Under the Dome: Who’s joining the NCGOP for its convention?
Hello and welcome to your Under the Dome newsletter.
Today’s newsletter looks at whether the UNC Board of Governors violated state meetings law when UNC-Chapel Hill students were kept out of the meeting held last week to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion offices on campus.
But first, here’s what we learned Monday about the lineup of speakers at the upcoming NCGOP convention. – Stephanie Loder, correspondent
LARA TRUMP WILL SPEAK AT NCGOP CONVENTION
The North Carolina Republican Party announced Monday that Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, plans to speak at the state party’s convention in Greensboro.
“We are so excited to have Lara Trump join us at this year’s NCGOP Convention,” said Jason Simmons, chairman of the state party, in the event announcement. “As one of the most prominent figures in American politics, Lara is a fearless advocate for conservatives and family values and we look forward to having her speak about the critical role North Carolina will play in this year’s election.”
North Carolina is considered a battleground state in the 2024 presidential election. Surrogates with the Biden campaign, including the president himself, have made numerous appearances throughout the state over the past year. Trump planned to hold a campaign rally Saturday, in Wilmington, but was forced to cancel due to weather. (More on that below.)
Lara Trump’s participation in the state’s convention comes just two months after the North Carolina native was named co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Michael Whatley, who previously chaired the state party, is chair and replaced Ronna McDaniel.
Lara Trump is scheduled as a featured speaker during the 2024 Old North State Dinner held during the convention at 6 p.m. on May 24.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is scheduled to speak on May 25 during the First in Freedom Luncheon.
The convention is scheduled from May 23-26 at the Koury Convention Center.
-By Danielle Battaglia
DID BOARD VIOLATE STATE’S OPEN MEETINGS LAW?
When the University Governance committee of the statewide UNC System’s Board of Governors voted last week to approve a policy targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), students from UNC-Chapel Hill say they weren’t allowed in the building.
UNC students said they tried to attend the governance committee’s meeting Wednesday afternoon but were told by Ed Purchase, the UNC System’s director of university public safety operations, that the meeting room was full.
The move by Purchase raised the question whether the UNC board violated the state’s open public meetings law.
According to North Carolina law, “any person is entitled to attend” meetings of public bodies, including the Board of Governors and its committees.
So how does that affect what happened to the students? Get the full story from Korie Dean here.
FORMER NC CONGRESSMAN CITED IN FLORIDA CRASH
The Florida Highway Patrol has issued a citation to former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn following last week’s crash that left a state trooper with minor injuries on I-75.
The citation charges the former North Carolina congressman with violating Florida’s recently reinforced ‘Move Over Law’ which fines motorists speeding next to disabled cars.
Cawthorn had not been positively identified as the driver of the car involved in the crash until authorities issued the citation, which lists the 28-year-old Republican’s full name, David Madison Cawthorn of Cape Coral.
A woman posted a TikTok video on X after the Monday crash showing the former congressman in his wheelchair on the side of the highway.
Get the full story from Howard Cohen here.
NC ACCUSED OF IGNORING INMATES WITH MENTAL DISABILITY
A federal complaint filed last week contends North Carolina fails to assess and provide treatment services for inmates with mental disabilities in county jails and forces them to wait for months while incarcerated before getting psychiatric services.
The lawsuit says inmates with severe mental and cognitive disabilities are isolated or sometimes are put in restraints because their mental state challenges them to remain calm in jail.
The lawsuit asks for:
A judge to confirm the state is violating the rights of people suspected to be mentally incompetent.
An order for the state to increase mental health services.
The development of a remedial plan for people with mental illness.
A private law firm, the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation and Disability Rights North Carolina filed the lawsuit Thursday against the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary Kody Kinsley.
Get the full story from Virginia Bridges here.
ICYMI:
A severe thunderstorm warning on Saturday night over North Carolina forced former President Donald Trump to cancel his first planned rally since the start of his criminal hush money trial in New York. Trump called in to the rally just before 7 p.m. and over loudspeakers, told the MAGA crowd waiting for him in Wilmington that there was “thunder and lightning and a great big storm.” Get the full story from Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Danielle Battaglia and Kristen Johnson here.
FYI:
The N&O recently reported about the copper dome replacement for the North Carolina State Capitol Building, a big piece of North Carolina history located in Raleigh. But did you know that 10 properties in the state were added last month to the National Register of Historic Places? They include the Ervin Building in Charlotte; Minneola Manufacturing Company Mill in Gibsonville; Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps Naval Armory at UNC-Chapel Hill; Ridge Road School in Hillsborough, Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Oxford; West Southern Pines School, Southern Pines, Winston Lake Golf Course, Winston-Salem; Wood-Rains Cotton Gin, Princeton; Walton Street Park and Pool, Asheville, and Woodlawn Mill, Mount Holly, according to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
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That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.
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