Trump Vows to Phase Out FEMA

President Trump announced Tuesday that his administration plans to “wean” states off Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance after the 2025 hurricane season and direct disaster relief funds directly to states instead.

Gov. Josh Stein warned that eliminating FEMA or reducing its role could harm public safety and recovery efforts in North Carolina, which is frequently hit by hurricanes and suffered its most destructive storm on record when Helene hit last September.

Trump, however, said responding to natural disasters is “what you have governors for. They’re supposed to fix those problems.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, also co-chair of the FEMA Advisory Council, said a council will be created over the next few months to work on reforms that will empower governors to respond to state emergencies.

House Sends Concealed Carry Bill to Stein

The North Carolina House passed the Freedom to Carry NC Act on Wednesday, a permitless concealed carry bill that, if signed into law, would make North Carolina the 30th constitutional carry state in the nation.

Senate Bill 50, which passed with a 59-48 vote, would allow individuals 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without a permit.

The bill now heads to Gov. Josh Stein, who has signaled his intent to veto the bill. Overriding Stein’s veto would require unanimous GOP support and at least one Democratic supporter, but no Democrats voted for it, and several Republicans either voted against it or skipped the vote.

North Carolina is one of the last states in the Southeast without constitutional carry legislation.

Nonprofit Transforms Helene Felled Trees Into Art

An art-centric nonprofit called Echoes of the Forest is creating memorials to trees felled by Hurricane Helene by transforming them into intricate wood carvings. Woodworkers craft each piece, or “Echo,” commissioned by the group from timber downed by the storm. 

The first official “Echo,” an 800-pound piece of white oak fashioned into a bench by Appalachian Joinery artist Chester Shuey, was unveiled Thursday at Foundation Woodworks in Asheville.

The bench was funded by a raffle for a piece titled “The Mountain Man” by chainsaw artist Mike Ayers, who carved intricate leaves wrapped around a man’s head and a tear coming down his cheek, representing someone who endured and survived Hurricane Helene.

Future “Echo” pieces have been commissioned by the North Carolina Arboretum, and additional community partners are showing interest in creating an art trail that would showcase the pieces.

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➤ Statewide: The North Carolina Department of Insurance proposed potential flood insurance incentives to Gov. Josh Stein’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery on Monday, noting standard policies don’t cover flood damage. (More)

➤ Fort Bragg: Internal military memos suggest organizers of President Trump’s Tuesday visit handpicked soldiers based on political views and appearance, and that a vendor sold MAGA-style merchandise at the event. (See Details)

➤ Asheville City Council approved a $256 million budget, effective July 1, that includes a 3.26-cent property tax increase that will add an average of $114 to each homeowner’s annual city taxes. (More)

➤ Mooresville: Opponents of Teresa Earnhardt’s plan for a $30 billion data center on her 400-acre property attended the Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday wearing “No Data Center!” stickers. (More)

➤ Pea Island: Two federal grants—a $110 million award for the Alligator River bridge replacement and a $1.865 million grant to study N.C. 12 on Pea Island—have been finalized by the U.S. Department of Transportation. (More)

➤ Waxhaw: NBA legend Antawn Jamison is selling his 30-acre North Carolina estate for $14 million. Purchased for $1.6 million in 2002, the 12,000-square-foot mansion includes six bedrooms and a pool. (See Photos)

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➤ A federal judge denied NC State cornerback Corey Coley Jr.’s request for a fifth year of eligibility, blocking his chance to play for the Wolfpack this fall. (More)

➤ Raleigh and Charlotte are being targeted as potential MLB expansion cities, although questions remain on how the cities would finance a multibillion-dollar stadium. (More)

➤ Duke hired Preston Greene as the basketball team’s director of sports performance. Greene most recently held the same role at Clemson, where he helped lead the Tigers to the 2024 Elite Eight. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: MLB | NHL | PGA | LPGA | Soccer

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➤ An Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) report states that Hurricane Helene caused $30,000 in average sales losses for Western North Carolina farms in 2024, with 86% reporting physical damage and 88% of their average annual revenue affected. (More)

➤ Durham-based Wolfspeed will lay off 73 employees at its Siler City facility effective Aug. 9 due to softer demand for high-powered chips. The company says the layoffs are separate from its broader cost-cutting and capital management review. (More)

➤ Duke Health broke ground on a new 110,000-plus-square-foot hospital in Cary on Thursday that will include a freestanding emergency department, surgical center, and 40 beds. The facility should be completed by 2027 and create 1,600 jobs. (More)

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➤ Contender, a tagged 14-foot, 1,653-pound great white shark, resurfaced off North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound after going off-grid for nearly a month. The stopover indicates a critical feeding period that allows the 30-year-old shark to build energy reserves as he migrates north. (See Photo)

➤ Esquire’s list of the 15 Best Bars in America 2025 includes Lorem Ipsum inside Charlotte’s Hotel Refuge and Crucible in Asheville’s River Arts District. (See List)

➤ The USS North Carolina battleship offers unique views of Wilmington’s Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, downtown church steeples, Eagles Island wetlands, and the Riverwalk. (See Photos)

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Should President Trump phase out FEMA?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever participated in a protest?

1. No: 57%
2. Yes: 24%
3. Haven’t ruled it out: 19%

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