Triangle/Local
Republican lawmakers are set to elect a new North Carolina House speaker, Destin Hall
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House Republicans have carried out a succession plan to choose the chamber’s rules committee chairman to succeed Rep. Tim Moore after 10 years as speaker. Republicans who recently won House elections met Tuesday and chose Rep. Destin Hall of Caldwell County to succeed Moore in the post when the next two-year session opens in January. Moore was elected to Congress this fall and is departing after a record five terms as speaker. Key House GOP leaders backed a plan in which Hall would become the speaker nominee and Bell would succeed Hall as the next rules chairman.
Founder of artificial intelligence company used by schools in Los Angeles, NYC, Atlanta is arrested
NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of an artificial intelligence company that worked with large school districts nationwide has been arrested on fraud charges. Joanna Smith-Griffin had been arrested Tuesday in North Carolina. She is the founder of the AI technology company ALLHere Education Inc. It serviced schools in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta using a chatbot that created learning plans for each student. Federal authorities say she defrauded investors out of millions of dollars by inflating the company’s financial information to secure investments. It was not immediately clear who would represent her in an afternoon court appearance in North Carolina.
The White House’s Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms
NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — The White House’s Christmas tree is slated to be cut and transported from a North Carolina farm on Wednesday. Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm is located in Avery County, North Carolina. It was one of the hardest-hit counties from Hurricane Helene just a few months before. The farm experienced some road damage and lost between 5,000 to 6,000 smaller trees in a mudslide. But one of the owners, Sam Cartner Jr., says that other Christmas tree farmers had it much worse than his family’s farm. He hopes the White House tree can be an inspiring symbol for western North Carolina.
Western North Carolina’s water system is finally back online after Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — More than 100,000 residents in western North Carolina are now allowed to drink and bathe with water from their home faucets. The change on Monday comes nearly two months after Hurricane Helene destroyed much of the local water system. Clay Chandler is a spokesman for Asheville’s Water Resources Department. He said tests of the water “were all clear” and that a boil-water notice was lifted. Asheville restored running water to most of its users by the end of October. But the city instituted a boil-water notice as workers brought the system back online and ran tests.
North Carolina Democrats find electoral success further down the ballot and hope to build on it
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democrats fell short again in wresting away swing-state prize North Carolina from Republicans in the presidential election. But their party succeeded with significant state down-ballot victories that builds them hope for the next cycle. Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina’s electoral votes for the third consecutive election. But Democratic candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general won, and legislative candidates appear to have secured enough victories to end the GOP’s veto-proof majority. State Republican leaders say their party is still doing well. They point to winning five statewide executive branch posts, retaining General Assembly control and continuing recent dominance in statewide appellate court races.
State/Regional
North Carolina Republicans push through bill weakening incoming governor and attorney general
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republicans have advanced legislation that would weaken the powers of the incoming governor, attorney general and schools superintendent. All those are Democrats who were elected two weeks ago. The final measure was made public Tuesday shortly before the GOP-controlled House started debate during a lame-duck General Assembly session. Republicans are likely to lose their veto-proof majority beginning in January following electoral losses in the House. So this could be the best chance to move partisan changes as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper leaves office. The bill would prevent Gov.-elect Josh Stein from choosing State Board of Elections members starting next summer and give that authority to the Republican state auditor.
North Carolina Republicans complete a veto override of voucher, immigration bill
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Republican-dominated North Carolina legislature has completed its override of Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of legislation that addresses both private school scholarship grants and immigration. The Senate voted on Wednesday to enact the bill despite Cooper’s objections, one day after the House conducted a similar vote. Republicans hold veto-proof majorities in each chamber. The bill is now law. It means that about $463 million will be provided to the Opportunity Scholarship program in part to eliminate a waitlist of families. The bill also directs local sheriffs to comply with federal immigration agents’ requests to detain inmates believed to be in the country illegally.
Man convicted of murder in killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A Venezuelan man has been convicted of murder in the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Jose Ibarra was charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February death, and the guilty verdict was reached Wednesday by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard. Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial, meaning that Haggard alone heard and decided the case. The killing added fuel to the national debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case.
Phil Berger is poised to continue his run leading North Carolina’s Senate
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Senate Republicans have left their leadership team mostly intact for the next two years. That includes choosing Sen. Phil Berger again to hold the chamber’s most powerful position. The Senate Republican Caucus met Wednesday and agreed to nominate Berger to an eighth two-year term as Senate leader when the next two-year term convenes in early January. His election as Senate president pro tempore is a virtual lock as the GOP will hold at least 30 of the chamber’s 50 seats. The caucus also again picked Sens. Ralph Hise and Paul Newton of Cabarrus County for other positions.
A recount will happen in the extremely close race for a North Carolina court seat
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The narrowly trailing Republican candidate in the race for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat has formally requested a statewide recount. Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin sent the request before a midday Tuesday deadline. Associate Justice Allison Riggs led Tuesday by 625 votes over Griffin from more than 5.5 million ballots cast in the race. Recounts in five General Assembly races also have been requested. Republicans would need to flip a state House seat the GOP candidate is currently trailing in if it wants to retain the veto-proof majority that they have held for the past two years.
World/National
FEMA head sounds the alarm over disaster funding after double hurricanes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says money available to help communities hit by disasters has shrunk after back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton. Deanne Criswell warned during a Senate hearing Wednesday that the funding problems might jeopardize the ability to respond to new disasters in the future. The Biden administration has requested nearly $100 billion for disaster aid. The largest chunk of that money, about $40 billion, would go to FEMA’s disaster relief fund.
Stock market today: Wall Street weakens as Target tumbles
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish, though the modest moves for indexes masked some thrashing underneath the surface. The S&P 500 ended barely changed Wednesday after trading lower for much of the day. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a gain of 0.3%. Target led the market lower and lost more than a fifth of its value after the retailer gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. The day’s headliner is due after the close of trading, when Nvidia will release its latest earnings report.
Republicans on the House Ethics Committee reject releasing report on Matt Gaetz
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday against releasing a report on their long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz. That’s according to the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania. She said the ethics panel, which is evenly split between the two parties, voted at a lengthy closed-door meeting, and no Republican joined Democrats who wanted to release the report. Gaetz met for hours behind closed doors Wednesday with Republican senators who have questions about the sexual misconduct and other allegations against him. At least one Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham, decried the “lynch mob” forming against Gaetz.
Trump picks Dr. Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid, Linda McMahon for Education, Lutnick for Commerce
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump has promised to dismantle. He also selected Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans. And Trump chose Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department. All three have been has been outspoken supporters of Trump, and McMahon and Lutnick have helped lead his transition team.
Trump and Musk solidify their bond with Texas trip for rocket launch
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been nearly inseparable since the election. On Tuesday, Trump arrived in Texas to watch one of Musk’s companies test its Starship rocket. If successful, the rocket’s reusable booster will be caught back at the launch pad. It’s a remarkable display of intimacy between the president-elect and the world’s richest man. Musk supported Trump’s candidacy and has been given unparalleled access. The billionaire has been helping shape the new administration and he’s positioned in a way that could help his own companies, which have billions of dollars in federal contracts and routinely deal with government regulators.
Entertainment
Comcast to spin off cable networks that were once the entertainment giant’s star performers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Comcast is spinning off into a new company many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, as consumers increasingly swap out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms. Those one-time stars for Comcast’s NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, as well as CNBC and MSNBC. Peacock will remain with Comcast, as will Bravo, which provides significant content for the Peacock streaming service. How exactly this split will impact customers has yet to be seen, particularly as Comcast aims to complete the transition over the next year. But some analysts speculate that the spun-off networks may have more freedom to bring their content elsewhere.
How a viral, duct-taped banana came to be worth $1 million
NEW YORK (AP) — Walk into any supermarket and you can usually buy a banana for less than $1. But a banana duct-taped to a wall? That might sell for more than $1 million at an upcoming auction at Sotheby’s in New York. The yellow banana fixed to a white wall with silver duct tape is an artwork entitled “Comedian,” by Maurizio Cattelan. It debuted at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair in 2019. “Comedian” is expected to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million at the Nov. 20 auction. Bidders won’t be buying the same fruit that was on display in Miami. Those bananas are long gone. Sotheby’s says the fruit always was meant to be replaced regularly.
Kissing the ring? MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ hosts say they met with Trump to reopen lines of communication
It was the last thing you might expect if you watched MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” a month ago — hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski asking for a meeting and traveling to Florida to talk with President-Elect Donald Trump. The show’s hosts were fierce critics of Trump the past few years, and throughout his campaign to win back the presidency. But they said Monday they wanted to reopen lines of communication in the hope of providing viewers with insighs about what is going on in the administration. The show’s hosts received some criticism, which they had anticipated, with some likening it to “kissing the ring.”
About 20% of Americans regularly get their news from influencers on social media, report says
A report released Monday by Pew Research Center says about one in five Americans regularly get their news from so-called news influencers on social media. The report found that news influencers posted mostly about politics and the election, followed by social issues like race and abortion and international events, such as the Israel-Hamas war. Most of them – 63% – are men and the majority – 77% – have no affiliation, or background, with a media organization. Pew said about half of the influencers it sampled did not express a clear political orientation. From the ones that did, slightly more of them identified as conservative than as liberal.
Beyoncé will perform at halftime of Ravens-Texans Christmas Day game on Netflix
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas — provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix announced late Sunday that the megastar would perform during halftime of a Christmas Day matchup in her hometown of Houston. The streaming service didn’t reveal details about the performance but teased that it would likely feature guest appearances from her “Cowboy Carter” album, which delivered Beyoncé a leading 11 Grammy nominations earlier this month. Netflix is also streaming a Christmas day Kansas City Chiefs game, setting up the possibility that another of the world’s biggest stars, Taylor Swift, would be on the stream. Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Sports
Maui Invitational returns to a Lahaina still grappling with raw emotions left by deadly wildfire
HONOLULU (AP) — Residents of the Hawaii town devastated by last year’s wildfire are awaiting the return of one of the nation’s most prestigious basketball tournaments with mixed feelings. Fans are excited about the Maui Invitational bringing high-caliber competition to Lahaina. And they welcome the economic boost Lahaina will get from the thousands of travelers eating in restaurants and staying in hotels. But there’s also a fear that travelers might show disrespect by wandering into the burn zone and taking photos of the devastation. And there is worry tourists might trigger unpleasant memories with questions about that catastrophic day. Residents say feelings are still raw.
Bela Karolyi, coach of Olympic champion gymnasts who was criticized after Nassar scandal, dies at 82
Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power, has died. He was 82. USA Gymnastics confirmed Karolyi died Friday. No cause of death was given. Karolyi and wife Martha trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions in the U.S. and Romania, including Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. Comaneci called Karolyi “a big impact and influence” on her life. Karolyi came under fire at times for his methods and several former gymnasts blamed the Karolyis for their role in the Larry Nassar scandal, saying the culture they helped create allowed Nassar’s abusive behavior to run unchecked for years.
Jon Jones sends Stipe Miocic into retirement with decisive UFC heavyweight win in front of Trump
NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Jones sent Stipe Miocic into retirement with a stunning back kick to the ribs and used a series of blows to the head in the third round to retain the UFC heavyweight championship in front of President-elect Donald Trump in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon in front of Trump, Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr. Trump walked out to a rousing ovation just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in thrill of the fighters that throughout the night gave him props.
Hampton’s huge day helps North Carolina hold off Wake Forest 31-24 to reach bowl eligibility
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Omarion Hampton posted career highs of 35 carries for 244 yards with a key late touchdown that helped North Carolina beat Wake Forest 31-24. The win pushed the Tar Heels to bowl eligibility. Hampton found the end zone from 6 yards out with 2:26 left for a 31-17 lead. Demond Claiborne ran for two touchdowns for the Demon Deacons, who lost three turnovers. Michael Kern took over at quarterback for Wake Forest due to an injury to starter Hank Bachmeier in the third quarter.
Jake Paul, 27, beats 58-year-old Mike Tyson as the hits don’t match the hype
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson as the hits didn’t match the hype in a fight between a young YouTuber-turned-boxer and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion. All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, with Paul even stopping to pay homage with a bow to Tyson before the final bell sounded at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. The fight wasn’t close on the judge’s cards, with one giving Paul an 80-72 edge and the other two calling it 79-73. Tyson came after Paul immediately after the opening bell and landed a couple of quick punches but didn’t try much else the rest of the way.
