Category Archives: WPTF News

Rare greenhouse gas law in NC could get pulled back by GOP legislators

Rare greenhouse gas law in NC could get pulled back by GOP legislators

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina enacted a rare energy law in the South in 2021 that directed power plant emissions be sharply reduced. But now the state’s GOP-controlled legislature is seeking to repeal a key element in that law. The Senate wants to do away with the requirement to take “all reasonable steps to achieve” reducing carbon dioxide output 70% from 2005 levels by 2030. Bill sponsors say regulators have already delayed the deadline as the law allows and the change would help Duke Energy assemble less expensive power sources now. Bill critics say the interim goal is useful to meet a 2050 carbon neutrality standard that still would be in place.… Continue Reading

Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote US manufacturing, risking inflation and trade wars

Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote US manufacturing, risking inflation and trade wars

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and even higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States. It threatens to upend much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump is declaring a national economic emergency to launch the tariffs, which are expected to produce hundreds of billions in annual revenues. He has promised that factory jobs will return back to the United States as a result of the taxes, but his policies risk a sudden economic slowdown as consumers and businesses could face sharp price hikes on autos, clothes and other goods.… Continue Reading

North Carolina Senate Republicans pick Lee as next majority leader

North Carolina Senate Republicans pick Lee as next majority leader

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The next majority leader of the North Carolina Senate is a top budget-writer who has managed to keep his Senate seat by winning close swing district races. A news release says the Senate Republican Caucus elected Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County as majority leader by acclamation on Tuesday. He succeeds outgoing Sen. Paul Newton, who resigned from the Senate last week for a university job. The majority leader is considered a chief lieutenant to the chamber’s No. 1 leader, GOP Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger. Lee was first appointed to the Senate in 2014, lost his seat in 2018 but won it back in 2020.… Continue Reading

States sue Trump administration for rescinding billions in health funding

States sue Trump administration for rescinding billions in health funding

Attorneys general and other officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration for its decision to claw back $11 billion that went to public health departments for COVID-19 efforts and addiction and mental health programs. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Rhode Island on Tuesday. The lawsuit says not paying the rest of the federal money will have a devastating effect on public health. Local and state public health departments are still assessing the impact of the loss of funds.… Continue Reading

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Val Kilmer has died at age 65. The versatile actor played flying ace Iceman opposite Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” Batman in “Batman Forever” and singer Jim Morrison in the biopic “The Doors.” Kilmer’s daughter says he died Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. The Los Angeles-born Kilmer studied acting at the elite Juilliard School and had his big break in the 1985 spy spoof “Top Secret.” He was sometimes regarded as a difficult presence on film sets but said in his memoir that he always put the art first.… Continue Reading

Stock market today: More swerves hit Wall Street as Trump’s “Liberation Day” nears

Stock market today: More swerves hit Wall Street as Trump’s “Liberation Day” nears

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks swerved through another shaky day of trading, with uncertainty still high about just what President Donald Trump will announce about tariffs on his “Liberation Day.” The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Tuesday after roaring back from an early drop of 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by less than 0.1% after likewise pinging between gains and losses, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.9%. Treasury yields dropped in the bond market after a report said U.S. manufacturing contracted last month. Markets have been shaky in the run-up to Wednesday, when Trump will announce a sweeping set of tariffs.… Continue Reading

Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility, appoints a new CEO

Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility, appoints a new CEO

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority has promoted one of its top executives to CEO as President Donald Trump has begun turning his attention back to the nation’s largest public utility. The utility announced Monday that its board picked Moul as president and chief executive. He replaces Jeff Lyash, who is retiring. Moul has served as TVA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since 2021. He starts in the new role April 9. The move comes days after Trump removed one of the TVA board members appointed under then-President Joe Biden. Tennessee’s two Republican U.S. senators have criticized the board, saying it’s bogging down a proposed small modular nuclear reactor.… Continue Reading

First disappointment and then a celebration as video captures high school band’s big surprise

First disappointment and then a celebration as video captures high school band’s big surprise

SNOW HILL, N.C. (AP) — A small high school in eastern North Carolina is celebrating the highest ranking its band has won at a statewide musical competition. The surprise reaction of the students learning they had won a superior ranking was captured on video. It started when band director Andrew Howell solemnly stepped onto the bus and told his students what they had gone through was a learning experience. Some of the students groaned or dropped their heads. Then he pulled out a plaque awarding the band with the competition’s highest ranking. The students erupted with screams and cheers. The video of their celebration has been seen by millions after being posted on TikTok and social media sites.… Continue Reading

Smell of death permeates Myanmar cities after quake kills over 1,600 and leaves countless buried

Smell of death permeates Myanmar cities after quake kills over 1,600 and leaves countless buried

MANDALAY, Myanmar (AP) — The smell of decaying bodies permeated the streets of Myanmar’s second-largest city on Sunday as people worked frantically by hand to clear rubble in the hope of finding someone still alive, two days after a massive earthquake struck that killed more than 1,600 people and left countless others buried. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit midday Friday with an epicenter near Mandalay, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure like the city’s airport. Relief efforts have been hampered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the midst of a civil war.… Continue Reading

Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?

Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Around the world, plastics are finding their way into farm fields. Some farmers say agricultural plastic, already a necessity for many crops, is becoming even more necessary as climate change fuels extreme weather. And plastics from other industries end up in fields, too, and eventually the food grown there as well as waterways. Scientists, farmers and consumers all worry about how the plastics that enter the food supply affect health, and research is continuing to show that it’s ending up in human bodies. Researchers are looking for solutions, but industry experts say despite attempts to tackle the plastic problem, it’s difficult to know where plastic ends up or get rid of it completely, even with the best intentions of improving reuse and recycling programs.… Continue Reading

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