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State senators have given approval to a plan that would expand Medicaid in North Carolina to some 600,000 people. North Carolina is just one of just 12 states that has yet to expand the federal health care program, which is administered by state agencies. The proposed expansion signals a major shift from some Republicans. The bill includes some notable provisions that are tangential to Medicaid. On this episode of The Politics Podcast, Jason deBruyn offers analysis on what the bill seeks to do, and the impacts it could have.

Following another heart-breaking massacre came the latest reminder of a fractured political infrastructure. While nineteen children were murdered at an Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas it appears that policy changes in Raleigh, or Washington, remain a long shot. Meanwhile, the state’s most powerful politician does a major about face on Medicaid expansion. Rob Schofield and Donna King discuss the two significant stories from the week.

With the May primary complete, focus is turning toward November. There are efforts to engage and mobilize form both major political parties. However, Leslie Mac believe the Democratic party can do more to build relationships with new North Carolinians, Women of Color, and rural progressives.

The May Primary marked a significant end for two well known conservatives. Meanwhile, strong turnout was seen in several gerrymandered Congressional districts. And the General Assembly returns to Raleigh for its short session. Rob Schofield and Mitch Kokai review the week in state politics.

The mid-term primary has concluded with the ousting of a controversial Congressman, a clear conclusion in two progressive battles, and a path toward another intense, competitive and costly U.S. Senate race. On this episode of The Politics Podcast, Will Michaels chats with Jeff Tiberii about the results and the reasons behind them.

While early voting turnout was up, primary participation among younger voters is lagging. Is there anything that candidates could do differently? Meanwhile the Governor has unveiled his budget proposal and a major question again lingers – is this the year Medicaid expands in North Carolina? Donna Kina of the Carolina Journal and Rob Schofield from NC Policy Watch review some of the week’s political news.

With less than a week until the May 17th primary, early voters have turned out in very strong numbers. They are choosing major party nominees in an open U.S. Senate race, as well as in heated contests for Congress. Former Congressional staffer Doug Heye and political scientist Chris Cooper discuss what to make of early voting, and what it takes to unseat an incumbent such as Madison Cawthorn.

This week in politics: a landmark leak sent reverberations across the country, as advocates on both sides of an impassioned issue readied for the end of Roe; freshman Congressman Madison Cawthorn is again explaining an odd video; snd the housing crisis faces a new obstacle: corporate landlords. Rob Schofield of NC Policy Watch and Donna King from the Carolina Journal review the week in politics.

Following the leak of a draft Supreme Court ruling, America is readying for a post-Roe era. In North Carolina, major change does not appear imminent. On this episode of The Politics Podcast, Meredith College Political Science Professor David McLennan discussed the practical, as well as the political, impacts of the anticipated decision.

Early voting for the mid-term primary began across the state this week. Meanwhile, Congressman Madison Cawthorn brought a loaded gun to Charlotte Douglass International airport, and a new judge in the decades old Leandro public education case offered something of a split decision. In our weekly review, Mitch Kokai of the John Locke Foundation and Rob Schofield from NC Policy Watch discuss some of the recent political happenings.

Leslie McCrae Dowless died on April 24th. The Bladen County native came to national notoriety for his role in a 2018 election fraud saga. On this episode of the Politics Podcast, WBTV reporter Nick Ochsner discusses the electoral scandal and the well known character behind it.

This week in politics: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court and is set to become the first Black woman to sit on the court in its 233-year history; a preliminary proposal at the state level could shift how public school teachers are licensed and compensated; And former President Donald Trump visits Johnston County on Saturday in the latest reminder of his domineering shadow over Republican Party politics.

TROSA is a popular non-profit organization that has served people in substances abuse recovery since 1994.

This week in state politics: a can manufacturer finally picked North Carolina, Madison Cawthorn met more criticism following his latest incendiary comments, and a basketball game has led to mounting excitement. Donna King of the Carolina Journal and Aisha Dew from Higher Heights review some significant recent news.

Last summer college athletics underwent a major change when athletes, long considered amateur and barred from earning compensation, were allowed to collect on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The new landscape is providing earning opportunities while also creating questions about exploitation, and if there is a need for further regulations.

Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is back in the headlines after an old facebook post emerged. North Carolina’s primary is less than two months away. And there is a new judge in the decades old Leandro Case. On this episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast, Rob Schofield and Donna King discuss some of the week’s biggest stories.

The May 17th primary is less than two months away, and the attacks are mounting as advertisements increase.

Nearly 100 years ago a small business began operation in Winston-Salem. In the five decades that followed Safe Bus Company became a local fixture, and the largest transit system of its kind, in the world. Yet the story of Safe Bus remains a lesser-known portion of the city and state's history. On this episode of The WUNC Politics Podcast, Winston-Salem Transit Authority Marketing Director Tina Carson-Wilkins talks about the history of Safe Bus and recalls her memories riding on it as a teenager.

It is not expected to be a particularly good midterm for Democrats, however, grassroots organizer Aimy Steele is undeterred. Meanwhile, in North Carolina's largest city, conservative city councilman Tariq Scott Bokhari wants company on his Republican island. Each face long odds for success in 2022, and both want to foster some change.

This week in state politics proved to be anther busy affair with a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, the conclusion of candidate filing, and more legislative wrangling of the still yet-to-be-expanded federal healthcare program. Clark Riemer and Rob Schofield review some of the biggest recent stories on this latest episode of The Politics Podcast.