Barry Yeoman
@barryyeoman.com
Freelance journalist in North Carolina who writes longform stories about political, social, and environmental issues. Web site: http://barryyeoman.com. Newsletter: http://barry-yeoman.beehiiv.com. Teaching: Duke University.
Pinned
Barry Yeoman
@barryyeoman.com
· Jan 21
#intropost Hi Bluesky. I'm a freelance journalist who tries to put human faces on complex issues. I also teach at Duke and Wake Forest. I'll be posting my favorite longform narrative in all media, plus my own work and my students' too. Here's me as a baby journalist in 1990. Photo: Sadie Bridger.
Durham NC holds itself up as a pro-immigrant jurisdiction. But its magistrates and judges repeatedly refer people facing low-level criminal charges to ICE when they're not required to—even for offenses as minor as a single trespassing charge. @twitterlessabe.bsky.social @indyweek.bsky.social #ncpol
Durham Judicial Officials Are Unnecessarily Putting People on ICE's Radar for Low-Level Crimes
Durham judicial officials flagged people for citizenship checks when they didn’t need to, landing some in ICE custody, INDY found.
indyweek.com
September 18, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Durham NC holds itself up as a pro-immigrant jurisdiction. But its magistrates and judges repeatedly refer people facing low-level criminal charges to ICE when they're not required to—even for offenses as minor as a single trespassing charge. @twitterlessabe.bsky.social @indyweek.bsky.social #ncpol
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
For six decades, in four languages, Taleen Mardirossian’s grandmother kept a secret. Who was she hiding, and why? In this new, haunting SLR original, Taleen tells an intergenerational story of love, language, and loss. sundaylongread.com/2026/09/12/t...
The Mother Tongue of All Secrets - The Sunday Long Read
For six decades, in four languages, my grandmother kept a secret. Who was she hiding, and why?
sundaylongread.com
September 13, 2026 at 2:37 PM
For six decades, in four languages, Taleen Mardirossian’s grandmother kept a secret. Who was she hiding, and why? In this new, haunting SLR original, Taleen tells an intergenerational story of love, language, and loss. sundaylongread.com/2026/09/12/t...
"[Sloan] Rachmuth’s lawsuit raises crucial questions that courts are grappling with across the country: What’s the line between an internet asshole and a criminal? And will attempts to regulate decency inevitably stifle dissent?" @jeffreybillman.bsky.social @theassemblync.bsky.social #ncpol
Shouting Terrorist in a Crowded Grocery Store
Charges against Sloan Rachmuth were quickly dropped, but she says the arrest violated her First Amendment rights.
www.theassemblync.com
September 8, 2026 at 12:13 PM
"[Sloan] Rachmuth’s lawsuit raises crucial questions that courts are grappling with across the country: What’s the line between an internet asshole and a criminal? And will attempts to regulate decency inevitably stifle dissent?" @jeffreybillman.bsky.social @theassemblync.bsky.social #ncpol
This column is worth your time.
America will still be feeling the economic impacts of its hardline and gratuitously cruel immigration policies in 2076, when Pierre Damas Bel might have been retired, enjoying a life well lived, surrounded by children and grand children. www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...
Column | The shame in a photo of an asylum seeker before his death belongs to us all
Pierre Damas Bel stepped into highway traffic after losing his immigration status. Before that, he posed for a picture of his ankle bracelet.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 6, 2026 at 2:57 AM
This column is worth your time.
West Point’s Cadet Hostess Office was founded in 1931 as a matchmaking service for aspiring young officers. It still exists, writes Jasper Craven. One recent document stresses the importance of “opening the door for ladies,” but only in a literal sense. @playboy.com HT @profligategrace.bsky.social
The Military Office Training Cadets in Old-School Manhood
West Point’s Cadet Hostess Office Is the military’s training ground for old-school masculinity.
www.playboy.com
September 6, 2026 at 12:46 AM
West Point’s Cadet Hostess Office was founded in 1931 as a matchmaking service for aspiring young officers. It still exists, writes Jasper Craven. One recent document stresses the importance of “opening the door for ladies,” but only in a literal sense. @playboy.com HT @profligategrace.bsky.social
Kevin Sieff reports from Tapachula, at the southern tip of Mexico, where the Trump administration has been dumping immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti. Many of them elderly, some stripped of their green card after spending most of their life in the United States. @theatlantic.com
A Reverse Ellis Island
A city at the southern tip of Mexico has become the place where migrants’ dreams go to die.
www.theatlantic.com
August 31, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Kevin Sieff reports from Tapachula, at the southern tip of Mexico, where the Trump administration has been dumping immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti. Many of them elderly, some stripped of their green card after spending most of their life in the United States. @theatlantic.com
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
Hanif Abdurraqib writes about the group chats—with writers and fellow former teen punks—that bring him closer to the joys of everyday life.
www.newyorker.com/culture/essa...
www.newyorker.com/culture/essa...
There’s No Place Like Group Chats
My old friends and I have ended up scattered across different states, in different time zones, but we’ve made our own neighborhood inside the black and blue bubbles of our phones.
www.newyorker.com
August 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Hanif Abdurraqib writes about the group chats—with writers and fellow former teen punks—that bring him closer to the joys of everyday life.
www.newyorker.com/culture/essa...
www.newyorker.com/culture/essa...
Democratic Senate candidate @roycoopernc.bsky.social won praise in 2007, when he was North Carolina's attorney general, for declaring three Duke lacrosse players innocent of rape. Critics wish he’d done more for other defendants. @jimmorrill.bsky.social @theassemblync.bsky.social #ncpol
What the Duke Lacrosse Case Says About Roy Cooper
The Senate candidate won praise for declaring three players innocent as AG in 2007. Critics wish he’d done more for other defendants.
www.theassemblync.com
August 26, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Democratic Senate candidate @roycoopernc.bsky.social won praise in 2007, when he was North Carolina's attorney general, for declaring three Duke lacrosse players innocent of rape. Critics wish he’d done more for other defendants. @jimmorrill.bsky.social @theassemblync.bsky.social #ncpol
. @tommytomlinson.bsky.social on Dolly Parton: "She looked and sounded only like herself, and yet so many of us can see and hear ourselves in her—well, maybe not our current selves, but the version we hope to be. Those rhinestones were mirrors."
The greatest living American
#303: The easy brilliance of Dolly Parton
substack.com
August 26, 2026 at 12:26 AM
. @tommytomlinson.bsky.social on Dolly Parton: "She looked and sounded only like herself, and yet so many of us can see and hear ourselves in her—well, maybe not our current selves, but the version we hope to be. Those rhinestones were mirrors."
When Luis Manuel Aviles was arrested by immigration authorities, his son was entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy, a vessel that set a US military record for uninterrupted time at sea, stirring concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health. @apnews.com
He was waiting for his son to return from the USS Lincoln. Then Border Patrol arrested him.
The father of a man serving on the USS Abraham Lincoln has been arrested by immigration authorities.
apnews.com
August 23, 2026 at 11:55 PM
When Luis Manuel Aviles was arrested by immigration authorities, his son was entering his ninth month on the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy, a vessel that set a US military record for uninterrupted time at sea, stirring concerns about supply shortages and deteriorating mental health. @apnews.com
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
Hannah Goldfield reports on Hooters’s rebrand as a family-friendly restaurant—and brings her own family to eat there: “ ‘I love Hooters!’ my seven-year-old son declared. Who was I to argue with him?”
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Your Friendly Neighborhood Hooters
The chain is attempting a wholesome revival. Will it work?
www.newyorker.com
August 21, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Hannah Goldfield reports on Hooters’s rebrand as a family-friendly restaurant—and brings her own family to eat there: “ ‘I love Hooters!’ my seven-year-old son declared. Who was I to argue with him?”
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
I just donated and hope you will too. David France's documentary films, including "How To Survive A Plague" and "Welcome To Chechnya," have been gripping and important chronicles about how people under attack fight for survival.
Donate to Finishing Funds For Testing Testing Sandi Bachom, organized by paul McGuire
Testing Testing Sandi Bachom is a 29-minute documentary short about the … paul McGuire needs your support for Finishing Funds For Testing Testing Sandi Bachom
www.gofundme.com
August 17, 2026 at 1:32 AM
I just donated and hope you will too. David France's documentary films, including "How To Survive A Plague" and "Welcome To Chechnya," have been gripping and important chronicles about how people under attack fight for survival.
Moments after she got off a flight in Burbank, California, a young man in a brown hooded sweatshirt stopped Galina Bobreneva. “Congratulations, you’ve been chosen for secondary screening,” the federal agent told her before handcuffing her and leading her to an unmarked vehicle. By Miriam Jordan.
He Was a MAGA Patriot. ICE Took His Wife Away.
The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.
www.nytimes.com
August 16, 2026 at 11:49 AM
Moments after she got off a flight in Burbank, California, a young man in a brown hooded sweatshirt stopped Galina Bobreneva. “Congratulations, you’ve been chosen for secondary screening,” the federal agent told her before handcuffing her and leading her to an unmarked vehicle. By Miriam Jordan.
Courageous on-the-ground reporting from Sinloa, Mexico, where the drug cartels are gunning down influencers. By Kevin Sieff for @theatlantic.com.
Influencers Are the Sinaloa Cartel’s Newest Targets
The U.S. is trying to destroy Mexican cartels. But so far, a turf war has only deepened.
www.theatlantic.com
August 15, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Courageous on-the-ground reporting from Sinloa, Mexico, where the drug cartels are gunning down influencers. By Kevin Sieff for @theatlantic.com.
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
A source of mine in ICE detention camps got deported to one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America.
I followed him there to tell his story.
@notus.com:
www.notus.org/national/dhs...
I followed him there to tell his story.
@notus.com:
www.notus.org/national/dhs...
No ID, No Money, No Way Out: DHS Deports a Man to a Country He Doesn't Know
The Trump administration sent Rogelio Bolufé, a Cuban national, to a cartel city in Ecuador with no means of escape.
www.notus.org
August 12, 2026 at 1:41 PM
A source of mine in ICE detention camps got deported to one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America.
I followed him there to tell his story.
@notus.com:
www.notus.org/national/dhs...
I followed him there to tell his story.
@notus.com:
www.notus.org/national/dhs...
"I believe that when we look for division, we're going to find it," John Noltner, founder of the storytelling project A Peace of My Mind, says in this new TEDx Talk from Belfast, Northern Ireland. "And when we look for connection, we're going to find that, too."
How To Listen For What Else Is True | John Noltner | TEDxBlack Mountain
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
www.youtube.com
August 9, 2026 at 4:43 PM
"I believe that when we look for division, we're going to find it," John Noltner, founder of the storytelling project A Peace of My Mind, says in this new TEDx Talk from Belfast, Northern Ireland. "And when we look for connection, we're going to find that, too."
Nonprofit @sahanjournal.bsky.social does stellar reporting on immigrants and people of color in Minnesota. Its staff reflects the diversity of the communities they cover. I particularly recommend Katelyn Vue's unfolding series on a Hmong family left behind when the father was deported to Laos.
South St. Paul family regroups after father’s deportation to Laos
South St. Paul resident Linda Yang is raising her five sons alone after her husband, Zong, was deported to Laos during Operation Metro Surge.
sahanjournal.com
August 6, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Nonprofit @sahanjournal.bsky.social does stellar reporting on immigrants and people of color in Minnesota. Its staff reflects the diversity of the communities they cover. I particularly recommend Katelyn Vue's unfolding series on a Hmong family left behind when the father was deported to Laos.
"Even without scandal, western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District had turned competitive. Jamie Ager, the Democrat, had been making hay of his background as a farmer with deep roots... Now, just over 12 weeks before Election Day, Republicans are scrambling to find a candidate." #ncpol
Scandal Leaves North Carolina G.O.P. With No Candidate and Little Time (Gift Article)
Representative Chuck Edwards’s decision to drop his re-election bid amid sexual harassment charges came as a Democratic farmer, Jamie Ager, was already making inroads.
www.nytimes.com
August 6, 2026 at 4:53 AM
"Even without scandal, western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District had turned competitive. Jamie Ager, the Democrat, had been making hay of his background as a farmer with deep roots... Now, just over 12 weeks before Election Day, Republicans are scrambling to find a candidate." #ncpol
Good work by @mlk50.com.
Powerful story and photos of a underserved Memphis community battling pollution: "I would love to see our city make billions of dollars, but not at the risk of safety of people in certain communities … we are all God’s children.” @photosbyworm @MLK50Memphis mlk50.com/2026/08/04/t...
The Weight of Air
Visit the post for more.
mlk50.com
August 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Good work by @mlk50.com.
"Attempting a coherent portrait of Groypers can feel a bit like trying to describe the plot of a Surrealist film, or a fantasy board game that takes place in its own universe. But they see their movement as a gathering storm about to break over American politics." --Antonia Hitchens, @newyorker.com.
How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics
Inside the battle for the post-MAGA G.O.P.
www.newyorker.com
July 22, 2026 at 6:54 PM
"Attempting a coherent portrait of Groypers can feel a bit like trying to describe the plot of a Surrealist film, or a fantasy board game that takes place in its own universe. But they see their movement as a gathering storm about to break over American politics." --Antonia Hitchens, @newyorker.com.
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
A WIRED investigation has identified multiple members of the paramilitary units behind some of the most egregious immigration enforcement actions of the last year. from @awinston.bsky.social and @regret.bsky.social
Unmasking the Paramilitary Agents Behind Trump’s Violent Immigration Crackdown
A WIRED analysis of DHS records identified dozens of specialized federal agents who used force against US civilians during the largest known deployment of its kind in US history.
www.wired.com
April 2, 2026 at 11:52 AM
A WIRED investigation has identified multiple members of the paramilitary units behind some of the most egregious immigration enforcement actions of the last year. from @awinston.bsky.social and @regret.bsky.social
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
“It’s clear that Nolan Wells’s unfortunate death struck a nerve with me and my Black peers who have lived and parented through the token Black experience. Some of us describe seeing some of our worst moments reflected back to us in those photos of Wells with his white friends.”
Who Will Protect Us When No One Is Looking?
Why Nolan Xavier Wells’s death has unnerved so many Black parents — including me.
www.thecut.com
July 20, 2026 at 10:42 PM
“It’s clear that Nolan Wells’s unfortunate death struck a nerve with me and my Black peers who have lived and parented through the token Black experience. Some of us describe seeing some of our worst moments reflected back to us in those photos of Wells with his white friends.”
The bomb that set off the culture wars of the 1980s and '90s detonated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, writes Louis Menand in @newyorker.com.
How “Piss Christ” Became a Culture-War Bomb
The fight over Andres Serrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, and the National Endowment for the Arts became a preview of the politics that followed.
www.newyorker.com
July 19, 2026 at 1:11 PM
The bomb that set off the culture wars of the 1980s and '90s detonated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, writes Louis Menand in @newyorker.com.
Reposted by Barry Yeoman
Truly extraordinary portrait of an American family and AI by my brilliant friend and former colleague Jessica Contrera. A must-read: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
When A.I. Is a Member of the Family
A single mom, her two daughters, and the chatbots that fill in the gaps.
www.newyorker.com
July 14, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Truly extraordinary portrait of an American family and AI by my brilliant friend and former colleague Jessica Contrera. A must-read: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
A meticulous, searing profile of the ICE officer who killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. There were numerous tipoffs in publicly available records about his mental instability and violent streak. @apnews.com @jack-brook.bsky.social HT @joshtpm.bsky.social
AP Exclusive: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to c...
apnews.com
July 17, 2026 at 1:12 PM
A meticulous, searing profile of the ICE officer who killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. There were numerous tipoffs in publicly available records about his mental instability and violent streak. @apnews.com @jack-brook.bsky.social HT @joshtpm.bsky.social