Andy Specht
@AndySpecht
Covers North Carolina politics for @WRAL and @PolitiFactNC. Formerly at the @newsobserver. Raleigh native. @Campbelledu alum.
Great thread on the value of public media in state government coverage, particularly in #ncpol #ncga where there are three of us (two backed by a grant from the now-defunded CPB) keeping tabs on everything at the state capital for audiences from Murphy to Manteo
I’m a big Big Bird fan. Mr. Snuffleupagus*, too. But my biggest concern w/ the public media cuts is not about either, but rather what the cuts may mean for statehouse reporting— &, by extension, our knowledge of state government. (1/8 🧵)
Republicans had planned to schedule votes this week on an immigration measure, a permitting bill, and the rollback of Biden-era regulations. But a key panel that would move those bills to the floor has been stopped as Democrats vowed to force a vote on the Epstein measure.
Breaking News: Speaker Mike Johnson said he would shut down the House until September to block a vote on calling for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. nyti.ms/4nZtblR
(gift) Follow the money. nytimes.com/2023/07/21/bus…
Alright #ncpol folks 85% of you got this one wrong. The answer (and it’s not even close!) is Union County with a nearly $100k median household income. No other counties approach the 6 figure threshold and state avg is ~$70k
A fun little #ncpol poll for the day. Wake County has the highest median household income in the state at $101,763. Which county ranks 2nd?
Comey successfully prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
BREAKING: Justice Department fires SDNY federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, who played key role prosecuting Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, per @eorden politico.com/news/2025/07/1…
The base is free to pick who it wants. The strategists and the NCGOP will do the best they can. But, as they’ll tell you: they can only do so much.
The base votes. It’s the responsibility of the NCGOP to support the choice of the base. That’s how it works.
In North Carolina, there’s a huge disconnect between who the GOP *base* thinks can win … and who GOP *strategists* think can win. Strategists were sounding the alarm about Mark Robinson as early as 2021. They were right. wral.com/amp/20016162/
Why does North Carolina split its votes on statewide political races? Do we get many international tourists around here? WCU prof, Chris Cooper says: “My flippant answer is: Mark Robinson.” He’s wrong. It’s the NCGOP. They don’t do the work. avlwatchdog.org/answer-man-why…
Donald Trump (not Joe Biden) appointed Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve in 2017.
Reporter: Do you have plans or are you considering firing Powell? What is your justification? Trump: I was surprised he was appointed— surprised frankly that Biden put him in and extended him. We’re not planning on doing anything
NC stands for NO CONTEST
“WhY dOn’T AmeRiCaNs tRaVeL mOrE?” England is 50,346 square miles North Carolina, the 28th largest state, is 53,819 square miles
How much has the Trump administration changed its tune on the Epstein files… just in 2025? TIMELINE: wral.com/story/epstein-…
President Trump declares that he doesn’t want the support of anyone who still wants to talk about the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
Kinston police go searching for a B&E suspect. Local teenager asks them who they're looking for, then ends up getting beaten by the cops until he goes into a seizure Police then arrested him for "walking away from the officer after being directed to stop" wral.com/news/local/kin…
Terrific @will_doran analysis of #ncpol's Senate dist 11 ⬇️ Won in '24 by Reps for Pres/House/Treasurer/Auditor/Insurance/Labor/Agriculture. By Dems for Gov/Lt Gov/Ed./Sec of State/Atty Gen. 📊⤵️ all 50 state senate districts by avg 2 party vote share in '24 for 11 races.
Why NC Democrats think 2026 midterms will run through Rocky Mount wral.com/story/why-nc-d…
House Republicans block Democratic maneuver to force release of Epstein files trib.al/CWQq4HL
when my laptop can’t connect to the router, it’s a technical error; when six children get drone striked, someone is supposed to go to jail.
Israel Defense Forces admits technical error after Israeli missile killed 10 people, including six children at a water collecting point in Gaza For more on this and other news visit trib.al/Rx0iR33
Need this disclaimer after my fact checks
It’s unfortunate that people are sort of embarrassed to change their minds and that other people are like “you should have been right all along.” Changing your mind is actually a very hard thing to do and it’s something to be proud of!
BREAKING: Metadata shows the FBI’s ‘raw’ Jeffrey Epstein prison video was likely modified. wired.com/story/metadata…