October 14, 2025 • 33 mins
North Carolina lawmakers plan to reconvene next week to revisit congressional district maps, a move that could spark another round of political and legal battles ahead of the 2026 election. Several new state laws also take effect in October, including one that allows drivers to renew licenses online without a REAL ID. Meanwhile, Senator Thom Tillis has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate a marijuana operation run by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's five oh five and welcome into a Tuesday edition
of The Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety
nine three WBT. I'm Nick Craigitt. Good morning to you.
We start off this Tuesday morning with some major news
out of the North Carolina General Assembly, as North Carolina
lawmakers do plan to return to Raleigh next week, and
(00:30):
we are learning information this morning that they will consider
new congressional maps. After President Donald Trump called on the
Republican led legislature to counter redistricting efforts by Democrats in
blue states across the country. House Speaker Destin Hall, the
Republican from Caldwell County, released a press release Monday afternoon saying,
(00:52):
quote President Trump earned a clear mandate from voters of
North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we
intend to defe by drawing an additional Republican congressional seat.
Our state won't stand by while Democrats like Gavin Newsom
redraw districts to aid their efforts to obtain a majority
in the United States House. We will not allow them
(01:15):
to undermine the will of the voters and President Trump's agenda.
And quote Senate Leader Phil Berger, the Republican from Rockingham
County said that the move is intended to protect Republican
controls in Congress and over the last couple of weeks,
Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, criticized Berger after rumor circulated
(01:36):
by a left wing group called Carolina Forward, alleging that
Berger was offering to redraw the first congressional district in
exchange for an endorsement from President Donald Trump at the time,
back just a couple of weeks ago. Berger denied those
claims in a press release on Monday, Burger also said quote,
President Trump delivered countless victories during his first term in office,
(01:59):
and nine months into his second term, he continues to
achieve unprecedented wins. We are doing everything we can to
protect President Trump's agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress,
picking up where Texas left off. We will hold votes
in our October session to redraw North Carolina congressional maps
(02:21):
to ensure that Gavin Newsom doesn't decide the congressional majority.
Of course, Newsom, the governor of California, is a state
where Democrats have engaged in redistricting efforts to maximize their
party seats in the United States House of Representatives that
has drawn some pretty significant national news and national attention
(02:42):
over the last couple of months, also getting some reaction.
Representatives Brendan Jones, the Republican from Columbus County, and Hugh Blackwell,
the Republican from Burke County, are the co chairs of
the House Redistricting Committee, and they said they view their
efforts as a direct recept response to actions taken by
Democrats in states like California. There lawmakers have placed a
(03:06):
constitutional amendment called the Election Rigging Response Act on the
ballot for a special election coming up on November fourth.
If approved, the state would temporarily suspend its independent Redistricting
Commission and allow the state legislature to enact a new
map in time for the twenty twenty six midterm elections
(03:28):
that would be more favorable to Democrats. Both the Blackwell
and Jones released a joint statement saying, quote, We're stepping
into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left
are attempting to rig the system to hand pick who
runs Congress. This ploy is nothing new, and North Carolina
(03:48):
will not stand by while they attempt to stack the deck.
President Trump has called us on us to fight back,
and North Carolina stands ready to level the playing field.
That's been the majority of the reaction from Republicans here
in North Carolina. We heard from House Speaker Destin Hall,
the leader of the North Carolina Senate, and Phil Berger,
(04:11):
and then of course Representatives Joan Jones and Blackwell. However,
reaction is also coming in from those on the other
side of the political isle. North Carolina's governor, in Josh Stein,
who is a Democrat, called the announcement shameless, saying in
a statement Monday evening, quote, the General Assembly works for
North Carolina, not Donald Trump. The Republican leadership and the
(04:34):
General Assembly has failed to pass a budget, failed to
pay our teachers in law enforcement what they deserve, and
failed to fully fund Medicaid. Now they are failing you,
the voters. That was the immediate reaction from Governor Josh Stein.
We also got some commentary in from the leader the Senate,
(04:54):
or rather the House minority leader in Representative Reeves. He
released the statement last night saying, quote, Republican lawmakers made
clear today that they planned to come back to Raleigh
and disenfranchise the voters of this state instead of lowering
costs for families and ensuring Medicaid can stay afloat. They
(05:15):
are hell bent on consolidating as much power as they can.
Call it what it is, they are stealing a congressional
district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the
ballot box. Senator Ralph Heiss, the Republican from Mitchell County,
is the chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. He also
released a statement saying, quote North Carolina was the target
(05:38):
of Democrats sue till blue scheme and were prepared to
bring forward a new congressional map to defeat this new scheme.
So that's been the reaction from lawmakers on both sides
of the political aisle. Now, looking at this from a
practical standpoint, doctor Andy Jackson, who is the director of
the Civita Center for Public Integrity at the John Law Foundation,
(06:00):
warned that redrawing congressional districts could have unintended political consequences
for Republicans. In a statement to Carolina Journal yesterday, Jackson said, quote,
Republicans risk drawing a so called dummymandered map that can
end up benefiting Democrats. Unless they plan to change the
(06:21):
entire map, they will most likely make the first district
more Republican at the expense of making the third district
less Republican. That would make both districts Republican leaning. However,
they would be competitive. Since the president's party tends to
suffer in midterm elections, Democrats could have a shot at
winning both of them, with Jackson adding that altering the
(06:43):
district's racial com composition could invite litigation, saying quote any
changes that significantly drop the number, especially if it also
negatively affects the district's compactness and splits more counties within
the district, would make it less likely to survive an
inevitable lawsuit. Now, this is nothing new in North Carolina.
(07:07):
We have a long history of redistricting battle and the
state itself has been one of the most litigated states
in the nation when it comes to redistricting. For more
than now three decades, congressional and legislative maps have repeatedly
been struck down by courts, redrawn challenged again, often on
claims of racial or partisan gerrymandering. In the nineteen nineties,
(07:31):
the state's twelfth congressional district became a national flashpoint after
Democrat the Democrat led General Assembly drew a snakelike district
that stretched along Interstate eighty five to include a large
number of black voters. The resulting court battles reshaped how
race could be used in redistricting over back in the
(07:55):
mid to late nineteen nineties, in twenty ten, Republicans won
a majority in the General Assembly using a Democrat run
map a Democrat controlled and drawn maps. Over the following decades,
Republicans drew maps and faced a wave of lawsuits from
Democratic groups and their allies, leading to multiple rounds of
court ordered redraws between twenty sixteen and twenty twenty two,
(08:19):
with the state's highest court ultimately imposing a one time
map designed to yield an even seven to seventh split
between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Back in twenty twenty three,
the newly elected Republican majority of on the North Carolina
Supreme Court reversed course in a case called Harper v. Hall,
(08:41):
ruling that partisan considerations in map making are political questions
that are beyond judicial review. After that ruling, the General
Assembly drew a map that was likely to elect ten
Republicans and three Democrats with just one swing district in
our North Carolina congressional maps. Democrats won that swing district
(09:02):
in twenty twenty four, leading to the current ten to
four split in the congressional delegation. The North Carolina General
Assembly is scheduled to be back in Raleigh starting on Monday,
October the twentieth. They will likely be there for a
couple of days at the beginning of the week, and
from all accounts and all reporting, redistricting will be top
(09:24):
of mind. We will keep an eye on the details
over on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. It's five
twenty one. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour,
news Stock eleven ten ninety nine to three wbteam. Earlier
this month, several bills passed by the North Carolina General
(09:47):
Assembly took effect as the calendar flipped over to October
the first. The new laws addressed several issues, including immigration enforcement,
prime legislation, and child welfare. So going through a couple
of those details this morning. In terms of immigration, local
law enforcement is now required to be further involved in
(10:07):
federal immigration authorities in pre trial investigation processes, as stipulated
by Senate Bill three eighteen. This bill requires sheriffs to
notify immigration and Customs enforcement also known as ICE before
releasing suspects held on immigration detainers, which are federal requests
(10:27):
to hold an individual for up to forty eight hours
to allow for ICE to assume custody in accordinance with
a federal law. The decision to release or detain individuals
according to the detainer is left up to the discretion
of the local jurisdiction and is not compelled by federal law. However,
(10:47):
Senate Bill three eighteen binds law enforcement to honor detainer requests.
The bill expands the list of offenses that will require
authorities to involve ICE to include to include mostly violent felonies.
Governor Josh Stein said the forty eight hour window of
detention is unconstitutional, though he conceded that those charged with
(11:11):
serious offenses ought to receive increased scrutiny from federal immigration officials.
Stein vetoed the bill in June amid a wave of
protests targeting immigration enforcement. However, the veto was overridden by
the General Assembly, and portions of CENEPIL three eighteen did
go into effect on October the first. Some public safety
(11:33):
protections are also now enshrined in state laws. Senate Bill
four twenty nine effects sweeping change to criminal law in
North Carolina. Proponents of the legislation emphasize how it increases
protections for victims of domestic violence and target's fentanyl distribution
across the state. Under the legislation, victims of domestic violence
(11:55):
may file for a protective order without being a resident
of North ka Carolina if the alleged incident occurred within
the boundaries of our state. It increases safeguards and protections
for victims without the need for conviction. The bill also
criminalizes fentanyl use on several levels, from distribution, manufacturing, and possession.
(12:19):
A conviction of a conviction of possession can now carry
up to a one million dollar fine and over twenty
three years in state prison if some of those maximum
sentences are taken through. Governor Josh Stein praised the bill
after signing it into law in June, but expressed some
of his concerns that it penalizes addiction. However, the governor
(12:41):
did sign it into law and it did go into
effect in part beyond October. The first on the child
welfare side House Bill six twelve, which implements wide sweeping
reforms to North Carolina's foster care system. Passed both the
House and snanimously, then, of course, Governor Josh Stein signed
(13:02):
it into law. This legislation overhauls the standing approach to
foster care, the juvenile procedures, child protective services, and other
social services. As it relates to child welfare, it expands
eligibility for the state's Guardianship Assistance Program, which provides aid
to guardians of children when a court has determined reunification
(13:26):
with the family or adoption is impossible. The bill also
expands protections for juveniles at risk by allowing judges to
issue no contact orders, tightening criminal background checks for city
and county employees who work with children, as well as
expanding court oversight of unsupervised visitations and reunification. The bill
(13:49):
was praised by community leaders. The executive director of the
Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina and Gail Osborne, told
The Carolina Journal back a couple of months ago, as
it relates to this legislation, quote, it would give care
caregivers a real voice and corp recognizing that those of
(14:09):
us walking daily lives with these children often understand their
needs most clearly. She also noted it would also bring
a much needed transparency and accountability to child welfare decisions,
decisions that can change the entire course of a child's life.
You can read some additional details on these three pieces
(14:32):
of a legislation that we are highlighting that took effect
at least in part on October the first those details
over on our website Carolina Journal dot com the headline
there what to know about NC laws taking effect in October.
Also keeping our eye on some other legislation across the state.
Drivers without a real idea in North Carolina can now
(14:54):
renew their driver's license online for a second consecutive time.
Senate Bill two forty which is named the Expand Remote
Driver's Licensed Service Bill, was signed into law by Democrat
Governor Josh Stein and made the new option possible. It
allows for remote renewals of driver's license, eliminates the driving
(15:16):
log requirement, and authorizes remote instances for full provisional licenses.
The governor said while signing Senate Bill two forty five quote,
this law will enable more people to renew their driver's
licenses online, helping them avoid lines at DMV offices. It
will also strengthen the state's ability to protect against cyber
(15:38):
threats NCDMV officials a stress rather that the change currently
applies only to non real ID driver's licenses and not
state ID cards. Paul Tyne, who is the Commissioner of
the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, set in a
press release, we encourage our customers to renew their drivers
(16:00):
license online if they're eligible. It's fast, easy, and helps
reduce wait times at our offices. By choosing online services,
you're freeing up space for those who need in person assistance.
Provisions of the law also allow real ID driver's licenses
to be renewed online a second consecutive time if the
(16:22):
customers had an in person transaction where a new photo
was taken since their last renewal. In many cases, those
in person transactions were originally to obtain a real ID
outside of the customer's renewal period, but also includes things
like name changes in state, address changes, and duplications or
(16:43):
duplicate licenses. NCDMV expects that these additional renewals will be
available over the next several weeks, so I'll note they
have not a fully officially hit their online portal yet,
but they will in the next couple of weeks. The
remaining provisions of the law which allow teen drivers to
upgrade their Level two limited a provisional license which is
(17:06):
also known as a before nines to a Level three
full provisional license known as an after nines online will
also be available in the next several weeks. Teen drivers
can already upgrade from a Level three to a full
provisional license to a regular Class C license online on
the date of their eighteenth birthday. However, these some of
(17:28):
these changes, going from a two to three provisional license
will hopefully shorten some of the wait times and help
families that have to essentially rearrange, in many cases, their
entire schedule to get their teenagers over to a DMV
office multiple times as they go through the process of
having a learner's permit, a provisional license, and a full
(17:49):
Class C, which is the standard driver's license. There are
still major concerns and issues ongoing within the states, a
DMV system long waittime, hour long wait times still existing
at many offices across the state online appointments taking months
to get some major issues still being dealt with. Will
continue to track progress to streamline some of those processes
(18:11):
over at DMV and get more folks through the door.
We'll keep an eye on it. It's five thirty seven.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal, News Hour, News TAC eleven,
ten ninety nine three WBT. A couple of weeks ago,
we brought you some details on an ongoing legal challenge
here in North Carolina as it relates to chemical company
(18:33):
Comores and some environmental concerns from a site called the
Fayetteville Works site that DuPont owned and then spun off
into another company called Comores that operates in Bladen County.
The North Carolina Attorney General and Democrat Jeff Jackson tried
to bringing additional legal challenges against them, and we learned
(18:53):
this week that a North Carolina business judge will not
pause Attorney General Jeff Jackson's environments to lawsuit against DuPont
and Comores. A court order a late last week indicates
that in October thirtieth, hearing in the case will move
forward as scheduled. The companies had asked Business Court Judge
(19:13):
Michael Robinson to stay or hold all proceedings in the
dispute while they appeal one of his earlier rulings to
the North Carolina Supreme Court. As both DuPont and Comores
argue that Jackson lacked the legal authority to move forward
with the complaint filed by his predecessor in Josh Stein.
(19:34):
In twenty twenty, the judge and Michael Robinson wrote in
an order on Friday, quote here there is relatively little
prejudice associated with going forward with the proceedings as scheduled.
While the upcoming hearing and subsequent proceedings in this case
will require the expenditure of both parties and court resources,
(19:55):
a desire to avoid inherent litigation expense does not give
rise to a to stay pending in appeal. So that case,
at least as it stands right now, will move forward,
and there will be some movement on that coming up
here towards the end of the month. We'll keep our
eye on those details out of the North Carolina Business Corp.
(20:17):
And if anything is relevant or boils to the surface,
we'll bring it to you right here on the Carolina
or Journal News Hour where it's now five point thirty nine,
News Talk eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. In
twenty twenty four, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opened
up the states first a recreational medical marijuana facility. Obviously
that taking place on Cherokee Land in western North Carolina. However,
(20:40):
since it opened, there have been some questions from our
Senate delegation up in Washington, d C. About some of
the logistics as to how this is going down. Those
renewed calls are now coming out this morning to walk
us through some of those details. Teresa Opeka, Carolina Journal
dot com it joins us on the News hour, Teresa.
Senator Tillis is raising some interesting questions as to how
(21:01):
the Cherokee Indians are getting the pot from the facilities
in which they're growing to their their dispensary store which
is on Cherokee property. What are you tracking out of Washington,
d C.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Sure, good morning, Neck, Thanks for having me so. Yeah.
Senator Tillis talked last week and also last year along
with Senator budd about the about that dispensary and the
uh they called it a superstore for the Eastern Band
of Cherokee Indians for selling marijuana and how you would
buy it at their store, but transporting along certain you know,
(21:37):
state lines, would that violate federal law? Well, Senator Tillis
was in a hearing with you know, United States Attorney
General of Pam Bondi last week and wanted to make
her aware of that. And also he also started out
by saying that possibly they are allegedly marketing this marijuana
to children, because behind him on poster board you were
(22:00):
seeing look like, you know, childlike lettering. You had pumpkin
spice and space rockets, things of that nature. But he
had questions about how they are selling it outside of
their boundary in western North Carolina, which he said is
a violation of federal law.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, you bring up something interesting, and Senator Tillis noted
this as well. It appears that the actual facility where
they're growing the marijuana or the pot is not actually
on the land in which they are selling it, and
they are allowed to sell on their own land. It's
that they have their own jurisdiction over it. And the
argument is, Teresa, they're using North Carolina highways, state roadways,
(22:39):
or federal roadways to transport this pot back and forth.
And if that's the case, that's not only breaking federal
law but state law as well.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Correct, it's still illegal in North Carolina, and as he
pointed out, several states surrounding North Carolina, including Tennessee, Georgia,
South Carolina, that it's illegal to do that. He also
brought up that they have an app that you could
buy the pot on. So, like you said, well, pot, marijuana,
call it, you know, you can call it various different names.
(23:11):
But basically he said, I assume that they are not
delivering it outside of the boundary because I think that
would be illegal. Those are his words, which he would
be correct if that's what, you know, what was happening. So, yeah,
how are you getting it from point A to point B?
Are you buying it and smoking it right there? Or
are you taking it? You know? And of course, but
the app that he questioned, you know, that raises some
(23:33):
other questions as well.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, and you know, going back to one of the
things you brought up at the beginning, Teresa, this discussion
of marketing. This has been a long time issue. We've
seen even the Secretary of State in Elane Marshall over
the last couple of years of busting quickie shops and
convenience stores across the state of North Carolina for selling
you know, THHC infused various chips and snacks and drinks
(23:57):
and things like that that are clearly and obviously being
marketed towards kids and in other cases ripping off like
intellectual property. You look at brands like Dorito's and Oreo
and Pepsi, where you've got individuals manufacturing counterfeit doritos that
are laced with THHC and they're being sold all across
the state of North Carolina. It's been a big emphasis
(24:17):
of her in her office as well.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
That's right. You know. I was at the most recent
Council of State meeting where she was there, and she
was like kind of passing it out to all the
different heads of state. You know, you had via Secretary
of Labor and you had treasurer there. She's like, here,
take a look. It was kind of cute in a way,
like looking how the knockoffs actually look, you know, and
like you say, you mentioned about the different names Doritos, Oreos,
(24:42):
how there's different knockoffs of that. But she said, you know,
she wanted to make parents, especially aware this time of
the year, Halloween being right around the corner, that those
things are being produced and sold in those types of stores.
And also they had some incidents on school buses. One
in particular was in Fayetteville where they had some kids
that got very sick from eating THD laced gummies. It
(25:04):
was kind of like a thing, you know, they were
talking about getting rid of demons or something something crazy
like that. But she said, by the time they got
to school and an adult realized what happened and got
them treatment, they're okay. Unfortunately, in Virginia that was not
the case. So yeah, her office has done a really,
really great service over the last few years with the
state's Anti Counterfeit Trademark Task Force. They've brought in over
(25:28):
seven hundred thousand dollars worth of that type of THHC
and also seizure of at least thirty weapons and eighteen
hundred kilos of marijuana produced products rather and other illicit drugs,
and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. So her
office has been a big proponent of fighting this as well.
And like I said, it's good to mention it now.
The Halloween is coming up.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Yeah, no question about that. Let's turn back to this
meeting in Washington, DC. So Senator Tillis is bringing up
some of these concerns. He's talking to the states, the
country's top law enforcement officer in the Attorney General in
Pam Bondi. Did she have any immediate bond reaction to
some of the concerns that Senator Tillis raised.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
She said she was not aware of the app or
actually of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, but she
said she would definitely have her office take a look
into that. Also, she Senator Tillis talked about, you know,
illegal vapes coming into the country from China, and so
she brought up that fact as well, that you know,
those type of vapes could possibly have the equivalent of
(26:32):
twenty cigarettes in a vape flavor. Ones are illegal, and
of course you know they are again targeting children and
they have some of them actually have video games attached
to them. Did not know that either, but she brought
that up, and she said they're investigating that, trying to
get ahead of the game because some of them, but
she says, next time on the horizon is being laced
(26:53):
with fentanyl. So she said her office is trying to
get ahead of that. So again she wasn't too familiar
with the Eastern Badge Cherokee Indians or their dispensary or
their marijuana selling. You know that they have going on
or the app but she said her office would definitely
be taking a look into it.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Teresa, turning our attention stateside. The pot or marijuana debate
is one that has been growing in the General Assembly
over the last couple of years. We heard back just
in the last legislative session, calls from lawmakers on both
sides of the political aisle to move forward with medical
legalization in the state of North Carolina. We really haven't
seen a whole lot of movement on that, as other
(27:33):
lawmakers argue, well, as soon as you make it legal
for medical use, you're right on the road to full
on decriminalizational recreational use. This is going to be an
issue that North Carolina is likely going to have to face,
probably within the next couple of years, as so many
other states moved towards medical or some full on recreational.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Yeah, I would believe. So I know certain states, you know,
like you said, you already got Colorado. I believe Virginia
up to the north of US, they are have legalized
marijuana itself. Pennsylvania has legalized medical, they still haven't legalized
full on marijuana. I think New Jersey has as well,
but they're talking about that pulling in some revenue. So
you've got that on one hand, but you look at
(28:14):
Colorado having several issues with people, you know, being impaired
with driving. I mean I could smell when when I'm
driving by sometimes I could smell it when it's just like, oh,
that's kind of scary. So yeah, I believe North Carolina
is going to have to deal with this issue sooner
than later, especially maybe when it comes to the medical marijuana.
There are more proponents for that than versus just the
(28:37):
recreational so something I think the General Assembly is definitely
going to have to take up in the next you know,
several months to maybe the next year or two.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, no question about that. The growing pressure from around
the nation will force lawmakers here in North Carolina to
likely act on something like medical marijuana. We'll keep an
eye on that, Teresa. There was a lot more back
and forth between Tillis and some other lawmakers in DC.
You've got a bunch of full quotes from that hearing.
Where can folks go and get those details this morning?
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Sure they can head on over to Carolina Journal dot com.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
We appreciate the details this morning. Teresopeka joins us on
The Carolina Journal News Hour. Good morning again. It's five
point fifty three. Welcome back to The Carolina Journal News Hour,
News Talk eleven, ten ninety nine to three WBT recapping
our big North Carolina news story this morning. As lawmakers
(29:31):
prepared to head back to Raleigh on Monday of next week,
we are learning details that redistricting will be a topic
of conversation. House Speaker Destin Hall, the Republican from Caldwell County,
put out a press release yesterday afternoon saying, in part,
quote President Trump earned a clear mandate from the voters
of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and
(29:53):
we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican
Republican congressional seat our state. I won't stand by while
Democrats like Gavin Newsom redraw districts to aid their efforts
to obtain a majority in the United States House. We
will not allow them to undermine the will of the
voters and a President Trump's agenda. This was also echoed
(30:15):
by Senate Leader Phil Berger, who released a similar statement saying, quote,
President Trump delivered countless victories during his first term in office,
and nine months into his second term, he continues to
achieve unprecedented wins. We are doing everything we can to
protect President Trump's agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress.
(30:37):
We'll be picking up where Texas left off. We will
hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina
congressional maps to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn't decide the congressional majority.
The national redistricting conversation has surrounded itself a lot with
California and a Democrat governor there, Gavin Newsom. Lawmakers in
(31:00):
that state have placed a constitutional amendment called the Election
Rigging Response Act, whatever that means, on the ballot for
a special election coming up on November the fourth of
this year. If California voters approve it, the state would
temporarily suspend its independent Redistricting Commission and allow the state
legislature to enact new maps just ahead of the twenty
(31:23):
twenty six midterm elections that would be more favorable towards
the Democrats in the state of California. Here in North Carolina,
Representatives Brendan Jones and Hugh Blackwell, who are the chairs
of the House Redistricting Committee, said quote, we're stepping into
this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are
(31:45):
attempting to rig the system to hand pick who runs Congress.
This ployee is nothing new, and North Carolina will not
stand by while they attempt to stack the deck. President
Trump has called for us to fight back, and North
Carolina stands ready to level the playing field. That's been
the reaction from Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly. On
(32:06):
the other side of the political aisle, Democrats well, obviously
are not in favor of this. Governor Josh Stein, the
estate's Democrat governor, called the announcement shameless and said, quote
the General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump.
The Republican leadership in the General Assembly has failed to
pass a budget, failed to pay our teachers in law
(32:29):
enforcement what they deserve, and failed to fully fund Medicaid.
Now they are failing you, the voters. The House minority
leader in Robert Reeves also commenting, saying Republican lawmakers made
clear today that they planned to come back to Raleigh
and disenfranchise the voters of this state. Instead of lowering
(32:49):
costs for families or ensuring Medicaid can stay afloat, they
are hell bent on consolidating as much power as they can.
Call it what it is. They are stealing a congressional
de strict in order to shield themselves from accountability at
the ballot box. This has set to be a major
North Carolina news story as we head into next week.
(33:09):
We've got continued coverage over on our website This Morning
Carolina Journal dot com. That's gonna do it for a
Tuesday edition of The Carolina Journal News Hour. WBT News
is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We're back with
you tomorrow morning, 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 Tuesday edition
of The Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety
nine three WBT. I'm Nick Craigitt. Good morning to you.
We start off this Tuesday morning with some major news
out of the North Carolina General Assembly, as North Carolina
lawmakers do plan to return to Raleigh next week, and
(00:30):
we are learning information this morning that they will consider
new congressional maps. After President Donald Trump called on the
Republican led legislature to counter redistricting efforts by Democrats in
blue states across the country. House Speaker Destin Hall, the
Republican from Caldwell County, released a press release Monday afternoon saying,
(00:52):
quote President Trump earned a clear mandate from voters of
North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we
intend to defe by drawing an additional Republican congressional seat.
Our state won't stand by while Democrats like Gavin Newsom
redraw districts to aid their efforts to obtain a majority
in the United States House. We will not allow them
(01:15):
to undermine the will of the voters and President Trump's agenda.
And quote Senate Leader Phil Berger, the Republican from Rockingham
County said that the move is intended to protect Republican
controls in Congress and over the last couple of weeks,
Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, criticized Berger after rumor circulated
(01:36):
by a left wing group called Carolina Forward, alleging that
Berger was offering to redraw the first congressional district in
exchange for an endorsement from President Donald Trump at the time,
back just a couple of weeks ago. Berger denied those
claims in a press release on Monday, Burger also said quote,
President Trump delivered countless victories during his first term in office,
(01:59):
and nine months into his second term, he continues to
achieve unprecedented wins. We are doing everything we can to
protect President Trump's agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress,
picking up where Texas left off. We will hold votes
in our October session to redraw North Carolina congressional maps
(02:21):
to ensure that Gavin Newsom doesn't decide the congressional majority.
Of course, Newsom, the governor of California, is a state
where Democrats have engaged in redistricting efforts to maximize their
party seats in the United States House of Representatives that
has drawn some pretty significant national news and national attention
(02:42):
over the last couple of months, also getting some reaction.
Representatives Brendan Jones, the Republican from Columbus County, and Hugh Blackwell,
the Republican from Burke County, are the co chairs of
the House Redistricting Committee, and they said they view their
efforts as a direct recept response to actions taken by
Democrats in states like California. There lawmakers have placed a
(03:06):
constitutional amendment called the Election Rigging Response Act on the
ballot for a special election coming up on November fourth.
If approved, the state would temporarily suspend its independent Redistricting
Commission and allow the state legislature to enact a new
map in time for the twenty twenty six midterm elections
(03:28):
that would be more favorable to Democrats. Both the Blackwell
and Jones released a joint statement saying, quote, We're stepping
into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left
are attempting to rig the system to hand pick who
runs Congress. This ploy is nothing new, and North Carolina
(03:48):
will not stand by while they attempt to stack the deck.
President Trump has called us on us to fight back,
and North Carolina stands ready to level the playing field.
That's been the majority of the reaction from Republicans here
in North Carolina. We heard from House Speaker Destin Hall,
the leader of the North Carolina Senate, and Phil Berger,
(04:11):
and then of course Representatives Joan Jones and Blackwell. However,
reaction is also coming in from those on the other
side of the political isle. North Carolina's governor, in Josh Stein,
who is a Democrat, called the announcement shameless, saying in
a statement Monday evening, quote, the General Assembly works for
North Carolina, not Donald Trump. The Republican leadership and the
(04:34):
General Assembly has failed to pass a budget, failed to
pay our teachers in law enforcement what they deserve, and
failed to fully fund Medicaid. Now they are failing you,
the voters. That was the immediate reaction from Governor Josh Stein.
We also got some commentary in from the leader the Senate,
(04:54):
or rather the House minority leader in Representative Reeves. He
released the statement last night saying, quote, Republican lawmakers made
clear today that they planned to come back to Raleigh
and disenfranchise the voters of this state instead of lowering
costs for families and ensuring Medicaid can stay afloat. They
(05:15):
are hell bent on consolidating as much power as they can.
Call it what it is, they are stealing a congressional
district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the
ballot box. Senator Ralph Heiss, the Republican from Mitchell County,
is the chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. He also
released a statement saying, quote North Carolina was the target
(05:38):
of Democrats sue till blue scheme and were prepared to
bring forward a new congressional map to defeat this new scheme.
So that's been the reaction from lawmakers on both sides
of the political aisle. Now, looking at this from a
practical standpoint, doctor Andy Jackson, who is the director of
the Civita Center for Public Integrity at the John Law Foundation,
(06:00):
warned that redrawing congressional districts could have unintended political consequences
for Republicans. In a statement to Carolina Journal yesterday, Jackson said, quote,
Republicans risk drawing a so called dummymandered map that can
end up benefiting Democrats. Unless they plan to change the
(06:21):
entire map, they will most likely make the first district
more Republican at the expense of making the third district
less Republican. That would make both districts Republican leaning. However,
they would be competitive. Since the president's party tends to
suffer in midterm elections, Democrats could have a shot at
winning both of them, with Jackson adding that altering the
(06:43):
district's racial com composition could invite litigation, saying quote any
changes that significantly drop the number, especially if it also
negatively affects the district's compactness and splits more counties within
the district, would make it less likely to survive an
inevitable lawsuit. Now, this is nothing new in North Carolina.
(07:07):
We have a long history of redistricting battle and the
state itself has been one of the most litigated states
in the nation when it comes to redistricting. For more
than now three decades, congressional and legislative maps have repeatedly
been struck down by courts, redrawn challenged again, often on
claims of racial or partisan gerrymandering. In the nineteen nineties,
(07:31):
the state's twelfth congressional district became a national flashpoint after
Democrat the Democrat led General Assembly drew a snakelike district
that stretched along Interstate eighty five to include a large
number of black voters. The resulting court battles reshaped how
race could be used in redistricting over back in the
(07:55):
mid to late nineteen nineties, in twenty ten, Republicans won
a majority in the General Assembly using a Democrat run
map a Democrat controlled and drawn maps. Over the following decades,
Republicans drew maps and faced a wave of lawsuits from
Democratic groups and their allies, leading to multiple rounds of
court ordered redraws between twenty sixteen and twenty twenty two,
(08:19):
with the state's highest court ultimately imposing a one time
map designed to yield an even seven to seventh split
between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Back in twenty twenty three,
the newly elected Republican majority of on the North Carolina
Supreme Court reversed course in a case called Harper v. Hall,
(08:41):
ruling that partisan considerations in map making are political questions
that are beyond judicial review. After that ruling, the General
Assembly drew a map that was likely to elect ten
Republicans and three Democrats with just one swing district in
our North Carolina congressional maps. Democrats won that swing district
(09:02):
in twenty twenty four, leading to the current ten to
four split in the congressional delegation. The North Carolina General
Assembly is scheduled to be back in Raleigh starting on Monday,
October the twentieth. They will likely be there for a
couple of days at the beginning of the week, and
from all accounts and all reporting, redistricting will be top
(09:24):
of mind. We will keep an eye on the details
over on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. It's five
twenty one. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour,
news Stock eleven ten ninety nine to three wbteam. Earlier
this month, several bills passed by the North Carolina General
(09:47):
Assembly took effect as the calendar flipped over to October
the first. The new laws addressed several issues, including immigration enforcement,
prime legislation, and child welfare. So going through a couple
of those details this morning. In terms of immigration, local
law enforcement is now required to be further involved in
(10:07):
federal immigration authorities in pre trial investigation processes, as stipulated
by Senate Bill three eighteen. This bill requires sheriffs to
notify immigration and Customs enforcement also known as ICE before
releasing suspects held on immigration detainers, which are federal requests
(10:27):
to hold an individual for up to forty eight hours
to allow for ICE to assume custody in accordinance with
a federal law. The decision to release or detain individuals
according to the detainer is left up to the discretion
of the local jurisdiction and is not compelled by federal law. However,
(10:47):
Senate Bill three eighteen binds law enforcement to honor detainer requests.
The bill expands the list of offenses that will require
authorities to involve ICE to include to include mostly violent felonies.
Governor Josh Stein said the forty eight hour window of
detention is unconstitutional, though he conceded that those charged with
(11:11):
serious offenses ought to receive increased scrutiny from federal immigration officials.
Stein vetoed the bill in June amid a wave of
protests targeting immigration enforcement. However, the veto was overridden by
the General Assembly, and portions of CENEPIL three eighteen did
go into effect on October the first. Some public safety
(11:33):
protections are also now enshrined in state laws. Senate Bill
four twenty nine effects sweeping change to criminal law in
North Carolina. Proponents of the legislation emphasize how it increases
protections for victims of domestic violence and target's fentanyl distribution
across the state. Under the legislation, victims of domestic violence
(11:55):
may file for a protective order without being a resident
of North ka Carolina if the alleged incident occurred within
the boundaries of our state. It increases safeguards and protections
for victims without the need for conviction. The bill also
criminalizes fentanyl use on several levels, from distribution, manufacturing, and possession.
(12:19):
A conviction of a conviction of possession can now carry
up to a one million dollar fine and over twenty
three years in state prison if some of those maximum
sentences are taken through. Governor Josh Stein praised the bill
after signing it into law in June, but expressed some
of his concerns that it penalizes addiction. However, the governor
(12:41):
did sign it into law and it did go into
effect in part beyond October. The first on the child
welfare side House Bill six twelve, which implements wide sweeping
reforms to North Carolina's foster care system. Passed both the
House and snanimously, then, of course, Governor Josh Stein signed
(13:02):
it into law. This legislation overhauls the standing approach to
foster care, the juvenile procedures, child protective services, and other
social services. As it relates to child welfare, it expands
eligibility for the state's Guardianship Assistance Program, which provides aid
to guardians of children when a court has determined reunification
(13:26):
with the family or adoption is impossible. The bill also
expands protections for juveniles at risk by allowing judges to
issue no contact orders, tightening criminal background checks for city
and county employees who work with children, as well as
expanding court oversight of unsupervised visitations and reunification. The bill
(13:49):
was praised by community leaders. The executive director of the
Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina and Gail Osborne, told
The Carolina Journal back a couple of months ago, as
it relates to this legislation, quote, it would give care
caregivers a real voice and corp recognizing that those of
(14:09):
us walking daily lives with these children often understand their
needs most clearly. She also noted it would also bring
a much needed transparency and accountability to child welfare decisions,
decisions that can change the entire course of a child's life.
You can read some additional details on these three pieces
(14:32):
of a legislation that we are highlighting that took effect
at least in part on October the first those details
over on our website Carolina Journal dot com the headline
there what to know about NC laws taking effect in October.
Also keeping our eye on some other legislation across the state.
Drivers without a real idea in North Carolina can now
(14:54):
renew their driver's license online for a second consecutive time.
Senate Bill two forty which is named the Expand Remote
Driver's Licensed Service Bill, was signed into law by Democrat
Governor Josh Stein and made the new option possible. It
allows for remote renewals of driver's license, eliminates the driving
(15:16):
log requirement, and authorizes remote instances for full provisional licenses.
The governor said while signing Senate Bill two forty five quote,
this law will enable more people to renew their driver's
licenses online, helping them avoid lines at DMV offices. It
will also strengthen the state's ability to protect against cyber
(15:38):
threats NCDMV officials a stress rather that the change currently
applies only to non real ID driver's licenses and not
state ID cards. Paul Tyne, who is the Commissioner of
the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, set in a
press release, we encourage our customers to renew their drivers
(16:00):
license online if they're eligible. It's fast, easy, and helps
reduce wait times at our offices. By choosing online services,
you're freeing up space for those who need in person assistance.
Provisions of the law also allow real ID driver's licenses
to be renewed online a second consecutive time if the
(16:22):
customers had an in person transaction where a new photo
was taken since their last renewal. In many cases, those
in person transactions were originally to obtain a real ID
outside of the customer's renewal period, but also includes things
like name changes in state, address changes, and duplications or
(16:43):
duplicate licenses. NCDMV expects that these additional renewals will be
available over the next several weeks, so I'll note they
have not a fully officially hit their online portal yet,
but they will in the next couple of weeks. The
remaining provisions of the law which allow teen drivers to
upgrade their Level two limited a provisional license which is
(17:06):
also known as a before nines to a Level three
full provisional license known as an after nines online will
also be available in the next several weeks. Teen drivers
can already upgrade from a Level three to a full
provisional license to a regular Class C license online on
the date of their eighteenth birthday. However, these some of
(17:28):
these changes, going from a two to three provisional license
will hopefully shorten some of the wait times and help
families that have to essentially rearrange, in many cases, their
entire schedule to get their teenagers over to a DMV
office multiple times as they go through the process of
having a learner's permit, a provisional license, and a full
(17:49):
Class C, which is the standard driver's license. There are
still major concerns and issues ongoing within the states, a
DMV system long waittime, hour long wait times still existing
at many offices across the state online appointments taking months
to get some major issues still being dealt with. Will
continue to track progress to streamline some of those processes
(18:11):
over at DMV and get more folks through the door.
We'll keep an eye on it. It's five thirty seven.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal, News Hour, News TAC eleven,
ten ninety nine three WBT. A couple of weeks ago,
we brought you some details on an ongoing legal challenge
here in North Carolina as it relates to chemical company
(18:33):
Comores and some environmental concerns from a site called the
Fayetteville Works site that DuPont owned and then spun off
into another company called Comores that operates in Bladen County.
The North Carolina Attorney General and Democrat Jeff Jackson tried
to bringing additional legal challenges against them, and we learned
(18:53):
this week that a North Carolina business judge will not
pause Attorney General Jeff Jackson's environments to lawsuit against DuPont
and Comores. A court order a late last week indicates
that in October thirtieth, hearing in the case will move
forward as scheduled. The companies had asked Business Court Judge
(19:13):
Michael Robinson to stay or hold all proceedings in the
dispute while they appeal one of his earlier rulings to
the North Carolina Supreme Court. As both DuPont and Comores
argue that Jackson lacked the legal authority to move forward
with the complaint filed by his predecessor in Josh Stein.
(19:34):
In twenty twenty, the judge and Michael Robinson wrote in
an order on Friday, quote here there is relatively little
prejudice associated with going forward with the proceedings as scheduled.
While the upcoming hearing and subsequent proceedings in this case
will require the expenditure of both parties and court resources,
(19:55):
a desire to avoid inherent litigation expense does not give
rise to a to stay pending in appeal. So that case,
at least as it stands right now, will move forward,
and there will be some movement on that coming up
here towards the end of the month. We'll keep our
eye on those details out of the North Carolina Business Corp.
(20:17):
And if anything is relevant or boils to the surface,
we'll bring it to you right here on the Carolina
or Journal News Hour where it's now five point thirty nine,
News Talk eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. In
twenty twenty four, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opened
up the states first a recreational medical marijuana facility. Obviously
that taking place on Cherokee Land in western North Carolina. However,
(20:40):
since it opened, there have been some questions from our
Senate delegation up in Washington, d C. About some of
the logistics as to how this is going down. Those
renewed calls are now coming out this morning to walk
us through some of those details. Teresa Opeka, Carolina Journal
dot com it joins us on the News hour, Teresa.
Senator Tillis is raising some interesting questions as to how
(21:01):
the Cherokee Indians are getting the pot from the facilities
in which they're growing to their their dispensary store which
is on Cherokee property. What are you tracking out of Washington,
d C.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Sure, good morning, Neck, Thanks for having me so. Yeah.
Senator Tillis talked last week and also last year along
with Senator budd about the about that dispensary and the
uh they called it a superstore for the Eastern Band
of Cherokee Indians for selling marijuana and how you would
buy it at their store, but transporting along certain you know,
(21:37):
state lines, would that violate federal law? Well, Senator Tillis
was in a hearing with you know, United States Attorney
General of Pam Bondi last week and wanted to make
her aware of that. And also he also started out
by saying that possibly they are allegedly marketing this marijuana
to children, because behind him on poster board you were
(22:00):
seeing look like, you know, childlike lettering. You had pumpkin
spice and space rockets, things of that nature. But he
had questions about how they are selling it outside of
their boundary in western North Carolina, which he said is
a violation of federal law.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Yeah, you bring up something interesting, and Senator Tillis noted
this as well. It appears that the actual facility where
they're growing the marijuana or the pot is not actually
on the land in which they are selling it, and
they are allowed to sell on their own land. It's
that they have their own jurisdiction over it. And the
argument is, Teresa, they're using North Carolina highways, state roadways,
(22:39):
or federal roadways to transport this pot back and forth.
And if that's the case, that's not only breaking federal
law but state law as well.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Correct, it's still illegal in North Carolina, and as he
pointed out, several states surrounding North Carolina, including Tennessee, Georgia,
South Carolina, that it's illegal to do that. He also
brought up that they have an app that you could
buy the pot on. So, like you said, well, pot, marijuana,
call it, you know, you can call it various different names.
(23:11):
But basically he said, I assume that they are not
delivering it outside of the boundary because I think that
would be illegal. Those are his words, which he would
be correct if that's what, you know, what was happening. So, yeah,
how are you getting it from point A to point B?
Are you buying it and smoking it right there? Or
are you taking it? You know? And of course, but
the app that he questioned, you know, that raises some
(23:33):
other questions as well.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Yeah, and you know, going back to one of the
things you brought up at the beginning, Teresa, this discussion
of marketing. This has been a long time issue. We've
seen even the Secretary of State in Elane Marshall over
the last couple of years of busting quickie shops and
convenience stores across the state of North Carolina for selling
you know, THHC infused various chips and snacks and drinks
(23:57):
and things like that that are clearly and obviously being
marketed towards kids and in other cases ripping off like
intellectual property. You look at brands like Dorito's and Oreo
and Pepsi, where you've got individuals manufacturing counterfeit doritos that
are laced with THHC and they're being sold all across
the state of North Carolina. It's been a big emphasis
(24:17):
of her in her office as well.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
That's right. You know. I was at the most recent
Council of State meeting where she was there, and she
was like kind of passing it out to all the
different heads of state. You know, you had via Secretary
of Labor and you had treasurer there. She's like, here,
take a look. It was kind of cute in a way,
like looking how the knockoffs actually look, you know, and
like you say, you mentioned about the different names Doritos, Oreos,
(24:42):
how there's different knockoffs of that. But she said, you know,
she wanted to make parents, especially aware this time of
the year, Halloween being right around the corner, that those
things are being produced and sold in those types of stores.
And also they had some incidents on school buses. One
in particular was in Fayetteville where they had some kids
that got very sick from eating THD laced gummies. It
(25:04):
was kind of like a thing, you know, they were
talking about getting rid of demons or something something crazy
like that. But she said, by the time they got
to school and an adult realized what happened and got
them treatment, they're okay. Unfortunately, in Virginia that was not
the case. So yeah, her office has done a really,
really great service over the last few years with the
state's Anti Counterfeit Trademark Task Force. They've brought in over
(25:28):
seven hundred thousand dollars worth of that type of THHC
and also seizure of at least thirty weapons and eighteen
hundred kilos of marijuana produced products rather and other illicit drugs,
and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. So her
office has been a big proponent of fighting this as well.
And like I said, it's good to mention it now.
The Halloween is coming up.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Yeah, no question about that. Let's turn back to this
meeting in Washington, DC. So Senator Tillis is bringing up
some of these concerns. He's talking to the states, the
country's top law enforcement officer in the Attorney General in
Pam Bondi. Did she have any immediate bond reaction to
some of the concerns that Senator Tillis raised.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
She said she was not aware of the app or
actually of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, but she
said she would definitely have her office take a look
into that. Also, she Senator Tillis talked about, you know,
illegal vapes coming into the country from China, and so
she brought up that fact as well, that you know,
those type of vapes could possibly have the equivalent of
(26:32):
twenty cigarettes in a vape flavor. Ones are illegal, and
of course you know they are again targeting children and
they have some of them actually have video games attached
to them. Did not know that either, but she brought
that up, and she said they're investigating that, trying to
get ahead of the game because some of them, but
she says, next time on the horizon is being laced
(26:53):
with fentanyl. So she said her office is trying to
get ahead of that. So again she wasn't too familiar
with the Eastern Badge Cherokee Indians or their dispensary or
their marijuana selling. You know that they have going on
or the app but she said her office would definitely
be taking a look into it.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Teresa, turning our attention stateside. The pot or marijuana debate
is one that has been growing in the General Assembly
over the last couple of years. We heard back just
in the last legislative session, calls from lawmakers on both
sides of the political aisle to move forward with medical
legalization in the state of North Carolina. We really haven't
seen a whole lot of movement on that, as other
(27:33):
lawmakers argue, well, as soon as you make it legal
for medical use, you're right on the road to full
on decriminalizational recreational use. This is going to be an
issue that North Carolina is likely going to have to face,
probably within the next couple of years, as so many
other states moved towards medical or some full on recreational.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Yeah, I would believe. So I know certain states, you know,
like you said, you already got Colorado. I believe Virginia
up to the north of US, they are have legalized
marijuana itself. Pennsylvania has legalized medical, they still haven't legalized
full on marijuana. I think New Jersey has as well,
but they're talking about that pulling in some revenue. So
you've got that on one hand, but you look at
(28:14):
Colorado having several issues with people, you know, being impaired
with driving. I mean I could smell when when I'm
driving by sometimes I could smell it when it's just like, oh,
that's kind of scary. So yeah, I believe North Carolina
is going to have to deal with this issue sooner
than later, especially maybe when it comes to the medical marijuana.
There are more proponents for that than versus just the
(28:37):
recreational so something I think the General Assembly is definitely
going to have to take up in the next you know,
several months to maybe the next year or two.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, no question about that. The growing pressure from around
the nation will force lawmakers here in North Carolina to
likely act on something like medical marijuana. We'll keep an
eye on that, Teresa. There was a lot more back
and forth between Tillis and some other lawmakers in DC.
You've got a bunch of full quotes from that hearing.
Where can folks go and get those details this morning?
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Sure they can head on over to Carolina Journal dot com.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
We appreciate the details this morning. Teresopeka joins us on
The Carolina Journal News Hour. Good morning again. It's five
point fifty three. Welcome back to The Carolina Journal News Hour,
News Talk eleven, ten ninety nine to three WBT recapping
our big North Carolina news story this morning. As lawmakers
(29:31):
prepared to head back to Raleigh on Monday of next week,
we are learning details that redistricting will be a topic
of conversation. House Speaker Destin Hall, the Republican from Caldwell County,
put out a press release yesterday afternoon saying, in part,
quote President Trump earned a clear mandate from the voters
of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and
(29:53):
we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican
Republican congressional seat our state. I won't stand by while
Democrats like Gavin Newsom redraw districts to aid their efforts
to obtain a majority in the United States House. We
will not allow them to undermine the will of the
voters and a President Trump's agenda. This was also echoed
(30:15):
by Senate Leader Phil Berger, who released a similar statement saying, quote,
President Trump delivered countless victories during his first term in office,
and nine months into his second term, he continues to
achieve unprecedented wins. We are doing everything we can to
protect President Trump's agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress.
(30:37):
We'll be picking up where Texas left off. We will
hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina
congressional maps to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn't decide the congressional majority.
The national redistricting conversation has surrounded itself a lot with
California and a Democrat governor there, Gavin Newsom. Lawmakers in
(31:00):
that state have placed a constitutional amendment called the Election
Rigging Response Act, whatever that means, on the ballot for
a special election coming up on November the fourth of
this year. If California voters approve it, the state would
temporarily suspend its independent Redistricting Commission and allow the state
legislature to enact new maps just ahead of the twenty
(31:23):
twenty six midterm elections that would be more favorable towards
the Democrats in the state of California. Here in North Carolina,
Representatives Brendan Jones and Hugh Blackwell, who are the chairs
of the House Redistricting Committee, said quote, we're stepping into
this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are
(31:45):
attempting to rig the system to hand pick who runs Congress.
This ployee is nothing new, and North Carolina will not
stand by while they attempt to stack the deck. President
Trump has called for us to fight back, and North
Carolina stands ready to level the playing field. That's been
the reaction from Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly. On
(32:06):
the other side of the political aisle, Democrats well, obviously
are not in favor of this. Governor Josh Stein, the
estate's Democrat governor, called the announcement shameless and said, quote
the General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump.
The Republican leadership in the General Assembly has failed to
pass a budget, failed to pay our teachers in law
(32:29):
enforcement what they deserve, and failed to fully fund Medicaid.
Now they are failing you, the voters. The House minority
leader in Robert Reeves also commenting, saying Republican lawmakers made
clear today that they planned to come back to Raleigh
and disenfranchise the voters of this state. Instead of lowering
(32:49):
costs for families or ensuring Medicaid can stay afloat, they
are hell bent on consolidating as much power as they can.
Call it what it is. They are stealing a congressional
de strict in order to shield themselves from accountability at
the ballot box. This has set to be a major
North Carolina news story as we head into next week.
(33:09):
We've got continued coverage over on our website This Morning
Carolina Journal dot com. That's gonna do it for a
Tuesday edition of The Carolina Journal News Hour. WBT News
is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We're back with
you tomorrow morning, five to six right here on News
Talk eleven, ten and ninety nine to three WBT
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.