North Carolina
FEMA sent to Carolina with funds diverted from ‘illegals’? No, that’s satire | Fact check
Trump wants FEMA gone after Helene response in North Carolina
President Donald Trump said he wants to do away with FEMA at a visit in Asheville, North Carolina which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene.
The claim: FEMA was sent back to North Carolina with $2 billion moved from ‘programs that fund welfare for illegals’
A Jan. 21 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims the federal agency that responds to disasters received an influx of money to support hurricane survivors in North Carolina.
“FEMA has been directed back to North Carolina with $2 billion in emergency funds: ‘We transferred it from the programs that fund welfare for illegals. They won’t be needing it,’” reads the post.
It was shared more than 200 times in nine days. Other versions of the claim on Facebook were shared dozens of additional times.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Fact check roundup: Hurricane paths, FEMA response spur dangerous misinformation
Our rating: False
The claim originated with a satirical Facebook account. Nothing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s website supports the claim, and people in the U.S. illegally generally don’t have access to federally funded public benefits.
Claim about FEMA funds for North Carolina started as satire
On Jan. 24, President Donald Trump visited communities in North Carolina devastated by severe flooding after Hurricane Helene smashed the southeastern U.S. in late September 2024. The death toll from the disaster climbed to 105 people in North Carolina, where about 73,000 homes were also severely damaged or destroyed.
However, the Facebook post’s claim that FEMA was instructed to support North Carolina with funds meant to help people illegally in the U.S. is wrong.
The claim originated with a Jan. 21 Facebook post from an account in the America’s Last Line of Defense satirical network. The account’s intro says, “Nothing on this page is real,” and it commented on its post, saying, “This whole thing was debunked and set straight months ago.”
There is no evidence to support the claim on FEMA’s website or social media accounts.
The Facebook post is an example of what could be called “stolen satire,” where content originally written and presented as satire is reposted in a way that makes it appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.
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Most noncitizens who live in the U.S. face “significant restrictions” when trying to access public benefits paid for by the federal government, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
“This is particularly the case for unauthorized immigrants, who except in very limited circumstances are barred from all federally funded public benefits,” the organization’s website says.
In the aftermath of the hurricane, a false claim that the Biden administration spent disaster relief money on people in the country illegally was amplified by Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and others. The claims wrongly conflated FEMA’s disaster relief fund with a different program meant to help homeless people, USA TODAY reported.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
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North Carolina
North Carolina vs. Western Illinois – First round NCAA tournament extended highlights
Women’s Basketball
March 20, 2026
North Carolina vs. Western Illinois – First round NCAA tournament extended highlights
March 20, 2026
Watch the highlights from No. 4 North Carolina and No. 13 Western Illinois’ matchup in the first round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.
An expansive equestrian estate in Spruce Pine has sold for $4.1 million, the highest residential sale on record in Mitchell County, according to Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
Located on 68 acres west of downtown Spruce Pine, 1987 Rabbit Hop Road sold March 16, taking the equestrian compound off the market. The property had been listed for sale in mid-2025 for over $4.2 million, according to Zillow.
Developed as an equestrian compound, the estate features a main residence, a six-stall heated barn with a tack room and studio apartment, an indoor riding arena, an outdoor riding track and an RV and horse trailer storage area. The main residence features three bedrooms, 3,000 square-feet of living space and vaulted wood ceilings.
The property is located at elevations between 2,500 and 3,000 feet, according to Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. Properties of the size and scale of the estate are “extremely limited,” Premier Sotheby global real estate advisors Leslie Young and Cheryl Cenderelli said in a March 19 news release.
Western North Carolina’s luxury real estate market has remained relatively strong in recent years, as more luxury homes list across the region. In Buncombe County, not including the city of Asheville, 99 homes were listed above $1.5 million at the end 2025, according to Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty’s 4th quarter of 2025 market report. It represented an estimated 11.5 months of inventory.
The most expensive home in Buncombe County is Deerhaven Gardens, which is currently listed for $15.9 million on Zillow, down from its $34 million listing in 2023. With a 5% down payment and a 30-year loan term at 6.22% fixed-rate mortgage, one would pay $104,881 a month to rent the property, according to Rocket Mortgage’s loan calculator.
Will Hofmann is the growth and development reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal.
North Carolina
North Carolina vs. VCU prediction: March Madness 2026 pick, odds, best bet for Round of 64
The North Carolina Tar Heels open the NCAA Tournament against the VCU Rams, one of the trendiest upset bets in the field.
According to BetMGM’s John Ewing, the Rams are the most-bet underdog to win outright among the 16 games on Thursday at +125 on the moneyline.
UNC enters this game as a 2.5-point favorite despite being the No. 6 seed in the South region. BYU, which will face Texas, is the only other team seeded sixth or higher with such a close spread.
This game is also being played in Greenville, SC, a little more than a three-hour drive from Chapel Hill. That drive would be about twice as long for VCU fans coming from Richmond, VA.
North Carolina vs. VCU prediction, best bet
Careful observers of college hoops know why VCU is getting so much love from the public ahead of March Madness.
UNC freshman Caleb Wilson won’t be available after breaking his thumb in practice; he was already missing in action with a left hand injury that happened in February. Wilson led North Carolina in points (19.8), rebounds (9.4), assists (2.7), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4) and is likely going to be a top-three pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Replacing all that production is nearly impossible, but UNC kept itself afloat, going 5-3 since he was sidelined. Knowing that he won’t return will certainly be on his teammates’ minds with the spotlight on them in Round 1.
The Rams, meanwhile, have been a well-oiled machine with a 16-1 record since early January. Their season-long metrics are impressive: 49th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 35th in 3-point percentage. They have good shooters in their rotation and size up front with 6-foot-11 Lazar Djokovic.
Betting on College Basketball?
The Tar Heels also have size with 7-footer Henri Veesaar, who can score inside and is shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc. He’ll be a matchup problem for the Rams all game in pick-and-roll situations and can open up outside shots when he dives to the rim on those plays.
I also think UNC has the intangibles to avoid a potential upset. They are one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country and they don’t turn the ball over, which are two keys to limiting extra possessions.
The hype around VCU is understandable, but I think bettors are undervaluing the rest of this UNC team. Yes Wilson’s absence lowers the Tar Heels’ ceiling, but they have still performed well without him.
I’m fading the public and riding with UNC to cover the 2.5-point spread here.
The Pick: UNC -2.5 (-110, BetMGM)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
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