Cardinal and Pine

‘We Ain’t Buying it’: Grassroots groups mobilize to boycott Target, Home Depot, and Amazon Organizers are asking Americans to boycott retailers for allying with or failing to stand up to the Trump administration.

For more on this story, click below to read Cardinal & Pine's reporting from Dylan Rhoney.

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The coalition of grassroots organizations behind the effort is encouraging consumers to support local small businesses in their communities for their Thanksgiving and holiday shopping instead.

Organizers pushing the boycott argue these companies have profited from the worst policies pushed by the Trump administration, stayed silent despite its attacks on immigrant communities, and followed along with its attempts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

For 4 days from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, the “We Ain’t Buying It” movement wants Americans to avoid shopping at Amazon, Home Depot, and Target.

Here's what to know. 👇

Arrest details in NC rebut Border Patrol’s ‘worst of the worst’ claims The News and Observer reported on Tuesday that one of the young women arrested had no criminal record and fled violence in Honduras when she was a kid.

For the latest on the Border Patrol, ICE operations in North Carolina, click below to read.

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This highlights a common theme of recent immigration raids, whether in Chicago, Charlotte, or North Carolina’s state capitol:

The actions of masked agents dragging people from their cars and pointing guns at passersby seem less about removing dangerous criminals than terrorizing communities.

Despite the worst of the worst claims, several reports show that 72% of people in custody nationwide as of Sept. 21 had no criminal record.

Of the 130 people arrested, 44 had criminal records and 86 did not, according to DHS.

In other words, the # of people arrested without criminal records was about double the number of people with criminal records. DHS officials announced more arrests on Monday, bringing the total to more than 200.

Then they posted photos of 11 of the people who’d been arrested. Two were gang members, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, without offering proof.

Her story is not unusual.

Border Patrol officials arrested more than 130 people in the Charlotte area over the weekend, calling the operation a successful fight against gangs and violent criminals.

Important thread alert, NC. Keep reading. 👇

Border Patrol says they’re targeting “the worst of the worst.”
But the News and Observer reports that a woman they arrested in Raleigh, Fatima Issela Velasquez-Antonio, is 23, a high school graduate, a homeowner, with two traffic violations on her record.

Must-read.

One of the many problems spinning out of the decimation of local media:

Political coverage is dominated by national storylines. Bet you a $100 more liberals in NC know Zohran Mamdani more than they know the Democrats who won in NC.

YouTube video by Cardinal & Pine What Democrats' domination of the 2025 elections tells us — and what it doesn’t.

What Democrats' domination of the 2025 elections tells us.

"Billy Ball Explains NC" premieres every Wednesday right here on YouTube. Make sure you're following Cardinal & Pine on YouTube so you won't miss an episode.

✏️ @billyball.bsky.social
🎥 Melanie Duran

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKwg...

For more on this developing story, click the 🔗 below to read.

And follow Cardinal & Pine for more North Carolina news.

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The bill faces another formal vote in the Senate, then must be approved by the US House and signed by President Trump.

But Senate procedural rules were the only real option Democrats had to block a funding bill, so now that the party splintered, there is little they can do to stop final passage.

The Democrats faced criticism for dropping the effort to protect healthcare subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Without subsidies, premiums will double or triple for tens of thousands of North Carolinians and nearly 160,000 people in the state could lose insurance entirely.

The longest shutdown in US history seems close to an end.

Seven Democrats and an independent who normally votes with Democrats broke from the party line to help pass an initial Senate bill that clears the way for the government to reopen. Keep reading. 👇

Well, that’s a new one.

Election Night was a bad night for NC Republican incumbents NC Democrats flipped Republican mayoral offices and several seats on city councils on Tuesday, but what does that mean for the next election? Here are some takeaways about what the results could mean ...

For the full story, click to read. 👇

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Over the next two election cycles, North Carolinians, including plenty of Trump voters, will continue to be hit hard by Trump’s SNAP cuts, Medicaid cuts, rising grocery costs, and soaring Affordable Care Act premiums.

And then they will vote.

Local elections in North Carolina are non-partisan, meaning candidates don’t have party affiliations listed on the ballots.

But both state parties made endorsements, and there’s little distance between local and national politics when the consequences of federal policies besiege communities.

Voters in Charlotte and Greensboro ousted the lone Republicans on their city councils, and several towns chose Democrats over longtime Republican mayors, including Burlington, Graham, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, and Wake Forest.

North Carolina didn’t have any high-profile elections last week, but the results still offer a glimpse of how voters feel about the state of things during President Trump’s second term.

Cardinal & Pine's Michael McElroy breaks it down. 👇

One more thing 👇

"Like" and share this thread so more people in North Carolina can get this important information.

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In North Carolina, roughly 19,500 children are enrolled in Head Start. Working families represent the vast majority of children enrolled in Head Start.

Head Start is a federal program established in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty, and provides child care to children from low-income families.

These providers have closed:

1. East Coast Migrant Head Start Project
2. Salisbury-Rowan Community Action Agency Inc. temporarily closed in Rowan, Davidson, and Cabarrus counties.
3. Southeastern Community Action Partnership closed locations and emphasized the shutdown would delay services.

Several child care centers closed this week.

That's because federal funding for Head Start programs didn’t materialize due to the government shutdown. Keep reading. 👇