What the Virginia vote says about Democrats in 2026
The Democrats are practicing “maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.” That could be especially important in the South.
Latest
On gerrymandering, North Carolina and Virginia are two sides of the same coin
For Democrats and Republicans, supporting gerrymandering or opposing it is a question of which side of the North Carolina-Virginia state line you’re on.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
North Carolina
Iryna Zarutska and the doom loop of social media and politics
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.
Politics
The case for breaking social media in America
Social media is breaking us in America. You could argue it already has. But there is a solution.