The Assembly

12/04/2025

As the academic year wound down last spring and UNC-Chapel Hill planned its next major fundraising campaign, the university’s deans participated in a series of internal presentations to “pressure test” their messages to potential donors.

After the School of Information and Library Science’s (SILS) presentation, led in late April by then-Dean Jeffrey Bardzell, most attendees said the school’s vision was compelling.

“​​Many volunteers appreciated the school’s commitment to organizing and applying information in ways that promote wisdom, ethical decision-making, and social good—framing SILS as a vital bridge between technical systems and human needs,” read a summary of the feedback that the university’s fundraising staff sent to Bardzell after the event. The Assembly obtained the report, which was generated by ChatGPT, through a public records request.

Many questions remain about UNC-Chapel Hill’s plan to merge the schools of Data Science and Society and Information and Library Science.

12/03/2025

The head of the state agency that regulates the practice of law in North Carolina rejected a legislative oversight committee’s request to turn over political information about its 101 employees.

State Bar Executive Director Peter Bolac told Woody White and Larry Shaheen, co-chairs of the State Bar Grievance Review Committee, that the agency does not—and would not—inquire into or maintain records of employees’ political affiliations or contributions.

“Their job responsibilities as civil servants are apolitical,” Bolac wrote in a November 17 letter.

The head of the North Carolina Bar said the agency does not—and will not—keep records of employees’ political affiliations or contributions.

12/03/2025

When the Department of Government Efficiency started slashing federal grants, North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District was the hardest hit in the country.

The solidly Democratic district in the Raleigh-Durham area is home to two tier-one research universities, 11,000 federal workers, and the largest research park in the country. As of May 2025, when Elon Musk left DOGE, the district had lost 186 federal grants, according to a tracker from the Center for American Progress.

The area is still reeling from the millions in lost federal funds. And those impacted said the cuts could play a role in the midterms, especially with the state home to one of the most closely watched Senate races of 2026.

North Carolina’s 4th District was the hardest hit in the entire country. Could that come back to bite Republicans in 2026?

12/03/2025

Congressional, judicial, and district attorney hopefuls across the state flocked to Raleigh on Monday to get their names on the ballot.

The Caucus spoke with several first-time and returning candidates about their vision and what to expect from them if elected.

The Caucus spoke with several first-time and returning candidates about what to expect from them if elected.

12/02/2025

Court documents, interviews, hearing transcripts, a report from Jeff Jackson, and personnel records indicate that the Public Safety Section of the N.C. Department of Justice has long struggled with low morale, high turnover, and recruiting and retention.

After Josh Stein was elected attorney general in 2016, the Republican-led General Assembly cut the N.C. Justice Department’s funding by $10 million. According to Jackson’s report, that equaled 40% of the department’s general fund budget.

The cut made it difficult for the Public Safety Section to keep up with the rising number of prisoner lawsuits, Jackson’s report said. The section’s more experienced attorneys couldn’t advance, so they left. The attorneys who stayed were overwhelmed.

A section of the N.C. DOJ repeatedly erred and antagonized federal judges–even in cases they seemed guaranteed to win.

12/02/2025

Michael Whatley’s opening message to voters when entering the Senate race in North Carolina was about Hurricane Helene: “Roy Cooper failed to show up,” his first digital campaign ad said.

If Democrats have their way, Hurricane Helene may become more of a liability for the former Republican National Committee chair than an attack line.

President Donald Trump appointed Whatley as the “recovery czar” for western North Carolina after the hurricane. He also serves on the president’s Federal Emergency Management Agency task force, tasked with reenvisioning the agency’s role in disaster response.

President Trump tapped him to oversee Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Democrats are hell-bent on making that a liability.

12/02/2025

During the formation of DHS, the government decided to shutter the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), a troubled agency that had handled an assortment of immigration issues for 70 years. It was the only entity DHS completely dissolved.

When the INS died in March 2003, the DHS birthed three subagencies to absorb its responsibilities, including two recently involved in operations in North Carolina: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

While both agencies handle aspects of immigration enforcement, their roles and responsibilities are supposed to be distinct. Last week’s “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” though, illustrated how their efforts are merging, leaving questions about what tactics are legal, who was detained, and where they were taken.

There’s a reason the Trump administration deployed Customs and Border Protection, not just ICE, in Charlotte and Raleigh last week.

12/01/2025

For years, the process of getting your business's name on one of those blue highway signs was the same. For $1,200 a year—$600 for roadside signs in both directions and another $600 for signs on each ramp—owners of North Carolina restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and visitor attractions could get their logos onto the ubiquitous blue freeway signs.

Businesses that were more than one turn off the highway could pay another $300 for an extra sign to help drivers find them.

That all changed in July, when the state privatized the program. After more than 40 years managing it as a break-even operation, the DOT passed it on to the North Carolina Signing Program, a subsidiary of Lonestar Logos, which runs similar programs in Texas and Virginia.

Ever wonder how a restaurant or gas station gets on those blue road signs? For many N.C. businesses, it just got more expensive.

12/01/2025

In a Winston-Salem federal courtroom, arguments over North Carolina’s recently passed congressional map boiled down to whether it was retaliatory against predominantly Black voters or just legal partisan gerrymandering.

The nearly four-hour hearing took place before three judges—U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Allison Jones Rushing and two federal district court judges, Richard Myers and Thomas Schroeder. Rushing and Myers were appointed by President Donald Trump, and Schroeder was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

The outcome will likely have ripple effects nationally as each party attempts to gerrymander its way to a U.S. House majority.

12/01/2025

As demand for autism services has grown, costs to the state have exploded, putting pressure on policymakers to rein in spending.

The General Assembly was supposed to pass its biennial budget by July 1, but because lawmakers can’t agree on various projects unrelated to Medicaid, the program is facing a $319 million shortfall. To avoid insolvency, on October 1 the state health department imposed reductions in fees paid to providers of various Medicaid services, including a 10% reduction in payments for Applied Behavioral Analysis.

State health officials targeted Applied Behavior Analysis, often called ABA, in part because of ballooning costs as more children access the therapy and receive additional hours of care.

As demand for autism services soars, state health officials are trying to contain Medicaid costs. A recent lawsuit shows whats at stake.

12/01/2025

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11/28/2025

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