Below, we have a big story unfolding in NC’s US Senate race, as well as your weekly guide to getting involved in NC, but first:

Artificial intelligence (AI) surely has the potential to do some good, but it also comes with a lot of concerns. One of them is how it affects our ability to tell fact from fiction. 

Case in point: This week, a line of severe thunderstorms swept across the state, generating some tornado scares. It left behind some real damage and even one reported death in Wake County. That’s fact.

But it also left behind some AI-generated fiction too, like an altered image of a supposed tornado near the Buncombe-Madison county line in western NC. 

It turns out the AI-generated image was meant to be a joke. It turned into something else entirely, going viral online. Even some meteorologists were fooled into sharing it. Here’s how it happened. 

While the AI-generated image on the left fooled many, including professional meteorologists, it was never meant to be shared publicly, according to its creator. (USA Today via Reuters)

It’s so good to be in your inbox, NC. Don’t put us in your spam folder. 

Here’s what’s in the C&P newsletter today:

C&P reader Gail Vance captured this post-storm sunset from Brevard Tuesday evening. 

If you have a cool view from NC, share it with Cardinal & Pine’s readers. 

North Carolina Republican candidate for US Senate Michael Whatley addresses the crowd before Vice President JD Vance speaks Friday, March 13, 2026, in Rocky Mount, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

At a May 20 event in Brunswick County, which is on the coast, Senate candidate Michael Whatley was asked if we could do away with FEMA. FEMA is the federal agency that oversees disaster response.

According to an important new report by C&P’s Dylan Rhoney, Whatley replied, “I’ve suggested the president do that.”

Wonder what would have happened if Whatley said that in western NC, which is reportedly still owed billions in relief following Helene in 2024? 

Disaster relief is a tricky subject. Lots of folks have criticized FEMA’s handling of past disasters. The agency was created in 1979 to help the US respond to disasters in a more coordinated fashion. Before that, relief came in a disjointed hodgepodge of state, local, and federal responses. 

President Trump has talked a few times about ending FEMA too, suggesting that disasters should be left to the states. But state and local governments can’t afford that bill, which is typically in the billions, creating many questions about where the money would come from.

Here’s what you need to know about Whatley’s take. 

More at Cardinal & Pine:

Marchers proceed from the Capitol during a rally protesting a proposed election redistricting map Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Every week at Cardinal & Pine, we publish a listing of local demonstrations, protests, and events. It’s meant to help you get involved in your community and in your democracy.

A healthy democracy is one with a lot of people involved in it. 

This week, we have the rundown on 14 events, including a voter registration drive in Durham and a “Moral Monday” demonstration in Alamance County. 

Read the list here. 

Have an event to add? Email Organizing Coordinator Dylan Rhoney at rodney@couriernewsroom.com with details (please send details at least one week in advance).

1. Opinion: Dallas Woodhouse’s remarkable admission about North Carolina’s elections. The Charlotte Observer

“Longtime Republican operative Dallas Woodhouse has spent the better part of the past decade working to make North Carolina’s voting laws more favorable for his party and less fair for everyone else.”

2. State officials: Drought not over yet in North Carolina after heavy rain. Queen City News

“Governor Josh Stein said recent rainfall has helped improve drought conditions across North Carolina, but the state isn’t out of the woods yet.”

3. North Carolina lawmaker suggests required dress code after transgender teacher reportedly hired. WBTV

“State Rep. Erin Paré first introduced the idea on Monday, July 27, when she posted on Facebook that she had gotten messages about the hiring of a transgender teacher in Wake County. She said that teacher is a biological male who dresses in women’s clothing.”

“Strawberry Ice (and the World Burns)” via The Pinkerton Raid on YouTube.

Those of you who have been with Cardinal & Pine since the beginning might recall Jesse DeConto. 

Jesse wrote for us for some time before focusing full-time on his music career. 

This week, he shared a new music video with us about enjoying “the small things” with family during tumultuous times. I put “the small things” in quotes because the wisest among us know that spending time with family is really the biggest thing there is. 

Jesse was in Sicily, near the birthplace of his grandfather, watching the immigration crackdown in the US and thinking about what it all means. 

I wanted to share it with you. Check it out. 

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m an NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Today’s edition includes stories from Dylan Rhoney, Michael McElroy, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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