North Carolina
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says he wants abortion to be illegal at ‘zero’ weeks, in new audio released by Democrats
A Democratic group has released new audio of North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is running for governor, saying that he wants to get abortion restrictions down to “zero” weeks.
In the audio, which the group said was recorded on Sept. 3 at a Robinson campaign event in Troy, N.C., a woman asked Robinson about his stance on abortion and why he was supporting North Carolina’s current 12-week ban on the procedure.
Robinson replied by saying, “That 12 weeks, exceptions for rape and incest … I’m not going to say it’s reasonable. But my faith allows me to live with that, because that’s where the consensus is. Do I want to continue to lower it? You better know it. I would love to get down to six weeks. And I’d like to get down to zero. I would like to push it back as far as we could and eliminate as many abortions as we can.”
“We can’t do it all at once,” he added. “The Democrats started off with Roe v. Wade, then moved to ‘safe, legal, and rare.’ Then they got to where? Nine months in the womb. They did that over 50 years. … And we can do it.”
The recording, which was shared with NBC News, was published by the Mark Robinson War Room, a project of the North Carolina Democratic Leadership Committee, which is backed by the Democratic Governors Association. The group said it was established for the “sole purpose of holding Lt. Governor Mark Robinson accountable for his toxic record and dangerous agenda for North Carolina.” Robinson is running against Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.
Publicly, Robinson has stood behind allowing current restrictions in North Carolina to stand. The lieutenant governor acknowledged in a TV ad earlier this year that his wife had an abortion 30 years ago and offered support for the current abortion restrictions in North Carolina, which limit the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother.
But Robinson is advocating for measures that go further. He made similar comments at a campaign event in February, saying, “We’ve got it down to 12 weeks, the next goal is to get it down to six, and then just keep moving from there,” referring to abortion, a local Fox News affiliate reported.
In the audio shared with NBC News, Robinson also told the woman that he has not changed his stance on abortion “at all” and that “there’s no reason why an abortion should happen ever.”
“I’m 100% for life, and that’s how I think it should be. If I’m a pastor in the pulpit, that’s what I’m preaching. If I’m counseling someone, a young lady, a couple, that’s what I’m telling them. I’m telling them, ‘Choose life for your child,’” he added.
Robinson then explained that he was not a pastor, and that as an elected official he needed to work with the consensus.
“Now a lot of people say, ‘Well, that’s changing your position. That’s giving up your conviction.’ Not it’s not,” Robinson said. “You got to be an elected official. You have to be mature enough in your faith to watch people do things that you disagree with and allow them to do it because we don’t live in a theocracy. If we have politicians who start running the country like they run their church, then we end up like Iran. That’s not how this country was formed.”
Stein has been an outspoken supporter of abortion rights and has vowed to defend access to the procedure.
When asked about the comments Robinson made about taking abortions down to “zero,” Mike Lonergan, the communications director for Robinson’s campaign, sent a written statement.
“Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is pro-life because of the painful and difficult experience he and his wife had, and his faith,” Lonergan said in the statement. “By supporting taxpayer-funded, late-term abortion on demand, Kamala Harris and Josh Stein are extreme and out of step with North Carolina voters. They are using the same playbook that failed here in 2022, and it’ll fail again in 2024.”
“The legislature has already spoken on this issue,” Lonergan added. “As governor, Mark Robinson will work to make North Carolina a destination for life by building a culture that does more to support women and families, including bolstering adoption, as well as foster and childcare.”
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Extended breaks and logistical challenges have reopened questions about whether the College Football Playoff committee should adjust the playoff schedule format.
Bill Belichick is adding an experienced offensive coordinator to his coaching staff at North Carolina football for the 2026 college football season.
On Friday, Jan. 9, the Tar Heels announced the hiring of Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator. Petrino spent the last two seasons with Arkansas as the offensive coordinator and was promoted to interim head coach following the firing of Sam Pittman.
Belichick and the Tar Heels opted to part ways with former offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens on Dec. 12, after one season.
“We are fortunate to add an elite coaching talent in Bobby to our staff,” Belichick said in a statement. “He brings an extensive background and a proven record of success on offense at every level of football. Bobby has consistently built great offenses everywhere he has been, and we look forward to having him work with our program.”
UNC finished 2025 as one of the worst offenses in college football. Out of 136 FBS teams, the Tar Heels finished No. 131 in total offense and No. 121 in scoring offense (19.3).
Petrino brings previous head coaching experience to Belichick’s staff, with stops at Louisville (2003-06), the Atlanta Falcons (2007), Arkansas (2008-11), Western Kentucky (2013), Louisville (2014-18) and Missouri State (2020-22).
With the Cardinals, Petrino coached 2016 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time ACC Player of the Year Lamar Jackson. Last season, the Razorbacks ranked 19th nationally in total offense with 454.8 yards per game.
“I’m extremely excited to join Coach Belichick and the Carolina football program,” Petrino said. “This is an incredible opportunity to work with one of the best at a storied institution. I cannot wait to get started in Chapel Hill alongside this coaching staff and student-athletes.”
North Carolina
North Carolina Democrats, Republicans share takes on deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina political leaders disagree heavily on what happened during a deadly-ICE involved shooting in Minnesota and what should happen next.
Several videos immediately circulated depicting the moment when Renee Good was shot in her vehicle by an ICE agent. Democrats and Republicans dispute what the video actually shows.
“I’m horrified and I’m disgusted,” Democratic state Sen. Sophia Chitlik said.
Chitlik represents Durham where immigration enforcement agents had a large presence a few weeks ago. She stated the video shows why she and some of her constituents don’t want the agents back.
“Get out,” she said. “We do not want ICE and CBP in our community. Not only do citizens and constituents not want them here, law enforcement doesn’t want them here. Our sheriff’s office, our police department, is very focused on keeping people safe, which is why crime is down. We manage public safety here.”
Matt Mercer, the communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party, stated the video shows the ICE agent acting in self-defense.
“I think what you see is the video speaks for itself,” Mercer said. “You had a federal agent acting in self-defense after potentially being rammed by someone in a vehicle, which is unfortunate. You just hate to see what happened.”
Chitlik disputes the notion that the ICE agent acted in self-defense, saying, “It’s not true. The video shows that it’s not true. [Good] was trying to back up, not move forward, trying to leave the situation. They aggressively pursued her.”
Republicans continue to back the federal agents in Minnesota and across the country, arguing it’s what millions of Americans voted for.
“It’s already shown a lot of progress,” Mercer said. “You’ve had over two million illegals deported or self-deported from our country, which is exactly what President [Donald] Trump campaigned on.”
Some Democrats say immigration enforcement agents don’t make communities safer and instead incite violence fear.
“ICE is not here to keep us safe,” Chitlik said. “ICE is here to police us. ICE is here as an agent of fascism in our cities. They are not welcome here.”
Republicans say the immigration agents aren’t the ones raising tensions.
“Anytime you see people using an iPhone app and saying there’s ICE [in the area], it’s intentionally provoking and stoking tensions,” Mercer said. “You’d like to see people using their right to protest in a way that’s not obstructing the mission these hardworking officers are doing every day.”
CBS 17 has not heard of any plans for the immigration agents to return to North Carolina.
This offseason has been a complete quarterback carousel for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Following the debacle of last season, it was obvious that North Carolina needed to make significant changes at quarterback.
In Bill Belichick’s first year as the head coach, the Tar Heels compiled a 4-8 record and failed to qualify for bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. There were several factors that led to the lackluster season, but the production and effectiveness from the quarterback position may take the cake, in terms of who should be blamed the most for North Carolina’s failure of a season.
In 11 games, Gio Lopez threw for only 1,747 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions while attempting 6.7 yards per pass. If you don’t possess a quarterback who can operate at a competent level, it is virtually impossible to compete with that player leading the offense.
As mentioned, it was apparent that the front office had to venture out in the transfer portal to potentially find their next quarterback. The Tar Heels did land 2026 four-star quarterback recruit Travis Burgess, but it was not yet known that both Max Johnson and Bryce Baker would enter the transfer portal this offseason.
Not to mention, after recently announcing that he will return to Chapel Hill in 2026, Lopez became the latest quarterback to leave the program, making his intentions of entering the portal known on Monday. On Wednesday, Lopez officially signed with Wake Forest.
Here is what general manager Michael Lombardi and North Carolina’s front office orchestrated to add depth to the quarterback room, and how those moves affect that position.
Assessing the Tar Heels’ Quarterback Situation
With three total quarterbacks leaving the program, North Carolina needed to orchestrate multiple moves to improve the depth at the position. While the Tar Heels landed Billy Edwards Jr. and Miles O’Neill, those two additions do not instill a ton of confidence in a room lacking experience and proven production.
In four years, Edwards Jr. has one year of starting, while O’Neill has eight appearances over the last two seasons. The Texas A&M transfer possesses more potential than Edwards Jr., as he still has three years of eligibility remaining. There is more room to grow for O’Neill. We already know what Edwards Jr is: a backup quarterback who could play here and there as a starter.
Meanwhile, Au’Tori Newkirk played sparingly during his freshman season in 2025, and Burgess will be a true freshman in 2026. None of these quarterbacks provide both high potential and experience. They possess one or the other, which could become problematic if no one establishes themselves as the clear-cut starter.
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