August 04, 2025
Alan Buis
Chatham/North Carolina
Charlotte Mayor
The Assembly NC: The Quiet Power of Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles
Chatham County Development
The News & Observer: Disney, Chatham Park Are Poised To Change Pittsboro. Can NC Town Keep Its Charm?
The News & Observer: Pittsboro Once Faced Multiple Development Moratoriums. Not Anymore. Here’s Why.
Climate Change
Inside Climate News: Will ‘The Power Bill Reduction Act’ Make Electric Bills Go Down or Up in NC?
The News & Observer: How Women’s Book Circle Sparked Movement Over Future of Chatham County Town
WRAL: Duke Study: Scrapping Carbon Goal Could Add $23 Billion to NC Power Bills
Courts
Carolina Forward: Roadblocks to Relief: What the End of the Universal Injunction Means to North Carolina
NC Newsline: NC Justice Riggs Will Speak at a Washington Forum About Protecting Military Votes
Disaster Response
NC Newsline: Should North Carolina Create an All-in-One Disaster Response Agency? Lawmakers Plan To Discuss It.
DOGE
Education
CNN: Trump Administration Launches Investigation Into Duke University and Duke Law Journal
Inside Higher Ed: Conservative Group Requests Materials for Over 70 UNC Courses
The News & Observer: NC Lawmakers Enact Law Letting Private Schools Arm Teachers After Defeating Vetoes
Elections
IndyWeek: Ask INDY: Can I Use My Expired ID To Vote?
WUNC: GOP Lawmakers Tighten Hold on Elections Administration in North Carolina
Federal Budget Impacts
Chapelboro: UNC Leaders Propose an Estimated $70 Million in Budget Cuts Amid Federal Funding ‘Uncertainty’
Fox 8: PBS North Carolina Responds to Corporation for Public Broadcasting Announcing Closure
IndyWeek: Duke Announces Layoffs Amid Federal Budget Uncertainty
General Assembly
Axios: New North Carolina Laws Include One Allowing Guns in Private Schools
Cardinal & Pine: North Carolina Lawmakers Approve Temporary Spending Measure as Budget Impasse Lingers
Carolina Public Press: Bipartisan Support Moves NC Mini-Budget Forward
The Assembly NC: The Berger King
WRAL: NC Lawmakers Second-Guess Puppy Mill Protections, Kickstart Debate on Disaster Recovery Plans
WRAL: New NC Laws on Guns, Immigration, Donor Privacy Now In Place Despite Stein’s Vetoes
WRAL: NC Election Changes? GOP Seeks Signature Verification Rules, Ranked Choice Voting Ban
WUNC: Veto Tracker: Legislature Overrides 8 of Gov. Stein’s 14 Vetoes
Governor Stein
Associated Press: Some North Carolina Democratic Lawmakers Break from Party To Pass Republican Priorities
Cardinal & Pine: Republicans Seek To Override Josh Stein’s Vetoes on Gun Bill and Other Contentious Legislation
Cardinal & Pine: NC Lawmakers Override Josh Stein’s Vetoes on Climate Change, Gun Laws
Carolina Public Press: Democrats’ Defections Doom Multiple Vetoes from Gov. Stein
NC Newsline: NC Lawmakers Override Stein’s Vetoes, as Key House Democrats Defect
Health Care
NC Health News: Lawmakers Overrode Gov. Stein’s Vetoes of Bills That Have Health Policy Implications
U.S. Senate Race
Cardinal & Pine: Roy Cooper Officially Enters US Senate Race
Chapelboro: Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Will Run for Senate in 2026
MSNBC: Opinion: Why Roy Cooper is Democrats’ Best Hope for Taking a Key Senate Seat
Newsweek: Republicans Warn of ‘Knife Fight’ for Senate Seat as Roy Cooper Enters Race
Newsweek: Michael Whatley’s Chances of Beating Roy Cooper in North Carolina – New Poll
Politico: Roy Cooper Raises $3.4 Million in First 24 Hours of His Senate Candidacy
Politico: Roy Cooper Breaks Fundraising Records as He Kicks Off Expensive North Carolina Campaign
The Assembly NC: Dueling Separation Allegations Shed Light on Michele Morrow’s Political Plans
The Assembly NC: Michael Whatley Wants To Be N.C.’s Next Senator. Here’s What To Know.
The Assembly NC: Roy Cooper Jumps Into Hotly Contested Race To Replace Thom Tillis
U.S./International
Big, Beautiful Bill
CNN: Trump Megabill May Force Your Local Grocery Store To Close
Climate Change
NY Times (Gift Article): In Game-Changing Climate Rollback, E.P.A. Aims To Kill a Bedrock Scientific Finding
The Economist: America is Slashing its Climate Research
Democratic Party
Democratic National Committee: DNC Launches Distributed Organizing Program, Deploys Grassroots Activists To Contact Voters in Texas To Fight Trump and Abbott’s Gerrymander
Politico: Democrats’ Fight-or-Flight Dilemma Comes to a Head in the Senate
Washington Post (Gift Article): Opinion: Lucky for Democrats, They Picked the Least-Worse Time To Be Unpopular
Economy
CNN: The US Job Market May Be Running Low on Gas
NBC News: White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett Defends Trump’s Firing of Labor Statistics Head
NY Times: The Evening: Trump Fires Head of Labor Statistics
Education
NY Times: The Morning: Your Questions About Education
Elections
CNN: Trump and His Allies Mount a Pressure Campaign Against US Elections Ahead of the Midterms
NY Times: On Politics: A Staggering Money Gap
Epstein Files
Associated Press: A Timeline of the Jeffrey Epstein Investigation, Now 20 Years Old
CNN: Senate Democrats Try To Force Release of Epstein Files Using Arcane Law
Politico: 47 Things Trump Would Rather Talk About Than Jeffrey Epstein
The Guardian: Legal Cases Could Prise Open Epstein Cache Despite Trump’s Blocking Effort
Federal Budget
Politico: Thune’s Pre-Recess Game Plan
The Hill: Senate GOP Quietly Urges House To Shift Approach on Shutdown Talk
The Hill: Senate Approves More Than $180 Billion in 2026 Funding Before August Recess
Washington Post (Gift Article): The Federal Government is Paying More Than 154,000 People Not To Work
Gaza
NY Times (Gift Article): Opinion: How Netanyahu Played Trump for a Fool in Gaza
NY Times: The Evening: Trump Said Gaza Children ‘Look Very Hungry’
Health Care
CBS News: RFK Jr.’s Plans for Preventative Health Panel Spark “Deep Concerns” from American Health Association
Washington Post (Gift Article): NIH Director Says Cuts Aim To Reduce ‘Ideological Research,’ Focus on Health
Immigration
NPR: DHS is Urging DACA Recipients To Self-Deport
Politico: DOJ is Walking Back the White House’s Goal To Arrest 3,000 Immigrants Per Day
ProPublica: Immigration Officers Smash Car Windows To Speed Up Arrests
Justice
The Hill: Senate GOP Readies ‘Nuclear’ Option, Set for August Break After Nominations Deal Falls Apart
NY Times: On Politics: Attacking the System With the System Itself
Kamala Harris
Politico: Kamala Harris Has Misgivings About Government. Some Dems Have Misgivings About Her.
Social Security
CNN: Treasury Secretary Calls New Trump Accounts ‘a Backdoor’ Way To Privatize Social Security
Sovereignty
NY Times: The Morning: Sovereignty is Having a Moment
Supreme Court
Time: Exclusive: Inside the Preparations for Trump’s Next Supreme Court Nominee
Tariffs
BBC: US Companies Up Against ‘Nightmare’ Tariff Wall
CNBC: Trump’s Tariff Deadline is Near. Here’s a Look at Countries That Have a Deal – and Those That Don’t
CNN: Markets Slump on Tariffs and Jobs Data as Trump Fires Labor Bureau Statistics Chief
NY Times: The Evening: Trump Escalates Feud With Brazil
NY Times: The Morning: Trade Deadline
NY Times: The Evening: Trump’s Deadline Approaches
NY Times: The Morning: New Tariffs
Politico: Trump Says Canada’s Palestinian Move is New Trade Deal Stumbling Block
Time: The Chaotic, Fantastical World of Donald Trump’s Tariffs
Trump Presidency
NY Times: On Politics: The Upside of Suing Trump
Voting Rights
The Hill: GOP Bullish on Dismantling Voting Rights Act