On this week’s episode of Tying It Together With Tim Boyum, we are carrying on our mission to help strengthen Democracy.

We talk with North Carolina Board of Elections Director Karen Bell about running an election during a pandemic, as well as the state’s most famous political scientist, Dr. Michael Bitzer, who has been analyzing the historic requests for absentee ballots.

Get the rundown on how they are coping, how they are trying to recruit roughly 25,000 poll workers, and the facts on absentee balloting and how safe it really is.

Later in the episode, Bell also tells us when she thinks we will know who won the election. It’s an answer that may surprise you.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

This week’s edition of Tying It Together with Tim Boyum is literally out of this world. 

Some days 2020 can sure seem like the end of the world, but we don’t think it will happen before the end of this podcast. Katie Mack, a theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist, is one of the biggest superstars in the world of science, and she works at N.C. State University.

We talk with Mack about her new book, “The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking)”, which tackles the possible ways the universe could end and is brilliantly written in terms we can all understand.

Mack also discusses how her studies and research impact her own beliefs on life and death. 

Simply put, she is a brilliant and a fascinating woman, and you don’t want to miss this conversation.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

"Never in a million years did I think that I would be on this stage tonight, and I certainly never thought I'd end up with the last name Trump," said Lara Trump during her speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Now serving as senior adviser on the Trump 2020 campaign, the Wrightsville Beach native is working to give voters a behind-the-scenes look at the president and first family.

Earlier this year, Lara opened up to Tim and Ben about her first time meeting Donald Trump, what the president is like as a grandpa to her and Eric’s two children, and how life has changed since growing up on the beaches of North Carolina.

Listen to that intimate conversation on this week’s bonus episode.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterwards, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

This week we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement and achieving the right to vote in the United States. 

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was made official by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. 

North Carolina’s story is much different than the rest of the country. 

We will talk with one of North Carolina’s top historians, RaeLana Poteat, about how the Tar Heel state could have made history but instead, resisted and followed the rest of the nation. 

We’ll also get insight about how far we have come, and how far we have to go, from Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. 

Marshall was the first woman to win a statewide office in 1996, and she will give us a behind the scenes look at that election and the challenges she overcame to make history. She also discusses what barriers women are still facing when running for office and what needs to change.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

On this week’s episode of Tying It Together with Tim Boyum, Tim and Ben discuss how North Carolina helped create the modern convention and the nomination process with U.S. Representative David Price.

Price helped lead a team that created the “superdelegate” system in democratic politics, which has created a lot of controversy in recent presidential elections. He also played a role in deciding which states go first in the democratic primaries.

He talks about the current state of conventions and whether it’s time for a change in not only the conventions themselves, but also how nominees are picked.

Finally, Tim and Ben will share some of their best memories from covering conventions over the past 20 years.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

It’s just early August and North Carolina has already been hit by a hurricane. Last week, hurricane forecasters ramped up their predictions to “extremely active” for this year’s season.

Spectrum News 1 Meteorologist Lee Ringer and North Carolina Climatologist Dr. Kathie Dello join us on this week’s episode of Tying It Together with Tim Boyum to discuss why conditions are so ripe this year for major hurricanes.

We’ll also talk about why we have seen so many devastating storms in recent years, if it’s a trend, and how North Carolina’s climate continues to change.

Also, get tips on how you can keep yourself and your family safe when disaster strikes.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

On this week’s episode of Tying It Together With Tim Boyum, we get a behind the scenes look at the person leading the state as DHHS secretary during this pandemic.

Dr. Mandy Cohen talks about what goes into making the decisions regarding restrictions, how she’s handling the criticisms behind some of those decisions, and what she thinks about the politicization of science.

Dr. Cohen also talks about the potential for a vaccine and more rapid testing, and shares her thoughts as a parent on the debate over in-person learning.

And later, we'll even find out what show she's been binging during the coronavirus. Tune into this week's episode and get to know the state's top doc.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

On this week’s episode of Tying It Together with Tim Boyum, we tackle the issue of polling and prognosticating in the 2020 election. 

After the election in 2016, pollsters took a big hit. Now that we are once again hearing about polls almost every day, many wonder, have things changed? Can we trust polls? 

Tim and Ben get national pollster and North Carolina resident Tom Jensen to weigh in on the subject. We also talk with Kyle Kondik of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which is a nationally known newsletter focused on election forecasting. We will explain common misconceptions about sample size, margin of error, and get their latest take on the top North Carolina races. 

Stay for the end, because we will also hear some hilarious stories from Jensen about the more outrageous poll questions he has used.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

Stuart Watson had a problem. After three decades as a Charlotte TV investigative journalist, he found himself fired and without a job. To make matters worse, his own wife was telling him he was a terrible listener.

However, after some soul searching he found a new passion in life; listening and sharing the stories of everyday women in North Carolina who have overcome adversity. It's the focus of his podcast, ManListening.

In this bonus episode of Tying it Together with Tim Boyum, we talk with Stuart and one of his guests, Stacie Pompili-Towe, and talk about the importance of listening.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

Every family in North Carolina will face some form of remote learning when kids return to school this August.

On this episode of Tying It Together with Tim Boyum, we talk with experts about the decision and offer some very practical advice for parents and teachers while answering important questions like:

• Can our kids get a quality education online?  
• How can parents juggle work and school?  

Later in the episode, we'll also discuss the potential impacts of having 18 months outside of a school building and why even the state's highest ranking education leader would consider holding his daughter back. 

Our guests include Mark Johnson, the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Dr. Jeff Greene, a digital learning expert from the UNC School of Education.

To find more information on school district plans in your area, click here.

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Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!