October 9, 2025 • 32 mins
President Trump’s peace plan has officially been accepted by Hamas, ending two years of war in Gaza and securing the release of remaining hostages. In North Carolina, lawmakers are considering redrawing the NC-1 congressional district, a move Governor Stein called “ridiculous,” citing potential legal challenges. A new law now allows drivers to renew licenses online without a REAL ID. Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Jackson has opposed pausing the Chemours lawsuit during the appeal process.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's five oh five and welcome into a Thursday edition
of The Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety
nine to three WBT. I'm Nick Craig. A good morning
to you. We start with huge breaking international news this morning,
being announced by President Donald Trump last night. Hamas has
agreed to a peace deal that was broken by President
(00:30):
Donald Trump and his envoy of individuals to end a
war that started two years ago this week on October
the seventh. With the peace deal being announced by the
President last night, it will also include the return of
hostages two years after that attack. The President took to
Truth Social his social media platform Wednesday night and wrote, quote,
(00:52):
I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas
have both signed off on the first phase of our
peace plan. This means that all of the hostages will
be released very soon and Israel will withdraw their troops
to an agreed uponline as the first steps towards a strong, durable,
and everlasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly. This
(01:16):
is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world,
Israel and all surrounding nations, as well as the United States,
and we thank our mediators guitar, Egypt and Turkey who
worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.
In all caps, Blessed are the Peacemakers. The President was
(01:38):
obviously talking about this Wednesday night. He did call into
the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News and the President
had this to say, fairy.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Much, John.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a great honor to be involved. And we had
some tremendous help, as you know, with everybody from Steve
Whitgoff and Jared Kushner and Marco and we had everybody, JD,
the the whole group was just amazing. And the military was,
as you know, very instrumental in getting this done. We
have a great military with great leadership. The whole world
(02:10):
came together, to be honest, so many countries that you
wouldn't have even thought of it, they came together. The
world has come together around this deal, and that's something
I would say that without that, it wouldn't happen. So
many countries that you wouldn't have thought of have wired
their best wishes and their commitment to do whatever is necessary.
(02:31):
The country surrounding of all signed I mean, they're all
signed up, and it's been really an amazing period of
time and so great for Israel, so great for Muslims,
for the Arab countries, and so great for this country,
for the United States of America, and that we could
be involved in, you know, making a deal like this
(02:54):
happened because it was you know, many years they talked
about peace in the Middle East. This is more than Gaza.
This is peace in the Middle East. And it's been
incredible thing.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's President Donald Trump on the Sean Hannity television show
on the Fox News channel last night, just a couple
of hours after about two hours or so after making
the announcement. On social media, moments before the president's announcements,
photos emerged from the negotiation room where this was taking
place in Egypt throughout the entirety of this week, showing
(03:26):
senior officials embracing and shaking hands as reports indicated significant
progress towards a hostage release deal. That was the first
sign that that was going on. Israeli media reported that
Israel and the terror group will sign the deal on
Thursday at that Egyptian resort. Prime Minister Benjamin nettin Yahoo
(03:48):
of Israel said in a statement, with God's help, but
we will bring them all home, the Prime Minister added,
in a statement in Hebrew converted to English, a great
day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to
approve the agreement and bring all of our hostages home.
I thank the historic soldiers of the IDF and all
security forces. Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have
(04:12):
reached this day. I think from the bottom of my
heart President Trump and his team for mobilizing this sacred
mission of freeing our hostages. With God's help, together we
will continue to achieve all of our objectives and expand
peace with our neighbors. The terrorist organization in Hamas announced
an official statement and released this as well, saying, quote
(04:34):
after responsible and serious negotiations conducted by the movement and
the Palestinian Resistant factions regarding President Donald Trump's proposal with
an aim of ending the war of extremism against our
Palestinian people and the withdraw of the occupation of the
Gaza Strip, Hamas announced to the reaching of an agreement
(04:56):
that ends the war on Gaza, provides for the withdrawal
of occupation and allows the entry of aid and implements
a prisoner exchange and quote there from the Hamas terror
group that does operate in the Gaza Strip. So obviously,
as you would imagine, a lot of reaction coming in
not only here in the United States, but across the globe.
(05:18):
As President Donald Trump noted in that Sean Hannity television
interview last night, some of the details as we are
expecting them right now. According to Israeli officials, the living hostages,
which there's only expected to be somewhere between twenty and
forty that are still living, are expected to be released
in a single phase sometime coming up within the next
(05:38):
seventy two hours. With the release of the alive hostages,
there will also be the return of bodies of deceased hostages,
but however that will take a little bit longer. However,
Israel insists that that is part of the deal and
that will take place. Hamas reportedly back some is backed
by some Israeli sources, claims that part of the deal
(06:00):
stems from the fact that some of the bodies are
not located in areas under control, so that will be
part of the process that we see unfolding over the
next couple of days. Following Trump's announcement, the Hostages Families
Headquarters released a statement saying quote, the hostages families wish
to express deep gratitude to US President Donald Trump and
(06:24):
his team for the leadership and determination that led to
this historic breakthrough, an end to a war, and a
compassionate agreement to return all of the hostages. There are
currently forty eight hostages in Hamas captivity. Our a moral
and national commitment is to bring them all, both home,
alive and fallen alike. Their return is a condition for
(06:48):
the peace agreement and the Israel society as a whole.
We will not rest or be quiet until the return
of the last hostage. So there's also some room this
morning flowing around that the President of the United States,
in Donald Trump, will be traveling to the Middle East,
potentially as early as Monday. Obviously, that would be a
(07:10):
very last minute trip in terms of the President's travel schedule, which,
as you can imagine, there's a lot that goes into
not only the President traveling anywhere across the United States,
but a last minute trip over to the Middle East.
You can imagine that if some of those rumors are true,
officials within the administration have been working all night feverishly
(07:31):
to try and lay out all of the plans and
details that it will take to get the President Donald
Trump over to portions of the Middle East, potentially coming
up here in the next couple of days. Of course,
earlier this week, back on October the seventh, we marked
the two year anniversary unfortunately since Hamas's deadly attack on
(07:51):
Israel that left more than twelve hundred people dead and
more than two hundred and fifty one hostages taken by
the Hamas terror group. That anniversary happening earlier this week.
A couple of days later, a peace deal agreement coming
out being announced by President Donald Trump. We continue to
track all of the details right here on the Carolina
(08:13):
Journal News Hour, and of course you'll hear continuing coverage
throughout the day right here on Newstalk eleven ten and
ninety nine to three WBT. It's five twenty one. Welcome
back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstalk eleven ten,
ninety nine to three WBT. Turning our attention to some
(08:36):
statewide news this morning, There's been some rumors and some
rumblings over the last couple of weeks about some potential
congressional redistricting in North Carolina. However, legal experts say that
potentially redrawing of any congressional maps here in North Carolina.
Predominantly North Carolina's a first congressional district would post severe
(08:56):
litigation risks. This issue arose after a non his source
told left wing advocacy group Carolina Forward that State Senate
Leader Phil Berger from Rockingham County, the Republican there, had
asked President Donald Trump for his endorsement in a tight
primary challenge in his legislative district in exchange for redrawing
(09:16):
lines of the first congressional district. Berger took to social
media a couple of weeks ago to shoot down that rumor, saying, quote,
I've been watching what's going on in California with Gavin
Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress. We
have drawn four congressional maps in the last six years
in the redistricting fight with Democrats because of their sue
(09:38):
till blue strategy. If we have to draw new maps,
we will. However, Berger said that he has not had
any conversations with the President or anybody associated with the president. Berger,
a member of the state Senate since two thousand and
the leader of the Senate since twenty eleven, faces a
primary challenge from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Paige. However, redrawing
(10:01):
Congressional District one would be a significant move since it's
the only competitive district in the state. Democrat Representative Don
Davis is current the current incumbent he sits in that seat.
He won he won in twenty twenty two by a
fifty two point four to forty seven point six margin
over his Republican challenger. However, his victory in twenty twenty
(10:24):
four was much narrower, at forty nine point five to
forty seven point eight percent. Jeanette Dorin with the Jeanette
Dorian from the John Locke Foundation told The Carolina Journal quote,
I would expect any new district maps to be a
subject of litigation. North Carolina has seen lawsuit after lawsuit
(10:45):
over redistricting, and I'd expect more if the General Assembly
redraws maps. Now, whether any such lawsuit would have merits
remains to be seen. Doctor Andy Jackson, the director of
the Civita Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation,
notes that North Carolina one, or the first congressional district,
has become less secure for Democrats in recent years. Jackson
(11:09):
said quote. The John Locke Foundation analyzed the new congressional
districts when the General Assembly passed them in twenty twenty three,
and found that the first district is a D plus zero,
meaning that Democrats have less than a half a point
percentage advantage over Republicans. As rural North Carolinians shift towards
the GOP, I expect that this district to lean Republican
(11:32):
by the end of the decade, even if its borders
remain unchanged. Jackson also said since the twenty twenty four election,
the first District has shifted from a point four percent
Democrat advantage to a point three percent Republican advantage, noting
that the small shift is probably not enough to overcome
the advantage that Don Davis would have as the incumbent
(11:54):
in that race, especially in a midterm election when the
president's party tends to suffer losses. A potential challenge in
redrawing the lines for North Carolina's first congressional district is
the district has a majority minority designation under the Federal
Voting Rights Act. That means that a majority of the
district's voters that may be from an ethnic or racial
(12:17):
minority Jackson noted one of the potential problems facing the
General Assembly, and did note that Voting Right Act than
some of the federal designations there, saying, quote, roughly forty
percent of the district is black. Any change that significantly
drops that number, especially if it negatively affects the district's
(12:37):
compactness and splits more counties, will make it less likely
to survive in an inevitable lawsuit. He also pointed to
a recent United States Supreme Court decision from twenty twenty three,
Allen versus Milligan that reinforced the components of the Voting
Right Act. Doctor Andy Jackson said that case should give
(12:57):
legislator's pause before making significant changes to the first Congressional district. Now,
I'll note again all of this is stemming from anonymous
sources talking to a left wing advocacy group here in
North Carolina. The state Senate leader in Phil Berger, who
was the subject of that anonymous report, has denied any involvement. However,
(13:19):
the discussion is continuing across North Carolina this morning, and
Governor Josh Stein commenting as well, calling the idea of
redrawing the maps quote ridiculous. His comments were in response
to that post from Senate Leader Phil Berger, who dismissed
those rumors that he planned on redrawing those maps. Stein
told members of the Council of State after their meeting
(13:41):
last week, quote, we just redistricted for a second time
last cycle. So every two years is the theory that
we're going to redistrict so we can maximize the political
advantage to stick it to one party and enhance another.
That is not how redistricting works. You do it once
a deck, unless you're ordered by the courts to redraw
(14:02):
because your first effort violated the law. Then you wait
till the next census, and then you redistrict again. Stein,
of course referencing some of those comments on social media.
The Democrat governor of California and Gavin Newsom also a
commenting on the again rumored report not verified or backed
up by anybody report as well, saying quote Donald Trump
(14:26):
is swapping endorsements in exchange for rigging elections, and it's
barely making the news. The governor also said quote it
will destroy the politics of this country. You have to
be able to recognize sometimes you win an election and
sometimes you lose an election. When you lose, you gather
your forces, you work harder, and you try and convince
(14:47):
the voters. Next time when you win, you work your
tail off to deliver on the promises that you made
to people so they'll re elect you. That's how it's
supposed to work. So that is some of the commentary
coming in across the state of North Carolina on the
possibility of redistricting. And again all rumor, no action has
(15:08):
been taken by the General Assembly at all. They were
back in Raleigh just a couple of weeks ago when
we did not hear any commentary or comments from Senate Leader,
Senate Majority Leader in Phil Berger, nothing from any of
the other leaders on the other side of the chamber
as well in the House, no comments from him. Lawmakers, however,
(15:28):
are expected to be back in Raleigh coming up here
on October the twentieth, and so if maps were going
to be redrawn again, no indication that they are, but
if they were going to be redrawn, it would have
to happen pretty quickly. Candidate filing afore the midterm elections
coming up in November of nick next year, do you
open up in early December of this year. That's when candidates,
(15:52):
all the candidates will file. We will then head into
a March primary in early twenty twenty six, and then
of course a major gen election coming your way in
November of next year. So it is something that we
will keep an eye on. We've got details on this,
some of the back and forth from Phil Berger and
Governor Stein. All of that available over on our website,
(16:13):
Carolina Journal dot com. Two stories there, redrawing of nc's
first congressional district could pose legis litigation risk and the
other Stein redrawing maps for twenty twenty six ridiculous. Both
of those stories over on our website. This morning, Carolina
Journal dot com. It's five thirty six. Welcome back to
(16:36):
the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety nine
to three WBT major, huge breaking international news this morning.
Hamas has agreed to a peace deal pushed by President
Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza and return hostages.
This comes just a couple of days after the two
year mark October seventh, twenty twenty three, in which more
(17:00):
of more than a thousand individuals lost their lives and
were killed by the Hamas terror group. The Iranian back
Hamas terror group operating in the Gaza strip after their
attack on Israel. The President took to truth social Wednesday
night to make the announcement, writing quote, I am very
proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed
off on the first phase of our peace plan. This
(17:23):
means that all of the hostages will be released very
soon and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed
uponline as the first step towards a strong, durable, and
everlasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly. This is
a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel,
all surrounding nations, and the United States of America. And
(17:45):
we thank our mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey who
worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.
Blessed are all the peacemakers. Moments before the president's announcements,
photos emerged from the negotiations on social media, showing senior
officials embracing and shaking hands as reports indicated significant progress
(18:09):
towards a hostage piece deal. The President was actually on
camera at an event earlier in the day at the
Oval Office when his secretary, as stated Marco Rubio, leaned
into whisper something into his ear, letting him know that
the negotiations were coming very co close to concluding. We
would then find out just a couple of hours later
(18:29):
that that in fact has happened. Prime Minister Benjamin Nett
and Yahoo said in a statement, with God's help, we
will bring them all home. A great day for Israel tomorrow,
meaning today I will convene the government to approve the
agreement and bring all our dear hostages home. I thank
the historic soldiers of the IDF and all security forces.
(18:51):
Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have reached this deal.
I think from the bottom of my heart President Trump
and his team for mobilizing this sacred mission of freeing
our hostages. With God's help, together we will continue to
achieve all of our objectives and expand peace with our neighbors.
The Hamas terrorist group also released a statement as well,
(19:14):
talking about the release and even in this case, talking
about the movement that went on and some of the
negotiations that took place, talking about how it is a
huge win for various Palestinian groups throughout the region. This
plan and hostages are expected to be released in a
single phase within about seventy two hours, so that clock
(19:37):
is running as of this morning. Rumor on social media
indicates that President Donald Trump could be traveling to the
Middle East, could be heading to Israel as soon as
the as soon as Monday, So you'd imagine that plans
are underway right now to set that up and make
sure that the President can have a safe visit over
to the Middle East. This is a major historic deal
(20:00):
for President Donald Trump. Things are still a little bit
in limbo. We know the deal has been agreed to,
waiting to see when that hostage release all hostage release
will take place, and then, of course we'll be watching
some of those IDF troops pull out of the Gaza
strip and continue to keep an eye on everything going
on there. You'll hear a continued coverage throughout the day
(20:21):
right here on News Talk eleven ten and ninety nine
to three WBT. We'll also keep an eye on the
details right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour, where
it's now five forty News Talk eleven ten, ninety nine
three WBT. If you are someone who has needed to
go to the North Carolina DMV over the last couple
of years, you know that that has been a very
frustrating process. Months long appointment wait times when you get there,
(20:45):
hours long lines. It has been a major frustration for
citizens across the state of North Carolina. This morning, however,
we do have some new legislation passed by the North
Carolina General Assembly, signed by Governor Josh Stein that hopefully
can alleviate another trip to DMV for some citizens across
the state. To walk us through some of those details
this morning, Teresa Peka Carolina Journal dot Com joins us
(21:08):
on the news hour. Teresa, you and I have chatted
about the DMV a couple of times over the last
six or seven months. It is a major headache for
citizens here in North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yes, good morning, Nick, Thanks for having me. Yeah, we
chatted a few times, just a few about the DMV, considering,
like you just said, all the problems that many North
Carolinians have had over the past several years, whether it's
trying to book an appointment online and there's no available appointments,
or if they do get an appointment, they're standing in line,
maybe waiting forever.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
They get to the end of the line and they
say no, sorry, times up. Nobody else is coming in today.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
So there's been a myriad of problems over the last
couple of years, so hopefully this alleviates some of them.
As you mentioned, it's set a Bill two forty five
expand Remote Driver's License Services, which will now allow those
without a real ID to renew their driver's life since
online for a second consecutive time. It specifically allows for
(22:06):
remote renewals of driver's licenses, eliminates the driving LUG requirement,
and authorizes remote issuance for full provisional licenses. So that
is some good news for people out there this morning
that tris.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
I don't know about you, but I know a bunch
of people that still have non real IDs. There's still
valid driver's licenses, many of them expire over the next
couple of years. That folks just have not had the time,
or if we're being honest with each other, frankly, haven't
wanted to deal with the headache that it is to
go through the process of getting a real ID.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Obviously, getting into federal buildings and going through TSA and airports,
all of that does require real ID or a passport
or some other sort of federal documentation. But I would
imagine that there's still millions of people across the state
that have not upgraded to a real idea.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yet, I imagine. So for the reasons she was just
just named. You know, it's you know, it's a real
hardship when some people are taking vacation days to go
stand in line. You've heard of that other things, you know,
to wait and get that renewal. So who wants to
go through that trouble to do that. So yeah, I'm
(23:11):
sure there's many many people without real IDs right now
in the state and this will be a welcome news
for them.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Now, for this renewal of a non real ID in
this process, you do have had to have had a
new picture taken over the last couple of years. What
are the details on who is eligible for this? It's
not everybody? Correct?
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Correct?
Speaker 2 (23:33):
So it only applies again to non reality driver's licenses,
not to state ID cards. Provisions of the law they
let me just go through also allow the reality driver's
licenses to be renewed line a second time if the
customer has had it in person transaction where a new
(23:53):
photo was taken since their last renewal. So that is correct,
But in many cases those in person transactions were a
real ID outside with the customer's renewal period and also
include maybe some name changes in state, address changes and duplicates.
So NCDMV expects these additional renewals to be available in
the next several weeks. Also, as we mentioned about one
(24:15):
of those driving logs, remaining provision of the law allows
teen drivers to upgrade from their Level two limited provisional
license they call it before nines to the Level three
full provisional licenses after nine online. That will also be
available the next several weeks, and teens can already upgrade
from a Level three full provisional license to a regular
(24:38):
Class C license online on their eighteenth birthday.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Well, I'm glad you bring up those teen drivers in
some of the commentary and reading some comments online, Teresa,
that seems to be a group in families that have
been hit really hard. It's something like two or three
visits to DMV over the span of twelve to sixteen
months for sixteen year olds that are going through the
process of trying to get their licen since most folks
don't want to do it, but every four or five years,
(25:03):
I can't imagine trying to schedule a couple of appointments
within a calendar year. That sounds like total chaos.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
It does. It does, and they probably age out before
they get to their appointments, you know it. It seems
like that would happen, right, you're trying to schedule that.
It's hard enough for anybody who say a couple of
years to schedule their next appointment.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
And imagine these these teens you know.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Who are trying to get their first driver's license, and yeah,
it's a real hassle.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
So this is some good news for them as well.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Recapping some of our past conversations, it's not a new discussion,
it's not a new story. It's not a new conversation
here that folks have had frustrations with the DMV, that
criticism has been mounting over the last couple of years. Teresa.
Let's be honest about it. The state of North Carolina
is growing rapidly. You've got a lot of new people
moving into the state getting a state driver's license for
(25:50):
the first time, so you would expect an increase there. However,
State Auditor Dave Bullock, who actually campaigned on this issue,
has now been in the office for a little over
ten months. He released a massive DMV audit back in August.
He seems to be holding those DMV folks feet to
the fire on some of the ongoings in the office.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yes, he has, and the audit that he did it
showed that, you know, a lot of this is really
common sense from a knowledge standpoint, because we've heard it
in the news over and over again. The audit showed
customer experience is deteriorating worse than they expected, especially over
the past five years. He got DMV employees grappling with
(26:30):
the growing workload due to staffing issues, which also hurts customers.
And there's also outdated technology. I don't know if it's
specifically DOS, but it's it's computers back from say the
eighties or so, really really outdated technology. But what Bullock
said in that audit, the biggest issue affecting the DMV,
what he considers this systematic breakdown in the historically fractured
(26:53):
relationship between the DMV and Department of Transportation where the
DMV is housed. He issued a recommendation that they would
separate so but leader from both of those entities. Not
too crazy about that suggestion, as we heard so But
getting back to this new law that was passed. When
combined the three provisions of the law will allow for
(27:16):
up to four hundred thousand more transactions to occur online
instead of in person at a.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
Driver's license office. So that's a major, major help, no.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Question about it. This is a pretty lengthy discussion and
conversation overall about DMV. You can read some additional details
on this new legislation Center Bill two forty five, again
passed by the General Assembly back a couple of weeks
ago and signed into law by Governor Josh Stein by
visiting our website this morning, Carolina Journal dot com. We
appreciate the update. This morning, Teresa Opeka from Carolina Journal
(27:47):
dot com joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
It's five point fifty three. Welcome back to the Carolina
Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven three WBT, and some statewide
news this morning. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is
(28:08):
opposing efforts by DuPont and Comores to pause an environmental
lawsuit that they are currently appealing to the North Carolina
Supreme Court. The company seeks to delay a scheduled October thirtieth,
twenty twenty five Business Court hearing by arguing that the
Attorney General and Jeff Jackson lacks the authority to continue
(28:29):
the case. Jackson's office, in a filing earlier this week,
argued that the case, which I'll note was filed nearly
five years ago, should not be stalled. The lawyers for
the Attorney General's office and the Attorney General himself state
that the lawsuit haimed aims to hold companies accountable for
contaminating North Carolina's natural resources, including things like drinking water,
(28:53):
and that delaying proceedings would only extend the harm to
the state into its residence. Jackson's filing claims that the
company's main goal is to avoid the cost and effort
of preparing for a trial, calling their claim quote irreparably
harmful and insufficient justification for pausing any ongoing legal action.
(29:15):
Jackson further argued that the defendant's request for what they
call a short stay would actually amount to an indefinite delay,
preventing the state from protecting its environment and citizens. So
this lawsuit originated back in twenty twenty under then Attorney
General Josh Stein, who of course is now the governor.
In August of this year, Business Court Judge Michael Robinson
(29:38):
ruled that the current Attorney General and Jeff Jackson does
have the authority to continue pursuing the case and DuPont
and Commores. The chemical manufacturing company that is being assued
by the state, appealed that decision on September the twenty sixth,
contending that the Attorney General overstepped his legal powers by
acting independently of the depart of Environmental Quality or DEQ,
(30:03):
which had already filed related p FOS contamination lawsuits the
company's supreme court. A state Supreme Court petition argues that
Jackson's lawsuit duplicates one that DQ already has, causing him
calling him an unaccountable second regulator. The chemical companies assert
that DQ already has a consent order with Comores to
(30:26):
fund cleanup and environmental progress related to PFOS pollution from
Itsville Works plant. Pollution at that site was taking place
for the better part of forty years and did allow
thousands of the gallons of pifos to flow into the
Cape Fear River basin, contaminating water all the way from
Bladen County down to the Wilmington area. So they are
(30:49):
looking that lawsuit has been ongoing, and they are looking
for a stay in this case. Jackson maintains that his
office remains the common law authority in North Carolina to
tech the property and resources of North Carolinians and is
independent of statutory language. Judge Michael Robinson's earlier August the
(31:09):
Seventh ruling supported Jackson's positions, citing the state's power that
grants the Attorney General the ability to act on behalf
of the sovereign people of North Carolina. At the time.
Robinson wrote that the Attorney General can pursue actions necessary
to protect the state's natural resources even without the Department
(31:33):
of Environmental Quality's explicit request, especially since DEQ lacks statutory
authority to seek some of the damages at issue. So
that is some of the latest in this ongoing, very
lengthy legal challenge that has been ongoing between what is
now a spin off of DuPont into the Comores, a
(31:53):
chemical company. They do operate a site over in Bladon
County that is called the Fayetteville Work Site. That a
facility produced a variety of chemicals for DuPont and now Comores,
and questions over contamination of pifoss into the Cape Fear
River basin has been the subject of not only numerous
legal challenges, not only by d EQ but by local
(32:15):
municipalities and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of a
water filtration systems being put up by local water utilities
up and down the Cape Fear River basin. We've got
some additional details on this story this morning. You can
visit the visit our website and read those details at
Carolina Journal dot com. Well, that's gonna do it for
a Thursday edition. WBT News is next, followed by Good
(32:38):
Morning BT. We're back with you tomorrow morning, five to
six right here on Newstalk eleven, ten and ninety nine
to three WBT
It's five oh five and welcome into a Thursday edition
of The Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety
nine to three WBT. I'm Nick Craig. A good morning
to you. We start with huge breaking international news this morning,
being announced by President Donald Trump last night. Hamas has
agreed to a peace deal that was broken by President
(00:30):
Donald Trump and his envoy of individuals to end a
war that started two years ago this week on October
the seventh. With the peace deal being announced by the
President last night, it will also include the return of
hostages two years after that attack. The President took to
Truth Social his social media platform Wednesday night and wrote, quote,
(00:52):
I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas
have both signed off on the first phase of our
peace plan. This means that all of the hostages will
be released very soon and Israel will withdraw their troops
to an agreed uponline as the first steps towards a strong, durable,
and everlasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly. This
(01:16):
is a great day for the Arab and Muslim world,
Israel and all surrounding nations, as well as the United States,
and we thank our mediators guitar, Egypt and Turkey who
worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.
In all caps, Blessed are the Peacemakers. The President was
(01:38):
obviously talking about this Wednesday night. He did call into
the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News and the President
had this to say, fairy.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Much, John.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a great honor to be involved. And we had
some tremendous help, as you know, with everybody from Steve
Whitgoff and Jared Kushner and Marco and we had everybody, JD,
the the whole group was just amazing. And the military was,
as you know, very instrumental in getting this done. We
have a great military with great leadership. The whole world
(02:10):
came together, to be honest, so many countries that you
wouldn't have even thought of it, they came together. The
world has come together around this deal, and that's something
I would say that without that, it wouldn't happen. So
many countries that you wouldn't have thought of have wired
their best wishes and their commitment to do whatever is necessary.
(02:31):
The country surrounding of all signed I mean, they're all
signed up, and it's been really an amazing period of
time and so great for Israel, so great for Muslims,
for the Arab countries, and so great for this country,
for the United States of America, and that we could
be involved in, you know, making a deal like this
(02:54):
happened because it was you know, many years they talked
about peace in the Middle East. This is more than Gaza.
This is peace in the Middle East. And it's been
incredible thing.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's President Donald Trump on the Sean Hannity television show
on the Fox News channel last night, just a couple
of hours after about two hours or so after making
the announcement. On social media, moments before the president's announcements,
photos emerged from the negotiation room where this was taking
place in Egypt throughout the entirety of this week, showing
(03:26):
senior officials embracing and shaking hands as reports indicated significant
progress towards a hostage release deal. That was the first
sign that that was going on. Israeli media reported that
Israel and the terror group will sign the deal on
Thursday at that Egyptian resort. Prime Minister Benjamin nettin Yahoo
(03:48):
of Israel said in a statement, with God's help, but
we will bring them all home, the Prime Minister added,
in a statement in Hebrew converted to English, a great
day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to
approve the agreement and bring all of our hostages home.
I thank the historic soldiers of the IDF and all
security forces. Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have
(04:12):
reached this day. I think from the bottom of my
heart President Trump and his team for mobilizing this sacred
mission of freeing our hostages. With God's help, together we
will continue to achieve all of our objectives and expand
peace with our neighbors. The terrorist organization in Hamas announced
an official statement and released this as well, saying, quote
(04:34):
after responsible and serious negotiations conducted by the movement and
the Palestinian Resistant factions regarding President Donald Trump's proposal with
an aim of ending the war of extremism against our
Palestinian people and the withdraw of the occupation of the
Gaza Strip, Hamas announced to the reaching of an agreement
(04:56):
that ends the war on Gaza, provides for the withdrawal
of occupation and allows the entry of aid and implements
a prisoner exchange and quote there from the Hamas terror
group that does operate in the Gaza Strip. So obviously,
as you would imagine, a lot of reaction coming in
not only here in the United States, but across the globe.
(05:18):
As President Donald Trump noted in that Sean Hannity television
interview last night, some of the details as we are
expecting them right now. According to Israeli officials, the living hostages,
which there's only expected to be somewhere between twenty and
forty that are still living, are expected to be released
in a single phase sometime coming up within the next
(05:38):
seventy two hours. With the release of the alive hostages,
there will also be the return of bodies of deceased hostages,
but however that will take a little bit longer. However,
Israel insists that that is part of the deal and
that will take place. Hamas reportedly back some is backed
by some Israeli sources, claims that part of the deal
(06:00):
stems from the fact that some of the bodies are
not located in areas under control, so that will be
part of the process that we see unfolding over the
next couple of days. Following Trump's announcement, the Hostages Families
Headquarters released a statement saying quote, the hostages families wish
to express deep gratitude to US President Donald Trump and
(06:24):
his team for the leadership and determination that led to
this historic breakthrough, an end to a war, and a
compassionate agreement to return all of the hostages. There are
currently forty eight hostages in Hamas captivity. Our a moral
and national commitment is to bring them all, both home,
alive and fallen alike. Their return is a condition for
(06:48):
the peace agreement and the Israel society as a whole.
We will not rest or be quiet until the return
of the last hostage. So there's also some room this
morning flowing around that the President of the United States,
in Donald Trump, will be traveling to the Middle East,
potentially as early as Monday. Obviously, that would be a
(07:10):
very last minute trip in terms of the President's travel schedule, which,
as you can imagine, there's a lot that goes into
not only the President traveling anywhere across the United States,
but a last minute trip over to the Middle East.
You can imagine that if some of those rumors are true,
officials within the administration have been working all night feverishly
(07:31):
to try and lay out all of the plans and
details that it will take to get the President Donald
Trump over to portions of the Middle East, potentially coming
up here in the next couple of days. Of course,
earlier this week, back on October the seventh, we marked
the two year anniversary unfortunately since Hamas's deadly attack on
(07:51):
Israel that left more than twelve hundred people dead and
more than two hundred and fifty one hostages taken by
the Hamas terror group. That anniversary happening earlier this week.
A couple of days later, a peace deal agreement coming
out being announced by President Donald Trump. We continue to
track all of the details right here on the Carolina
(08:13):
Journal News Hour, and of course you'll hear continuing coverage
throughout the day right here on Newstalk eleven ten and
ninety nine to three WBT. It's five twenty one. Welcome
back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstalk eleven ten,
ninety nine to three WBT. Turning our attention to some
(08:36):
statewide news this morning, There's been some rumors and some
rumblings over the last couple of weeks about some potential
congressional redistricting in North Carolina. However, legal experts say that
potentially redrawing of any congressional maps here in North Carolina.
Predominantly North Carolina's a first congressional district would post severe
(08:56):
litigation risks. This issue arose after a non his source
told left wing advocacy group Carolina Forward that State Senate
Leader Phil Berger from Rockingham County, the Republican there, had
asked President Donald Trump for his endorsement in a tight
primary challenge in his legislative district in exchange for redrawing
(09:16):
lines of the first congressional district. Berger took to social
media a couple of weeks ago to shoot down that rumor, saying, quote,
I've been watching what's going on in California with Gavin
Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress. We
have drawn four congressional maps in the last six years
in the redistricting fight with Democrats because of their sue
(09:38):
till blue strategy. If we have to draw new maps,
we will. However, Berger said that he has not had
any conversations with the President or anybody associated with the president. Berger,
a member of the state Senate since two thousand and
the leader of the Senate since twenty eleven, faces a
primary challenge from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Paige. However, redrawing
(10:01):
Congressional District one would be a significant move since it's
the only competitive district in the state. Democrat Representative Don
Davis is current the current incumbent he sits in that seat.
He won he won in twenty twenty two by a
fifty two point four to forty seven point six margin
over his Republican challenger. However, his victory in twenty twenty
(10:24):
four was much narrower, at forty nine point five to
forty seven point eight percent. Jeanette Dorin with the Jeanette
Dorian from the John Locke Foundation told The Carolina Journal quote,
I would expect any new district maps to be a
subject of litigation. North Carolina has seen lawsuit after lawsuit
(10:45):
over redistricting, and I'd expect more if the General Assembly
redraws maps. Now, whether any such lawsuit would have merits
remains to be seen. Doctor Andy Jackson, the director of
the Civita Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation,
notes that North Carolina one, or the first congressional district,
has become less secure for Democrats in recent years. Jackson
(11:09):
said quote. The John Locke Foundation analyzed the new congressional
districts when the General Assembly passed them in twenty twenty three,
and found that the first district is a D plus zero,
meaning that Democrats have less than a half a point
percentage advantage over Republicans. As rural North Carolinians shift towards
the GOP, I expect that this district to lean Republican
(11:32):
by the end of the decade, even if its borders
remain unchanged. Jackson also said since the twenty twenty four election,
the first District has shifted from a point four percent
Democrat advantage to a point three percent Republican advantage, noting
that the small shift is probably not enough to overcome
the advantage that Don Davis would have as the incumbent
(11:54):
in that race, especially in a midterm election when the
president's party tends to suffer losses. A potential challenge in
redrawing the lines for North Carolina's first congressional district is
the district has a majority minority designation under the Federal
Voting Rights Act. That means that a majority of the
district's voters that may be from an ethnic or racial
(12:17):
minority Jackson noted one of the potential problems facing the
General Assembly, and did note that Voting Right Act than
some of the federal designations there, saying, quote, roughly forty
percent of the district is black. Any change that significantly
drops that number, especially if it negatively affects the district's
(12:37):
compactness and splits more counties, will make it less likely
to survive in an inevitable lawsuit. He also pointed to
a recent United States Supreme Court decision from twenty twenty three,
Allen versus Milligan that reinforced the components of the Voting
Right Act. Doctor Andy Jackson said that case should give
(12:57):
legislator's pause before making significant changes to the first Congressional district. Now,
I'll note again all of this is stemming from anonymous
sources talking to a left wing advocacy group here in
North Carolina. The state Senate leader in Phil Berger, who
was the subject of that anonymous report, has denied any involvement. However,
(13:19):
the discussion is continuing across North Carolina this morning, and
Governor Josh Stein commenting as well, calling the idea of
redrawing the maps quote ridiculous. His comments were in response
to that post from Senate Leader Phil Berger, who dismissed
those rumors that he planned on redrawing those maps. Stein
told members of the Council of State after their meeting
(13:41):
last week, quote, we just redistricted for a second time
last cycle. So every two years is the theory that
we're going to redistrict so we can maximize the political
advantage to stick it to one party and enhance another.
That is not how redistricting works. You do it once
a deck, unless you're ordered by the courts to redraw
(14:02):
because your first effort violated the law. Then you wait
till the next census, and then you redistrict again. Stein,
of course referencing some of those comments on social media.
The Democrat governor of California and Gavin Newsom also a
commenting on the again rumored report not verified or backed
up by anybody report as well, saying quote Donald Trump
(14:26):
is swapping endorsements in exchange for rigging elections, and it's
barely making the news. The governor also said quote it
will destroy the politics of this country. You have to
be able to recognize sometimes you win an election and
sometimes you lose an election. When you lose, you gather
your forces, you work harder, and you try and convince
(14:47):
the voters. Next time when you win, you work your
tail off to deliver on the promises that you made
to people so they'll re elect you. That's how it's
supposed to work. So that is some of the commentary
coming in across the state of North Carolina on the
possibility of redistricting. And again all rumor, no action has
(15:08):
been taken by the General Assembly at all. They were
back in Raleigh just a couple of weeks ago when
we did not hear any commentary or comments from Senate Leader,
Senate Majority Leader in Phil Berger, nothing from any of
the other leaders on the other side of the chamber
as well in the House, no comments from him. Lawmakers, however,
(15:28):
are expected to be back in Raleigh coming up here
on October the twentieth, and so if maps were going
to be redrawn again, no indication that they are, but
if they were going to be redrawn, it would have
to happen pretty quickly. Candidate filing afore the midterm elections
coming up in November of nick next year, do you
open up in early December of this year. That's when candidates,
(15:52):
all the candidates will file. We will then head into
a March primary in early twenty twenty six, and then
of course a major gen election coming your way in
November of next year. So it is something that we
will keep an eye on. We've got details on this,
some of the back and forth from Phil Berger and
Governor Stein. All of that available over on our website,
(16:13):
Carolina Journal dot com. Two stories there, redrawing of nc's
first congressional district could pose legis litigation risk and the
other Stein redrawing maps for twenty twenty six ridiculous. Both
of those stories over on our website. This morning, Carolina
Journal dot com. It's five thirty six. Welcome back to
(16:36):
the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety nine
to three WBT major, huge breaking international news this morning.
Hamas has agreed to a peace deal pushed by President
Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza and return hostages.
This comes just a couple of days after the two
year mark October seventh, twenty twenty three, in which more
(17:00):
of more than a thousand individuals lost their lives and
were killed by the Hamas terror group. The Iranian back
Hamas terror group operating in the Gaza strip after their
attack on Israel. The President took to truth social Wednesday
night to make the announcement, writing quote, I am very
proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed
off on the first phase of our peace plan. This
(17:23):
means that all of the hostages will be released very
soon and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed
uponline as the first step towards a strong, durable, and
everlasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly. This is
a great day for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel,
all surrounding nations, and the United States of America. And
(17:45):
we thank our mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey who
worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen.
Blessed are all the peacemakers. Moments before the president's announcements,
photos emerged from the negotiations on social media, showing senior
officials embracing and shaking hands as reports indicated significant progress
(18:09):
towards a hostage piece deal. The President was actually on
camera at an event earlier in the day at the
Oval Office when his secretary, as stated Marco Rubio, leaned
into whisper something into his ear, letting him know that
the negotiations were coming very co close to concluding. We
would then find out just a couple of hours later
(18:29):
that that in fact has happened. Prime Minister Benjamin Nett
and Yahoo said in a statement, with God's help, we
will bring them all home. A great day for Israel tomorrow,
meaning today I will convene the government to approve the
agreement and bring all our dear hostages home. I thank
the historic soldiers of the IDF and all security forces.
(18:51):
Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, we have reached this deal.
I think from the bottom of my heart President Trump
and his team for mobilizing this sacred mission of freeing
our hostages. With God's help, together we will continue to
achieve all of our objectives and expand peace with our neighbors.
The Hamas terrorist group also released a statement as well,
(19:14):
talking about the release and even in this case, talking
about the movement that went on and some of the
negotiations that took place, talking about how it is a
huge win for various Palestinian groups throughout the region. This
plan and hostages are expected to be released in a
single phase within about seventy two hours, so that clock
(19:37):
is running as of this morning. Rumor on social media
indicates that President Donald Trump could be traveling to the
Middle East, could be heading to Israel as soon as
the as soon as Monday, So you'd imagine that plans
are underway right now to set that up and make
sure that the President can have a safe visit over
to the Middle East. This is a major historic deal
(20:00):
for President Donald Trump. Things are still a little bit
in limbo. We know the deal has been agreed to,
waiting to see when that hostage release all hostage release
will take place, and then, of course we'll be watching
some of those IDF troops pull out of the Gaza
strip and continue to keep an eye on everything going
on there. You'll hear a continued coverage throughout the day
(20:21):
right here on News Talk eleven ten and ninety nine
to three WBT. We'll also keep an eye on the
details right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour, where
it's now five forty News Talk eleven ten, ninety nine
three WBT. If you are someone who has needed to
go to the North Carolina DMV over the last couple
of years, you know that that has been a very
frustrating process. Months long appointment wait times when you get there,
(20:45):
hours long lines. It has been a major frustration for
citizens across the state of North Carolina. This morning, however,
we do have some new legislation passed by the North
Carolina General Assembly, signed by Governor Josh Stein that hopefully
can alleviate another trip to DMV for some citizens across
the state. To walk us through some of those details
this morning, Teresa Peka Carolina Journal dot Com joins us
(21:08):
on the news hour. Teresa, you and I have chatted
about the DMV a couple of times over the last
six or seven months. It is a major headache for
citizens here in North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yes, good morning, Nick, Thanks for having me. Yeah, we
chatted a few times, just a few about the DMV, considering,
like you just said, all the problems that many North
Carolinians have had over the past several years, whether it's
trying to book an appointment online and there's no available appointments,
or if they do get an appointment, they're standing in line,
maybe waiting forever.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
They get to the end of the line and they
say no, sorry, times up. Nobody else is coming in today.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
So there's been a myriad of problems over the last
couple of years, so hopefully this alleviates some of them.
As you mentioned, it's set a Bill two forty five
expand Remote Driver's License Services, which will now allow those
without a real ID to renew their driver's life since
online for a second consecutive time. It specifically allows for
(22:06):
remote renewals of driver's licenses, eliminates the driving LUG requirement,
and authorizes remote issuance for full provisional licenses. So that
is some good news for people out there this morning
that tris.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
I don't know about you, but I know a bunch
of people that still have non real IDs. There's still
valid driver's licenses, many of them expire over the next
couple of years. That folks just have not had the time,
or if we're being honest with each other, frankly, haven't
wanted to deal with the headache that it is to
go through the process of getting a real ID.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Obviously, getting into federal buildings and going through TSA and airports,
all of that does require real ID or a passport
or some other sort of federal documentation. But I would
imagine that there's still millions of people across the state
that have not upgraded to a real idea.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yet, I imagine. So for the reasons she was just
just named. You know, it's you know, it's a real
hardship when some people are taking vacation days to go
stand in line. You've heard of that other things, you know,
to wait and get that renewal. So who wants to
go through that trouble to do that. So yeah, I'm
(23:11):
sure there's many many people without real IDs right now
in the state and this will be a welcome news
for them.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Now, for this renewal of a non real ID in
this process, you do have had to have had a
new picture taken over the last couple of years. What
are the details on who is eligible for this? It's
not everybody? Correct?
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Correct?
Speaker 2 (23:33):
So it only applies again to non reality driver's licenses,
not to state ID cards. Provisions of the law they
let me just go through also allow the reality driver's
licenses to be renewed line a second time if the
customer has had it in person transaction where a new
(23:53):
photo was taken since their last renewal. So that is correct,
But in many cases those in person transactions were a
real ID outside with the customer's renewal period and also
include maybe some name changes in state, address changes and duplicates.
So NCDMV expects these additional renewals to be available in
the next several weeks. Also, as we mentioned about one
(24:15):
of those driving logs, remaining provision of the law allows
teen drivers to upgrade from their Level two limited provisional
license they call it before nines to the Level three
full provisional licenses after nine online. That will also be
available the next several weeks, and teens can already upgrade
from a Level three full provisional license to a regular
(24:38):
Class C license online on their eighteenth birthday.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Well, I'm glad you bring up those teen drivers in
some of the commentary and reading some comments online, Teresa,
that seems to be a group in families that have
been hit really hard. It's something like two or three
visits to DMV over the span of twelve to sixteen
months for sixteen year olds that are going through the
process of trying to get their licen since most folks
don't want to do it, but every four or five years,
(25:03):
I can't imagine trying to schedule a couple of appointments
within a calendar year. That sounds like total chaos.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
It does. It does, and they probably age out before
they get to their appointments, you know it. It seems
like that would happen, right, you're trying to schedule that.
It's hard enough for anybody who say a couple of
years to schedule their next appointment.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
And imagine these these teens you know.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Who are trying to get their first driver's license, and yeah,
it's a real hassle.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
So this is some good news for them as well.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Recapping some of our past conversations, it's not a new discussion,
it's not a new story. It's not a new conversation
here that folks have had frustrations with the DMV, that
criticism has been mounting over the last couple of years. Teresa.
Let's be honest about it. The state of North Carolina
is growing rapidly. You've got a lot of new people
moving into the state getting a state driver's license for
(25:50):
the first time, so you would expect an increase there. However,
State Auditor Dave Bullock, who actually campaigned on this issue,
has now been in the office for a little over
ten months. He released a massive DMV audit back in August.
He seems to be holding those DMV folks feet to
the fire on some of the ongoings in the office.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yes, he has, and the audit that he did it
showed that, you know, a lot of this is really
common sense from a knowledge standpoint, because we've heard it
in the news over and over again. The audit showed
customer experience is deteriorating worse than they expected, especially over
the past five years. He got DMV employees grappling with
(26:30):
the growing workload due to staffing issues, which also hurts customers.
And there's also outdated technology. I don't know if it's
specifically DOS, but it's it's computers back from say the
eighties or so, really really outdated technology. But what Bullock
said in that audit, the biggest issue affecting the DMV,
what he considers this systematic breakdown in the historically fractured
(26:53):
relationship between the DMV and Department of Transportation where the
DMV is housed. He issued a recommendation that they would
separate so but leader from both of those entities. Not
too crazy about that suggestion, as we heard so But
getting back to this new law that was passed. When
combined the three provisions of the law will allow for
(27:16):
up to four hundred thousand more transactions to occur online
instead of in person at a.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
Driver's license office. So that's a major, major help, no.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Question about it. This is a pretty lengthy discussion and
conversation overall about DMV. You can read some additional details
on this new legislation Center Bill two forty five, again
passed by the General Assembly back a couple of weeks
ago and signed into law by Governor Josh Stein by
visiting our website this morning, Carolina Journal dot com. We
appreciate the update. This morning, Teresa Opeka from Carolina Journal
(27:47):
dot com joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
It's five point fifty three. Welcome back to the Carolina
Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven three WBT, and some statewide
news this morning. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is
(28:08):
opposing efforts by DuPont and Comores to pause an environmental
lawsuit that they are currently appealing to the North Carolina
Supreme Court. The company seeks to delay a scheduled October thirtieth,
twenty twenty five Business Court hearing by arguing that the
Attorney General and Jeff Jackson lacks the authority to continue
(28:29):
the case. Jackson's office, in a filing earlier this week,
argued that the case, which I'll note was filed nearly
five years ago, should not be stalled. The lawyers for
the Attorney General's office and the Attorney General himself state
that the lawsuit haimed aims to hold companies accountable for
contaminating North Carolina's natural resources, including things like drinking water,
(28:53):
and that delaying proceedings would only extend the harm to
the state into its residence. Jackson's filing claims that the
company's main goal is to avoid the cost and effort
of preparing for a trial, calling their claim quote irreparably
harmful and insufficient justification for pausing any ongoing legal action.
(29:15):
Jackson further argued that the defendant's request for what they
call a short stay would actually amount to an indefinite delay,
preventing the state from protecting its environment and citizens. So
this lawsuit originated back in twenty twenty under then Attorney
General Josh Stein, who of course is now the governor.
In August of this year, Business Court Judge Michael Robinson
(29:38):
ruled that the current Attorney General and Jeff Jackson does
have the authority to continue pursuing the case and DuPont
and Commores. The chemical manufacturing company that is being assued
by the state, appealed that decision on September the twenty sixth,
contending that the Attorney General overstepped his legal powers by
acting independently of the depart of Environmental Quality or DEQ,
(30:03):
which had already filed related p FOS contamination lawsuits the
company's supreme court. A state Supreme Court petition argues that
Jackson's lawsuit duplicates one that DQ already has, causing him
calling him an unaccountable second regulator. The chemical companies assert
that DQ already has a consent order with Comores to
(30:26):
fund cleanup and environmental progress related to PFOS pollution from
Itsville Works plant. Pollution at that site was taking place
for the better part of forty years and did allow
thousands of the gallons of pifos to flow into the
Cape Fear River basin, contaminating water all the way from
Bladen County down to the Wilmington area. So they are
(30:49):
looking that lawsuit has been ongoing, and they are looking
for a stay in this case. Jackson maintains that his
office remains the common law authority in North Carolina to
tech the property and resources of North Carolinians and is
independent of statutory language. Judge Michael Robinson's earlier August the
(31:09):
Seventh ruling supported Jackson's positions, citing the state's power that
grants the Attorney General the ability to act on behalf
of the sovereign people of North Carolina. At the time.
Robinson wrote that the Attorney General can pursue actions necessary
to protect the state's natural resources even without the Department
(31:33):
of Environmental Quality's explicit request, especially since DEQ lacks statutory
authority to seek some of the damages at issue. So
that is some of the latest in this ongoing, very
lengthy legal challenge that has been ongoing between what is
now a spin off of DuPont into the Comores, a
(31:53):
chemical company. They do operate a site over in Bladon
County that is called the Fayetteville Work Site. That a
facility produced a variety of chemicals for DuPont and now Comores,
and questions over contamination of pifoss into the Cape Fear
River basin has been the subject of not only numerous
legal challenges, not only by d EQ but by local
(32:15):
municipalities and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of a
water filtration systems being put up by local water utilities
up and down the Cape Fear River basin. We've got
some additional details on this story this morning. You can
visit the visit our website and read those details at
Carolina Journal dot com. Well, that's gonna do it for
a Thursday edition. WBT News is next, followed by Good
(32:38):
Morning BT. We're back with you tomorrow morning, five to
six right here on Newstalk eleven, ten and ninety nine
to three WBT
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