CAWTHORN'S SPOKESIDIOT SEZ MADDY DIDN'T ADVOCATE BLOODSHED: Luke Ball, a spokesman for Cawthorn, said in a statement to the Washington Post that the lawmaker’s remarks Sunday were “in no way supporting or advocating for any form of violence.” Cawthorn’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Observer. “In his comments, Congressman Cawthorn is CLEARLY advocating for violence not to occur over election integrity questions,” Ball told the Post in a statement. “He fears others would erroneously choose that route and strongly states that election integrity issues should be resolved peacefully and never through violence.” When Cawthorn won the 2020 election at 25, he became the youngest Republican ever elected to Congress. And by far the most immature, and that's saying a mouthful.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article253881613.html

GOVERNOR COOPER VETOES RECKLESS GUN PERMIT REPEAL: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill Monday that would change a state gun purchasing law. Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed House Bill 398, “Pistol Purchase Permit Repeal,” which would remove the requirement that handgun buyers get a permit from their local sheriff. “Gun permit laws reduce gun homicides and suicides and reduce the availability of guns for criminal activity,” Cooper said in a statement. “At a time of rising gun violence, we cannot afford to repeal a system that works to save lives. The legislature should focus on combating gun violence instead of making it easier for guns to end up in the wrong hands.” N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, said earlier this month that the law is “one of our most effective tools to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, felons and other dangerous people.”
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article253861528.html

VIDEO POKER RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD IN NC AGAIN: House Bill 954 takes an if-you-can't-beat-them, replace-them, attitude on North Carolina's long-standing effort to shutdown video gambling terminals called sweepstakes machines from the state. This measure would license machines run by the state lottery, require permits on the machines and empower law enforcement to seize machines without it. Sponsoring state Rep. Harry Warren, R-Rowan, told lawmakers the video lottery bill should cut sweepstakes machines in the state by 65 to 70 percent. The N.C. Sheriffs' Association, which opposes the bill, quickly pushed back. “This bill doesn’t eliminate the machines that are already there," Eddie Caldwell, the association's lobbyist in Raleigh, said. "(It adds) a large number of additional machines.” Asked after the meeting for more information, Warren said he doesn't do interviews, and he referred questions to co-sponsoring Rep. Tim Moffitt, who said he'd work on getting an answer. Rep. Jason Saine, who made the motion to move this bill through the House Commerce Committee Tuesday, said legalization should dry up underground demand. Doesn't do interviews? Is Harry a Kardashian now?
https://www.wral.com/bill-starts-moving-to-allow-video-lottery-machines-in-north-carolina/19851831/

NC REPUBLICANS PASS THEIR ANTI-BLM BILL: A bill cracking down on violent protests that critics argue could stifle free speech is heading to North Carolina's governor. The proposal from Republican House Speaker Tim Moore that was fueled by rioting and looting he saw take place in Raleigh last year amid frustration over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 63-41. It now heads to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who has previously expressed concerns with the measure. Moore and other Republicans believe the plan will make criminals think twice before engaging in violence. They also believe it will give law enforcement the tools they need to prevent a rioter or looter from swiftly reentering the streets after they are taken into custody. If signed into law, the measure would let business owners sue individuals who damaged their property for three times the actual damages they incurred, in addition to court costs and attorneys’ fees. Veto, Veto, Veto.
https://www.wral.com/north-carolina-bill-raising-riot-penalties-heads-to-cooper/19851880/

CORPORATIONS GEARING UP TO ATTACK INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN TO AVOID TAXES: A torrent of political groups representing some of the country’s most influential corporations — including ExxonMobil, Pfizer and the Walt Disney Company — are laying the groundwork for a lobbying blitz to stop Congress from enacting significant swaths of President Biden’s $3.5 trillion economic agenda. The emerging opposition appears to be vast, spanning drug manufacturers, big banks, tech titans, major retailers and oil-and-gas giants. In recent weeks, top Washington organizations representing these and other industries have started strategizing behind the scenes, seeking to scuttle key elements in Democrats’ proposed overhaul to federal health care, education and safety net programs. Among the most active is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is starting to put together an economywide coalition to coordinate the fight against the still forming economic package, including its significant price tag, policy scope and potential for tax increases. Other opponents include the Business Roundtable, whose board counts the chief executives from Apple and Walmart. The group similarly is preparing to fight corporate tax increases, which Democrats hope will fund their vast new spending. And the pharmaceutical industry has embarked on its own wide-ranging campaign to combat Democrats’ drug pricing proposals, another potential revenue source in the bill. Conservative outfits previously backed by the sector’s top trade group, known as PhRMA, have run recent ads claiming lawmakers’ plans would have worsened the coronavirus pandemic. They got huge tax cuts under both Bush and Trump, most of which are still in effect. It's why our country is struggling so much now.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/31/business-lobbying-democrats-reconciliation/