The State of Things

It has been a wild year in American politics. A crowded field of presidential hopefuls whittled to two candidates: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. After months on the campaign trail, Clinton won the popular vote by the largest margin in history but Trump received more Electoral College votes. Meanwhile, President Obama finishes his eight-year stint in the White House. What legacy will he leave? Host Frank Stasio talks with political junkie Ken Rudin about the year in politics.

For more than a century before the Civil War, escaped slaves used the thick and shadowy brush of the Great Dismal Swamp as a hideout. The Great Dismal Swamp stretches for thousands of acres across the northeastern corner of North Carolina and into Virginia. Escaped slaves ventured into the swampy and treacherous terrain to form resistance settlements called "maroon" communities. Archeologist Dan Sayers has traveled to the Great Dismal Swamp for more than a decade researching the area's history

In 1868, Elizabeth Keckley published the memoir “Behind the Scenes: Or Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House.” She wrote in the preface, “I have often been asked to write my life, as those who know me know that it has been an eventful one.”

As 2016 comes to a close, The State of Things staff goes “behind the glass” to join Frank Stasio for conversations about their favorite segments of the year.

As the year wraps up, "The State of Things" takes a moment to reflect on the highlights of 2016 with the program's producers. Some of producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond's favorite segments include conversations with hip-hop producer 9th Wonder and hip-hop artist Rapsody. He also chose a conversation with members of the Durham Bulls minor league baseball team and recaps what brought identical twin comedians the Sklar brothers to the Triangle. Host Frank Stasio talks with producer Charlie Shelton

As 2016 comes to a close, The State of Things staff go “behind the glass” and join host Frank Stasio to discuss their favorite shows of the year. One of managing editor Laura Lee’s favorite segments was a conversation with Bill Leuchtenberg, professor emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill, about his book on the U.S. presidency. She also highlights a conversation with UNC System President Margaret Spellings recorded on her first day in office. Laura also picked two segments about running, including

Lawmakers are back in Raleigh for yet another special session — ​the fifth of the year. This time they reconvened to consider repeal of the controversial House Bill 2, commonly called “the bathroom bill.” The Charlotte City Council voted to repeal its non-discrimination ordinance on the condition that the legislature repeal HB2. Now it appears the House may not have the votes needed for a repeal. Host Frank Stasio talks with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberii. ​

Pigs are a beloved part of North Carolina culture and vital to the state’s economy, but internationally their reputation is more divisive . In the new book “ Lesser Beasts: A Snout-to-Tail History of the Humble Pig ” (Basic Books/2015) historian Mark Essig argues that we have loved and hated pigs for as long as they’ve lived among us. Essig examines pig biology and traces 10,000 years of human culture to explore how the clever, versatile animal ended up with such a complex reputation. Host Frank

It's easy to think of a " selfie " as a narcissistic way to accrue "likes" on social media and flaunt your latest traveling adventures. But every " selfie " tells a story about the photographer's world. Negar Mottahedeh , associate professor of literature at Duke University in Durham, says taking a selfie is a humanizing way to document history in the age of social media. In a recent speech at TEDxDurham , Mottahedeh illustrated the ways selfies can be used as tools for protest and citizen

We asked our listeners to make their selections for favorite topic or most engaging conversation on The State of Things in 2016.