WPTF News Archives - Page 5 of 213

U.S. employers added surprisingly solid 119,000 jobs in September, government says in delayed report

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 20, 2025, 2:37 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a suprisingly solid 119,000 jobs in September, the government said, issuing a key economic report that had been delayed seven weeks by the federal government shutdown. The Labor Department also said Thursday that the unemployment rate rose to 4.4% from 4.3% in August. The increase in payrolls was more than double the 50,000 economists had forecast. But Labor Department revisions showed that jobs fell by 4,000 in August instead of increasing by 22,000 as originally reported.… Read More

Arrests now top 250 in immigration crackdown across North Carolina

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 19, 2025, 3:05 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people during an immigration crackdown in North Carolina centered around Charlotte, the state’s largest city. Those totals released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are about double the arrest figures announced earlier this week. The operation that began over the weekend is the latest phase of Republican President Donald Trump’s aggressive mass deportation efforts. Military and immigration agents have converged on Democratic-run cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles. The push to carry out arrests in North Carolina expanded to areas around the state capital of Raleigh in just the last day.… Read More

Melania Trump and Usha Vance are making an early holiday visit with North Carolina military families

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 19, 2025, 11:23 am

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (AP) — Melania Trump and Usha Vance are traveling together for the first time. They went to North Carolina on Wednesday for a visit with military families. The wives of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a former Marine, landed in the town of Richlands and were visiting with military personnel and their families at Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, and Marine Corps Air Station New River, which is located in the same area. They wanted to show appreciation for military service and sacrifice as the holidays approach. “My husband, the president, is sending best regards. We are both thinking of you,” Trump said at Camp Lejeune High School.… Read More

U.S. trade deficit drops 24% in August as Trump’s tariffs reduce imports

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 19, 2025, 11:20 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit fell by nearly 24% in August as President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs pushed imports lower. In a report delayed for more than seven weeks by the federal government shutdown, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the the gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in August from $78.2 billion in July. Imports fell 5.1% to $340.4 billion in August from July when U.S. companies were stocking up on foreign products before Trump finalized taxes on products from almost every country on earth that went into effect Aug. 7.… Read More

Wilson pushes No. 18 North Carolina past Navy, 73-61

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 19, 2025, 12:19 am

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson had 23 points and 12 rebounds, leading No. 18 North Carolina to a 73-61 win over Navy. A true freshman, Wilson also had four steals and three blocks for the Tar Heels (5-0). Luka Bogavac added 16 points, Jarin Stevenson scored 11 and Henri Veesaar had 10. Austin Benigni scored 19 points for Navy (2-3) and Jinwoo Kim added 14 in the Midshipmen’s first trip to Chapel Hill since 1936. Despite returning 86.6 percent of its scoring from last season — the most of any roster in the nation this year — Navy had trouble finding the basket consistently against UNC, shooting just 30.4 percent from the floor. The Tar Heels have held four opponents to under 40-percent shooting this season and are now 49-4 under fifth-year coach Hubert Davis when doing so.… Read More

Congress acts swiftly to force release of Epstein files, and Trump agrees to sign bill

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 18, 2025, 11:04 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Both the House and Senate have acted decisively to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It’s a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. Trump now says he will sign the bill. Just hours after the House passed the bill, the Senate approved a motion to pass the bill with unanimous consent once it is sent to the Senate. For survivors of Epstein’s abuse, passage of the bill was a watershed moment in a years-long quest for accountability.… Read More

Cloudflare outage impacts thousands, disrupts transit systems, ChatGPT, X and more

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 18, 2025, 12:40 pm

A widely used Internet infrastructure company said that it has resolved an issue that led to outages impacting users of everything from ChatGPT and the online game, “League of Legends,” to the New Jersey Transit system early Tuesday. Around 10 a.m. ET, Cloudflare said it was “continuing to monitor for errors to ensure all services are back to normal.” Others platforms that experienced outages Tuesday included the social media site X, Shopify, Dropbox, Coinbase, and the Moody’s credit ratings service. Moody’s website displayed an Error Code 500 and instructed individuals to visit Cloudflare’s website for more information.… Read More

Federal immigration agents will expand enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh, mayor says

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 17, 2025, 11:36 pm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday. That’s according to the mayor of the state’s capital city. Mayor Janet Cowell said she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. The Democrat said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.… Read More

Pyotr Kochetkov makes 29 saves as Hurricanes beat Bruins 3-1

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 17, 2025, 11:32 pm

BOSTON (AP) — Jordan Staal outmuscled a Boston defenseman for a goal with one arm, Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 29 shots and the Carolina Hurricanes cooled off the hot Bruins for a 3-1 victory on Monday night. Former Bruin Taylor Hall and Mark Jankowski also scored for the Hurricanes, who won for the sixth time in eight games and evened the season-series after losing the first meeting on Nov. 1. Riley Tufte spoiled the shutout with 10 seconds left and Jeremy Swayman made 29 saves for the Bruins, who had a six-game home-winning streak halted and lost for just the second time in 10 games overall.… Read More

More than 130 arrested in North Carolina as governor says immigration crackdown is ‘stoking fear’

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 17, 2025, 1:44 pm

U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people in a weekend sweep through North Carolina’s largest city. That’s according to a federal official who spoke Monday about Charlotte. The governor warned that the crackdown effort is simply “stoking fear.” The Trump administration has made the Democratic city of about 950,000 people its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime. The move comes despite fierce objections from local leaders and declining crime rates. Gov. Josh Stein says they’ve seen agents in paramilitary gear targeting citizens based on their skin color and picking up random people off sidewalks.… Read More

Bryce Young passes for franchise-record 448 yards to lift Panthers to 30-27 win over Falcons in OT

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 16, 2025, 5:08 pm

ATLANTA (AP) — Bryce Young passed for a career-high and franchise-record 448 yards and Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a 28-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Carolina Panthers to a 30-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Young’s 54-yard pass to Tommy Tremble set up the winning kick for Carolina, which completed its sweep of NFC South-rival Atlanta. The Falcons suffered their fifth straight loss, including back-to-back overtime defeats. Young completed 31 of 45 passes with three touchdown. Zane Gonzalez kicked a 45-yard field goal for Atlanta with 16 seconds remaining to force overtime.… Read More

Americana troubadour Todd Snider, alt-country singer-songwriter, dies at 59

Author: The Associated Press | Date: November 16, 2025, 9:49 am

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A beloved figure in American roots music, Todd Snider has died at 59. His record label announced Saturday that Snider died Friday. Known for his cosmic-stoner songwriting and freewheeling tunes, Snider’s career spanned three decades. He combined folk, rock, and country, creating songs recorded by artists like Jerry Jeff Walker and Tom Jones. Snider was diagnosed with pneumonia after a violent assault led to a canceled tour. He was later arrested in Salt Lake City for threatening hospital staff. Snider’s albums showcased his unique style and humor. His last album released in October.… Read More