Many bills are signed into law without huge disagreement between the General Assembly and the governor. But recently, Gov. Pat McCrory has been using his veto pen on several bills passed by fellow Republicans in the legislature. Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson discusses McCrory’s use of the veto and what it could mean for the relationship between the key political leaders who are now negotiating a new General Fund operating budget. Then we turn to health care policy. North Carolina has one of the nation’s most restrictive certificate-of-need laws. Christopher Koopman and Robert Graboyes of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University say the state’s CON law restricts access to health care and raises costs for patients. They say North Carolina could generate better outcomes for health care consumers by scaling back or repealing certificate-of-need rules. Next is an update on the controversial education policy known as Common Core. These public school standards continue to generate debate. During a recent public appearance for a coastal taxpayers’ group, John Locke Foundation director of research and education studies Terry Stoops offered an update on some of the latest disturbing news surrounding Common Core. That’s followed by a fascinating look at history. The 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War has generated plenty of scholarship about battles, generals, politics, and policy. Sean Scott, visiting assistant professor of history at Christopher Newport University, focuses instead on the role of religion within Civil War-era society. Scott shares details from his book “A Visitation of God.” And finally, John Locke Foundation Director of Legal Studies, Jon Guze, explains how a North Carolina law known as the Map Act is having devastating impacts on some property owners. He discusses how the Department of Transportation uses the law to prohibit development for decades without compensating landowners, which is key to his view that the law should be repealed.