On a rainy afternoon in Raleigh this week, the North Carolina House convened in a statehouse bedecked with tinsel and lights to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill that Republicans passed after losing their supermajority in November’s election. The wet weather was a grim reminder that the legislation, introduced without any public comment or debate in committee, was presented as a hurricane relief bill to address western North Carolinians’ ongoing needs following Hurricane Helene, the deadliest storm in our state’s history. But only 13 of the bill’s 131 pages even purport to address the disaster. The rest of the bill is not about relief at all; instead, it amounts to a political coup.

Despite the holiday decorations, the halls of the General Assembly rang not with carols celebrating “peace on Earth, goodwill toward men,” but with shouts of protest from North Carolina citizens who sought to expose the GOP’s power grab. For Helene relief efforts, the legislation does little: It merely shifts state funds from one account to another and says that “the funds shall remain unspent until” further action by the Legislature next year.

But the bill does shift authority to appoint members of the state Elections Board from Gov.-elect Josh Stein, a Democrat, to the incoming state auditor, a Republican. The bill shortens the amount of time voters have to fix ballot errors and requires counties to report election results sooner. It prohibits the incoming attorney general, a Democrat, from refusing to defend laws passed by the General Assembly — the same lawmakers who just lost their gerrymandered supermajority.

This Christmas season, political leaders who say something pious while doing something nefarious are reminiscent of King Herod, who requested that the Magi report the location of the Christ child so that, in his own words, Herod might “come and worship him.” It was a lie. Herod did not rush to Bethlehem to honor the child; he sent his henchmen to kill every child under 2 years old in a scorched-earth effort to stamp out any potential opposition. That act of terror in the Christmas story is an awful testament to the desperation of political power, but it illumines our present political moment in a way that Christmas lights alone cannot.

Since Donald Trump narrowly won re-election in November, many have despaired that the American electorate has given up on the possibility of a multiethnic democracy. But the Herod-like action of the North Carolina Republican leadership this week reminds us that extremism is vulnerable. Yes, North Carolina gave Trump a slim majority in an election with a lower turnout than four years ago. But Republicans lost their supermajority in the House. They lost half of the statewide races, with Democrats winning all of the offices that oversaw elections under existing law. GOP extremists didn’t wage a political coup under the cover of hurricane victims because they are strong; they did it because they know they are losing ground and are desperate to hold on to power.

These are the same politicians who criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough when FEMA rushed relief to western North Carolina in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene. They ran for re-election saying they are “pro-life” and claiming the mantle of Christianity, but they abandoned the ethics of Jesus and gave western North Carolina a bag of coal for Christmas. Though they may go home and sing “Joy to the World” in their church services, their actions proclaim that they do not know joy; they are, in fact, consumed by fear. The song of the season says: “He rules the world with truth and grace.” But with this legislative coup, North Carolina’s Republicans have have joined to perform a twisted version of the carol that essentially declares, “We rule the state with lies and greed.”

We join the chorus that sang out in protest at this political coup, but we do not despair. This vote actually reveals the weakness of America’s anti-democracy movements, and those of us working toward a Third Reconstruction of this nation remain unshaken in our conviction: The glory of justice and righteousness and the wonders of love as the foundations of the republic will endure beyond our present troubles. Even when we endure a temporary setback, we pledge to never retreat from moving forward together, joyful that we chose the right side and confident that right will come back stronger and ultimately emerge the victor.

Nick Saban has an idea of what Bill Belichick will have to overcome during his move to the college level. 

During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, the legendary college football coach dished out his thoughts on Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl champion, taking the job at the University of North Carolina. 

“I’m happy for Bill. I think he probably wanted a new challenge and this will certainly be a new challenge for him,” Saban said during the television hit. “The difference in college is, how do you bring guys to the team? It’s different drafting guys than having to recruit them, because recruiting is like a full-time, relationship-building, 365-days-a-year [effort] in terms of not only evaluating the players that you want but creating relationships with them to get them.”

The process of recruiting players to Chapel Hill, Saban claims, will be the toughest part for the 72-year-old Belichick.

“The biggest thing that will be a challenge for him is the time you have to spend recruiting, making phone calls, talking to parents, all those types of things to get the kind of players that you need … the biggest adjustment for him will be the time spent recruiting,” Saban said.

The two are longtime friends, as then-Browns head coach Belichick hired Saban as his defensive coordinator, his first job in the NFL from 1991-94. 

The pair’s more than four-decade-long relationship was documented in the 2019 HBO Sports’ documentary “Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching.”

Unlike Belichick, Saban has already spent time as a head coach at both the NFL and college level, running the Dolphins for two seasons in 2005-06 and collecting 28 seasons as a college football head coach, which included seven national titles.

Now that Bill Belichick signed his name on the dotted line to become the 35th head coach in North Carolina football history, the Tar Heels have released the details above the line.

One, in particular, has spurred cause for concern. 

Should the second-winningest coach in NFL history decide to leave his post in Chapel Hill right before or after his first season, he would incur a fine of only $1 million.

The provision kicks in on June 1 of next year, approximately two months before the 2025 college football season is set to begin. 

The term sheet also states that, should Belichick, 72, leave before June 1, 2025, the move would be much more expensive, costing $10 million.

The head coach’s five-year deal pays that amount per year, with $10 million guaranteed from 2025-27. The contract is non-guaranteed in its final two years.

Belichick, with the swoosh of his pen, became the highest-paid state employee in North Carolina history.

While the industry continues to dissect the fine print of that contract — and theorize about how many pro seasons the coach would need to capture 15 more victories and break Don Shula’s all-time record — Belichick is maintaining that Chapel Hill is not a pitstop. 

“I didn’t come here to leave,” the six-time Super Bowl champion said during his introductory press conference Thursday. “I’ve always wanted to coach in college football … this is a dream come true.”

Belichick’s “dream” is an unequivocal boon for a Tar Heels football program that hasn’t won an ACC title since 1980. And UNC is ready to ride his wave. 

As part of the contract, the university pledged approximately $13 million for “revenue sharing,” which could be part of the school’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) pool.

The program is set to increase its NIL budget from $4 million to $20 million, per USA Today.

For Belichick, that lump sum will go a long, long way towards recruiting the kinds of players who can carry Tar Heel football to national relevance. Perhaps even a national championship. 

And, with one of the greatest minds in the game behind the bench, UNC hopes to become a pipeline to the league in line with the Georgias and Alabamas of the world. 

But by the time those kids are in the building, could Belichick already be out the door? 

Lawrence Taylor — who earned All-American honors at UNC and played for Belichick when he was a defensive coach with the Giants — says the all-time coaching wins record, in such close reach, is of no relevance to the newest Tar Heel. 

Time will tell.