LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES, ANSWER "YES" WHEN ASKED TO EXPAND MEDICAID: Failing to expand Medicaid carries a HUGE cost to North Carolina – both in the health of our citizens and to the state’s economy. Every month the toll increases. Since 2014: 2,115 to 6,346 North Carolinians have died for lack of needed medical care. 21,720 diabetics have had to go without medication. 56,233 women have gone without annual mammograms for breast cancer screening. $11.52 billion in federal funds have been lost. 67,160 jobs have not been created. The leadership of the North Carolina General Assembly -- specifically Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland -- could easily bring this neglect to an end. But their reflexive disdain for ANYTHING backed by former President Barack Obama prevents a change.
https://www.wral.com/editorial-legislative-candidates-answer-yes-when-asked-to-expand-medicaid/17894...

CROWD GATHERS IN RALEIGH TO OPPOSE KAVANAUGH NOMINATION: The rally Thursday was called to send a message to the Republican U.S. Senators from North Carolina, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, to vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation, but both senators appear ready to vote for him. Molly Rivera, ACLU North Carolina’s communications associate, urged the crowd of more than 100 people to keep calling Burr and Tillis and to sign a petition opposing Kavanaugh. The crowd was prompted to shout, “I believe survivors!” Many held anti-Kavanaugh signs. “Whatever happens in the coming days, this is a beginning not an end,” said Tara Romano, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice NC. NARAL Pro-Choice NC, ACLU of North Carolina, and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic were among the rally sponsors. The rally came a week after gripping testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, a woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, and Kavanaugh’s fiery denials.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article219512585.html

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ONLY DEDICATES $56.6 MILLION OUT OF $2 BILLION FOR FLORENCE: Legislators on Tuesday approved $50 million for immediate disaster relief efforts, plus $6.5 million to pay school employees who are out of work, saying that more will be coming in the future. However, that $50 million is a small percentage of the state’s $2 billion rainy day fund, and activists wanted more. The $2 billion in savings is a record amount, which legislators pushed for after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. “Now, I don’t know where you were,” Resea Willis of Brunswick County said on Tuesday. “But where I was, it rained almost 30 inches on us. So if there is a rainy day fund, I’m here to tell you that it’s already raining. We need your help.” There are legal limits on how much the state can spend from that fund in any given year, but activists like Willis said Tuesday leaders should waive those rules since the need is here and now. Going around the rules to exceed the spending cap would require the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers, The News & Observer has reported.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article219360290.html

WOODHOUSE GOES AFTER 3RD KAVANAUGH ACCUSER IN TWITTER RANT: “This woman is a criminal,” N.C. Republican Party executive director Dallas Woodhouse tweeted on Sunday, referring to Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Kavanaugh of inappropriate behavior. “One way or another,” he wrote. “She either was a part of some massive criminal conspiracy to facilitate child rape, as an adult. Or more likely, she lied to Congress and her attorney knew it. She should go to prison, period.” Swetnick said in the statement that she saw Kavanaugh at least 10 times “at parties where women were verbally abused, inappropriately touched, made ‘disoriented’ with alcohol or drugs and ‘gang raped,’” according to The New York TImes. Swetnick said in the statement that she remembered seeing boys, including Kavanaugh, “lining up outside a bedroom where ‘numerous boys’ were ‘waiting for their ‘turn’ with a girl inside the room,’’ among other accusations. The Times was not able to independently corroborate Swenick’s claims.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article219281075.html

IN WAKE OF SUPREME COURT HEARING, MORE WOMEN ARE TELLING THEIR OWN STORIES: The hearings about Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for Supreme Court are prompting more sexual assault survivors to step forward. One group rallied on the Bicentennial Mall in Raleigh on Friday, not only to speak out against sexual abuse and assault but also to share personal stories. Jennifer Condrey said it's her first time sharing her story publicly. “In my 46 years of life, I have been sexually harassed, touched or threatened more times than I care to count,” she told the crowd. She said she was raped in college. Her attacker was an acquaintance, she said, and her experience is one reason she decided to join the group Friday. The rally was organized by the Carolina Peace Center. Condrey and other attendees said they’ve been following Kavanaugh’s nomination hearing.
https://www.wral.com/after-kavanaugh-testimony-sexual-assault-survivors-share-stories-in-raleigh/178...