NC Capitol Wrap

By WRAL News | Raleigh, North Carolina

What's NC Capitol Wrap about?

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie, state government reporters Travis Fain and Bryan Anderson and other members of the NC Capitol team discuss North Carolina politics and state government doings.

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NC Capitol Wrap episodes:

05.24.2024
Mask ban and budget talks stall, DEI undone
Eric and Lara Trump are speaking at the annual NCGOP convention, where North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is also speaking as Donald Trump looks for a vice presidential running mate. In the legislature, a war of words between Republican leaders...
05.17.2024
NC mask ban debate, AI porn, video gambling
A proposal to ban masks in North Carolina moves ahead, as does a bill outlawing the use of AI to produce deepfake or child porn. Meantime, no video gambling bill has surfaced after weeks in session. Will it? WRAL Capitol Bureau...
05.10.2024
Primary runoff preview, April surprise, mask ban
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran look at Tuesday's statewide runoffs and this year's "April surprise," which isn't good news. Plus lawmakers say campus protests are the inspiration for bills defining antisemitism and...
05.03.2024
Antisemitism, millions for vouchers, a bourbon-soaked soiree
President Joe Biden visited North Carolina twice this week, and rumors are flying about a trip state lawmakers and lobbyists took to Kentucky. As protesters opposed to Israel's bombing of Gaza replaced the American flag at UNC with a Palestinian...
04.26.2024
2024 legislative session kicks off, Bernie Sanders investigation highlights NC
Medical marijuana, immigration, gambling updates and a $1 billion state budget surplus could come to dominate the new 2024 North Carolina legislative short session. Plus, Senate leader Phil Berger talks about the future of the ACC and what lawmakers could...
04.19.2024
Budget news, Balanced Nutrition, and sports gambling pays off
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie wraps up the week on Jones Street, including an investigation into the nonprofit led by the wife of the lieutenant governor. Plus, good news for budget writers, and a look at the state’s take...
04.12.2024
Japanese, Ukrainian leaders look to NC, plus 2024 budget sneak peek
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits with Gov. Roy Cooper in Raleigh, and two members of North Carolina congressional delegation travel to Ukraine for meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The North Carolina Supreme Court keeps busy with cases on charter...
04.05.2024
Teacher turnover, the daycare cliff and weight-loss drugs
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran discuss a surge in teacher turnover in North Carolina public schools, and the end of coverage of weight-loss drugs by the State Health Plan. Plus, diversity, equity...
03.22.2024
State school superintendent race keeps NC in national headlines
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran talk about the terror watchlist suspect whose North Carolina arrest could turn into a referendum on immigration policy, plus the growing national attention on comments made by...
03.15.2024
Post-election surprises and fights, plus WRAL polling
Donald Trump leads Joe Biden in North Carolina their potential 2024 rematch for president, a new WRAL News poll found. But Republicans don't have the same lead in the race for governor, pitting Democratic nominee for governor Josh Stein against...
03.14.2024
WRAL and 99.9 The Fan present: The long road to legal sports betting in North Carolina
In Season 3 of A Brief History of Triangle Sports, Brian Murphy from WRAL News and Tim Donnelly from 99.9 The Fan explore the history of sports betting in North Carolina. Mobile sports betting is legal today but getting to...
03.08.2024
Election upsets, Chamber concerns and runoffs
The week's primary elections brought a spate of upsets by populist conservatives, and that's got the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce concerned. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Will Doran look at the biggest surprises and...
03.01.2024
Primary countdown, sports betting, and who's on the legislative hot seat
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL Sports Investigative Reporter Brian Murphy bring you a roundup of the week's crazy election stories, the go-live date for sports betting sites in North Carolina, and a rough week on Jones Street...
02.23.2024
Primary money, Leandro redux, historic capitol records
Dark money seeps into North Carolina primary races from some unexpected places. The decades-old Leandro public education lawsuit is back in court. And state historians unveil research into the enslaved people who built the state capitol building. WRAL Capitol Bureau...
01.19.2024
Biden's visit and the battle over home insurance rate hikes
President Joe Biden came to Raleigh to talk broadband internet investments and "Bidenomics" before grabbing a milkshake with Gov. Roy Cooper. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran discuss how it foreshadows the messaging...
01.13.2024
HOAs, gerrymandering and the campaign trail
On this week's episode of The Wrap, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran have the latest on the multiple lawsuits against the state's new voting maps. Plus: Lawmakers' latest attempts to rein in...
12.22.2023
Who won 2023 in NC politics?
With another year nearly over we ask: Who won 2023? WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain have lots of thoughts, and now you're gonna hear about them! Plus: Another redistricting lawsuit, a candidacy challenge...
12.15.2023
NC campaign filing closes, with some surprises
The 2024 primaries are set, and several people surprised North Carolina political observers by opting not to run. Also: There's another Mark Robinson in North Carolina politics now, and this one's a Democrat. Plus: Out with the old and in...
12.08.2023
Campaign filing season, and an exit at UNC
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is out at UNC-Chapel Hill, reopening North Carolina's long-running conversation on political meddling and fair governance in the state's university system. Plus: It's election filing season! Listen to WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL...
12.01.2023
Medicaid expands, governor picks new state auditor
North Carolina on Friday became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, opening the health insurance program to 600,000 people — many of them the working poor. It brings a multibillion-dollar infusion for the state's health care providers. Also: Gov. Roy...
11.10.2023
Beth Wood vehicle saga drives on
State Auditor Beth Wood was indicted this week, accused of using publicly owned vehicles for personal errands — a charge that grew out of the scrutiny she received after wrecking a state-owned car after a December holiday party. After Tuesday’s...
10.27.2023
We have maps, now for the lawsuits
North Carolina lawmakers returned to the legislative building this week, maybe for the last time this year, and passed new election maps. Now we wait for the lawsuits. And speaking of lawsuits: A major one is in court next week...
10.20.2023
New maps, old fights: Redistricting heats up again in North Carolina
The political power play that is redistricting got underway again this week. North Carolina lawmakers will likely have fully approved maps by next week. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break down who wins, and who loses,...
10.13.2023
A week of veto overrides, lawsuits and division over war in Israel
Lawmakers gathered again in Raleigh Tuesday to override Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes on five bills, taking the Republican supermajority's override record this year to 19-0. But a resolution on the conflict between Israel and Hamas that some North Carolina Democrats...
10.06.2023
Congress in disarray? Of course there's a North Carolina connection
The Wrap turns its attention to Washington, D.C., this week, where the U.S. House of Representatives deposed its speaker and a bow-tied, beer-brewing North Carolinian ended up with the gavel. Plus: The new state budget is law, state lawmakers gather...
09.22.2023
$30B budget, Medicaid expansion will be law after exhausting, secretive process
After months of closed-door talks, leaks and rumors, North Carolina has a new state budget packed with priorities backed by the legislature’s Republican majority. In the end, a long-discussed deal to legalize new casinos in the state fell apart. But...
09.15.2023
State budget talks fall apart
State budget talks — including negotiations over a heavily lobbied gambling expansion — broke down this week between the House and Senate. Senate leadership says the House broke its deal. House leadership says the Senate demands just won't pass. Everyone...
09.08.2023
Casino debate delays budget with Medicaid hanging in the balance
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL Sports Investigative Reporter Brian Murphy talk about the push and pull over casinos and video slot machines in lawmakers' negotiations over the state budget. Will the fight over expanding gambling in North...
09.01.2023
Make or break time for NC gambling bills
House Republicans plan to gather behind closed doors Tuesday for a meeting that may go a long way toward deciding whether North Carolina's General Assembly authorizes four new casinos and legalizes video poker machines. Plus: Accusations of bias at the...
08.25.2023
A budget timeline we believe?
It sounds like state lawmakers are hammering out final budget details ahead of a vote during the week of Sept. 11. What does that mean for Medicaid expansion? WRAL reporters Travis Fain and Brian Murphy get into it. Also: More...
08.18.2023
Veto overrides, election bills and a stalled budget
The North Carolina General Assembly continues to work in fits and starts, churning through veto overrides and a handful of other bills after weeks of calm. Now it looks we're in another dead period with few answers about the overdue...
08.12.2023
NC budget delays, third-party bids and concealed weapons
A clash over concealed weapons training, and why a national group's bid to get on the 2024 ballot in NC could be in trouble. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran look at the...
07.21.2023
Casinos! NC lawmakers weigh massive increase in legalized gambling
In the course of one legislative session, North Carolina may go from having heavy limits on gambling to allowing sports gambling on cell phones, slot-machine-style machines in restaurants and gas stations and four new casinos. WRAL News reporters Travis Fain...
07.14.2023
The state budget? Don't hold your breath
With North Carolina lawmakers deadlocked, and vacations looming, it looks like a state budget vote won't come until at least August at the General Assembly. Meanwhile, not much is moving, but we keep hearing about a major push to build...
06.30.2023
An abortion lawsuit, two US Supreme Court decisions, multiple LGBTQ bills and medical marijuana. Whew.
In terms of drama, North Carolina politics did not disappoint this week. A federal judge said most of North Carolina's new abortion law can go into effect. The legislature passed multiple LGBTQ bills. A powerful state senator pulled a parliamentary...
06.23.2023
House speaker's affair, movement on voting, abortion, anti-trans bills
Speaker of the House Tim Moore's love life — central to allegations in a new lawsuit against him — sucked a lot of the oxygen out of the room this week at the General Assembly. But the session kept on...
06.16.2023
'Jumbo jet' election bills, budget talks slow, and a preview of 2024
The legislative session is rounding the final turn. Republican lawmakers moved a pair of major election bills forward. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are poised to pass a ban on transgender girls and women playing on female sports teams from middle school through college. The sports...
06.15.2023
‘Jumbo jet’ election bills, budget talks slow and a preview of 2024
The legislative session is rounding the final turn. Republican lawmakers moved a pair of major election bills forward. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are poised to pass a ban on transgender girls and women playing on female sports teams from middle school through...
06.09.2023
NC Republicans rally with a twice indicted Trump; budget negotiations continue
North Carolina Republicans are holding their state convention this weekend in Greensboro and will hear from three presidential candidates. President Joe Biden visited North Carolina Friday. Budget negotiators are taking the weekend off, but chairs hope to have their work...
06.02.2023
Home stretch looms for gambling bill, medical marijuana
Plus: A new elections bill dropped this week, tinkering with state voting laws, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina got a big bipartisan vote on its reorganization bill.
05.26.2023
Republican reckoning, Blue Cross battle, Cooper’s crusade
On this week's edition of the Wrap, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran talk about a shake-up in the state House GOP leadership, the fight over the future of the state’s largest insurer,...
05.19.2023
An abortion override and a Senate budget
Republicans in the North Carolina legislature made quick work of Gov. Roy Cooper's abortion bill override. And new restrictions are scheduled to go into effect July 1. Plus, there’s bipartisan support in the state Senate for a budget proposing lower...
05.12.2023
More Mark Robinson, and an abortion veto looms
The North Carolina General Assembly largely took this week off. The news did not. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper tried to ramp up public pressure on a handful of key Republicans ahead of Saturday's abortion veto, and the state got three...
05.06.2023
Abortion bill flies through NC House, Senate
Emotional debate and personal stories filled the General Assembly this week as a long-anticipated abortion bill moved through the chambers. In the end, the bill passed along party lines, and it took less than 48 hours. Now we wait for...
04.21.2023
Power struggles, drag shows, school vouchers and consensus on an abortion bill?
The North Carolina General Assembly remains on its rocket sled, churning through legislation, including the series of culture war bills dominating recent headlines. Plus: The Community College System named a new president, beating a push for the General Assembly to...
04.07.2023
A party switch, a budget vote, anti-trans bills filed and new transportation taxes pitched
Every week is a banger in North Carolina politics, but this one outdid itself. State Rep. Tricia Cotham dropped the biggest bombshell in legislative politics in 20 years. The House passed its budget. Half a dozen LGBTQ bills hit. Plus:...
03.31.2023
Lessons in leverage and political power
The week in North Carolina politics started off in bipartisan bliss with a bill signing ceremony on Medicaid expansion. Then Republicans shut off debate and used a handful of key Democratic absences to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto on a...
03.24.2023
Gun bill vetoed, Wood pleads guilty, Medicaid passes and gambling rolls
Another chock-a-block week in North Carolina politics. Medicaid expansion passed, and on the 13th anniversary of Obamacare, no less. State Auditor Beth Wood pleaded guilty to her hit-and-run charge, and she admitted to having a bit to drink before the...
03.16.2023
Gov's budget DOA, a gun bill, race in schools and Medicaid nearly done
WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break down the week that was in North Carolina politics. Medicaid expansion passed the state Senate. The governor proposed a new budget. Republican lawmakers immediately said it won't pass. Plus: Bills...
03.10.2023
Busy week brings budget work and beaucoup bills
WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down the week in North Carolina politics. This week brought Gov. Roy Cooper's last State of the State speech. Plus, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson reined himself...

What's NC Capitol Wrap about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

NC Capitol Wrap episodes:

Mask ban and budget talks stall, DEI undone

NC mask ban debate, AI porn, video gambling

Primary runoff preview, April surprise, mask ban

Antisemitism, millions for vouchers, a bourbon-soaked soiree

2024 legislative session kicks off, Bernie Sanders investigation highlights NC

Budget news, Balanced Nutrition, and sports gambling pays off

Japanese, Ukrainian leaders look to NC, plus 2024 budget sneak peek

Teacher turnover, the daycare cliff and weight-loss drugs

State school superintendent race keeps NC in national headlines

Post-election surprises and fights, plus WRAL polling

WRAL and 99.9 The Fan present: The long road to legal sports betting in North Carolina

Election upsets, Chamber concerns and runoffs

Primary countdown, sports betting, and who's on the legislative hot seat

Primary money, Leandro redux, historic capitol records

Biden's visit and the battle over home insurance rate hikes

HOAs, gerrymandering and the campaign trail

Who won 2023 in NC politics?

NC campaign filing closes, with some surprises

Campaign filing season, and an exit at UNC

Medicaid expands, governor picks new state auditor

Beth Wood vehicle saga drives on

We have maps, now for the lawsuits

New maps, old fights: Redistricting heats up again in North Carolina

A week of veto overrides, lawsuits and division over war in Israel

Congress in disarray? Of course there's a North Carolina connection

$30B budget, Medicaid expansion will be law after exhausting, secretive process

State budget talks fall apart

Casino debate delays budget with Medicaid hanging in the balance

Make or break time for NC gambling bills

A budget timeline we believe?

Veto overrides, election bills and a stalled budget

NC budget delays, third-party bids and concealed weapons

Casinos! NC lawmakers weigh massive increase in legalized gambling

The state budget? Don't hold your breath

An abortion lawsuit, two US Supreme Court decisions, multiple LGBTQ bills and medical marijuana. Whew.

House speaker's affair, movement on voting, abortion, anti-trans bills

'Jumbo jet' election bills, budget talks slow, and a preview of 2024

‘Jumbo jet’ election bills, budget talks slow and a preview of 2024

NC Republicans rally with a twice indicted Trump; budget negotiations continue

Home stretch looms for gambling bill, medical marijuana

Republican reckoning, Blue Cross battle, Cooper’s crusade

An abortion override and a Senate budget

More Mark Robinson, and an abortion veto looms

Abortion bill flies through NC House, Senate

Power struggles, drag shows, school vouchers and consensus on an abortion bill?

A party switch, a budget vote, anti-trans bills filed and new transportation taxes pitched

Lessons in leverage and political power

Gun bill vetoed, Wood pleads guilty, Medicaid passes and gambling rolls

Gov's budget DOA, a gun bill, race in schools and Medicaid nearly done

Busy week brings budget work and beaucoup bills