VOLUME 11 ISSUE 10 | THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026
NSJONLINE.COM
KYLIE COOPER / AP PHOTO
The King’s speech Britain’s King Charles III addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday as part of his state visit to Washington, D.C.
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Stein proposes $35B budget
BRIEF this week
The governor’s spending plan raises average educator salaries by 11% and rolls back the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program
Second Mecklenburg Democrat leaves party Raleigh Rep. Nasif Majeed announced he is dropping his Democratic Party affiliation and has opted to become unaffiliated. Majeed was one of three state House Democrats who faced and lost primary challenges in March after earlier voting with Republicans to help override vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper. Majeed is the second Mecklenburg County Democrat to leave the party recently, following Carla Cunningham, who announced last week that she was dropping her Democratic affiliation for unaffiliated following her loss in the primary. Shelly Willingham of Edgecombe was also targeted in the primary and defeated.
Comey indicted again in probe over online post Washington, D.C. Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again on Tuesday, this time in an investigation over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat against President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter. The criminal case is the second in a matter of months against Comey and is part of the Trump administration Justice Department’s effort to prosecute political opponents of the Republican president. The indictment involving the year-old photo was secured as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a Trump loyalist who previously served as his personal lawyer, aims to prove to the president that he’s the right person to hold the job permanently.
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Cooper’s COVID-19 settlement list faces probe The legislative subcommittee is also looking at Gov. Josh Stein’s involvement By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A legislative subcommittee to investigate former Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-era “secret reentry settlement list” was announced last week.
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) and House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) both issued similar press releases last Monday on the creation of a Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Prisons. “Roy Cooper opened the floodgates and then did the bare minimum to inform the public about the criminals See PROBE, page A3
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein released his recommended budget for the 2026-27 biennium last week, proposing total General Fund appropriations of $33.3 billion in the first year and $35.44 billion in the second. The House and Senate originally agreed to $32.59 billion for FY 2025-26, and Stein’s budget proposal is $2.85 billion higher. His previous budget proposal had similar spending, with $33.65 billion in FY 2025-26 and $34.35 billion in FY 2026-27. In March, Stein issued a $1.4 billion “critical needs budget” as the legislature still had not passed a state budget. “North Carolina’s people are our greatest asset, and when they succeed, we suc-
Lumbee Tribe casino moves forward with constitutional amendment The tribe bought 240 acres along I-95 for $6.8 million last year By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A casino along I-95 is one step closer after the Lumbee Tribe amended its constitution to allow gaming. The full tribe membership will need to approve the measure at a yet-unscheduled future vote. At its April 16 business meeting, the Lumbee Tribal Council approved a resolution amending the tribe’s constitu-
tion to authorize gaming by a vote of 17-2. “(The) Tribal Council finds it is in the best interest and welfare of the Tribe to authorize gaming activities on Tribal lands,” the resolution states. Chairman John Lowery issued a statement on Facebook ahead of the resolution vote. “Tonight, the Lumbee Tribal Council will take a historic step to give you, the citizens of the Lumbee Tribe, the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that will allow our Tribe to conduct gaming,” Lowery said while encouraging See CASINO, page A2
“(The) Tribal Council finds it is in the best interest and welfare of the Tribe to authorize gaming activities on Tribal lands.” Lumbee Tribe resolution
ceed,” Stein said in a press release. “We must make fiscally responsible decisions now to keep our schools strong, our communities safe, and our economy working for every person. This budget is a balanced, forward-looking plan to secure our future, lower costs, and ensure that every North Carolinian has a shot at real prosperity.” On the revenue side, the plan proposes roughly $378 million in “tax relief” for working families, including a refundable Working Families Tax Credit, a Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and the reinstatement of a back-to-school sales tax holiday. Stein’s budget would pay for those items by halting further reductions to the individual and corporate income tax rates. The proposal claims a “fiscal cliff” has been created by previous income tax reductions. The top spending increases in Stein’s proposal include “fully” funding Medicaid Rebase needs ($319 million for 2025-26 and more than $728 million for 2026-27) and See BUDGET, page A2