VOLUME 3 ISSUE 46
Inside
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019
ACC basketball season is here, B1
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE | AP PHOTO
The Capitol and Washington Monument are seen at dawn as the partial government shutdown lurches into a third week with President Donald Trump standing firm in his border wall funding demands, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. After no weekend breakthrough to end a prolonged shutdown, newly empowered House Democrats are planning to step up pressure on Trump and Republican lawmakers to reopen the government.
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
‘Bathroom bill’ fallout: North Carolina to lose Netflix show Wilmington, N.C. Producers of a new Netflix series about the state’s Outer Banks is set to film in South Carolina. Show creator Jonas Pate tells The StarNews of Wilmington that Netflix has picked up “OBX,” with filming slated to begin this spring. He says the streaming service passed on filming in N.C. because of a clause in HB2’s replacement that halts new local antidiscrimination ordinances until 2020. Pate says “OBX” could still film where it’s set if legislators accelerate the clause’s sunset.
Former felons can begin registering to vote in Florida Miami The right to vote was restored for most Florida felons as of Tuesday, increasing the pool of eligible voters by as many as 1.4 million people in a battleground state infamous for its narrow margins in key elections. Nearly 65 percent of Florida voters last November approved Amendment 4. It applies to all felons who have done their time and completed the terms of their probation and parole, with the exception of people convicted of murder or sex offenses. People don’t need to present proof that they completed their sentence; they sign under oath that their voting rights have been restored.
Winter storm blasts Europe; 13 dead amid heavy snow Berlin Deadly winter weather blasted Europe for yet another day Tuesday, trapping hundreds of people in Alpine regions, whipping up high winds that caused flight delays and cancellations and raising the risks of more deadly avalanches in the mountains. At least 13 people have been killed in weather-related accidents in Europe over the last week, most of them from avalanches.
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NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Trump takes case for border wall to prime-time television In Trump’s first Oval Office televised address, border security takes center stage By Donna King North State Journal
NC legislative Republicans optimistic for new session Despite loss of supermajorities, GOP sees opportunities By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — With both chambers of the N.C. General Assembly convening for opening ceremonies this week, Republicans are hopeful despite the many new faces, most of them Democrats. After holding supermajorities since 2013, Republicans now have a simple majority in both chambers, allowing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to effectively veto GOP legislation. House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) suggested that his caucus is not hanging their heads over this change though. “We did lose some Republican members during the election and that was expected. I’m going to miss what they contribute to the General Assembly, but it’s going to be business as usual,” Bell told the North State Journal. “Fortunately for the state, they were unsuccessful in breaking that majority, but if the Democrats want to work with Republicans, I think we can find a lot of compromise that is right for North Carolina. A lot of bills that we’ve put forward are good policy for North Carolina, so I see no reason why Democrats wouldn’t join with us — a lot of them already have.” Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln)
agreed, telling NSJ, “It was a year that was somewhat good for Democrats. It wasn’t a slam dunk by any measure, because we did retain majorities. It will be hopefully less contentious as both sides try to work on common goals together. I don’t think that changes anybody’s philosophy, not the governor’s and certainly not the Republicans, but I do think that it will lend to some working together.” Reaching across the aisle, however, will be necessary. “If Republicans want to get anything done, they will need to work out compromises with Democrats,” Minority Leader Darren Jackson (D-Wake) told NSJ. “If they do, we can make progress. If they continue with a ‘my way or the highway’ approach, nothing will get done.” “I think everything is still doable,” Bell said, listing economic packages, disaster relief, rural assistance, broadband internet and infrastructure as areas of likely cooperation. “I don’t know if you can have any more intense political fighting than we’ve had the past few years, but Democrats will agree that most things that get done in Raleigh are bipartisan. Only a few issues cause the controversy and grab the headlines.” Jackson said Democrats are going to focus their agenda on expanding Medicaid and increasing education spending. “I think it’s interesting that See NCGOP, page A2
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a focus on the humanitarian crisis unfolding at the southern U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump prepared Tuesday to take his case in the federal government shutdown battle directly to the American people during prime-time television. “The passion you hear from President Trump, his determination to take this case to the American people, as he will tonight in his national broadcast from the Oval Office, comes from this president’s deep desire to do his job to protect the American people,” Pence said Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
This week the shutdown becomes the second-longest in American history with hundreds of thousands of federal workers potentially missing paychecks on Friday. If it runs through the weekend it becomes the longest. However, only about 25 percent of the federal government is affected as most was funded through separate appropriations. The military, VA and other essential functions are not impacted. “One of the reasons we haven’t seen the seven signs of the apocalypse is because we successfully funded 75 percent of the government for the first time in years through what’s called regular-order appropriations,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) in an interview on WPTF radio in Raleigh. “I want to get the government reopened but I think the president is right to demand border security.” See BORDER, page A2
High court to take new look at partisan electoral districts By Mark Sherman The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court is plunging back into the issue of whether electoral districts can be too partisan. Disputes have arisen in cases involving North Carolina’s heavily-Republican congressional map and a Democratic congressional district in Maryland, and the justices said Friday they will hear arguments in March. The high court could come out with the first limits on partisan politics in the drawing of electoral districts but also could ultimately decide that federal judges have no role in trying to police political mapmaking. The court took up the issue of partisan gerrymandering last term in cases from Wisconsin and the same Maryland district, but the justices failed to reach a decision on limiting political
line-drawing for political gain. Justice Anthony Kennedy had said he was open to limits. He has since retired, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh has taken Kennedy’s seat. He has no judicial record on the issue. The court again has taken one case in which Democrats are accused of unfairly limiting Republicans’ political power and one in which Republicans are the alleged culprits. The court also has the entire North Carolina congressional map before it but only the one Maryland district. In both cases, however, lower courts have found that the party in charge of redistricting — Republicans in North Carolina, Democrats in Maryland — egregiously violated the rights of voters in the other party. The North Carolina map was redrawn in 2016 because federal See SCOTUS, page A2