North Carolina governor vetoes anti-DEI and transgender rights bills, calling them ‘mean-spirited’

North Carolina governor vetoes anti-DEI and transgender rights bills, calling them ‘mean-spirited’

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed three anti-DEI bills and another targeting transgender rights. Stein criticized on Thursday the Republican-led legislature for prioritizing what he called “mean-spirited” bills that it sent to his desk. The anti-DEI bills would cut or eliminate diversity programs in government and education. The transgender-related bill includes restrictions on state-funded gender-affirming care for prisoners and other provisions. Republicans argue these laws promote fairness and parental rights. The legislature may attempt to override the vetoes later this month. Stein has vetoed 11 bills since January, all within the past two weeks.… Continue Reading

Medicaid, food aid recipients worry about safety net cuts in bill sent to Trump

Medicaid, food aid recipients worry about safety net cuts in bill sent to Trump

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The nation’s social safety net would face massive changes under a bill headed to President Donald Trump’s desk. There would be a work requirement for many people to get or keep Medicaid health insurance, and a similar requirement for older adults to receive food assistance. Paperwork requirements would also increase. Planned Parenthood could no longer get federal funding for its non-abortion health services. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that by 2034, the bill would result in nearly 12 million more uninsured people in the U.S. Supporters say the measures will save taxpayers money, enhance personal responsibility and block fraud.… Continue Reading

How an empty North Carolina rural hospital explains a GOP senator’s vote against Trump’s tax bill

How an empty North Carolina rural hospital explains a GOP senator’s vote against Trump’s tax bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — An empty hospital in Williamston, North Carolina, offers an evocative illustration of why Republican Sen. Thom Tillis would buck his party and its leaders to vote down President Trump’s signature domestic policy package. It’s one of a dozen hospitals that have closed in North Carolina over the last two decades. It’s a problem that hospital systems and health experts warn may only worsen if the “One Big Beautiful Act,” passes with its $1 trillion cuts to the Medicaid program and new restrictions on enrollment in the coverage. Across the country, 200 hospitals have shut down or reduced their services over the last two decades. Many of these closures occur in red states that have declined to expand Medicaid coverage, the health insurance program for the poorest Americans.… Continue Reading

North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes bill repealing interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate

North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes bill repealing interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed a bill that would repeal an interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate for power generation. Stein said Wednesday that the legislation would harm consumers and discourage clean energy. The bill would do away with a directive in a 2021 law for electric regulators to take “all reasonable steps to achieve” reducing carbon dioxide output 70% from 2005 levels by 2030. Republican supporters say the mandate is unnecessary and costly. They want to focus on a 2050 carbon neutrality goal that would remain in place. Environmentalists praised Stein’s veto of the bill. It would impact Duke Energy, the state’s dominant electric utility.… Continue Reading

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — The electronics company Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in central North Carolina by building a new manufacturing plant. The company is investing $500 million toward a facility to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence data centers. Officials announced Monday that the facility will be in Rowan County, northeast of Charlotte. The project includes a $264 million capital investment and 1,181 jobs by the end of 2030. North Carolina competed with Florida for the project and offered over $21 million in incentives. Jabil already operates three facilities in the state, employing about 1,000 workers.… Continue Reading

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says

MURPHY, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say an escaped inmate fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county. The incident started Monday at a medical clinic in Murphy. Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith says 48-year-old inmate Kelvin Simmons will be charged with first-degree murder. Smith says Simmons was a federal inmate being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape. Smith identified the officer as 56-year-old Francisco Paul Flattes. He was a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Smith says Flattes’ wife also works for the county detention center.… Continue Reading

Sen. Thom Tillis in stepping aside goes the way of other Republicans who have challenged Trump

Sen. Thom Tillis in stepping aside goes the way of other Republicans who have challenged Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeff Flake. Bob Corker. Mitt Romney. And now, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The roll call of Republican senators who have called it quits rather than endure a political career sideways with President Donald Trump is long and apparently, still growing. Tillis announced his decision not to seek reelection Sunday, a stunning moment given its timing. It arrived a day after Trump trashed Tillis online and threatened to campaign against him after the senator revealed he would oppose Trump’s big tax breaks bill because of its deep cuts to Medicaid. Tillis told The Associated Press and others at the Capitol that his “goal is not to undermine the president.”… Continue Reading

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won’t run in 2026 after opposing Trump’s bill

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won’t run in 2026 after opposing Trump’s bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says he won’t seek reelection. That news Sunday comes one day after he announced his opposition to President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package because of its reductions to health care programs. The announcement from the two-term senator surprised senior Republicans with its timing, but not necessarily the substance. Tillis had planned to announce his reelection plans later this year, likely September at the latest, but had been heavily leaning in favor of retiring. That’s according to a person close to the senator who was granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. His decision creates a political opportunity for Democrats seeking to bolster their numbers in the 2026 midterm elections.… Continue Reading

Senate Republicans advance Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill after dramatic late-night vote

Senate Republicans advance Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill after dramatic late-night vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted in a dramatic Saturday session, clearing a key procedural step as they race to pass President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline. The vote tally was 51-49 but only after a tense night. Proceedings came to a standstill as senators huddled in negotiations on and off the floor for hours. There’s still a long weekend of work to come. Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition. If the Senate can pass the bill in the days ahead, it would need to return to the House for more votes before it could reach the White House.… Continue Reading

Interstate 40 in the Smoky Mountains reopens faster than expected after rock slide and flooding

Interstate 40 in the Smoky Mountains reopens faster than expected after rock slide and flooding

HARTFORD, Tenn. (AP) — Crews have reopened a section of Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains after flooding and a rock slide closed the major cross country highway for nine days. Officials initially expected I-40 in far eastern Tennessee to remain closed until July 3, but crews sped along the work and the highway reopened on Friday with one lane in each direction. I-40 is already undergoing major repairs from massive damage and washouts during Hurricane Helene last fall. The damaged section is part of 12 miles in North Carolina and Tennessee that were washed away or heavily damaged by flooding that roared through the Pigeon River gorge.… Continue Reading

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