'He wants to try to build a program': Marco Rubio was catalyst for Bill Belichick's move to UNC after the NFL: Report



Former Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) allegedly started the push to get Bill Belichick hired at the University of North Carolina by contacting political allies in the area.

Rubio, who is now the secretary of state under President Donald Trump, was one of the first allies to hear from former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick about pursuing a position with the University of North Carolina.

Belichick won six Super Bowls in the NFL with the New England Patriots before being let go. He eventually signed a five-year, $50 million contract to become the head coach of UNC.

However, the road toward that monumental deal is said to have been rather unorthodox and involved political strings being pulled at some of the highest levels.

'There's a chance Belichick would come to Chapel Hill.'

Belichick reportedly sent out the word to his political connections, including former Senator Rubio, who then contacted other allies in North Carolina. Rubio is said to have made a call to Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in hopes that he could get in touch with some of his own contacts at the university.

In an in-depth report, ESPN spoke to Tillis, who explained that Rubio, a big sports guy, called him to talk about Belichick.

"Rubio follows the sports world pretty closely, and he called me and said, 'There's a chance Belichick would come to Chapel Hill,'" Tillis told the outlet.

Tillis recalled, "[Rubio] said, 'He wants a school with a great academic reputation, and he wants to try to build a program to bring them a national championship.'"

The senator revealed he then told Rubio, "Well, let me go [make some calls]."

Tillis explained that he immediately got on the wire with Phil Berger, the North Carolina Senate president pro tempore. He reached out to the Senate president for his strong connections at UNC, but Berger reportedly did not immediately take the idea seriously. Berger allegedly even laughed at the thought of Belichick wanting to go to North Carolina — until Tillis reassured him that the proposal was real.

When approached by ESPN, UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts was not willing to comment on any influence that Rubio, Tillis, or Berger may have had.

He did say, however, that he has been "really pleased" with the support the school has received "across the board" since hiring Belichick.

"We expected the response to be positive, but it has been even more overwhelmingly positive than we imagined," he explained. "We obviously wouldn't do it if we didn't think it was a wise investment, and it's still early, but we couldn't feel better about where we are with that."

ESPN claimed that an inside but unnamed source confirmed that the "push to land Belichick" all stemmed from the actions "with the politicians."

While Belichick's foray into college football came as a surprise to many, insider reports described his departure from the NFL as a rather contentious one. Belichick allegedly grew tired of NFL owners and was even told that he didn't deserve to be "empowered."

Sources close to the coach said he was "disgusted" by what the league had become.

Rumors circulated in January that Belichick had been contacted by his former star quarterback Tom Brady — who is now a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders — but rumors that the coach would join Brady in Las Vegas have largely died down. At the same time, however, the NFL season is still far away, and Belichick's contract with North Carolina reportedly included a $10 million buyout if he leaves before June 1, 2025.

That price tag is something a prospective NFL team would likely be willing to pay.

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Man behind popular 'Thank You Jesus' signs charged with sexually exploiting a child



The man behind the popular "Thank You Jesus" signs has been accused of sexually exploiting a child, according to police in North Carolina.

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office stated that 25-year-old Lucas Timothy Hunt was arrested on Tuesday. Hunt, of Asheboro, North Carolina, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

'We can say that Lucas Hunt, through the Thank You Jesus signs, has helped thousands of people and has been a blessing.'

Hunt was booked at the Randolph County Detention Center before being released after posting a $75,000 bond, according to jail records.

Hunt made his first court appearance on Wednesday, where he told the judge he understood the charges and plans to hire an attorney, according to WGHP-TV.

Hunt reportedly declined to speak to the news outlet following the hearing. He is expected to appear in court on March 19.

In January 2025, the Invictus Task Force launched an investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Invictus Task Force is a collaboration of sheriffs' offices, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations that investigates child exploitation, solicitation, and trafficking.

Deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said in the arrest warrant that Hunt received materials depicting two pubescent females engaged in a sex act, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Connie Frazier, president of the "Thank You Jesus" mission, told WFMY-TV, "We will not be commenting on the charges, but we can say that Lucas Hunt, through the Thank You Jesus signs, has helped thousands of people and has been a blessing."

As a teenager, Hunt began selling yard signs in 2016 that read: "Thank You Jesus."

According to the archived "Thank You Jesus" website:

In 2016, a young teenager named Lucas Hunt prayed for help to display Easter signs in his hometown of Asheboro, NC. Also, he prayed that these efforts would have a giant impact on the Kingdom. A few weeks later a board member at his church, Connie Frazier, sought the Lord's direction concerning an Easter project for their congregation. Lucas and Connie were unaware of each other’s prayers and desires. Then, God spoke very clearly to Connie instructing her to design a Thank You Jesus yard sign that would be distributed nationwide. Thank You Jesus signs were embraced and the wave of gratitude took hold.

The site said that more than 250,000 "Thank You Jesus" signs have been sold.

The signs reportedly sell for $8 to $10 and have been sold in every state.

The Winston-Salem Journal interviewed Hunt in 2017, when he was 17 years old.

Hunt told the outlet his reaction when he sees one of the yard signs, "Somebody in that household believes the way I believe — they love the same Jesus."

He added, "People ask if it’s a brand. It's not a brand, but it’s a ministry. It's not a way of selling you this product, that product. It’s all about Jesus."

When asked about his future in the interview, Hunt replied, "We'll just see what God has planned. He's already blown my mind."

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Married mother arrested on 80 counts of statutory rape, indecent liberties with a child



A married mother from North Carolina has been arrested and charged with 80 counts of statutory rape, indecent liberties with a child.

Sara Jean Sellers — a 44-year-old from Shallotte — was arrested Friday.

The alleged victims were two boys who were 12 years old at the time of the reported child sex crimes, WWAY-TV reported.

The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Sellers was charged with a total of 80 child sex crimes: 20 counts of statutory sex offense with a child under the age of 15 years old, 10 counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, 20 counts of statutory rape of a child under the age of 15 years old, 10 counts of statutory rape of a child by an adult, and 20 counts of indecent liberties with a child.

Sellers is being detained at the Brunswick County Detention Center. Sellers' attorney requested a $400,000 secured bond, but the judge set her bond at $2 million.

Sellers appeared in court Friday; prosecutors said the alleged child sex abuse happened between 2018 and 2019.

The alleged victims were two boys who were 12 years old at the time of the reported child sex crimes, WWAY-TV reported, adding that detectives have interviewed "two other boys."

Sellers' attorney reportedly stated in court that Sellers has been married for 22 years and has two daughters.

The investigation is ongoing.

The sheriff’s office stated that it "remains committed to protecting the community’s most vulnerable and ensuring that justice is served" and is urging anyone with information about the case or any others “who may have been victimized” to contact Det. Shepherd at 910-363-6976.

Anything else?

Citing statistics from Child Protective Services agencies, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reported that approximately 63,000 children are victims of sexual abuse annually — and 9% of child sex abuse perpetrators were women.

An estimated 66% of child victims are between the ages of 12 and 17, and statistics show that of the victims under the age of 18, 18% are male.

Statistics also show that one in nine girls and one in 20 boys under the age of 18 will experience sexual abuse or be the victim of a sexual assault.

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Critics blast liberal reporter for seizing upon hurricane devastation to belittle North Carolinians' beliefs



The Guardian, a leftist publication based in the U.K., is facing criticism over a Sunday article that seized upon the devastation wrought in North Carolina by Hurricane Helene as an opportunity to belittle locals' beliefs, attack President Donald Trump, and push a climate alarmist agenda.

The article was penned by the Guardian's "senior climate justice reporter" Nina Lakhani — a British national who previously suggested that nTrump was a terrorist and a fascist; pushed the Russian collusion hoax; claimed that America's border wall created "environmental and cultural scars"; advocated for banning white men from positions of power; and called the British monarchy a "white supremacist institution."

After insinuating that Trump and Elon Musk were to blame for delayed disaster relief, the Guardian reporter expressed concern that in her travels through Buncombe County, North Carolina, "the climate crisis was largely absent from people's thoughts" in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Resident Twila Little Brave, for instance, told the Guardian about her struggles in the wake of the hurricane, her gratitude about being alive, and how the efforts of her community, not her government, helped her survived the ordeal.

Sharon Jarvis, a 59-year-old woman who lives on a mountain slope on the outskirts of the community, criticized the Biden administration's disaster relief or lack thereof and noted that Christian relief groups, local churches, and other volunteer or nonprofit groups — not the government — stepped into the breach to help.

David Crowder, the pastor at a Barnardsville Baptist church, discussed tough living conditions along with potential threats to local pride and the storm's transformation of the landscape.

Since Brave, Jarvis, and Crowder failed to furnish Lakhani with the talking points the foreign reporter needed for her preferred narrative, Lakhani clumsily shoehorned them into the piece herself with the help of fellow travelers.

'We've failed to communicate this in a way that reaches some of the most vulnerable people.'

Lakhani insinuated that Brave and others who "have found comfort from attributing Helene to God's will" were ignoramuses, noting that "the science is clear: the intensity of the wind and rain during Helene was supercharged by the climate crisis, and the frequency and severity of such storms will increase as the planet continues to warm — driven by the world's dependence on the burning of fossil fuels."

While dismissive of locals' religious beliefs, Lakhani appeared more than willing to accept as gospel truth an assertion from Thomas Karl, the former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information, that might rely on misleading and inaccurate claims.

Lakhani shared Karl's belief that "these events will become more intense and stronger. But somehow we've failed to communicate this in a way that reaches some of the most vulnerable people, while they're getting false information from places they trust."

The government watchdog group Protect the Public's Trust noted in a complaint last year that the NOAA's Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters tracking project relies on economic data and cannot as a consequence "distinguish the effect of climate change as a factor on disaster losses from the effect of human factors like increases in the vulnerability and exposure of people and wealth to disaster damages due to population and economic growth."

'This is a vile, mean-spirited article.'

The so-called Billions Project not only has been been cited in over 1,200 articles but has been characterized by the U.S. Global Change Research Program as a "climate change indicator" and had its data cited in 2023 as evidence that "extreme events are becoming more frequent and severe" in the same federal program's "Fifth National Climate Assessment."

Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. noted in a study published June in the Springer Nature journal npj Natural Hazards:

NOAA incorrectly claims that for some types of extreme weather, the dataset demonstrates detection and attribution of changes on climate timescales. Similarly flawed are NOAA's claims that increasing annual counts of billion dollar disasters are in part a consequence of human caused climate change. NOAA's claims to have achieved detection and attribution are not supported by any scientific analysis that it has performed.

Despite outstanding questions about the veracity of claims of intensifying weather, Lakhani framed Karl's statement as the "clear science," then echoed his concern about the germination of alternate viewpoints regarding the storm and broader weather patterns.

Lakhani complained that "false rumors and conspiracy theories," as well as "fossil fuel-friendly" narratives, appear "to resonate among even those directly hit by floods and fires."

When criticizing so-called "disinformation," Lakhani turned to a fellow traveler to shore up her narrative — Sean Buchan, the so-called research director at the leftist censorship outfit Climate Action Against Disinformation.

Buchan appeared to insinuate that rural North Carolinians and other disaster-struck Americans were not smart enough to grasp "climate science" because it is "complicated and nuanced and requires patience." As a result of locals' supposed inability to understand what he and Lakhani believe to be true, Buchan suggested that "propagandists and bad actors will show up in person or online to fill the information vacuum."

Matt Van Swol, a former nuclear scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory, called the Guardian article "absolutely disgusting."

"This is a vile, mean-spirited article from The Guardian," continued Van Swol. "Everything mountain-folk HATE about big city reporters is covered in this article."

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N.C. Democrats Sourced Nearly 80% Of 2024 Individual Contributions From Outside The State

Democrats in North Carolina appear to be in a rift, and are unable to rely on in-state funding to get their candidates elected.

FACT CHECK: Post Claims Trump Gave North Carolina Money Formerly Meant For Illegal Immigrants

A post shared on X claims that President Donald Trump sent money to North Carolina that was formerly meant for illegal immigrants after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said they were out of money. BREAKING: FEMA said they were out of money and couldn’t help North Carolins. Today Trump moved $2 billion from money used […]

Trump prioritizes trip to state 'abandoned by the Democrats': North Carolina



President Donald Trump plans to visit various disaster-struck parts of the nation but will start Friday with North Carolina, as its people suffered for months and have been "treated so badly."

The American government has in recent decades eagerly doled out hundreds of billions of dollars for foreign aid and engaged in fruitless nation-building projects abroad. Former President Joe Biden, for instance, blew $230 million on a useless floating pier off Gaza that was dismantled after 20 days. Recent disasters — in Hawaii, North Carolina, and California, for example — have left some Americans wondering whether their government felt similarly compelled to apply such zeal in domestic relief efforts.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene — which killed over 100 Americans and reportedly damaged at least 6,000 miles of road and over 160 water and sewer systems, over 1,000 bridges and culverts, and at least 73,000 homes — Trump seized upon the perceived difference between the Biden administration's responses to foreign and domestic crises.

'We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people.'

"They're offering them $750, to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of," President Donald Trump said at an Oct. 5 rally, referring to the one-time $750-per-household payment to eligible disaster survivors through FEMA's "Serious Needs Assistance." "Think of it: We give foreign countries hundreds of billions of dollars and we're handing North Carolina $750."

Trump hammered this point home in his inaugural address, stating:

We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina — who have been treated so badly — and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago or, more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.

A Dec. 13 damage and needs assessment in North Carolina estimated that the cost of damages and needs was over $59.6 billion, "including $44.4 billion of direct damage, $9.4 billion of indirect or induced damage, and $5.8 billion of potential investments for strengthening and mitigation."

'We're going to get that thing straightened out.'

While federal funds trickled into the Tar Heel State since the storm along with piecemeal relief efforts — despite the apparent aversion of some within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to render aid to potential Trump supporters — the sense of abandonment remains strong.

Residents of Swannanoa, North Carolina, for instance, told WXII-TV this week that they have received very little help from the federal government and expressed hope that things will change under the new leadership.

Ian Monley, a worker with Valley Strong Disaster Relief, said, "We've seen people living in condemned trailers where they have raw sewage under their trailers. We've seen people living in tents. We've seen people living in cars. Normally, you see FEMA trailers rolling in and things to get people housing. And we haven't seen any of that."

Trump, who suspended all foreign development assistance programs for 90 days on Monday, said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity Tuesday evening, "On Friday, I'm stopping in North Carolina — first stop because those people were treated very badly by Democrats."

"We're going to get that thing straightened out because they're still suffering from a hurricane months ago," added Trump.

Josh Stein, the state's new Democratic governor, confirmed Trump's visit during a Tuesday briefing, noting, "I think that's very good news for the people of Western North Carolina that this issue is front of mind of the new administration."

While uncertain of his schedule, Stein said he hopes "to be able to see" Trump.

After visiting North Carolina, Trump is headed to Los Angeles then Nevada.

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NC Supreme Court Candidate: More Than 5K Overseas Ballots With No Voter ID Were Counted Illegally

Elections are not over yet in North Carolina, as Republican state Supreme Court candidate Judge Jefferson Griffin filed a brief challenging 5,509 overseas voters who did not provide identification with their ballots in the 2024 election. Griffin’s case is being heard by the very Supreme Court upon which he hopes to serve, as his incumbent […]

The Lumbee are NOT a federally recognized tribe, so why are they receiving so many tax dollars?!



The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina may be recognized by the state, but it has never succeeded in gaining the federal recognition it feels it deserves. While the 1956 Lumbee Act recognized the tribe as Native American, the “people of the dark water” have never received the status, sovereignty, and benefits of a federally recognized tribe.

But that hasn’t stopped the tribe from receiving years of federal support and the ear of certain politicians who purport to take the tribe’s status seriously.

One of those politicians is Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who just recently stepped down from his position in Congress. Instead of running for re-election, Bishop competed against Democrat Jeff Jackson in the race for North Carolina attorney general and lost.

In his farewell speech, Bishop chose to highlight the Lumbee Tribe’s ongoing quest for federal recognition (and more tax dollars, of course).

“This is my final week in Congress, and many come to the floor and ruminate over their service. As for me, I can't think of a better way to spend my final words on the floor than in support of recognition for the Lumbee Tribe,” Bishop began.

“The Lumbee have been pursuing justice since the mid-1800s,” he pleaded before highlighting the “their struggle as a people against racial discrimination and their deep and abiding community orientation around the life-changing power of education.”

Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed” can’t help but laugh at both Bishop and the Lumbee Tribe’s incessant demands for more tax dollars when there are serious debates over the tribe's status.

He is thankful that other politicians, like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), for example, are calling a spade a spade.

Burchett was pessimistic about the Lumbee Fairness Act that aimed to grant the tribe federal recognition. The bill passed the House but was not considered by the Senate this Congress.

The bill, Burchett said, would “take it to the taxpayers,” as it would cost “close to a billion dollars” and make the Lumbee Tribe the “largest federally recognized tribe in the United States.”

“Terrible idea,” he said bluntly.

“I love Tim Burchett,” laughs Keith Malinak.

To hear the rest of the “Unleashed” team’s commentary, watch the clip above.

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