Under the Dome
Twice each week, the Under the Dome team at The News & Observer bring you the most in-depth analysis of topics in state government and politics for North Carolina. Learn more at newsobserver.com/dome
Episodes
May 17, 2021 • 9 min
With the all-important legislative crossover week in the rearview mirror, News & Observer reporter Danielle Battaglia breaks down what to expect at the North Carolina General Assembly in the week ahead.
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May 14, 2021 • 20 min
News & Observer reporter Brian Murphy speaks with bill drafting veteran Gerry Cohen about his three decades drawing districts in North Carolina.
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May 10, 2021 • 15 min
This week is one of the most important at the legislature all year: Crossover week. It’s the last chance, for most bills, to determine if they’re dead until the next session, or if they still have a shot at passing this year. We break down what some of the biggest bills are that are pushing up against the deadline. Will Doran hosts.
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May 7, 2021 • 21 min
State politics reporter Lucille Sherman talks with Rep. Gale Adcock, a Democrat representing Wake County, about a health care bill supported by a majority of North Carolina legislatures, yet the legislation still hasn't come up for a vote.
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April 30, 2021 • 25 min
News & Observer politics reporter Dawn Vaughan hosts this Closer Look at what covering protests on the ground is like for N&O visual journalist Julia Wall, and what people should know about the tension in the air, protesters, police and the role of the free press.
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April 29, 2021 • 27 min
NCInsider editor Colin Campbell speaks with Zoe Chace about the making of The Improvement Association podcast from Serial and The New York Times, and what the troubled elections history of Bladen County, North Carolina, might have to tell us about U.S. elections moving forward.
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April 26, 2021 • 9 min
State politics reporter Danielle Battaglia talks with reporter Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan about what's coming up in North Carolina politics this week.
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April 23, 2021 • 24 min
News & Observer journalists Brian Murphy, Tyler Dukes and Will Doran discuss Episode Four of The Improvement Association podcast, including their own experiences writing about elections in North Carolina's Bladen and Robeson counties.
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April 21, 2021 • 23 min
In this episode, coinciding with the release of Chapter Three of The Improvement Association podcast from the makers of Serial and The New York Times, The News & Observer's Brian Murphy and NCInsider editor Colin Campbell share views on the podcast and clips from Colin's interview of its creator, Zoe Chace.
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April 19, 2021 • 11 min
State politics reporter Lucille Sherman talks with Rep. Destin Hall, Republican House Rules Chairman, about what's coming up in North Carolina politics.
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April 15, 2021 • 24 min
Coinciding with the release of Chapter Two of The Improvement Association podcast from the makers of Serial and The New York Times, The News & Observer digs into the complicated history of race and elections in North Carolina with an interview of Irving Joyner, a professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law who specializes in civil rights and race and the law. Reporter Carli Brosseau hosts.
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April 13, 2021 • 21 min
In this discussion of Chapter One of The Improvement Association podcast from the makers of Serial and The New York Times, reporters from The News & Observer dig into the episode and share insights from their own coverage of Bladen County, North Carolina's complex and troubled elections history. Brian Murphy, WIll Doran and Carli Brosseau discuss the 2018 elections scandal that undid the apparent victory of a congressional ...
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April 12, 2021 • 17 min
Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan hosts the Under the Dome Week Ahead for April 12. She and Colin Campbell tell you big things to watch for this week in the state legislature after a flurry of recent bill filings, and what could bring an HB2-like spotlight on North Carolina.
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April 9, 2021 • 13 min
The North Carolina House voted nearly unanimously to ensure that each resident of a nursing home or similar facility can have at least two visits a month during a public health emergency. It's a sign that both parties see harm in the visitor bans of the past year. Insider editor Colin Campbell talks with Carolina Public Press reporter Kate Martin about the pandemic's impacts on residents and their families.
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April 5, 2021 • 18 min
Lawmakers discuss bills they’re passionate about this session including a Medicaid expansion that Democrats think Republicans may pass under a different name. Danielle Battaglia hosts.
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April 2, 2021 • 31 min
In a week that saw the U.S. Supreme Court hear arguments over NCAA rules limiting the education-related compensation of student athletes, McClatchy DC reporter Brian Murphy and News & Observer sports columnist Luke DeCock found time to discuss the sometimes hard-to-figure intersection between sports and public policy. The court case centers on how colleges might reward athletes with an expanded definition of education-related e...
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March 29, 2021 • 19 min
Everything you need to know about what's happening in the North Carolina legislature this week, with Will Doran and Danielle Battaglia.
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March 26, 2021 • 17 min
One health professional had two felony convictions for possession of controlled substances. Another had been suspended from the federal Medicare program. A third had a revoked license, later restored, stemming from a fraudulent billing case. Here's what State Auditor Beth Wood found in one of her latest audits. News & Observer reporters Will Doran and Lucille Sherman dig into the problem in Episode 15 of Under the Dome.
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March 22, 2021 • 14 min
Everything you need to know about what's happening in the North Carolina legislature this week, with Colin Campbell and Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan.
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March 19, 2021 • 21 min
In this Closer Look episode, host Dawn Vaughan talks with EducationNC reporter Alex Granados about schools reopening, and what the past year has been like for educators, students and elected officials as they managed major changes in public education during coronavirus. After a year since schools were first closed, all North Carolina students are now returning to the classroom.
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