Hampshire is home to the nation's first presidential primary.

Harris is in South Carolina, where she'll hold a town hall in North Charleston. The South Carolina primary is the nation's first-in-the-South contest and is a crucial test of African-American support.

Blinken, in Shanghai, begins expected contentious talks with Chinese officials

2024-04-25 11:27 Last Updated At：11:40

SHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking with local government officials in Shanghai.

Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Chen Jining, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. He also planned to speak to students and business leaders before flying to Beijing for what are expected to be contentious talks with national officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday shortly before President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements likely to anger the Chinese, including $8 billion to counter China’s growing aggressiveness toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. It also seeks to force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform.

China has railed against U.S. assistance to Taiwan, the self-governing island that it regards as a renegade province, and immediately condemned the move as a dangerous provocation. It also strongly opposes efforts to force TikTok’s sale.

Still, the fact that Blinken made the trip — shortly after a conversation between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a similar visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a call between the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs — is a sign the two sides are at least willing to discuss their differences.

“I think it’s important to underscore the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out our differences, which are real, seeking to work through them,” Blinken told Chen.

“We have an obligation for our people, indeed an obligation to the world, to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly,” he said. “That is the obligation we have, and one that we take very seriously.”

Chen agreed with that sentiment and said the recent Biden-Xi call had helped the “stable and healthy development of our two countries’ relationship.”

“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries, and the future of humanity” he said.

Chen added that he hoped Blinken was able to get a “deep impression and understanding” of Shanghai.

Shortly after arriving, Blinken attended a Chinese basketball playoff game between the local Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, with the home team losing in the last seconds in 121-120 nailbiter.