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Subject to change. It's 5.05, and welcome in to a Tuesday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 1110-993 WBT. I'm Nick Craig. 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 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, quote, President Trump earned a clear mandate from voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican congressional seat. Our state won't stand by while Democrats like Gavin Newsome 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 President Trump's agenda. End 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 rumors circulated 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, Berger also said: 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. Picking up where Texas left off, we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina congressional maps 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 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 response to actions taken by Democrats in states like California.
There, lawmakers have placed a constitutional amendment called the Election Rigging Response Act. On the ballot for a special election coming up on November the 4th. 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 2026 midterm elections that would be more favorable to Democrats. Both Blackwell and Jones released a joint statement saying, We're stepping into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are. Are attempting to rig the system to handpick who runs Congress.
This ploy is nothing new, and North Carolina will not stand by while they attempt to stack the deck. President Trump has called 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, and then, of course, Representatives Jones and Blackwell.
However, reaction is also coming in from those on the other side of the political aisle. North Carolina's governor, Ian 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 in the General Assembly has failed to pass a budget, failed to pay our teachers and 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, rather the House minority leader in Representative Reeves. He released a statement last night saying, quote, Republican lawmakers made clear today that they plan 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 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, North Carolina was the target of Democrats' Sue-Till Blue scheme, and we're 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, Dr. Andy Jackson, who is the director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, warned that redrawing congressional districts could have unintended political consequences for Republicans. In a statement to Carolina Journal yesterday, Jackson said, Republicans risk drawing a so-called dummymandered map that can end up benefiting Democrats. Unless they plan to change the entire map, they will most likely make the first district more Republican at the expense of making the third district lesson. 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 district's uh racial compo uh 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. 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 1990s, the state's 12th congressional district became a national flashpoint after the Democrat-led General Assembly drew a snake-like district that stretched along Interstate 85 to include a large number of black voters. The resulting court battles reshaped how.
How race could be used in redistricting over back in the mid to late 1990s. In 2010, Republicans won a majority in the General Assembly using a Democrat-run map, 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 2016 and 2022, with the state's highest court ultimately imposing a one-time map designed to yield an even 7-7 split between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Back in 2023, the newly elected Republican majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed course in a case called Harper v. Hall, 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 10 Republicans and three Democrats with just one swing district in our North Carolina congressional maps. Democrats won that swing district in 2024, leading to the current 10-4 split in the congressional delegation. The North Carolina General Assembly is scheduled to be back in Raleigh starting on Monday, October the 20th. 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 of mind.
We will keep an eye on the details over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. It's 5:21. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 1110-993 WBT. Earlier this month, several bills passed by the North Carolina General Assembly took effect as the calendar flipped over to October the 1st. The new laws address several issues, including immigration enforcement, crime 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 federal immigration authorities in pretrial investigation processes as stipulated by Senate Bill 318. 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 to hold an individual for up to 48 hours to allow for ICE to assume custody in accordance with 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, Senate Bill 318 binds law enforcement to honor detainer requests. The bill expands the list of offenses that will require authorities to involve ICE to include mostly violent felonies. Governor Josh Stein said the 48-hour window of detention is unconstitutional, though he conceded that those charged with 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 Senate Bill 318 did go into effect on October the 1st.
Some public safety protections are also now enshrined in state law. Senate Bill 429 affects sweeping change to criminal law in North Carolina. Proponents of the legislation emphasize how it increases protections for victims of domestic violence. violence and targets fentanyl distribution across the state. Under the legislation, victims of domestic violence may file for a protective order without being a resident of North 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. A conviction of possession can now carry up to a $1 million fine and over 23 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 did sign it into law, and it did go into effect in part on October the 1st. On the child welfare side, House Bill six hundred twelve, which implements wide sweeping reforms to North Carolina's foster care system, passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Then, of course, Governor Josh Stein signed 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 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 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 in court, recognizing that those of 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 of legislation that we are highlighting that took effect at least in part on October the 1st.
Those details over on our website, CarolinaJournal.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 ID in North Carolina can now renew their driver's license online for a second consecutive time. Senate Bill two hundred forty five, which is named the Expand Remote Driver's License 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 log requirement, and authorizes remote instances for full provisional licenses.
The governor said while signing Senate Bill 245: 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 threats. NC DMV officials stressed 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, said in a press release, we encourage our customers to renew their driver's 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 customer has 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 duplicate licenses.
NCDMV expects that these additional renewals will be available over the next several weeks.
So I'll note they have not 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 provisional license, which is 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 18th birthday.
However, some of 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 reassarrange 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 Class C, which is the standard driver's license. There are still major concerns and issues ongoing within the state's DMV system. Long wait time, 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. We'll continue to track progress to streamline some of those processes over at DMV and get more folks through the door. We'll keep an eye on it. It's 5:37. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 1110-993WBT.
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 Camours and some environmental concerns from a site called the Fayetteville Works Site that DuPont owned and then spun off into another company called Camours that operates in Bladen County. The North Carolina Attorney General and Democrat Jeff Jackson tried bringing additional legal challenges against them. And we learned this week that a North Carolina business judge will not pause Attorney General Jeff Jackson's environmental lawsuit against DuPont and Camours. A court order late last week indicates that an October the 30th hearing in the case will move forward as scheduled. The companies had asked business court judge Michael Robinson to stay or hold.
Hold all proceedings in the dispute while they appeal one of his earlier rulings to the North Carolina Supreme Court. As both DuPont and Komors argue that Jackson lacked the legal authority to move forward with the complaint filed by his predecessor in Josh Stein in 2020. The judge in 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, a desire to avoid inherent litigation expense does not give rise to a right to stay pending an 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 Court. And if anything is relevant or boils to the surface, we'll bring it to you right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour, or it's now 5.39, News Talk 1110-993, WBT. In 2024, the Eastern Ban of Cherokee Indians opened up the state's first recreational medical marijuana facility. Obviously, that taking place on Cherokee land in western North Carolina.
However, 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, CarolinaJournal.com, joins us on the news hour. Teresa, Senator Tillis is raising some interesting questions as to how the Cherokee Indians are getting the pot from the facilities in which they're growing to their dispensary store, which is on Cherokee property. What are you tracking out of Washington, D.C.?
Sure. Good morning, Nick. Thanks for having me.
So yes, Senator Tillis talked last week and also last year along with Senator Budd about that dispensary and the 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 it along certain state lines, would that violate federal law?
Well, Senator Tillis was in a hearing with United States Attorney General 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 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 Carol Western North Carolina, which he said is a violation of federal law.
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. They have their own jurisdiction over it. And the argument is, Teresa, they're using North Carolina highways, state roadways 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.
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 he said, well, pot marijuana, call it, you know, you can call it various different names. But basically, he said, I assume that they are not delivering it outside of the boundary because I think that would be illegal. Those were 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 other questions as well. 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 longtime issue.
We've seen even the Secretary of State and Elaine Marshall over the last couple of years busting quickie shops and convenience stores across the state of North Carolina for selling THC-infused various chips and snacks and drinks and things like that that are clearly and obviously being marketed towards kids. And in other cases, ripping off intellectual property. You look at brands like Doritos and Oreo and Pepsi, where you've got individuals manufacturing counterfeit Doritos that are laced with THC and they're being sold all across the state of North Carolina. It's been a big emphasis of her and her office as well. 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 the 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.
Knockoffs actually look, you know, and like you say, you mentioned about the different names, Doritos, Oreos, 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 THC-laced gummies. It 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, 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 $700,000 worth of that type of THC and also seizure of at least 30 weapons and 1,800 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 say, it's good to mention it now, the Halloween is coming up. Yeah, no question about that. Let's turn back to this meeting in Washington, D.C.
So Senator Tillis is bringing up some of these concerns. He's talking to the state's country's top law enforcement officer in the Attorney General and Pam Bondi. Did she have any immediate reaction to some of the concerns that Senator Tillis raised? 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, Senator Tillis talked about illegal vapes coming into the country from China.
And so she brought up that fact as well that those types of vapes could possibly have the equivalent of 20 cigarettes in a vape. Flavored ones are illegal. And of course, they are, again, targeting children. And they have facts, some of them actually have video games attached to them. Did not know that either, but she brought that up and she says they're investigating that, trying to get ahead of the game because some of them.
But she says next on the horizon is being laced with fentanyl.
So she said her office is trying to get ahead of that.
So, again, she wasn't too familiar with the Eastern Vana 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. 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 lawmakers argue, well, as soon as you make it legal for medical use, you're right on the road to full-on decriminalization or 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 move towards medical or some full-on recreational. Yeah, I would believe so. I know certain states, you know, like you say, you already got Colorado, I believe Virginia, up to the north of us, they already 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 Colorado having several issues with people, you know, being impaired with driving. I mean, I could smell when I'm driving by sometimes. I could smell it. 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 recreational.
So something I think the General Assembly is definitely going to have to take up in the next several months to maybe the next year or two. Yeah, no question about that. That 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 D.C.
You've got a bunch of full quotes from that hearing. Where can folks go and get those details this morning? Sure, they can head on over to CarolinaJournal.com. We appreciate the details this morning. Teresa Opaca joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
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Call quickranger.com or just stop by. Granger, for the ones who get it done. Good morning again. It's 553. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk 1110-993WBT, recapping our big North Carolina news story this morning as lawmakers prepare 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 we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican congressional seat. Our state won't stand by while Democrats like Gavin Newsome 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 President Trump's agenda. This was also echoed 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. 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 Democrat governor there, Gavin Newsom. Lawmakers in 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 4th 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 2026 midterm elections that would be more favorable towards 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, We're stepping into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are attempting to rig the system to ham pick who runs Congress. This ploy 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 the other side of the political aisle.
Democrats, well, obviously, are not in favor of this. Governor Josh Stein, the state'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 and law 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 plan to come back to Raleigh and disenfranchise the voters of this state. Instead of lowering 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 district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the ballot box.
This is set to be a major North Carolina news story as we head into next week. We've got continued coverage over on our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. That's going to 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, 5 to 6, right here on News Talk 1110 and 99.3 WBT.
