Free Republic

A video is going viral of a congressional candidate in North Carolina admitting she is truly a "progressive" even though she is running as a Republican. "Are you trying to trick people?" Katie Barr, who is running in North Carolina's 14th Congressional District, was asked on a podcast called "The Hometown Holler." "If you go on the campaign website, above the fold as they call it, is like, 'I'm not a real Republican.' Like, I am telling people the truth. I knock on a door and say, ‘I am running in the Republican primary, but I am not a Republican,...

When asked whether Martin still served in the role, a Justice Department spokesman told NBC News that he continued on in a separate role, as pardon attorney. Trump loyalist Ed Martin is out as leader of the Justice Department’s “weaponization” effort that is investigating prosecutors who launched past probes into President Donald Trump and his allies, two people familiar with the discussions tell NBC News. When asked whether Martin still served in the role, a Justice Department spokesman told NBC News that Martin continued to serve in a separate role, as pardon attorney.“President Trump appointed Ed Martin as Pardon Attorney...

Nahro Sudoi Innab "came here to take advantage of the American dream, but he has repeatedly tried to hire thugs to murder his perceived enemies," the U.S. Justice Department said. A federal jury convicted Nahro Sudoi Innab, 70, of Rocky Mount, N.C., on three counts of making interstate calls to plan new murders while the Palestinian immigrant was in jail awaiting a prison term after pleading guilty to having tried to murder other people. He faces up to 30 years in prison for the new convictions. “This Palestinian immigrant came here to take advantage of the American dream, but he...

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) compared Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller to fictional villains on Friday, calling them both a “sycophant” as tensions rise over the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. “A sycophant is more than just a ‘yes-man,’” Tillis wrote in a lengthy post on social platform X. “It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage.” He added, “They aren’t just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that’s a promotion, social status or favor.”...

Sen. Thom Tillis said Friday that he will oppose President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair until the criminal probe of the current Chair Jerome Powell is “fully” resolved. “Protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve from political interference or legal intimidation is non-negotiable,” the North Carolina Republican said in a statement on X. Tillis, who is set to retire, vowed earlier this month to oppose any new nominee for the Fed until the Department of Justice’s controversial investigation of Powell is completed. Tillis is a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee,...

Thom Tillis has always said that he hates the camera. Then he announced his retirement last year. Now, the moderate Republican from North Carolina cannot stop making headlines. In a fiery floor speech earlier this year, Tillis said he was leaving the Senate to remove himself from any “boundaries I should have in expressing my concern and creating complications for my campaign” and Senate Republicans maintaining the majority. His retirement, which he announced last June, allows him to “speak truth” to President Donald Trump about White House policies and advice from Trump’s staff, he said earlier this month. But, the...

Most in the GOP are silent or backing the Trump administration, but a conspicuous few are speaking out. A small but growing number of Republicans are raising public concerns about the killing Saturday of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by federal agents.Hours after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street, one House GOP chair called for the top ICE leader and other Trump administration officials to publicly answer lawmakers’ questions. GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina called for independent probes into the shooting, with Cassidy arguing the integrity...

(This story has been updated to reflect that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer and administrative warrant for Aguilar.) SALISBURY — The identities of the two people killed when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver on Friday night have been released. Twenty-year-old Fletcher Mark Daniel Harris, from Catawba, and 19-year-old Skylar Nichole Provenza, from Statesville, were both killed in a crash on Amity Hill Road at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Friday night. The crash occurred as the two were traveling northeast in a Honda Accord and were struck head-on by a Chevy Silverado that had crossed...

Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper holds a commanding double-digit lead in the latest poll of North Carolina's closely watched Senate race, which is seen as one of Democrats' best pickup opportunities in the 2026 midterm elections. The new survey data released Monday by Tipp Insights for the League of American Workers shows Cooper with 48 percent compared to 24 percent who support former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley. An additional 27 percent are undecided.

FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr., and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Chief Estella D. Patterson announce the capture of Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo. Castillo was seen on surveillance video crossing the border from Nogales, Arizona, into Mexico, on August 16, 2016. For nearly ten years, special agents and CMPD task force officers in Charlotte have worked countless hours to develop leads to locate Castillo, ultimately uncovering where he has been hiding the past several years. Castillo was captured in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, on January 16, 2026. The FBI’s Law Enforcement Attache Office...

Customs and Border Protection agents began an immigration enforcement operation Saturday in Charlotte. Leaders of North Carolina's largest city have said the federal operation is causing fear and uncertainty. Charlotte real estate agent Tabatha Andonian has been tracking federal agent sightings and sharing information with the city's Latino community. “Right now, I’m just driving around to see if I spot any vehicles that are ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), seeing if they have out-of-state plates,” she said.

President Donald Trump will face an important obstacle — from within his own party — as he seeks to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Sunday he will block any Trump appointees to the central bank, including for the new chair, in light of revelations over the weekend that the Justice Department is investigating Powell for potential perjury charges. “If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none. It is now the independence and credibility of...

Wednesday on CNN’s “The Lead,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller’s comments that Greenland should be a U.S. territory were “unacceptable.” Host Jake Tapper said, “So do you want Stephen Miller to lose his job?’ Tillis said, “Either Stephen Miller needs to get into a lane where he knows what he’s talking about or get out of his job. The reason why I thought it was important for me to make a comment on the floor is I’ve been the Republican leader of the Senate NATO observer Group since 2018. There is no...

'The subject was directly inspired to act by ISIS'A horrifying ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on New Year's Eve was thwarted by the FBI and its law enforcement partners. FBI charlotte says the potential terrorist attack would have taken place in North Carolina. A horrifying ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on New Year's Eve was thwarted by the FBI and its law enforcement partners. FBI charlotte says the potential terrorist attack would have taken place in North Carolina. In a post on X, FBI Charlotte wrote: "#BREAKING The #FBI and our law enforcement partners thwarted a potential terrorist attack on New Year's Eve in...

Starting this week, sex in North Carolina will be defined only as male and female. It’s part of a law that’s already in effect, but this specific provision goes into effect on Thursday, with the start of the new year. The provision in House Bill 805 defines sex as only male and female and says those definitions should be based on biological sex, not gender ideology. The bill says gender identity “Shall not be treated as legally or biologically equivalent to sex.” While on the floor in July, the bill was debated heavily. Democrats originally supported the bill as it...

A 33-year-old Wilmington man named Eliot Watkins was reported to be unclothed and causing damage to hotel property; he was also reported approaching hotel guests in the lobby. Police located him in a nearby wooded area, where he ran into a retention pond. The suspect was noted to have kicked an officer during the arrest.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - A plane crash at an airport in Iredell County resulted in multiple deaths on Thursday, the sheriff confirmed. The Cessna C550 airplane crashed at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 18. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CBS News that six people were aboard the plane. It was not immediately clear whether there were any survivors. A picture from the airport showed the plane in a massive ball of flames after it crashed on the runway. Flight tracking records showed a Cessna 550 that took off from Statesville Regional Airport at 10:06 a.m. is...

Multiple people are feared dead after a private jet crashed and exploded into flames on Thursday at a North Carolina airport frequented by NASCAR teams and Fortune 500 companies. The Cessna C550 plane went down at Statesville Regional Airport at about 10:15 a.m, authorities said. Footage shot by WSOC-TV captured the aircraft entirely engulfed in flames as emergency crews rushed onto the runway. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were onboard but the local sheriff’s office said there were a number of fatalities. The airport is owned by the city and “provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and...

Sharing a meme against President Trump in response to a memorial for assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk cost a Tennessee man his liberty for 37 days, which in turn got him fired. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which is representing Larry Bushart, told Just the News on Tuesday it's still prepping a lawsuit on his behalf. The Alliance Defending Freedom beat FIRE to court in response to another alleged criminal investigation of speech related to Kirk in neighboring North Carolina, alleging a school district known for a Supreme Court precedent on school busing sanctioned an unidentified high school...

The Charlotte City Council is being slammed for approving $3.4 million to hire a PR company to clean up the reputation of their public transportation after a string of recent stabbings. The city’s latest action comes after two widely-publicized stabbings, including one that ended fatally on Charlotte’s train system and sparked a national conversation on rising crime and lax prosecution in urban areas of the country. On Tuesday, Republican North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris called out the “pro-crime Democrats in Charlotte” for spending the cash on “misleading ads” rather than choosing to “invest in REAL safety to prevent another tragedy...