Under the Dome: Robinson reduces damages in suit against CNN; hearing date set for after election
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Caitlyn Yaede.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson reduced the amount of legal damages he is requesting from CNN after its bombshell report on posts the network said Robinson had made to porn websites.
The Republican candidate for governor amended his lawsuit against CNN on Monday to seek in excess of $25,000. The suit, originally filed on Oct. 15, requested “no less than fifty million dollars” in damages.
As The Assembly reported, this language violates a section of North Carolina state law, which states that pleas demanding more than $25,000 in damages should not specify the amount.
The lawsuit was amended on Monday to request damages, “in an amount to be proven at trial, in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars.”
A spokesperson from Robinson’s campaign gave a statement to Queen City News: “North Carolina state courts limit plaintiffs to stating in a complaint whether the damages are more than $25,000. The exact amount of damages will be determined by a jury at trial. We have every confidence that the jury will get it right.”
The first hearing in the defamation lawsuit is slated for Nov. 18 — two weeks after the gubernatorial election.
REALITY CHECK: ‘HURRICANE HELENE PEOPLE FINDER’
A Google Doc featuring the names of more than 4,000 people is circulating online, claiming to represent those missing following Hurricane Helene. Brian Gordon reports how this inflated estimate has fueled conspiracy theories on social media.
While the document includes a note that it “is NOT an official source” and not associated with “any county, state or federal agency, nor the American Red Cross,” viral posts on X and TikTok cast doubts on Gov. Roy Cooper’s statements and the media’s coverage of the disaster.
The News & Observer was able to account for two individuals on the list — Karen Bruggemann and Summer Broadbent, whose names were submitted by concerned family members.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reports 26 missing people and 96 deaths, as of Monday.
WEBSITE NAMED FOR RALEIGH FLAGGED BY INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
A news website titled the “Raleigh Herald” was named in a report from the FBI and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency last week.
The PSA listed websites suspected of or that are likely to be the subject of Russian interference, in regard to election information. It includes websites like “washingtonpost.pm” and “foxnews.in,” which pose as official news organizations to disseminate misinformation.
The URL leads to a WordPress site named for North Carolina’s capital, but only featuring global and national news stories.
POLL WATCH
Polling released on Tuesday from High Point University shows a tight race for the presidency in North Carolina. Kamala Harris received support from 47% of those polled by HPU, with Donald Trump receiving 46%.
This same poll shows a strong lead for Josh Stein in the race for governor — polling at 50% of those surveyed, compared to Mark Robinson’s 34%.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
The largest DMV office in Western North Carolina reopened on Monday following Hurricane Helene. The driver’s license office serves Buncombe County and was closed due to water shortages, Richard Stradling reports, and it remains under a boil water advisory.
Donald Trump stopped in Greensboro for a rally Tuesday night. This comes after the former president paid visits to Swannanoa, Greenville and Concord on Monday. Avi Bajpai has more.
N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore took the stage with Trump in Swannanoa on Monday and claimed the White House did not reach out about Helene relief. Uncovered emails reveal that this is not true. The Observer’s Mary Ramsey has the details.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office says it overcounted the number of deaths in the county following Hurricane Helene, The Associated Press reports. In a statement Tuesday, officials said they incorrectly reported 72 deaths on Oct 3. Instead, the state estimates that Buncombe County had 42 deaths.
NPR reports that a North Carolina state judge has ruled against the Republican National Committee’s request to set aside the ballots of some overseas voters. This ruling came down on Monday — the same day a Michigan state judge dismissed a similar case brought by the RNC.
VOTER GUIDE
In the latest candidate questionnaires from our 2024 NC Voter Guide, see what candidates for U.S. House District 14 have to say about the issues, and learn more about their biographies.
Two candidates answered our questions:
Today’s newsletter was by Caitlyn Yaede. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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