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NC Newsline
Mind megjelölése nem lejátszottként
Manage series 16410
A tartalmat a NC Newsline biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a NC Newsline vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
Stories and voices that matter
…
continue reading
163 epizódok
Mind megjelölése nem lejátszottként
Manage series 16410
A tartalmat a NC Newsline biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a NC Newsline vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
Stories and voices that matter
…
continue reading
163 epizódok
Minden epizód
×Americans have many big and important differences these days, but if we can’t come together to agree on a handful of fundamental ideals and human rights that have been baked into our Constitution and way of life for over two centuries, we’re in big trouble. And one of those fundamentals is the simple idea that government cannot suddenly seize and imprison any person — much less deport them to a foreign gulag — without due process and the right to defend themselves in open court. Tragically, however, the Trump administration has been trashing this fundamental right of late by, quite literally, empowering masked and armed officers to simply seize people on the street and whisk them off to unknown sites. Such disappearances represent a despicable betrayal of everything our nation supposedly stands for. The bottom line: Whatever their disagreements on other issues, it’s imperative that all North Carolina elected leaders of both major parties stand up, speak out and demand an immediate end to these outrageous and unconstitutional acts. Our nation’s status as a free country is on the line. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
It’s been almost six months since state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin narrowly lost last year’s election to incumbent Justice Allison Riggs. Two recounts confirmed the result. Unfortunately, Griffin’s effort to overturn the election based on the farfetched theory that thousands of registered voters should have their ballots thrown out continues. And last week, four Republican state Supreme Court justices endorsed the scheme — ruling that the votes of numerous military and overseas voters will be trashed unless they can somehow provide a photo ID in short order. This despite the fact that state rules required no such thing at the time of the election. It’s a remarkably dangerous ruling that Republican Justice Richard Dietz blasted as an invitation to losing candidates of all kinds to engage in post-election meddling. The bottom line: If there’s any fairness left in the world, Justice Riggs will prevail in her appeal to the federal courts. But even if she does, the damage done to the legitimacy of our judiciary and our democracy by the Supreme Court ruling will be immense and long-lasting. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
Today is Tax Day – the day the political right – lazily and predictably – likes to use as a crutch for blasting government. What all of us would do well to recall today, however, is where we would be without taxes and the essential services they provide that make civilized society possible. And we should also remember two huge failings of the North Carolina tax system that are the handiwork of political conservatives: First, is the regressive nature of our state tax structure – a system in which the wealthy pay vastly lower rates than people of middle and lower incomes. And second, is the way that repeated regressive tax cuts of the past 15 years are starving core public services – so much so that total spending on things like schools and infrastructure in North Carolina has plunged by nearly 40%. The bottom line: No one loves paying taxes, and our system is far from perfect, but when Americans buy into lazy and simplistic anti-tax narratives, average people play right into the hands of the wealthy forces who’ve been rigging the system. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

1 Rep. Maria Cervania on western NC recovery, retaining top talent, and bills she’s working to advance 14:26
It’s been more than six months now since Hurricane Helene devastated much of western North Carolina, and while there’s been a great deal of heroic recovery and rebuilding effort at all levels of government since then, recent actions in Washington are raising red flags in many corners. At the North Carolina General Assembly, for example, lawmakers like Wake County state Rep. Maria Cervania have expressed deep concern that big Trump administration budget and staffing cuts to federal agencies, along with big price hikes caused by new Trump tariffs will wreak further havoc in the region. And recently NC Newsline caught up with Cervania from her Legislative Building office to discuss her concerns for western North Carolina, as well as her take on some other front burner issues – including the shape of our state employee workforce, the right’s crusade against diversity, and her efforts to reduce nicotine use by kids. Click here to listen to the full interview with state Rep. Maria Cervania.…

1 NC State political science professor Steven Greene discusses Trump’s tariffs, economic uncertainty 13:31
The Trump administration continues to enact, retreat from, and then renew dozens of norm-shattering policies that threaten to alter and undermine the fundamentals of our economy and even American democracy itself. From the massive and unilaterally imposed budget and staffing cuts to key federal agencies, to the on-again-off-again economic tariffs, to the unprecedented and deeply disturbing disappearances of immigrants, Trump has unleashed a fusillade of controversial actions. So, what does it all mean and where might it all lead? Recently, NC Newsline’s Rob Schofield got a chance to discuss these questions with an expert who’s been monitoring developments very closely – NC State University professor of political science, Dr. Steven Greene. Click here to listen to the full interview with NC State political science professor Steven Greene.…

1 Journalist Kevin Hardy on how Trump cuts are proving damaging to small farms, food banks and schools 11:41
Recent federal government budget and staffing cuts imposed by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are having devastating impacts in dozens of areas, but one that’s received less attention than it probably deserves is agriculture. As journalist Kevin Hardy of the national news outlet Stateline reported recently , the administration has yanked funding for programs that allowed schools and food banks to buy fresh products from small farms. Originally funded under the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s local food programs aided some of the nation’s most disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including newcomers and small farmers and those who have faced racial discrimination, while channeling fresh food and produce to schools and food banks. Now the programs are gone and as Hardy told NC Newsline when we caught up with him earlier this week, the damage being inflicted is widespread and deep. Click here to listen to the full interview with Stateline journalist Kevin Hardy.…
The use of economic tariffs to promote fairer trade and better outcomes for workers, consumers and the environment is not a new or bad idea. In a world in which some countries rely on slave labor and treat the earth’s air and water like a garbage dump, thoughtfully designed and implemented tariffs can be a useful policy option. Unfortunately, President Trump has been doing no such thing. Instead, he’s imposing tariffs in a chaotic and likely unlawful way based on little more than his daily whims. And the outcomes have been disastrous. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis is typical of the Republican politicians who could help but lack the guts to do so. He’s co-sponsored a bill rein in Trump, but as he well knows it has no chance. Once again, his mission is to seem rather than to be. The bottom line: Trump’s half-baked tariffs are wreaking economic havoc for millions of Americans and lining the pockets of his billionaire pals. And so long as politicians like Senator Tillis continue to enable him, the chaos will continue. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
If there is one American elected official who you’d think would make disease prevention among their highest priorities, it would be President Donald Trump. Just five years ago, Trump’s dreadful response to COVID-19 helped unleash one of the nation’s worst public health crises. Tragically, however, by all indications, he hasn’t learned a thing. Instead, he’s appointed charlatans to head important public health agencies while also slashing their funding — thereby putting millions at unnecessary risk. As NC Newsline reported this week, officials across the country fighting a historic measles outbreak have found themselves repeatedly undermined by the Trump administration as they struggle to provide crucial vaccinations and overcome disinformation. Here in North Carolina, state health officials report that Trump cuts have resulted in the loss of key staff whose job is to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats like measles. The bottom line: Just like five years ago, many Americans will die this year because of Trump’s dreadful public health policy choices. Surely our nation can do better. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
Many North Carolinians have been rightfully angered in recent months by Republican efforts to overturn Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin’s election loss to Justice Alison Riggs by seeking to throw out thousands of legally cast ballots. But sadly, there are other equally treacherous efforts underway. The most obvious are bills from GOP lawmakers that slash the powers of two Democrats who won convincing victories last fall – Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson. Rather than respecting the will of the voters, Republicans have sought to, in effect, overturn their decisions by seizing powers long assigned to those offices. But wait, it gets worse. Lawmakers are also seeking to transform the state auditor – an obscure office long held by a series of apolitical accountants – into a powerhouse with unprecedented duties. The reason: simple, a Republican won last fall. The bottom line: North Carolina voters had no inkling of these radical changes when they cast their ballots last November, and by pursuing them now, Republicans are once again thumbing their noses at them. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
What could the tragic 19 th Century Irish potato famine have to do with modern Medicaid work requirements promoted by North Carolina Republicans? As author Padraic Scanlan documents in a powerful new book, the parallels between what the men running the British Empire did to the peasants of Ireland nearly two centuries ago and the policies North Carolina legislative leaders are pursuing today are quite striking. As Scanlan documents in horrific detail, one of the chief contributors to the famine — a disaster that caused more than 1.5 million people to die or flee the tiny country — was the refusal of the British politicians and landowners who ruled Ireland to distribute relief because they thought it would violate rules of the free market and encourage laziness among the peasants. Sound familiar? It should. The bottom line: Medicaid work requirements won’t kill as many people as the pro-starvation policies of the British in Ireland, but some will die and the maddening arrogance of the policy makers in the two situations is essentially indistinguishable. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
As part of their ongoing effort to manipulate and capitalize on irrational white voter fears, state Republican lawmakers are advancing legislation this session that purports to attack quote “DEI” in public education. Under the bill, state law would spell out a long list of supposedly “divisive concepts” that would be banned from public schools. For example, the bill says it will be illegal to teach that a quote “meritocracy” — whatever that is — is inherently “racist” or “sexist” — two words that are also not defined. Of course, the purpose of this impossibly vague language is no mystery — it’s to discourage educators from discussions of America’s grim past on matters of race that might make white students uncomfortable. And that would be a tragic mistake. A simple amendment would help. Lawmakers should add a word to the bill to make clear that teaching divisive concepts is banned, but only if they are untrue. The bottom line: Discussion of hard truths is an essential part of education that our kids can handle. Would that GOP lawmakers could as well. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

1 Prof. Leighton Ku on how federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP could trigger the loss of a million jobs 17:31
As NC Newsline has reported at length recently, Republicans in Congress are seeking to enact massive and unprecedented cuts to two of the nation’s core social safety net programs — Medicaid and SNAP food assistance. And while it’s not hard to show how such cuts will impact the people in need who depend on those programs, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund and The George Washington University School of Public Health points to another big and worrisome likely impact. It warns that the proposed cuts could trigger severe economic consequences — including the loss of a million jobs, a $113 billion decline in the gross domestic products of U.S. states, and $8.8 billion in lost state and local tax revenue in 2026 alone. And recently, to learn more, Newsline caught up with the report’s lead author, the Director of the Center for Health Policy Research at The George Washington University, Professor Leighton Ku. Click here to listen to the full interview with Leighton Ku.…

1 Elon University’s Jason Husser on how NC is reacting to Trump’s chaotic cuts to federal government 23:16
As has been well-documented in recent weeks, the Trump administration is implementing a massive and chaotic bloodletting of the federal government. From the attempted elimination of the Department of Education to the evisceration of several other key departments — including the National Weather Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs — President Trump and Elon Musk have moved, without legislative authorization, to end or dramatically reduce funding for a host of programs and initiatives. So how is this playing with North Carolina voters? According to new survey data released by the Elon University Poll , not so well. As NC Newsline learned in a recent special extended conversation with the poll’s director, Prof. Jason Husser, North Carolinians are skeptical of the cuts and deeply divided over the President’s mass immigrant deportation initiatives and his overall job performance. Click here to listen to the full interview with poll director Jason Husser .…
It’s now been more than five months since North Carolina voters elected incumbent Justice Allison Riggs over challenger Jefferson Griffin to a state Supreme Court seat, but amazingly, Republican efforts to overturn the election continue. Last Friday, a pair of GOP state Court of Appeals judges accepted Griffin’s ridiculous theory that sixty-five thousand registered North Carolina voters who complied with all voting rules, including providing a valid photo ID, must still nonetheless come forward and again prove their identity, or have their votes thrown out. The ruling is a stunning assault on democracy. As Judge Tobias Hampson wrote in a long and scathing dissent, quote “changing the rules by which these lawful voters took part in our electoral process after the election to discard their otherwise valid votes – in an attempt to alter the outcome of only one race among many on the ballot – is directly counter to law, equity, and the Constitution.” The bottom line: Hampson is right. The voters have spoken in the Riggs-Griffin contest, and this rogue ruling cannot be allowed to stand. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
North Carolina legislators continue not to “get it” when it comes to the state’s ever-worsening plague of gun violence. The latest disturbing example: a bill making its way through the state House that would allow private schools to arm teachers and, conceivably, even some students. Bill sponsors say their intent is only to facilitate schools having armed security guards, but the bill is actually much broader than that. As currently written, the legislation would allow anyone lawfully entitled to carry a concealed handgun to carry it on the premises of a private school, so long as they have the school’s permission. Meanwhile, another bill advancing in Raleigh would allow anyone 18 or older to carry a concealed handgun without any kind of permit — an idea that polls show most North Carolinians think is a dreadful idea. And together, in a state in which private school leaders have almost complete autonomy, the two measures are an invitation to tragedy. The bottom line: One prays no school would ever head down this deadly road, but why lawmakers would even consider making it a possibility is impossible to fathom. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
As North Carolina’s top lawyer, Attorney General Jeff Jackson has many important jobs — handling important criminal prosecutions, protecting consumers, representing state agencies in litigation. But if there’s a duty that is clearly his Number One priority, it has to be defending North Carolinians from unlawful attacks on their rights and well-being. And it’s in light of this obvious fact that Jackson should be commended for his recent action challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful scheme to cancel billions of dollars in Health and Human Services grants already allocated by Congress. In bringing suit along with 21 other attorneys general, Jackson rightfully blasted the move by Trump and his right-hand man Elon Musk to slash more than $230 million in critical health care funding for North Carolina as both unlawful and dangerous. The bottom line: In standing up for our state, Attorney General Jackson is doing precisely what voters elected him to do. Trump apologists in the legislature who are currently seeking to prevent Jackson from challenging presidential orders, are dead wrong. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
The hypocritical double standards at work on the modern political right these days are often enough to make your head spin. Just think what Fox News shouters would be saying right now if a Kamala Harris administration had committed an outrageous breach of national security like the one Trump’s defense team did recently by divulging details of planned military operation. And the same hypocrisy would undoubtedly apply closer to home as well. Just imagine if Gov. Josh Stein — who controls the state budget office — did what Trump is doing by issuing directives to budget officials to simply cancel government funded programs authorized in a duly enacted budget. Funding for school vouchers and crisis pregnancy centers? Gone. New programs at council of state departments led by Republicans? Canceled. Republican lawmakers loyal to Trump would be apoplectic. The bottom line: Gov. Stein would never take such action because he’s an honest and responsible leader who believes in the rule of law. Would that Trump and the political puppets he controls were of the same character. For NC Newsline I’m Rob Schofield.…
The issue of how best to provide services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is, admittedly, a challenging one. Complex questions about the roles played by institutions and sheltered workshops, and the leeway given to families to chart their own courses in finding services, give rise to many competing and legitimate opinions. That said, there’s one simple truth about IDD services in North Carolina that’s indisputable: they are inadequate. Thanks to chronic underfunding by state legislators, the waiting list for coveted slots in the Innovations Waiver program is absurdly long. Indeed, there are more people waiting — over seventeen thousand — than there are people enrolled. It takes years to get through the waiting list and many people die before they ever do. The bottom line: Several factors may feed into this scandalous situation but ultimately, they’re all rooted in the fact that our state’s cheapskate legislature refuses to appropriate the funds that would make it possible to attract and hire enough support workers. And until it does, thousands of families will continue to suffer. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

1 Representative Lindsey Prather on how her region is faring six months after Hurricane Helene 13:29
It was six months ago that Hurricane Helene devastated much of western North Carolina with record-breaking rainfall and flooding. Since that time, federal, state and local officials have worked in determined — often heroic — fashion to help communities recover. Today, however, the situation is best described as mixed. As NC Newsline learned in a conversation with Buncombe County State Representative Lindsey Prather , while much of the region is back up and running, the situation varies widely from place to place. While most roads are clear and many homes and businesses back to normal, huge needs remain, and Prather says much more is needed from state government — particularly in the way of grants — to help get the region’s economy back on its feet. Click here to listen to our full interview with Rep. Prather.…

1 Journalist Sara Murphy on the damage Helene did to western NC’s inadequate child care system 15:24
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina six months ago was, in many communities, enormous. Few aspects of normal life escaped being upended, and one very important such area was child care. As journalist Sara Murphy detailed in a recent report published by NC Newsline and the national news site, the Hechinger Report, six months after the storm, many young children and their families are still struggling with the disaster’s consequences. At least 55 early child care centers were damaged in the storm, and several remain shut or are operating out of a temporary location. And the ramifications for kids, parents and the region’s economy continue to take a toll. Click here to listen to the full interview with veteran journalist Sara Murphy.…

1 Duke University Professor Emeritus Philip J. Cook on the impacts of gun violence on Americans 15:20
Across the United States, gun violence continues to be an ever-more-serious national plague. According to the latest mortality data from the CDC, firearm-related deaths among children and teenagers in the United States have soared by 50% since 2019. In 2023, firearms remained the leading cause of death among American youth for the third year in a row. So what impact is this having on the attitudes of average Americans? A new report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, entitled “ Valuing the benefits of reducing firearm violence in the United States ” indicates that it’s a big one and that most Americans would be willing to make significant sacrifices in order to address it. Indeed, the authors found that Americans would willing to pay nearly $100 billion for policies that reduce gun violence by 20%, and recently NC Newsline’s Rob Schofield caught up with one of the authors — Duke University Sanford School Professor Emeritus of Public Policy Philip J. Cook — to learn more. Click here to listen to the full interview with Professor Philip J. Cook.…
It’s been two decades since state legislators bowed to tourism industry lobbyists and passed a law forbidding local school districts from starting the traditional calendar school year prior to the last week of August. It was a familiar case of industry campaign cash trumping recommendations of education experts and the wellbeing of children. In the years since, local school districts — anxious to take advantage of completing their first semester prior to the Christmas break — have repeatedly tried to buck the rule and often gotten into hot water for doing so. Now, thankfully, it looks like legislative leaders may be backtracking a bit. Under a Senate bill introduced last week, the permissible start date would be set a week earlier — the Monday closest to August 19 — and it’s a welcome proposal. The bottom line: The bill isn’t perfect as local districts would prefer more flexibility and tourism special interests are still being given way too much say-so in the matter, but in a legislature that so often ignores the best interests of kids, it’s better than nothing. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
Consider the following situation. You’re a middle-aged transgender man who transitioned decades ago. You’re balding, have a beard, and would never in a million years be confused for a woman. Unfortunately, and bizarrely, however, this makes some North Carolina Republican state legislators uncomfortable, so they want to force you to use women’s restrooms. Seriously. That’s what they’re seeking to do in a recently introduced Senate bill that would reprise the disastrous HB 2 debacle from a decade ago. Under the bill, among other things, if a public facility allows a trans person to use a restroom that doesn’t match the gender on their birth certificate, it can be sued for damages and forced to pay untold sums of money. And it’s hard to overstate just how cruel and ridiculous this is. The bottom line: It’s been years now since North Carolina last ventured down this road and the opponents of trans rights have yet to document a single credible harm that legislation like this would address. If ever there was ill-conceived proposal in search of a non-existent problem, this is it. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
The job of governing a state of 10 million people with a 60 billion dollar annual budget is big and serious business that requires elected leaders to read, think, learn, listen and work with people of widely differing views. Unfortunately, this basic premise of elementary school civics seems to have escaped Republican state Representative Keith Kidwell. Screengrab from Rep. Kidwell’s Facebook page. Kidwell — a veteran lawmaker who chairs three committees and ought to know how to behave like a grownup– nonetheless posted an image to his Facebook page this week of Gov. Josh Stein’s proposed state budget in a trashcan, along with the caption “appropriately filed.” It was a juvenile and distinctly unhelpful stunt. First, Stein’s budget is a good proposal. Republicans will vote for most of it. Moreover, the governor has worked hard to build bridges during his first months in office and won praise from other GOP leaders for doing so. The bottom line: even if Kidwell disagrees with some of the Governor’s budget, his disrespectful display is not the act of a serious lawmaker interested in governing. His constituents should be appalled. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
It was six months ago this week that Hurricane Helene devastated much of western North Carolina. By now, you’d think elected leaders would have long since devoted all of the resources at their disposal toward emergency relief and getting the basics of life in the mountains back up and running. Unfortunately, while state lawmakers did approve a new recovery package last week, they continue — quite inexplicably — to ignore several basic and well-documented needs. Topping the list: direct aid to businesses wiped out by the storm and renters left homeless. As lawmakers like Asheville’s Rep. Lindsey Prather have repeatedly explained, offering loans to folks who’ve lost everything isn’t enough. If mountain communities are going to come close to recovering, the state needs to use its rainy day fund to provide direct grants. Lawmakers should also heed Gov. Josh Stein’s plea to aid devastated local governments and state parks. The bottom line: North Carolina has the money to do much more to help hurricane ravaged communities recover. The legislature’s failure to allocate it simply makes no sense. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
Among the many ways in which the ham-handed policies of President Trump and Elon Musk are making life more difficult for millions of average Americans, the attacks on early childhood education are among the worst. Access to affordable child care is already a huge problem for American families — especially since the demise of COVID-era subsidies. The situation in North Carolina has grown so dire that even anti-tax crusaders in the state business community — alarmed by the struggles of their workers in finding care — have been demanding government action to address the problem. Amazingly, however, Trump and Musk are making things even worse. As Congresswoman Deborah Ross highlighted at a recent event, Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has slashed federal programs that support early childhood education like Head Start, with massive cuts. Affordable and quality child care slots will soon become even more scarce as a result. The bottom line: Life is about to get appreciably tougher for thousands of North Carolina working parents, and they’ll have Trump and Musk to thank. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

1 Will Scott of the Environmental Defense Fund on the move to repeal a greenhouse gas emissions goal 11:35
The challenge posed by carbon emissions that drive climate change is one of the most important issues facing humanity. If ever a matter required everyone’s best efforts and collaboration — elected officials, regulators, providers, consumers — this is it. Unfortunately, many important Republican legislative leaders in Raleigh disagree. They’re sponsoring a bill this year that was written in secret and repeals a painstakingly negotiated law which requires Duke Energy to cut carbon emissions by 2030. As usual, the excuse for the bill is cost. Proponents say the bill will save ratepayers money. As NC Newsline editor Rob Schofield learned, however, in a recent conversation with Will Scott, the Southeast Climate and Clean Energy Director of the Environmental Defense Fund, this is actually not the case. According to Scott, not only will speeding the transition to sustainable energy help combat climate change, it will save consumers big dollars. Click here to listen to the full interview with Will Scott of the Environmental Defense Fund.…
Over the past few decades, one of North Carolina’s best known and most prolific economists has been Prof. Mike Walden. Walden, the Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics at NC State University, is an outspoken champion of free markets and a longtime regular contributor to the pages of the conservative John Locke Foundation. As with a lot of traditional economic conservatives, however, Walden is not necessarily a cheerleader for the roller-coaster economic policies that President Trump has pursued since his return to office, and recently, Walden joined NC Newsline editor Rob Schofield to share his assessment of what’s been going on thus far and some concerns about what Trump’s trade policies could mean for North Carolina. Click here to listen to the full interview with economist Mike Walden.…
It’s been nearly a decade and a half now since Republicans legislators took control of the North Carolina General Assembly and commenced an aggressive campaign to consolidate their complete control of state government, while at the same time, rolling back much of the progress that had been achieved in previous years to expand civil rights and civil liberties. After such an extended period of almost total political dominance, you’d think that GOP leaders might have completed their to-do list, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. As Rob Schofield learned recently in a conversation with ACLU of North Carolina Director of Policy and Advocacy Liz Barber, this year’s legislative session is replete with bills that will seize even more power, roll back hard won progress, and further restrict the civil rights and liberties of North Carolinians.…
Like a metastasizing cancer, America’s youth gun violence crisis continues to grow and spread. According to the latest mortality data from the CDC, firearm-related deaths among children and teenagers in the United States have soared by 50% since 2019. In 2023, firearms remained the leading cause of death among American youth for the third year in a row. Amazingly, however, North Carolina Republican legislative leaders remain determined to pour more gasoline on the fire. Under bills now on the fast track in Raleigh, North Carolina would soon allow anyone 18 or older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit of any kind or so much as a minute of training. Yes — you heard that right. At the same moment the nation is experiencing a youth gun violence crisis, state lawmakers want to make it easier for high schoolers to carry concealed handguns than it is to get a driver’s license. What could go wrong? The bottom line: In a year full of shortsighted and utterly irresponsible legislation, these proposals take the cake. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…
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