Podcasts about Newsline

After more than a full year of delay at the legislature, North Carolina finally has a new state budget and as is almost always the case, what the new budget does and doesn't do for public education is among the matters receiving the most attention. The good news is that a lot of teachers will get some decent raises this fall. Unfortunately, the bad news is that those raises don't apply to all teachers or school personnel. What's more, thanks to inflation and the rising cost of health insurance premiums, most teachers remain stuck in the mud financially or even worse off than they were just a couple of years ago. So, what should we make of this situation? Are lawmakers making encouraging strides in lifting up our public schools or is the new budget just the latest in a series of inadequate measures. Newsline caught up with the veteran executive editor of the nonprofit group Public Ed Works, David Rice, to learn more. Click here to listen to the full interview with Public Ed Works executive editor David Rice.

North Carolina’s new state budget runs more than 600 pages and includes dozens of other law changes unrelated to spending – many of which are only slowly coming to light and public awareness. NC Newsline state government reporter Brandon Kingdollar followed the twists and turns of the budget making process and recently joined us to discuss some of the controversial pieces of legislation included in the $34 billion spending package. In Part Two of our discussion, we turned our attention to legislative efforts to ban hemp products and to alter the rules governing our elections and how people vote. Click here to listen to the full interview with NC Newsline state government reporter Brandon Kingdollar.

Despite listing many concerns, Gov. Josh Stein signed the $34 billion state budget bill into law on July 7. One high-profile area that state employees and teachers felt didn’t go far enough was in compensation for those who keep North Carolina’s public structures and services up and running. While the budget does include decent, if long overdue, raises for some, for most it's a paltry 3% that fails to keep up with inflation and rising health premiums. Newsline sat down with Ardis Watkins, the executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, for a broader look at the spending plan and why she says it was a mistake to eliminate hundreds of important jobs from the final document. Click here to listen to the full interview with Ardis Watkins, the executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina.

News deserts. At first blush, it seems like strange term in an era in which most people are regularly inundated on their devices with boatloads of emails and other messages about developments in the world around them. Unfortunately, as even a cursory look at the news landscape across the United States right now quickly reveals, vast swaths of the country – including many parts of North Carolina – are today totally bereft of local newspapers and trained journalists dedicated to carefully watching and reporting on their communities. And as Newsline learned in a recent conversation with WRAL-TV documentary producer Cristin Severance, the spread of news deserts is having a big and negative impact on the health of the impacted communities and our democracy more generally. The documentary is entitled “Left Uncovered: Inside North Carolina’s News Deserts.” Click here to listen to the full interview with WRAL-TV Documentary Producer Cristin Severance.

The Mission and Ministry Board of the Church of the Brethren has approved a Statement of Intent regarding the denominational headquarters in Elgin, Illinois.  Annual Conference begins June 28th in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with several pre-conference events happening before that. There will be daily issues of Newsline from June 27 - July 2.  A new webpage titled "Walking Together" offers study and worship resources to accompany the Mission and Ministry Board resolution titled "Walking Together: Immigration, Peacemaking, Conscience, and Supporting Our Neighbors." The Church of the Brethren's Middle Pennsylvania District has called Carolyn Willoughby as a member of the interim district executive minister team beginning Aug. 1. Jan Fischer Bachman, web producer, presents the news, with piano played by Kara Miller. 

With a new state government fiscal year set to commence on July first, North Carolina state legislators have still yet to pass a budget for the year that's coming to an end on June 30th. We're the only state in the union in which this is the case. While the state has continued to function at a basic level, the lack of funding certainty, and even minimal raises for teachers and other state employees, has caused enormous hardship. Meanwhile, even as the budget and the negotiations around it remain shrouded in secrecy, other important proposals – including more changes to how the state conducts elections – continue to advance. This past week, Newsline caught up with Wake County state Senator Lisa Grafstein to learn what Republican legislative leaders are telling rank and file members, and why from her perspective, average North Carolinians should be deeply concerned. We also discussed legislation that would place new burdens on local government by capping property taxes and limiting their options for dealing with homeless populations, and yet another new effort to alter coastal policy without first hearing from and listening to the science experts. Click here to listen to the full interview with Senator Lisa Grafstein.

The Catholic Medical Mission Board has begun renting warehouse space at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Maryland.  The daily worship services at the 2026 Annual Conference will be livestreamed free of charge with no registration required. Go to https://www.brethren.org/ac2026/webcasts/ The Review and Evaluation Committee asks questions. Brethren Volunteer Service fall applications are due June 24.  FaithX summer trips have kicked off with in Winston-Salem, N.C. and Northern Ireland this week.  Go to www.brethren.org/news. 

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Associated Church Press awards for Messenger and Communications, EYN elevates four congregations to autonomous status as part of the 2026 EYN Church Autonomy program, Annual Conference updates, Conscientious Objection events, Deportation Defense Response events and prayer requests, personnel notes, and new ways to give. Heidi Gross presents the news with music by Carolyn Strong and EYN women.   

Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, hardly a day goes by in which there is not some brazen, precedent shattering action by the president or his allies. Indeed, the orders, directives, proposals and court rulings are coming at such a rapid pace that it's easy to become numb to them and what they might portend for our country. Fortunately, many excellent journalists continue to chronicle and analyze these developments. One of the best is States Newsroom Democracy Reporter Jonathan Shorman. And recently, Newsline caught up with Shorman for an extended conversation about some of the most important current stories. In Part One of our conversation with Shorman, we dug into President Trump's unprecedented effort to establish a special fund that would enable him to dispense taxpayer money to allies of his who he says were harmed by the Biden administration. We also looked at the aggressive gerrymandering efforts that Trump and his fellow Republicans have undertaken this year in hopes of preserving a narrow GOP majority in the U.S. House in the fall elections. In Part Two of our chat, we dug deeper into the politics surrounding the fall elections, the big challenges that Republicans face given the state of the economy and the fact that Trump himself will not appear on the ballot, and some of the controversial actions Trump has taken or threatened to take in order to directly impact who can vote and how they do it. Click here to listen to the full interview with States Newsroom national democracy reporter, Jonathan Shorman Click here to read more of Shorman’s reporting on NC Newsline.  

Genuine food insecurity in which people don't know where their next meal is coming from is a subject that merits a lot of attention. By any fair assessment the fact that literally millions of North Carolinians – a large percentage of them children – go to bed hungry in the world's richest nation is, or at least ought to be, a gigantic scandal. As grim as some of these numbers are, recent actions in Washington – most notably big cuts to federal food assistance and the rising prices caused by the war in Iran – have conspired to make the situation even more dire. Recently, to take stock of just how desperate things have gotten and some of the things average folks can do to help respond, Newsline recently caught up with the President and CEO of the Foodbank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Amy Beros. Click here to listen to the full interview with Amy Beros, President and CEO of the Foodbank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

Ever since Republicans captured control of the state legislature at the outset of the last decade, North Carolinians have been witness to a steady stream of proposals designed to make voting harder and more complicated and make the day-to-day oversight and regulation of elections more partisan. And now, with yet another national election of great importance just over five months away, new proposals are being introduced. One such measure in the state Senate would reduce the state's early voting period from 17 days to 10 despite the enormous bipartisan popularity of the current system. In addition, a series of proposals at the GOP-controlled state Board of Elections would make it easier to both toss out provisional ballots and mailed ballots on technicalities and restrict nondisruptive demonstrations designed to get voters to the polls. And recently to learn more about these proposals and how average North Carolinians can weigh in on them, Newsline spoke with the Policy Director of Common Cause North Carolina, Brooks Fuller. Click here for the full interview with Brooks Fuller, Policy Director of Common Cause North Carolina.

North Carolina state lawmakers are in the midst of the 2026 legislative session and, as had been expected, several important proposals are advancing that could impact everything from alcohol sales to the state constitution. On the alcohol front, it appears that the recent ongoing trend to move the state away from longstanding blue laws continues as the demands of retailers and producers seem to slowly be overcoming the objections of religious conservatives and other alcohol opponents. And recently, as part of a wide-ranging two-part conversation with NC Newsline government and politics reporter Brandon Kingdollar, we dug into precisely what's under consideration and what the competing sides are saying. In Part One of our recent extended conversation NC Newsline government and politics reporter Brandon Kingdollar, we examined the ongoing debate at the General Assembly over our state's regulation of alcohol sales and how proposals to liberalize and privatize the process and move away from older, more restrictive regulatory schemes appear to be making headway. In Part Two of our chat, we turned our attention to a series of constitutional amendments that Republican leaders are moving to place on the fall ballot that deal with an array of subjects – some of them potentially hugely impactful and some more symbolic that appear to be designed mostly to help drive conservative voter turnout. Click here for the full interview with NC Newsline government and politics reporter Brandon Kingdollar.

Learnings from the recent L.E.A.D. conference, a new Brethren Rapid Response Network supporting immigrants, a prayer request for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and surrounding countries during this latest outbreak of Ebola virus, National Youth Conference announces offerings, and Brethren Press introduces a new children's book, Washing My Sister's Feet by Gimbiya Kettering with illustrations by Gabhor Utomo.  This episode is presented by Virginia Rendler, with a special message from author Gimbiya Kettering. Nancy Sollenberger Heishman plays the piano. 

Republican state legislative leaders made headlines in recent days by announcing that they have finally reached agreement on a new state budget. But even as that long overdue news was being made, the lawmakers also moved to advance a series of state constitutional amendments that would, if enacted, have massive implications for future state budgets and core public services. Topping the list: a proposal to slash the already existing cap on state income taxes and another to cap local property taxes — moves that would almost certainly further eviscerate the state's already torn and threadbare public education system. Earlier this week, to get a better handle on the amendments and the new budget and what all of it means for the state going forward, Newsline caught up with one of the state's preeminent nonpartisan fiscal policy experts – the executive director of the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center, Alexandra Sirota. Click here to listen to the full interview with the executive director of the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center, Alexandra Sirota.

Earlier this month, regulatory commissions in North and South Carolina approved a merger between the two energy monopolies that dominate electricity production and distribution in our state: Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress. The merger comes at a time of rapid consolidation in the energy industry. Indeed, even as the merger of the two Duke entities is moving forward, Florida-based NextEra announced that it is acquiring Dominion Energy, which serves part or northeastern North Carolina. So, what does all of this mean? What do the companies say about why it's taking place? What are the potential benefits? What are the potential concerns – both for residential consumers and the wellbeing of our environment as the effects of climate change grow ever-more concerning? Recently, to get a handle on these questions and some others of importance, Newsline had an extended conversation with the Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, Dr. Jackson Ewing. Click here to listen to the full interview with Dr. Jackson Ewing, Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University.

Republican state legislative leaders made headlines in recent days by announcing that they have finally reached agreement on a new state budget. But even as that long overdue news was being made, the lawmakers also moved to advance a series of state constitutional amendments that would, if enacted, have massive implications for future state budgets and core public services. Topping the list: a proposal to slash the already existing cap on state income taxes and another to cap local property taxes — moves that would almost certainly further eviscerate the state's already torn and threadbare public education system. Earlier this week, to get a better handle on the amendments and the new budget and what all of it means for the state going forward, Newsline caught up with one of the state's preeminent nonpartisan fiscal policy experts – the executive director of the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center, Alexandra Sirota. Click here to listen to the full interview with the executive director of the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center, Alexandra Sirota.

Learn about a new grant to support Brethren Disaster Ministries from Lilly Endowment. Mission Advancement has launched a campaign to preserve the historic Germantown Meetinghouse and Cemetery, which dates to 1723. Hear updates from members of the Global Church of the Brethren Communion, which met in Gijon, Spain in April. And get the latest personnel news from the Church of the Brethren.  Matt DeBall of Mission Advancement presents the news, and Nancy Sollenberger Heishman plays the piano. 

When it comes to politics and policymaking, the present era is among the most divided and rancorous in modern American history. At the national level, the U.S. seems as if it's more divided than ever on a host of basic issues. But is this really the case? CEO of the national nonprofit, the NewDEAL Forum, Debbie Cox Bultan, says when you dig a little past the surface, it becomes evident that, in many ways, Americans are not as divided as it might seem. Especially at the state and local levels, it turns out that large majorities are actually in agreement on many of the issues that matter most and in their desire that public officials of all parties work together to find common ground solutions. In Part One of Newsline's extended conversation with Bultan, we explored her group's findings about the many fundamental issues on which large majorities of Americans agree and their shared desire that elected leaders of all stripes find ways to work together and compromise to promote the common good. In Part Two, we learned more about how the New Deal Forum is working to lift up the notion that public service can and should remain a thoroughly honorable profession. We also discussed the importance of combating the scourge of gerrymandering and election rigging that is afflicting our politics in the aftermath of a recent Supreme Court ruling that guts the federal Voting Rights Act. Click here to listen to the full interview with the NewDEAL Forum's Debbie Cox Bultan.

The virtuoso pianist, Ruth Slenczynska was the last living student of Sergei Rachmaninoff. She began performing at the age of four, and was once reputed to be the greatest child prodigy since Mozart.From the Australian outback to the forefront of British science, Dame Bridget Ogilvie was the daughter of sheep farmers who went on to help make the UK a leader in biomedical research.Labour MP, Tony Worthington, survived a violent ambush in Somaliland and played a role in the Northern Ireland peace talks.Crown prosecutor, Russel Tyner KC, was a pioneer in the prosecution of cyber-crime.Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Lowri Morgan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: BBC News, 12/01/2019; BBC, Hunting the Lorry Killers, 03/11/202; BBC, Eureka, 08/01/1997; BBC, Newsnight, 25/10/1999; BBC, Current Account, 16/10/1979; BBC, Reporting Scotland, 11/02/1994; BBC, Newsline, 06/05/1997; BBC, Panorama, 18/03/2003

One of the greatest achievements of the American Civil Rights movement was the enactment more than 60 years ago of a law known as the Voting Rights Act. Though it had several provisions, the basic objective of the law was simple – it was to eliminate centuries of deep-seated racial discrimination that had infected and polluted U.S. elections by assuring that all the nation's citizens had an opportunity to be full participants in our democracy. Unfortunately, despite the progress the law has helped usher in and the fact that the country still has miles to travel in overcoming racial discrimination, opposition to the law and excuses for weakening it have been a constant ever since its enactment. And last month, opponents and excuse makers succeeded in convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to gut a key provision that had barred politicians from rigging elections to dilute the impact of minority voters. And recently, to get a better handle on this troubling news, Newsline caught up with Southern Coalition for Social Justice Senior Counsel Chris Shenton for a special two-part conversation in which we examined the ruling and the damage that it will cause. Click here to hear the full interview with Southern Coalition for Social Justice Senior Counsel Chris Shenton

One especially vexing public health issue that continues to plague North Carolina is the persistent crisis in the wellbeing of Black mothers and other moms of color. Time and again, statistics show that women of color face scandalous mortality rates that are far out of proportion with the general population. Fortunately, studies and real-world experience confirm that there are many relatively simple and effective policy solutions that can make a big difference in combating the problem and recently NC Newsline caught up with a state lawmaker – Orange and Caswell County State Rep. Renee Price – who champions and explains them in simple, commonsense terms. Newsline also got a chance to ask her about two other important issues on which she's pushing for action this spring – mental health services and public education. Click here to listen to the full interview with State Rep. Renee Price of Orange and Caswell Counties.

News from the Church of the Brethren world, April 28, 2026. The podcast is presented by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, news director. News includes Brethren Disaster Ministries work in North Carolina, an attack in Borno State, Nigeria, the 2026 Annual Conference business agenda, All Who Minister resources online, deadlines to apply to serve with Brethren Volunteer Service this year, an action alert from the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, LEAD conference coming up soon - it is still possible to register as a virtual attendee, On Earth Peace workshop on conscientious objection, and Shine downloadable six-week curriculum.  

With the North Carolina General Assembly back in Raleigh for the 2026 session, the state of our public schools is once again at the top of the public policy agenda. Unfortunately, despite the talk we often hear from legislative leaders, the hard truth is that our schools are and have been struggling mightily for several years thanks to a chronic lack of funding. What's more, as Newsline was reminded in a conversation this past week with the President of the nonprofit Wake Ed Partnership, Keith Poston, the situation figures to get worse and soon unless lawmakers decide to pause the regressive tax cuts that are scheduled to take effect in the near future. What's more as Poston also noted, even the efforts of well-off counties like Wake to supplement state school funding could be in jeopardy if lawmakers follow through with a new plan to enact one-size-fits-all rules on local property taxes. Click here for the full interview with Keith Poston, President of the nonprofit Wake Ed Partnership.

It's been 20 years now since North Carolina started its state lottery and with only a very few exceptions, state lotteries are now an almost universal phenomenon. Interestingly, however, the rise of lotteries has coincided with the massive growth of legalized private gambling, and this has posed challenges for state officials to keep their lotteries relevant and revenue producing. Recently, to gauge how these efforts are faring, Robbie Sequeira, a reporter for the national news outlet Stateline, took a look at the state of U.S. lotteries and last week he was kind enough to join NC Newsline to share his findings.  Newsline also got a chance to ask Sequeira about another topic on which he's recently reported and found a somewhat unusual degree of bipartisanship in state government – the national shortage of affordable housing. Click here to listen to the full interview with Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira.

Largest congregations sent leaders for a time of learning, sharing, and support, Faithful Response Immigration Gathering drew participation from the four denominations and others, Global Food Initiative awarded grants to ministries in Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, the Brethren Faith in Action Fund grants went to eight congregations and one camp, Intercultural ministries offers training for "frontliners," a book study, and the Intercultural cafe. Upcoming events include listening sessions for multivocational pastors, the LEAD conference, and faith formation training on Zoom from the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center and Brethren Press. Registrations are also open for Young Adult Conference, Annual Conference, and National Youth conference. Applications for the Church of the Brethren's Health Care Education Scholarship are due by May 22nd. For details, go to www.brethren.org/news. Virginia Rendler, Interim Co-Director and Volunteer Coordinator of Brethren Volunteer Service, presents the news. Nancy Sollenberger Heishman plays the piano. 

The state of North Carolina finds itself in a fiscal policy mess thanks to a series of regressive income tax cuts, there's no larger or more important public function that will be adversely impacted than public education. For many years now, thanks to the decisions of Republican legislative leaders, North Carolina public schools have listed along near the bottom of national rankings in a host of important funding categories. A landmark lawsuit – the Leandro case — sought to alter this situation by establishing that all schoolchildren in the state have a constitutional right to a sound basic education, but GOP lawmakers ignored the ruling and recently succeeded in getting a Republican majority on the court to effectively gut it. So where do things stand now and what's next for public education in our state? Recently, Newsline sat down to discuss these questions with the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Senior Director of Policy and Interim President/CEO, Lauren Fox. Click here to listen to the full interview with the Public School Forum's Lauren Fox.

The biggest story in North Carolina politics right now – indeed, it's a big national story – is the recent primary election defeat of longtime state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. The veteran Rockingham County Republican lawmaker lost to his local sheriff, Sam Page, by just 23 votes. So, what happened and why and is Berger's defeat indicative of a pattern that reaches beyond the borders of North Carolina? Last week, Newsline caught up with the Durham-based New York Times reporter who covers the politics and culture of our state and the rest of the south, Eduardo Medina, to get his assessment. Click here to listen to the full interview with New York Times reporter Eduardo Medina. Follow Medina’s work in The New York Times.

The state of North Carolina finds itself in a fiscal policy mess thanks to a series of regressive income tax cuts, there's no larger or more important public function that will be adversely impacted than public education. For many years now, thanks to the decisions of Republican legislative leaders, North Carolina public schools have listed along near the bottom of national rankings in a host of important funding categories. A landmark lawsuit – the Leandro case — sought to alter this situation by establishing that all schoolchildren in the state have a constitutional right to a sound basic education, but GOP lawmakers ignored the ruling and recently succeeded in getting a Republican majority on the court to effectively gut it. So where do things stand now and what's next for public education in our state? Recently, Newsline sat down to discuss these questions with the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Senior Director of Policy and Interim President/CEO, Lauren Fox. Click here to listen to the full interview with the Public School Forum's Lauren Fox.

Opposition to FY 2027 drastic Pentagon budget increase, Brethren Disaster Ministries grants, Deportation Defense Response Team update, National Youth Sunday worship resources, open registrations, Director of Ministry position listing, Standing Committee special meeting on Eder Financial, invitation to the upcoming Intercultural Cafe. News presented by Aly Heckeroth. Special invitations from Donna Kline and Founa Augustin Badet. Piano played by Nancy Sollenberger Heishman. 

No world news development of the past few weeks has commanded more attention or spurred greater controversy than President Donald Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. And while, at this point, the ultimate outcome of the war remains very much in question, the war is drawing very high degrees of skepticism from North Carolinians of all political persuasions – especially independents and Democratic voters. Now add to this the largely negative view that most North Carolinians hold right now about the economy and the president's performance in managing it, and it's no surprise that his overall approval ratings have plummeted. So where exactly do things stand, how does this compare to past public attitudes on foreign wars, and what's likely to be the key driver of public opinion during the 2026 election cycle? Recently, Newsline sat down with the director of the Elon University Poll, Prof. Jason Husser, to find out. In Part One of my recent sit down with Elon University pollster and political scientist, Prof. Jason Husser, we discussed his most recent public opinion surveys and what they say about how North Carolinians view the Trump presidency – and why deep-seated skepticism about the war in Iran and the state of the economy are likely to present big problems for the president and his party in the fall elections. In Part Two of our conversation, we turned our attention to North Carolina politics and policy matters, including the fall U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Roy Cooper and challenger Michael Whatley, approval ratings for Gov. Josh Stein, and what North Carolinians are thinking about some high-profile issues, like concealed weapons and the rising costs of health care. Click here to listen to the full interview with Elon University poll director Jason Husser.

No world news development of the past few weeks has commanded more attention or spurred greater controversy than President Donald Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. And while, at this point, the ultimate outcome of the war remains very much in question, the war is drawing very high degrees of skepticism from North Carolinians of all political persuasions – especially Independents and Democratic voters. Now add to this the largely negative view that most North Carolinians hold right now about the economy and the president's performance in managing it, and it's no surprise that his overall approval ratings have plummeted. So where exactly do things stand, how does this compare to past public attitudes on foreign wars, and what's likely to be the key driver of public opinion during the 2026 election cycle? Recently, Newsline sat down with the director of the Elon University Poll, Prof. Jason Husser, to find out. In Part One of my recent sit down with Elon University pollster and political scientist, Prof. Jason Husser, we discussed his most recent public opinion surveys and what they say about how North Carolinians view the Trump presidency – and why deep-seated skepticism about the war in Iran and the state of the economy are likely to present big problems for the president and his party in the fall elections. In Part Two of our conversation, we turned our attention to North Carolina politics and policy matters, including the fall U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Roy Cooper and challenger Michael Whatley, approval ratings for Gov. Josh Stein, and what North Carolinians are thinking about some high-profile issues, like concealed weapons and the rising costs of health care. Click here to listen to the full interview with Elon University poll director Jason Husser.

Even before his fateful and thus far largely unpopular decision to go to war with Iran in late February, both President Donald Trump and his party had been encountering some significant political headwinds as a result of an array of controversial policy actions. Now, with the war dragging on without much explanation or any clear plan for a conclusion, and rising prices for fuel and related items hitting Americans in their pocketbooks, standard political wisdom would predict a good chance of big Republican electoral defeats this fall. That said, the fall elections are still seven months off, so how accurate are such predictions likely to be? Recently, to get a better gauge on where things stand, what people are thinking and where the president is likely playing with political fire as a result of some of the approaches he's taken, Newsline sat down for a two-part conversation with one of our state's most experienced and astute political observers, NC State University Professor of Political Science, Steven Greene. In Part One of our recent conversation with Greene, we discussed President Trump's deeply controversial decision to attack Iran, its impacts here at home, and how both matters are playing out in domestic politics as we look forward to the 2026 elections. In Part Two of our conversation, we turned our attention to the North Carolina political scene and, in particular, the massive earthquake that just hit the state legislature as a result of the primary defeat of the state's most powerful politician – longtime Republican Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. Click here to listen to the full interview with NC State University political scientist Steven Greene.

At the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, Constance Macy, Christel DeHaan Artistic Director, shares how theatre can open the door to conversations people are not always sure how to start. We talk about Wasabia, a production that touches on dementia, end of life decisions, and medical aid in dying, and how being in a theatre setting allows people to sit with these topics in a different way. Constance also walks through how stories like this are shaped with care, what it looks like to bring audiences into something honest, and how the April 12th show continues with a live Badassery Life recording that invites people to stay, reflect, and be part of the conversation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the most remarkable, and in the minds of many, most shameful, developments in North Carolina public policy over the last three decades has been the failure of state leaders of both parties to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide all children in the state with access to a sound basic education. It's now been over thirty years since the state Supreme Court clearly established the existence of such a right in the landmark Leandro case, but since then, elected leaders have found one excuse after another for ignoring it. Thankfully, a cadre of dedicated researchers and advocates continues expose and push back against this unconstitutional inaction and this past week, Newsline caught up with one that group's most persistent voices – North Carolina Justice Center senior policy analyst Kris Nordstrom. Click here to listen to the full interview with North Carolina Justice Center senior policy analyst Kris Nordstrom.

One of the most remarkable, and in the minds of many, most shameful, developments in North Carolina public policy over the last three decades has been the failure of state leaders of both parties to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide all children in the state with access to a sound basic education. It's now been over thirty years since the state Supreme Court clearly established the existence of such a right in the landmark Leandro case, but since then, elected leaders have found one excuse after another for ignoring it. Thankfully, a cadre of dedicated researchers and advocates continues expose and push back against this unconstitutional inaction and this past week, Newsline caught up with one that group's most persistent voices – North Carolina Justice Center senior policy analyst Kris Nordstrom. Click here to listen to the full interview with North Carolina Justice Center senior policy analyst Kris Nordstrom.

Church of the Brethren supports asylum seekers in case before Supreme Court. Children's Disaster Services responds following tornados in Illinois and Michigan. Part Time Pastor; Full Time Church offers a book discussion on The Space Between Us: Conversations About Transforming Conflict by Betty Pries. EYN holds its 79th Majalisa. Bethany Theological Seminary board meets.  Death Row Support Project exhibits art. Matt DeBall and Nancy McCrickard become interim co-directors for Mission Advancement. This episode is presented by Marissa Witkovsky-Eldred, Interim Co-Director of Brethren Volunteer Service and Coordinator of Short Term Service. Nancy Sollenberger Heishman plays the piano. 

It's been two years now since sports betting became legal in North Carolina, and it's quickly become one of the most impactful and transformative law changes in state history. In a remarkably short time, sports gambling – and, indeed, all kinds of gambling – have overtaken our society and produced one of the biggest and profitable industries in the nation. Unfortunately, despite its popularity, rapid growth and sudden omnipresence, gambling has led to an array of deeply troubling trends – both for the sporting games that play such an important role in our culture, and for millions of average people – especially young people – for whom gambling is an expensive and often destructive addiction. A new WRAL documentary examines these developments – it's called “The Gamble: Sports Betting in North Carolina,” and recently Newsline caught up with the journalist behind it, WRAL TV investigative reporter and producer Cristin Severance. Click here to listen to the full interview with WRAL TV investigative reporter and producer Cristin Severance. Watch “The Gamble: Sports Betting in North Carolina.”

Amateur Radio News and Information in the Greater Cincinnati, Tri-State, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Areas for the Week of March 27, 2026.This weeks topics include:NKARC & Scouts at 2026 Field DayCQ WPX ContestMcCreary Gravel Rally K8CO Silent KeyNew Ham KR4KTDNew Calls KR4KS, N4NX, AA2HFREE Zoom Ham Operating ClassesVolunteer for K2BSA at Hamvention630 Meter ForumKY Severe WX Net2026 Ky Amateur of the Year NominationsFlying PigARRL America 250 WAS EventNWS Weather Spotter Training ClassRepeater ListHamfestsExams

As the U.S. rapidly moves toward the one-month mark in President Trump's highly controversial war with Iran, the costs – both in human lives and dollars and cents — continue to mount rapidly. And these costs are impacting virtually all Americans. Not only are direct expenditures on the war impacting the U.S. Treasury and the government's ability to fund core public services, the economic impacts – most notably in the form of soaring fuel prices – are taking a toll on millions of average consumers. And it's in light of these developments that the group Veterans for Responsible Leadership has launched a new billboard campaign in North Carolina critiquing the war and calling for Congress to exercise its authority to control the president's thus far unilateral actions. And recently, Newsline caught up with the group's North Carolina-based executive director, former U.S. 82nd Airborne Division captain, Scott Peoples. Click here to listen to the full interview with Scott Peoples, executive director of Veterans for Responsible Leadership.

Amateur Radio News and Information in the Greater Cincinnati, Tri-State, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Areas for the Week of March 20, 2026.This weeks topics include:2026 Hamvention AwardsXenia MarathonHam Radio Class630 MetersKY Severe Weather NetFlying PigAmerica 250NKARC BreakfastHappy 90th Birthday KB9DDO PartyARETNKY - KY6ET Meeting and PresentationKY SOTA CampoutNWS Weather Spotter Training ClassRepeater ListHamfestsExams

As you've no doubt noticed, the first several weeks of 2026 have featured a large complement of wintry and bitterly cold weather and that's something that's sure to drive up the electric bills that will soon hit thousands of residential ratepayers. And while there's nothing that can be done to control the weather, there are steps energy providers and elected officials can take to help minimize electricity rates – most notably, working to shift as quickly as possible to sustainable sources of energy with predictable costs like solar and wind. Unfortunately, while North Carolina had been moving in that direction, recent political lobbying by Duke Energy has sidetracked those efforts and, as Newsline learned in a recent chat with Will Scott, the North Carolina Policy Director for the Environmental Defense Fund, the result will be more reliance on volatilely priced fossil fuels and a shift in the burden for funding Duke's profits from industrial and commercial customers to residential consumers. Click here to listen to the full interview with Will Scott, the North Carolina Policy Director for the Environmental Defense Fund.

As you've no doubt noticed, the first several weeks of 2026 have featured a large complement of wintry and bitterly cold weather and that's something that's sure to drive up the electric bills that will soon hit thousands of residential ratepayers. And while there's nothing that can be done to control the weather, there are steps energy providers and elected officials can take to help minimize electricity rates – most notably, working to shift as quickly as possible to sustainable sources of energy with predictable costs like solar and wind. Unfortunately, while North Carolina had been moving in that direction, recent political lobbying by Duke Energy has sidetracked those efforts and, as Newsline learned in a recent chat with Will Scott, the North Carolina Policy Director for the Environmental Defense Fund, the result will be more reliance on volatilely priced fossil fuels and a shift in the burden for funding Duke's profits from industrial and commercial customers to residential consumers. Click here to listen to the full interview with Will Scott, the North Carolina Policy Director for the Environmental Defense Fund.

There's been no bigger or more controversial national news story in recent weeks than the Trump administration's unprecedented immigration crackdown. All across the country – and perhaps most notably in Minnesota – federal immigration officers have employed an array harsh and often discriminatory and violent tactics to round up people suspected of being undocumented – many of them U.S. citizens. And of course, the massive sweep has created a need for places to house detainees – at least temporarily – and so it is that we're now learning of plans to create a vast network of so-called detention centers (that is prisons) across the country. What's more, as Kevin Hardy, a reporter for the national news outlet Stateline recently reported, in addition to taking over existing jails and prisons, the administration is moving to convert and use large private warehouses and manufacturing buildings for this purpose. Not surprisingly, this is causing a lot of concerns for local government leaders on a variety of grounds, and recently, Newsline caught up with Hardy for an extended conversation to learn more. In Part One of our recent extended conversation with Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy, we discussed the revelation that the Trump administration plans to establish a new network of so-called detention centers – that is, prisons – to house the thousands of people swept up in recent immigration raids. What's more, the plan is to convert a large number of private warehouses and manufacturing facilities – many of them located in communities not typically used for prisons – to this purpose. In Part Two of our chat, we dug deeper into the subject and, in particular, the opposition that has arisen to this scheme from both Republican and Democratic local officials, the public campaigns that some communities have undertaken to convince owners of these facilities not to go along with the administration's plans, and the prospects for expected court challenges. Click here to listen to the full interview with Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy.

Early voting is already well underway in this year's primary election that concludes on March 3, but even as this process plays out, conservative activists and self-described “election integrity experts” are renewing their longstanding campaign to purge registered voters from the rolls in groups and geographic areas that generally tend to vote for Democratic candidates. The latest effort: a recent offer from a group of conservative activists to provide North Carolina's Republican dominated Board of Elections with new computer software that they claim will identify fraudulent voters. As NC Newsline reporter Lynn Bonner explained in a recent story, however, the software in question remains in a developmental stage and is a of a type and origin that pro-democracy advocates say should raise some serious red flags. And recently, we sat down with Bonner to learn more. Click here to listen to the full interview with NC Newsline investigative reporter Lynn Bonner. Click here to read Bonner’s story.

If there's a most egregious disconnect right now between state and national policy and what reams of scientific evidence and countless common-sense observations tell us about the world around us, it's clearly in the realm of environmental protection and, in particular, climate change. As has been repeatedly and thoroughly documented, our planet currently faces an existential crisis that demands an urgent, all-hands-on-deck response from government at all levels, the private and nonprofit sectors, scientists, and average citizens. Unfortunately, as Newsline learned recently in an extended conversation with North Carolina League of Conservation Voters' clean energy campaigns director, Meech Carter, the perverse reality right now is that many corporate actors, along with the Trump administration, are moving in the opposite direction by loosening or eliminating anti-pollution rules and conservation efforts, expanding the use of expensive fossil fuels and sticking average ratepayers with the bill. In Part One of our recent extended conversation Carter, we explored the troubling fact that new actions by North Carolina-based electricity giant Duke Energy, are poised to both raise prices on average consumers and further inhibit critically important efforts to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. In Part Two of our chat we dug deeper into these issues by examining the troubling growth of so-called data centers, recent actions by the Trump administration to end federal regulation of pollutants that cause climate change, the critical need to rebuild western North Carolina better and stronger 18 months after Hurricane Helene, and why its critical that caring and thinking people vote in this year's elections if our state and nation are to return to the pursuit of sane environmental policies. Click here to listen to the full interview with North Carolina League of Conservation Voters' clean energy campaigns director Meech Carter.

During his 2024 campaign to return to the White House, President Trump promised American voters that he would almost immediately deliver a new era of peace and prosperity. Today, a little over a year since his return to office, it's increasingly clear that most Americans do not believe he has delivered. In addition to a string of losses for Trump allies in a series of special elections, several new opinion surveys indicate that most Americans – including a  significant percentage of Republicans – are unhappy with rising costs of everything from housing to health care to groceries. And yet, despite these trends, Trump retains a core of strong supporters – and this is true in North Carolina – who remain loyal and willing to accept his characterization of the facts, even when they're contradicted by official statistics. And recently to get a better handle on this situation, Newsline sat down for an extended chat with the author of one of the most recent polls, veteran Catawba College political scientist, Prof. Michal Bitzer. In Part One of our recent extended conversation with veteran Catawba College political scientist, Prof. Michael Bitzer, we discussed recent polling numbers that indicate that while President Trump retains a core of strong supporters, his overall approval ratings are waning in light of several controversial global policy actions and an economy that's failing to live up to his campaign promise of lower prices and bigger paychecks. In Part Two of our chat, we continued our discussion of the widespread discontent over the state of the economy, as well as the general bipartisan dissatisfaction with the performance of the U.S. Congress. In addition, we checked in on the continued strong polling numbers for North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and looked ahead to the upcoming North Carolina U.S. Senate contest in which former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to face one of a group of lesser-known Republican candidates. Click here to listen to the full interview with Catawba College political scientist Prof. Michal Bitzer.

Amateur Radio News and Information in the Greater Cincinnati, Tri-State, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Areas for the Week of February 6, 2026.This weeks topics include:WI4W Owensboro 2025 Amateur of The Year!VOA Museum Expands hoursHamClock NewsARRL America 250 Work all StatesBullitt County Meeting with DXingBrunch BunchRepeater ListHamfestsExams

Huge thanks to ICOM for supporting Ham Nation on the Ham Radio Crash Course and their twice monthly giveaways! https://hamnation.icomamerica.com/ New LINK! ICOM Announced the IC-73000MK2 & ID-5200! https://www.youtube.com/live/sLkAw9aTVow Help Violetta get to Manihiki! https://gofund.me/d20ef2a4 Need QSL cards?Consider printing with Amanda! http://www.peakprintingonline.com/index.php/qsl-cards/Gordon West's Study Material can be found here: https://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/Don Wilbanks' Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXqPB2Ya0yGTtZtfcO5avQ Randy K7AGE: https://www.youtube.com/user/K7AGEDr. Tamitha Skove: https://www.spaceweatherwoman.com/ Amateur Radio Newsline: https://www.arnewsline.org/ Want the best HT antenna? Signal Stuff Signal Stick https://signalstuff.com/?ref=622 (This is an affliate link)Looking for the best deal on the Ed Fong J-Pole? https://www.kbcubed.com/DBJ-2H-Amateur-Ham-2m-70cm-Dual-Band-Portable-Rollup-Antenna-by-Ed-Fong-p406009746The Coax I use is ABR Industries (10% off with code: "abr10hrcc"): https://abrind.com/?sld=6I use Ham Radio Deluxe: https://www.hamradiodeluxe.com/aff/2DC45C837DEE2A018A2BCB345A2E3900/index.html?subid=558903 You can find some of my favorite radios and gear at GigaParts: https://www.gigaparts.com/nsearch/?lp=JOSH Good Value HTs: HTs: https://www.buytwowayradios.com/?cmid=amsreGRvTmttM0k9&afid=Mkx1eE1uN2M0S1k9&ats=bHNrMHVhZ3lZcjQ9Check out Radioddity ham radio radios and get a discount: Xiegu G90: https://www.radioddity.com/?ref=bkobuwhc Support Ham Radio Crash Course Content Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hoshnasi 

- President Trump holds a signing ceremony for his new Board of Peace during Day 2 of the World Economic Summit. - Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joins Newsline live from Israel to discuss Trump's diplomacy agenda, including Greenland. - Rob Schmitt says Trump continues to confront global elites as the Greenland effort gains traction. - Ric Grenell and E.D. Hill outline Trump's progress and negotiations with Europe on a potential Greenland deal. - Rep. Andy Biggs calls for consequences for Bill and Hillary Clinton if the House moves forward with contempt votes. - JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns the World Economic Forum that Trump's plan to cap credit card interest rates could cause major disruption. Today's podcast is sponsored by : WEBROOT : Live a better digital life with Webroot Total Protection. Newsmax Daily listeners get 60% off at ⁠http://webroot.com/Newsmax⁠  Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at ⁠⁠http://Newsmax.com/Listen⁠⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at ⁠⁠http://NewsmaxPlus.com⁠⁠ Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : ⁠⁠http://nws.mx/shop⁠⁠ Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: ⁠⁠http://nws.mx/FB⁠⁠  -X/Twitter: ⁠⁠http://nws.mx/twitter⁠⁠ -Instagram: ⁠⁠http://nws.mx/IG⁠⁠ -YouTube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠ -Rumble: ⁠⁠https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV⁠⁠ -TRUTH Social: ⁠⁠https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠ -GETTR: ⁠⁠https://gettr.com/user/newsmax⁠⁠ -Threads: ⁠⁠http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX⁠⁠  -Telegram: ⁠⁠http://t.me/newsmax⁠⁠  -BlueSky: ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com⁠⁠ -Parler: ⁠⁠http://app.parler.com/newsmax⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices