metromaster's MyC-SPAN

Governor Pat McCrory (R-NC) spoke to reporters about his state’s decision to file a lawsuit against the Justice Department for its ruling on House Bill 2. The department ruled that North Carolina’s law requiring transgender people to use the restroom that corresponds with their sex at birth violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act and Title IX.

Courtesy of WRAL-TV.

U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Richard Burr (R-NC) delivered the weekly Republican address, discussing ways to combat ISIL* and why it had become a global threat.

*The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or DAISH/DAESH in Arabic), is a militant group that has called itself the Islamic State.

Douglas Waller talked about his book, Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan, about the secret military operations of four future Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) directors. Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey worked under William “Wild Bill” Donovan in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.

Professor Susanna Lee talked about the changing perception of who qualified for citizenship in post-Civil War America. She spoke about the legislation passed during this era and the debate about whether citizenship and voting privileges should be tied to loyalty to the Union, race, or gender. This class was from a course called “Introduction to Civil War and Reconstruction.”

Garland Tucker III talked about his book, Conservative Heroes: Fourteen Leaders Who Shaped America, from Jefferson to Reagan, about leaders who he says shaped conservative thinking in America, stretching back to Thomas Jefferson.

A. Brad Schwartz talked about his book, Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News, about the reaction to the 1938 Orson Welle’s radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. The broadcast had six million listeners, one million of which said they believed it was real. In his book, Mr. Schwartz argues that while the myth of the broadcast creating a widespread panic is still conventional wisdom, the real concern of listeners at the time was over the power of radio in society. A video about the book which included historical images, including remarks by Orson Welles, was also played.

Jay Smith and Mary Willingham talked about their book Cheated: The UNC Scandal, the Education of Athletes, and the Future of Big-Time College Sports. In the book, they report on two decades of academic fraud at the University of North Carolina, where student-athletes were given fake or “paper classes” to artificially boost their grade point averages. The authors examine the inner-workings of the fraudulent system, the role university officials played, and the $16 billion college sports industry.

Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, Attorney General Eric Holder, and others participated in a church service commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Panelists talked about Senator Sam Ervin’s (D-NC) time as chair of the Senate Watergate Committee. Panelists included Senator Ervin’s former aide, Rufus Edmisten, and his grandson, Judge Sam Ervin IV. They recalled Senator Ervin’s character and how the self-proclaimed “country lawyer” relied on his knowledge of the law and personal convictions to guide the Senate Watergate Committee. This event was hosted by the North Carolina Museum of History.

Joseph Wheelan talked about his book, Bloody Spring: Forty Days That Sealed the Confederacy’s Fate, in which he recounts the Ulysses S. Grant-led Union Army offensive into Virginia in May and June of 1864. In his book, the author reports that prior to General Grant’s incursion, Virginia had defended itself against four prior Union generals, and Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army felt assured they would succeed. Mr. Wheelan argued that over six weeks, General Grant’s Overland Campaign put an end to the South’s offensive capabilities, which ultimately led to General Lee’s surrender close to a year later. Joseph Wheelan spoke at Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh, North Carolina