VOLUME 9 ISSUE 28 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
NSJONLINE.COM
Canales readies for Panthers debut, B1 the
BRIEF this week
Former aide to Hochul, Cuomo charged for ties to China Washington, D.C. A former New York state government official who worked for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul was charged Tuesday with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors revealed in a sprawling indictment. Linda Sun, who held numerous posts in New York state government before rising to the rank of deputy chief of staff for Hochul, was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their $3.5 million home on Long Island. Prosecutors said Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to highlevel officials in New York state, shaped New York governmental messaging to align with the priorities of the Chinese government and attempted to facilitate a trip to China for a highlevel politician in New York, the indictment said. Hu is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and misuse of means of identification. The couple then laundered the financial proceeds, using them to buy their property in Manhasset, a condominium in Hawaii for $1.9 million, and luxury cars including a 2024 Ferrari, the indictment says.
Russian strike in Ukraine kills at least 50, injures scores Poltava, Ukraine Two ballistic missiles blasted a military training facility and nearby hospital Tuesday in Ukraine, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 200 others, Ukrainian officials said, in one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began. The strike hit the central-eastern city of Poltava, the capital of the region of the same name about 200 miles southeast of Kyiv, partially destroying a building used by the Poltava Military Institute of Communications, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Poltava Gov. Filip Pronin announced the death toll on Telegram and said 219 people were wounded. Up to 18 people may be buried under the rubble, he said.
ABBIE PARR / AP PHOTO
Playing the Heel UNC defensive lineman Travis Shaw celebrates after a 19-17 win over Minnesota in the teams’ season opener last Thursday in Minneapolis. All but one North Carolina’s seven FBS teams won in Week 1, with Appalachian State, Duke, East Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest also picking up victories, while Charlotte lost its opener.
AG candidate Bishop campaigns on crime, safety The Republican congressman is traveling the state for “listening sessions” By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
Report addresses unaccounted-for migrant children The Greensboro Influx Care Facility is still empty, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A report from the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Secu-
rity said the U.S. can’t account for approximately 291,000 detained migrant children. In its Aug. 19 report, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) states, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not monitor the location and status of all unaccompanied migrant children (UCs) or initiate removal proceedings as needed. “During our ongoing auSee REPORT, page A3
RALEIGH — Republican Congressman Dan Bishop has been campaigning around the state, focusing on crime and safety in his attempt to become North Carolina’s next attorney general. Bishop’s has hit mainly larger urban areas in Gaston, Guilford, Henderson, and Wake counties, with his next stop in Brunswick County. At each stop, various law enforcement and elected officials, as well as families who have experienced violent crime, have joined Bishop, who represents North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District. “These listening sessions are, frankly, to symbolize what I’m going to do in office, which is listen to the folks who are on the front lines,” Bishop told North State Journal. Bishop added that an “overwhelming majority” of the
Vote keeps RFK Jr. on NC ballot; lawsuit filed “I’m just going to be real blunt and say I think this whole episode has been a farce, and I feel bad for anyone who’s been deceived.” Siobhan Millen, N.C. State Board of Elections member
The late removal was called “impractical” and would cost in the “six-figure” range By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted 3-2 down party lines at an emergency meeting last Thursday to keep Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the November ballot after receiving a request to remove his name. Ryan Rabah, the attorney for We The People Party (WTP) issued the removal memo, dated Aug. 28. The request came after Kennedy suspended his campaign to endorse Donald Trump for president. The board’s three Democrats, Board Chair Alan Hirsch and members Jeff Carmon and Siobhan Millen, all voted
against removal. The two Republicans, Stacy “Four” Eggers and Jeff Lewis, voted in favor. Before adjourning, the board also passed a motion that stated the reason the withdrawal was rejected was because it was “impractical.” That vote also passed 3-2 along party lines. Prior to receiving the removal request, NCSBE Communications Director Patrick Gannon told North State Journal that the board would “have to consider whether it is practical to remove his name from ballots and reprint ballots at that time.” Late on Aug. 30, the day after the emergency meeting, WTP sued the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) over the decision. The lawsuit draws from the second motion voted on at the end of the meeting, claiming the board “ignored controlling statutes and instead elected
to insert their own indeterminate, subjective ‘practicality’ standard in denying his request.” The NCSBE referred North State Journal to the North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ) when asking for comment. The NCDOJ has not yet responded. Polling has varied on how third-party candidates could impact the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. During the emergency meeting on Aug. 29, NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell reminded See RFK JR., page A2
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state’s attorneys general and sheriffs have endorsed him. Bishop recently received a big boost from the North Carolina Division of the Police Benevolent Association. During the Wake County tour stop, the association’s president, David Rose, announced his 17,000-member organization would be endorsing Bishop. “The most critical race for cops in North Carolina is the race that you’re in,” Rose told Bishop. “This is the most important Council of State race. It’s the one that impacts cops’ lives more than any.” Rose also said that after the 2020 riots, large numbers of police officers left the profession and most agency personnel rosters still have not recovered, with many still having a 30-40% vacancy rate. “I am so looking forward to having an attorney general that is going to have their back,” Rose said. Bishop told North State Journal some narratives that crime is dropping do not match the data. “The crime is at a sustained See BISHOP, page A3