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North Carolina Open Thread: “Thom Tillis embarrasses me everyday”, Wood pellets, NCSC, Billy Strings [1]
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Date: 2025-02-16
Welcome. This is a weekly feature of North Carolina Blue . The platform gives readers interested in North Carolina politics a place to share their knowledge, insight and inspiration as we take back our state from some of the most extreme Republicans in the nation. Please stop by each week. You can also join the discussion in four other weekly State Open Threads . If you are interested in starting your own state blog, weekly to occasionally, I will list your work below.
Colorado: Mondays, 7:00 PM Mountain Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern Missouri: Wednesday Evenings Kansas: Monday Evenings
Please jump the fold for a few stories I found useful this week. The latest “Thom Tillis embarrasses me everyday” story is hilarious; a great SNL skit opportunity. The continuing NC Supreme Court drama continues, Helene news from Boone/Avl including Billy Strings, an eye opening education on wood pellets, and recent NC polling are other stories this week. Hope you enjoy.
The state Board of Elections and Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs want a Republican judge’s elections lawsuit to go straight to the state high court.Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin wants more than 60,000 ballots tossed out in his effort to win a Supreme Court seat. He trails Riggs, a Democrat, by 734 votes.
He is suing the state Board of Elections, claiming they allowed illegal ballots to be counted. After a Superior Court judge ruled in the Board’s favor last week, Griffin’s lawyers filed notice of his appeal. The elections board and Riggs notified the Appeals Court they would file a “bypass petition.” If the Supreme Court agrees, the case would go straight to the high court, skipping a hearing in the intermediate appeals court.
State law says approving a bypass petition is appropriate when “the subject matter of the appeal has significant public interest, the cause involves legal principles of major significance to the jurisprudence of the State,” among other reasons.
Republicans hold 12 of 15 seats on the Court of Appeals. Three-judge panels hear cases. Griffin has said he won’t participate in matters related to his case. Republicans hold a 5-2 advantage on the state Supreme Court. Three Republican justices have indicated they are open to Griffin’s arguments.
Riggs has recused herself from all matters related to the case when the Supreme Court is considering it.
WASHINGTON -- Four days after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term, his nominee for defense secretary was teetering on the brink of defeat on the Senate floor, and the president was on Air Force One talking about political retribution.
Four days after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term, his nominee for defense secretary was teetering on the brink of defeat on the Senate floor, and the president was on Air Force One talking about political retribution.
Trump had gotten word that Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., planned to oppose Pete Hegseth, a former “Fox & Friends” weekend host who was his choice for Pentagon chief and who faced accusations of excessive drinking and abusing women. If Tillis could not be brought to heel by that night, there would be enough Republican “no” votes to sink Hegseth’s confirmation, a humiliating defeat at the dawn of Trump’s second term.
The implication was clear: Tillis’ refusal to back Hegseth could cost him his seat. By that night, Tillis, who had been toiling behind the scenes for days to kill Hegseth’s nomination so he could avoid having to publicly cross Trump, would vote to confirm Hegseth to control the most powerful military force in the world.
A majority of North Carolina voters supported Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election, but just weeks into his second term in office, large majorities oppose some of his highest profile policy ideas and initiatives, according to the latest Meredith Pollreleased Thursday.
Meredith pollsters asked likely voters for their views on an array of policy issues — both foreign and domestic — as well as a handful of North Carolina-specific issues. Results varied significantly for most questions depending upon the political party, race and gender of the voters surveyed.
Foreign policy
At the national level, North Carolinians expressed opposition to Trump’s expressed interests in annexing Greenland and Canada and retaking control of the Panama Canal, which the U.S. returned to the Central American nation in 1999.
National domestic issues
Trump’s plan — already underway — to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education also found widespread opposition. Just 30% support the idea while 63% were opposed.
North Carolina issues
For issues specific to North Carolina, two-thirds of respondents supported giving full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe. Only 10% of voters were opposed, while about a fourth did not have an opinion.
Favorability ratings for Trump and Stein
As was the case throughout much of his first presidency, Trump has a negative overall favorability — 47% approve, 49% disapprove — but those numbers reflect the strongest rating he has enjoyed since 2017.
The 10-year challenge has been circulating on social media for quite some time.
The fad, which earned popularity at the start of 2022, is designed to make people look back to a photo of themselves from 10 years ago and compare it to one today.
In honor of the trend, here's a look at some of the changes certain Wilmington places have experienced during the past 10 years.
From 2014 to 2024: Five changes to Wilmington-area places since 2014
HIGH COUNTRY—Although Hurricane Helene hit the High Country more than four months ago, many of its effects are still being felt, especially in the more secluded and serene parts of the mountains.
Fortunately, many conservation organizations in Boone and beyond have been steadily working throughout the winter to remove debris from waterways and clear paths along hiking trails.
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