Trade Truce: President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinpingcalled a truce in their trade war yesterday after talking at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. Trump agreed to stop the imposition of new tariffs and Xi promised that China would buy more American stuff.

Mark Landler in The NY Times describes it as  “less a breakthrough than a breakdown averted.” They have a lot more talking to do before this is resolved.  There are a lot of issues on which they are far apart and the Chinese are very tough.

Trump agreed not to jump his tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 on Jan. 1. The Chinese agreed to buy an unspecified amount of American industrial and agricultural goods.

The two countries set an ambitious 90-day deadline to reach a more comprehensive agreement.

On another trade matter, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he plans to quickly terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Mexico, and Canada. It’s a move to pressure Congress to approve the new trade deal he just signed at the G-20 summit.

If he pulls out of the old deal, and Congress fails to pass the new one, North American trade will suddenly be a restrictive mess.

Gilets Jaunes: Three weeks of protests over rising taxes and declining living standards erupted into violence in Paris yesterday with demonstrators burning cars and smashing windows. Riot police used teargas.

The unrest was sparked weeks ago by a hike in the fuel tax, leaving many people saying they couldn’t afford to drive their cars or heat their homes.

The interior minister said as many as 70,000 demonstrators clogged streets all over Paris. They amassed wearing yellow roadside safety vests, hence, the “yellow vest” protests. Regular workers were joined by extremists from both the political right and left. As night fell the sting of teargas and smoke from burning cars lingered in the air.

It’s a crisis for the administration of President Emanuel Macron, who’s been accused of being remote from the problems of everyday people. Macron was at the G-20 summit in Argentina. He said, “Nothing justifies attacking the security forces, vandalizing businesses, either private or public ones, or that passers-by or journalists are threatened, or the Arc de Triomphe defaced.”

Whole Lotta Shakin’:  Alaskans in the Anchorage area are sorting themselves out after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake damaged buildings, collapsed roadways, and cut power to about 40,000 people Friday. Soups and cereals bounced off shelves at the groceries.

Alaska is the most seismically active region of the country. The damage to roadways in particular may take weeks or months to repair.

Down Mexico Way: Mexico yesterday inaugurated its first leftist president since the country became a full democracy in 2000.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 65, known by his initials AMLO, said, “Starting from now, we will carry out a peaceful, steady political transformation. But it will also be profound and radical.”

He’ll be the most powerful Mexican president in a long time. He won 53 percent of the vote in a three-way race and his party took the majority of both houses of Congress. Obrador vowed to attack the corruption that is endemic to Mexican government and fight to help the poor.

Slugfest: Heavyweight boxers Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury punched their way to a draw last night in Los Angeles, setting up a probable re-match. Wilder saved himself from losing his title by knocking down Fury in the 12^th— enough to tie but not win the fight.

Thanks for the Memories: President Trump declared Dec. 5^tha national day of mourning for the late former President George HW Bush. Trump had been a frequent critic of Bush, and Bush had called Trump a “blowhard.”

Yesterday, reporters asked Trump for his feeling about Bush.

Reporter: Do you regret any of your comments about George H.W. Bush or the Bush family? President Trump: “Thank you very much everybody.”

 Baby It’s Cold: A radio station in Cleveland pulled the Christmas classic song “Baby It’s Cold Outside” because some listeners thought it was inappropriate in today’s crusade against sexual coercion and harassment.

The song … is there anybody who’s never heard it? … consists of playful banter between a woman who says she needs to go home and a man who asks her to stay:

“I simply must go (Baby it’s cold outside)
The answer is no (But baby it’s cold outside)
The welcome has been (How lucky that you dropped in)
So nice and warm (Look out the window at that storm)”

Some critics say the lyrics hint of date rape. Next, Rudolph will be rescued and taken to an animal shelter.

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