VOLUME 149 ISSUE 19 | THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2026
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Strawberry moon The first full moon of summer is traditionally called the Strawberry Moon, photographed here on Monday from Pinehurst No. 3.
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BRIEF this week
House GOP deadlocks over Trump’s demands, sending lawmakers home early Washington, D.C. As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, the legislative branch has momentarily called it quits. House leadership abruptly canceled votes Tuesday and sent lawmakers home early. Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority was once again ground to a standstill by rebellious Republicans refusing their own party’s agenda. In this case, it’s a standoff blocking the annual defense bill. Renegade Republicans are pushing to include President Donald Trump’s own priority, the SAVE America Act, a strict voter ID bill. Last week, the Senate similarly shuttered after Trump’s demands.
California bans ‘sell by’ food labels to cut food waste and confusion San Francisco California is making food labels less confusing by banning “sell by” dates. The new law starting Wednesday requires manufacturers to use just two labels: “Best if Used By” for peak quality and “Use By” for safety. This change aims to reduce food waste and emissions. California is the first state to standardize labels, with New York following suit. Other states are considering similar laws. The confusion over labels has led to significant food waste, with nearly 20% of food wasted due to unclear labeling. Advocates believe this simple change can make a big impact.
Chapel Hill to make adjustment to campaign contribution limits The town council supported removing voter baselines from the limit calculation formula By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record CHAPEL HILL — The Town of Chapel Hill appears to be moving toward making a slight
should rely solely on consumer price index rather than a combined CPI and voter count calculation.” Chapel Hill received special legislative authority in 1999 to establish its own campaign contribution limits and in 2010, the See LIMITS, page A3
Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s proposed limits More than a quarter-million babies born annually in the U.S. would have lost citizenship By Mark Sherman The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a broad conception
of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American
citizens. The justices relied on a long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen. “Citizenship, then and now,
Supreme Court strikes down limits on party spending in federal elections “Every time we interfere with the congressional design, we make matters worse.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor
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adjustment for political donation limits for 2026. The Chapel Hill Town Council discussed the town’s campaign contribution limits at its June 17 meeting, with the pri-
mary question being whether or not they should change the formula they utilize. “Every even-numbered year, the clerk’s office gathers the data needed to calculate the campaign contribution limit as required by ordinance,” said Town Clerk Brittney Hunt. “The discussion is whether the formula
The decision puts parties on equal footing with unlimited outside groups in election spending By Mark Sherman The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. The justices relied on a
long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen. “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights—to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land,’” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court, citing congressional debate over the amendment. “We keep that See SPENDING, page A10
was the right to have rights—to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every freeborn person in this land,’” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court, citing congressional See BIRTHRIGHT, page A7