VOLUME 5 ISSUE 17
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Researchers: Cheap drug improves COVID-19 survival London Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients. The results were announced Tuesday, and the British government immediately authorized the drug’s use for coronavirus patients like those who did well in the study. Researchers said they would publish results soon, and several independent experts said it’s important to see details to know how much of a difference the drug, dexamethasone, might make and for whom. “Bottom line is, good news,” said the United States’ top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
PHOTO VIA PELAGIC HUNTER SPORTFISHING.
Reeling in a winner
Pelagic Hunter II from Pelagic Hunter Sportfishing, LLC based out of Sneads Ferry, N.C., took home 1st place in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zoom caught in China censorship crossfire Hong Kong Video app company Zoom says that it blocked several meetings and suspended the accounts of three activists at the request of the Chinese government. The company released details saying that the Chinese government notified it about several online meetings planned to commemorate the massacre of protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Zoom said the government told it such activities were illegal and demanded that the company terminate the meetings and the host accounts of the organizers, even though they did not live in China. Zoom then suspended the accounts of two U.S.-based activists. It has since reinstated all of their accounts. “Going forward Zoom will not allow requests from the Chinese government to impact anyone outside of mainland China,” Zoom said in a blog post dated June 11. It did not give details on how it would determine which meetings would fit that description. ASSOCIATED PRESS
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries seeks comment on CARES Act spending plan Morehead City The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking input from the public on a draft spending plan for $5.4 million in federal CARES Act fisheries assistance. The CARES Act authorized the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to provide $300 million for economic assistance to affected fishery participants due to COVID-19. The draft spending plan proposes funding disbursement through direct payments to eligible commercial fishermen, charter businesses, seafood dealers and processors, and qualified aquaculture operations who can document a greater than 35% revenue loss compared to the previous fiveyear average due to COVID-19. The draft spending plan can be found online at portal. ncdenr.org. Comments must be posted online or postmarked by 5 p.m. June 19. NSJ STAFF
U.S. Judge strikes law aimed to protect agriculture Raleigh A federal judge has struck down the Property Protection Act, more commonly known as the “ag-gag” law. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder wrote in his opinion that the law, which gave businesses the right to sue employees who get hired only to expose trade secrets or take pictures inside their workplace, was unconstitutional. Plaintiffs in the case argued the restrictions violated the First Amendment. NSJ STAFF
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Chinese money and influence in North Carolina education NC has one Confucius Institute operating in higher ed
ranking Republican members on the committee, which requested information about the Chinese Communist Party’s investment in American higher education institutions to further its strateBy A.P. Dillon gic and propaganda goals. North State Journal One way the Chinese governRALEIGH — Uncovering the ment has been able to infiltrate depths to which the Chinese gov- and influence higher education in the United States ernment has spread its is through Confucius roots into American colInstitutes, which beleges, universities and gan in 2004. These research centers has “UNC institutes opened been an ongoing proCharlotte has doors at colleges and cess for the last several universities around years. Over the course of not received the world by offering the past year, numerous more than Chinese language scholars and research$150,000 of courses and relaters have been charged. ed culture offerings One of the more support from which whitewash high-profile cases was the human rights of Dr. Charles Lieb- Hanban in any abuses and history er, chair of the Depart- given year. of the Chinese govment of Chemistry Consistent ernment. and Chemical BioloAn institute pedgy at Harvard Univer- with Section dling Chinese lansity, who was charged 117 of the guage and culture and recently indicted on lessons sounds inJune 9 for making false Higher nocuous; however, statements to feder- Education Act, C.I.’s are operated by al authorities regarding the Hanban, an enhis participation in Chi- UNC Charlotte tity funded and run na’s Thousand Talents reports to by the Chinese govProgram. the federal ernment’s Ministry In early June, an onof Education. The going investigation by government Hanban also pays the National Institute all gifts from and screens who of Health yielded 54 firteaches the instiings and resignations. or contracts tute’s courses. The investigation, which with a foreign A 2017 report probegan in 2018, said that duced by the Nain 93% of those cases, source valued tional Association of the undisclosed funding at $250,000 Scholars charactersource was Chinese in or more in a ized C.I.’s as weaporigin, according to Mions of soft power chael Lauer, NIH’s head year.” which adhere to Chiof extramural research. nese law, avoid menThese type of inves- Buffie Stephens, tion of Chinese potigations into Chinese litical history and influence have been go- director of issues ing on for some time; management and human rights abuses, enact China’s however, the recent external media censorious speech COVID-19 outbreak has preferences, and given them a new sense relations at UNC “portray Taiwan and of urgency. The House Charlotte Tibet as undisputed Oversight and Reform territories of China.” Committee is already As of May, there are around investigating coronavirus propaganda efforts by China, but 81 C.I.’s operating in the United stepped up efforts in early May. States and one still operating in A letter to U.S. Education SecreSee CONFUCIUS page A2 tary Betsy DeVos was issued by
Gov. Cooper press conferences shut out some news outlets North State Journal has been denied opportunity to ask Gov. Cooper questions for months By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper has been a frequent image on screens across North Carolina since the COVID-19 outbreak. The briefings include his chief lieutenants and prepared remarks from the state’s chief executive. Many of Cooper’s virtual press conferences have allowed for questions from the
media to the governor and his staff. North State Journal reporters have diligently attended press conferences and online briefings. However, those same reporters have had little opportunity to ask questions of Cooper during his media availability briefings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, or in obtaining public records from his office. Since the March 27 briefing, North State Journal has not been called on during any of the governor’s question-and-answer sessions. Cooper has typically given two, and sometimes three, briefSee NC PRESS page A2
Durham approves police budget increase despite ‘defund’ movement pressure Retired lieutenant believes more, not less, police contact with public is answer David Larson North State Journal DURHAM — An increase in the city’s police budget was approved at the June 15 Durham City Council meeting, allocating a total of $70 million to the DPD, about 14% of the city’s $503 million budget. The vote was under heavy scrutiny in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, with many activists calling for a reduction or even elimination of police budgets. Call after call during the Monday night meeting, which was streamed online, demanded — in often harsh language — that the city’s police force be abolished, defunded or otherwise reimagined. Mayor Steve Schewel gave each commenter one minute but only allowed those who had signed up beforehand to speak due to the volume of calls. After the comments, Schewel countered some points that were repeated in public comments, like that the police budget is a third of the total budget. “Seventy million dollars is a lot. But it’s actually closer to about 14% of our budget,” he said. “Still a lot of money, but I want to make that clear. The thing I want to say about our police budget this year is this: We are increasing our police budget a total of about $1.2 million. We’re not adding any positions. We’re not adding any programs. Our police officers are not getting a pay increase, just like everybody else in the city.” To be responsive to the demands of those wanting radical change to policing in Durham, the city council added in $1 million for a Community Health and Safety Task Force that would po-
tentially take on some of the responsibilities of policing the city over time. Durham Beyond Policing, a local nonprofit group, organized a lot of the opposition to the budget and proposed the task force as an eventual replacement for armed police. The group’s supporters sent more than 4,000 emails to councilmembers over the previous 10 days, according to a statement by the mayor. Many of the public commenters during the meeting also identified with the group. The group’s main demand is that the $70 million police budSee DPD, page A8