Carolina Journal Radio No. 851: Trump stumps in N.C. ahead of special congressional elections

President Trump heads back to North Carolina, one day before voters head to the polls in two special congressional elections. Trump’s trip to Fayetteville is designed to support the campaign of Republican Dan Bishop in the 9th District race. Bishop faces Democrat Dan McCready in a special election resulting from alleged absentee ballot shenanigans involving a contractor for previous Republican candidate Mark Harris. Voters in the 3rd District also head to the polls to choose the successor to the late U.S. Rep. Walter Jones. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes Trump’s visit and its potential impact on the special elections. As North Carolina considers the possibility of permitting dental therapy in this state, the John Locke Foundation recently hosted an event to focus on the issue. Featured speaker Christy Jo Fogarty is a dental therapist in Minnesota and the first advanced dental therapist in the United States. Fogarty offers ideas to help N.C. policymakers decide whether to pursue dental therapy options in this state. As the state budget impasse continues, legislative leaders are pursuing a plan to offer tax refunds of up to $250 to N.C. taxpayers. State House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger recently explained their proposal and its link to North Carolina’s nearly $900 million revenue surplus. Classical liberals play an important role in promoting the virtues and value of the free-market system. John Allison, former head of BB&T bank and former president of the libertarian Cato Institute, delivered that message during the recent annual meeting of the group Classical Liberals in the Carolinas. Some judges and magistrates use computerized risk-assessment tools to determine how to handle criminal defendants before trial. But those tools have come under attack from some high-profile academics. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, analyzes the debate and its possible significance in North Carolina.