The Assembly

A Tale of Two Six How Fayettevillle's superstar native son J. Cole and his new album, The Fall-Off, put the local hip-hop scene on the map for one night.

i went to fayetteville, nc a last month to learn about the city and scene that made j. cole who he is. read about it here at @theassemblync.bsky.social

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.”

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N.C. Elections Board Member Bob Rucho Resigns After Apparent Illegal Donations Records show Bob Rucho donated to a pair of candidates since taking office last year, which is prohibited by North Carolina state law.

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BREAKING: Bob Rucho resigned from the North Carolina State Board of Elections on Thursday after revelations he had made political contributions in apparent violation of state law.

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.

Jean-François Gariépy, a Duke University postdoc neuroscience researcher, convinced Jeffrey Epstein to finance his YT channel.

Gariépy later left Duke hosted white nationalists Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer on his channel. via @theassemblync.bsky.social

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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.

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BREAKING: Nida Allam has conceded the North Carolina 4th District congressional race to incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee. #ncpol

Rockingham County Elections Board Reopens After Unusual Post-primary Closure County offices like the one in Rockingham are supposed to be open so voters can resolve issues with their ballots. The State Board of Elections stepped in.

When a voting rights advocate approached the Rockingham County Board of Elections office on Wednesday morning, she was surprised to see an unusual and misspelled sign in all caps outside the front door.

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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.

While all of Rockingham County is in Senate District 26, only part of Guilford County is in it, so it will only give a partial sense of how many ballots still must be counted in this race.

Read more here: www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

The State Board of Elections will release a report on the number of outstanding provisional ballots either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, a spokesperson said. That report will only break down the outstanding ballots by county, not legislative district.

Page declared victory at his election party in Stokesdale. Berger, meanwhile, told supporters at an event in Reidsville that he’d reserve judgment until more results came in.

As things stand, the likeliest outcome is a recount. But there are several steps before that.

After all precincts reported results, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page led state Senate leader Phil Berger by two votes in Tuesday’s GOP primary, a virtual tie in one of the night’s most important races.

Here's what happens next in the Berger/Page race. #ncpol

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.

In Rockingham, about 29% of eligible voters cast ballots in the race, for a total of 13,509 people. In Guilford, about 20%, a total of 12,643 people. www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Political observers expected Page to dominate in Rockingham County and dominate he did. Berger needed to take the Guilford portion of the district commandingly, which he also did.

But what few predicted was the difference in turnout in the two counties the district includes. #ncpol

Berger and Page Virtually Tied in State Senate Race In what could be the most expensive state legislative race in N.C. history, the incumbent was two votes behind with all precincts reporting.

UPDATE: Senate Republican leader Phil Berger, North Carolina’s most powerful politician, trailed Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by two votes with all precincts reporting in the state’s most-watched primary on Tuesday.

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Jerry Tillett Wins Republican State Senate Primary in Northeast N.C. During his campaign, the former Superior Court judge faced accusations of using racist language in an audio recording.

Former Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett appeared to win Tuesday’s Republican primary in the 1st Senate District, which spans several northeastern counties, despite allegations that he’d made racist remarks in an audio recording.

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Cunningham Loses In State House Primary Focused on Immigration Policy Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham faced a surprisingly tough primary from the Rev. Rodney Sadler in North Carolina's House District 106.

BREAKING: After more than a decade in office, state Rep. Carla Cunningham appeared to lose her Democratic primary on Tuesday by a significant margin. The race in N.C. House District 106 was more contentious this year than anyone might have expected.

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Buckhout Wins 1st District Primary, Set for Davis Rematch The Republican edged out four primary opponents. She’ll try to put the northeastern North Carolina district in GOP hands for the first time since 1883.

BREAKING: Veteran Laurie Buckhout won a hotly contested Republican primary in the 1st Congressional District on Tuesday. She’ll now advance to a rematch with U.S. Rep. Don Davis in which she hopes to become the first Republican to hold the seat since 1883.
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N.C.’s Senate Race Starts Now (Officially) Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley won their primaries Tuesday, setting up what may be the most expensive Senate race ever.

BREAKING: As most observers expected, Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley will face off in what could be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in history.
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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?

With his high-stakes challenge to the Senate leader looming, the Rockingham County sheriff faces an SBI investigation and accusations of mismanagement. Can it all be dismissed as politics?

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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?

In Louisburg, Morrow seized the opportunity to make news. “You can write this,” she said, leaning toward me over her barbecued chicken sandwich. “I think I probably won that election,” referring to her 2024 bid.

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How ICE Turned Charlotte’s Democratic Primary Into a Battleground A key vote and a floor speech on immigration have turned Rep. Carla Cunningham's primary into one of the most bitter in the state.

In today's hottest primary election for the North Carolina legislature, a seven-term Democrat is facing a challenge after declaring, in a viral floor speech about immigration enforcement, that "all cultures are not equal.” Greg Lacour reports for @theassemblync.bsky.social. #ncpol

2026 N.C. Primary Voter Guide Here's what North Carolina voters need to know heading to the polls this primary season, from on voter registration to ID requirements.

Today is Election Day in North Carolina. Throughout the day, we'll be posting our coverage from this primary season to get you ready to head to the polls. To start, here's a voter guide with information about registration, voter ID, and more.

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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.

Combined, they still had $2 million more on hand as of mid-February—which political observers expect they will have spent by the March 3 primary. www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

Berger’s campaign and independent expenditure groups supporting him spent more than $8.6 million between the start of the primary election cycle in 2025 and February 14, the latest filings show.

Republicans appear likely to spend more than $10 million to bolster state Senate leader Phil Berger’s intense reelection fight against Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, according to newly released fundraising reports. #ncpol

How ICE Turned Charlotte’s Democratic Primary Into a Battleground A key vote and a floor speech on immigration have turned Rep. Carla Cunningham's primary into one of the most bitter in the state.

N.C. Rep. Carla Cunningham of Charlotte has held her seat with little expense or opposition for more than a decade. But a key vote and a shocking floor speech have turned this year’s Democratic primary into one of the most bitter—and important—in the state.
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UNC-CH Will ‘Scrap’ New Recording Policy, Chancellor Says The move comes less than three weeks after the controversial rules were enacted.

UNC-Chapel Hill will “scrap” a policy that would have allowed administrators to secretly record professors, Chancellor Lee Roberts said Friday. The move comes less than three weeks after the controversial rules were enacted.

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Duke’s Kara Lawson Doesn’t Care If You Underestimate Her Duke’s women’s basketball team has turned its season around, but its coach is under more pressure than ever ahead of the 2028 Olympics.

“If we win, I’m not just going to smile and say, ‘You guys were all wrong about me.’ Like, who cares? … That’s not something that makes me tick. I love the game of basketball. That’s why I’m here.”

For @theassemblync.bsky.social, I wrote about Kara Lawson: www.theassemblync.com/news/culture...

Inside the Intensely Personal Battle to Be the GOP Nominee in Eastern NC Before a Republican can attempt to oust U.S. Rep. Don Davis in the 1st District, they must navigate an intense primary battle.

Buckhout has one significant advantage over her competitors: She loaned her campaign $2 million and reported having nearly five times as much available cash as all her opponents combined as of February 11.
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