Donald Trump wins North Carolina, kneecapping Kamala's path to the White House



President Donald Trump has won North Carolina once again, picking up the key battleground state's 16 electoral votes.

Around 9:22 p.m. ET, the Decision Desk HQ called the Tar Heel state for Trump. The Associated Press subsequently called it around 11:20 p.m. ET. At the time of publication, Trump had a comfortable lead, 50.8% to 48.1% with 88% of the votes counted

Jill Stein of the Green Party and Libertarian Chase Oliver both failed to clinch half a percentage point.

Exit polls indicated that the sexes split as expected, with 57% of men voting for Trump and 56% of women voting for Kamala Harris, reported NBC News. Trump secured roughly 61% of the white vote, 12% of the black vote, and 48% of the Hispanic vote.

Trump even made history: He won Anson County, which is more than 44% black. A Republican has won that county in a presidential election only once since the 1870s.

According to the Associated Press, the issues that decided the election in North Carolina were the economy, immigration, abortion, and health care, in that order.

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod recently told Mike Murphy of the podcast "Hacks on Tap" that if Harris won North Carolina, Trump, who held some of his final rallies in the state, would be "in deep trouble." It appears that Harris now has major troubles of her own.

Republican North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson was not so fortunate, trailing the state's Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by roughly 13 percentage points.

Republicans Brad Knott, Richard Hudson, Tim Moore, David Rouzer, Mark Harris, Pat Harrigan, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, Greg Murphy, and Chuck Edwards all appear to have locked down or kept seats in the U.S. Congress.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that a Republican presidential candidate has won Anson County once since the 1870s. A previous version claimed no Republican had won it since the 1870s.

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13th Oregon county secures approval to ditch Democrat-compromised state to join Idaho



The "Greater Idaho" movement continues to gain steam, promising to liberate conservative counties east of the Deschutes River from the ruinous policies and Democratic control all but ensured by residents in the more populous leftist areas nearer the coast, such as Mayor Ted Wheeler's crime-ravaged Portland.

On Tuesday, Crook County voters were presented with ballot measure 7-86, which asked: "Should Crook County represent that its citizens support efforts to move the Idaho state border to include Crook County?"

The majority signaled their support for moving the state border westward and joining their conservative compatriots in the Gem State.

The arguments

Those opposed to the measure unsuccessfully argued against 7-86 in the State Voters' Pamphlet that joining Idaho was problematic because:

  • Idaho, unlike Oregon, is pro-life;
  • Idaho, unlike Oregon, has a sales tax and a lower minimum wage;
  • Idaho is not as fast and loose when it comes to voter registration;
  • "Idaho does not allow Video Poker Machines in retail establishments";
  • Moving the border might undercut Oregon's recreational drug sales;
  • "Idaho has no state sponsored healthcare plan for low-income residents"; and
  • Newly minted Idaho residents will have to pay "out of state fees" for hunting, fishing, and camping activities on the Oregon coast.

A loss of voters might also mean Oregon could lose representatives in Congress.

Citizens for Greater Idaho president Mike McCarter, a firearms instructor from the town of LaPine, alternatively argued, "There is a way to get better governance for central and eastern Oregon. The current location of the Oregon/Idaho border was decided 165 years ago and is now outdated because it doesn't match the location of the dividing line between the counties that prefer Idaho's style of governance and counties that prefer Oregon's style of governance."

McCarter further noted the residents of Crook County would receive better representation in Idaho, where the state legislature "is controlled by representatives from rural districts, who govern according to the concerns and priorities of rural counties."

McCarter, whose organization has elsewhere suggested that "only 25% of Oregonians who are registered to vote are registered Republican," stressed that the alternative would be to continue living under the thumb of Oregon politicians who "don't understand how we make a living. Their decisions damage industries like timber, mining, trucking, ranching and farming."

'When you go to seek redress and your government doesn't listen to you, where do you turn?'

Idaho state Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R) recently told CNN, "Constitutionally, people should have the opportunity to seek redress from their government."

"When you go to seek redress and your government doesn't listen to you, where do you turn?" she continued. "These people were seeking redress from the next best thing, which would be us."

Greater Idaho executive director Matt McCaw similarly suggested in the voters pamphlet, "The right to choose our own government is a foundational principle of the United States. It's why we hold votes for government office, redistrict every ten years, and have an initiative system that allows voters to refer issues directly to the ballot. The goal of all of these systems is to get government that people actually want and that matches their values."

"East-side Oregonians have little voice in their own state government, even less political power, and get a steady barrage of policies forced on us that we don't want and don't reflect our community or values," added McCaw.

Evidently, 53.44% of Crook County voters cared more about regaining a political say over their fates than abortion rights, automatic voter registration, sales tax, and slot machines, saying "yes" to ballot measure 7-86. The votes will not be certified until June.

The response

"The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward," McCaw said in a statement. "We call on the governor, speaker of the House, and Senate president to sit down with us and discuss next steps towards changing governance for eastern Oregonians, as well as for the legislature to begin holding hearings on what a potential border change will look like."

"What they're telling us through these votes is that they want their leaders to move the border. In our system, the people are the ones in charge, and it's time for the leaders representing them to follow through," said McCarter.

Greater Idaho suggested that the "yes" vote would likely have been more substantial were it not for the opposition campaign bankrolled by Portland groups.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little indicated in 2020 — as the first of the eastern Oregon counties began to vote in favor of leaving Oregon to its troubles — that he liked the idea of a "Greater Idaho."

Little told "Fox & Friends" that he understood "what takes place in the Portland area has a big impact on those rural parts of Oregon, and I understand they're looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere, our values. That doesn't surprise me one bit."

Little noted, however, there would be various legal "hurdles" prospective western Idahoans would have to clear first. The U.S. Congress and both the Oregon and Idaho state legislatures would have to approve the border shift.

KOIN-TV noted that the Idaho legislature passed a measure last year to begin conversations with Oregon lawmakers about the initiative.

Ahead of the talks, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) quipped, "I would entertain a trade for Boise and Sun Valley."

Extra to Crook County, the following counties have reportedly passed measures in favor of joining Idaho: Sherman; Morrow; Union; Wallowa; Jefferson; Wheeler; Grant; Baker; Malheur; Harney; Lake; and Klamath.

While there has long been an interest in moving the border, Democrat-championed COVID restrictions reportedly helped provide the movement with the traction it needed to get where it is today.

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Video: Another group of suspected illegal aliens arrives in California by boat — then quickly flees scene on foot



Another large group of suspected illegal aliens arrived in the United States by boat, according to a video shared recently on social media, the New York Post reported.

The video, captured Thursday morning, showed approximately two dozen individuals offloading from a small ship docked at a marina in Newport Beach, California. The suspected illegal immigrants are seen hopping over the fence to exit the harbor. One man appears to cover his face as he walks past the cameraman. The individuals seem to split off from one another, heading in separate directions toward the neighborhood across the street from the harbor, the video showed.

WATCH: Approximately two dozen migrants were caught on film unloading off a boat in NEWPORT BEACH Thursday morning on the tip of the Balboa Peninsula and fleeing into the neighborhood. \n\nUntil we fix our broken immigration laws, every town in Orange County is a border town.
— (@)

Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill addressed the video in a post on X, writing, “I’m aware of a video showing a mass of people offloading from a boat in our Harbor. I’ve been in touch with the [Orange County] Sheriff’s Department who patrols our Harbor to find out how we can do better.”

O.C. Sheriff Don Barnes recently reported that maritime smuggling operations are becoming more common, with a nearly 140% increase from 2020 to 2023. He noted that “state restrictions on communications with federal partners hinder” Harbor Patrol’s efforts to combat illegal immigration.

“The state should repeal laws that restrict communication with our federal partners,” Barnes said, referring to California’s "sanctuary policies," which prevent local law enforcement agencies from coordinating and cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

O’Neill said that he “wholeheartedly” agrees with Barnes, stating that “our law enforcement’s hands get tied behind their backs by Sacramento’s ‘sanctuary state’ policies.”

“Our nation’s border crisis is serious, lawless, and dangerous. The approaches taken by the administrations in D.C. and Sacramento have made it significantly worse,” O’Neill continued. “As it has been said, every city is now a border city. We must expect better from people in charge of enforcing our laws.”

In April, a video shared online showed a large group of suspected illegal aliens arriving at a Carlsbad beach by boat.

@abc10news

North County leaders are calling federal and state authorities to secure San Diego’s borders. This comes after Saturday’s incident where a boat carrying migrants sped up to the shore in Carlsbad. #viralvideos #migrants #border #sandiego #beach #carlsbad #carlsbadcalifornia #news #localnews #boat #panga #immigrant #immigration #foryou #foryoupage #videoviral #viralditiktok #lifeguards #shore #coastal #borderpatrol #northcountysd #sd #suv #pressconference #federal #state

The man who recorded the video told KGTV, “To see it live like that. I mean, even police and border patrol said they never caught it live like I did.”

“So to see one coming toward the shore at 40, 45 miles an hour and not turning, it was like a movie ... and the lifeguards were sitting right there, so I thought it was a planned, staged event,” he added.

According to him, 22 people jumped off the ship after beaching it and leaving it behind.

“It looked like a military exercise,” he said.

About half of the individuals jumped in an SUV and fled the scene, the man noted. Another video captured the vehicle dramatically speeding away while one individual was still attempting to jump into the backseat. The remaining illegal immigrants “started walking towards Carlsbad,” the man stated.

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Democratic transvestite disqualified from Ohio House race for not revealing his original name



A transvestite poised to run as a Democrat for the Ohio House has been disqualified for omitting his original name. LGBT activists and the liberal media have rushed to paint "Vanessa Joy" as a victim. However, it appears that with his so-called dead name, the 42-year-old pornographer buried a questionable past that might have been of interest to prospective voters.

Jeremy Michael Adams legally changed his name to Vanessa Joy in 2022. Joy was poised to run in the upcoming Ohio House election against Republican Matthew Kishman for the 50th District seat in red Stark County, having secured a sufficient number of valid signatures to qualify. However, Joy failed to provide his former name on the petitions that he had circulated, in violation of state law, reported the Columbus Dispatch.

"I would have had to have my dead name on my petitions," Joy told WEWS-TV. "But in the trans community, our dead names are dead; there's a reason it's dead — that is a dead person who is gone and buried."

Ohio law states that "[i]f any person desiring to become a candidate for public office has had a change of name within five years immediately preceding the filing of his statement of candidacy, both his statement of candidacy and nominating petition must contain, immediately following the person's present name, the person's former names."

The law does not apply to marriage name changes.

Case Western Reserve University elections law professor Atiba Ellis told WEWS, "It would be fair for the candidate to disclose their identity including prior names so that the people and their representatives in the state government would be able to vet that person and know exactly who they are."

"If a candidate has something to hide in their past like criminal activity, disclosing former names used by the candidate would make sense," Rick Hasen, a professor at UCLA School of Law, told the Associated Press.

Even though the law has been in effect for nearly 30 years, Joy told the Associated Press it had taken him by surprise.

On account of the Democrat's failure to indicate that he had, up until recently, been Jeremy Adams and apparently unsatisfied with ignorance as an excuse, Stark County's four-member Board of Elections kept Joy off the ballot.

Sean Meloy, the vice president of political programs for LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, suggested "[t]he biggest issue is the selective enforcement of [the law]."

Pro-Choice Ohio said in a statement, "there should be zero reasons why Vanessa Joy isn't on the March 2024 ballot."

Investigative journalist Andy Ngô highlighted possible reasons Joy may have been reluctant to share critical information about himself and his past with prospective voters. For instance, under his previous name, the Democrat recently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Ngô also noted that Joy failed to mention his side hustle as a pornographer. As recently as November 2023, he was sharing images of himself masturbating to photographs of women to his OnlyFans page under the handle "Vanesstradiol."

Joy apparently also fathered a child whom he indicated in an Oct. 25 social media post had — at on at least one occasion — sat with him while he kept his post-op pelvic wound open with a dilator.

"It's dilation time and I'm alone with my kid, so I have to do it upstairs in the room with him rather than alone in my room. I'm not in love with the fact that he saw my dilators sitting on a table and knew what they are," wrote Joy.

Joy told NBC News Thursday that Ohio's transparency law requiring that candidates — irrespective of their sexuality or mental well-being — provide previous names is "a barrier to entry for many trans and gender-noncomforming people."

"Where I personally would have just bit the bullet and allowed my deadname to be on the petitions and likely on the ballot, for a lot of trans people, they don't want their deadnames printed. It's a safety concern for many," he added.

PinkNews reported that Joy has filed a petition to contest his disqualification, claiming the law poses a "discriminatory barrier" to non-straight candidates.

In his appeal, Joy wrote, "While I understand that the spirit of the law was not intended to be discriminatory, it is, in fact, a discriminatory barrier for the LGBTQIA2S+ community at large… Therefore, I feel my disqualification, despite being done by the letter of the law, was unjust."

Following the letter of the law does not appear to have been a problem for the three other transvestites presently running for state legislature in Ohio.

While alleging in his petition the law is discriminatory, Joy told WCMH-TV he agrees with the "spirit of the law" and understands how it would preclude others from similarly deceiving voters.

— (@)

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Multiple Republicans to take part in 2023 World Economic Forum meeting



Multiple U.S. figures, including some Republicans, are slated to be involved in the World Economic Forum's upcoming annual meeting.

Republicans including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Rep. Maria Salazar of Florida are listed as participants in the "America (Un)Bound" event at the meeting, along with Democrats including Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who recently switched from being a Democrat to being an independent, but who is still currently listed as part of the Senate Democratic caucus.

A spokesperson for Kemp reportedly said in statement that the governor "looks forward to traveling to Davos to share with leaders how the State of Georgia's long record of conservative governance, protecting individual liberty, and championing opportunity can serve as a model for economic success across the country and around the world."

\u201cGov. Kemp will address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.\nOn the panel with Kemp:\nB\u00f8rge Brende, World Economic Forum Geneva\nKyrsten Sinema, Senator from Arizona (I)\nChristopher A. Coons, Senator from Delaware (D)\nJoe Manchin III, Senator from West Virginia (D)\n#gapol\u201d
— State Affairs Georgia (@State Affairs Georgia) 1673466186

A Salazar spokesperson told the Daily Wire that the lawmaker "was invited to participate in a bipartisan congressional delegation to this year's World Economic Forum to ensure American interests are protected" and "will highlight American exceptionalism and opportunities available under a free-market economy."

GOP Reps. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Darrell Issa of California are listed as part of the U.S. delegation to the meeting. While an older version of the webpage included GOP Sen. James Risch of Idaho on the list, the current version of the webpage does not include Risch. Sinema's name was also included on the older version of the webpage, but is not on the current version, though the WEF indicates that Sinema will participate in the "America (Un)Bound" event at the meeting.

Issa issued a statement in which he criticized the WEF but explained why he believes in attending the meeting.

"Over the years, the World Economic Forum has gotten much wrong – from crippling COVID lockdowns, to climate extremism, to exacerbating the global energy crisis, to the manifest dangers of the Chinese Communist Party," Issa said in the statement. "No conservative should be unwilling to go where progressive activists, world leaders, and the mainstream media are gathered and tell them when they are wrong."

"As I attend the World Economic Forum – with bipartisan Congressional colleagues – I will not be a silent observer. I will continue to be a forceful voice for our conservative values of liberty and freedom and the best of what makes America great," Issa said.

Man murdered ex-roommate over missing PlayStation 4: 'He put up a good fight'

Man murdered ex-roommate over missing PlayStation 4: 'He put up a good fight'



A Florida man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of murdering his former roommate, whom he suspected of stealing some of his belongings.

On Friday, Jake "Jay" Bilotta, 26, was convicted of first-degree, premeditated murder for the 2018 death of Joshua Barnes, who was just 24 when Bilotta lured him to his residence and then savagely butchered him with a knife.

Bilotta and three other males had been sharing a residence in Maitland, Florida, just north of Orlando, in November 2018. Barnes — aka Josh Sosa, aka Josh Brown — had also lived at the residence for a couple weeks, but the roommates kicked him out after they suspected that he had not paid his share of the rent and that he had stolen some of their belongings, including a bong, a pair of shoes, a watch, and Bilotta's PlayStation 4. A police report indicates that Barnes had never been given keys to the residence.

Prosecutors argued in court that the missing PlayStation outraged Bilotta to such an extent that he planned to kill Barnes out of "revenge." Bilotta then conspired with roommate Ian McClurg to invite Barnes back to the home under the pretense of going to a party together. Bilotta planned to greet Barnes at the door with a knife, while McClurg sat on the couch to prevent Barnes from making an escape. When Barnes arrived, Bilotta immediately plunged the knife into Barnes, stabbing him a reported 17 times, while Barnes yelled, "You're killing me."

A third roommate, Walter Johnson, then returned home and saw Bilotta and McClurg attempting to stuff Barnes' deceased remains into plastic bags. Johnson also reportedly heard Bilotta say that he had to "give the f***er credit, he put up a good fight," in reference to Barnes. Johnson immediately called police.

With officers on their way, McClurg cowered in a bathroom, where he was arrested, while Bilotta fled the residence on foot. Police found Bilotta about a mile away, barefoot and covered in blood.

In January 2020, McClurg pled guilty to tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact. He also agreed to testify against Bilotta.

At trial, Bilotta took the stand and claimed that he had stabbed Barnes in self-defense. "He actually managed to get hold of my hand, and I was trying to pull away, but I was … starting to get nervous with what was going on in the scenario because things escalated," Bilotta testified. "It was basically 0-100."

The jury didn't buy it. They convicted Bilotta, spared him the death penalty, and instead sentenced him to life in prison. McClurg has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

\u201cSeminole Jury finds Jake Bilotta Guilty of 1st Degree Murder in the death of Joshua Barnes in 2018. Prosecutors successfully argued the motive was revenge for theft of a PlayStation, not self defense as Bilotta claimed. Sentenced to Life in DOC\u201d
— State Attorney 18th Circuit FL (@State Attorney 18th Circuit FL) 1671209914
\u201cIan MCCLURG (22) enters plea in 2018 PlayStation revenge murder of Joshua Barnes (24) and agrees to testify against co-defendant, Jake BILOTTA (23) in future trial. https://t.co/WB1WLd2InV\u201d
— State Attorney 18th Circuit FL (@State Attorney 18th Circuit FL) 1578434830

Peak politician: Florida Dems slam 'cruel and inhumane' migrant relocation policy they voted for



As Florida Democrats have attacked Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for relocating illegal immigrants to Martha' Vineyard, the DeSantis reelection campaign has put them on blast for voting to approve the funding that allowed the governor to do it.

Eleven Democratic members of the state Senate voted in favor of the state's fiscal year 2022-23 budget, which appropriated $12 million to transport illegal immigrants to out-of-state sanctuary city jurisdictions. The funding came from interest earned on COVID-19 relief given to Florida by the Biden administration as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, DeSantis campaign Rapid Response director Christina Pushaw said and the Washington Post confirmed.

Congress did not pass restrictions on the interest earned from coronavirus relief funds, freeing Florida lawmakers to use that funding however they wished. State senators approved the budget on March 14, 2022, in a vote of 33-0.

\u201c2 things CNN \u201cforgot\u201d to report:\n\n1. The money actually came from the interest our state has collected on BidenBucks. \n\n2. Almost every Democrat in the Florida Legislature voted for it, including those who are having public meltdowns today\u201d
— Christina Pushaw \ud83d\udc0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Christina Pushaw \ud83d\udc0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1663294484

Pushaw pointed out that many of the Democrats railing against the governor for sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard had voted in favor of the budget including the relocation program.

\u201cYes, you read that right. \n\nEvery single one of these Democrat legislators voted for exactly what they\u2019re feigning outrage at today.\u201d
— Christina Pushaw \ud83d\udc0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Christina Pushaw \ud83d\udc0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1663289421

DeSantis War Room, a Twitter account affiliated with the campaign, retweeted several of the Democratic lawmakers who expressed outrage over what they voted for.

"GOP politicians along with alt-right media outlets are using public money to traffic immigrants. It’s disgusting, un-American and shameful," tweeted Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D), who voted for the budget. So did state Sen. Annette Taddeo (D), who said it was "cruel and inhumane" for Republicans to allegedly "use [migrants] as political pawns to score cheap points with their Fox News audience and the extreme fringes of their party."

\u201cFlorida Rep. Anna Eskamani voted for the FY 22-23 budget, which included $12 million to transport illegal aliens to sanctuary jurisdictions.\u201d
— DeSantis War Room (@DeSantis War Room) 1663275790

"Ron DeSantis' puzzling decision to spend money from our state budget to send migrants to Martha's Vineyard is lacking in compassion and it may even violate state law," claimed Sen. Laruen Book, who also voted for the budget.

\u201cFlorida Sen. Lauren Book voted for the FY 22-23 state budget, which included $12 million to transport illegal aliens to sanctuary jurisdictions -- like Martha's Vineyard.\u201d
— DeSantis War Room (@DeSantis War Room) 1663282594

Some lawmakers attempted to defend their votes. State Rep. Angie Nixon (D) said that the budget is "complex" and that Democrats "vote in favor of the good aspects of it," presumably holding their nose for the provisions they oppose.

\u201cThe budget is complex. And we don\u2019t want to risk even more harm to our communities because y\u2019all are vindictive so we vote in favor of the the good aspects of it. Don\u2019t get on here with your clown behavior. What y\u2019all did was cruel and inhumane. I hope your boss gets locked up!\u201d
— State Rep. Angie Nixon (@State Rep. Angie Nixon) 1663290481

DeSantis signed Florida's $109.9 billion state budget into law on June 2, 2022. In addition to the $12 million appropriated for the migrant relocation program, the budget included more than $1.24 billion in tax relief, increased funding for K-12 education and teacher salaries, increased pay for law enforcement officers, a 5.38% salary raise for state employees, $2.5 billion to protect Florida's water resources and the environment, and additional funding for health care, economic development, election integrity, and more.

At a press conference Thursday, the governor responded to his critics and slammed the Biden administration for failing to secure the southern border.

\u201cIn Florida, we take what is happening at the southern border seriously.\n \nWe are not a sanctuary state, and we will gladly facilitate the transport of illegal immigrants to sanctuary jurisdictions.\u201d
— Ron DeSantis (@Ron DeSantis) 1663259351

"If you have folks who are inclined to think Florida is a good place, our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction," DeSantis said. "We will help facilitate that transport for you, so you can go to greener pastures.

"Biden would fly people in the middle of the night, dump them all across this country. There was no warning on any of this," he continued. "And all those people in D.C. and New York were beating their chests when Trump was president saying they were so proud to be sanctuary jurisdictions. Saying how bad it was to have a secure border. The minute even a small fraction of what those border towns deal with everyday is brought to their front door they all [of a] sudden go berserk."

"It just shows you their virtue signaling is a fraud," DeSantis said.