4/18/25 Weekly Roundup
➡️ A reader of my What if we’ve already lost? post this week referred me to an old quote for our strange new time of great change:
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” Antonio Gramsci
➡️ Looking for some good pro-democracy fellowship? Try the People’s Town Hall for Liberty tomorrow, 4/19, at Pack Square Park in Asheville, 12-2PM. “The front part of Pack Square will be a town hall-style event while in the back, we will have an Activism Fair with grassroots groups tabling about how you can get involved with their orgs.”
➡️ LOTS of news this week on the disputed NC Supreme Court seat; scroll way down below State Legislature for a day-by-day summary.
➡️ Two more on Mission Hospital: Medical examiners: Mission Hospital released more than 100 bodies before legally required review and Mission Health insurance plan quietly dropped MAHEC primary care. No one warned employees. AVLWatchdog 4/16 and 4/17/25
Scroll down below NC-Related National… for this week’s North Carolina state governmental and political news. And scroll clear to the bottom for this week’s seasonal photo and note from our WNC homestead. If your email service cuts this post short, you can read it online here.
If you see something in any NC News Digest post that’s incorrect … PLEASE let me know (email to ncnewsdigest@substack.com) so I can publish a correction. Truth matters. Thanks for your help.
Top stories are marked 💥
NC-Related National Politics & Policy
💥 On Chuck Edwards being told that his priorities don’t matter:
FEMA Task Force Urges ‘Cautious Approach,’ As Trump’s Administration Pushes Dismantling NOTUS/Assembly 4/15/25 "Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina has unveiled the recommendations he delivered to the White House to fix the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It specifically argues against abolishing the agency quickly, which administration officials have said they want to do." See also Asheville C-T 4/16, and Republican task force warns against dismantling FEMA Mountain Xpress 4/17/25.
See also coverage of FEMA’s refusal to extend relief reimbursements, in Helene Recovery, below.
💥 ‘Mass confusion’ at the Asheville VA Mountain Xpress 4/16/25 "A flurry of legal actions and a steady stream of executive orders from President Donald Trump and large-scale firings by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency have caused confusion and chaos at the WNC veterans medical center." See also How much of the VA's budget savings will go to patient care? Collins says it's 'up to the President' WUNC 4/17/25 “VA Secretary Doug Collins is aiming for a 15 percent cut in the agency's budget, even as it's serving a growing population of veterans.”
The real Trump Derangement Syndrome PoliticsNC 4/15/25 "Republicans in Congress are acting like Southern legislatures of the early 20th century." Echoes of Jim Crow in present-day abduction and imprisonment without due process.
On effects of Trump’s tariffs in NC:
Trump approval falls in North Carolina as voters fret about tariffs' impact on economy WRAL 4/17/25 "President Donald Trump's tariff announcements are prompting North Carolinians to worry more about the economy and the future of the nation, according to a new poll from Meredith College."
Trump’s tariffs war is sparking uncertainty for North Carolina farmers WaPo 4/14/25 "“It’s always been a guessing game here on the farm, but I think it’s more of a guess now than it’s ever been in my lifetime,” one North Carolina farmer said last week."
Some N.C. Businesses Are Actually Happy About Tariffs Assembly 4/17/25 But many are not, and all are vulnerable to the uncertainty caused by Trump's policy swings.
North Carolina braced for harsh impact of trade war tariffs Center Square 4/17/25
Federal education cuts and Trump DEI demands leave states, teachers in limbo NCNewsline 4/18/25 "Only five states have more of their K-12 budget covered by the feds than North Carolina."
Older and disabled Medicaid recipients, advocates ‘extraordinarily worried’ about potential Medicaid cuts. NC Health News 4/15/25 "Proposed legislation in the N.C. General Assembly [H491 / S403] would set up the process to implement work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries if the federal government gives the okay."
Trump attack on state climate laws likely doomed, but attempts to yank funds may be next NCNewsline 4/11/25 "North Carolina is one of many U.S. states that have enacted state laws targeting carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. A bipartisan 2021 law aims to reduce Duke Energy’s carbon emissions by 70% over 2005 levels in 2030 and achieve “carbon neutrality” by 2050. While it’s unlikely that Trump’s order could have any effect on this law,... a Republican bill [S261] advancing in the current General Assembly would eliminate the 2030 interim goal."
USDA cuts funding to programs impacting local schools and farmers Carolina Journal 4/11/25
See also Helene Recovery, below.
Helene Recovery
💥 FEMA will stop matching 100% of Helene recovery money in North Carolina NCNewsline 4/12/25 "Gov. Stein: ‘I am extremely disappointed and urge the President to reconsider FEMA’s bad decision, even for 90 days.’" See also FEMA decision to cost WNC millions: Rep. Edwards accepts ruling while governor files formal appeal Smoky Mountain News 4/15/25. And Trump stiffs Helene victims PoliticsNC 4/13/25 "The administration denies funds the Governor requested.... Republicans are setting themselves up to lose support in Western North Carolina. In the legislature, they’ve given less money than Governor Josh Stein requested. In Washington, they’ve denied people who are hurting the aid they need to heal."
💥 NC Senate's proposed budget shifts additional $700 million to Helene recovery WUNC 4/14/25 "If the Senate budget is approved as written, the state's total funding allocated to Helene would top $2 billion."
The North Carolinian delivering campers & hope to western NC after Helene Cardinal & Pine 4/17/25 "... delivered more than 220 campers to residents after Tropical Storm Helene."
Why the Forest Service is logging after Hurricane Helene — and why some say they should slow down BPR/Grist 4/15/25
WNC recovery needs 'incredibly vast,' governor says at annual commissioners meeting BPR 4/11/25. See also Asheville C-T 4/14.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson Launches Safe to Rebuild Initiative in Western North Carolina 4/14/25 press release from NC AG’s office "... to deter property theft and support North Carolinians repairing and rebuilding homes and businesses after Hurricane Helene." See also Smoky Mountain News 4/14, Asheville C-T 4/15.
Haywood farmers talk Hurricane Helene recovery, continuing loss of farmland Smoky Mountain News 4/16/25
See also NC-Related…, above.
NC State Government
Executive Branch
Governor
NC Gov. Josh Stein outraged by attack on PA governor, focuses on Hurricane Helene recovery WRAL 4/15/25 "Gov. Josh Stein detailed his efforts to secure more aid for Hurricane Helene recovery, stating the proposed state budget falls short and federal assistance is too slow."
North Carolina governor blasts law stripping election board appointment ability Courthouse News 4/14/25 "A three-judge panel heard discussions Monday over legislation that removed the North Carolina governor’s power to fill seats on the state's Board of Elections. The change was included in a measure passed during last year’s lame-duck session, which was disguised as disaster relief but stripped abilities from incoming Democrats after Republicans learned they had lost their supermajority in the 2024 election." See also Carolina Public Press 4/15.
Stein marks first 100 days with wins — so far. Tough tests are coming. Carolina Public Press 4/11/25 "In an interview with Carolina Public Press, Stein revisits his recent successes while looking ahead to what he still wants to accomplish."
Gov. Josh Stein on separation of powers and what surprised him in first 100 days Raleigh N&O 4/13/25
See also Helene Recovery, above.
State Attorney General
Attorney General Jeff Jackson Calls for Stronger Response to Combat Human Trafficking 4/16/25 press release from state AG’s office "Today, Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 41 bipartisan Attorneys General urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to require the next operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline to better cooperate with local law enforcement."
See also Helene Recovery, above.
Other State Executive Branch News
It’s untried, but will it be unsafe? NC agency wants to see what AI can do. Carolina Public Press 4/17/25 "As artificial intelligence moves into the private sector, public officials like NC Treasurer Brad Briner are exploring ways to follow suit."
Feeling the burn: Exodus of staff — for years — has made it hard for NC Forest Service to fight wildfires Carolina Public Press 4/14/25 "As wildfires become more common and catastrophic, the shortage of trained personnel across the state makes communities vulnerable."
State Legislature
For more info on bills currently going through the NC legislature, see the Legislation to Watch post in the archive, which I’ve updated to include news published up to today.
💥 A torrent of pixels on the state budget proposed by Republicans in the NC Senate on Monday, 4/14 (Republicans in the House will reveal their own proposal later):
NC Senate Republicans’ budget plan: Pay raises, tax cuts & a pledge to cut ‘waste’ NCNewsline 4/14/25 "GOP Senate leader shrugs off concerns of fiscal cliff as he unveils two-year spending blueprint." See also Carolina Public Press 4/16, WRAL 4/14, Raleigh N&O 4/15.
💥 On Wednesday, 4/16, the state Senate passed the GOP-written budget proposal. All Republicans present voted for it (one was not present), along with four Democrats. A followup vote Thursday confirmed the proposed budget’s passage. See NCNewsline 4/16, AP 4/16, WRAL 4/17, Raleigh N&O 4/17, Carolina Journal 4/17. See also These NC Democrats hope they can influence the budget after voting with GOP Raleigh N&O 4/17/25 "“We’ve got to get in the room. Some of us have to be in the room. We can’t all stand outside the room and holler.”"
Next stop: the NC House: GOP budget heads to the NC House. Changes expected as Democrats hope for input NCNewsline 4/17/25
Specific provisions in the budget proposal:
NC Senate budget eliminates hundreds of vacant jobs and some filled positions NCNewsline 4/15/25
DOGE in NC? Hundreds of state employees might be laid off in NC Senate budget plan that prioritizes tax cuts WRAL 4/15/25 "State Auditor Dave Boliek would be empowered to take on an effort to cut state spending similar to Elon Musk's DOGE program under Donald Trump, in a new state budget plan from NC Senate Republicans."
Here’s a look at the Senate’s budget proposal for education, including teacher pay EdNC 4/15/25
NC Senate budget lays out these raises for teachers and state employees Raleigh N&O 4/15/25
NC innocence commission would be axed under Senate budget proposal Raleigh N&O 4/15/25 "... a state agency established in 2006 to investigate wrongful conviction claims." See also WRAL 4/17, and NC man exonerated in murder as Senate calls for end to innocence commission Raleigh N&O 4/16/25.
State budget would revamp NCInnovation, group tasked with funding university research with commercial potential WRAL 4/14/25 "NCInnovation would have to give back the $500 million in restricted funding that state lawmakers gave it in 2023, under a new budget plan, but would be given a new and more flexible funding plan." See also Carolina Journal 4/15.
Senate budget would eliminate office that helps minority firms seek NC contracts Raleigh N&O 4/15/25
See also Helene Recovery, above.
Reaction to the proposed budget:
At Tax Day round table, North Carolinians raise concerns over cuts to health and education NCNewsline 4/16/25 "Senate Republican budget proposal is focused on tax cuts and reducing government “waste,” but constituents say they want to see more support for social services."
House Dems, advocates for transparency blast NC Senate’s ‘broken’ budget NCNewsline 4/15/25.
See also Carolina Journal 4/15.
Other state legislative news this week:
North Carolinians welcome school cellphone bans, balk at bills to loosen gun laws, poll shows WRAL 4/16/25 "A new Meredith College poll shows some areas of bipartisan agreement as the GOP-controlled legislature decides which proposals to prioritize."
Moms Demand Action: Groups in Raleigh to rally against changes to gun laws WRAL 4/16/25. About S50 / H5.
The full House passed H636 this week. NC House Education panel advances bill removing school library books with sexual content NCNewsline 4/16/25. “The bill [H636] would require school districts to establish parent-teacher committees to determine which media should be removed from school libraries.” See also WRAL 4/14 and 4/16, WUNC 4/15, Raleigh N&O 4/15 and 4/16, Carolina Journal 4/15, AP 4/16.
The House also passed the REINS Act, H402, which would shift power from the state executive branch by requiring that the state legislature approve any new regulations that have an economic impact greater than $1 million. See Carolina Journal 4/17.
The Senate voted to approve S370, to repeal Certificate of Need requirements for proposed new medical facilities; see Carolina Journal 4/16.
Opinion: Some NC lawmakers want to let school districts hire unlicensed teachers. That’s a bad idea. Cardinal & Pine 4/14/25. About H806.
NC lawmakers pump the brakes on investing state pensions into Bitcoin WRAL 4/16/25 "A new version of the bill would cut in half the amount of State Pension Plan funds that State Treasurer Brad Briner could invest in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. It would also put new oversight on the state's investments in crypto, stocks or anything else."
NC Rep. Mike Clampitt shares rare cancer diagnosis BPR 4/14/25 "Mike Clampitt who represents Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties announced that he has been diagnosed with a rare cancer. He says he will be avoiding public gatherings and might not be able to respond to constituent messages."
See also NC-Related…, above.
State Courts
In an ongoing challenge to an NC election law: Lawmakers, elections board rebut age-based challenge in same-day registration suit Carolina Journal 4/14/25. See also AP 4/14, Raleigh N&O 4/14.
Disputed Seat on NC Supreme Court
💥 A LOT has happened in the past week:
On Friday, 4/11, the NC state Supreme Court ruled, on partisan pro-GOP lines, that only part of the state Appeals Court’s decision should be implemented: Most of the 60K+ votes that Republican Jefferson Griffin seeks to throw out will be counted, but a few thousand cast by military and overseas absentee voters should be either re-examined or thrown out. Since Griffin lost (in the original count and two recounts) to Justice Allison Riggs by fewer than 800 votes, and since the votes he selected to challenge were in places and groups likely to vote Democratic, this ruling would likely change the “winner” from Riggs to Griffin. See NCNewsline 4/11, WRAL 4/11, AP 4/11, Carolina Public Press 4/12, Assembly 4/11, Carolina Journal 4/11. Also Longtime N.C. Voters May Have Their Ballots Wrongfully Tossed in Supreme Court Race Assembly 4/13/25 "The so-called never resident list appears to include some longtime residents, while other voters appear in two different challenge categories."
Riggs immediately appealed the state Supreme Court decision to a federal trial judge, who on Saturday, 4/12, ruled that the process specified by the state Supreme Court should go forward—but that the state election board should NOT certify the results until hearing more from federal court. He also asked the elections board for information about how many votes would be reconsidered, and set a schedule for written arguments in the case. See NCNewsline 4/14, Carolina Journal 4/12.
On Monday, 4/14: League of Women Voters files [federal] class-action suit linked to Griffin-Riggs election dispute Carolina Journal 4/14/25, opposing Griffin’s effort to throw out votes. Also on Monday, Riggs spoke to a rally in Raleigh, promising to defend every vote that was cast according to the rules that were in place on Election Day. See NCNewsline 4/14 (about both lawsuit and rally), WRAL 4/15 (about lawsuit), AP 4/14 (about rally), Raleigh N&O 4/14 (about rally).
On Tuesday, 4/15, Riggs appealed the federal trial judge’s 4/12 decision (to not stay the state Supreme Court’s 4/11 ruling) to federal appeals court; see Carolina Journal 4/16.
In response to the federal trial judge’s 4/12 ruling, on Tuesday 4/15 the NC election board filed notice that it “would limit its review to no more than 1,675 ballots challenged,” according to Carolina Journal 4/15. The 1,675 votes are in Guilford County; the election board’s filing states that Griffin’s challenges to similar votes in other counties were filed after the deadline for such challenges had passed. This narrows Griffin’s path to overturning the election results. See NC election officials limit the voters at risk in Jefferson Griffin case. But courts could intervene again. Cardinal & Pine 4/16/25 “Republicans on the state courts … could push for more” ballots to be challenged.
Following the election board’s notice on 4/15, “In a legal filing late Wednesday [4/16], Griffin said he opposed the board’s plan and asked the [federal] Court of Appeals to force the board to include more ballots and fewer opportunities for cures in the process,” according to Raleigh N&O 4/16. See also Carolina Journal 4/16: “Griffin’s court filings suggest more than 5,700 ballots remain in dispute.” And AP 4/18.
This story is now all over national as well as NC state news and analysis:
How to fight PoliticsNC 4/17/25 "Allison Riggs offers some lessons about how to fight against injustice…. She's taking on the Republican Party and winning, even if the slog is long and slow."
Anderson Clayton explains the state of play in the North Carolina Supreme Court Race Contrarian 4/16/25. Interview with NC Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton.
‘This Is About Much More’ Than Riggs: The Latest In The North Carolina GOP Judge’s Attempt To Steal An Election Talking Points Memo 4/15/25
North Carolina Republicans might just get away with stealing an election | Opinion USA Today 4/14/25 "If Republicans get away with all of it, this will be a stain on American democracy that will challenge the legitimacy of our elections for generations to come."
We’re Getting Dangerously Close to a Losing North Carolina Candidate Being Declared the Winner Slate 4/14/25
Confusion continues after North Carolina Supreme Court rules in Riggs case Contrarian 4/14/25 "Why are only some ballots affected?"
Longtime N.C. Voters May Have Their Ballots Wrongfully Tossed in Supreme Court Race Assembly 4/12/25 "The so-called never resident list appears to include some longtime residents, while other voters appear in two different challenge categories."
Republicans' assault on military votes PoliticsNC 4/14/25 "The GOP-controlled court tramples on voting rights of people serving overseas."
In contested Supreme Court race, NC Republicans test their ability to overturn an election Raleigh N&O 4/11/25 "Is an election final once the votes are counted — or can the losing candidate selectively discard ballots until they win?"
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At least two hummingbirds have returned from their winter migration and are visiting our feeder now; still no photo.
Soon we’ll be eating our way through the annual glut of asparagus:
