Hi y'all, we're rebooting "BB Explains NC." The goal is to make a difference over on YouTube, which is a male-dominated space for a lot of right-wing points of view and flat-out bad information. Go follow @cardinalandpine.bsky.social there and watch my latest. 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNGg...

Dallas Woodhouse, who led the state GOP from 2015 to 2019, will serve as the election liaison in Auditor Dave Boliek’s office.

"American media reported on the social media reaction to Iryna Zarutska and then social media responded to the reporting and then media reported on the reaction to the reporting on the reaction and we're all a little dumber now." My latest. Sign-up is free. 👇 www.thelivingsouth.com/iryna-zaruts...

My latest: In 21st century America, our politicians take their cues from social media, and not the other way around. It's made debate more performative, less nuanced, and much, much dumber. The right-wing debate around Iryna Zarutska is a perfect example. 👉 www.thelivingsouth.com/iryna-zaruts...

The state will cut Medicaid reimbursement rates on Oct. 1 without additional funding, and though the General Assembly unanimously passed two separate bills to try and solve the problem, Republican infighting derailed the effort. Click 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/09/24/h...

Take a trip to Mayberry, race a wooly worm, or hit up the rodeos at Benson's Mule Days. Here are eight of our favorite autumn festivals in North Carolina. 🔗 below to read. cardinalpine.com/2025/09/22/m...

Most of us know bone-deep that there is something wrong with social media. I wrote about what we can do about it recently for my pet project, The Living South (link in the thread), and tonight, I'm on Spectrum News' "Capital Tonight" talking about it. Show airs at 7 pm.

This is the White House using regulatory power to pressure a company into removing someone (Jimmy Kimmel) because they don't like what they said. There's been a big pushback against people referring to Trump and his allies as "fascists" but this is textbook. www.vox.com/politics/461...

There is a problem with the left's rhetoric. And there is a problem with the right's rhetoric. And folks needs to drop the "one side is worse than the other" mess because it's: 1. Not true. 2. Not helpful. Full stop.

Social media, the way it is constructed in 2025, is malignant. It is a civilizational succubus, a meta-sized Munchausen's syndrome, the guardian who gives you a spoonful of poison every day to keep you sick. But there is a solution. Google "Section 230." www.thelivingsouth.com/the-case-for...

This weekend, I thought about a lot of things and wrote about it. One of the few things left and right can agree on right now is that we're being played by social media companies. There is a solution. 🔗 below. www.thelivingsouth.com/the-case-for...

WATCH: Some advice from Senior Editor Billy Ball (@billyball.bsky.social) in this dark moment for American politics. 🇺🇸 For Billy's daily breakdowns of North Carolina news, sign up for Cardinal & Pine's free, award-winning newsletter at the 🔗 below. cardinalpine.com/newsletter/

Human life is precious. What happened to Charlie Kirk, however you feel about him, is sickening. We have to solve our problems any other way but this.

Senior Editor @billyball.bsky.social caught the 15th anny of Hopscotch, a sprawling music fest in Raleigh. It featured lots of NC artists like Blue Cactus (below). In today's newsletter, he wrote about why these artists, and this festival, show our state's eclecticism and resilience. 🔗 in thread.

In 2024, I wrote a lot and went on tv talking about the lies Trump was telling about disaster relief in western NC after Helene. Some time has passed and a few things are clear. I wrote about them @cardinalandpine.bsky.social. Click and pls share 👇 cardinalpine.com/opinion/opin...

Always wanted to see these guys. ❤️ cardinalpine.com/2025/08/29/g...

Some days, I just feel done with it. With journalism, with politics, with the whole thing.

Important thread alert: We need our media to meet the moment. This story from WCNC in Charlotte, which reads like a re-written press release from the Trump administration, leaves out the context that federal officials have funded just a small percentage of Helene recovery in western NC.

Unsolicited thought: In journalism, having diverse sources, panels, and editorial leadership isn’t a function of wokeness or any trend or social moment. It’s a function of good journalism. You simply can’t do as good a job with a homogeneous newsroom.

I don’t often use my time up here to vent, but whatever city you go to in America, TSA staff are awful. What’s the deal?

Unsolicited thought: Racism thrives in not talking about it. And the word is best used as an adjective, meaning it describes a belief or a statement. Using it as a noun makes it sound so concrete, as if the racist cannot change, and I don’t believe that. We change by talking about it.

This is what it's like sometimes to work in journalism.

I try not to write about myself when I write about public figures. But this week, when I wrote about @roycoopernc.bsky.social's entrance into the Senate race for @msnbc.com (link in the thread) while representing @cardinalandpine.bsky.social, I decided to include this bit.

Great story by @billyball.bsky.social that captures much of what I admire about Roy Cooper. I’ve crossed paths with the Governor a couple of times, and his decency always came through, even while fighting for progressive values.

I had to do a double take on this from Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Democrat from Charlotte: “All cultures are not equal." The story 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/29/n...

Public service announcement: Don't use Google's AI function to fact-check things.

So ends another stupefying saga, in which the president (who thinks he's a king) tries to stop education funding that Congress already approved. North Carolina and—let's be honest—all 50 states (even the ones that didn't sue) prevail in this one.

✊ On Thursday morning, hundreds of Durham residents came out to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the city, after ICE agents were reported near the courthouse Wednesday. 🎥 Heather Rodrigues bit.ly/4kXyHD8

As expected, former NC Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to run in the 2026 US Senate race, a new Axios report says. Click the 🔗 below for more. cardinalpine.com/2025/07/23/r...

I'm proud of our people and lucky to work with them. 🙏 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/23/c...

Our public school helped us immeasurably through a family tragedy. They brought food, teachers showed up round the clock, and they helped kickstart a fundraiser. I understand precisely what this writer means when she says public schools "are the beating heart of many communities."

We all need actual good news every now and then. Tune into Good News Friday every week at Cardinal & Pine. 👇

In some places, public broadcasting is the only game in town if you're looking for local news. They are especially crucial in rural regions that are reeling from a disaster, like in western NC, where locals relied on public radio dispatches to learn about the latest after Helene. 🔗 in thread 👇

🌻 Every spring, Raleigh's @dixpark plants hundreds of thousands of sunflowers. They're blooming right now. Click the link to find out how to see them. 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/14/3...

Why a lighthouse? Because it fits how I see thelivingsouth.com. I want it to be a beacon, illuminating a way home, a light on a stormy sea. If you haven't signed up already for this free, independent journalism made for and by the South, hop on board. This should be fun!

I hope every journalist who's covered this like they would a sporting event or a gossip column puts the same amount of effort into reporting on the people who lose access to groceries, health care, and clean energy. cardinalpine.com/2025/07/03/c...

A few thoughts on Thom Tillis. Sign up for the daily newsletter I write for Cardinal and Pine for more like this cardinalpine.com/newsletter/

North Carolina's Republican state legislature wants to eliminate concealed carry permitting, meaning people 18 or older could carry a concealed gun without a permit or firearms training. On a recent episode of PBS NC's "State Lines," Senior Editor Billy Ball explains the controversial gun bill.

Hi y'all, please share. I'm doing a new thing every Monday at Cardinal & Pine, curating the most interesting events, protests, and news of the week. Reading requires a subscription to our free, award-winning newsletter, but that's so worth it. CLICK 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/06/16/3...

My super cool daughter, Charlotte, accompanied me to tape PBS North Carolina's "State Lines" today, where I represented Cardinal & Pine. She got to hang out in the control room too. Episode link is in the thread. Airs statewide tonight at 8:30 pm on PBS NC and 9 pm on the North Carolina Channel.

What "No Kings" protesters can learn from the US' most successful movement: Today, The King Center defines MLK's principles like this: It is not passive. It is “active nonviolent resistance to evil,” it is “aggressive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.” www.thelivingsouth.com/video-what-t...

Let's fact check the pro wrestling personality who's in charge of educating American children. We'll start with Trump and what he's doing (or not) for historically Black colleges. For @billyball.bsky.social's daily newsletter explanations of the news in NC, click 👇 cardinalpine.com/newsletter/?...

Cardinal & Pine has no paywall, so it only works with your support. 🙏 Please share

Now, more than ever

C’mon now, you boys hug it out.

🌀 Twenty years ago, this wouldn't have been possible. But forecasters say new technology will help them better predict dangerous hurricanes. This is a big deal for states like North Carolina. Check out how it works here ⬇️ cardinalpine.com/2025/06/03/a...

Recently, I went on Capitol Tonight to talk about a North Carolina minister who used his sanctuary to protect undocumented people from the federal government. I talked about it with Tim Boyum. Full story at thelivingsouth.com. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z80W...

AI writing is really bad writing, y'all.

Donald Trump's lawsuit against North Carolina is all but quoting Jefferson Griffin's attempt to overturn an election. In the latest Billy Ball Explains NC, Senior Editor @billyball.bsky.social says that's no coincidence. Billy's free, daily newsletter on NC news 👇 cardinalpine.com/newsletter/?...

50 years ago, NC took big steps to preserve Jockey's Ridge, a sand dune in the Outer Banks. The state will celebrate the occasion with free events at Jockey's Ridge State Park from June 5th to June 8th. Check out this 2023 edition of Billy Ball Explains NC for more info on Jockey's Ridge.