ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 5am - September 24, 2026

Episode Date: September 24, 2026

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Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, breaking stories from overnight and this morning, and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. Dark early, still cooler outside. Good morning to you, Carolina. Welcome on this Thursday. It is September 24th. I'm Joel Brown.

And I'm Diane Wilson in for Anna Rivera. Thank you for joining us. Breaking overnight at Judge blocking President Trump White House media ban. Everything we know straight ahead. Plus, new reports from Washington. Washington on the North Carolina Senate race. One Republican group yanking millions from the showdown, while top GOP lawmakers scrambled a figure out a path forward. Plus new details on Durham crime will have a live report on the latest numbers as police gear up for a big day at City Hall. 5 a.m. on your Thursday,

time for a first check of weather and traffic together. Meteorologist Quaylin Murphy is here. Diane, you're wearing black. It's a lovely choice. But I think if this week had a color, it would probably be gray. That's about to change, though, soon. Yeah. Tomorrow back to Bright. But today, another gray day, cloudy skies and still a few showers lingering today. Pesky and nature overall throughout the afternoon. 67 degrees, so still good 10 to 15 degrees below average this afternoon. There's the sun. It's back tomorrow, breezy, a bit warmer, low 70s, up near 80 degrees near Saturday with more sunshine on board. First alert this morning, Doppler net showing some showers, especially north of Raleigh right now into parts of Durham and Orange County person.

Back to Granville and Vance. Frankly, you have some showers too and some decent coverage around Nash, Edgecombe and Halifax County with those lighter showers down into Wilson too. In Duane County, some lighter activity, same for Johnson County and those of you in Northern Sampson County. Overall, yesterday we picked up about one half of an inch or less for most spots. There were some pockets of locally heavy rainfall for southern wake back towards Chatham and even portions of Moore County too. So it was sustained rain throughout the day. This low is still offshore, still not too strong, but still pumping in that moisture. in the form of clouds and rain and still kicking up some breezy conditions too and of course we have more rain to the west we'll be tracking that through this morning and afternoon i think rain chances settle down later this evening here's that look downtown and we have low clouds still 60 degrees breezy winds north at 16 miles per hour 50s and 60s on temperature so i would say long sleeves out the door again today with cooler conditions just a little patchy fog out there's not a big issue thanks to the winds that are stirring things up this morning check out those

We're just teens and 20s right now. And we'll keep those around throughout the day. So it may make it feel a bit cooler at times. 60s on those temperatures in school, heading to school and on the way home as well with those temperatures into the 60s still later tonight. I'll first alert you to more chilly mornings on the way when we could see some of the coolest air

that's coming up. Weather and traffic together. Diane back to you. Quaylan, thank you and taking a look at the real time traffic map. This is quiet so far. You do see some green there, some wet road roadways out there.

But other that, no major accent report. Here's a live look at the roads. Here's 40 and Wade Avenue. Not much traffic out there, but things will pick up as we go along this morning. 503 and we're over in the breaking news center now with a major legal win for several national news outlets. A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump's ban on CNN, MS Now, and Politico. He ordered the president to immediately restore their access to the White House. That ruling stays in place for the next two weeks. President Trump originally kicked the reporters out last week, citing fake news, later accusing them of threatening national security. Critics say the move violated the First Amendment.

New this morning in your voice to your vote, Michael Watley's North Carolina Senate bid could be in big trouble. New reports reveal national Republicans are worried about his campaign as he trails where Cooper in every poll. Millions in ad spending slashed. Other GOP lawmakers scrambling for solutions. That's despite recent high-profile visits from President Trump. and J.D. Vance. Cindy Bay is live from GOP headquarters in Raleigh with more. Good morning, Cindy. What do you know? Hey, good morning. Well, in the highly competitive North Carolina U.S. Senate race, analysts say national Republicans may be shifting their focus. Republican Michael Watley's running against former Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat for North Carolina's open Senate seat.

And despite recent campaign stops by President Trump and Vice President Vans, analysts say, the National Republican Senatorial Committee may be turning its attention to other red states. Politico and the Washington Post report advertising funding is being pulled and more of a priority is being placed on competitive races in Texas, Ohio and Alaska. Watley is trailing Cooper in polls, but it's unclear whether the recent Trump and Vance visits have changed the dynamics of the race. Absentee voting is already underway in North Carolina's U.S. Senate election. ahead of election day on Tuesday, November 3rd in Raleigh.

Cindy Bay. ABC 11 eyewitness news. Cooper versus Watley looking less and less competitive. Every poll, Cindy, thank you. A federal lawsuit is challenging new rules for mail-in ballots in North Carolina. It argues last-minute changes made by the State Board of Elections will inevitably disenfranchise voters. Election officials are now required to discard a mail-in ballot if the inner envelope containing the ballot is not properly sealed. according to this complaint, valid votes could be thrown out. Election officials are also required to discard a ballot if the signature doesn't match the voter's name on the ballot application.

The lawsuit claims the rule does not define clear standards for verifying the signatures. Here's some important days to remember for the November midterms. October 9th is the last date of register to vote. In-person early voting runs from October 15th through Halloween. You have until October 20th to request an absentee ballot, and then election day is Tuesday, November 3rd, Holes across the state will be open from 6.30 a.m. to 7.m. Happening today, Governor signed marking two years since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina. He'll visit the region stopping by small businesses impacted by the

catastrophic storm. Stein of advocating for his long-term recovery plan. It includes $10 billion from Congress to support infrastructure, housing, workforce development, health care, tourism, and agriculture. Turning now to the Bull City, Durham Police gearing up for a big day. They're going to present the department's latest crime report amid two deadly shootings just this week. Tamara Scott live at Durham City Hall with the new details. Tamara, good morning. Hey, good morning, Joel. Yeah, later today the new Durham Police Chief will present these new crime report numbers to city leaders here. And the second quarter report shows that violent crime increased about 5% compared to the same period last year. So homicides and robberies, those are down while rapes and aggravated assaults are both up more than 10%.

City Council members are expected to see these numbers this afternoon and the presentation comes during a violent week in Durham. Monday, police say a 15-year-old shot fired shots in at officers after an alleged robbery. Then Tuesday, police responded to two deadly shootings just five minutes apart. First, officers were called to Eva Street where they found a man who had been shot multiple times. He died at the scene. Five minutes later on North Duke Street, police say two teenagers were playing with a gun when it went off killing a teenage girl. Dr. Wander Boone with together for resilient youth says the community needs to pay more attention to health and wellness in the community.

Whether it is an accident or whether it is some other cause, I see gun violence as a public health issue. And as a public health issue, we have to look at individual, interpersonal, community, policy, or societal type issues. And this will also be one of the first opportunities we are hearing from our new Durham Police Chief Stephanie Martis, who is going to be presenting these numbers since taking over the department.

She's already identified reducing violent crime as one of her top priorities, so we'll wait to see what else is presented later today. Back to you. Tamara, thank you. It is 508 now, and we're following breaking news in Harnock County. New video showing authorities swarming a neighborhood overnight.

We'll get the update coming up later this hour. Trade AI dominating today's high-stakes summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping. We'll have a preview coming up. Quaila. Good morning. Still tracking some light showers around. We'll have more of that throughout the day with a breeze at times and cool air, 60s. That's it for highs again today, but that changes tomorrow. More on that, my forecast. And here are your traffic hotspots brought to you by the Fred Anderson family of dealerships on Glenwood Avenue. Fred Anderson Toyota, Fred Anderson, Nissan, all home of the Fred Anderson family plan, including lifetime oil changes,

lifetime car washes on all new Toyota's Kia's Nissan's and hundreds of used cars. The Fred Anderson family plan saves your family thousands while giving you lasting value with every mile you drive. Thinking of selling or trading your current vehicle, Fred Anderson wants to pay you more even if you don't buy from us. Get the family plan at Fred Anderson Toyota, Fred Anderson Kia, and Fred Anderson Nissan all on Glenwood Avenue. When Westcham first took flight in 1996, the vibes were a bit different. People thought denim on denim was peak fashion. Inline skates were everywhere. and two out of three women rocked, the Rachel.

While those things stayed in the 90s, one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to WestJetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at Westjet.com slash 30 years. It's Thursday. Welcome back. Still tracking some cold, damp conditions out there

with some showers too. Here's our radar on satellite composite. Plenty of cloud cover, limited showers for now, but there's more rain to the west and we'll see more of that being activated later today. Temperatures across the region, 50s and 60s, Myrtle Beach, though, sticking out like a sore thumb, 70 degrees right now. The view from Durham shows still some low clouds in the background there, and we'll keep those

low ceilings throughout the day. Through 8 o'clock, 50s and 60s by noon today, we're still around the low 60s and this afternoon in the low to mid 60s, too, with rain chances still a bit higher around the sand hills later today, and the triangle will start to drop off the rain potential for our northern counties as we get to the afternoon. Statewide, chilly through the afternoon, 60s for most, with some. showers tomorrow things start to change that dryer air starts working in so we'll start to see more sunshine especially in the mountains low to mid 70s partly cloudy conditions around the triangle on the sand

hills tomorrow but into the 70s and 70s for the coast too still tracking some really rough conditions out there as well with that low pressure so close by dangerous surf and coastal flood advisories from oak island all the way to the sounds some inundation of one to three feet possible because of the persistent wind so could see some impacts along highway. 12 and we have gale warnings in place too because of those gusts already 40 plus just offshore approaching 40 around Hatteras duck pier up to 45 miles per hour on those buoys and that continues through the day you can see how the graph or our forecast model excuse me starts to really develop that low that's the beginnings of the nor-easter into tomorrow that's going to shift north

and really bring bigger impacts around the northeast through the end of the week rainfall around the appalachians also back towards the rockies too 68 in chicago today, New York up to 70. Dallas still hot 94. 74 forecast is coming up. Joel back to you. Quailin, thank you. Developing this morning, we are learning more about yesterday's shots fired call in Raleigh. Police say a 19-year-old is now behind bars, accused of firing a gun at a business along Capitol Boulevard. It happened around noon at Alpine Motors. It's a used car lot. Carlos Kegel now faces three charges, including discharging a firearm in city limits. No one was hurt. In Johnson County, We're following a story involving a hoax by a local teenager that was so serious that caught the attention of the FBI. A 14-year-old is now facing charges from an alleged bomb threat. Police in Smithfield say they were notified by federal agents after they learned about an Instagram post referencing Smithfield-Selma High School. Officers quickly identified a student behind the post.

Police say the student admitted to making the post but told officers it was intended as a joke. It is 514 now and some new stunning developments from ABC News. about Elizabeth Holmes. Everything we know about the future of her current prison sentence. It's coming up next. And a new blood test for cancer. One step closer to becoming a reality. The latest details after the break. And a reminder, you can find eyewitness news live on ABC 11. Disney Plus and everywhere you stream. 517 and brand new reporting from ABC News. Theranos founder and convicted felon Elizabeth Holmes is moving to a halfway house next summer. A federal report reveals the infamous fraudster will be released from prison in August and be placed in the home instead.

Officials refused to explain why, but we know she was originally sentenced to 22 years behind bars back in 2022. That was eventually reduced to just over 10 years. Holmes was a Silicon Valley superstar convicted of defrauding investors over her sham blood testing company. Happening today, a high stakes hearing on Capitol Hill, President Trump's pickly the FDA will face a Senate committee in a matter of hours. Lawmakers will question Dr. Heidi Overton about her views on vaccines and the abortion pill during her confirmation hearing. She currently works as the president's domestic policy council. She also served in the first Trump administration before joining the conservative America first policy think tank. Meanwhile, a potential medical

breakthrough clearing a major hurdle in Washington. An FDA panel endorsed a landmark cancer blood test yesterday. The agency says gallery is designed to detect up to 50 forms of cancer, especially among healthy people 50 and older. Officials say they believe the test is beneficial and safe when used early on. The company behind the test says it should be added to all standard cancer screenings and not used as a replacement. Back in the Sand Hills, Jay Cole came home and Fayetteville showed up. The hometown hero closed out his tour in the San Hills last night with a sold out show at the Crown Coliseum. Fans say hit the stage around 930 and didn't let up running through hit after hit. People came from all over the country to see him, but no crowd rides harder

for Jake Cole than the city that raised him. Him coming back home, possibly his retirement year, like this means a lot. He started here, finished here. His story, the way that he grew up, the stories that he tells about growing up here, it feels central to experiences that I know and understand the weight was worth it it's been 11 years since his last Fayetteville show back in 2015 on the forest hills drive tour j cole putting on the show back in theville last night a lot of people out there for that one lines were in the morning for the shoe and then the concert yes the shoe and the show we're tracking some cooler air yesterday some showers and drizzle same conditions today pretty much temperatures will be in the 60s we'll have a few showers

around at times there'll be light in nature just like yesterday that low pressure still with there just offshore kicking in lots of cloud cover and rain still this morning. Heaviest activity offshore and still to our west. Some of this will start gliding our way in the next few hours. We do have some scattered light rain right now, mainly for areas around I-D-5 and north, including parts of the triangle and east too near I-95. Down into Johnson County and Wayne, Samson even, you're seeing some showers too. So damp, breezy, cloudy through the afternoon.

Chili mornings will continue, especially into tonight and Friday night as well. So grab those jackets or long sleeves and make some plants for the weekend. That's a must. It's going to be fantastic with lots of sun and a bit warmer for the weekend, too. Still just below average. Rain chances today climb higher as the morning goes on by late day. Today we'll start to drop those off once again. Here's a view into Durham. Low clouds out there still visible here.

There's a train on the roll. 50s right now areas north and west to the triangle, 60s triangle in south and even east. I think we'll see some upper 50s closer to sunrise this morning. morning for portions of the triangle too. But the trend is still cooler than this time yesterday. Wind gusts in the teens and 20s definitely picking up a bit more this morning and we'll keep those breezy conditions gusty at times through the afternoon. Settling into the 60s easily through the afternoon hours today. A few showers still at 3.64 and then late tonight we'll start to see that drop again. 50s in the triangle, but maybe maybe some upper 40s north as the clouds

start to clear out a bit more. We have that cold high pressure over Canada setting up. up that cold air damning impact still up and down the spine of the Appalachians. Check out Syracuse 43. Burlington or Bangor Maine, 36 degrees right now. No thank you. Tracking some scattered rain through the afternoon hours by the evening. We're settled. 60s out the door. Maybe some clearing tonight. Overall, they will see keep some clouds around in the morning, which will keep the temperatures up again. So 50s in store. And then Friday by the morning and afternoon hours, temperatures on the way up. Upper 60s, low 70s. Perfect weather for high school. football, fall weather, and finally no rainfall for this Friday night. 67 at 7, 63 at 9 tonight.

Rain totals mainly under one half of an inch with what we get today and tonight. In the tropics, there's Faye regenerating overnight open waters for that system, so no concerns there. And the disturbance just off the African coast, moderate chance that develops in the next two to five days. 67 today, breezy damp, chilly, occasional showers, 52 in the triangle tonight. Maybe some upper 40s, see how those clouds play out. 73 tomorrow afternoon. We're near 80 this weekend. So temperature's on the way up. Back to average Monday. That's 81, Tuesday, 84 and even warmer Wednesday, the high, 86 degrees with lows in the 60s. Weather ends traffic together. Back to you. Quailin, thank you. Only real action on the real-time traffic map are all those green blobs that indicates the wet roads.

Take it easy out there. Here's the DOT camera from Raleigh. This is I-40 and Lake Wheeler Road. You can see volume and traffic filling in, but still moving. Eyewitness News continues. Back at 525 and META showed off a lineup of new gadgets, including new smart glasses with no camera. Here's ABC Sophie Flay with this morning's TechBites. In today's TechBytes, Meta's new smart glasses. One model just unveiled by CEO Mark Zuckerberg is audio only, no camera, but it allows users to listen to material without headphones. The most expensive, a $1,300 VR pair that allows for IMAX movie viewing.

They're out next spring. Also introduced is Meta's Muse charm. It's meant to fit on a keychain and accesses the AI agent Muse with one tap. Its components and final design are still being worked on, but Meta hopes to have it available for the holiday season. And finally, YouTube will soon let you create custom fees with a tab you can access from the homepage. page. It will use conversational AI prompts to give you more control of the algorithm, letting you Taylor feeds dedicated to certain interests or moods. Those are TechBites. I'm Sophie Fly. Have a great day.

All right, Swifties, brace yourselves. Four new songs are debuting tomorrow. Originally, everyone thought Taylor Swift was releasing one new song called Patient Zero, but the superstar surprised fans by announcing three more tracks titled Cleveland, Pink Clouding and Babylon. Some sharp-eyed swifties picked up on the major hint in February when the music video for opalite featured the phase patient for the encore all right 527 now breaking news this morning a former nc state sports medicine director arrested will tell you why straight ahead plus huge waves crashing into the north carolina coast ahead of a nor'easter we'll take a closer look at current conditions coming up