NC Newsline podcast

#News #Politics #NC Newsline #NC Policy Watch

17:27

Why do so many of us get nervous when public speaking? Communication expert Lawrence Bernstein says the key to dealing with the pressure is as simple as having a casual chat. He introduces the "coffee shop test" as a way to help you overcome nerves, connect with your audience and deliver a message that truly resonates. After the talk, Modupe explains a similar approach in academia called the "Grandma test," and how public speaking can be as simple as a conversation with grandma. Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

NC Newsline

Поширити

Головна серій•Feed

Stories and voices that matter

163 епізодів

NC Newsline

updated 3 дні тому

Поширити

Головна серій•Feed

Stories and voices that matter

163 епізодів

#News #Politics #NC Newsline #NC Policy Watch

Усі епізоди

NC Newsline

1
NC prisons are a mess and lawmakers must act 1:05

3 дні тому1:05

1:05

No one ever said our state prisons would or should be cushy places to live and work. But neither should they be decrepit dumps in which an underpaid and understaffed workforce struggles to cope with an inmate population that is at once aging and unhealthy, and increasingly hopeless and prone to violence. Unfortunately, as a recent legislative hearing made clear, that’s pretty much where things stand today. As Department of Adult Correction secretary Leslie Dismukes told lawmakers, thanks largely to low pay and lousy working conditions, at least 13 prisons have an employee vacancy rate of over 50%. Meanwhile, the system now has a running tab of 1.4 billion dollars in deferred maintenance. Indeed, fire suppression systems are outdated or completely inoperable in 23 prisons and several lack air conditioning – a fact that guarantees more illness and violence. The bottom line: As with so many other problems plaguing state government, the solution to this crisis is no mystery—lawmakers simply must appropriate better funding. And their ongoing failure to do so is inexcusable. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Trump to western North Carolina: Drop dead 1:05

4 дні тому1:05

1:05

Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the wild policy swings that are the signatures of the second Trump administration. From tariffs and trade to Russia and Ukraine, it often takes just hours for supposedly strong policy stances to be contradicted or abandoned by the president or his aides. And now, this chaotic pattern is directly impacting North Carolina. Both last fall and this past January, Trump blasted the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene and made bold promises that he would rebuild storm-ravaged areas better than ever. Unfortunately, that was then and this is now. This fact was made clear last week when the administration abruptly turned off the federal funding spigot by rejecting Gov. Josh Stein’ request to continue providing matching funds for the state’s Helene recovery appropriations. The decision leaves the state on the hook for $200 million or more in additional expenses for debris cleanup and other emergency work. The bottom line: Once again, the president has said one thing and done another, and sadly, North Carolinians will pay the price. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
State, federal budget bills will help worsen a destructive national trend 1:05

5 днів тому1:05

1:05

It’s a trend that’s been advancing at a breakneck clip for years now, but according to a new report from the global nonprofit OxFam, the vast and immoral inequality that dominates the U.S. economy has reached truly stunning levels. As the report notes, over the past year, the richest ten Americans increased their wealth by 365 billion dollars. It would take ten average U.S. workers a staggering 726,000 years to make that much money. But wait, it’s about to get worse. Under Republican budget bills advancing in Congress and the North Carolina legislature, new and regressive tax cuts along with big reductions in services will assure that the gap between the super-rich and everyone else grows even wider. It’s a situation so corrupt and toxic that it’s quickly undermining the fabric of a country founded on the premise of equal opportunity. The bottom line: Elected leaders must confront and reverse these trends right away lest our once great nation soon becomes unrecognizable. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
NC lawmakers invite right-wing advocacy group to consult on UNC admissions 1:05

6 днів тому1:05

1:05

There are many things that state leaders should do these days to improve the UNC System. Providing adequate funds to hire and retain topflight faculty and reining in out-of-control professional sports programs would be a good start. Unfortunately, at present, the emphasis in Raleigh is on advancing a right-wing political agenda, and so it is that state House Republicans have approved a bill to give a local far right propaganda outfit — a group founded by conservative financier and activist Art Pope known as the Martin Center for Academic Renewal — a role in crafting university admissions policies. And it’s hard to overstate just how big a mistake this is. For more than 25 years, the Martin Center has spewed a steady stream of far right attacks on almost all of the best aspects of modern higher education in an effort to turn back the clock on progress. The bottom line: As is the case in so many areas of higher education, lawmakers should leave admissions to the professionals and tell conservative advocacy groups to stay in their own lane. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Former director of the State Board of Elections, Karen Brinson Bell, on her tenure, accomplishments 23:51

7 днів тому23:51

23:51

Over the past six years, few public servants in North Carolina have had a bigger or more positive impact under more difficult circumstances than former State Board of Elections executive director Karen Brinson Bell. Despite woefully inadequate appropriations from the state legislature and relentless attacks from uninformed conspiracy theorists, Brinson Bell persevered, strengthened North Carolina elections and kept them among the nation’s most efficient and honestly run. Unfortunately, those accomplishments were of little interest to the newly installed and hyper-partisan members of the board appointed by Republican state auditor Dave Boliek, who summarily fired Brinson Bell at their first meeting and refused to even allow her to deliver farewell remarks. Happily, Brinson Bell was kind enough join Newsline’s Rob Schofield this past week for a special extended conversation and in Part One of our chat, we explored some of the accomplishments from her term in office that she thinks will be the most impactful. In Part Two, we turned our attention to some of the broader issues and challenges facing American elections – including the increasingly intense partisanship that led North Carolina GOP lawmakers to withhold election funding and, more recently, add seven new political appointees to the agency’s staff, and the unfortunate phenomenon of politicians spreading unfounded conspiracy theories and refusing to concede close elections. Click here to listen to the full interview with Karen Brinson Bell. Read the prepared remarks of Brinson Bell delivered at the Board of Elections meeting on May 7, 2025.…

NC Newsline

1
NC’s Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP 14:42

7 днів тому14:42

14:42

One of North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein’s first acts upon assuming office earlier this year was to name a new Secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, and from the looks of things thus far, the person to whom he turned, Dr. Dev Sangvai, was a winning selection. Since taking office, Sangvai — a family medicine practitioner and Duke University professor – has quickly hit the ground running and emerged as forceful voice for commonsense in the often rancorous world of health care policy. Most recently Sangvai has spoken out publicly and energetically in opposition to the massive Medicaid and SNAP food assistance cuts working their way through Congress. And as Sangvai reminded NC Newsline, his concerns about the cuts are about more than mere empathy for struggling families – they’re also based on hard data which show the devastating ripple effects the cuts will have on North Carolina’s overall health and economic wellbeing. Click here to listen to the full interview with NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai.…

NC Newsline

1
Memorial Day serves to highlight the Trump administration’s shabby treatment of veterans 1:05

7 днів тому1:05

1:05

Today is Memorial Day – the day on which we honor the memory of the servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. All caring and thinking people should take at least a moment today to lift up these heroes. And today would also be a good one to help assure that the government supports the heroes who are still with us. And sadly, the need here is great. As recent news reports have recounted in painful detail, Trump administration budget cuts are decimating the already understaffed and underfunded Veterans Administration and VA hospitals. More than 80,000 employees are being fired and that’s sure to wreak havoc with the services upon which millions of military veterans depend. At a Voices for Veterans event in Fayetteville last week, several vets blasted the cuts as cruel, shortsighted, and sure to cause enormous pain and suffering. The bottom line: Memorial Day is about remembering those we’ve lost – that’s for sure – but we also honor their sacrifice by doing everything in our power to spare living veterans from an early grave. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
New Helene documentary provides another wake-up call 1:05

10 днів тому1:05

1:05

North Carolina hardly needs any more wake-up calls about the devastating impacts of climate change, but a new, must-see PBS/NPR documentary provides another powerful reminder on the subject of dealing with the extreme weather that climate change is spawning. The documentary is entitled “Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning,” and in it, NPR’s Laura Sullivan exposes a wasteful and vicious cycle that has come to dominate how our state and nation deal with natural disasters. It’s one in which the federal government spends more than $50 billion every year to help communities recover from disasters, but that frequently includes properties that have already flooded repeatedly. This cycle is now on full display in western North Carolina where politicians and the construction industry are resisting common sense rules that would govern how new buildings are sited and constructed. The bottom line: “ Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning ,” should be required viewing and listening for all elected leaders and average Americans. Look for it online at PBS or NPR. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
North Carolina needs more public employees, not fewer 1:04

11 днів тому1:04

1:04

North Carolina House Republicans unveiled their version of a new state budget this week, and while it included some improvements over the Senate version – a somewhat slower approach to cutting taxes, slightly better salaries for new teachers – the plan swings and misses by proposing to slash 3,000 state government jobs. The authors of the plan say most of the positions are vacant anyway, but of course, that’s something that’s mostly attributable to lousy pay, benefits, and working conditions. As Charles Owens — a health care technician at the Cherry Hospital psychiatric facility in Goldsboro – explained at a Raleigh press conference, the state’s mental health facilities are already down hundreds of essential positions. And that reality presents a big daily safety problem for him and the other workers who remain. The same is true for guards and other employees throughout the state’s prison system. The bottom line: North Carolina is a big and fast growing state that needs more state employees to provide essential public services – not fewer. State lawmakers need to wake up to this reality. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
GOP continues its transformation of the Board of Elections into a partisan tool 1:05

12 днів тому1:05

1:05

The efforts of North Carolina Republican lawmakers to transform the state Board of Elections into a partisan puppet show continue apace. First, was the absurd move that placed MAGA state auditor Dave Boliek over the board instead of the Governor. Then came Boliek’s appointment of a pair of ultra-partisan GOP politicians as board members. And last week, Republican legislators slipped a provision into the state budget bill that would politicize the board’s professional staff. The change would allot the board seven new staff positions – all of them political appointees. This represents a huge and troubling shift for an agency in which staff have long been nonpartisan civil servants. Now, add that the budget gives the board 1.5 million dollars so it can hire private attorneys rather than rely on the state’s nonpartisan civil servant lawyers, and the blatant and disturbing partisanship of the move becomes even clearer. The bottom line: there is no governmental function for which nonpartisanship is more vitally important than running elections. All North Carolinians should be outraged by these changes. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Lawmakers should listen to their constituents, rethink proposals to deregulate firearms 1:04

13 днів тому1:04

1:04

North Carolina’s gun violence crisis continues to grow more dire by the day. According to the most recent data, someone dies in our state from a gunshot wound every five hours. Think about that for a minute: that’s more than four lives lost every day. Amazingly, however, state legislative leaders are determined to pour more gasoline on the fire. As the latter days of the 2025 session approach, four bills on the fast track would make it even easier than it already is for just about anyone to carry a hidden, loaded weapon. Two would allow concealed weapons in private schools. Another would make concealed carry permits good for the rest of the owner’s life. And another would allow anyone 18 or older to carry without a permit. The bottom line: As a group of community leaders made clear last week in an event organized by North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, these bills are a recipe for even more deadly mayhem. It’s essential that lawmakers stop, listen to their constituents, and find an offramp from the dangerous road they’re headed down. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.…

NC Newsline

1
Common Cause of NC’s Bob Phillips on a victory for voters and the latest from the Board of Elections 11:05

13 днів тому11:05

11:05

It seemed like it might never happen, but we now know the winner of last November’s election for an associate justice seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Following federal Judge Richard Myers’ complete rejection of GOP candidate Jefferson Griffin’s effort to overturn his narrow defeat by tossing the ballots of thousands of voters, Griffin finally conceded and earlier this past week, incumbent Democratic Justice Allison Riggs was sworn in to serve a new and full eight-year term (albeit six months late). And recently, Newsline’s Rob Schofield caught up with one of our state’s top government watchdogs, Common Cause of North Carolina executive director Bob Phillips – both to discuss this long-awaited news as well as some dramatic and deeply worrisome changes taking place at the state Board of Elections. Click here to listen to the full interview with Common Cause of North Carolina executive director Bob Phillips.…

NC Newsline

1
Newsline reporter Galen Bacharier on the budget debate and the hectic happenings of the legislature 15:17

13 днів тому15:17

15:17

Lawmakers in Raleigh recently concluded crossover week – a chaotic period in which they considered and voted on scores of bills in dozens of important subject areas in just a few days. And for better or worse, a lot of important and controversial measures won approval and remain eligible for final passage this session. So, what passed? What failed? And what’s on the agenda going forward? Newsline’s Rob Schofield recently sat down with reporter Galen Bacharier, to find out. And as Galen told Rob, while the state budget debate is sure to be the chief focus of lawmakers going forward, several other high-profile topics – from culture war issues like “diversity, equity and inclusion” and gun control to the role of the state Auditor – will also remain on the political front burner. Click here for the full interview with reporter Galen Bacharier.…

NC Newsline

1
NCIOM President Michelle Ries and NC Child’s Erica Palmer Smith on the 2025 Child Health Report Card 19:03

13 днів тому19:03

19:03

For nearly three decades, a pair of nonprofits – the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and NC Child – have released a biennial study known as the Child Health Report Card. The goal, as you might expect, is to provide legislators, public health officials, school administrators, parents and other nonprofit leaders with the latest information on the health and well-being of our state’s kids. This year – as in 2023 – the focus of the report is on the mental health struggles that plague so many children and the urgent need for better (and better funded) public responses. And recently, to learn more about this issue and several others detailed in the report, NC Newsline caught up with the leaders of the two organizations – Institute of Medicine President and CEO Michelle Ries and NC Child executive director, Erica Palmer Smith. Listen to the full interview here with Institute of Medicine President and CEO Michelle Ries and NC Child executive director Erica Palmer Smith. Click here to read the 2025 Child Health Report Card.…

NC Newsline

1
NC House budget rules make a mockery of representative government 1:05

14 днів тому1:05