Category Archives: WPTF News

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette launches 2026 gubernatorial bid, touts Trump ties

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette launches 2026 gubernatorial bid, touts Trump ties

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette has announced her 2026 bid for governor. Speaking to supporters on Monday, she highlighted her work with outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster and her ties to former President Donald Trump. Evette emphasized her efforts to promote McMaster’s agenda, including support for law enforcement, stricter immigration policies, and abortion restrictions. If governor she pledged to expand school choice, eliminate income taxes and fight “woke corporations.” Evette is the first female Republican lieutenant governor in the state. Other Republicans, including Attorney General Alan Wilson, have also entered the race. The GOP primary isn’t until next June.… Continue Reading

Wall Street holds near its record amid doubts about Trump’s tariffs

Wall Street holds near its record amid doubts about Trump’s tariffs

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes held near their records following President Donald Trump’s latest updates to his tariffs, as speculation continues that he may ultimately back down on them. The S&P 500 edged up by 0.1% Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Stock indexes fell in Europe but were mixed elsewhere after Trump announced 30% tariffs on goods from Mexico and the European Union. They won’t take effect until Aug. 1, which leaves time for more negotiations. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market, while bitcoin rallied at the start of Washington’s “Crypto Week.”… Continue Reading

Elmo’s hacked X account posted racist messages. Sesame Workshop is trying to regain control

Elmo’s hacked X account posted racist messages. Sesame Workshop is trying to regain control

Sesame Workshop is working to regain control of Elmo’s X account after a hacker posted racist and antisemitic messages. A spokesperson confirmed Monday that the account was compromised over the weekend. Instead of its usual uplifting posts, the account shared offensive content, including a reference to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The posts were quickly deleted. Elmo’s account, with 650,000 followers, has been a platform for mental health awareness. Last year, it gained attention when Elmo asked followers how they were doing, prompting responses from figures like then-President Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.… Continue Reading

NASCAR teams 23XI and Front Row seek urgent court order to retain charters

NASCAR teams 23XI and Front Row seek urgent court order to retain charters

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked into a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams are set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.… Continue Reading

Lawmakers visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ after being blocked

Lawmakers visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ after being blocked

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are condemning Florida’s new Everglades immigration detention center after making a state-arranged visit. They are describing crowded, unsanitary and bug-infested conditions that officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” But Republican legislators said they saw a clean and well-run facility while on the same tour Saturday. The visit came after some Democrats were blocked earlier from viewing the 3,000-bed detention center. The state rapidly built it on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland.… Continue Reading

Trump says he’s considering ‘taking away’ Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship

Trump says he’s considering ‘taking away’ Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he is considering revoking actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship. On Saturday, Trump claimed on social media that O’Donnell is not in the “best interests” of the country and suggested she should stay in Ireland, where she moved earlier this year. Legal experts, however, note the Constitution prevents the government from stripping citizenship from native-born Americans. O’Donnell, born in the U.S., has a constitutional right to her citizenship. The two have feuded publicly for years.… Continue Reading

Osprey came back from the brink once. Now chicks are dying in nests, and some blame overfishing

Osprey came back from the brink once. Now chicks are dying in nests, and some blame overfishing

GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. (AP) — The osprey is in decline in one of its key territories and some scientists blame overfishing of menhaden, an important food for the birds. The osprey is a fish-eating raptor known for gymnastic dives and whistle-like chirps. And it’s an American conservation success story: The hawk-like bird rebounded after DDT was banned, and now numbers in the thousands across the U.S. But biologist Bryan Watts has documented an alarming trend: The birds are failing to successfully fledge enough chicks around their key population center, the Chesapeake Bay. Members of the menhaden fishing industry say it’s unfair to pin the blame solely on them.… Continue Reading

Trump announces 30% tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin Aug. 1, rattling major US trading partners

Trump announces 30% tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin Aug. 1, rattling major US trading partners

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced he’s levying tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1. Trump detailed the planned tariffs Saturday in letters posted to his social media account. It’s a move that could cause massive upheaval between the U.S. and two of its biggest trade partners. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU may adopt “proportionate countermeasures” if Trump moves ahead with the tariffs. Mexico’s government in a statement described the proposed move by Trump as “unfair treatment.” The letters are part of an announcement blitz by Trump of new tariffs with allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 campaign that he said would set the foundation for reviving a U.S. economy.… Continue Reading

Furor over Epstein files sparks clash between Bondi and Bongino at the Justice Department

Furor over Epstein files sparks clash between Bondi and Bongino at the Justice Department

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files flap is cascading, further roiling a Justice Department and FBI that have struggled for months to appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Donald Trump’s base. In a sign of continued tumult, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino were revealed to have had a contentious conversation at the White House earlier in the week over the Epstein documents and a recent story that described divisions between the FBI and Justice Department. The turmoil arising from the Epstein investigation lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they had stoked.… Continue Reading

Trump tours Texas flood sites and defends officials as questions mount about response

Trump tours Texas flood sites and defends officials as questions mount about response

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — President Donald Trump is visiting Texas to assess catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 120 people. Despite his past calls to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Republican president has praised the federal response to the disaster. Trump plans to tour affected areas by air, meet first responders and speak with victims’ families. Top members of Trump’s administration have also shifted focus from reducing federal disaster management efforts to addressing the tragedy’s human impact. Before Trump left on Friday, his director of the Office of Management and Budget suggested FEMA needs reform but didn’t answer questions about whether the agency should be shuttered.… Continue Reading

Recent News

Powered By SoCast