NORTH CAROLINA OPEN THREAD for Sunday, August 1, 2021
324th Weekly Edition
This is a weekly feature of North Carolina Blue. We hope this weekly platform gives readers interested in North Carolina politics a place to share their knowledge, insight and inspiration as we work on taking back our state from some of the most extreme Republicans in the nation. Please join us every week. You can also join the discussion in four other weekly State Open Threads.
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
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Covid data 8/1/2021 1:00pm EDT
Click here for Covid-19 data from Worldometer Real Time World Statistics.
USA NC Total Cases New Cases Total Deaths New Deaths Total Recovered Active Cases 1,048,076 13,645 1,005,765 28,767
Track NC Covid Data Track NC Vaccine Data
Following are stories and information I hope you find interesting and useful. Click the titles for complete stories. Please jump the fold, the floor is yours.
COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 30
News&Observer, HAYLEY FOWLER AND SIMONE JASPER, July 30, 2021
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
MORE THAN 1,100 HOSPITALIZATIONS REPORTED
At least 1,048,076 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 13,635 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,199 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, down from 3,268 on Thursday.
Seventeen additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Friday. Deaths don’t necessarily occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as more information becomes available.
COVID-19 Updates
NC.GOV
The COVID-19 outbreak has been accompanied by a flood of misinformation from unreliable sources. Be thoughtful about what you read or hear about the virus and make sure you are separating rumor from fact before you act. Below are the latest updates from the state of North Carolina.
July 29, 2021
- Gov. Roy Cooper announced that state government will begin the verifying vaccination status of state employees at cabinet-level agencies and require unvaccinated employees to wear a mask and be tested weekly under Executive Order 224. (View FAQs)
- The announcement comes as North Carolina's latest upswing in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is driven by unvaccinated people.
- The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services updated guidance, encouraging private-sector businesses to, at a minimum, verify vaccination status for their workers as well.
- Additionally, in accordance with the updated CDC guidance, all K-12 schools should require universal masking, regardless of vaccination status. NCDHHS is updating its guidance for schools to align with this recommendation.
Senate leader Phil Berger calls CDC guidance on masks ‘guidance to ignore’
News&Observer, DANIELLE BATTAGLIA, July 29, 2021
Senate Leader Phil Berger called the CDC’s guidance on wearing masks as something similar to that of eating raw cookie dough: “guidance to ignore.”
A fundraising email sent Wednesday morning said the latest CDC guidelines aren’t based on science but a method by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the media and liberals to control the American people.
Berger’s spokespersons Lauren Horsch and Pat Ryan directed campaign fundraising questions to NC GOP Senate Caucus Political Leader Dylan Watts who said the email’s subject line: “CDC issues new guidelines to ignore,” was a mistake.
The company you keep
BlueNC, 07/27/2021
HILLSBOROUGH BAR (AND CHAMBER) HAVE A PROUD BOY PROBLEM: Hot Tin Roof patron, Colin Dodd, sparked the controversy with a series of posts about a Hillsborough resident and known Proud Boy who had been frequenting the bar and occasionally bringing some of his friends with him. Kim Tesoro, a co-owner of the bar Hot Tin Roof, was hired as CEO of the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce in 2017. The issues surrounding the Proud Boys patronizing the bar “are in the hands of the ownership of Hot Tin Roof and their legal counsel,” the board said. Tesoro has referred questions to the bar’s attorney, Lynne Holtkamp, who issued a statement on July 7 but has not returned The N&O’s phone calls. I don't give AF about "diverse" opinions, Proud Boys are dangerous. They've attacked people in public several times, and took part in attempted coup of our elected government. They don't get a seat at the table, or the bar. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/orange-county/article252958883.html
INSTITUTE INDEX: The money behind disinformation attacks on NC voting machines
Facing South, Sue Sturgis, 7/23/2021
Date on which leaders of the North Carolina House's far-right Freedom Caucus held a press conference at which they cited constituents' fears over "rigged elections" — stoked by former President Trump's Big Lie that he won in 2020 — and announced that they want to look inside the state's voting machines to make sure "there's nothing there": 7/15/2021
Number of times that the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections said her team met with Freedom Caucus members to answer their questions, while noting in a July letter to them that giving unauthorized or inexpert people access to the internal workings of voting machines violates Department of Homeland Security guidance: several
Month in which the board itself completed an audit that compared machine counts with hand-to-eye counts to make sure the machines counted ballots correctly: 11/2020
Madison Cawthorn facing ethics complaint after screaming match with fellow GOP Congressman
Freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., is facing an ethics complaint following a Friday altercation on the House floor that colleagues reportedly feared would boil over into an actual fistfight, reports said.
This article first appeared on Salon.
The spat between Cawthorn and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., began with a disagreement over cosponsorship of a particular bill, according to POLITICO. Cawthorn visited McKinley's office to request his name be taken off the bill, which he said he had mistakenly been added to, but the first-year legislator quickly became embroiled in a heated exchange with one of McKinley's staffers.
Police report confirms Rep. Cawthorn had handgun at Asheville Regional Airport
WLOS, Kristen Aguirre, July 30th 2021
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A police report now confirms U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn was questioned about trying to go through security with a gun at Asheville Regional Airport.
On Feb. 13, 2021, TSA found a Glock 9 mm handgun in Cawthorn's carry-on bag. "For us, it's all about accountability," said David Wheeler, who is with "Fire Madison Cawthorn", a group hoping to oust the congressman.
Firearms are not allowed at the Asheville Regional Airport unless first secured and declared properly for travel. News 13 reached out to Cawthorn's office for an interview and received this statement:
“Five months ago, while boarding a flight, Rep. Cawthorn erroneously stowed a firearm in his carry-on (that often doubles as a range bag) instead of his checked bag. The firearm was secured, and unchambered. Rep. Cawthorn endeavors to always follow TSA guidelines, and quickly rectified this situation before boarding his flight.”
According to a TSA spokesperson, there is a protocol when a gun is found. First, TSA must stop the machine, contact a supervisor, then call law enforcement.
Right-wing Republican fundraising to bail out mask rule-breakers — but the money goes to his campaign
Right-wing Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) is asking for donations so that he can pay for the fines for Congressional members and their staff who refuse to wear a mask in the Capitol. But when clicking the link to donate, it takes you to his campaign page.
Typical members of Congress are paid $174,000 annually, so it's unclear why they would need donations to cover their own rule-breaking. Staffers certainly make much less, however, Washington, D.C. has mandated face masks in public places again. So, they would be in violation of the Capitol rules as well as D.C. rules. It's unclear if their Republican members would be willing to pay their fees themselves if the staffer follows their boss's lead.
While the Capitol has instituted fines, the Capitol Police released a statement that seemed like a veiled threat to those anti-maskers refusing to follow the rules.
"Regarding the House mask rule, there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rule will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Department's requirement for officers to wear masks is for their health and safety," said the statement.
Eric Gash for Congress NC-11
More about Mr. Gash.
After a brief stint in the National Football League, Eric pursued a career in business. Work eventually took him to the island of Barbados where he met his wife Katy. After a downturn in the economy, Eric renewed his commitment to his faith and was commissioned a pastor, later becoming a missionary. Eventually though, the mountains of Western North Carolina called Eric home. So, Eric and his family relocated back to his hometown of Hendersonville where he became an educator and coach. Eric served as a math teacher, and Assistant Principal of Hendersonville High School and most recently, as the Principal of his childhood alma mater Bruce Drysdale Elementary. Eric is also the lead pastor of Speak Life Community church, a volunteer chaplain with the Hendersonville City Police Department, and serves on the board for the Henderson County Community Foundation.
His wife, Katy, is a math teacher at Hendersonville Middle School, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2017. Their children, Kelan, Jacob and Maya are all graduates of Hendersonville High School and were active members of the local Boys and Girls Club.
“WHY I’M RUNNING”
Western North Carolina is my home — I am a son of the soil. I was born and raised in Hendersonville, attended public schools here, and later returned with my own family. Our community deserves honest leadership in Washington and our current representative fails the test. We need a representative who will do the hard work, serve our community, and put North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District ahead of partisan politics.
I’ve spent my life building bridges and getting things done for this community and that’s the fight I will take to Washington. As a school principal during the height of the pandemic, I led my students, teachers, and staff through a devastating shutdown. As a pastor and community leader, I helped heal the wounds of division and bring folks together from all across the district. It wasn’t easy, but we worked hard and we showed up for one another. It’s time we bring a little bit of Western North Carolina to Washington.
Let’s get to work. Support here.
