VOLUME 10 ISSUE 25 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025
NSJONLINE.COM
BRIAN WESTERHOLT / AP PHOTO
Three cheers for football The TopCats, the Carolina Panthers’ cheerleading squad, take the field before last Friday’s preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium. The NFL season is set to kick off Sept. 4, but college teams will begin play in just over a week.
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Duke facing government investigations
BRIEF this week
Nilsson ends Senate bid after Whatley joins race Raleigh Republican Andy Nilsson ended his bid for the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026 after Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley entered the race with President Donald Trump’s support. Nilsson, a former furniture company owner who once ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor, said in a news release that he had decided to suspend his campaign. Nilsson said Trump’s endorsement of Whatley “played a central role in my decision. I respect the President’s desire to go in a different direction, even if I have questions about his choice.” Republican Don Brown, a writer and former Navy officer, remains a candidate for the GOP nomination. Official candidate filing occurs in December.
The government is probing racial discrimination claims against the university
Boliek releases pair of DMV audits The reports cover long wait times, staffing shortages, employee burnout and recommended fixes By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor released two audits of the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles last week. One report is a 435-page performance audit, and the other is a 159-page information systems audit.
“I pledged to audit the DMV to get to the root cause of its failure, and the reports dealing with licensing procedures and information systems are now complete,” N.C. State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a press statement. “Our audit team has worked hard to find opportunities where the DMV can course correct and effectively serve North Carolina citizens.” The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor’s (OSA) performance audit shows customer and DMV employee See DMV, page A2
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Duke University, Duke Law Journal and Duke University School of Medicine are facing investigations from two federal agencies over alleged racial discrimination violations of Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) announcement and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ announcement were made July 28. A day later, $108 million in research funding to Duke was frozen by the National Institute of Health. According to both press releases, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health and Human Services Secre-
U.S. national debt reaches record $37T Washington, D.C. The U.S. government’s gross national debt has surpassed $37 trillion, a record number that highlights the accelerating debt on America’s balance sheet and increased cost pressures on taxpayers. The $37 trillion update is found in the latest Treasury Department report, which logs the nation’s daily finances, issued Tuesday. The national debt eclipsed $37 trillion years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing $37 trillion after fiscal year 2030, but the debt grew faster than expected because of the multiyear COVID-19 pandemic.
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NSJ publisher to join Trump’s ag department Neal Robbins was named deputy undersecretary for rural development By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North State Journal publisher Neal Robbins has been appointed deputy under secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a role that will place him in senior leaderNSJ PHOTO ship over tens of billions of dollars in housing, utility and com- Neal Robbins munity development programs serving rural America. His appointment was part of which included President Dona broader leadership announce- ald Trump’s nominations for ment by U.S. Secretary of Ag- several top USDA positions. riculture Brooke L. Rollins at last weekend’s Iowa State Fair, See ROBBINS, page A8
“Rural Development is at its best when it delivers affordable, accessible and commonsense solutions that truly change lives.” Neal Robbins
tary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a joint letter to Duke University leadership about their concerns over the school’s use of racial preferences in “hiring, admissions, and scholarship decisions.” The USDOE investigation into the university and its law journal was prompted by a recent Washington Free Beacon article that reported the Duke Law Journal provided a special packet exclusively to “affinity groups,” instructing minority students to emphasize their race and gender in personal statements for the journal’s competitive editor selection process for which they could be awarded “extra points.” The USDOE alleges Duke discriminates based on race, color and/or national origin by using these factors to select law journal members. “If Duke illegally gives preferential treatment to law journal or medical school applicants based on those students’ See DUKE, page A3