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Charlotte Talks

WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source

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, th...

Episodes

20 of 145 episodes

Local News Roundup: Trump rallies in North, South Carolina; High early voting numbers; New look Hornets' season starts injured, but with win

Donald Trump comes to the Carolinas to stump for Michael Whatley and Darline Graham in their bids for the U.S. Senate. Whatley trails Roy Co...

51:25Oct 23, 2026

Hospital giants and rising costs: what it all means for patients and care

North Carolina’s healthcare system faces mounting questions about access to affordable care, hospital consolidation and rising costs. The St...

51:32Oct 22, 2026

Early voting is underway, security is on the mind

Early voting is underway and people are lining up to cast their ballots in the midterms. Election officials have been fighting a barrage of...

51:29Oct 21, 2026

Prediction markets and the rising concerns over ethics, youth engagement and betting on elections

While sports betting has been debated in North Carolina for years, bets on the midterm elections are raising new concerns about prediction m...

51:29Oct 20, 2026

How Charlotte's bookstore boom could impact low rates of adult literacy

Charlotte is experiencing a bookstore boom, despite rates of reading for pleasure being down nationally. We explore the impact of AI use, so...

51:33Oct 19, 2026

Local News Roundup: CMPD racist texts; Data center decision looms for Charlotte; CMS board hears from community

Charlotte City Council hears from the public about a proposal to extend the ban on new data centers, six CMPD Officers are at risk of being...

51:30Oct 16, 2026

Inside the turmoil at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Leadership changes and questions about how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is governed have raised public concerns. We unpack the latest devel...

51:31Oct 15, 2026

Political polling: how it works, accuracy and gaining public trust

As Election Day for the midterms inches closer, the polling industry across the country is focused on getting accurate predictions about wha...

51:48Oct 13, 2026

Former ProPublica reporter investigates the lack of Black doctors in the U.S.

Fewer than 6% of American physicians identify as Black, but census data show roughly 12% of the U.S. population is Black. Some experts say t...

51:45Oct 12, 2026

Local News Roundup: FBI investigates CMS; General Assembly pushes for relief at pump; televangelist Jim Bakker dies

The FBI launches an investigation into CMS. The county might wait on the outcome of the several probes being conducted before it asks its ow...

51:45Oct 9, 2026

‘Out of This Strife’ author argues free people of color played a major role in Civil War

The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history. Yet more than 160 years later, its legacy is still being written, and one hist...

51:44Oct 8, 2026

DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson on Helene Recovery, PFAS and climate resiliency

Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated communities in western North Carolina, the state is still navigating the long process of recover...

51:48Oct 7, 2026

'Fort Bragg Cartel' author discusses drug trafficking and murders impacting the U.S. Special Forces

A conversation with Seth Harp, author of "The Fort Bragg Cartel," about his book. It covers drug trafficking, murder, and a cover up involvi...

51:46Oct 6, 2026

A conversation with The Tiny Chef, Susanne Dillingham, about her new book 'Secret Ingredients of Life'

For Susanne Dillingham, food is more than sustenance. It has opened a world of opportunities for her as a personal chef, sommelier and busin...

51:47Oct 5, 2026

Local news roundup: CMS turmoil continues; Charlotte passes teen curfew; Mooresville's mayor leaves office; Carolinas Senate races hit final stretch

The fallout over the firing of CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill continues with dissension on the board and another CMS executive staff resign...

51:45Oct 2, 2026

Voting absentee this midterm: National and statewide changes to mail-in voting

Mail-in or absentee voting for the midterms began in North Carolina in early September. Though not as popular as early or Election Day votin...

51:47Oct 1, 2026

New book traces Pat McCrory's path from Charlotte's longest-serving mayor to governor

Pat McCrory is one of the most consequential and polarizing political figures in North Carolina history. From mayor of Charlotte to governor...

51:31Sep 30, 2026

Can courage bridge America’s political divide? A Marine veteran shares his take from his new book, 'Courage Can Save Us'

Political division is rampant. But what if courage, not just compromise, could help bring us back together? Marine Corps veteran and author...

51:27Sep 29, 2026

NC has three constitutional amendments on the ballot this fall. What you need to know

It's not just candidates on the ballot for North Carolinians this midterm election. Voters will also decide on three constitutional amendmen...

51:30Sep 28, 2026

Local News Roundup: Crystal Hill out; I-77 tolls in; Tiawana Brown sentenced; another Wegmans on the horizon?

A week of ins and outs. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization reverses their initial rejection of NCDOT’s I-77 toll la...

51:31Sep 25, 2026