The 33-member N.C. House Freedom Caucus notched some major policy victories this year, defeating a proposal from Senate leaders to ban shrimp trawling while getting a gun-rights bill to the governor’s desk.

WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with the Freedom Caucus’ chairman, Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, to find out how the legislative process unfolded. Kidwell also weighed in on the ongoing budget stalemate, the Freedom Caucus' role in next year's legislative elections, and his work on the new House Select Committee on Government Efficiency.

North Carolina’s Medicaid system is grappling with funding shortfalls, both from the state budget and from the Congressional megabill. The state Department of Health and Human Services says it will reduce provider reimbursement rates and cut coverage for popular weight-loss drugs if state lawmakers don’t approve additional funding.

And beyond that issue, more funding will be needed in the future to handle new Medicaid work requirements that were part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill. That bill also includes potential cuts to the program known as food stamps. WUNC's Colin Campbell sorts through the details with N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. Sangvai also provided an update on the availability of COVID-19 vaccines this fall.

The state’s most conservative lawmakers have for years formed the House Freedom Caucus, and now there’s a similar caucus for legislators on the left.

The House Progressive Caucus formed this year and has about a dozen members, as well as a political action committee that will be involved in legislative elections next year. Two caucus members, Reps. Marcia Morey of Durham and Pricey Harrison of Greensboro, spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the caucus' efforts to make a difference in a legislature dominated by Republicans. 

Note: This episode was recorded prior to the news of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's death in a Utah shooting.

Can North Carolina’s troubled DMV finally turn the corner after years of long lines and finger-pointing about who or what’s to blame? Several months into his new job as DMV commissioner, Paul Tine says the agency is now making progress. Staff vacancies are being filled, and the legislature recently approved more staff positions and several new DMV offices. Tine spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell after State Auditor Dave Boliek’s scathing audit report, which found that average DMV wait times have increased to an hour and 15 minutes. He says the agency is already working on many of the issues highlighted in the report.

North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race officially kicked off as former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley have formally launched their campaigns for the seat where Sen. Thom Tillis isn’t seeking another term. To get a better sense of what we can expect from the campaign and the two leading candidates, WUNC's Colin Campbell sat down with two of the state’s top political strategists. Jim Blaine is co-founder of the firm The Differentiators and the former chief of staff to Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, and Kimberly Reynolds is a co-founder of the firm Maven Strategies and former executive director of the N.C. Democratic Party. Blaine and Reynolds expect the high-profile candidates and a big impact on the Senate balance of power could result in a campaign that breaks spending records.

North Carolina’s ballot access laws create an uphill battle for third parties seeking to get their candidates on the ballot, requiring more than 14,000 registered voters to sign their petition for access. Five of those parties were on the ballot in last year’s election, and six have started the petition process for the 2026 election cycle.

But only one party so far has made any serious progress toward getting 14,000 signatures. That’s the North Carolina Forward Party, which had amassed 2,200 signatures so far. 

The Forward Party’s chair, Patrick Newton, spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the centrist party founded at the national level by former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Newton sees ballot access for the Forward Party as a path for candidates who are too moderate to win a Democratic or Republican primary. Newton also spoke about the party’s proposals for election reforms, its work backing candidates at the state and local level, and how the Forward Party compares to last year’s “No Labels” party organization.

A wide-ranging healthcare bill that was recently signed into law would make it easier to get flu medications and make it easier for medical professionals to practice in North Carolina. It was among several noteworthy bills that made it across the finish line just before lawmakers left for their summer break. Because they were complicated and non-controversial, they got overshadowed by bills on hot topics like DEI and LGBTQ issues. Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, helped develop the legislation and joined WUNC's Colin Campbell to discuss its impacts on the state's healthcare system. Sawrey also addressed the potential impacts of the federal megabill signed by President Donald Trump on Medicaid.

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives says the legislature has been “getting nothing done” this year as it heads to a summer break. He faults Republican leaders for focusing on culture war issues instead of getting a budget agreement. Reives spoke with WUNC’s Colin Campbell about his assessment of this year’s legislative session, the likelihood that his party can sustain Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes, and Democrats’ prospects in the 2026 legislative elections.

Since Republican Dave Boliek won last year’s election, the position of state auditor has been getting more powerful. He’s now responsible for appointing and overseeing the State Board of Elections, and lawmakers want to put him in charge of a sweeping government efficiency review. He’s also been auditing the Division of Motor Vehicles and hurricane recovery spending. Boliek spoke with Colin Campbell about that work and other action in his first five months in office.

Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, is the only lawmaker who’s been in office since the early 1980s, but the former House speaker is no longer serving as Senate minority leader after his fellow Democrats backed Sen. Sydney Batch for that role instead. But Blue says he’ll still have a key role in Senate action, and he's "freed up to play diplomat" on issues like healthcare, education and affordable housing. He spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about his work this session, why he voted for the GOP budget, and his thoughts on how state politics has changed since he was first elected 45 years ago.