WPTF News Archives - Page 10 of 105

Sumo wrestlers bring 1,500 years of tradition to London as the sport has an international moment

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 4, 2024, 2:03 pm

LONDON (AP) — London’s Royal Albert Hall is preparing to host a different kind of spectacle: Sumo wrestling. Wrestlers put on an exhibition of heavyweight grappling to promote a tournament scheduled for next October. It marks only the second time an elite five-day tournament will be held outside Japan. The first was held in 1991 at the same venue. Organizers are hoping to whip up the kind of excitement that was generated three decades ago, when the deeply ritualistic sport attracted sell-out crowds and a national television audience.… Read More

Trump considers DeSantis for the Pentagon with Hegseth under pressure over allegations: AP sources

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 4, 2024, 1:54 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, is fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Trump transition team is growing concerned about Hegseth’s path to Senate confirmation and is actively looking at potential replacements, according to a person familiar with the matter. Hegseth is under pressure as senators weigh a series of allegations that have surfaced against him. Hegseth said he spoke to Trump on Wednesday morning and received a fresh message of support. That’s what Hegseth told a CBS News reporter as he walked through the Capitol.… Read More

UnitedHealthcare CEO is killed in a ‘targeted shooting’ outside a New York hotel, officials say

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 4, 2024, 1:51 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s police commissioner says the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “brazen, targeted attack.” Jessica Tisch made the comments during a news conference Wednesday. The 50-year-old Thompson was set to speak at an investor meeting when he was gunned down around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a shooter who fled on foot and then a bicycle, according to the New York Police Department. Though officials said the attack appeared to be targeted, they did not yet have a motive for the shooting.… Read More

Harris found success with women who have cats, but Trump got the dog owner vote: AP VoteCast

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 4, 2024, 12:25 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — The lead-up to the 2024 election was all about cat owners. But in the end, the dogs had their day. Donald Trump won more than half of voters who own either cats or dogs, and he had with a big assist from dog owners. That’s according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. Dog owners were much more likely to support Trump over Kamala Harris. Cat owners were evenly split between the two candidates. Harris did end up decisively winning support from women who own a cat but no dog. Past comments by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, about “childless cat ladies” briefly became a campaign issue.… Read More

South Korea’s opposition parties move to impeach president over sudden declaration of martial law

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 4, 2024, 11:41 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition parties moved to impeach the president over the shocking and short-lived declaration of martial law that drew heavily armed troops to encircle parliament. Lawmakers climbed walls early Wednesday to reenter the building and unanimously voted to lift his order. Impeaching Yoon Suk Yeol would require the support of two-thirds of parliament, and at least six justices of the nine-member Constitutional Court would have to endorse it to remove him. The motion to impeach was submitted jointly by the main liberal opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties. It could be put to a vote as early as Friday.… Read More

Tight race for the North Carolina Supreme Court is heading to another recount

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 3, 2024, 9:14 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount. That comes after a machine recount of well over 5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs has a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Griffin already had asked for a partial hand recount that will begin in some counties on Wednesday. Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court. This race and two General Assembly races have yet to be called by The Associated Press.… Read More

Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher to set more records

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 3, 2024, 4:23 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed close, as gains for tech stocks nudged the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to more records. The S&P 500 eked out a gain of under 0.1% Tuesday, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%. Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. The value of the South Korean won sank against the dollar after its president declared martial law and then later said he’ll lift it.… Read More

South Korea lifts president’s martial law decree after lawmakers vote against it

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 3, 2024, 4:06 pm

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government has lifted the martial law he imposed during a tense night of political drama in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Yoon said early Wednesday that his government withdrew military personnel following a bipartisan parliamentary vote rejecting martial law, and the measure was formally lifted during a Cabinet meeting around 4:30 a.m. Yoon declared martial law late Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country’s parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea. Less than three hours later, parliament voted to lift the declaration.… Read More

Trump’s FBI pick has plans to reshape the bureau. This is what Kash Patel has said he wants to do

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 3, 2024, 1:53 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kash Patel has been well-known for years within Donald Trump’s orbit as a loyal supporter who shares the president-elect’s skepticism of the FBI and intelligence community. But he’s receiving fresh attention, from the public and from Congress, now that Trump has selected him to lead the FBI. As he braces for a bruising and likely protracted Senate confirmation fight, Patel can expect scrutiny not only over his professed fealty to Trump but also for his belief — revealed over the last year in interviews and his own book — that the century-old FBI should be radically overhauled.… Read More

Hunter Biden gun case dismissed after President Joe Biden’s sweeping pardon

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 3, 2024, 12:55 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge formally dismissed the gun case against Hunter Biden on Tuesday after President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for his son. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika closed the case the week before Hunter Biden was to be sentenced. He could have faced up to 25 years in prison, though as a first-time offender he likely would have gotten far less time or avoided prison entirely. Prosecutors had opposed dismissing gun case as well as separate charges filed against him in California after he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes. A federal judge in Los Angeles hasn’t yet ruled in that case.… Read More

Trump says he’ll attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening celebration in Paris this weekend

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 2, 2024, 9:48 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election. The cathedral will reopen after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating 2019 fire. The invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday are expected to be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend. Trump announced his trip in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening. “It will be a very special day for all!” he wrote.… Read More

Biden’s broken promise on pardoning his son Hunter is raising new questions about his legacy

Author: The Associated Press | Date: December 2, 2024, 9:09 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to go back on his word and pardon his son Hunter wasn’t all that surprising to those who are familiar with the president’s devotion to his family. But by choosing to put his family first, the 82-year-old president has raised new questions about his legacy. Biden has held himself up as placing his respect for the American judicial system and rule of law over his own personal concerns. It was part of an effort to draw a deliberate contrast with Republican Donald Trump. Now, both his broken promise and his act of clemency are a political lightning rod.… Read More