News
National FFA Week: State leaders recognize NC’s future farmers
State leaders speak to the importance of the state FFA program during National FFA week.
News
RFK Jr. and allies challenge two-party system in North Carolina elections
RFK Jr. is still campaigning for president in the 2024 election, but he’s now running under the We The People political party in North Carolina.
Video
The Debrief: Early Voting, Trump Endorsements, Crime in Schools
This week on The Debrief: Google’s AI image generator goes viral for all the wrong reasons, the first week of early voting is underway, who’s who in Trump endorsements, and an alarming report shows spikes in school violence. Plus, are campaign debates dead?
News
State’s highest court wrestles again with Leandro education funding issues
The North Carolina Supreme Court could decide in the coming months whether to strike the most recent decisions about court-ordered education funding in the 30-year legal battle commonly known as Leandro. All seven justices spent 80 minutes Thursday morning listening to and questioning lawyers who defended and opposed an April 2023 trial court order calling for $677 million in additional state funding.
News
North Carolina No. 4 for inbound migration amid housing crisis
North Carolina is in the top five states inbound migration, amid an affordable housing crisis. Where will everyone live?
News
Budd, Tillis urge limit of imported Mexican rebar that threaten jobs in NC & US
North Carolina Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis are urging top U.S. officials to immediately limit the volume of Mexican steel concrete reinforcing bar or rebar being
Opinion
Opinion
Worth celebrating: NC’s drug overdose deaths have plummeted
This is all great news showing real progress. But we shouldn't let our guard down or stop trying to reduce the number of overdose deaths in our communities to zero.
Opinion
Other states should copy NC’s model labor policy
A new proposal urges states to enact restrictive “sectoral bargaining” laws. These states should instead look at what pro-choice labor policies can do.
Opinion
Oct. 15 tax extension deadline is here: A reminder we need simpler filings
A disproportionate share of the tax complexity that North Carolinians face is tied to small business and self-employment. Sole proprietors, independent contractors, and family business owners must track their own income and expenses.
Opinion
Federalist 41: General view of powers conferred by Constitution
Next to the effectual establishment of the Union, the best possible precaution against danger from standing armies is a limitation of the term for which revenue may be appropriated to their support.
Elections
News
2024 in review: A year of civic engagement in NC
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.
News
Trump nominates Bishop to be deputy director for budget at OMB
"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."
News
Democrats want federal court to address GOP challenge of 60,000 NC ballots
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.
News
Griffin asks Appeals Court to order decision on election protests by Tuesday
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.
News
Federal judge allows challenge of 225,000 NC voter registrations to move forward
A federal judge will allow state and national Republican groups to move forward with their lawsuit challenging 225,000 voter registrations in North Carolina. An order issued Friday denied requests from the State Board of Elections and Democratic National Committee to have the case dismissed.
Videos
Video
The REAL Cost of Tariffs for North Carolina Farmers
How are tariffs affecting North Carolina farmers? The Sharp family explains how lost export markets, rising costs, and supply-chain disruptions are putting pressure on their multigenerational farm. This video is part of a four-part investigative series (see parts one, two, and four).
Video
CaptiveAire president, Robert Luddy: ‘Tariffs are devastating to economic growth’
As part of a four-part investigative series (see parts two, three, and four), CaptiveAire founder and president Bob Luddy discusses how tariffs have affected his commercial HVAC manufacturing company and the broader business community. Luddy says CaptiveAire is spending roughly $15 million annually on tariffs, largely on internationally sourced components such as motors, compressors, electronics,...
Video
Coastal small business owner talks tariffs, retail, comparative advantage
Danny Batten, owner of outdoor retailer Surf, Wind, & Fire, which has locations in both New Bern and Edenton, spoke on a panel for the John Locke Foundation about the impact of tariffs on his small business and comparative advantage. This video is part of a four-part investigative series (see parts one, three, and four).
Video
G20 In Asheville + New Medicaid Work And Renewal Requirements
This week on The Debrief, the world comes to Asheville as G20 finance leaders gather to confront Iran, global trade, debt, and economic growth. We examine new Medicaid work and renewal requirements that could affect hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians and the legal fight pitting North Carolina against the Trump administration’s tariffs. Plus, an...
Video
Locke’s Jeff Moore discusses CON’s impact on NC healthcare costs
Jeff Moore, John Locke Foundation vice president of communications, discusses the negative impact of North Carolina’s certificate-of-need law on state healthcare costs. Moore offered these comments during the Aug. 28, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Culture
News
BBQ restaurant abandons Durham expansion after backlash over beliefs
Dampf Good BBQ scrapped its Durham expansion plans amid backlash over the owners’ Christian beliefs.
Opinion
What socialists almost get right
Despite the appeal of socialist comradery, people should find community in voluntary associations which pursue non-coercive means of social betterment.
Opinion
The impulse to back the weaker party, no matter what
Many have absorbed a view that the poor, the weak, and the downtrodden are pure of heart and should be presumed to be in the right; and the rich, the strong, and the ones imposing their will should be presumed to be in the wrong.
Opinion
Fertility is a valid policy concern
Human flourishing requires a political culture that nurtures freedom and a civic culture that nurtures family and fertility.
Civil Society
Opinion
Civil discourse and the art of disagreement
To restore healthy public discourse, each of us must become better listeners. Civil discourse is not a competition with winners and losers; it is a deliberate and respectful exchange of ideas.
Opinion
A post-Thanksgiving reflection on gratitude over grievance
Outrage won’t solve our problems. And it won’t prepare us for tomorrow. What is needed now is a sense of redemption and reasons to feel hopeful.
Opinion
The importance of civic engagement 250 years after the founding
What YMCA's Youth and Government program is doing is remarkable. This year’s conference garnered interest from NC state legislators, mayors, policy analysts, and state officials.
Opinion
Institute fosters stronger public leadership
Times change. When we introduce IOPL to potential fellows, partners, and donors, some hear the word “political” and think “toxic,” or at least “partisan.”
Opinion
NC leaders champion post-election unity through ‘Civic Saturdays’
Like a faith gathering, it incorporated music, fellowship, shared meals, and thoughtful discourse — but with democracy as its central theme.