Charlotte, N.C., Police Shooting Echoes 2013 Death Of Jonathan Ferrell

NPR’s Kelly McEvers speaks with Roll Call columnist and Charlotte, N.C., resident Mary C. Curtis about the 2013 police shooting of Jonathan Ferrell, and how it has since affected the community.

Obama’s Reaction To Ferguson Raises Questions About President’s Role

Ferguson, Mo., has seen nearly two weeks of protests after an unarmed 18-year-old African-American man was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. This week, a black leader stepped in to help defuse tensions. But it wasn’t a civil rights spokesman or the first African-American president. It was Attorney General Eric Holder.

Some political observers are asking why Obama can’t seem to speak for himself on race. Many observers argue that Holder often talks frankly about race when the president can’t or won’t.

N.C. Abortion Law Sparks Protests; Governor Responds with Cookies

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory sent out a plate of cookies to abortion law protesters who had gathered outside the governor’s mansion on Tuesday. Audie Cornish speaks with Mary C. Curtis, who writes for the Washington Post’s blog She the People, about the incident and North Carolina politics.