Thursday Wrap: You say it's your birthday

On the anniversary of House Bill 2's passage, House Republicans talked for hours Thursday (not to mention for hours on Wednesday) about a proposal to repeal and replace the controversial law on LGBT rights and transgender bathroom access. Yet, lawmakers left town without taking any action.

House Speaker Tim Moore said any new legislation would continue to require transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond to their birth gender and would prohibit cities and counties from extending nondiscrimination protections to the LGBT community. He denied it would include "religious freedom" provisions, but said it might include "conscience protections."

Meanwhile, the Senate completed an override of Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of legislation that once again makes races for Superior Court and District Court judgeships partisan elections.

The House approved changes to state gang laws and a measure punishing companies that boycott Israel by blocking them from state contracts and ordering the state pension funds to unload any investments in those companies.