Trump cuts tariffs on China after meeting Xi in South Korea

Trump cuts tariffs on China after meeting Xi in South Korea

By JOSH BOAK, CHRIS MEGERIAN and MARK SCHIEFELBEIN Associated Press

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump described his face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday as a roaring success, saying he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans.

The president told reporters aboard Air Force One that the U.S. would lower tariffs implemented earlier this year as punishment on China for its selling of chemicals used to make fentanyl from 20% to 10%. That brings the total combined tariff rate on China down from 57% to 47%

President Donald Trump described his face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday as a roaring success, saying he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans.

“I guess on the scale from 0 to 10, with ten being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12,” Trump said. “I think it was a 12.”

Trump said that he would go to China in April and Xi would come to the U.S. “some time after that.” The president said they also discussed the export of more advanced computer chips to China, saying that Nvidia would be in talks with Chinese officials.

Trump said he could sign a trade deal with China “pretty soon.”

Xi said Washington and Beijing would work to finalize their agreements to provide “peace of mind” to both countries and the rest of the world, according to a report on the meeting distributed by state media.

“Both sides should take the long-term perspective into account, focusing on the benefits of cooperation rather than falling into a vicious cycle of mutual retaliation,” he said.

Sources of tension remain

Despite Trump’s optimism after a 100-minute meeting with Xi in South Korea, there continues to be the potential for major tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Both nations are seeking dominant places in manufacturing, developing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and shaping world affairs like Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs since returning to the White House for a second term, combined with China’s retaliatory limits on exports of rare earth elements, gave the meeting newfound urgency. There is a mutual recognition that neither side wants to risk blowing up the world economy in ways that could jeopardize their own country’s fortunes.

When the two were seated at the start of the meeting, Xi read prepared remarks that stressed a willingness to work together despite differences.

“Given our different national conditions, we do not always see eye to eye with each other,” he said through a translator. “It is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then.”

There was a slight difference in translation as China’s Xinhua News Agency reported Xi as telling Trump that having some differences is inevitable.

Finding ways to lower the temperature

The leaders met in Busan, South Korea, a port city about 76 kilometers (47 miles) south from Gyeongju, the main venue for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

In the days leading up to the meeting, U.S. officials signaled that Trump did not intend to make good on a recent threat to impose an additional 100% import tax on Chinese goods, and China showed signs it was willing to relax its export controls on rare earths and also buy soybeans from America.

Officials from both countries met earlier this week in Kuala Lumpur to lay the groundwork for their leaders. Afterward, China’s top trade negotiator Li Chenggang said they had reached a “preliminary consensus,” a statement affirmed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who said there was “ a very successful framework.”

Shortly before the meeting on Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the meeting would be the “G2,” a recognition of America and China’s status as the world’s biggest economies. The Group of Seven and Group of 20 are other forums of industrialized nations.

But while those summits often happen at luxury spaces, this meeting took place in humbler surroundings: Trump and Xi met in a small gray building with a blue roof on a military base adjacent to Busan’s international airport.

The anticipated detente has given investors and businesses caught between the two nations a sense of relief. The U.S. stock market has climbed on the hopes of a trade framework coming out of the meeting.

Pressure points remain for both US and China

Trump has outward confidence that the grounds for a deal are in place, but previous negotiations with China this year in Geneva, Switzerland and London had a start-stop quality to them. The initial promise of progress has repeatedly given way to both countries seeking a better position against the other.

“The proposed deal on the table fits the pattern we’ve seen all year: short-term stabilization dressed up as strategic progress,” said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Both sides are managing volatility, calibrating just enough cooperation to avert crisis while the deeper rivalry endures.”

The U.S. and China have each shown they believe they have levers to pressure the other, and the past year has demonstrated that tentative steps forward can be short-lived.

For Trump, that pressure comes from tariffs.

China had faced new tariffs this year totaling 30%, of which 20% were tied to its role in fentanyl production. But the tariff rates have been volatile. In April, he announced plans to jack the rate on Chinese goods to 145%, only to abandon those plans as markets recoiled.

Then, on Oct. 10, Trump threatened a 100% import tax because of China’s rare earth restrictions. That figure, including past tariffs, would now be 47% “effective immediately,” Trump told reporters on Thursday.

Xi has his own chokehold on the world economy because China is the top producer and processor of the rare earth minerals needed to make fighter jets, robots, electric vehicles and other high-tech products.

China had tightened export restrictions on Oct. 9, repeating a cycle in which each nation jockeys for an edge only to back down after more trade talks.

What might also matter is what happens directly after their talks. Trump plans to return to Washington, while Xi plans to stay on in South Korea to meet with regional leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which officially begins on Friday.

“Xi sees an opportunity to position China as a reliable partner and bolster bilateral and multilateral relations with countries frustrated by the U.S. administration’s tariff policy,” said Jay Truesdale, a former State Department official who is CEO of TD International, a risk and intelligence advisory firm.

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Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and Seung Min Kim and Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report. Boak reported from Tokyo and Megerian reported from Busan, South Korea.

Spooky Strawberries

Spooky Strawberries

This recipe is a classic treat with a Halloween twist!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries (washed and thoroughly dried)
  • 8 ounces white chocolate chips or white melting wafers
  • Candy eyeballs (available at most grocery or craft stores)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening (optional, for smoother melting)
  • Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Prepare strawberries
Make sure the strawberries are completely dry and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Melt the white chocolate
Place the white chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20–30 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth and fully melted.

3. Dip the strawberries
Hold each strawberry by the stem and dip it into the melted white chocolate, coating it almost to the top. Let the excess chocolate drip off, then set each strawberry on the parchment paper.

4. Add the eyes
While the chocolate is still wet, gently press two candy eyeballs near the top front of each strawberry.

5. Chill and enjoy
Place the tray of strawberries in the fridge for about 15–20 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm. Then, serve chilled and enjoy this Halloween-themed treat!

October 30th 2025

October 30th 2025

Thought of the Day

Getty Image

If one door closes and other opens, your house is probably haunted!

No. 6 Duke keeps its frequent perch as favorite in ACC race featuring No. 11 Louisville, No. 25 UNC

No. 6 Duke keeps its frequent perch as favorite in ACC race featuring No. 11 Louisville, No. 25 UNC

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer

Jon Scheyer inherited a seemingly impossible task at Duke in following retired Hall of Fame coaching great Mike Krzyzewski. Yet the sixth-ranked Blue Devils have kept on winning.

They’re starting this year as Atlantic Coast Conference favorite again.

The Blue Devils are coming off a 35-win season that included reaching the Final Four, while the 38-year-old Scheyer became the first coach to twice win the ACC Tournament in his first three seasons. The Blue Devils lost all five starters from that team — including Associated Press national player of the year and No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg — but added the No. 1-ranked recruiting class and stand as the preseason pick to win a league race featuring No. 11 Louisville and 25th-ranked rival North Carolina.

This is the 10th time in 13 years that Duke is the ACC favorite. Winning the ACC will depend on integrating a recruiting class headlined by power forward Cameron Boozer — 247Sports’ No. 3-ranked recruit — alongside returnees like Isaiah Evans and Maliq Brown.

“I think if you keep putting yourself in that position of being in that moment, being right there, it’s only a matter of time before you break through,” Scheyer said of the program’s status as frequent national-title contender. “And I feel that’s where our program is.”

The Cardinals lost to the Blue Devils in last year’s ACC final and reached March Madness in Pat Kelsey’s first season. It was quick rise from a two-year wilderness under Kenny Payne: 12 wins, 52 losses, a 5-35 record in ACC regular-season play.

Louisville is Duke’s top challenger, with Kelsey having retooled his roster through the transfer portal.

“We don’t talk about the past. We don’t talk about the future,” Kelsey said. “Our sole focus is excellence in the now.”

Top players

Darrion Williams helped Texas Tech reach the NCAA Elite Eight last year before declaring for the NBA draft. But the 6-foot-6 guard returned to college basketball for his senior season and transferred to N.C. State, where he is preseason ACC player of the year under new coach Will Wade.

The league returns two top-tier scorers in Notre Dame point guard Markus Burton (league-best 21.3 points) and Syracuse guard J.J. Starling (seventh at 17.8).

Top transfers

Beyond the Wolfpack’s Williams, the Cardinals added three of 247Sports’ top 20 transfers in Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley — all 6-4 guards who shot better than 40% on 3-pointers last year.

Conwell averaged 16.5 points at Xavier and will play for his fourth school in as many seasons. McKneely averaged 14.4 points at Virginia, while Wooley (18.8) was Conference USA freshman of the year at Kennesaw State.

North Carolina added 7-footer Henri Veesaar, who left Arizona to join a Tar Heels team that desperately needs reliable frontcourt play.

Top freshmen

Boozer is one of six McDonald’s All-American freshmen, including Duke teammates in his brother Cayden (a point guard) and forward Nikolas Khamenia.

UNC will lean on forward Caleb Wilson, a two-way talent with athleticism and length. Wilson joins Boozer and Louisville point guard Mikel Brown Jr. as high-end NBA talents considered to be possible one-and-done prospects.

Notre Dame also landed a McDonald’s all-American in guard Jalen Haralson, the Fighting Irish’s highest-ranked prospect in the modern era.

New coaches

The league has four new coaches: Wade, Florida State’s Luke Loucks, Miami’s Jai Lucas and Virginia’s Ryan Odom.

The 42-year-old Wade is back in the power-conference ranks after his ouster from LSU amid NCAA trouble. He won big in two seasons at McNeese and replaces the fired Kevin Keatts.

Loucks, 35, arrives from years in the NBA to take over at his alma mater for longtime coach Leonard Hamilton.

Lucas, 36, left the Duke staff to take over the Hurricanes, who saw coach Jim Larrañaga step aside last December and finished out under interim coach Bill Courtney.

Odom, 51, takes over a Virginia program that lost longtime coach Tony Bennett to retirement shortly before last season. The former VCU coach grew up in Charlottesville around the program while his father, Dave, was an assistant in the 1980s.

Shorter schedule

The ACC will have an 18-game league slate, down from 20 games, as the league tries to reverse a downward trend of NCAA bids (four last year). The move is designed to give ACC teams two more spots to schedule quality nonconference matchups that could bolster postseason résumés. The ACC had moved to 20 games in 2019-20 with the arrival of the ESPN-partnered ACC Network.

Preseason picks

Champion: Duke; 2) Louisville; 3) UNC; 4) N.C. State; 5) Virginia; 6) SMU; 7) Clemson; 8) Miami; 9) Syracuse; 10) Notre Dame; 11) Wake Forest; 12) Virginia Tech; 13) Georgia Tech; 14) Pittsburgh; 15) FSU; 16) California; 17) Stanford; 18) Boston College.

Duke University study finds EVs quickly overcome their energy-intensive build to be cleaner than gas cars

Duke University study finds EVs quickly overcome their energy-intensive build to be cleaner than gas cars

By ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Making electric vehicles and their batteries is a dirty process that uses a lot of energy. But a new study says that EVs quickly make up for that with less overall emissions through two years of use than a gas-powered vehicle.

The study also estimated that gas-powered vehicles cause at least twice as much environmental damage over their lifetimes as EVs, and said the benefits of EVs can be expected to increase in coming decades as clean sources of power, such as solar and wind, are brought onto the grid.

The work by researchers from Northern Arizona University and Duke University, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS Climate, offers insight into a transportation sector that makes up a big part of U.S. emissions. It also comes as some EV skeptics have raised concerns about whether the environmental impact of battery production, including mining, makes it worthwhile to switch to electric.

“While there is a bigger carbon footprint in the very short term because of the manufacturing process in creating the batteries for electric vehicles, very quickly you come out ahead in CO2 emissions by year three and then for all of the rest of the vehicle lifetime, you’re far ahead and so cumulatively much lower carbon footprint,” said Drew Shindell, an earth science professor at Duke University and study co-author.

What the researchers examined

The researchers evaluated several harmful air pollutants monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as emissions data, to compare the relative impact over time of EVs and internal combustion engines on air quality and climate change.

Their analysis said that EVs produce 30% higher carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline vehicles in their first two years. That can be attributed to the energy-intensive production and manufacturing processes involved in mining lithium for EV batteries.

They also sought to account for how the U.S. energy system might develop in coming years, assuming growth in clean energy. And they modeled four different scenarios for EV adoption, ranging from the lowest — a 31% share of vehicle sales — to the highest, 75% of sales, by 2050. (EV sales accounted for about 8% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. in 2024.)

The researchers said the average of those four models found that for each additional kilowatt hour of lithium-ion battery output, carbon dioxide emissions drop by an average of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) in 2030, and another 127 kilograms (280 pounds) in 2050.

The consistent decrease in CO2 emissions from EVs is “not only driven by the on-road vehicles, but also reduction that has been brought due to electricity production,” said lead author Pankaj Sadavarte, a postdoctoral researcher at Northern Arizona University.

Greg Keoleian, a University of Michigan professor of sustainable systems who wasn’t involved in the research, called it a “valuable study” that echoes other findings and “confirms the environmental and economic benefits” of EVs.

“Accelerating the adoption of battery electric vehicles is a key strategy for decarbonizing the transportation sector which will reduce future damages and costs of climate change,” he said.

Researchers take optimistic view of the grid’s future

Shindell, the Duke researcher, said the grid will evolve to have more solar and wind power.

“When you add a bunch of electric vehicles, nobody’s going to build new coal-fired power plants to run these things because coal is really expensive compared to renewables,” he said. “So the grid just overall becomes much cleaner in both the terms of carbon emissions for climate change, and for air pollution.”

Outside experts agreed — as long as the policy landscape supports it. That hasn’t been the case under President Donald Trump, who has worked to boost fossil fuels and restrain solar and wind power development.

“The great news is the rest of the world isn’t slowing down in terms of its embrace of this technology,” said Ellen Kennedy, principal for carbon-free transportation at RMI, a clean energy nonprofit. As for the U.S., she said, “I think it’s important to keep in mind states and local governments, there’s a lot that’s happening on those fronts.”

One thing the study didn’t address was recycling or disposal of batteries at the end of their life. Kennedy said battery recycling will improve, helping to address one of the environmental impacts of their production.

A challenging time for EVs in the United States

The study comes at a notable time given the challenges that EVs face in the U.S.

EVs have seen more interest in recent years as an alternative to gas-powered cars and trucks — particularly as they become more affordable and charging infrastructure becomes more available.

But growth has slowed amid shifting federal policy toward EVs and an industry step back from ambitious EV production promises.

Former President Joe Biden set a target for 50% of all new vehicle sales in the U.S. to be electric by 2030. But Trump reversed that policy, and Congress has terminated federal tax credits for an EV purchase. The administration has also targeted vehicle pollution rules that would encourage greater uptake of EVs in the U.S., and the president has attempted to halt a nationwide EV charging buildout.

“The study is important to show how really misguided the current administration’s policies are,” Shindell said. “If we want to protect us from climate change and from the very clear and local damage from poor air quality, this is a really clear way to do it: Incentivize the switch from internal combustion engines to EVs.”

___

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at [email protected].

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Federal Reserve cuts key rate as government shutdown clouds economic outlook

Federal Reserve cuts key rate as government shutdown clouds economic outlook

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated.

“Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up but remained low through August,” the Fed said in a statement issued Wednesday. “More recent indicators are consistent with these developments.” The government hasn’t issued unemployment data after August because of the shutdown. The Fed is watching private-sector figures instead.

Wednesday’s decision brings the Fed’s key rate down to about 3.9%, from about 4.1%. The central bank had cranked its rate to roughly 5.3% in 2023 and 2024 to combat the biggest inflation spike in four decades. Lower rates could, over time, reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards, as well as for business loans.

The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without the economic signposts it typically relies on from the government, including monthly reports on jobs, inflation and consumer spending, which have been suspended because of the government shutdown. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves.

The Fed typically raises its short term rate to combat inflation, while it cuts rates to encourage borrowing and spending and shore up hiring. Right now its two goals are in conflict, so it is reducing borrowing costs to support the job market, while still keeping rates high enough to avoid stimulating the economy so much that it worsens inflation.

Speaking to reporters after the Fed’s announced its rate decision, Fed chair Jerome Powell said there were “strongly differing views about how to proceed in December” at the policy meeting and a further reduction in rates is not “a foregone conclusion.”

On Wednesday, the Fed also said it would stop reducing the size of its massive securities holdings, which it accumulated during the pandemic and after the 2008-2009 Great Recession. The change, to take effect Dec. 1, could over time slightly reduce longer-term interest rates on things like mortgages but won’t have much impact on consumer borrowing costs.

The Fed purchased nearly $5 trillion of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed bonds from 2020 to 2022 to stabilize financial markets during the pandemic and keep longer-term interest rates low. The bond-buying lifted its securities holdings to $9 trillion.

In the past three years, however, the Fed has reduced its holdings to about $6.6 trillion. To shrink its holdings, the Fed lets securities mature without replacing them, reducing bank reserves. In recent months, however, the reductions appeared to disrupt money markets, threatening to push up shorter-term interest rates.

Two of the 12 officials who vote on the Fed’s rate decisions dissented, but in different directions. Fed governor Stephen Miran dissented for the second straight meeting in favor of a half-point cut. Miran was appointed by President Donald Trump just before the central bank’s last meeting in September.

Jeffrey Schmid, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, voted against the move because he preferred no change to the Fed’s rate. Schmid has previously expressed concern that inflation remains too high.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell for not reducing borrowing costs more quickly. In South Korea early Wednesday he repeated his criticisms of the Fed chair.

“He’s out of there in another couple of months,” Trump said. Powell’s term ends in May. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the administration is considering five people to replace Powell, and will decide by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the government shutdown has interrupted economic data. September’s jobs report, scheduled to be released three weeks ago, is still postponed. This month’s hiring figures, to be released Nov. 7, will likely be delayed and may be less comprehensive when they are finally released. And the White House said last week that October’s inflation report may never be issued at all.

The data drought raises risks for the Fed because it is widely expected to keep cutting rates in an effort to shore up growth and hiring. Yet should job gains pick up soon, the Fed may not detect the change. And if hiring rebounds after weak job gains during the summer, further rate cuts may not be justified.

Before the government shutdown cut off the flow of data Oct. 1, monthly hiring gains had weakened to an average of just 29,000 a month for the previous three months, according to the Labor Department’s data. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.3% in August from 4.2% in July.

More recently, several large corporations have announced sweeping layoffs, including UPS, Amazon, and Target, which threatens to boost the unemployment rate if it continues.

Meanwhile, last week’s inflation report — released more than a week late because of the shutdown — showed that inflation remains elevated but isn’t accelerating and may not need higher interest rates to tame it.

The government’s first report on the economy’s growth in the July-September quarter was scheduled to be published on Thursday, but will be delayed, as will Friday’s report on consumer spending that also includes the Fed’s preferred inflation measure.

Fed officials say they are monitoring a range of other data, including some issued by the private sector, and don’t feel handicapped by the lack of government reports.

“Pigs in a Blanket”

“Pigs in a Blanket”

This recipe is a tried-and-true appetizer favorite. If you’re in the Halloween spirit, you can add candy eyes to turn them into the perfect mummy appetizer!

Ingredients

  • 1 package refrigerated crescent roll dough (8 triangles)
  • 8 hot dogs or cocktail sausages
  • Optional: 1 egg (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven
Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the dough
Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it into triangles.

3. Wrap the hot dogs
Place one hot dog at the wide end of each triangle and roll up toward the point.

4. Bake
(Optional) brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Then, bake for 12–15 minutes, or until golden brown.

5. Serve them up!
Serve hot and enjoy with condiments of choice!

October 29th 2025

October 29th 2025

Thought of the Day

Photo by Getty Image

All things are difficult before they are easy.

Former Duke player Kyle Singler charged with assaulting girlfriend in Oklahoma

Former Duke player Kyle Singler charged with assaulting girlfriend in Oklahoma

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former Duke and Oklahoma City Thunder player Kyle Singler was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor assault in Oklahoma after his girlfriend told authorities he grabbed her head and shoved her to the ground.

Singler, 37, was arrested Thursday in the eastern Oklahoma town of Whitefield after someone called 911 to report Singler was chasing a woman outside a residence there. He was booked into the Haskell County jail and later released on $6,000 bond, jail records show.

Singler was charged Tuesday in Haskell County with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery in the presence of a child. Singler’s girlfriend told a sheriff’s deputy that Singler grabbed her by the head and shoved her to the ground, according to an arrest affidavit. Deputy Mitch Dobbs also reported he could observe finger outlines on the woman’s face and marks on her arm. The woman told Dobbs that Singler is the father of her young child, who was present during the incident, the affidavit states.

Dobbs reported Singler did not cooperate with authorities or give them a statement and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.

Court and jail records don’t indicate whether Singler has an attorney. Singler’s former agent, Jason Ranne, said in an email he no longer represents Singler.

Singler’s arrest comes nearly a year after a cryptic Instagram post in which he said he feared for his life drew an outpouring of concern and support from former teammates and others.

Singler was on Duke’s 2010 national championship team and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament.

He was the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 draft and started his career overseas before playing in the NBA. He played three seasons for the Detroit Pistons, who drafted him, and was on the All-Rookie second team in 2013. He played parts of four seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A North Carolina man is charged with 4 murder counts after telling authorities he killed his kids

A North Carolina man is charged with 4 murder counts after telling authorities he killed his kids

By ALLEN G. BREED, GARY D. ROBERTSON and JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

ZEBULON, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man was charged Tuesday with four counts of murder after telling authorities that he had killed his children and after sheriff’s deputies found human remains in the trunk of a vehicle in his home’s garage.

Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, was being held without bond in the Johnston County Jail, according to the county’s sheriff’s office and court records.

A North Carolina man who told authorities he had killed four of his children and that the bodies were in the trunk of a vehicle at his home has been charged with murder after sheriffs deputies found human remains in his garage. (AP Video)

Dickens had been charged earlier Tuesday in the death of one of his children, a sheriff’s office news release said. Three more murder counts were filed later in the day, records show.

Dickens called 911 on Monday evening and told the operator he had killed his children, the sheriff’s statement said.

Johnston County deputies responded, and as Dickens had told them, his 3-year-old son was alive inside the residence on the outskirts of Zebulon, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Raleigh.

But Dickens also told deputies four of his other children were deceased inside the trunk of the vehicle inside the garage, the statement said.

The deputies discovered what the release described as “multiple bodies” in the trunk and said what were believed to be human remains inside had been there for a long time, the sheriff’s office said. The arrest warrants say authorities believe the victims were killed May 1.

The sheriff’s office said investigators believe Dickens killed three of his biological children, ages 6, 9 and 10, as well as his 18-year-old stepchild. Arrest warrants for three of the counts confirm the victims as 9, 10 and 18. The fourth arrest warrant provided no date of birth for the victim.

Court records show Dickens appeared before a judge Tuesday afternoon on the initial murder charge. Records showed he will be appointed an attorney, but a name was not immediately listed.

Dickens’ wife, Stephanie, died in April 2024, and Dickens said five children lived in their Zebulon home, according to court records from his wife’s estate. Her death came just over a year after Dickens’ father died when his car crashed into a box truck in Lee County, North Carolina, according to court records.

Dickens’ great uncle Charles Moore told WRAL-TV that Dickens was an Iraq War veteran. Moore said he hadn’t seen Dickens in about a year but that he seemed like he was doing fine.

A police cruiser with flashing lights blocked the road leading to Dickens’ address on Tuesday afternoon, with tents from the sheriff’s office and the State Bureau of Investigation erected in the driveway. The home sits in a recently built subdivision of one- and two-story houses. An old farmhouse sits not far from the subdivision’s entrance.

Some neighbors said they barely remembered seeing the family, especially after Dickens’ wife died. Miranda Dorta said she just saw the kids walk to and from the school bus, while neighbor Terry Fuller mowed their lawn a few times when the grass got high.

Although the subdivision’s oldest houses are only about 3 years old, it’s also a tight-knit neighborhood and many people could have helped if Dickens reached out, Fuller said.

“I’ve noticed the kids haven’t been out playing for quite some time, but hadn’t put two and two together. And I woke up to this this morning. It’s pretty awful,” Fuller said.

Previously known for its tobacco market and a railroad that came through town, Zebulon is quickly turning into a bedroom community of the Raleigh-Durham area.

Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina, and Collins from Columbia, South Carolina

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