NC Newsline

No modern political leader has done more to undermine science and research – both by slashing funding and directly spreading myths and disinformation — than President Donald Trump. Whether defunding everything from cancer studies to the National Weather Service or placing a troubled conspiracy theorist like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in charge of the nation’s health, Trump has recklessly endangered millions of lives and wreaked havoc that will take many years to repair. And sadly, Trump has also spurred state and local government in a similar direction. Last week, North Carolina House Republicans advanced a bill to ignore the Food and Drug Administration by allowing the sale of a drug used to kill parasites in horses — ivermectin – without a prescription. Though touted by some right-wing pundits as a miracle cure, peer reviewed scientific research has repeatedly shown such claims to be bogus. The bottom line: Ivermectin advocates may be sincere, but by overturning established, science-based drug approval laws, they are setting a very dangerous precedent indeed. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.

The nation’s last unsettled election contest has finally been decided. On Wednesday, Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin conceded to incumbent Democratic Justice Allison Riggs. It was a long overdue act that many observers, including Justice Riggs (who prevailed in two separate recounts), are rightfully celebrating as a victory for democracy. That said, Griffin’s challenge – which called for trashing thousands of ballots cast by voters according to the rules in effect last November – has done tremendous damage. Not only did it waste vast sums of money and further undermine the public’s confidence in the judiciary, but one fears that it will inspire copycat losers in future elections who will try to overturn their losses by retroactively altering election rules. God help us if this were to happen in a presidential election. The bottom line: a federal judge dismissed Griffin’s shameless challenge as unconstitutional, but several of Griffin’s GOP pals on the state courts were ready to go along with it. And that’s a red flag that should alarm us all. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.

If you’re like the vast majority of North Carolina voters, the decision you made last November in the auditor’s race was pretty low on your list of priority contests. Ah, but for Republican lawmakers looking for ways to seize more powers from Gov. Josh Stein, newly elected Republican auditor Dave Boliek has turned out to be a convenient tool. Thanks to a bill rammed through during a lame duck session, Boliek has been given all sorts of new powers that have absolutely nothing to do with the auditor’s traditional role – including bizarrely enough, appointing the state Board of Elections. And last week Boliek followed marching orders from GOP leaders by appointing a pair of hard right ideologues to the Board. The bottom line: It makes no more sense to place the auditor — state’s accountant — in charge of elections than giving the duty to the agriculture commissioner – especially when voters had no inkling of the shift when they cast their ballots. Unfortunately, for Republican lawmakers bent on shamelessly seizing power at every turn, logic and the will of voters is of little interest. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.

While it’s no surprise that President Donald Trump is undoing years of hard won national progress in combating discrimination, the decision by many corporations to cowardly follow suit is shameful. Take North Carolina-based Duke Energy. As researchers at the Energy and Policy Institute recently reported, Duke once held itself out as a leader in fighting injustice. Its former CEO led her presentation at a 2020 earnings call by stating quote “issues surrounding racial equity and social justice are front and center, as they should be.” “Now, more than ever” she continued, “we are relying on these values to cultivate a workplace rooted in diversity and inclusion.” What a difference a few years make. Today, the report notes, Duke has been busy scrubbing numerous references to diversity and inclusion from important corporate documents. The bottom line: While some corporations are proudly reenforcing their commitment to fight discrimination, Duke bosses have sadly but predictably folded like a cheap suit. One suspects it’s a sign of their true colors. For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.

Few issues on the public policy agenda in 2025 are more urgently important than the health of the environment. Whether it’s global challenges like climate change and the rise in weather disasters or hyperlocal matters like land use planning and access to clean drinking water, elected leaders undoubtedly have their work cut out for them. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of experts at the North Carolina Conservation Network, we now have a wonderfully comprehensive and data rich report that details exactly where things stand. The report – entitled simply enough, “North Carolina State of the Environment” – is based on the analysis of data from 114 different source indicators over a period of five years. And recently NC Newsline caught up with the Conservation Network’s Policy Director Grady McCallie and Campaigns Data Manager Luna Homsi, for a special two-part conversation to learn more. In Part One of our recent extended conversation, we commenced discussing their organization’s new and remarkably comprehensive report on the state of the environment in North Carolina. In Part Two of our chat, we took a closer look at some of the many specific environmental challenges confronting our state – including some encouraging news on air pollution, the importance of rapidly transitioning to a sustainable energy grid, the huge challenges posed by the spread of so-called forever chemicals, and the report’s inclusion of dozens of specific policy recommendations. Click here for the full interview with the NC Conservation Network’s Grady McCallie and Luna Homsi. [https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/News-and-Views-for-5-04-2025-full_NCCN-StateofEnvironment.mp3] Read the full report: North Carolina State of the Environment 2025. [https://www.ncconservationnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SOE-2025.pdf]