This daycare fraud case from right here in North Carolina will blow your mind. The perps are Mark and Yolanda Robinson, the former second couple of North Carolina. carolinaforward.org/blog/analysi...

Hope everyone's feeling good this morning. Happy New Year!

Start your year off right! Show your love of North Carolina and support building a better state for us all with some fun Carolina Forward merch! All Made in USA with 100% union labor ❤️ Get yours now: store.carolinaforward.org

Knowledge is power. Get updates, analysis, and opportunities to take action by signing up for Carolina Forward’s emails. Your inbox, your influence. Sign up here: secure.everyaction.com/OTQ83wqlLUGg...

Did you hear about this massive Medicare and Medicaid fraud case? Rick Scott was the CEO of Columbia/HCA Healthcare, which was busted in 2000 in what remains the biggest Medicaid/Medicare fraud case of all time. But he never saw a day of jail time. Instead, he got rich and got into politics.

Have you ever wondered which special interests REALLY have power in our state legislature? Chances are you haven't heard of them - but you might've seen one of the political attack ads their money paid for. 👹

Congress asked the Sheps Center for Health Research at UNC-Chapel Hill to evaluate the "One, Big Beautiful" budget bill passed by Congress earlier this year to determine its likely effects on the financial health of rural health facilities around the nation.

Ever wonder why there's so much 80s/90s nostalgia online these days? Here's why, in one chart.

You're right to be worried about the future. But you have reason to be very hopeful, too. Happy holidays, everyone. 🌟

🎄 Merry Christmas from all of us at Carolina Forward! We hope your day is filled with joy, laughter, and time with the people who matter most. Thank you for being part of our community.

GREAT NEWS: Fatima is home! After weeks in detention, ICE admitted that they had no legal basis to hold Velasquez-Antonio. She's back at home in Wendell for Christmas. Full story: abc11.com/post/fatima-...

North Carolina lobbyist Ches McDowell has successfully leveraged his relationship with the president's son to position his firm as a broker to buy a Get Out Of Jail Free card from the president of the United States. The going rate for a Trump pardon is now around $1 million.

"José y Maria" by Everett Patterson. The Christian story of Mary and Joseph isn't frozen in amber from 2,000 years ago. It has direct relevance to us today. What would Mary and Joseph look like today? Merry Christmas, everyone.

So we find out in the same week that not only did the new owners of a major media outlet, handpicked and installed by the ruling regime, killed an unfavorable story because it might upset Dear Leader; but also that Dear Leader was personally implicated in a major child sex trafficking ring. Man.

Yesterday, Republican former State Senator Bob Rucho - who was recently named to the new controlling Republican majority on the NC State Board of Elections - fell asleep at a meeting to decide the fate of early voting in our state.

While we mourn the loss of former Governor Jim Hunt, it's important to reflect on why he mattered, and why North Carolina is better today because of his service. ❤️

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America's politics have changed. Coalitions are shifting. People's views change. Once-cherished values suddenly aren't universal anymore; once unthinkable extremes are become commonplace. Holding firm to principle can be hard. But principles help shape who we are.

Here's what happened this week in North Carolina politics. UPDATE: Shortly after recording this, it was announced that former Governor Jim Hunt had passed away. He was North Carolina's champion when we needed him most, and our hearts and prayers are with his family. ❤️

A great man has gone to glory. The Carolina Forward family mourns the passing of the great Governor Jim Hunt - father, statesman, and a champion for North Carolina. We shall not see his like again.

lmao let's do it

In neighboring Virginia, the state minimum wage today is $12.40 - a full 70% higher than here in North Carolina. When their lawmakers began raising the wage a few years ago, the big corporate lobby squealed that it would destroy jobs and make Virginia workers worse-off. But it never happened.

Dang. That hurts. The November jobs report is a gut punch: 👉 the American economy has added almost no net-new jobs since April 👉 710,000 more Americans are unemployed today than one year ago 👉 The unemployment rate has also now ticked up to 4.6% - the highest it's been since September of 2021

North Carolina Congressman Tim Moore has emerged as one of the most active stock traders in this year's Congress. Moore has also been cited numerous times for late, incomplete or incorrect disclosures of his stock trading, as legally required under the STOCK Act.

Up in Washington county, the biggest employer in the whole county was Mackey's Ferry Sawmill - until recently. The family-owned sawmill was forced to shut down and go out of business this year because of the Trump tariffs. They laid off all 50 employees. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

[NEW] Duke Energy's Rate Hike Spiral North Carolina's power monopoly is getting ready to add more than $50 to the average residential ratepayer's monthly bill by 2029, a whopping 37% cumulative increase in just 5 years. carolinaforward.org/blog/duke-en...

There are a lot of ways to get rich in politics that are legal, but still pretty scummy. Scamming the poorest residents of our state out of their tax dollars is one of them.

Chag sameach - and a very happy holiday to all those who celebrate the first night of Hanukkah tonight! 🕎 ✡️

On Monday night, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the entire board of trustees of the county's public library system. The future of the Randolph County public library system itself is now anyone's guess. www.wfae.org/2025-12-09/r...

Here's what happened this week in North Carolina politics. It's time for some people to find out. 🥾

Amy Galey of Alamance county, who serves Phil Berger in Republican leadership, delivered a personal letter begging Sheriff Sam Page not to run in next year's election. Full story: www.wral.com/news/nccapit...

High Point University is out with a new poll of North Carolina voters. It shows Trump's approval rating continuing to drop, while Governor Stein's remains sky-high. On the 2026 Congressional generic ballot, NC voters currently lean towards the Democrats. www.highpoint.edu/blog/2025/12...

[NEW] North Carolina can grow smarter and fairer, but only if we plan for it. Our new report, "NC's Next Chapter," outlines the investments our state must make to ensure every community shares in our success. Read the report: carolinaforward.org/blog/north-c...

What is the 2026 election going to look like in the North Carolina state legislature? It's gonna be a big year - let's dig into it. (A reminder, the Carolina Forward Slate of endorsed candidates is coming in January!)

This is a chart of North Carolina's voter registration by party. It's fascinating, because underneath it are so many undercurrents:

Imagine trying to explain to a Republican in 2002 that in 23 years, 41% of GOP base voters would believe that 9/11 was an inside job and that more than a third believed NASA faked the moon landing.

This week, candidate filing opened for the 2026 general election cycle. LAST year, neither party contested every single one of North Carolina's 170 legislative districts (120 House, 50 Senate). But the disparity was extremely one-sided:

Duke Energy is one of the biggest spenders on lobbying and campaign contributions in North Carolina's state legislature. What does that buy them? Here's a perfect example.

Yet another judge has tossed out a charge that Border Patrol agents leveled against a U.S. citizen in Charlotte who protested their actions. Once again, video evidence showed Border Patrol agents exaggerating or lying about what had happened. www.wfae.org/crime-justic...

In the latest Gallup national polling, Congressional job approval among voters has collapsed. Interestingly, although Republicans control both chambers of Congress, approval among Republican voters themselves has halved just since September.

The detention, abduction and potential deportation of Fatima Velazquez-Antonio, a legal resident of Wendell, is yet another lawless outrage from ICE. Following the law cannot become optional for armed federal agents.

We support the restoration of democracy in North Carolina. Do you? It's getting cool out there, so grab a sweatshirt and show your support for our fundamental rights as Americans. All our items are Made in USA by all-union labor! store.carolinaforward.org

The complete silence among most conservatives at the extremely well-documented civil liberties violations of a heavily armed federal paramilitary force deployed on American soil tells you everything you need to know about where that movement is today.

Many people aren't fully aware of just how incredibly unpopular Donald Trump is with voters now. Voters now see him just as poorly on the economy as they did Joe Biden at his rock-bottom - except Trump's numbers are still sinking. More: www.gelliottmorris.com/p/donald-tru...

Multiple sources have confirmed that ICE/Border Patrol is headed back to the Raleigh and Durham areas for undefined deportation actions. We've heard 50 ICE agents, charter flights and hotels booked for all of them in the Raleigh area. Let us know what you hear.

We mapped the zip codes of all our donors in 2025. You guys blew us away - THANK YOU so much. Together, we are going to save North Carolina, and make it once again into a state that works for ALL of us. Ready to join? We're honored to have you along: secure.actblue.com/donate/carol...

This is the content you're actually looking for today. 🍲

Here's what happened this week in North Carolina politics. Just kidding. Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃

Among North Carolina counties, those that went for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election account for approximately two-thirds of all economic activity in North Carolina. We have 100 counties, but many of them are so small in population that their economic output is totally dwarfed by our larger ones.