
Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins
New episodes every Monday through Friday.
Launched in April 1998, Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins has become the region's exclusive forum for the discussion of politics, arts, culture, social issues, literature, human interest, the environment and more. If something is of interest to the Charlotte region, listeners and leaders know the topic is bound to be discussed on Charlotte Talks. Follow along: @CharlotteTalks.
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Charlotte Pride celebrates its 25th anniversary as an organization this weekend. The marquee event is the largest festival and parade in Charlotte and this year it’s moving to First Ward Park in uptown. Another major change includes anti-DEI backlash that has made corporate sponsorship a challenge.
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Mecklenburg County commissioners vote on whether to increase the county-wide sales tax by 1 cent to fund the transit plan. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signs the mini budget, albeit reluctantly. Nancy Mace throws her hat in the ring for South Carolina governor. Plus, the Panthers open preseason play.
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Eighty years ago, the United States dropped a weapon unlike anything ever seen before on Japan. In his new book, "The Devil Reached Toward the Sky," author Garrett Graff writes about the development of the atomic bomb from those directly involved. Graff joins us to discuss what was going on inside the brain of those who created the first atomic weapon and what today's leaders can learn from that moment in history.
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Congress may be in recess, but the news from Washington hasn't stopped. We talk to Washington correspondents covering it all from the handling of the Epstein files and a redistricting arms race to the start of attack ads in the U.S. Senate race and more.
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Blumenthal Arts is showing a production of “Immediate Family,” a play billed as “'Modern Family'” meets 'Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.'” Led by the direction of two-time Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad, noted for her role as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” and written by Paul Oakley Stovall, a Tony Award-winning actor and playwright who also worked in the Obama White House.
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On the next Charlotte Talks, a conversation with Nick Walker, the new director of Mecklenburg County’s Park and Recreation Department.
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Formal announcements are made in the race for N.C. Senate, Republicans override several of Gov. Stein’s vetoes with the help of local Democrats, and the National Transportation Safety Board investigates an accident on Interstate 485 that left six dead.
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So far this year, there have been 35 traffic-related deaths in Charlotte, including four cyclists and eight pedestrians. This has happened despite the city's Vision Zero plan to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2030. We explore what’s behind this rise in traffic-related deaths, its relationship to road design and what is and isn’t being done to make our streets safe.
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The North Carolina Board of Elections is moving forward with plans to update information on thousands of voters. Some of their registrations don’t comply with the law and now, many of those already-registered voters will have to fix their information. We tell you how to know if you’re among them and discuss the politics of this issue.
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We look at the separate but connected impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on food assistance and health care access now that the bill has passed. For Medicaid, new eligibility restrictions and administrative requirements could affect thousands. For SNAP, work-reporting rules and imposed time limits could impact access to food aid for individuals and low-income families.