Opinion Roundup: Trump's immigration policy, Medicaid expansion, hog industry lawsuits and more

Monday, June 18, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Republicans misplace blame for splitting families at the border, child advocates call for Medicaid expansion, Trump vows help for church suing N.C. city, hog industry lawsuits and more.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump assails Dems for his own migrant policy (AP reports) -- President Donald Trump won't take responsibility for the consequences of an immigration policy that is separating children from parents who are arrested for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. He persists in blaming a "Democrat" law for driving families apart, though no such law exists.

FACT CHECK: Republicans Misplace Blame for Splitting Families at the Border (New York Times reports) -- The White House and prominent Republicans in Congress cited a 1997 court settlement to justify separating migrant children from parents who illegally enter the United States. But the settlement did not require the government to break up families, and the practice has spurred protests against the Trump administration, a rebuke from the United Nations and a court challenge.

​​​​​​​JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: Trump Again Falsely Blames Democrats for His Separation Tactic (New York Times reports) -- Mr. Trump’s efforts to evade responsibility for the separation of migrant families apprehended at the border reflect how politically poisonous the issue has become.

EUGENE KIELY: Trump on ‘Breaking Up’ Families (FactCheck.org) -- CNN’s Jake Tapper and FactCheck.org review President Donald Trump’s false claim that immigration officials “have to break up families” caught crossing the border illegally because of “bad laws that the Democrats gave us.” There is no such law.

Fact-checking Trump's interviews with Fox, reporters on the White House lawn (PolitiFact) -- "I hate the children being taken away. The Democrats have to change their law. That's their law. … That's the Democrats’ law. We can change it tonight. … The Democrats forced that law upon our nation," said President Donald Trump. There is no such law — it is a policy. And the Democrats don’t own that policy. The Trump administration may believe that Democrats are responsible for policies that encourage illegal border crossing, but we found no law mandating that children be separated from their parents.

LAURA BUSH: Separating children from their parents at the border ‘breaks my heart’ (Washington Post column) -- The zero-tolerance immigration policy is cruel and immoral, the former first lady writes.

Constitution should favor all, not one political party (Greenville Daily Reflector/ Elizabeth City Daily Advance) -- About a year ago, state Republican leaders vowed to retaliate in response to a painful rebuff from the U.S. Supreme Court, which had just refused to review a lower court ruling striking down the Legislature's 2013 discriminatory voter ID law.

Voter ID plan best taken with a grain of suspicion (Fayetteville Observer) -- We thought, at first glance, that this might be the voter reform measure we could get behind. A simple yes or no: Do we have to show photo ID at the polls or not? No other complications, no other stunts, no sneaky measures to cut down on the Democratic vote while leaving the door open to Republicans. Based on legislation that was filed while the General Assembly was considering a voter ID constitutional amendment, we’d say we were needlessly optimistic. There’s still plenty of treachery and trickery afoot.

Reject the constitutional amendments (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The Republican-led legislature’s idea for a constitutional amendment to lock income tax at low rates may sound good at first, but it’s likely to hurt the state in multiple ways. It should not pass its next vote in the legislature, and if it does, voters should reject it firmly in November.

One more reason to expand Medicaid (Fayetteville Observer) -- Add one more measure to the rising expense of this state’s opioid addiction epidemic and other substance abuse problems: The cost of foster care. According to a study released last week by the nonprofit advocacy group NC Child, 39 percent of the North Carolina children living in foster care were removed from their own families because of parental drug or alcohol abuse problems — and because their parents can’t afford treatment.

MICHAEL GEBELEIN: Child advocates call for Medicaid expansion to halt NC foster care surge (Carolina Public Press reports) -- Advocacy group argues that Medicaid expansion moves more parents into substance-abuse treatment, which helps halt flow of kids into foster care.

RICHARD CRAVER: Revised Medicaid bill brings clarity, hope to how reform proceeds (Winston-Salem Journal analysis) -- A willingness to take a breather in the midst of years’ worth of intense and heated debate over the state’s Medicaid program has led to the legislature reaching an unexpected compromise. Nearly a year ago, the House and Senate hit a loggerhead over which groups should be in charge of oversight for nearly 2.1 million Medicaid recipients in N.C. — for-profit insurers, behavioral health managed care organizations, or not-for-profit health-care systems and providers.

ROBIN ADAMS CHEELEY: The best friends money can buy (Greensboro News & Record column) -- I’ve been blessed with great friends. They’ve celebrated with me in times of feast and offered support in times of famine. But none of them have been the kind of friend that hog farmers in the eastern North Carolina have in Sen. Brent Jackson, who represents parts of Duplin, Sampson and Johnston counties, the state’s hog-farming epicenter.

JOHN HAWLEY: Boswell releases emails on bag ban correspondence (Elizasbeth City Daily Advance reports) -- Rep. Beverly Boswell, R-Dare, has released more than 1,100 pages of un-redacted emails, in a legal victory for one of her constituents and the N.C. American Civil Liberties Union. … The ACLU has also provided The Daily Advance a copy of the emails obtained from Boswell, which the Advance is reviewing.

TIM WHITE: This year, let pollution guide your voting choices (Fayetteville Observer column) -- Election Day is nearly five months away, and I’m not ready to start making a list of legislative candidates who’ll get my vote. But I’ve already figured out how to decide which ones won’t. It’s all about the poison in our water. I’ll vote for the lawmakers who voted to take real action to clean up our water supply. I’ll vote for challengers who have a good clean-water platform.

SEN. HARRY BROWN: ‘Fake news’ about state funding for veterans (Fayetteville Observer/ New Bern Sun Journal column) -- It’s a sad day in N.C. when the governor and his Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary, Larry D. Hall, try to score political points at the expense of honesty and transparency with our state’s veterans. The ink has not yet dried on our state’s budget bill, but Secretary Hall would have our veterans believe Republican members of the General Assembly are negligent in addressing their needs.

KIRK ROSS: Coastal Changes OK’d In Whirlwind Session (Coastal Review reports) -- A controversial shellfish aquaculture bill appeared stalled at the week’s end, but the N.C. General Assembly has already approved dozens of coastal provisions in their rush to wrap up the session by the end of the month.

MEGHAN FLAHERTY: Dancing Tango With Trump Voters (New York Times column) -- In New York, I danced tango with executives and activists, divorcées, handymen, intrepid college kids and engineers. We were old and fat and white and brown and lithe and young. What mattered, all that mattered, was the dance. When my husband and I moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., in the summer of 2014, I thought it would be different. This was a red state, after all, where Confederate flags routinely flew and where transgender people would soon be barred from public bathrooms corresponding to their gender. The tango scene in the Research Triangle was small — maybe 75 dancers. Milongas (social dances) were infrequent. The heart of the calendar was a Thursday evening practice session, deep in the suburban office complex sprawl.

G.K. BUTTERFIELD: Why North Carolinians need to pay attention to Ohio's Voter Purge Law (Durham Herald-Sun column) -- On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s devastating decision in Shelby County v. Holder (the landmark case that rendered the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unenforceable until amended by Congress), the Court earlier this week ruled on another significant case challenging Ohio’s voter purge law. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision upheld an Ohio law that allows state officials to purge voters from the voter registration rolls who failed to vote in two consecutive federal election cycles and failed to respond to a notice delivered by mail.

ANNA DOUGLAS: No worship zone? Trump vows help for church suing N.C. city. (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Even the Bible Belt is a tough climate for some churches, says a lawyer for a small Baptist congregation in N.C. In Monroe, about 25 miles southeast of Charlotte, a church is suing local officials, alleging the city of Monroe is violating a federal law that's supposed to protect religious institutions from discrimination. The case saw renewed attention this week as President Donald Trump's administration announced a federal crackdown on religious discrimination. The issue centers on local rules that dictate where some businesses, civic activities and other facilities can locate.

RICHARD CRAVER: ACA lawsuit could have spillover effect on employer-provided health plans (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- An estimated 160 million Americans who get their health insurance through their employers could be affected by the controversial decision of the U.S. Justice Department to not defend elements of the Affordable Care Act.

CELIA RIVENBARK: Bye, bye Miss America thighs (Wilmington Star-News column) -- Kudos to the hierarchy at the Miss America Pageant for finally deciding to eliminate the swimsuit portion of the contest. The longtime defense of contestants wearing barely there swimsuits as a demonstration of “physical fitness” was only believable if you’re also gullible enough to think “spoken word” is a legitimate pageant talent.

RICHARD GROVES: They're giving us the best of the best (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Life changed dramatically for Victor and Gigi Ayad 20 years ago, the day they received a letter that informed them that, against the odds, they had won the lottery. Today they live the American dream as owners of Alex’s Café in the West End.

​​​​​​​Shrimp rise as overall N.C. commercial catch dips (AP reports) – N.C. officials say commercial fishing in the state declined by weight last year even as shrimp volume increased to a record high.

ERIC SPANBERG: Gov. Cooper says 'The I-77 contract is a bad contract' (Charlotte Business Journal reports) -- The fight continued this week over how to cancel or change a 50-year agreement between NCDOT and private company Cintra, leaving north Mecklenburg County opponents of the project in a familiar place: pleading with politicians to make a decision.

THOMAS GOLDSMITH: More African-American Blood Donors Needed for Sickle-cell, Other Treatments (N.C. Health News reports) -- Speakers at a Red Cross “blood diversity summit” urged increased donations by African Americans, who have historically given at far lower rates than whites.

Opioid addiction affects children (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The scourge of opioid addiction affects many areas of life for addicts. It can cost them their jobs, their health, their sanity and their families. It’s shocking but not surprising to learn that more than half of all foster-care placements in Forsyth County are the result of parental abuse of opioids or other substances.

MARK TOSCZAK: Wake Forest Baptist “now in compliance with Medicare” (N.C. Health News reports) -- State inspectors acting on behalf of Medicare visited the hospital Monday to review changes made in the pathology lab.

David Belcher, Western Carolina's former chancellor, dies at 60 after cancer fight (Asheville Citizen-Times obit) -- David O. Belcher, the former chancellor of Western Carolina University, died Sunday after a two-year battle with cancer, the university announced. Belcher, WCU’s chancellor since 2011, had been on medical leave since Dec. 31. “David Belcher’s passion, integrity and vision have forever shaped and strengthened the university that he loved so much," UNC system President Margaret Spellings said in a release from WCU. "David’s fierce belief in Western Carolina University’s ability and responsibility to change the lives of students and transform the region it serves inspired the Catamount community, and it inspired me. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Susan, whose own unfailing support and passion for WCU continues, in part through the Belchers’ heartfelt and significant personal gift towards Catamount student scholarships.”

STEPHANIE CARSON: The Good Book Supports Public Education, Say Church Leaders (Public News Service reports) -- Thousands of North Carolinians are contemplating the lessons heard from the pulpit at church on Sunday, but a new effort is encouraging the state's places of worship to protect the education children receive during the week. The N.C. Council of Churches is embarking on a new initiative this summer – North Carolina Faith Leaders for Public Education. The group's mission is to address problems such as underfunded public schools and programs.

Student says he got tougher suspension than donor's son (Burlington Times-News reports) -- A North Carolina student has sued Elon University, the university he once attended, saying he was treated unfairly when he got into a fight with the son of a major donor.

NATHAN GOLDEN: The right way to do standardized testing (Charlotte Observer column) -- Not all standardized testing is bad, but the EOGs administered in CMS score students on their proficiency, not their growth. That needs to change.

GREG BARNES: Suits against Smithfield could leave hog industry in doubt (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- WHITE OAK — The people who live in a row of small homes on a short dirt road leading to Billy Kinlaw’s hog farm don’t have a problem with him, and they don’t want to see him go out of business. Still, those neighbors appeared in federal court in April as plaintiffs in a lawsuit that says Kinlaw’s farm stinks, creates clouds of flies and lowers property values. The neighbors complain about the tractor-trailers that rumble past their homes and the buzzards that swoop in to feed on dead hogs. Some days, they say in the lawsuit, the stench is so bad from thousands of hogs that they can’t go outside.

With hurricanes, water is the new wind (Wilmington Star-News) -- We find ourselves in another hurricane season, and Pender County is preparing. Are you? Are we all? Pender just paid $18,000 to install a flood gauge on the N.C. 210 bridge over the Black River near Currie. Last time we read about that section of 210, it was under water.

JOHN DOWNEY: Duke Energy to pay $3.5M fine over Progress merger issues (Charlotte Business Journal reports) -- Duke Energy Corp. admits no wrongdoing in providing what it calls questionable information to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a plan to mitigate damage to wholesale markets from the Progress Energy Inc. deal.

Fish camp owner wins $10 million in N.C. lottery (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- “When my 5-year-old found out I won, he asked if I would buy him a Ferrari,” Howard Smith III told N.C. lottery officials.

ROGER EKIRCH: ‘The Secret Token’ Review: America’s First Unsolved Mystery (Wall Street Journal book review) -- Is it possible that the missing colonists of Roanoke chose to “remain lost” and forge a life apart from English civilization? A. Roger Ekirch reviews “The Secret Token” by Andrew Lawler.

Reinhard Hardegen, Who Led U-Boats to America’s Shore, Dies at 105 (New York Times obit) -- Reinhard Hardegen, a leading German submarine commander of World War II who brought U-boat warfare to the doorstep of New York Harbor in the winter of 1942, died on June 9. He was 105. His death, evidently in Bremen, Germany, where he was born and raised, was confirmed in the Bremen news media on Thursday by Christian Weber, the president of the Bremen State Parliament. … After getting to the outer reaches of New York Harbor, he returned to deeper waters off Long Island, where he sank the British oil tanker Coimbra about 100 miles from New York. The sinkings of the Norness and the Coimbra, a day apart, made for front-page headlines. Captain Hardegen then headed to Cape Hatteras, N.C., where his submarine sank three more ships before he returned to his base at Lorient, France.