The Bottom Line From NC Newsline podcast

#News #Daily News #Politics #News Talk #NC Newsline #NC Policy Watch

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The Bottom Line from NC Newsline

maison des série•Feed

Every weekday, NC Newsline editor and veteran North Carolina policy observer Rob Schofield offers a 60-second take on the key policy issues that impact North Carolinians.

100 episodes

The Bottom Line from NC Newsline

updated il y a un an

maison des série•Feed

Every weekday, NC Newsline editor and veteran North Carolina policy observer Rob Schofield offers a 60-second take on the key policy issues that impact North Carolinians.

100 episodes

#News #Daily News #Politics #News Talk #NC Newsline #NC Policy Watch

Tous les épisodes

1
Legislature bears responsibility for impending teacher and state employee premium hikes 1:04

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North Carolina General Assembly (File Photo) North Carolina public school teachers and state employees are badly underpaid. The chief cause: repeated and regressive tax cuts enacted by Republican legislators that have caused state revenues (as a share of the economy) to plummet over the past 15 years. Today, even states like Alabama and Mississippi do a better job of funding government. Amazingly, however, the situation is about to get worse. Thanks to the legislature’s ongoing failure to appropriate adequate funds and to require transparency in the contracts the State Health Plan negotiates with insurers and providers, the plan has a half-billion dollar deficit. And last week, plan trustees said they would impose sizable new premium hikes on enrollees of hundreds of dollars per year to close the gap. And this is simply wrong. The bottom line: the planned State Health Plan premium hikes are just the latest example of how our state legislature continues to wage an ideological war on public employees and, ultimately, the public services on which we all should have a right to depend. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Hegseth’s revival of Fort Bragg name is too clever by half 1:05

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signs a memorandum to rename Fort Liberty, N.C., to Fort Roland L. Bragg, while aboard a military aircraft en route to Germany, Feb. 10, 2025. Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, DOD The Trump administration is making a mockery of a well-designed system the U.S. government has long employed for naming important places for historical figures. The latest example: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s too-clever-by-half move to rename North Carolina’s Fort Liberty Army base as Fort Bragg. The name was changed from Bragg to Liberty just a couple years back at the conclusion of a long overdue process designed to end the practice of honoring officers of the Confederacy like General Braxton Bragg who took up arms against the U.S. during the Civil War. Unfortunately, such processes and values don’t mean anything to Trump and Hegseth so they’ve revived the name Bragg, while claiming it now honors a World War II private with the same surname. Please. What’s next? A base named after a Korean War marine named Robert E. Lee? The bottom line: Hegseth can cloak the move however he likes, but its true purpose as another attack on racial justice and basic norms of democratic governance is patently obvious. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Experts to legislature: Please fund our public schools 1:05

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Photo: Getty Images The more state legislators avert their eyes and ears and pretend not to notice, the more that North Carolina public education experts continue to issue new and urgent pleas to adequately fund our public schools. Two of the most important voices weighed in with new entreaties in just the last few days. Both the Public School Forum of North Carolina and the state Board of Education released short and to-the-point lists of priorities for the 2025 General Assembly. Their requests: Fund schools adequately and equitably Dramatically improve the state’s near lowest-in-the-nation teacher pay Rebuild crumbling school facilities Address the crisis in student mental health and wellbeing Modernize the state’s system for assessing schools, and Demand accountability from taxpayer subsidized private schools. The bottom line: GOP state legislative leaders are willfully and destructively starving our public schools even as they heap mounds of cash on unaccountable private voucher schools. It’s essential that they reverse course before the damage becomes irreversible. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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NC legislature should stay in its own lane 1:05

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Attorney General Jeff Jackson said he joined a legal challenge to the federal funding freeze out of concern for “widespread and immediate damage” to North Carolinians. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar) After having successfully gerrymandered their way to complete control of the state legislature over the last 15 years, you’d think North Carolina Republican lawmakers would be sure enough of themselves to at least occasionally countenance other voices. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. The latest ridiculous example: a bill introduced last week that would effectively prevent the state’s attorney general from doing their job — serving as North Carolina’s top lawyer. Under the legislation — which is aimed at current AG Jeff Jackson for daring to question some of President Trump’s recent unconstitutional edicts — attorneys general would be barred forever from making an argument in any lawsuit that challenges a presidential executive order or any act of the legislature. Think they’d push such a bill if the attorney general was a Republican? The bottom line: The attorney general is elected by all the people of the state and sworn to enforce the constitution to the best of their ability. By attempting to silence and micromanage this important constitutional officer, lawmakers have set a new low for partisan and power-hungry vindictiveness. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Throwing gas on a fire: GOP lawmakers look to worsen our state’s gun violence crisis 1:05

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(Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor) Gun violence is an epidemic in our society that kills almost 50,000 Americans every year, including close to 2,000 in North Carolina alone. Last year, the U.S. experienced more than 500 mass shootings. No other modern nation comes even close to these frightening rates. And yet, amazingly, over at the North Carolina General Assembly, Republican state legislative leaders seem bent on doing everything they can to make the situation even worse. In recent days, they’ve introduced multiple bills that would allow anyone 18 or older to carry a concealed weapon without any kind of training or permit. Yes, you heard that right. The bills would make it perfectly legal for a high schooler (someone who can’t legally buy a beer) to obtain and carry a concealed handgun in public — at the grocery store, in a movie theater, or just walking down the street — with no rules whatsoever. And you really can’t make this up. The bottom line: America’s gun violence crisis is a rapidly growing wildfire, that Republican lawmakers are preparing to douse with gasoline. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Terrorizing innocent schoolchildren 1:05

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Photo: Getty Images/istock The Trump administration’s new and ham-handed anti-immigration policies are terrorizing innocent kids and disrupting our schools. In numerous places, U.S. citizen children who’ve lived here their entire lives go to school each day fearing their non-citizen parents may not be at home when the school day ends. As NC Newsline reported this week, teachers and parents in Cabarrus and Durham Counties say worries about the crackdown are causing big problems in their communities. One Cabarrus County middle schooler even asked his teacher quote “if ICE comes to school, can I jump out of the window and run?” And needless to say, when children come to school this fearful, it’s disruptive to the entire school. One Durham mom described her children’s school not as the safe place it should be, but as a place of worry and anxiety. The bottom line: The U.S. needs comprehensive immigration law reform now that provides a pathway out of the shadows for millions of good people. The Trump plan to rely on mass deportation and terror is a cruel and un-American strategy that will ultimately prove futile. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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NC conservative group embarrasses with fawning treatment of pardoned insurrectionist 1:04

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Trump Supporters Hold "Stop The Steal" Rally In DC Amid Ratification Of Presidential Election. (Photo: Getty Images/Brent Stirton) As 82nd Airborne veteran Scott Peoples put it in a recent op-ed for NC Newsline, President Trump’s decision to pardon participants in the deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection — even those who violently assaulted police officers — was a low point in the history of the American presidency. Even many conservative Trump supporters were appalled. Sadly, however, one prominent conservative voice in North Carolina — a group that calls itself independent and libertarian — has thrown in with the rioters. In a fawning article in its newsletter, the Carolina Journal, the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation, allowed one of the violent leaders of the assault — a North Carolina man who was later arrested for driving while impaired while on pre-trial release and found to be transporting an assault rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition — to portray himself as a victim and defender of quote “freedom.” The bottom line: The insurrectionists who violently invaded our Capitol were not heroes but criminals. And as with Trump’s pardons, those who promote their lies and delusions help undermine all of our freedoms. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Stein, lawmakers should move quickly to tie off the work of Rebuild NC 1:05

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Pryor Gibson, interim director of ReBuild NC, testifies in front of North Carolina lawmakers on the state of the hurricane homebuilding program on Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) One of Gov. Josh Stein’s best actions since taking office was to make rebuilding hurricane ravaged western North Carolina a top priority, and putting a new office with new leaders in charge. Unfortunately, as NC Newsline reported repeatedly in recent years, the state’s previous disaster recovery office — known as NCORR or Rebuild NC — chalked up a mostly abysmal record in responding to Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Last week, Rebuild NC boss Pryor Gibson told state lawmakers his agency needs a new infusion of more than two hundred million dollars to complete work on hundreds of homes that, maddeningly, remain unrepaired after nearly a decade. Not surprisingly, lawmakers were angered and let Gibson know. Unfortunately, they have little choice but to provide the funds. The bottom line: Rebuild NC’s disaster response work has, itself, been a disaster. Gov. Stein and lawmakers should provide the necessary funds and then see that it quickly completes its work and stays the heck out of western North Carolina. After that, they should see that the agency is disbanded as soon as possible. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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GOP Supreme Court candidate remains in hiding while assaulting our democracy 1:05

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Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin (File photo) Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin is seeking one of the most important and powerful public offices in North Carolina — a seat on the state Supreme Court. He’s also taken the extraordinary step of trying to overturn the election he lost for that seat last November by having more than 60,000 ballots thrown out. Thanks to his actions, North Carolina is once again in a negative national spotlight. And yet, despite having unleashed an enormous controversy that many nonpartisan experts say poses a serious threat to the sanctity of U.S. elections, and indeed, our democracy itself, Griffin is nowhere to be seen or found. Unlike the opponent who defeated him, incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, who has addressed Griffin’s actions openly and publicly, Griffin has remained in the shadows, hiding behind the excuse that he can’t discuss the controversy while it’s in litigation. And that in a word, is baloney. The bottom line: Judge Griffin is attempting an unprecedented action to disenfranchise 60,000 of his fellow citizens. The least he could do is have the guts to stand behind it in public. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Trump: irresponsibly playing games with people’s lives and livelihoods 1:05

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President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Throughout 2024, Democrats and many Republicans warned that if Donald Trump got back in the White House, he would debase the presidency by seeking personal vengeance on enemies, empowering unqualified toadies to lead important public agencies, and issuing half-baked edicts that ignored established law and common sense. Now, after less than two weeks since his inauguration, these fears are being realized. The latest unlawful and irresponsible act: Trump’s crudely drafted order (later rescinded) that would have frozen federal spending on trillions of dollars in grants and loans. North Carolina stood to lose billions. Not only are these funds essential to thousands of core public functions — from emergency relief to cancer research — they fund tens of thousands of jobs and play a huge role in our economy. The bottom line: Donald Trump may act as if it’s the case, but leading the U.S. government is different than being the boss of a seedy and predatory casino. In the freeze order and other similar acts, Trump is callously and recklessly endangering the lives and livelihoods of millions. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Once again, Sen. Thom Tillis threatens to do the right thing…and then chickens out 1:05

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Sen. Thom Tillis (File Photo: Screengrab from C-Span) North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has a longstanding reputation for giving hints he’ll do the right thing on important issues and then, when the chips are down, chickening out and caving into pressure from the far right. Sadly, it happened again last week as the Senate considered the nomination of Fox News talking head Pete Hegseth, to lead the Department of Defense. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Tillis assured Hegseth’s former sister-in-law that that if she signed a statement testifying that she believed her former brother-in-law has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his second wife, it would lead him and two other GOP senators to vote ‘no’ and thereby prevent Hegseth from being confirmed. Of course, you know how this went. The other two senators did vote ‘no,’ but Tillis flipflopped and provided the deciding vote to confirm a deeply unqualified nominee. The bottom line: To be a voice of reason and moderation in today’s Republican Party, it takes a healthy measure of courage and honesty. Senator Tillis continues to come up short in both categories. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Rep. Joe John will be sorely missed 1:04

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Rep. Joe John (Wake Co.) (Photo: NCGA) In today’s world of politics in which the goal of so many politicians seems to be about converting their elected office into a gig as a highly paid lobbyist or TV pundit, Wake County State Rep. Joe John was a welcome exception. John, who passed away last week after a battle with cancer, was that rare public official — by modern standards anyway — who just wanted to serve his community and leave it a better place than he found it. John spent many years as an extremely capable and well-respected judge who served on the District Court, Superior Court and Court of Appeals. He also served as the director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation before running for and winning a seat in the state House in his mid-70’s. And in the legislature, John was a smart, tough, energetic and eloquent champion of putting government to work to make life better for average people and those in need. The bottom line: Our state would be a much better place if it had more public servants like Joe John. He will be sorely missed. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

1
Farley, Boliek issue predictable and misguided directives on DEI 1:05

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Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and State Auditor Dave Boliek (File photos) Among the many signs that illustrate just how far off track the modern political right has veered, the obsession with destroying diversity, equity and inclusion programs is among the most ridiculous. North Carolinians were reminded of this truth again last week when two newly elected Republicans — state Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and Auditor Dave Boliek — announced they were ordering an end to DEI initiatives in their agencies. As usual, both men sought to cloak their action by claiming that they would always hire the best person for every job, regardless of background. But, of course, what such professions of pure motives have always failed to account for is that overcoming centuries of white male heterosexual privilege isn’t that easy. The bottom line: Well-run DEI programs aren’t about giving women and minorities special privileges; they’re about leveling the playing field and providing at least a chance for the agencies in which they’re housed to look a little bit more like the society they serve. Farley and Boliek’s predictable but misguided actions are a step backward. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Trump’s scorched earth executive orders for the environment 1:05

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(Photo: US Forest Service) “President Trump’s executive orders read like an industry fever dream: no protections, no limits, no rules.” So said North Carolina Sierra Club state conservation policy director Erin Carey last week in response to a series of regressive edicts handed down by the president during his first days back in the White House. And truth be told, Carey was actually a being bit understated in her assessment. Trump’s orders aren’t just about giving polluters a free hand to do whatever they please; it’s more like the president is actually encouraging them to speed up the global climate crisis and render more of our desperately fragile planet poisoned and damaged beyond repair. What’s next? An executive order that requires people to drive gas guzzlers and turn their furnace thermostats up to 80 degrees? The bottom line: like a drunk driver taking another swig of vodka and punching the gas pedal as he leaves the scene of a wreck, President Trump is recklessly endangering our planet and the lives of our children and grandchildren. Other elected leaders must muster the courage to stop him. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

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Attorney General Jeff Jackson is right to challenge Trump on birthright citizenship 1:05

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