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davedewitt.bsky.social
WUNC editor. Politics and Higher Education.
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Brendan Rosenblum is one of the Jewish students who held up the American flag a year ago. He had water and food thrown at him and found himself mischaracterized by right-wing media outlets: "No one was there to get honored with a party." www.wunc.org/education/20...

Laura Saavedra Forero was pinned under barricades, arrested and charged, doxed, and had her Morehead Scholarship taken away. Even with everything that’s happened, she says she would not change a thing: “This is the only morally right thing for me to do." www.wunc.org/education/20...

More Than 180 Academic Leaders Condemn Trump ‘Overreach’... including presidents at Duke, Warren Wilson, Davidson, Carolina Christian College... and not a single UNC system chancellor. #ncpol www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/u...

Conservative stalwart Art Pope says about the Trump Tariffs: "I think President Trump and his administration are acting in good faith. I think they're very wrong. And the economy, the real world of price increases and lost jobs, will show that." #ncpol www.wunc.org/politics/202...

"I don't think there's any real desire in our caucus to hear that particular bill," Speaker Destin Hall says about bill filed Monday that would greatly restrict abortions in North Carolina. From @byadamwagner.bsky.social and Mary Helen Moore. #ncpol www.wunc.org/2025-04-08/h...

“Griffin said he regretted donning the Confederate uniform…” #ncpol apnews.com/article/conf...

The UNC-Chapel Hill School of Civic Life is having some issues. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

10/10 on this story in the @ocracokeobserver.bsky.social No notes. Pulitzer should be in the mail for this photo caption alone: "This pizza didn’t fare well during transfer from bobbing boat to the ferry." #Ocracoke ocracokeobserver.com/2025/03/07/f...

Didn't expect to read this in an ESPN story about how UNC landed Belichick: "(Thom) Tillis hung up the phone and immediately called Phil Berger..." "...the push to land Belichick all started with the politicians." #ncpol www.espn.com/college-foot...

Many of the members of NC's Congressional delegation have either changed their public stances on Ukraine since Trump/Vance berated Zelensky, or they are laying low. www.wunc.org/politics/202...

NEW from ME: a Social Security office in Macon County (Franklin) appears to have been targeted for closing by Elon Musk's DOGE.

One week ago, NC Senator Thom Tillis called Putin a "cancer" and the "greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime." No comment from Tillis yet on today's events in the White House. #ncpol thehill.com/homenews/sen...

Firing young professionals and falsely accusing them of "failing to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment” is incredibly cruel. Whatever your political leanings, who cheers this kind of thing? www.tallahassee.com/story/news/l...

UNC System President Peter Hans writes in this letter to the US Senate that it is "my honor and pleasure" to recommend Linda McMahon to be the Secretary of Education #ncpol

Ted Budd said he agreed with Trump.. but he conceded that the universities would need time to adjust to their new financial reality. “There’s great research being done by all of our institutions. We need to protect that. I think the White House wants to protect that.” www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/u...

"...we're hoping that maybe this was just some sort of initial chaos that smooths out. But we're not going to stop sending our authors out to speak about their books and if they run into roadblocks to be able to do that, we're likely to bring voice to that." www.wunc.org/education/20...

The order leaves out states that did not join the lawsuit, which will still face the funding cuts. (North Carolina joined the lawsuit) www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/u...

"It's our economic engine for the state. We have huge numbers of workforce that are employed in research-related activities... 14,000 North Carolina employees engaged in research... over 310 businesses we've spun out; $2 billion in North Carolina salaries." www.wunc.org/education/20...

“I think the American people need to understand how devastating it would be if this goes through,” said Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, a Duke University Nobel Prize winner. “A lot of research would just have to stop.” www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u...

It's one ruling in what is still expected to be a protracted legal fight. #ncpol www.wunc.org/politics/202...

Musk hates Wikipedia for the same reason he hates NPR and public radio - he can't own and control it (and can't fathom that someone isn't profiting from it) www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

"The move is a remarkable renunciation of the U.S. commitment to humanitarian protection and freedom." www.wunc.org/race-class-c...

With the Trump admin looking to kill the Ed Dept... North Carolina ranks 9th in the country for the number of school districts that rely on the federal government for at least 10% of their budget - with most of those districts being rural w/low local revenue #ncpol www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

"She had a way of making people feel heard and valued, which transcended through our friendship and into the embodiment of an army leader. She was driven, motivated, and she knew how to motivate others." www.wunc.org/news/2025-02...

Army Captain Rebecca Lobach, one of three who perished in the Blackhawk helicopter crash Wednesday, is on the list protested in the 2024 NC Supreme Court race on the grounds she did not provide an ID with her military absentee ballot. #ncpol assets.nationbuilder.com/ncgop/mailin...

www.wunc.org/2025-02-01/t...

Griffin's top donor to his legal expense fund is fellow GOP Court of Appeals judge Tom Murry - raising ethical questions the state's judicial code of conduct does not clearly answer. #ncpol www.wunc.org/politics/202...

“…instead of trying to figure out what was causing these problems, looking at myself, I blamed other people and politics. That's easy to do. And I fit right into the MAGA circle.” www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025...

1/ Republican Jefferson Griffin is trying to overturn an election loss by throwing out the ballots of over 5,500 military and overseas voters—despite having previously used the same method of voting himself, ProPublica reveals. A 🧵👇: www.propublica.org/article/jeff...

From Rusty Jacobs: An attorney representing the Republican candidate in a tight race for the North Carolina Supreme Court went before a Wake County judge this week without notifying opposing counsel to seek an order blocking certification of the election #ncpol www.wunc.org/politics/202...

How the NC Supreme Court decides this case seems like a real crossroads moment in how the public trusts elections and the courts. And I should note that I am one of the 60,000 voters the Griffin campaign is seeking to invalidate. #ncpol www.wunc.org/2025-01-06/n...

With only a few more hours remaining in his 8-year tenure as governor, Roy Cooper commuted the death row sentences of 15 people to life without parole. #ncpol www.wunc.org/politics/202...

That's strike one in federal court for Griffin, a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, who trails Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs by more than 700 votes following two recounts in the tight race for the associate justice se www.wunc.org/politics/202...

“…he had little good to say about… “nourishing” eroded beaches with multimillion-dollar infusions of pumped-in sand.” www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/s...

“To fill in the gaps, the school's principal and assistant principal have been driving her children to or from school in their personal vehicles.” www.wunc.org/education/20...

#NCPOL ticket splitting, in two images. On the left, how Wake County precincts voted for president in 2024. On the right, the same precincts for Governor.

In addition to the veto overrides, the #ncga Senate today has filed two proposed constitutional amendments to put on the 2026 ballot: A 5% cap on income taxes and a requirement for photo ID to vote by mail ncleg.gov/Legislation/... #ncpol

The Biden Admin’s American Rescue Plan Act made it possible for NASCAR to come back to N. Wilkesboro, W-S, and Rockingham. “Let’s Go Brandon” indeed. www.wunc.org/sports/2024-...

Saint Augustine’s has been on probation with the accrediting agency for nearly two years, after failing to meet several of its financial standards. www.wunc.org/education/20...

“You are a top leader of our state government. What you say matters. When you tell your fellow citizens that an election is being conducted fraudulently, they listen.” #ncpol Latest from @raleighreporter.bsky.social www.wunc.org/politics/202...

A source close tells @raleighreporter.bsky.social that Lt Gov Mark Robison is considering trying to sign into law a bill expected to pass the N.C. Senate this afternoon that would shift power away from Gov.-elect Josh Stein and other newly elected Democrats. www.wunc.org/politics/202...

Democrat governor-elect Josh Stein is the first candidate ever for any office to get more than 3 million votes in an election in North Carolina - 3,069,885 #ncpol

Bill to take power from incoming elected Democrats passed the #ncga House tonight, with three Republicans from mountain counties joining Democrats in voting no. Unless they flip, that could impact veto override prospects: www.wunc.org/politics/202... #ncpol

Here's what we know about the Republican #ncga proposals to shift power away from @joshsteinnc.bsky.social and other Democrats who won statewide elections. Still awaiting a final version of the bill though: www.wunc.org/politics/202... #ncpol