OBAMA & HILLARY CAMPAIGN TOGETHER TUESDAY IN ‪#‎CHARLOTTE‬ (BATTLEGROUND STATES)

‪#‎HillaryClinton‬

OBAMA & HILLARY CAMPAIGN TOGETHER TUESDAY IN ‪#‎CHARLOTTE‬, NORTH CAROLINA:

HILLARY HAS REQUIRED DELEGATES BUT CAN’T WIN WITHOUT OBAMA’S POLITICAL GENIUS.

DONALD TRUMP WILL CAMPAIGN IN RALEIGH SAME DAY.

NORTH CAROLINA REMAINS A BATTLEGROUND STATE.

Sources: Charlotte Observer, ABC News, Hillary Clinton Events, Youtube

***** 7 things to know about Tuesday’s Clinton-Obama rally in Charlotte

President Barack Obama returns to Charlotte on Tuesday for his first campaign appearance with presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

They’ll hold a rally at the Charlotte Convention Center – three short blocks from where, four years ago, Obama accepted his own renomination before a packed house at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The visit is Clinton’s second in two weeks to what’s expected once again to be a battleground state. It’s her first visit to Charlotte since a March 14 rally at Grady Cole Center, a day before she won the state’s primary. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee,will be in Raleigh.

Obama and Clinton will arrive in Charlotte together at 2:25 p.m. on Air Force One and travel to the Convention Center for the 3 p.m. event. Doors open at 1.

Here are some things to keep in mind about Tuesday’s visit.

~ 1. Expect heavy traffic. If you’re going to the rally or just going to work, be prepared for afternoon traffic tie-ups.

Police say to expect intermittent road closures between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and uptown. Though the exact route hasn’t been disclosed for security reasons, previous presidential visits have caused congestion, even on Interstate 77.

Brevard Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard between Caldwell and College streets are expected to close at 9:30 a.m. One lane of Stonewall Street is expected to close for TV satellite trucks.
“We don’t anticipate huge gridlock based on the time frame, but we do expect some delays,” said Deputy Chief Jeff Estes of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Blue Line service uptown will be interrupted from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Trains will run north to the Carson Street Station, where passengers can board a bus to the transit center. For questions, call CATS customer service at 704-336-RIDE (7433).

~ 2. Critical time for Clinton. Clinton will arrive in Charlotte amid renewed and potentially damaging focus on the federal investigation of her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

On Saturday, the FBI interviewed her in Washington for more than three hours.

And even Democrats are still shaking their heads at the news that former President Bill Clinton met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on an airport tarmac in Arizona last week. Lynch has insisted Bill Clinton was making a social call and that they talked only about family. But she also acknowledged that the meeting had the appearance, to many, of a conflict of interest.

The Obama-Clinton visit comes eight years after an intense presidential primary fight between the two. Aides to Obama and Clinton told The Associated Press that the foe-to-friend narrative will be a key part of Tuesday’s events, with Obama acting as a character witness for his former secretary of state.

~ 3. Fewer no-shows. Two high-profile Democratic candidates have said this time they’ll appear with the president and his former secretary of state.

U.S. Senate candidate Deborah Ross and gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper both plan to be at the Convention Center. Both were no-shows last month when Clinton spoke at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

One politician who won’t be there: Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts. The mayor, who ushered Clinton onstage in March, is on a family vacation.

~ 4. Why North Carolina? Because it’s an increasingly important presidential battlefield.

In 2008, Obama became the first Democrat in 32 years to carry the state, and he won by a slim 14,000 votes. Four years later, Republican Mitt Romney won the state by 2 percentage points. But it was the only Southern swing state that he won.

Polls compiled by Real Clear Politics show the 2016 race a virtual tie. Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rates it as leaning Democrat.

~ 5. Trump’s in North Carolina, too.

A few hours after the Clinton-Obama event ends in Charlotte, Trump is scheduled to address a rally at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Will he or Clinton get the bigger crowd? Reporters and others will be counting.

Even with the president by her side, Clinton will have to share the day’s North Carolina media coverage with Trump, who will get the last word at his 7 p.m. event.

North Carolina was in the GOP column in 2012, and Trump needs to keep it there in 2016 if he hopes to become president. No Republican has won the White House without carrying North Carolina since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

Clinton, who is leading in the polls in most battleground states, doesn’t have to win North Carolina to get the necessary 270 electoral votes. She only has to get Trump to spend precious time and money here so he can’t spend it in states such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania – probably must-win states for Clinton.

~ 6. Who’s paying? The Clinton campaign is paying to rent the Convention Center.

A spokesman for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority said the contract is being finalized, but the Clinton campaign is “definitely paying” and being treated like any other rental client.
Her campaign will also pick up the tab for the costs of bringing the president to town.

~ 7. Also on stage … Warming up the crowd for Clinton and Obama on Tuesday will be four Tar Heel Democrats – three of them candidates this year.

Cooper and Ross will each get some time at the microphone in the Convention Center ballroom.

N.C. Democratic Party Chairwoman Patsy Keever will also speak, as will U.S. Rep. Alma Adams – she of the extensive hat collection. The congresswoman will be returning to her new home, Charlotte, and may or may not try to get a photo op with Clinton wearing one of her hats.

Obama will depart Charlotte by 5:05 p.m., according to the White House press office.

According to The Associated Press, the last time Obama and Clinton traveled together was 2012 when they visited newly democratic Myanmar, a pet issue of Clinton’s.

While Obama and Clinton are only expected to be in Charlotte for a few hours, their schedules leave room for a possible unannounced stop around town that could showcase their personal rapport.

North Carolina Joins National Foreclosure Fraud Probe

N.C. Joins Multi-State Foreclosure Inquiry


N.C. and S.C. officials are joining a multi-state, bi-partisan investigation of foreclosure practices at the nation's mortgage loan servicers.

"Our multi-state group has begun inquiring whether or not individual mortgage servicers have improperly submitted affidavits or other documents in support of foreclosures in our states," the group said in a statement today. "The facts uncovered in our review will dictate the scope of our inquiry."

The effort is the latest backlash against allegations that mortgage lenders have mishandled paperwork needed to foreclose on homes. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper has already asked 14 lenders to halt foreclosures in the state until they show their practices comply with the law.

The controversy is the latest difficulty for struggling borrowers, a potentially costly problem for banks and a blow to an already fragile housing market.

According to the announcement, 49 attorneys general have joined the investigation, led by a dozen attorneys general offices, including North Carolina's. The N.C. banking commissioner's office is among the state mortgage regulators participating in the inquiry.

In South Carolina, the attorney general's office and the department of consumer affairs are participating.

"Serious errors have been identified in the foreclosure process and procedures of major mortgage servicers," said North Carolina's chief deputy commissioner of banks Mark Pearce, who is leaving for a post at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. "We intend to work with other states to ensure that homeowners are treated fairly and that mortgage companies follow the law."

The state banking commission regulates mortgage servicing of state-chartered banks and non-bank mortgage companies. It also runs the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project, which helps homeowners avoid foreclosure.

Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. last week said it's halting foreclosure sales nationwide in order to review its activities. Other lenders such as Wells Fargo & Co. and Ally Financial Inc. are reviewing pending foreclosures.






Bank of America Halts All U.S. Foreclosures


Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank by assets, is placing a moratorium on all foreclosure proceedings and sales across the United States, according CNBC and a report on The Wall Street Journal’s Web site. The postponement takes effect Saturday.

Separately, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. is halting most foreclosures and evictions in 23 states for a month so it can review whether documents it submitted to courts complied with state laws.

An official at the Pittsburgh-based bank confirmed the PNC decision, which was reported earlier by the New York Times. The official requested anonymity because the decision hasn't been publicly announced.

The moves come amid mounting political pressure on big U.S. banks to examine foreclosure-documentation problems. Bank of America is the first financial institution to stop all foreclosure actions amid revelations that the banking industry had used "robo-signers," people who sign hundreds of documents a day without reviewing their contents, when foreclosing on homes, the Journal said.

In a statement released Friday, Bank of America said it will stop foreclosure sales until “our assessment has been satisfactorily completed. Our ongoing assessment shows the basis for foreclosure decisions is accurate. We continue to serve the interests of our customers, investors and communities. Providing solutions for distressed homeowners remains our primary focus.”

PNC becomes the fourth major U.S. lender to halt some foreclosures amid evidence that mortgage company employees or their lawyers signed documents in foreclosure cases without verifying the information in them.







Bank Of America Gets Friday Deadline To Halt Foreclosures In N.C.

N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper is giving Bank of America until Friday to halt foreclosure proceedings in the state amid concerns the Charlotte bank and other lenders haven't properly reviewed documents.

In a letter sent to the bank, Cooper questioned why Bank of America voluntarily suspended foreclosures in 23 states that involve a judicial process but not in its home state. North Carolina requires a "quasi-judicial" process in which clerks of court frequently review affidavits submitted by banks.

"If Bank of America has halted foreclosure proceedings in other states due to flaws in its affidavit process, we do not understand why Bank of America should routinely continue with foreclosures with the same flaws in North Carolina," Cooper's office wrote.

The attorney general wants the bank's foreclosures suspended until it shows its processes are legal. Bank of America said it's responding to officials' concerns.

"Our initial assessment findings show the factual loan information underlying our foreclosures is accurate," spokesman Dan Frahm said, adding the bank continues its "exhaustive efforts to assist our customers who have been unable to make their mortgage payments."

The statement did not address how Bank of America would respond to the Friday deadline set by Cooper.

Cooper has asked 13 other large mortgage servicers to also halt foreclosures in the state until they prove compliance. Those lenders have until Oct. 12 to respond to the attorney general's questions.

North Carolina is also seeking more information about practices at Ally Financial, which has halted foreclosure-related evictions in North Carolina and 22 other states.

In an interview, Cooper said lenders could be breaking an N.C. law requiring a good-faith effort to work out loan modifications if they're improperly handling foreclosure paperwork. One of his main concerns is that homeowners get a "fair shot" at loan modifications, he said.

The attorney general has broad powers to investigate unfair and deceptive business practices, including assessing civil penalties. Cooper said he didn't want to discuss possible penalties until he has heard back from the lenders.

"We are looking to work with the lenders to make sure they get it right," he said.

Among the lenders, Wells Fargo has said its procedures are appropriate and that it doesn't plan to halt foreclosures. BB&T and HSBC also said their processes comply with the law. Citigroup said it doesn't believe a suspension is necessary because it has no reason to believe its employees haven't been following procedures. JPMorgan and Ally have said they are reviewing affidavits and will fix any problems.

SunTrust said it's reviewing the attorney general's letter, while MetLife said it intends to cooperate. OneWest declined comment. Others didn't respond or couldn't be reached.

The attorney general's move comes after Bank of America, Ally and JPMorgan Chase stopped some foreclosure-related actions in about half of the country after concerns that employees and outside lawyers signed documents without verifying information. JPMorgan's moratorium includes North Carolina.

Attorneys general in other states and members of Congress have also called for foreclosure suspensions as well as investigations of lenders' procedures. On Wednesday, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., called on bank regulators to review the foreclosure activities at Bank of America, JPMorgan and Ally.

In some cases, in a process nicknamed "robosigning," bank employees have said they have rapidly signed documents, raising questions about whether they are properly verifying information about homes that are being foreclosed upon. In a deposition obtained by the N.C. attorney general, a Bank of America employee in Texas testified that she would sign as many as 8,000 documents in a month, often in batches.

In another case, a Wells Fargo supervisor based in Fort Mill testified to signing 50 to 150 documents per day. A Wells spokesman noted a judge reviewed the bank's procedures and dismissed the borrower's case, confirming the foreclosure as valid.

Although foreclosures are traumatic for homeowners and damaging to neighborhoods, analysts say the selling off of these homes to financially stable buyers is an important step in a much-needed recovery for the housing market. "If you freeze foreclosures, the overhang in housing gets worse," said Virginia-based banking consultant Bert Ely. "The market isn't clearing."

Cooper said he hopes lenders can work quickly through the process of verifying their practices.

"We don't want to stop foreclosures that are legitimate and need to happen," he said.

"We want to make sure that homeowners are getting a fair shot at keeping their homes and the process has been done legally."










New Foreclosure Mess Shows Need For Reform In North Carolina

For many North Carolina homeowners, losing their homes to foreclosure was devastating. It is beyond outrageous that many banks were so cavalier with the process that employees didn't even bother to read or verify the information in foreclosure documents.

It is even more dismaying to us that one or both of Charlotte's big banks may be among the culprits in this travesty of faulty work known as "robo-signing."

Bank of America has halted foreclosures while it investigates and straightens out faulty paperwork. It's delaying foreclosures in 23 states including South Carolina. Over the weekend, questions arose about Wells Fargo's foreclosure documents. Wells said it doesn't plan to delay foreclosures because it's confident its foreclosures documents are accurate.

We're not so confident. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper is right to ask lenders to suspend foreclosures in this state until they can show their process conforms with the law. Given how badly this state was hit with foreclosures, banks involved in lending to North Carolinians should be probing robo-signing practices.

Nationwide, Ally Financial's GMAC Mortgage unit and JPMorgan Chase have halted tens of thousands of foreclosures. Ally stopped evictions here and in 22 other states. Robo-signing is so prevalent more banks are expected to follow suit.

What are those practices? In some cases, bank employees admit they signed foreclosure papers without reading them or determining if crucial information - such as how much borrowers still owed on the property - is accurate. Sometimes documents were notarized illegally with indications that the notary did not actually witness the signing of papers.

These practices are unacceptable. Some appear to be illegal. The N.C. attorney general's office notified Ally last week that using unverified affidavits could constitute fraud. Cooper is right when he says that such practices could mean that "some N.C. homeowners may not be getting a good-faith shot at loan modifications."

This mess is exasperating. The reckless lending practices of financial institutions helped cause the foreclosure tsunami that swept over the country. That damage has been so hard to repair in part because many have been tight-fisted with money they could have loaned consumers and small businesses. Many lenders have been reluctant to modify mortgages, instead moving much too swiftly on foreclosure.

Some of that rush resulted in faulty paperwork that will be costly to fix. Courts may impose sanctions on lenders or force banks to pay borrowers' legal costs in these cases. Judges may even dismiss the foreclosures, barring lenders from refiling and awarding the home to the borrower.

These lenders deserve to be penalized if they failed to meet legal requirements before evicting defaulting borrowers from their homes. Consumers, who often also were losing their financial stability, deserved that consideration.

Belatedly, many lenders will now have to meet those requirements. Investigations by attorneys generals in several states and a probe by federal regulators are forcing them to do so. It did not have to come to this. But it is an apt reminder of why reforms and better oversight of financial institutions are so badly needed.


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Sources: BOFA, CNBC, McClatchy Newspapers, MSNBC, Telegraph.co.uk, Wikipedia, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

North Carolina Lawmakers Agree To Help Reduce Recidivism Of Black Men

North Carolina Lawmakers Get Ideas On Reducing Recidivism


Within three years of getting out of prison, North Carolina Ex-convicts are 36 to 40 percent more likely to commit another crime, Attorney General Roy Cooper told North Carolina Lawmakers Wednesday.

Cooper addressed the Joint Select Committee on Ex-Offender Reintegration into Society, a group of N.C. House and Senate members that is developing a plan to help former inmates.

He shared some ideas of the StreetSafe Task Force, a group that he and state Correction Secretary Alvin Keller head that offers tools and tips to ex-convicts to make them productive citizens as they return to their communities.

The following are some of the task force's 24 preliminary Recommendations:

Strengthen and support non-profit groups helping ex-offenders integrate back into their communities.

Increase contact between offenders and their families before an offender gets out of prison.

Assign inmates to both educational and work programs to increase participation.
Improve job training opportunities for inmates.

Build networks with private employers and provide incentives to hire ex-convicts.
Establish incentives to develop housing for former inmates.



"When you take this effort, when you coordinate it, when you try to re-integrate people back into society and you reduce the number of repeat offenders, you protect people from crime, you save money and you help people," Cooper said.

A final list of suggestions from the task force will be sent to Gov. Beverly Perdue soon, he said.

The legislative committee is scheduled to meet again in two weeks to learn more about other states' programs for reducing Recidivism.


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Sources: National Geographic, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Roy Cooper Demands BOFA Temporarily Halt N.C. Foreclosures During Recession

Bank Of America Gets Friday Deadline To Halt Foreclosures In N.C.

N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper is giving Bank of America until Friday to halt foreclosure proceedings in the state amid concerns the Charlotte bank and other lenders haven't properly reviewed documents.

In a letter sent to the bank, Cooper questioned why Bank of America voluntarily suspended foreclosures in 23 states that involve a judicial process but not in its home state. North Carolina requires a "quasi-judicial" process in which clerks of court frequently review affidavits submitted by banks.

"If Bank of America has halted foreclosure proceedings in other states due to flaws in its affidavit process, we do not understand why Bank of America should routinely continue with foreclosures with the same flaws in North Carolina," Cooper's office wrote.

The attorney general wants the bank's foreclosures suspended until it shows its processes are legal. Bank of America said it's responding to officials' concerns.

"Our initial assessment findings show the factual loan information underlying our foreclosures is accurate," spokesman Dan Frahm said, adding the bank continues its "exhaustive efforts to assist our customers who have been unable to make their mortgage payments."

The statement did not address how Bank of America would respond to the Friday deadline set by Cooper.

Cooper has asked 13 other large mortgage servicers to also halt foreclosures in the state until they prove compliance. Those lenders have until Oct. 12 to respond to the attorney general's questions.

North Carolina is also seeking more information about practices at Ally Financial, which has halted foreclosure-related evictions in North Carolina and 22 other states.

In an interview, Cooper said lenders could be breaking an N.C. law requiring a good-faith effort to work out loan modifications if they're improperly handling foreclosure paperwork. One of his main concerns is that homeowners get a "fair shot" at loan modifications, he said.

The attorney general has broad powers to investigate unfair and deceptive business practices, including assessing civil penalties. Cooper said he didn't want to discuss possible penalties until he has heard back from the lenders.

"We are looking to work with the lenders to make sure they get it right," he said.

Among the lenders, Wells Fargo has said its procedures are appropriate and that it doesn't plan to halt foreclosures. BB&T and HSBC also said their processes comply with the law. Citigroup said it doesn't believe a suspension is necessary because it has no reason to believe its employees haven't been following procedures. JPMorgan and Ally have said they are reviewing affidavits and will fix any problems.

SunTrust said it's reviewing the attorney general's letter, while MetLife said it intends to cooperate. OneWest declined comment. Others didn't respond or couldn't be reached.

The attorney general's move comes after Bank of America, Ally and JPMorgan Chase stopped some foreclosure-related actions in about half of the country after concerns that employees and outside lawyers signed documents without verifying information. JPMorgan's moratorium includes North Carolina.

Attorneys general in other states and members of Congress have also called for foreclosure suspensions as well as investigations of lenders' procedures. On Wednesday, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., called on bank regulators to review the foreclosure activities at Bank of America, JPMorgan and Ally.

In some cases, in a process nicknamed "robosigning," bank employees have said they have rapidly signed documents, raising questions about whether they are properly verifying information about homes that are being foreclosed upon. In a deposition obtained by the N.C. attorney general, a Bank of America employee in Texas testified that she would sign as many as 8,000 documents in a month, often in batches.

In another case, a Wells Fargo supervisor based in Fort Mill testified to signing 50 to 150 documents per day. A Wells spokesman noted a judge reviewed the bank's procedures and dismissed the borrower's case, confirming the foreclosure as valid.

Although foreclosures are traumatic for homeowners and damaging to neighborhoods, analysts say the selling off of these homes to financially stable buyers is an important step in a much-needed recovery for the housing market. "If you freeze foreclosures, the overhang in housing gets worse," said Virginia-based banking consultant Bert Ely. "The market isn't clearing."

Cooper said he hopes lenders can work quickly through the process of verifying their practices.

"We don't want to stop foreclosures that are legitimate and need to happen," he said.

"We want to make sure that homeowners are getting a fair shot at keeping their homes and the process has been done legally."










New Foreclosure Mess Shows Need For Reform In North Carolina

For many North Carolina homeowners, losing their homes to foreclosure was devastating. It is beyond outrageous that many banks were so cavalier with the process that employees didn't even bother to read or verify the information in foreclosure documents.

It is even more dismaying to us that one or both of Charlotte's big banks may be among the culprits in this travesty of faulty work known as "robo-signing."

Bank of America has halted foreclosures while it investigates and straightens out faulty paperwork. It's delaying foreclosures in 23 states including South Carolina. Over the weekend, questions arose about Wells Fargo's foreclosure documents. Wells said it doesn't plan to delay foreclosures because it's confident its foreclosures documents are accurate.

We're not so confident. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper is right to ask lenders to suspend foreclosures in this state until they can show their process conforms with the law. Given how badly this state was hit with foreclosures, banks involved in lending to North Carolinians should be probing robo-signing practices.

Nationwide, Ally Financial's GMAC Mortgage unit and JPMorgan Chase have halted tens of thousands of foreclosures. Ally stopped evictions here and in 22 other states. Robo-signing is so prevalent more banks are expected to follow suit.

What are those practices? In some cases, bank employees admit they signed foreclosure papers without reading them or determining if crucial information - such as how much borrowers still owed on the property - is accurate. Sometimes documents were notarized illegally with indications that the notary did not actually witness the signing of papers.

These practices are unacceptable. Some appear to be illegal. The N.C. attorney general's office notified Ally last week that using unverified affidavits could constitute fraud. Cooper is right when he says that such practices could mean that "some N.C. homeowners may not be getting a good-faith shot at loan modifications."

This mess is exasperating. The reckless lending practices of financial institutions helped cause the foreclosure tsunami that swept over the country. That damage has been so hard to repair in part because many have been tight-fisted with money they could have loaned consumers and small businesses. Many lenders have been reluctant to modify mortgages, instead moving much too swiftly on foreclosure.

Some of that rush resulted in faulty paperwork that will be costly to fix. Courts may impose sanctions on lenders or force banks to pay borrowers' legal costs in these cases. Judges may even dismiss the foreclosures, barring lenders from refiling and awarding the home to the borrower.

These lenders deserve to be penalized if they failed to meet legal requirements before evicting defaulting borrowers from their homes. Consumers, who often also were losing their financial stability, deserved that consideration.

Belatedly, many lenders will now have to meet those requirements. Investigations by attorneys generals in several states and a probe by federal regulators are forcing them to do so. It did not have to come to this. But it is an apt reminder of why reforms and better oversight of financial institutions are so badly needed.


View Larger Map


Sources: BOFA, McClatchy Newspapers, Wikipedia, WRAL, Google Maps

Roy Cooper Not Suing Obama Over Health Care Law

NC A.G. Won't Join Health Care Lawsuit


N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper said today that North Carolina will not join 13 other states in challenging the Constitutionality of the health care overhaul recently passed by Congress.

Cooper said it was unlikely that such a lawsuit would succeed, and that there is plenty of time for Congress to make any changes in the law before the most contested provisions in the new law take effect in 2013, Rob Christensen reports.

"After careful consideration, I have concluded that North Carolina will not join this lawsuit," Cooper wrote in a letter Gov. Bev Perdue.

(Click here for letter to Gov. Perdue)

Cooper's decision came as little surprise.

The health care overhaul has been debated along partisan lines and was pushed through a Democratic-controlled Congress by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Republican leaders in North Carolina had pressured Cooper and Perdue, both Democrats, to support joining the lawsuit, challenging the health care law soon after its passage.

All but one of the Attorney Generals who have joined the suit are Republicans. Cooper had withheld comment on requests that the state join the suit until his staff could conduct a review of the legal issues. He released a six-page memorandum from Christopher G. Browning Jr., his solicitor general, with the letter.

(Click here for the Memo.)

The central legal issue, is whether Congress has the authority to require citizens to purchase health insurance – part of its effort to provide universal health coverage. Browning notes that the courts have long interpreted that Congress has broad authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to regulate matters that substantially affect interstate commerce.

Cooper writes that health insurance reform is a policy decision that should be decided by the elected representatives, not by appointed federal judges.

"There is ample time for elected for elected representatives to change this legislation since most of the provisions in question will not take effect until the year 2013," Cooper writes. "In the unlikely event that this legal challenge does succeed," Cooper writes, "any decision will likely affect all of the states, including North Carolina, regardless of whether our state joins."

Cooper also said the new law provides some provisions that will prevent insurance companies from denying people health insurance because of Pre-Existing Conditions, or because they had a serious illness or accident.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Google Maps

Bev Perdue (Subtly) Encourages AG Roy Cooper To Sue Obama Over Health Care Law

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bev Perdue Pretends To Dodge Republican Pressure To Join Health Care Lawsuit


Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue this morning sidetracked a Republican effort to get North Carolina to join 15 other states who have filed a lawsuit challenging the new federal health care law.

Republicans had hoped to get the Council of State — a body of the state's 10 top executive branch elected officials — to appropriate money to pay for legal fees for such a suit, Rob Christensen reports.

But Perdue said it was inappropriate for the council to take up the health care issue because the state's chief lawyer, Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, was in Charlotte attending a law enforcement meeting that she said had been scheduled for months.

"This is a legal issue," Perdue said. "Attorney General Cooper is not with us."

That brought a protest from Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry, a Republican, who said a quorum was present and a discussion should be permitted.

But Perdue declined to allow further discussion.

"That is just the way it is....As such that is the end of the question," Perdue said.

The governor said if Berry thought it was important to address the issue immediately, she was free to act independently.

"Anybody here can file a lawsuit," Perdue said, "It's part of being American to sue."

After the meeting, Berry said she didn't think Perdue had followed the rules that allows any council member to bring up an issue for discussion.

She also expressed disappointment that Cooper didn't change his schedule to attend the council meeting. Another council member not present, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, a U.S. Senate candidate, participated in the meeting by telephone — a common practice for such meetings.

"When Attorney General Cooper approached that microphone on April 11, 2007, and pronounced those Duke lacrosse players innocent I cheered him for doing the right thing," Berry said. "I hope to be able to cheer him again when he steps up and takes leadership that I know he is capable of and protects the rights and freedoms of North Carolina citizens."

She was referring to the famous case in which Cooper exonerated three Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican, also urged the council to consider the health care law.

Two blocks away from the council meeting, about 150 opponents of the health care law held a rally urging Perdue and Cooper to join the law suit. The rally, sponsored by the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, attracted key GOP lawmakers including Senate Republican leader Phil Berger of Eden and House Republican leader Paul "Skip" Stam of Apex.

Republicans have said they will introduce legislation when the legislature reconvenes in May to allow citizens to opt out any mandates of the new health care law.

Those attending the rally carried such signs as "Obamacare is socialism" and "Kill The Bill."


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Sources: MSNBC, McClatchy Newspapers, Whitehouse.gov, Google Maps

NC Gov Bev Perdue Prepares To Sign State Consumer Protection Law...Foreclosure Prevention

News & Observer----


Gov Bev Perdue ready to sign Consumer Protection Law

RALEIGH -- North Carolina consumers soon will have new protections from foreclosures and intimidating debt collection practices.

Gov. Beverly Perdue planned Wednesday to sign into law a bill approved by the Legislature last month and backed by Attorney General Roy Cooper.

The Consumer Economic Protection Act allows a clerk of court to continue a foreclosure hearing for up to 60 days. The delay would give a homeowner more time to work out a payment plan with the mortgage holder or service so the debtor can remain in the home.

The bill also sets out new rules for companies that attempt to collect from consumers on old unpaid debts from credit cards or other unpaid bills. Cooper has said some debt buyers have gone too far in browbeating people to collect money.


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Sources: News & Observer, Charlotte Observer, Google Maps

N.C. AG Roy Cooper Sets Up Crime Victims Restitution Task Force (Eliminating NC Corruption)

Charlotte Observer----

(Shocked AG says he'll help crime victims get their money after courts improperly diverted it.)

RALEIGH - State Attorney General Roy Cooper says he is shocked that thousands of crime victims were denied restitution that had been diverted to pay other legal costs, and he is setting up a task force to help the victims get their money.

“I'm shocked that crime victims have been forced to wait behind the government before getting the funds they deserve,” Cooper said in a news release. “Our task force will help crime victims get the money that belongs to them.”

The News & Observer and the Observer reported Sunday that for the past 10 years, North Carolina's court system had improperly diverted millions of dollars that should have gone to compensate crime victims. State law requires that victims be compensated first, but the court system placed them third in line, behind fees for probation and community service. A computer setting pushed crime victims even further down the line, behind fines and city and county fees.

Court officials said it would be difficult to track down all the victims who lost out on restitution.

But starting Tuesday, the codes in the court system computers were to be reconfigured so that victims receive their money first, said Sharon Gladwell, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts. That will mean victims in any pending criminal cases should start receiving money that perpetrators were ordered to pay to them.

The state agency is also looking at what legal hurdles might get in the way of retroactively paying victims in cases where offenders paid portions of the money owed before the case was closed.

Mecklenburg Clerk of Court Martha Curran said Tuesday she and her clerks will do everything they can to make sure victims of crimes receive their restitution. She said her staff will be reviewing cases where restitution has been ordered to make sure the victims from now on are compensated first.

“Restitution to victims should be the number one priority,” Curran said. “We'll do everything possible to get victims their money.”

Cooper, a former state lawmaker, was one of the sponsors of the 1998 state law that put crime victims first when criminals pay restitution to the court. He has also sent a letter to John Smith, the director of the state's administrative courts office, urging him to identify cases in which crime victims lost compensation as a result of the improper actions.

“Just as important as setting future priorities is making it right for past crime victims,” Cooper wrote.

The letter was copied to Chief Justice Sarah Parker, House Speaker Joe Hackney, Senate leader Marc Basnight and Gov. Bev Perdue.

“It's shameful. It is disheartening,”Basnight said.

He has instructed his staff to find out how so many victims didn't receive the money they were owed. He said that victims in closed cases should still get the money they are owed.

Chrissy Pearson, a spokeswoman for Perdue, said: “Governor Perdue believes that criminals should pay for their crimes, both by serving time and paying restitution to their victims.”


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Sources: Charlotte Observer, News Observer, Google Maps