North Carolina
Trump campaign forced to pay North Carolina city $82k in advance for rally
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign was forced to pay more than $82,000 in advance for this week’s rally in Asheville, North Carolina.
Trump is set to take the stage at Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Wednesday after paying $82,247.60 to the city for a “last-minute” rally, according to Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR). The campaign, struggling to effectively blunt the momentum of Vice President Kamala Harris, reportedly first contacted the city about the rally on August 8.
City of Asheville spokesperson Kim Miller told BPR that $22,500 of the amount paid is a two-day rental fee for the auditorium, while “the remainder of the funds go to cover additional costs such as house support, production staff, production equipment rental, and exterior items like queue stanchions and port-a-loos.”
While the campaign paid in advance due to Asheville’s policy for short-notice bookings, Trump has a long history of failing to pay cities for billed rally fees, leaving the White House in January 2021 with at least $850,000 in unpaid rally debt. Most of the bills are still unpaid, including more than $500,000 owed to the city of El Paso, Texas.
Joe Raedle
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Trump campaign via email on Tuesday.
The Trump campaign booked the smaller of two venues at the same complex in downtown Asheville for Wednesday’s rally. The Thomas Wolfe Auditorium has a capacity of just 2,431 people, while a larger arena next door that is not hosting Trump has a capacity of 7,200.
Trump has long been fixated on the size of his rally crowds, boasting about attendance numbers—which were artificially inflated—on more than on occasion. Well-attended rallies for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz have seemingly prompted the former president to become particularly sensitive about the issue recently.
During a news conference at Mar-a-Lago last week, Trump falsely claimed to have held a rally with 100,000 spectators, while also complaining about the press going “crazy” for reporting on high attendance figures at Harris rallies.
In a recent Truth Social post, the former president also pushed a false conspiracy theory that claims images of a Harris rally used artificial intelligence to generate large crowds that “didn’t exist,” pointing to an event last week in Michigan that drew an estimated 15,000 Harris supporters.
Trump campaigning in North Carolina is likely part of an effort to secure victory in a state that has voted solidly Republican in presidential elections since the 1980s, with the lone exception being former President Barack Obama winning the state by a tiny margin in 2008.
But President Joe Biden lost to Trump in North Carolina by less than 100,000 votes in 2020 and a poll released this week shows that Harris is now tied with the former president in The Tar Heel State.
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.
North Carolina
Current State of North Carolina’s Quarterback Room
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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North Carolina
NC health officials urge vaccines amid measles and respiratory illness surge
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is responding to the most recent measles cases and a spike in respiratory illnesses in North Carolina.
In a meeting hosted by NCDHHS, health officials stressed the importance of staying up to date on vaccines.
Those officials were also asked about the vaccination status of the three kids who tested positive for measles in Buncombe County.
“The three cases in Buncombe County, all three of them, had at least one dose of MMR vaccine,” said Dr. Erica Wilson with NCDHHS.
News 13 reported on Tuesday that the three siblings contracted measles after visiting Spartanburg County, South Carolina, where there’s currently a large measles outbreak.
3 BUNCOMBE COUNTY CHILDREN CONTRACT MEASLES AFTER SOUTH CAROLINA VISIT, NCDHHS REPORTS
The Mission Hospital Emergency Department waiting room in Asheville was listed as a possible measles exposure location on Sunday, Jan. 4, between 2 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Mission Health sent News 13 a statement, saying in part, “Our hospitals work with state and federal health officials on proactive preparedness, and we are following guidance provided by the CDC.”
The hospital provided state health officials with a list of 26 people who may have been exposed to measles on Jan. 4, according to Mission Health.
It’s not just Buncombe County that has reported measles in North Carolina recently.
“One in Polk County and three in Buncombe County. Additionally, there was a measles exposure alert we released in Gaston County. All are connected to an ongoing measles outbreak in Spartanburg County, South Carolina,” said Dr. Kelly Kimple with NCDHHS. “About 90% of unvaccinated individuals who are exposed will become infected.”
POLK COUNTY CHILD CONTRACTS MEASLES AFTER SOUTH CAROLINA VISIT, NCDHHS REPORTS
In the meeting, health officials also addressed the increase in respiratory illnesses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, and influenza.
“Whether it’s the childhood immunizations for things like measles, mumps, and rubella, or even the seasonal immunizations for things like RSV, COVID, and flu, vaccines are a critical and important part of remaining healthy and having healthy communities,” said NCDHHS secretary Dr. Devdutta Sangvai.
Additionally, as News 13 previously reported, there was a chickenpox outbreak in Buncombe County, with four cases confirmed at Fairview Elementary as of Jan. 6.
Health officials are reminding people that it’s not too late to get their seasonal vaccines. There are also additional preventative actions to protect oneself against respiratory viruses.
FLU CASES SURGE IN NC, STRAINING HOSPITALS AND INCREASING DEATH TOLL
“This includes regularly washing your hands with soap and water,” said Kimple.
Kimple suggests avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. She also said to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces that may be contaminated.
“Cover those coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then discard the tissue promptly. Stay home when sick, except to seek medical care or testing, and take steps to avoid spreading infection to others in your home,” said Kimple.
NCDHHS also has helpful resources on its website, like a measles immunity checker, information about vaccines, and a program that helps eligible families get free vaccines.
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