WRAL News coverage of North Carolina politics and state government. Produced by WRAL News in Raleigh, NC.
Latest episodes
-
26 min
NC lawmakers break for the summer with no shrimp ban, but plenty of red meat
The final days of the North Carolina state legislature's session before a long summer break saw shrimpers kill a proposal that would've set back many of their businesses, as state…
-
23 min
JetZero, immigration and guns
JetZero's massive job announcement was the only political kumbaya moment of the week. NC lawmakers spent hours wrangling over immigration bills and gun rights. In the meantime, sta…
-
27 min
NCGOP convention, the state legislature's summer rush
North Carolina Republican Party chairman Jason Simmons faces a challenge for his job at this weekend's GOP convention, where U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis could also be targeted by party a…
-
15 min
Helene funding bill delayed, death threats growing against NC politicians
State House and Senate leaders have failed to agree on the details of a $500 million Hurricane Helene relief bill, delaying the bill's passage by weeks. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein…
-
24 min
NC lawmakers target cell phones and DEI in schools, as Trump eyes federal education cuts
Helene relief aid and a bill to invest the NC Pension Plan in Bitcoin and other cyrptocurrencies are moving forward in the legislature. So are bills to ban DEI in public schools or…
-
28 min
Court vs court in Riggs/Griffin race, Stein on repro rights, Tillis on hot seat
On this week's edition of the Wrap, Jefferson Griffin's challenge to 60,000 voters moves forward in both state and federal courts. Which one will rule first? WRAL's Laura Leslie an…
-
20 min
The Wrap: 2025 session gets underway, state health insurance premiums to rise
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran talk about the opening of the 2025 legislative session and what legislative leaders say their t…
-
19 min
NC legislature overrides power shift veto, Supreme Court race battle continues, Helene pricetag becomes cleare…
In this week's edition of the Wrap, Republican lawmakers succeed in overriding Cooper's veto of the power shift bill. WRAL's Laura Leslie and Paul Specht also break down the contin…
-
29 min
Democrats sue over Supreme Court race, plus the latest on federal Helene funding
Jefferson Griffin's campaign for Supreme Court has been trying to throw out the ballots of 60,000 people who voted this year, and now the NC Democratic Party is suing to try to blo…
-
35 min
Political fights over control of elections, and top NC disaster official is out under scrutiny
A Helene aid bill contained little money for disaster relief but lots of unrelated provisions stripping power from Democrats who won election to key offices including incoming Gove…
-
24 min
Election recap: Why Trump won NC yet Democrats still did well in races for governor, legislature
Nearly the entire country voted more pro-Trump in the 2024 elections compared to 2020, but only one other state had a smaller rightward shift than North Carolina. Republicans are c…
-
23 min
NC breaks early voting record as WRAL New Poll shows close races everywhere but governor
The final round of polls from WRAL News and SurveyUSA released in this final week of early voting, as more than half of all voters have now already cast a ballot, breaking the reco…
-
26 min
JD Vance on western NC voting claims, plus our analysis of new Helene relief aid
As influential Republicans in the most pro-Trump wings of the party suggest a Kamala Harris victory in North Carolina will be illegitimate due to potential voting difficulties in w…
-
30 min
Mark Robinson's lawsuit, plus sources of election misinformation and a call for political war
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is suing CNN for defamation. Multiple lawyers, including the man who won $1.4 billion from Alex Jones and InfoWars, spoke with WRAL about the…
-
21 min
Helene relief package, election changes, misinformation
NC lawmakers came back to Raleigh this week to pass the first round of relief funding for Helene. The bill, signed into law Thursday, also extends flexibility to boards of election…
-
26 min
How Mark Robinson is affecting GOP chances in NC, a week after report on porn site comments
It's been just over a week since CNN reported on comments North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson allegedly made on pornographic website Nude Africa praising Hitler, calling himself…
-
22 min
Voucher deal sealed, new poll numbers, Cooper in the spotlight
State lawmakers finally pass a massive school voucher expansion bill, plus new WRAL News poll numbers show a tight presidential race but a widening contest for governor in NC. Also…
-
21 min
Musk's PAC investigation, Greater Carolina complaint and NC sports betting's 4Q take
The NC Board of Elections looks into Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC, while a liberal nonprofit accuses a conservative counterpart of bankrolling a powerful state lawmaker. Plus, the mon…
-
22 min
Cooper VP rumors, plus NC lawsuits targeting RFK Jr., Cornel West
Joe Biden is out, Kamala Harris is in, and North Carolina's Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is among the top vice presidential candidates for the Harris 2024 campaign. WRAL's state poli…
-
30 min
Pelosi to visit Raleigh amid Cooper VP rumors, NCSU chancellor retiring
There's major turnover in state government with the resignation or retirement of multiple state lawmakers, chiefs of staff and university chancellors. Josh Stein and Mark Robinson…