North Carolina
RFK Jr. can't get off ballot in North Carolina, can't get back on it in New York
RALEIGH, N.C. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lost twice Thursday in his battles to stay on the presidential ballot in some states and get off of it in others.
North Carolina’s elections board refused to take him off that state’s ballot, with a majority saying it was too late in the process for him to withdraw. Meanwhile, an appeals court in New York rejected Kennedy’s request to get back on the ballot there, upholding a judge’s decision to disqualify him for having lied on elections paperwork about where he lived.
On Friday, Kennedy suspended his independent campaign and endorsed Republican Donald Trump. He has since sought to withdraw his name from the ballot in states where the presidential race is expected to be close, including North Carolina.
Simultaneously, he has tried to stay on the ballot in states like New York where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the battle between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
A midlevel appeals court on Thursday affirmed a ruling from a trial court judge who said Kennedy falsely claimed to live in New York on his nominating petitions, despite actually living in California.
Evidence presented at a short trial, the court said, showed that while Kennedy was a New York resident for decades — his father represented the state in the U.S. Senate — he has lived in the Los Angeles area since 2014, when he married “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines. Kennedy had listed a home address in the tony suburb of Katonah, New York, but that was actually the home of a friend.
“This is not a situation where Kennedy erroneously listed a former residence in the nominating petition, but rather, Kennedy listed an address at which the record evidence reflects he has never resided,” the panel of judges wrote.
Kennedy’s New York attorney, Jim Walden, said he would appeal.
In North Carolina, the elections board’s three Democrats outvoted two Republicans to reject a request made by the recently certified We The People party of North Carolina to remove Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, from the party’s ballot line.
State board officials said that they had previously received a request signed by Kennedy to withdraw, but since he was the nominee of the party, it was the job of We The People to formally seek the removal.
The Democratic majority said making the change would be impractical, given that state law directs the first absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 elections be mailed to requesters starting Sept. 6. North Carolina is the first state in the nation to send fall election ballots.
By late Thursday, 67 of the state’s 100 counties will have received their printed absentee-by-mail ballots, , board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said. The chief printing vendor for the majority of the state’s counties has printed over 1.7 million ballots. Ballot replacement and mail processing would take roughly two weeks, and the reprinting would cost counties using this vendor alone several hundred thousand dollars combined, she added.
“When we talk about the printing a ballot we are not talking about … pressing ‘copy’ on a Xerox machine. This is a much more complex and layered process,” Brinson Bell told the board.
The two Republican board members suggested the state could have generated new ballots.
“I think we’ve got the time and the means to remove these candidates from the ballot if we exercise our discretion to do so,” Republican member Kevin Lewis said.
Board Chair Alan Hirsch, a Democrat, called the decision not to remove Kennedy “the fairest outcome under these circumstances.”
The state Democratic Party unsuccessfully fought We The People’s certification request before the board and later in state court.
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Associated Press writer Michael Hill contributed from Albany, New York.
Should the CFP committee rethink the playoff schedule format?
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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