The 2026 elections in North Carolina are very much underway. 

That means candidates, like Roy Cooper, are beginning their barnstorming. Cooper recently made stops in Fayetteville and Durham to kickstart his “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour. 

Democrats are making the cost-of-living their top issue heading into the fall elections. That makes sense. 

Cooper is no stranger to NC politics. Before he began his race for the US Senate seat held by retiring Republican Thom Tillis, Cooper was NC’s governor, its attorney general, and a state lawmaker. 

But he struck a different tone in Durham.  

US Senate candidate Roy Cooper spoke as part of his “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour in Durham. (Video by Dylan Rhoney/Cardinal & Pine)

Thanks for reading Cardinal & Pine’s feisty little newsletter. Here’s what’s in it today: 

Cardinal & Pine reader Larry Pizzi took this glowing photo from Lake Auman in the Seven Lakes area. 

Show us your view from NC!

Duke Energy is asking North Carolina utility regulators to allow them to raise rates by 18%. (Kyle Hohler via Shutterstock)

Duke Energy, the nation’s largest utility provider, holds a monopoly in North Carolina. 

It’s also one of the most influential lobbyists in the state. 

In other words, they usually get their way. 

Right now, the energy company is asking the state’s utility regulators to allow them to raise rates by 18% over the next two years. 

First, the state is holding public hearings on the subject. Today, we broke down how you can make your voice heard. 

More on NC energy:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a lot to do with why your utility bills are going up.

1. ICE deported two Durham kids and their parents after routine check-in, Siembra NC says. Cardinal & Pine

“This family was lured into the check-in office under a false pretense of safety, and they were ripped away from their lives, from their school, and deported in about 48 hours.”

2. Political possibility or ‘hallucination’? NC Democrats aim to flip Republican congressional seats. WRAL

“Democrats say they are growing optimistic about their odds of competing for North Carolina congressional districts that lean Republican.”

3. NC Treasurer’s office expands use of AI throughout the agency. NC Newsline

“The State Employees Association of North Carolina cautioned that AI’s effect on workers is ‘a great unknown.’ Its adoption in other sectors has sometimes been accompanied by job losses.”

4. Will federal recognition for the Lumbee ‘transform’ southeastern North Carolina? The Assembly 

“Members of the tribe, which won full federal recognition last December, can soon access more federal programs. They’ll also likely vote on whether to open a new casino along Interstate 95.”

Although it is a fictionalized TV show, HBO’s “The Pitt” does a good job of reflecting the reality of hospital emergency rooms, local doctors and nurses say. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery

“The Pitt” is a big hit right now. 

The HBO show is a gritty, chaotic look at life in the emergency room. And it has a lot of folks asking: How realistic is it? 

The folks at the Charlotte Ledger and North Carolina Health News posed that question to ER workers in North Carolina. 

What they found might surprise you. 

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m an NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Today’s edition includes stories from Dylan Rhoney, Ryan Pitkin, Michael McElroy, and North Carolina Health News. It was edited by Brook Bolen.

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