The Heat: Donald Trump’s case for four more years

Featured at CGTN

It was a long speech, lasting more than one hour.  US President Donald Trump promised to rebuild the economy, to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus and to end the protests around the country. But most of the time was devoted to attacking his Democratic rival.  After Trump’s speech, a fireworks display illuminated the night in Washington, closing out the Republican National Convention. The president is already in full campaign mode, hosting a rally in New Hampshire, Friday night. The election in the United States is scheduled for November 3rd.

Joining the panel:

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Aug302020 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: CMPD Tear Gas Video Released; RNC Here And Gone

Featured at WFAE

Video has been released of a June 2 incident in uptown Charlotte where tear gas was used on protesters. We’ll talk about the conversation caught on body cam that led to a suspension for one CMPD officer.

The RNC was in Charlotte this week, but occurred in a much different way than was planned two years ago. The political speeches did happen, the roll call of states did happen, the expected uptown protests did happen, and in a surprise move, President Trump did visit. But area businesses saw little impact. We’ll give a rundown.

CMS continues to work to improve connectivity for students learning online as the school year gets underway, with several drive-up Wi-Fi sites for students access. This is happening as plans are forming on phasing in a return to in-person school, with the youngest and those with special needs coming back first.

And as colleges return and COVID-19 clusters change the way classes resume, we’ll get an update on coronavirus numbers in Mecklenburg County and around the state.

Mike Collins will tackle those stories and much more with our panel of local reporters on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

Guests:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for investigations and chief investigative reporter

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

David Boraks, reporter for WFAE

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Aug292020 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

Mary C. Curtis: What is The Message of RNC 2020?

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC — The first lady and nation’s top diplomat were among those making the case for another term for President Trump Wednesday night.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis has a recap of the Republican National Convention and how it differs from the Democratic National Convention.

 

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Aug262020 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

President Trump To Rally Base Weeks Before Election During Republican National Convention

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — An historic Republican National Convention kicks off Monday in Charlotte. We now know who will be speaking at the scaled-down event, and who will not.

President Trump will speak to delegates Monday at the Charlotte Convention Center.  Expect to hear his message of law and order as the President attempts to solidify his base 10 weeks before the election.

WCCB Charlotte’s Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis takes a closer look

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Aug242020 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

President Trump Prepares For ‘Unconventional’ Republican National Convention in Charlotte Monday

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE – Monday, President Trump is coming to the Queen City.  The President will speak tomorrow at an unconventional RNC.

There will be hundreds of people instead of thousands attending the event because of the pandemic, and also no large-scaled protests.

WCCB Charlotte’s Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis takes a look at the expectations for the scaled-down RNC for the Republican Party, and for the City of Charlotte.

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Aug242020 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

POLITICAL WRAP: Plans Changing Again for RNC in Charlotte; Stimulus Debate

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This month’s Republican National Convention in Charlotte will be closed to the press. A convention spokesperson cites social distancing requirements and resulting capacity restrictions.

Not even all the delegates will be able to to cast votes in person.

Another Republican official tells CNN parts of the convention will be live streamed.

That includes the planned formal nomination of President Trump as the party’s candidate for predient.

Our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, has more on this and the continuing negotiations over the next stimulus package.

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Aug022020 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

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

Featured at WFAE

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)

Read the rest atWFAE
Jul172020 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

A mercurial Trump foils Charlotte’s best-laid RNC plans, probably

Featured at Roll Call

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, especially for a city that wants to be world class. Charlotte would join that list of cities to have hosted both Democratic and Republican national conventions. Its hotels and restaurants and streets would be bustling. Its arena would be filled with crowds, greeting the acceptance speech of repeat GOP standard-bearer Donald Trump, guaranteed grabber of headlines (and other things, as the Access Hollywood video attests).

And the world would be watching.

Well, the world is watching, all right, as what was a somewhat grudging but eventually accommodating relationship has deteriorated into sniping and bickering, with a nasty split on the horizon.

As usual, the catalyst for the acrimony was Trump himself.

Read the rest atRoll Call
Jun112020 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

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

Featured at WFAE

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 Helms, WFAE education reporter

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Jun052020 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

POLITICAL WRAP: Phase II Reopening; RNC Planning

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Phase II of reopening is underway in North Carolina. It comes as coronavirus cases are increasing, but so is testing.

We’re taking a closer look at how things are playing out.

And we’re following the latest on the Republican National Convention in Charlotte. Will it move toward virtual events?

And how will things play out among President Trump, Governor Cooper, and Mayor Lyles?

Our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, has more in the video above.

Read the rest atWCCB Charlotte
May242020 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , ,
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