https://dailyhaymaker.com/whatley-screwing-up-task-trump-assigned-him/ Posted on October 26, 2025 by Brant Clifton I tell ya — Donald Trump would have zero patience for something like this on his old TV show ‘The Apprentice.’ The president appointed unaccomplished schlub Michael Whatley to head the hurricane relief effort in western North Carolina.  Less than a year later, Republicans AND Democrats are calling for Whatley’s immediate and complete removal from the relief effort: Hurricane Helene recovery czar Michael Whatley is blaming Democrats for the growing chorus of criticism over his job performance — but in heavily Republican Western North Carolina, it’s not just Democratic voices calling for Whatley to be replaced or step down.[…] Let’s see.  The GOP controls the federal government’s executive branch and all of its associated bureaucracies. There are GOP majorities in both chambers of the Congress.  And it’s THE DEMOCRATS’ fault ???? […] “It’s kind of funny to say ‘step down,’ because I never saw him step up,” said Margaret Ackiss, a member of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District executive committee. On Sept. 27, 2024, Hurricane?Helene inflicted what is estimated to be  roughly $60 billion in damage across Western North Carolina, including the destruction and partial loss of thousands of homes — more than 73,000 at last estimate — and over 1,300 roads and bridges. Six months after the storm , local governments in Western North Carolina reported receiving little or no federal reimbursement, with only 4% of needs met. More recently, near the one-year anniversary, Gov. Josh Stein said that figure had grown to 9%. In an audio clip of a brief exchange recorded at a recent event provided to The Smoky Mountain News, Whatley, who President Donald Trump placed in charge of Helene recovery and “ making sure everything goes well ” back on Jan. 24, acknowledged the criticism. “What they’re trying to say is that the president has not done a good job in terms of recovery, and therefore I’ve not done a good job,” Whatley said on the tape. “The fact is, $6.5 billion in relief [is what] we’ve brought into North Carolina since President Trump was sworn in. ” Local governments, homeowners and small businesses, however, are still waiting on the remaining $54 billion, nearly nine months after Whatley’s appointment as recovery czar.Whatley’s recorded comments came after more than 120 people from 17 counties across the Helene-impacted region signed a letter demanding Whatley be removed from his position.“Michael Whatley has failed us and forgotten about us,” the letter states. “We have spoken out for months, because we simply cannot stay silent and let his failure continue to hurt our communities. Both Democrats and Republicans  have called out the sluggish response. It’s clear that Whatley just isn’t up to the task.” Addressed to FEMA Review Council co-chairs Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth, the letter accuses Whatley of “failing to deliver pre-approved, promised federal relief funds” and “forgetting about” the communities he was appointed to help. It cites sluggish federal reimbursements , lingering infrastructure damage and a lack of public engagement from Whatley as reasons for their discontent. In September, during his first known visit to the region since his appointment — a meeting of the FEMA Review Council that wasn’t open to the public or the press — Whatley  told  Sinclair-owned ABC affiliate WLOS he felt recovery was “going really well at this point.” The FEMA Review Council , established by Trump on the same day he appointed Whatley, is a collection of state and federal leaders charged with presenting a report to the president containing recommendations for FEMA reform. The report is due within 180 days of the council’s first meeting on May 4 — mid-November — but Whatley indicated that like recovery efforts in general, that report is also running behind. “We’re going to wrap up the report to the president in December,” Whatley is heard to say on the recording. “Frankly, you know, the people that are calling on me [to step down] like you said, are the Democrats.”Ackiss, a lifelong Republican who only recently saw the letter but would have signed it had she known about it, said that Helene recovery should be a non-partisan issue and that Whatley’s attempt to blame Democrats isn’t reflective of Appalachian values. “This is a human issue. I have friends on both sides of the aisle, although I’m a Republican. When catastrophes happen, I don’t care what party you’re in — we help the people on the ground,” said Ackiss, who claims 10 generations of roots in the region. “To me, it was completely disappointing to see Michael Whatley and many others who espouse themselves to be Republicans not step up and help the people involved in this.”[…] On Oct. 21, Whatley spoke with The Smoky Mountain News as he was on his way to a meeting with Department of Homeland Security officials about Helene recovery. He said he was aware of the letter calling for his ouster.“I’m disappointed,” he said of the letter, “because what we’re trying to do is make sure that we are getting relief into Western North Carolina, and I’m surprised that people would not want somebody to help champion that cause.”  Whatley argued that the federal response has been stronger than critics acknowledge, citing the $6.5 billion in federal relief already delivered to North Carolina as the most ever provided to the state after any storm. He broke that figure down into specific streams — $440 million from the EPA for wastewater and water treatment systems, more than $1 billion in block grant funds from the Department of Transportation and housing assistance through HUD.“The President was very clear when he came to North Carolina in January and in October and said that he is not going to forget Western North Carolina,” he said. “The response that we have seen from the federal government so far has been a very major response. We are seeing roads that have been rebuilt, bridges that have been rebuilt, the debris has been for the most part completely removed, streams and waterways have been cleared and we are seeing construction on wastewater and drinking water systems. There has been a very major effort, but it is going to take years for Western North Carolina to recover. ” Pressed on why that total still represents only a fraction of the state’s estimated damage, Whatley said it’s unrealistic to expect full reimbursement from Washington. “The federal government is not going to be fully reimbursing for 100% of damage caused by any type of major catastrophe,” he said. “The states and the local governments do have a major role there, as well as private insurance. I think that they’re trying to say that 100% of all estimated costs have to be borne by the federal government. That’s not how that has happened traditionally in storm recovery.” “He also cited recent examples of bipartisan, localized, targeted relief, such as $10 million released to Asheville’s beleaguered water system — for a $23 million project with an $11.3 million FEMA ask, according to Whatley’s campaign — and additional money for reopening sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Whatley added.While conceding that “there are improvements that need to be made,” he said the Trump administration’s creation of the FEMA Review Council is intended to correct past inadequacies and streamline future responses. Even though they won’t likely help Helene victims, they could help victims of future disasters recovery more quickly, Whatley said. “What we saw in the immediate aftermath of that storm from the Biden administration and FEMA as well as Gov. Cooper, was an inadequate response,” he said. “What the president wants to do, and what I want to do, is make sure we have a much better response going forward.”[. ..] Wait. SO this job he got appointed to is NOT actually about helping western North Carolina ????   (*Good to know.*)

https://www.wistv.com/2025/11/10/north-carolina-dmv-incorrectly-registered-noncitizens-vote-federal-prosecutor-says/ CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - A Hispanic woman living in Charlotte didn’t know why a police officer and federal investigator showed up at her doorstep earlier this year to ask her questions about a voter registration she didn’t know she had. In partnership with QC Life’s Jorge Andrés , WBTV Investigates visited her home and spoke to the woman in Spanish to understand why her name had appeared in a federal prosecutor’s letter to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. “She had no idea until they reached out to her,” Andres said after speaking with the woman about the registration. The woman is legally in the United States, is not accused of any crime, and told WBTV she had no knowledge at the time of what happened. For her protection and at her request, WBTV is not identifying the woman. She is one of six noncitizens that U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson is accusing the DMV of illegally registering to vote. In nearly all the cases, according to records obtained by WBTV, it did not appear to investigators that the people registered had any knowledge of what had happened. According to online voter records, none of them used their registration to vote. “She did say she was surprised and she wanted to fix the errors,” Andres said of the woman’s conversation with investigators. “She said that it was an investigator that led the correction of the error.” US attorney accuses DMV of voter registration errors Russ Ferguson, appointed in March by Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, first alerted the DMV in July that his office had learned of several noncitizens registered to vote. “We have encountered a number of ineligible individuals who have registered to vote at the DMV but have no knowledge of doing so,” Ferguson wrote in the letter obtained by WBTV. “Consistently, they report they were simply presented a form to sign by a DMV employee. That form is presented in English, even though many of these individuals do not speak sufficient English. Most of them recalled signing an electronic block at the DMV, but believed it was part of the process to obtain a driver’s license.” In a separate letter, Ferguson provided several names and asked the DMV to investigate how the registrations had happened. DMV said ‘no systemic issues’ uncovered after investigation In response to the letter, DMV Commissioner Paul Tine – who declined through a spokesperson to interview for this story – told Ferguson that the agency had investigated and had not uncovered any systemic issues in their processes. In some of the cases, a DMV examiner had incorrectly marked the applicant as a U.S. citizen, Tine wrote. Other cases, he said, were a “system error.” In some cases, the DMV corrected the error in their systems, but the registration had already been sent to a county board to finish processing. The DMV does not directly register voters themselves; in accordance with federal law , DMVs across the country offer a voter the opportunity to register and then send that application to the appropriate election agency, which completes the registration. At the heart of the issue identified by Ferguson is the box on a voter registration form that asks a person to verify that they are a U.S. citizen. That box was sometimes incorrectly checked by a DMV examiner, Tine said, or in other cases incorrectly selected by the person “We take our role in the voter registration process seriously and will continue to assist the State Board of Elections in meeting their mission,” a DMV spokesperson told WBTV. US attorney, DMV clash on whether issues are sign of systemic problem In follow-up letters over the ensuing months, Ferguson and Tine have clashed on whether the registration errors identified are part of a larger problem. “Although your letter claims your investigation ‘did not reveal any systemic issues,’ you found issues with all five voters in the limited sample I identified,” Ferguson wrote in September. In that letter, he also identified a sixth name that had come to his attention that he asked the DMV to investigate. “You say two of those issues were due to ‘examiner oversight,’ but it appears all five issues could have been avoided by [DMV] examiner attention.” In Tine’s most recent response, dated Oct. 28, he maintained that numerous systems are in place that safeguard the vast majority of people registering to vote. “The small number of erroneous voter registrations that your office has identified supports the notion that the DMV’s standard protocols are effective,” Tine wrote. “While the ideal number of erroneous voter registrations would, of course, be zero, six out of the millions of applications the DMV has processed is an exceedingly low error rate.” In that letter, Tine also outlined several steps the DMV would take to ensure similar errors didn’t happen in the future, including enhanced training for examiners. Separate efforts already underway at the DMV to hire more examiners and modernize outdated software would also help eliminate errors in the future, Tine wrote. NCSBE demands Social Security numbers in response The controversy has led to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, where executive director Sam Hayes is now pressing the DMV to share full social security numbers with his agency so they can crosscheck voter rolls for noncitizens registered incorrectly. “We don’t have those here,” Hayes said in an interview with WBTV. “To the extent we’ve collected any, we have only collected the last four.” When pressed on whether there would be privacy concerns with a state agency possessing complete social security numbers that normally does not collect them, Hayes pointed to numerous other government agencies that collect and retain Social Security numbers. “I’m not about the business of just giving out my [personally identifiable information] either,” Hayes said. “But they should understand that government agencies use this data all the time for things like voter list maintenance.” The DMV has not provided those numbers yet, a spokesperson for the North Carolina State Board of Elections confirmed in November. “That would greatly improve our efforts at voter list maintenance here and would go a long way to making sure that we don’t have non-citizens on our voter rolls,” Hayes said. In Tine’s most recent letter to Ferguson, he said the DMV was exploring whether they could lawfully share that information with the State Board of Elections. Personal implications of registration errors For the members of the Hispanic community caught up in the controversy, their goals are to cooperate and correct the problems. WBTV attempted to reach the people named and successfully contacted two of them. A young man also named in Ferguson’s letter told WBTV over the phone that the DMV had never contacted him about the error. His local board of elections reached out recently, he said, and helped him get it fixed. Ferguson said in a statement that he did not plan to criminally prosecute the people involved. “They had no criminal intent and were victims of a failed DMV system,” a spokesperson for Ferguson said. “The U.S Attorney is more focused on fixing the problem at the DMV than prosecuting individuals working at the DMV but will continue to track these issues.” But the DMV’s errors could leave people vulnerable, Andres pointed out, who is himself a recently naturalized U.S. citizen after an expensive, yearslong process. “If [the DMV] made a mistake and it was a random checkmark that has the potential of derailing a process that you’ve been doing for years?” Andres said. “You don’t do that.” He spoke from the experience of a person who waited 35 years and spent tens of thousands of dollars to gain his citizenship. “Any sort of blemish you have on your record when you’re going through this process is zoomed in with a magnifying glass. And it can be a speeding ticket, and they’re like, ‘Nope.’ It’s that important. There’s that much pressure on it,” Andres explained. Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Chuck Schumer’s Political Stunt Falls Flat Jessica Anderson Nov 13 The government is reopened. Last night, the bill passed the Senate and the House, and President Trump signed it into law. Funding will resume for critical programs, Air Traffic Control officers will get paid before the holiday season begins, and American families will breathe a sigh of relief. 44 days ago, Democrats began this shutdown, opposing funding levels though a continuing resolution (CR) they previously supported 13 times under President Biden. Their initial demands included taxpayer funds for illegal aliens and it quickly became clear this shutdown was a political stunt to help Chuck Schumer avoid a primary challenger from the Left. In July, Republicans cut off taxpayer-funded health care for illegal aliens with the One Big Beautiful Bill — watch JD Vance explain it — but illegal aliens were receiving free health care via Medicaid and through hospital services. In September, Democrats refused to vote for any government funding bill that did not return taxpayer funding for illegal immigrants. For the Democrats, it apparently didn’t matter that essential federal workers went without paychecks. It didn’t matter that foster care programs were losing resources or veterans’ programs were being cut back. In fact, some even protested the Trump administration’s efforts to ensure U.S. troops were paid. Democrats in Congress voted 15 times to keep the government shut down, all because the funding bill did not bring back taxpayer handouts for illegal aliens. Senate and House Democrats were not shy about their strategy to inflict pain for political gain. Chuck Schumer famously said , “every day gets better for us.” Representative Katherine Clark – a member of Democratic leadership in the House – said , “Of course there will be families that are going to suffer... but it is one of the few leverage times we have.” Now, at the end of the shutdown, despite using suffering American families as “leverage,” it appears that Democrats failed to accomplish any of their goals. 2026 battleground Senate Democrat Jon Ossoff voted against the deal to reopen the government, reaffirming his loyalty to the radical parts of the Democratic Party, and 2026 Senate hopeful Roy Cooper all but admitted he would have done the same. Though it took over 40 days – and conveniently after last week’s elections – 8 Senate Democrats finally came to their senses and joined with Senate Republicans to help reopen the federal government. What Comes Next The current package is a three-bill “minibus” that funds the Department of Agriculture, FDA, Veterans Affairs, military construction, and congressional operations for the fiscal year. Every other agency will be funded until January 30, meaning that the appropriations process is not yet finished. Democrats will also continue to push for a vote on Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Meanwhile, the 2026 midterm elections are getting closer each day. As Democrats focus their messaging around the ACA, Republicans must stay focused on delivering a clear and disciplined message on affordability – when it comes to health care and everyday life. We should remind voters why it’s called Obamacare in the first place as it harkens back to the original authors of our failing health care system—Obama and the Democrat Party. The first lie of Obamacare was “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it.” Politifact named this failed promise from Obama as their 2013 “Lie of the year.” Now that families have lost their previous health care plans and been forced onto the Obamacare exchanges, they’ve learned the second big lie: it’s not affordable! Through the ACA, Democrats created the problems we see today with health care, and they’ve done nothing to fix it since. They would rather subsidize the problem than solve it. In essence, they want to hide the true costs of Obamacare, hiding the truth from all Americans. Similarly to health care, Democrats’ tax, regulation, and free-handout policies drove up prices throughout the economy. With a bloated bureaucracy and out-of-control federal spending, Democrats skyrocketed inflation and created the economic problems President Trump and Republicans are working to fix. Republicans already took a major step to improve health care for Americans in 2025 — with the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), they protected Medicare from becoming insolvent and cut off funding for illegal aliens. The working class tax cuts in this bill also helps families alleviate some of the continued pain they feel from Bidenflation.Through executive action and legislation, President Trump and Congressional Republicans have worked all year and secured our border. This is a first step in returning jobs to Americans and improving the average working wage. Enforcing our immigration laws decreases the pressure on housing while reducing crime, which makes more neighborhoods family-friendly. Safe neighborhoods are a key ingredient for strong families and successful businesses, and so President Trump has deployed the National Guard to several cities in an effort to reduce crime and by extension, promote economic growth. One of the best things the government can do to promote the well-being of Americans is to enforce law and order — at its core, protecting individual liberty and property rights IS the role of the government. This government shutdown shows just how important it is for Republicans to grow their Senate majority, send politicians like Jon Ossoff home, and prevent radicals like Roy Cooper from taking office. A party that is willing to see American families suffer just to accomplish a political goal should not be trusted with more power in Congress. Remember, Donald Trump won 31 states in 2024 — giving us the first roadmap to securing a 60 seat Senate majority. In 2026, we can pick up additional Senate seats in Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire. Followed by additional pick-up opportunities in 2028! With 60 Senators, Republicans can do a whole lot more than just keep the government funded.

How Can We Best Support Our Veterans? Video: The Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient

https://www.newsbreak.com/share/4329681272076-proposed-68-3-increase-in-dwelling-insurance-rates-could-impact-local-property-owners?_f=app_share&pd=08yXCuIP&lang=en_US&send_time=1762362117&trans_data=%7B%22platform%22%3A0%2C%22cv%22%3A%2225.44.0.36%22%2C%22languages%22%3A%22en%22%7D&s=i4 The North Carolina Rate Bureau has requested a 68.3% average statewide increase in dwelling insurance policy rates. The proposed increase would take effect over two years, with a 28.5% rise on July 1, 2026, and a 30.9% rise on July 1, 2027. The Rate Bureau represents insurance companies and is separate from the N.C. Department of Insurance. The proposal was submitted on October 30, 2025. Dwelling insurance policies cover non-owner-occupied residences with up to four units, such as rental and investment properties. These policies are different from homeowners’ insurance. In July 2023, the last rate filing requested a 50.6% increase, but an 8% increase was approved after negotiations. The Department of Insurance is accepting public comments on the current proposal by email or mail until November 19, 2025. If the Department does not agree with the requested rates, negotiations will take place. If no agreement is reached within 50 days, a hearing will be scheduled.

NC Administrative Code:  Fixing the Rules Members of the public may comment on the State Board’s initial determination that the rules are necessary in any of the following ways through October 17, 2025. https://www.nceit.org/post/immediate-action-nc-administrative-code-fixing-the-rules-due-friday-oct-17th-11-59am

SUGGESTIONS for changes to H 958   https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/Bills/House/PDF/H958v3.pdf 1. CONTRIBUTIONS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS - SECTION 5.3.(a) G.S. 163-278.6 , (52 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:                                                                                                                       (page 19) The term "foreign national" means any of the following: a. An individual who is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the 21 United States. b. A government of a foreign country, or any political subdivision thereof. c. A foreign political party. d. Any person that is organized under the law of, or has its principal place of business in, a foreign country. e. Any person organized and operating in the United States that is wholly  or majority owned by a foreign national or combination of foreign nationals unless both of the following apply:    1. Any contribution or expenditure the person lawfully makes derives entirely from funds generated by operations in the United States.    2. All decisions concerning the contribution or expenditure are made by individuals who are United States citizens or lawful permanent residents, except for setting overall budget  amounts."   SECTION 5.3.(g) G.S. 163-278.19A reads as rewritten: "§ 163-278.19A. Contributions allowed.         Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, Except as provided in G.S.163-278.19C, it is lawful for any person as defined in G.S. 163-278.6(72) to contribute to a referendum committee."

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/10/dominion-voting-systems-sold-liberty-vote-missouri/ Dominion Voting Systems was sold to Missouri’s Knowink, based in St. Louis and run by a former Republican election official. Knowink is headquartered in St. Louis and was founded by Scott Leiendecker. KnowInk is changing its name to Liberty Vote .

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 H958-PCS30501-CMe-21 House Bill 958 Page 13 1 Page 12 REQUIRE APPLICANTS TO PROVIDE FULL SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON VOTER REGISTRATION FORM SECTION 2.13.(a) G.S. 163-82.4 reads as rewritten:  "§ 163-82.4. Contents of application form.  (a) Information Requested of Applicant. – The form required by G.S. 163-82.3(a) shall request the applicant's:   all of the following from the applicant : (1) Name , Full Legal   Name.   (2) Date of birth ,birth. (3) Residence address, address. (4) County of residence, residence. (5) Date of application, application. (6) Gender, Gender. (7) Race, Race. (8) Ethnicity, Ethnicity. (9) Political party affiliation, if any, in accordance with subsection (d) of this section, section.  (10) Telephone number (to assist the county board of elections  in contacting the voter if needed in processing the application,) application) .  (11) Drivers license number or,   number , if the applicant does not have   has  a drivers license number, the last four digits of the applicant's social security number,  number. (12) and any   Any other information the State Board finds is necessary to enable officials of the county where the person resides to satisfactorily process the application. (13)   The   In addition, the  form shall require the applicant to provide the applicant's full social security number   and (14) require the applicant to state whether the applicant is  currently registered to vote anywhere, and at what address, so that any prior registration can be cancelled. (15) require proof of citizenship The portions of the form concerning race and ethnicity shall include as a choice any category shown by the most recent decennial federal census to compose at least one percent (1%) of the total population of North Carolina. The county board shall make a diligent effort to complete for the registration records any information requested on the form that the applicant does not complete, but no application shall be denied because an applicant does not state race, ethnicity, gender, or telephone number. The application shall conspicuously state that provision of the applicant's telephone number is optional. If the county board maintains voter records on computer, the free list provided under this subsection shall include telephone numbers if the county board enters the telephone number into its computer records of voters. (b) No Drivers License or Social Security Number Issued. – The State Board shall assign a unique identifier number to an applicant for voter registration if the applicant has not been issued either a current and valid drivers license or a social security  number. That unique identifier number shall serve to identify that applicant for voter registration purposes.