On this episode I talk about offshore win energy in North Carolina.

President Trump passed an executive order on January 20 titled "Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas On The Outer Continental Shelf From Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of Federal Government's Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects." That's a really long way of saying that the federal government has paused leases for offshore wind farms.

This episode was recorded January 30, 2025.

As part of a class, I covered the 2024 Election here in Jackson County, N.C. I learned so much about what goes into securing elections and want to share that knowledge with you.

I interviewed Amanda Allen, the Director at the Jackson County Board of Elections, to give you a peek behind the scenes.

To learn more about the 2024 Election process look at some of the stories I wrote for the Western Carolina Journalist.

Journalism is a vital part of democracy. I went into college knowing what I wanted to do for a reason. Listen to my interviews with Dr. Katerina Spasovska, Dr. Chris Cooper and Politics Editor for the Smoky Mountain News, Cory Vaillancourt. These people shaped the way that I view politics and journalism.

No the elections are not over in North Carolina. At least not for the 6th Associate Justice seat in the N.C. Supreme Court.

The Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin is contesting the legitimacy of roughly 60,000 ballots in his race against incumbent Associate Justice Allison Riggs.

This episode was recorded February 11, 2025.

Listen to part of my interview with Dr. Chris Cooper about unaffiliated voters and polarization in North Carolina. Cooper recently published a book called Anatomy of a Purple State where he goes more in depth about this topic and many others.

This episodes was recorded February 27, 2025.

This episode kicks off my series on the break down of DEI. In this episode I give a general background on the topic and partisan perspectives.

I spoke with my former classmate, Adam Harp, to give the conservative perspective on DEI.

Sources:

Executive Order "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing": https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/

Executive Order "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Resorting Merit-Based Opportunity" : https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/

Occupational Segregation: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/occupational-segregation-in-america/

Rep. Tim Burchett quote: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/22/politics/video/kamala-harris-burchett-dei-hire-charlamagne-tha-god-angela-rye-lead-digvid

This episode continues my breakdown of DEI. I talk about teaching DEI concepts in college classes and the potential limitations that may be in the works.

I talk with Carolina Pendry, an adjunct sociology professor at WCU, to get a deeper understanding of an instructor's perspective of teaching touchy subjects.

Visit the podcast website to view source content: https://thatspoliticspodcast.com

Academic freedom is key to higher education and is what makes it excellent. It is also part of developing a thriving society and democracy. This episode continues my breakdown of DEI.

I talked with Yancey Gulley, Ph.D., a professor of higher education at WCU, to get a deeper understanding of academic freedom and the role it plays in our society and education.

To view sources for this episode visit the official podcast website.