PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (Photo by Michael Vadon).

The economy was in the forefront on Friday as President Donald Trump touted the benefits of doing business in and with America, and the national economic report showed good and not-as-good results.

Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and told attendees that America is the place to do business. So come to America, where you can innovate, create and build,” Trump said. “I believe in America.”

He also assured them that the U.S. would cooperate with other nations and that “when the United States grows, so does the world,” Trump said.

The U.S. Commerce Department announced on Friday that economic growth was at 2.3 percent in 2017, short of Trump’s goal of 3 percent, according to the Associated Press. However, the quarterly rate was at 2.6 percent, spurred largely by increases in home construction and consumer spending.

ANOTHER MSU OFFICIAL STEPS DOWN

In the wake of the sentencing of Larry Nassar to up to 175 years in prison for sexual abuse of members of the USA National Women’s Gymnastics team, the athletic director at Michigan State University – where Nassar had also worked –announced his retirement.

Mark Hollis, a 10-year employee of MSU, spoke to reporters on Friday. That came a day after the college’s president, Lou Anna Simon, announced her resignation. The women and girls who accused Nassar of mistreatment criticized MSU’s handling of the issue.

Bill Beekman, vice president at Michigan State, will serve as acting president.

HILLARY CLINTON (Gage Skidmore photo).

DID HILLARY SHIELD SEX HARASSER?

The New York Times on Friday reported that Hillary Clinton, in her 2008 presidential election campaign, kept on her staff an adviser who was accused of sexually harassing a woman who worked in his office.

Burns Strider, according to the Times, had sent the woman “suggestive e-mails,” kissed her and rubbed her shoulders. Instead of being fired, the adviser was docked pay and told to undergo counseling.

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