Last fall, the journalism and political world was shocked when longtime journalist Travis Fain said he was not only leaving his job, but political journalism behind.

In this episode, host Tim Boyum talks to Fain about his decision, the challenges for journalism in today’s age, North Carolina politics and what he hopes to in his next chapter.

As a new year begins, host Tim Boyum continues a tradition with two of the state’s premiere economists. The group tries to answer some big questions facing the state’s economy in the upcoming year.   What will North Carolina’s economy look like? How will the economy impact next year’s elections? UNC Charlotte’s Dr. John Connaughton and NC State’s Dr. Mike Walden help break it down.

An annual Tying It Together tradition, Billy Warden and Brian Lewis join Tim to break down the biggest stories of the year, what we can expect in 2024, and their own holiday traditions and resolutions.   We’ll tackle political party changes, Medicaid expansion, casinos, retirements and so much more!

As 2023 wraps up, host Tim Boyum sits down with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. Gov. Cooper gives us behind-the-scenes insight on finally getting Medicaid expansion past the finish line.

He also talks about his push next year to get past school vouchers, his plans for 2024 without having his own campaign for the first time in decades, and his future after 2024.

They also discuss the recent death of UNC legend Eric Montross, and Gov. Cooper gives a glimpse of how he finds ways to unwind from the stress of leading a state.

With 2024 just days away, this week host Tim Boyum takes a look at the state of polling in this country, and how pollsters are tackling what will be a wild and consequential year in elections.

The group will look at how polling works, accuracy and their biggest pet peeves. Finally, they look at the current state of affairs in the presidential race, and how North Carolina’s are shaping up, as well.

North Carolinian Josh Lawson joins host Tim Boyum this week to talk about the 2024 election and how much misinformation will play compared to our last.   Lawson is a former Chief Elections Counsel, and was the head of Electoral and Emerging Risk at Meta in recent years. The two go in depth on the strategies adversaries are using to drive misinformation on social media and attempt to influence our elections.   He’ll also consider the rise of artificial intelligence and the impact it will have on misinformation.

A day after announcing he would not run for re-election, Rep. Patrick McHenry joins Tim to talk about why he’s retiring and what’s next. 

He also goes in depth on his time temporarily leading the U.S. House as Republicans battled to pick a new speaker to replace Kevin McCarthy who was ousted. 

We’ll learn whether he ever considered long term or short term becoming actual House Speaker, and hear the impact the stress had on his own life.

On this week’s episode of Tying It Together, host Tim Boyum talks with congressional representative Kathy Manning.   The first Jewish person from North Carolina elected to Congress shares horrifying details of the videos she and other members viewed of Hamas’s attack on Israel and her meetings with relatives of hostages. She also details her own experiences with antisemitism and her work as co-chair of the bipartisan task force to combat antisemitism.   Later, the two discuss state lawmakers drawing her out of her own congressional district and what she plans to do next.

This week we dive into the precarious situation of insuring homes along the coast and the impact on every homeowner in North Carolina.

As more storms and stronger storms impact our state, it’s having and will continue to have profound impacts on the future of insurance and how much you pay. What are state, insurance industry and other leaders doing to ensure we call all afford our homes and insurance? Do people across the state help subsidize the high cost of coastal insurance?

Industry expert Joe Stewart, a long time well-known name in North Carolina politics, joins host Tim Boyum to break it all down.

After a marathon legislative session ends, the most powerful North Carolina politician and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger joins host Tim Boyum. The two hold an in-depth conversation about the current fight over casinos in North Carolina, with some behind-the-scenes discussion about his support, and why it failed at the last minute.    Later, Tim asks about the fairness of redistricting, separation of powers, and working in today’s political climate. The end of the podcast features a little fun, and a look at Sen. Berger’s favorite holiday traditions.