History is about to repeat itself with Trump’s Alaska meeting with Putin on Ukraine | Opinion
I am appalled that the U.S. President has invited Vladimir Putin to meet on American soil to sell out our allies and the brave Ukrainian nation. This war criminal should be arrested, not rewarded for his treachery. Putin has repeatedly violated cease fire agreements. President Donald Trump has responded by dropping new sanctions threats against Russia.
Putin has set Trump up to embrace a 21st Century Munich Agreement. Lest we forget, the 1938 agreement emboldened Hitler; it did not “achieve peace in our time.” If Trump acquiesces to Putin, the result will be the same. Trump’s cowardice will live in infamy. The world, especially our adversaries, is watching.
Mark McClure, Durham
SB 266
Lawmakers overrode Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of S.B. 266, the Power Bill Reduction Act, thanks to the bipartisan support. Stein’s justification for the veto was based on an unsubstantiated memorandum, which relied on several “worst-case” assumptions by N.C. State professors.
The memo ignores the affordable, reliable and carbon emission-reducing qualities of natural gas. Natural gas prices have decreased 50% since 2021, falling to historic lows in 2024, according to federal energy trackers. Despite the memo’s assertions, liquefied natural gas exports do not have a negative impact on domestic prices. Several ongoing projects will increase supply to North Carolina. Additionally, natural gas has lowered CO2 emissions, helping cut them statewide by 25.2% since 2007.
North Carolina should support natural gas and energy diversity to benefit consumers and the environment. The veto override was a positive step to ensure North Carolinians continue to have access to affordable and reliable energy.
Justin Sykes, regional director for the American Petroleum Institute, Raleigh
Good trouble
According to the NC Budget and Tax Center, the federal budget will have serious consequences for North Carolina. The richest one percent of North Carolinians will get an average tax cut of nearly $60,000, the bottom 60 percent will receive less than $1,000. Cuts to Medicaid and changes to the Affordable Care Act could lead to 600,000 North Carolinians losing health insurance. Rural hospitals face closure from reductions in Medicaid funding, and changes to the food assistance could impact 1.4 million North Carolina residents, including 600,000 children.
Clean energy, environmental protections and disaster relief will be impacted. The federal plan will lead to educational cuts, job loss, threats to medical research at universities and increased cost of living via tariffs. We are called to make good trouble, not just demonstrations, but much more.
Tim McGloin, Durham
DC Drama
What a different president Trump would be if he cared about long-term solutions rather than political theater. His recent takeover in D.C. is instructive. If Trump was concerned about crime in D.C., why not meet with the Mayor and others, discuss the problems and the solutions. Then, go to Congress, demand more funds to DC law enforcement and partner with the D.C. leaders to bring in troops?
He always takes the approach of a bully by showing up in the city with troops, to the chagrin of local people. He leans on media outlets to say there really is crime in D.C. to justify sending in the troops! He wants the politics of pretending there is a problem and offering action but no legal solutions.
Solutions would be normal, rationale and potentially more effective but would not have all the drama and rancor. In his world, those are the point. Not solutions. That’s what all Americans must understand about him.
Laura Stillman, Raleigh
Students welcomed?
Will the world still come the U.S. and North Carolina? That leads to the question of will the world still welcome our students to overseas universities? It’s easy to speculate that a tit-for-tat mentality will take over and our students will not be welcome abroad like they once were.
Deborah Brogden, Durham
Citizen tests
The government is considering increasing the difficulty of the test to become a naturalized citizen. I propose that all native born citizens be required to pass this test as a condition of voting or holding public office.
Peter Aitken, Chapel Hill
This story was originally published August 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "History is about to repeat itself with Trump’s Alaska meeting with Putin on Ukraine | Opinion."