Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Business and political leaders cheered when CNBC named North Carolina “America’s Top State for Business in 2025.” But look deeper, and there’s less to cheer. The network looked at 10 factors in ranking states. One was “Quality of Life.” Where does North Carolina rank among the states on that? We’re 29th. CNBC says “Quality of…
I clicked on Politico news’ website – the first 5 stories were about the Jeffrey Epstein flap; I went to Axios news’ website – Epstein was all over the place again. When the Epstein controversy showed up I thought, That’s no big deal. No one cares. He died years ago… but suddenly there’re Epstein stories…
Roy Cooper has seized the winning issue for 2026. He isn’t officially running, but last week he sent a fundraising email that began: “There is no upside to taking health care away from millions of Americans. “Yet Washington Republicans passed a new budget bill that will do just that, even though Donald Trump promised Medicaid…
The same day Hitler rolled tanks into Poland, starting World War II, Franklin Roosevelt chose a rare man – George Marshall – to lead the army. Fast forward, take a look at who’s leading our army today: Fox News host Pete Hegseth. Trump also made Fox News guest host Tulsi Gabbard leader of National Intelligence,…
Democrats naturally are enjoying watching Trump, MAGA and congressional Republicans tear each other apart over the Epstein files. It’s ugly. But what’s truly ugly is the Big Ugly Bill that Trump rammed through Congress and nearly every Republican rubber-stamped. It is the most disastrous, most dangerous and most immoral legislation passed by Congress in more…
I read Gary’s column about Roy Cooper – I’ve only met Roy a couple of times but, even though we disagreed on issues, he was always polite, courteous. And that’s rare in politics these days. Trump unending Senator Thom Tillis came as a shock – most folks figured Tillis would work out a deal with…
Almost every day, somebody asks me, “Will Roy Cooper run for Senate?” Yes. I have no inside information. But the former governor is putting together his campaign team. He’s speaking out on social media. And he’s wise to wait. Waiting keeps the focus on who Trump picks to run for Senator Thom Tillis’ seat. Trump,…
A veteran of North Carolina politics said something that surprised me: “The more I look at the world, the more I’m convinced that the answer to our problems is love.” Love is a word you don’t hear much in politics today. The Time of Trump is a time of hate. Every day, he searches for…
Seven years old, in 1933, waking up in a strange bed, staring into the semidarkness, he thought he was in Grand Central Railroad Station in New York. He wasn’t. He was in a hospital in his hometown near the border of Wales. He’d never set foot in New York City. Turning his head he saw…
How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…
Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…
Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…