NC Newsline podcast

#News #Politics #NC Newsline #NC Policy Watch

30:54

NC Newsline

Series home•Feed

Stories and voices that matter

164 episodes

NC Newsline

updated about 7 hours ago

Series home•Feed

Stories and voices that matter

164 episodes

#News #Politics #NC Newsline #NC Policy Watch

All episodes

NC Newsline

1
All Americans – especially elected leaders – must disavow political violence 1:05

7 hours ago1:05

1:05

These are passionately divided times in our country. And at such a moment, it’s imperative that all Americans – and especially our elected leaders – disavow violence or even the appearance of endorsing it. And it’s in light of this that Wake County State Rep. Julie von Haefen was clearly in error recently for briefly posting an image on social media of a protester’s sign that portrayed a guillotine and a head resembling President Trump. To her credit, though, von Haefen quickly realized her mistake, took down the image, and publicly apologized. Would that the conservative politicians attacking her in the aftermath of the incident would do likewise. Indeed, that should start with Trump himself, who both as a candidate and president, has made violent imagery and threats targeting his opponents a central part of his speeches for years. The bottom line: Emotions can run high in politics and sometimes people get carried away. Rep. von Haefen learned this lesson the hard way. Her honest admission and pledge to do better should inspire leaders of all parties to follow suit. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Military vets: We swore an oath to the Constitution, not to Trump 1:05

1 day ago1:05

1:05

One of the most disturbing developments of the second Trump administration has been the President’s clear effort to encourage U.S. military service members to endorse his political views and exhibit loyalty to him personally. This pattern was on display last week at Fort Bragg where Trump inappropriately sought to engage the troops in booing former President Biden and other elected leaders. This represents a deeply troubling break with 250 years of well-established law and tradition in which servicemembers swear loyalty to the Constitution – not any individual. Fortunately, many veterans of all parties and persuasions are forcefully pushing back. Many were in attendance across the nation at last Saturday’s “No Kings” events where they loudly, proudly and repeatedly rejected Trump’s offensive impersonation of a would-be autocrat. The bottom line: the United States is a nation of laws that no individual is above. And try as he might, our veterans have made clear this is not a principle that Donald Trump should or will succeed in destroying. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Stein must veto concealed handgun bill 1:05

2 days ago1:05

1:05

The first months of North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein’s administration have been marked by a striking lack of hostility and conflict. To his credit, Stein has worked diligently to build bridges and find common ground with Republicans – both in Raleigh and Washington. He’s yet to veto a bill. Unfortunately, this move toward the center has won little reciprocation from the GOP and this fact is evidenced in a bill approved by the General Assembly last week. Senate Bill 50 would, with few exceptions, allow any person in the state 18 and older to carry a concealed weapon without a permit of any kind. Yes — you heard that right. Under the bill, most high school seniors would be entitled to carry a loaded, hidden handgun virtually anywhere they choose. No training of any kind would be required. And you really can’t make this up. The bottom line: The bill was approved by a large margin, but there were enough ‘no’ votes to indicate lawmakers can sustain a gubernatorial veto. Gov. Stein should issue such a veto and work to make it stick. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Common Cause of NC policy director Ann Webb on the latest gerrymandering trial 10:23

3 days ago10:23

10:23

Gerrymandering: it refuses to go away. Despite widespread and growing public awareness and outrage, North Carolina Republican lawmakers continue to use it to rig our state’s elections by drawing districts guaranteed to give themselves large majorities and dilute the power of Black voters. Fortunately, voting rights advocates and good government groups are refusing to give up in their efforts to end this pernicious practice and this week, they’ll be back in federal court in Winston-Salem. The case is known as Williams v. Hall and in it, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice is challenging North Carolina’s 2023 congressional and state legislative voting maps on behalf of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, Common Cause, and eight individual voters. And recently, Newsline sat down with Common Cause policy director Ann Webb to learn more. Click here to listen to the full interview with Ann Webb.…

NC Newsline

1
George Washington University Professor Sara Rosenbaum on Medicaid work requirements 17:18

3 days ago17:18

17:18

One of the more remarkable facts about some of the policies that state and federal lawmakers adopt for public benefit programs these days is that they’re based not on facts or data, or the money and lives saved, but on gut feelings about the worthiness of the people who would be helped. Nowhere is this better evidenced than in the ongoing effort in Congress to mandate work requirements for low-income people enrolled in the Medicaid health insurance program. The massive budget and tax bill passed by the U.S. House in late May would mandate just such a requirement – and this was in spite of mounds of research showing that work requirements are costly, ineffective, and in many instances, downright cruel. One expert who conducted that research is Sara Rosenbaum – she’s the Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor Emerita of Health Law and Policy at the George Washington University – and recently Newsline caught up with her to learn more. Click here to listen to the full interview with Sara Rosenbaum.…

NC Newsline

1
Dr. Helen Egger and her daughter Rebecca Egger discuss NC’s youth mental health crisis 14:26

3 days ago14:26

14:26

One of the most vexing societal problems of the modern, social media-driven era is the ongoing crisis in youth mental health. The latest data on the number of children who suffer from depression and other symptoms – and who even contemplate or attempt suicide – are staggering. Happily, a small ray of light in this dark situation is the promising growth of new tools to provide online mental health care from a new firm known as Little Otter offering coverage for virtual mental health care for children and their families, which now accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina insurance. And recently, Newsline’s Rob Schofield caught up with the women behind the initiative – Duke University child psychiatrist Dr. Helen Egger and her daughter, Little Otter CEO and co-founder, Rebecca Egger. Click here to listen to the full interview with Helen and Rebecca Egger.…

NC Newsline

1
Science is on the federal chopping block and North Carolinians will suffer 1:04

3 days ago1:04

1:04

Americans have long maintained a healthy instinct to be skeptics. We pride ourselves on demanding proof. Unfortunately, in recent years, the explosion of social media in which every person has a public platform has allowed this natural skepticism to fuel a situation in which distinctly unscientific conspiracy theories get way too much attention. And this, tragically, has led millions of people to waiver in their faith in science. This trend is on display right now in Washington where federal budget writers are planning to slash scientific research funding at a time in which the need in numerous realms — like combating disease and developing clean energy – has never been greater. Here in And that would be a terrible mistake. The bottom line: Science — genuine science — is the ultimate expression of a skepticism-based search for the truth. By forsaking it, we head down a very dangerous road indeed. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Secrecy of immigration control actions is frighteningly un-American 1:05

6 days ago1:05

1:05

As long as the United States is going to maintain immigration laws, it’s a given that unauthorized people will be subject to arrest and deportation. This fact is not terribly controversial. That said, there should be enormous controversy over the way federal officials are now carrying out this work. Simply put: we don’t have secret police in the United States. Or at least we shouldn’t. Unfortunately, it’s hard to describe Trump administration immigration enforcement actions in any other way. Time and again in recent months – here in North Carolina and around the nation — masked individuals in unmarked vehicles have swooped in and spirited people away to undisclosed locations. And whatever the alleged status or crime of these arrested people – this is just plain wrong and un-American. The bottom line: It’s a fundamental premise of the U.S. Constitution that no person in our country can be deprived of liberty without due process. When government starts evading this guarantee – even for non-citizens — it places all of our freedoms in grave jeopardy. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
New and damning school voucher data confirm worst fears 1:05

7 days ago1:05

1:05

Ever since North Carolina legislators established the so-called “Opportunity Scholarships” school voucher program, sponsors and proponents have pitched it as a means of helping low-income students escape struggling public schools. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, a new report from the Department of Public Instruction shows that this was all baloney. The DPI researchers found that just sixty-seven hundred of the state’s eighty-thousand-plus vouchers in the current school year went to students who had attended a North Carolina public school in the prior year. And while the data for kindergartners were not yet available, it’s clear that as much as ninety percent or more of new vouchers in 24-25 were for students who have never attended a public school. In other words, the vast majority of voucher money is going to parents – most of them well-off – who never had any intention of sending their kids to public schools. The bottom line: School vouchers in our state have nothing to do with quote “opportunity” and everything to do with undermining and privatizing public education. Other explanations are simply false. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Coverage of weight-loss drugs should be a no-brainer for state’s Medicaid program 1:04

8 days ago1:04

1:04

If North Carolinians lived in a perfect world, everyone would have easy access to plenty of healthy and affordable food, the self-control to resist junk food, and genes that would let them stay active, trim and fit throughout their lives. Unfortunately, we don’t live in such a world. And it’s in light of this that it was a no-brainer for state Health and Human Services officials to make prescriptions for weight-loss drugs a covered expense under the state Medicaid program. As Jonathan Ray – a Charlotte physician assistant – wrote in a recent essay for NC Newsline, these medicines have helped thousands upon thousands of people to achieve significant weight loss, improve their metabolic health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately, recent actions by state legislative leaders could end the funding for these essential medications. The bottom line: In the imperfect world we inhabit, weight-loss drugs save health, lives and money. It would be cruel and foolish to end Medicaid coverage for these essential medicines. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Gov. Stein’s cannabis initiative is welcome, overdue 1:04

9 days ago1:04

1:04

If ever there was a once controversial issue in modern society that has since become a settled matter, it is the question of cannabis legalization. While there’s no doubt that cannabis – that is, marijuana and THC products – raises important public health challenges, it’s also clear that this cow is not going back in the barn. Indeed, with cannabis possession and sales now fully legal for most Americans, it’s absurd and unjust that a few states, including North Carolina, still criminalize possession – even for medical purposes. And it’s in light of this simple truth that Gov. Josh Stein’s recent decision to establish a new task force on the subject is a welcome and overdue step. As Stein notes, the current system that criminalizes some products and leaves other similar ones totally unregulated makes no sense. The bottom line: It’s long past time for North Carolina to legalize cannabis. But it’s also essential that legalization occur in a way that protects consumers – particularly kids – and public health. Let’s hope Stein’s task force helps make it happen. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Rep. Julie von Haefen on why both competing state budget proposals at the legislature come up short 14:08

10 days ago14:08

14:08

Well summer is here and with its arrival, the end of the state fiscal year will soon follow, and that means North Carolina legislators are under some pressure to pass a new state budget. Right now, however, despite complete Republican control of both the Senate and House, the two chambers remain far apart and that could portend a long hot summer at the Legislative Building. So, what’s at the heart of the dispute and where do both budget proposals come up short? Recently to get a handle on these issues, how lawmakers got in this fix, and why the state might be better off if they listened for a change to some different voices, Newsline’s Rob Schofield caught up with a Wake County lawmaker who’s spent the better part of seven years trying to get her colleagues to open their minds to some new ideas, State Rep. Julie von Haefen. Click here to listen to the full interview with Rep. Julie von Haefen.…

NC Newsline

1
Consumer Fed. of America Director of Financial Services Adam Rust on the national watchdog CFPB 14:15

10 days ago14:15

14:15

A decade-and-a-half ago in the aftermath of the Great Recession and the financial crisis that sparked it, consumer advocates in North Carolina and around the country succeeded in spurring the creation of a new federal government watchdog known as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In the years since, the CFPB has done prodigious work – winning billions of dollars in refunds for ripped-off homebuyers, student loan borrowers, and banking customers and even putting some predatory lenders out of business. Now, however, the Trump administration and some congressional Republicans are heeding the calls of business lobbyists to gut the agency and recently NC Newsline caught up with Consumer Federation of America Director of Financial Services Adam Rust to find out just what such a move would mean. Click here for the full interview with Adam Rust.…

NC Newsline

1
Amy Beros of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC on hunger and the threat to SNAP benefits 13:21

10 days ago13:21

13:21

One of the greatest scandals in 21st Century America is that hunger – a genuine lack of adequate food — is a huge and fast growing problem for millions of people. In 34 central and eastern North Carolina counties, one-in-five people – that’s well over half-a-million men, women and children – suffers from food insecurity. And sadly, things aren’t going to get better any time soon. Indeed, thanks to Trump administration cuts and more that are planned in Congress and the General Assembly, SNAP food assistance and other parts of our already threadbare and inadequate anti-hunger system will soon experience new, big and devastating cuts that are sure to worsen the problem. Not surprisingly, anti-hunger advocates are speaking up and demanding better and recently Newsline caught up with one such leader – the President and CEO of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina , Amy Beros. Click here to listen to the full interview with Amy Beros. Learn more about donating to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.…

NC Newsline

1
State lawmakers should reconsider plans to end highly successful health program 1:04

10 days ago1:04