Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South

SYNOPSIS: Where do we even start talking about last Tuesday's elections across the South? Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Carolina … Jesse covers all of those and more with help from Progressive South board member and super-smart political observer Julie Gautreau. What laid the groundwork for the states and seats that flipped? What happened in Florida, and what could have? And how about that out-of-nowhere Tennessee congressional upset? What does all of it mean for the future of both parties in Southern states? SHOW NOTES: "Democrats flip statewide offices up and down the ballot in Georgia; state House is in play" Georgia Recorder "Democrats seize power in Texas, ending decades of GOP dominance" The Texas Tribune  Headlights Ep. 25: The Heart of Texas Headlights Ep. 18: What Happened to Florida? CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark [email protected] (865) 214-7764

SYNOPSIS: What can low-income communities living in the shadow of giant petrochemical plants do about toxins in the air they breath? For the last quarter-century, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade has been empowering residents of Cancer Alley to conduct their own research and wage legal battles to protect themselves. This week, we talk to its founder and director, Anne Rolfes — a Louisiana native who found her way into the work after seeing devastation from the oil industry in Nigeria. Also: a look at the biggest battles over ballot referendums in this week's election. Plus, the "Made in VA Biennial" returns to Virginia Beach. Show Notes: Louisianna Bucket Brigade 2026 2026 Ballot Measures Ballotpida PAR GUIDE TO THE FALL 2026 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS PAR Louisianna Amendment 3: What Floridians Should Know Florida Policy Institute Constitutional: The amendment that could permanently protect reproductive rights in Virginia -Virginia Murcury Made in VA Biennial 2026 | Celebrating the Talent of Virginia Artists CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark [email protected] (865) 214-7764

SYNOPSIS: White supremacy and Christian nationalism have long been part of the American political landscape, but in the Trump era they have gained more prominence in the mainstream of conservative politics. This week, we look at the rising tide of explicitly religious and ethnic hate groups, and talk to Nashville investigative reporter Phil Williams about his work to uncover and raise alarms about them. Plus: For Halloween, the complex racial roots of Southern ghost stories. SHOW NOTES: Confront the Hate Phil Williams "Phil Williams, Investigative Reporter for NewsChannel 5, Nashville, Wins Prestigious 2023 John Chancellor Award" Columbia University "Theocracy Is on the Ballot, Part I: The White Evangelical Nationalists" Marci A. Hamilton "Southern Baptists' resolutions reflect support of Christian nationalism, scholar says" Religion News Service  "Specters of the Mythic South" Alena Pirok, Southern Cultures  CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark [email protected] (865) 214-7764

SYNOPSIS: Did the Confederate States of America ever really exist as a nation? In "The Confederacy Myth," historian Connor Williams argues that it didn't. His book reframes the Confederacy as it actually was — a failed insurrection that never governed much of anything and had the support of only about 1/6th of the population of the United States. We talk to him about the realities of the slave-holders' rebellion, and how a concerted effort to glorify it after the fact still colors our understanding. Plus: What we can learn from a bizarre smear against James Talarico in Texas; a ProPublica investigation shows how easy it is to open a private school in Arkansas; and Charlotte-Mecklenburg's first Black female police chief confronts a scandal involving her officers and racist text messages. Also, the Coffee and Art Festival returns to Tampa Bay. SHOW NOTES: The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States Connor Williams Connor Williams "MAGA's Talarico Mental Breakdown Conspiracy Implodes—Instantly" The Bulwark "New evidence debunks Talarico psych hospital rumor after 'mind-numbing malpractice' fuels firestorm" Fox News "We're Reporters, Not Teachers. We Were Able to Start Private Schools Anyway" ProPublica "Alleged racist texts uncovered in CMPD Flock investigation" Spectrum News 1 "Six CMPD officers face firing amid alleged racist text messages" WCNC "Calls grow for change after report about racist CMPD texts" Axios Charlotte NC CopWatch Tampa Bay Coffee and Art Festival CONTACT:Jesse Mayshark [email protected] (865) 214-7764  

SYNOPSIS: The botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee has once again placed the death penalty at the center of public debate. This week, we talk to University of Richmond Law Professor Corinna Barrett Lain — one of the nation's leading death penalty scholars — about the fallacies and misconceptions surrounding the allegedly "humane" use of lethal injection. We also look at why the American South is the capital of capital punishment for the developed world. Plus: Two fascinating new exhibits at the Louisiana State University Museum of Art. SHOW NOTES:Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection Corinna Barrett Lain "Christa Pike, Child Rape Victim, Faces Execution for Crime She Committed as a Teenager" Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide "Mercy for Christa" Petition "Witness to a Botched Execution" John North, WBIR-TV "Tennessee's outgoing prison chief had a history of execution missteps before Christa Pike, officials say" CNN "Executions by Region and State Since 1976" Death Penalty Information Center "What to Know: Deterrence and the Death Penalty" Death Penalty Information Center "Why does the South execute more people?" Facing South "'Bye bitch' and other Bible Belt reactions to execution news" Brad Bull, Baptist News Global "Lynching Postcards 1908" Truth in PhotographyLSU Museum of Art CONTACT:Jesse Mayshark [email protected] (865) 214-7764