I sat down with journalist AP Dillon to talk about something a lot of North Carolinians are still trying to make sense of: the lasting impact of the Cooper years.

Like many families, AP's life was turned upside down during COVID. We talked about homeschooling, school mask policies, vaccine concerns, and what it was like trying to navigate those years while also covering state government as a reporter.

But our conversation didn't stop there.

We dug into transparency in state government, Governor Roy Cooper's record in office, disaster recovery efforts after major hurricanes, school choice battles, public safety issues, and the ways political power gets exercised behind the scenes.

Along the way, AP shared what she learned from years of following Cooper's administration—tracking executive orders, public records, vetoes, and the decisions that shaped North Carolina during some of its most contentious years.

Whether you agree with her conclusions or not, the conversation raises bigger questions about accountability, transparency, and who gets heard when major decisions are being made.

Because politics isn't just something that happens in Raleigh.

It shows up in our schools, our churches, our businesses, our communities, and sometimes right at our own kitchen tables.

And if there's one thing North Carolina has taught me, it's that the stories worth telling are usually a lot more complicated than the headlines make them seem.

00:00 Lockdown Life Hacks

00:45 Kite Science Day

01:50 Masking School Chaos

02:50 Kids Get Radicalized

03:50 Vaccine Heart Scare

06:16 Cooper Briefings Blackout

06:35 How She Tracks Cooper

08:07 HB2 And The 2016 Playbook

09:35 Vetoes And Progressivism

10:48 Transparency And Records

15:57 Campaign Dirt And Rumors

19:05 Kristin Cooper Controversy

20:43 Make Stuff Cost Less

23:49 NCORR Disaster Recovery Fail

30:22 Helene Aftermath And Volunteers

33:57 Rebuilding and Resentment

35:01 Common Core Clash

37:58 School Choice Fight

43:22 Party Pressure and Veto Power

46:26 COVID Orders and Loss

50:46 Riots and Double Standards

57:26 Untested Rape Kit Backlog

01:00:48 Curated Politics and Transparency

01:02:03 Prison Releases and Soft Crime

01:04:48 National Guard and Next Chapter

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I sat down with my friend Ellie Parker to talk about her ancestor, Brodie Duke—the black sheep of the Duke family.

If you’ve ever heard his name, it’s probably been attached to scandal. Brodie had a reputation—alcohol, failed marriages, and headlines that followed him across the country.

For a long time, that’s where his story has started and ended.

But here’s the part most folks don’t know:

The Duke empire? It traces back to his vision.

Brodie was the one who helped pull his family into tobacco manufacturing in Durham, laying the groundwork for what would become one of the most powerful business dynasties in the South.

So I asked the question—was he really just the family’s cautionary tale? Or was he something more complicated than that?

This conversation digs into both sides of Brodie: the troublemaker the newspapers loved, and the man whose ideas helped shape North Carolina history.

Because like a lot of stories around here—it ain’t clean, it ain’t simple, and it sure ain’t one-sided.

And in that way, it might just be one of the most North Carolina stories there is.

Sponsors:

• Knights of Pythias Cumberland Lodge No. 5

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I sat down with Jonah Garson, Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, for a long conversation about politics, culture, and policy here in North Carolina.

We start with a softball: why North Carolina voters split their tickets so often. We talk about the state’s long tradition of independent voters, the fact that North Carolina elects a whole slate of executive offices, and how the governor’s power here was intentionally designed to be weaker than in most states.

From there, we get into the debate over transgender participation in sports and bathroom access, revisiting the fallout from the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. Jonah argues that transgender women have become a political scapegoat and that conversations about safety should include everyone. I push back by raising concerns about women’s privacy, trauma, and self-defense, which naturally leads us into a broader discussion about guns and public safety.

We also talk about disaster response and rebuilding after Hurricane Helene—from flood-zone rebuilding limits to insurance denials and the question of whether more government actually helps or just adds red tape. Jonah makes the case for better government, not necessarily bigger government.

Along the way, we wade into a whole list of thorny topics: the “socialism” label in American politics, healthcare debates like single-payer vs. frustrations with Obamacare, welfare benefit cliffs that trap people in poverty, federalism and local power, crime and prison reform, and the lingering fallout from COVID policies.

And yes—we end with the classic political hot seat moment when Jonah declines to answer the simplest question of all.

00:00 — Meet the Guest

01:45 — Why North Carolina Voters Split Tickets

03:20 — Why North Carolina Has a Weak Governor

04:37 — Trans Rights and the HB2 Debate

06:23 — Bathroom Safety and the Scapegoating Argument

13:16 — Guns, Self-Defense, and Public Safety

15:44 — Social Media and Debate Culture

18:40 — Storm Response and Infrastructure

21:16 — Hurricane Helene Recovery vs. Red Tape

26:03 — “Better Government” vs. “Bigger Government”

28:26 — Neighbors Helping Neighbors

29:04 — Teasing the Tougher Questions

29:30 — The “Socialism” Label Debate

31:58 — Healthcare: Single-Payer vs. Obamacare Frustrations

37:29 — Nordic Models and Immigration

40:51 — Federalism and Local Control

50:36 — Welfare Benefit Cliffs

54:50 — Crime, Prisons, and Reform

59:28 — COVID Policy Fallout

01:03:01 — The Gotcha Question

Connect with Jonah Garson:

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