NC Capitol Wrap

This week Laura WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down another busy week at the North Carolina General Assembly and look ahead to next week. What's next on Medicaid? What sort of raises should state employees and teachers expect? And, after another multibillion-dollar surplus in the state budget, is another tax cut in the offing? They also...

This week’s episode of The Wrap is double stuffed. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down the bills moving in this still-young General Assembly session, and they look ahead to another busy week. Plus: They talk about Gov. Roy Cooper’s boosted national profile, a new candidate for attorney general, State Auditor Beth Wood’s ongoing saga, a c...

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain tick through the ever-growing list of bills filed at this still-young legislative session, including the LGBTQ bills that have gotten so much attention. Plus, a lawsuit could lead to a change in when ex-felons can vote again in North Carolina. Also: musical chairs in the capitol press corps.

Bill filing has begun at the North Carolina General Assembly. Plus: Rumors emerge that EPA Administrator Michael Regan might leave the Biden Administration, but North Carolina sources say he won't be running for governor in 2024 — a prospect that once had some Democrats buzzing.

WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Paul Specht discuss the week that was in NC politics. They discuss a hit-and-run charge facing State Auditor Beth Wood. And they get into details about Attorney General Josh Stein's announcement that he'll run for governor in 2024. Meanwhile, legislative Republicans call for a redo at the state Supreme Court, and UNC system President Peter Hans float...

WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Paul Specht discuss a new rule change will make it easier for House Republicans to override vetoes by Gov. Roy Cooper. They also get into news about North Carolina's professional sports teams wanting a bigger slice of the sports gambling pie. Former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn is also back in the news.

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain rewind the last week in North Carolina politics and look forward to next week's start to the new legislative session. Also: An inquiry into retired U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's pandemic stock trades concluded without action, and Duke Energy explains what caused the massive Christmas Eve blackouts in Moore County.

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down the latest in North Carolina's long-running fights over voter identification and redistricting. Plus, the lawyer Republicans love to hate is now on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, the state again brings in $1 billion more in tax revenue than expected, and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson towers a...

This week on The Wrap, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down what’s next in North Carolina’s highly anticipated Moore v. Harper lawsuit, the election law case that was before the U.S. Supreme Court this week. Meanwhile, Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson says he won’t run for reelection. And it looks like six of 10 Council of State seats will...

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Bryan Anderson look ahead to what's at stake as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a North Carolina election law case. Plus, a plan to overhaul teacher licensure gets scaled back, Tillis takes heat for federal LGBTQ marriage law, and Cooper touts electric vehicles for commercial transportation.

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Bryan Anderson discuss fallout from the 2022 election. They also get into how Republican officials in North Carolina are responding to former President Donald Trump's entry into the 2024 presidential race, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis's role in a closely watched same-sex marriage bill, Gov. Roy Cooper's political future, and campai...

Another election is in the books and it was … normal? WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain and WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie break down some of the results, including North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, Wiley Nickel’s big win in the 13th Congressional District, and Republicans falling just one seat short of legislative supermajorities. Plus: With a new state Supreme Court, what happe...

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain run the homestretch of the 2022 general elections and walk through a newsy week in North Carolina politics. Also: The Wrap is podcast only now. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Laura and Travis return as North Carolina's 2022 election season stampedes down the homestretch. Polls, with some outliers, continue to show a tight U.S. Senate race, we preview interviews with Ted Budd and Cheri Beasley and are Democrats suddenly worried about the 1st Congressional District in eastern North Carolina?

For four years North Carolina has had divided government: A Republican General Assembly and a Democratic governor able to veto some of their ideas – 47 of them since 2018. Republicans have a shot at a supermajority this election season, which would moot the governor’s vetoes. Should they get it? Two lawmakers debate: One Republican, one Democrat.

Bonus show! Travis and Laura sat down with Gerry Cohen, the long-time lawyer to the North Carolina General Assembly with a photographic memory. We’d say he’s forgotten more about North Carolina law and politics than most people will ever know, but he doesn’t forget. Make time for this fascinating conversation about Cohen’s 40 years in North Carolina politics, his life and his love of long distance...

Topics covered include Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Medicaid deal no closer, no tax break on student debt relief, and our new election education project, NC Votes 101. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Travis and Bryan return to break down the week that was in North Carolina politics. We’re finally getting a U.S. Senate debate. Bet on abortion being a major topic. Lawmakers discussed the state’s slow rebuild from Hurricane’s Matthew and Florence this week, and there are some glaring, fixable, issues. Plus: A who’s who of the GOP’s extreme right wing will be in North Carolina next weekend, we’ve...

Laura and Travis gather again to break down the week that was in North Carolina politics and to ponder: Are all these big wins on economic development a sign that divided government is a good thing for North Carolina? Plus: Updates from key Republican leaders on Medicaid expansion (spoiler alert: don't hold your breath at least until after the November elections) and tidbits from around the world...

We're heading to the home stretch, folks, and the post-Labor Day campaign season boom is set to begin. In this week's Wrap Bryan and Travis discuss North Carolina's U.S. Senate race, the 13th Congressional District, the Republican push to win super majorities in the state General Assembly and the Leandro case, which was before the state Supreme Court this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

Topics on The Wrap this week include abortion, Medicaid expansion, state supreme court ruling on amendments, the lieutenant governor's book, election rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's wrap, Bryan Anderson and Paul Specht discuss the Green Party's efforts to get on the 2022 ballot, potential new rules for election observers and a public spat between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura and Travis gathered once again to discuss the week that was in North Carolina politics. We're three months from election day. Will there be any debates in North Carolina's U.S. Senate race? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a quiet week in North Carolina politics, which means we’ve only got three significant lawsuits to discuss: One on voting, one about whether you’re allowed to lie in campaign ads and one on abortion. Plus: An update on Medicaid expansion talks, and why Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says that, if he had to do his own taxes, he’d be “going to jail.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

After a week’s hiatus, The Wrap is back to break down the week that was in NC politics. Travis and Bryan lay out the latest in the fight over abortion rights, including Attorney General Josh Stein’s refusal to back the state’s 20-week abortion ban. We dive into community college and state university system politics, congressional votes on contraception and marriage rights and the sad, mysterious d...