Due South

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In a recent New York Times op-ed, former CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen joined several other former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leaders to decry Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s mass layoffs, halting of research projects and changes to vaccine and immunization guidance. She joins Jeff Tiberii to discuss the present and potential of the CDC, under the Trump administration.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, internal medicine physician, public health expert and former director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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An influential group of Black leaders known as the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Current committee chair Floyd McKissick Jr. Joins Due South to discuss the history of the organization, its mission and its future.

Floyd McKissick Jr., former State Senator, chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People

On the North Carolina News Roundup... A look at Senator Thom Tillis’ remarks at an FBI oversight hearing this week. Early voting begins in several counties’ municipal elections. And Gov. Josh Stein requests additional Helene relief funding.   Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of journalists cover the week in NC news.

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Gary Robertson, statehouse reporter, Associated Press

Claudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NC 

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Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Lambert-Melton talks with Jeff Tiberii about fear, political violence, and rhetoric in the public sphere, following the killing of Charlie Kirk. Lambert-Melton says he has cancelled a public event out of fear.

Jonathan Lambert-Melton, At-Large City Council Member, Raleigh

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The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and soon leaves across the region will change from green to brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. Due South’s Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii talk with Appalachian State University biology professor Howard “Howie” Neufeld, also known as the “Fall Color Guy,” about his fall foliage forecast, and when and where North Carolina leaf peekers are likely to get the best views.

Howard “Howie” Neufeld, biology professor, Appalachian State University

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On this edition of our “Meet the Mayors” series, Mayor Jerry McCrary of Parmele, NC talks with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about his long road back home to Martin County and his big vision for this small town. 

Jerry McCrary, Mayor of Parmele, NC 

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Political violence has reared its ugly head again in the United States. The killing of Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah last week is the latest in a string of politically motivated violent acts, which seem to be increasing in frequency.

North Carolina State University’s Irwin Morris talks with Due South’s Jeff Tiberii about our country's history of political violence, what’s changed (or not) in today’s political landscape, and if inflammatory rhetoric actually has a significant role in building support for political violence.

Irwin Morris, William T. Kretzer Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Executive Director, School of Public and International Affairs, NC State University

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A conversation with Andrew Kornylak, photographer, filmmaker, and author of Spare These Stones: A Journey Through Southern Climbing Culture. The images in the book capture physics-defying acts and scenes of extraordinary beauty. They also tell a story about perseverance, place, and the South.

Andrew Kornylak, photographer, filmmaker, and author of Spare These Stones: A Journey Through Southern Climbing Culture

Data centers are in the news plenty these days. The massive homes for computer servers, cloud storage and Artificial Intelligence are in high demand. A recent analysis from NC State University and Carnegie Mellon University projects the rising number of data centers is likely to increase electric bills by an average of 8% nationally by the end of the decade. Zachery Eanes of Axios Raleigh joins Jeff Tiberii to share his reporting on data centers and rising costs, as well as the environmental and community impacts, in North Carolina. Guest: Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Enticed by cheap energy and friendly zoning laws, crypto mining operations poured into Appalachia in recent years. But in many places, like Murphy, North Carolina, these incredibly invasive facilities quickly wore out their welcome. Now, communities across the region are trying to pull the plug on crypto, while grappling with a new challenge that presents many of the same problems: AI data centers. WUNC’s podcast The Broadside and host Anisa Khalifa take a closer look.

Scientists estimate between 1.15 million and 2.41 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year, much of it carried by rivers. NC State University professor Barbara Doll joins Due South to discuss a project that tracks the travel of plastic bottles from Marsh Creek into the state’s river basins and, ultimately, into the Albemarle‑Pamlico Estuary. Guest: Barbara Doll, engineer, associate extension professor of biological and agricultural engineering at North Carolina State University, water protection and restoration specialist with the North Carolina Sea Grant

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It began with the founding of the Federal Housing Administration, ongoing efforts by housing developers and well-meaning parents hoping to provide the best possible education for their small children. Leoneda Inge talks with Karen Benjamin, author of "Good Parents, Betters Homes & Great Schools: Selling Segregation Before the New Deal." This conversation originally aired August 6, 2025.

Karen Benjamin, associate professor of history at Elmhurst University and author of Good Parents, Betters Homes & Great Schools: Selling Segregation Before the New Deal

00:33:00

Ear Hustle is the first podcast produced in prison. It’s brought stories from life inside to international audiences. It’s been a finalist for two Pulitzer Prizes. Jeff Tiberii talks with the creators, Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, during their live tour this summer. This conversation originally aired August 6, 2025.

Earlonne Woods, co-host of the Ear Hustle Podcast, which he started while serving 31 years to life at San Quentin State Prison in 2017

Nigel Poor, visual artist and co-host of Ear Hustle

Violence is at the forefront of American politics: Charlie Kirk killed at an on-campus rally in Utah. Iryna Zarutska, murdered on a train in Charlotte. 

North Carolina elected officials respond, and our panel offers perspective.

Guests

Dawn Vaughan, Capitol Bureau Chief, The News & Observer

Bryan Anderson, freelance reporter, creator of the “Anderson Alerts” newsletter

Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios Raleigh

Ely Portillo, executive editor, WFAE in Charlotte

ICE enforcement in North Carolina has led to fear and caution across immigrant communities. Businesses and event organizers that rely on the robust participation of Latino communities are expressing economic concerns. Guest: Aaron Sanchez-Guerra, race, class and communities reporter, WUNC

In 1986, NC State basketball star Chris Washburn was a first round draft pick in the NBA. His career would be cut short by a drug addiction he would go on to battle for years. Today, Washburn’s recovery has led him to become a motivational speaker and entrepreneur, based in Hickory, NC – his hometown. Guests: Chris Washburn, former NBA player, entrepreneur and author of the new book, “Out of Bounds: The Chris Washburn Story, from Broken NBA Dreams to Redemption," Ron Chepesiuk, co-author of “Out of Bounds: The Chris Washburn Story, from Broken NBA Dreams to Redemption”

A fictionalized stage play about a Black heavyweight champion’s quest to become Heavyweight Champion of the World is debuting at PlayMakers Repertory Company this fall. The Royale follows the story of a boxer grappling with the broader implications of his personal dream to become the first Black world title-holder in boxing.  Guests: Galen Ryan Kane, lead actor, and Ray Anthony Thomas, supporting actor in The Royale at PlayMakers Repertory Company

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As the school year gets underway, some parents may already be thinking about next year. With the Triangle region’s array of traditional public schools, magnet programs, and charters, as well as a large number of private schools, the local educational landscape can be confusing.

WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer talks to Due South about an upcoming event “Navigate Your K-12 Options,” part of WUNC’s Education 101 series explaining how education works in North Carolina.

Liz Schlemmer, education reporter, WUNC

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The school year is just getting into full swing for most North Carolina students. North Carolina's public high school students must meet a civics requirement to graduate, but is NC’s civics education actually making engaged citizens who understand how government works and how to participate in our democracy?

Reporter Sarah Michels recently wrote a three-part investigative series for Carolina Public Press on civics education in North Carolina called “Civics Unlearned.” She joins co-host Jeff Tiberii, along with a panel of guests, to talk about civic engagement and education.

Sarah Michels, staff writer for Carolina Public Press specializing in coverage of North Carolina politics and elections

Sunshine Hillygus, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Duke University

Brandon Rivers, Executive Director, Charlotte Democracy Center

Jeffrey Fuss, social studies teacher, Enloe Magnet High School in Raleigh

Today on Due South, a conversation with Ted Shaw, a law professor and director of the UNC Center for Civil Rights who once led the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and argued cases in front of the Supreme Court. Shaw talks with Leoneda Inge about the battles he fought then and the resonance they have now, and about his deep connection to civil rights legal legend Thurgood Marshall.

Then, Leoneda talks with the director and an executive producer of the new PBS documentary “Becoming Thurgood” – about the life and immense impact of the civil rights attorney turned U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Theodore “Ted” M. Shaw, the Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law, and Director of the UNC Center for Civil Rights, at the UNC School of Law

Alexis Aggrey, Director and Producer, “Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect”

Travis Mitchell, Executive Producer, “Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect”