Well, it’s Wednesday. So there’s that. Otherwise, things are looking, well, you know, horrifying. 1) President Trump nominates a conservative judge to fill that vacant Supreme Court seat the GOP stole from Barack Obama. Great news? You tell us. Here’s a solid piece on Neil Gorsuch written by the New York Times (but, you know, […]
Ken Fine
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As Protests Mount Over Trump’s Immigration Executive Order, What Are N.C. Pols Saying?
Maybe, just maybe, protests actually work. That was the message both the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice appeared to send to the tens of thousands who converged on airports across the country this weekendincluding the fifteen hundred who showed up at Raleigh-Durham International Airport Sundayto demand that President Trump abandon a constitutionally […]
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How Raleigh’s BJ Barham Gamed the System to Make American Aquarium a Success—Even If His Hometown Still Doesn’t Quite Get It
It’s five o’clock on a Thursday in December. Bradley Justin Barham turns his back to his band to face a virtually empty room. He strums his cherry red Gibson J-45 as he slowly steps across a sticky black floor. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s played to no one. But American Aquarium’s founder and […]
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Is Durham Really a Sanctuary City?
When President Trump announced his intention to withhold federal funding from “sanctuary cities,” at least one Durham resident got worried. The city, after all, passed a resolution in October 2003 aimed at protecting undocumented immigrants. The ordinance, Resolution 9046, prohibits police from targeting people based solely on their immigration status. In other words, a person’s […]
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Protest Planned for Tonight at Duke
More than three hundred people have, via Facebook, expressed interest in attending a “No Wall, No Ban” rally on the steps of the iconic Duke Chapel this evening—the latest in a series of gatherings that have unfolded locally in response to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and executive orders. Here are all the details, in case […]
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The Morning Roundup: Protesters Continue to Fight Trump
Well, it’s Monday. 1) All hell is breaking loose … and it’s GLORIOUS. With every stroke of his pen, President Trump is inspiring new protests. And they are “yuge.” The current unrest, a reaction to the Friday-news-dump signing of what many equate to a Muslim ban, was felt locally, as roughly fifteen hundred people converged […]
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Protest Planned for This Afternoon at RDU
One by one, refugees who found asylum in North Carolina spoke to a crowd of hundreds who converged on downtown Durham Friday to declare themselves members of the resistance. Should President Donald Trump build a wall or ban refugees and/or Muslims from entering the United States, they pledged, they would fight him every step of […]
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State Senator Receiving Shipments of Lard After Anti-Women’s March Tweet
Apparently, Twitter isn’t for everyone … and state Senator Joyce Krawiec is learning that the hard way. A few days ago, Krawiec, a Republican, thought it would be a good idea to post this. (The tweet was later deleted, but screenshots are forever.) How did the women she insulted respond? Some took to social media […]
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Hundreds Email Durham Council Members, Demand Protection for LGBTQ Community
The last time we checked in with members of the Durham City Council on HB 2, a repeal looked likely. Charlotte was open to standing down. Then-Governor Pat McCrory and Republican leaders in the legislature seemed willing to do the same. And some local government leaders, Durham council woman Jillian Johnson and Carrboro alderman Damon […]
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The Resistance, Day One: As Trump Is Sworn In, Protesters (and Anarchists) Swarm Washington, D.C., Streets
1. Exactly What Trump Wants Torch, as he calls himself, is wearing a bandanna over his face, secured just below his eyes. The fabric matches the skinny black jeans, black T-shirt, and hoodie he’s wearing during what he characterizes as the “deinauguration of America’s Hitler.” And when the twenty-four-year-old pulls a hammer out of his […]