WPTF News

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is making plans for a significant aid package for U.S. soybean farmers. The move aims to help them survive China’s boycott of American beans, which was sparked by Trump’s trade war. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says substantial support for farmers is expected to be announced Tuesday. The aid comes amid a tariff war between the U.S. and China, where China has stopped buying U.S. soybeans. Trump plans to discuss soybeans with Chinese President Xi Jinping in four weeks. Farmers are struggling as China orders soybeans from Brazil and Argentina. They prefer trade over aid, hoping for a deal soon.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The outer bands of Hurricane Humberto are lashing Bermuda ahead of a more direct pass from the stronger Hurricane Imelda on the tiny British territory. Humberto is passing well north of the island in the north Atlantic, but wind gusts and some rain were forecast into Wednesday. Imelda had 85 mph winds late Tuesday and is forecast to strengthen. Its center is expected to be near the island Wednesday evening. A hurricane warning was in effect. The island’s international airport, schools and government offices were to close Wednesday. Both hurricanes were creating ocean swells that were likely to cause dangerous surf conditions on Bermuda, the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have voted down a Republican bill to keep funding the government, putting it on a path to a shutdown after midnight Wednesday. The 55-45 vote Tuesday on the bill to extend federal funding for seven weeks fell short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. After the vote, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo saying “affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.” The action comes as Democrats are making good on their threat to close the government if President Donald Trump and Republicans won’t accede to their health care demands.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia farmers are still waiting for aid after Hurricane Helene, even as other states finalize agreements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Georgia officials announced $531 million for Georgia farmers on Tuesday. However, unlike South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, Georgia hasn’t completed an agreement on distributing the funds. Officials are still ironing out administrative details. The delays have frustrated farmers, who have faced financial stress and low crop prices. The September 2024 storm caused significant damage across several states, with Georgia’s poultry industry being a major target for additional aid.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Bahamas have closed a majority of schools following mandatory evacuations for some islands in the archipelago as Tropical Storm Imelda drops heavy rain and unleashes flooding in the northern Caribbean, with two people killed in Cuba. A tropical storm warning was in effect Monday for parts of the extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Great Abaco, Grand Bahama Island and the surrounding keys Heavy rains also were forecast along the coastline of North and South Carolina. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto churned in open waters nearby, which forecasters said would cause Imelda to abruptly turn to the east-northeast, away from the southeastern United States coast.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Bahamas have closed a majority of schools following mandatory evacuations for some islands in the archipelago as Tropical Storm Imelda drops heavy rain and unleashes flooding in the northern Caribbean. A tropical storm warning was in effect Monday for parts of the northwestern Bahamas, including Eleuthera, the Abacos, Grand Bahama Island and the surrounding keys. Heavy rains also were forecast along the coastline of North and South Carolina. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto churned in open waters nearby, which forecasters said would cause Imelda to abruptly turn to the east-northeast, away from the southeastern United States coast.

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Imelda has formed near the Bahamas and is forecast to become a hurricane curving away from the southeast U.S. seacoast early this week. Imelda was churning up rough seas, wind and rain on Sunday around the Bahamas and nearby islands, just over 350 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto remains a dangerous Category 4 storm farther out in the Atlantic on a forecast track that could threaten Bermuda. In the Southeast U.S., South Carolina’s governor urged residents Sunday to remain alert, while North Carolina declared a state of emergency for any impacts from Imelda even though forecasters say the storm should spin away from the East Coast in coming days.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Europe is keeping the Ryder Cup, just like everyone expected. It didn’t happen without a few nervous moments. The Americans rallied from a seven-point deficit to have a flicker of hope. Europe needed only two points to retain the cup. Ludvig Aberg in the fifth match got the first one. Matt Fitzpatrick earned a halve that felt like a consolation because he had Bryson DeChambeau down by 5 holes at one point. And then Shane Lowry delivered the magic and added his name to Irish lore. His birdied on the 18th hole gave Europe a half to reach 14 points.

MIAMI (AP) — Crews have been preparing for a weather system forecast to hit South Carolina as a hurricane early next week. South Carolina’s governor urged residents to stay alert. North Carolina’s governor declared a state of emergency for Tropical Depression Nine. Forecasters said it could become Tropical Storm Imelda. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Saturday, threatening the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda with dangerous surf and rip currents. The Bahamas and Cuba faced heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Florida officials are also monitoring the system closely.

WOODFIN, N.C. (AP) — It’s been only a year since Hurricane Helene hammered the southeast U.S. from Florida to the Carolinas. Some of the heaviest damage came from flooding in the North Carolina mountains, where some 30 inches of rain turned gentle streams into walls of water that swept away anything in their path. The worst wreckage has been cleared away, but cleanup crews are still at work plucking smaller debris from waterways throughout the region. In the understandable haste to rescue people and restore their lives to some semblance of normalcy, some fear the recovery efforts compounded Helene’s impact on the ecosystem. Contractors hired to remove vehicles, shipping containers, shattered houses and other large debris from waterways sometimes damaged sensitive habitat.