Podcast
Due South
Hosted by Jeff Tiberii, Leoneda Inge · EN
“Due South” is WUNC News’ weekday current affairs radio program and podcast. Broadcast from the American Tobacco Historic District in downtown Durham, co-hosts Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii put life in the Triangle region into perspective and present a unique sense of place.
From interviews with state lawmakers and local luminaries to Friday news roundups with statewide journalists, “Due South” puts current events into context and offers audiences a greater sense of connection. Each hour-long show sparks deeper conversation and understanding of life in and beyond the Triangle.
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NC News Roundup: State constitutional amendments on the ballot, Tillis balks at Trump DOJ fund
3d ago00:50:28Tap to summarizeOn this week’s North Carolina News Roundup...The White House wants a $1.8 billion dollar “anti-weaponization” fund — part of which would go to help January 6 rioters. Republican Senator Thom Tillis provided some harsh pushback on that proposal. We’ll also get caught up on a busy ballot initiative week at the state legislature. Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis from those and other stories from the week.Zachery Eanes, reporter, Axios RaleighClaudia Rivera Cotto, Political Reporter, Enlace Latino NCAdam Wagner, reporter/editor covering state politics for the North Carolina Newsroom Danielle Battaglia, congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer
Transcribe →A property tax cap amendment on the November ballot. And, a career covering the NC General Assembly
4d ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Why a property tax cap amendment will be on the ballot this NovemberOne of the constitutional amendments state Republican leaders have worked to get on the ballot this November is a property tax cap, limiting the taxes that localities can impose on property owners. Jeff Tiberii talks with a reporter, law professor and a citizen activist about the proposal.Paul Specht, state government reporter, WRAL Marcus Gadson, Associate Professor of Law, University of North Carolina Law SchoolKim Mackey, social studies teacher teaching Economics and Personal Finance, author of the blog educatEDpolicy0:33:00A NC state government reporter reflects on a career covering the General AssemblyLongtime Associated Press reporter Gary Robertson has left his post at the North Carolina statehouse. Gary sits down with Jeff Tiberii for an exit interview of sorts to talk about what’s changed and what hasn't in his decades of journalism in our state.Gary Robertson, longtime Associated Press North Carolina politics & statehouse reporter
Transcribe →A Due South Deep Dive on the Voting Rights Act
5d ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00What dismantling the Voting Rights Act means for North CarolinaNorth Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Anita Earls discusses the history of the Voting Rights Act and the implications of recent measures to dismantle what remains of the landmark legislation.Anita Earls, North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice0:13:00Two generations of state representatives discuss the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights ActFollowing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to dismantle Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Leoneda Inge speaks to Rep. Valerie Foushee and retired Rep. Eva M. Clayton about the impact and next steps.Valerie Foushee, U.S. representative for North Carolina's 4th congressional districtEva M. Clayton, U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 1st district from 1992-20030:33:00State Senator Natalie Murdock talks politics in a post-VRA North CarolinaState Senator Natalie Murdock discusses the work ahead for Gen Z voters, the first generation in decades to come of age and enter the workforce in a post-Voting Rights Act landscape.Natalie Murdock, State Senator representing North Carolina’s 20thdistrict
Transcribe →Bennett College, Carolina Theatre and DUP celebrate centennials. Plus, Andrew Bird at the Greensboro Symphony
6d ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Bennett College, one of only two women’s HBCUs, celebrates its centennialLeoneda Inge talks to Dr. Teresa Hardee, interim president of Bennett College about the current state and future intentions of the country’s only women’s HBCUs, as it celebrates its centennial anniversary.Dr. Teresa Hardee, interim president, Bennett College0:13:00Duke University Press marks centennial with exhibition, commemorative reprintLeoneda Inge sits down with Dean Smith, director of Duke University Press, to discuss its legacy as a cutting-edge, progressive academic press and its 100thanniversary celebrations.Dean Smith, director, Duke University Press0:33:00Andrew Bird’s 20thanniversary album tour makes its way to GreensboroGrammy-nominated folk musician Andrew Bird is embarking on a symphony tour in celebration of the 20thanniversary of his third solo album, Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs. The tour will bring him to the Greensboro Symphony on May 31. He talks about his decades-long career in music and what it’s like to revisit one of his earliest solo works.Andrew Bird, singer, songwriter, musician
Transcribe →Mecklenburg County’s own Declaration of Independence? Plus, 'New Americans in North Carolina' oral history project
1w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Mecklenburg County’s own Declaration of Independence?May 20, 1775, is a date you may recognize from the North Carolina state flag. It represents what was supposedly the first declaration of independence made by any of the 13 colonies involved in the American Revolution. That date was added more than a century ago, but its authenticity was first contested by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. This conversation originally aired on May 20, 2025.Scott Syfert, author of ‘The First Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775'0:13:00‘We (The People of The United States)’As the United States turns 250 years old, a new book of poetry pays tribute to Black historical figures across the country and the centuries. Poet and professor Joshua Bennett talks with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about his poem “Chapel Hill, North Carolina” for George Moses Horton, the first African American man to publish a book in the South.Joshua Bennett, Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at MIT and writer of the new poetry collection "We (The People of The United States)"0:33:00‘New Americans in North Carolina’An educator and oral historian with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources talk about "America 250 NC" and their project about “New Americans in North Carolina.”Alana Gomez, Educator, America 250 NC, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural ResourcesJohn Horan, Oral Historian, State Archives of North Carolina, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
Transcribe →NC News Roundup live from Manteo: General Assembly budget breakthrough; beach erosion update; OBX tourism unpacked
1w ago00:50:28Tap to summarizeLive from the Outer Banks... A budget deal has been reached — will it actually end North Carolina’s stint as the only state without an approved budget? Then, a turn toward the coast — from tourism and infrastructure to beach renourishment and climate change, we check in with three local reporters about the stories that dominate the headlines on the OBX.Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC NewsSam Walker, Editor-In-Chief, SamWalkerOBXNews.com and News Director, 99.1 The SoundCorinne Saunders, Editor, Outer Banks InsiderJoy Crist, Editor, Island Free Press
Transcribe →NC prisons' dire funding shortage. Former inmate Kerwin Pittman on buying a prison
2w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00North Carolina’s prisons face a crisis of staffing and fundingNorth Carolina’s 55 prisons are operating at minimum staffing, in a steep funding deficit. The state’s Department of Adult Correction is in need of an updated budget that accounts for the growing and aging prison population. WUNC News’ Colin Campbell updates Due South on the current state of the carceral system. This Due South encore conversation originally aired April 15, 2026. Colin Campbell, Capital Bureau Chief, WUNC News0:13:00Former inmate and recidivism reduction activist Kerwin Pittman’s journey to success Kerwin Pittman spent more than 11 years in the North Carolina prison system. With the support of family, he was able to navigate the re-entry process upon his release, becoming a recidivism reduction activist in the process. Eight years after his release, Pittman has become the first formerly incarcerated person in the United States to purchase a prison campus. This Due South encore conversation originally aired April 15, 2026. Kerwin Pittman, founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, Inc.0:33:00The creators of 'Ear Hustle,' the first podcast produced in prisonEar 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. This Due South encore 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 2017Nigel Poor, visual artist and co-host of Ear Hustle
Transcribe →Gerrymandering is nothing new, but may get worse. The latest on the Dean Dome saga. And NC farming in crisis.
2w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Drought, tariffs, and other factors contribute to farming crisis in NCNorth Carolina farmers are dealing with an array of challenges from an ongoing drought to federal policy decisions impacting the agriculture industry. Jeff Tiberii talks with reporter Phoebe Zerwick about her piece Farming is in crisis for the newsletter ‘Down from DC.’Phoebe Zerwick, co-author, Down from DC0:13:00The latest on the Dean Dome sagaAn update on the future of the Dean Dome, which has faced considerable pushback from the Carolina basketball family. Jeff Tiberii talks with two local reporters who have been following the developments closely.Korie Dean, higher education reporter at The AssemblyBrendan Marks, reporter at The Athletic0:33:00Gerrymandering is nothing new, but may get worseGerrymandering is not new. Though, in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision, it might be getting worse. Jeff Tiberii talks with Billy Ball, a writer for progressive news site Cardinal & Pine, about gerrymandering and its impacts in Virginia and the South.Billy Ball, founder, TheLivingSouth.com and senior editor, Cardinal & Pine
Transcribe →The state of the NC film industry
2w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00What film leaders think about the state's incentivesAfter incentives for the film industry dried up in NC, many productions took their work to Atlanta. But the director of the North Carolina Film Office says there’s still an industry here, and a storied history of filmmaking.Guy Gaster, Director of the North Carolina Film Office, which promotes the state to possible productions and studios0:13:00New documentary follows the path of a NC jazz legend Yusuf Salim trio. (1420x1110, AR: 1.2792792792792793)Moonchild: The Life and Music of Yusuf Salim follows the jazz pianist and composer through six decades in the music world. From Philadelphia to North Carolina.It has a focus on Durham, which the film’s director calls Salim’s ‘chosen hometown.’ And includes footage from Salim's show on PBS NC "Yusuf and Friends."Kenny Dalsheimer, Director of Moonchild: The Life and Music of Yusuf Salim, documentary filmmaker and editor who’s been making films since 19960:33:00Durham film studio owners are working to open an arthouse cinemaThe co-owners of an independent film studio in Durham called Shadow Box Studio are making film, but they’re working to open a small cinema, too. Leoneda Inge speaks with the duo about their inspiration, their work, and their hopes for Durham’s film scene.Jim Haverkamp, proprietor of Shadowbox Studio in Durham, and a freelance editor and filmmakerAlex Maness, proprietor of Shadowbox Studio in Durham and a photographer, filmmaker, and projection designer
Transcribe →Why are there no public pools in Columbus County, NC? ‘White Care' and infrastructure disinvestment in the South.
2w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00A conversation about new book ‘White Care: The Impact of Race on American Infrastructure’“Infrastructure” is one of those public policy words that gets thrown around a lot — and for many of us, it doesn’t mean much beyond “roads and bridges.” But, as Cotten Seiler explains, infrastructure is about much more than concrete. It’s about the goods and services that support our communities.Seiler’s new book “White Care: The Impact of Race on American Infrastructure” explores how infrastructure was deliberately diminished over decades in the 20th century to keep certain groups from accessing it.Cotten Seiler, Professor of American Studies at Dickinson College and Resident Associate at the National Humanities Center in Durham0:33:00Public swimming pool access dried up in Columbus County, NC: a legacy of 'racism, rural decay, and lost opportunity.'Border Belt Independent reporter Ben Rappaport talks with Due South co-host Leoneda Inge about a story he reported in partnership with The Assembly called “The Abandoned Pools of Columbus County.” It’s a story of economics, rural decay and racism. (This encore interview originally aired September 3, 2024.)Ben Rappaport, reporter, Border Belt Independent
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