JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Trump administration says it will immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. The announcement came Tuesday, a week after the measures were imposed to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces. In a joint statement released following a lengthy day of talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine also said it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz both said the discussions in Jeddah had been positive.… Continue Reading
Category Archives: WPTF News
Trump halts doubling of tariffs on Canadian metals, after Ontario suspends electricity price hikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada. He’s escalating a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor and standing unmoved by recent stock market turmoil and rising recession risks. Trump said on social media that the increase of the tariffs set to take effect on Wednesday is a response to the price hikes that the provincial government of Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States. That prompted Ontario on Tuesday to back down on its planned surcharges on electricity sold to the United States.… Continue Reading
Republicans are marching ahead with a government funding bill despite Democratic opposition
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson says lawmakers “have to keep the government in operation” as Republicans face a critical test of their unity. A spending bill that would avoid a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded through September is coming up for a vote. Vice President JD Vance visited Capitol Hill to rally support. Johnson is teeing up the bill for a vote as soon as Tuesday despite the lack of buy-in from Democrats, essentially daring them to vote against it and risk a shutdown that would begin Saturday if lawmakers fail to act. Some Senate Democrats are waiting on the House vote before taking their stand. President Donald Trump tells Republicans to “remain UNITED.”… Continue Reading
Stocks’ sell-off worsens as Wall Street wonders how much pain Trump will accept for the economy
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s sell-off is worsening. The S&P 500 fell 2.2% Monday as worries build about how much pain President Donald Trump is willing to endure on the economy in order to get what he wants. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 530 points, and the Nasdaq composite sank 3.6%. The losses follow the worst week for U.S. stocks since September on concerns that on-and-off-again tariffs will either hurt the economy directly or create enough uncertainty to freeze it. Elon Musk’s Tesla fell to one of the market’s sharpest losses, as did airlines and other companies that need U.S. shoppers feeling confident enough to spend.… Continue Reading
A cargo ship hits a tanker and they catch fire off England, with one crew member missing
LONDON (AP) — A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military off England, setting both vessels on fire and sending fuel pouring into the North Sea. The cargo ship’s owner says one crew member is still missing hours later. A local lawmaker earlier said all 37 aboard both ships were safe, with one hospitalized. Greenpeace U.K. says it is too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage from Monday’s collision, which took place in a busy fishing ground and close to major seabird colonies.… Continue Reading
EPA froze ‘green bank’ funds worth billions, climate group suit says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A nonprofit that was awarded nearly $7 billion by the Biden administration to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects has sued the Environmental Protection Agency, accusing it of improperly freezing its account. Climate United Fund, a coalition of three nonprofit groups, demanded access to a Citibank account it received through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a program created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and more commonly known as the green bank. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has accused the Biden administration and fund recipients of misconduct and waste. Climate United said those allegations have no merit. Without access to their account, Climate United said it’s hard to issue loans or even pay staff.… Continue Reading
Elon Musk claims X being targeted in ‘massive cyberattack’ as service goes down
Hours after a series of outages that left X unavailable to thousands of users, Elon Musk is claiming that the social media platform is being targeted in a “massive cyberattack.” Musk said on a post Monday that the attacker is either a large, coordinated group or a country. Complaints about outages spiked Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern and again at 10 a.m, with more than 40,000 users reporting no access to the platform, according to the tracking website Downdetector.com. A sustained outage appeared to begin just after noon Eastern.… Continue Reading
NC State fires coach Kevin Keatts a year after improbable ACC title and Final Four run
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State has fired men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts. That marks an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure and comes less than a year after the Wolfpack’s improbable run to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and the Final Four. The school announced the move Sunday, a day after the Wolfpack closed a 12-19 season.… Continue Reading
Knueppel, Flagg help No. 2 Duke pull away late to beat rival UNC 82-69
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Kon Knueppel scored 17 points to help No. 2 Duke beat rival North Carolina 82-69 on Saturday night and clinch the outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title. Cooper Flagg added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists despite first-half foul trouble for the Blue Devils. Duke is now in position to take over the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 with top-ranked Auburn losing its last two games. Fifth-year senior RJ Davis scored 20 points in his final home game for the Tar Heels. UNC was looking for a marquee win to help its NCAA Tournament chances.… Continue Reading
A South Carolina man executed by firing squad is the first US prisoner killed this way in 15 years
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been executed by firing squad, becoming the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by this method. Brad Sigmon was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m. Friday after being shot by three prison employee volunteers with rifles. Sigmon killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. The 67-year-old chose the firing squad because his lawyers said he considered it a better option than the electric chair or lethal injection. He is the first South Carolina prisoner to be executed by bullets.… Continue Reading