North Carolina pastor Rev. Dr. Rob Lee is a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and has often been noted for his strong disavowal of his notorious ancestor.

Lee joins us to discuss the invocation he gave this week at the White House for the president's official July Fourth celebrations.

The state budget passed last year included a half-billion dollars for NCInnovation, a new organization devoted to commercializing the research happening at North Carolina's universities.

Dr. Sukumar Kamalasadan, an electrical engineering professor and research coordinator at UNC Charlotte, stops by to talk about how the funding is being utilized.