As we commemorated the 46th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade last year, our thoughts were on what may happen at the U.S. Supreme Court. Two thousand nineteen was the first full year of a high court firmly stacked with justices ideologically opposed to abortion, two of whom were appointed by a president who sees overturning Roe v Wade as a key to his re-election.
...
A long road remains to be traveled before North Carolinians find out whether they’ll have to show an identification card, with photo, in order to vote in next fall’s pivotal elections. Did we say pivotal? Try crucial, momentous, fateful — take your pick.
But this much now seems more or less certain: ...
For over two decades, North Carolina has systematically violated the constitutional rights of its children by failing to ensure the universal opportunity to a sound basic education enshrined in the now-famous state Supreme Court ruling inLeandro v. State. On Tuesday, a non-partisan expert report was released identifying the state's current education shortcomings and policy solutions, presenting a once-in-a-generation opportunity for all of us – students, teachers, parents, advocates, and policymakers – to do right by kids in North Carolina.
...
Last December I condemned the UNC–Chapel Hill Board of Trustees (BOT) proposal to literally enshrine the confederate statue “Silent Sam” on campus. Defying belief, a year later I’m now condemning UNC’s $2.5 million payment so that the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) can do exactly that.
...
The Trump administration recently revealed how it is going to take away food from nearly 700,000 Americans. This is the first time the administration has succeeded in three attempts to downsize the food stamp program. Food Stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offer benefits to 39 million...
...
Despite having voted to expand the economics and personal finance curriculum in the state’s high schools, North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger fails to apply basic principles of these subjects when touting supposed accomplishments in teacher pay in his November 25 op-ed in Raleigh’s News & Observer, “Yes, Republican tax policies are working in North Carolina.”
...
Organization does good work to promote reproductive freedom, but it should disclose and disavow its troubling past and connections. Population Connection is the largest grassroots population organization in the United States, with over 40,000 members. In 2018, it celebrated its 50th anniversary. When it was founded in 1968, however...
...
Teacher: 100 days in, Superintendent Mark Johnson still hasn’t turned over my public records request
Today marks 100 days since I filed an official request with the Department of Public Instruction to release records of communication related to NC Superintendent Mark Johnson’s Istation contract award. North Carolina public records law deems such records “property of the people,” and continued failure to furnish them may amount to a violation of state law.
...
Perhaps the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly have finally gotten the message: their decade-long efforts to rig the state’s legislative and congressional voting district boundaries in their party’s favor simply won’t fly when challenged in the courts. Perhaps they’re starting to take seriously the views of those, including the N.C. Council of Churches, who have called for districts to be drawn via a process less susceptible to partisan abuse.
...
Tonight's Democratic presidential debate will be dominated by two urgent issues: the House of Representatives’ inquiry into the possible impeachment of President Trump, and Trump’s decision to withdraw US forces from northern Syria. Impeachment and Syria should produce a high degree of unity among the 12 presidential contenders on the stage. However, the surface agreement masks complex political calculations.
...
Survey of hold-out states indicates the Medicaid expansion debate has entered a new phase Across the states, the approach of an election year typically provides an excuse for policymakers to avoid taking on controversial and complex policy issues for fear of offending one side or the other.
...
