Latest Stories By Paul Specht

Showing 1-12 of 18 items
JeffJacksonGrateful

AdWatch: Dan Bishop claims Jeff Jackson ‘embraced’ a sex offender. Here’s the context.

Republicans are accusing U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, the Democratic nominee for North Carolina attorney general, of embracing and praising a child sex offender. Jackson and Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop are in a tight race for attorney general, a position currently held by Democrat Josh Stein, who’s running for governor. Bishop’s campaign is airing a […]
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ChimneyRockAP

Fact-checking 5 misleading claims about Helene relief efforts in North Carolina

A surge of misinformation has bubbled up as federal and state agencies and officials have led relief efforts for people affected by Hurricane Helene’s deadly storm system. In North Carolina, government officials declared 25 of the state’s 100 counties disaster areas after the storm swept across the state’s western region last week — causing record […]
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Border Patrol talking to a group of migrants 06-05-2024

Are noncitizens straining North Carolina services? Here are the facts.

If you listen to some politicians, North Carolina — located more than 1,000 miles away from Mexico — has become a border state because of the Biden administration’s immigration policies. North Carolina’s airwaves are carrying political advertisements for Republican candidates, showing images of people jumping fences and walking across arid land. North Carolina Republicans in […]
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Roy Cooper for lieutenant governor explainer, 7-28-2024

Does Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson become governor if Gov. Roy Cooper leaves the state?

For the past few years, North Carolina Democrats have worried every time Gov. Roy Cooper has left the state — fearful that Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson would seize the opportunity as acting governor to issue executive orders and help the GOP-led legislature quickly pass conservative laws. Sometimes Cooper has even left in secret, not telling […]
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Joe Biden and Hunter Biden in SC leaving church 8-13-22

Trump and some in GOP are promoting a Biden bribery allegation. It is from 2020 and unverified.

Days after former President Donald Trump was indicted on federal charges that he mishandled classified documents, he told supporters that the timing was intentional. “It is also no coincidence that these charges against me came down the very same day evidence revealed Joe Biden took a $5 million bribe from Ukraine,” he said June 13 in […]
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A voter guide to North Carolina’s Senate primaries

Quick take North Carolina, a state with a divided but slightly Republican-leaning electorate, is playing host to one of the key U.S. Senate contests — the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr. Election Day is May 17. While polls have been scarce, former President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, seems […]
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BurrDukeWRAL

The race for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat: A guide

Quick take North Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2008 – and the party may need that to change this year in order to keep control of the chamber. The Senate is evenly divided, and public opinion polling suggests Republicans have the momentum to win a majority in this year’s midterm […]
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COVID vaccine vial

The ‘shaking’ COVID-19 vaccine side-effect videos and what we know about them

Videos circulating on Facebook and other social media purport to show women shaking violently after receiving the coronavirus vaccine. The videos highlight the cases of two people who say they received two different COVID-19 vaccines. The posts were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read […]
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In NC, can someone commit voter fraud using only ‘a phone book’?

Republicans in North Carolina are upset that a federal judge struck down a law requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polls. In 2018, voters approved the idea of photo ID through a referendum to amend the state constitution. Lawmakers then crafted a new law. About a year later, a judge blocked it […]
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Reports of the ‘born alive’ abortion scenario are rare

North Carolina's "Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act" would require medical professionals to provide life-saving care specifically to infants who survive an abortion and to report instances of such births. Supporters fear that doctors allow infants to die.

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March for Life DC

Fact-checking claims about abortion and the ‘born alive’ bill

Republicans and Democrats have made misleading claims about the "Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act."

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DowlessWattorney

McConnell falsely suggests GOP forecast the type of election fraud found in NC

In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used the election fraud case in North Carolina as a springboard to talk about how Republicans "for years" called for common sense safeguards against "voter fraud."

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Showing 1-12 of 18 items