Under the Dome podcast: GOP ‘cooling off,’ and how a decade of budgets impact NC’s environment
Start your week in North Carolina politics with our latest Under the Dome podcast, for the week of June 24, 2024. Dawn Vaughan here, your podcast host and The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief. On this episode, I’m joined by my politics team colleague Kyle Ingram and N&O environment and climate change reporter Adam Wagner.
The biggest news this week is the continuation of this summer’s budget stalemate. In what has become tradition, there is a standoff either between the executive and legislative branches, or within the General Assembly itself. This summer, with Republicans holding supermajorities in the House and Senate, there is again another summer of disagreement between the chambers.
In 2023, for the two-year budget deal, it was over casinos. This year, to hear Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore tell it, it is about the total amount of money they want to save versus spend. We break down what the main differences are, how the process of them haggling publicly is actually more transparent, and what else is at play, including the Senate’s medical marijuana bill.
The Senate has debate and passage of its budget calendared for Monday night.
Wagner has taken a closer look at budget policy over several years that has changed environmental regulations, and talks about what he has seen change, as part of The N&O’s “Power and Secrecy” series.
The ongoing investigative series is reporting on practices by General Assembly members that aid legislators and their political allies, frequently out of public view.
Headliner of the Week
After the break, we talk more about a House bill that addresses a Native American archaeological site on the coast threatened by development, and what’s in the works to prevent that from happening again.
Plus, find out what you need to know about proposed constitutional amendments.
Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week, which range from Judicial Standards coverage to the late, great Willie Mays, to the beach.
Listen to our latest episode below and catch up on previous episodes. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher.
