North State Journal — Vol. 3., Issue 22

Page 1

|

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 22

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Inside ACC Kickoff signals start of football, Sports

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

NORTH STATE JOURNAL | FILE

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler visits with North Carolina farmers. President Donald Trump was set Tuesday to propose assistance for farmers impacted by tariffs.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Weather system drenches NC Raleigh A flash flood watch is in effect until early Wednesday morning as heavy rains pummeled parts of the state. The rain is part of a system that will likely continue for a few more days from southern New York through South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. Floods have forced evacuations, disrupted air travel and cut power. About 23,000 homes and businesses were without power in a string of states from Pennsylvania to North Carolina on Tuesday.

Wilkie confirmed for VA Washington, D.C. Fayetteville native Robert Wilkie will be the new secretary of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. He accompanied President Donald Trump to the Veterans of Foreign Wars 114th Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday where the president praised Wilkie’s Senate confirmation. The VA is the nation’s second largest agency, and Wilkie said he will shake up the status quo but will not support privatizing it. Wilkie graduated from Wake Forest University and previously worked for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)

Trump to provide $12B in aid to farmers to ease trade pain Aid will help shield farmers from the repercussions of trade spats between the United States and China, the European Union and others By Donna King North State Journal WASHINGTON, D.C./KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would provide up to $12 billion in aid for U.S. farmers to shield them from the repercussions felt by trade spats between the United States and China, the European Union and others. “We are looking forward to farmers getting this kind of help,” said N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. “I’ve been in discussions with the Department of Ag, and the president has said over and over that he is going to look after the farmers that are hurt by these tariffs and this socalled trade war, and we applaud

him for keeping his word.” China has targeted U.S. agricultural exports with tariffs in retaliation to those imposed by the Trump administration. Republican candidates in the upcoming congressional elections in November, however, have expressed deep concern about their states’ farm economies, and many of the voters in farm states voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Trump has been talking for months about finding ways to aid farmers as China, in particular, has canceled orders for soybeans and other crops. Sonny Perdue, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the relief package will be financed through the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation and thus will not require congressional approval. The aid is intended to serve as temporary boost to farmers as the United States and China negotiate over trade issues. “This obviously is a short-term solution that will give President

INSIDE Republicans file judicial elections bill during special session. Jones & Blount

5

20177 52016 $2.00

Trump time to work on a longterm trade policy,” Perdue said. The Commodity Credit Corporation has broad authority to make loans and direct payments to U.S. growers when prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and other agricultural goods are low. In a speech to in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, the president aggressively defended his trade policies. “We have to do it,” Trump said, blasting both China and the European Union. “But it’s all working out,” he said. Farmers would ultimately benefit from his approach, he

See FARMERS, page A2

Plans are underway in the Queen city for the party convention as they plan for hotel space, traffic, and protests By Donna King North State Journal

The session was necessary, argued Republican leaders, because Democrats were in charge of the commission responsible for writing the ballot language and were playing politics with the process. “We got wind that instead of just drafting up neutral captions for these amendments, captions that made sense, we got wind that the secretary of state and the attorney general were going to draw up pejorative captions — captions that may lend someone to say, ‘Well, I don’t want to vote for that,’” said Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake). “You would think that this would be a fairly simple thing to

AUSTIN, Texas — Republicans on Friday voted to hold their 2020 presidential nominating convention in Charlotte, making North Carolina the road to President Donald Trump’s re-election. As a Southern swing state, North Carolina is critical to Trump’s chances of seeing a second term in the White House and has been a highly coveted prize for both the Republican and Democratic parties in recent elections. Democrat Barack Obama won the state’s 15 electoral votes in 2008, but Republicans have captured the state in the last two presidential elections. Charlotte hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2012, the same year that Obama lost the state to Republican Mitt Romney. Trump won here in 2016. The Republican National Committee, which has been holding its summer meeting in Austin, Texas, unanimously approved Charlotte’s bid on Friday. “We’re going to Charlotte,” RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said after the vote, adding that she expects Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to be formally nominated for a second term at the convention. Trump has already formed a re-election campaign committee, which as of June 30 had $33 million in its coffers, according to federal election records. Trump held a campaign fundraiser in October at the Greensboro home of donor Louis DeJoy, the former CEO of New Breed Logistics. The party’s 2016 nominating convention in Cleveland was estimated to have generated $188 million in economic benefit, according to the event host committee. But Trump may also bring Charlotte hordes of protesters. Charlotte’s city council narrowly voted to approve the convention bid by a single vote after a public meeting in which about 100 residents testified. “It’s a big day for our city,” said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who attended the vote. Lyles, a Democrat, faced opposition from her own party in trying to secure the convention for Charlotte.

See NCGA, page A2

See CONVENTION, page A2

DAVID LARSON | FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The NCGA heads back to Raleigh Tuesday for a special legislative session.

House passes ballot language for constitutional amendment Six constitutional amendments will be on the November ballots in N.C. By David Larson for the North State Journal

8

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler

Republicans to hold 2020 convention in Charlotte

“Made in America” on display at the White House Washington, D.C. The White House showcased products made in each state on Monday in a “Made in America” event. The display is part of President Donald Trump’s push to encourage companies to make more, and buy more, Americanmade products. A milling equipment manufacturer from North Carolina showed its wares, along with products ranging from beef jerky and cowboy boots to the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet. Gross domestic product grew by more than 3 percent in two quarters during 2017, and some forecasts expect growth to exceed 4 percent in the second quarter of 2018.

“We hope that the long term is that we are going to have freer access to markets.”

pledged. In N.C., Agriculture employs about a fifth of the state’s workforce and accounts for about $87 billion in economic impact. “This is at least a short-term bridge to get us to a better situation,” said Troxler. “What we are looking for out of this is access to markets around the world. We know we can compete with anybody in productivity and efficiency, but the tariffs skew the game of trying to get into a country to sell a product.” Later this week, Trump will visit Iowa and Illinois, two other farm-belt states, as he seeks to shore up support for Republican candidates in those regions. Federal subsidies for farmers, however, are likely to place congressional Republicans, who typically resist large-scale government assistance programs, in a difficult position of supporting the president, a fellow Republican, or distancing themselves.

RALEIGH — After rumors swirled for days about an imminent special session, House Rules Chair David Lewis (R-Harnett) formally requested that the speaker call members back to Raleigh to write the language that would be on the ballot for constitutional amendments this fall. Calling the legislature back takes written approval from three-fifths of each chamber, a bar that was easily passed with Republican supermajorities.

“If cities start shutting down the political process based on whether you agreed with the party or not, our country is in trouble. We’ve got to be frankly more tolerant of hearing other people’s viewpoint and respecting the democratic process.” Pat McCrory, former N.C. governor and mayor of Charlotte


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
North State Journal — Vol. 3., Issue 22 by North State Journal - Issuu