Search Results

President Donald Trump’s funding cuts, freezes, and federal-worker firings may not sink the economy all by themselves, but they’ll affect research and development, investment, and business expansion. The entire economy. Ultimately, this harms U.S. productivity, a measure of efficiency defined as units produced relative to hours worked, or net sales  relative to labor hours.             Illegal layoffs of federal workers, mass deportations, threats and confusion over tariffs, and Medicaid spending cuts are all bad for the economy. Such policies are creating unprecedented levels of economic uncertainty . Uncertainty, all by itself, can seriously threaten the economy, according to economist Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute.             In North Carolina, changes to National Institutes of Health medical research funds could rob the Research Triangle’s economy of hundreds of millions. A U.S. District Court judge has halted, for now, those changes after 22 states sued.             Several Trumponomic policies seem odd coming from the self-proclaimed free-market businessman operating alongside his tech-wizard vice-president. For instance, someone in the administration still believes tariffs—on our largest trading partners—protect jobs instead of scaring consumers and businesses, as partners' retaliatory tariffs raise prices.             Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has said, “Virtually all economists think that the impact of the tariffs will be very bad for America and for the world . . . they will almost surely be inflationary.”             Already, the economy’s grumpy, judging by consumer sentiment, inflation-expectation surveys, and stalled business investment, according to recent surveys. Local economies bracing for fiscal support cuts may need tax increases or municipal bond offerings to stabilize budgets, policies that fuel economic uncertainty.             “All the uncertainty around trade policy, uncertainty around some things that the Department of Government Efficiency is doing, I think, will have a chilling effect on investment plans and expansion plans,” economist Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute, told the New York Times .              Trump’s tariffs, economists say, will add to inflation and slow economic growth, which hurts workers and productivity. American consumers will pay for his tariffs.             The president’s freezes on federal funding have already hurt domestic farmers who send billions-worth of products through American foreign aid programs. Policies have already begun to affect Head Start programs. The labor market, now at 4 percent unemployment, is also at risk.             Even some Republican legislators worry about economic fallout. “Dozens of Alaskans — potentially over 100 in total — are being fired as part of the Trump administration’s reduction-in-force order for the federal government,” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, posted on X. “Many of these abrupt terminations will do more harm than good, stunting opportunities in Alaska and leaving holes in our communities.”             On March 18, a federal judge blocked further cuts, ruling that USAID’s “dismantling” likely violates the constitution. The judge also ordered Trump administration email and computer access be restored to USAID employees.   The State Democracy Defenders Fund filed a lawsuit. This nonprofit’s executive chair, Norm Eisen, calls the judge’s ruling “a milestone in DOGE pushback. “They are performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel, harming not just the people USAID serves, but the majority of Americans who count on the stability of our government.”

For all of my adult life, despite years as a journalist reporting and writing about abuses and cruelty, I have thought of my country, the United States of America, as moving toward a more just society. I’ve thought of the USA as a country where civil rights and other laws protect the most vulnerable and where, slow though it may be, we are making progress toward more equality and opportunity for all.   I’ve considered it a place where, inadequate though it may be at times, Americans, through their government, have chosen to extend a safety net to those who lack the ability or the resources to provide for themselves.   I am well aware of our nation’s history of the slaughter of Native Americans and slavery of Black Americans and Jim Crow oppression. But I believed the Constitution written by our founding fathers, many of them slave holders, gave us a framework for forming a more perfect union, one ruled by fair and equitable laws that applied to everyone.   News stories detailing events over the past two months have shaken that belief profoundly. Take just one area, immigration, for example.   Consider, President Trump plans to deport millions of immigrants who have long lived and done back-breaking work in the United States, abided by its laws, contributed to its economy, paid taxes and reared their American-citizen children here. Meanwhile, he has appointed an immigrant South African named Elon Musk to gleefully run roughshod over Americans who have worked for their government, delivering vital services, many of them for decades.   One employer told the Asheville Watchdog that more than 60 percent of his workforce is Hispanic. As many as half of the 50,000 or so people who identify as Hispanic or Latino l iving in Western North Carolina are undocumented , according to a study from the Charlotte-based Camino Research Institute, the Watchdog reported. That means about a third of this employer’s workforce is at risk of being deported.   “I’ve been working here for more than 15 years,” one undocumented man told the Watchdog. “I have four kids. My wife is from a different country, and she has papers here, but mine haven’t been processed yet. I have a lawyer here to help me get a green card. It’s been three years since I applied and we haven’t seen anything.”   He’s afraid, he said. “Last night we went to church, and my friends were telling me, ‘You don’t want to go to church because of ICE.’”   Stories spreading in the Hispanic community surely fuel the fear. In Asheville, federal marshals broke down the door of the home of Tito Aguilar Ramírez , and injured him in front of his two young daughters. They were apparently looking for someone accused of criminal activity, but they presented no warrant or paperwork. When Ramírez’s identification was located, they said, “Oh, sorry, we have the wrong house .”   Ramírez had hidden in the bathroom with his daughters, but he did not resist the officers. Mistakes will be made, but why employ such belligerent tactics? They took his ID with them. Will they return it ? Will they replace his door? Pay his medical bills ?   Consider, President Trump’s White House appears to think Americans will find it entertaining to watch as people who have picked apples, cared for children, put roofs on houses, served food, cleaned hotels, built roads , and started businesses that boosted the U.S. economy are trussed up in shackles and put on planes to be deported. The White House recently posted a video on X of rattling chains, roaring jet engines and what looks to be an ICE officer placing immigrants in handcuffs and chains before marching them onto a plane. The video is captioned “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.” The acronym ASMR stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response,” a pleasant physical sensation triggered by certain sounds that has become a genre of videos on social media.     Musk retweeted this video with the caption “Haha Wow” and a troll emoji.   Another video shows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in full body armor during a raid in New York talking about getting “dirtbags” off the street. Really? The sweet guy who did such a fantastic job of trimming the hedges? Undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than your average American. They don’t want to draw attention to themselves.   Consider, while deporting immigrants who provide vital labor to many American farms and businesses, Trump has ordered government officials to prioritize resettlement in America of Afrikaners who, he claims, are being discriminated against by the South African government. These are people who make up about 7 percent of the South African population and own more than 70 percent of the nation’s land. There are many fine white South Africans, I am sure, but they are not being discriminated against , despite Trump’s and Elon Musk’s claims . They live in a vibrant democracy with a Constitution that guarantees them and every South African freedom and equality. They have lovely homes, while the majority of their Black countrymen live in poverty (a legacy of apartheid), many in townships without electricity or running water.   I know this because, unlike Musk, I just spent most of a month in South Africa and I saw it for myself.   Now, in an irony too profound for words, President Trump wants to offer a “gold card” (that’s an upgraded green card, one supposes) to any would-be immigrant who can fork over $5 million. Even more outrageous, if you are a native-born American, is the fact that President Trump wants these rich new American wannabes to get a tax break that won’t be available to you.  President Trump touts this visa scheme, which would offer a path to citizenship, as a way to raise money . But the tax break he’s offering means the government would likely lose far more in potential tax revenue than it would raise.   Is this what our nation has become? A nation that allows one man and the sycophants who do his bidding to spread fear among vulnerable people? A nation where an immature, arrogant immigrant oligarch can intimidate federal workers and decide what government services are essential?   I don’t believe the majority of Americans want that, no matter who they voted for in the last presidential election.  In his farewell speech to the nation, President Ronald Reagan said, " I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." The light of President Reagan's shining city grows dimmer by the day. Joy Franklin is a journalist and writer who served as editorial page editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times for 10 years. Prior to that she served as executive editor of the Times-News in Hendersonville, N.C. Franklin writes for Carolina Commentary.

With the rise of partisan gerrymandering of North Carolina’s General Assembly and congressional districts, the lament that “voters should choose their politicians, not the other way around’’ became a phrase hard to avoid across the Old North State. Hard to avoid, but easy to ignore. Heavy redistricting saw three incumbent Democratic U.S. House members decide to forgo bids for reelection in the last cycle, shifting the makeup of the state’s delegation from 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans to 10 Republicans and four Democrats. For those keeping score at home, that essentially accounts for the slim hold on the U.S. House Republicans now enjoy. That change was in part made possible by another change in the 2022 elections, when the N.C. Supreme Court shifted from a 4-3 Democratic majority to a 5-2 Republican majority, helping clear the way for successful legal challenges to the 2022 state maps. That court is now itself in the national spotlight thanks to one election for the high bench that has yet to be decided. In November, incumbent Justice Allison Riggs won reelection by 734 votes, out of 5.7 million cast. (Such tight races aren’t new in N.C.; in 2020 Republican Paul Newby ousted incumbent Democratic Justice Cheri Beasley by 401 votes). Two recounts confirmed that Riggs had won. But Griffin has refused to concede, with a strategy that essentially boils down to throwing out votes that were already counted. Legal challenges have ping-ponged around various courts and the outcome – and who will decide it – hanging in the air. Could it go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court? It could; who knows? The arguments for tossing votes in one race isn’t predicated on voter eligibility, that the voters in question aren’t U.S. citizens or such. They’re not based on anything those voters did wrong, in fact. Instead, the arguments center on forms being filled out incorrectly in the past. The vast majority of the voters being questioned showed up, showed their ID as mandated by state law, and walked away assuming their votes were to be counted and accepted. No number of lawsuits arguing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin makes it acceptable that those votes can be taken away. Yet here we are. This challenge is wrong and opens the door for huge mischief. Outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper said, "If they are successful in this scheme, there will be copycat lawsuits across this country for races where they don't like the results." The N.C. Supreme Court’s decision to allow Griffin to present his case was a 4-2 decision (Riggs recused) with Democrat Anita Earls and Republican Richard Dietz dissenting. Dietz got right to the heart of the matter by saying, "Permitting post-election litigation that seeks to rewrite our state’s election rules — and, as a result, remove the right to vote in an election from people who already lawfully voted under the existing rules — invites incredible mischief. It will lead to doubts about the finality of vote counts following an election, encourage novel legal challenges that greatly delay certification of the results, and fuel an already troubling decline in public faith in our elections."  Should Riggs’ election be upheld, it won’t impact the state’s high court GOP majority. It could have an impact down the line; three GOP seats will be on the 2028 ballot. Should Riggs be ousted there would be no way Democrats could flip the court before the 2030 census and next round of redistricting. In the long run that’s beside the point in this saga. Voters should pick their politicians, not the other way around. Especially not after the fact. Jim Buch anan  is an editor of The Sylvia Herald, former Editorial Page Editor for the Asheville Citizen-Times and writes for Carolina Commentary.

With a new Democratic governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state school superintendent from the Democratic Party, alongside a Republican-controlled General Assembly, North Carolina residents can expect conflict and controversy in the coming four years.   The divide between the Democratic executive branch and the Republican-controlled legislature could lead to productive negotiation and compromise, or it could result in gridlocked government unable to address the pressing issues facing North Carolinians. To be effective, each side will need to work collaboratively on key issues, such as education funding, healthcare, and infrastructure.   At this point, that doesn’t appear likely. Late last year, the N.C. House approved Senate Bill 382 , which basically strips the governor of certain powers in an effort to enhance Republican control.  Recently elected Governor Stein and former Governor Cooper have  filed a lawsuit  to block this rogue action.   With a recently elected Democratic school superintendent, there is likely to be a push for reforms aimed at increasing funding for public education, expanding access to pre-K, and possibly revising testing and accountability standards.  New State Superintendent Mo Green  has shared a strategic approach for next six months that includes an official listening and learning phase beginning in mid-January to be called “Mo Wants to Know” followed by the development of a strategic plan by June.  However, any major initiatives that result from the input he receives from constituents are likely to face resistance from the Republican-controlled House.    Social issues like reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and criminal justice reform could see Democratic initiatives proposed by the governor met with pushback from the Republicans.   The new governor may prioritize spending initiatives that the House opposes due to differing views on taxation and budgetary priorities. The process of passing the state budget could see significant contention, requiring negotiation and possibly resulting in budget stalemates.   The Democratic leadership may push for expansions in Medicaid or other healthcare initiatives, which would likely face opposition from Republican legislators. Any progress on such issues will depend on the ability to find common ground.   There may be efforts to attract businesses and investments aligned with progressive values. However, this will depend on whether the Republican-controlled House supports such measures or insists on more conservative approaches.   The relationship between state and local governments could also shift, especially if local governments lean Democratic. This might lead to tensions over policies and funding.   An increasingly engaged electorate may lead to more public demonstrations or activism, regardless of party lines. Public sentiment could significantly influence policy decisions, especially on contentious issues.    Donald Trump's impact on the political and social agenda for North Carolina continues to be significant, particularly due to his enduring influence over the Republican Party and his popularity among the state's GOP base. Some of the key areas of impact may include:   Trump's presidency 2.0 has amplified political polarization. North Carolina, a battleground state, may see increased partisan divides as a result of his rhetoric and policies, affecting local elections, voter turnout, and overall civic engagement in the mid-terms and in 2028 elections.   Issues championed by Trump, like tax cuts, deregulation, and conservative social policies, may see reinforced support among North Carolina lawmakers. This could impact legislation related to education, healthcare, and infrastructure, among others.   Trump's positions on social issues, including immigration and LGBTQ rights, may influence debates in North Carolina, leading to legislation or initiatives that align with conservative values. This can create social tensions, as advocacy groups mobilize in response to shifts in policy.   Trump's economic agenda, emphasizing job creation and manufacturing, may resonate in North Carolina, particularly in areas like the Piedmont and High Country, where industry is vital. This could lead to localized efforts to attract businesses or investment that align with his economic platform.   Overall, while Trump’s direct role as a political figure fluctuates, his legacy and influence on North Carolina's political landscape remain substantial and likely shape the state’s agenda for years to come.   North Carolinians should prepare for a politically active period, with ongoing debates on key issues that could significantly affect day-to-day life in the state. As the election demonstrates, North Carolina is a purple state. We can only hope that collaboration and negotiation, with only occasional conflict between the state's branches of government, will be the defining feature of this period. Such an approach would serve the best interests of all North Carolinians. But so far, the signs suggest that's unlikely. Virgil L. Smith formerly served as president and publisher of the Asheville Citizen-Times and Vice President for Human Resources for the Gannett Company. He is the principal for the Smith Edwards Group and the author of " The Keys to Effective Leadership .” He is the founder and a writer for Carolina Commentary.  Assisted by AI.

The U.S. Congress returns this week to wrap its session. Government funding expires Dec. 20 or the federal government could shut down before Christmas. They’ll either craft a deal or pass a temporary, continuing resolution.             But another critical chore needs immediate attention: Reforming the National Emergencies Act, to guard against abuse of the broad presidential powers the Act grants. The Brennan Center for Justice, among dozens of ideologically-diverse organizations, in an October letter, urged congressional leaders to reform the Act by the end of this session .              President-Elect Trump, in mid-November, confirmed his plan to use such national emergency powers for mass deportation.             The Brennan Center’s letter states: “For the past 100 years, U.S. presidents have been able to access extraordinary powers by virtue of declaring a national emergency — including powers to shut down communications facilities, seize property, organize and control the means of production, assign military forces abroad, and restrict travel.” Until the 1970s, presidents could tap such emergency powers with little or no congressional oversight or limits on time that a state of emergency could last.             The House January 6 committee, according to the Brennan Center and other sources, “continues to find evidence that the United States only narrowly avoided a coup at the end of the Trump administration,” when Republican members of Congress encouraged the former president to use emergency powers to overturn the election.             In February 2019, President Trump circumvented Congress and declared a national emergency for funds to build a border wall. Congress approved a resolution to block the declaration, “but it  ultimately fell short of the two-thirds majority required to override Trump’s veto, the first of his presidency.”              Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022 used the HEROES Act, an authority available in a national emergency, to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt held by those with incomes under $125,000. Biden used the COVID-19 national emergency declaration, citing the pandemic’s economic hardship on borrowers.            If Congress fails to support Trump’s tariff proposals—and they may, given that Trump’s first-term tariffs hurt the economy —might Trump invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act [IEEPA] to push them through?  No president has yet used the IEEP Act for this purpose. Reform legislation has advanced through House and Senate committees: The Article One Act (HR 3988) and the Republic Act (SB 4373) “would impose stronger congressional oversight. Presidential emergency declarations would expire after 30 days unless Congress voted to approve them. In that case, a declaration could last up to one year.” Congress would need to approve renewals, and would require detailed reporting about how emergency powers are used. Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of Liberty and National Security for the Brennan Institute, sums up the challenge: “Presidents need tools to address emergencies, not tools to dismantle democracy.”

IIt’s been more than a week since the 2024 election and Kamala Harris has faded from the news pages, now dominated by Donald Trump’s choices to fill critical roles in his administration. For those who hoped for a different outcome, the election brought a painful reckoning with reality. Many of us viewed Trump, a lying, disrespectful, vengeful person who defies the law he will be sworn to uphold, as wholly unfit to be President, yet more than half of our voters chose to elect him.   Pundits far more knowledgeable than I am have spent thousands of words trying to explain what went wrong for Democrats. As I’ve read the explanations and listened to interviews with voters, it appears there’s no single reason Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris and probably no single issue that tanked her campaign. But she seemed a decent, hardworking, well-prepared candidate our children and the world could admire.   Three emotions, incredulity, sadness and fear, vied for dominance as I watched the election returns and it became obvious that Trump gained ground with voters across the spectrum. I knew the election would be close, but I did not believe that Americans would elect a convicted felon, a man who talked about grabbing women’s genitals because he thought he could get away with it and a man who incited a violent riot in an effort to hold on to power. For me, no matter his policies, that behavior disqualified him from leading our nation.   The triumph of Trump saddened me because it felt like a repudiation of the hope that we were finally beginning to achieve a nation where all men and all women are “created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” My fear arises from the fact that Trump has demonstrated that he believes he is above the law and he will become President with little to restrain or moderate his exercise of power.   Average voters like me can’t know what Donald Trump is like out of the public spotlight. Perhaps there’s a side of him that is more decent than the public persona he has created, but that persona scorns traits -- honesty, integrity, humility, compassion – most of us were brought up to admire and aspire to attain.     Even so, many people I hold dear voted for Trump – friends, neighbors and family members. These Trump voters are people I know to be kind, decent human beings who would consider much of Trump’s behavior reprehensible in anyone else. And they probably consider it reprehensible in him, but they voted for him in spite of it.   Clearly, something powerful compelled that loyalty. I admit I don’t understand it. Perhaps it is, as some commentators have written, just about peace and prosperity. Voters blamed President Joe Biden and Harris as his vice president, for policies affecting the economy, immigration and wars abroad with which they are unhappy. Perhaps it is the changing media landscape that allows us to live in our own information silos. Perhaps, as a Wall Street Journal analysis suggests, many Democratic voters just didn’t turn out.   Maybe not understanding is my own fault. I’ve avoided talking to Trump supporters about why they are committed to him for fear of risking relationships important to me. As a journalist, one of my core beliefs is that I should be able to ask questions and listen to the answers with some measure of objective detachment. But I haven’t done that and, it appears, neither has the Democratic establishment.   It looks as though Republicans will take control of every branch of the federal government after this election. If Democrats hope to emerge from the ashes of this defeat a stronger party, more objective listening might be an approach that will lead to policies that resonate with a majority of voters.   On a happier note, in North Carolina, the news was better for Democrats and voter turnout was 73.1 percent, the highest in the state this century, despite the road closings and other devastation wrought in Western North Carolina by Hurricane Helene. Governor-elect Josh Stein easily defeated GOP candidate Mark Robinson and several council of state seats went to Democrats including Superintendent of Public Education-elect Mo Green.   While Republicans retained control of the N.C. House and Senate, Democrats narrowly broke the GOP supermajority in the House, meaning Republicans will have to get at least one Democratic vote to override a gubernatorial veto.  In an opinion piece , WRAL in Raleigh interpreted the results as meaning North Carolina voted for reasonable policies and priorities over radical agendas. Though I am disappointed by the outcome of the national elections, I believe most Americans do  want reasonable policies and priorities. We are a nation founded on the principle of majority rule and the majority has spoken. Now we can only pray that the outcome will serve the greater good, perhaps in ways many of us cannot now foresee.   We are lurching through a time of rapid change in the ways we communicate with one another and the changing media landscape helped bring us to this place. I once believed that in a free and open marketplace of ideas, the truth would win out. I’m not so sure anymore, but maybe over the arc of time it will be so. In the meantime, overcoming the fear of having uncomfortable conversations with friends and family may be a place to start. As Abraham Lincoln once said, a house divided against itself cannot stand.   Joy Franklin is a journalist and writer who served as editorial page editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times for 10 years. Prior to that she served as executive editor of the Times-News in Hendersonville, N.C. Franklin writes for Carolina Commentary.

There’s a lot of cliches about mountain folk; resilience, determination, resourcefulness and, yes, stubbornness.   These were all on display when Helene visited horror and devastation on our beloved slice of the world, and they were all welcome. People here tend toward self-dependence, and as such a lot of folks had the tools needed to ride through the storm – foodstocks, fuel supplies, chainsaws, generators etc. – and had access to heavier equipment to help clear impassable roads.   There’s no overstating how terrifying and devastating Helene was in terms of death and sheer destruction. Some WNC towns have literally been wiped off the map, and all of us were knocked back to the Stone Age to some degree, with communications knocked out.   A lot of us had to sit in the dark, conjuring up the worst fears of the fate or our neighbors. Photo courtesy of WFMYnews2.com . But a lot of us also took it upon themselves to venture out to see what we could do to help. A lot of those efforts helped save lives or provide whatever aid could be given to those in need. In fact, so many people were out checking on neighbors, trying to round up water and supplies, attempting to clear roads, etc. that it was a bit of a problem in that people were stepping all over each other.   That was alleviated in large by a competent response on the ground from volunteer organizations, first responders and local and state government. That the response was as quick and effective as it was nothing short of astounding, especially given the fact that everyone was pretty much in a communications blackout thanks to the loss of internet and phone services. Sadly, part of the effectiveness of the response is that a great many local officials, from here to Canton to Asheville, have been through versions of this before. In a very real sense, Hurricane Alley runs now runs through Western North Carolina.   As to the communications collapse, therein lies two of the immediate pressing questions of this event: How did we get so blind and deaf so fast across such a wide area? And what needs to be done so it doesn’t happen again? Previously effective 911 systems became useless when no one could get on either end of the line.   When communications did begin working in stops and starts, a sad chapter of this saga began when charlatans, clowns, pot-stirrers and, yes, foreign actors flooded the zone with stories meant to outrage and confuse. This secondary deluge got so bad local, state and federal officials had to devote resources to debunking misinformation.   Those folks pulled away to flush the junk, with their hands already full, certainly had better things they could have done with their time. But the happy problem we faced in this region was something of an overload of people wanting to help. In the short run it appears to be a lot of folks stepped up, both in official and volunteer capacities, and a lot of good calls were made.   Some of those calls were tough. Western Carolina University was forced to cancel Mountain Heritage Day due to Helene, and in an unprecedented move a week later held a home football game with no fans. We feel both were the right call, the first due to the obvious dangers to life and limb and the second due to the fact that road traffic to ravaged areas remained the top priority (and also due to the fact a large part of the WCU community itself was in the middle of relief efforts). Considering the fact a home football game generates a million bucks in economic activity… well, it was the right call.   We won, by the way.   Also on the economic front, leaf season is gone. And that means the season when local businesses build up enough fodder to last through the winter is gone with it. Keep your dollars local to help keep them keeping on.   Beyond the loss of life and income, we all need to be cognizant of Helene’s damage to the spirit. This storm came as some areas were still rebuilding from Tropical Storm Fred and other localized disasters, laid atop the economic, physical and mental trauma of a pandemic that put the whole country on its back. With Milton bearing down on Florida, the hits from the Age of Chaos just keep ‘a comin’.   With Milton and the upcoming election, the focus on WNC will soon be cast to other places and issues, and that’s when we need to keep our focus. As so many have said, this recovery will not be a sprint but a marathon lasting months and years. Helene didn’t just knock down trees; it has changed the geography of much of the area.   So, it’s important to keep checking back to see what folks need when the national focus has shifted. Mountain natives and the new mountain folk who have sewn their own roots here will still be at the rebuilding.   They, and we, will keep swinging. There’s a lot to be said for stubbornness. Jim Buch anan i s an editor of The Sylvia Herald, former Editorial Page Editor for the Asheville Citizen-Times and writes for Carolina Commentary.

I’ve worked as an official in three elections, including one presidential election. I’ve seen nothing but experienced, dedicated professionals doing their jobs, attending scrupulously to rules and details. Given my positive election experiences, I’m wondering why there’s an intensive effort this year in some states to make voting harder .   Could the recent spate of restrictive election laws be inspired by Donald Trump’s 2020 baseless claims of fraud? Possibly. But restrictive policies have proliferated ever since a 2013 Supreme Court decision removed the Voting Rights Act’s requirement for federal approval of new voting policies in districts with histories of discrimination, Shelby v. Holder.   Restrictive policies make it harder for eligible Americans to vote, especially low-income and minority voters.   According to the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks the legislation, “Without this guardrail, voters lost a bulwark against discriminatory voting policies and states previously subject to preclearance were free to implement discriminatory restrictions on voting access without advance checks. Many states did exactly just that.”   Recent court decisions have continued to signal that these restrictions are, well, OK.   An unprecedented “wave” of restrictive election laws is under way.   At least 30 states have passed 78 restrictive voting laws  since the 2020 election. Sixty-three of those are likely to become effective in 29 states this fall. They may include constraints on mail voting, with stricter ID requirements, reduced access to drop boxes, limits on who can help voters, and/or rules necessary for voters to stay on mail lists.   A North Carolina appellate court recently barred Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill students from using university-issued digital IDs for voting. (Their decision reversed a superior court’s opinion allowing the digital ID.)   The reversal aligns with the Republican argument that a digital ID is an “image of a photo ID, either as a photocopy or a photo on a mobile device,” found unacceptable in a 2023 N.C. Board of Elections memo .    North Carolina, a battleground state, has also added a photo ID requirement for absentee ballots. There’s also this, an unnecessary ballot measure: To amend the state constitution to clarify that only U.S. citizens can vote. Duh. That’s already the law. Making a big deal of adding it to the ballot, some suggest, advantages Republicans with voters who view immigration as a problem. Either way, it’s money and time wasted.   While some states are restricting voting rights, 156 new laws in 41 states have expanded voting access. They become effective this fall. Some expand vote-by-mail, ballot request and return windows, offer simplified signature verification requirements, or add more ballot return options. Some expand mail voting on tribal lands. States also expanded windows for in-person early voting, made registration easier, and restored voting rights to those returning from prison.   Now, another problem looms. In some states  officials are threatening to withhold certification of results, the process whereby officials count ballots — in-person, mail-in, provisional, absentee. Local election officials certify the ballot count is accurate and complete; state officials do likewise, and, in presidential elections, it goes to Congress. In 2020 and 2022, “rogue” election officials have delayed certification, or refused to certify elections in Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and other states.    However, North Carolina is equipped to handle such situations. During the 2022 midterm elections, two officials were ousted for their refusal to certify the results.   Betty Joyce Nash reported for the Greensboro News & Record and the Hendersonville Times-News before moving to Virginia where she worked as an economics writer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. She co-edited Lock & Load: Armed Fiction , an anthology of literary short stories that probe Americans' complicated relationship to firearms. (University of New Mexico Press, 2017.)

The presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris highlights the considerable impact that Black women have on America, showcasing their education, power, and influence in elections and beyond. Black women serve as essential, multi-dimensional leaders across various sectors, including politics, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurship, and corporate leadership. Their contributions merit acknowledgment and respect.   Yet, Black women leaders in North Carolina face a host of challenges that hinder their effectiveness and visibility. Key obstacles include intersectional discrimination, which combines racial and gender biases, alongside a stark lack of representation in leadership roles. Workplace biases further complicate hiring and promotion processes, impeding their professional advancement. Limited access to networking opportunities and mentorship stifles their growth, while the demands of juggling multiple responsibilities can lead to burnout.   Tracey Greene-Washington is tackling these challenges head-on.  Tracey is a Black woman leader in North Carolina committed to creating more opportunities for Women of Color . Based in Charlotte, she is an entrepreneur, award winning author, Tedx speaker, and philanthropist dedicated to driving social change. Her initiatives focus on amplifying the voice and impact of women who confront cultural stereotypes and challenges, helping them to step into leadership roles, particularly in the philanthropic and nonprofit arena.  Originally from Asheville, Tracey is a certified coach through the Coach Diversity Institute and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in social work.   As a thought leader and strategic partner in the national philanthropic and social change movement, Tracey has expanded her influence and reach by providing strategic thought partnership and consulting support to diverse philanthropic entities across the country and most recently five prominent women-led giving circles across the country, in collaboration with Philanthropy Together , Philanos , and the Community Investment Network .   Tracey serves as the President of Indigo Innovation Group , a consulting firm dedicated to working with philanthropic, nonprofit, and public/private organizations to drive systemic change through systems change, equity and strategic partnerships. She is also the founder of CoThinkk , a BIPOC-led philanthropic initiative designed to foster systems change in Western North Carolina, with an emphasis on strategic investments, racial equity, network-building, and civic engagement.   In addition to her consulting work, Tracey is a social entrepreneur and co-owner of NoGrease Northlake, Razored Technologies and No Grease Premium Barbershops , in partnership with her husband, Edmund Washington.   In recognition of her dedication and commitment to her work, Tracey recently received the Black Women Give Back Award . This annual honor celebrates ten distinguished philanthropists and funders who have made a significant positive impact on the lives of Black women and girls around the globe. The Reunity Ceremony brings together diverse Black and allied communities to honor these leaders, mark the end of Black Philanthropy Month, kick off the global Black giving season, and acknowledge the UN's International Day for People of African Descent at the close of August.   Tracey’s nomination for the Black Women Give Back Award highlights her notable contributions across multiple platforms, showcasing her profound impact in the field. She has provided consulting services to philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, as well as private and public sectors. Furthermore, Tracey actively participates in two giving circles—the NGAAP and the Women’s Impact Fund in Charlotte—demonstrating her deep commitment to the giving circle movement.   This award comes at a pivotal time as CoThinkk celebrates its tenth anniversary. Founded in 2014, CoThinkk is a philanthropy organization focused on social change, operating as a giving circle that prioritizes shared leadership, equity, systems change, and systemic transformation. Spearheaded by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Latine, and Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander) leaders, CoThinkk tackles pressing social challenges and advocates for racial equity in Western North Carolina (WNC). Over the past decade, CoThinkk has distributed nearly $1 million to support a variety of initiatives through strategic grants, self-care stipends, coaching support, and capacity-building efforts.   With more than 25 years of experience addressing complex social issues, Tracey has emerged as a distinguished female leader dedicated to fostering meaningful change for women in North Carolina, across the nation, and around the world through collaboration and strategic risk-taking.   Virgil L. Smith formerly served as president and publisher of the Asheville Citizen-Times and Vice President for Human Resources for the Gannett Company. He is the principal for the Smith Edwards Group and the author of " The Keys to Effective Leadership .” He is the founder and a writer for Carolina Commentary.

Raise your hand if you know what “ the Fed ” does, besides its responsibility for deciding the interest rates that ultimately affect our payments for mortgages, cars, credit cards, and more. Few know how the Fed operates, though everybody cares deeply about their pocketbooks. Among other chores, such as supervision and regulation, the Fed closely tracks the economy in order to make policy decisions. Its Congressional mandate? Maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.   In  July, we the people figured there’d be a rate cut. We knew the Fed had begun raising rates  against inflation  in 2022, as spending roared back after the pandemic shutdown. Inflation refers to prices continuing to rise  over time. This erodes purchasing power. But no. Rates remain between 5.25 percent and 5.50 percent.             Included in the Fed’s rationale is a reference to “disappointing jobs data.” However, the chairman of the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee [FOMC], Jerome Powell, said if labor markets strengthen, a September rate cut is likely. Business Insider  reports that the July jobs report “came in cooler than expected, with the US economy adding 114,000 jobs. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3%.” This triggered a widely-respected rule—the Sahm-rule recession indicator , which has a perfect track record in identifying downturns in real time.             Maximum employment is defined as the greatest number of people employed, or fewest unemployed, that the economy can manage and still keep prices stable. The unemployment rate and prices work in tandem. The economy is dynamic, ever-changing. If most people have jobs, a firm would struggle to find workers. They would need to raise wages to attract employees. That cost would be passed along to customers in the form of higher prices.             Indeed that happened in North Carolina, post-pandemic, according to N.C. State’s economist Mike Walden, when the economy re-opened, and, with federal assistance still coming in, people sought different work .             “How did these industries react to the shortages? They reacted the way economists would expect. They made their jobs more attractive to workers, especially by increasing the pay. For example, in North Carolina between 2019 and 2024, average hourly wage rates rose three times faster in leisure/hospitality and construction, and two times faster in education/health care and general service jobs compared to the increase for the average job.” The wage increases also outpaced price increases (inflation) over the same time period. Walden adds that he expects the annual inflation rate to come very close to 2% by the end of 2024. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Fed reduce their benchmark interest rate by two percentage points in the second half of 2024.”            In setting rates, the FOMC depends on current international, and regional economic intelligence. Committee members assess economic conditions in light of the Congressional mandate of maximum employment and price stability .   Price stability means a low and stable rate of inflation, ideally, 2 percent. That target is coming closer to reality.             The “FOMC” stands for Federal Open Market Committee, which consists of the seven members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors who determine rates: the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and four other regional Reserve Bank presidents, who serve one-year terms on the FOMC, on a rotating basis, with the other Reserve Bank presidents.             At FOMC meetings, the senior official at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, for instance, discusses financial and foreign exchange markets, plus the New York Fed's Trading Desk, where U.S. government securities are bought and sold. Staff from regional reserve banks’ boards of governors discuss their  districts’ economic and financial conditions and forecasts. The board of governors and all 12 Reserve Bank presidents—whether they’re voting members that year or not—assess recent developments in their districts and the overall economic outlook from which they determine the interest rate.   Betty Joyce Nash reported for the Greensboro News & Record and the Hendersonville Times-News before moving to Virginia where she worked as an economics writer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. She co-edited Lock & Load: Armed Fiction , an anthology of literary short stories that probe Americans' complicated relationship to firearms. (University of New Mexico Press, 2017.)

In the days following the June 27 CNN-produced presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, national news outlets have been dominated by stories of Biden’s poor performance and calls from various pundits, and even the New York Times Editorial Board, for him to step aside.   Yet, there have been no calls for Trump to step aside as the Republican nominee, despite the fact that his debate performance, while more robust than Biden’s, was almost wholly untethered from fact or truth. Why have lead stories not hammered him for his lies or questioned whether he is mentally sharp enough to remember what’s actually true? Does he really believe the “alternative facts” he proclaims?   Most news organizations have fact-checked the debate and called out his unfamiliarity with the truth, but those stories have not led the news cycle day after day and they have not resulted in pundits raising the question of whether such a deceptive, or perhaps delusional, person is fit to serve as president of the United States.   In the era of social media, news organizations no longer set the agenda for the nation in the way they once did, but the stories that dominate their coverage, and the focus or lack thereof they put on aspects of those stories, still affect the public’s perception of what’s important and what isn’t.   The debate format favored Trump, in part because moderators did not challenge his lies.   As Medhi Hasan in The Atlantic, Heather Cox Richardson on her Substack site “Letters from an American,” and others have pointed out, intentionally or otherwise, Trump used a debate tactic called the “gish gallop,” which would make it hard for even the most skilled debater to formulate an effective response.  As Richardson explained, "It's a rhetorical technique in which someone throws out a fast string of lies, non-sequiturs and specious arguments, so many that it is impossible to fact-check or rebut in the amount of time it took to say them. Trying to figure out how to respond makes the opponent look confused, because they don't know where to start grappling with the flood that has just hit them."   The network said before the debate that the moderators would not challenge the accuracy of the candidates’ statements. That left Biden with the hopeless task of trying to set the record straight while also laying out his own agenda for a second term.   Trump made false or mostly false statements regarding virtually every topic moderators asked about. He said Biden “allowed millions of people to come in here from prisons, jails and mental institutions,” which the fact-checking site Politifact labeled “Pants on Fire,”  the label it reserves for the most outrageous lies. He said “The problem (Democrats) have is they're radical, because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth,” labeled “false” by Politifact, which pointed out that willfully terminating a newborn’s life is infanticide and is illegal in every U.S. state. And the lies and outrageous exaggerations went on and on and on.   Trump repeatedly said Biden was the worst president ever and claimed that he was the best. Biden pointed out that presidential scholars had ranked Trump as the worst president ever which, according to Politifact, is true. The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, released in February, collected responses from 154 presidential historians. The historians ranked Biden as the 14th best president in U.S. history, and put Trump last.   Whether Biden’s health and mental acuity will carry him through a second term as president cannot be known with any certainty. The same must be said of Donald Trump. At age 81, Biden is only three years older than Trump, who is 78.   One thing is certain, Biden’s halting debate performance justifiably raised concerns within the Democratic Party about whether he should be their standard bearer in November. And it justifiably riveted the attention of news organizations.   Yet Trump somehow escaped the same scrutiny. No one expects the Republican Party to hold him accountable. It has so far shown him sycophantic devotion, despite his deceitful, philandering, vengeful and self-aggrandizing language and behavior. But the news organizations that seem obsessed with Biden’s performance might do well to focus a brighter spotlight on Trump’s.

The failure to convict Trump in the months following the January 6th insurrection, coupled with the Republican Party's unwavering loyalty to him, has brought us to this critical juncture. This lack of foresight and partisan loyalty has put our nation's democracy in peril. On May 30th, 2024, Donald J. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in the State of New York. This historic trial was a major blow to the former President of the United States, who had claimed that the trial was rigged by President Joe Biden. However, the evidence presented during the trial showed that Trump had indeed committed multiple crimes, including paying $135,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels, a porn star, to keep her quiet about their alleged affair. The charges were brought by District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and many Republicans and media commentators have criticized the decision to bring the case to trial. However, 12 Manhattan jurors convicted Trump on 34 counts. Eleven charges for legal services; 11 charges for checks paid for legal services and 12 charges for legal expenses. The sentencing hearing on July 11th is crucial for Americans and the world in order to see what kind of justice will be administered to Donald J. Trump.  Will he receive probation?  Will he be relegated to community service?  Or will he be jailed for his actions?  Jail may include weekends or a period of time behind bars.  This is an important moment in American History.  Will Judge Merchan administer justice as he would for an ordinary American? Or will he signal that Trump is indeed above the law as he believes he is? Trump's behavior has worried many Americans. He is known for his dishonesty and lack of accountability, and his conviction on multiple counts of fraud and other crimes is a major blow to his reputation. Most disturbing are his comments about wanting to be a dictator on Day One if re-elected. The failure to convict Trump during his impeachment trial in 2021 has also contributed to the current crisis. Many Republicans have refused to hold Trump accountable for his actions, and instead have continued to support him despite his numerous scandals. This lack of accountability has allowed Trump to continue to act with impunity. In North Carolina, the upcoming election has brought the very essence of democracy into sharp focus. The state's gubernatorial race is currently locked in a virtual tie between Trump supporter Mark Robinson, a Republican, and Democrat Mark Stein. This closely contested contest mirrors the national political landscape: Republicans are bolstered by a majority on N.C. Supreme Court and by a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. The United States has reached a precarious state, with roots dating back to the early 1990s and Newt Gingrich's Contract for America. Fast forward to 2021, when the Senate acquitted Trump of charges related to inciting an insurrection that resulted in the deaths of five people, including two law enforcement officers. The Republican-led Senate, under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's leadership, had demonstrated its hypocrisy by blocking President Obama's Supreme Court nominee,  Merrick Garland, from a hearing. This stark contrast is evident in McConnell's swift approval of subsequent Supreme Court nominees, which gave the Court a conservative majority of 6-3. On July 11th when Trump is scheduled for sentencing, democracy will be on trial and the world will be watching.  Remember,  Judge Arthur Engoron has already found Trump is liable for fraud in the civil case, where Trump was fined close to a half billion dollars for sexual misconduct and for taunting the plaintiff. If Trump is re-elected in 2024 and is allowed to remain in office without facing any consequences for his actions, it could have disastrous consequences for American democracy. Trump has already shown that he is willing to use his power to undermine democratic institutions and silence his critics, and if he is allowed to continue in office without accountability, it could lead to a complete erosion of democratic values. In conclusion, Judge Juan Merchan has a critical role to play in ensuring that justice is served in this case. A jail sentence may be necessary to send a strong message that no one is above the law, regardless of position or power. The future of American democracy depends on it. Virgil L. Smith formerly served as president and publisher of the Asheville Citizen-Times and Vice President for Human Resources for the Gannett Company. He is the principal for the Smith Edwards Group and the author of "The Keys to Effective Leadership.” He is the founder and a writer for Carolina Commentary.