Purple Ballot: NC perspectives on the Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is underway in Chicago this week.

In the latest edition of our Purple Ballot series, co-host Jeff Tiberii sits down with a panel of reporters and political analysts to discuss the Democratic Party’s platform, key issues, and campaign strategies leading up to the election.

We’ll also follow the North Carolinians on tap to speak at this week’s convention, including Governor Roy Cooper.

Guests

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC

Mary C. Curtis, columnist, Rollcall.com and host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst, John Locke Foundation

Abby Vesoulis, reporter, Mother Jones

Local News Roundup: Debby wreaks havoc in NC; Diorio to retire; Truist to sponsor PGA at Quail Hollow; and more

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup …

Tropical Storm Debby began wreaking havoc on the Charlotte area Thursday with flash flooding, power outages, flight delays and cancellations. A state of emergency is in effect for North Carolina. The weather is also behind the cancellation of campaign stops by Kamala Harris and JD Vance.

Longtime Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio has announced that she’s retiring next year. Diorio made the announcement Thursday, saying she plans to leave her position by July 2025.

We have an update to a story we discussed back in June in which two Mecklenburg County Commissioners blocked a Pride proclamation from being put on the commission’s meeting agenda for procedural reasons. The commission voted this week on Pride proclamations. We’ll bring you up to speed.

Truist Bank, headquartered in Charlotte, is the new sponsor for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club starting in 2026. We learn more.

If you’re a soccer fan in Charlotte you got BIG news this week with the announcement that Charlotte FC has signed Tim Ream, a Premier League defender who is also on the U.S. men’s national team, to its roster. What will this mean for Charlotte FC?

The Carolina Panthers announced this week that quarterback Bryce Young will sit out the first preseason game Thursday against the New England Patriots. The starter in the quarterback role will instead be Jack Plummer. Why this move? We discuss.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter and host of The Political Beat
Erik Spanberg, managing editor of the Charlotte Business Journal
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time.” Mary is also a contributor to the new book “We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Voices on Justice for Black Men”

The Olympics Meet the Culture Wars: Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting have been pulled into the long, ugly history of sports sex testing

How Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting—two women boxers fighting in the gender category they were assigned at birth—became the targets of trans panic and subject to another round of “but is she woman enough?” at the Olympics.

Guest: Rose Eveleth, reporter and host of the podcast Tested, from NPR and CBC.

Why It Had to Be Walz: What is the Minnesota governor bringing to the ticket?

How Minnesota Governor Tim Walz slipped past VP-favorite Josh Shapiro and joined Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.

Guest: Guest: David Faris, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and author of The Kids Are All Left and It’s Time to Fight Dirty.

Kamala Harris is the likely Democratic nominee —what does this mean for Black voters?

On the next Charlotte Talks, we discuss the sea-change in enthusiasm among Democrats since President Joe Biden announced his decision not to run.

The ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket has been remarkable in the speed with which the party threw its support to her. But what impact has this had on a key Democratic constituency — Black voters?

Polls in recent months showed that Biden was losing support among Black voters, leaving Democrats worried. Would Democrats lose Black voters to third candidates or Donald Trump?

But Harris may be the key to keeping the support of Black voters with the Democratic Party.

We’ll hear from a panel of Black voters to learn about their thoughts and perspectives on a Harris presidential ticket, and what it means for women and people of color.

GUESTS:

Bakari Sellers, former S.C. lawmaker, attorney and author
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Christine Edwards, founder and principal consultant of Civility Localized

Olympic Gymnastics is Back. But Is It Better? The problem has always been bigger than Larry Nassar.

How physical and emotional abuse from coaches still persists in American gymnastics.

Guest: Molly Henseley Clancy, sports writer for the Washington Post.

The DEI Smear Against Kamala Harris: New candidate, same old playbook.

Calling Kamala Harris a “DEI hire” is both sexist and racist, and despite the GOP leadership’s pleading, it has quickly emerged as a favored line of attack from the right.

Guest: Dr. Brittney Cooper, professor of gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University

Equal Time: A history of the gay right

When it comes to the politics of LGBTQ+ rights in America, the narrative that one party is pro and the other con has taken hold. But the truth is more nuanced — and interesting.

“Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right” takes readers from the 1950s to the present day, offering comprehensive and enlightening information. It introduces characters and organizations that stayed true to conservative values while championing same-sex marriage and helping to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

When the issue of gay rights is as relevant as ever, historian, commentator and Equal Time guest Neil J. Young offers insights into why so many gay conservatives continue to align with a party whose election-year rhetoric sees them as an enemy of American values.

Respect for difference is more important than an appeal for nonexistent unity

Stop. Reflect. Promise to do better, as individuals and as a country.

That would be a thoughtful reaction to an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally for former president and current Republican nominee Donald Trump. And that was the immediate reaction from many leaders.

But in a place where the 2012 murders of children in a Connecticut elementary school became fodder for warped conspiracies that linger, painfully, especially for grieving parents, and the 2022 beating of the then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer inspired jokes from the same politicians now calling for civility, America could be too far gone for common sense and compassion — at least for more than a few hours.

After the Trump Assassination Attempt

Former president Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt Saturday during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While the gunman has been identified, law enforcement have not offered a potential motivation for the attack. The incident comes at a time of heightened political violence, when more Americans think such acts are justifiable.

Guests: Isaac Arnsdorf, national political reporter for The Washington Post, and David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic.