Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit as pressure builds on consumer prices

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits. It’s part of a response to pressure from consumers who complain prices are too high.

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The move comes after voters in off-year elections earlier this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in races in Virginia and New Jersey.

The president signed the executive order after announcing that the U.S. had reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina designed to ease import levies on agricultural products produced in those countries. Trump suggested earlier this week that he’d be lowering tariffs on coffee to help increase its importation.

Trump and his administration have been long insisted that tariffs don’t increase consumer prices. Some of the products covered in the new executive order aren’t produced in the United States.

But record-high beef prices have been a particular concern, and Trump has said he intended to take action to try to lower them. Trump’s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, have been a factor.

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Twins finalize coaching staff, adding some familiar faces

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Derek Shelton’s coaching staff is complete.

A couple weeks after hiring Shelton to take over as manager, the Twins have officially filled out the rest of the coaching staff with a mix of returners and new but familiar faces like LaTroy Hawkins and Toby Gardenhire, each of whom has been given their first opportunity to coach at the major league level.

The Twins have tapped Mark Hallberg to serve as their bench coach, a role that Shelton himself once had in 2018 and 2019 before departing to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hallberg spent the past six seasons on the San Francisco Giants’ coaching staff, including the last two as their first base coach.

Mike Rabelo, someone with whom Shelton is very familiar, will serve as their assistant bench coach. Rabelo worked under Shelton during his entire tenure in Pittsburgh, most recently serving as the Pirates’ major league field coordinator and third base coach.

Gardenhire, the son of longtime Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, will be the Twins’ major league field coordinator after managing and coaching for the past eight years in their minor league system. Most recently, he has been serving as the manager of the Triple-A Saints.

On the pitching side, the Twins are retaining Pete Maki and assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez. Hawkins, a longtime major leaguer, will join them as the Twins’ bullpen coach, taking over a role that had been filled with Colby Suggs, who recently was named to the same position with the Texas Rangers. Hawkins has been working as a special assistant to the Twins’ baseball operations department as well as an analyst on television broadcasts. The 21-year major league veteran pitched in 1,042 games himself, 10th most among pitchers.

On the hitting side, the Twins will have turnover for the third straight year as Keith Beauregard, who spent the last three years with the Detroit Tigers, takes over for Matt Borgschulte. He will be joined by assistant hitting coaches Trevor Amicone and Rayden Sierra, both of whom joined the Twins’ coaching staff ahead of last season.

Ramon Borrego, who also joined the staff in 2025, will also return. He will continue to work with the infielders and will take over as the Twins’ new third base coach. Longtime coach Tommy Watkins, who held that job previously, has been hired to do the same in Atlanta.

Former major league outfielder Grady Sizemore will take over for Borrego as the Twins’ first base coach, while also handling baserunning and outfield coaching duties, something which Watkins had done previously. Sizemore spent much of his playing career in Cleveland, where he overlapped with Shelton, who was the hitting coach there for many seasons. In recent years, he has been on the Chicago White Sox coaching staff, holding a number of roles, including interim manager in 2024.

Besides Baldelli, Borgschulte, Suggs and Watkins,  others who are not returning are bench coach Jayce Tingler, who has been hired by the Giants already, assistant bench coach Hank Conger and quality control coach Nate Dammann.

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St. Paul police investigating death after assault call

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St. Paul police are investigating the death of a man Friday morning who was found after a 911 call reporting an assault.

Police gave the following details in a press release Friday afternoon:

About 11:40 a.m., police responded to a report of an assault at an apartment complex on the 1500 block of Westminster Street. When officers arrived they found a man with lacerations to his back and head. Officers began life-saving efforts until St. Paul Fire Department medics arrived and took over. The man was pronounced dead a short time later.

A woman who reported the assault was taken to Regions Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators are working to determine what led to the man’s death. At this time, no arrests have been made but police say the incident poses no threat to public safety.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the man’s identify and cause of death after an autopsy.

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FAA takes first steps to restore flights after shutdown strain, but some limits remain

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By RIO YAMAT and JOSH FUNK

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it plans to roll back some of the restrictions on commercial flights it implemented at 40 major U.S. airports during the shutdown.

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The agency says the current mandatory 6% flight cuts are being downgraded to 3% even though the record 43-day shutdown ended Nov. 12. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said restrictions would remain until staffing at air traffic control facilities stabilizes and safety metrics improve.

The unprecedented order, in place since Nov. 7, has affected thousands of flights. The head of the FAA said troubling data showed the measure was needed to ease pressure on the aviation system as the shutdown entered its second month and controller absences rose. Unpaid for more than a month, many controllers cited financial strain and the need to take on side jobs.

The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6%. The FAA originally had a 10% target, but officials held off on further rate increases because they said more controllers were coming to work amid news that Congress was close to reaching a deal to end the shutdown.

Air traffic controllers missed two paychecks during the impasse.

Duffy hasn’t shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.

How long it will take for the aviation system to stabilize is unclear. The flight restrictions upended airline operations in just a matter of days. Many planes were rerouted and aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Airlines for America, the trade group of U.S. airlines, warned there could be residual effects for days.

Some experts predicted the problems could linger longer but airline executives were optimistic that flying could quickly return to normal ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week.

The nationwide shortage of controllers isn’t new, but the shutdown put a spotlight on the problem and likely made it worse. Duffy said that by the end of the shutdown, 15-20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.