Dozens of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, while the justices heard arguments about whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution on criminal charges related to his actions while in office. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Thursday of former President Donald Trump’s argument he is immune from criminal charges that he tried to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. But conservatives who dominate the court appeared open to returning key questions to a trial court ..read more

The author says that soaring prices for groceries are largely attributable to greed and price gouging by giant chain grocery retailers. (Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images) In 2004, I was a single mom raising three daughters on my own. I worked three jobs, including an overnight shift as a translator at our local hospital, to make ends meet. Every time I stood in line at the supermarket, I worried about what I would have to put back on the shelf to stay within our weekly $100 food budget. My daughters are all grown now. But whenever I’m buying groceries, I still get that horrible feeling in the ..read more

Joey Hopkins, Gov. Cooper's nominee to serve as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), answered questions in an April 24th legislative hearing. (Photo: Screengrab NCGA livefeed) Governor Roy Cooper tapped Joey Hopkins to serve as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) last September, but Wednesday was his first day before the Senate Transportation Committee that will vote on the appointment. Hopkins, who has worked at NCDOT for more than 30 years in a variety of capacities, fielded numerous questions from senators worried about ..read more

Protesters gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, while justices hear oral arguments about whether federal law protects emergency abortion care. (Sofia Resnick/States Newsroom) U.S. Supreme Court justices spent two hours Wednesday morning debating whether a federal law about emergency treatment encompasses abortion care even in states with strict abortion bans, with no clear indication of how they may ultimately rule. A decision could come as soon as the end of June whether Idaho’s near-total abortion ban means doctors who might need to terminate a pregnancy durin ..read more

Photo: Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector About one in six people released from North Carolina prisons in 2023 were homeless, according to figures provided to NC Newsline — a rate the state hopes to cut in half by 2030. That goal is one part of an executive order issued by Gov. Roy Cooper in January to improve reentry supports for people getting out of prison. In issuing that mandate, Cooper set a series of ambitious goals, enrolling North Carolina in a national initiative known as Reentry 2030. Newsline requested data from the Department of Adult Correction to see the baseline metrics Cooper aims ..read more

Photo: Getty Images The post The absolute last thing the General Assembly should do this spring appeared first on NC Newsline ..read more

NC Poor People's Campaign supporters march to the Legislative Building on April 24, 2024. (Photo: Greg Childress) Rev. Rob Stephens discusses the General Assembly during a press conference on April 24, 2024 in Raleigh. (Photo: Greg Childress) On Wednesday, nearly 200 supporters of the North Carolina Poor People’s Campaign traveled to Raleigh to remind lawmakers returning for the legislative short session that low-income voters make up more than 41% of the state’s electorate. If low-income eligible voters voted at the same rate as higher-income voters, campaign leaders warned, they could con ..read more

UNCG Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Debbie Storrs. (Photo: UNCG) UNC-Greensboro Provost Debbie Storrs announced she will step down Wednesday, citing the metastatic breast cancer with which she was diagnosed in 2022. “The disease is stage 4, with treatment that has been challenging given its significant side effects,” Storrs wrote in a message to the campus community Wednesday. “As such, I will be going on leave for disability effective at the month’s end. I won’t be returning to my position as provost and executive vice chancellor, nor will I return to serve as a faculty member.” “This ..read more

Gov. Roy Cooper (File Photo) Gov. Roy Cooper has traveled the state in the last year to promote public education and bash Republicans’ expansion of the private school voucher program.  The budget proposal Cooper released Wednesday is an extension of that pro-public school position. It calls for teacher raises averaging 8.5%, with starting salaries of  more than $47,500. Cooper’s budget freezes funding of private school vouchers.  Cooper’s recommendation for significant teacher raises comes as the state Department of Public Instruction reported an increase in teacher turnover. O ..read more

President Joe Biden on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, signed into law foreign aid that includes $60.84 billion in assistance for Ukraine. (Photo taken on Feb. 8, 2024 by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan emergency spending law Wednesday to provide an additional $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, ending months of behind-the-scenes maneuvering and public pleas for Congress to approve the funding. The package also included a measure requiring the popular app TikTok be sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a possible ban ..read more