The Nation in Brief

Scott Henderson plows his driveway Sunday, in Nederland, Colo. Nederland got over 10 inches of snow in this fall storm.
Scott Henderson plows his driveway Sunday, in Nederland, Colo. Nederland got over 10 inches of snow in this fall storm.

Aide defends Trump's criticism of Fed

WASHINGTON -- White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday defended President Donald Trump for saying that the Federal Reserve has "gone crazy," arguing that the president was not telling the central bank what to do but was merely expressing his view that interest rates are being raised too quickly.

In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Kudlow said that "as a successful businessman and investor," Trump is knowledgeable about economic issues and was "giving his opinion" on interest rates.

"His concern is that the Fed might move too quickly and might choke off the economic recovery, which is now running 3 [percent] to 4 percent," Kudlow said. "He's not impinging on Fed independence. He didn't say, 'I want you to change your plan.'"

Presidents and their advisers traditionally refrain from commenting directly on Fed policy. Yet, over the past week, Trump has voiced increasing displeasure with Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell and blamed the central bank for the recent stock market plunge.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters before a rally in Erie, Pa., "I think the Fed has gone crazy." In an interview with Fox News Channel on the same day, he described the Federal Reserve as "going wild" and "loco." On Thursday, he said the central bank was "out of control" and was "getting a little bit too cute."

Kudlow maintained Sunday that Trump's public remarks did not mean that the president was telling the Fed what action to take.

China says U.S. trade approach unclear

WASHINGTON -- Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, said Sunday that it's "very confusing" trying to discern who has President Donald Trump's ear on trade policy, as the issue continues to strain China-U.S. relations.

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Cui was asked for his take on the Trump administration's approach to trade.

"Are you clear who President Trump listens to on trade issues, whether it's moderates like Kudlow and Mnuchin or hard-liners like Navarro?" host Chris Wallace asked, referring to White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and trade adviser Peter Navarro.

Cui replied: "You tell me."

"Honestly, I've been talking to ambassadors of other countries in Washington, D.C., and this is also part of their problem," Cui continued. "They don't know who is the final decision-maker. Of course, presumably the president will take the final decision. But who is playing what role? Sometimes, it could be very confusing."

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss trade at next month's Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, in what will be the first direct U.S.-China talks since August.

Study: Low-dose aspirin cuts cancer risk

Many people take a low-dose aspirin daily in hopes of preventing heart problems. Now, researchers have found that women who regularly took a low-dose aspirin -- generally 81 milligrams -- were 23 percent less likely to develop ovarian cancer than were women who did not take this type of aspirin.

The finding, published in JAMA Oncology, looked at medical data from 205,498 women, including their use of low-dose aspirin, standard dose aspirin (325 mg), acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that do not contain aspirin, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. In more than two decades, 1,054 of the women developed ovarian cancer. While those taking low-dose aspirin had a lower cancer risk, it appeared there was no beneficial link between ovarian cancer development and taking either standard-dose aspirin or acetaminophen. In fact, the researchers wrote that their "results suggest that heavy use of [NSAIDs] may be associated with an increased risk" for ovarian cancer.

Although not very common, ovarian cancer is the deadliest type of gynecological cancer. Women usually have no symptoms when the disease is in its early stage, so it is often not detected until the cancer is advanced and has spread, making it much harder to treat.

Trump says defense chief 'may leave'

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump hinted that Defense Secretary James Mattis may be planning to quit his administration, and described the former U.S. Marine Corps general as "sort of a Democrat."

In an excerpt from CBS' 60 Minutes, Trump talked about the level of turnover in his administration after almost two years, and suggested that there could be more.

"There are some people that I'm not happy with. I have some people that I'm not thrilled with. And I have other people that I'm beyond thrilled with," Trump said.

Mattis "hasn't told me" that he plans to leave, Trump said, and didn't directly answer the question of whether he'd like the Pentagon chief to quit.

"I had lunch with him two days ago. I have a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth," Trump said. "He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That's Washington."

-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS

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AP/FRAZIER NIVENS

In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Sophie Costa (left) and Allison Candelmo display their completed entry in the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest on Sunday, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo, Fla.

A Section on 10/15/2018

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