Under the Dome podcast: Trump’s tariffs — who in Congress is talking, and why others aren’t
President Donald Trump’s tariffs are already costing Americans money, and not all Republicans are falling in line behind the president’s costly decisions.
So what do North Carolina’s members of Congress say about the tariffs? And who’s not talking?
You can hear Washington correspondent Danielle Battaglia’s analysis when she joins me on our latest episode of our Under the Dome politics podcast. Happy Tuesday. I’m Dawn Vaughan, Capitol bureau chief and host of Under the Dome.
This newsletter is a preview of the new podcast, including the latest from D.C. as well as a new initiative from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
Battaglia explain what’s happening with tariffs, how long Trump has been pushing for them, and what Democrats and Republicans are saying about it. Plus, what U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis wants to do related to the tariffs.
She also brings you up to speed on what else is happening in Washington that affects you. You can read a weekly digest of Trump news impacting North Carolina in the Under the Dome newsletter on Mondays.
After the break, I talk about Stein’s announcement on Monday of a new Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-Being.
Stein was at Moore Square Magnet Middle School in downtown Raleigh, where he visited classrooms and then the school media center to talk about the council would do, saying it will “work across state agencies and with both state and local leaders to propose and implement solutions that will improve student safety and well-being.”
Stein said that means providing guidance and make recommendations to state agencies overall, as well as recommending “model policies for local school systems to adopt to make classrooms cellphone free zones.”
The General Assembly has already moved House and Senate bills that regulate cellphone use, or at least urge school districts to come up with a policy.
“It’s not just yes, no — it’s not a light switch,” Stein said Monday about cellphone policies.
“Cellphones can have a positive educational benefit. It’s just they serve as an incredible distraction. The average middle schooler is spending five hours a day on a screen on average, and the average high school is eight hours a day,” he said.
“And there are all kinds of associated mental health challenges that arise from that amount of time on a screen, not present with where you are. Kids who are on their phone are listening for the next notification, seeing who texted them or whatever they do, Snapchatting — they’re not listening as carefully as they should to what the teacher’s teaching,” Stein said.
The governor also made a joke about tariffs. When he started his speech, he said in one classroom the students were learning about countries, and he learned a new one, too. Then he added: “I’m sure there’s a tariff on it.”
Headliner of the Week
Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. Battaglia talks about a presidential photo-bomber in a cherry blossom photo, and I talk about the closer look I had recently at UNC System campuses.
Listen to the Under the Dome podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you are a lawmaker or work in state government, politics or policy and are interested in being a podcast guest or have topic recommendations, email me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Under the Dome podcast: Trump’s tariffs — who in Congress is talking, and why others aren’t."
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