North Carolinians knew him as Mike Easley, but to those who communicated with the former governor through his newly discovered private e-mail account – from which he conducted state business – he was known by the screen name ‘Nick Danger’ spelled backwards. This is just one revelation contained in depositions from former Easley press aides. Rick Henderson, managing editor of Carolina Journal – one of the plaintiffs in the public records lawsuit from which the depositions arose – assesses the information. Henderson also gives background on the lawsuit and explains what has been learned about the governor’s instructions with respect to inquiries from the John Locke Foundation. Then we turn to the state’s effort to provide affordable insurance coverage for North Carolinians with preexisting conditions. The program, known as Inclusive Health, has been operating for more than a year. Executive Director Michael Keough recently offered a status report for state lawmakers, including the news that more than 2,500 people have enrolled in the plan. You’ll hear highlights from his presentation, along with reaction from Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation director of health care and fiscal policy studies. Next we turn to the war in Afghanistan. The American military has spent more than eight years in Afghanistan. Are military and political leaders taking the steps necessary to win the war? It’s a topic Army First Sgt. HansMarc Hurd addressed during a recent presentation to the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society. Hurd, who works with an Army psychological operations unit based in Garner, contrasts counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts. That’s followed by a look at the future of the state’s health plan. The state of North Carolina needs to find $28 billion to cover unfunded health insurance obligations to state workers and retirees. Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, says the state has done too little to address this unfunded liability. Folwell explains how a failure to act now could generate long-term problems. And finally, John Locke Foundation education analyst Terry Stoops explains the state’s tough charter school standards and reveals what would happen if the charter standards were applied to traditional public schools as well. A good number of those schools would be closed, according to Stoops. He also discusses the continuing resistance from the education establishment to a robust charter school movement.