Southeast
Trump to visit battered North Carolina towns still suffering months after Helene: 'Treated badly by Democrats'
President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Western North Carolina on Friday to visit locals impacted by Hurricane Helene in late September.
The president and other U.S. officials — as well as some local residents — have scrutinized the federal government’s response to the devastation in the months since Sept. 27, when Helene destroyed large swaths of the Appalachian region, and killed more than 100 people in North Carolina alone.
“Throughout the transition, both President Trump and Vice President Vance repeatedly reached out to me to check in on how Western North Carolina was doing,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis told Fox News Digital in a statement ahead of the president’s visit. “That is a testament to how high of a priority the recovery and rebuilding process is for them. President Trump’s visit on Friday is welcome news for the thousands of families dealing with a state of uncertainty when it comes to securing housing.”
Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd similarly told Fox News Digital that he spoke to “the president and members of his team over the weekend, and the people of Western North Carolina are among his top priorities.”
TRUMP WARNS FEMA FACES RECKONING AFTER BIDEN ADMIN: ‘NOT DONE THEIR JOB’
A section of Swannanoa, N.C., that was destroyed by Hurricane Helene in late September is seen coated in snow on Jan. 10, 2025. (Steve Antle)
“They need a Rebuilder-in-Chief who can cut through the red tape and get folks what they need as quickly as possible, and President Trump will do just that. The people of Western North Carolina will not be forgotten by me or the president,” Budd said.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wave as they board Air Force One, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for a trip to North Carolina and California. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Some residents continue to sleep in tents and campers despite freezing temperatures. Thousands of others staying in hotel rooms funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through its Transitional Housing Assistance (TSA) program faced the possibility of being booted out of those rooms in early January as the TSA deadline loomed.
HURRICANE HELENE FORCES NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS TO SLEEP IN TENTS WHERE HOMES ONCE STOOD
Displaced by Hurricane Helene, married couple Victoria and Jeff display a sign that reads, “Need help, lost everything in the flood,” in Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 29, 2024. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
FEMA officials changed their tune this week, however, after receiving criticism and extended the deadline to May 26.
More than 3,000 families are eligible for the program’s extension, according to FEMA. More than 10,000 households accepted temporary shelter in hotels participating in the TSA program in the aftermath of the hurricane, FEMA said last month, but most have since moved to longer-term housing.
Some people in hard-hit areas like Swannanoa and Burnsville, or in hard-to-reach places nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, are still living in tents or RVs where their homes once stood. (Cajun Navy 2016)
“The Democrats don’t care about North Carolina. What they’ve done with FEMA is so bad. FEMA is a whole [other] discussion, because all it does is complicate everything,” Trump said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, his first White House interview since his inauguration.
“So, I’m stopping on Friday. I’m stopping in North Carolina – first stop – because those people were treated very badly by Democrats. And I’m stopping there. We’re going to get that thing straightened out because they’re still suffering from a hurricane from months ago,” the president continued.
U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump (R) walk out from the White House to board Marine One on January 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. The president is traveling to North Carolina, California, Nevada and Florida over the weekend. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Gov. Josh Stein’s office said he will be meeting Trump on the tarmac when the president arrives.
WATCH: TRUMP’S INTERVIEW WITH SEAN HANNITY
Trump previously visited in October 2024 before the presidential election.
Jonathan “JP” Decker, executive director of nonprofit recovery organization Mercury One, told Fox News Digital that the president’s visit will be a “blessing” to the people of Western North Carolina.
Trump previously visited in October 2024 before the presidential election. (Getty Images)
Mercury One has donated everything from RVs to propane for Hurricane Helene survivors recovering from the deadly disaster. The nonprofit also stepped up to pay for hotel rooms for those who were about to lose their TSA vouchers from FEMA this month.
“Western North Carolina was left alone.”
“I’ve been there multiple times. I saw one FEMA truck,” Decker said. “So, when they finally heard from the president of the United States that … we’re going to help you, and the fact that [Trump is] coming in town on Friday is going to be a huge blessing just to finally see someone who’s looking around taking the notes of, wow, nothing has changed.”
FEMA EXTENDS TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM FOR NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS DISPLACED BY HURRICANE HELENE
A FedEx worker delivers packages to a trailer on Dec. 23, 2024, in Old Fort, N.C. The trailer was given to a Marine veteran from the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Decker, who has responded to multiple natural disasters and other humanitarian crises with Mercury One, said he has “never seen anything like what I’ve seen in Western North Carolina of just no clearing out of the debris.”
“We’ve helped support a lot of families to just stay in hotels because FEMA had threatened to drop or just didn’t communicate to drop their … hotel vouchers,” Decker said. “FEMA was thinking of doing that, and then we stepped in and provided care for them. But these kids who have to go to school every day and have to see that … it’s devastating because these families have had no help, and they’ve had to figure out: What do we do after this?”
WATCH: NC LOCALS WAIT IN LONG LINES FOR PROPANE
FEMA said people checking out of their temporary housing are returning to habitable homes or have withdrawn from FEMA assistance.
“Under President Biden, FEMA’s failure to act and communicate swiftly put vulnerable families at risk with freezing temperatures outside,” Tillis told Fox News Digital. “Despite our continued pressure, FEMA made little progress in providing direct housing solutions for those most affected by Helene. Things will be changing under President Trump, and his visit shows his Administration is committed to the people of Western North Carolina as he promised during the campaign.”
AMERICANS SPENDING THANKSGIVING IN TENTS AS HEAT, ELECTRICITY, FOOD STILL HARD TO FIND
Kris Weil is sleeping in a tent outside his home that was destroyed during Hurricane Helene. (Fox News Digital)
Tillis said he looks “forward to working with the Trump-Vance Administration to ensure that every available federal resource is deployed and that red tape preventing families from accessing housing is eliminated.”
Trump announced on his first day in office that he would visit North Carolina and California amid devastating natural disasters in both states.
He made implicit reference to areas of the Smoky Mountains decimated by Hurricane Helene, claiming Democrats had abandoned the Tar Heel State in the wake of the historic storm that affected parts of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Fox News’ Charles Crietz contributed to this report.
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A man has been charged with jumping over an outter wall at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida this week.
Bijan Arceo, 32, was charged with trespassing with the intent to commit an offense. Palm Beach police officers responded to the club just after 6 p.m. Tuesday to assist Secret Service agents who detained someone on the property, a police affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital states.
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Bijan Arceo, 32, allegedly climbed over a wall that surrounded Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
Police said Arceo got inside the resort from South Ocean Boulevard by the north service gate, police said.
Arceo had not entered the sweep area or had been granted permission to enter the protected site, the Secret Service said.
“While the incident had no impact on our protective operations, we take these matters extremely seriously,” the agency said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This arrest is being handled at the local level and we remain thankful to the Town of Palm Beach Police Department for their quick response and partnership.”
A Coast Guard boat patrols outside Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 8, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Around the property were numerous signs that state “No Trespassing,” with tall gates that remain closed when not in use, authorities said.
Arceo is being held in the Palm Beach County jail on a $20,000 bond, according to jail records.
Zijie Li was arrested for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago in July. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office | Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/File)
In July, Zijie Li was arrested for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago. Li, a California resident, tried to gain access to the club multiple times over several months, authorities said.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Georgia high school basketball player assaults pair of athletes from opposing team, video shows
Tempers flared during a high school basketball game in Georgia this month. The heated moment appeared to spark a physical altercation between players from opposing teams.
TMZ reported that the fight in question happened during a game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School on Jan. 3 in Calhoun, Georgia. Calhoun is located approximately 70 miles from downtown Atlanta.
A video posted to social media appeared to show an unidentified Rockmart player shoving one of Sonoraville’s athletes to the ground. The Rockmart athlete then immediately hit the Sonoraville player in the face immediately after he regained his footing.
The altercation happened during a basketball game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School in Calhoun, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2025. (Fox News)
The Rockmart player was later seen punching a separate player from the opposing team.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYER JUMPS INTO ACTION TO SAVE OPPONENT’S LIFE AFTER HARROWING ON-COURT COLLAPSE
The second Sonoraville player was hit after he dashed toward the scuffle. Spectators in the crowd could be heard making noises as they reacted to the situation. The video also showed some individuals moving from the stands to the court area to intervene.
The altercation happened during a basketball game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School in Calhoun, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2025.
An incident report from the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office suggested a Rockmart player was provoked by the repeated use of a racial slur by the player from the opposing team.
The teenager who appeared to initiate physical contact during the incident faces two charges of simple battery, per the police report. The brawl broke out during the third quarter of the game.
Officials from Rockmart High School and Sonoraville High School have yet to offer public comment on the incident.
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Southeast
South Carolina man sentenced to death concerned about drug after issue during November execution
A South Carolina man set to die by lethal injection is requesting a delay until more information is gathered about the drug that will kill him.
The execution of Marion Bowman Jr. is set for Jan. 31, but he is concerned that the drug used to put another man to death in November required two large doses more than 11 minutes apart.
An anesthesiologist involved in reviewing autopsy records of Richard Moore, who was executed on Nov. 1, 2024, showed fluid in Moore’s lungs, leading lawyers to believe he “consciously experienced feelings of drowning and suffocation during the 23 minutes that it took to bring about his death,” according to The Associated Press.
SOUTH CAROLINA EXECUTES RICHARD MOORE DESPITE BROADLY SUPPORTED PLEA TO CUT SENTENCE TO LIFE
A South Carolina man scheduled to be executed on Jan. 31 by lethal injection is requesting a delay until more information is gathered about the drug that will kill him. (AP)
Prison officials have not released why Moore required a second dose of the drug, but claim the methods used are like other states’ use of the drug.
Only one week ago, the federal government said it was rescinding protocol for executions with pentobarbital after a review raised concerns regarding “unnecessary pain and suffering,” but President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal officials to carry out executions.
President Donald Trump holds a document on the day he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
A second review directed by the governor’s office and prison system showed that witnesses indicated Moore’s breathing stopped in two or three minutes, and he was unconscious, according to Dr. Joseph F. Antognini, an anesthesiologist who taught at the University of California, Davis.
“Before becoming unconscious, the individual would not feel the sensations of pain, suffocation or air hunger,” Antognini wrote.
TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE’S LAWYER SAYS ‘THERE WAS NO CRIME’ AS SHE MAKES LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE HIS LIFE
South Carolina executed Richard Moore on Nov. 1, 2024, by lethal injection, but he required two doses of the drug for his heart to stop. (Justice 360 via AP)
After that, the heart will have periodic, irregular beats for as long as 20 minutes before it stops, which could possibly be detected on a heart monitor and might have led to the second dose of pentobarbital, Antognini said.
State lawyers also said that Moore and another inmate who died by lethal injection had an attorney witness their deaths and “neither lawyer ever claimed that either man showed any signs of pain during his execution.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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