Each week, the Under the Dome team at The News & Observer brings you the most in-depth analysis of topics in state government and politics for North Carolina. Learn more at newsobserver.com/dome
NC Supreme Court cases, power plays, the budget...
Host Dawn Vaughan and the rest of the state politics team talk about the N.C. Supreme Court, Cooper's budget, gun debate, plus Headliner of the Week.
26 min
77
Sports, State of the State and the GOP Senate s...
Host Dawn Vaughan interviews Republican state Sen. Vickie Sawyer of Iredell County.
21 min
78
Medicaid expansion, marijuana and Democratic ch...
Host Dawn Vaughan talks with N&O politics reporter Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi about the big Medicaid expansion deal between the House and the Senate.
17 min
79
Interview with Senate Minority Dan Blue, also N...
Host Dawn Vaughan talks to Senate Minority Dan Blue about how he became the first Black speaker of the House in North Carolina, what it means today, what he thinks should happen with the long-stalled African Americans monument on the Capitol grounds and more.
26 min
80
Teaching Black history and not using it as 'a p...
News & Observer Capitol Bureau Chief Dawn Vaughan interviews Rep. Amos Quick about how he learned Black history, how he thinks it should be taught, how he'll decide to vote with Republicans, and why he's a pastor.
21 min
81
There's a new caucus at the NCGA. What that cou...
Host Dawn Vaughan shares what the launch of the HBCU Caucus means for the lawmakers, the state and one of the schools: NCCU.
12 min
82
Black History Month with lawmakers who are livi...
Host and News & Observer reporter Dawn Vaughan interviews N.C. Sen. Natalie Murdock and Rep. Vernetta Alston about themselves, their families, their stance on legislation and more.
34 min
83
Congress, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and the NC dele...
On this episode of Under the Dome for the week of Jan. 30, 2023, host Dawn Vaughan and DC correspondent Danielle Battaglia talk about what North Carolina's 14 U.S. House members have been up to lately, including the Speaker McCarthy drama.
Didn't get a seat to The NC Insider/News & Observer's sold-out Legislative Preview event with House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger? Listen to the entire, unedited conversation here.
43 min
85
How Senate Republicans will operate in 2023 (fe...
In this episode of Under the Dome for the week of Jan. 23, 2023, N&O reporter Dawn Vaughan talks with former Republican Senate staffer Pat Ryan about what the supermajority means and his former boss, Senate leader Berger.
21 min
86
What’s happening with the North Carolina State ...
News & Observer politics reporter and podcast host Dawn Vaughan talks with health reporter Teddy Rosenbluth and politics reporter Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi about the latest developments with changing from Blue Cross NC to Aetna in the State Health Plan.
19 min
87
First episode of 2023: The NC General Assembly ...
News & Observer politics reporters Dawn Vaughan and Will Doran tell you what to expect as the North Carolina General Assembly comes back for its long session.
23 min
88
Outgoing Democratic Sen. Kirk deViere talks abo...
On this episode of Under the Dome for the week of Dec. 26, 2022, News & Observer reporter Dawn Vaughan interviews outgoing Cumberland County Sen. Kirk deViere, a Democrat who served four years.
26 min
89
Senate Republican Whip Jim Perry talks budget f...
On this episode of Under the Dome for the week of Dec. 19, 2022, News & Observer politics reporter Dawn Vaughan talks with Sen. Jim Perry, a Kinston, NC Republican, about his views about legislation on Medicaid expansion, abortion, the state budget and more looking ahead to the 2023 legislative session.
24 min
90
What U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross says about NC Congr...
News & Observer politics reporter talks with U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat, about North Carolina's Congressional freshmen, what it was like inside the U.S. Supreme Court last week, what's in common between state and federal lawmakers and more.
20 min
91
The politics of NC's Big Poultry and its impact...
21 min
92
Write-ins, freshmen and vetoes. Oh, my!
In this episode for the week of Nov. 28, 2022, N&O reporters Dawn Vaughan and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi talk about write-in votes, the former state senators who are now Congressional freshmen and Gov. Cooper's vetoes.
On this episode of Under the Dome for the week of Nov. 21, 2022, N&O politics reporter Dawn Vaughan talks with Western Carolina University politics professor Chris Cooper about what the legislative session dynamic will look like in 2023.
21 min
94
From mayoral race to Congress, N&O reporters sh...
In another post-election episode, host Dawn Vaughan talks with several more folks on our Election Night coverage team to get behind-the-scenes looks at candidate watch parties. Plus what Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin's reelection means, including her new fellow City Council members.
17 min
95
Bonus episode: The biggest takeaways from Elect...
Bonus episode: The biggest takeaways from Election Night
20 min
96
Election Day Eve: Crunch time for US Senate and...
We look at the US Senate race and downballot races, and what to expect.
18 min
97
The Sups: Chances of a GOP legislature supermaj...
In this Under the Dome podcast episode for the week of Oct. 31, 2022, News & Observer reporters Dawn Vaughan, Will Doran and Lars Dolder give the latest on chances of a General Assembly supermajority and what to know about NC Supreme Court races, a week before Election Day.
23 min
98
Election final stretch: Early voting turnout, C...
In this Under the Dome episode for the week of Oct. 24, 2022, News & Observer reporters Dawn Vaughan and Avi Bajpai, and Charlotte Observer reporter Will Wright talk about early voting turnout so far, the races to watch in Charlotte, fact checking political ads, common ground on gun bills and their picks for Headliner of the Week.
19 min
99
Violence in the news: January 6th Committee inv...
In this episode of Under the Dome for the week of Oct. 17, 2022, News & Observer politics reporter Dawn Vaughan and D.C. correspondent Danielle Battaglia talk about the recent violence in the news.
19 min
100
What happens if Republicans win a supermajority...
In this episode, News & Observer reporters Dawn Vaughan and Will Doran talk about the N.C. Supreme Court, Voter ID and judges' races, plus what Democratic and Republican legislative leaders are saying about how the election results will impact their governing in 2023.