Actions

Hatteras Island residents want action, Abby Zwerner testifies, Trump-Xi meeting: Sunrise Brief

A breakdown of today's top stories, weather, traffic and what we're talking about on News 3 This Morning.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore/Court TV/AP

By: News 3 This Morning team

Posted

and last updated

TOP STORIES: Hatteras Island residents want action, Abby Zwerner testifies, Trump-Xi meeting

Five more oceanfront homes in Buxton collapsed this week, bringing the total number that have fallen on Hatteras Island this fall to 16.

'Heart in My Throat': 16 Homes Lost to Ocean as Hatteras Island Residents Call for State Action

Residents have already been calling for more action to be taken, and now drivers on N.C. 12 can see a billboard that reads "Gov Stein Call 4 State of Emergency" on one side, and "How Many Homes Have to Go" on the other. Dare County does have a single jetty repair and beach nourishment planned for next year. But residents still have their sights set on state leaders acting now.
"It's an oversight that should have been addressed earlier. The legislature needs to get their act together and realize that the hardened structures law can have some commonsense exceptions made and this is one of them," said Lat Williams.
News 3 spoke with Williams, who has an oceanfront home in Buxton that has been in his family for over 40 years and is now threatened by the possibility of collapsing. He is currently in the process of moving it; Williams and his wife have not been able to live in the home since August. Williams is one of many on Hatteras Island calling for state and federal assistance amid the numerous collapses.
Abby Zwerner took the stand on the fourth day of her $40 million lawsuit against the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School.

'I thought I had died:' Abby Zwerner testifies & faces cross examination on Day 4 of Richneck shooting trial

Zwerner described what she remembered before and just after she was shot by a 6-year-old in her class at Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6, 2023. Former Assistant Principal Ebony Parker, 40, is the sole defendant remaining in the lawsuit, which claims negligence in preventing the incident. Counsel for NNPS and Parker are seeking to prove that the tragedy was unavoidable.
“I thought I was dying. I thought I had died. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven, but then it all got black. And so, I then thought I wasn’t going there. And then my next memory is, I see two coworkers around me and I process that I’m hurt and they’re putting pressure on where I’m hurt,” Zwerner said.
During cross examination, Zwerner was questioned regarding her actions leading up to the shooting. The defense counsel implored whether Zwerner directly contacted Parker about the gun that was reported to be in the student's backpack. Zwerner maintained that she did notify Amy Kovac, the reading specialist at Richneck who later found her shot.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced new trade measures with China, including scaled-back tariffs, following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

US cuts China tariffs after Trump, Xi meeting

"I guess on the scale from zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was at 12," President Trump told reporters.
He announced the U.S. will halve fentanyl-related tariffs from 20% to 10% against China while other investigation-related tariffs remain, as it committed to help stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., bringing tariffs generally to 45%-47%. Additionally, the U.S. will also suspend measures related to investigations against China's maritime and shipbuilding.
Meanwhile, China will suspend restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals. The measure, when announced by the Chinese previously, had initially prompted a strong rebuke from the Trump administration and a threat of an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods. China also agreed to purchasing 12 million metric tons of soybeans by January and at least 25 million metric tons annually through 2028, according to a White House official.