Carolina Journal Radio No. 797: Russian collusion with environmental groups deserves probe

Headlines in recent months have focused on accusations of Russian collusion. At least one aspect of the collusion debate deserves more scrutiny. In a recent column for TheHill.com, John Locke Foundation Senior Fellow Donald van der Vaart recommended that the Trump administration look into possible collusion between the Russian government and American environmental activist groups. Van der Vaart explains why an investigation makes sense. Small business leaders today often point to government regulation as one of the largest obstacles blocking their growth and success. But that attitude about government is a relatively new development in the history of American small business. UNC-Chapel Hill history professor Benjamin Waterhouse says small businesses once relied on government as an ally against big business. Waterhouse offers a history lesson and discusses some of the reasons for the changing stance regarding government involvement in the economy. One of the N.C. General Assembly’s latest debates involved ballot captions for six constitutional amendments in the November election. You’ll hear highlights from floor debate about a measure to replace captions with the simple words “constitutional amendment.” Speaking of the constitution, North Carolina’s five living former governors have united in opposition to two proposed amendments. One would change the way the state fills judicial vacancies. The other would change the makeup of the state elections board and assign the General Assembly the ultimate power over appointments to state boards and commissions. You’ll learn why Republicans Jim Martin and Pat McCrory and Democrats Jim Hunt, Mike Easley, and Bev Perdue all oppose the changes. As state lawmakers raise questions about the pace of state disaster relief related to Hurricane Matthew, Gov. Roy Cooper spent a recent day touring parts of the state hit hardest by the storm. Lindsay Marchello, Carolina Journal associate editor, covered Cooper’s tour. She recaps her account of Cooper’s interaction with North Carolinians who continue to recover from Matthew’s damage.