Vice President Kamala Harris presents her economic plan during a campaign appearance in North Carolina
By Lynn Bonner and Christine Zhu
Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a comprehensive economic plan at her presidential campaign rally in Raleigh on Friday that focuses on everyday economic problems faced by many people, such as high grocery bills, the cost of raising a family and paying for a home.
For voters, the economy is the top priority. Polls have shown that voters prefer former President Donald Trump on economic issues, even as Harris has narrowed his lead, the Washington Post reported this week.
Her plan to build what she calls an “economy of opportunity” aims to address the economic pressures facing Americans, such as housing costs that discourage first-time home buyers, food prices and high rents.Read more…)
New polls show support for Harris in North Carolina and other swing states
By Christine Zhu
The latest Cook Political Report Swing State Project poll, released Wednesday, shows Vice President Kamala Harris outperforming or tied with former President Donald Trump in all but one of seven swing states, including North Carolina.
In the swing states, Harris is narrowly ahead overall: 48 percent of respondents would vote for her, compared to 47 percent for Trump.
This is a notable change from the Swing State Project’s last poll in May, in which Trump beat President Joe Biden by three percentage points overall. In each of the seven swing states, Trump was ahead or tied with Biden. (Read more…)
Donald Trump wants to sharpen his economic message in his speech in North Carolina and warns of a “Kamala crash”
By Galen Bacharier
In a speech in North Carolina to focus on his economic policy message on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump warned of a “1929-style depression” under his opponent while promising to roll back key Biden-era initiatives and spending.
Trump’s remarks – which he branded “intellectual” to attendees in Asheville – frequently drifted into personal criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris and included remarks about immigration and President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race. (Read more…)
Robinson claims Stein’s wife is ‘deeply entrenched’ in DHHS. AG says his claim is ‘ridiculous’
By Galen Bacharier
DHHS spokesperson confirmed that Anna Stein “was not involved in the supervisory work”
Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson condemned the “weaponization of government” in a speech at an event for former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, comparing government oversight of his family’s businesses to Trump’s ongoing investigations and litigation.
And he claimed that Attorney General Josh Stein’s wife is “deeply entrenched” in the agency charged with that oversight – a claim that Stein, a Democrat running against Robinson for governor, called “ridiculous and completely false.” (Read more…)
Big Duke Energy dollars flow into attacks in North Carolina governor’s race
By Christine Zhu and Rob Schofield
The company has donated millions to 527 groups, including one that recently filed a lawsuit against Josh Stein
North Carolina’s largest utility has a history of making campaign contributions to politicians from both major parties. Charlotte-based Duke Energy, for example, has donated more than $1 million directly to gubernatorial campaigns in recent years, as well as to dozens of candidates for other state government offices.
But a recent attack ad in North Carolina on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson in his gubernatorial campaign against Attorney General Josh Stein by the Republican Governors Association (RGA) – a so-called 527 organization that can accept direct corporate donations and use them to support candidates – once again serves to put those donations in the spotlight. (Read more...)
Pension fund philosophy, health insurance stability: North Carolina’s next treasurer faces big decisions
By Clayton Henkel
It’s been 30 years since former North Carolina Treasurer Harlan Boyles published “Keeper of the Public Purse,” the conservative Democrat’s brief investigation into how money was raised and spent in North Carolina on behalf of the people. Boyles served for 24 years, maintaining North Carolina’s AAA credit rating and overseeing the investment of $70 billion in state and pension funds.
Boyles’ conservative approach was revered by many and shaped the leadership style of current state Treasury Secretary Dale Folwell. (Read more...)
Two million North Carolina residents could benefit from hospitals participating in the debt relief program
By Ahmed Jallow
Governor Roy Cooper announced Monday that two million North Carolinians would have their medical bills forgiven after all 99 of the state’s acute care hospitals joined a groundbreaking program designed to wipe out debt for low- and middle-income patients.
The announcement came after the federal government last month approved the Cooper administration’s plan to forgive up to $4 billion in hospital debt for millions of people in the state. (Read more…)
Public-private partnerships pave the way for new housing for people of different incomes in Durham
By Greg Childress
Construction equipment beeped and whirred in the background and the sound of dump trucks rumbled in the distance during Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for Commerce Street Apartments, a 172-unit mixed-dwelling apartment complex in downtown Durham.
Local, state and national housing authorities hailed the construction noise as a sign of progress.
(Read more…)
Bonus case is:
* High construction costs and interest rates affect the affordability of housing
* NCDEQ faces complaints about oversight of weather protection assistance program
The mood in the country after the Olympic Games is hopeful; politicians should take this to heart (comment)
From Rob Schofield
If there was one moment that best captured the positive spirit of the recently concluded global media spectacle that was the Paris Olympics, it was perhaps the action of two U.S. athletes who did not win a gold medal. It came near the end of the women’s gymnastics competition, when gymnasts Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles – who won silver and bronze, respectively, in the floor exercise – used the medal ceremony to pay tribute to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.
Often the second and third place winners stand by in stoic sobriety and sometimes even with tears of disappointment while the winner steps into the spotlight and is played the national anthem of his country. Not this time.(Read more.…)
