WPTF News

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state, erasing the 5,525-mile border the nations share and alleviating the need for tariffs he’s threatened against one of America’s top allies. Adding a new state usually requires an act of Congress, which means clearing the Senate’s 60-vote support bar. The U.S. hasn’t added a state since Hawaii in 1959. Adding Canada would dramatically reshape presidential elections since it would instantly become the largest U.S. state. Plus, it’s not even clear if Canada would want to become a U.S. state, though technically it would be possible without its buy-in.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House members have advanced a Republican package to boost state recovery funding after Hurricane Helene by another $500 million. Committees met Tuesday and Wednesday to consider and vote on the legislation. A House floor vote is expected next week. The package remains less than half of what new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein sought in new recovery spending earlier this month. Senate Republicans also will have their own Helen spending ideas. The legislature already appropriated close to $1 billion since last fall to address the historic flooding. Both Stein and Republican lawmakers want to get more Helene spending out the door early this year.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Egg prices have reached a record high in the U.S. The consumer price index released on Wednesday confirmed what consumers, bakers and food companies already knew: an ongoing bird flu outbreak that began in 2022 are making eggs terribly expensive right now. The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set in January 2023. Of course, that is only the nationwide average. A carton of eggs can cost $10 or more in some places. And specialized varieties, such as organic and cage-free eggs, are even more expensive.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence. The vote Wednesday came after Republicans who had initially questioned her experience and judgment fell in line behind her nomination. Gabbard was an unconventional pick to oversee and coordinate the country’s 18 different intelligence agencies. She had made past comments sympathetic to Russia, she once met with now-deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad and had expressed previous support for government leaker Edward Snowden. Gabbard is a military veteran and a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii. She has no formal intelligence experience and has never run a government agency or department.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order restoring the name of a storied special operations forces base back to Fort Bragg. The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national effort under the Biden administration to remove names that honored Confederate leaders. The base’s original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general. But a Pentagon spokesman said Monday that Hegseth was renaming the base to honor World War II hero Pfc. Roland L. Bragg. Hegseth says in a video he posted on X announcing the renaming, “Bragg is back!”

MIAMI (AP) — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers. In the run up to Feb. 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles. Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, into Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada.

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A section of Interstate 40 in western North Carolina that collapsed during Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding will reopen to traffic by March 1. Gov. Josh Stein made the announcement Monday while visiting the roadway’s shuttered portion and meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The primary road connection between North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was severed in late September as flooding in the Pigeon River gorge washed away eastbound lanes. An effort to get it open in early January got pushed back. One lane in each direction will reopen to traffic at a reduced speed.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has asked state legislators to double their spending to date on Hurricane Helene recovery and approve it now. The new Democratic governor unveiled his nearly $1.1 billion request Monday. He’s seeking bipartisan support from the Republican-controlled General Assembly. The proposals in part would provide grants to struggling businesses, help repair and rebuild homes, clean up farm debris and replace revenues spent or lost by local governments. Stein says waiting too long would cause more business closings, housing construction delays and students falling behind. This package could bring an early test for how the Democratic governor and GOP legislative leaders work together.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that after a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump that the planned tariffs are on hold for a month, a statement confirmed by the White House. Sheinbaum says on X, “Mexico will reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard immediately, to stop drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, in particular fentanyl.” She says the U.S. committed to stopping high powered weapons from reaching Mexico. The pause added to the drama as Trump’s tariffs against Canada and China are still slated to go into effect on Tuesday.

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump says Americans could feel “some pain” from the emerging trade war triggered by his tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China. He’s also claiming that Canada would “cease to exist” without its trade surplus with the United States. The trade penalties that Trump signed Saturday at his Florida resort are causing a mix of panic, anger and uncertainty. And they’re threatening to rupture a decades-old partnership on trade in North America while further straining relations with China. But by following through on a campaign pledge, Trump may have simultaneously broken his promise to voters in last year’s election that his administration could quickly reduce inflation. The tariffs are set to launch on Tuesday.