WUNC Politics

While early voting turnout was up, primary participation among younger voters is lagging. Is there anything that candidates could do differently? Meanwhile the Governor has unveiled his budget proposal and a major question again lingers – is this the year Medicaid expands in North Carolina? Donna Kina of the Carolina Journal and Rob Schofield from NC Policy Watch review some of the week’s politica...

With less than a week until the May 17th primary, early voters have turned out in very strong numbers. They are choosing major party nominees in an open U.S. Senate race, as well as in heated contests for Congress. Former Congressional staffer Doug Heye and political scientist Chris Cooper discuss what to make of early voting, and what it takes to unseat an incumbent such as Madison Cawthorn.

This week in politics: a landmark leak sent reverberations across the country, as advocates on both sides of an impassioned issue readied for the end of Roe; freshman Congressman Madison Cawthorn is again explaining an odd video; snd the housing crisis faces a new obstacle: corporate landlords. Rob Schofield of NC Policy Watch and Donna King from the Carolina Journal review the week in politics.

Following the leak of a draft Supreme Court ruling, America is readying for a post-Roe era. In North Carolina, major change does not appear imminent. On this episode of The Politics Podcast, Meredith College Political Science Professor David McLennan discussed the practical, as well as the political, impacts of the anticipated decision.

Early voting for the mid-term primary began across the state this week. Meanwhile, Congressman Madison Cawthorn brought a loaded gun to Charlotte Douglass International airport, and a new judge in the decades old Leandro public education case offered something of a split decision. In our weekly review, Mitch Kokai of the John Locke Foundation and Rob Schofield from NC Policy Watch discuss some of...

Leslie McCrae Dowless died on April 24th. The Bladen County native came to national notoriety for his role in a 2018 election fraud saga. On this episode of the Politics Podcast, WBTV reporter Nick Ochsner discusses the electoral scandal and the well known character behind it.

This week in politics: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court and is set to become the first Black woman to sit on the court in its 233-year history; a preliminary proposal at the state level could shift how public school teachers are licensed and compensated; And former President Donald Trump visits Johnston County on Saturday in the latest reminder of his domineering...

TROSA is a popular non-profit organization that has served people in substances abuse recovery since 1994.

This week in state politics: a can manufacturer finally picked North Carolina, Madison Cawthorn met more criticism following his latest incendiary comments, and a basketball game has led to mounting excitement. Donna King of the Carolina Journal and Aisha Dew from Higher Heights review some significant recent news.

Last summer college athletics underwent a major change when athletes, long considered amateur and barred from earning compensation, were allowed to collect on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The new landscape is providing earning opportunities while also creating questions about exploitation, and if there is a need for further regulations.

Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is back in the headlines after an old facebook post emerged. North Carolina’s primary is less than two months away. And there is a new judge in the decades old Leandro Case. On this episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast, Rob Schofield and Donna King discuss some of the week’s biggest stories.

The May 17th primary is less than two months away, and the attacks are mounting as advertisements increase.

Nearly 100 years ago a small business began operation in Winston-Salem. In the five decades that followed Safe Bus Company became a local fixture, and the largest transit system of its kind, in the world. Yet the story of Safe Bus remains a lesser-known portion of the city and state's history. On this episode of The WUNC Politics Podcast, Winston-Salem Transit Authority Marketing Director Tina Car...

It is not expected to be a particularly good midterm for Democrats, however, grassroots organizer Aimy Steele is undeterred. Meanwhile, in North Carolina's largest city, conservative city councilman Tariq Scott Bokhari wants company on his Republican island. Each face long odds for success in 2022, and both want to foster some change.

This week in state politics proved to be anther busy affair with a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, the conclusion of candidate filing, and more legislative wrangling of the still yet-to-be-expanded federal healthcare program. Clark Riemer and Rob Schofield review some of the biggest recent stories on this latest episode of The Politics Podcast.

Between the pandemic, political polarization and the crisis in Ukraine, the news cycle these days is, well, even more chaotic than usual. On this episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast, Professor Benjamin Toff discusses his research around news avoidance and fatigue, as well as both the consequences - and benefits - for those who are not regular news consumers.

It was another week of whiplashing news in the world of North Carolina politics. Following a flurry of court orders on redistricting, the candidate filing period resumed after a two month hiatus. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed another bill, and a war in Eastern Europe will soon have impacts close to home. Rob Schofield and Clark Riemer discuss those topics in our weekly review.

While popular with many Americans, term limits on elected officials have not yielded the results some had once hoped. On this episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast, Western Carolina University Professor Chris Cooper discusses what has been learned from the fifteen states that do impose legislative term limits, and why they are ultimately ineffective.

Eva Clayton has been in the North Carolina political sphere for 60 years. A former member of Congress, county commissioner, and advocate for voting rights and rural portions of the state, Clayton remains busy. In this podcast episode she discusses her own efforts to help integrate Warren County, the recent redistricting developments, and getting through the pandemic.

Across the nation, some COVID-19 guidelines have been significantly changed in recent days. Here in North Carolina, there were some marginal changes. Meanwhile, state lawmakers prepare to draw new districts, and the GOP finds itself in another intra-party squabble. Donna King and Rob Schofield review it all in our Week In State Politics.

State lawmakers must again draw new political districts, following a major ruling from the North Carolina Supreme Court last week. But just how much will the new lines change, and is the recent ruling likely to be revisited? WUNC Politics reporter Rusty Jacobs offers insight on the major decision and the likely next steps.

In our weekly review of state political news, Rob Schofield of NC Policy Watch and Donna King of the Carolina Journal anticipate that the NC Supreme Court will strike down new congressional and legislative districts. The analysts also offer reaction following a fire at a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, and share whether they've checked the state database for unclaimed property.

A major case moved through North Carolina’s high court this week. At issue are whether Congressional and legislative districts can be so partisan they violate the state constitution. Will justices strike down the districts? And if they do, then what? WUNC's Jeff Tiberii and Dave DeWitt discuss the case. Then later, Jeff talks with Greensboro economist Andrew Brod about what a major economic develo...

Jet manufacturer Boom Supersonic plans to create more than 1,700 jobs and invest half a billion dollars in Guilford County. This week in state politics saw the major economic development announcement, new jobs numbers, rumblings of a Supreme Court pick from North Carolina, as well as the latest veto from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Rob Schofield and Donna King join host Jeff Tiberii to discuss...

An increasing number of Americans are dying from drug overdose. Between April 2020 and April 2021 more than 100,000 people in the country died, a new ominous benchmark. One of the leading culprits is fentanyl, a synthetic opiate. On this episode of the Politics Podcast reporters Taylor Knopf from North Carolina Health News and WUNC's Jason deBruyn discuss the upward trend, and possible solutions.