Under the Dome podcast: Breaking down Gov. Josh Stein’s first State of the State address
Start your week in North Carolina politics with our latest Under the Dome podcast, for the week of March 10, 2025. Dawn Vaughan here, your podcast host and The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief. Today’s Under the Dome newsletter is a preview of our new podcast that posted this morning.
I’m joined by my politics team colleague Avi Bajpai and higher education reporter Korie Dean.
Bajpai and I break down Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s State of the State speech and House Speaker Destin Hall’s Republican response.
Stein pushed bipartisanship, which would be a requirement to get anything done whether he wanted to or not, given that Republicans have near-total control of the General Assembly. We bring you up to speed on the scene and what he and Hall want to do.
Plus, Dean shares what’s going on in the UNC System, and East Carolina University specifically, about eliminating certain words and requirements associated with diversity, equity and inclusion.
Headliner of the Week
Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. We talk about one of Stein’s ideas for the Department of Justice, how the U.S. Department of Education could impact North Carolina, and an Irish blessing for St. Patrick’s Day.
A note about the podcast
Starting next week, we’ll release the newest Under the Dome podcast episode — and this preview — on Tuesdays. Under the new schedule, we’ll be able to bring you more up-to-date information on each episode. Stay tuned to this space for more information about what you’ll see on Mondays in the Under the Dome newsletter.
Listen to our latest episode and previous episodes, which are embedded at the end of our stories and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher.
If you are a lawmaker or work in state government, politics or policy and are interested in being a podcast guest or have topic recommendations, email me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com.
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