Social media critics raked Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) over the coals after he, along with Vice President J.D. Vance, proved to be the deciding votes to confirm former Fox News weekend co-host Pete Hegseth to serve as President Donald Trump's secretary of Defense.
The overall vote count Friday night was 51-50, with three Republican Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) all breaking rank and voting no, forcing Vance to break the tie. It marked just the second time in modern history a vice president has had to do so.
Social media users blasted Tillis, whose vote was said to be up in the air heading into the vote. As the vote got underway late Friday, Hegseth shared on X a letter he sent to Tillis addressing Tillis' request for a detailed answer to the allegations outlined by his former sister-in-law.
"Thom Tillis is up for reelection in 2026 and he provided the deciding vote for this," wrote Jonathan Ladd, a political scientist and associate professor at Georgetown, on Bluesky.
North Carolina environmental advocates are worried about the flurry of executive orders that President Donald Trump signed within hours of returning to the White House this week.
The mandates include removing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement — a move that reprises an action from Trump’s first term — and declaring a “national energy emergency.“
The initial U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement — a landmark international pact that aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius — lasted only four months. Although Trump declared his intentions in 2017, the formalities didn’t occur until late 2020. The U.S. reentered the accord during the Biden administration in 2021.
During that brief period, however, the withdrawal harmed international climate diplomacy and tarred the U.S.’s reputation on the world stage, TIME reported. Advocates voiced concerns about the latest action and its consequences for North Carolina and the U.S., as well as the global implications.
President Donald Trump wants to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – and during a visit to Western North Carolina on Friday he floated the idea of eliminating the agency altogether.
Trump landed at Asheville Regional Airport Friday morning on his first visit to North Carolina since the start of his second term. The western part of the state, along with neighboring communities in Tennessee, has been reeling since Hurricane Helene unleashed devastating flooding and landslides in the mountain region last September.
“ FEMA has been a very big disappointment,” Trump said. “They cost a tremendous amount of money. It's very bureaucratic and it's very slow. Other than that, we're very happy with them.”
Getting rid of FEMA would take congressional action and it is unclear if there is any support from lawmakers to do so. The agency is usually only called into a disaster area by a governor when the state cannot handle recovery alone.
It’s not a good day for FEMA. But even worse for those affected by Hurricane Helene. The response to Hurricane Helene has thrown a spotlight on FEMA at a time that has many within the ranks like me, (affiliated through contract employment) rushing to defend the important work for which FEMA was founded. Beyond providing disaster response to U.S. communities since its inception in 1979, FEMA has provided emergency management training and support to the legions of emergency managers who are on the ground across the country, preparing their jurisdictions, organizations, agencies and tribes for the risks and hazards in their communities that can cause death and destruction.
As a lead instructor for FEMA’s National Emergency Management Advanced Academy (NEMAA), I am blessed to work with some of the roughly 160 emergency managers that participate in the program annually. Over the last 10 years roughly 1,500 emergency managers - representatives from cities, counties, states, tribes, public health agencies, hospitals, universities, military services and the private sector have graduated from the NEMAA program. It is their job it to plan and mitigate for disasters and to prepare their people. How important is this investment and how can anyone justify the defunding of such a vital program?
But more important to those experiencing the devastation caused by Helene and those of us watching the horrible scenes, how did FEMA stray from its stated mission statement “helping people before during and after disasters”? A sea change occurred post 9/11 when FEMA was absorbed into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) becoming one of 20 agencies overseen by this behemoth government bureaucracy. Before then, FEMA Administrators, were appointed on the basis of their competencies to mobilize federal resources during disasters and to administer training and grant programs to the local government level where preparedness and mitigation takes place. This Federal partnership with local emergency management entities is designed to minimize the physical and financial impacts of small- and large-scale events such as earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires and yes, hurricanes. Of course, once a jurisdiction’s preparedness measures are overwhelmed as occurred last week, it is FEMA that is designated as the government’s disaster recovery arm.
2024 was a busy year in North Carolina's environmental and energy sector. From PFAS regulations to more houses falling in the ocean; from the clean energy transition to Hurricane Helene, here's a roundup of this year's top environmental stories.
Helene is the most devastating storm to ever hit North Carolina
State officials estimate Helene is responsible for at least 103 deaths and $60 billion in damages.
For comparison, Hurricane Florence in 2018 caused 45 deaths and $17 billion in damages; Hurricane Matthew in 2016 caused 31 deaths and $4.8 billion in damages. Looking back farther, Hurricane Hugo in 1989 was responsible for 86 fatalities and $10 billion in damages, or about $25 billion when adjusted for inflation to a 2024 valuation.
Helene's impacts are insurmountable and far reaching.
Federal regulations for PFAS in water announced, state regulations still in progress
In April, the EPA announced the nation's first-ever drinking water standards for six PFAS, commonly known as "forever chemicals." EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the regulations in Fayetteville.
North Carolina's clean energy transition
A bipartisan state law passed in 2021 requires Duke Energy to reduce its carbon emissions by 70% compared to 2005 levels by 2030, and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The bill emphasizes taking a least-cost path that maintains system reliability. The law also gives the Utilities Commission discretion to push back the 2030 and 2050 goals.
Houses in Rodanthe keep falling in the ocean
Along the Outer Banks, six houses in Rodanthe fell into the ocean this year, and 11 in the past four years. More than 750 homes along North Carolina's coast are now considered threatened because of quickly rising sea levels and more intense storms fueled by climate change.
Extreme heat impacting outdoor workers
2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, beating the previous record set in 2023. This summer, health officials in North Carolina reported nearly 4,000 heat-related emergency room visits.
Thanks for the visit, wishing all a good week!
