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The hearing in Raleigh took place after the state Supreme Court's conservative justices agreed to reconsider a 2022 ruling that found partisan redistricting, or gerrymandering, was unlawful under the state constitution. In the same elections, Republicans flipped two Democratic seats on the court, installing a 5-2 conservative majority that weeks later made the extremely unusual decision to rehear the redistricting case. Several conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the Republicans' arguments, while the court's two Democrats expressed skepticism. The Supreme Court's conservative justices appeared to agree during oral arguments in December. But after the North Carolina court's decision to rehear the case, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the various parties in the case to weigh in on whether the court still has jurisdiction over the matter.

☆ Voting-Rights Decisions Get Second Look in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

State lawmakers petitioned the state North Carolina Supreme Court to reconsider two of its recent election-law decisions. North Carolina’s highest court this week will reconsider two of its recent election-law decisions that endorsed a broad view of voting rights, an unusual move that comes after the November elections flipped the court to a Republican majority. The cases, involving the swing state’s voter-identification requirements and the shape of its electoral maps, resulted in rulings last year against the GOP-led state legislature. In one, the North Carolina Supreme Court said lawmakers in 2021 unlawfully gerrymandered congressional and state legislative districts for partisan advantage, in violation of the state constitution. In the other, the court ruled the ID law was intended to discriminate against voters of color, who were more likely to struggle to meet the new requirements.

The new court agreed along party lines to rehear the redistricting case, as well as a case in which the previous Democratic majority struck down a Republican-backed voter identification law. In court filings, Republican lawmakers argue that redistricting is inherently political and should be left to legislators, rather than judges. Last year's redistricting decision also prompted North Carolina Republicans to turn to the U.S. Supreme Court in what has become a high-profile case. The Supreme Court's conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the Republicans' argument during oral arguments in December. But after the North Carolina Supreme Court's decision to rehear the case, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the various parties in the case to weigh in on whether the court still has jurisdiction over the matter.

☆ Another house has collapsed into the ocean in North Carolina, and its owner will now have to clean up all the debris
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Another beachfront home in Rodanthe, North Carolina, has collapsed into the ocean. The North Carolina Coastal Federation estimates that Rodanthe loses about 14 feet of beach per year on average. The couple bought the Rodanthe house in 2007. In February 2022, a North Carolina beachfront home partially collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, spreading debris more than seven miles across the coast. And in May, a video circulating on Twitter captured the dramatic moment when a Rodanthe house on stilts fell into the sea and was swept away after being pummeled by powerful ocean waves.

☆ North Carolina lawmakers intervene to defend abortion pill restrictions in case testing FDA power
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

North Carolina has divided government. Stein told North Carolina lawmakers the FDA determined that restrictions like those in North Carolina unduly burden patients' access to a safe and effective drug. A federal judge on Friday allowed North Carolina lawmakers to defend restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, after the state attorney general declined to do so. The abortion pill has become the central flashpoint in the battle over abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Democratic attorneys general have asked a federal judge in Washington state to declare the remaining FDA restrictions on mifepristone unconstitutional.

In North Carolina, party activists are seeking to punish Republican Senator Thom Tillis for his support for same-sex marriage rights. North Carolina State Representative Mark Brody, who supports censuring Sen. Tillis, says it is better to address differences directly. Law, who served as a senior member of Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns in Nevada, and the county party did not respond to requests for comment. Although Tillis retains support among the party establishment, Jim Womack, a county party chair, says the Senator’s critics are gaining strength. “The North Carolina Republican party will eventually be decentralized to the point where the grassroots will actually run the party,” Womack said.

The state Supreme Court blocked the Republican map as unlawfully biased against Democratic voters. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the dispute in December but has not issued a ruling in the high-profile case. The justices' order on Thursday cited a federal law giving it jurisdiction over final judgments issued by state supreme courts. Members of the state Supreme Court are elected by voters in North Carolina. In their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the North Carolina Republicans contended that the state court usurped the state General Assembly's authority under that provision to regulate federal elections.

☆ Supreme Court signals it could sidestep ruling in major elections case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday sought additional briefings in a major elections case from North Carolina, signaling it could sidestep a ruling on a broad theory that could upend election law nationwide. The brief court order asked the parties involved to file new court papers on the impact of recent actions by the North Carolina Supreme Court. The case before the justices, argued in December, concerns whether the North Carolina Supreme Court had the authority last year to throw out Republican-drawn congressional districts. Since then, the North Carolina Supreme Court has flipped from Democratic to Republican control and the new majority has moved to revisit some of the earlier rulings. Oral arguments in the North Carolina court are scheduled for March 14.

☆ Odometer fraud is a $1 billion problem. Here's how it costs American drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Robert Ferris | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A type of motor vehicle crime that costs consumers in the U.S. about $1 billion a year is on the rise, according to data firm Carfax. Average used vehicle prices rose from about $20,000 in December 2019 to about $27,000 in December 2022, according to Cox Automotive. Supply chain disruptions and shortages in new vehicle inventory have pushed more customers to the used market, which in turn has pushed up prices. Those circumstances also are making used vehicles scarcer. "I can't tell you for sure, but I suspect with the recent surge in used car prices, that it's becoming a more enticing tactic for scammers," said Patrick Olsen, executive editor at Carfax.

Feb 27 - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to Los Angeles County's ban on sales of flavored tobacco products brought by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which had argued that only the federal government - not state or local governments - has the legal authority to regulate tobacco products. The Supreme Court in December allowed a California statewide ban on flavored tobacco products, also challenged by R.J. Reynolds, to go into effect. California became the second state to ban all flavored tobacco product sales, after Massachusetts in 2019. Flavored tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, have come under scrutiny in recent years as critics have said they appeal to youth. Circuit Court of Appeals last year upheld the Los Angeles ban on a 2-1 vote.

☆ An American Airlines passenger forced the flight to make an emergency landing after she charged the cockpit after she couldn't get a drink: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An "unruly" passenger aboard an American Airlines flight forced an emergency landing this week. The traveler allegedly rushed at the cockpit after she couldn't get a cocktail, according to reports. "I started freaking out because so many people started getting up on me," Miles told the news outlet. However, law enforcement ultimately dismissed the charge against Miles following an investigation, the airport told Insider on Friday. The FBI told Insider "no further action is planned unless additional information or evidence comes to light."

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast gets permit to start construction on U.S. factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Vietnam's electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast said on Friday North Carolina regulators had given the automaker one of the environmental permits it needs to begin construction on a planned $4 billion EV assembly plant in the U.S. state. VinFast was awarded an "Air Permit," the company said, adding it was still seeking other permits for the Chatham Country factory, but would start a tender for construction. "The Air Permit allows us to start construction on phase 1 of the factory. We will start construction soon," VinFast said in a statement, without specifying any time frame. VinFast has said it plans to start operations in the North Carolina plant, which is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs, as soon as 2024.

☆ G1 Therapeutics to scrap cancer drug trial, shares plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The drug, trilaciclib or Cosela, was unlikely to meet the main goals of extending overall survival or the time that a patient lives without the disease worsening, G1 Therapeutics said. Cosela is the company's lead therapy and the only drug being tested in clinical trials. However, the drug achieved its goal in the trial of the drug to reduce the occurrence of Neutropenia - an abnormally low count of a type of white blood cell - during induction and reduce its duration. The company is studying the drug in other indications such as breast and bladder cancer. The study was testing a combination of the drug administered along with chemotherapy and Roche's (ROG.S) therapy Avastin in patients with a type of colorectal cancer.

In one, generic mifepristone maker GenBioPro is asking a federal judge to block West Virginia, which has a near-total abortion ban, from prohibiting sales of the pills. The state is one of 16 that allow abortion under some circumstances, but impose additional restrictions on mifepristone that make it harder to access. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE TEXAS PLAINTIFFS WIN? IS A WIN BY TEXAS PLAINTIFFS LIKELY? The West Virginia lawsuit makes a more novel legal argument, since West Virginia's abortion ban applies to all abortions and does not specifically regulate mifepristone.

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast says job cuts won't derail plans to start U.S. production
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We still plan to start the trial production in 2024 as originally planned," Le said. The annual production capacity of the plant is 150,000 electric vehicles, according to the company's release. The next markets VinFast plans to target will be in Europe, namely Germany, France and the Netherlands, said the CEO. However, VinFast vehicles do not currently qualify for the $7,500 tax credit in the U.S. because they are not built in the country, but are built in Vietnam. "I believe that in the long run [we are] going to concentrate the manufacturing of electric vehicles as well as the key components of electric vehicles in the U.S.," Le added.

☆ North Carolina Republicans reap reward of judicial wins in redistricting ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

'RAW PARTISANSHIP'In North Carolina, Republican candidates in November won two seats held by Democrats, wresting away the majority. The office of the Republican state Senate leader, Phil Berger, did not respond to a request for comment on the ruling on Monday. That decision led North Carolina Republican lawmakers to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in what has become one of the year's most momentous cases. The North Carolina Supreme Court – whose previous decision gave rise to the U.S. Supreme Court case – could now choose to embrace the notion regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court eventually rules. "We either get Moore v. Harper and it's the Wild West everywhere, or we get a Republican state Supreme Court to overturn it and it's just the Wild West in North Carolina," Hildebrand said.

☆ Abortion pill manufacturer sues over West Virginia ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Rose Horowitch | Rose Horowitch Is An Intern With Nbc News Digital Politics. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Abortion pill manufacturer GenBioPro filed a lawsuit Wednesday arguing that West Virginia's sweeping ban on the procedure is unconstitutional — one of a spate of suits testing the legality of medication abortion in the post-Roe legal landscape. GenBioPro manufactures mifepristone, the first pill in a two-drug regimen used to carry out medication abortion. Medication abortion has become a hot-button issue since the Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion. The drugmaker, which filed its case in West Virginia federal court, argues that the Food and Drug Administration's regulations on abortion medication override state law. “Abortion law and the status of the legality of abortion flickers on and off,” Rebouché said.

For Republicans, the months following the 2022 midterms have been consumed by a fair amount of introspection — and finger-pointing — about why the results were so underwhelming for the party. The secret ballot vote will take place during the open-press portion of the RNC's three-day winter meeting, which opens Wednesday. McDaniel, who was handpicked by then-President Donald Trump for the role, has faced heat from some Republicans and conservative media figures for the party's lackluster results in November. Meanwhile, an RNC official formally accused a McDaniel ally of engaging in "religious bigotry" aimed at Dhillon’s Sikh faith in discussing the race for party chair. I'm not surprised that folks coalesced behind her or around her as quickly as they did."

Bryant objected to North Carolina requirements that patients obtain abortion pills only in person from physicians in specially certified facilities, and undergo as state-mandated counseling at least 72 hours before having abortions. The offices of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The West Virginia lawsuit was reported earlier by The New York Times, and the North Carolina lawsuit by ABC News. The cases are GenBioPro Inc v Sorsaia et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, No. 23-00058; and Bryant v Stein et al, U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina, No.

☆ Lowe's wants to host your kid's next birthday party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Lowe's announced this week it is offering birthday parties at 10 stores across the United States. The North Carolina-based home-improvement store chain announced this week it is offering to host kids birthday parties at 10 stores across the United States. Parties are available for kids ages 5 and over, and they include safety goggles, aprons, party construction hats, and a Lowe's employee supervising projects. Parents can also pay for upgrades like pizza, drinks, and desserts from Domino's, and Lowe's party favors like t-shirts, water bottles, and backpacks. Birthday party packages start around $349 per party and vary in price depending on types of projects and upgrades.

☆ Starbucks cup lids are falling off — it's not your imagination. Workers say it's a problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insider spoke to five Starbucks workers around the US who reported faulty lids. The workers said lids don't fit cups and regularly spill on customers. Starbucks didn't comment on the lids, but the company has dealt with supply chain problems in the past. The situation was so dire in December that he estimates he was throwing about 50% of lids away as they were unusable, he told Insider. "Cup and lid issues were way less common before the pandemic" a worker in Pennsylvania who has been at Starbucks since 2018 told Insider.

☆ Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows cleared of voter fraud charges in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The North Carolina Department of Justice announced it would not charge Meadows or his wife with voter fraud. But most significantly, prosecutors pointed to a provision in North Carolina state law that allows public servants to maintain their residency in the state while serving as a public servant. But while Stein declined to prosecute Meadows, his statement included a lengthy condemnation of the former Trump chief of staff for making unfounded allegations of voter fraud and his involvement in the events of January 6, 2021. "Mr. Meadows has made numerous unfounded, damaging allegations about voter fraud both before and after the 2020 election," said Stein. Meadows declined to comment through his spokesman Ben Williamson.

Three electricity substations in the Tacoma, Washington, area were attacked Sunday, leaving an as many as 14,000 customers affected, authorities said. The agency estimated the number of homes and businesses affected by the attacks was 14,000 at one point Sunday. In a statement, TPU said, "Two of our substations were deliberately targeted by physical attacks." On Dec. 3, vandals attacked two Duke Energy substations in Moore County, North Carolina, leaving 45,000 customers in the dark for more than three days straight, officials said. Investigators probing the North Carolina attacks were looking at online conspiracy theories to determine whether any played a role, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News earlier this month.

☆ A Judicial Coup in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Democrats claim the U.S. Supreme Court will subvert democracy if it overrules a North Carolina decision on legislative gerrymandering. But an extraordinary ruling Friday by the North Carolina Supreme Court shows why such U.S. judicial intervention is warranted. Four Democratic Justices struck down the GOP Legislature’s state Senate map and voter ID requirement—two weeks before the judges are set to lose their majority. The 4-3 Democratic majority has repeatedly overruled the GOP Legislature in election cases. Its ruling to overturn the Congressional map produced Moore v. Harper, the gerrymander case the U.S. Supreme Court heard this month.

☆ North Carolina Supreme Court rejects 'racially discriminatory' voter ID law and state electoral map
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday knocked down a 2018 voter-identification law it said discriminated against Black voters and ordered a state Senate map be redrawn due to Republican partisan gerrymandering. Both were 4-3 decisions along party lines, with all the court’s Democratic justices voting in the majority and all Republican justices dissenting. The decisions come just before the court flips to GOP control on Jan. 1, when there will be five Republican justices and two Democrats. The court upheld a lower court’s 2021 ruling that a 2018 law requiring voters to present photo ID was unconstitutional. The majority opinion said that the lower court correctly found that the law “was motivated by a racially discriminatory purpose.”Republican-led legislatures in several states have passed similar voter ID laws in recent years, arguing they are needed to prevent voter fraud.

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