VOLUME 6 ISSUE 33 | WWW.NSJONLINE.COM | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
State COVID-19 hospitalizations down 42% Raleigh North Carolina’s COVID-19 metrics have fallen steeply in the past month, according to data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. From Sept. 12 to Oct. 12, the percentage of North Carolinians hospitalized declined by 42%, with 2,152 currently hospitalized statewide. The number of ICU patients also declined by a similar amount, down 38% in the same time frame. In the state’s weekly recovery report, over 1.3 million have recovered from the virus. The CDC, meanwhile, still considers the entire state to have “substantial” community transmission of COVID-19. NSJ STAFF
Americans quit their jobs at a record pace in August Washington, D.C. One reason America’s employers are having trouble filling jobs was starkly illustrated in a report Tuesday: Americans are quitting in droves. The Labor Department said that quits jumped to 4.3 million in August, the highest on records dating back to December 2000, and up from 4 million in July. Hiring also slowed in August, the report showed, and the number of jobs available fell to 10.4 million, from a record high of 11.1 million the previous month. Hiring slowed sharply in August and September, even as the number of posted jobs was near record levels. In the past year, open jobs have increased 62%. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas governor orders ban on private company vaccine mandate Austin, Texas Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting any entity, including private business, from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on workers and called on state lawmakers to pass a similar ban into law. “No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19,” Abbott wrote in his order. Abbott previously barred vaccine mandates by state and local government agencies, but until now had let private companies make their own rules for their workers. It was not immediately clear if Abbott’s latest executive order would face a quick court challenge. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Coroner: Gabby Petito strangled, died 3-4 weeks before found Jackson, Wyo. Cross-country traveler Gabby Petito was strangled to death, a Wyoming coroner announced Tuesday. Petito, 22, died three to four weeks before her body was found Sept. 19 near an undeveloped camping area along the border of Grand Teton National Park in remote northern Wyoming, Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said in a news conference. It wasn’t clear if the determination might lead to additional charges against Petito’s boyfriend and traveling partner, Brian Laundrie, who is considered a person of interest in her disappearance and remains unaccounted for. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Harvest season A cotton picker harvests cotton in Dunbar, Edgecombe County, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. North Carolina ranks 10th in the nation for cotton production.
Risky move: Biden undercuts WH executive privilege shield By Colleen Long The Associated Press
White House, NC Dems call out Lt Gov Robinson for ‘filth’ comments Robinson defends comments on teaching sexuality in schools, condemns ‘filth’ in school books, lessons By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — Republican N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is under fire by Democrats, as well as left-leaning press and activist groups, for comments he made in June at Asbury Baptist Church in Randolph County, where he called transgenderism and homosexuality as taught in public schools “filth.” Robinson has not backed down from his comments, however, and he has since given more detail on the type of lessons and books he was referring to. While these comments were made months ago, they came to surface in social media posts by state Sen. Jeff Jackson (D-Mecklenburg), who is currently in a primary campaign for N.C.’s 2022 U.S. Senate race. After an early lead in fundraising, Jackson’s campaign is struggling to keep up with former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who, according to the Charlotte Observer, outraised Jackson $1.5 million to $900,000 in third-quarter fundraising. “I am calling on our Lt. Governor, Mark Robinson, to resign,” Jackson said Oct. 7 on his social media. “As you can see from this video, he angrily referred to the LGBTQ community as ‘filth.’ Then he says, ‘Yes, I called it filth.’ There’s no debate here. This is open discrimination. It is completely unacceptable.” In the post, Jackson linked a video of Robinson’s speech, with the lieutenant governor heard saying, “I’m saying this now, and I’ve been saying it, and I don’t care who likes it — those issues have no place in a school. There’s no reason anybody anywhere in
America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth. And yes, I called it filth.” In addition to Jackson, numerous pro-LGBTQ groups, like the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign, have condemned Robinson and called for him to resign. Attorney General Josh Stein also released a comment on his Twitter, saying, “There is no place for hate in North Carolina. Every single person in our state deserves respect — not only because it’s right, but because it’s necessary to build the kind of future we want for North Carolina.” The Democratic denunciations went all the way to the top, with White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, a North Carolina native, releasing a statement to McClatchy News denouncing Robinson’s words: “These words are repugnant and offensive. The role of a leader is to bring people together and stand up for the dignity and rights of everyone; not to spread hate and undermine their own office.” But Robinson was not intimidated by the outrage and calls for him to resign, telling Spectrum News, “I said what I said, and I believe what I said.” Robinson then released a video responding to the calls for him to resign and describing the kinds of lessons and books that he objects to. “For several days now, I have been viciously attacked because of a clipped video where I talk about removing the sexualization of children from the classrooms in our public education system,” Robinson said. “Let me be clear, I will fight for and protect the rights of all citizens, including those in the LGBTQ community to express themselves however they want. That is their right as Americans, and I don’t think government has any role in tellSee ROBINSON, page A2
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s a risky move by President Joe Biden that could come back to haunt him — and future presidents — in the hyperpartisan world of Washington politics. Democrat Biden has agreed to a request from Congress seeking sensitive information on the actions of his predecessor Donald Trump and his aides during the Jan. 6 Capitol protest, though the former president claims the information is guarded by executive
privilege. The move by Biden isn’t the final word; Trump says he will challenge the requests and a lengthy legal battle is likely to ensue over the information. Courts have ruled that former presidents are afforded executive privilege in some cases. But the playbook for the legal world is different from the political world. And in the political world, “every time a president does something controversial, it becomes a building block for future presidents,” said Saikrishna Prakash, a See BIDEN, page A2
State leaders react to Garland memo directing FBI to investigate school board protests By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Various elected officials in North Carolina are reacting to news that the Biden administration’s Department of Justice will be directing the FBI to investigate protests at school boards around the country. On Oct. 4, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memorandum that stated he was directing the FBI to investigate “threats” to school boards and education personnel in every state. The memorandum seems to target parents who for months have been protesting at school board meetings over mask mandates, indoctrination and Critical Race Theory. In the days following his memorandum, Garland has been accused of having a conflict of interest after it was revealed his daughter is married to the co-founder of Panorama, a company that sells Social and Emotional Learning and Critical Race Theory materials. In a written statement to North State Journal, North Carolina’s top education official reacted to Garland’s memorandum, calling it “disturbing.” “I found Attorney General Garland’s memo this week very disturbing,” state Superintendent Catherine Truitt wrote. “No matter the cause one is fighting for, as a society we should always act with civility and follow the law.” Truitt went on to mention the recent letter sent by the National School Board Association (NSBA) to the Biden administration that appears to have prompted Garland’s memorandum.
“As an elected official, I will always call for good behavior no matter if it is during a march downtown or at a local school See PROTESTS, page A2