What could end of CPB mean for NC stations?
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Sophia Bailly, filling in for D.C. correspondent Danielle Battaglia.
Last week’s news cycle saw the spotlight on the launch of U.S. Senate campaigns for former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley.
While their fundraising engines began in earnest, President Donald Trump took to social media, again, to confirm his endorsement of Whatley, who is the now-favored Republican nominee in the election to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.
With the Republican party securing a top contender under a presidential endorsement — and the Democratic party’s rallying cries over Cooper’s own campaign — it’s off to the races in what is expected to be the most expensive midterm race.
There is more to come in the weeks — and months — ahead as we follow these campaigns’ continued fundraising efforts and campaign strategies.
In the meantime, here are some other federal headlines from the past week.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is preparing to turn out the lights after 60 years.
Friday’s announcement came after the Senate Appropriations Committee released its appropriation’s package, which excluded CPB for the first time in more than five decades.
It also comes on the heels of a congressional rescissions package that slashed $1.1 billion previously allocated to public broadcasting. The funding would have supported NPR and PBS affiliates across the country through 2027; but now, those stations are largely left to their own devices.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison in a press release.
CPB will continue to provide updates and guidance “to stations and producers navigating the profound challenges ahead,” according to its press release. There are about 1,000 NPR-affiliates and more than 300 PBS member television stations across the country.
- Last week, before CPD made its announcement, Renee Umsted wrote about the potential effects on North Carolina public radio and TV stations, including WUNC.
- And, Ronni Butts wrote about WNCU, N.C. Central University’s public radio station that has a focus on jazz. WNCU already knew that it would lose its CPB funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Most CPB staff positions will be terminated by Sept. 30, while a select few will remain employed through January 2026 as part of a transition team.
“CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care,” Harrison said in a statement.
Reality check: NC & the EPA Carbon Emissions Decision
The Environmental Protection Agency could rescind a 2009 declaration that outlined greenhouse gases as a public threat and a direct contributor to global warming.
If President Donald Trump’s EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, moves forward with the repeal, North Carolina could see more fossil-fuel burning power plants populate across the state.
The administration is also re-evaluating former President Joe Biden’s push for electric vehicles, citing higher costs than their gas-consuming counterparts.
The N&O’s Martha Quillin reports that the two largest sources of greenhouse gases in the state are power plants and gas- and diesel-burning vehicles traveling along the highway, according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
This accounts for about 97% of greenhouse emissions across the state, according to Quillin’s reporting.
North Carolina has had more success than the national average when reducing emissions in the 21st century. Between 2005 and 2020, the state reduced emissions by 28% compared nationally to 19%.
One more item to keep an eye out for….
NC Congress members spearhead legislation to help Camp Lejeune
Democratic U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross and Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy appeared on CNN’s The Lead Thursday to discuss legislation that would solidify legal support to veterans impacted by cancer-causing chemicals in North Carolina waters.
Between 1950 and 1980, a Marine Corps base in Onslow County, Camp Lejeune, became ripe with dangerous chemicals in its waterways. For more than three decades veterans stationed at the base drank from the water, unaware of the physical risks, neurological dangers and health complications it posed.
Although the site has since shut down, veterans are facing lifelong impacts.
Ross and Murphy said the “Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act” takes a step beyond its previous counterpart, the 2022 “Camp Lejeune Victims Act.”
Among the provisions Ross outlined:
- The bill makes it “crystal clear” that impacted families will get a jury trial;
- It expands cases’ legal reach from one district court in eastern North Carolina to three across North Carolina and three across South Carolina;
- And it prescribes what attorneys’ fees are for a settlement or trial, so individuals can better determine what financial course of action they want to take, Ross added during her interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Ross represents North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Raleigh and Wake County. Murphy represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Camp Lejeune.
That’s all, folks. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
