Radio Interviews
Dr. Rebecca Kreitzer discusses NC’s new abortion law and the impact on state politics
Now that the governor’s veto has been overridden, a multitude of new restrictions related to abortion go into effect in North Carolina on July 1st. While the bill (SB 20) has been widely characterized as a 12-week ban, a closer look at the details of the new and complex law makes clear that it goes […]
Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller on vouchers and the failure to adequately fund NC’s public schools
Some big and controversial changes are afoot in public education. Under legislation advanced by Republican lawmakers, North Carolina will soon enact a massive expansion of its hotly debated voucher program that will, for the first time, subsidize the tuition paid by wealthy families to private and parochial schools. What’s more, this change comes at the […]
Rob Young of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines discusses fast-eroding shorelines
Sea-level rise driven by climate change: What once was a controversial topic in some circles is now an indisputable and deeply problematic reality for coastal communities across the globe – including dozens on the North Carolina Outer Banks, where beaches are disappearing at a frightening clip. The hard reality of this situation is quickly presenting […]
Sen. Rachel Hunt on the abortion ban and a troubling path Republicans are paving for public schools
This past week at the NC General Assembly saw the final enactment of a deeply controversial ban on abortion care as well as the state Senate’s version of a new two-year state budget. Unfortunately, despite the scope, importance and controversial nature of these bills, the opportunities for real input from senators and representatives – especially […]
State Board of Elections director Karen Brinson Bell on important changes coming to NC elections
A trio of rulings handed down by the Republican majority of the North Carolina Supreme Court will soon bring some big and important changes to the state’s elections. Not only will a photo ID now be required for all who cast ballots – even by mail – but thousands of formerly incarcerated people who regained […]
ACLU of NC Senior Policy Counsel Liz Barber on how SB20 would actually impact reproductive rights
In a sudden move that largely threw traditional legislative processes to the wind, the Republican majority of the North Carolina General Assembly passed a far-reaching bill recently that would erect large and burdensome roadblocks from the moment of conception for patients seeking abortion care. On the day following the final vote, NC Newsline caught up […]
Jina Dhillon of IPAS on how SB20 would put North Carolina at odds with trends around the world
North Carolina is on the precipice of enacting problematic legislation that would turn back the clock a half-century and insert state government officials into the most private and intimate reproductive healthcare decisions of pregnant North Carolinians. Jina Dhillon, the Policy and Advocacy manager at the Triangle-based global reproductive health organization IPAS, explains to NC Newline […]
Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons discusses the rushed process for SB20 and the impact on young girls
When most people think about legislators writing, debating, and enacting new state laws, most envision solemn and deliberate proceedings chock-full of parliamentary procedure and lengthy committee hearings featuring an array of witnesses, experts and amendments. Unfortunately, that’s not how it usually works in Raleigh. And that was especially the case recently when lawmakers rushed through […]
Common Cause of NC’s Bob Phillips on a trio of remarkable rulings from the state Supreme Court
The Republican majority of the North Carolina state Supreme Court issued a trio a rulings last week on the subject of elections and voting rights that promise to further undermine our increasingly fragile democracy. In Harper v. Hall, the court ruled that state lawmakers are free to gerrymander electoral districts for partisan gain to their […]
State Rep. Julie von Haefen on a bevy of bills that threaten to undermine public education
This past week was crossover week at the North Carolina General Assembly – the legislature’s self-imposed deadline for passing bills to keep them eligible during the 2023 session. It’s an event that helped turn the steady stream of backward-looking bills that have been winning approval from the Republican supermajorities into a virtual torrent. Fortunately, despite […]
Education policy expert Kris Nordstrom of the NC Justice Center discusses school vouchers
One of the top priorities for the conservative majorities at the General Assembly this year is a bill that would dramatically expand the state’s controversial private school voucher program. Under the legislation, all North Carolina households with kids – even wealthy families who already send their children to exclusive and expensive private schools – would […]
Rep. John Autry discusses the attacks on transgender students and the promise of psychedelics
It’s a hard truth of American politics that many state and federal lawmakers base their decisions and votes almost exclusively on how it will impact their own political futures. Often, even hugely momentous, life and death votes are cast with an eye to the polls and the views of TV talking heads, rather than the […]