Almond Pound Cake

Almond Pound Cake

This recipe is so easy, yet so delicious. It’s light and versatile, and the perfect addition to any summer celebration.

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tbsp. almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven
350 degrees f.

2. Prep a pan
Grease a tube pan with an extra tbsp. of butter and line with flour.

3. Cream butter and sugar
Beat butter and sugar until it reaches a creamy consistency.

4. Add eggs
Combine each egg into the butter and sugar mixture, one at the time.

5. Add flour and flavoring
Slowly add flour to the mixture, about 1/2 cup at the time, until fully incorporated. Then, add the almond extract and combine.

6. Bake
Pour mixture into pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

7. Cool and enjoy!
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Then, enjoy with any toppings you’d like.

August 1st 2025

August 1st 2025

Thought of the Day

August 1st 2024
Photo by Getty Image

Loosen up. Lighten up. Keep showing up.

Michael Whatley, RNC chairman endorsed by Trump, launches Senate bid in North Carolina

Michael Whatley, RNC chairman endorsed by Trump, launches Senate bid in North Carolina

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 endorsement and a large fundraising network for a potential general election bid against formidable Democrat Roy Cooper.

A Whatley-Cooper contest is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive 2026 races. Speaking at an event held at an old textile mill near Charlotte, Whatley pledged his allegiance to the president, who will be a major focus for both sides in a swing state where Trump had one of his smallest margins of victory last year.

“I am proud to stand with him and fight every single day for every family in every community,” Whatley said. “President Trump deserves an ally and North Carolina deserves a strong conservative voice in the Senate. I will be that voice.”

Whatley led the state Republican Party for almost five years before being elected Republican National Committee chairman 17 months ago with Trump’s backing. He seeks to succeed GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, who barely a month ago announced that he would not run for a third term after clashing with Trump.

Whatley’s plan to run became public a week ago, after which Trump said on social media that Whatley would “make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina” and that he would have ”my Complete and Total Endorsement.” Whatley got in the race after Lara Trump — the president’s daughter-in-law, a former RNC co-chair with Whatley and a North Carolina native — passed on her own bid.

Democrats optimistic about Cooper, Whatley calls his views extreme

The Democratic side of the race took shape earlier this week as Cooper, a former two-term governor, announced Monday that he would run. The next day ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel ended his campaign and endorsed Cooper.

Cooper’s entry brings optimism to a party aiming to take back the Senate in 2026 with a net gain of four seats — a tall task in a year when many Senate races are in states Trump won easily in 2024.

National Republican campaign strategists say that Cooper’s entry makes North Carolina a more difficult seat for the party to hold, though a Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in usually competitive North Carolina since 2008.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott endorsed Whatley immediately. At least two lesser-known Republican candidates are seeking the GOP nomination. Candidate filing begins in December, with any primaries held in March.

But Whatley spent his launch speech targeting Cooper, accusing him of “offering North Carolina voters an extreme radical-left ideology — open borders, inflationary spending and a weak America.”

“I believe in a better North Carolina and a stronger America,” he added.

Whatley will leave RNC post

Trump, who narrowly won North Carolina’s electoral votes all three times that he ran for president, also supported Whatley to replace national party chair Ronna McDaniel early last year. Whatley joked in April to an Iowa audience that Trump was so pleased with his work as chair that he offered Whatley any job that he wanted in Trump’s administration, as long as he stayed on as chair.

But with his campaign bid, Whatley will leave the chairman’s post. RNC members are expected to vote on his successor next month in Atlanta. Trump has endorsed Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, a former Florida Republican Party chairman who is now the RNC’s treasurer and was co-chair of Trump’s 2016 campaign in Florida.

While never elected to government office and without a voting record, Whatley has promoted the president’s agenda and led the party apparatus that helped him get elected in 2024. So he’ll be asked repeatedly to defend a host of Trump initiatives.

Whatley, 56, grew up in the western North Carolina mountains. His first major foray into politics came in high school when he volunteered for the 1984 reelection campaign of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. He earned law and theology degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

Whatley was on a team of lawyers working on George W. Bush’s behalf to dispute the outcome of the 2000 presidential contest. He landed a job in Bush’s administration with the Department of Energy, followed by a two-year stint working for then-North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole. He later lobbied for oil and gas companies.

Medicaid cuts will be an issue

Whatley spent time during Thursday’s speech highlighting what he considers Trump’s many accomplishments, including recent Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in the state and a remake of the Republican Party.

But Whatley also will have to defend portions of Trump’s new law that includes pulling back on Medicaid, which North Carolina officials say threatens expansion coverage for hundreds of thousands of people. It was Cooper who reached a bipartisan agreement with state Republicans in 2023 to offer Medicaid expansion.

Cooper’s campaign criticized Whatley as “a D.C. insider and big oil lobbyist who supports policies that are ripping health care away from North Carolinians and raising costs for middle class families.” In a news release, Cooper campaign manager Jeff Allen added that Cooper has a “record of putting partisanship aside to get results for North Carolina.”

At the close of his tenure as state chairman, Whatley highlighted his efforts to encourage early voting and protect “election integrity,” as well as online fundraising and volunteer training. He cited electoral victories for Republicans on North Carolina’s appeals courts and within the General Assembly. But Democrats continued to control the governor’s mansion, as Cooper won a second term in 2020.

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Robertson reported from Raleigh, N.C., Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

Trump announces 90-day negotiating period with Mexico as 25% tariff rates stay in place

Trump announces 90-day negotiating period with Mexico as 25% tariff rates stay in place

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will enter a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico over trade as 25% tariff rates stay in place, President Donald Trump said Thursday.

Trump, posting on his Truth Social platform, said a phone conversation he had with Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum was “very successful in that, more and more, we are getting to know and understand each other.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday said he was confident the U.S. and China could strike a trade deal as a key tariff deadline nears. “I believe that we have the makings of a deal,” Bessent said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” (AP Video)

The Republican president said that goods from Mexico imported into the U.S. would continue to face a 25% tariff that he has ostensibly linked to fentanyl trafficking. He said that autos would face a 25% tariff, while copper, aluminum and steel would be taxed at 50%.

He said that Mexico would end its “Non Tariff Trade Barriers,” but he didn’t provide specifics.

Trump had threatened tariffs of 30% on goods from Mexico in a July letter, something that Sheinbaum said Mexico gets to stave off for the next three months.

“We avoided the tariff increase announced for tomorrow and we got 90 days to build a long-term agreement through dialogue,” Sheinbaum wrote on X.

Some goods continue to be protected from the tariffs by the 2020 U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which Trump negotiated during his first term.

But Trump appeared to have soured on that deal, which is up for renegotiation next year. One of his first significant moves as president was to tariff goods from both Mexico and Canada earlier this year.

Census Bureau figures show that the U.S. ran a $171.5 billion trade imbalance with Mexico last year. That means the U.S. bought more goods from Mexico than it sold to the country.

The imbalance with Mexico has grown in the aftermath of the USMCA as it was only $63.3 billion in 2016, the year before Trump started his first term in office.

Besides addressing fentanyl trafficking, Trump has made it a goal to close the trade gap.

Roger Penske sells a third of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar to Fox

Roger Penske sells a third of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar to Fox

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

Penske Entertainment, the Roger Penske-owned entity that holds Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar among its assets, said Thursday it has sold one-third interest in the company to FOX.

The sale was described as a strategic investment and partnership designed to launch new growth for IndyCar and it includes a multi-year contract extension for Fox Sports’ media rights deal with the open-wheel series. Fox Sports is in its first season broadcasting IndyCar.

Penske Entertainment expects the sale of part of the company to spearhead innovative and industry-leading racing and entertainment events, heightened digital strategy and immersive content focus, as well as enhanced promotion and star-building opportunities for IndyCar drivers.

“This partnership is built on long-standing trust and a shared vision for the future,” Roger Penske said in a statement. “Fox sees the incredible potential across our sport and wants to play an active role in building our growth trajectory.

“Lachlan Murdoch and his team, starting with Eric Shanks, are committed to our success and will bring incredible energy and innovation to IndyCar.”

Shanks is an Indiana native who grew up attending the Indianapolis 500 and has an affinity for IndyCar racing. He desperately wanted to add IndyCar to Fox Sports’ properties and snagged the TV deal away from NBC Sports ahead of this season.

All races are broadcast on Fox making IndyCar the only series in the United States that does not air any of its events on cable. This year’s Indianapolis 500 on Fox averaged 7.01 million viewers — a 41% increase over last year and a 17-year high.

This season, IndyCar is averaging a 31% increase in viewership year-over-year.

“We’re thrilled to join the IndyCar ownership group at such a pivotal time for the sport,” said Eric Shanks, CEO & Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “IndyCar represents everything we value in live sports — passionate fans, iconic venues, elite competition and year-round storytelling potential.

“This investment underscores our commitment to motorsports and our belief in IndyCar’s continued growth on and off the track. We’re excited to help elevate the sport to new heights across all platforms.”

The sale to Fox gives some clarity to the succession plan for Penske, who bought IndyCar and the speedway ahead of the 2020 season. He has long declined to discuss his succession plans although sons Roger Jr. and Greg are involved in the racing entities of the Penske Entertainment.

The sale of a portion of Penske Entertainment creates more seats at its leadership table moving forward, but Penske has remained steadfast in his determination that IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be generational assets for his family.

Penske, who is 88, still runs the day-to-day operations of all of his businesses, which includes racing teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA and WEC sports car racing, as well as his billion-dollar transportation empire at Penske Corp.

Penske Automotive also owns multiple car dealerships and Penske is one of the largest BMW dealers in the United States. His race teams, the transportation business and his dealerships are not part of the Fox transaction.

Fireflies are lighting up summer skies. But the glowing bugs are still on the decline

Fireflies are lighting up summer skies. But the glowing bugs are still on the decline

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 say a particularly wet spring may have created the ideal conditions for young fireflies to grow into adults to set summer nights aglow.

More fireflies than usual are lighting up summer evenings in New York and the Northeast. But scientists say the lightning bugs are still on the decline. (AP Video: Shelby Lum)

Fireflies light the night everywhere: There are over 2,000 known species across the globe. They use their characteristic flashes to communicate and find the perfect mate.

In New York City, the lightning bugs are out in the five boroughs, sparkling once the sun goes down in places like Central Park and Prospect Park. The summer months are ideal to spot them as they start to dwindle throughout the month of August.

While northeastern nights may seem brighter this summer, the bugs are still on the decline and they’re waning at a faster rate than ever before.

“It would be a mistake to say firefly populations are high this year, therefore there’s no decline,” said Matt Schlesinger with the New York Natural Heritage Program, who is part of an effort to count fireflies in state parks.

Some firefly species could be doing well this year, Schlesinger said, while others are still on the decline.

Habitat loss, pesticide use and light pollution are responsible. In cities, blaring lights from billboards, cars and storefronts can drown out the bugs’ glow, making it harder for them to find their kin and pass their genes onto the next generation.

Fireflies are part of the story of summer, said entomologist Jessica Ware with the American Museum of Natural History. Her children grew up seeing them flash in her backyard, but the bugs started to disappear once her kids hit their teenage years.

In the past few months, her family has seen the fireflies come back. Their return made her think about all the kids who are glimpsing the glowing bugs for the very first time.

“It shouldn’t be new,” Ware said. “It should be something that is a universal part of summer.”

To look out for fireflies, consider turning the lights off at night and avoid spraying front lawns with insecticides.

“We still need to do some work ourselves, to change our behavior, to really make sure that large populations can continue to stay large,” Ware said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Quick and Easy Cornbread

Quick and Easy Cornbread

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • optional: 2 tbsp. honey

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees f and lightly grease a 9-inch round baking pan with butter.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt together with a whisk.
  3. Add milk, vegetable oil and egg to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
  4. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  5. (Optional) Drizzle with honey and enjoy!
KIX Kitties and K9s: Meet Lucille!

KIX Kitties and K9s: Meet Lucille!

Meet Lucille, the epitome of charm. This laid-back lady is your ideal companion, always ready to share life’s moments by your side.
Lucille’s journey began as a devoted mother, nurturing seven chubby pups while in the care of a local shelter. Since joining the Second Chance family, Lucille has captured the hearts of everyone she meets.
Between you and us, she’s become a volunteer favorite — shh, don’t tell anyone else!

Ms. Lucille is a breeze to walk on a leash, though she may show some confusion around bikes and might pull slightly to investigate. She has a particular fondness for one slightly obnoxious toy with peculiar sound effects but settles down beautifully in her crate. Don’t be fooled by her perpetually pouty expression, it’s all an act. Lucille is a happy-go-lucky gal with a face that resembles Eeyore’s. But she has a heart full of joy, ready to bring warmth and love into your home.

Currently, Lucille isn’t too keen on the company of other dogs or cats, and who can blame her? After coming into our program with seven puppies, she has done her time! Now it’s her turn to be pampered and cherished. Could your family be the one to provide her with the love and care she deserves? If so, don’t hesitate to reach out! We would be thrilled to introduce you.

Visit the Second Chance website to learn more about Lucille: secondchancenc.org/adopt-a-pet

Second Chance Pet Adoptions
6003 Chapel Hill Rd., Ste. 133
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 851-8404

KIX Kitties and K9s is brought to you by Aluminum Company. Aluminum Company of North Carolina, your number one choice for windows, doors, gutters, and exterior home remodeling. Visit them at aluminumcompany.com for a free estimate.

July 31st 2025

July 31st 2025

Thought of the Day

July 31st 2024
Photo by Getty Image

“Don’t cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Suess

Trump administration freezes $108M at Duke amid inquiry into alleged racial preferences

Trump administration freezes $108M at Duke amid inquiry into alleged racial preferences

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is freezing $108 million in research funding to Duke University as the federal government accuses the school of racial discrimination in the form of affirmative action, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The National Institutes of Health halted the funding to the private university in North Carolina, said the person who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Education Department sent a joint letter alleging racial preferences in Duke’s hiring and admissions.

Duke is the latest institution to have its federal funding held up as the government investigates allegations of antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion policies the administration says are unlawful. It follows other probes including at Harvard, Columbia, and Cornell.

Duke did not immediately comment.

In Monday’s letter to Duke, leaders of HHS and the Education Department accused the university of “vile racism.” It alludes to allegations of racial preferences at Duke, its medical school and its health system that, if substantiated, would make Duke “unfit for any further financial relationship with the federal government.”

The letter accuses Duke of providing racial preferences in recruiting, admissions, scholarships, hiring and more. It refers to allegations of discrimination without offering specific examples.

“Racism is a scourge when practiced by individuals, but it is especially corrosive when enshrined in the nation’s most eminent and respected institutions,” according to the letter, signed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

It’s part of a broader campaign to eradicate DEI practices the Trump administration describes as discrimination against white and Asian American people.

In their letter, the agencies order Duke to end any practices at its health system that give “benefits or advantages” based on race.

Saying Duke is unlikely to be capable of an “honest and trustworthy review,” the letter takes the unusual step of requesting a new Merit and Civil Rights Committee that would be approved by the government and authorized by the school’s board of trustees. The panel would be tasked with identifying and ending any racial preferences. If problems remained after six months, the administration would pursue legal enforcement, the letter said.

The Education Department separately opened an investigation into the Duke Law Journal on Monday over allegations that it gave advantages to prospective editors from underrepresented groups.

The Trump administration has used federal research funding as leverage in its effort to reshape universities that President Donald Trump has described as hotbeds of liberalism. It has presented a crisis for universities that rely on federal grants as a major source of revenue, spurring some to take on debt and find other ways to self-fund research.

Duke University spent $1.5 billion on research last year, with nearly 60% coming from federal sources, according to the university’s website.

Even before the latest funding freeze, Duke faced financial turmoil. Last week, university leaders said almost 600 employees had accepted voluntary buyouts but that layoffs would still be needed. Officials said they needed to reduce costs amid uncertainty around federal research funding and a hike to the university’s federal endowment tax.

The Trump administration has been ratcheting up pressure on universities in hopes of striking deals like one that Columbia University signed last week. The Ivy League school agreed to pay $200 million and make changes to admissions, hiring, student discipline and more in exchange for regaining access to federal funding. The administration has described it as a template for other universities including Harvard, which has been in talks with the administration even as it battles the White House in court.

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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