Billy Ball

Why 'Born in the USA' could be the soundtrack of America, again In the north, south, the midwest, and the west—anywhere someone has ever felt like they were getting ripped off—"Born in the USA" spoke directly to the same disaffected white men who are voting for Pr...

Even in the South, @brucespringsteen.net is closely associated with New Jersey, but I could get this:

A kid who wants to get out of their hometown in New Jersey sounds a lot like a kid who wants to get out of their hometown in the South.

www.thelivingsouth.com/why-born-in-...

Why 'Born in the USA' could be the soundtrack of America, again In the north, south, the midwest, and the west—anywhere someone has ever felt like they were getting ripped off—"Born in the USA" spoke directly to the same disaffected white men who are voting for Pr...

Springsteen's most popular album could be a concept album about today, with the irony that the alienated, working-class men he sang to have adopted fascism as an ethos.

This album was about complicated patriotism. People still don't get it.

www.thelivingsouth.com/why-born-in-...

YouTube video by Cardinal & Pine Rigging the 2026 election | Billy Ball Explains

In North Carolina, because of gerrymandering, you could argue we're not even a democracy anymore, but we're not powerless to stop it.

Here's the latest "Billy Ball Explains NC." Please share 👏

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5fS...

Me too! Why we sampled it 😀

YouTube video by Cardinal & Pine Why some politicians might literally be making you sicker

The name on this is mine, but this stuff is a team effort. It takes a lot of work from editor Kim Lawson, graphic designer Desirée Tapia, video editor Melanie Duran, and a lot of eyes and ears to tell me what works and what doesn't.

2nd "Billy Ball Explains NC" 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5p_...

YouTube video by Cardinal & Pine Weed, gerrymandering, and political corruption -- Billy Ball Explains NC is back ✊🏻

Full video 👇

Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

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

Who TF is Billy Ball (@billyball.bsky.social) and why is he trying to explain North Carolina? 🔥

For the full video series, click the 🔗 in the thread below.

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

"Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents. They’ve had their necks kneeled on. They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear. At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them."

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

Video: How to fix social media in America Talking with "Capitol Tonight" about the relatively simple fix that could make social media much better in America.

In September, following the killing of Charlie Kirk, I wrote about the way social media has broken political dialogue in the US, and what we can actually do about it.

Recently, I appeared on Spectrum News 1 NC's "Capitol Tonight" to talk about it.
www.thelivingsouth.com/video-how-to...

Important 🧵, North Carolina, please share 🙏

👨🏽‍⚕️⚕️Former NC Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled a first-of-its-kind program in 2024 that, as of today, has wiped out $6.5 billion in medical debt, state leaders say.

Keep reading the thread to find out what to know. 👇

Important 🧵 alert, please share:

An impasse among GOP leaders in the General Assembly has delayed passage of a formal budget and caused a Medicaid $$ shortfall, but NC GOP lawmakers say their priority when they return next week will be keeping Republicans in power in Washington in 2026. More 👇

Don’t have time to read?

👂 Listen to the incredible story of K-pop, an emerging K-pop star from the South, and, of course, “K-pop Demon Hunters” at the 🔗 below 👇

www.thelivingsouth.com/audio-nathan...

Are the kids alright? Mental health problems spike for students post-Helene A year after Helene, students are wrestling with heightened mental health challenges, from anxiety and depression to an uptick in sleep issues and “externalizing behaviors” like aggression and substan...

Sixteen school districts in NC have no full-time psychologists, including three counties in WNC: Cherokee, Mitchell and McDowell. Avery and Madison counties only have one full-time psychologist each, @blueridgepublic.bsky.social reports.

www.bpr.org/education/20...

The federal government shutdown hurts the South a lot more When it comes to health care, which is what the federal government shutdown is about, some states will bleed. The South will gush.

It is an overwhelming statistical argument for the South. The region is much, much worse off without the federal subsidies that are at the heart of the shutdown.

That the gap between reality and the political debate is so large is a sign of the times. www.thelivingsouth.com/the-federal-...

The federal government shutdown hurts the South a lot more When it comes to health care, which is what the federal government shutdown is about, some states will bleed. The South will gush.

In Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and West Virginia, ACA enrollment has tripled in the last five years.

Nearly all of the enrollees in Florida, West Virginia, Alabama, and Mississippi are getting subsidies.

www.thelivingsouth.com/the-federal-...

When it comes to health care, which is what the federal government shutdown is about, some states will bleed. The South will gush.

The number of people on the ACA marketplace has doubled since expanded federal subsidies were offered. More than half of that comes from Florida, Texas, Georgia, and NC

The federal government shutdown hurts the South a lot more When it comes to health care, which is what the federal government shutdown is about, some states will bleed. The South will gush.

For my free, solo gig, instead of taking the bait and focusing on who's to blame, I wrote about who has more skin in the game.

Spoiler alert: It's the South. By a lot.

www.thelivingsouth.com/the-federal-...

NC Rep. Cecil Brockman charged with raping a 15-year-old; fellow Democrats demand he resign Brockman, a Guilford County Democrat, was also accused in court documents of trying to contact the juvenile victim after the alleged rape. Democrats called the accusations “unconscionable and incompat...

#Breaking in North Carolina:

North Carolina Democratic leaders have called on state Rep. Cecil Brockman to “resign immediately,” after news broke on Thursday that he’d been arrested and charged with raping a 15-year-old.

cardinalpine.com/2025/10/09/n...

The federal government shut down last week, and though it may take time to see the worst effects, time is ticking.

If the gov't doesn’t open in the next two weeks, a major federal program that helps mothers provide their young children nutritious food, could run out of money.

Keep reading 👇

Nathan Kousol is a budding K-pop star from, of all places, Arkansas A kid from Arkansas and two North Korean defectors make up a new K-pop group with a remarkable origin story.

A kid from Arkansas and two North Korean defectors make up a new K-pop group with a remarkable origin story. 👇

My latest at The Living South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/nathan-kouso...

YouTube video by Cardinal & Pine The scary thing about Stephen Miller's speech at Charlie Kirk's memorial

Hi y'all, we're rebooting "BB Explains NC." The goal is to make a difference over on YouTube, which is a male-dominated space for a lot of right-wing points of view and flat-out bad information.

Go follow @cardinalandpine.bsky.social there and watch my latest. 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNGg...

NC auditor hires former GOP director in new ‘election integrity’ oversight role Dallas Woodhouse, who led the state GOP from 2015 to 2019, will serve as the election liaison in Auditor Dave Boliek’s office.

Dallas Woodhouse, who led the state GOP from 2015 to 2019, will serve as the election liaison in Auditor Dave Boliek’s office.

Iryna Zarutska and the doom loop of social media and politics In 21st century America, our politicians take their cues from social media, and not the other way around. It's made debate more performative, less nuanced, and much, much dumber.

"American media reported on the social media reaction to Iryna Zarutska and then social media responded to the reporting and then media reported on the reaction to the reporting on the reaction and we're all a little dumber now."

My latest. Sign-up is free. 👇
www.thelivingsouth.com/iryna-zaruts...

My latest:

In 21st century America, our politicians take their cues from social media, and not the other way around. It's made debate more performative, less nuanced, and much, much dumber.

The right-wing debate around Iryna Zarutska is a perfect example.
👉 www.thelivingsouth.com/iryna-zaruts...

The state will cut Medicaid reimbursement rates on Oct. 1 without additional funding, and though the General Assembly unanimously passed two separate bills to try and solve the problem, Republican infighting derailed the effort.

Click 👇
cardinalpine.com/2025/09/24/h...

Take a trip to Mayberry, race a wooly worm, or hit up the rodeos at Benson's Mule Days. Here are eight of our favorite autumn festivals in North Carolina. 🔗 below to read.
cardinalpine.com/2025/09/22/m...

The case for breaking social media in America Social media is breaking us in America. You could argue it already has. But there is a solution.

Check out the article below. As always, no paywall. Sign-up is free.

www.thelivingsouth.com/the-case-for...

Most of us know bone-deep that there is something wrong with social media.

I wrote about what we can do about it recently for my pet project, The Living South (link in the thread), and tonight, I'm on Spectrum News' "Capital Tonight" talking about it. Show airs at 7 pm.

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.

This is the White House using regulatory power to pressure a company into removing someone (Jimmy Kimmel) because they don't like what they said.

There's been a big pushback against people referring to Trump and his allies as "fascists" but this is textbook.
www.vox.com/politics/461...

Also agree that on the right, the violent/angry stuff comes from the institution itself, that it's run from the top down by people with a lot more power and reach than the fringe people on the left.