For 4 days from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, the “We Ain’t Buying It” movement wants Americans to avoid shopping at Amazon, Home Depot, and Target. Here's what to know. 👇

Important thread alert, NC. Keep reading. 👇 Border Patrol says they’re targeting “the worst of the worst.” But the News and Observer reports that a woman they arrested in Raleigh, Fatima Issela Velasquez-Antonio, is 23, a high school graduate, a homeowner, with two traffic violations on her record.

Must-read.

One of the many problems spinning out of the decimation of local media: Political coverage is dominated by national storylines. Bet you a $100 more liberals in NC know Zohran Mamdani more than they know the Democrats who won in NC.

What Democrats' domination of the 2025 elections tells us. "Billy Ball Explains NC" premieres every Wednesday right here on YouTube. Make sure you're following Cardinal & Pine on YouTube so you won't miss an episode. ✏️ @billyball.bsky.social 🎥 Melanie Duran www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKwg...

The longest shutdown in US history seems close to an end. Seven Democrats and an independent who normally votes with Democrats broke from the party line to help pass an initial Senate bill that clears the way for the government to reopen. Keep reading. 👇

Well, that’s a new one.

North Carolina didn’t have any high-profile elections last week, but the results still offer a glimpse of how voters feel about the state of things during President Trump’s second term. Cardinal & Pine's Michael McElroy breaks it down. 👇

One more thing 👇

Several child care centers closed this week. That's because federal funding for Head Start programs didn’t materialize due to the government shutdown. Keep reading. 👇

Who's really getting food stamps in North Carolina. 🤔 "Billy Ball Explains NC" premieres every Wednesday on our YouTube channel. Follow us there so you won't miss an episode. 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2gu...

👋 Every Tuesday, I'm writing about the South. I don't do paywalls, so sign-up is free. Please share. This week, I wrote about the single most important bill of the 20th century, and what we have to do to save it. www.thelivingsouth.com/saving-the-v...

While Republicans in D.C. are blocking renewed Affordable Care Act subsidies, NC is passing along steep rate hikes for health care coverage. 🔗below for the approved Affordable Care Act rate increases 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/11/04/a...

In North Carolina, because of gerrymandering, you could argue we're not even a democracy anymore, but we're not powerless to stop it. Here's the latest "Billy Ball Explains NC." Please share 👏 www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5fS...

The name on this is mine, but this stuff is a team effort. It takes a lot of work from editor Kim Lawson, graphic designer Desirée Tapia, video editor Melanie Duran, and a lot of eyes and ears to tell me what works and what doesn't. 2nd "Billy Ball Explains NC" 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5p_...

Who TF is Billy Ball (@billyball.bsky.social) and why is he trying to explain North Carolina? 🔥 For the full video series, click the 🔗 in the thread below.

Good protests—like the “No Kings” demonstrations in North Carolina—can be silly, loud, rambunctious, and disorganized. They can be disruptive and even dumb. But they are never, ever pointless. 👇 cardinalpine.com/opinion/prot...

Important 🧵 North Carolina, please share There are more than 91,000 active duty military members based in North Carolina, and they have more than 66,000 kids to feed and clothe. Keep reading 👇

Crucial.

In September, following the killing of Charlie Kirk, I wrote about the way social media has broken political dialogue in the US, and what we can actually do about it. Recently, I appeared on Spectrum News 1 NC's "Capitol Tonight" to talk about it. www.thelivingsouth.com/video-how-to...

Important 🧵, North Carolina, please share 🙏 👨🏽‍⚕️⚕️Former NC Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled a first-of-its-kind program in 2024 that, as of today, has wiped out $6.5 billion in medical debt, state leaders say. Keep reading the thread to find out what to know. 👇

Important 🧵 alert, please share: An impasse among GOP leaders in the General Assembly has delayed passage of a formal budget and caused a Medicaid $$ shortfall, but NC GOP lawmakers say their priority when they return next week will be keeping Republicans in power in Washington in 2026. More 👇

#Breaking in North Carolina: North Carolina Democratic leaders have called on state Rep. Cecil Brockman to “resign immediately,” after news broke on Thursday that he’d been arrested and charged with raping a 15-year-old. cardinalpine.com/2025/10/09/n...

The federal government shut down last week, and though it may take time to see the worst effects, time is ticking. If the gov't doesn’t open in the next two weeks, a major federal program that helps mothers provide their young children nutritious food, could run out of money. Keep reading 👇

Watching the government shutdown felt like this. 🫠

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...

😍We've got directions to North Carolina's most jaw-dropping autumn drives, including stops at Pisgah National Forest, Grandfather Mountain, and Hanging Rock. 🔗 below. cardinalpine.com/2025/09/19/f...

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.

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...

Long live Asheville. 💪 For this, and more good news from around North Carolina, click 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/09/19/g...

US Reps Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee are no longer taking funds from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC. A progressive who's been critical of Democrats' position on the Middle East gives his take on what needs to happen next. cardinalpine.com/opinion/two-...

THREAD ALERT 👇 Under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s direction at the US Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA limited access to the newest COVID boosters and is delaying approval from a committee that pharmacists rely on. Gov. Josh Stein says he's done something about that. Keep reading.

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...

Chapel Hill isn't Chapel Hill without Mediterranean Deli. ♥️ This week, the beloved NC restaurant reopened after a devastating 2023 fire. For this, and other good news from around NC, click the 🔗 cardinalpine.com/2025/09/12/g...

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/

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...

Meet the hellbender, aka the "snot otter" or "mud puppy." On Saturday, the NC town of Spruce Pine held a festival to preserve this fascinating salamander. Find out why at the 🔗 below. cardinalpine.com/2025/08/25/3...

🪁Every year, the NC town of Beech Mountain holds a free event called the Mile-High Kite Festival. Here's what you need to know. For more info, click the link cardinalpine.com/2025/08/25/3...

NC Republicans overrode eight bills Gov. Josh Stein vetoed, including bills removing climate protections and allowing private school teachers to bring guns to school. They were able to pass these bills because in each case at least one Democrat voted with them. 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/29/n...

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...

He’s running. Roy Cooper released a video Monday confirming he's running for NC's US Senate seat in 2026. Democrats are confident Cooper, who has never lost an election in his political career, can help them win back the Senate and check President Trump’s policies. cardinalpine.com/2025/07/28/r...

BREAKING 🔊The Trump administration is releasing all $165 million of education funding meant for NC schools, according to Attorney General Jeff Jackson. For the latest, click 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/25/t...

We like our good news like we like our ice cream—NOW. 😀 In this week's "Good News Friday," a state grant will refresh eastern NC trails, including Greenfield Lake in Wilmington. For this, and more good news from NC, Click 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/25/g...

✊ 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...

Update: The nerds won. 🦸‍♂️ 🚀 GalaxyCon Raleigh returns this week, with a huge list of celebrities, comics, cosplay, nostalgia, and more. Click 👇 bit.ly/3TRezaD

"NC public schools are the beating heart of many communities. They are not charity. They are constitutional. And they deserve better.” Brittany Gregory is a former public school teacher in NC. To read her op-ed, click 👇 cardinalpine.com/opinion/opin...

NC First Lady Anna Stein announced a program this week called Unshame NC, aiming at reducing the shame around substance abuse disorder and promoting treatment. Click the 🔗 to read 👇 cardinalpine.com/2025/07/22/n...