Brandon Kingdollar

On NC State’s campus, hundreds of students protest as fears of ICE persist • NC Newsline As final exams approach at N.C. State, stress over studies has been overtaken for some by fear of the federal immigration crackdown in Raleigh.

As final exams approach at NC State, stress over studies has been overtaken for some by fear of the federal immigration crackdown in Raleigh. ncnewsline.com/2025/11/21/o... Story by @kingdollar.bsky.social #ncpol #NCSU #Raleigh

‘They basically just kidnapped me’: US citizen taken by Border Patrol in Cary • NC Newsline As Border Patrol agents swept the Triangle area, a construction worker born in the U.S. was among those detained.

The first thing Border Patrol agents asked 18-year-old Fernando Vazquez was “Where are you from?”

Read how a U.S. citizen in Cary was handcuffed and detained amid the immigration crackdown in North Carolina:

Protests, warnings across the Triangle as federal Border Patrol agents begin immigration crackdown • NC Newsline NC residents protested as Border Patrol agents, spotted at businesses throughout the Triangle, began detaining people.

Hundreds turned out in Durham and Raleigh Tuesday night to protest federal immigration actions critics say are indiscriminately targeting communities of color. Story by @lbonner.bsky.social and @galenb.bsky.social #nc #Raleigh #Durham

BREAKING: Trump administration unveils plan to try to dismantle Department of Education • NC Newsline President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Tuesday in trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing six total inter-agency agreements signed with other departments tha...

BREAKING: Trump administration unveils plan to try to dismantle Department of Education ncnewsline.com/2025/11/18/r... By @statesnewsroom.com #ncpol #nced

Stein announces $1B rare earth magnet plant in Johnston County • NC Newsline The small town of Benson, North Carolina is about to become home to the largest magnet factory in the world outside of China. Gov. Josh Stein announced Tuesday that North Carolina-based defense contra...

A small town of 4,000 in Johnston County will soon be home to the largest magnet factory in the world outside of China.

Read more about the new Vulcan Elements plant coming to Benson, NC:

Gov. Stein’s response to those who say large-scale ICE raids are necessary for safety: “This is causing widespread fear, widespread uncertainty. This is not about public safety, and I wish that it were.”

“They are operating in the shadows.” Stein condemns ICE operations in North Carolina cities for stopping and detaining individuals based on skin color.

As ICE raids target Charlotte and Raleigh, Gov. Josh Stein says the White House has told the state nothing about the ongoing immigration operations. #ncpol #ice #northcarolina

NC politicians have flocked to the hemp industry. This former governor is one of them. • NC Newsline Set to be banned next year, recreational hemp products have attracted interest and investments from influential figures in both parties.

NC politicians have flocked to the hemp industry. This former governor is one of them. ncnewsline.com/2025/11/17/n... #ncpol #hemp @kingdollar.bsky.social

NC politicians have flocked to the hemp industry. This former governor is one of them. • NC Newsline Set to be banned next year, recreational hemp products have attracted interest and investments from influential figures in both parties.

The North Carolina hemp industry has a surprising new face: former Gov. Bev Perdue, who in an ad for her son’s company says she takes the products herself.

‘We can’t really pivot’: North Carolina hemp stores, farms prepare to fight federal ban • NC Newsline North Carolina hemp business owners and their counterparts across the U.S. are bracing for a 2026 ban and advocating to reverse it.

The hemp ban that was tucked into the stopgap funding agreement to end the federal government shutdown could have dramatic consequences for this growing industry. Newsline's @kingdollar.bsky.social spoke to hemp business owners in North Carolina who are now scrambling to respond. #NC #Hemp

‘We can’t really pivot’: North Carolina hemp stores, farms prepare to fight federal ban • NC Newsline North Carolina hemp business owners and their counterparts across the U.S. are bracing for a 2026 ban and advocating to reverse it.

With a ban on most hemp-based cannabinoid products set to take effect in 2026, hemp business owners in North Carolina are scrambling to respond. ncnewsline.com/2025/11/14/w... Story by @kingdollar.bsky.social #ncpol #Hemp

‘We can’t really pivot’: North Carolina hemp stores, farms prepare to fight federal ban • NC Newsline North Carolina hemp business owners and their counterparts across the U.S. are bracing for a 2026 ban and advocating to reverse it.

“We have a year to either figure it out or we have a year to just like, crush it and fight for the plant and hope that we can change this with legislation,” hemp farmer Dana Rider told me.

How NC hemp business owners are responding to the ban:

Do big 2025 wins for Democrats mean a blue wave in North Carolina? • NC Newsline NC Democrats hope electoral successes in 2025 will lead to major victories in next year’s midterm elections. Political experts say it'll still be an uphill battle.

North Carolina Democrats’ hopes for 2026 got a boost Tuesday after the Democratic party swept statewide races in Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia. But what do those wins really mean for the state’s midterm elections in 2026?

‘We didn’t lose, we learned’: Amazon union campaign expands to Durham • NC Newsline The campaign to unionize Amazon has set its sights on Durham, with an organizing drive held outside the company’s RDU5 warehouse on Monday.

The campaign to unionize Amazon has come to Durham, North Carolina, where organizers are launching efforts at four local facilities.

Rural NC legal aid offices close after General Assembly freezes public assistance fund over politics • NC Newsline For 40 years, IOLTA has funded legal aid to low-income North Carolinians. That money is now halted over GOP accusations of progressive bias.

Legal Aid of North Carolina is closing offices in Rocky Mount and Pembroke after losing access to funding from the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts program. ncnewsline.com/2025/10/30/r... Story by @kingdollar.bsky.social #ncpol

Rural NC legal aid offices close after General Assembly freezes public assistance fund over politics • NC Newsline For 40 years, IOLTA has funded legal aid to low-income North Carolinians. That money is now halted over GOP accusations of progressive bias.

Legal Aid of North Carolina is closing offices in Rocky Mount and Pembroke after the General Assembly froze the IOLTA program, a longstanding NC legal assistance fund that has operated without controversy for decades until now.

NC hospitals provided $7.4B in benefits last year, report says, but face risks from Medicaid cuts • NC Newsline NC hospitals could lose $32 billion in funding over the next decade, a new report shows, with rural hospital closures and staffing shortages likely.

North Carolina hospitals could lose $32 billion in funding over the next decade due to Medicaid cuts, according to a new report, with rural hospital closures and staffing shortages likely.

‘We need action’: Medicaid recipients and advocates call on lawmakers to provide funding • NC Newsline More than 200 people gathered in Raleigh Tuesday to call for Medicaid funding before heading to the legislature to make their pitch to lawmakers.

More than 200 Medicaid recipients and advocates called on lawmakers to act in Raleigh today, weeks into statewide rate cuts due to inadequate funding. “There are lives on the line.”

As Trump opposition grows, North Carolina Republicans duck town halls. Does it matter? • NC Newsline Only one North Carolina Republican, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), has held an in-person town hall with constituents in 2025.

Despite growing opposition to the Trump administration, only one North Carolina Republican in Congress, Rep. Chuck Edwards, has held an in-person town hall in 2025.

Now, their constituents are meeting without them.

Thousands gather for No Kings protest in Raleigh to condemn Trump • NC Newsline From noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, protesters lined both sides of Capital Boulevard voicing anger toward the Trump administration.

Thousands lined Capital Boulevard Saturday afternoon to protest Trump at Raleigh’s No Kings rally. For about three hours, you could hear a nonstop stream of cars honking in support.

Two protesters hold flags while another carries a sign reading “You know it’s bad when a Reagan Republican is protesting.”

Gary Lucido, a Texas transplant in North Carolina, said he voted Republican all his life before Trump came along. He said GOP descriptions of No Kings as a “Hate America” protest are a “bunch of crap.”

“We love America. We’re here because we want to preserve America,” Lucido said.

Demonstrators pose with signs including one that says “We honor the constitution, not a felon!!”

Donna and Larry Shipman came to No Kings in Raleigh to fight for their right to vote, with key Voting Rights Act protections under threat.

“We need to stand up and say, ‘No, you’re not going to take this away from us,’” said Donna Shipman. “The Supreme Court, they say racism is over. No, it’s not.”

Yes, this is Capital Boulevard. My understanding is that organizers relocated the event due to the music festival downtown and the logistics issues that presented.

The scene at No Kings in Raleigh, where protesters have been met with a near-constant stream of supportive honks for the last two hours.

Wondering what's happening with No Kings protests across the country? Wonder no more: @statesnewsroom.com has live coverage from our 39 newsrooms. @tennesseelookout.com is covering home base.

A man wearing a costume with a list of tariff rates stands beside two dogs.

Despite a chorus of cheers and honking cars at the No Kings protest in Raleigh, Clayton resident Jeffrey Cohn’s dogs Bindi and Obi are as calm as can be.

“They’re a little iffy with other dogs, so it’s good to put them in a stressful situation with other dogs and reward them for being good.”

Onlookers carrying an American flag look at a protester dressed as the Cookie Monster.

A protester dressed as a green dragon stands beside individuals holding signs.

The No Kings rally on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh is awash with colorful characters — among them, the Cookie Monster from the children’s show “Sesame Street.”

Protesters line a city street beside passing cars. One waves a large American flag, another a sign reading “The only GOOD orange monarch is a butterfly.”

No Kings protesters line the sidewalks of Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, as a stream of passing cars honk in solidarity.

I’m going to cover the #NoKings protest in nyc today for @statesnewsroom.com and @stateline.org! Follow me for updates and pics!