The Department of Education opened up an investigation on Thursday into Western Carolina University over reports that it housed a male alongside a female and retaliated against a student after she complained about the presence of a male in a female locker room.
The Education Department&#8217;s Office of Civil Rights announced that it had initiated a Title IX investigation into Western Carolina University over allegations that the university &#8220;has openly refused to comply with Title IX and to ensure sex-separated intimate spaces in federally funded institutions of higher education.&#8221; The announcement comes one day after the group Speech First <a href="https://speechfirst.org/news/foia-records-show-western-carolina-universitys-defiant-response-to-trump-administration-policies-on-gender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> communications from the university showing that it was not planning on making changes in response to President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order to keep men who identify as women out of female spaces.
“WCU’s reported contempt for federal anti-discrimination laws and indifference to, and retaliation against, girls who have spoken up about males invading their intimate spaces is simply unacceptable,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-launches-title-ix-investigation-western-carolina-university">said</a>. “The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will continue to deploy every lawful means to eradicate this wholly unnecessary and egregious violation of women and girls’ civil rights.”
In response to the investigation, the university said that it was compliant with all federal regulations.
&#8220;Western Carolina University is compliant with all current state and federal regulations and will continue to adjust any necessary campus policies and practices to remain in compliance with future changes,&#8221; the university told The Daily Wire. &#8220;At this time, we have no further comment regarding this matter.&#8221;
The probe comes one day after documents posted by Speech First and first <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/western-carolina-university-refusing-to-comply-with-trump-order-protecting-womens-spaces-emails-show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on by National Review show the school&#8217;s chief compliance officer stating that the university is &#8220;not making changes based&#8221; on Trump&#8217;s executive order called &#8220;Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.&#8221;
Another one of the components of the Education Department&#8217;s investigation is that the university launched a Title IX investigation into former student Payton McNabb after she complained about the presence of a male in a dress in a woman&#8217;s bathroom. While McNabb was later cleared of any wrongdoing, her lawyer <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/student-payton-mcnabb-wins-title-ix-case-over-trans-bathroom-dispute/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> that the university had encouraged the complaint to be filed against her.
&#8220;In addition to my experience discovering a male in the women’s restroom on campus, men who self-identify as transgender are entering other women’s intimate spaces like restrooms, dorm rooms and locker rooms,&#8221; McNabb said Thursday. &#8220;Female college students will not sit idly by as men take over our spaces. I’m thankful to have an administration that will stand up for us.”
The department&#8217;s action was praised by Nicole Neily, the acting executive director of Speech First.
“Actions speak louder than words, and the Department of Education’s commitment to protecting women and girls is second to none,&#8221; Neily said. &#8220;This investigation sends a clear message to colleges and universities across the country: compliance with the law is not voluntary.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon Visits “Fox & Friends”

Another University Facing Probe Over Defiance Of Trump Executive Orders

Civil Rights

Department of Education

Education

North Carolina

Title IX

Transgender

U.S.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a six-part series by pollster Brent Buchanan on the politics of the American South. Last week, Buchanan broke down the unique features and critical importance of the Southern suburbs. Today, he takes a close look at North Carolina.
We hope you enjoy.
It might sound like a stretch to think voting behavior and political divides in one of the South’s most consequential swing states could be explained by barbecue sauce.
But that’s exactly what we found in North Carolina.
In both barbecue sauce and politics, North Carolina’s “split personality” is rooted in centuries-old settlement patterns and evolving demographics. Barbecue here is a source of pride, and, like taste preferences nationally, voters in the Tar Heel State — or, shall we say, the Sauce State — are divided.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-914211" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Image-4-29-25-at-9.55%E2%80%AFAM.jpeg" alt="" width="658" height="356" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Image-4-29-25-at-9.55%E2%80%AFAM.jpeg 658w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Image-4-29-25-at-9.55%E2%80%AFAM-300x162.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px" /></div>
The so-called &#8220;barbecue boundary&#8221; is more than a culinary cleave; it reflects the state’s foundational divisions. Western North Carolina, settled predominantly by German and Moravian immigrants, developed the Lexington style of barbecue with tomato-based sauces.
Then there’s Eastern North Carolina, settled earlier by English and Scots-Irish immigrants, known for their whole-hog barbecue and vinegar-based sauces. These regional distinctions mirror broader cultural and political divides, with the western &#8220;Trumpian Highlands&#8221; standing apart from the more moderate &#8220;Faux South&#8221; and gridlocked “Sweet Tea Suburbs&#8221; of the east.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-914209" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-PART-IV-NC-Full-Map-1024x428.png" alt="" width="1024" height="428" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-PART-IV-NC-Full-Map-1024x428.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-PART-IV-NC-Full-Map-300x126.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-PART-IV-NC-Full-Map-768x321.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-PART-IV-NC-Full-Map-1536x643.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-PART-IV-NC-Full-Map.png 1551w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Our analysis shows a political patchwork of those Trumpian Highlands in the west reflecting the deep-red, Appalachian-rooted strongholds that have surged rightward in recent years, and the Faux South in the east, which is a concentration of moderate, Mid-Atlantic-influenced counties shaped by trade routes rather than mountain and lowland plantation culture. Mixed in are the modern Sweet Tea Suburbs, encompassing the politically gridlocked, middle-class communities ringing cities like Raleigh and Charlotte.
“The Tar Heel State’s battleground status is primarily driven by their voters in the Trumpian Highlands,” said Nicholas Valdiviez, Cygnal’s Sampling Lead, who spearheaded this project. “The turnout differentials are even more galvanizing where we saw those areas jumping 14% for Republicans from 2012 to 2016, and falling 16% for Democrats in this same time, which is a whopping 31% delta in turnout between parties leading into Trump’s first term.”
By 2024, the Republican margin in the Trumpian Highlands reached 74-26, rivaling the deepest red regions anywhere in the South. However, keep in mind this region was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene and while they may have been trending Republican in recent years, President Joe Biden’s woeful (putting it mildly) response could have added fuel to voters’ enthusiasm for Trump.
These numbers still suggest a partisan ceiling in the western part of the state, excluding more liberal pockets like Asheville and Charlotte, meaning the GOP’s continued dominance here will depend on sustaining enthusiasm among rural voters, especially as the state’s population centers continue to grow and attract out-of-state liberals. Without the magnetism of Trump atop the ticket, Republicans can’t bank on the lovers of Lexington BBQ to deliver a statewide win.
Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the barbecue boundary, the Faux South region — with its Mid-Atlantic heritage and more moderate political leanings — tells a different story. The region as a whole saw Republicans peak in 2016, winning 52% of the vote, but then saw the steepest decline of any southern region from 2016 to 2020, with only a mild recovery. North Carolina was a latecomer to the larger trend in 2024, showing a five-point spread favoring Republicans.
Then, from 2020 to 2024, the Faux South shifted three points to the right, signaling that even in historically challenging areas, the GOP is capable of making incremental gains and keeping them. But it is the region’s volatility that makes it a true wild card — one that could swing statewide outcomes if either party finds the highly attractive candidates, compelling messages, and a solid mobilization strategy.
As we <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-the-swing-why-southern-suburbs-refuse-to-budge?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Brent+Buchanan&amp;category=Original&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Beyond+The+Swing%3A+Why+Southern+Suburbs+Refuse+To+Budge%C2%A0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mentioned,</a> the Sweet Tea Suburbs surrounding North Carolina’s major cities are politically gridlocked, with little movement since 2008. Turnout and margins are often determined by local issues and demographic changes from transplant residents.
“Though Republicans don’t control the governor’s mansion, they do hold both Senate seats and a majority of House seats,” said Valdiviez. “But if both sides of the barbecue boundary, Lexington and Eastern-style, continue to grow in population — especially in the ‘burbs — things could make the politics more precarious for Republicans.”
Valdiviez is right: things could get dicey for Republicans, but only if they fail to connect with middle-class voters’ day-to-day concerns in the same way Democrats have.
But things look different if Republicans make those more moderate Democrats in North Carolina distance themselves from or defend the radical voices of Bernie Sanders and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-cuomo-blasts-80-20-loser-ocasio-cortez-warns-dems-not-to-pick-her-in-2028?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Chris+Cuomo+Blasts+%E2%80%9980-20+Loser%E2%80%99+Ocasio-Cortez%2C+Warns+Dems+Not+To+Pick+Her+In+2028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AOC</a>, who now lift the party’s mantle. Just because the suburbs’ inelasticity is inherently left-leaning does not mean those ardent Leftists won’t alienate independent voters in the same way they did in 2024, turning North Carolina to Republicans.
North Carolina’s electoral map is a lot like its barbecue boundary: divided, fiercely proud of its local identity, and resistant to one-size-fits-all solutions. It requires a nuanced understanding of each region’s history, culture, and evolving priorities. And just like BBQ in North Carolina, if you bring the wrong sauce in the wrong region, you’re going to be asked politely to leave.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-914213" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-Part-IV-BBQ-v2-1024x408.png" alt="" width="1024" height="408" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-Part-IV-BBQ-v2-1024x408.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-Part-IV-BBQ-v2-300x120.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-Part-IV-BBQ-v2-768x306.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/DW-Part-IV-BBQ-v2.png 1177w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
COMING UP NEXT: Like North Carolina, all eyes are on Georgia, especially as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stacey-abrams-linked-group-received-2b-from-biden-admin-slush-fund-doge-finds?author=Ashe+Schow&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Stacey+Abrams-Linked+Group+Received+%242B+From+Biden+Admin+Slush+Fund%2C+DOGE+Finds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revelations</a> about Stacey Abrams’ shady political machine during the Biden years and Republicans look to unseat the swing state’s vulnerable Democrat Senator, John Ossoff. 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-914215" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Full-Map-1.jpeg" alt="" width="670" height="407" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Full-Map-1.jpeg 670w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Full-Map-1-300x182.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px" /></div>
ABOUT THE MAP: Amid America’s massive political realignment, mostly ushered in by President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, the South is more consequential than anywhere else. It is responsible for more than a third of Senate seats, the equivalent of an entire <a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/Class_II.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">class</a> of Senators up for reelection in any cycle, and it accounts for 193 electoral votes, more than half the needed amount to win a presidential election.
By breaking the South into distinct regions, we can better understand the layered realities on the ground. We named each of the South’s regions out of necessity, not novelty. This regional lens reveals patterns and divides that state lines alone obscure, allowing for a more accurate and intelligible analysis of the South’s electoral dynamics.
This large-scale project aggregates voter trends in areas like education, income, gender, age, and partisanship – and even some of our own recent polling data. So far, we’ve analyzed everything from the realignment of its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-end-of-democratic-assumptions-how-minority-voters-are-reshaping-southern-politics?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Brent+Buchanan&amp;category=News+and+Analysis&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=The+End+of+Democratic+Assumptions%3A+How+Minority+Voters+Are+Reshaping+Southern+Politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">minority voters</a>, the stagnation of its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beyond-the-swing-why-southern-suburbs-refuse-to-budge?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Brent+Buchanan&amp;category=Original&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Beyond+The+Swing%3A+Why+Southern+Suburbs+Refuse+To+Budge%C2%A0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suburbs</a>, and the necessity to call out its unique regions, which transcend state lines and better <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-rise-of-the-south-is-not-what-you-think-why-it-holds-the-keys-to-political-control" target="_blank" rel="noopener">define</a> its implications on national elections.

Manufacturing losses swing voters in 2 N.C. counties

BBQ Politics? How North Carolina’s Sauce Divide Mirrors Its Voting Behavior 

Democratic Party

Elections

Republican Party

Voting

North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris is leading a push to protect pastors who make political statements from being punished by the IRS, he told The Daily Wire. 
Harris on Monday will introduce the “Free Speech Fairness Act,” to make it clear in law that religious leaders can make statements about political candidates and not have to worry about their churches losing tax-exempt status. The bill is specifically aimed at countering the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which restricts churches and other non-profits from endorsing or opposing political candidates. 
“The whole idea was in contrast to Americans’ inalienable rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion,” Harris told The Daily Wire. “It currently puts the IRS in a position of judge and jury on comments that are going to be made by ministers from the pulpit and all speech from non-profits.”
Harris, a Baptist minister, said that the Johnson Amendment had been used as a “tool to silence religious leaders and churches.” He said his legislation would restore free speech to religious leaders and non-profits. 
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) will introduce a companion measure co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the Senate. 
“The First Amendment protects Americans’ right to freedom of speech and religious freedom without the threat of interference from Congress,&#8221; Lankford told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Fundamental American values must extend to everyone, including pastors, social workers, or non-profit employees and volunteers. Everyone should have their constitutional rights to assembly, free speech, freedom of religion and free press protected.”
The bill would “allow charitable organizations to make statements relating to political campaigns if such statements are made in the ordinary course of carrying out its tax exempt purpose” and if no meaningful expenses are incurred. For example, a pastor could comment on a political candidate during a sermon, or the president of a crisis pregnancy center could point to a candidate&#8217;s record on abortion in a newsletter. 
The legislation would not allow churches or non-profits to become political action committees, Harris said. 
”We’re not looking for churches to become super PACS, that is certainly not the purpose of this,” he told The Daily Wire. “But it is to really restore free speech to the pulpits of America without any threat of our tax code.” 
In the House, the bill has already picked up 14 co-sponsors, including Reps. Michael Guest (MS), Randy Weber (TX), Barry Moore (AL), Clay Higgins (LA), Glenn Grothman (WI), Keith Self (TX), Michael Baumgartner (WA), Mark Messmer (IN), Tim Walberg (MI), Marlin Stutzman (IN), David Rouzer (NC), Doug LaMalfa (CA), Andy Ogles (TN), Abe Hamadeh (AZ), and Mary Miller (IL). 
House Speaker Mike Johnson <a href="https://scalise.house.gov/press-release/scalise-hice-johnson-lankford-reintroduce-free-speech-fairness-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> similar legislation in 2019 alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The proposal is also backed by over a dozen conservative groups including the Alliance Defending Freedom, Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, Catholic Vote, the America First Policy Institute, and others.
Back in 2017, President Donald Trump promised to &#8220;destroy&#8221; the Johnson Amendment to &#8220;allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution.&#8221; To that effect, Trump signed an <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/05/09/2017-09574/promoting-free-speech-and-religious-liberty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> in May 2017 to explicitly protect religious leaders speaking out on politics.

Mark Harris wont face state charges in N.C. 9th District ballot fraud case

EXCLUSIVE: North Carolina Republican Leads Effort To ‘Restore’ Free Speech For Pastors, Churches

First Amendment

Free Speech

James Lankford

Religious Liberty

Three years ago, during a high school girls’ volleyball match, the future I had envisioned for myself completely fell apart.
I <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/documentary/payton-mcnabb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered a severe head and neck injury</a> after a trans-identifying male athlete on the opposing girls’ team sent a volleyball flying directly at my face. I was left partially paralyzed on the right side of my body. The full extent of my injuries forced me to confront the reality that the collegiate athletic career I had been pursuing was no longer possible, and that even basic tasks, such as driving and taking exams, would be significantly more difficult.
At first, I felt hopeless. But then I realized I could use my tragedy — the permanent consequences I must now live with as a result of an unfair policy forcing girls like me to compete against biological males—for good.
And that’s exactly what has happened.
It was an immense honor to attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on March 4 as a guest of the president and first lady. All I could think about as I listened to the president share my story is how far I’ve come — and how different things could have been.
I never wanted to be a policy advocate or public figure in the fight against gender ideology. All I wanted was to compete and play softball in college. But as President Trump reminded Americans during his address, gender ideology and the officials who enforce it stole that dream from me. And they have no regrets about doing so.
In fact, as I stood to be recognized by President Trump, not a single Democrat on the left side of the aisle applauded or stood in recognition of the hardship I have experienced. I don’t recall even one Democrat so much as looking in my direction. It was hard not to take this as a personal insult. After all, the policies they support — policies that strip women of their right to sex-based spaces and sports teams — cost me personally.
But the Democrats’ stubborn refusal to recognize the consequences of their policies doesn’t just affect me. Senate Democrats in particular made that quite clear this month when they refused to vote in favor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, a bill that would bar male athletes from competing against — and potentially injuring — young women.
These Democrats know they are out of step with the American public on this issue—and they just don’t care. For example, when Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, was asked earlier this month why she voted against the bill when <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nyt-poll-finds-majority-democrats-oppose-trans-athletes-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the vast majority</a> of her state’s residents support it, she <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gops-two-top-dem-senate-targets-justify-blocking-bill-bar-men-from-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> the legislation wasn’t important because “it only applies to one person.”
To be clear, even a very conservative estimate <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5046662-ncaa-president-transgender-athletes-college-sports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">places</a> the total number of trans-identifying male athletes competing in women’s sports at far more than just “one person.” But even if Shaheen were right, I am living proof of what can happen when just “one person” is forced to give up her sex-based right to fair and safe competition. Does my experience not matter to Democrats like Shaheen? Do my rights not count?
The fact is, it doesn’t matter how many trans-identifying athletes there are. The correct number of women who should be forced to compete against them is zero. And if congressional Democrats refuse to take our safety seriously, then state legislatures must pick up the slack for them.
After my injury, I was proud to help pass a bill in my home state of North Carolina, House Bill 574, that bans trans-identifying male athletes from playing in women’s sports at both the K-12 and collegiate levels, and I remain committed to helping other states follow suit. There are still 24 states that refuse to act on this issue. That must change.
Those states should keep in mind that the American public, the Trump administration, and, most importantly, common sense, are all on the same side: the side that values and protects women like me. They can either join the fight or stay seated like the Democrats in Congress this month. For their own sake, I hope they choose the former.
* * *
Payton McNabb is an Independent Women ambassador and former three-sport athlete who was severely injured by a male playing in a women’s volleyball game. McNabb’s story was shared in <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IW Features</a>&#8216; documentary, <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/documentary/payton-mcnabb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy into Triumph.&#8221;</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-24-Mar-2025-09-02-AM-4889

I Was Injured By A Trans Athlete. State Legislatures Need To Do More To Protect Women’s Sports

I Was Injured By A Trans Athlete. State Legislatures Need To Do More To Protect Women's Sports

Brain

Congress

Democrats

female sports

High School

Opinion

Sports

Transgender Athletes

Volleyball

Women's sports

Erin Derham heard the knocking first.
Another storm was raging over North Carolina, with heavy rain and wind gusts over 40 MPH bringing more damage to an area still suffering from a hurricane last year. The pounding at her door was so loud and so desperate that she thought a tree must have fallen on the house, and someone was coming to check on her family.
She rushed to the door in her pajamas, as her three kids slept upstairs and her husband, social media influencer Matt Van Swol, frantically dressed. When Derham answered the door, she found a police officer with his gun drawn. He asked her if someone inside the home had been shot.
She immediately knew what was going on. Her family was being swatted.
Swatting is a pernicious practice wherein someone calls the police to falsely report a serious crime at an innocent individual’s home, bringing police and SWAT teams to the home. Police arrive to a residence with urgency to stop a serious crime that isn&#8217;t happening, a waste of resources that could potentially cause unnecessary confrontation and even death.
When Derham told the officer what was happening, she says he first seemed to believe she was admitting to perpetrating the hoax herself. She explained to him that someone else had called in the crime, and the officer radioed in to tell the other units en route to stop. Apparently, just about every law enforcement officer in Buncombe County was on their way to the Van Swol household, responding to a call so horrific it necessitated a massive police presence.
That call, according to a police transcript provided to The Daily Wire, came from a person pretending to be Van Swol saying that three masked intruders — two white and one black — broke into his home, shot his wife, and then shot him in the back and leg. The caller claimed he was hiding in the basement and could still hear the intruders rummaging through the house while his son was asleep upstairs.
“They’re going to kill me,” the caller said, begging for police assistance.
The desperation in the caller’s voice and the wild story they strung together could only mean one thing, Van Swol told The Daily Wire: “These people wanted to kill me.”
His family is still living on edge.
“My daughter woke up while the police officers were in the house,” he said. “She&#8217;s 13. It&#8217;s hard to explain to a kid that when a bunch of cops show up to your house with guns drawn that you&#8217;re not the bad guy, somebody else is.”
Van Swol said he believes the situation probably would have been worse if he had answered the door rather than his wife.
“Had I gone to the door, seen a man with a gun with a flashlight with his headlights pointed through the window of my door, I would probably try to kill that person,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think he would have survived the encounter. But because the caller claimed a woman had been shot and male perpetrators were still in the house, a woman answering the door with no injuries immediately defused the situation.
Thankfully for the Van Swol family, they live in a small town where everyone knows everyone, and neighbors have come by to make sure they were okay, while the police have been transparent and helpful.
Van Swol posted about the encounter on X, including door-camera footage of the initial confrontation. He also called the police officer who went to the door alone a “hero,” because, from the officer’s perspective, he was going into a dangerous situation without backup to try and save lives.
Van Swol said he was told by law enforcement that local media outlets were calling and showing up at the police department to ask whether the swatting event was real, but after police confirmed it was, no articles were written.
“They were apparently blowing up the police department to get more information on it,” Van Swol told The Daily Wire. “And you would think one would write a story about it if they were so interested, but they never wrote a story about it and it&#8217;s big news.”
Since the swatting attempt, hoaxsters have ordered numerous pizzas to the Van Swol household late at night. The constant doorbell ringing became so regular that the family now posts a sign on the door warning delivery people they did not order anything and the orders are a hoax.
Van Swol is one of many conservative influencers to be swatted recently. As analyst DataRepublican pointed out on X, nearly all of those who have been swatted since March 10 were popular X accounts who are regularly interacted with by Elon Musk, with many, Van Swol excluded, having ties to InfoWars or War Room.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🧵 THREAD: Unmasking Swatting Patterns 🧵
Three additional MAGA X influencers got swatted today: <a href="https://twitter.com/Beard_Vet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Beard_Vet</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/matt_vanswol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matt_vanswol</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/GrageDustin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GrageDustin</a> .
I used Grok to compile the following list of swatting victims and then ran it through both Grok and OpenAI’s deep research tools to find… <a href="https://t.co/mpuzUH2npt">https://t.co/mpuzUH2npt</a>
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) <a href="https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/1901466684398895135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Many of the accounts who were victims of swatting also expressed support for Israel or spoke out against Hamas and were regularly amplified by Utah Senator Mike Lee’s personal account. The accounts also have follower counts in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions.
Van Swol rose to prominence following Hurricane Helene, which struck western North Carolina in September 2024 and became the deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005. After the storm hit, Van Swol noticed the government and media outlets quickly moved on from reporting on the destruction, and began amplifying the concerns of the people who lost their homes and businesses in the storm. Before Hurricane Helene, Van Swol says he had around 5,000 followers, but as of publication he has more than 200,000.
He at times posts conservative messages to explain why he left the Democratic Party after seeing how the media and government treated western North Carolina, but he doesn’t understand why he is now a target of swatting.
“What could I have possibly said that would have angered someone so badly that they would be on the phone with the police, making up some crazy story to try to get the police to break into the house with a gun in the middle of the night?”
This is not the first wave of swatting. The FBI warned of the dangers of swatting back in 2008, <a href="https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2008/february/swatting020408">calling</a> the attempts “dangerous to first responders and to the victims.” At the time, the FBI referred to a case from 2007 where a married California couple was swatted by a 19-year-old Washington State man who called the police claiming to be the husband and said he had just murdered someone. No one was injured during that incident, and the caller was apprehended.
“Between 2002 and 2006, the five swatters called 9-1-1 lines in more than 60 cities nationwide, impacting more than 100 victims, causing a disruption of services for telecommunications providers and emergency responders, and resulting in up to $250,000 in losses,” the FBI reported in 2008.
In 2012, multiple conservative bloggers — including Erick Erickson of Redstate — were the victims of swatting. Then-Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a Republican from Georgia, was also a victim.
But conservatives aren&#8217;t the only swatting victims. In 2013, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and numerous celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher and Tom Cruise, had their homes swatted. That same year, Mir Islam was convicted of doxing and swatting more than 50 public figures. Multiple video game streamers have also been victims.
A swatting incident in Oklahoma in 2015 left Sentinel Police Chief Louis Ross injured after he was shot by a homeowner who had been swatted. The homeowner, Dallas Horton, had no idea Ross was an officer and thought a man with a gun was breaking into his home. Ross was shot multiple times but survived.
In 2017, a Wichita police officer shot and killed Andrew Finch during a swatting attempt after two “Call of Duty” gamers who played with him made the fake call. Tyler Raj Barris was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime. Another gamer was sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiracy.
In 2020, 60-year-old Mark Herring of Bethpage, Tennessee, died of a heart attack after he was swatted by a man who wanted his X handle. Shane Sonderman was sentenced to five years in prison for the crime.
So far, no one has been arrested for the recent string of swattings targeting conservative influencers, and according to Van Swol, his local police currently have no leads. This week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to find the people behind the attacks.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we will not sit idly by as conservative new media and their families are being targeted by false swatting,” Noem wrote on X. “[DHS] has the ability to trace phone numbers and track location information. We will use it to hunt these cowards down.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Under President Trump’s leadership, we will not sit idly by as conservative new media and their families are being targeted by false swatting. <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> has the ability to trace phone numbers and track location information. We will use it to hunt these cowards down.
This is an…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1902426512579559497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
FBI Director Kash Patel also released a statement regarding the attacks.
“I want to address the alarming rise in ‘Swatting’ incidents targeting media figures,” Patel said on X. “The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.”
“This isn’t about politics—weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers,” Patel added. “That will not be tolerated. We are fully committed to working with local law enforcement to crack down on these crimes.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I want to address the alarming rise in ‘Swatting’ incidents targeting media figures. The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
This isn’t about politics—weaponizing law enforcement…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1900536072871768094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Van Swol, in addition to wanting the perpetrators brought to justice, said he wants the country to calm down.
“I&#8217;d love to see them found and I would love to see the temperature around Elon and DOGE and Trump drop because we cannot live in a country where someone is swatted in the middle of the night for posting their benign political views on the internet.&#8221;

Police on the move aiming rifles

What It’s Like To Be Swatted

Crime

Swatting

Turns out that it’s easy to make people move out of your state: Just raise taxes.
Recently, residents of high-tax states such as California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey have been on the move. Specifically, they’ve been flocking to low-tax destinations such as Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Tennessee.
Between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2023, high-tax states lost net 2.8 million residents to low-tax states. That’s more people than could be seated in all 30 NFL stadiums and 29 NBA arenas combined.
Zero-income tax Florida and Texas were the top two destinations for interstate movers, gaining 819,000 and 656,000 net residents respectively. Americans in the northeastern U.S. and the upper Midwest poured into Florida, while Texas was the destination of choice for many people living west of the Mississippi.
North Carolina (310,000), South Carolina (248,000), Arizona (218,000), and Tennessee (207,000) ranked third through sixth in net population gain from interstate migration. Each of them is a low-tax state (except South Carolina, which stands in the middle of the pack). Tennessee, like Florida and Texas, is one of the seven states with zero income tax.
It’s no coincidence that former Californians led the exodus out of high-tax states. California has the highest state income tax rate in the country at 13.3%, and it lost 1.2 million residents to interstate migration in a little more than three years.
Incredibly, California was the leading source of net domestic migration into every state within 1,000 miles of either Los Angeles or San Francisco.
The most popular destinations for Californians were Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. Texas and Nevada have no income tax, and Arizona has the lowest non-zero income tax rate.
New York state has the second highest income tax rate at 10.9%, and it had the second highest level of net outmigration during the roughly three-year period – a net loss of about 883,000 people. Counting both local and state taxes, nobody faces higher tax rates than do New York City residents.
Frank Sinatra once sang that if you could make it in New York, you could make it anywhere. These days, more and more people have been trying to make it somewhere else.
New Yorkers have been gravitating to greener pastures in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. Low overall taxes and non-existent income tax play an important role in attracting New Yorkers to Florida and Texas (North Carolina is also among the lowest-tax states in the country).
Other New Yorkers fled to neighboring states like Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey – states which have lower taxes than New York, but which certainly can’t be considered low-tax states.
Each of these states lost population to interstate migration overall, despite all the people flowing in from New York. In fact, New Jersey had the fourth highest population loss from interstate migration – about 153,000, behind only California, New York, and Illinois (364,000).
Other factors besides taxes also contribute to population flows. But the pattern of high-tax states losing residents to low-tax states is too strong to chalk up as a coincidence. The pattern holds year after year, between neighboring states, and across regions.
The pattern also holds across the income spectrum. Even low-income Americans (who may themselves pay a small amount of taxes) tend to move from high-tax states to low-tax states. If high taxes are supposed to pay for government services that improve the lives of low- and middle-income residents, well, it’s not working. 
The highest-income residents are especially sensitive to differences in tax rates, but that just shows why it’s so counterproductive for state lawmakers to try to soak the rich. Driving up tax rates drives out the people who pay the most in taxes.
State lawmakers eager to harvest more tax revenues must be careful lest they cause the geese with the golden eggs to fly away to somewhere they’re appreciated more and taxed less: states like Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Tennessee.
* * *
Preston Brashers is a Research Fellow for <a href="https://www.heritage.org/taxes/report/if-you-tax-them-they-will-run-millions-americans-flee-california-and-new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax policy</a> in The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. Read his new report: <a href="https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/BG3896.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;If You Tax Them, They Will Run: Millions of Americans Flee California And New York.&#8221;</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

U-Haul Ahead Of Earnings Figures

Why States With No Income Tax Are Winning The Population Battle

Blue States

California

Economy

Florida

Heritage Foundation

migration

New York

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Tennessee

The mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, says the city has revised its $225 million disaster relief proposal after the Trump administration rejected the original plan, which prioritized race and sex for aid.
Democratic Mayor Esther Manheimer made the announcement on Wednesday, WLOS <a href="https://wlos.com/news/local/asheville-revises-disaster-plan-hud-rejects-dei-elements-secretary-scott-turner-community-development-block-grant-mayor-esther-manheimer-recovery-fox-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, one day after Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner released <a href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_25_040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a> saying the city could not receive the money unless it removed the DEI requirement from its proposal.
&#8220;We have modified the action plan to reflect his concerns, and we&#8217;ve been told the changes that we&#8217;ve made were acceptable,&#8221; Manheimer said when announcing the revision.
Turner released his <a href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_25_040">statement</a> on Tuesday before touring the damage from Hurricane Helene in Fletcher, North Carolina.
“HUD looks forward to helping thousands of North Carolinians rebuild after Hurricane Helene by directing funding assistance to impacted businesses, non-profit organizations and neighborhoods,” Turner said. &#8220;However, Asheville’s draft action plan incorporated DEI criteria to prioritize some impacted residents over others, which was unacceptable. After HUD informed Asheville that its plan was unsatisfactory and it would not be approved, the city assured us that it was updating its draft action plan to be compliant.”
The reversal from Asheville comes after the city initially doubled down on its proposal to prioritize disaster relief based on sex and race, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-controlled-north-carolina-town-doubles-down-on-prioritizing-race-sex-for-hurricane-relief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The city said in its 2024 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WroBUu5znmlLY6kLLApJ3A8C9yZstZX2/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">action plan</a>, released this month, that the plan’s Small Business Support Program would “prioritize assistance for Minority and Women Owned Businesses (MWBE) within the scoring criteria outlined within the policies and procedures.”
Before that, in November, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, which is controlled by Democrats, released its small business relief grant program, and the residents asked the Trump administration to intervene in January.
The proposal was met with a complaint from the Western North Carolina Citizens for Equality, which argued against the county’s “focus” on hurricane relief for “BIPOC” and “women” owned businesses damaged in the hurricane, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/north-carolina-residents-ask-trump-to-intervene-after-officials-prioritize-hurricane-relief-by-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time.
“In this situation, there is no doubt that Buncombe County intended to discriminate against white business owners in its Helene Relief Project. The County directed that the funds be used in a manner that prioritizes one group of business owners over another based solely on skin color,” the complaint says.
In March, the city released the aforementioned proposal, which still contained the sex- and race-based aid priorities.
Manheimer “reassured” constituents that the $225 million for disaster relief was not at risk.
&#8220;They&#8217;re very eager and continue to be eager, this administration, to help support the recovery of [Western North Carolina], including Asheville, and we&#8217;re very appreciative of that.&#8221;

Hurricane Helene Damage

Asheville Revises Disaster Relief Proposal That Prioritized DEI After HUD Secretary Rejects It

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Hurricane Helene

Politics

Social Issues

Conservative credit card company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/by-conservatives-for-conservatives-new-credit-card-offers-alternative-to-americans-fed-up-with-woke-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coign</a> donated nearly $40,000 dollars to a Christian non-profit that has served over 350,000 meals to storm victims and first responders in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. 
Coign recently presented <a href="https://mercychefs.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercy Chefs</a> a check for $39,535 at its Nashville community kitchen as part of the organization’s quarterly donations to conservative charities. Coign CEO Rob Collins told The Daily Wire that Mercy Chefs was chosen because of the work they have done in North Carolina. 
“We’re proud to partner with them, they’re doing great work,” he said, adding that the charity was continuing to provide meals to areas of Western North Carolina still reeling from the devastating flooding. 
Founded in 2006, Mercy Chefs provides meals to victims of natural disasters and the first responders and others volunteering in areas slammed by tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, or fires.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Coign Charity Check Presentation: Mercy Chefs" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Sc-A_VC1CA?start=4&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Coign, which operates a VISA-backed credit card, donates portions of its transaction fees to conservative organizations chosen each quarter by cardholders. The company has donated to a variety of causes in the past, including groups looking to reduce suicide among soldiers and the Alliance Defending Freedom. 
Jim Kirk, the executive director of development at Mercy Chefs, told The Daily Wire that the donations from Coign were helping its work across the country from California to North Carolina to Kentucky. 
“It&#8217;s been a busy year, and Coign’s customers have been an incredible blessing to people who have lost everything, only to receive hope and love in a hot, chef-prepared meal,” he said. “You&#8217;ve also fed first responders, teachers, volunteers, parents, and children.. people of all walks who needed a nutritious meal.”
“May you experience JOY in your giving, and for making such an amazing impact!” he added. 
Coign’s charitable contributions have dramatically increased since it was first founded back in 2022. Collins said that the total money given in the first quarter was around $5,000, while the most recent quarter was around $190,000.
He said there was a large demand for the card because of the misalignment between conservative customers and major corporations and that Coign was an effective product for &#8220;cultural change.&#8221; 
“It really does provide conservatives a strong alternative to get off the treadmills supporting corporate liberals who hate our way of life, hate our culture, hate our values, but still be able to buy stuff you need,&#8221; he said. 
Last year, Coign <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/credit-card-company-donates-to-crisis-pregnancy-center-targeted-by-vandals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> over $15,000 to the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center, a pro-life crisis pregnancy center in the heart of radically pro-abortion Washington, D.C.

Storm Helene Causes Massive Flooding Across Swath Of Western North Carolina

Conservative Credit Card Company Backs North Carolina Hurricane Relief Efforts

Charity

credit card

Nashville

A town in North Carolina is doubling down on its earlier commitment to provide hurricane relief to local business owners based on race and sex.
Asheville, a town in western North Carolina that was devastated by Hurricane Helene, said in its 2024 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WroBUu5znmlLY6kLLApJ3A8C9yZstZX2/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">action plan</a>, released this month, that the plan’s Small Business Support Program would “prioritize assistance for Minority and Women Owned Businesses (MWBE) within the scoring criteria outlined within the polices and procedures.”
In January, the Western North Carolina Citizens for Equality filed a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/OCRUSTreasury.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> with the Treasury Department after Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, would “focus” on hurricane relief for “BIPOC” and “women” owned businesses damaged in the hurricane, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/north-carolina-residents-ask-trump-to-intervene-after-officials-prioritize-hurricane-relief-by-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time.
“In this situation, there is no doubt that Buncombe County intended to discriminate against white business owners in its Helene Relief Project. The County directed that the funds be used in manner that prioritizes one group of business owners over another based solely on skin color,” the complaint says.
The County Board of Commissioners, which is controlled by Democrats, released its small business relief grant program in November, and the residents asked the Trump administration to intervene in January.
Now, in March, Asheville appears to be doubling down on the racist and sexist prioritization of hurricane relief. In addition to prioritizing small business grants based on race and sex, the city plans to implement other programs based on income. The city said that at least 70% of program funds would meet the low- to moderate-income (LMI) <a href="https://www.hudexchange.info/sites/onecpd/assets/File/Basically-CDBG-State-Chapter-3-Nat-Obj.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">objective</a> set forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A fund was created to build multi-family housing units that would require 80% of the units to be occupied by households at 80% or below the area median income, which was <a href="https://wlos.com/news/local/median-household-income-growth-asheville-metropolitan-area-report-buncombe-henderson-madison-economic-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$90,300 in 2023</a>. The cost of living in Asheville, however, is higher than the national average.
The city’s infrastructure projects “prioritize projects that primarily serve LMI populations or support affordable housing development.”
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Buncombe County in mid-November partnered with Mountain Bizworks, a non-profit, to administer $1.5 million in aid to small businesses owned by people of color and women.
“Further, Mountain Bizworks used the repurposed federal [American Rescue Plan Act of 2021] funds and furthered the County’s objective: culling applicants and awarding grant money based, in part, on the skin color of applicants. These actions are clearly illegal,” the complaint filed in January says.
Before the complaint was filed, county statistics showed that small business grants disproportionately went to women and minority-owned businesses.
“Of the 137 awards given out, 28.5% were given to ‘minority owned businesses,’ and 60.6[%] were given to ‘women-owned businesses.’ The county is nearly 90% white, according to census data, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/north-carolina-residents-ask-trump-to-intervene-after-officials-prioritize-hurricane-relief-by-race">reported</a>.

Asheville

Democrat-Controlled North Carolina Town Doubles Down On Prioritizing Race, Sex For Hurricane Relief

A North Carolina citizen group is asking the Trump administration to intervene after local leaders prioritized Hurricane Helene small business relief grants on the basis of race and sex. 
Western North Carolina Citizens for Equality filed a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/OCRUSTreasury.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> with the Treasury Department last month after Buncombe County announced that it would “focus” on supporting small businesses damaged by Helene that were “BIPOC” and “women” owned. Buncombe County, home to liberal Asheville, funded the program by using repurposed federal COVID relief funds. 
“In this situation, there is no doubt that Buncombe County intended to discriminate against white business owners in its Helene Relief Project. The County directed that the funds be used in manner that prioritizes one group of business owners over another based solely on skin color,” WNC for Equality President Carl Mumpower wrote in a civil rights complaint filed with the Treasury Department. 
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, all Democrats, <a href="https://www.buncombecounty.org/common/Commissioners/20241119/PH%203_PRESO_Helene%20Relief%20Small%20Business%20-%2011_19_24%201.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rolled out</a> its small business relief grant program in November, announcing it would prioritize helping businesses not owned by white men. The program would make business owners eligible for tens of thousands of dollars in repurposed American Rescue Plan funds.
The county said that the “focus” area of the small business support program would be “BIPOC-owned businesses,” “women-owned businesses,” and “sole proprietorships.” 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-876733" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM.png" alt="" width="2719" height="1388" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM.png 2719w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM-300x153.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM-1024x523.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM-768x392.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM-1536x784.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.17.51-PM-2048x1045.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2719px) 100vw, 2719px" />
From November 13-17, the county partnered with non-profit Mountain Bizworks to administer $1.5 million in funds appropriated for the program. The non-profit, which <a href="https://www.mountainbizworks.org/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> that it focuses on working with  “people of color, women, and immigrant entrepreneurs” and <a href="https://www.mountainbizworks.org/about-us/equity-statement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">works</a> to promote “racial equity,” was also targeted in the complaint from WNC for Equality. 
“Further, Mountain Bizworks used the repurposed federal ARPA funds and furthered the County’s objective: culling applicants and awarding grant money based, in part, on the skin color of applicants. These actions are clearly illegal,” the complaint says. 
To evaluate businesses for relief, Mountain Bizworks <a href="https://archive.ph/uEpdn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> “scoring” criteria that included “underserved entrepreneurs,” which were defined as “women-owned businesses,” “businesses owned by people of color,” “veteran-owned businesses,” and lower-income individuals. 
The non-profit added that it would “prioritize independent small business owners who lack access to traditional funding resources” and that the application would be “equity focused.” A screenshot included in the complaint showed that both race and sex were required fields for the application through Mountain Bizworks. 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-876739" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.20.33-PM.png" alt="" width="1712" height="963" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.20.33-PM.png 1712w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.20.33-PM-300x169.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.20.33-PM-1024x576.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.20.33-PM-768x432.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screen-Shot-2025-02-13-at-12.20.33-PM-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1712px) 100vw, 1712px" /></div>
Statistics shared by the county showed that grants were disproportionately awarded to women and minorities. Of the 137 awards given out, 28.5% were given to “minority owned businesses,” and 60.6 were given to “women-owned businesses.” The county is nearly 90% white, <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/buncombecountynorthcarolina/RHI125223" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Census Data. 
The county did not respond to questions about how many applications were sent in and the demographics of the applicants 
Mumpower believes that the process not only violates federal law, but also Buncombe County’s own <a href="https://www.buncombecounty.org/i-want-to/contact/file-discrimination-complaint.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-discrimination law</a>. That ordinance describes discrimination as treating people differently for a number of different factors, including race and sex. 
He told The Daily Wire that he was &#8220;optimistic&#8221; that the complaint, filed on January 22, will get a fair hearing under the Trump administration.
“We want our local government to follow the law and not use color as a consideration for application for public dollars. And that’s all we want,” Mumpower told The Daily Wire. 
Because Buncombe County and Asheville are completely controlled by Democrats, Mumpower said they were “ruthless in their willingness to ignore the law” and believed they could get away with anything. He also said that his group has mainly seen a negative response from the broader Asheville community, an area that backed Kamala Harris by over 60%. 
“It’s very disappointing that a society has worked so hard to get color off the table as to how we measure one another that we would have so many misguided local leaders who are willing to ignore the progress we’ve made and even try to set us back,” he said. “It’s very ironic.”
President Donald Trump has been critical of the federal and local response to Hurricane Helene, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rips-into-fema-says-it-is-getting-in-the-way-of-everything" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> that North Carolinians “were treated very badly by Democrats.” Most of his criticism has been aimed at FEMA, which he has floated getting rid of completely in favor of more state responsibility over natural disasters.

US-HURRICANE-HELENE

North Carolina Residents Ask Trump To Intervene After Officials Prioritize Hurricane Relief By Race

COVID

Treasury Department

Trump Administration

Actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/patricia-heaton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton</a> slammed FEMA and former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for leaving <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina">North Carolina</a> residents — who lost homes in Hurricane Helene — in tents when the agency reportedly had enough money to house &#8220;illegal migrants&#8221; in “luxury” hotels in New York City just last week.
In a post on Monday on <a href="https://x.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1888969816876187725">X</a>, the 66-year-old actress reacted to a post from <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1888891512303263815">Elon Musk</a> about how his “[Department of Government Efficiency] DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants … That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!”
“So those poor folks in North Carolina who were told by Mayorkas there wasn’t enough money to help them had to sleep in tents all this time,” Heaton wrote. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
So those poor folks in North Carolina who were told by Mayorkas there wasn’t enough money to help them had to sleep in tents all this time… <a href="https://t.co/4ToNxfhcvT">https://t.co/4ToNxfhcvT</a>
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1888969816876187725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
In October, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayorkas-claim-that-fema-was-tremendously-prepared-haunts-biden-harris-admin-after-hurricane">Mayorkas</a> claimed to reporters that FEMA was running out of money and did not have the resources to make it to the end of the season.
Last month, under former President Joe Biden’s administration, dozens of victims from the hurricane were kicked out of the hotels they were staying in as their <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fema">FEMA</a>-sponsored vouchers expired, according to North Carolina’s Republican senators, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-north-carolina-hurricane-victims-lose-fema-sponsored-housing-senators-say">reported</a>.
North Carolina Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis both posted on X that they had heard from dozens of constituents in western North Carolina that they had nowhere to go after their temporary FEMA housing assistance expired. 
FEMA responded by saying that it had expanded its housing program for those who had lost their homes in Helene until the end of March 2025.
“My office is hearing from dozens in WNC who have been kicked out of their hotels tonight, despite FEMA’s announcement yesterday that they were extending Transitional Sheltering Assistance through January 25,” Budd posted. “This is unacceptable. This needs to be fixed TONIGHT.”
Tillis reported a similar situation, saying that many kicked out of the hotels had nowhere to go with below freezing temperatures in the area.
Speaking to The Daily Wire, FEMA said that since September 2024, the agency had housed nearly 13,000 families displaced by devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. 
A spokesman said that its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program was still in place, including in western North Carolina, and had been extended until the end of March 2025.
The agency said that “hotel stays” on Tuesday ended for survivors who now had a habitable home due to inspection or for people who did not have “not have eligible damages to a home or rental unit caused by Tropical Storm Helene.”
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton Blows Up On LA Mayor As Fires Rage</a>

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Patricia Heaton Slams FEMA For Leaving North Carolina In Tents, Putting Illegals In Ritzy Hotels

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President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> spoke out on Friday about a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fema" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEMA</a> scandal where relief workers skipped homes because of Trump signs or flags.
Trump decried the incident, which was first reported by The Daily Wire, as he spoke to hurricane victims in North Carolina. Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-promises-overhaul-of-fema-floats-getting-rid-of-agency?topStoryPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed drastic</a> changes to FEMA and suggested that he may sign an executive order to get rid of the agency altogether.
“A whistleblower testified that some FEMA employees refused to help people who display Trump signs on their property. I think that&#8217;s true, isn&#8217;t it? I read that. That&#8217;s not nice, that&#8217;s not too nice, is it? But whoever those property people were, thank you very much,” Trump said.
In November, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke a story</a> that FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington had ordered relief workers in Lake Placid to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” These instructions were given in person and verbally, whistleblowers told The Daily Wire. At least 20 homes were skipped due to the orders.
A day after the story broke, Washington was fired and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell maintained it was an isolated incident and FEMA workers visited the homes that were skipped.
The incident is still under investigation by multiple entities and Florida has sued FEMA and Washington, alleging a conspiracy to discriminate against Trump supporters.
Other whistleblowers have come forward alleging similar misconduct in Georgia and North Carolina.
One whistleblower <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-ask-for-probe-into-allegations-fema-skipped-entire-neighborhoods-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that entire neighborhoods were skipped if they found three or more signs that said things like “Make America Great Again,” “Drain the Swamp,” “Don’t Tread on Me,” or a Trump campaign sign.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1nbe5j6*_gcl_au*MTkzOTk4NzA0Mi4xNzM2MTgxNjQyLjIxMTUyMTE0NjEuMTczNzA0NjQwMC4xNzM3MDQ2ODMz*_ga*Nzc2OTM1MzIwLjE3MzYxODE2Mzk.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNzc0MDMyOC43OS4xLjE3Mzc3NDAzNDIuNDYuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a>
The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dhs-inspector-general-confirms-fema-probe-says-aid-should-not-be-politically-based" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has initiated</a> an investigation into the multiple allegations of FEMA misconduct, including in North Carolina and Florida.
Later during his visit to North Carolina, Trump said that he was likely going to revamp FEMA and give more responsibility for disaster relief to the states.
“We’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA,” he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fema-not-good-trump-announces-agency-overhaul-during-visit-north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down.”
“We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to fix it as fast as you can,” he added. “It’s a massive amount of damage. FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down. And I don’t know if that’s Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re going to take over. We’re going to do a good job.”
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