Shows / News & Views
News & Views
Conversations with prominent state and national newsmakers – politicians, advocates, analysts, academics and activists — about the news, events and public policy debates that shape life in North Carolina.
Episodes
- News & Views
State Rep. Renee Price on efforts to improve Black maternal health
State Rep. Renee Price (Photo: NCGA) One especially vexing public health issue that continues to plague North Carolina is the persistent crisis in the…
- News & Views
Wake Ed Partnership’s Keith Poston on why education must be a priority this legislative session
Keith Poston, Wake Ed Partnership (Courtesy photo) With the North Carolina General Assembly back in Raleigh for the 2026 session, the state of our public…
- News & Views
How well states are doing in funding and supporting high quality pre-school
NIEER Senior Director and Founder Steve Barnett and the lead author of The State of Preschool Yearbook, Associate Research Professor Allison Friedman-Krauss…
- News & Views
Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira on the rise in state lottery ticket sales
Robbie Sequeira (Courtesy photo) It’s been 20 years now since North Carolina started its state lottery and with only a very few exceptions, state lotteries are…
- News & Views
NC Budget and Tax Center’s Sally Hodges Copple on the legislature’s worrisome tax triggers
  As state lawmakers return to Raleigh this week for their 2026 legislative short session, there’s one issue that looms as the most important and most…
- News & Views
NC Budget and Tax Center’s Sally Hodges Copple on the legislature’s worrisome tax triggers
Sally Hodges-Copple (Courtesy photo) As state lawmakers return to Raleigh this week for their 2026 legislative short session, there’s one issue that looms as…
- News & Views
Public School Forum’s Lauren Fox on the top education needs facing North Carolina
Public School Forum’s Lauren Fox (Courtesy photo) The state of North Carolina finds itself in a fiscal policy mess thanks to a series of regressive income tax…
- News & Views
New York Times reporter Eduardo Medina on the seismic change in the NC Senate
New York Times reporter Eduardo Medina (Courtesy photo) The biggest story in North Carolina politics right now – indeed, it’s a big national story – is the…
- News & Views
Elon University pollster Jason Husser on the war in Iran, Trump and attitudes of North Carolinians
Jason Husser (Photo: Elon.edu) No world news development of the past few weeks has commanded more attention or spurred greater controversy than President…
- News & Views
Elon University pollster Jason Husser on the war in Iran, Trump and attitudes of North Carolinians
  No world news development of the past few weeks has commanded more attention or spurred greater controversy than President Donald Trump’s decision to go…
- News & Views
Former Senator Graig Meyer on his recent decision to leave elected office
State Senator Graig Meyer (D-Orange) holds a copy of the draft budget that was not passed in the 2025 session. After 12 years in the General Assembly, Meyer…
- News & Views
Former Senator Graig Meyer on his recent decision to leave elected office
  Over the last few years, we’ve had several opportunities to chat with former state lawmaker Graig Meyer of Orange County during the four terms he served…
- News & Views
NC State political scientist Steven Greene on the war in Iran and NC’s latest political earthquake
NC State Professor of Political Science Steven Greene (Photo: NCSU) Even before his fateful and thus far largely unpopular decision to go to war with Iran in…
- News & Views
Sam Hiner of the Young People’s Alliance on holding big social media corporations accountable
Sam Hiner, executive director of the Young People’s Alliance (Courtesy photo) Despite its many benefits, few technological developments of the 21st Century…
- News & Views
Sam Hiner of the Young People’s Alliance on holding big social media corporations accountable
  Despite its many benefits, few technological developments of the 21st Century have had a larger negative impact on the overall mental health and…
- News & Views
NC Justice Center analyst Kris Nordstrom on the legislature’s refusal to fully fund public schools
Kris Nordstrom (Courtesy photo) One of the most remarkable, and in the minds of many, most shameful, developments in North Carolina public policy over the last…
- News & Views
UNC law professor Marcus Gadson discusses a proposed constitutional amendment on property taxes
University of North Carolina law professor Marcus Gadson (Photo: UNC.edu) Unlike many others, North Carolina is not a “ballot initiative” state in which…
- News & Views
WRAL TV’s Cristin Severance on her new documentary: “The Gamble: Sports Betting in North Carolina”
WRAL TV investigative reporter and producer Cristin Severance discusses sports gambling with former Carolina Hurricanes hockey player Aaron Ward. (Photo…
- News & Views
Energy and Policy Institute’s Sue Sturgis on ratepayers footing the bill for soaring utility profits
Energy and Policy Institute Research and Communications manager Sue Sturgis. If you’re like most average consumers, you’re acutely aware of how your monthly…
- News & Views
Kimberly Jones, former North Carolina Teacher of the Year, on education funding and retention
Kimberly S. Jones, 2023 NC Teacher of the Year (Photo: NCDPI) If there’s a core public service in North Carolina that’s found itself most consistently in the…
- News & Views
Kimberly Jones, former North Carolina Teacher of the Year, on education funding and retention
  If there’s a core public service in North Carolina that’s found itself most consistently in the crosshairs of hostile politicians the last several…
- News & Views
Veterans for Responsible Leadership’s Scott Peoples on why the group is criticizing the war in Iran
Scott Peoples (Courtesy photo) As the U.S. rapidly moves toward the one-month mark in President Trump’s highly controversial war with Iran, the costs – both in…
- News & Views
NC Budget and Tax Center Policy Analyst Alex Campbell on the economic winds buffeting the state
N.C. Budget & Tax Center policy analyst Alex Campbell As the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians are well aware, the economic news of late remains a mix…
- News & Views
Cecilia Holden, president and CEO of myFutureNC, on the state of educational attainment
Cecilia Holden, president and CEO of myFutureNC (Courtesy photo) How is North Carolina doing in building a workforce with the necessary degrees and job…
- News & Views
Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper analyzes the 2026 primaries
Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper An especially noteworthy 2026 primary election has come and gone, and there were a lot of…
- News & Views
Dr. Abigail Hatcher discusses the debates over academic freedom and a scrapped surveillance policy
Abigail M. Hatcher, PhD (Photo: UNC.edu) Among the many controversial actions taken by North Carolina public university leaders since Republicans at the state…
- News & Views
Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy on efforts to locate large ICE detention centers across the country
Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy There’s been no bigger or more controversial national news story in recent weeks than the Trump administration’s unprecedented…
- News & Views
Environmental Defense Fund Policy Director Will Scott on what’s behind rising energy costs
As you’ve no doubt noticed, the first several weeks of 2026 have featured a large complement of wintry and bitterly cold weather and that’s something that’s…
- News & Views
Environmental Defense Fund Policy Director Will Scott on what’s behind rising energy costs
Will Scott, North Carolina Policy Director (Photo: Courtesy EDF) As you’ve no doubt noticed, the first several weeks of 2026 have featured a large complement…
- News & Views
Meech Carter with the NC League of Conservation Voters on rising energy costs and data centers
Meech Carter (Photo: NCLCV) If there’s a most egregious disconnect right now between state and national policy and what reams of scientific evidence and…
- News & Views
Meech Carter with the NC League of Conservation Voters on rising energy costs and data centers
  If there’s a most egregious disconnect right now between state and national policy and what reams of scientific evidence and countless common-sense…
- News & Views
NC Newsline reporter Lynn Bonner on a questionable effort to purge the voter rolls
NC Newsline investigative reporter Lynn Bonner Early voting is already well underway in this year’s primary election that concludes on March 3, but even as…
- News & Views
Professor Michael Bitzer on why North Carolinians are increasingly anxious about the economy
Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history and director of the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service During his 2024 campaign to…
- News & Views
North Carolina small business owners on how tariffs are negatively impacting their bottom line
North Carolina mall business owners Abigail Helberg-Moffitt and Sam Ratto (Courtesy photos) If you celebrated Valentine’s Day over the weekend, chances are you…
- News & Views
Congresswoman Deborah Ross on efforts to place guardrails on Homeland Security and ICE
Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) (Courtesy photo) For those who had hoped the New Year would return a modicum and calm and normalcy to the nation, the past…
- News & Views
Professor Anneliese Mennicke of UNC Charlotte on the debate over academic freedom
Dr. Mennicke is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work (Photo: Charlotte.edu) For close to 90 years, most American universities and their faculty…
- News & Views
Dr. Shannon Schumacher of KFF on the latest national polling results on health care costs
Shannon Schumacher (Courtesy photo) The nation’s persistent affordability crisis continues to leave large majorities of Americans deeply concerned about the…
- News & Views
Pediatrician Dr. Arthur Lavin on the spread of measles in the Carolinas
Dr. Arthur Lavin with the organization Grandparents for Vaccines. One of the most worrisome trends impacting our nation’s public health right now is the spread…
- News & Views
Pediatrician Dr. Arthur Lavin on the spread of measles in the Carolinas
  One of the most worrisome trends impacting our nation’s public health right now is the spread of misinformation about the risks and benefits of…
- News & Views
Veteran political consultant Thomas Mills on the state of North Carolina politics
Veteran political consultant Thomas Mills North Carolina primary election is just weeks away, and it looks like our state will play host to one of the nation’s…
- News & Views
Veteran political consultant Thomas Mills on the state of North Carolina politics
North Carolina primary election is just weeks away, and it looks like our state will play host to one of the nation’s most expensive and important U.S. Senate…
- News & Views
Common Cause NC’s Sailor Jones on voting rights and other front burner election issues in 2026
Sailor Jones, Common Cause North Carolina Executive Director (Courtesy photo) Few organizations have had a larger impact on the honesty, transparency and…
- News & Views
Common Cause NC’s Sailor Jones on voting rights and other front burner election issues in 2026
  Few organizations have had a larger impact on the honesty, transparency and overall health of North Carolina’s government over the few decades than the…
- News & Views
Raul Pinto of the American Immigration Council on the national crisis surrounding immigration policy
  All across the country, ICE and Border Patrol agents have conducted police-state-style raids and other actions that have terrorized communities and…
- News & Views
Raul Pinto of the American Immigration Council on the national crisis surrounding immigration policy
Raul Pinto, Deputy Legal Director at the American Immigration Council All across the country, ICE and Border Patrol agents have conducted police-state-style…
- News & Views
Political scientist David McLennan on the political environment and the pivotal elections in 2026
  The headlines are making clear, big and important debates and actions – especially several controversial actions of the Trump administration and its…
- News & Views
Political scientist David McLennan on the political environment and the pivotal elections in 2026
Meredith College pollster Professor David McLennan (Courtesy photo) The headlines are making clear, big and important debates and actions – especially several…
- News & Views
Bishop William Barber discusses his unifying vision for the nation and reflections on MLK Day
Bishop William Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach and architect of the Forward Together Moral Movement (Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)…
- News & Views
Bishop William Barber discusses his unifying vision for the nation and reflections on MLK Day
  Commemorative services are planned across the state Monday as the nation pauses for a federal holiday in observance of civil rights leader Dr. Martin…
- News & Views
Congresswoman Valerie Foushee on Trump’s takeover of Venezuela and U.S. healthcare affordability
  For those who had hoped the New Year might usher in a period of renewed calm in American policy and politics, this first week has been yet another…
- News & Views
Congresswoman Valerie Foushee on Trump’s takeover of Venezuela and U.S. healthcare affordability
Congresswoman Valerie Foushee For those who had hoped the New Year might usher in a period of renewed calm in American policy and politics, this first week has…
- News & Views
Inside Climate News reporter Lisa Sorg on forever chemicals and top environmental stories of 2025
  As we commence the New Year, few if any subjects raise greater concerns for the wellbeing of Americans than the ongoing global environmental crisis…
- News & Views
Inside Climate News reporter Lisa Sorg on forever chemicals and top environmental stories of 2025
Reporter Lisa Sorg (File photo) As we commence the New Year, few if any subjects raise greater concerns for the wellbeing of Americans than the ongoing global…
- News & Views
Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira on the widespread corporate takeover of residential housing
It’s common knowledge that the nation’s housing market – especially in growing areas like North Carolina – has become prohibitively expensive for millions of…
- News & Views
Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira on the widespread corporate takeover of residential housing
Robbie Sequeira (Courtesy photo) It’s common knowledge that the nation’s housing market – especially in growing areas like North Carolina – has become…
- News & Views
NC State economist and professor Mike Walden on the affordability crisis that’s plaguing the economy
NC State University economist Mike Walden (Photo: NC State University) The rising cost of housing continues to be a huge problem for millions of Americans…
- News & Views
NC State economist and professor Mike Walden on the affordability crisis that’s plaguing the economy
The rising cost of housing continues to be a huge problem for millions of Americans. But, of course, as just about any average person can also confirm, lack of…
- News & Views
For Bowl Season, Elon University’s Jason Husser revisits the changing world of college athletics
Jason Husser (Photo: Elon.edu) Few areas of modern American popular culture have undergone greater or more rapid changes in recent years that college sports…
- News & Views
For Bowl Season, Elon University’s Jason Husser revisits the changing world of college athletics
  Few areas of modern American popular culture have undergone greater or more rapid changes in recent years that college sports. Thanks to a series of…
- News & Views
Sam Hiner of the Young People’s Alliance on efforts to protect young people from evolving technology
In our fast-changing world, few technological developments of recent years have had a bigger impact on young people than the emergence of instant communication…