Mary C. Curtis: Coronavirus Relief Bill

CHARLOTTE, NC — All eyes on Congress to see lawmakers will include in the next stimulus package. Senate Republicans and the white house are on different pages – despite being in the same party. While Democrats say they want a deal done soon.

Political contributor Mary C. Curtis has the latest from Washington.

Mary C. Curtis: Impact Of Legacy of Congressman John Lewis, Scathing Article By Trump Advisor About Fauci

CHARLOTTE — The White House is trying to distance itself from an Op-Ed piece written by President Trump’s top Trade Advisor, Peter Navarro, about Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And, tributes continue to pour in for Civil Rights Icon and longtime Congressman John Lewis who died Friday.  Lewis leaves behind a legacy of achievements which are vital to today’s conversation about race.

Here’s WCCB Charlotte Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis.

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Schools Draw Up COVID Plans; Business Reopenings Delayed Again

Parents, students and teachers got the word they had been waiting on for weeks: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will begin the upcoming school year in the classroom then switch to all-remote learning.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the state’s public school systems can reopen with a hybrid of in-person and remote teaching, while South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the state’s public school teachers are at odds over McMaster’s reopening plan for schools.

The reopening of North Carolina’s economy will stay in Phase 2 for the time being as coronavirus hospitalizations continue to set records. The head of the CDC, Robert Redfield, came to Charlotte to make the case for mask-wearing, saying that masks could “drive this epidemic to the ground” within two months.

For the first time since the financial crisis, Wells Fargo ended a quarter in the red, and said deep cuts – including layoffs – were on the table as a result.

The Local News Roundup has more on those and other stories.

GUEST HOST

Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal managing editor (@CBJSpanberg)

GUESTS

David Boraks, WFAE reporter (@davidboraks)

Mary C. Curtis, Roll Call columnist, WCCB News analyst (@mcurtisnc3)

Jonathan Lowe, Spectrum News 1 anchor and reporter (@JonathanUpdates)

Annie Ma, Charlotte Observer education reporter (@anniema15)

Mary C. Curtis: NC Schools Will Reopen in August

CHARLOTTE, NC – Governor Roy Cooper announced North Carolina schools will reopen in August. Political contributor Mary C. Curtis has a breakdown of the governor’s plan.

POLITICAL WRAP: How Soon Should Students Return to School?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The debate over school re-openings intensifies, amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

It comes as new data shows nearly one in four American teachers are at higher risk of serious illness if they contract coronavirus.

Click above for more with our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis.

POLITICAL WRAP: Trump Campaign “Culture War” Strategy; A New Silent Majority?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – President Trump, at Mount Rushmore on Friday night, set the stage for a campaign increasingly focused on “culture war” issues.

“Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children,” the President said.

So, is the appeal of a “culture war” campaign too narrow?

Or is there a Nixon-esque “Silent Majority,” as the President is saying, ready to show up in November?

Click above for more with our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis.

POLITICAL WRAP: Coronavirus Mask Mandate; Presidential Poll Numbers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The debate over a mask mandate, just one part of how the coronavirus pandemic is becoming increasingly political.

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis has more on the recent spike in cases we’re seeing in the South, and the strategies for the presidential campaigns, as we move closer to November.

Mary C. Curtis: Trump Holds Rally in Arizona Amid Surge in Coronavirus Cases

CHARLOTTE, NC — Fresh off a disappointing campaign rally over the weekend, President Trump spoke to a packed crowd of students at a rally in Arizona Tuesday night.

But the president’s visit didn’t come without criticism… as COVID-19 cases in Arizona are surging.

Here’s more from our WCCB political contributor Mary C. Curtis.

How Do We Bridge the Political and Racial Divide in America? with Mary C. Curtis

Racial tensions are also stoked again thanks to the untimely death of George Floyd. Which brought to surface the work which still needs to be done to bridge the gap of racial division in the country. How will all these issues play in an election year? How do we heal a broken nation?

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Charlotte Protests, CMPD Response; RNC May Leave Charlotte

Charlotte has faced several days of protests, both peaceful and violent, after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. The protests have involved clashes with CMPD and many complaints about how the police have handled the protesters, but several police officers hope to have constructive conversation with the protesters. Thousands have hit the streets of Charlotte to protest, from Beatties Ford Road to uptown to Myers Park. We’ll talk through the demonstrations, the protesters, the chaos and the police response.

President Trump and the Republican National Committee are exploring other cities to hold the RNC this year, after Trump said this week that he’d move the convention out of Charlotte. We’ll talk about Gov. Roy Cooper’s negotiations with the RNC about having a safe convention in the midst of the pandemic and what options there still are to hold a part of the convention in the city.

We’ll give the latest on the coronavirus, as officials worry that the protests in Charlotte and the recent Phase 2 opening will result in a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Plus, we’ll have an update on the Mecklenburg County budget, which was approved this week, forcing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour. We’ll have more on the discussions at that meeting as well.

Guests:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor at the Charlotte Business Journal

Glenn Burkins, founder and publisher of QCityMetro.com 

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB 

Ann Doss HelmsWFAE education reporter