FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson avoided directly weighing in during a gubernatorial campaign event Saturday on a CNN report outlining evidence that he made disturbing posts on a pornography website's message board more than a decade ago.
And Robinson, a Republican who normally functions as one of Donald Trump's top surrogates in battleground North Carolina, was not mentioned by the former president and current presidential candidate during a Saturday speech elsewhere in the state that lasted just over an hour.
In his first public appearance since Thursday's CNN report, Robinson spent several minutes Saturday evening speaking and leading a prayer at the Fayetteville Motor Speedway. He didn’t mention the CNN report or answer questions from reporters on hand, according to news reports.
“We’re going to focus on the issues that you are concerned with,” Robinson said. “While everybody else wants to focus on the garbage, and the trash that tries to besmirch people, we’re out here telling people about what we want to do, how we want to partner with you to make this state better and help North Carolina be better.”
Robinson earlier denied writing the posts, which include lewd and racist comments, saying Thursday that he wouldn’t be forced out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.”
He directed his focus on other issues Saturday. “We’re going to work our butts off to make sure that we build an economy in this state that works for everybody,” Robinson said.
His appearance Saturday came the same day Trump held a presidential campaign event in Wilmington.
Trump’s campaign has appeared to distance itself from Robinson in the wake of the CNN reporting, which the AP has not independently verified, saying in a statement that Trump “is focused on winning the White House and saving this country” and calling North Carolina “a vital part of that plan” without mentioning Robinson.
Robinson has been a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential nominee has referred to Robinson, who is Black, as “Martin Luther King on steroids” and has long praised him.
Robinson has a long history of making inflammatory comments, including suggesting women who sought abortion “weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down” and comparing abortion to slavery.
Already before CNN’s report, Robinson was trailing in several recent polls to Democratic nominee Josh Stein, the state attorney general. Robinson has vowed to remain in the race.
Stein said Sunday on CNN's “State of the Union” that Robinson is “utterly unqualified, unfit to be the governor of North Carolina, and we’re going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening.”
Polls show Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a close race in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized on the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties, as well as Robinson’s support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions.
On Sunday, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, said on NBC's “Meet the Press” that Robinson deserves a chance to defend himself against the allegations, which Graham described as “unnerving.” He said Robinson is “a political zombie if he does not offer a defense to this that’s credible,” while arguing the issue wouldn't hurt Trump.
“If they’re true, he’s unfit to serve for office," Graham said of Robinson and the claims in the CNN report. "If they’re not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel.”
North Carolina's Robinson, omitted from Trump rally, avoids comment on report about online posts
North Carolina's Robinson, omitted from Trump rally, avoids comment on report about online posts
FILE - North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Asheville, N.C., Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched over 100 rockets into northern Israel early Sunday in response to ramped-up Israeli attacks that killed dozens of people in Beirut, including a veteran leader of the militant group.
During the funeral Sunday of that Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Akil, Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Kassem declared that the group is now in an “open-ended battle of reckoning” with Israel, and he vowed to prolong the misery of those displaced from the country's north.
The Hezbollah rocket barrage overnight sent thousands of people scrambling into shelters. The Israeli military said rockets had been fired “toward civilian areas,” pointing to a possible escalation. Hezbollah says its attacks have been aimed at military targets.
The barrage came after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday killed at least 45 people, including one of Hezbollah’s top leaders as well as women and children. The militant group was already reeling from a sophisticated attack that caused thousands of personal devices to explode just days earlier.
Here’s the latest:
MAYS AL-JABAL, Lebanon — A funeral has taken place in the southern Lebanese border town of Mays al-Jabal for seven people killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut, among them three women and two girls.
Men in black wearing yellow scarves with the Hezbollah logo stood quietly Sunday, as women wept and threw rice and rose petals over the coffins — five draped in Lebanese flags, and two in flags of Hezbollah’s Imam Mahdi Scouts.
Mourners waved flags representing Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, a Lebanese Shia political party and expressed their rage over Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
“Tell our brothers in this country, you must realize that this enemy and America and all these countries behind it are traitors to us, and have betrayed us and sold us out and do not believe our words,” said Sheikh Bassam Karout, a local Imam who officiated the funeral.
The Israeli strike Friday in a crowded suburb south of the Lebanese capital killed several members of the militant Hezbollah group, including the head of its elite Radwan Forces Ibrahim Akil. Civilians were among the dozens killed.
Batoul Nasrallah, mourning the loss of several relatives at the funeral, called the Israelis “cowards.”
“(Israel) relies on the laws of the jungle instead of international conventions, especially with protecting civilians,” Melhem Khalaf, a Christian Lebanese parliamentarian from Beirut, told The Associated Press.
LONDON — The U.K.’s top diplomat is calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sunday that the fighting is in nobody’s interest.
“In recent days, we have seen worrying escalation between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah,” Lammy said. “Our message to all parties is clear: We need an immediate ceasefire from both sides so that we can get to a political settlement.”
He also advised British nationals to “leave now” for their safety, repeating a message the Foreign Office has delivered several times recently.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is pushing for a diplomatic solution to end the attacks between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, which have killed dozens of people in Beirut and pushed hundreds of thousands into underground shelters in Israel's north.
Speaking Sunday on ABC's “This Week,” national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has been “involved in extensive and quite assertive diplomacy” in the region.
He says: "We still believe that there can be time and space for a diplomatic solution here"
According to a statement from the Pentagon, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Saturday about the Hezbollah rocket attacks and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution.
As concerns bringing an end to the conflict in Gaza, Kirby says they have not achieved “any progress here in the last week to two weeks. Not for lack of trying.”
He says the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, doesn't appear to be “negotiating in good faith,” citing the recent killing of six Israeli hostages in tunnels under Gaza. "But it doesn’t mean that we’re not trying.”
MUWASI, Gaza Strip — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fear the war and worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory might be forgotten as tensions boil between Hezbollah and Israel.
The militant group launched more than 100 rockets into northern Israel early Sunday in response to an Israeli attack last week that killed dozens in Beirut, including a top Hezbollah commander.
“All focus of the news and media is on Lebanon. Gaza is forgotten,” Nezar Zaqout, who is living in a tent camp in Muwasi in southern Gaza, told The Associated Press. “Every day we heard that there was hope for negotiations, or new news that they were trying to solve the issue of the displaced … but we have become completely forgotten.”
In the sprawl of camps along Gaza's coast that Israel has designated a humanitarian zone and where Zaqout and other displaced Palestinians are sheltering, children walk on dirt roads muddied by overnight rainstorms to wait in line for bread.
Saadi Abu Mustafa says he was hopeful for a ceasefire deal through Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediation, but he fears that the escalation in fighting and the focus on Lebanon will “affect us negatively.” Hezbollah has said it is confronting Israel in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza.
He says: “They leave Gaza without negotiations, without a prisoner, and without a ceasefire.”
BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s deputy leader says his group is now in an open-ended battle of reckoning with Israel, and he is threatening to displace more people in the country's north.
Speaking Sunday during the funeral of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, Naim Kassem warned: “We admit that we are pained. We are humans. But as we are pained, you will also be pained.”
His comments follow days of surprise Israeli attacks that have wounded thousands of people in Lebanon and killed members of Hezbollah, and hours after the militant group responded by launching rockets deep into northern Israel, including near the city of Haifa.
He vows the ongoing conflict will destroy Israel's economy and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will not achieve your goals.” Hezbollah has said it is confronting Israel in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza.
Kassem says Hezbollah, which has lost several senior military leaders in recent months, has “returned stronger, and the frontline will witness this.”
He has said Hezbollah will stop attacking northern Israel only if the country can reach a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas, and that a military solution will not allow the tens of thousands of people displaced from northern Israel to return.
BEIRUT — Hundreds of people gathered in southern Beirut Sunday for the funeral of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday alongside other members of the powerful militant group.
Akil’s coffin was draped in a yellow Hezbollah flag with his portrait.
Senior Hezbollah members attended the funeral, including deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem and senior parliamentarian Mohammad Raad.
Killed Hezbollah militant Mahmoud Hamad was also honored at the funeral.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah says the war with Israel has entered a “new phase”, saying the group “is ready for any scenario, war, or confrontation.”
Attending the funeral of a member of the Lebanese militant group who was killed among dozens of others in an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood Friday, Fadlallah said “the southern front” has played a crucial role in pressuring Israel “to stop its war on Gaza.”
He also said that Israel won't be able to achieve its “main goal ... to return settlers in the north," as he praised the abilities of Hezbollah.
“We have a strong and capable resistance that possesses the capabilities, competencies, and numerous fighters and equipment that enable it to absorb any loss or blow, and to adapt to any new situation," he said.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip killed at least seven people, Palestinian officials said.
The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike Sunday on Hamas militants who had sheltered at the school and accused them of endangering civilians.
The Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, confirmed the toll. It did not say whether those killed were fighters or civilians.
The school is in Shati, a built-up refugee camp in Gaza City dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Israeli forces have launched repeated incursions there during the nearly yearlong war with Hamas.
Gaza’s schools closed after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel ignited the war, and most have been transformed into shelters. Around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have been displaced, often multiple times.
Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians, but it rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has dealt Hezbollah “blows that it did not imagine” after days of intense strikes on Lebanon.
In a video statement released by his office, Netanyahu said that if the militant group “did not get the message, I promise you, it will get the message.”
Netanyahu reiterated that Israel was determined to return its displaced citizens in the north, adding: “No country can tolerate fire on its residents, fire on its cities. And the state of Israel will not tolerate it either. We will do everything necessary to restore security.”
JERUSALEM — The Israeli defense minister says the steps taken against Hezbollah will continue until residents of Israel’s north can return to their homes, saying "we will do everything necessary to achieve it.”
Yoav Gallant was on a visit to the command and control center of the Israeli Air Force when he said the Lebanese militant group “has started to sense some of the capabilities" of the Israeli army and that "they sense they are being pursued, and we are seeing the results.”
He also called the operations conducted by the Israeli air force “very impressive, both defensively and offensively.”
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli troops have raided the offices of the satellite news network Al Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The troops ordered the bureau to shut down early Sunday amid a widening campaign by Israel targeting the Qatar-funded broadcaster as it covers the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Al Jazeera aired footage of Israeli troops live on its Arabic-language channel ordering the office to be shut for 45 days. It follows an extraordinary order issued in May that saw Israeli police raid Al Jazeera’s broadcast position in East Jerusalem, seizing equipment there, preventing its broadcasts in Israel and blocking its websites. The broadcaster has continued operating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
A Hezbollah supporter carries a Palestinian flag near a picture of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, during Akil's funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah members carry the coffin of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil during the funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah supporters march behind the hearse carrying the coffins of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil and militant Mahmoud Hamad during their funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah supporters carry pictures of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Emergency workers clear the rubble at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese soldiers stand guard near the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese soldiers drive near the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A man walks with a suitcase as Lebanese soldiers drive near the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese soldiers stand guard near the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Emergency workers clear the rubble at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Emergency workers clear the rubble at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
An emergency worker speaks on the phone during rescue efforts at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah members salute near the coffin of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil during the funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah supporters carry pictures of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during Akil's funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah supporters march behind the hearse carrying the coffins of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil and militant Mahmoud Hamad during their funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Israeli firefighters work at a house that was hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, near the city of Safed, northern Israel, on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo//Leo Correa)
Israeli security forces examine the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo//Ariel Schalit)
Israeli security forces work at a house hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo//Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of reservist Major Nael Fwarsy, one of two soldiers killed by a Lebanese drone attack on northern Israel, during his funeral in Maghar, Israel, Friday, Sept 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, in northern Israel, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Israeli security and rescue forces work at the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gil Nechushtan)
An Israeli police officer examines the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo//Ariel Schalit)
An Israeli firefighters plane uses a fire retardant to extinguish a fire after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an open area near the city of Safed, northern Israel, on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli firefighters work at a house that was hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, near the city of Safed, northern Israel, on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo//Leo Correa)
Israeli security forces examine the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo//Ariel Schalit)
People look at the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo//Ariel Schalit)
Israeli security and rescue forces work at the site hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Kiryat Bialik, northern Israel, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gil Nechushtan)
