October 10, 2025 • 33 mins
North Carolina Representative Cecil Brockman has been charged with indecent liberties with a child, prompting bipartisan calls from both Democrats and Republicans for his immediate resignation. Meanwhile, John Lowery has been nominated to fill his brother’s vacant legislative seat during a pivotal political moment. The state’s Supreme Court is being urged to take up asbestos-related lawsuits involving a Charlotte tire manufacturer. As harvest season begins, North Carolina soybean farmers face challenges amid declining demand from China.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
It's five oh five and welcome into a Friday edition
of the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk eleven, ten
ninety nine three WBT. I'm Nick Craig. A good morning
to you. It's a pretty major political story that broke
yesterday morning, shortly after we were off the air, surrounding
a member of the North Carolina General Assembly. Representative Cecil Brockman,
(00:30):
the Democrat from Guildford County, was arrested on Wednesday and
charged with taking in decent liberties with a child and
statutory rape. State leaders from both parties are now calling
for his resignation. According to the Guildford County Sheriff's office,
Brockman was scheduled to be in court Thursday after noon
after being held without bond in a jail in high Point,
(00:54):
which is a part of the district in which he
represents in Guildford County. House Speaker Destin Hall, the Republican
from Caldwell County, and Minority Leader Robert Reeves, the Democrat
from Chatham, both called for Brockman's resignation. We'll get into
some of the other reaction coming up here in just
a couple of minutes. As a Democrat from high Point.
Brockman has represented North Carolina's sixtieth House district since twenty fifteen,
(01:19):
covering parts of Guildford County, which do include the major
metros Greensboro and high Point. A UNC Charlotte graduate with
a degree in political science political science, Brockman began his
career working on political campaigns and as a legislative assistants
assistant before winning his seat in the General Assembly. He
(01:39):
has served on several key committees, including Appropriations that's the
group that deals with all of the money the budgets
spending within the General Assembly, Education K through twelve, Health,
and redistricting, and has also held leadership roles such as
the vice chair of the K through twelve Education Committee.
Brockman has started to receive flak from his own party
(01:59):
over the life last couple of months. Earlier this year,
he was a no show during veto overrides, with him
not being present in the chamber that did give Republicans
in the House the super majority that they needed to
vote in favor or rather override a veto from Democrat
Governor Josh Stein. So since earlier this year, he has
(02:19):
been dealing with some issues within his own party and recently,
he sponsored a measures such as the Marriage Equality Act
and a constitutional amendment on marriage equality. He has occasionally
clashed with Democrat leadership, most recently accusing his party operatives
of quote scapegoating him following those missed votes due to
(02:40):
illness at the time. So there has been some ongoing
issues back and forth with Representative of Brockman and members
of his own party. However, these charges Wednesday again taking
indecent liberties with a child are obviously drawing strong reaction
across the political sphere in North Carolina. They're coming in
(03:01):
from all over the place. Democrat Governor Josh Stein described
the charges as quote extremely serious and deeply troubling. The
governor releasing a statement on Thursday saying, quote, while the
legal process has yet to play out, it is clear
he cannot effectively serve his constituents and should resign immediately.
(03:22):
Anderson Clayton, who is the head of the state's Democrat party,
echoed the Governor's comments, calling for Brockman to resign effective immediately.
She relates the statement on behalf of the North Carolina
Democrat Party, saying, quote, the North Carolina Democrat Party calls
on Representative Brockman to immediately resign. The profound seriousness of
(03:44):
these criminal charges makes it impossible for him to effectively
represent his community, signed NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton. House Speaker
Destin Hall, the Republican from Caldwell County, called the situation
shocking in a post on x and wrote, quote, the
charges against Representative Brockman are shocking and extremely serious. Given
(04:07):
the evidence that's publicly known, he should resign immediately so
these charges do not distract from the work of the
North Carolina House. As br as I noted, Brockman a
Democrat from High Point. He has represented the North Carolina
General Assembly since twenty fifteen. House Minority Leader Robert Reeves,
(04:28):
who represents the Democrats in the North Carolina House, said
early Thursday that the allegations were very serious, but immediately
did not call for his resignations. The first quote comments
from Reeves's office read, the allegations against Representative Brockman are
serious and, if true, would disqualify him from public office.
(04:51):
This is a developing situation and it is important to
let the legal process unfold. That was posted around eight
forty five or so Thursday day morning. A couple of
hours later, just before lunchtime, where he has released an
additional statement saying, in part, it has become clear that
he is unable to continue serving in the House of Representatives.
(05:11):
Representative Brockman must resign immediately. Former Democrat governor and US
Senate candidate Roy Cooper also chiming in on the situation,
describing the allegations as disturbing, writing quote, the criminal charges
brought against Representative Brockman are disturbing and disqualifying. He should
(05:31):
resign immediately. Some other reaction as well from how some
Majority leader Brendan Jones, he is the Republican from Columbus County.
He called the behavior appalling as well as like everybody else,
demanded the resignation of Representative Brockman. In a post on X,
Jones wrote, and North Carolina Democrat Representative Cecil Brockman has
(05:54):
just been arrested for statutory rape and in decent liberties
with a minor behave is appalling and has no place
in society. I am calling on Brockman's a resignation immediately,
So bipartisan calls across the political aisle for individuals excuse me,
for individuals across the aisle calling for Representative Brockman to
(06:18):
resign from this position. There was a set to be
a first court appearance yesterday for the representative out of
Guildford County. However, there are some questions this morning. A
couple of media outlets reporting that Brockman was dealing with
some health issues yesterday was potentially a rush to the
hospital to deal with some of those. It's not immediately
(06:38):
clear exactly what is going on there, but the hearing
has been rescheduled for Friday, as some of those court
documents say that Brockman was in the hospital. It doesn't
say why that's the case, but there are hearings that
are supposed to take place this morning. I'll note Brockman
was being held and even being in the hospital would
still be being held without bond due to the seriousness
(07:01):
of these charges. So we will await that first court
appearance later on in the day. Today. We will first
one of the first outlets in the state to break
this news yesterday morning. Always a great opportunity and great
information Over on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. There's
a banner right at the top page that says sign
(07:21):
up for breaking news text alerts. You would have received
that text message. Completely free breaking news from North Carolina
political news available over on our website Carolina Journal dot com.
Just tap on that link at the top of the page.
Sign up for breaking news text alerts, and you can
keep up to date with those breaking news stories around
the clock as well over on our website Carolina Journal
(07:44):
dot com. The North Carolina General Assembly is slated to
be back in a little over a week on October
the twentieth. Lawmakers will return from the break over the
last couple of weeks to deal with a variety of
various issues. There are still six outstanding veto overrides in
the North Carolina House. Whether Brockman will be there well
(08:06):
will he have resigned his position not immediately clear this morning.
This is still a relatively dynamic and fluid situation. We
will be keeping an eye on the courts in the
high Point area coming up a little bit later on today,
and I'm sure throughout the portions of our early next week.
Whether Brockman will take the call from both Democrats and
(08:26):
Republicans and resign or whether the General Assembly will have
to go through the process of removing Brockman from that position.
There is some precedent of that. Back in two thousand
and eight, a Democrat representative from New Hanover County was
dealing with some financial issues. He had to be removed
by his colleagues in the North Carolina General Assembly. So
(08:47):
there is a process for that, and depending on what
shakes out and unfolds here over the next week or so,
there's a possibility that we could see something similar if
Representative Brockman determine that he is not going to resign
from the General Assembly again. In North Carolina politics, major
news breaking over the last twenty four hours. You can
(09:09):
read those details. We'll keep you up to date with
all of it over on our website at Carolina Journal
dot com. It's five twenty Welcome back to the Carolina
Journal News our news stock eleven ten, nine three. Keeping
(09:29):
our attention this morning on the North Carolina General Assembly.
We are tracking some other news out of Raleigh this morning.
Back a couple of weeks ago, we brought you details
that Representative Jared Lowry, who represents Robinson County, was stepping
aside from his position as a member of the General
Assembly to join the Trump administration. We now have some
(09:50):
details on who will take his spot. And it's actually
set to be his brother, John Lowry. He is set
to take the spot in the place of his brother.
That decision coming down as a unanimous decision from the
Robison County Republican Party as the process fulfilling a slot
and seat in the General Assembly, as the party of
the individual Representative Jared Lowry, a Republican, that political party
(10:14):
of the county, which would be Robinson, that does have
the ability and is obligated to recommend an appointment for that,
and they did recommend his brother, John Lowry. And this
of course is going to come during a pivotal time
in what could be potentially more veto overrides from Democrat
Governor Josh Stein. Jared Lowry announced in September that he
(10:35):
would resign his role as a representative from House District
forty seven to join the Trump administration. We learned details
this week that Jared had announced that he would be
taking a position at the United States Department of Interior
as a senior advisor to the Department's Assistant Secretary for
Indian Affairs. This announcement was made by Representative Lowry a
(10:57):
few weeks ago. This is just a little bit part
of what he had to say when he made the
announcement that he was stepping aside from the General Assembly
back a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Hi everyone, I'm Jerry Lowry, representing for North Carolina House
District forty seven, representing Robinson County. The past three years
being in the General Assembly, it has been not only
a pleasure but an honor to serve you. The people.
Nearly ninety thousand people live in my district in Robinson County,
gave me an opportunity of a lifetime to be able
(11:28):
to come here and advocate for everyone. Since I've been
in the General Assembly, I've been able to provide a
valuable voice for the people. And not only a voice,
but it is seated at the decision making table that
had been missing for several years. My time here in
the General Assembly, I've worked with my delegation mates to
secure critical funding needed for important projects across the district.
(11:50):
Some of those are a new town hall Town of Fairmont,
a new police station Town of Maxon, downtown revitalization for
Town of Roland, new parks Town of Red Springs, a
new park in the Town of Rentered, much needed transportation
projects in the town of Pembroke, downtown revitalization for the
city of Lumberton, and even new hangars for the Lumbited
(12:12):
Regional Airport. Other projects that are going to be instrumental
in continuing to grow Robinson County is new nursing program
building at Old Robinson Community College. More funding for additional
health programs at UNC Pembroke, including the School of Optometric Medicine,
the first in the state, which has been a twenty
year journey. We were finally able to complete continue support
(12:33):
for the Lumbe Tribe of North Carolina as they developed
the Lumbee Culture Center in their Department of Agriculture. All
of these projects have been significant impacting in the county
and will be going forward. Also, the public Schools of
Robinson County is building their first new school since nineteen
eighty three, and one last project that was funded it's
much needed in every corner of Robinson County is a
(12:54):
major clean up of the lumber River Basin, one of
the largest in US history. We're getting sixty million dollars
from the federal government, supported by Senator Tom Tillis, match
with twenty million dollars from the General Assembly. This project
is going to alleviate flooding all across the county from
our major reign events, something that has been desperately needed
since Matthew occurred in twenty sixteen and Florence in twenty eighteen.
(13:18):
But I'm here today to make a spatial announcement to
my family, to my friends, to my community, my.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Supporters across the state.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
I will be effectively stepping away from the General Assembly
at the beginning of October.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And that's exactly what Representative Jared Lowry did, stepping away
taking that job that role in the United States Department
of Interior as an advisor to the Department's Assistant Secretary
of Indian Affairs. Back in twenty twenty two, Jared Lowry
flipped House District forty seven from Democrat to Republican and
said that the Republican Party is offering voters access to
(13:52):
the American dream. Back in June, Lowery, speaking to The
Carolina Journal, wrote the story of Robinson County's political realignment
is a continuation of Democrats leaving the working class people
behind from their unfair trade policies to bid nomics. They
have crushed the American dream for working people. But the
Republican Party is standing in the gap not only to
(14:13):
protect liberty, but to reinvigorate the American dream for all people.
I welcome the commissioners to the Republican Party and I'm
excited for the future. The Robinson County Republican Parties Executive
Committee did select his brother, John Lowry to fill the vacancy,
as his brother is also the chairman of the Lumbe Tribe.
(14:34):
Doctor Phillips Stevens, who is the chairman of the county's
Republican Party, set in a press release quote, I am
thrilled to see John Lowry be selected as our next
state representative. His years of expertise serving in tribal, state,
and federal governments as well as delivering for the residents
of Robinson County makes his exceptionally makes him exceptionally prepared
(14:56):
for this position. I look forward to seeing him serve
out the remot of Representative Jared Lowry's term at the
General Assembly. The Robeson County Republican Party recommended the appointment
to Stein on Tuesday, who has a couple of days
to make the appointment before it takes effect. This is
all coming ahead of the North Carolina General Assembly's return,
(15:19):
which is going to be taking place on October the twentieth.
As we were talking about earlier, some other issues ongoing
in the General Assembly with the Representative Cecil Brockman, the
Democrat out of Guildford County. So math is going to
be a very interesting for lawmakers as they do return
to Raleigh, seeing if John Lowry will be in that
(15:40):
position beforehand, what will be going on with the seat
that Brockman is holding, a lot of very interesting things
going on there. One of the other portions of this
is as the Lumbee Tribe continues to push for federal recognition.
Back in January, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing
the Secretary of the in Tea to submit a plan
(16:01):
within ninety days to assist the Lumbee Tribe in obtaining
full federal recognition. Granting full federal recognition to the tribe,
which is based in Robinson County, would provide them access
to federal services and benefits that they do not have
access to right now. This includes healthcare through the Indian
Health Service and eligibility for federal funding programs supporting housing, education,
(16:25):
and economic development. Earlier this year, Representative David Rouser, who
is the Congressman out of the seventh Congressional District, which
does also cover portions of Robinson County, introduce the Lumby
Fairness Act House Resolution four seven four, which would grant
full federal recognition and benefits to the North Carolina based tribe.
(16:47):
The memorandum sound signed by Trump, claims quote considering the
Lumbee Tribe's historical and modern significance, it is the policy
of the United States to support the full federal recognition,
including the authority to receive full federal benefits. In September
of this year, the United States House passed the National
Defense Authorization Act the NDAA, with an amendment giving the
(17:11):
Lumbee Tribe full federal recognition. It has gone to the
Senate for a vote, but however it has not yet
been taken up by the United States Senate. Obviously, a
lot still going on in Washington, d C. This morning
with a government shutdown continuing that is now in day
ten of that shutdown. However, after that is behind us,
(17:33):
there is a strong likelihood that the Senate will pass
the NDAA and that would give the Lumbee Tribe full
federal recognition. The Lumby Act of nineteen fifty six, so
which has been in place since then, acknowledges the tribe's existence. However,
it does block them from receiving that full of federal recognition.
So a couple of different threads here ongoing. We will
(17:54):
keep an eye on all of the details out of
the North Carolina General Assembly and what former Representative Jared
Lowry is doing up in Washington, d C. As a
member of the United States Department of Interior working under
the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. We've got some additional details,
including the a full video that Representative Lowry did release
(18:14):
on his social media channels a couple of weeks ago
talking about his decision to step aside from the North
Carolina House. All of those details available this morning over
on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. The headline story
John Lowry nominated for brother seat during a pivotal window.
Those details at Carolina Journal dot com. It's five thirty seven.
(18:41):
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour Newstack eleven
ten ninety nine three WBT recapping our big North Carolina
political story this morning, State Representative Cecil Brockman, the Democrat
out of Guildford County, was arrested on Wednesday and charged
with taking in decent liberties with a child and statute rape.
Since then, a state leaders on both sides of the
(19:04):
political isle, Democrats and Republicans, have called for him to
resign immediately. According to the Guildford County Sheriff's Office, Brockman
was scheduled to be in court Thursday after being held
without bond in high Point. However, court documents updated throughout
the day indicate that that hearing was rescheduled for Friday
(19:24):
because Brockman was in the hospital. However, it did not
shed any additional details or any additional information as to why,
but obviously being hospitalized, he was unable to attend that
first hearing yesterday. Another one has been rescheduled that is
scheduled to take place today. Reaction continuing to pour in
(19:44):
across from North Carolina Democrat Governor Josh Stein, calling the
situation extremely serious and deeply troubling, writing in a statement,
while the legal process has yet to play out, it
is clear he cannot effectively serve his constituents and should
resign immediately. The North Carolina Democrat Party echoing similar calls.
(20:05):
Anderson Clayton, the chair of the state's Democrat Party wrote,
the North Carolina Democrat Party calls on Representative Brockman to
resign immediately. The profound seriousness of these criminal charges makes
it impossible for him to effectively represent his community. House
Speaker Destin Hall, the Republican from Caldwell County, called the
(20:27):
situations shocking and wrote on x quote, the charges against
Representative Brockmen are shocking and extremely serious. Given the evidence
that's publicly known, he should resign immediately so these charges
do not distract from the work in the North Carolina House.
These were also again echoed by House Minority Leader in
(20:47):
Robert Reeves, who wrote, it has become clear that he
is unable to continue serving the House of Representatives. Representative
Brockman must resign immediately. Governor Roy Cooper, Former Governor Roy
Cooper and United States Senate candidate describe the allegations as disturbing, and,
like most others, called for his resignation, alongside House Majority
(21:10):
Leader Brendan Jones, the Republican from Columbus County, who wrote,
North Carolina Democrat Representative Cecil Brockman has just been arrested
for statutory rape and in decent liberties with a minor.
This behavior is appalling and has no place in society.
I'm calling on Brockman's resignation immediately. This is still a
very active and fluid political situation. Brockman sent to have
(21:34):
a first court appearance today, as I would imagine, more
calls for his resignation will continue in Raleigh. This is
all ahead of a return for the General Assembly on
October the twentieth. Math very close in the North Carolina
House of Republicans are just one vote shy of a
super majority and without a Democrat in brockman seat. If
(21:56):
he does decide to resign, that would give them the
veto proof majority needed to override currently six steined vetos
that sit in the North Carolina House. We will keep
a very close eye on this story. You can get
additional details by visiting our website this morning, Carolina Journal
dot com, and we'll keep you up to date throughout
(22:16):
the day as we learn more information. Again over on
our website, Carolina Journal dot com. It's now five point
forty you're listening to the Carolina Journal News Hour. Multiple
lawsuits against the former owner of a tire factory in
Charlotte could have some broader implications in the business community
across the state of North Carolina. To walk us through
some of those details. This morning, Mitch Kochi the John
(22:37):
Locke Foundation, joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Mitch,
we talked about lawsuits so pretty regularly. Sometimes they're very
narrow in individual cases and individual companies and people, and
then other times we've got lawsuits that, yes, are focused
on one person or one company, but they can have
a broader reach across many other industries in North Carolina.
What are you following out of Charlotte this morning.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
This is a case it's more than a decade in
the making. What happened was this former tire factory owned
by Continental Tire. Years ago, about one hundred and fifty
different people connected to that plant filed suit saying that
they were exposed to asbestos at the plant and it
caused them health problems. And so what happened was, as
(23:21):
these various suits were filed, the plaintiffs in the case
and the company decided that they would put together a
handful of representative cases what's called bell Weather cases to
sort of sort out the major issues of the case.
And then the bell Weather cases would help determine what
was going to happen with all of the rest of
(23:42):
the suits. As the Continental Tire folks focused on in
their latest briefing in this case, they said, the idea was,
if the plaintiffs lose in the Bell Weather cases, then
that's going to really rule out anyone else being able
to win. If the plaintiffs win, then that's the signal
to other plaintiffs and to the company that we're probably
(24:05):
going to lose. The company's probably going to lose the
rest of these ought to start thinking about settling these cases. Well,
what happened was, as this case move, as the various
cases move forward, the Court Tribunal overseeing the Industrial Commission
overseeing the initial Bell Weather cases ruled against the plaintiffs,
(24:27):
saying that there was not enough evidence that there was
asbestos present at a level that would have caused any
health problems for these plaintiffs. The North Carolina Court of
Appeals affirmed that ruling, and what Continental Tire is saying
is that should have basically ended the case. But what
happened was a handful of plaintiffs, and by a handful
(24:50):
of talking about thirteen out of the initial one hundred
and fifty continued to press their case, saying that the
bell Weather cases didn't address all of the issue issues
in their particular concerns and complaints. They went forward the
Industrial Commission throughout their cases, saying, no, we've gone through
the bell Weather cases, you can't move forward. They appealed
(25:13):
once again to the State Court of Appeals, and this
time rather than affirming the Industrial Commission, the Court of
Appeals split two to one, and the two judges on
the majority said that the cases could go forward. They said,
these bell Weather cases did not say that these plaintiffs
could not press their claims. They can go forward. One
(25:35):
judge descended. The judge who descended it was the chief Judge,
Chris Dillon, said, look, the bell Weather cases have decided
the main issues. This litigation should be over. So now
as the cases are scheduled to move forward, the thirteen
cases remaining out of the initial one hundred and fifty
or so, Continental Tire is appealing to the North Carolina
(25:57):
Supreme Court. They've filed a petition saying, look, Supreme Court,
please take these cases because you need to settle whether
this bell Weather principle is going to survive in the future.
If it's not going to work. If plaintiffs are not
going to abide by what the bell Weather cases say,
then why would anyone ever do this? Again, it's the
(26:19):
whole thing is designed to simplify this legal process, and
they make the larger argument that this could have a
potential negative impact on North Carolina's business climate. They've talked
about some of the things that help the business climate,
beyond things like taxes and regulatory reform. There is the
idea of having an Industrial Commission, there is the idea
(26:39):
of having a business court that deals with business issues.
And one of the other things that's part of this
is being allowed to have Bell Weather cases when you
have multiple plaintiffs filing suit, and if that piece of
the process falls short, that's going to hurt North Carolina's
business climate. Now, of course, this is the argument that
the tire company is making to try to help stave
(27:00):
off these lawsuits, so they have definitely have skin in
the game. But it is an interesting piece of North
Carolina's legal puzzle and it will be interesting to see
whether the North Carolina Supreme Court decides to take the
case because of those arguments.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
So, Mitch, as you talk about these these bell Weather cases?
Do these only come forward when you've got a large
group of potential plaintiffs In the case you mentioned around
one hundred and fifty or so employees. Is that typically
when you see these these bell Weather cases in North Carolina?
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yes. And I don't know the details of how many
plaintiffs you would have to have before you'd start considering
bell Weather cases, but certainly it has to be a
large enough number that it makes sense to pick a
handful of representative cases to deal with rather than the
whole range of cases. And certainly it would seem to
make sense when you have about one hundred and fifty
(27:52):
of them, that you would not want to have one
hundred and fifty separate trials, that you would try to
pick a handful of cases that really cover most, if
not all, of the major issues, and then once those
are settled, it really gives all sides a good idea
of how the rest of the cases are going to
play out. As I said earlier, if the plaintiffs win,
(28:14):
that gives a signal to the defendant the company that
looks bad for us. We ought to get into settlement
negotiations with everyone else. But if the defendant wins. If
the company wins, that should be good news for the
company and bad news for the plaintiffs in that you're
probably not going to win because these cases that really
have the same general types of facts that your case have.
(28:38):
Has those cases failed, you're probably not going to succeed
when those other cases have failed.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
It's definitely an interesting story that we are tracking this morning.
We'll keep an eye on and see what the North
Carolina Supreme Court has to say about it. We appreciate
the details this morning. Mitch Koki from the John Locke
Foundation joins us Son the Carolina Journal News Hour. Good
morning again, it's five point fifty three. Welcome back to
(29:05):
the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven ten ninety nine
three WBT. Looking at some other statewide news this morning. Soybeans,
which is one of the top five cash crops in
North Carolina, continues to face pressure as a result of
the ongoing trade war with China, which has been ongoing
now for months. Pressure is now mounting as a harvest
(29:27):
season is not far off, with farmers expecting a significant
harvest at the same time facing the loss of their
largest market, which is in fact China. Charles Hall who
is the executive director of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association,
told the Carolina Journal, quote, China has not placed any
orders for new crop soybeans in the current marketing year,
(29:50):
which started on September the first. China brought thirty percent
of US soybean crops in recent years, and overall, China
buy sixty percent of the global soybean supply annually. Roughly
ten to twelve percent of soybeans grown in North Carolina
are exported, which is a relatively small share compared to
(30:10):
some other states. According to Hall, However, our biggest customers, though,
are right here at home. North Carolina's livestock industry, about
ten million pigs and up to one billion poultry birds,
including all of the things that you would expect in
the poultry industry, consume roughly twice as many soybeans as
(30:31):
we produce in the States. So fortunately, while the trade
war does continue ongoing and there is some significant level
of exports that do take place in the soybean industry
in North Carolina, there is a lot of domestic purchase
right here stateside. Hall continued by saying, quote, soybeans are
a true commodity there is a global market, and farmers
(30:53):
are impacted by disruptions in the global market. For example,
Tennessee farm exports are about seventy two percent of all
soybeans that they grow, and added that the Dakotas North
and South combined, they probably depend on China to buy
some eighty percent or more of all of the soybeans
that they produce. Farmers in Midwest US states are feeling
(31:14):
the impacts of the trade disruption first in the form
of depressed local prices due to grain piling up in
storage silos with no one to buy it. The impact
is expected to drag prices down for everybody given a
certain amount of time. Hall said that North Carolina's farmers
have diversified their exports in recent years of soybeans, however,
(31:36):
to other markets in Southeast Asia outside of China, and
continue the search for new markets. As we sit here
this morning, he noted, and said, we probably expect to
export two percent or less of North Carolina's products to China,
as the rest goes to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia primarily.
(31:56):
And again, exports account for only ten to twelve percent
of our annual production. Despite their essential role. North Carolina
soybean farmers continue to be squeezed the cost of key inputs,
things like fertilizer, pesticides, and equipment those spiked during COVID
nineteen and really have not fallen back to normal levels.
(32:17):
They've been stubbornly high ever since, while the price is
paid for soybeans and other raw crops such as corn
have steadily declined over the last couple of years. As
a result, many farmers are increasingly being viewed as unbankable,
according to Hall, as agricultural lenders are becoming less likely
to renew lines of credit, both in North Carolina and nationwide,
(32:41):
and it is being warned that if this trend continues,
many farmers may not make it to next year's spring
a planting season without that influx of cash. Hall concluded
his comments to Carolina Journal by saying North Carolina farmers
certainly follow what's happening with the crops, with the crop markets.
Where it's a London and where the export channels have
(33:02):
been disrupted, that situation could ultimately depress the prices paid
to farmers here in North Carolina. We've got some additional
details on the very important soybean market over on our
website This Morning Carolina Journal dot com. That's gonna do
it for a Friday edition. WBT News is next, followed
by Good morning BT. We're back with you Monday morning,
(33:24):
five to six right here on News Talk eleven, ten
and ninety nine to three WBT
It's five oh five and welcome into a Friday edition
of the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk eleven, ten
ninety nine three WBT. I'm Nick Craig. A good morning
to you. It's a pretty major political story that broke
yesterday morning, shortly after we were off the air, surrounding
a member of the North Carolina General Assembly. Representative Cecil Brockman,
(00:30):
the Democrat from Guildford County, was arrested on Wednesday and
charged with taking in decent liberties with a child and
statutory rape. State leaders from both parties are now calling
for his resignation. According to the Guildford County Sheriff's office,
Brockman was scheduled to be in court Thursday after noon
after being held without bond in a jail in high Point,
(00:54):
which is a part of the district in which he
represents in Guildford County. House Speaker Destin Hall, the Republican
from Caldwell County, and Minority Leader Robert Reeves, the Democrat
from Chatham, both called for Brockman's resignation. We'll get into
some of the other reaction coming up here in just
a couple of minutes. As a Democrat from high Point.
Brockman has represented North Carolina's sixtieth House district since twenty fifteen,
(01:19):
covering parts of Guildford County, which do include the major
metros Greensboro and high Point. A UNC Charlotte graduate with
a degree in political science political science, Brockman began his
career working on political campaigns and as a legislative assistants
assistant before winning his seat in the General Assembly. He
(01:39):
has served on several key committees, including Appropriations that's the
group that deals with all of the money the budgets
spending within the General Assembly, Education K through twelve, Health,
and redistricting, and has also held leadership roles such as
the vice chair of the K through twelve Education Committee.
Brockman has started to receive flak from his own party
(01:59):
over the life last couple of months. Earlier this year,
he was a no show during veto overrides, with him
not being present in the chamber that did give Republicans
in the House the super majority that they needed to
vote in favor or rather override a veto from Democrat
Governor Josh Stein. So since earlier this year, he has
(02:19):
been dealing with some issues within his own party and recently,
he sponsored a measures such as the Marriage Equality Act
and a constitutional amendment on marriage equality. He has occasionally
clashed with Democrat leadership, most recently accusing his party operatives
of quote scapegoating him following those missed votes due to
(02:40):
illness at the time. So there has been some ongoing
issues back and forth with Representative of Brockman and members
of his own party. However, these charges Wednesday again taking
indecent liberties with a child are obviously drawing strong reaction
across the political sphere in North Carolina. They're coming in
(03:01):
from all over the place. Democrat Governor Josh Stein described
the charges as quote extremely serious and deeply troubling. The
governor releasing a statement on Thursday saying, quote, while the
legal process has yet to play out, it is clear
he cannot effectively serve his constituents and should resign immediately.
(03:22):
Anderson Clayton, who is the head of the state's Democrat party,
echoed the Governor's comments, calling for Brockman to resign effective immediately.
She relates the statement on behalf of the North Carolina
Democrat Party, saying, quote, the North Carolina Democrat Party calls
on Representative Brockman to immediately resign. The profound seriousness of
(03:44):
these criminal charges makes it impossible for him to effectively
represent his community, signed NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton. House Speaker
Destin Hall, the Republican from Caldwell County, called the situation
shocking in a post on x and wrote, quote, the
charges against Representative Brockman are shocking and extremely serious. Given
(04:07):
the evidence that's publicly known, he should resign immediately so
these charges do not distract from the work of the
North Carolina House. As br as I noted, Brockman a
Democrat from High Point. He has represented the North Carolina
General Assembly since twenty fifteen. House Minority Leader Robert Reeves,
(04:28):
who represents the Democrats in the North Carolina House, said
early Thursday that the allegations were very serious, but immediately
did not call for his resignations. The first quote comments
from Reeves's office read, the allegations against Representative Brockman are
serious and, if true, would disqualify him from public office.
(04:51):
This is a developing situation and it is important to
let the legal process unfold. That was posted around eight
forty five or so Thursday day morning. A couple of
hours later, just before lunchtime, where he has released an
additional statement saying, in part, it has become clear that
he is unable to continue serving in the House of Representatives.
(05:11):
Representative Brockman must resign immediately. Former Democrat governor and US
Senate candidate Roy Cooper also chiming in on the situation,
describing the allegations as disturbing, writing quote, the criminal charges
brought against Representative Brockman are disturbing and disqualifying. He should
(05:31):
resign immediately. Some other reaction as well from how some
Majority leader Brendan Jones, he is the Republican from Columbus County.
He called the behavior appalling as well as like everybody else,
demanded the resignation of Representative Brockman. In a post on X,
Jones wrote, and North Carolina Democrat Representative Cecil Brockman has
(05:54):
just been arrested for statutory rape and in decent liberties
with a minor behave is appalling and has no place
in society. I am calling on Brockman's a resignation immediately,
So bipartisan calls across the political aisle for individuals excuse me,
for individuals across the aisle calling for Representative Brockman to
(06:18):
resign from this position. There was a set to be
a first court appearance yesterday for the representative out of
Guildford County. However, there are some questions this morning. A
couple of media outlets reporting that Brockman was dealing with
some health issues yesterday was potentially a rush to the
hospital to deal with some of those. It's not immediately
(06:38):
clear exactly what is going on there, but the hearing
has been rescheduled for Friday, as some of those court
documents say that Brockman was in the hospital. It doesn't
say why that's the case, but there are hearings that
are supposed to take place this morning. I'll note Brockman
was being held and even being in the hospital would
still be being held without bond due to the seriousness
(07:01):
of these charges. So we will await that first court
appearance later on in the day. Today. We will first
one of the first outlets in the state to break
this news yesterday morning. Always a great opportunity and great
information Over on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. There's
a banner right at the top page that says sign
(07:21):
up for breaking news text alerts. You would have received
that text message. Completely free breaking news from North Carolina
political news available over on our website Carolina Journal dot com.
Just tap on that link at the top of the page.
Sign up for breaking news text alerts, and you can
keep up to date with those breaking news stories around
the clock as well over on our website Carolina Journal
(07:44):
dot com. The North Carolina General Assembly is slated to
be back in a little over a week on October
the twentieth. Lawmakers will return from the break over the
last couple of weeks to deal with a variety of
various issues. There are still six outstanding veto overrides in
the North Carolina House. Whether Brockman will be there well
(08:06):
will he have resigned his position not immediately clear this morning.
This is still a relatively dynamic and fluid situation. We
will be keeping an eye on the courts in the
high Point area coming up a little bit later on today,
and I'm sure throughout the portions of our early next week.
Whether Brockman will take the call from both Democrats and
(08:26):
Republicans and resign or whether the General Assembly will have
to go through the process of removing Brockman from that position.
There is some precedent of that. Back in two thousand
and eight, a Democrat representative from New Hanover County was
dealing with some financial issues. He had to be removed
by his colleagues in the North Carolina General Assembly. So
(08:47):
there is a process for that, and depending on what
shakes out and unfolds here over the next week or so,
there's a possibility that we could see something similar if
Representative Brockman determine that he is not going to resign
from the General Assembly again. In North Carolina politics, major
news breaking over the last twenty four hours. You can
(09:09):
read those details. We'll keep you up to date with
all of it over on our website at Carolina Journal
dot com. It's five twenty Welcome back to the Carolina
Journal News our news stock eleven ten, nine three. Keeping
(09:29):
our attention this morning on the North Carolina General Assembly.
We are tracking some other news out of Raleigh this morning.
Back a couple of weeks ago, we brought you details
that Representative Jared Lowry, who represents Robinson County, was stepping
aside from his position as a member of the General
Assembly to join the Trump administration. We now have some
(09:50):
details on who will take his spot. And it's actually
set to be his brother, John Lowry. He is set
to take the spot in the place of his brother.
That decision coming down as a unanimous decision from the
Robison County Republican Party as the process fulfilling a slot
and seat in the General Assembly, as the party of
the individual Representative Jared Lowry, a Republican, that political party
(10:14):
of the county, which would be Robinson, that does have
the ability and is obligated to recommend an appointment for that,
and they did recommend his brother, John Lowry. And this
of course is going to come during a pivotal time
in what could be potentially more veto overrides from Democrat
Governor Josh Stein. Jared Lowry announced in September that he
(10:35):
would resign his role as a representative from House District
forty seven to join the Trump administration. We learned details
this week that Jared had announced that he would be
taking a position at the United States Department of Interior
as a senior advisor to the Department's Assistant Secretary for
Indian Affairs. This announcement was made by Representative Lowry a
(10:57):
few weeks ago. This is just a little bit part
of what he had to say when he made the
announcement that he was stepping aside from the General Assembly
back a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Hi everyone, I'm Jerry Lowry, representing for North Carolina House
District forty seven, representing Robinson County. The past three years
being in the General Assembly, it has been not only
a pleasure but an honor to serve you. The people.
Nearly ninety thousand people live in my district in Robinson County,
gave me an opportunity of a lifetime to be able
(11:28):
to come here and advocate for everyone. Since I've been
in the General Assembly, I've been able to provide a
valuable voice for the people. And not only a voice,
but it is seated at the decision making table that
had been missing for several years. My time here in
the General Assembly, I've worked with my delegation mates to
secure critical funding needed for important projects across the district.
(11:50):
Some of those are a new town hall Town of Fairmont,
a new police station Town of Maxon, downtown revitalization for
Town of Roland, new parks Town of Red Springs, a
new park in the Town of Rentered, much needed transportation
projects in the town of Pembroke, downtown revitalization for the
city of Lumberton, and even new hangars for the Lumbited
(12:12):
Regional Airport. Other projects that are going to be instrumental
in continuing to grow Robinson County is new nursing program
building at Old Robinson Community College. More funding for additional
health programs at UNC Pembroke, including the School of Optometric Medicine,
the first in the state, which has been a twenty
year journey. We were finally able to complete continue support
(12:33):
for the Lumbe Tribe of North Carolina as they developed
the Lumbee Culture Center in their Department of Agriculture. All
of these projects have been significant impacting in the county
and will be going forward. Also, the public Schools of
Robinson County is building their first new school since nineteen
eighty three, and one last project that was funded it's
much needed in every corner of Robinson County is a
(12:54):
major clean up of the lumber River Basin, one of
the largest in US history. We're getting sixty million dollars
from the federal government, supported by Senator Tom Tillis, match
with twenty million dollars from the General Assembly. This project
is going to alleviate flooding all across the county from
our major reign events, something that has been desperately needed
since Matthew occurred in twenty sixteen and Florence in twenty eighteen.
(13:18):
But I'm here today to make a spatial announcement to
my family, to my friends, to my community, my.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Supporters across the state.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
I will be effectively stepping away from the General Assembly
at the beginning of October.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And that's exactly what Representative Jared Lowry did, stepping away
taking that job that role in the United States Department
of Interior as an advisor to the Department's Assistant Secretary
of Indian Affairs. Back in twenty twenty two, Jared Lowry
flipped House District forty seven from Democrat to Republican and
said that the Republican Party is offering voters access to
(13:52):
the American dream. Back in June, Lowery, speaking to The
Carolina Journal, wrote the story of Robinson County's political realignment
is a continuation of Democrats leaving the working class people
behind from their unfair trade policies to bid nomics. They
have crushed the American dream for working people. But the
Republican Party is standing in the gap not only to
(14:13):
protect liberty, but to reinvigorate the American dream for all people.
I welcome the commissioners to the Republican Party and I'm
excited for the future. The Robinson County Republican Parties Executive
Committee did select his brother, John Lowry to fill the vacancy,
as his brother is also the chairman of the Lumbe Tribe.
(14:34):
Doctor Phillips Stevens, who is the chairman of the county's
Republican Party, set in a press release quote, I am
thrilled to see John Lowry be selected as our next
state representative. His years of expertise serving in tribal, state,
and federal governments as well as delivering for the residents
of Robinson County makes his exceptionally makes him exceptionally prepared
(14:56):
for this position. I look forward to seeing him serve
out the remot of Representative Jared Lowry's term at the
General Assembly. The Robeson County Republican Party recommended the appointment
to Stein on Tuesday, who has a couple of days
to make the appointment before it takes effect. This is
all coming ahead of the North Carolina General Assembly's return,
(15:19):
which is going to be taking place on October the twentieth.
As we were talking about earlier, some other issues ongoing
in the General Assembly with the Representative Cecil Brockman, the
Democrat out of Guildford County. So math is going to
be a very interesting for lawmakers as they do return
to Raleigh, seeing if John Lowry will be in that
(15:40):
position beforehand, what will be going on with the seat
that Brockman is holding, a lot of very interesting things
going on there. One of the other portions of this
is as the Lumbee Tribe continues to push for federal recognition.
Back in January, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing
the Secretary of the in Tea to submit a plan
(16:01):
within ninety days to assist the Lumbee Tribe in obtaining
full federal recognition. Granting full federal recognition to the tribe,
which is based in Robinson County, would provide them access
to federal services and benefits that they do not have
access to right now. This includes healthcare through the Indian
Health Service and eligibility for federal funding programs supporting housing, education,
(16:25):
and economic development. Earlier this year, Representative David Rouser, who
is the Congressman out of the seventh Congressional District, which
does also cover portions of Robinson County, introduce the Lumby
Fairness Act House Resolution four seven four, which would grant
full federal recognition and benefits to the North Carolina based tribe.
(16:47):
The memorandum sound signed by Trump, claims quote considering the
Lumbee Tribe's historical and modern significance, it is the policy
of the United States to support the full federal recognition,
including the authority to receive full federal benefits. In September
of this year, the United States House passed the National
Defense Authorization Act the NDAA, with an amendment giving the
(17:11):
Lumbee Tribe full federal recognition. It has gone to the
Senate for a vote, but however it has not yet
been taken up by the United States Senate. Obviously, a
lot still going on in Washington, d C. This morning
with a government shutdown continuing that is now in day
ten of that shutdown. However, after that is behind us,
(17:33):
there is a strong likelihood that the Senate will pass
the NDAA and that would give the Lumbee Tribe full
federal recognition. The Lumby Act of nineteen fifty six, so
which has been in place since then, acknowledges the tribe's existence. However,
it does block them from receiving that full of federal recognition.
So a couple of different threads here ongoing. We will
(17:54):
keep an eye on all of the details out of
the North Carolina General Assembly and what former Representative Jared
Lowry is doing up in Washington, d C. As a
member of the United States Department of Interior working under
the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. We've got some additional details,
including the a full video that Representative Lowry did release
(18:14):
on his social media channels a couple of weeks ago
talking about his decision to step aside from the North
Carolina House. All of those details available this morning over
on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. The headline story
John Lowry nominated for brother seat during a pivotal window.
Those details at Carolina Journal dot com. It's five thirty seven.
(18:41):
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour Newstack eleven
ten ninety nine three WBT recapping our big North Carolina
political story this morning, State Representative Cecil Brockman, the Democrat
out of Guildford County, was arrested on Wednesday and charged
with taking in decent liberties with a child and statute rape.
Since then, a state leaders on both sides of the
(19:04):
political isle, Democrats and Republicans, have called for him to
resign immediately. According to the Guildford County Sheriff's Office, Brockman
was scheduled to be in court Thursday after being held
without bond in high Point. However, court documents updated throughout
the day indicate that that hearing was rescheduled for Friday
(19:24):
because Brockman was in the hospital. However, it did not
shed any additional details or any additional information as to why,
but obviously being hospitalized, he was unable to attend that
first hearing yesterday. Another one has been rescheduled that is
scheduled to take place today. Reaction continuing to pour in
(19:44):
across from North Carolina Democrat Governor Josh Stein, calling the
situation extremely serious and deeply troubling, writing in a statement,
while the legal process has yet to play out, it
is clear he cannot effectively serve his constituents and should
resign immediately. The North Carolina Democrat Party echoing similar calls.
(20:05):
Anderson Clayton, the chair of the state's Democrat Party wrote,
the North Carolina Democrat Party calls on Representative Brockman to
resign immediately. The profound seriousness of these criminal charges makes
it impossible for him to effectively represent his community. House
Speaker Destin Hall, the Republican from Caldwell County, called the
(20:27):
situations shocking and wrote on x quote, the charges against
Representative Brockmen are shocking and extremely serious. Given the evidence
that's publicly known, he should resign immediately so these charges
do not distract from the work in the North Carolina House.
These were also again echoed by House Minority Leader in
(20:47):
Robert Reeves, who wrote, it has become clear that he
is unable to continue serving the House of Representatives. Representative
Brockman must resign immediately. Governor Roy Cooper, Former Governor Roy
Cooper and United States Senate candidate describe the allegations as disturbing, and,
like most others, called for his resignation, alongside House Majority
(21:10):
Leader Brendan Jones, the Republican from Columbus County, who wrote,
North Carolina Democrat Representative Cecil Brockman has just been arrested
for statutory rape and in decent liberties with a minor.
This behavior is appalling and has no place in society.
I'm calling on Brockman's resignation immediately. This is still a
very active and fluid political situation. Brockman sent to have
(21:34):
a first court appearance today, as I would imagine, more
calls for his resignation will continue in Raleigh. This is
all ahead of a return for the General Assembly on
October the twentieth. Math very close in the North Carolina
House of Republicans are just one vote shy of a
super majority and without a Democrat in brockman seat. If
(21:56):
he does decide to resign, that would give them the
veto proof majority needed to override currently six steined vetos
that sit in the North Carolina House. We will keep
a very close eye on this story. You can get
additional details by visiting our website this morning, Carolina Journal
dot com, and we'll keep you up to date throughout
(22:16):
the day as we learn more information. Again over on
our website, Carolina Journal dot com. It's now five point
forty you're listening to the Carolina Journal News Hour. Multiple
lawsuits against the former owner of a tire factory in
Charlotte could have some broader implications in the business community
across the state of North Carolina. To walk us through
some of those details. This morning, Mitch Kochi the John
(22:37):
Locke Foundation, joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Mitch,
we talked about lawsuits so pretty regularly. Sometimes they're very
narrow in individual cases and individual companies and people, and
then other times we've got lawsuits that, yes, are focused
on one person or one company, but they can have
a broader reach across many other industries in North Carolina.
What are you following out of Charlotte this morning.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
This is a case it's more than a decade in
the making. What happened was this former tire factory owned
by Continental Tire. Years ago, about one hundred and fifty
different people connected to that plant filed suit saying that
they were exposed to asbestos at the plant and it
caused them health problems. And so what happened was, as
(23:21):
these various suits were filed, the plaintiffs in the case
and the company decided that they would put together a
handful of representative cases what's called bell Weather cases to
sort of sort out the major issues of the case.
And then the bell Weather cases would help determine what
was going to happen with all of the rest of
(23:42):
the suits. As the Continental Tire folks focused on in
their latest briefing in this case, they said, the idea was,
if the plaintiffs lose in the Bell Weather cases, then
that's going to really rule out anyone else being able
to win. If the plaintiffs win, then that's the signal
to other plaintiffs and to the company that we're probably
(24:05):
going to lose. The company's probably going to lose the
rest of these ought to start thinking about settling these cases. Well,
what happened was, as this case move, as the various
cases move forward, the Court Tribunal overseeing the Industrial Commission
overseeing the initial Bell Weather cases ruled against the plaintiffs,
(24:27):
saying that there was not enough evidence that there was
asbestos present at a level that would have caused any
health problems for these plaintiffs. The North Carolina Court of
Appeals affirmed that ruling, and what Continental Tire is saying
is that should have basically ended the case. But what
happened was a handful of plaintiffs, and by a handful
(24:50):
of talking about thirteen out of the initial one hundred
and fifty continued to press their case, saying that the
bell Weather cases didn't address all of the issue issues
in their particular concerns and complaints. They went forward the
Industrial Commission throughout their cases, saying, no, we've gone through
the bell Weather cases, you can't move forward. They appealed
(25:13):
once again to the State Court of Appeals, and this
time rather than affirming the Industrial Commission, the Court of
Appeals split two to one, and the two judges on
the majority said that the cases could go forward. They said,
these bell Weather cases did not say that these plaintiffs
could not press their claims. They can go forward. One
(25:35):
judge descended. The judge who descended it was the chief Judge,
Chris Dillon, said, look, the bell Weather cases have decided
the main issues. This litigation should be over. So now
as the cases are scheduled to move forward, the thirteen
cases remaining out of the initial one hundred and fifty
or so, Continental Tire is appealing to the North Carolina
(25:57):
Supreme Court. They've filed a petition saying, look, Supreme Court,
please take these cases because you need to settle whether
this bell Weather principle is going to survive in the future.
If it's not going to work. If plaintiffs are not
going to abide by what the bell Weather cases say,
then why would anyone ever do this? Again, it's the
(26:19):
whole thing is designed to simplify this legal process, and
they make the larger argument that this could have a
potential negative impact on North Carolina's business climate. They've talked
about some of the things that help the business climate,
beyond things like taxes and regulatory reform. There is the
idea of having an Industrial Commission, there is the idea
(26:39):
of having a business court that deals with business issues.
And one of the other things that's part of this
is being allowed to have Bell Weather cases when you
have multiple plaintiffs filing suit, and if that piece of
the process falls short, that's going to hurt North Carolina's
business climate. Now, of course, this is the argument that
the tire company is making to try to help stave
(27:00):
off these lawsuits, so they have definitely have skin in
the game. But it is an interesting piece of North
Carolina's legal puzzle and it will be interesting to see
whether the North Carolina Supreme Court decides to take the
case because of those arguments.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
So, Mitch, as you talk about these these bell Weather cases?
Do these only come forward when you've got a large
group of potential plaintiffs In the case you mentioned around
one hundred and fifty or so employees. Is that typically
when you see these these bell Weather cases in North Carolina?
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yes. And I don't know the details of how many
plaintiffs you would have to have before you'd start considering
bell Weather cases, but certainly it has to be a
large enough number that it makes sense to pick a
handful of representative cases to deal with rather than the
whole range of cases. And certainly it would seem to
make sense when you have about one hundred and fifty
(27:52):
of them, that you would not want to have one
hundred and fifty separate trials, that you would try to
pick a handful of cases that really cover most, if
not all, of the major issues, and then once those
are settled, it really gives all sides a good idea
of how the rest of the cases are going to
play out. As I said earlier, if the plaintiffs win,
(28:14):
that gives a signal to the defendant the company that
looks bad for us. We ought to get into settlement
negotiations with everyone else. But if the defendant wins. If
the company wins, that should be good news for the
company and bad news for the plaintiffs in that you're
probably not going to win because these cases that really
have the same general types of facts that your case have.
(28:38):
Has those cases failed, you're probably not going to succeed
when those other cases have failed.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
It's definitely an interesting story that we are tracking this morning.
We'll keep an eye on and see what the North
Carolina Supreme Court has to say about it. We appreciate
the details this morning. Mitch Koki from the John Locke
Foundation joins us Son the Carolina Journal News Hour. Good
morning again, it's five point fifty three. Welcome back to
(29:05):
the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven ten ninety nine
three WBT. Looking at some other statewide news this morning. Soybeans,
which is one of the top five cash crops in
North Carolina, continues to face pressure as a result of
the ongoing trade war with China, which has been ongoing
now for months. Pressure is now mounting as a harvest
(29:27):
season is not far off, with farmers expecting a significant
harvest at the same time facing the loss of their
largest market, which is in fact China. Charles Hall who
is the executive director of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association,
told the Carolina Journal, quote, China has not placed any
orders for new crop soybeans in the current marketing year,
(29:50):
which started on September the first. China brought thirty percent
of US soybean crops in recent years, and overall, China
buy sixty percent of the global soybean supply annually. Roughly
ten to twelve percent of soybeans grown in North Carolina
are exported, which is a relatively small share compared to
(30:10):
some other states. According to Hall, However, our biggest customers, though,
are right here at home. North Carolina's livestock industry, about
ten million pigs and up to one billion poultry birds,
including all of the things that you would expect in
the poultry industry, consume roughly twice as many soybeans as
(30:31):
we produce in the States. So fortunately, while the trade
war does continue ongoing and there is some significant level
of exports that do take place in the soybean industry
in North Carolina, there is a lot of domestic purchase
right here stateside. Hall continued by saying, quote, soybeans are
a true commodity there is a global market, and farmers
(30:53):
are impacted by disruptions in the global market. For example,
Tennessee farm exports are about seventy two percent of all
soybeans that they grow, and added that the Dakotas North
and South combined, they probably depend on China to buy
some eighty percent or more of all of the soybeans
that they produce. Farmers in Midwest US states are feeling
(31:14):
the impacts of the trade disruption first in the form
of depressed local prices due to grain piling up in
storage silos with no one to buy it. The impact
is expected to drag prices down for everybody given a
certain amount of time. Hall said that North Carolina's farmers
have diversified their exports in recent years of soybeans, however,
(31:36):
to other markets in Southeast Asia outside of China, and
continue the search for new markets. As we sit here
this morning, he noted, and said, we probably expect to
export two percent or less of North Carolina's products to China,
as the rest goes to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia primarily.
(31:56):
And again, exports account for only ten to twelve percent
of our annual production. Despite their essential role. North Carolina
soybean farmers continue to be squeezed the cost of key inputs,
things like fertilizer, pesticides, and equipment those spiked during COVID
nineteen and really have not fallen back to normal levels.
(32:17):
They've been stubbornly high ever since, while the price is
paid for soybeans and other raw crops such as corn
have steadily declined over the last couple of years. As
a result, many farmers are increasingly being viewed as unbankable,
according to Hall, as agricultural lenders are becoming less likely
to renew lines of credit, both in North Carolina and nationwide,
(32:41):
and it is being warned that if this trend continues,
many farmers may not make it to next year's spring
a planting season without that influx of cash. Hall concluded
his comments to Carolina Journal by saying North Carolina farmers
certainly follow what's happening with the crops, with the crop markets.
Where it's a London and where the export channels have
(33:02):
been disrupted, that situation could ultimately depress the prices paid
to farmers here in North Carolina. We've got some additional
details on the very important soybean market over on our
website This Morning Carolina Journal dot com. That's gonna do
it for a Friday edition. WBT News is next, followed
by Good morning BT. We're back with you Monday morning,
(33:24):
five to six right here on News Talk eleven, ten
and ninety nine to three WBT
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