Among the many signs that illustrate just how far off track the modern political right has veered, the obsession with destroying diversity, equity and inclusion programs is among the most ridiculous. North Carolinians were reminded of this truth again last week when two newly elected Republicans — state Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and Auditor Da…

Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and State Auditor Dave Boliek (File photos) Among the many signs that illustrate just how far off track the modern political right has veered, the obsession with destroying diversity, equity and inclusion programs is among the most ridiculous. North Carolinians were reminded of this truth again last week when two newl…

As the North Carolina General Assembly prepares to begin its 2025 session in earnest this week, Senate Democrats have a new leader. After several years at the helm, veteran Raleigh lawmaker and former state House Speaker Dan Blue recently turned over the reins to another member of the Wake County delegation — State Senator Sydney Batch. Batch, an a…

As everyone knows by now, Donald Trump is president of the United States again. And while there are obviously many Americans who welcome this news and see Trump as a victim, a hero, and someone who will somehow restore “greatness” to the nation, for millions of others, the chief emotions that Trump’s return has spurred are fear and anxiety over wha…

Few policy debates received more attention in last November’s election than reproductive freedom. Strangely, however, despite widespread evidence that significant majorities favor abortion rights and the right to contraception — see for example the results of numerous ballot initiatives — Republicans opposed to reproductive freedom managed to win t…

(Photo: US Forest Service) “President Trump’s executive orders read like an industry fever dream: no protections, no limits, no rules.” So said North Carolina Sierra Club state conservation policy director Erin Carey last week in response to a series of regressive edicts handed down by the president during his first days back in the White House. An…

“President Trump’s executive orders read like an industry fever dream: no protections, no limits, no rules.” So said North Carolina Sierra Club state conservation policy director Erin Carey last week in response to a series of regressive edicts handed down by the president during his first days back in the White House. And truth be told, Carey was …

What’s next? An executive order that purports to repeal the law of gravity? That’s the understandable reaction many people have had in recent days to President Donald Trump’s lengthy list of first-week edicts. And while several would shatter norms of constitutional and democratic government, no order was more outrageous than Trump’s absurd claim to…

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson (Screengrab C-SPAN) What’s next? An executive order that purports to repeal the law of gravity? That’s the understandable reaction many people have had in recent days to President Donald Trump’s lengthy list of first-week edicts. And while several would shatter norms of constitutional and democratic gove…

In his infamous 2020 post-election phone call to Georgia’s Secretary of State, Donald Trump demanded that Brad Raffensberger “find” him the votes he needed to reverse Joe Biden’s election win. Today, four years later, it feels like we’re watching a rerun in the actions of Republican North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin. In a ser…

Judge Jefferson Griffin (Photo: State Court of Appeals) In his infamous 2020 post-election phone call to Georgia’s Secretary of State, Donald Trump demanded that Brad Raffensberger “find” him the votes he needed to reverse Joe Biden’s election win. Today, four years later, it feels like we’re watching a rerun in the actions of Republican North Caro…

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 13: An aerial view of a fire truck (LOWER L) near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. Multiple wildfires fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds continue to burn across Los Angeles County, with some cont…

For those Americans (like President Trump) who cling desperately to the notion that climate change is a hoax concocted by tree-hugging liberals bent on controlling everyone else’s life, the nation’s insurance industry is delivering a message. As Alex Brown reported for NC Newsline last week, more and more states are being forced to establish and ex…

Some North Carolina doctors worry about how medical care might change under a second Trump administration. (Photo: Getty Images) It remains one of the most striking aspects of today’s health care policy debate that it’s rural and mostly conservative communities that tend to benefit the most from social safety net programs championed by Democrats. T…

It remains one of the most striking aspects of today’s health care policy debate that it’s rural and mostly conservative communities that tend to benefit the most from social safety net programs championed by Democrats. This fact was brought home again in the recent report from Georgetown University researchers, who found that residents of the nati…

The big political news story in North Carolina right now revolves around the yet unsettled election for a seat on state Supreme Court. Multiple counts confirmed that the incumbent justice, Democrat Allison Riggs, was the narrow winner over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin. But more than two months after Election Day, Griffin has yet to conce…

Among the actions that the new Trump administration is expected to make a top priority in the coming days is an aggressive new mass deportation initiative targeting the nation’s millions of undocumented immigrants. It’s a plan that may sound superficially appealing to many Americans, but as we learned in a recent conversation NC Newsline had with M…

For 30 years now, the nonpartisan North Carolina Budget and Tax Center has been our state’s preeminent research nonprofit in the fields of fiscal and economic policy, and in recent years one of its signature products has been the biennial Living Income Standard report. The report documents what it actually costs for families of various sizes to mak…

Today is King Day – the day we remember and celebrate the life of one of our nation’s greatest heroes — the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What’s more, oddly enough, this year, it’s also inauguration day for Donald Trump as he returns to the White House for his second term. And it’s difficult to think of two leaders or historical figures who diff…

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Photo: Nobel Foundation) Today is King Day – the day we remember and celebrate the life of one of our nation’s greatest heroes — the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What’s more, oddly enough, this year, it’s also inauguration day for Donald Trump as he returns to the White House for his second term. And it’s d…

President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – is an interesting fellow who’s sometimes espoused good ideas. Though he often contradicts himself, Kennedy has generally defended reproductive freedom and has long blasted giant food and chemical corporations for endangering public health. But as thou…

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images) President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – is an interesting fellow who’s sometimes espoused good ideas. Though he often contradicts himself, Kennedy has generally defended reproductive freedom and has long blasted giant food and …

It’s been almost 30 years since North Carolina started allowing charter schools, and as the actions of the state Charter Schools Review Board showed again this week, that experiment has been a wasteful failure. When they were first established, supporters assured us charters would be “incubators of innovation” that would, because of looser regulati…

North Carolina continues to expand charter schools. Image: AdobeStock It’s been almost 30 years since North Carolina started allowing charter schools, and as the actions of the state Charter Schools Review Board showed again this week, that experiment has been a wasteful failure. When they were first established, supporters assured us charters woul…

Like a three-pack-a-day smoker who blames their chronic cough on everything but their addiction, President-elect Donald Trump continues to embrace an absurd and criminally irresponsible brand of denialism on the subject of climate change. This hard truth was exposed yet again by the latest horrific California brushfires. As the news outlet Cal Matt…

A person uses a garden hose in an effort to save a neighboring home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire on Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Like a three-pack-a-day smoker who blames their chronic cough on everything but their addiction, President-elect Donald Trump continues to embrace an absurd and cri…

Gov. Josh Stein (right) inspects a trailer on a recent visit to western North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of the governor's office.) In many important areas, North Carolina’s new governor, Josh Stein, is wisely following in the footprints of his predecessor, Roy Cooper. In critical areas like public education, environmental protection, and reproducti…

In many important areas, North Carolina’s new governor, Josh Stein, is wisely following in the footprints of his predecessor, Roy Cooper. In critical areas like public education, environmental protection, and reproductive freedom, Cooper was a champion of just and common sense policies. One area, however, in which the new administration can make ne…

As has been the case for several years now, at the start of 2025, no single issue poses a greater threat to the long-term well-being of North Carolinians – and indeed, all Americans — than the global climate crisis. From the economy to public health to natural disasters to immigration to species extinction, global warming from fossil fuel use is ra…

There are a lot of reasons that the death penalty is almost never imposed anymore. Not only is it hugely and uniquely expensive to apply and proven to be of no use in deterring crime, but stacks of evidence also confirm it has long been applied unjustly. Tragically, the death penalty is mostly reserved for cases involving defendants who are poor an…

Last week the nation paused to honor the life and legacy of former President Jimmy Carter. Carter died December 29, 2024 at the age of 100, and while opinions vary as to how successful his one term in the White House was, there’s a widespread consensus that no president in American history enjoyed a more productive or successful post-presidency. In…