The legislative session is rounding the final turn. Republican lawmakers moved a pair of major election bills forward. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are poised to pass a ban on transgender girls and women playing on female sports teams from middle school through college. The sports gambling bill has been signed (but you won't be able to bet for a while). Plus: Updates on a laundry list of significant bills and a preview of the line of attack against Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's campaign, coming from a key R...
Jun 16, 2023•33 min
North Carolina Republicans are holding their state convention this weekend in Greensboro and will hear from three presidential candidates. President Joe Biden visited North Carolina Friday. Budget negotiators are taking the weekend off, but chairs hope to have their work done Tuesday. Plus: Sports gambling, Blue Cross bills await the governor's signature and the General Assembly is about to fight an awful lot about election rules.
Jun 09, 2023•22 min
Plus: A new elections bill dropped this week, tinkering with state voting laws, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina got a big bipartisan vote on its reorganization bill.
Jun 02, 2023•24 min
On this week's edition of the Wrap, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran talk about a shake-up in the state House GOP leadership, the fight over the future of the state’s largest insurer, and Gov. Roy Cooper’s pivot to the bully pulpit.
May 26, 2023•23 min
Republicans in the North Carolina legislature made quick work of Gov. Roy Cooper's abortion bill override. And new restrictions are scheduled to go into effect July 1. Plus, there’s bipartisan support in the state Senate for a budget proposing lower raises for teachers and state employees than the House backed last month. And will that budget threaten every big city hospital in the state with closure? WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break it ...
May 19, 2023•29 min
The North Carolina General Assembly largely took this week off. The news did not. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper tried to ramp up public pressure on a handful of key Republicans ahead of Saturday's abortion veto, and the state got three new State Board of Elections members. Also: North Carolina's first Black lieutenant governor has criticisms of the civil rights movement.
May 12, 2023•28 min
Emotional debate and personal stories filled the General Assembly this week as a long-anticipated abortion bill moved through the chambers. In the end, the bill passed along party lines, and it took less than 48 hours. Now we wait for Gov. Roy Cooper's veto and a Republican push to override and make these new restrictions law. Also: Partisan gerrymandering is legal again in North Carolina, and a major gun bill seems to be dead.
May 06, 2023•24 min
The North Carolina General Assembly remains on its rocket sled, churning through legislation, including the series of culture war bills dominating recent headlines. Plus: The Community College System named a new president, beating a push for the General Assembly to take more control of that process. And big money, big business bills to watch (including some likely to move next week). The new farm bill is rolling and ... does someone want to build casinos in some of North Carolina's poorer counti...
Apr 21, 2023•27 min
Every week is a banger in North Carolina politics, but this one outdid itself. State Rep. Tricia Cotham dropped the biggest bombshell in legislative politics in 20 years. The House passed its budget. Half a dozen LGBTQ bills hit. Plus: Bills moved to limit voting by mail, to add a new tax on Uber and Lyft rides and to help the family of a police officer killed in a mass shooting. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break it down in this episode o...
Apr 07, 2023•33 min
The week in North Carolina politics started off in bipartisan bliss with a bill signing ceremony on Medicaid expansion. Then Republicans shut off debate and used a handful of key Democratic absences to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto on a gun bill. Now it's budget time, and GOP lawmakers hold the cards, empowering them to to drop their policies into a crucial budget plan. It's an offer Democrats can hardly refuse.
Mar 31, 2023•31 min
Another chock-a-block week in North Carolina politics. Medicaid expansion passed, and on the 13th anniversary of Obamacare, no less. State Auditor Beth Wood pleaded guilty to her hit-and-run charge, and she admitted to having a bit to drink before the crash. Gov. Roy Cooper closed the week by vetoing gun legislation, a veto Republicans will surely try to overturn. And next week brings the House budget. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break it all down on this week's ep...
Mar 24, 2023•27 min
WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break down the week that was in North Carolina politics. Medicaid expansion passed the state Senate. The governor proposed a new budget. Republican lawmakers immediately said it won't pass. Plus: Bills on critical race theory, guns, opioids and gambling.
Mar 16, 2023•30 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down the week in North Carolina politics. This week brought Gov. Roy Cooper's last State of the State speech. Plus, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson reined himself in, but for how long? They discuss progress on the state budget, what to expect when it comes to teacher and state employee raises, and negotiations over Medicaid expansion.
Mar 10, 2023•30 min
WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain lays out the basics on a long-sought deal to bring billions in federal funding to North Carolina and provide Medicaid health insurance to the state’s working poor. He also gets into budget updates, the timetable for abortion legislation, mounting pressure from evangelicals for a heartbeat bill, medical marijuana and a sobering milestone for child gun deaths.
Mar 03, 2023•19 min
WRAL state government reporters Will Doran and Travis Fain talk about the rammed SUV carrying House Speaker Tim Moore, culture-war bills that moved this week, and potentially important agency bills that were filed. They also discuss the upcoming state budget and tax news.
Feb 24, 2023•29 min
This week Laura WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down another busy week at the North Carolina General Assembly and look ahead to next week. What's next on Medicaid? What sort of raises should state employees and teachers expect? And, after another multibillion-dollar surplus in the state budget, is another tax cut in the offing? They also discuss potential candidates for attorney general.
Feb 17, 2023•29 min
This week’s episode of The Wrap is double stuffed. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down the bills moving in this still-young General Assembly session, and they look ahead to another busy week. Plus: They talk about Gov. Roy Cooper’s boosted national profile, a new candidate for attorney general, State Auditor Beth Wood’s ongoing saga, a crisis in childcare, and the state’s new prowess in growing … corn?
Feb 10, 2023•28 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain tick through the ever-growing list of bills filed at this still-young legislative session, including the LGBTQ bills that have gotten so much attention. Plus, a lawsuit could lead to a change in when ex-felons can vote again in North Carolina. Also: musical chairs in the capitol press corps.
Feb 03, 2023•23 min
Bill filing has begun at the North Carolina General Assembly. Plus: Rumors emerge that EPA Administrator Michael Regan might leave the Biden Administration, but North Carolina sources say he won't be running for governor in 2024 — a prospect that once had some Democrats buzzing.
Jan 29, 2023•22 min
WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Paul Specht discuss the week that was in NC politics. They discuss a hit-and-run charge facing State Auditor Beth Wood. And they get into details about Attorney General Josh Stein's announcement that he'll run for governor in 2024. Meanwhile, legislative Republicans call for a redo at the state Supreme Court, and UNC system President Peter Hans floats professorship reforms.
Jan 20, 2023•23 min
WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Paul Specht discuss a new rule change will make it easier for House Republicans to override vetoes by Gov. Roy Cooper. They also get into news about North Carolina's professional sports teams wanting a bigger slice of the sports gambling pie. Former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn is also back in the news.
Jan 13, 2023•28 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain rewind the last week in North Carolina politics and look forward to next week's start to the new legislative session. Also: An inquiry into retired U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's pandemic stock trades concluded without action, and Duke Energy explains what caused the massive Christmas Eve blackouts in Moore County.
Jan 06, 2023•22 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down the latest in North Carolina's long-running fights over voter identification and redistricting. Plus, the lawyer Republicans love to hate is now on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, the state again brings in $1 billion more in tax revenue than expected, and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson towers above other GOP politicians in 2024 polling.
Dec 16, 2022•21 min
This week on The Wrap, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down what’s next in North Carolina’s highly anticipated Moore v. Harper lawsuit, the election law case that was before the U.S. Supreme Court this week. Meanwhile, Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson says he won’t run for reelection. And it looks like six of 10 Council of State seats will be open for the 2024 cycle, which is unusual. Plus, a casino scandal, education policy, state House ...
Dec 09, 2022•23 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Bryan Anderson look ahead to what's at stake as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a North Carolina election law case. Plus, a plan to overhaul teacher licensure gets scaled back, Tillis takes heat for federal LGBTQ marriage law, and Cooper touts electric vehicles for commercial transportation.
Dec 03, 2022•28 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Bryan Anderson discuss fallout from the 2022 election. They also get into how Republican officials in North Carolina are responding to former President Donald Trump's entry into the 2024 presidential race, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis's role in a closely watched same-sex marriage bill, Gov. Roy Cooper's political future, and campaign finance news.
Nov 18, 2022•25 min
Another election is in the books and it was … normal? WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain and WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie break down some of the results, including North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, Wiley Nickel’s big win in the 13th Congressional District, and Republicans falling just one seat short of legislative supermajorities. Plus: With a new state Supreme Court, what happens now on major conflicts before the court? And teacher pay reforms move forward.
Nov 11, 2022•30 min
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain run the homestretch of the 2022 general elections and walk through a newsy week in North Carolina politics. Also: The Wrap is podcast only now. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Nov 04, 2022•25 min
Laura and Travis return as North Carolina's 2022 election season stampedes down the homestretch. Polls, with some outliers, continue to show a tight U.S. Senate race, we preview interviews with Ted Budd and Cheri Beasley and are Democrats suddenly worried about the 1st Congressional District in eastern North Carolina?
Oct 28, 2022•18 min
For four years North Carolina has had divided government: A Republican General Assembly and a Democratic governor able to veto some of their ideas – 47 of them since 2018. Republicans have a shot at a supermajority this election season, which would moot the governor’s vetoes. Should they get it? Two lawmakers debate: One Republican, one Democrat.
Oct 26, 2022•25 min
