North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger is a smart lawyer and has long been one of our state’s most powerful elected officials. And unlike some conservatives who are prone to promoting crazy conspiracy theories, Berger has traditionally been more responsible than that. Unfortunately, that seems to be changing. Last week, Berger made the…

Senate President Phil Berger and NC State Board of Elections executive director Karen Brinson Bell. (File photos) North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger is a smart lawyer and has long been one of our state’s most powerful elected officials. And unlike some conservatives who are prone to promoting crazy conspiracy theories, Berger has t…

The election of Donald Trump to a second term in the White House has caused a great deal of consternation for many Americans. While all caring and thinking people cling to hope that Trump will concentrate on governing and refrain from the acts of political vengeance and ideological extremism that he forecast during his campaign, the early signs – p…

Across the United States, elected leaders, analysts, pundits, and millions of average Americans are reflecting on and trying to make sense of Donald Trump’s victory in the recent presidential election. This is especially the case in North Carolina, where despite Trump’s win in the state presidential contest, Democrats fared well in statewide and le…

One group of North Carolinians for whom the election is likely to have a significant impact is the immigrant community. With President-elect Trump promising a wave of mass deportations and our state legislature plowing ahead with legislation to force local sheriffs to partner with federal immigration control officials, a new period of uncertainty a…

In case you ever wondered, here’s a sure indicator that a politician has been caught doing something shady and underhanded. When the only explanation they have for an action they’re taking is to mumble that it’s “business as usual” or something their political adversaries once did, you know they’re up to no good. North Carolinians were reminded of …

House Speaker Tim Moore presides over the November legislative session. (Photo: NCGA video stream) In case you ever wondered, here’s a sure indicator that a politician has been caught doing something shady and underhanded. When the only explanation they have for an action they’re taking is to mumble that it’s “business as usual” or something their …

(Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom) Gerrymandering – the corrupt rigging of districts to elect candidates of certain parties – is a cancer afflicting modern American politics. And sadly, North Carolina is its poster child. For years now, Republicans have gerrymandered their way to large legislative majorities in a state in which Democrats often …

Gerrymandering – the corrupt rigging of districts to elect candidates of certain parties – is a cancer afflicting modern American politics. And sadly, North Carolina is its poster child. For years now, Republicans have gerrymandered their way to large legislative majorities in a state in which Democrats often receive more votes. And now thanks to t…

North Carolina voters just elected Gov.-elect Josh Stein by an overwhelming margin but the vast majority of them did not vote for Senate leader Phil Berger or House Speaker Tim Moore. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped Berger and Moore from hatching a truly outrageous scheme to grab powers from the governor’s office and other statewide offices to w…

North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland), surrounded by state lawmakers, address reporters ahead of a vote on a first round of Hurricane Helene relief money in October. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) North Carolina voters just elected Gov.-elect Josh Stein by an overwhelming …

In a scathing commentary, veteran journalist Hugh Jackson of the Nevada Current summarized recent developments in Washington this way: quote – “U.S. Congress replaced by an app on Trump’s phone.” Sadly, Jackson’s biting hyperbole isn’t that far off. Since his election, Donald Trump has quickly nominated a slate of remarkably unqualified lackeys to …

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz is photographed inside the Rayburn House Office Building Feb. 27, 2019. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) In a scathing commentary, veteran journalist Hugh Jackson of the Nevada Current summarized recent developments in Washington this way: quote – “U.S. Congress replaced by an app on Trump’s phone.” Sadly, Jackson’s biting hyp…

In a legislature that includes plenty of unserious characters, state Senator Danny Britt of Robeson County is not one of them. He’s a leader and a practicing attorney who chairs two important committees. All of which makes the brewing scandal surrounding an email that Britt’s office apparently sent to a constituent that much more outrageous. As mul…

Sen. Danny Britt (File photo) In a legislature that includes plenty of unserious characters, state Senator Danny Britt of Robeson County is not one of them. He’s a leader and a practicing attorney who chairs two important committees. All of which makes the brewing scandal surrounding an email that Britt’s office apparently sent to a constituent tha…

While a tiny handful of races have yet to be officially called, we now know the results of the vast majority of contests in the 2024 election and topping the list in North Carolina, of course, is the governor’s office, where attorney general Josh Stein will soon be sworn in as North Carolina’s 76th chief executive. Earlier this week we sat down wit…

Donald Trump’s second administration is poised to soon do a great deal of damage in several important areas – including health care, education, reproductive freedom, immigration, foreign policy and the economy. That said, when it comes to the damage that will be truly irreparable, no pledge looms darker or more ominous than Trump’s plan to scuttle …

Yet another area in which the recent general election is likely to have major impacts is public education. Here in North Carolina, education advocates are hopeful that the combination of a new governor and a slightly different state legislature could lead to a boost in public school funding – something that’s desperately needed given our state’s bo…

State lawmakers return to Raleigh this week and from the looks of things, it will mark yet another big and wasteful failure for the General Assembly. That’s because the overriding policy issue in our state right now is the massive economic and environmental disaster in the west that was wrought by Hurricane Helene. If ever there was a crisis that d…

Rep. Tricia Cotham voices support for legislation to expand the state's controversial school voucher program. (Photo: ncleg.gov feed) State lawmakers return to Raleigh this week and from the looks of things, it will mark yet another big and wasteful failure for the General Assembly. That’s because the overriding policy issue in our state right now …

Donald Trump’s second administration is poised to soon do a great deal of damage in several important areas. Whether it’s health care, education, the federal courts, reproductive freedom, immigration, foreign policy or the economy, millions of people will suffer needlessly if Trump follows through on all of his campaign promises. That said, when it…

(Getty Images) Donald Trump’s second administration is poised to soon do a great deal of damage in several important areas. Whether it’s health care, education, the federal courts, reproductive freedom, immigration, foreign policy or the economy, millions of people will suffer needlessly if Trump follows through on all of his campaign promises. Tha…

Sometimes, you just have to shake your head in wonder at the crazy paranoia of North Carolina election conspiracy theorists. Their latest kooky idea: that the recent state election was somehow rigged to prevent victories by Republican candidates for offices like governor and attorney general even as Donald Trump claimed the state’s presidential con…

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Sometimes, you just have to shake your head in wonder at the crazy paranoia of North Carolina election conspiracy theorists. Their latest kooky idea: that the recent state election was somehow rigged to prevent victories by Republican candidates for offices like governor and attorney general even as Donald Trump c…

Michele Morrow, Republican candidate for superintendent of public instruction, speaks at a campaign event on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024 in Elon, North Carolina. After losing the race vowed to "fight harder than ever before to protect our children and save our schools." (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) There will be a parade of extremists and lightly …

There will be a parade of extremists and lightly qualified politicos in the nominations and appointments that President-elect Donald Trump will advance over the coming days. Once again, Americans will have to endure a time in which important government functions are entrusted to individuals who don’t even support the missions of the agencies they’r…

Almost four years later, it still stands as one of the darkest acts of any elected official in American history – a cowardly and criminal act by small and petty man who sought to overturn two-and-a-half centuries of constitutional government. I speak, of course, of then-President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and…

President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House on July 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images) Almost four years later, it still stands as one of the darkest acts of any elected official in American history – a cowardly and criminal act by small and petty man who sought to overturn two-and-a-half cen…

The 2024 election is now mostly in the rear-view mirror, and as we all know by now, huge change is in the offing thanks to the return of Donald Trump. Trump’s election would appear to bode ill for a host of important and successful federal government initiatives of recent years on such matters as health care, environmental protection, education and…

Even though North Carolinians gave the state’s electoral votes to Donald Trump, last Tuesday was, in many ways, a status quo election in our state, in which very little has changed in the way the two major parties are controlling key levers of power. What’s more, as we learned in a conversation the day after the election with Western Carolina Unive…

This year’s election may have come and gone, but one thing that hasn’t gone anywhere in North Carolina this year is hunger. Especially since congressional Republicans blocked the reauthorization of some key social safety net programs that led to great success during the pandemic, food insecurity has expanded to the point at which more than 560,000 …