Top N.C. legislative leaders are renewing their plea for a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the state’s abortion pill restrictions. Legislators’ attorneys responded Friday to arguments from lawsuit plaintiffs.
A business owner from North Carolina can move forward with his lawsuit seeking a 10-year-old federal tax refund. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected government objections Friday and ruled that the case of Stephen Pond v. United States can proceed. At the same time, the court ruled that Pond cannot rely on a “common-law mailbox rule” to boost his case.
Since Monday, criticism of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has escalated after his decision to formally declare a state of emergency over an education bill with which he disagrees. Cooper, a longtime opponent of school choice, released a video statement Monday declaring a “State of Emergency.” However, the governor said he would not be filing...
If the bad reviews weren’t enough, now comes word of VinFast’s recall of all 999 vehicles sent to the U.S. due to safety concerns. The Vietnamese-based electric vehicle maker wants to build a $4 billion EV production plant in Chatham County.
A split N.C. Court of Appeals panel has granted the state Department of Transportation’s request to step into a vendor contract dispute. Appellate judges issued an order Thursday blocking a trial judge’s ruling that would have forced DOT to change vendors. The contract covers the state’s electronic lien and titling system.
Generally, this Friday column is about something outrageous. This one is more just a call for caution as North Carolina is likely poised to open the door to medicinal marijuana next week. As we do so, it will be important to consider the experiences of other states and the latest research on the mental health...
A new bill in the North Carolina Senate could pave the way for more nuclear power in the Tar Heel State. As the threat of climate change hovers over us, supporting this legislation is more important than ever for environmentally minded North Carolinians. Senate Bill 678 would revise existing state laws that require utility companies...
Many of us fondly remember the days when Main Street was bustling with a vibrant, localized economy. Small businesses flourished, creating jobs and driving growth that directly supported our communities. A quintessential feature of these towns was the presence of a local pharmacy, serving as the heart of Main Street. However, in recent times, the...
The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on April 28 that partisan gerrymandering claims were “nonjusticiable, political questions” and ordered the General Assembly to redraw the state’s House, Senate, and congressional maps. The legislature will take up that task later this year. With the threat of a (successful) political gerrymandering lawsuit largely behind them, how should...
The former chair of the Wake County GOP announced his candidacy for North Carolina Secretary of State on the Republican ticket.
Over the weekend, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker of Greensboro officially joined the race for the Republican nomination for N.C. governor. Walker’s announcement makes him the third candidate in the primary race, with Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and N.C. Treasurer Dale Folwell already in.
That means North Carolina’s lone 2024 state Supreme Court election will be an open race.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson comes out swinging in a hypothetical primary GOP race for governor. In a Civitas poll done by Survey USA, Robinson blows away the competition with 43% of the vote, compared to former Congressman Mark Walker, who got 9%, followed by State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler at 8%, and State Treasurer Dale Folwell coming in last place with 4%.
In a much-anticipated rally at Ace Speedway in Elon, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson declared his candidacy for governor of N.C., joining N.C. State Treasurer Dale Folwell in the Republican primary field.
John Locke Foundation President Donald Bryson discusses new Civitas Poll results focusing on North Carolina’s 2024 governor’s race. Bryson offered these comments for a May 25, 2023, report on WNCN (CBS17).
This week on The Debrief: The N.C. Senate kicked off the week presenting its version of the state budget and wrapped the week giving it bipartisan passage. The state legislature also voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of SB 20, a measure restricting abortion in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Within minutes,...
Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg, presents House Bill 823 to colleagues on the House floor. The bill is titled “Choose Your School, Choose Your Future.” Cotham offered these comments on May 17, 2023. Video courtesy of ncleg.gov.
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses Gov. Roy Cooper’s campaign to convince Republican legislators to flip their votes on an abortion bill. Kokai offered these comments during the May 12, 2023, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
This week on The Debrief: Gov. Roy Cooper launched a pressure campaign this week, targeting four Republican lawmakers in swing districts, but it does not seem to be going as planned. The NCGOP announced its speaker lineup for June’s party convention in Greensboro. Former President Donald Trump, former VP Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron...
The suicide rate for youths between the ages of 10- and 17-years-old reached the highest in two decades in 2021 in North Carolina, according to a new report from the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force.
On Tuesday, an ACLU North Carolina lobbyist, Kristie Puckett Williams, made graphic, sexually harassing comments to conservative radio host Pete Kaliner during a Twitter discussion regarding N.C. Senate Bill 49, the Parents' Bill of Rights. Puckett Williams, Deputy Director of Engagement at the ACLU of N.C., tweeted at Kaliner criticizing his support of the bill and used more graphic directions for performing sexual acts.
An anti-trust lawsuit was filed this week against legacy media giants and big tech companies for their collusive agreement to shut down anti-vaccine coverage during the height of the COVID pandemic. Associated Press, Reuters, BBC, Washington Post, Meta, Microsoft, and Google censored coverage questioning the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines.
portrait. On a wide range of metrics, young people today report feeling worse off than their counterparts a decade ago, underscoring the impacts of the pandemic and shifting cultural winds.
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses the New York Times’ column warning about America’s “free-speech problem.” Kokai offered these comments during the March 25, 2022, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “Front Row with Marc Rotterman.”
Canadian professor, author, and psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson on Thursday offered a non-political and largely academic lecture on the psychology of beauty, dreams, and purpose. The reaction from city officials and activists to the address at the Durham Performing Arts Center was night-and-day from the one leading up to his appearance four years earlier. It...
As the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine continues to escalate, North Carolina’s local Ukrainian population is rallying to bring attention to the suffering of people in their homeland and to gather supplies to help them. Donna Goldstein, co-president of the Ukrainian Association of North Carolina, finds herself at the forefront of these efforts. Goldstein has...
The fourth estate, journalism, is racing to receivership unless we can rescue it from its rapacious self. The hubris hasn’t always been this bad, this blatant, or this biased, yet it worsens daily. In the town I grew up in, Nashville, Tennessee, there were two newspapers in the 1950s and 1960s, one for the morning,...
One of the goals within our cultural wars is to push Christmas aside, to make even more room for divisive politicized agendas that tear us apart.