Carolina Journal Radio No. 891: COVID-19, protests affect N.C. election landscape

Candidates in North Carolina’s high-profile elections have been coping with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they could face challenges linked to looting and riots that followed protests of the controversial Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes potential impacts of these unforeseen developments on the state’s most important electoral contests. The pandemic has caused stress for North Carolina’s meat supply. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler assessed this issue and other ag-related challenges during a recent online forum sponsored by the John Locke Foundation. The John Locke Foundation and Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution recently produced a joint report on the future of telehealth in the United States. Jordan Roberts, JLF health care policy analyst, participated in an online forum designed to promote that report’s key findings. Before the pandemic, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a pro-union bill dubbed the PRO Act. Isabel Soto, labor market policy data analyst at the American Action Forum, points out potential negative consequences tied to this legislation. Laws across the country are targeting privacy of donors to nonprofit groups. Legislation targeting privacy amounts to an attack on free expression. It’s used primarily as a political intimidation tactic. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, explains why N.C. lawmakers should move proactively to reject this type of legislation.