Democrats | Mary C. Curtis

Jan162025 TAGS: Allison Riggs, Anderson Clayton, Democrats, Governor Roy Cooper, Jaime Harrison, Jefferson Griffin, North Carolina, North Carolina Supreme Court, Republicans

Local News Roundup: Winter storm prep; Riggs-Griffin continues; NC General Assembly underway; Panthers end on a high note

Get ready, Charlotte. Winter is coming. Snow and sleet are in the forecast this weekend. We discuss what to expect and how it could impact the coming days.

It’s the election that will not end. The Republican-controlled North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the North Carolina Board of Elections should not certify a victory for Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs over Republican Jefferson Griffin for a seat on that same bench. Riggs recused herself, while the only other Democrat, Anita Earls, dissented. She said Griffin’s challenge had “no likelihood of success” and did not believe the state’s highest court should interfere with the democratic process. One Republican also broke ranks with his GOP colleagues on the bench to rule in dissent.

Gov. Josh Stein continues to issue executive orders related to Helene relief early in his tenure. This week’s order aims at ensuring people have access to heating materials. It waives federal limits on the duration drivers can transport propane. This comes after Stein issued several executive orders last week, also aimed at those impacted by Helene.

And are fortunes turning around for Charlotte sports? Well, maybe not yet, but baby steps. The Hornets won for the first time in about a month. Meanwhile, the Panthers end the season with a losing record, but may finally have found their quarterback.

Those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Brad Panovich, WCNC chief meteorologist
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Hunter Sáenz, WSOC-TV reporter
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte

Jan102025 TAGS: Charlotte, Democrats, North Carolina, Republicans, snow, voting rights

Lying in politics is a danger to democracy. Can it be fixed?

The “L-word.” It took some time for journalists to call a lie a lie when politicians uttered provable falsehoods. After all, don’t all politicians stretch the truth when it comes to policies, opponents or their own accomplishments?

Bill Adair, an award-winning journalist and educator, shares his thoughts and experiences in his book “Beyond the Big Lie: The Epidemic of Political Lying, Why Republicans Do It More, and How It Could Burn Down Our Democracy.” The creator of PolitiFact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking site, and co-founder of the International Fact-Checking Network has ideas about the problem — and possible remedies. Adair is a professor of journalism and public policy at Duke University and a leader in the effort to combat misinformation. And, at the end of a year chock-full of election rhetoric to analyze, he is my guest and guide on Equal Time.

Dec232024 TAGS: Democrats, fact-checking, Republicans

Local News Roundup: Political drama in Raleigh; New CLT flight paths approved; Bishop tapped for job by Trump; Belichick to UNC

Lawmakers in Raleigh override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill that provides relief for those impacted by Hurricane Helene while also stripping power from top state Democrats. Critics have called the bill a power grab disguised as a relief measure.

Charlotte City Council has approved a plan to expand flight paths at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to 27, aimed at dispersing noise more effectively. There are now eight flight paths. Two members voted against the plan, citing a lack of transparency from the city and the airport.

After losing his election for North Carolina attorney general, former North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be deputy director for budget at the Office of Management and Budget. He will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

And the North Carolina Board of Elections says it will not order a full hand recount of ballots in the race for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat after a partial recount resulted in more votes for the leading candidate, Democrat Allison Riggs. Entering the recount, Riggs led Republican Jefferson Griffin by about 700 votes out of nearly 5.5 million cast.

Those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Ryan Pitkin, cofounder and editor of Queen City Nerve
Hunter Sáenz, WSOC-TV reporter

Dec152024 TAGS: Bill Belichick, Democrats, Governor Roy Cooper, Josh Stein, North Carolina, Republicans, UNC Chapel Hill

A holiday season of personal and political reflection

If my mother were alive, she would be disappointed at what her Republican Party has become. But not surprised. She had witnessed the GOP inching its way toward scapegoating some Americans to score political points with others in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and thought the tactic, while canny and often effective, betrayed longtime African American Lincoln Republicans like herself.

Dec122024 TAGS: Democrats, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Elections, race, Republicans, Ronald Reagan, voting rights

The consequences of climate and environmental policy unleashed

Remember the movie “Elysium”? Though the dystopian, science-fiction vision of a future Earth didn’t cause much of a stir when it was released in 2013, its premise deserves another look in 2024, when climate and environmental crises are disrupting countries across the globe. Even the average person can’t help but notice unseasonable fall weather, with T-shirts replacing puffy jackets, and deduce something is a little off.

The film’s “Elysium” was a space station floating outside the Earth’s atmosphere, a privileged habitat for the rich and powerful escaping a polluted and overpopulated world, where the poor toiled throughout shortened and diseased lifetimes unless they devised a way out and into that promised land in the sky.

Not exactly upbeat, but too close to reality in an America where residents in the majority-Black city of Flint, Mich., remain devastated from the effects of a water supply poisoned a decade ago by leaders who were supposed to be looking out for them. While officials assure them the water now meets federal standards, lead pipes still need to be replaced, and children who consumed and bathed in that water continue to suffer seizures and developmental setbacks.

Nov162024 TAGS: climate change, Democrats, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Republicans

Local News Roundup: Trump takes NC; Democrats win elsewhere; Charlotte City Council members head to Munich; Charlotte FC faces Orlando City in winner-take-all matchup

North Carolina, like other battleground states, went for Donald Trump in this week’s presidential election. What went right for his campaign and what went wrong for Vice President Kamala Harris?

On the statewide level, Democrats picked up wins in races for governor, attorney general, and superintendent for public instruction, among others. The party also appears to have prevented Republicans from retaining their veto-proof supermajority, despite the fact Democrat-turned-Republican Tricia Cotham appears to have narrowly retained her seat, barring a potential recount.

Outside of the election, as the Carolina Panthers head to Munich, Germany to play the New York Giants, several members of city council are going along. The city says the goal is to learn how Munich solves some of its urban problems, but WCNC reports the bill will cost taxpayers about $80,000.

Finally, Charlotte FC has a chance to advance to the next round of the MLS playoffs with a win against Orlando City on Saturday. The series is currently tied at a game apiece.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for the Charlotte Observer
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte and host of WCNC’s “Flashpoint”

Nov082024 TAGS: 2024 elections, Charlotte, Democrats, Donald Trump, Josh Stein, Mark Robinson, North Carolina, Republicans, Vice President Kamala Harris

Local News Roundup: Campaigns ramp up; Early voting in NC and SC; Charlotte FC begins postseason play

Former President Donald Trump makes stops across North Carolina, including in the western part of the state where he repeated false claims about the federal response to Helene.

Meanwhile, early voting numbers are coming as polls are open in both North and South Carolina. What is the early data telling us? And how does it compare to 2020?

Mark Robinson has amended his defamation lawsuit against CNN. Robinson, who was seeking $50 million in damages, is now asking for $25,000. Robinson has denied the report that alleges he made racist and misogynistic comments on a pornographic website. All of this comes as Democrats continue to spend money attacking Robinson and linking other Republican candidates to him.

And Charlotte FC is back in the postseason for the second straight year. The team starts a best-of-three series at Orlando on Sunday.

Those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Nick Ochsner, WBTV chief investigative reporter
Alexandria Sands, reporter with Axios Charlotte

Oct282024 TAGS: 2024 elections, Democrats, Donald Trump, early voting, North Carolina, Republican, Vice President Kamala Harris

Equal Time: Has grift hijacked American conservatism?

In the middle of a contentious election season, it might be the perfect time to look back and try to figure out how we got here. In “The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism,” best-selling author and Equal Time guest Joe Conason investigates how lofty rhetoric can sometimes hide moneymaking motives. Who benefits, who is left to pay the bill and how does anyone get away with it?

Oct032024 TAGS: Democrats, Donald Trump, Republicans

Local News Roundup: Harris campaigns in Charlotte; Additional funds for Eastland Yards; Former NC Rep. Kelly Alexander dies

Charlotte City Council approves an additional $11 million in funding for the Eastland Yards project. We discuss what this means and get reaction from local residents and officials.

Fresh off her debate with former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris is in North Carolina including a stop in Charlotte. This comes after Trump was in the Queen City last week.

We remember the life and career of former Charlotte-area state Rep. Kelly Alexander, who died last Friday at the age of 75.

And it’s been 23 years since 9/11, we hear remembrances from emergency responders and learn how they’re keeping the memory of that day alive with future generations.

We dive into those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Ryan Pitkin, cofounder and editor of Queen City Nerve
Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte and host of WCNC’s “Flashpoint”