"I am urging the USDA to take immediate action to prevent more than 1.4 million North Carolinians – including children, people with disabilities, veterans, and working families – from going hungry," said Governor Josh Stein.
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The placement and subsequent reinstatement of UNC professor Dwayne Dixon reveal the need to center students’ concerns around alleged faculty misconduct, not concerns of outside actors.
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The N.C. Senate recently passed House Bill 192, which would prevent the DHHS from allowing patients to use Medicaid at Planned Parenthood clinics in North Carolina. This is a highly polarizing issue, with some in favor of the organization’s defunding. Others, such as Planned Parenthood leader Paige Johnson, argue that this could have serious implications for patients in low-income or underserved areas. Medical services impacted, if the bill is enacted, could include cancer screenings, STI tests, and contraceptive access.
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On June 29th, North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis decided to step down from the Senate, marking the beginning of a closely contested race. The Democratic candidate is former Governor Roy Cooper, while former NC RNC Chair Mike Whatley represents the Republican Party. During the race, concerned North Carolinians who rely on services like Medicaid and Medicare have also been paying close attention to the recent federal government shutdown. Due to the concern over Medicaid cuts being considered in the shutdown negotiations, healthcare has become a major issue in the North Carolina Senate campaign
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At the end of the month, Chris Clemens was asked to resign, as the BOT (Board of Trustees) claimed that he had unjustly shared information discussed in their closed-session meeting. Clemens’ and the BOT’s priorities clearly juxtapose each other, as the BOT believes that the confidentiality of the content discussed during these closed sessions should be prioritized, while Clemens believes that the legitimacy of the closed-session meetings themselves should be called into question. As tensions escalated between the BOT and the former Provost, something else began to be overlooked: UNC-Chapel Hill’s students and staff.
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More than one month after the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte commuter train, House Bill 307, also known as "Iryna's law,” was signed into law on Friday. North Carolina Republican lawmakers introduced this wide-ranging bill as a way to tighten bail rules, expand mental health evaluations for violent offenders, and allow for alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable, drawing both support and criticism.
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The possible expiration of these Affordable Care Act subsidies would make healthcare more expensive for many seniors in North Carolina. This is a particularly significant issue in a state with many seniors, many of whom struggle with health issues.
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If Medicaid funding is not provided by October 1st, access and coverage could be substantially cut. These debates have culminated in the latest Medicaid budget talks, and in many North Carolinians’ eyes, it is a prime example of lawmakers’ political infighting at the cost of constituents.
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Campaigns like this bring to light the concerning development of anti-democratic tactics used by fossil fuel companies, especially in the age of AI. This particular effort was a failure on the part of Williams Companies, but what happens when fossil fuel companies are able to use AI to effectively undermine public opinion and sway decision makers?
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Durham’s progressive city council backed its police chief after a controversial post on her private Facebook account following the death of Charlie Kirk. The incident demonstrates the power of social media to raise controversies in potentially nonrepresentative ways and how vague policies on public employees’ free speech leave much of the decision on how to respond to controversial speech up to city leaders.
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The recent murders of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte and popular political personality Charlie Kirk have resulted in heightened questions about the prioritization of public safety in America. These two stories have largely developed state and national politicians’ stances around how our nation needs to handle crime moving forward, resulting in fierce party-line attacks. In North Carolina specifically, politicians such as Governor Josh Stein and House Representative Tim Moore have clashed on the most effective ways to prevent and mitigate violent crime. These ideological confrontations can stifle legislative progress, and must be reconciled to the extent possible for any significant progress to be made.
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The future of education, and by extension, the workforce and governance, depends on whether policymakers choose to confront historic inequities directly. The question is not simply who gets admitted or what type of people are hired, but what kind of society we are choosing to build.
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With Emergency Use Authorizations rescinded for COVID-19 boosters, responsibility for vaccinating the public now falls to the states. Some, including North Carolina, are attempting to expand access; others are not.
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Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, President Trump claimed that FEMA’s efforts were “a disaster.” This statement is not entirely false, as FEMA undoubtedly needs reform. Hurricane Helene was a true test of the organization’s capabilities, and it ultimately failed. However, the solution does not lie in abolishing the whole organization, as this will not make disaster relief any more efficient, much less equitable.
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North Carolina’s 2026 Senate race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive—and unpredictable—contests in the country. With high-profile contenders emerging in both parties and a vulnerable incumbent caught between factions, the outcome will depend heavily on who actually enters the race.
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On April 3rd, UNC announced that Chris Clemens would be stepping down from his position as the university’s provost. Jim Dean, former provost, will replace Clemens as an interim provost, effective May 17th.
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Even with North Carolina being historically one of the country’s top basketball programs, it inevitably has and will continue to see some challenges when it comes to NIL deals.
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The Senate is the clearest path forward for Cooper, but his political prospects are wide open. Whether he runs for a third term as governor, the Senate, or the presidency, he will likely find widespread support among North Carolina Democrats, who remember his defense of public education and efforts to expand Medicaid as governor fondly.
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While the details of the case remain ambiguous, a series of Associated Press interviews, court order reviews, and online posts show how a group of young, intelligent people met online, shared radical beliefs, and became increasingly violent — eventually culminating in six deaths across three states all believed to be tied to their group, the “Zizians.”
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North Carolina public schools lost tens of millions in federal grant funding in February and March due to the Trump Administration’s ban on programs suspected of engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
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