Democratic Senate Hopeful Roy Cooper Hosted Imam Closely Tied to Hamas at Secret ‘Iftar Dinner’ at NC Governor’s Mansion: Muslim Soiree Kept Under Wraps for Weeks

Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper quietly hosted a controversial imam with deep ties to Hamas at the North Carolina governor's mansion in 2018 for a dinner where the imam led a Muslim prayer, mingled with fellow Muslim leaders, and posed for pictures with Cooper and his wife.

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Muslim, pro-Palestine HS valedictorian blasts ICE in graduation speech — which school official cuts short: 'I feel oppressed'



A Muslim, pro-Palestine valedictorian from a North Carolina high school blasted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during her commencement speech last week, which a school official is seen on video cutting short.

During the graduation ceremony for Clayton High School last Thursday, Leen Hijaz delivered the welcome speech, WRAL-TV said, adding in its video report that Hijaz is the valedictorian of the graduating class.

As Hijaz reached the closing remarks of her speech, she began commenting about ICE and Palestine, the station said. The following is the transcript of Hijaz's final words based on a video recording:

Before I leave the stage, I have one last thing to say. Every single person here has a voice, and we are privileged to have the freedom to use it when so many people around the world are struggling and suffering to be heard. Whether it's the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, and so many other countries around the world, or the families being torn apart by ICE, these are not distant issues; they are happening right now as I speak. My point is, we're not given a voice to stay silent.

Then what appeared to be a school official approached Hijaz at the podium and cut off her speech, after which Hijaz turned and sat down in her seat onstage.

Nevertheless, the crowd gave Hijaz a big round of applause.

Below is the clip of her off-script words:

RELATED: Hillary Clinton, other leftists praise HS valedictorian's surprise, unapproved speech attacking pro-life 'heartbeat bill' in Texas

The moment was captured on video as Clayton High School live streamed the commencement ceremony on the school's YouTube page, WRAL reported.

What's more, Hijaz on her TikTok account the day after the graduation ceremony said her diploma was being withheld due to her words in her speech, the station said.

"What I focused on throughout my entire life was my education, and for something so important to me, something that I worked hard for 12 years of my life to get taken from me, I feel oppressed," Hijaz said, according to WRAL.

Hijaz in her TikTok video also identified herself as a Muslim and added that she was the graduating class' valedictorian even though she was technically a junior, noting that she graduated early.

Hijaz added that for six months she did "a lot of fighting to get on that stage" before the school "gave in and they said that I could do the welcome speech."

"The only reason why I wanted to go on that stage is because I wanted to say something,” Hijaz said in her TikTok video. “And I really think that somebody had to say something because nobody else is going to speak up. Nobody."

Hijaz added in her TikTok video that when the high school principal approached her at the podium, the principal said that "if you don't stop speaking right now, you're not graduating."

What's more, Hijaz said in her TikTok video that her diploma was going to be "withheld for a week."

RELATED: 'Substantial risks': USC releases outside commencement speakers just days after axing Muslim student's valedictorian speech

The News & Observer said the school's principal didn't respond to an email requesting comment on the incident.

In a statement provided to WRAL, Johnston County Public Schools said students were required to submit their remarks well in advance of graduation and that a student deviated from what administrators preapproved.

"School administrators intervened in order to maintain the integrity and focus of the program in real time," the district said, according to the station. "This action was not about limiting a student’s voice but about ensuring that a school-sponsored event remained consistent with its intended purpose."

In her TikTok video, Hijaz said she didn't submit the end of her speech as part of her official speech because she said the school would've denied it "immediately because of how racist they are."

"I was extremely scared to say something and really wasn't planning on doing it, but I had so much support from my friends and family around me, and they really encouraged me to say something," Hijaz said in her TikTok video, adding that "I didn't get the chance to say everything I wanted to say, but I said enough that the word went out."

Hijaz added in her TikTok clip that her principal was yelling her name and making her feel "uncomfortable" — and that later the principal said that she was "so disappointed" in Hijaz and that the valedictorian "made this all about" herself and "abused" the "privilege to speak."

The school district told WRAL that while it respects students' right to express their views and encourages important conversations concerning their views, they also have "a responsibility to ensure that official school events remain inclusive, respectful, and focused on celebrating all graduates."

"We remain committed to supporting student expression while upholding the structure and expectations of school-sponsored activities," the district said, according to WRAL.

WRAL added that the school district has given Hijaz's diploma to her.

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GOP Secures Agreement From North Carolina Election Officials To Clean Up Voter Rolls

Elections officials will be required to use jury duty records to identify and remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.

Black suspect commits possible race hoax — then allegedly grabs a gun



A black teen in North Carolina has allegedly terrorized his community in more ways than one in just the past couple of weeks.

On May 2, Taquon Jameek Vereen, 18, was arrested after police in Fayetteville received reports of a suspect spray-painting a swastika on a building. A social media video also suggested a suspect was spray-painting swastikas on other properties as well, police said.

The Observer made no mention of Vereen's race.

Officers identified Vereen as the suspect and took him into custody without incident. He was charged with two counts of damage to real property and one count of second-degree trespassing, police said.

Court documents revealed that Vereen is accused of spray-painting swastikas on public property — "two stop signs and one traffic light control box" — as well as on the side of a convenience store from which Vereen had been banned back in April.

The Fayetteville Police Department statement described Vereen as a "black male, 18 years of age."

In its report about the incident, the Fayetteville Observer specifically noted that swastikas are "widely recognized as symbols of hate" that are "commonly associated with Nazi ideology and white supremacist groups." However, the Observer made no mention of Vereen's race.

RELATED: Video of man lurking in KKK garb unnerves Rhode Island residents — police say it is not what it seems

Photo of swastika graffiti in Brooklyn in March 2026 by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis/Getty Images

Vereen posted bond on May 6 in connection with the swastika case, court records showed. Just six days later though, he was back in custody, this time in connection with an even more serious incident.

On Tuesday, Vereen was arrested after he was "walking down the roadway pointing a handgun at bystanders and passing vehicles," police claimed, citing witness statements.

When cops arrived at the intersection in question, located about a half-mile from the swastika-tagged convenience store, they spotted the suspect, who immediately attempted to flee on foot. He was quickly apprehended and identified as Vereen.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, police said.

Vereen was charged with going armed to the terror of people and assault by pointing a gun. As of Thursday morning, he is not listed among the inmates at the Cumberland County Detention Center website, but a representative at the jail confirmed to Blaze News that Vereen remains in custody and has a hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

A public defender for Vereen did not respond to a request for comment.

H/T: Stephen Horn

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Ex-HS counselor reportedly was 'crying throughout the hearing' after she was hit with felony sex charges involving student



A now-former high school counselor in North Carolina has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a student at the school, according to police.

Asheboro Police Department officers on Friday arrested 39-year-old Amber Elizabeth Walker, according to the arrest warrant WFMY-TV obtained.

'Asheboro City Schools is aware that a former employee of the district has been taken into custody in connection with alleged inappropriate activity.'

Walker was charged with two felony counts of sex act with a student, the arrest warrant said. Walker faces up to 94 months in prison if convicted on both charges, WFMY reported. During Monday's hearing, prosecutors petitioned the court to hold Walker without bond.

Walker's attorney argued that his client isn't a flight risk because she resides in Guilford County, where her 2-year-old son and her parents live, WXLV-TV reported. Her attorney also noted that Walker poses no risk of reoffending, as the school district no longer employs her.

However, the judge said the charges against Walker are considered violent offenses under Iryna’s Law, which means a defendant cannot be released on an unsecured bond or written promise, WXLV reported. Iryna's Law was enacted in October 2025 in response to the brutal killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte commuter train.

According to the Duke Chronicle, the main provisions of Iryna's Law are to "enforce stricter pretrial release conditions, mandate mental health evaluations for some defendants, and expedite the process for implementing capital punishment."

Walker's secured bond was set at $50,000, and the judge ordered her to have no contact with the victim.

Walker was "crying throughout the hearing," according to WFMY.

Walker was a counselor and girls' basketball coach at Asheboro High School, according to WFMY.

Multiple posts on the official Asheboro High School Facebook account from 2019 and 2021 identify Walker as "Coach Walker" while congratulating the girls' basketball team.

RELATED: 'Monster' guidance counselor admits to sexually abusing underage girl; promised to leave husband and kids for victim: Police

Police said they received a tip on Friday accusing Walker of engaging in sexual activity two days before with an underage student at the school, WFMY reported. Police said detectives "quickly developed evidence confirming the allegation" and took Walker into custody within hours of receiving the potentially damning accusations.

WXII-TV reported that the school district hired Walker on Feb. 26, 2018, and Asheboro City Schools fired her Friday. The school district said in a statement that it will "continue to cooperate with appropriate authorities as necessary."

"Asheboro City Schools is aware that a former employee of the district has been taken into custody in connection with alleged inappropriate activity," the school district said in a statement WFMY obtained.

The New York Post reported that just two months ago, Asheboro City Schools urged college-aspiring students to contact Walker for scholarship opportunities.

Walker is scheduled to appear in court on May 26. The Asheboro Police Department and the Randolph County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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Roy Cooper Says He’ll Block Grocery Mergers To 'Make Stuff Cost Less,' But He Cozied Up to Kroger as NC Governor: Senate Hopeful Didn't Fight Its Plans for Massive Merger

Fresh off securing the Democratic nomination for North Carolina's open Senate seat, former Gov. Roy Cooper kicked off his general election campaign with a  core campaign pledge: "Make Stuff Cost Less." Voters are getting squeezed at the grocery store, Cooper said at an early March campaign event, and he vowed to bring down costs by blocking anti-competitive grocery store mergers responsible for driving costs up.

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House Dem Don Davis Touts His Eastern North Carolina Bona Fides—but Nearly All His Individual Campaign Donations Come From Outside the State

Rep. Don Davis (D., N.C.) has built his political brand around his identity as an eastern North Carolinian, frequently touting his local roots in the state’s only swing district. Yet 90 percent of the individual donations to the Democrat came from out of state last quarter.

The post House Dem Don Davis Touts His Eastern North Carolina Bona Fides—but Nearly All His Individual Campaign Donations Come From Outside the State appeared first on .

ANOTHER elected Democrat leaves party in North Carolina



They're starting to fall like dominoes in North Carolina.

A second North Carolina state representative from Mecklenburg County, Rep. Nasif Majeed, has officially left the Democratic Party. Last week, news broke that state Rep. Carla Cunningham had changed her voter registration to "unaffiliated."

'I have witnessed and experienced actions within the political landscape that I believe could be perceived as misleading or inconsistent with the spirit of fair elections.'

On Monday, Majeed confirmed that he has followed suit.

"After deep reflection and conversations with constituents across District 99, I have made the decision to disaffiliate from the Democratic Party and serve as an Independent," he said in a press release, according to WBTV.

"This decision is rooted in my responsibility to represent people — not party agendas — and to remain grounded in integrity, fairness, and truth," he added.

"I have witnessed and experienced actions within the political landscape that I believe could be perceived as misleading or inconsistent with the spirit of fair elections. I cannot, in good conscience, remain aligned where those concerns are not adequately addressed."

Like Cunningham, Majeed is viewed as a more conservative Democrat, voting to override vetoes from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. Cunningham voted to override a veto of the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act, while Majeed voted to override the veto of a bill condemned by LGBTQ+ activists because it formally recognizes only two genders.

Both of those veto-overrides were successful, and the bills are now law in North Carolina.

RELATED: Elected Democrat leaves party after standing up for Americans over illegal aliens

Also like Cunningham, Majeed lost his re-election bid last month when he was trounced in the Democratic primary for the District 99 seat. Challenger Valeria Levy garnered 69% of the vote to Majeed's paltry 26%.

Majeed has represented District 99 since 2019. Cunningham has represented District 106 since 2013. Both will serve out their terms but will be unable to run as an independent candidate for their respective districts in November.

North Carolina House Democratic Leader Robert Reives suggested he harbors no hard feelings over the defections.

"During their years in public office Representatives Majeed and Cunningham have voted on bills according to their values and I expect they will continue to do so," Reives said in a statement released Monday, according to NC Newsline. "I value their friendship and look forward to continuing to serve with them."

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