In fewer than 18 hours, the debate over House Bill 2 went from impasse to compromise, with Gov. Roy Cooper signing a measure repealing North Carolina’s infamous “bathroom bill.” “Today, our laws are catching up with our [welcoming] people,” Cooper said at a press conference after signing a revised version of House Bill 142, the...
Here’s a recount of the twists and turns of House Bill 2, the infamous “bathroom bill.” 2016 Feb. 23: The Charlotte City Council passes an ordinance adding gay and transgender people to an existing ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, and age to contractors and in public housing...
Stark differences in conservative Republican and liberal Democratic fiscal priorities were clearly on display during a Senate Finance Committee meeting Wednesday at which a $1 billion tax cut package was approved by voice vote. Senate Bill 325 was then forwarded to the Senate Rules Committee, where it was passed Thursday morning, and now heads to...
Senate Bill 155 has taken another step forward and now heads to the Senate Finance Committee. The Senate Committee on Commerce and Insurance approved it Thursday. Committee members spent about 30 minutes debating two proposed amendments, concerning auctioning off antique spirits and a move to ensure local distilleries get a fair chance at offering tastings...
UPDATE, 1:35 p.m. After more than 90 minutes of debate, including rejected motions to delay the vote until Tuesday and to adjourn the session, the House passed the measure, 70-48. Forty Republicans and 30 Democrats supported the bill. Thirty-three Republicans and 15 Democrats voted no. UPDATE, 11:42 a.m. The Senate passed House Bill 142, the...
College is a rare chance to struggle, to think critically, and to build the habits that define a career. If we hand that process over to AI, we are not just cheating the system. We are cheating ourselves.
The program is 100% funded by participants and designated sponsor organizations — with the latter facilitating the program, screening participants, and ensuring the regulations are followed — and does not rely on any taxpayer subsidies or government funding.
Costs for food and everyday goods, which hit NC households the hardest, are showing signs of stabilization, as are energy costs, which often set the pace for consumer prices.
The GENIUS Act didn’t just set federal policy; it ignited the next great wave of American financial innovation. And that wave is breaking first on North Carolina’s shores. On July 15, 2025, just two days before the US House passed the bill and three days before President Trump signed it into law, I met with...
On Wednesday, Dave Boliek was sworn in as the new state auditor of North Carolina and announced his hires for senior staff and says he will start work with an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The year 2024 was marked by significant developments across politics, the economy, education, and energy in North Carolina. As one of the nation’s most dynamic and closely watched states, it played a pivotal role in shaping regional and national conversations.
"Dan has been a tireless fighter for our MAGA Movement in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees," Trump said in a press release issued Tuesday night. "Dan will implement my cost-cutting and deregulatory agenda across all Agencies, and root out the Weaponized Deep State."
The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a lawsuit Friday to ensure challenges of 60,000 ballots in the state's latest election are addressed in federal court. Republicans filed the challenges with the State Board of Elections. The challenges could affect the outcome of the state Supreme Court race between Democrat Allison Riggs and Jefferson Griffin, along with a handful of state legislative contests.
Republican North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin is turning to North Carolina’s second-highest court for an order that would force state election officials to make a final decision about Griffin’s election protests Tuesday. The State Board of Elections had planned to hear oral arguments about the protests the following day, according to a document Griffin filed Friday with the state Court of Appeals.
Donald Bryson, John Locke Foundation CEO and Carolina Journal publisher, discusses a key finding in the November 2025 Carolina Journal Poll. Bryson offered these comments during a Nov. 13, 2025, interview with WCNC.
Voters in many North Carolina cities made their choices this week in municipal elections. We recap the top results and look at some of the major voting decisions across the nation. Then we turn attention to a national story with major North Carolina implications: the future of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The nation’s highest court...
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joining Democratic counterparts in other states in a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration. It focuses on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Kokai offered these comments during the Oct. 31, 2025, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Donald Bryson, John Locke Foundation CEO and Carolina Journal publisher, discusses the US Supreme Court case addressing President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs. Locke filed a joint amicus brief challenging the constitutionality of emergency tariffs. Bryson offered these comments during the Oct. 28, 2025, episode of Spectrum News’ “Capital Tonight.”
Donna King, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses the North Carolina General Assembly’s plans to redraw the state’s congressional election map. King offered these comments during the Oct. 17, 2025, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
The 2025 NC State Fair drew nearly a million visitors, mixing classic attractions, new food trends, and celebrity buzz over its 11-day run.
If the right fails to police their side and lets it be conquered by white nationalism and conspiracy madness, we will be dragged down the same way the left has been by "woke." And we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.
An NC State paleontologist discovered definitive proof that the Nanotyrannus is indeed its own species of dinosaur.
Despite progress, there is still so much work ahead. NC consistently ranks among the top 10 states in the nation for reported human-trafficking cases.
Times change. When we introduce IOPL to potential fellows, partners, and donors, some hear the word “political” and think “toxic,” or at least “partisan.”
Like a faith gathering, it incorporated music, fellowship, shared meals, and thoughtful discourse — but with democracy as its central theme.
Political and cultural causes are important. They motivate us to make the world around us better and hone our sense of justice. Also, the excitement of fighting the good fight can be, for lack of a better word, fun. But everything has its time and place. And even if we think a particular political issue...
On Good Friday state offices will be closed in North Carolina for Holy Week, along with 10 other states. However, that has not always been the case in North Carolina. The Monday after Easter — rather than Good Friday — was a legal holiday in North Carolina for 52 years, and for many years before...
Donna King, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses Disney’s controversial programming changes. King offered these comments during the April 8, 2022, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “Front Row with Marc Rotterman.”