Carolina Journal Radio No. 871: Kansas decision boosts pressure for N.C. Medicaid expansion

Kansas’ decision to move forward with Medicaid expansion has placed more pressure on North Carolina to follow suit. Jordan Roberts, John Locke Foundation health care policy analyst, assesses the potential impact of Kansas on the Medicaid expansion debate in this state. Republican legislators, especially in the N.C. Senate, have remained cool to all expansion proposals. Conflicts between the United States and China appear to be growing. Walter Lohman, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, recently discussed “The China Challenge” in Raleigh in a speech sponsored by the Jesse Helms Center. Lohman highlighted challenges linked to long-term American relations with China. After a two-month break from work, N.C. state lawmakers still found no agreement to resolve an impasse over the state budget. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, offered competing assessments of the standoff during the legislature’s one-day return trip to Raleigh. As state lawmakers prepare for primary elections and the 2020 legislative session, the N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation, NC FREE, has unveiled its latest rankings of legislators based on their support for policies supporting free markets. Anna Beavon Gravely, NC FREE executive director, highlights key results and trends within the latest rankings. North Carolina’s Basnight Bridge attracted President Trump’s attention because of its long history of legal and regulatory delays. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, responds to the president’s comments about the Basnight Bridge. Coletti also analyzes the challenges North Carolina faces in building large-scale transportation projects.