House Speaker Tim Moore

NC House Speaker Tim Moore prepares to file paperwork for congressional run.

Ballot bites: Prominent candidates for Governor, Congress, Council of State join the fray

BY: - December 6, 2023

Major news on the filing front Tuesday is that Republican U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) is not running for reelection. McHenry announced he will retire after 10 terms that included three weeks earlier this year as temporary House Speaker after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was kicked out of the job. “There is a season for everything […]

Paper with The Freedom of Information Act FOIA on a table

Worries over secrecy grow as state officials shield records from the public

BY: - November 20, 2023

Just weeks after lawmakers in Little Rock passed legislation shielding certain state records from public disclosure, opponents launched an effort to amend the Arkansas Constitution to protect access to government documents. “The coalition that’s coming together on this is about as broadly bipartisan as you could get — from the extreme, extreme right to the […]

COMMENTARY
Donald Trump, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Rep. Keith Kidwell, Senate President Phil Berger, and House Speaker Time Moore.

A toxic combination of the shameless, delusional and opportunistic threatens our democracy

BY: - October 10, 2023

Donald Trump knows he did not win the 2020 presidential election. The man has long displayed a malignant and all-consuming narcissism, but he’s no dummy. Uttering statements and making claims that sound at least plausible to some and that he wishes in his heart were true (but that he knows to be false) has always […]

COMMENTARY
Mark Robinso speaks at an NRA podium

On the anniversary of the nation’s deadliest mass shooting, a demand for NC leaders to do better

BY: - October 2, 2023

Yesterday, October 1st, was the sixth anniversary of perhaps the most horrific mass shooting in American history. As if it were a war zone, 58 people were killed and almost 900 more were wounded as a sniper opened fire on attendees at a music festival. And sadly, as has been the case with other mass […]

COMMENTARY
North Carolina General Assembly (File Photo)

NC GOP lawmakers betray a surprising lack of confidence

BY: - September 26, 2023

North Carolina Republican legislators have rarely, if ever, been in a stronger position. Their leaders — Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore — have a combined 23 terms of legislative experience and political chits upon which to draw, millions of dollars in campaign cash and dark money at their disposal, […]

COMMENTARY

The Public’s Right to No

BY: - September 25, 2023

Senate leader folds his hand. Casinos will not be part of North Carolina’s budget.

BY: - September 20, 2023

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) rarely loses a hand in the political games that play such a prominent role in the work of North Carolina General Assembly. But on Tuesday, Berger seemed to abide by the admonition in the famous Kenny Rogers’ song, “The Gambler”: “You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when […]

Rev. William Barber speaks in front of a group of advocates

Advocates deliver “cease and desist” letter to NC legislative leaders

BY: - August 15, 2023

In the absence of a state budget, activists are demanding that the North Carolina legislature “cease and desist” from harmful policymaking. In a letter sent by email to the members of the General Assembly on Friday August 11 and delivered again in-person on Monday, representatives of Repairers of the Breach — a national advocacy coalition […]

Sen. Jay Chaudhuri discusses proposed voting restrictions and the troubling expansion of vouchers

BY: - June 26, 2023

Wake County State Senator Jay Chaudhuri discusses  voting rights, public education, and LGBTQ equality as we get an update on progress being made during the 2023 legislative session. Chaudhuri also weighs in on the scandal that has rocked the NC House in recent days.