The Federal Trade Commission reached a $100 million
multi-state settlement with Walmart over allegations the company deceived
customers and drivers who participated in its Spark Driver Program.
North Carolina was one of several states that sued
the company on behalf of delivery drivers and customers. As part of the
settlement, Walmart must pay its delivery drivers in North Carolina $2 million
for stealing their tips and other payments, Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced
Friday.
The retail giant will also pay another $10 million to be
refunded to delivery customers in North Carolina and nine other states. That’s
for the tips people thought they were paying individual drivers, but which
Walmart kept for itself.
“Walmart misled its drivers and its customers so that the
company could keep tips and other money that belonged to drivers,” Jackson
wrote in a news release. “I’m grateful for the federal government’s
partnership on this case to make Walmart pay back millions for North Carolina
drivers.”
Walmart has run the Spark Driver program since 2018.
Customers can use the Spark App to order products from
Walmart for home delivery, and people can sign up to be drivers on the app.
Drivers pick up products from Walmart stores and deliver them to customers, and
they use the app to view and select offers to complete deliveries for payment.
These offers include an estimate of how much the driver will earn from the
delivery, including the base amount Walmart will pay the driver and any pre-tip
the customer has selected to pay.
A federal appeals court upheld an injunction Monday that prevents the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from making cuts that would’ve translated to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost grant money for North Carolina.
21 other states joined the State Department of Justice in suing the Trump Administration to block the cuts from taking effect.
The Triangle would’ve been North Carolina’s hardest hit region. The grant money impacts medical and public health research conducted at schools like NC State University, the University of North Carolina and Duke University. An analysis found the cuts would’ve cost the region $1.2 billion in direct funding and indirect economic impact.
“This was a big win for the state,” Attorney General Jeff Jackson (D-North Carolina) said in an interview with WRAL. “This would have really impacted treatment of patients, but also clinical tests and a lot of medical research. Now, fortunately, that’s not going to happen.”
Jackson argued that if the cuts went through, medical research projects wouldn’t have been able to continue. That could’ve led to thousands of job cuts across the region.
The Trump Administration announced a plan for a 15% cut to NIH grant funding in February 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office as he kick-started efforts to try shrinking the size of the federal government.
In August, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson sent WRAL a statement justifying the cuts:
“NIH is committed to restoring the agency to its tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science. For too long, resources have drifted toward projects with limited relevance to the health challenges facing Americans. NIH remains committed to research that is free from ideology and bias — science that is exploratory, rigorous, and focused on improving health outcomes. It is a deliberate course correction to strengthen accountability and ensure NIH funds research that delivers measurable impact for all Americans.”
This is the latest legal battle putting the NC Dept. of Justice at odds with the White House. Jackson has filed many lawsuits over the past year. >>Triangle at the epicenter of proposed cuts to federal funding for medical research
The long line for Saturday’s Trump rally started forming long before the rally began. Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
WILMINGTON, NC – Linda Burnett may or may not be a Donald Trump supporter. She may or may not be a Kamala Harris supporter. What she is, however, is a successful traveling vendor who attends the rallies of both candidates and says that business is good. Especially for Trump.
“It’s very profitable,” Burnett said. “Especially the Trump merchandise. I sell a lot more Trump items than Harris items. A lot more.” Burnett was wearing a ‘Women for Trump’ hat, but when asked if she supported the former president, Burnett was non-committal. A native of Oklahoma City, Burnett says she goes where the business is.
Joe Smith (a pseudonym) is also a travelling vendor. He would not give his real name, but the Atlanta native did say he was a Trump supporter.
“I like the Second Amendment,” Smith said. “I like money and a good economy, and from what I see, that predominantly happens when Republicans are in office.” Smith is from a military family and has what he calls “rainbow” family members, but says he likes the Trump/Vance ticket because of their conservative values.
“I side with the Bible,” Smith said.
It’s commonplace to see a large number of Black vendors at Trump events, in fact they make up the majority of vendors. At an outdoor rally at the Aero Center in Wilmington, NC on Saturday, business was likely good for everyone. The lines to enter the event were well over a mile long, and nearly a third of it was lined with tables full of Trump merchandise.
Once inside the area roped off for the stage, thousands of supporters braved temperatures in the high 80’s, and a bright sun, to cheer on Donald Trump, and the Republican lawmakers who preceded him. They included North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley, Senator Ted Budd, Congressman David Rouzer and the Republican candidate for Attorney General, Dan Bishop.
“They have no ideas or answers,” Bishop said of the Harris/Walz ticket, while accusing Democrats of seeking to destroy Donald Trump and his family.
“They seek to break our spirits, but they will fail,” Bishop said. “They might stop one of us, but they will not stop all of us. I am running to restore a culture of law and order in North Carolina.”
Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta Voice
Bishop is running against Democrat Jeff Jackson for the seat, which is currently held by Josh Stein, the Democratic candidate for Governor. Stein’s opponent, Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, was conspicuously absent from the event. Recent statements released by the Trump campaign was non-committal on whether he still supports Robinson.
When Trump finally took the stage nearly 45 minutes after his scheduled time, it was clear that his supporters didn’t mind the wait. Trump opened his remarks with a warning – if he is not elected, Americans can prepare for World War III. However, under his leadership, Trump stated, we would have world peace.
“Under a Trump administration, cities will be safe again,” Trump stated. “We will bring back the American dream. Under Kamala Harris, we will have economic depression and despair. She is not qualified.”
Trump called Harris the most radical left nominee in the nation’s history, and attacked her record on the economy, energy and the border. He vowed to seal the border on day one and begin the largest mass deportation effort in history.
“There are millions of illegal aliens coming into our country,” Trump said. “There are savage criminals running the streets. She created the worst economy in history. She is responsible for the largest tax hikes in history and crippling regulations.”
During a 40 minute speech, Trump speculated that the number of illegal immigrants in the United States is anywhere from 21 million to 50 million and said that migrants were being flown in from other countries to take over American cities. Although he touched on the economy and energy, Trump kept coming back to the key point of his speech – illegal immigration, in turn calling them migrants, aliens and criminals who come to the U.S. from prisons and insane asylums.
“When I am in office, I will outlaw sanctuary cities nationwide,” Trump said. “I will bring the government down on any city refusing to cooperate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I will get every migrant criminal out of our country.”
Trump once again stated that migrants are taking jobs that were once held by African Americans and Hispanics, a call back to his controversial “Black jobs” comment.
Near the end of his speech, a young voice could clearly be heard shouting “You’ve got to save us President Trump!”
“We’re going to save you,” Trump said. “We are going to save you.” Thunderous applause followed.
Each week, join Dawn Vaughan for The News & Observer and NC Insider’s Under the Dome podcast, an in-depth analysis of topics in state government and politics for North Carolina.
Hello and welcome to your Under the Dome newsletter. Avi Bajpai here.
The North Carolina primary election is a little more than two weeks away, and in-person early voting has begun.
Through 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, North Carolinians can visit an early voting site, the locations of which can be found on the website of the State Board of Elections, and cast their ballots. You’ll need to bring your photo ID when you go to vote. If you’re unsure which races are on your ballot, you can find your specific sample ballot on the election board’s website as well.
Last week, we took a look at the governor’s race, and what the Democrats, Libertarians and Republicans running for the state’s highest elected office had to say about the issue of casinos in their responses to the candidate questionnaires we sent them.
Since then, GOP legislative leaders have said the chances of a casino bill being voted on during the upcoming short session are slim, although separate action to legalize video lottery terminals could still happen, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reported.
This week, we’re taking a look at the answers to our questionnaires from the three Democrats running for attorney general, the other prominent, high-profile race that is on the ballot this year.
In each of these questionnaires the candidates answered a range of questions, but today, we’re focusing on what Jeff Jackson, Satana Deberry and Tim Dunn told us regarding their priorities for the attorney general’s office, how they think law enforcement agencies can recruit and retain more officers, and if there’s an issue on which they disagree with their party.
Top priorities as attorney general
▪ Jeff Jackson: “The fentanyl epidemic is killing people in our state each day. As attorney general, I would support a two-front approach that targets both supply and demand. That means advocating for effective addiction treatment for users as well as aggressively pursuing the elements of organized crime that traffic fentanyl into our state and distribute it via a number of regional cells.”
▪ Satana Deberry: “The protection of reproductive rights and health care access; the protection of voting rights and prevention of political violence; the consumer protection of North Carolinians against scams, wage and labor theft, and environmental degradation.”
▪ Tim Dunn: “Protect constitutional rights: of life and liberty, to vote, of public safety, and women’s rights • Reduce gun violence and violent crime: by supporting local and state law enforcement and district attorneys • Improve: juvenile justice system • End: fentanyl and opioid epidemic • Prosecute: corporate criminals and environmental polluters.”
How can law enforcement agencies recruit and retain more officers?
▪ Jeff Jackson: “I have supported state and federal efforts to pay our officers more. There is no way to recruit and retain high-level talent without offering competitive compensation. I fully support high standards for training, but if we raise our expectations for officers we need to also raise their salaries. Otherwise, many of them will find alternative employment that doesn’t regularly put them in harm’s way.”
▪ Satana Deberry: “State and local agencies all have the same problem — they do not pay people enough to do jobs that are difficult and require a high level of skill. Many officers cannot afford to live in the communities in which they work. This creates a situation where those officers have less investment in the public safety of that community.”
▪ Tim Dunn: “Law enforcement is an honorable, selfless, sacrificial, dangerous, yet vital role, in our society. We must show our law enforcement the respect they are rightfully entitled to and thank them for protecting and serving us. We must provide them the best training. I will require a thorough review of our training standards to ensure we provide the best training. We must provide proper recognition, including increased pay. They do not get paid a proper salary for the services that they provide.”
An issue where you disagree with your party
▪ Jeff Jackson: “My party made an enormous mistake by not ending gerrymandering and enacting independent redistricting when it had the chance. Now the other party is in power, and they’re making the same mistake by refusing to allow an independent redistricting process. No matter which party is in power, when politicians use partisan redistricting to favor themselves, the voters lose. We have needed independent redistricting for a long time, and I fully support it.”
▪ Satana Deberry: “My position on every issue is the position that supports the constitutions of North Carolina and the United States.”
▪ Tim Dunn: “(Neither) the far-left fringes, nor the far-right fringes of each political party need to be running our government. We need public servant-leaders, regardless of political party, who are dedicated to preserving our U.S. and N.C. constitutions, uphold the rule of law, and will abide by the oaths they swore to. Our government, from city hall to the White House, is only as good and effective as the people we elect to represent us. That is precisely why I am running to serve as our N.C. attorney general.”
That’s all for today. Check your inbox on Sunday for more #ncpol news.
Avi Bajpai is a state politics reporter for The News & Observer. He previously covered breaking news and public safety. Contact him at abajpai@newsobserver.com or (919) 346-4817.
