Would Orange Co. be satisfied with "reform" of DHS? | Selma drama: "attempt to chill legitimate speech"? | AIM exposes DEI workarounds at NC State | Duke professor in Epstein files

No. 162 — Feb. 1-Feb. 7, 2026

There’s a big story from the week involving the apparent climate hysteria motivation for the Hedingham mass shooting in 2022 and the potential ties to the Wake County Public School System, but it’s a big enough story to warrant its own article so we’ll stick to the following four stories in this issue:

A Duke professor who has previously taken heat for using falsified data in widely-cited research on honesty now appears to be less-than-honest in his attempts to explain why his name appeared over 600 times in recently released Epstein files.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners is calling for the reform of DHS due to alleged constitutional violations and loss of public trust, but the radical positions they’ve taken suggest there is no amount of immigration enforcement in the county with which they would be comfortable.

In small town political drama, the mayor of Selma has led a censure of a town councilwoman for “inappropriate” behavior including the use of her town position in the endorsement of a Republican candidate, despite the fact that the title of the mayor himself has been used in the endorsement of a Democrat candidate.

Accuracy in Media has released another undercover video exposing how government officials are secretly subverting anti-DEI policies, this time leading to the firing of an assistant director of the pride center at NC State.

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Duke professor named 600+ times in Epstein files, attempts to minimize interactions

Duke professor Dan Ariely had longstanding friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, newly released files show - Duke Chronicle

My connection with Jeffrey Epstein - Dan Ariely

Duke University professor appears in newest release of Epstein files - ABC11

Duke professor named hundreds of times in newly released Epstein files - N&O

Duke University professor mentioned in Epstein files; says he was not involved in criminal activity - CBS17

Duke Professor Dan Ariely, who has previously attracted criticism for using falsified data in his research on honesty, is once again in hot water after the Duke Chronicle revealed that Ariely was named 636 times in the millions of pages of Epstein-related documents released last month.

According to Ariely’s telling, he only met Epstein twice, he believed Epstein when he told him that the minor sex trafficking allegations (to which he had already plead guilty) were false, and that “the contact [he] had with Jeffrey Epstein was infrequent, largely logistical, often mediated by assistants.”

However, the documents reviewed by the Chronicle paint a different picture, with Ariely meeting Epstein at least seven times between 2010 and 2016, at least three of which took place at Epstein’s house.

In addition to those seven meetings, Ariely “encountered Epstein briefly at a professional conference” in an incident which was not documented in the emails, except for Ariely emailing Epstein afterwards to ask for the contact information to a “redhead” who had been with Epstein at a conference that was “very very smart.”

Ariely claims that this was merely in regards to “somebody who [he] believed was [Epstein’s] colleague” whom he “had a short conversation” that he “found intellectually interesting,” but his narrative entirely neglects to mention him arranging to visit Epstein’s home only seven days later, suggesting that Ariely may only be as honest as the data he used in his landmark studies.

Ariely and Epstein are (or were) both Jews with ties to the state of Israel: Ariely’s family emigrated when he was three years old, while Epstein’s ties included former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak (who received millions of dollars from Epstein, and visited him numerous times including on his island), Saudi-Arabian businessman/arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi (a middleman between Israel and Iran in the notorious Iran-Contra Affair), and Israeli military intelligence officer Yoni Koren (who stayed at Epstein’s apartment on at least three occasions).

Epstein also reportedly helped broker deals between Israel and both Mongolia and the Ivory Coast, as well as attempting to set up a backchannel Israel and Russia during the Syria civil war.

According to former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe, an early whistleblower on the Iran-Contra Affair, Epstein gathered blackmail for Mossad. (Ben-Menashe also claimed that Robert Maxwell, an Israeli citizen who was father of Esptein-accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, also worked for Mossad.)

Epstein was also reportedly able to travel to Israel in April 2008 while negotiating an extremely generous “sweetheart deal” in which the federal charges were not only dropped, but the federal government entered into a non-prosecution agreement granting immunity to Epstein and all “potential co-conspirators” in exchange for Epstein pleading guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18, for which he was sentenced to 18 months in jail and required to register as a sex offender.

(Israeli publication Haaretz has previously reported on the phenomenon in which factors like Israel’s right-of-return laws and lack of international cooperation intersect to create conditions in which alleged Jewish sex-offenders can flee to the country to avoid prosecution in nations like the United States or Australia.)

Previous coverage:

• Duke “superstar honesty researcher” roasted by supposed source of data for falsified study (No. 30 — Jul. 29, 2023)

• Scientific journal issues “Expression of Concern” regarding honesty research by prolific Duke researcher (No. 91 — Sep. 28, 2024)

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Orange County Commissioners call for “reform” of DHS

The Orange County Board of Commissioners has passed a resolution calling for the “reform” of the Department of Homeland Security, citing alleged violation of constitutional rights and eroding public trust.

However, previous actions by Orange County authorities suggest that as the second bluest county in the state, the only “reform” that would be acceptable would be a DHS which no longer deports the illegal aliens they consider to be members of their “community.”

For instance, the resolution refers to the “community safety depend[ing] on the public’s trust that law enforcement officers...act in residents’ best interests.” It may be a subtle distinction to some, but the interest of the citizen do not align with the interest of the “resident” when the resident is an illegal alien whose presence in our country is unlawful.

When immigration enforcement came to the Triangle last November, then-chair Jamezetta Bedford signed a “joint message” along with the mayors of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough to “strongly denounce actions that sow fear among community members, undermine our local community safety efforts, and infringe on the human rights of our most vulnerable friends and neighbors.”

Among the “trusted organizations” included in the resources section of the message was Siembra NC, a radical anti-immigration enforcement organization which opposes even the deportation of illegal aliens convicted of violent crimes, and has organized the type of “ICE Watch” activity which violent anti-ICE activist Alex Pretti was engaged in when he was fatally shot in Minneapolis.

Here’s the text of the resolution, which was approved 6-0:

Whereas citizens of the United States and law abiding immigrants have suffered violence and the violation of their constitutional rights at the hands of agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
And whereas this trend has been occurring in numerous cities and states across America;
And whereas community safety depends on the public’s trust that law enforcement officers comply with the United States Constitution and federal, state and local laws and that they act in residents’ best interests;
And whereas local law enforcement and local government play a key role in ensuring community safety;
And whereas the public trust has been eroded by the actions of federal agents, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and reform in the administration of federal immigration enforcement;

Be it resolved that the Orange County Board of Commissioners is elected, representatives and concerned constituents urge its elected representatives in the United States Senate and House to take immediate legislative action to ensure accountability, improve oversight and reform the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to protect the rights of all residents and restore public trust.

Signed this day through February 2026 by the chair of the commissioners.

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Hypocrisy? Selma mayor who endorsed Democrat leads censure of councilwoman for endorsing Republican

‘About Control’: Selma Councilwoman Censured Following Contentious Meeting, Communications Restricted - JoCo Report

Selma Mayor Byron McAllister successfully led a resolution to censure of Councilwoman Susan Parrish Watson at the last town council meeting, also ordering Watson not to contact any town staff besides the town manager.

In the limited time she was given for her defense, Watson denied or defended her actions in the various and sometimes vague accusations in the censure motion, which ranged from “ma[king] ill-advised, inappropriate, and inaccurate remarks during Selma Town Council meetings” to sharing confidential information and “Ha[ving] inappropriate or unreasonable communication with staff for political purposes.”

However, one allegation particularly stands out in terms of the validity or fairness of the censure, that she violated town rules by “championing the candidate for Congress while using your Town of Selma Councilmember title.”

This allegation appears to be specifically in reference to a flier for Kelly Daughtry in the 2024 Republican primary for the 13th Congressional District, which featured Watson’s endorsement while recognizing her as a member of the Selma Town Council. (In her response, Watson clarified that she had not been specifically asked about the inclusion of her title when she gave her permission for her name to be used.)

Although McAllister characterized this use of Watson’s endorsement as “clearly [rising] to the level of political activity inappropriate to your office,” evidence produced by the Brightleaf Bulletin shows that McAllister does not appear to hold himself to the same standard, with his name and title as “Town of Selma, Mayor” appearing on the endorsement list for Wiley Nickel, a Democrat who represented Johnston County in Congress for one term in 2022 and is currently running for District Attorney in Wake County.

(Nickel’s endorsement list also highlights that such a rule banning such “political activity” by town councilmembers would not be the norm, as it features elected officials from Apex, Carrboro, Cary, Durham, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Goldsboro, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Raleigh, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell, and Zebulon.)

Nickel has also previously touted an endorsement by Selma Town Councilman Bruce McKay, using his title, with no apparent censorious consequences for McKay.

Watson came armed with a letter from two Republican allies Rep. Larry Strickland and Sen. Benton Sawrey, Selma’s representatives in the General Assembly, which characterized the censure proceedings as an apparent “attempt to chill legitimate speech with official town action and punish someone that you believe is a political opponent.”

(Although McAllister’s voting record reflects that he participates in Republican primaries as an unaffiliated voter, his endorsement of a strongly-partisan Democrat and decision to pick a fight with the county GOP in his inaugural address would support the idea that political motivations may be at issue.)

The censure was passed 3-1 with Mayor Pro Tem Joe Scarboro and Councilwoman Amy West Whitley joining McAllister in the affirmative, Councilman William Overby voting against, and Watson recusing herself.

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Undercover video exposes DEI workaround strategies at NC State

NC State staffer admits school swapped names and titles, but keeps DEI going - AIM

NC State Pride Center official no longer employed after new undercover video - N&O

LGBTQ Pride Center assistant director fired after undercover watchdog video surfaces - Technician

NC State University has become the latest subject of a hidden camera exposé by Accuracy in Media, with a leader at the university’s LGBTQ center revealing how the activist employees are able to get around the anti-DEI mandate from the UNC Board of Governors, which at least nominally wields legislature-granted authority over the state-funded university system.

Jae Edwards, who was fired from his role as Assistant Director of the NC State LGBTQ Pride Center after the release of the video, was recorded describing how they “[had] to be more careful,” but were “still able to do the things that [they] want to do” in the wake of the UNC BOG repealing pro-DEI policy and adopting “institutional neutrality and nondiscrimination.”

The strategies described by Edwards including eliminating words like “equity” (while maintaining the same practices) and shifting to “support” and “push” student organizations in order to circumvent restrictions on what the university can directly do.

The NC State website lists dozens of DEI-friendly student organizations focusing on black students, Hispanic students, LGBTQ students, female students, etc. while having perhaps zero organizations focused on white students or straight students.

With the addition of NC State, AIM has released videos involving over a third of the institutions in the UNC System, with undercover journalists previously exposing ongoing DEI efforts at NC A&T, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Wilmington, and WCU. AIM also released a video involving DEI at the City of Raleigh, prompting a hearing by the NC House Select Committee on Government Efficiency.

Previous Coverage:

• By any other name: Raleigh’s DEI coverup exposed (Original Article — Oct. 28, 2025)

• Raleigh city manager defends DEI rebrand before legislative committee (No. 158 — Jan. 10, 2026)