Tribune and Business North Carolina magazine publisher Ben Kinney interviewed Louis Rubio, co-founder and CEO of Hemp Generation, a Cary-based hemp brand and retailer.

A few weeks ago, Gov. Roy Cooper voiced optimism that a compromise to expand Medicaid could be reached by the end of July.

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Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday that he will lift the state of emergency on Aug. 15, so he’s effectively keeping it around an extra month to allow transition time to the new regulations. It’s currently set to expire July 15, under the extension Cooper signed months ago.

While Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order aimed at creating minor abortion protections on Wednesday (more on that below), he’s also set to take action soon on a budget that funds some anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” opposed by Democrats.

The day after the N.C. House passed its proposal to move toward Medicaid expansion, the leader of the N.C. Healthcare Association made an eye-catching assertion: “Governor Cooper has asked that we work the Senate to concur with the House version of S408.”

Prospects for Medicaid expansion seem to be diminishing as the short session wraps up. Senate leader Phil Berger made it clear that his chamber isn’t interested in the Medicaid proposal that passed the House on Tuesday, which he thinks is more of a study than real action.

Hemp growers, distributors and retailers are breathing a sigh of relief after the Senate passed legislation that keeps the industry legal – just 30 hours before its legality was set to expire.

The N.C. House voted 102-6 to move forward with a Medicaid expansion plan, but there’s no guarantee the issue will make it to the governor’s desk before legislators adjourn.

One other key policy item in limbo this week is whether the state will participate in a new federal Medicaid program that would increase reimbursements to hospitals.

The N.C. House chopped hemp legalization out of the Senate’s farm bill Wednesday, a move that rankled the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson.

House Republicans aren’t happy about a series of American Cancer Society ads blaming them for blocking Medicaid expansion.

The American Cancer Society’s political arm is coming after House Majority Leader John Bell, R-Wayne, with ads criticizing his unwillingness to expand Medicaid.