Happening Today: Trump in China, Church Shooting, Gene Therapy, Kevin Spacey

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Trump Optimistic on Trade, North Korea After China Talks

President Trump criticized the "very one-sided and unfair" trade relationship between the U.S. and China, but stopped short of castigating Chinese President Xi Jinping by saying he doesn't blame the country for having taken advantage of the U.S. Speaking after the announcement of new business deals between U.S. and Chinese companies, Trump said China "must immediately address the unfair trade practices that drive" what he said is "shockingly" large trade deficit, along with barriers to market access, forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft. To applause, Trump said: "I give China great credit." Trump's comments came during his second day in China and after lengthy meetings with Xi.

Authorities Review Video of Texas Church Attack

Authorities have reviewed video from inside the small-town Texas church where a gunman killed more than two dozen people, including footage that shows the assailant shooting victims in the head during services, a U.S. official says. The official's account of the video is consistent with statements made by survivors of the attack. The same U.S. official confirmed that the attacker's cellphone was an iPhone and that the FBI had not yet asked Apple for help obtaining data from the device. The church regularly recorded its services, and the footage investigators have seen shows several minutes of the attack because there was "no one to turn it off.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree to Be Cut Down in Pennsylvania

Queue the Christmas songs, the 2017 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is getting cut down. The 75-foot Norway spruce is scheduled for an 8 a.m. cutting at the home of Jason Perrin in State College, Pennsylvania. It will then be hoisted by a large crane onto a 115-foot long trailer and brought to Manhattan on a flatbed. It will arrive at the Rockefeller Center on Saturday. The tree, which is 50-feet in diameter, will be the 86th to grace the Plaza for the annual weeks-long display and the third from Pennsylvania. It will be illuminated for the first time during a live television broadcast on Wednesday, Nov. 29 and will be on display until Jan. 7, 2018.

Gleeful Democrats See Political Wave; GOP Says Not So Fast

Jubilant Democrats across America are declaring their big election victories in Virginia and New Jersey — their first of the young Trump era — mark the beginning of an anti-Trump surge that could re-shape the balance of power in Congress in 2018. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says he can "smell a wave coming." Not so fast, Republicans say. However, they acknowledged that setbacks in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere created new urgency for the GOP to fulfill its list of campaign promises before voters head back to the polls next year. Whether the president's party delivers or not, there is clear cause for concern for a Republican Party that would lose its House majority if Democrats gained 24 seats next fall.

Boy With Rare Disease Gets Brand New Skin With Gene Therapy

Doctors treating a critically ill boy with a devastating skin disease used experimental gene therapy to create an entirely new skin for most of his body in a desperate attempt to save his life. Two years later, the doctors report the boy is doing so well that he doesn't need any medication, is back in school and even playing soccer. The boy, then 7, was hospitalized in June 2015 with blisters on his limbs, back and elsewhere. He had a rare, incurable skin disease called junctional epidermolysis bullosa, caused by genetic mutations. To fix that, the doctors took a small piece of the boy's skin from an area that was OK. In total, they grew close to a square meter of skin. The lab-grown skin was then transplanted onto the boy in three operations, ultimately covering 80 percent of his body. So far, no problems have been detected.

Christopher Plummer to Replace Spacey in Upcoming Ridley Scott Film

In a wholly unprecedented move, Kevin Spacey is being cut from Ridley Scott's finished film "All the Money in the World" and replaced by Christopher Plummer just over one month before it's supposed to hit theaters. People close to the production who were not authorized to speak publicly said Plummer is commencing reshoots immediately in the role of J. Paul Getty. All of Spacey's scenes will be reshot. Co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams are expected to participate. Scott, who is known to be an efficient director, is intending to keep the film's Dec. 22 release date. The director's publicist Simon Halls confirmed the switch.

Garth Brooks Wins Entertainer of the Year at CMA Awards

Garth Brooks has been named the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year. He thanked his band, his crew and country music fans, saying, "The most important thing, other than God himself, are you: the people that allow us to be in the greatest music ever, country music." Eric Church, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum opened the 2017 Country Music Association Awards with a touching performance honoring the 58 people killed at a country music festival last month. A large applause followed from the crowd.