Carli Brosseau

How Phil Berger Shaped North Carolina’s Universities With controversial funding decisions and emboldened governing boards, the powerful state senator has transformed North Carolina’s public colleges and universities.

"For 15 years, the North Carolina Senate has been led by a man who cares more about education than just about any other policy area. That may have come to an end Tuesday." www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

The Duke Researcher Who Thought He Could Reform Jeffrey Epstein Wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gave former Duke researcher and current right-wing influencer Jean-François Gariépy money for a YouTube show.

Wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gave former Duke University employee and current right-wing influencer Jean-François Gariépy money for a YouTube show. He says he wanted to convince Epstein to “lead a monogamous marriage lifestyle.”

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

What We Learned From the 2026 Primaries Tuesday's elections were a trainwreck for many sitting North Carolina lawmakers, lots of new faces are headed to Raleigh, and more takeaways from the 2026 primaries.

What We Learned From the 2026 Primaries www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Here’s What Happens Next in the Berger-Page Battle As things stand with Phil Berger and Sam Page, the likeliest outcome in the North Carolina state Senate race is a recount. But there are several steps before that.

Here’s What Happens Next in the Berger-Page Battle www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Every Vote Counted in Guilford Tuesday's GOP primary between Sam Page and Phil Berger ended in a virtual tie. Guilford County played a key role in the N.C. Senate race.

“Longevity in politics comes with some advantages of power, but also with baggage,” Elon Poll director Jason Husser said. “People make a lot of enemies when they’ve been in power for decades.” #ncpol www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Old Wounds Reopen as Columbus County Prepares to Elect a Sheriff Four Republicans are running for Columbus County Sheriff in the first election since former sheriff Jody Greene stepped down.

“The word on the street is that if Kevin Norris gets into office, then Jody Greene is coming back,” Monisha Brooks Jones, chair of the Columbus County Democratic Party, told Sarah Nagem. www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Republicans Appear Likely to Spend $10 Million Trying to Keep Berger in Office That level of spending on a state legislative primary is unprecedented in North Carolina, political experts say.

"This is an extreme outlier." #ncpol www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

As Measles Spreads in N.C. Hospital, Doctors Confront a Challenge: It’s Hard To Spot As the Carolinas near 1,000 cases, health care workers who’ve never seen the vaccine-preventable disease can get caught by surprise.

NC state epidemiologist Zack Moore: “We are preparing for a future in which we follow a trajectory like SC, where we see sort of a gradual accumulation of cases" then "a more explosive growth in the outbreak and spread across the state.” www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...

‘Never sensed danger’: Friends ponder Mar-a-Lago gunman’s motive — and anger over Epstein The young man who drove from North Carolina to south Florida and breached the perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort while armed with a shotgun and gas can, and was killed by law enforcement, w...

NEW from me:

Friends of the Mar-a-Lago gunman in Moore County, NC describe a kind and shy young man from a conservative background.

Austin Tucker Martin's preoccupation with the Epstein Files describes an arc of betrayal for Trump's base.
(gift link)
www.rawstory.com/raw-investig...

The Road to Victory in NC-04 Runs Through Western Wake County Rep. Valerie Foushee and challenger Nida Allam are working to win over 170,000 Wake voters added to the district since their 2022 matchup.

Rep. Valerie Foushee and challenger Nida Allam are working to win over 130,000 Wake voters added to the district since their 2022 matchup.

Happy birthday!

In Asheville's Elections, a View into How North Carolina Is Constraining Local Officials - Bolts In liberal Buncombe County, elected officials have watched the state shrink their powers over detention and immigration. Now that looms large over the March race for district attorney.

NEW: North Carolina has cracked down on the discretion of local prosecutors, sheriffs, & judges; laws are forcing sheriffs to comply with ICE, and ballooning jails.

Now that preemption looms large over local elections in the liberal enclave of Asheville.

Great reporting by @psfrench.bsky.social:

As Phil Berger Fights for Re-election, Sam Page Deflects Questions About His Record Rockingham County sheriff Sam Page faces an SBI investigation and accusations of mismanagement. Can it all be dismissed as politics?

For most of his 27 years in office, Sam Page hadn’t worried about local officials looking over his shoulder. But recently, and in increasingly blunt terms, commissioners had questioned his management, scrutinized his finances, and criticized jail operations.

www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Some School Board Elections in the Border Belt Are Now Partisan North Carolina lawmakers have made more school board elections partisan, including those in Columbus and Scotland counties.

An analysis by the North Carolina School Board Association found that 61 of the state’s 115 school boards are now partisan. Nineteen have switched to partisan elections in the last two years, including seven in 2025, Heidi Perez-Moreno reports. borderbelt.org/nc-school-bo...

Outside Money Flows into 4th Congressional District Primary, Again In the race between U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee and Nida Allam, outside PACs have spent more than $1 million.

The deluge of PAC-funded mailers and TV ads may feel like déjà vu for 4th District voters; the 2022 matchup between Allam and Foushee was the most expensive congressional primary in state history thanks to millions in outside spending. www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

‘Something needs to change’: Report details isolation at NC juvenile detention centers

A review by Disability Rights NC found that teens in some state juvenile detention centers spend more than 22 hours a day in their cells, despite policies limiting isolation.

Full story here:
🔗 buff.ly/s2dQo3O

Why Alamance County’s Pro-Trump Sheriff Iced Out ICE Sheriff Terry Johnson stopped holding immigrant detainees just before a sweeping federal enforcement operation in North Carolina.

For years, the Alamance County Detention Center in Graham had been holding ICE detainees in return for millions of dollars from the federal government. Then in November, just as CBP agents were about to descend on the state, they ended their agreement with ICE.

www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

The Morrow You Know Michele Morrow is betting the name recognition she earned in 2024 will help her win a U.S. Senate seat. But is all publicity good publicity?

Michele Morrow is betting that the name recognition she earned running for superintendent of public instruction will help her win a seat in the U.S. Senate. But is all publicity good publicity?

www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

WECT INVESTIGATES: Where the Jody Greene probe stands, 3 years later Greene resigned as sheriff for the second time in January 2023, weeks after WECT first reported on a federal probe.

WECT reports that the federal corruption investigation in Columbus County continues on.

www.wect.com/2026/02/19/w...

Two Years, No Leandro Ruling The next batch of North Carolina Supreme Court rulings aren’t scheduled to be released until March 20.

Two Years, No Leandro Ruling www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

“Despite persistent budget and staffing shortages, prison officials paid a specialized tactical team overtime to drive Hernández from a high-security facility in West Virginia to the famed five-star Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City”

Despite Epstein’s Toxicity, Steve Bannon Stood by Him, Texts Indicate

Despite Epstein’s Toxicity, Steve Bannon Stood by Him, Texts Indicate www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/u...

Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments The FDA has taken down a webpage warning about therapies and products making “false claims” of treating autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ...

NEW: The FDA has removed a webpage warning about dangerous therapies claiming to treat autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under RFK Jr. to discredit long-established science.

By @megomatz.bsky.social

Dueling Separation Allegations Shed Light on Michele Morrow’s Political Plans Court proceedings show the former candidate to lead public schools has started a new organization and angled for a Trump administration job.

And how her political aspirations evolved during a period of turmoil in her personal life.

9/9

www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

‘Nobody Knows Where the Line Is’ When cost-cutting universities hire consultants, who’s really making the decisions? UNC-Greensboro offers a case study.

Her attendance at an education-focused NAACP event as she campaigned against CRT and DEI...

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www.theassemblync.com/newsletter/u...

The Making of Michele Morrow When Michele Morrow won her primary, it took many by surprise. But the Republican candidate for North Carolina superintendent is following Steve Bannon’s playbook.

My earlier reporting on Morrow chronicles her rise...

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www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

The Morrow You Know Michele Morrow is betting the name recognition she earned in 2024 will help her win a U.S. Senate seat. But is all publicity good publicity?

I went to a lunch hosted by the Franklin County GOP to gauge the enthusiasm for Morrow's pitch.

Only three other people showed up.

Read on for my full report. #ncpol

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www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Some doubt her past publicity is an asset.

Under NC law, a candidate can win a primary with just over 30% of the vote.

The polls so far suggest Whatley is the frontrunner. Support for Morrow and Brown was in the single digits.

However, a majority of prospective voters were undecided.

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But several of Morrow's past supporters are no longer in her corner.

That includes Michele Woodhouse, former GOP chair in the 11th congressional district, who said she told Morrow not to run.

And Jim Womack, Lee County GOP chair, who said he told Morrow he would be her "biggest opposition."

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Morrow jumped into the race in December, declaring that it "just got a lot more exciting" with her entry.

She argues that her name recognition is an advantage over the other GOP candidates, who are relatively unknown.

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