It's 5.05 and welcome in to a Monday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM WBT. Welcome into our first show of 2026. Right as we were ready to flip the calendar from 25 to 26, a New Year's Eve terrorist attack in North Carolina was stopped by law enforcement. This is according to details from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina in Russ Ferguson.
A press conference held on the day after New Year's Friday, January the 2nd, highlighted a federal investigation that alleged an 18-year-old by the name of Christian Sturdivant of Mint Hill, who was radicalized online by the ISIS terrorist group and was planning a terrorist attack in the mid-19 Mint Hill area that fortunately was thwarted by law enforcement. Here is some of the information from the U.S. Attorney and Russ Ferguson. The defendant here is an 18-year-old named Christian Sturdevont. He has been planning this attack for about a year, but he's been planning an attack for far longer than that.
He was planning this attack in support of ISIS, and we have charged him with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, that organization being, of course, ISIS.
Now, this is still very much an active investigation. We had to act quickly here to protect the public.
So, we are light on details, but we'll tell you as much as we can. And Mr. Barnacle will probably tell you more than I will about those charges. But I thought I would give you an overview of what's in the federal complaint and the charges that we charged.
So, Mr. Sertivant started on the Internet. He started reading ISIS material, started going to ISIS websites, making TikTok videos, and eventually reached out to what he thought was a member of ISIS, in reality was an undercover agent with MYPD in New York. He pledged his allegiance to ISIS with that undercover agent, and he disclosed his plans to, quote, do jihad soon. He then met a second undercover with the FBI, who he also thought was an ISIS participant, and he started to be very specific with his plans.
He talked with that undercover agent, again, who he thought was ISIS. He talked about where he was planning to do this attack, which was at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in Mint Hill, places that we go every day and don't think that we may be harmed. He talked about what means he would use to kill innocent people. He said he was going to wear a Kevlar vest and attack people with knives and hammers. And of course, he talked about when he was going to carry out this attack, which was New Year's Eve.
A time when American life is on full display, right? We're all out there in crowds celebrating all that has happened this year, all that is to come, that we are so proud of. And that is when he planned his attack to attack that American way of life. The FBI executed a search warrant at his home, and they found the instrumentalities of the attack. They found hammers and knives hidden under his bed.
They found notes where His attack and detailed his attack. Uh and and plans for how he was going to carry out this attack. It was a very well-planned thought. Full. Attack that he had planned and that was fortunately foiled here.
He was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die. And we're very, very fortunate they did not. That's the voice of Russ Ferguson, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, highlighting some of that information on that January the 2nd news conference. FBI Director Cash Patel also chiming in on the situation, saying the accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made a plan to commit a violent act on New Year's Eve in support of that terrorist group.
But the FBI and our partners put a stop to that. It is essential to work closely with our law enforcement partners and to quickly share information about potential threats as demonstrated in this case. The message from the FBI is clear. Anyone who supports ISIS or other terrorist groups cannot hide and will be held accountable in our judicial system. James Barnacle is the special agent in charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
He was also at the Friday news conference, provided additional details of the events leading up to the New Year's Eve arrest of Star. Sturdivant, which did include multiple conversations between Sturdivant and what he believed to be members of the ISIS terrorist group online. Turned out those individuals, well, they were undercover individuals with both federal law enforcement and the NYPD. Here's FBI Special Agent James Barnacle. This investigation unfolded quickly.
From the moment the FBI was notified of a potential threat, of a terrorist-inspired attack in North Carolina, We went all hands untacked. We assessed the credibility of the threat. The investigation lasted about two weeks. included numerous investigative techniques. partnerships with law enforcement agencies and cooperation from the American public.
This Christmas, the FBI and our partners worked to protect the American people. We did not let up. until the start event was safely in handcuffs. FBI special agents arrested him on december thirty first as he was being released from a local medical facility. On Monday night.
As Russ just said, the FBI's evidence response team conducted a search an authorized search. at his home and on his uh cellular phone. What we found was a manifesto. which the federal complaint alleges contained detailed plans to execute a massacre on New Year's Eve. As people shot for the holidays.
Without the swift action of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, New York City Police Department, The Mint Hill Police Department. and our partners at the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina. We could be announcing a national tragedy. Instead, A terrorist attack was thwarted. That special agent for the FBI, who is in charge of the Charlotte Division, James Barnacle Attorney General Pam Bondi, also releasing a statement saying this successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year's Eve.
The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers. Anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law. And while the 18-year-old from Mint Hill obviously was only 18 years old, this was not the first time that there had been questions and concerns about online radicalization with ISIS and other online terror groups. James Barnacle provided additional coverage about the background of this individual from Mint Hill. He is a U.
S. citizen, he turned eighteen in December of twenty twenty five. The JTTF collected evidence showing he turned his back on his country. and his fellow citizens by pledging allegiance to ISIS with the intent of becoming a martyr. We allege Scurvant was willing to sacrifice himself.
By committing a terrorist attack using knives and a hammer to support the murder. torture and extreme violence. that ISIS represents. We didn't just learn about him a few weeks ago. Sturtevant first came to the FBI's radar in January of 2022.
when he was still a juvenile. He was in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member overseas. Sturdivant received direction from the unidentified ISIS member to dress in all black. knock on people's doors and attack them with a hammer. In fact, Sturdivant did dress in all black.
He left his house with a hammer. and fortunately his family stepped in. Yeah. No charges were filed at that time. He was referred for psychological care and he underwent psychological care, of which I don't know the details.
The FBI was told he no longer had access to social media. On december eighteenth, a week prior to Christmas. the Charlotte Field Office learned it wasn't true. that he was now back on social media. after several FBI offices around this country and the New York Police Department alerted the Charlotte JTTF Of the TikTok account username.
Abu Barker Al Amriki. who made multiple posts in support of ISIS. Sturdivant was identified as the account holder. And with federal search warrants, the FBI obtained his previous post to assess the extent of threats to the homeland. According to the complaint, On or about december twelfth, Sturdivant began communicating with an individual on multiple social media platforms.
On B. Nois, the stair event, he was talking to a government online covert employee. Within just a few days, Stirdivant direct messaged the online covert employee with a picture of two hammers and a knife. The message was significant since in recent years, an ISIS propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terrorist attacks in Western countries. The same ISIS magazine, which suggested using vehicles to ram crowds, like the terrorist attack.
last year. On New Year's Day. on Bourbon Street. That's once again the voice of James Barnacle, special agent in charge of the field office for the FBI in the greater Charlotte area. Both Russ Ferguson and James Barnacle, as you heard from both of them, thanked local, state, and federal law enforcement for working through what was a busy two-week span between Christmas and the new year to maintain surveillance on the 18-year-old from Mint Hill and Christian Sturtevant.
Barnacle also highlighted the very real threat of online radicalization and urged friends and family to report any suspicious activity that they might be noting, saying during the press conference, this investigation highlights the very real threat posed by people who self-radicalize online and are inspired by jihadist ideologies esponged by foreign terrorist organizations. They seek to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons and with little to no warning. We rely on communities we serve and encourage the public to contact law enforcement when they see or hear something that doesn't seem right. I also have a personal message. If your child, relative, friend, or neighbor is sliding into a dangerous ideology, you'll be the first to see it.
We have additional coverage of this thwarted terrorist attack that could have taken place on New Year's Eve in Mint Hill, North Carolina. Those details this morning over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. The story here, New Year, the story headline, I should say, New Year's Eve ISIS terrorist attack thwarted in North Carolina. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it, but your immune system, it weakens as you age.
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Yeah. It's 21 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM, WBT. As we sit here this morning on January the 5th, well, as the calendar flipped over from 25 to 2026, a new year ushered in new laws in North Carolina, including one that recognizes only two genders. We'll start off with a plethora of new pieces of legislation, not that has just recently passed, but many pieces of law that we talked about throughout the year here on the Carolina Journal News Hour had an official start date of January 1, 2026.
This piece of legislation, House Bill 805, which the name of that is Prevent Sexual Exploitation of Women and Minors, defines a man and woman based on a person's biological sex at birth, which includes the definition for a boy, girl, male, female. Man, woman, mother, and father. It also states that gender ideology is a term that means an individual's self-declared identity that may not align with a biological sex and being a subjective internal sense shall not be treated as legally or biologically equivalent to sex in state law. This was obviously relatively contentious when it was being discussed in the General Assembly back in June. We talked about it extensively here on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
Representative Deb Butler, the Democrat from New Hanover County, said at the time: quote, it strips access to medically necessary health care to transgender youth and others, not because it saves money, not because the science supports it, but because someone in this chamber wants to impose their personal beliefs on other people's bodies. No other area of medicine do we single out a provider for this kind of punishment. In a press release, the North Carolina Republican Party applauded the legislation for helping Democrats to, quote, finally learn what a woman is, as the NCGOP released a statement saying House Bill 805 makes clear what most people already know to be true: there are two genders. This is despite the best effort of the far left. The people of North Carolina strongly believe in these common sense measures.
That's a quote from NCGOP Communication Director Matt Mercer. Democrat Governor Josh Stein did veto this legislation in July.
However, due to a few Democrats crossing the aisle on this in the North Carolina House, the General Assembly overrode it a few weeks later.
So the governor did veto that legislation.
However, it was and did become law going into effect January the 1st of this year. The governor was, however, in agreement with another piece of legislation passed by the General Assembly, House. Bill 959. This was protecting students in a digital age. That was also signed into law by Stein on July the 1st of this year, or last year, excuse me.
It requires school boards to adopt policies prohibiting students' access to social media platforms in the classroom except when expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes. With the policy also prohibiting students from using, displaying, or having wireless communication devices turned on during instructional time, again, unless otherwise instructed by a teacher or educator. It also bans TikTok on devices owned by school districts or through internet access provided by the district, as many students. Throughout the state of North Carolina, they are doing a lot of work on school-issued laptops and computers. That is incredibly relevant, with the measure also integrating lessons into existing health and mental health curriculum to educate students on the danger of excessive social media use.
Representative Hugh Blackwell, the Republican from Burke County, who was the bill's primary sponsor, said during the discussion on this legislation: This is really an effort to further address what I think is generally recognized as the issues of social media and the negative impacts that it can have both educationally as well as mentally and emotionally on our children. School districts were required to have policies in place by January the 1st. This legislation did pass midsummer, so districts have had some time to get that implemented with those laws going into effect January the 1st of this year. Another piece of legislation kicking in with the new year, House Bill 4. 506.
That's the 2025 State Investment Modernization Act, which replaces the state's sole fiduciary model for its pension fund with a brand new five-member North Carolina Investment Authority board. State Treasurer Brad Breiner, who heads the board, campaigned on the change while running for office in 2024, saying he believes that a small group makes better investment decisions than one individual, while also saying he believed that the sole fiduciary model, meaning just one person making the decision, has the potential for corruption as only one person can make decisions without a set of checks and balances. That legislation, once again, signed into law by Governor Josh Stein, passing bipartisanly in the North Carolina General Assembly in July of 2025. Portions of Senate Bill 478, also known as the Scripped Act, strengthens pharmaceutical audit protections and gives more transparency in prescription drug pricing in North Carolina goes into effect. Specifically, by January the 31st of each year, a manufacturer is now required to notify all interested parties of any price increases of 15% or greater that occurred in the prior calendar year for a prescription drug with a price of $100 or more for a 30-day supply.
So, for those interested parties, you would presume that would be insurance and health care providers portions of the Scripps Act, Senate Bill 478, also going into effect January the 1st. House Bill 67, the healthcare workforce reform legislation, was also signed by the governor in July, going into effect. Parts of it are January 1. It strengthens access to health care and provides a streamlined. Process that allows physicians to become licensed in multiple states.
It also allows for internationally trained and licensed physicians to practice medicine in the state of North Carolina, which has become somewhat of a source of controversy on social media over the last couple of months.
However, advocates for the legislation say that with the state's population boom and explosive growth, North Carolina is projected to be short some 7,700 doctors by the calendar year 2030. This they note particularly in rural areas and underserved areas, and that something needed to be done to address it. Is that legislation, House Bill 67, going into effect January the 1st? Other pieces of legislation: Senate Bill 321, the Accounting Workforce Development Act. This is pretty significant as it introduces a brand new pathway to CPA licensure in the state of North Carolina.
For now, more than 20 years, becoming a CPA throughout the state meant earning 150 college credits, passing a very demanding CPA exam, and completing a year of professional experience. The requirement to earn 150 credits essentially meant that a graduate's graduate degree or another 30 credits, which rolls out to about one extra year of college, was required since undergraduate programs only offer 120 credit hours. That extra time and cost pushed many students away from pursuing a career as an accountant, according to the North Carolina Association. Association of CPAs. The alternative path requires a bachelor's degree in accounting, two years of supervised CPA experience, as well as passing that same mandated exam.
Ultimately, this new pathway removes the need for more graduate or additional schooling. Additionally, it allows aspiring CPAs to replace what would be a year of paying for school with the ability to earn money and gain workforce experience. Applicants who qualify through either route can be licensed through the state of North Carolina and the state's Board of CPA Examiners. We've got additional coverage this morning on all of those pieces of legislation, plus a bunch more, many minor pieces of legislation going into effect on January the 1st of 2026. That article this morning is over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com, with the headline, New Year, New Laws in North Carolina.
You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it. But your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaxassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. It's 5:38. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM, WBT.
Happy New Year to you. And it is a happy new year thanks to local, state, and federal law enforcement. Recapping one of our big stories over the weekend here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. A New Year's Eve terrorist attack in North Carolina was stopped by law enforcement, according to information out of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina office, Russ Ferguson.
Federal investigators allege that 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant of Mint Hill, North Carolina was radicalized online by ISIS and planned a terror attack using knives and hammers against a fast food restaurant and an unnamed grocery store in the Mint Hill area sometime on New Year's Eve. During a Friday press conference, Ferguson highlighted that Sturdivant was speaking online to an undercover agent from the NYPD whom he believed was a member of the ISIS terror group. Ferguson said he pledged his allegiance to ISIS with that undercover agent and disclosed his plans to, quote, do jihad soon, said Ferguson. He then met with a second undercover with the FBI, who he also thought was an ISIS participant, and he started being very specific with his plans. He talked with the other undercover agent again, who he thought was a member of ISIS, and talked.
About where he was planning to do this attack, which was at a grocery store and fast food restaurant in Mint Hill, places that people go every day and don't think that they will be harmed. According to officials, Sturdivant has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. That charge, which is one of many that could be levied, has a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years. FBI Director Cash Patel saying the accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year's Eve in support of that terrorist group. But the FBI and our partners put a stop to that, saying that it is essential to work closely with our law enforcement partners and to do so quickly to share information about potential threats as demonstrated in this case.
Ending the quote there from FBI Director Cash Patel. James Barnacle, who is the special Special agent in charge of the FBI in North Carolina provided additional details of the events leading up to the New Year's Eve arrest of Sturtevant, saying during the press conference: After several FBI officials around this country and the New York Police Department alerted the Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force of a TikTok account who made multiple posts in support of ISIS, Sturtevant was identified as the account holder, and with a federal search warrant, the FBI obtained his previous posts to assess the extents of the threat to the homeland. This was not the first time that this Sturtevant had been on the FBI or federal law enforcement's radar in 2022 while he was still a minor. I'll note, he only turned 18 years old in December of 2025, so literally in the last month. In 2022, while he was still a minor, he once again drew the attention of the FBI after contacting suspected ISIS affiliates overseas through social media.
Investigators say that he was instructed to dress in all black, knock on doors, and attack people with hammers. According to FBI agent James Barnacle, fortunately, his family intervened before any violence occurred. And Sturtevant, at the time a minor, was referred for psychological treatment. No charges were filed at the time, and Sturdivant was not allowed to have any social media accounts or activity.
However, he was in recent weeks posting on TikTok. That is one of the reasons that he was recently tipped off to federal officials. Both Russ Ferguson and James Barnacle thanked local, state, and federal law enforcement for working through the holiday to maintain surveillance on Sturtevant to make sure no attack took place. With James Barnacle also highlighting the very real threat of online radicalization, urging friends and family members to report any suspicious activity that they might note and see. As James Barnacle noted, if your child, relative, friend, or neighbor is sliding into a dangerous ideology, you will be the first.
To see it. What could have been a deadly situation in Mint Hill, North Carolina, fortunately dealt with and stopped by federal, state, and local law enforcement between Christmas and New Year's Day? Additional coverage of that, more quotes from this press conference over on our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. The story's headline there: New Year's Eve, ISIS terror attacked, thwarted in North Carolina. In some other state news this morning, Republicans have officially overtaken Democrats in the North Carolina voter rolls for the first time in state history.
The first time ever, registered Republicans now outnumber registered Democrats in North Carolina. This is according to the most recent voter registration snapshot based on data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections. As of January 3rd of this year, Republicans had 2,315,067. individuals registered as Republicans in the state of North Carolina, while Democrats had two million three hundred and twelve thousand nine hundred and ninety, making the Republican Party the largest group registered in the state. It is important to note that unaffiliated voters, who are again not registered with a party, but those who are chosen to register as unaffiliated, is the largest voting bloc in the state, just shy of 3 million people registered, but again, they are not an official party.
Figures out of Saturday's data dump from the state board of elections show figures of Republicans edging ahead of Democrats by some 2,000 votes, voters, I should say, which is a historic shift in a state where Democrat registration long held an advantage. The growth of unaffiliated voters, however, has outpaced both parties in recent years, with roughly 7 in 10 new registrants in the state of North Carolina choosing no party affiliation in the most recent reporting period. Analysis from the John Locke Foundation places the current shift with a broader historical context. As it's noted, for much of the 20th century, Democrats dominated North Carolina. North Carolina politics, but long-term declines in Democrat registration, alongside steady growth in Republican and unaffiliated registrations, have gradually reshaped the state's political landscape.
That realignment became evident back in 2010 when Republicans won majority control of the North Carolina General Assembly, a position that they have held since that time, while advancing a more conservative agenda focusing on lowering taxes and reducing spending across the state. Republican registration was on pace to overtake Democrat registration sometime in early 2026. This is something that for those that are very close observers Of North Carolina politics. You'd seen the writing on the wall for this. It was not clear how quickly into 2026 or late 2025 this would happen, but officially, as of January the 3rd, that switch has happened.
Andy Jackson, the director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, said that the change in voter registration reflects a gradual political realignment rather than a sudden shift. Noting that over the past two decades, North Carolina's electorate has become less tied to political party labels as Democrat registration declined sharply from its historic dominance and Republican registration increased at a slower, steadier pace. At the same time, population growth in migration and generational turnover have continued to reshape the state's political makeup. Jackson wrote, The rapid rise of unaffiliated voters combined with North Carolina's population growth has resulted in the proportion of registered Republicans remaining steady over the past three decades. This is despite an increase in their absolute numbers.
During that same time, the number of and proportion of Democrats have continued to decline. Jackson said the most consequential development during this period has been the rapid expansion and growth of the unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, which has altered how both major parties compete for support. Those changes in voter behavior, combined with North Carolina's semi-open primary system, have reduced the practical need for voters to register with a political party. Back in 2023, Senate Bill 747 was signed into law. Among other election policies, it barred parties from closing their primaries to unaffiliated voters.
Jackson noted that unaffiliated voters have been allowed to vote in either party's primary since the mid-1990s, negating the need to register with a specific party, noting that unaffiliated registrants surpassed Republican registration in 2017 and Democrat registration in 2022. And while party registration doesn't directly predict election results in the state, the changes do reflect evolving political dynamics in North Carolina, which as all of you are keenly aware of this morning, is a key battleground state. The shift in registration balance comes as candidates prepare for the March the 3rd primary here in North Carolina and the larger 2026 general election, which will be taking place later this year as it continues to set a stage. For a competitive contest at both federal and state levels, all eyes will be here on the state of North Carolina as we head later into this year, as a major United States Senate race will be taking place to replace the retiring Republican senator from North Carolina, Tom Tillis. You can read more about this: a change in registration as the Republican Party now for the first time ever in state history has more registered Republicans than Democrats.
That story is over on our website this morning. CarolinaJournal.com, that story's headline: Republicans Overtake Democrats on NC Voter Rolls. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it, but your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in.
They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaccassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. Uh Good morning again.
It's 5:55. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9, WBT. Primaries in North Carolina are set for eight incumbents in the United States House of Representatives for both major parties in the state's, as well as the state's U.S. Senate seat, and 38 out of 160 incumbents seeking re-election to the North Carolina General Assembly. More than 6,000 candidates filed during North Carolina's three-week December filing period for both local, state, and national-level races.
Registered voters in this state cycle will choose a United States Senator, 14 members of the United States House, one Supreme Court judge, as well as three appellate justices. In state politics, all 170 seats in the North Carolina General Assembly. 50 in the Senate, 120 in the House are also on the ballot, plus a plethora of local offices as well. Things like school board and county commissioner, sheriff, district attorney, and other races will be on the ballot in 2026. There are no statewide referendums that will be on the ballot.
Only presidential election cycle years have longer ballots for over the 7.6 million registered voters in the state of North Carolina. There are some rather contentious primaries that we are going to be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks as early voting starts, if you believe it or not, February the 12th.
So coming up here in about six weeks, voters across the state of North Carolina will have the opportunity to make their way to early voting locations across all 100 counties in North Carolina. To begin casting votes in primary elections for either the Republican or Democrat Party. The process will play out as follows: For those registered as Republicans, they can vote in the Republican primary. For those registered as Democrats, they vote in the Democrat primary. For unaffiliated voters, as we were just talking about, the largest voting block in the state, those individuals will have a choice of either the Republican or Democrat primary.
They are unable to vote in both. A couple of the major races that we'll be following in the days and weeks to come include the Republican primary and the United States Senate race, as well as the Republican primary in Congressional District 1, which was recently drawn by the redrawn, I should say, by the North Carolina General Assembly. More coverage of that in the coming days and weeks on our website, CarolinaJournal.com, and right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. That's going to do it for a Monday edition. WBT News is Next, followed by Good Morning BT.
We're back with you tomorrow morning, 5 to 6, right here on Charlotte's FF. News Talk 107.9 FM WBT. Work!
