WPTF News Archives - Page 34 of 214

Some FEMA staff call out Trump cuts in public letter of dissent

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 25, 2025, 12:33 pm

More than 180 current and former FEMA employees have published a letter warning of potential disaster due to cuts in the agency. The letter coincides with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, highlighting concerns about management and capacity at FEMA. It warns that current practices echo conditions the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act aimed to prevent. The letter criticizes policies like expenditure approval and reassignment of staff to ICE. It calls for FEMA to be an independent cabinet-level agency. Thirty-five signatories included their names, while 141 remained anonymous due to fear of suppression.… Read More

UNC’s Belichick tells players that Hulu will feature Tar Heels program in a show this fall

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 25, 2025, 11:06 am

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s football program is getting a spotlight this season under new coach Bill Belichick. In a video posted by the program Sunday, Belichick told the team that Hulu will feature the Tar Heels as they play through his first season as a college coach. Belichick led the NFL’s New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. UNC kicks off its season on Labor Day against TCU in a college version of Monday Night Football.… Read More

Dr Pepper buys Peet’s for $18 billion and will split into separate coffee and cold drink sellers

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 25, 2025, 10:31 am

NEW YORK (AP) — Keurig Dr Pepper says it will buy Peet’s Coffee owner JDE Peet’s in an $18 billion (15.7 billion euro) deal. When the acquisition is complete, the company plans to split into two separate companies, one focused on coffee and the other focused on beverages including Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, 7Up and energy drinks. The coffee business will have about $16 billion in combined sales and the beverage business about $11 billion. In addition to Peet’s, Amsterdam-based JDE Peet’s brands include L’OR, Jacobs, Douwe Egberts, Kenco, Pilao, OldTown, Super and Moccona.… Read More

‘Sopranos’ star Jerry Adler, Broadway backstage vet turned late-in-life actor, dies at 96

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 11:40 am

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Jerry Adler has died at 96. Adler started his career behind the scenes in theater and worked on more than 50 Broadway productions. He later transitioned to acting in his 60s, gaining fame for roles on “The Sopranos” and “The Good Wife.” A New York funeral home confirmed he died Saturday. Adler’s acting career spanned over 30 years, with appearances in shows like “Rescue Me” and “Mad About You.” He also returned to Broadway, onstage this time. He hailed from an entertainment family. His father worked in the theater industry and his cousin was famed acting teacher Stella Adler.… Read More

Trump says he’ll be at Ryder Cup and he thinks captain Keegan Bradley should play

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 11:12 am

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s coming to the Ryder Cup. And he thinks U.S. captain Keegan Bradley should be playing in the Sept. 26-28 matches against Europe. Trump posted on his social media site that he would be at Bethpage Black for the opening round. The Ryder Cup already is the most flag-waving, raucous event in golf. It has gone up a notch this time because of the venue. Bethpage Black on New York’s Long Island is notorious for having the rowdiest fans. Bradley is debating whether he should be the first playing captain in the Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963.… Read More

Fed Chair Powell faces fresh challenges to Fed independence amid potential rate cuts

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 9:45 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Now that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has signaled that the central bank could soon cut its key interest rate, he faces a new challenge: how to do it without seeming to cave to the White House’s demands. For months, Powell has largely ignored President Donald Trump’s relentless hectoring that he reduce borrowing costs. Yet on Friday, in a highly-anticipated speech, Powell suggested that the Fed could take such a step as soon as its next meeting in September. It will be a fraught decision for the Fed, which must weigh it against persistent inflation that remains a problem and an economy that could also improve in the second half of this year. Both trends, if they occur, could make a cut look premature.… Read More

Hurricane Erin never hit land or caused major damage, but threatened turtle nests weren’t so lucky

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 8:28 am

As Hurricane Erin pelted North Carolina’s barrier islands with strong winds and waves, it destroyed many nests of threatened sea turtles. The waves buried the eggs deep in sand or washed them out to sea. On Topsail Island more than half the 43 loggerhead turtle nests were lost this week. The storm also likely wiped out eight of the 10 remaining nests on Emerald Isle. Loggerheads are threatened in the U.S. due to bycatch from fishing. But conservation groups can do little to keep nests safe during a hurricane given North Carolina’s strict laws about keeping the sea turtle hatching process natural.… Read More

Don’t fret: Air guitar world title returns home to Finland after 25 years

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 7:49 am

OULU, Finland (AP) — Finnish air guitarist Aapo “The Angus” Rautio has plucked victory from thin air, grabbing the world championship title for his homeland for the first time since 2000. This year’s Air Guitar World Championships reached the climax with a final on Friday evening on a square in the western city of Oulu. The three-day event held in Finland brings together competitors from 13 countries. Contestants are judged on the performance of two songs in two separate rounds, each lasting 60 seconds, with the singers pretending to play an imaginary guitar. Props and costumes are allowed, but backup bands and real instruments are off-limits.… Read More

Ryan Blaney’s last-second surge at Daytona denies underdogs a Cinderella moment

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 7:33 am

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Blaney wins a thrilling race at Daytona International Speedway, securing a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs and keeping Alex Bowman’s championship hopes alive. Blaney was 13th with two laps to go but surged ahead to win by a narrow margin. His victory denies other drivers a chance at the playoffs. The race was intense, with the first 19 cars finishing within half a second of Blaney. This win breaks an 11-race losing streak for Team Penske and Ford. The playoffs begin next Sunday at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.… Read More

Federal officials to take over inspections when troubled Boar’s Head plant reopens

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 24, 2025, 7:28 am

Federal inspectors will assume direct oversight of a Boar’s Head deli meat plant when it reopens after an deadly listeria outbreak. The plant in Jarratt, Virginia, is set to reopen in the coming months. It will face at least 90 days of heightened monitoring and testing. That work will be overseen by federal Food Safety and Inspection Service officials, rather than state inspectors who operated previously on behalf of the agency. The change underscores the severity of problems at the troubled plant. Boar’s Head officials say they are cooperating with state and federal agencies.… Read More

North Carolina Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can continue

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 22, 2025, 8:54 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Supreme Court has issued favorable rulings for bars seeking compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions. On Friday, the court decided that two lawsuits filed by bars and their operators can continue. These lawsuits claim that through ordered closings they were treated unfairly compared to restaurants during the pandemic. The restrictions began in March 2020 under then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat. The court’s Republican justices agreed one lawsuit could proceed, rejecting state arguments to halt it. They ruled the other case also can return to a trial judge so evidence could be analyzed on the claim the owners’ rights to earn a living were violated.… Read More

Powell signals Fed may cut rates soon even as inflation risks remain

Author: The Associated Press | Date: August 22, 2025, 1:59 pm

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy. In a high-profile speech closely watched at the White House and on Wall Street, Powell said that there are risks of both rising unemployment and stubbornly higher inflation. Yet he suggested that with hiring sluggish, the job market could weaken further.… Read More