Vance touts Trump policies in Michigan

BAY CITY, Mich. -- Vice President JD Vance toured a Michigan plastics manufacturing facility Friday, promoting a promised Trump administration industrial renaissance nationwide even as jitters about rising tariffs and steep drops in consumer confidence and financial markets point to the opposite.

Speaking at Vantage Plastics in Bay City, Vance vowed, "We started a great American comeback," and said the Trump administration will "make it easier and more affordable to make things great again in the United States."

But he also repeatedly urged patience before the Trump White House's economic policies take hold, noting, "This is not always easy, and it doesn't happen overnight."

Many Michigan businesses are especially concerned about a growing trade tiff with neighboring Canada that President Donald Trump has triggered with moves like increasing tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, which prompted swift retaliation from Ottawa and the European Union.

Vance defended higher tariffs.

"If you want to be rewarded, build in America. If you want to be penalized, build outside of America," Vance said.

Texas measles outbreak hits 259 cases

DALLAS -- The Texas measles outbreak has surpassed 250 cases, with a new county added to the list, the state reported Friday.

Health officials said 259 measles cases have been identified since late January, up from the 223 cases reported earlier this week. Thirty-four patients have been hospitalized and one school-age, unvaccinated child has died.

The outbreak began in Gaines County, near the New Mexico border. At 174 cases, it is still home to the vast majority of patients. Terry County, which is north of Gaines County, follows at 36 cases.

Lamar County was added to the list Thursday, with four cases reported in people ranging from 5 months to adulthood. Paris-Lamar County Health District officials said the four infected patients, who were not vaccinated, had traveled to Gaines County.

Texas' count does not include cases in New Mexico, which borders Gaines County. New Mexico reported 35 measles cases Friday and one death connected to the outbreak.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world and spreads rapidly among unvaccinated people.

Of the 259 cases in Texas, 257 were in people who were either unvaccinated, or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the state health department.

Senate confirms housing agency leader

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate voted 56-43 Thursday to confirm businessman Bill Pulte to serve as the next director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Pulte recently said that under President Donald Trump "we will usher in the golden age of home ownership."

Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin, Angela Alsobrooks and Ruben Gallego joined Republicans in voting for Pulte.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is charged with overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored housing giants that guarantee most mortgages in the United States.

Pulte said he joined his grandfather's home construction company, PulteGroup, during what he described as a "difficult" period of poor management to revitalize it with others and said the firm is now more than three times the size as when he stepped in.

During a confirmation hearing last month, he acknowledged periods of hardship including the 2008 housing crash and 2020 pandemic as also shaping his views of the country's housing finance system.

"Safe and sound housing markets are the foundation of American home ownership," Pulte said. "We must ensure that the limited home inventory in this country goes to Americans."

In recent years, Pulte has claimed that he has contributed millions of dollars to families facing foreclosure or utility shutoffs.

As part of an ethics agreement, Pulte intends to step down from investment firms, nonprofit organizations and several companies in which he holds positions.

Man charged after crash that killed 5

A man was charged Friday with intoxication manslaughter after five people were killed and several injured in a late-night wreck in Austin, Texas, that involved more than a dozen vehicles on Interstate 35, authorities said.

Authorities said the five people killed in the crash that involved 17 vehicles just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday included three adults, a child and an infant. First responders said 11 people were hospitalized.

Solomun Araya, 37, was charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault after the crash, Austin police said Friday.

Police said he was jailed in Travis County. It was unclear if he had an attorney.

Police have not detailed the circumstances that led to the wreck. Police said Friday in an email that they were still early in the investigation and had no further information available to release.

The collision was "very large and very complex," police officer Austin Zarling said at a morning news conference.