Latest State politics Podcast Episodes
Previewing the 2024 legislative session with Sen. Gale Adcock
WUNC Politics - April 26, 2024 16:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsState lawmakers are back in Raleigh to begin what’s known as the short session – several months in which they’ll make adjustments to the state budget for the upcoming year and consider a variety of other legislation that didn’t make it across the finish line in the 2023 long session. On...
Social studies teacher from 'the Neglected Northeast' wins NC House seat
WUNC Politics - April 12, 2024 16:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsRodney Pierce, a middle school social studies teacher from Roanoke Rapids, narrowly defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Michael Wray in last month's Democratic primary. He campaigned with what he describes as an effort to "educate" voters about Wray's record in the N.C. House of voting wit...
Meet the ECU student who defeated a 10-term NC lawmaker
WUNC Politics - March 29, 2024 16:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsWyatt Gable, a 21-year-old student at East Carolina University, unseated 10-term Republican Rep. George Cleveland of Jacksonville, who’s in his 80s and is one of the oldest members of the state House. Gable will face Democrat Carmen Spicer in November, but House District 14 leans heavil...
Making sense of NC's primary results
WUNC Politics - March 06, 2024 21:00 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThe results are in for the 2024 North Carolina primary -- and while some of the top-tier races ended up where everyone expected, there were some big surprises further down the ballot, as well as some races that won't get resolved until a runoff election in May. WUNC's Capitol Bureau Chi...
Big changes for 2024 voters under new election laws
WUNC Politics - March 01, 2024 17:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsVoters in this year's primary will have a few new things to get used to. After years of legal wrangling, photo IDs are required to vote, but there's a process in place for voters who show up without one. And voters looking to use mail-in absentee ballots need to be aware of earlier dead...
NC 2024 primary: Races to watch on the Republican Party ballot
WUNC Politics - February 16, 2024 17:00 - 44 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsVoters in this year's Republican primary will decide whether they want Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson or one of his opponents as their nominee for governor. And elsewhere on the ballot, races for lieutenant governor, Council of State and open congressional seats have drawn a large number of Rep...
NC 2024 primary: Races to watch on the Democratic Party ballot
WUNC Politics - February 02, 2024 17:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsAs North Carolina’s March 5 primary looms, there’s not much competition at the presidential level on the Democratic side. President Joe Biden will be the only name on the ballot here, but there are plenty of races worth watching further down the Democratic Party ballot for governor, Cou...
Main Street NC: Murphy's struggle to quiet a cryptocurrency mine
WUNC Politics - January 19, 2024 17:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThis episode is the sixth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. One of the state’s only cryptocurrency mining operations is located a few miles outside Murphy at North Carolina’s far-western tip – and it’s driving the neighbors crazy. Even at a house ...
Main Street NC: Star's quest to replace 100-year-old infrastructure
WUNC Politics - January 05, 2024 17:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThis episode is the fifth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. Dozens of small towns across North Carolina are struggling to replace aging, often failing water and sewer infrastructure. The upgrades are needed to attract industry and residents back t...
Main Street NC: Lumbees help turn Robeson County toward GOP
WUNC Politics - December 15, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThis episode is the fourth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is based in the small town of Pembroke, and this corner of Robeson County has one of the highest concentrations of American Indians in the state. The L...
Main Street NC: Hurricane-ravaged downtown rebuilds on higher ground
WUNC Politics - December 01, 2023 17:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThis episode is the third installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. When Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina in 2016, every business on Main Street in the small Columbus County town of Fair Bluff was underwater. A few had reopened by 2018 when Hurrica...
Main Street NC: 'Tremendous change' in the state's fastest-growing town
WUNC Politics - November 17, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThis is the second installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face, from population loss...
Main Street NC: The state's fastest-shrinking towns seek a turnaround
WUNC Politics - November 10, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThis is the first installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face, from population loss ...
With new GOP-advantage redistricting maps, where do NC Democrats go from here?
WUNC Politics - October 27, 2023 16:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThe state legislature wrapped up votes this week on new Congressional and state House and Senate district maps. The maps make it likely that Republicans will add three or four seats in Congress, while solidifying potential veto-proof majorities in the legislature. But with lawsuits loom...
A slew of environmental changes become law as NC lawmakers override vetoes
WUNC Politics - October 13, 2023 16:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsMost of the focus at the state legislature this week was on the vetoed bills that change the rules for elections and take appointment powers away from the governor. But two other veto overrides got less attention – in part because the “regulatory reform” and “clean energy” bills are so ...
A long-awaited budget bill passes and casinos strike out
WUNC Politics - September 22, 2023 16:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsA high-drama week at the North Carolina legislature brought quick action on an overdue state budget, following a decision by Republican leaders to drop a proposal to add four new casinos in rural counties. Rep. Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe, shares her thoughts on the budget — and its non...
Happy hours and Sunday ABC store runs: NC reconsiders alcohol laws
WUNC Politics - September 08, 2023 16:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsState House lawmakers advanced a 39-page rewrite of North Carolina’s alcohol laws this week. The bill includes major changes to how liquor is sold at restaurants, bars and ABC stores. To sort through the details, Lynn Minges of the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association joins WUNC’s Coli...
Key senator talks budget delays, vetoes and eastern NC
WUNC Politics - August 18, 2023 16:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsA hectic one-day session at the legislature resulted in six veto overrides and an effort to weaken the governor’s appointment powers — but no state budget deal. To sort through the action, Senate Majority Whip Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, chats with WUNC’s Colin Campbell. Perry also discusses l...
Top NC House Democrat criticizes legislature's slow summer
WUNC Politics - August 11, 2023 16:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsWith the passage of a state budget delayed until September, Democrats in the legislature are increasingly impatient with Republican leaders’ slow progress in wrapping up this year’s long session. House Democratic Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, talks with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Coli...
Sen. Marc Basnight's legacy building the Outer Banks
WUNC Politics - July 28, 2023 16:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsBefore Phil Berger was considered the most powerful politician in the state, Democratic Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo held the same position from 1993 to 2010. Basnight, who died in 2020, was a big advocate for the Outer Banks, and he used his role to help build the tourism juggernaut we...
NC House majority leader talks budget, hurricanes and the next speaker
WUNC Politics - July 21, 2023 16:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsNorth Carolina’s state budget is now three weeks overdue, and it’s likely August could be the earliest that a spending plan and state employee raises might be finalized. House Majority Leader John Bell, R-Wayne, joins WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell to explain the delays. Bell ...
Big elections changes are in the works for NC – but nothing's final yet
WUNC Politics - July 14, 2023 16:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsAs the legislature starts to wind down, sweeping proposed changes to North Carolina elections are still on the table – and could have a big effect on the 2024 elections. Republicans want to shift appointment powers for the State Board of Elections, create an earlier deadline for mail-in...
2024 NC primary election preview
WUNC Politics - July 07, 2023 16:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsPrimaries for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general are already attracting plenty of candidates — and potential candidates. To help us sort through who’s running and how the campaigns will play out, as well as how much they’ll cost, WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell ...
A look at bills you probably missed as NC legislature nears the finish line
WUNC Politics - June 30, 2023 16:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsIt’s been a busy week at the state legislature as we enter what might be the final weeks of this year’s long session. Dozens of bills have passed the House and Senate in the past week alone, and many of them haven’t gotten much attention. To catch up on the noteworthy bills many of us m...
A transgender perspective on NC sports, healthcare bills
WUNC Politics - June 23, 2023 16:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsBills restricting transgender sports participation and access to healthcare are nearing final passage at the North Carolina legislature, but none of the 170 lawmakers who will decide their fate are transgender themselves. Transgender advocate and Iraq War veteran Vivian Taylor joins WUN...
An NC House moderate legislator's experience in a polarized House
WUNC Politics - June 16, 2023 16:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsRep. Garland Pierce, D-Scotland, is one of the N.C. House’s closely watched moderate Democrats this session — a veteran lawmaker who sometimes crosses party lines on key issues, something that could make a difference on veto overrides this year. Pierce joins WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Co...
Are proposed state employee raises enough to fix government's staffing crisis?
WUNC Politics - June 09, 2023 16:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsN.C. House and Senate budget writers are negotiating how much state workers will get in raises — at a time when nearly a quarter of positions in state government are vacant. The House has proposed a 4.25% raise starting in July, while the Senate prefers 2.5%. The State Employees Associa...
Can medical marijuana find support in the NC House?
WUNC Politics - June 02, 2023 18:50 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsN.C. House Republicans are meeting soon to discuss whether they’ll pass a Senate bill to legalize medical marijuana. Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon is leading the charge, hoping his personal experience using marijuana to survive colon cancer treatments can persuade his GOP colleagues....
The Senate budget's salary challenge, and an abortion veto override
WUNC Politics - May 19, 2023 16:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsThe N.C. Senate’s budget is approved, setting up negotiations with the House over tax cuts and how much state employees will get in their paychecks. But the budget debate was overshadowed by this week’s veto override on new abortion restrictions. Sen. Kandie Smith, D-Pitt, joins WUNC Ca...
Tackling NC's mental health challenges with $1 billion
WUNC Politics - May 12, 2023 16:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsState legislators are considering how to spend about $1 billion in federal funding to address mental health care. Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Harnett, co-chairs health committees in the Senate and talks with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell about his ideas for fixing mental health. Burgi...
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