By GARY D. ROBERTSON, ERIK VERDUZCO and THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley launched his campaign for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat Thursday, equipped with President Donald Trump’s…

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN and SHELBY LUM Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Fireflies are lighting up summer evenings across the U.S. Northeast, putting on dazzling shows in backyards and city parks. There’s no official count, but experts…

By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation Writer Investigators probing the January midair collision of a passenger plane and an Army helicopter over Washington that killed 67 people found the chopper was flying higher than the it should have…

By MAKIYA SEMINERA and GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Tuesday overrode several vetoes by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, getting just enough votes from Stein’s own party…

By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific wants to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S, and potentially trigger a final wave of…

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will run for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, giving Democrats a proven statewide winner in an open-seat race that is expected…