Category Archives: WPTF News

Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness

Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness

NEW YORK (AP) — Sales of Tesla electric cars fell sharply in the last three months as boycotts over Elon Musk’s political views continue to keep buyers away. Tesla is also facing stiff competition from other electric vehicle makers, especially in Europe where China’s BYD has taken a bite out of its market share. The 13% plunge in sales reported Wednesday adds to growing signs that Musk’s embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump and far-right politicians in Europe has had a deep and enduring impact to Tesla’s brand appeal. Sales fell to 384,122 in April through June, down from 443,956 in the same period last year.… Continue Reading

UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

WASHINGTON (AP) — The University of Pennsylvania says it will update records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. The college says it also will apologize to female athletes it says were “disadvantaged” by Thomas’ participation on the women’s swimming team. The moves were part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case that found the school violated the rights of female athletes. Thomas, a transgender swimmer who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.… Continue Reading

Wall Street is split as Tesla and tech drop while most other US stocks climb

Wall Street is split as Tesla and tech drop while most other US stocks climb

NEW YORK (AP) — A mixed day of trading left the U.S. stock market split, as Wall Street’s momentum slowed after setting record highs in each of the last two days. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% Tuesday for its first loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose roughly 400 points, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.8%. Tesla tugged on the market as the relationship between its CEO, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump soured further. But most U.S. stocks rose. So did short-term Treasury yields following a better-than-expected report on U.S. job openings. Data on U.S. manufacturing was more mixed.… Continue Reading

Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump toured an isolated new immigration detention surrounded by alligator-filled swamps in Florida’s Everglades. He suggested during Tuesday’s tour that the site could be a model for future lockups nationwide, as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations. Trump called the lockup “Alligator Alcatraz.” That’s a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but appeals to the White House’s aggressive approach to deportations. Trump delighted in the area’s allegators. He even said of migrants that will soon be held at the center, “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.”… Continue Reading

Senate passes Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks 50-50 tie

Senate passes Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks 50-50 tie

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has hauled President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts to passage after a turbulent overnight session. ice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The bill next goes back to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana warned off big revisions from his chamber’s version. But senators did make changes particularly to Medicaid health care. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota worked through the night and ino Tuesday to strike a last-minute agreement between Republicans worried the bill’s health care reductions will leave millions without care and his conservative flank seeking steeper cuts to hold down deficits.… Continue Reading

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — The electronics company Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in central North Carolina by building a new manufacturing plant. The company is investing $500 million toward a facility to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence data centers. Officials announced Monday that the facility will be in Rowan County, northeast of Charlotte. The project includes a $264 million capital investment and 1,181 jobs by the end of 2030. North Carolina competed with Florida for the project and offered over $21 million in incentives. Jabil already operates three facilities in the state, employing about 1,000 workers.… Continue Reading

UNC announces AD transition plan from Bubba Cunningham to RFK Racing president Steve Newmark in 2026

UNC announces AD transition plan from Bubba Cunningham to RFK Racing president Steve Newmark in 2026

North Carolina has announced its transition plan at athletic director from Bubba Cunningham to RFK Racing team president Steve Newmark for next summer. The school said Tuesday that Cunningham received a two-year contract extension and will serve as AD for the 2025-26 sports season. Newmark will report to him through the year as an executive associate AD working on “revenue-driving initiatives,” particularly related to the school’s football and men’s basketball programs. Then Newmark would take over as AD next summer. Cunningham has been the Tar Heels’ athletic director since 2011.… Continue Reading

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

MURPHY, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say an escaped inmate fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county. The incident started Monday at a medical clinic in Murphy. Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith says 48-year-old inmate Kelvin Simmons will be charged with first-degree murder. Smith says Simmons was a federal inmate being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape. Smith identified the officer as 56-year-old Francisco Paul Flattes. He was a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Smith says Flattes’ wife also works for the county detention center.… Continue Reading

Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh wins the Honda Cup, given to top female college athlete

Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh wins the Honda Cup, given to top female college athlete

NEW YORK (AP) — Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh has won the Honda Cup, given annually to the country’s top female college athlete. She’s the ninth swimmer to win the award and first since Simone Manuel in 2018. The other two finalists for the award were UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers and Texas Tech softball pitcher NiJaree Canady. Caitlin Clark won the award the previous two years. Walsh helped Virginia to its fourth straight NCAA team title. She won seven NCAA championships this year, including the 50-yard freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly… Continue Reading

No verdict on first day of jury deliberations at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

No verdict on first day of jury deliberations at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Jury deliberations got underway in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial and quickly hit a snag. But, by end of day Monday, jurors indicated they were making progress weighing complex charges that could put the hip-hop mogul in prison for life. The first day of deliberations saw several notes from the jury and Combs and his supporters bowing their heads in prayer in the courtroom — but no verdict. The jury of eight men and four women are sifting through sometimes graphic and emotional testimony about the rap, fashion and reality TV impresario’s propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, including drug-fueled sex marathons dubbed “freak-offs.”… Continue Reading

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