Civil Rights
Trump drops MLK Day celebration at National Parks
Make no mistake, racists cheer decisions like the Trump administration's MLK Day change at the National Park Service.
Billy Ball
Billy Ball is an award-winning journalist from North Carolina and senior editor at Cardinal & Pine, an online news site. He has bylines in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, MSNBC, and others.
North Carolina
Law enforcement isn't supposed to act like this
Law enforcement's power is derived from a bargain with the people they serve. They're not supposed to be ideologues. They're not supposed to wear masks and lie.
North Carolina
What the obsession with Bill Belichick's girlfriend says about us
The sexism and misogyny baked into the American media's fascination with Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
North Carolina
Something to actually, really be grateful for in the South
Nobody likes forced gratitude. It's cloying and annoying. This season is filled with artificial pleas for it. So I'm not going to do that. But I want to talk about something I saw this month that's making me give thanks for the people of the South.
Politics
The South has seen masked kidnappers before
ICE and Border Patrol agents are acting less like cops and more like the white terrorist groups that plagued the South for generations.
History
The Voting Rights Act changed the South. Here's how to save it.
The Voting Rights Act, perhaps the most important piece of legislation in the 20th century South, is a shadow of its former self. Restoring it is an existential matter.
Music
Why 'Born in the USA' could be the soundtrack of America, again
In the north, south, the midwest, and the west—anywhere someone has ever felt like they were getting ripped off—"Born in the USA" spoke directly to the same disaffected white men who are voting for President Trump.
North Carolina
I'm gonna try to explain North Carolina
Introducing a new video series called "Billy Ball Explains North Carolina"—the point being to cut through all the noise and make some sense in my home state.
Social Media
Video: How to fix social media in America
Talking with "Capitol Tonight" about the relatively simple fix that could make social media much better in America.
Arkansas
Audio: Nathan Kousol, K-pop star from Arkansas, tells his story
Nathan Kousol is a member of the new group 1Verse, which also includes two defectors from North Korea, a Chinese-American from California, and a Japanese national.
Politics
The federal government shutdown hurts the South a lot more
When it comes to health care, which is what the federal government shutdown is about, some states will bleed. The South will gush.
Music
Nathan Kousol is a budding K-pop star from, of all places, Arkansas
A kid from Arkansas and two North Korean defectors make up a new K-pop group with a remarkable origin story.