N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Jim Wynn has been the subject of a federal background check, a sign that he may be nominated for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.

The FBI has been conducting a background investigation of Wynn, questioning people around the court houses in Raleigh, Rob Christensen reports.

"I’ve been interviewed by the FBI who didn’t tell me for what," said federal Magistrate Judge William W. Webb. "I know the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington has been calling people about him."

Wynn was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1999 and 2001 for the 4th Circuit but he was never confirmed by the Senate, largely because of opposition by then Sen. Jesse Helms.

President Barack Obama has not indicated who he would nominate. But Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is pushing hard for another North Carolinian on the 4th Circuit and there has considerable speculation that Wynn is one of the candidates she is pushing.

He is also being championed by Congressman G.K. Butterfield, his former law partner, who is a close Obama ally.

WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration now has authority to regulate tobacco products, under a new law signed this afternoon by President Barack Obama during a Rose Garden ceremony.

With children on stage and sprinkled among audience members, and with the new playground for the presidential daughters in the distance, Obama said the new law will curtail the “constant, insidious” advertising that tobacco companies target to kids, reports Barb Barrett.

He pointed out that nearly 90 percent of smokers start before the age of 18.

“I know; I was one of those teenagers,” Obama said. “I know how hard it is to break the habit once you’ve started.”

Among those at the White House this afternoon was U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from Wilson, where auctioneers used to rattle off leaf prices after harvest each fall. He represents one of the heaviest tobacco farming districts in the nation.

“This has been a very difficult issue for me,” Butterfield said later. “But when I take a step back and look at it objectively, there’s no question we need to reduce smoking….We need to be realistic about the issue.”

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The speculation is based not only on gossip but the fact that Wynn has twice before nominated for the 4th Circuit only to have his nomination stalled by then Republican Sen. Jesse Helms, Rob Christensen reports.

Some of the key players, have been avoiding reporter’s calls.

Former NC. Chief Justice Burley Mitchell headed a four-member committee that screened potential candidates for Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, would not say who the panel recommended.

But he heaped praise on Wynn, noting that he had known Wynn as a fellow judge and attorney for several decades.

"Nobody in the state is better qualified for the 4th Circuit in North Carolina in my view than Jim Wynn," Mitchell said.

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The Navy could be prohibited from building an isolated landing strip for its Oceana Naval Air Station fighter jets at the Hales Lake and Sandbanks sites that are now under consideration by the Navy.

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, a Farmville Republican, included an amendment prohibiting that site for an outlying landing field in the 2010 Defense Authorization Act approved Wednesday by the House Armed Services Committee, Barb Barrett reports. U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, also helped with the amendment.

"The people of eastern North Carolina have spoken loud and clear on this issue," Jones said in a statement. “If the OLF is needed to support F/A-18’s operating out of Oceana Naval Air Station, then Virginia should bear the burden."

The Navy has been trying several years to find a rural spot in eastern North Carolina to practice nighttime landings, but has been blocked by lawsuits and Tar Heel state politicians.

The Hales Lake site is in Camden County; the Sandbanks site is in Gates County.
The bill must still go to the full House, and then to the Senate for approval.

The homeland security pie was big enough for House members outside the Triangle to get a piece.

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield sponsored $600,000 for an emergency operations center in Greenville. U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell secured $650,000 in the bill for a similar center in Scotland County. McDowell Hospital in Marion would get $220,000 for a disaster preparation program, thanks to U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, and U.S. Rep. Howard Coble sponsored $425,000 for disaster preparation in the city of Kannapolis.

Butterfield, Kissell and Shuler are Democrats. Coble is a Republican.

All of the projects depend on the full House and then the Senate passing the homeland security bill.

A former financial staffer for former GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole's re-election campaign plans to launch a new website this week to track the doings of her opponent, Kay Hagan.

Hagan, a Democrat and former state senator, defeated Dole in November, Barb Barrett reports.

Matthew Bales, 24, has worked five months to develop his site, KayHaganTracker.com. He says it will go live Wednesday and feature Hagan's legislation, her positions on issues and her voting record.

"It will track all the promises she made on the campaign trail," said Bales, who worked for Dole's re-election campaign last year.

He said he will hold Hagan accountable when she doesn't live up to her pledges, but congratulate her when she does. He sees his site as a resource for constituents.

"I'm not trying to be a bad guy," Bales said. "It's not a partisan issue; it's an accountability issue."

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What does North Carolina's delegation talk about in Congress?

The Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on government transparency, has created a fun new way to answer that question.

The Capitol Words project uses speeches recorded in the Congressional Record to measure the frequency of specific words used by each member of Congress.

Some results from the past year are obvious. Reps. G.K. Butterfied, Mike McIntyre, Heath Shuler, Howard Coble and Bob Etheridge basically said "North Carolina" the most. 

Sen. Richard Burr, who is the ranking member of a Veterans Affairs committee, said the word "veterans" the most — some 277 times.

Rep. Walter Jones, who represents Camp Lejeune, said "Marine" 98 times, while Rep. David Price, who chairs an Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security, said "security" 48 times.

Other results were a bit surprising. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican, said the word "Democrats" some 428 times — the most of any word used by the delegation. 

To see North Carolina's words by year, month and session, click here. 

How much did North Carolina's delegation get in earmarks last year?

Here is a breakdown of the approved earmarks in last year's spending bills, as compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste:

Sen. Elizabeth Dole: 110, $133.6 million

Sen. Richard Burr: 89, $117.1 million

Rep. David Price: 51, $56.8 million

Rep. Robin Hayes: 44, $48.6 million

Rep. Bob Etheridge: 29, $38.3 million

Rep. Mike McIntyre: 31, $37.9 million

Rep. Heath Shuler: 30, $28.8 million

Rep. Mel Watt: 28, $28.5 million

Rep. Sue Myrick: 13, $20.9 million

Rep. Walter Jones: 12, $20.3 million

Rep. Howard Coble: 15, $17.2 million 

Rep. Patrick McHenry: 10, $16.8 million

Rep. G.K. Butterfield: 17, $14.4 million

Rep. Brad Miller: 14, $12.7 million

Rep. Virginia Foxx: 10, $12.4 million

In all, the delegation received 219 earmarks worth a total of $216.4 million.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Jones' earmark total.

North Carolina's U.S. representatives have $4.3 million in cash on hand.

Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show most of the dozen House members with decent war chests at the end of the first quarter of 2009.

Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler of Waynesville was doing the best, with $1.1 million leftover after his recent election to a second term in Congress. Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk was a close second, with around $942,000.

In general, the state's Democrats were doing better than the Republicans. Democratic Reps. Bob Etheridge of Lillington and Mike McIntyre of Lumberton had more than a half-million dollars, and Rep. David Price of Chapel Hill more than a quarter-million.

Meantime, Republican Reps. Sue Myrick of Charlotte and Patrick McHenry of Cherryville had less than $100,000, and Rep. Walter Jones had just $9,170.

Democratic Rep. Brad Miller of Raleigh had only $37,310.  

The list after the jump.

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U.S. Rep. David Price says that Coast Guard pool was a worthy project.

The Chapel Hill Democrat told Dome that he first learned about the need for a new training pool in Elizabeth City during a tour of the Coast Guard facility a year or two ago.

Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, requested the pool as an earmark in last year's budget. He said that it was helpful to have a North Carolina Congressman as a "cardinal" on the Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security.

But Price downplayed the local connection.

"It's one of those projects that I guess legally is an earmark," he said. "I think it's fair to say that we would have probably written that into the bill even if nobody had requested it."

Price said he has visited a number of facilities that fall under Homeland Security since becoming chairman. The pool was just one of many needs, such as dorms, that he saw at the Elizabeth City facility.

"It was more or less a routine visit as chairman of the subcommittee to see an important Coast Guard facility," he said. "It just happened to be one in my own state."