In “Notes of a Native Son,” the writer James Baldwin offered this in the autobiographical note:

“I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

If you subscribe to that way of thinking, and I do, there was a lot of love for America on display during Saturday’s “Hands Off” demonstrations.

These protests were organized across the country to criticize federal cuts led by President Trump, centering on cuts made to Veteran Affairs, community healthcare programs, Medicaid, foreign aid, and more. 

They drew thousands into the streets of North Carolina, in big towns like Charlotte and Raleigh, and small towns like Marion (below). I was there in Charlotte, and what I saw was a lot of people who care about their communities and the people in it. It was inspiring. 

Hundreds protested President Trump’s federal cuts in Marion, North Carolina, Saturday, part of a nationwide series of “Hands Off” demonstrations. (Photo via Anna Caldwell)

Protesters in Durham during Saturday’s “Hands Off” demonstrations. (Photo credit Jenny Warburg)

We’ve got some important news to get to today in North Carolina. Here’s what you’ll find below: 

Look Ma, we’re on the TV! Sort of.

Like it or not (and I don’t, particularly), YouTube is how a huge percentage of Americans get their news. 

So here’s a big reminder that if you’re over there surfing, make sure you surf with us too. 

Our YouTube channel is updated daily with all sorts of breaking news, analysis, and more. Click the button below to get Cardinal & Pine in your feed. 

(Photo via Jefferson Griffin campaign)

If you read Friday’s newsletter, you know that North Carolina was rocked by a new court decision siding with defeated 2024 candidate Jefferson Griffin and putting about 65,000+ North Carolinians’ votes in jeopardy. 

That ruling set a 15-day deadline for voters to update any missing information with the state, but on Monday afternoon, the North Carolina Supreme Court temporarily suspended that 15-day deadline for voters.

Monday’s stay does not mean the Supreme Court will side against Griffin, however. Several Republican justices have already reportedly expressed support for Griffin’s position.

If the appeals court’s decision does ultimately go into effect, the State Board of Elections will “provide instructions to affected voters on how to comply with the court’s decision.”

However, according to the NC Board of Elections, “any voter who is concerned that their voter registration information is incomplete or is not up to date should submit an updated voter registration form.”

Here’s how to find out if you’re on that list, and how to fix your ballot ASAP.

1. Search the list at https://thegriffinlist.com/ to find out if you’re on it.

2. If you are, you need to provide updated information to your county board of elections ASAP. Don’t wait to to do it.

3. If you have a driver’s license, you can update that info quickly by filling out a new voter registration form at payments.ncdot.gov. Since you’re already registered, filling this out will update your info. Republicans are targeting people who haven’t provided a driver’s license or Social Security number, so make sure to include that.

4. If you don’t have a driver’s license, go to ncsbe.gov/registering. Print out a voter registration form. Fill it out and submit it ASAP to your local board of elections. Find your local board’s address and contact info at this link — https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/

For more on this important story, click the button below. 

1. Trump’s plan to abolish the Education Department could devastate NC schools and students. Cardinal & Pine

President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the elimination of the US Department of Education. If he’s successful in abolishing the agency, special education students and rural and lower income communities in North Carolina could lose crucial support.

2. March Madness fuels record sports betting totals in North Carolina. WRAL

North Carolina sports bettors bet more than $685 million in March. The y did well, too, which drove down tax revenue for the state.

3. Make ’em say ‘Woooo.’ A state senator is making another go at getting a pro-wrestling hall of fame in NC. The Assembly

When a group of state senators filed a bill last week to earmark $500,000 to study building a professional wrestling hall of fame in North Carolina, it made national headlines and went viral online.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has a deep background in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The problem with sports is nobody wins all the time. 

Things didn’t work out for North Carolina’s teams in March Madness this year. The last of our teams, the Duke men, suffered a stinging loss Saturday night to Houston, which made a furious comeback in the final minutes. 

This hurts a lot for Duke, which seemed in prime position to hoist another banner in 2025. But here’s one silver lining for our state. 

Houston’s head coach, Kelvin Sampson, has a deep North Carolina background. He’s from Laurinburg, the son of two members of our state’s Lumbee tribe, and he played at the college we now know as UNC-Pembroke. 

Also of note: Sampson’s father played a part in sending the Ku Klux Klan packing when the hate group tried to rally in Robeson County. They were there to try to intimidate Native and Black residents of the rural NC county, but Native locals, including Sampson’s old man, ran them off. 

It’s called the Battle of Hayes Pond, and you can read our write-up on it in this guide to lesser-known civil rights moments in our state’s history.  

As a basketball coach, Sampson’s been a big-time winner too, leading programs at Oklahoma, Indiana, and now, Houston. This will be his third trip to the Final Four, although Sampson’s never won it all. 

Sampson and Houston will face off against Florida in the national championship at about 8:50 pm tonight. Good luck, Coach Sampson!

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m a NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Cardinal & Pine is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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