We take a deep dive into the stories that shaped our world and North Carolina in 2024, from groundbreaking political moments to cultural shifts and global headlines. Host Kenia Thompson sits down with columnist Mary C. Curtis and former Durham County Commissioner Nimasheena Burns to discuss the top trends.
Local News Roundup: Trump takes NC; Democrats win elsewhere; Charlotte City Council members head to Munich; Charlotte FC faces Orlando City in winner-take-all matchup
North Carolina, like other battleground states, went for Donald Trump in this week’s presidential election. What went right for his campaign and what went wrong for Vice President Kamala Harris?
On the statewide level, Democrats picked up wins in races for governor, attorney general, and superintendent for public instruction, among others. The party also appears to have prevented Republicans from retaining their veto-proof supermajority, despite the fact Democrat-turned-Republican Tricia Cotham appears to have narrowly retained her seat, barring a potential recount.
Outside of the election, as the Carolina Panthers head to Munich, Germany to play the New York Giants, several members of city council are going along. The city says the goal is to learn how Munich solves some of its urban problems, but WCNC reports the bill will cost taxpayers about $80,000.
Finally, Charlotte FC has a chance to advance to the next round of the MLS playoffs with a win against Orlando City on Saturday. The series is currently tied at a game apiece.
GUESTS:
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for the Charlotte Observer
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte and host of WCNC’s “Flashpoint”
Nov082024
Local News Roundup: Campaigns ramp up; Early voting in NC and SC; Charlotte FC begins postseason play
Former President Donald Trump makes stops across North Carolina, including in the western part of the state where he repeated false claims about the federal response to Helene.
Meanwhile, early voting numbers are coming as polls are open in both North and South Carolina. What is the early data telling us? And how does it compare to 2020?
Mark Robinson has amended his defamation lawsuit against CNN. Robinson, who was seeking $50 million in damages, is now asking for $25,000. Robinson has denied the report that alleges he made racist and misogynistic comments on a pornographic website. All of this comes as Democrats continue to spend money attacking Robinson and linking other Republican candidates to him.
And Charlotte FC is back in the postseason for the second straight year. The team starts a best-of-three series at Orlando on Sunday.
Those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.
GUESTS:
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Nick Ochsner, WBTV chief investigative reporter
Alexandria Sands, reporter with Axios Charlotte
Oct282024
Stoking division may be a winning campaign strategy, but it comes at a cost
One Republican president, George W. Bush, honored Dikembe Mutombo at his 2007 State of the Union address at the Capitol, saying, “Dikembe became a star in the NBA and a citizen of the United States, but he never forgot the land of his birth, or his duty to share his blessings with others.”
It wasn’t just the sports world that mourned the death of Mutombo this week at the age of 58. Mutombo, who had become a U.S. citizen the year before Bush’s public praise, was known for both his unique basketball skills and his humanitarian and philanthropic efforts in this country, and especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through the efforts of the NBA’s first global ambassador, a hospital and school were built there.
His obituary in The New York Times recounted that moment when a president recognized the sports star. Mutombo was awarded an academic scholarship to Georgetown, where he double majored in linguistics and diplomacy instead of his original pre-med dream; he spoke French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and five African languages.
What a full life, in just 58 years.
I wonder, though, if another former Republican president gave that stellar American’s death a second thought.
Instead, the current GOP nominee for the office was using Mutombo’s birthplace and the people who hail from that African country as villains at campaign stops on the Donald Trump hate tour. I doubt Trump knows much about any country in Africa, but he’s canny enough to realize conjuring up lurid images he seems to have gleaned from a Tarzan movie would scare up a few votes by stoking fear of the other, particularly if that other consists of nameless hordes of Black people, invading a white, suburban haven.
“They come from, from the Congo in Africa,” Trump said at a campaign stop in Wisconsin this week, repeating what has become a familiar refrain. “Many people from the Congo. I don’t know what that is.” It’s always Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Denmark that draw his admiration, while he heaps insults on the Middle East, Asia, Central and South America and Africa.
Oct032024
In battleground North Carolina, a Kamala Harris crowd overflowing with joy — and urgency
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One rule for politicians and politically inclined citizens: Stay away from Hitler references. They have a “boy who cried wolf” quality and usually end up backfiring, making you appear more extreme than the opponent you’re trying to label.
However, as everyone knows, every rule has an exception. And 93-year-old Ruth Hecht has more than earned hers.
Sep192024
Why It Had to Be Walz: What is the Minnesota governor bringing to the ticket?
How Minnesota Governor Tim Walz slipped past VP-favorite Josh Shapiro and joined Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.
Guest: Guest: David Faris, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and author of The Kids Are All Left and It’s Time to Fight Dirty.
Aug112024
Rep. Alma Adams on House business and the state of her state
Rep. Alma Adams, a Democrat who represents the 12th District of North Carolina, wants to tell you and her constituents that, despite the dysfunction that makes the headlines, she and her colleagues have been attending to the people’s business. There are the issues close to her heart, such as affordable health care, closing the maternal health gap for minority moms and providing family care. There is her work supporting historically Black colleges and universities, healthy nutrition programs and more. So, what do we need to know?
Adams joins Equal Time to talk about bipartisan progress, election-year politics and the state of her battleground state.
Jun282024
Will the real Donald Trump get the coverage he deserves?
“Donald Trump tries courting Black voters at Detroit church with Michigan up for grabs in 2024 election” was just one of the headlines that the presumed Republican presidential nominee must have loved. The recent event drew lots of media attention, if only for its “man bites dog” novelty. It was Trump doing the unexpected, going after a constituency that the Democrats supposedly have locked up.
What a Trump thing to do!
The only problem with the stop was something that some but by no means all coverage bothered to note: A significant number of the attendees were white. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I’m sure the pastor of 180 Church welcomes all.
Jun282024
Local News Roundup: Triplexes up for discussion again at City Council; Hornets practice facility approved; Pineville’s controversial substation vote; March Madness in the Carolinas
At City Council Monday night, the city proposed a modification to development rules that would limit triplexes in residential areas to corner lots only. How does this depart from what was laid out in Charlotte’s 2040 plan?
City Council also voted 7-1 this week to move forward with plans for a stand-alone practice facility for the Charlotte Hornets. We’ll remind you of how this changed from the original plan, and fill you in on what will happen next.
Both the President and the Vice President were in North Carolina this week to talk about affordable healthcare. This already made multiple visits to the Tar Heel state for President Biden and Vice President Harris, which will undoubtedly be a major battleground state in this November’s election.
In Pineville, the town council approved a controversial substation this week, but it was a tight vote. We’ll talk about the very short special meeting that ended in a 3-2 vote. The leaders say the substation is crucial to keeping up with the growing demand for utilities. We’ll discuss.
The NCDOT gets positive feedback for its updated plan for a new Amtrak rail yard in South End. We’ll explain.
And March Madness continues for teams in North and South Carolina. We’ll break it down.
Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.
GUESTS:
Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for Investigations & chief investigative reporter
Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for the Charlotte Observer
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News
Mar292024
