Shows
Understand SCA tale of two Trump endorsementsOn Tuesday, South Carolinians went to the polls to vote in the 2022 primary election.This week, we’re talking about a few of the most closely-watched races with help from our politics team at The Post and Courier.In this primary, there was a kind of tale of two Trump endorsements: There were two Congressional races in South Carolina where a stamp of approval from Donald Trump was in play. In each of those districts, the Republican incumbent had fallen out of favor with the former president. Their challengers had earned Trump's support. Thi...2022-06-1722 minUnderstand SCThe GOP primary showdown in SC-01On Monday, May 23, three Republicans vying to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District took the stage at Burke High School.Within moments of the start of the debate, the primary field was narrowed from three candidates to two: In response to the first question, candidate Lynz Piper-Loomis took off her microphone and endorsed Republican Katie Arrington over current U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace.This week, senior politics reporter Caitlin Byrd breaks down that dramatic debate and explains why this race in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is the most closely-watched Republican Congressional primary in t...2022-05-2724 minUnderstand SCWhat SC lawmakers did and didn’t do in 2022South Carolina lawmakers wrapped up the regular 2022 session last week in Columbia.This week, we’re recapping what state lawmakers did and didn’t do during this regular legislative session, from the bills that died to ones that have made it to or are en route to the governor’s desk to be signed into law, plus what lawmakers still have to do when they return for their special session next month.Assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explains how some bills, like one that allows anyone in the state to cast a ballot early passed...2022-05-1920 minUnderstand SCWhat will happen in SC if Roe v. Wade is overturnedOn May 2, the D.C. news outlet Politico published a draft opinion of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.An actual decision has not been issued. What was leaked was a draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito, but, in the days since it was published, people have sprung into action. Some South Carolina Republicans are pushing to pass more aggressive abortion legislation. Abortion providers in the state are preparing for a six-week ban on abortions that's currently blocked in the courts to potentially go into effect as soon as this summer....2022-05-1317 minUnderstand SCGunfire that stopped youth baseball games sparks debate over how to respondOn April 25, children's baseball games were being held at Pepperhill Park, a city-run recreation center in a residential area of North Charleston. It was a normal night. Nine and 10-year-olds were playing on the field as parents, siblings and coaches watched. Then, just before 8:45 p.m., dozens of shots rang out.An about one-minute video captured by a parent showed the moments of confusion and panic that followed as children ran or crawled to find safety. No one was injured in the gunfire, and no arrests have been announced. City officials qui...2022-05-0619 minUnderstand SCThe return of Charleston restaurant reviewsThe restaurant review has long been part of The Post and Courier’s food section, but the coronavirus pandemic led us — along with newspapers nationwide — to temporarily suspend that section of the paper.Recently, in March, The Post and Courier brought back its restaurant reviews. Moving forward, readers can expect to find a review inside the Food & Dining section twice a month. This week, we peek behind the curtain with help from The Post and Courier’s new contributing critic, Robert Moss. He shared how he approaches a review, what stood out to him the most from...2022-04-2821 minUnderstand SCThe state of the COVID pandemic in SCThis week on the podcast, Dr. Michael Sweat, director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Center for Global Health, is back to answer our questions about the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina.The last time Sweat joined us on the podcast, the omicron variant of the coronavirus was just emerging. What followed was a major wave of coronavirus cases when omicron became the dominant variant in South Carolina and across the U.S. A lot has changed since then. Transmission of the virus is low now. But, while things have improved, the...2022-04-1521 minUnderstand SCAffordable housing in CharlestonIf you live in or around Charleston, you know how expensive it’s become to live here. It’s not hard to understand why there’s a need for more affordable housing in the city. So, it caught a lot of people’s attention when the Charleston Housing Authority announced that year what will be the biggest public housing initiative in its history. The authority will be renovating or replacing all of its about 1,400 public housing units. With this overhaul, no low-income housing will be lost, more affordable apartments will be added to the city, the housing...2022-03-2417 minUnderstand SCFormer SC factory left behind a toxic legacyIn 2020, one of the world’s largest car battery makers filed for bankruptcy and gave up its former plant in Greer, S.C.While there’s little left of the old plant, there’s an invisible legacy it left behind.To make its batteries, the company used lead, an element that can wreak havoc on the human body.Inside the plant, employees were exposed to levels of lead well above the federal limit, records showed. Lead seeped into the soil and around the plant and, at times, clouds of lead dust would flow into t...2022-03-1722 minUnderstand SCSC agency hooked on money from 'Monkey Island'Morgan Island, a remote spot out in South Carolina's ACE Basin, has some unusual inhabitants: 3,500 rhesus monkeys. That's where one of the latest installments of The Post and Courier's Uncovered series about corruption and questionable conduct begins. Reporters Tony Bartelme and Shamira McCray explain how the South Carolina Department of Resources came to rely on millions of dollars in rent from a private company it regulates.It's a story about monkeys, blood and money. Read the investigation: SC agency rakes in millions from pharma company it regulatesCheck out the rest of...2022-03-1016 minUnderstand SCListen back to these moments from 2021This year on Understand SC, we've covered a little bit of everything: flooding in Charleston, the coronavirus pandemic, South Carolina politics and even the design of the state’s flag.Emily Williams and Gavin McIntyre revisit moments from some of the year's conversations. All past episodes of Understand SC, a weekly news podcast by The Post and Courier, can be found at understand-sc.simplecast.com.Clips featured are from the following episodes:#63: The South Carolina flag design that everyone hated#75: How SC-based artist Beeple rocked the art world#86: 'I Am Omar': How the P...2021-12-3020 minUnderstand SCBreaking down the Senate race between Graham and HarrisonA lot has changed since April. That's the last time political reporter Jamie Lovegrove was on the podcast to talk about South Carolina's Senate race. At that time, political analysts still saw a clear path to victory for Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham.But it was already shaping up to be a record-breaking race for fundraising. Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison was out-fundraising Graham, and it was starting to generate buzz for the race. Now, just a few weeks out from Election Day, Harrison's campaign says he raised $57 million in the third quarter — more than any...2020-10-1533 min