Posts by Newspaper Staff

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday granted a Trump administration request to deport eight noncitizens to South Sudan, a country where they have no ties.
The high court stopped an order allowing the foreign nationals to appeal removals to “third countries” where they say they could be in danger of violence or harm.
They were initially headed to South Sudan in May when a federal judge in Massachusetts halted their flight. The migrants stopped on a naval base in Djibouti where they waited for an order from the court.
The Supreme Court said a lower court’s order halting the flight was “unenforceable.” On June 23, the court paused a ruling that would give them a chance to show they would face risk of torture if deported to a country other than their own.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan concurred with the conservative majority’s opinion.
“I do not see how a district court can compel compliance with an order that this court has stayed,” Kagan wrote.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority opinion. Sotomayor wrote the dissenting opinion in which she criticized the majority decision and the Trump administration.
“Today’s order clarifies one thing: Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial,” Sotomayor wrote.

While passage Thursday afternoon and signing Friday of the budget reconciliation bill may have been in Washington, its road from and back to the desk of President Donald Trump ran through North Carolina.
That’s where special masters for the judicial branch created a 2022 congressional map intent on splitting the state’s 14 seats of the U.S. House of Representatives evenly. And where the 2024 maps drawn by the Legislature –as the General Statutes instruct – produced a 10-4 edge for Republicans in the nation’s ninth largest state (11 million) with 38% of voter registrations independent of both parties.
Thursday’s vote was 218-214. North Carolina congressmen were loyal to party, and a 7-7 division would not have delivered.
For the record, Republican senators from the state infamously split – Thom Tillis one of three nationwide in the party to object, Ted Budd saying yes. Republican representatives saying aye were Virginia Foxx, David Rouzer, Richard Hudson, Dr. Greg Murphy, Chuck Edwards, Rev. Mark Harris, Addison McDowell and Pat Harrigan.
Democratic Reps. Alma Adams, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Don Davis all said no.
Dramatic fallout involving all is expected, from Tillis having already said he won’t pursue reelection in 2026 to the opportunities his retirement will create. Next fall’s campaigns were given ammunition for what was done or not done this week.
This was a big one.
Aftermath, however, will be most prevalent to those impacted – the constituents. One final judgment will be their lives; another will be their vote at the ballot box.
The provider tax and state-directed payment provisions, said Tillis, will be the leading harm to North Carolinians. It’ll come through impact on the state budget that absorbs more share of Medicaid responsibility.
Tillis said he got analysis from seven angles, inclusive of those aligned with Democrats, Republicans and independents, in deciding how to vote. It included state lawmakers responsible for their budget, and independent of them from the health care industry. The estimate of negative impact over 10 years was $26 billion.
KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation, is a nonprofit focusing on health policy. Its research indicated a best-case scenario of $20 billion in impact and a worst-case of $33 billion, putting its projection at $27 billion.
Rural hospitals considered in peril include Blue Ridge Region Hospital in Spruce Pine; MH Angel Medical Center in Franklin; Chatham Hospital in Siler City; Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro; and UNC Rockingham Hospital in Eden. A plan to reopen Martin General in Williamston on the strength of the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program within North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion two years ago likely got tougher to accomplish.
Murphy, a 62-year-old practicing urologist, has multiple lens to see Medicaid and his constituents.
After the vote he said of Medicaid, “It desperately needs reform so that it can be a strong program for those who are eligible to receive the benefits. As the only individual in Congress who continues to see patients covered by Medicaid, I have firsthand knowledge of how this program impacts our communities. This bill protects Medicaid benefits for those who are most vulnerable in our society, not able-bodied individuals capable of participating in the workforce, illegal immigrants, and those ineligible for benefits. The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, included in the package, ensures the sustainability of rural health providers with an immediate impact beginning next year.”
Dr. Dev Sangvai, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said full impact and consequences would clear in the future.
“We already know,” he said, “that it will result in billions of dollars being taken out of our state’s economy and will undermine the health of North Carolinians. This bill includes major changes to Medicaid and SNAP – programs that provide vital support to millions of North Carolinians. There will be a significant reduction in federal funding for services that are core to the well-being of individuals and families across North Carolina.”
Proponents, however, say the changes strengthen the programs because it protects those who are most vulnerable and in need. For example, there is a new work or volunteer requirement for the able-bodied.
“This is a once-in-a-generation win for North Carolian families, seniors and small businesses,” Hudson said. “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the most pro-worker, pro-family and pro-American legislation we’ve seen in decades. It means bigger paychecks for middle class families, secure borders, a stronger military, and more freedom for every North Carolinian.”

U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, reintroduced a bill this week that aims to help areas affected by illegal immigration.
The First Responders Emergency Assistance Act would establish emergency grants for law enforcement and first responders in areas that receive a high volume of calls related to illegal immigrants.
According to Gallego’s press release, the Department of Homeland Security would administer the grant program. The program would be made available to cities, counties, tribes and states that need help with equipment, operations, staffing, law enforcement overtime costs, first responders and emergency operation centers.
The FREAA mandates that 25% of the grant funds be allocated toward border communities, which are heavily impacted by illegal immigration.
To illustrate, in Yuma, Arizona, which is around 30 minutes from Mexico, one of its major hospitals spent over $26 million in 2023 to treat illegal immigrants who came to their hospital.
As a state, Arizona was hit hard by illegal immigration during the Biden administration. According to the House Homeland Security Committee, nearly 11 million illegal immigrants entered America. Almost 10 million of these foreign nationals came to the United States through the southwest border.
Gallego said during the surges of illegal immigration at the southern border, Arizona communities felt the “brunt of it.”
“I’ve heard directly from local fire and police departments who are answering more immigration-related emergency calls without enough resources,” the first-time senator said.
“This bill helps reimburse fire and police departments for these costs and delivers the federal support our brave public safety and emergency response workers deserve,” he added.
As a member of the U.S. House last year, Gallego introduced this bill, but it did not make it out of the House.
For endorsements, the United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Fire Fighters said they supported this bill.
Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said as the number of migrants crossing into America increased, law enforcement members of his order “struggled to keep up with the amount of border crossings.”
“By providing grants for first responders, this bill would help coordinate efforts between agencies to address migrant needs and ensure that our first responders have the tools necessary to do their jobs,” he explained.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, border communities have had less illegal immigration.
According to the White House, the United States had 6,070 encounters at the southern border last month.