VOLUME 11 ISSUE 18 | THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2026
NSJONLINE.COM
CORY LAVALETTE / NORTH STATE JOURNAL
For the fans Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour leads his team in saluting the crowd from the stage following a parade that drew an estimated 180,000 fans to downtown Raleigh to celebrate the franchise winning its second Stanley Cup.
the
Voting bill stalls in NCGA
BRIEF this week
The legislation would update voting rules, deadlines and oversight
Pentagon seeks $80B from Congress for Iran war
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Washington, D.C. The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the U.S. war against Iran, adding to what is already a sizable military spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump. The White House Office of Management and Budget has yet to make a formal request to Congress, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill. Senators became aware of the Iran funding request last week, according to reports.
North Carolina to be represented at Great American State Fair
Robbins among new appointments at USDA
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Raleigh U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a series of leadership appointments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture today that includes roles specific to the department’s Rural Development mission, including for former North State Journal publisher Neal Robbins. Robbins, who has been serving as deputy undersecretary for Rural Development, will now be serving as senior adviser for rural engagement to Rollins. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Robbins worked as an engineer, attorney, consultant and entrepreneur. He served as North State Journal’s publisher after holding a senior policy role in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Robbins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from NC State University as a Park Scholar. He holds a law degree and an MBA from Wake Forest.
The Stein administration pulled out of the America 250 event, citing costs
RALEIGH — North Carolina will have a 750-square-foot “spotlight” pavilion at the Great American State Fair despite re-
See FAIR, page A4
Jackson urges U.S. Senate to reject SNAP cuts “We need to protect this program and make it easier for seniors, veterans, and working families to put food on the table.” Jeff Jackson, attorney general
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porting over the last week saying North Carolina is one of a half-dozen states to have pulled out of the 250th anniversary event. Some of the states implied they dropped out over political reasons, but the Stein administration cited cost. When contacted regarding
RALEIGH — An elections bill working its way through the North Carolina General Assembly that would change various voting laws as well as add oversight has stalled following pushback. House Bill 958 would alter counting of absentee ballots, voter registration methods, how campaigns report money and how elections are audited after voting ends. If passed, most of the new rules would take effect in January. The bill was scheduled for the House Rules Committee last Wednesday but was pulled from the calendar following pushback by Democrats and amendments made in another committee. The portion of the bill drawing the most criticism grants the state auditor authority to pick counties for postelec-
North Carolina’s attorney general joined 23 colleagues in imploring Congress to restore the benefits By Jessica Taylor For North State Journal RALEIGH — Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined 23 attorneys general to urge congressional leaders to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and protections to the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. “Over a million people in our state depend on SNAP to afford groceries,” Jackson said in the press release. “We need
to protect this program and make it easier for seniors, veterans, and working families to put food on the table.” The letter to the U.S. Senate claims the cuts made are the “largest reductions in food assistance in modern history.” The letter also highlights how the cuts would force families to skip meals, bar access to assistance for working individuals and seniors, and shift costs to state and local governments. The letter further urges the Senate to reject the cuts, which are not reversed in the Farm Bill. The letter adds that new restrictions will remove eligible participants from SNAP and make it difficult to maintain See JACKSON, page A4
tion audits for things like election equipment, voter rolls and chain of custody. Those audits would only happen after result certification and can’t be used to overturn election outcomes. The auditing provision resulted in a tense exchange on social media between Gov. Josh Stein and State Auditor Dave Boliek. Stein issued a statement that in part criticized the bill as making voting harder and creating “mistrust,” specifically stating it “invites the Auditor and State Board to sow mistrust in elections.” “Audits work to instill trust and integrity through professional, independent examinations,” Boliek wrote in a direct response to Stein. “An audit by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor examining the processes and procedures of elections would bring transparency and accountability to voters. What sows mistrust is a partisan governor that chooses political See VOTING, page A2