Republicans barely held onto a U.S. House district in North Carolina in a special election Tuesday (50.8 percent for the winner in a heavily Republican district where Republican fraud required the calling of a new election), but you wonder if a few votes might have been moved by Republican antics in the North Carolina House today.
A federal judge has struck down North Carolina's 20-week abortion ban as unconstitutional. Arkansas has both a 20-week ban, not yet challenged, and a new 18-week abortion ban.
The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed, 5-3, with a lower federal court that North Carolina used impermissible racial considerations to redraw two congressional district lines after the 2010 Census to aid Republicans.
The NCAA board of governors has decided to no longer boycott North Carolina for championship events because of the legislature's recent repeal of HB 2. It said a majority of its board o "reluctantly voted to allow consideration" of cities in the state.
North Carolina may or may not have a "bathroom bill" compromise. Either way, it might not satisfy new rules from the NCAA on ensuring non-discriminatory conditions in places it holds championship events. Arkansas would have a hard time complying.
An Associated Press report puts the economic damage to North Carolina from its laws discriminating against LGBT people at more than $3.76 billion over a dozen years. Arkansas, with several anti-discrimination laws and more in the way, is at risk of similar fallout.
Don't be misled by headlines that say Sen. Greg Standridge (R-Russellville) will withdraw a broad bill to prohibit use of any public restroom by someone with a birth certificate that doesn't match the posted gender. The bathroom fight isn't over.
North Carolina voted for Donald Trump but rejected a Republican incumbent governor. Why? It's yet another question to add to the ongoing debate on the left about where to place the blame for the debacle that was the 2016 election.