North State Journal Volume 5, Issue 1

Page 1

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 1

SPORTS

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

How Duke bounced back from NC State loss

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

US appeals court upholds Trump abortion rules Seattle In a victory for the Trump administration, a U.S. appeals court upheld rules that bar taxpayer-funded familyplanning clinics from referring women for abortions. The 7-4 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned decisions issued by judges in Washington, Oregon and California. The court had already allowed the administration’s changes to start taking effect while the government appealed those rulings. Beginning March 4, the rules will also prohibit clinics that receive federal money from sharing office space with abortion providers, which critics said would force many Title X providers to find new locations, undergo expensive remodels or shut down — further reducing access to the program. Planned Parenthood, which served 1.6 million of the 4 million patients who received care through Title X, has already left the program in protest, giving up about $60 million a year in federal funding. ASSOCIATED PRESS

UN study: 1 of every 3 Venezuelans is facing hunger Caracas, Venezuela One of every three people in Venezuela is struggling to put enough food on the table to meet minimum nutrition requirements as the nation’s severe economic contraction and political upheaval persists, according to a study published Sunday by the U.N. World Food Program. A nationwide survey reveals a startling picture of the large number of Venezuelans surviving off a diet consisting largely of tubers and beans as hyperinflation renders many salaries worthless. “The reality of this report shows the gravity of the social, economic and political crisis in our country,” said Miguel Pizarro, a Venezuelan opposition leader. In addition to food, the survey also looked at interruptions in access to electricity and water, finding that four in 10 households experience daily power cuts. Four in 10 also reported recurrent interruptions in water service, further complicating daily life. ASSOCIATED PRESS

Buffett says economy is slowing amid virus fears Omaha, Neb. Billionaire Warren Buffett says the viral outbreak in China has slowed economic growth, but he remains confident in the long-term future of American business. Buffett said the reports he gets from Berkshire’s assortment of more than 90 businesses and stock investments show that business is a little softer now than it was six months ago, but he remains optimistic. “Twenty or 30 years from now, American business — and probably all over the world — will be far better than it is today,” Buffett said. Many of Berkshire’s roughly 1,000 Dairy Queen stores in China are closed and many of Berkshire’s other companies are suffering supply chain problems. Investors speculate about Buffett’s successor because he is 89 although he has no plans to retire. Buffett said Berkshire’s board talks about succession at every meeting and knows which company manager it would pick as Berkshire’s next CEO. “We’re well prepared on succession,” Buffett said. ASSOCIATED PRESS

KIICHIRO SATO | POOL PHOTO VIA AP

Chinese coronavirus has infected over 80,000 people, killed 2,700 The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. The latest figures reported deaths in Mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, Taiwan, France, and the Philippines.

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Worried Democrats rush to slow frontrunner Sanders By Steve Peoples The Associated Press HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Worried Democrats intensified their assault against the party’s presidential front-runner, Bernie Sanders, as the Vermont senator marched toward South Carolina’s weekend primary eyeing a knockout blow. At least three leading candidates, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg, reinforced their anti-Sanders rhetoric with paid attack ads for the first time. And a new political group was spending big to undermine Sanders’ standing with African American voters. “Socialist Bernie Sanders is promising a lot of free stuff,” says a brochure sent to 200,000 black voters in South Carolina by The Big Tent Project, a new organization trying to derail Sanders’ candidacy. “Nominating Bernie means we reelect Trump. We can’t afford Bernie Sanders.” The multi-pronged broadside just days before South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary represents the Democrats’ most aggressive attempt to knock Sanders down. It reflects growing concern within his party that the self-described democratic socialist is tightening his grip on the presidential nomination while they fear he’s too extreme to defeat President Donald Trump this fall. It also underscores the precarious state of Biden’s campaign. The former vice president has long been viewed as the unquestioned front-runner in South Carolina because of his support from black voters. But as the contest nears, Sanders is also making a strong play here. If he can eat into Biden’s base of support, that would raise fundamental questions about the future of Biden’s candidacy. Sanders shifted new staff into the state from Nevada, expanded his South Carolina advertising

and added events to his schedule. Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said there was an “air of desperation” to the fresh attacks on his candidate. “You’ve got candidates, you’ve got super PACs, all piling on to stop Bernie Sanders,” Weaver said. “They know he has the momentum in the race.” Biden still predicted he would win “by plenty” in Saturday’s contest, the first with a sizable black population to weigh in. Beyond South Carolina, polls suggest Sanders will perform well when more than a dozen states vote in the March 3 Super Tuesday contests. That’s when critics fear Sanders could build an insurmountable delegate lead. Sanders was the focus of Buttigieg’s first attack ad of the 2020 campaign. In the ad, Buttigieg highlights Sanders’ call for a government-financed health care system as an example of the Democratic front-runner’s “polarization.” Biden released an online ad accusing Sanders of trying to undermine President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign with a possible primary challenge. Sanders, of course, ultimately did not challenge Obama from the left. “When it comes to building on President Obama’s legacy, Bernie Sanders just can’t be trusted,” the Biden ad says. And Bloomberg released a new ad of his own assailing Sanders’ record on gun control, citing the senator’s endorsement by the National Rifle Association when he first ran for Congress decades ago. While he once had the NRA’s backing, Sanders proudly proclaims his “F” rating from the pro-gun organization now. And just last week, several gun control advocates who survived the Parkland, Florida, school shooting endorsed him. Still, Bloomberg tweeted: “The See SANDERS page A2

Race to replace Meadows explodes with candidates By A.P. Dillon North State Journal ASHEVILLE — With the surprise retirement announcement from Republican Rep. Mark Meadows last year and his district being newly re-drawn, the NC-11 race has drawn a slew of contenders from both sides of the aisle. There are five Democrat candidates: Gina Collias, Morris “Moe” Davis, Michael O’Shea, Phillip Price and Robert Woodsmall. The Republican side has more than twice that with eleven: Charles Archerd, Lynda Bennett, Madison Cawthorn, Jim Davis, Dan Driscoll, Dillon Gentry, Steven Fekete, Joseph Wayne King, Joey Osbourne, Vance Patterson, and Albert Wiley, Jr. As a result of nonpartisan redistricting that took place last year, the district was redrawn to eliminate a boundary line that split Asheville into two congressional districts. The new district covers 17 counties: Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Buncombe, McDowell, Polk, Henderson, Transylvania, Jackson, Haywood, Swain, Macon, Clay, Graham, Cherokee and

half of Rutherford. Only state Sen. Jim Davis (R-Macon) has been elected to and currently holds a political office, representing the seven counties in District 50 since 2011. He also served as a Macon County commissioner from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to 10. FEC filings show Davis has pulled in $87,971 with $39,407 cash on hand as of Feb. 20. In addition to his fundraising, the American Dental Association Independent Expenditures Committee has spent $95,780 supporting Davis. Davis, an orthodontist by profession, picked up endorsements from state Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Madison), Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland, Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran, state Rep. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), and Cherokee County Commissioner Cal Stiles. So far, Davis is the only NC-11 candidate that has earned an “A” rating from and is endorsed by the NRA. Top priorities for Davis include job creation, defending the Trump tax cuts, protecting the See MEADOWS page A2

Immigration public charge rule implementation takes effect By Anita Snow The Associated Press PHOENIX — Pastor Antonio Velasquez says that before the Trump administration announced a crackdown on immigrants using government social services, people lined up before sunrise outside a state office in a largely Latino Phoenix neighborhood to sign up for food stamps and Medicaid. No more. “You had to arrive at 3 in the morning, and it might take you until the end of the day,” he said, pointing behind the office in the Maryvale neighborhood to show how long the lines got. But no one lined up one recent weekday morning, and there were just a handful of people inside. With new rules taking effect that disqualify more people from green cards if they use government benefits, See IMMIGRATION page A2


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