October 6, 2025 • 34 mins
Governor Stein has signed Iryna’s Law into law, calling it a critical first step but saying it doesn’t go far enough to address violent crime. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police has requested that the National Guard be deployed to assist Charlotte law enforcement amid rising violence. Meanwhile, a judge has ruled in favor of state legislators in a Senate redistricting case, solidifying GOP-drawn maps. North Carolina’s trade with Canada remains stable overall, though some commodity sectors continue to feel the effects of tariff uncertainty.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
It's five oh five and welcome into a Monday edition
of The Carolina Journal News Our News Stock eleven, ten
ninety nine to three WBT. I'm Nick Craig, a good
morning to you well. House Bill three oh seven, also
known as Arena's Law, has been a top topic of
discussion over the last couple of weeks. It passed the
General Assembly a little less than two weeks ago and
(00:33):
was sent on over to Governor Josh Stein's desk. We
talked about the deadline for the governor to either sign
or veto the legislation or allow it to automatically become law,
and on Friday, Well the Governor did seemingly what he
had no other choice but to do, which was signed
House Built three oh seven into law. He scolded the
(00:54):
General Assembly, however, in a video announcement, saying that the
bill doesn't go far enough to keep a citizen safe
across the state of North Carolina and pleaded for them
to come back to Raleigh this month and pass another
public safety package that he said that he is proposing.
Here's the announcement from the governor on Friday.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It's Josh Stein, You're governor. My top priority is to
keep people safe. Here in North Carolina. We've recently had
two tragic reminders of just how important it is that
we do everything in our power to protect people. Our
hearts ache for the families of Arena Zarutzka and the
three people who were killed in Southport, and we all
(01:36):
pray for those injured to heal. These random murders raise
real concerns for people all over the state. Everyone deserves
to be and to feel safe in their daily lives,
on their way to or from work, at school, at
their place of worship, in a restaurant, and in their
own home.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
We can and must do more to keep people safe.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
When I review public safety legislation that comes to my desk,
I use one simple test.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Does it make people safer?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Houspell three h seven or Arena's Law alerts the judiciary
to take a special look at people who may pose
unusual risks of violence before determining their bail.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
That's a good thing and why I have signed it
into law.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
The law fails, however, to focus appropriately on the threat
that people pose instead of their ability to post bail.
And most alarming, the General Assembly sprung a last minute
amendment that aims to bring about execution by firing squad
to North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
It's barbaric.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during
my time as governor. Beyond those specific concerns with the legislation,
I'm troubled by its lack of ambition or vision.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
It simply does not do enough to keep you safe.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
That's why I'm calling on the legislature to come back
and pass my comprehensive public Safety Package, a package that
includes more cops on the beat, well trained and public spirited,
building trust in the community, and keeping people safe violence
prevention measures like keeping kids out of gangs and getting
people off drugs. And if we're serious about making people safer,
(03:22):
we have to acknowledge the role that guns and mental
health play and violence that we're seeing all across the country.
We can respect people's Second Amendment rights while also ensuring
that anyone who is violent or dangerously mentally ill does
not have.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Access to guns.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Let's use comprehensive background checks to keep guns out of
the hands of violent criminals and dangerous people. And let's
get family members and law enforcement the power to seek
to temporarily remove a gun from someone who is a
danger to others or themselves. Finally, we must have a
well functioning mental health care system that it gets people
(04:00):
the treatment that they need. In recent years, on a
bipartisan basis, we've made some real progress, but we all
know that it's not enough. As a start, the General
symbly must fully fund Medicaid when they come back to
Raleigh this month, and then let's fix our mental health
care system for the long haul to help people and
to keep us all safe. It's time to get real
(04:23):
about the causes of violence and to take meaningful action
to address them. Let's roll up our sleeves, actually tackle
tough issues head on and put in place effective solutions
to make North Carolina families safer.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Let's get to work.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
That's Governor Josh Stein on Friday, as you heard in
his own words, very little to say positively about this legislation.
Yet buried in the middle of his three and a
half minute comments was the fact that he, regardless of
all of his concerns, he did sign the legislation into law, however,
slamming the General Assembly saying that it does not go
(05:01):
far enough. Reaction coming in from Republican lawmakers on Friday,
House Speaker Destin Hall posted on x quote, Arena's Law
has been signed and is now a reality in North Carolina.
This critical legislation. This is critical legislation that makes our
streets safer by ending cashless bail and getting career criminals
(05:21):
off the streets. We will never forget Irena Zaruska, and
this is the first step to ensuring what happened to
her never happens again. Representative Tricia Cotham, one of the
Republican out of Mecklenburg County, said in a press release quote,
I am thrilled that Arena's Law is now a reality
in North Carolina. Finally we are getting dangerous criminals off
(05:45):
of our streets so we can make sure that no
one else suffers the heartbreak that Arena Zaruska's family endured.
I'm especially proud that through our efforts, this law provides
additional prosecutors for Mecklenburg County, giving our local law enforcement
the tools that they need to fight violent crime. I
thank my colleagues. Some other reaction, including the chairman of
(06:08):
the North Carolina Republican Party and Jason Simmons. A press
release from the GOP on Friday reads Governor Stein's reluctance
to take action on Arena's law shows that he cannot
be trusted to do the right thing for North Carolina
families as a leader. Decisive action was needed. Republican legislators
acted immediately, while Stein chose to blatantly act on a
(06:33):
Friday afternoon. We also got some national comments on this
as well. Congressman Pat Harrigan, who was at that interesting
House Judiciary Oversight Committee hearing that happened just one week ago,
posted on his ex account saying, quote Governor Josh Stein
dragged his feet for nine days, but Arena's law is
(06:55):
finally signed. This law protects families from violent repeat offense
and shuts the revolving door that puts criminals back on
the streets North Carolina's North Carolinians demanded action, and today
they won. That legislation is a wide sweeping House Bill
three zero seven, a wide sweeping criminal justice bill that
(07:17):
was passed by the General Assembly about two weeks ago
in immediate response to the horrific the tragic murder of
twenty three year old Irena Zaruska on the Charlotte light
rail that happened back on August the twenty second, and
some of the details in this legislation that we have
been talking about over the last couple of weeks. The
(07:38):
top bullet item, of course of removing and denying it
cashless bail for individuals that have a violent criminal history,
those that are violent repeat offenders. It tightens some of
those pre trial conditions that would allow the release of
those individuals. Alongside eliminating cashless bail, it establishes a new
(08:00):
protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the criminal justice
system and sets a firmer timeline for appeals in death
penalty cases across the state of North Carolina. One of
the other things that we will see with this legislation
that is now going forward is that judicial officials must
review and consider a defendant's criminal history before setting pre
(08:24):
trial release conditions. The important part of that it requires
those judicial officials, whether a judge or a magistrate, to
make written findings a fact explaining the reason for determining
the condition of release in each case, failure by a
judge or magistrate to make those required findings in House
(08:45):
Bill three zero seven, now officially Arena's law could be
grounds and would be grounds for removal from their post
as either a magistrate or a judge. This wide sweeping
a criminal justice reform bill has been a hot button
political issue over the last couple of weeks. The governor
did sign it into law on Friday, again, regardless of
(09:06):
his all of his concerns and all of his additional
three and a half minutes worth of commentary. He had
very little of a political choice but to sign this
into law, and he did so on Friday. You can
read some additional coverage, including watching the full video and
reading some more of the governor's comments by visiting our
website This Morning Carolina Journal dot com. That headline story
(09:28):
Stein signs Arena's Law into law, but says it doesn't
go far enough. Those details over on our website Carolina
Journal dot com. It's five twenty. Welcome back to the
Carolina Journal News Hour. Good Monday morning, to you a
news Talk eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. A
(09:50):
busy couple of days in North Carolina politics. On Friday,
the Charlotte Mecklenberg Fraternal Order of Police or FOP he
had requested federal assistance over the ongoing crime battle within
the city of Charlotte, and a scathing letter addressed to
Charlotte Mayor vy Lyles, Governor Josh Stein, and as well
(10:13):
as President Donald Trump and his administration. The Fraternal Order
of Police says that staffing levels within the Charlotte Mecklenburg
Police Department are not sufficient and are leading to more
violence and more violent crime across the city. The letter reads,
in part, in the past two days, we've witnessed a
double homicide and a shooting death of sixteen of a
(10:36):
sixteen year old in uptown Charlotte, an area with a
triple digit percent increase in homicides. Last weekend, three people
were murdered in our city. Additionally, we've experienced we've experienced
multiple shootings resulting in serious injuries. Despite these alarming incidents,
leadership continues to downplay the impact of staffing shortages. Violence
(10:59):
and Charlotte, of course, made national headlines in early September
after twenty three year old Irena Zaruska was captured on
surveillance footage being murdered aboard the city's light rail system.
That same attack led to a tense US House Judiciary
Committee field hearing in Charlotte back on September the twenty ninth,
(11:20):
where CMPD Officer Stephen Campbell testified about the lack of
accountability for repeat offenders. Since IRENA's murder. On August the
twenty second, the Fraternal Order of Police reports at least
fifteen additional homicides in the city, along with dozens of
other violent crimes in just the past week and over
(11:41):
the last couple of days, shooting on Friday, a shooting
Saturday night just one block from Bank of America Stadium,
where the Panthers would go on to play on Sunday.
Violent crime continuing to be a major topic of discussion
in the city of Charlotte. The Fraternal Order of Police
letter goes on and says, quote, the current crime fighting
(12:02):
strategies and strained staffing are unsustainable. They place an unacceptable
burden on our officers and jeopardize both their public both
their safety and the publics. With discussions already underway regarding
National Guard and federal involvement, we believe the time has
come to formally request their assistance to relieve pressure on
(12:26):
our rank and file members before more of our citizens
die and our officers get hurt. Former Democrat North Carolina
State Senator and current Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham
called the request nothing more than window dressing, putting a
post out on his ex account saying, quote, the last
(12:46):
thing the City of Charlotte needs is the National Guards
on the streets. As a local community, we must block
outside outside noise and do the work to ensure all
citizens feel safe and secure. Window dressing won't do it.
The North Carolina General Assembly, as we just talked about,
has passed House Bill three oh seven, known as Arena's Law.
(13:08):
That sweeping criminal justice reform bill, according to lawmakers in
the North Carolina General Assembly, will do a part into
making the cities and streets in the city of Charlotte
and other places across North Carolina safer. The Governor Josh
Stein signed that bill into law on Friday. The letter
from the Paternal Order of Police concludes with a plea
(13:32):
for action from Charlotte officials to stand behind law enforcement, saying,
in part, as we seek relief through Federal and National
Guards support, I urged Charlotte Mayor vy Lyles, City Manager
Marcus Jones, and the rest of the council to back
our request. I remain open to serious, solution driven dialogues
(13:53):
with each of you. However, if silence and an action
persist and staffing does not significantly improve quickly, CMPD officers
will continue to seek employment with agencies that recognize and
represent their service, dedication, and well being, further worsening the
staffing crisis that is then assigned respectfully. Daniel C. Redford,
(14:17):
the president of the North Carolina Charlotte Mecklenburg Fraternal Order
of Police Lodge Number nine, a scathing letter talking about
being the voice of more than sixteen hundred CMPD officers
who are members of the Fraternal Order of Police, slamming
lawmakers in Charlotte for their Friday press conference, saying it
(14:40):
just happened too late and noting that too many lives
have already been lost while the Fraternal Order of Police,
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officials and the public while they
sit aside while more violent crime continues to happen through
the city of Charlotte. We have seen over the last
couple of months on National Guard involvement in major United
(15:03):
States cities. It started with the District of Columbia. President
Donald Trump back about two months ago, deploying the National
Guard to clean up crime and homelessness within the District
of Columbia. To the President's credit. From a statistical standpoint,
violent crime did plummet in our nation's capital in an
immediate response to the show of force from a National
(15:27):
Guard being on the streets. Over the last couple of weeks,
also discussions about deploying the National Guard and other major
United States cities to deal with issues like crime, also
deploying the National Guard in places like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago,
where over the last couple of days, immigration and Customs
enforcement officials those working with ICE have been under siege
(15:50):
by left wing activists and protesters outside of their facilities.
This is something that the President has seemingly been willing
to do in the past. The question will be does
a similar action take place in the city of Charlotte.
I will step aside and note that the likelihood of
Mayor vy Lyles and Governor Josh Stein actually calling President
(16:14):
Donald Trump and requesting this federal assistance is a slim
to none, as they could not be ideologically more different
in how they would like to handle these issues. So
the likelihood and some of the calls from the Fraternal
Order of Police on Governor Stein and may vy Lyles
does seem as likely to fall on deaf years. However,
(16:35):
we have seen the President jump in the fold on
crime in Charlotte, talking about the murder of Irena Zaruska
back about four weeks ago. Vice President JD Vance just
north of the Charlotte metro area last week, also discussing
some of the ongoing issues with violent crime in major
cities across the United States, which unfortunately would include the
(16:58):
city of Charlotte as well. So that letter has been sent,
we will wait to see if the White House reacts.
Have not seen any immediate reaction from Governor Josh Stein
or Mayor vy Lyles, just some of the commentary coming
in from other members of the Charlotte City Council. You
can check out some additional coverage of that story by
visiting our website this morning, Carolina Journal dot com. The
(17:22):
headline there, National Guard requested by FOP to tackle Charlotte crime. Again.
Those details over at Carolina Journal dot com.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
It's five point thirty five.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News our news stock
eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. Some big political
news that we are tracking this morning and watched all
throughout last week. The deadline for Governor Josh Stein to
sign or veto House Bill three oh seven. The name
of that legislation Arena's Law, and the governor did act
(17:58):
on Friday, officially signing the legislation into law after releasing
about a three and a half minute video. He scolded
the General Assembly and had very little positive to say
about the legislation, yet he did sign it into law
as it has become a major political dividing factor between
Republicans and Democrats over the last couple of weeks. Republicans
(18:21):
claiming Democrats are soft on crime, pinning the death of
Arena Zaruska and other tragic murders across the country on weak,
soft on crime policies from those on the political left,
things like cashless bail. Democrats on the other side, claiming
that this is a mental health issue that needs to
be dealt with and Republicans aren't doing enough to fund
(18:43):
the mental health care system. The governor said, in part quote,
when I review public safety legislation that comes to my desk,
I use one simple test. Does this make people safer?
He said in that video statement, this legislation House spilled
three oh seven alert it's the judiciary to take a
special look at people who may pose unusual risks of
(19:05):
violence before determining their bail. That's a good thing, and
that is why I have signed it into law. The
bill was presented to the Governor after the North Carolina
House of Representatives approved it back on September the twenty
third in a vote of eighty one to thirty one.
House of Bill three oh seven is a sweeping criminal
(19:26):
justice reform bill introduced and advanced after the murder of
Irena Zaruska a month earlier on the on a Charlotte
light Rail train car. The House vote came only a
day after a after the measure swiftly cleared the North
Carolina Senate and passed the Senate in a twenty eight
to eight vote. It also titans pre trial conditions for
(19:49):
the release of violent offenders, eliminates cashless bail, and establishes
a new protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the
criminal justice system, as well setting a firmer timeline for
appeals in death penalty cases. In addition, that legislation also
would allow death by firing squad if the death penalty
(20:10):
is used in a case. However, the Governor noted that
on his watch there will not be a single firing
squad in one single firing squad death in North Carolina,
at least while he's in the Governor's mansion. So regardless
of the governor's concerns with the legislation, he determined that
he was, from a political standpoint, going to sign it
(20:31):
into law. He did so on Friday. You can read
some additional coverage and details of this story by visiting
our website This morning, Carolina Journal dot com. The headline there,
Stein signs Arena's law into law, but says it doesn't
go far enough. It's now five point thirty eight. You're
listening to the Carolina Journal News Hour. For those that
(20:51):
follow North Carolina politics pretty closely, over the last five
years or so, you've probably heard a lot about redistricting.
This has been a major political discussion in the state
of North Carolina over the last couple of years two three.
Things have settled down, but there are still some lingering
lawsuits from some maps drawn back in twenty twenty three.
We do have an update on one of those legal challenges
(21:12):
this morning. Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation joins
us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Mitch there was
some progress last week in a suit going back to
maps from twenty twenty three. What are you tracking this
morning on it?
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Well, first of all, you talked about redistricting being in
the news for the last few years. For the really
hardcore politicos, this goes back decades. I mean, we know
about redistricted cases going back to the eighties nineties. Every
decade there's been some sort of redistricting fight. But the
case that had the recent resolution involved a challenge to
(21:46):
two state Senate districts in northeastern North Carolina. A couple
of plaintiffs, two black men, one of whom, during the
course of this litigation actually got elected to the state
House of Representatives. But he and his colleague challenged these
two state Senate districts in northeastern and North Carolina and
said that they were examples of racial jerry mandering. Now
(22:08):
that claim is important because both the federal courts and
North Carolina's highest court, the Supreme Court here, have said
that they're not going to deal anymore with so called
partisan jerry mandarin cases where you say that an election
district or an election map is two partisan. Those cases
don't fly anymore. So Basically, to win a jerry mandarin case,
(22:30):
you either have to say that the districts have mal
apportionment where there are too many or too few people
in districts for everyone to have about the same amount
of impact with his or her vote, or you have
to say there's racial jerry mandering. And this case was
a case of racial jerrymandering. Back in February of twenty
(22:51):
twenty four, the judge in the case, James Dever, refused
to grant a preliminary injunction. So these are the maps
that were use for those state Senate districts in the
twenty twenty four election. Now, after the election, Judge Dever
held a five day trial in the case because all
he had done was said no preliminary injunction, but he
(23:11):
hadn't thrown out the case. He held a trial in February,
and now months later he came out with his final
decision more than one hundred and twenty pages, and he
basically said, you didn't prove your case. You didn't prove
there's any racial jerrymandery. Did not prove that there's the
racially polarized voting that you would need to show to
(23:32):
be able to get this, So the plaintiffs lose, the
General Assembly wins, the districts will remain in place. That's
not the final word, because the day after that ruling,
the two plaintiffs in the case appealed to the Fourth
US Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Fourth Circuit has
been a little less kind to Republican legislative leaders than
(23:55):
district court level judges in North Carolina. So it's entirely
possible the Fourth Circuit may issue a different sort of ruling,
but at this point, in this particular redistricting case, it's
a win for the General Assembly and a loss for
those who are challenging the maps. I should mention that
this is just one of several redistricting cases that are
(24:16):
out there right now. There is another case that actually
combines two different lawsuits that deal with both congressional districts
and legislative districts across the state, not just in the
northeastern corner of the state. There was a trial in
that case earlier this year, and we're still awaiting a
ruling from a three judge panel in that case. And
(24:37):
then there's another case. All of the ones we've been
talking about so far are federal court. There's another case
in state court that's in the Court of Appeals right now,
in which former Supreme Court Justice Bob orr has asked
the North Carolina courts to declare that there is a
right constitutional right to fair elections and that if based
on that constitutional right to fair elections, it should row
(25:00):
out some state legislative and congressional districts. So all of
those other cases are still percolating out there, but in
this one case, we've had at least one stage of
resolution where a district court judge at the federal level
has said, no plaintiffs lose general Assembly wins. These districts
are fine, and they're not racial jerrymandering, Mitch.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
You use that term jerrymandering that kind of goes as
swells in and out of the news. It wasn't the
news back just a couple of weeks ago, and it
still remains as some other states across the country look
at redrawing their congressional maps. Jerrymandering has been in the
news a lot over the last couple of months as
it relates to that, but a lot of that deals
with partisan jerrymandering, which you just noted. The courts are
(25:45):
really not taking a look at for this other claim though,
of racial jerrymandering. What was the argument that was originally
made in this case back in twenty twenty three that
the maps were drawn in a way to split up
racial demographics throughout some of these North Carolina state legislative districts.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Yes, remember, the case was dealing with northeastern North Carolina
and two particular state Senate districts out of the fifty
total districts. That area of the state has a high
African American population, and the argument was that at least
one of these districts should have been drawn to enable
African Americans to elect the candidate of their choice. The
(26:30):
response from the General Assembly was, first of all, we
didn't take race into account at all. Unless we show
that there is racially polarized voting, we can't take race
into account. The constitution bars us from doing that. They
also said that all of the other redistricting criteria that
have been spelled out by the courts in the past
have guaranteed that these two districts were going to be
(26:53):
drawn in a way that encompassed the same number of counties,
and they are only a handful of ways to draw
the district and the way that was drawn was constitutional. Now,
remember I said earlier there are no longer in federal
and state courts any partisan Jerry Mandaarin cases, and so
the argument can't be made, oh, you made these districts
(27:14):
to Republican The argument to win the lawsuit has to
be that you used race in a way that is unconstitutional.
And the General Assembly says, we didn't even use race
at all. We didn't take race into account. We used
the normal standard criteria for drawing districts, and we draw
(27:34):
it in drew the districts in a way that was
helpful to Republicans. But that's okay. The courts have said
that's a political question, not that one they're going to
deal with, and so it'll be interesting to see whether
the Fourth Circuit takes a different view of that. The
Fourth Circuit has been inclined over the last couple of
decades to say North Carolina legislators, especially since Republicans have
(27:58):
taken over, you have you have done things in a
way that's racially discriminatory. That's why we originally had voter
ID thrown out and some of the other changes to
elections that the General Assembly wanted to make. So the
Fourth Circuit may take a different view, but if it does,
it's going to have to answer more than one hundred
and twenty pages of arguments that James never made about
(28:20):
why this was at racial Jerry Mannery. Among his examples
were the fact that some of the people who testified
at the trial, state Senator Dan Blue, Representative Robert Reeves
had major powerful positions in the General Assembly even though
they were and they're both black, even though they were
elected in districts that have very low percentages of minorities.
(28:41):
And so he's saying, look, these folks got elected without
having to have a majority minority district. There is no need,
based on the current situation in North Carolina, to have
to have these districts. One of his more famous lines was,
this is not nineteen sixty, nineteen sixty five, this is
twenty twenty five. This is not the same conditions that
(29:03):
we had back when there was racially polarized voting that
was clear in North Carolina.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
You can read some additional details on this original ruling
then the appeal and will of course keep our eye
on some of those other legal challenges, Mitch, that you
brought up. We appreciate the insight and the details.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
This morning.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Mitchkoki from the John Locke Foundation 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,
Newstock eleven, ten ninety nine to three WBT. Taking a
look at some statewide news this morning. Despite increases in
(29:42):
tariffs across the United States, trade with Canada has remained
largely unchanged for North Carolina, with exceptions for certain commodities.
This is all according to year to date data from
the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, also known as
EDP and C. According to Joseph Harris, a fiscal policy
(30:03):
analyst for the John Locke Foundation, he says year to
date through July, trade with Canada has been relatively stable
compared to last year, despite a twenty five percent tariff
being implemented on most Canadian imports in the spring of
this year and Canada implementing its own retaliatory tariffs later on.
(30:24):
Canada has been the largest purchaser of North Carolina exports
in the world for over a decade at this point,
and that trend does continue into twenty twenty five, with
just over five billion dollars in North Carolina exports being
purchased by Canadians just through the month of July. And
While tariffs have had a minimal impact on trade with Canada,
(30:47):
certain commodities have experienced significant changes, a couple of them
pointed out by EDPNC. Animal and vegetable fat exports to
Canada have risen ninety eight point four percent up until July.
Live vehicle and meat exports have also posted substantial gains,
each increasing by roughly seventy five percent. However, on the
(31:09):
negative side, aircraft and aircraft parts have seen the steepest declines,
falling by almost fifty five percent over that same period
of time. Some of the most substantial exports to Canada,
measured by total value year to date rather than persentage growth,
are nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances including some
(31:31):
of the parts for them, pharmaceutical products, and vehicles other
than railway or tramway rolling stock along with their associated
parts and accessories, according to EDP and C. According to
that data, Canadian imports into North Carolina ranked sixth among
countries at about two point eight billion dollars On the
(31:54):
import side, the three most substantial are nuclear reactors, boilers,
and machinery and some of those appliances. According to Harris,
imports of Canadian precious stones and metals have increased a
jarring four thousand, four hundred percent year to date, from
four point four million dollars to more than two hundred
(32:15):
million dollars through the month of July. On the other hand,
imports of organic chemicals from Canada have plummeted by ninety
three percent year to date as well. The tariffs impact
all steel and aluminum products that are not metaled and
poured in the United States, including deliverables in downstream goods.
(32:38):
Automobiles and autoparts are subject to a separate twenty five
percent tariff. As there are multiple things at discussion here.
You've got a general fifty percent tariffs on certain things,
then you've got a separate aluminum and steel tariffs that
have already been in place that are not part of
those wide sweeping Liberation Day tariffs. So confusing when you're
(33:00):
going through some of the numbers and seeing what industries
are actually affected. As of August the first the tariff
rate on most Canadian imports was increased from twenty five
to thirty five percent in an effort by the Trump
administration to hold Canada accountable for its alleged continued role
in the fentanyl crisis, making it even more vital to
(33:23):
continue to monitor the impacts of tariffs on trade with
North Carolina's most valuable customer, our neighbors to the north
in Canada. We've got some charts and some more numbers
and figures on this story this morning over on our
website Carolina Journal dot com. That stories headline n see
trade with Canada remains steady overall, certain commodities impacted. You
(33:47):
can read those details at Carolina Journal dot com. That's
going to do it for a Monday edition. WBT News
is next fogged by Good Morning BT. We're back with
you tomorrow morning, five to six right here on Stock
eleven ten. In ninety nine three, w BT
It's five oh five and welcome into a Monday edition
of The Carolina Journal News Our News Stock eleven, ten
ninety nine to three WBT. I'm Nick Craig, a good
morning to you well. House Bill three oh seven, also
known as Arena's Law, has been a top topic of
discussion over the last couple of weeks. It passed the
General Assembly a little less than two weeks ago and
(00:33):
was sent on over to Governor Josh Stein's desk. We
talked about the deadline for the governor to either sign
or veto the legislation or allow it to automatically become law,
and on Friday, Well the Governor did seemingly what he
had no other choice but to do, which was signed
House Built three oh seven into law. He scolded the
(00:54):
General Assembly, however, in a video announcement, saying that the
bill doesn't go far enough to keep a citizen safe
across the state of North Carolina and pleaded for them
to come back to Raleigh this month and pass another
public safety package that he said that he is proposing.
Here's the announcement from the governor on Friday.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It's Josh Stein, You're governor. My top priority is to
keep people safe. Here in North Carolina. We've recently had
two tragic reminders of just how important it is that
we do everything in our power to protect people. Our
hearts ache for the families of Arena Zarutzka and the
three people who were killed in Southport, and we all
(01:36):
pray for those injured to heal. These random murders raise
real concerns for people all over the state. Everyone deserves
to be and to feel safe in their daily lives,
on their way to or from work, at school, at
their place of worship, in a restaurant, and in their
own home.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
We can and must do more to keep people safe.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
When I review public safety legislation that comes to my desk,
I use one simple test.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Does it make people safer?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Houspell three h seven or Arena's Law alerts the judiciary
to take a special look at people who may pose
unusual risks of violence before determining their bail.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
That's a good thing and why I have signed it
into law.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
The law fails, however, to focus appropriately on the threat
that people pose instead of their ability to post bail.
And most alarming, the General Assembly sprung a last minute
amendment that aims to bring about execution by firing squad
to North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
It's barbaric.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during
my time as governor. Beyond those specific concerns with the legislation,
I'm troubled by its lack of ambition or vision.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
It simply does not do enough to keep you safe.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
That's why I'm calling on the legislature to come back
and pass my comprehensive public Safety Package, a package that
includes more cops on the beat, well trained and public spirited,
building trust in the community, and keeping people safe violence
prevention measures like keeping kids out of gangs and getting
people off drugs. And if we're serious about making people safer,
(03:22):
we have to acknowledge the role that guns and mental
health play and violence that we're seeing all across the country.
We can respect people's Second Amendment rights while also ensuring
that anyone who is violent or dangerously mentally ill does
not have.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Access to guns.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Let's use comprehensive background checks to keep guns out of
the hands of violent criminals and dangerous people. And let's
get family members and law enforcement the power to seek
to temporarily remove a gun from someone who is a
danger to others or themselves. Finally, we must have a
well functioning mental health care system that it gets people
(04:00):
the treatment that they need. In recent years, on a
bipartisan basis, we've made some real progress, but we all
know that it's not enough. As a start, the General
symbly must fully fund Medicaid when they come back to
Raleigh this month, and then let's fix our mental health
care system for the long haul to help people and
to keep us all safe. It's time to get real
(04:23):
about the causes of violence and to take meaningful action
to address them. Let's roll up our sleeves, actually tackle
tough issues head on and put in place effective solutions
to make North Carolina families safer.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Let's get to work.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
That's Governor Josh Stein on Friday, as you heard in
his own words, very little to say positively about this legislation.
Yet buried in the middle of his three and a
half minute comments was the fact that he, regardless of
all of his concerns, he did sign the legislation into law, however,
slamming the General Assembly saying that it does not go
(05:01):
far enough. Reaction coming in from Republican lawmakers on Friday,
House Speaker Destin Hall posted on x quote, Arena's Law
has been signed and is now a reality in North Carolina.
This critical legislation. This is critical legislation that makes our
streets safer by ending cashless bail and getting career criminals
(05:21):
off the streets. We will never forget Irena Zaruska, and
this is the first step to ensuring what happened to
her never happens again. Representative Tricia Cotham, one of the
Republican out of Mecklenburg County, said in a press release quote,
I am thrilled that Arena's Law is now a reality
in North Carolina. Finally we are getting dangerous criminals off
(05:45):
of our streets so we can make sure that no
one else suffers the heartbreak that Arena Zaruska's family endured.
I'm especially proud that through our efforts, this law provides
additional prosecutors for Mecklenburg County, giving our local law enforcement
the tools that they need to fight violent crime. I
thank my colleagues. Some other reaction, including the chairman of
(06:08):
the North Carolina Republican Party and Jason Simmons. A press
release from the GOP on Friday reads Governor Stein's reluctance
to take action on Arena's law shows that he cannot
be trusted to do the right thing for North Carolina
families as a leader. Decisive action was needed. Republican legislators
acted immediately, while Stein chose to blatantly act on a
(06:33):
Friday afternoon. We also got some national comments on this
as well. Congressman Pat Harrigan, who was at that interesting
House Judiciary Oversight Committee hearing that happened just one week ago,
posted on his ex account saying, quote Governor Josh Stein
dragged his feet for nine days, but Arena's law is
(06:55):
finally signed. This law protects families from violent repeat offense
and shuts the revolving door that puts criminals back on
the streets North Carolina's North Carolinians demanded action, and today
they won. That legislation is a wide sweeping House Bill
three zero seven, a wide sweeping criminal justice bill that
(07:17):
was passed by the General Assembly about two weeks ago
in immediate response to the horrific the tragic murder of
twenty three year old Irena Zaruska on the Charlotte light
rail that happened back on August the twenty second, and
some of the details in this legislation that we have
been talking about over the last couple of weeks. The
(07:38):
top bullet item, of course of removing and denying it
cashless bail for individuals that have a violent criminal history,
those that are violent repeat offenders. It tightens some of
those pre trial conditions that would allow the release of
those individuals. Alongside eliminating cashless bail, it establishes a new
(08:00):
protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the criminal justice
system and sets a firmer timeline for appeals in death
penalty cases across the state of North Carolina. One of
the other things that we will see with this legislation
that is now going forward is that judicial officials must
review and consider a defendant's criminal history before setting pre
(08:24):
trial release conditions. The important part of that it requires
those judicial officials, whether a judge or a magistrate, to
make written findings a fact explaining the reason for determining
the condition of release in each case, failure by a
judge or magistrate to make those required findings in House
(08:45):
Bill three zero seven, now officially Arena's law could be
grounds and would be grounds for removal from their post
as either a magistrate or a judge. This wide sweeping
a criminal justice reform bill has been a hot button
political issue over the last couple of weeks. The governor
did sign it into law on Friday, again, regardless of
(09:06):
his all of his concerns and all of his additional
three and a half minutes worth of commentary. He had
very little of a political choice but to sign this
into law, and he did so on Friday. You can
read some additional coverage, including watching the full video and
reading some more of the governor's comments by visiting our
website This Morning Carolina Journal dot com. That headline story
(09:28):
Stein signs Arena's Law into law, but says it doesn't
go far enough. Those details over on our website Carolina
Journal dot com. It's five twenty. Welcome back to the
Carolina Journal News Hour. Good Monday morning, to you a
news Talk eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. A
(09:50):
busy couple of days in North Carolina politics. On Friday,
the Charlotte Mecklenberg Fraternal Order of Police or FOP he
had requested federal assistance over the ongoing crime battle within
the city of Charlotte, and a scathing letter addressed to
Charlotte Mayor vy Lyles, Governor Josh Stein, and as well
(10:13):
as President Donald Trump and his administration. The Fraternal Order
of Police says that staffing levels within the Charlotte Mecklenburg
Police Department are not sufficient and are leading to more
violence and more violent crime across the city. The letter reads,
in part, in the past two days, we've witnessed a
double homicide and a shooting death of sixteen of a
(10:36):
sixteen year old in uptown Charlotte, an area with a
triple digit percent increase in homicides. Last weekend, three people
were murdered in our city. Additionally, we've experienced we've experienced
multiple shootings resulting in serious injuries. Despite these alarming incidents,
leadership continues to downplay the impact of staffing shortages. Violence
(10:59):
and Charlotte, of course, made national headlines in early September
after twenty three year old Irena Zaruska was captured on
surveillance footage being murdered aboard the city's light rail system.
That same attack led to a tense US House Judiciary
Committee field hearing in Charlotte back on September the twenty ninth,
(11:20):
where CMPD Officer Stephen Campbell testified about the lack of
accountability for repeat offenders. Since IRENA's murder. On August the
twenty second, the Fraternal Order of Police reports at least
fifteen additional homicides in the city, along with dozens of
other violent crimes in just the past week and over
(11:41):
the last couple of days, shooting on Friday, a shooting
Saturday night just one block from Bank of America Stadium,
where the Panthers would go on to play on Sunday.
Violent crime continuing to be a major topic of discussion
in the city of Charlotte. The Fraternal Order of Police
letter goes on and says, quote, the current crime fighting
(12:02):
strategies and strained staffing are unsustainable. They place an unacceptable
burden on our officers and jeopardize both their public both
their safety and the publics. With discussions already underway regarding
National Guard and federal involvement, we believe the time has
come to formally request their assistance to relieve pressure on
(12:26):
our rank and file members before more of our citizens
die and our officers get hurt. Former Democrat North Carolina
State Senator and current Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham
called the request nothing more than window dressing, putting a
post out on his ex account saying, quote, the last
(12:46):
thing the City of Charlotte needs is the National Guards
on the streets. As a local community, we must block
outside outside noise and do the work to ensure all
citizens feel safe and secure. Window dressing won't do it.
The North Carolina General Assembly, as we just talked about,
has passed House Bill three oh seven, known as Arena's Law.
(13:08):
That sweeping criminal justice reform bill, according to lawmakers in
the North Carolina General Assembly, will do a part into
making the cities and streets in the city of Charlotte
and other places across North Carolina safer. The Governor Josh
Stein signed that bill into law on Friday. The letter
from the Paternal Order of Police concludes with a plea
(13:32):
for action from Charlotte officials to stand behind law enforcement, saying,
in part, as we seek relief through Federal and National
Guards support, I urged Charlotte Mayor vy Lyles, City Manager
Marcus Jones, and the rest of the council to back
our request. I remain open to serious, solution driven dialogues
(13:53):
with each of you. However, if silence and an action
persist and staffing does not significantly improve quickly, CMPD officers
will continue to seek employment with agencies that recognize and
represent their service, dedication, and well being, further worsening the
staffing crisis that is then assigned respectfully. Daniel C. Redford,
(14:17):
the president of the North Carolina Charlotte Mecklenburg Fraternal Order
of Police Lodge Number nine, a scathing letter talking about
being the voice of more than sixteen hundred CMPD officers
who are members of the Fraternal Order of Police, slamming
lawmakers in Charlotte for their Friday press conference, saying it
(14:40):
just happened too late and noting that too many lives
have already been lost while the Fraternal Order of Police,
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officials and the public while they
sit aside while more violent crime continues to happen through
the city of Charlotte. We have seen over the last
couple of months on National Guard involvement in major United
(15:03):
States cities. It started with the District of Columbia. President
Donald Trump back about two months ago, deploying the National
Guard to clean up crime and homelessness within the District
of Columbia. To the President's credit. From a statistical standpoint,
violent crime did plummet in our nation's capital in an
immediate response to the show of force from a National
(15:27):
Guard being on the streets. Over the last couple of weeks,
also discussions about deploying the National Guard and other major
United States cities to deal with issues like crime, also
deploying the National Guard in places like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago,
where over the last couple of days, immigration and Customs
enforcement officials those working with ICE have been under siege
(15:50):
by left wing activists and protesters outside of their facilities.
This is something that the President has seemingly been willing
to do in the past. The question will be does
a similar action take place in the city of Charlotte.
I will step aside and note that the likelihood of
Mayor vy Lyles and Governor Josh Stein actually calling President
(16:14):
Donald Trump and requesting this federal assistance is a slim
to none, as they could not be ideologically more different
in how they would like to handle these issues. So
the likelihood and some of the calls from the Fraternal
Order of Police on Governor Stein and may vy Lyles
does seem as likely to fall on deaf years. However,
(16:35):
we have seen the President jump in the fold on
crime in Charlotte, talking about the murder of Irena Zaruska
back about four weeks ago. Vice President JD Vance just
north of the Charlotte metro area last week, also discussing
some of the ongoing issues with violent crime in major
cities across the United States, which unfortunately would include the
(16:58):
city of Charlotte as well. So that letter has been sent,
we will wait to see if the White House reacts.
Have not seen any immediate reaction from Governor Josh Stein
or Mayor vy Lyles, just some of the commentary coming
in from other members of the Charlotte City Council. You
can check out some additional coverage of that story by
visiting our website this morning, Carolina Journal dot com. The
(17:22):
headline there, National Guard requested by FOP to tackle Charlotte crime. Again.
Those details over at Carolina Journal dot com.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
It's five point thirty five.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News our news stock
eleven ten ninety nine to three WBT. Some big political
news that we are tracking this morning and watched all
throughout last week. The deadline for Governor Josh Stein to
sign or veto House Bill three oh seven. The name
of that legislation Arena's Law, and the governor did act
(17:58):
on Friday, officially signing the legislation into law after releasing
about a three and a half minute video. He scolded
the General Assembly and had very little positive to say
about the legislation, yet he did sign it into law
as it has become a major political dividing factor between
Republicans and Democrats over the last couple of weeks. Republicans
(18:21):
claiming Democrats are soft on crime, pinning the death of
Arena Zaruska and other tragic murders across the country on weak,
soft on crime policies from those on the political left,
things like cashless bail. Democrats on the other side, claiming
that this is a mental health issue that needs to
be dealt with and Republicans aren't doing enough to fund
(18:43):
the mental health care system. The governor said, in part quote,
when I review public safety legislation that comes to my desk,
I use one simple test. Does this make people safer?
He said in that video statement, this legislation House spilled
three oh seven alert it's the judiciary to take a
special look at people who may pose unusual risks of
(19:05):
violence before determining their bail. That's a good thing, and
that is why I have signed it into law. The
bill was presented to the Governor after the North Carolina
House of Representatives approved it back on September the twenty
third in a vote of eighty one to thirty one.
House of Bill three oh seven is a sweeping criminal
(19:26):
justice reform bill introduced and advanced after the murder of
Irena Zaruska a month earlier on the on a Charlotte
light Rail train car. The House vote came only a
day after a after the measure swiftly cleared the North
Carolina Senate and passed the Senate in a twenty eight
to eight vote. It also titans pre trial conditions for
(19:49):
the release of violent offenders, eliminates cashless bail, and establishes
a new protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the
criminal justice system, as well setting a firmer timeline for
appeals in death penalty cases. In addition, that legislation also
would allow death by firing squad if the death penalty
(20:10):
is used in a case. However, the Governor noted that
on his watch there will not be a single firing
squad in one single firing squad death in North Carolina,
at least while he's in the Governor's mansion. So regardless
of the governor's concerns with the legislation, he determined that
he was, from a political standpoint, going to sign it
(20:31):
into law. He did so on Friday. You can read
some additional coverage and details of this story by visiting
our website This morning, Carolina Journal dot com. The headline there,
Stein signs Arena's law into law, but says it doesn't
go far enough. It's now five point thirty eight. You're
listening to the Carolina Journal News Hour. For those that
(20:51):
follow North Carolina politics pretty closely, over the last five
years or so, you've probably heard a lot about redistricting.
This has been a major political discussion in the state
of North Carolina over the last couple of years two three.
Things have settled down, but there are still some lingering
lawsuits from some maps drawn back in twenty twenty three.
We do have an update on one of those legal challenges
(21:12):
this morning. Mitch Kokai from the John Locke Foundation joins
us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Mitch there was
some progress last week in a suit going back to
maps from twenty twenty three. What are you tracking this
morning on it?
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Well, first of all, you talked about redistricting being in
the news for the last few years. For the really
hardcore politicos, this goes back decades. I mean, we know
about redistricted cases going back to the eighties nineties. Every
decade there's been some sort of redistricting fight. But the
case that had the recent resolution involved a challenge to
(21:46):
two state Senate districts in northeastern North Carolina. A couple
of plaintiffs, two black men, one of whom, during the
course of this litigation actually got elected to the state
House of Representatives. But he and his colleague challenged these
two state Senate districts in northeastern and North Carolina and
said that they were examples of racial jerry mandering. Now
(22:08):
that claim is important because both the federal courts and
North Carolina's highest court, the Supreme Court here, have said
that they're not going to deal anymore with so called
partisan jerry mandarin cases where you say that an election
district or an election map is two partisan. Those cases
don't fly anymore. So Basically, to win a jerry mandarin case,
(22:30):
you either have to say that the districts have mal
apportionment where there are too many or too few people
in districts for everyone to have about the same amount
of impact with his or her vote, or you have
to say there's racial jerry mandering. And this case was
a case of racial jerrymandering. Back in February of twenty
(22:51):
twenty four, the judge in the case, James Dever, refused
to grant a preliminary injunction. So these are the maps
that were use for those state Senate districts in the
twenty twenty four election. Now, after the election, Judge Dever
held a five day trial in the case because all
he had done was said no preliminary injunction, but he
(23:11):
hadn't thrown out the case. He held a trial in February,
and now months later he came out with his final
decision more than one hundred and twenty pages, and he
basically said, you didn't prove your case. You didn't prove
there's any racial jerrymandery. Did not prove that there's the
racially polarized voting that you would need to show to
(23:32):
be able to get this, So the plaintiffs lose, the
General Assembly wins, the districts will remain in place. That's
not the final word, because the day after that ruling,
the two plaintiffs in the case appealed to the Fourth
US Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Fourth Circuit has
been a little less kind to Republican legislative leaders than
(23:55):
district court level judges in North Carolina. So it's entirely
possible the Fourth Circuit may issue a different sort of ruling,
but at this point, in this particular redistricting case, it's
a win for the General Assembly and a loss for
those who are challenging the maps. I should mention that
this is just one of several redistricting cases that are
(24:16):
out there right now. There is another case that actually
combines two different lawsuits that deal with both congressional districts
and legislative districts across the state, not just in the
northeastern corner of the state. There was a trial in
that case earlier this year, and we're still awaiting a
ruling from a three judge panel in that case. And
(24:37):
then there's another case. All of the ones we've been
talking about so far are federal court. There's another case
in state court that's in the Court of Appeals right now,
in which former Supreme Court Justice Bob orr has asked
the North Carolina courts to declare that there is a
right constitutional right to fair elections and that if based
on that constitutional right to fair elections, it should row
(25:00):
out some state legislative and congressional districts. So all of
those other cases are still percolating out there, but in
this one case, we've had at least one stage of
resolution where a district court judge at the federal level
has said, no plaintiffs lose general Assembly wins. These districts
are fine, and they're not racial jerrymandering, Mitch.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
You use that term jerrymandering that kind of goes as
swells in and out of the news. It wasn't the
news back just a couple of weeks ago, and it
still remains as some other states across the country look
at redrawing their congressional maps. Jerrymandering has been in the
news a lot over the last couple of months as
it relates to that, but a lot of that deals
with partisan jerrymandering, which you just noted. The courts are
(25:45):
really not taking a look at for this other claim though,
of racial jerrymandering. What was the argument that was originally
made in this case back in twenty twenty three that
the maps were drawn in a way to split up
racial demographics throughout some of these North Carolina state legislative districts.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Yes, remember, the case was dealing with northeastern North Carolina
and two particular state Senate districts out of the fifty
total districts. That area of the state has a high
African American population, and the argument was that at least
one of these districts should have been drawn to enable
African Americans to elect the candidate of their choice. The
(26:30):
response from the General Assembly was, first of all, we
didn't take race into account at all. Unless we show
that there is racially polarized voting, we can't take race
into account. The constitution bars us from doing that. They
also said that all of the other redistricting criteria that
have been spelled out by the courts in the past
have guaranteed that these two districts were going to be
(26:53):
drawn in a way that encompassed the same number of counties,
and they are only a handful of ways to draw
the district and the way that was drawn was constitutional. Now,
remember I said earlier there are no longer in federal
and state courts any partisan Jerry Mandaarin cases, and so
the argument can't be made, oh, you made these districts
(27:14):
to Republican The argument to win the lawsuit has to
be that you used race in a way that is unconstitutional.
And the General Assembly says, we didn't even use race
at all. We didn't take race into account. We used
the normal standard criteria for drawing districts, and we draw
(27:34):
it in drew the districts in a way that was
helpful to Republicans. But that's okay. The courts have said
that's a political question, not that one they're going to
deal with, and so it'll be interesting to see whether
the Fourth Circuit takes a different view of that. The
Fourth Circuit has been inclined over the last couple of
decades to say North Carolina legislators, especially since Republicans have
(27:58):
taken over, you have you have done things in a
way that's racially discriminatory. That's why we originally had voter
ID thrown out and some of the other changes to
elections that the General Assembly wanted to make. So the
Fourth Circuit may take a different view, but if it does,
it's going to have to answer more than one hundred
and twenty pages of arguments that James never made about
(28:20):
why this was at racial Jerry Mannery. Among his examples
were the fact that some of the people who testified
at the trial, state Senator Dan Blue, Representative Robert Reeves
had major powerful positions in the General Assembly even though
they were and they're both black, even though they were
elected in districts that have very low percentages of minorities.
(28:41):
And so he's saying, look, these folks got elected without
having to have a majority minority district. There is no need,
based on the current situation in North Carolina, to have
to have these districts. One of his more famous lines was,
this is not nineteen sixty, nineteen sixty five, this is
twenty twenty five. This is not the same conditions that
(29:03):
we had back when there was racially polarized voting that
was clear in North Carolina.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
You can read some additional details on this original ruling
then the appeal and will of course keep our eye
on some of those other legal challenges, Mitch, that you
brought up. We appreciate the insight and the details.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
This morning.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Mitchkoki from the John Locke Foundation 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,
Newstock eleven, ten ninety nine to three WBT. Taking a
look at some statewide news this morning. Despite increases in
(29:42):
tariffs across the United States, trade with Canada has remained
largely unchanged for North Carolina, with exceptions for certain commodities.
This is all according to year to date data from
the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, also known as
EDP and C. According to Joseph Harris, a fiscal policy
(30:03):
analyst for the John Locke Foundation, he says year to
date through July, trade with Canada has been relatively stable
compared to last year, despite a twenty five percent tariff
being implemented on most Canadian imports in the spring of
this year and Canada implementing its own retaliatory tariffs later on.
(30:24):
Canada has been the largest purchaser of North Carolina exports
in the world for over a decade at this point,
and that trend does continue into twenty twenty five, with
just over five billion dollars in North Carolina exports being
purchased by Canadians just through the month of July. And
While tariffs have had a minimal impact on trade with Canada,
(30:47):
certain commodities have experienced significant changes, a couple of them
pointed out by EDPNC. Animal and vegetable fat exports to
Canada have risen ninety eight point four percent up until July.
Live vehicle and meat exports have also posted substantial gains,
each increasing by roughly seventy five percent. However, on the
(31:09):
negative side, aircraft and aircraft parts have seen the steepest declines,
falling by almost fifty five percent over that same period
of time. Some of the most substantial exports to Canada,
measured by total value year to date rather than persentage growth,
are nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances including some
(31:31):
of the parts for them, pharmaceutical products, and vehicles other
than railway or tramway rolling stock along with their associated
parts and accessories, according to EDP and C. According to
that data, Canadian imports into North Carolina ranked sixth among
countries at about two point eight billion dollars On the
(31:54):
import side, the three most substantial are nuclear reactors, boilers,
and machinery and some of those appliances. According to Harris,
imports of Canadian precious stones and metals have increased a
jarring four thousand, four hundred percent year to date, from
four point four million dollars to more than two hundred
(32:15):
million dollars through the month of July. On the other hand,
imports of organic chemicals from Canada have plummeted by ninety
three percent year to date as well. The tariffs impact
all steel and aluminum products that are not metaled and
poured in the United States, including deliverables in downstream goods.
(32:38):
Automobiles and autoparts are subject to a separate twenty five
percent tariff. As there are multiple things at discussion here.
You've got a general fifty percent tariffs on certain things,
then you've got a separate aluminum and steel tariffs that
have already been in place that are not part of
those wide sweeping Liberation Day tariffs. So confusing when you're
(33:00):
going through some of the numbers and seeing what industries
are actually affected. As of August the first the tariff
rate on most Canadian imports was increased from twenty five
to thirty five percent in an effort by the Trump
administration to hold Canada accountable for its alleged continued role
in the fentanyl crisis, making it even more vital to
(33:23):
continue to monitor the impacts of tariffs on trade with
North Carolina's most valuable customer, our neighbors to the north
in Canada. We've got some charts and some more numbers
and figures on this story this morning over on our
website Carolina Journal dot com. That stories headline n see
trade with Canada remains steady overall, certain commodities impacted. You
(33:47):
can read those details at Carolina Journal dot com. That's
going to do it for a Monday edition. WBT News
is next fogged by Good Morning BT. We're back with
you tomorrow morning, five to six right here on Stock
eleven ten. In ninety nine three, w BT
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
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.