skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Breaking Point: NC at Odds with Feds Over HB 2

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 10, 2016   

DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina is going toe-to-toe with the federal government over HB 2, the controversial law passed in March.

On Monday, the federal government filed a lawsuit against the state, saying it's violating the Civil Rights Act, Title Nine, and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.

HB 2 mandates that individuals use public restrooms and changing rooms for the gender they were born, and prohibits cities or counties from making their own laws.

In response, the state is counter-suing the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Durham attorney T. Greg Doucett represents several clients he says are being affected by the new law.

"It's been a disaster for the state, and from every standpoint," says Doucett. "Whether it's my business clients losing money from folks not coming to the state, or our constitutional clients who end up getting arrested because they want to go protest - it's just been a disaster, from start to finish."

Gov. Pat McCrory has appeared on political talk shows in recent days, touting HB 2 as a "commonsense, bodily-privacy law."

But Doucett predicts North Carolina taxpayers will be on the hook for thousands or even millions of dollars as the state defends the law.

While HB 2 was put forward by a Republican administration, Doucette - also a registered Republican - says he's having trouble finding his party's platform in the new law.

"It doesn't really flow with how I've always envisioned Republican politics working," he says. "We favor things like local control and following law and order. And what we have is a legislature that passed a new law for a problem that didn't exis,t to override a decision by a city - that in the process, they're violating federal law."

The governor was notified late last week that his administration had until Monday to confirm the state would not implement HB 2.

McCrory asked for more time to consider the request. Opponents of HB 2 point out that lawmakers passed the legislation in a day, and are questioning the state's inability to meet the federal deadline.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021