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WASHINGTON (AP) - The trade deficit surged to a record in September as oil imports hit an all-time high, driven up by hurricane-related shutdowns of Gulf Coast production.
The deficit with China also hit a record as that country shipped a flood of televisions, toys and clothing to the United States, triggering demands that President Bush take a hard line on what Democrats in Congress called China's unfair trading practices.
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that September's trade deficit was a record $66.1 billion, 11.4 percent higher than August and much worse than economists had been forecasting.
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