Category Archives: WPTF News
Blue Origin rocket explodes on the launch pad during an engine-firing test
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin exploded during a test at the launch pad Thursday night, shaking nearby homes and briefly p...
May 29, 2026 CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 8: Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket sits at Launch Complex 36 ahead of its launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on November 8, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)
Pam Bondi will face a closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over the Epstein files
By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited appearanc...
May 29, 2026 U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on February 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
ABC stations, including one in Durham, call FCC's early call for license renewal 'unconstitutional'
By STEVEN SLOAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Local TV stations owned by ABC across the United States blasted the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday for launching an "unlawful, arbitra...
May 28, 2026 The ABC logo is viewed outside of ABC headquarters in New York, New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Crews recover the remains of 6 of the 9 workers missing after Washington chemical tank rupture
By CLAIRE RUSH and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) - Crews have recovered the remains of six of nine workers who were missing after a massive chemical tank ruptured at at paper mill...
May 28, 2026 LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON - MAY 26: Community members hold photographs of loved ones during a vigil at R.A. Long Park following a fatal chemical storage tank failure on May 26, 2026 in Longview, Washington. One person was killed, while 10 others were injured, and nine employees remain unaccounted for following a catastrophic storage tank failure involving corrosive "white liquor" at the paper mill Tuesday morning. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
NEW DEVELOPMENTS: Top federal prosecutor in Chicago denies investigation into E. Jean Carroll, disputing media reports
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The top federal prosecutor in Chicago denied Thursday evening that his office had opened an investigation into E. Jean Carrol...
May 28, 2026 NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 21: E. Jean Carroll attends "Ask E. Jean" New York screening at IFC Center on May 21, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
After refugee aid cuts, faith groups help Afghan women connect through sewing
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) - The Refugee Community Partnership, a mutual aid organization that supports immigrants, used to offer a sewing circle for Afghan women whose families had recently been resettled in...
May 28, 2026 Maureen Kurtz, left, works with interpreter Sama Qazikhani, 17, right, to instruct a participant in the Stitching for Hope sewing circle at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham, N.C. (RNS photo/Yonat Shimron)
Gamification and memes lure young people to sports wagering apps, prediction markets
By KAITLYN HUAMANI AP Technology Writer When Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second year in a row, Kalshi shared a photo of him on Instagram with the words, "Wait he's goated." When a video of NB...
May 28, 2026 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 25: In this photo illustration, Predictions market sites are shown on electronic devices on February 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Online prediction market platforms, such as Polymarket and Kalshi, allow people to place bets on wide-ranging subjects such as sports, finance, politics and current events. (Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Kyle Busch had pneumonia for 'days to weeks,' according to his death certificate
By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Kyle Busch died last week from hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation after complications from bacterial pneumonia led to se...
May 28, 2026 FILE - Kyle Busch is introduced during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File, File)
Suspect in Taylor Swift Vienna concert attack plot convicted and sentenced to 15 years
By PHILIPP JENNE Associated Press WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria (AP) - An Austrian court on Thursday convicted a man of planning to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago. He was sent...
May 28, 2026 FILE - Taylor Swift attends the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
The Closing Bell: Wall Street pushes to more records as profits keep piling up for US companies
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks pushed to more records as companies like Dollar Tree, Snowflake and Hormel Foods kept piling up profits. A tentative deal to extend the ceas...
May 28, 2026 Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on April 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)