Duke: $100+ million frozen over anti-white discrimination | Four arrested in multi-state theft ring | Harnett sheriff race cancer misinformation?
No. 135 — Jul. 27-Aug. 2, 2025
This week's stories:
Durham
$108+ million frozen while feds investigate racial discrimination at Duke Health, Duke Law Journal
Fact Check: Did 100% of the "Master's in Economics" at Duke go to CCP students?
Franklin County
"Targeting"? Legislature tweaks Louisburg mayoral election rules
Harnett County
Harnett Sheriff accuses potential challenger of cancer misinformation
Wake County
Multi-state theft ring busted w/ property from Wake County break-in
Garner couple sentenced to 25 years for child porn production
Anti-Trumpers return to Raleigh to "Rage Against the Regime"
$108+ million frozen while feds investigate racial discrimination at Duke Health, Duke Law Journal
U.S. Department of Education Initiates Investigation into Duke University and Duke Law Journal - Press Release - Press Release
Race-based hiring allegations lead RFK to pull millions from Duke under Trump DEI order - Fox News
Feds order Duke University to address alleged racial discrimination - Carolina Journal
US Department of Education opens DEI probe into Duke Law Journal - N&O
Anti-DEI group’s complaint against Duke in sync with Trump administration threats - N&O
The US Department of Education, along with the US Department of Health and Human Services, has announced at investigation into Duke Health and the Duke Law Journal over recent accusations of unlawfully "discriminat[ing] on the bases of race, color, and/or national origin."
The press release referenced the recent revelation that the university-run Duke Law Journal uses diversity-informed personal statements to allocate a portion of their admissions, as revealed in a packet for "affinity groups" which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
In regards to Duke Health, the letter sent by DHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon merely references vague "allegations" brought to their attention; the News & Observer suggests that the allegations may be linked to a Title VI complaint filed against Duke Health earlier this year by Do No Harm. The complaint cited "retaliation" against staff like Dr. Kendall Conger who challenged the organizations DEI agenda, which includes:
Race-Conscious Recruitment and Admissions
Scholarships and Financial Aid Preferences
Race-Exclusive Pipeline and Enrichment Programs
Curriculum and Training with Racially Stereotyping Content
The letter requests that Duke Health "review all policies and practices at Duke Health for the illegal use of race preferences" and "take immediate action to reform all of those that unlawfully take account of race or ethnicity to bestow benefits or advantage," and threatens to "commence enforcement proceedings as appropriate" if Duke University's Board of Trustees does not form a "Merit and Civil Rights Committee" which must resolve the unspecified "alleged offending policies, practices, and programs" within six months.
In the meantime, over $108 million in federal funding to Duke University has been frozen while it is determined whether the university is "unfit for any further financial relationship with the federal government." Over 600 Duke employees had already accepted voluntary buyouts earlier this year due to impending federal grant cuts, with involuntary layoffs scheduled for August.
Previous coverage of Duke and DEI by the Triangle Trumpet:
Duke medical school faculty promotion criteria: another illegal DEI scheme? (No. 132 — Jul. 12, 2025)
Duke Law Journal caught circumventing affirmative action ban with "personal statements" (No. 131 — Jul. 5, 2025)
Duke under federal crosshairs for DEI "race-exclusionary practices" (No. 115 — Mar. 15, 2025)
Duke students, staff, etc. protest Trump's anti-DEI executive orders (No. 113 — Mar. 1, 2025)
Color Us United launches petition to "Stand Against Duke’s Unscientific, Unethical Racial Agenda" (No. 80 — Jul. 13, 2024)
Duke Researchers: Experimental Hormone Treatment Allows Transgender 50-Year-Old to "Breastfeed" Grandchild (Original Article — Apr 3, 2024)
Internal Duke DEI lecture reveals anti-whiteness, "abandoning all metrics" in favor of diversity hiring (No. 61 — Mar. 2, 2024)
The Fight Against "Divisive Ideologies" at Major Universities in the Triangle (Original Article — Feb 24, 2023)
Fact Check: Did 100% of the "Master's in Economics" at Duke go to CCP students?
In a recent episode of the War Room with Steve Bannon, a document labeled "2025 Duke Graduation" was presented, purportedly showing that recipients of a Master of Arts in Economics were "100% Chinese Communist Party," according to host Steve Bannon.
Although each name in the list of Chens, Gaos, Wangs, Zhangs etc. does appear to be present in the Master of Arts section of the 2025 Duke University Commencement, I was not able to match the excerpt to specifically match the excerpt, as the document does not list the economics degree recipients separately.
However, a review of the university's Department of Economics graduation livestream shows that the claim is Mostly True; out of the 65 graduates who crossed the stage during master's section of the ceremony, only 8 or 9 appeared to not be of an East Asian ethnicity. (Whether each of these graduates are affiliated with the CCP is of course another question entirely.)
Duke has previously come under fire for it's relation with the Chinese Communist Party, including in a letter this year from the chairs of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and House Education and Workforce Committee who expressed concern over Duke's partnership with Wuhan University, which they say is tied to the country's "military-industrial complex" and intelligence apparatus.
Duke asked to stop partnership with Chinese Communist Party university (No. 124 — May 17, 2025)
Duke's Chinese campus, Duke Kunshan University, has also been accused being used to surreptitiously lure Duke students for what ended up being a pro-China "PR campaign," according to one of the participants.
Multi-state theft ring busted w/ property from Wake County break-in
On Thursday, the Wake County Sheriff's Office announced that four arrests had been made in connection with an "alleged organized crime group connected to property thefts throughout the East Coast" which had been linked to at least one vehicular break-in at at a Wake County park.
According to the release, property stolen in a smash-and-grab of a vehicle parked at Crowder County Park in southern Wake County on June 11 was recovered by police in Roanoke, VA from four suspects in custody on unrelated larceny and theft charges.
WCSO say they have obtained arrest warrants for willful and wanton injury to personal property and felonious breaking and entering a motor vehicle for the following defendants, who are also facing similar charges in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia:
Vanshawn Cotton, 28, of Georgia
Linzie Lombardo Levine Jr., 32, of Florida
Jahmarcus Alexander Rogers, 26, of Florida
Cornika Mona Hearon, 27, of Arkansas
Garner couple sentenced to 25 years for child porn production
Darryl Edwin Foley, 34, and Carmen Delia Foley, 31, of Garner have been sentenced to 25-35 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the production/distribution of child sexual exploitation material of victims aged 1-12, including at least one of their own children.
The Foleys were arrested as part of the State Bureau of Investigation's Operation Winter Guardian sting in 2024, which resulted in the arrest of 16 defendants from across the state including from Apex, Louisburg, Garner, and Zebulon.
The Foley's plea deal also includes lifetime sex offender registration and satellite-based monitoring.
Harnett Sheriff accuses potential challenger of cancer misinformation
It's over a year until the state's sheriff elections in 2026, but things are already getting heated in Harnett County with Sheriff Wayne Coats sharing a message shared on his campaign Facebook account this week accusing fellow law enforcement veteran John Holly (and potential primary challenger) of spreading false rumors that Coats would not be running for election in 2026 due to his wife's cancer and also the contradictory rumor that Coats would run, but immediately step down after reelection:
A message from Sheriff Wayne Coats
As your Sheriff, I want to clear up a couple of rumors that are being spread by an individual named John Holly. John is attempting to rally support for an attempt at challenging me in a primary election in 2026. He is telling citizens of the county that I won’t be running for Sheriff in 2026 because my wife has cancer. This is not true and extremely hurtful to my wife and my family. My wife courageously battled breast cancer three times from 1998-2010 and by the Lord’s good grace she is now cancer free! I cannot express how hurtful it is to us that John would use my wife’s health as a tactic to gain support.
The Office of Sheriff is one that should be held by someone with impeccable integrity, honesty and empathy. When a candidate for Sheriff files for election, they should be committing to the citizens of Harnett County for those four years. That brings me to the next rumor that is being spread. John has stated to citizens that I will file for reelection and step down after the election is won to hand off my seat to someone of my choosing. This is not true! Both times I have filed for reelection, I promised you four years of service to Harnett County as your Sheriff. I will continue to hold that same opinion moving forward.
It is my hope and prayer that these ridiculous lies will stop being circulated immediately, but for the sake of my wife and anyone else who has battled this ugly word and survived, I felt that I needed to bring the truth to the citizens of Harnett County because this is the last thing a cancer survivor would want to hear.
Sincerely,
Sheriff Wayne Coats
- Keep Wayne Coats Sheriff (Facebook)
Coats post contained no evidence or witnesses to support his accusation.
In response, Holly vigorously denied the accusation and suggested that Coats should have reached out to him directly instead of "shar[ing] such misinformation publicly:"
I was deeply disappointed to read the public accusations made against me, particularly as they contain statements I have never made and would never consider making. Let me be clear: I have never said anything about Sheriff Coats’ family, or his wife’s health. That is simply not in my character, and such personal matters should never be used as political tools.
I have the utmost respect for anyone who has endured a health battle , as my own father passed away from cancer, and I am truly sorry that such sensitive matters have been brought into the public eye in this way.
I am deeply disappointed that Sheriff Coats did not reach out to me directly—especially given our long history and the support I’ve offered him over the years—before choosing to share such misinformation publicly. Open and respectful communication should always come first, particularly when there is mutual respect and trust at stake.
Members of the community as well as Sheriff Coats are more than welcome to reach out to me directly—I’d prefer that over the spreading of misinformation online and on social media.
Elections are a time for open discussion about vision, leadership, and service—not personal attacks or false narratives. I hope we can all work together to elevate the conversation and focus on what truly matters: the safety, well-being, and future of Harnett County.
Thank you.
– John Holly
- John Holly (Facebook)
Protest Watch
"Targeting"? Legislature tweaks Louisburg mayoral election rules
State lawmakers force Louisburg to allow runoff in mayor's election; current mayor feels targeted - WRAL
Among the "various local provisions" of a bill passed nearly unanimously by the General Assembly this year was a change to the Louisburg mayoral election, which requires a candidate to obtain a majority of the votes in the race, instead of a mere plurality.
The current mayor Christopher Neal, who won in 2021 by a margin of nine with only 36.15% of the vote, brought a few supporters to Raleigh this week to accuse legislators of "targeting" him as "the only African American mayor in Franklin County" and "giv[ing] my opponent an unfair advantage" with the majority requirement.
In response to claims by Neal that he had been told by Matthew Winslow (the county's House representative) that the change had been asked for by the Franklin County GOP, the party apparently confirmed via Facebook comment: "Although the Franklin County Republican Party did not issue a formal resolution, it is in support of the law."
Earlier this month, the Louisburg Town Council unanimously approved a resolution requesting the General Assembly reconsider the change, citing the cost and lower turnout of runoff elections.
Anti-Trumpers return to Raleigh to "Rage Against the Regime"
Hundreds gather at Halifax Mall in Raleigh to form human chain to ‘Rage Against the Regime’ - CBS17
Demonstrators formed human chain for 'Rage Against the Regime' rally in Raleigh's Halifax Mall - WRAL
In the latest nationwide anti-Trump 50501 protest, demonstrators gathered in Raleigh this Saturday and formed a "human chain" encompassing the majority of the grassy area of Halifax Mall, as captured by WRAL's chopper:
The protest), organized by 50501 NC, Engaged Durhamites for Democracy, Democracy Out Loud!, Wake Women Have Mercy, and Indivisible Orange County, listed a variety of left-wing causes under the "Why We’re Protesting" section of the event's web page, from immigration enforcement to LGBTQIA+ to gun control.
Although previous associated protests have featured a handful of locations across the Triangle, it appears that Raleigh was the only nearby location out of the twelve listed statewide by 50501 NC.