North Carolina
Audio: The Living South conversation with NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls
Listen to The Living South's full conversation with NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.
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
Anita Earls against the world
The NC Supreme Court justice could be on the shortlist for the US Supreme Court someday. But first, she faces a right-wing smear campaign and a fight with cancer.
South Carolina
Jesse Jackson—slandered, libeled, redeemed
The white South made a villain of a native son, but the region never had a better champion for it on the big stage than Jesse Jackson.
Culture
What we're getting wrong about that Bad Bunny halftime show
When politicians try to grasp on to an artist, the good ones always slip through their fingers. Bad Bunny is one of the good ones.
Immigration
Why the ICE killings in Minneapolis could change everything
There can be no silver lining to the ICE killings. But there can be change when brave people document it, demand action, and never let it go.
Politics
Trump is getting richer. The Southerners who voted for him are getting poorer.
For many of the people who voted for him in 2024, Trump has made their lives tangibly harder and he's getting richer by the minute.
South Carolina
The South has a lot at stake in what happens next in Venezuela
Of the 10 states with the most active duty military personnel, six are in the South—Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.
Civil Rights
The Living South's top 5 of 2025
In the first year of The Living South, I did my best to tell the stories that captured this complicated place. In year two, I want to go bigger and deeper.
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.
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.