Under the Dome: Trump’s NC stops, fake flyers and lawmakers concerned about misinformation
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Emily Vespa.
Former president and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump visited three North Carolina cities Monday. He first stopped in Swannanoa, a community that was hard-hit by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, where he criticized the federal government’s response to the storm and thanked nonprofits and first responders who have helped with recovery.
As Trump left the news conference in Swannanoa, he dodged a question about whether he still supports Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose gubernatorial campaign has been mired in scandal, saying he hasn’t kept up with the state’s governor’s race.
Trump then took the stage at a rally in Greenville, where he restated false claims that FEMA diverted disaster relief funds to migrants and talked about his plans for a second term in office if elected. He said he would “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” end the war in Ukraine and rid schools of “critical race theory and transgender insanity.”
Finally, Trump traveled to Concord, where he joined his son, Eric Trump, and former U.S. secretary for Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson for the 11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting.
Trump will hold another rally Tuesday night in Greensboro.
Read coverage of Trump’s Monday visit from The Charlotte Observer’s Mary Ramsey, Nora O’Neill and Josh Bergeron and our own Kyle Ingram.
Curious about what it’s like on the ground at campaign rallies? Dawn Vaughan, Avi Bajpai and Kyle Ingram talk about what goes on behind-the-scenes at presidential campaign rallies in the latest episode of our Under the Dome podcast.
NC CONGRESS MEMBERS VOICE CONCERNS ABOUT POTENTIAL FOREIGN HELENE MISINFORMATION
Three North Carolina members of Congress on Friday asked for a national intelligence briefing on whether foreign adversaries are at play in the swarm of online misinformation about Helene, Virginia Bridges reports.
Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat, pointed to reporting on research that suggests foreign governments, including China and Russia, are amplifying Helene misinformation to undermine trust in the government and hinder relief efforts.
In a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Democratic Reps. Ross, Wiley Nickel and Kathy Manning requested a briefing on any intelligence related to the misinformation.
UNAUTHORIZED ENDORSEMENT FLYERS CIRCULATE AT EARLY VOTING SITES
Two flyers that circulated at some Raleigh early voting sites and ostensibly list official endorsements from the Wake County Democratic and Republican parties are fake and incorrect, officials said.
Kristen Johnson reports that the unapproved flyers, which endorse candidates for local, state and federal races, look like legitimate endorsements but don’t disclose who produced them.
A full list of the candidates endorsed by Wake’s Democratic Party is on its website, wakedems.org. The county’s Republican Party lists its official endorsements on wakegop.org.
CAMPAIGN WATCH
Former President Barack Obama will stop in Charlotte Friday to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris. Read more from Danielle Battaglia.
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will travel to the Research Triangle Park area Tuesday, reports Virginia Bridges, who also has the details on former President Bill Clinton visiting Raleigh Sunday to campaign for Harris.
The latest announcement by the Harris campaign came Monday evening. Gov. Tim Walz will rally supporters in Wilmington on Thursday evening after stops in Durham and Greenville earlier that day.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
Polls show a tight race for state superintendent of public schools, with Democrat Mo Green boasting just a 2-to-3 point lead over Republican Michele Morrow, T. Keung Hui reports.
North Carolina broke the state record for first-day early voting turnout, reports Kyle Ingram; 353,166 people voted in-person on Thursday. And by Sunday, over 1 million North Carolina voters had cast their ballots, the State Board of Elections said.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
Elections integrity activist and Lee County GOP chair James Womack told North Carolina volunteers to flag people on the voter rolls with “Hispanic-sounding last names” as potential “suspicious voters,” CBS reports.
VOTER GUIDE
In the latest candidate questionnaires from our 2024 NC Voter Guide, see what candidates for U.S. House District 13 have to say about the issues, and learn more about their biographies.
One candidate answered our questions:
Today’s newsletter was by Emily Vespa. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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