ELECTION 2022-POLITICS
Trump’s bid to shape GOP faces test with voters in May races
NEW YORK (AP) — Voters across a dozen states are set to decide primary elections this month that will determine the people and priorities leading the GOP into the fall midterms and beyond. Donald Trump is not on the ballot, but the Republican former president is actively backing dozens of candidates for Congress, governor and secretary of state across several swing states hosting primaries in May. They don’t come bigger than Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio. In nearly every case, Trump has endorsed only those who embrace his false claims of election fraud.
ELECTION 2022-DEBATE DODGING
Herschel Walker, other candidates test skipping debates
ATLANTA (AP) — Football great Herschel Walker has gone to great lengths to dodge tough questions during his run for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. The GOP candidate does not widely publicize his campaign stops and limits his appearances mostly to conservative news outlets and friendly audiences. Walker recently skipped the first debate for the May 24 Republican primary and is expected to miss another debate Tuesday. Political experts say it may be a wise choice for the gaffe-prone GOP front-runner. But Walker’s Republican rivals have seized on his absence to raise doubts about his fitness to take on Democrat Raphael Warnock in November should he win the Republican primary.
STATE CONTROLLER
Roseland is Cooper’s choice as next NC state controller
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A longtime state fiscal officer is Gov. Roy Cooper’s choice to become North Carolina’s next state controller. Cooper’s nominee for a seven-year term is Deputy State Budget Director Nels Roseland, who also previously served as chief financial officer of the state Department of Justice when Cooper was attorney general. Roseland is subject to General Assembly confirmation. The controller keeps the state’s books, monitors cash flow and manages state payroll. Roseland would succeed Linda Morrison Combs, a former controller of the United States who was then-Gov. Pat McCrory’s appointee. Her term ends June 30. Cooper made the announcement Friday.
MURDER SUSPECT EXTRADITED
North Carolina man charged with murder returned from Georgia
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Police say a North Carolina man accused in a woman’s death has been extradited from Georgia. The Winston-Salem Journal reports 34-year-old Jeremy Cornelius Alexander of Winston-Salem is accused of killing 20-year-old Bria Robinson on April 3. Alexander was arrested April 13 in Henry County, Georgia, after Winston-Salem police obtained an arrest warrant charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police say he was later served with a murder warrant in the Henry County jail. Alexander was extradited on Friday to Winston-Salem from Henry County, Georgia, Winston-Salem police said. Court records show he’s jailed without bond.
FORT BENNING COMMANDER
Fort Benning top commander to retire later this year
FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — The top commander at Fort Benning plans to retire, and his replacement has already been named. Army officials say Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe plans to step down in July as commanding general at the base in Georgia. His successor will be Maj. Gen. Curtiss Buzzard — the current deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Donahoe has served nearly 34 years in the Army and has been top commander at Fort Benning since July 2020. A change-of-command ceremony takes place July 14 at Fort Benning.
OFFICER-SHOOTING
Police: NC officers on leave after armed woman is shot
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Some central North Carolina police officers are on administrative leave while authorities investigate the shooting of an armed woman this weekend. Durham police say the shooting occurred Saturday after its officers arrived to respond to an indecent exposure report. The department says they found a woman with a weapon, and that an officer shot her. The woman was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The State Bureau of Investigation and Durham police’s Professional Standards Division are investigating. Police didn’t immediately identify the woman who was shot and the officer that the agency says shot her.
BUSINESS PARK-SHOOTINGS
Charlotte police: 2 dead after gunfire at business park
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina’s largest city say two people were shot and killed when gunfire erupted in a crowd at a business park. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and homicide detectives responded to a call early Friday evening and found two people suffering gunshot wounds. One victim was inside a car. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting occurred in west Charlotte in a parking lot next to a building that contains a barbershop, day spa and other businesses. The victims’ names haven’t been released, and police are asking the public to share information they have about what happened.
BC-US-CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION
Meadows says 1/6 panel has sought to publicly ‘vilify’ him
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has accused the congressional committee investigating last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol of leaking all of the text messages he provided to the panel as part of an effort to vilify him publicly. The argument was made in a filing Friday in Washington’s federal court, where Meadows sued in December to invalidate subpoenas issued to him for his testimony and to Verizon for his cell phone records. The committee declined to comment on Meadows’ accusations.
