Episode Details

Could a successful coup happen in the U.S.? The Congressional hearings into the events of January 6 showed that just a handful of election officials in several key states stood between Donald Trump and the overturning of the 2020 elections. While the insurrection unfolded, many Americans watched in shock, believing nothing like this had ever happened in United States history. But it has happened before — more than a century ago in Wilmington, North Carolina when an armed mob removed a democratically-elected government by force, and turned a majority-Black town into a citadel of white supremacy. In this episode, we look at the parallels between that coup and the events in DC and visit the rural county of Columbus in the south west of North Carolina where a self-described former Oath Keeper acquired a massive arsenal of decommissioned military hardware in 2018 soon after taking office after a contested election. Laura also meets the residents and leaders from across the state who are clear that the future of multi-racial democracy in America is being decided in out-of-the way towns like theirs. What do the rest of us need to know about what's happening there?

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