NEW YORK – Since news broke that African and Afro-American Studies Department Chair Julius Nyang’oro was holding fraudulent classes at UNC, everyone has wanted to hear his side of the story, but he’s been silent.
On January 7, Nyang’oro will be back in court after his first appearance in which he was also silent–not even entering a plea.
Sarah Lyall is a writer-at-large at the New York Times. On New Year’s Eve, she wrote an article ‘A’s for Athletes, but Charges of Fraud at North Carolina‘ in which she revisited the topic of AFAM and Nyang’oro.
Thursday on the WCHL Morning News, Lyall spoke with WCHL’s Ran Northam about the article and the case itself.
***Listen to the Interview***
http://chapelboro.com/news/crime/nyangoros-story-told-court-soonRALEIGH – If you’ve ever wondered what your fellow North Carolinians think about John Edwards, the New York Times and judicial oversight, Public Policy Polling has you covered.
In its recent survey of North Carolina voters, PPP found that 67 percent of residents say they would never vote for former Senator John Edwards again. Sen. Edwards, who was once the Democratic party’s Vice Presidential candidate, received backlash after it was revealed that he had a lengthy affair while his wife had cancer.
Jim Williams, a polling analyst with PPP, explains why Sen. Edwards can do so poorly in North Carolina while other scandal-riddled politicians like former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner and former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer can continue their political life.
Williams says that not only do states like New York have a different moral tolerance than North Carolina, but Sen. Edwards himself was held in higher esteem in his home state.
“He was sort of representing North Carolina on a national stage before he had his fall from grace,” Williams says. “I think there’s a certain level of embarrassment among North Carolinians when it comes to John Edwards.”
On the subject of embarrassment, PPP also asked North Carolinians how you feel about the New York Times. While this was not included in the question, the New York Times’ editorial board ran a piece titled “The Decline of North Carolina” on July 9, criticizing the General Assembly.
Williams says that while the survey found an almost even split between people who favored, disfavored and had no opinion on the paper, he says the ideological split the poll found between Democrats who favored it and Republicans who disfavored it is likely no different anywhere else in the country.
“It has a reputation of being favored and enjoyed by liberals and dismissed and disliked by conservatives,” Williams says.
Support among North Carolinians for expanded background checks is at 78 percent. While incredibly high, the level of support for background checks in the state is actually lower than in previous polls, which Williams says is a result of issues dealing with gun control not being in the news lately.
“That’s just simply a function of time passing since a major gun tragedy, a major gun shooting somewhere in the United States,” Williams says. “But it’s still overwhelming support.”
Another issue that a majority of North Carolinians stand together on at 52 percent is the Supreme Court overturning Section Five of the Voting Rights Act, with majority displeasure across party lines. Williams says this support for the VRA comes from its storied history.
“People see it as a cornerstone of the Civil Rights movement and you’re not going to see too many people say they don’t agree with what the Civil Rights movement was trying to do,” Williams says.
Congress is currently taking up Section Five of the Voting Rights Act and seeing if it can be re-written to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision, but Williams says that, with the level of discord in both the House and Senate, it’s unlikely that it will get passed any time soon.
http://chapelboro.com/news/news-around-town/ppp-polls-on-john-edwards-new-york-times-moreRALEIGH – The 11th Moral Monday is set for 5 p.m in Raleigh at Halifax Mall. More than 700 people have been arrested during the weekly protests against the Republican-led General Assembly. Monday’s rally will focus on women’s rights, just days after the state House of Representatives passed a controversial bill tightening abortion restrictions.
It was estimated that last week’s demonstration was the largest crowd so far, though the number of arrests were down from the previous week.
The Moral Monday Protests have gained the attention of national news media outlets such as MSNBC and Fox News. The New York Times published an editorial last week with the headline “The Decline of North Carolina” concerning recent legislation passed by the state and the resulting protests.
Rally leader and NAACP State Chapter President Reverend William Barber announced that voting rights will headline the Moral Monday on July 22. He’s also said the NAACP, on August 28, will hold demonstrations in each of North Carolina’s 13 Congressional Districts in honor of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
http://chapelboro.com/news/state-government/11th-moral-monday-to-focus-on-womens-rights
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