Diary Reveals Fauci Recommended Cooper Delay NC Schools by Two Weeks + SCOTUS 2A Cases | The States

This episode of The States covers a new voters' poll on student loan debt risk, a Fauci diary entry showing his influence on Gov. Roy Cooper's 2020 North Carolina school reopening delay, Second Amendment litigation developments including a Supreme Court gun ban case and NRA bus tour, Illinois' new e-bike safety law, Virginia and Arizona communities reconsidering Flock camera contracts, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's response to measles-related deaths, and headlines on data center regulation and Chicago's TIF program.

A new Center Square Voters Voice poll finds 50% of registered voters say student loan debt is too risky given the job market, while 35% still say a degree is worth the debt.

A newly reviewed entry from Dr. Anthony Fauci's private diary shows he spoke with then-North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for 45 minutes in June 2020 and recommended Cooper delay his school reopening announcement by two weeks — a conversation Cooper never disclosed to the public before doing exactly that. Carolina Journal's Nick Craig joins to discuss the diary entry, the subsequent 2021 fight between Cooper and the Republican legislature over reopening schools, and North Carolina's ongoing learning-loss recovery.

Briefs are due today in Veramontes v. Cook County, a Supreme Court case testing Chicago and Cook County's gun and magazine bans, consolidated with a Connecticut case over the legality of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 under the Second Amendment. Also covered: a Ninth Circuit ruling upholding California's recording requirements at gun stores, a new California bill adding live-fire safety certification for gun buyers, the NRA's national bus tour ahead of the 2026 midterms, a New Jersey gun control push following a court ruling against that state's ban, and newly republished CDC data on annual defensive gun use.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a law creating the state's first regulations for high-speed e-bikes and e-scooters, requiring licensing, registration, and insurance for the fastest class of devices starting in January. State Sen. Darby Hills, a bill sponsor, and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias discuss the bipartisan process and what riders and parents should expect.

Communities across Virginia and Arizona are reconsidering Flock Safety license plate cameras. Lynchburg, Virginia, paused its cameras pending an independent review; Harrisonburg ended its contract; Charlottesville and Staunton had already stopped use. In Arizona, Chandler and Surprise ended or amended contracts following misuse findings, Pinal County cited Fourth Amendment concerns, and Tempe and Apache Junction are adjusting policies after a data-sharing dispute and an officer's misuse of the system. A California bill would limit how long license plate data can be stored.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he won't engage with online criticism of the state's classification of two infant deaths as measles-related, after a county coroner's report on one case raised questions about the cause of death; the state reports active measles cases in 31 of its 67 counties.

In America's Talking headlines: a California bill would require data centers to report energy use to state regulators; Aurora, Colorado, rejected a proposed moratorium on data center construction while Denver's took effect; and a University of Illinois Chicago report finds the city's use of tax increment financing districts has raised citywide property taxes by an estimated 13.7% over nine years.