VOLUME 8 ISSUE 21
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023
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VinFast unveils factory site plans
VinFast, the Vietnamese electric car manufacturer bringing the largest economic development project in state history to Chatham County, has posted initial site plans for its electric vehicle factory. In total, VinFast is planning to build a more than 2.8 million-square-foot facility. The site plan represents what the company calls the first phase of development. There are also adjacent plots of land marked as a “future phase,” with earlier company plans indicated it would be intended for battery production. The proposed plans mark the latest milestone for the company in establishment its first North American manufacturing plant after initial hiccups relating to their timeline and entry into the United States.
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House Majority Leader John Bell discusses legislation, DeSantis endorsement
BRIEF this week
An American soldier is detained by North Korea after crossing its heavily armed border Seoul, South Korea An American soldier facing military disciplinary actions fled across the heavily armed border from South Korea into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years. Two U.S. officials said the soldier detained was Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had just been released from a South Korean prison where he’d been held on assault charges and was facing additional military disciplinary actions in the United States. The American-led U.N. Command said he is believed to be in North Korean custody and the command is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Six Republicans say they’ve met GOP debate thresholds Washington, D.C. Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Tim Scott have met the Republican National Committee’s polling and fundraising thresholds to earn invitations to the first GOP presidential primary debate next month, according to POLITICO’s qualification tracking. With under six weeks until the debate, some hopefuls are finding creative ways to boost their donor numbers and ensure they make it on stage. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is offering $20 Mastercard or Visa gift cards in return for campaign donations of as little as $1. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is putting up a chance to see Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi’s Miami debut, the Associated Press reported earlier this week. The unusual efforts are in response to a Republican National Committee requirement that participants in the Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee raise money from at least 40,000 donors across the country. In addition to the donor threshold, Republican candidates must earn at least 1% in three high-quality polls between July 1 and Aug. 21. They must also sign a pledge backing the eventual 2024 Republican nominee. NSJ STAFF
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Jefferson Griffin looks to join Republican majority on NC Supreme Court By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin is no stranger to running a statewide campaign for office. After mounting his first campaign for the Court of Appeals in 2018 in which he narrowly lost, he ran again two years later and prevailed in the first of two consecutive statewide judicial sweeps for Republicans. With one seat on the N.C. Supreme Court on the ballot in 2024, Griffin is the first and, so far, only declared candidate. “I’ve been traveling pretty hard. We hit it pretty hard the first six months, going hammer down since December last year. Now, we’re resting and resetting a bit after the finance report
deadline,” Griffin told North State Journal last week. Griffin said his interest in joining the state Supreme Court comes after seeing and experiencing first-hand how impactful appellate courts can be. “I’ve seen how impactful our appellate courts can be over the last four years, especially when we had a liberal Democrat majority and what they were willing to do with that majority from an activist standpoint,” said Griffin. (Being) that close to it and watching from the Court of Appeals we have to be measured and determined to keep a conservative majority not only on our Court of Appeals, but especially the Supreme Court.” Griffin said that his time See GRIFFIN, page A3
With veto override votes set, Payton McNabb shares her story backing women’s sports bill By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — Payton McNabb calls growing up in the mountains of western North Carolina a “blessing.” Rooted in faith, McNabb says she has relied on her foundation in Christ to stand up for what she believes is right. “I know what I’m doing is right. I feel like other people may not have that, so that’s why
RALEIGH — North State Journal recently caught up with House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) to ask him about the current legislative session and his endorsement last month of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign for president. The line of citizens, various officials and legislative members coming in and out of Bell’s office while North State Journal waited to speak with him was not only impressive but underscored the heavy and fast-paced workload handled by the Wayne County lawmaker. “Just one word. Busy, busy, busy,” Bell said when asked to encapsulate the current legislative session. Bell, who is in his sixth term in the House, was elected as House Majority Whip during his second term and House Majority Leader in 2016. “People say always busy and that it is but so you’ve got to think, the last the last session – the last biennium you had the pandemic; you’re dealing with all that going on,” Bell said. “The world shut down. People didn’t come up here and that was a short session, a long session, and another short session.” He added that now that now people have come back whereas in the previous sessions there were
scious and exhibited a fencing response, which indicates a traumatic brain injury, following a forceful blow to the head from a volleyball spike by a biological male playing on the opponent’s team. The sheer impact of left McNabb with significant longterm physical and mental effects, including impaired vision, partial paralysis on her right side, and anxiety and depression. In the aftermath, McNabb, now a spokeswoman with Independent Women’s Forum, detailed what she knew at the time and why HB 574 should become law. McNabb told North State Journal that her high school, Hiwassee Dam, had to be informed there was a transgender player on the team. She said that the players on the team and administration were aware of who the
they’re afraid. When everyone stands up for what’s right hopefully this whole thing will just be over,” she told North State Journal in an interview about the upcoming week in the legislature. Her faith has helped her through a difficult season of life, when a high school volleyball match in September 2022 permanently altered her life and her health. McNabb was knocked uncon- See MCNABB, page A2
no receptions, people didn’t come visit and “everything was done by Zoom” so there was more free time in between bills to get things done. “This year, everybody has come into the building, from constituents back home to advocacy groups to tour groups,” said Bell. In terms of top priorities, Bell immediately said the budget. “It’s always the budget,” Bell said. “The budget is the most important thing that we do. Everybody, especially in the long session…to get that created, to lay the foundation of how we’re going to operate – that’s what everybody expects us to do and that’s our priority.” In terms of personal bills of interest, Bell said he always looks at the flood mitigation and the disaster relief areas, but that his job with regard to bills isn’t the same as other members of the House. “My job is different than a lot of people because I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow,” Bell said. “When things kind of fall apart, it’s my job to help put them back together or get a direction on where we’re going and how it’s going to play out… listen to concerns, make sure the speaker understands the concerns from the caucus, make sure that we have the votes to move forward on policy and that could change day in and day out,” said Bell. When asked about the early esSee BELL, page A2
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