Due South

President Trump delivered remarks criticizing North Carolina in Gastonia, erroneously claiming crime is up while threatening to withhold Helene funding. In sports, a new tennis tournament comes to Charlotte, and a Belichick leaves Chapel Hill. We review the week in news on our North Carolina Friday News Roundup. Claudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NC Bryan Anderson, Statewide Politics Reporter for The Assembly, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletter Ely Portillo, Executive Editor, WFAE  Danielle Battaglia, Congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer Brian Murphy, WRAL, Investigative Sports Reporter

0:01:00New book sheds light on the work of an ‘after pastor’Sarah York spent eight years pastoring a Unitarian Universalist church in Santa Barbara, California during the 1990s. She was appointed in the aftermath of clergy misconduct and inherited the many challenges that come with caring for a congregation rocked by scandal. She talks to Due South about her new memoir on the subject.Sarah York, retired Unitarian Universalist minister, “after pastor,” author of Trouble in Paradise: A Story of Ministry in the Aftermath of Clergy Misconduct0:33:00At Playmakers, the ancient story of Oedipus can be viewed through new eyesA sweeping tale of fate, prophecy and reckoning, the Greek tragedy of Oedipus makes its way to Playmakers Repertory Company. This fresh adaptation of a timeless story opens Playmakers’ historic 50th anniversary year.Carey Perloff, adapter, director, Oedipus: King/Colonus

0:01:00Rare, historic prints of the Declaration of Independence visit Durham Duke University and Durham are commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by bringing three rare, historic prints of the document to the main library in downtown Durham and then to the Nasher Museum of Art. Deborah Rutter, Vice Provost of the Arts at Duke University, joins host Leoneda Inge to discuss why it’s important to engage with a text that can seem both out of date and out of touch.Deborah Rutter, Vice Provost of the Arts at Duke University0:13:00Public radio's Joshua Johnson on conflict resolution, journalistic neutrality, and democracy Public radio fans probably remember Joshua Johnson from his years as a founding host of the national talk show 1A. His most recent reinvention is as a fake TV news host for the satirical news network, The Onion, a viral TED talk speaker, an expert on overcoming conflict and the creator of an online conflict resolution game called “The Resolution.” He joins host Jeff Tiberii to talk about his career arc and what public radio taught him about humor, neutrality and our democracy.Joshua Johnson, Actor for the Onion News Network and creator of The Resolution online conflict resolution game

0:01:00Gloria Steinem’s impact on feminism and journalism Groundbreaking journalist and public intellectual Gloria Steinem passed away on September 2 at the age of 92. Best-known as the co-founder of Ms. Magazine and a prominent voice in second-wave feminism, Steinem also had some North Carolina connections, as a speaker at various colleges and conferences across the state.Katherine Turk, associate professor of history and adjunct associate professor of women's and gender studies at UNC-Chapel Hill; author of The Women of NOW: How Feminists Built an Organization that Transformed America0:13:00Mark Anthony Neal takes a long look at fatherhood in AmericaProfessor Mark Anthony Neal has been called "the preeminent scholar on Black masculinity in America." In his latest book, "Save a Seat for Me: Notes on American Fatherhood," Neal confronts "the various political, cultural, historical narratives and messages that inform the role of Black fatherhood...which puts him at odds with the way he fathers his own children."Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Professor of African American Studies, Duke University; author of “Save a Seat for Me – Notes on American Fatherhood”

0:01:00Mahalia Jackson’s civil rights legacy takes center stage in new bookA new biography explores the underreported civil rights legacy of legendary gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson. The co-authors discuss Jackson's rise from humble beginnings in Louisiana to superstardom, crossover success and civil rights movement prominence.Timothy B. Tyson, researcher and author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller The Blood of Emmett TillMary D. Williams, gospel singer, civil rights historian, and former adjunct professor at Duke UniversityThis interview originally aired August 25, 2026.0:33:00The Broadside: That time we almost destroyed the worldOn a chilly evening in 1961, a B-52 crashed in rural eastern North Carolina near the town of Goldsboro. Any plane crash is bad, but this one was particularly dangerous because onboard that bomber were two nuclear weapons. The event was perhaps the closest the United States has ever come to accidentally detonating a nuclear bomb — and kicking off a nuclear war.Jay Price, Military and Veterans Affairs reporter at WUNC News and The American Homefront ProjectStephen Schwartz, independent nuclear weapons expert and author of “Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940”This excerpt of The Broadside was hosted by Anisa Khalifa. It was produced byCharlie Shelton-Ormond and edited by Jerad Walker.