©  AP

Controversy surrounding the Republican nominee in North Carolina’s gubernatorial battle is injecting fresh uncertainty into the presidential race.

GOP nominee Mark Robinson, the state’s current lieutenant governor and a close ally of former President Trump, won’t be feted alongside the Republican presidential nominee during a rally this weekend.

That follows a bombshell CNN report this week about inflammatory remarks Robinson allegedly posted on a pornographic website more than a decade ago that have caused uproar in the state and nationally.

A source confirmed to The Hill that Robinson will not be attending Trump’s Wilmington, N.C., rally Saturday. Trump has previously endorsed Robinson’s campaign for governor, but the gubernatorial candidate trails his Democratic rival Josh Stein in the polls.

CNN uncovered posts linked to Robinson on a pornographic website that expressed support for slavery, referred to himself as a “Black Nazi” and included other incendiary statements about transgender people.

Robinson has denied any association with the posts and said he’s staying in the governor’s race. Thursday was the deadline for the candidate to withdraw from the race and allow another Republican to take his place on the ballot.

“Let me assure you, the things you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” he said in a video posted online Thursday. “You know my words. You know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before.” 

“We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it,” he added.

The North Carolina GOP has stuck by the candidate, expressing support for Robinson on social media, but some Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation have distanced themselves.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign issued a statement that did not mention Robinson but stressed that North Carolina remains a “vital part” of the strategy to win in November.

“We are confident that as voters compare the Trump record of a strong economy, low inflation, a secure border, and safe streets, with the failures of Biden-Harris, then President Trump will win the Tar Heel State once again. We will not take our eye off the ball,” national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and 2020, but the Tar Heel State is currently rated a toss-up state among forecasters, and Democrats have eyed it as an opportunity for a flip.

According to The Hill / Decision Desk HQ’s analysis of data from North Carolina, Harris and Trump have been polling neck-and-neck in the state.

The Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee have released separate ads highlighting Trump’s close ties with Robinson.

FROM THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN:

• A 30-second spot, entitled “Both Wrong,” includes clips from Trump talking about Robinson, calling him “better” than Martin Luther King Jr., “outstanding” and saying “he’s been an unbelievable lieutenant governor.”

• “Donald Trump and Mark Robinson, they’re both wrong for North Carolina,” the ad concludes.

FROM THE DNC:

• The ads feature Trump’s past remarks about the gubernatorial candidate, including saying “we have to cherish” Robinson and calling him an “outstanding person” and “incredible gentleman.”

• “Trump’s bold embrace of Robinson isn’t anything new — he endorsed Robinson’s campaign ahead of the North Carolina Republican primary back in March,” the DNC said in a release. “Why? They are two peas in a pod.”

The Trump campaign hasn’t responded to the Democrats’ campaign ads.

Read more:

• NAACP president calls on Robinson to suspend campaign
• 5 things to know about Mark Robinson, the GOP candidate embroiled in controversy

• North Carolina judge rejects GOP request to bar students from using digital IDs to vote

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Elizabeth Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• Israeli officials said Friday they eliminated top Hezbollah commanders in a targeted strike in Beirut, including an officer involved in planning multiple attacks against Israel.

• The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, which was the site of a 1979 partial meltdown, will reopen as part of a deal to power Microsoft’s AI centers.

• The Georgia Election Board ruled Friday that ballots must be hand-counted by local precincts despite concerns from election officials and opposition from some state officials. 

• During her sit-down with Oprah Winfrey this week, Vice President Harris had a message for would-be intruders: “If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot.”

© Getty Images

A Secret Service internal review has found “multiple operational and communications failures” preceded an apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., in July.

Authorities outlined the various security lapses, including an unclear chain of command between the agency tasked with protecting top government officials and local law enforcement, during a news briefing Friday.

The review also found some staff did not follow normal protocol in securing the site.

“This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service. It’s important that we hold ourselves accountable for the failures of July 13, and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another failure like this again,” Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe said during the overview. “This was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service.”

The July 13 shooting, which left one rally-goer dead and left Trump with a bloodied face after a bullet grazed his ear, has prompted calls from Congress to review and strengthen security measures.

The House unanimously passed a bill Friday that would bolster Trump’s taxpayer-funded security, following the second apparent assassination attempt against the GOP presidential nominee in nearly as many months.

The Secret Service thwarted a second incident, which took place Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., last Sunday, before anyone was injured.

©  AP

Members of the House Haiti Caucus are pushing a resolution to condemn former President Trump and his vice presidential running mate Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) for spreading conspiracy theories that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been abducting and eating people’s pets.

Caucus co-chair Rep. Sheila Cherfilus McCormick (D-Fla.) said the group felt the need to publicly rebuke the “disgusting comments that Donald Trump has been fictitiously spreading throughout the entire country about Haitian migrants who are in Ohio.” 

“I just want to stress how these Haitian migrants are here legally,” she added during a Capitol news conference Friday, noting that they have been vetted as asylum seekers.

It’s the latest in an ever-expanding list of people and groups who have spoken out against the GOP presidential ticket over the spread of false claims about the town’s immigrant community. But the candidates have stood by their remarks as they campaign on anti-immigrant platform.

More backlash from Vance’s home state and fellow Republicans:

▪️  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) penned an op-ed for The New York Times celebrating Springfield’s “rich history,” stressing: “As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield … This rhetoric hurts the city and its people, and it hurts those who have spent their lives there.”

▪️  Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said Trump’s claims about Springfield are “tearing the community apart.”

▪️  Springfield Mayor Rob Rule confirmed that city officials told a Vance staffer Haitian migrant rumors were “baseless.”

AND … Trump still says he wants to visit Springfield, which local leaders have discouraged, but details have not yet been confirmed.

President Biden gathered the top officials from his administration Friday for their first White House Cabinet meeting in nearly year to urge his team to “sprint to the finish” of his term in four months.

Biden ended his reelection campaign in July, capping his time in the White House with the Jan. 20, 2025 inauguration of his successor.

“We’re gonna keep running through the tape,” Biden said. “[We’re] determined to keep making sure that democracy delivers what the American people are asking for … it means continuing to implement the historic laws we’ve passed.”

Biden stressed the need for Congress to work to prevent a federal government shutdown at the end of the month.

“We have 10 days for Congress to pass a short-term funding bill,” he said at the top of the meeting. “We’ve gotta have faith in our leaders to pull it together.”

First lady Jill Biden joined to brief the group on the White House Women’s Health Initiative. It was her first Cabinet meeting.

At least two key members of Biden’s Cabinet are scheduled to make TV appearances next week, following the directive from Biden.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will appear Wednesday “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday; and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be on CBS’s “Late Night with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday. 

Biden left the White House after the meeting with top administration officials on Friday en route to Wilmington, Del., where he will host a trio of world leaders for a private summit for the weekend.

©  AP

This weekend’s lineup …

• NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Ambassador Wendy Sherman, former deputy Secretary of State.

• NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.).

• CNN’s “State of the Union”: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D); Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). 

• CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D); Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

• FOX’s “Fox News Sunday”: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R).

• ABC’s “This Week”: Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.); Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.).

• MSNBC’s “The Weekend”: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.); Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.); Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).

• MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki”: Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

“The Fed finally cut interest rates — but let’s not get too excited just yet” — Gene Marks for The Hill.

“DHS is in for a rough ride after the election, no matter who wins” — Morgan Bailey for The Hill.

10 days until a federal shutdown if Congress doesn’t act.   

11 days until the vice-presidential debate.  

46 days until the 2024 general election.   

122 days until Inauguration Day 2025. 

President Biden will host leaders of Australia, India and Japan at his home in Wilmington, Del., for a “Quad Summit” this weekend. The House and Senate are gone for the weekend.

Friday:

• Vice President Harris campaigns in Madison, Wis.
• Former President Obama headlines a Democratic fundraiser in Los Angeles.
• First lady Jill Biden hosts a White House reception to mark 25th anniversary of the TV show “The West Wing.”

Saturday:

• Former President Trump holds a rally in Wilmington, N.C.
• GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance (R-Ohio) campaigns in Leesport, Pa.
• Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz rallies supporters in Allentown, Pa.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) campaign for Trump in Las Vegas.

Sunday:

• Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff campaigns for the Harris-Walz ticket in Bucks County, Pa.

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ecrisp@thehill.com