Under the Dome podcast: How lawmakers, not just the governor, control abortion law
Start your week in North Carolina politics with our latest Under the Dome podcast, for the week of July 8, 2024. Dawn Vaughan here, your podcast host and The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief. On this episode, I’m joined by politics reporter Avi Bajpai, higher education reporter Korie Dean and summer intern Emmy Martin.
The focus of our podcast is how abortion is a major issue in the governor’s race between candidates Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein. Beyond where Robinson and Stein stand, the most power is held by the General Assembly. The next governor can’t sign or veto an abortion bill if the legislature doesn’t pass one.
Bajpai and I talked to several of the key Republican players who negotiated Senate Bill 20, the abortion restrictions bill that became law in 2023 and bans abortion, with exceptions, after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
You can hear more about our work on the podcast and in our story about power and what lawmakers and advocates want to happen in 2025.
Headliner of the Week
After the break, we talk about what it was like in the room, and outside it, at President Joe Biden’s rally in Raleigh the day after his debate with former President Donald Trump. Dean and Martin were there, and we discuss what voters are thinking about Biden.
Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. They range from the resignation of Sen. Jim Perry to the UNC System’s DEI policy to movies and the television series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” filming in Chapel Hill.
Listen to our latest episode below and catch up on previous episodes. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher.
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