As the Republican leader of the state Senate, Phil Berger is the most powerful man in North Carolina politics. For weeks, he's been pushing for random COVID-19 testing so the state can get a handle on the outbreak and reopen for business.
Meanwhile, the legislative leadership decided to close the doors of the General Assembly to the public, just before lawmakers are set to reconvene for an in-person session. Berger says that wasn't an easy call.
The senate leader talks about protests against the governor's stay-at-home order, social distancing, and missing baseball on this episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast.