WRAL Daily Download

President Donald Trump visited Gastonia, NC to back Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Michael Whatley. He discussed violent crime, diesel prices, and more. WRAL's Dan Haggerty was in the room and together with PolitiFact's Paul Specht, we check the facts to determine what's true, false and somewhere in between.

President Donald Trump spoke in Gastonia to give a boost to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley. His comments got a strong response from Governor Josh Stein. WRAL's Will Doran and Grace Holland talk through what it reveals about the President's midterm mindset.

WRAL sports investigate reporter Brian Murphy talks about what he learned from investigators who looked into allegations of drug use, sexual relationships and compliance issues within the UNC football program. Murphy met with lead investigators for over an hour on Thursday, the same day Steve Belichick's resignation was announced.

For today's WRAL Daily Download, we're going back in the vault to a previous episode. A new Consumer Reports investigation found concerning levels of certain additives and contaminants in some widely-sold foods and drinks. WRAL 5 On Your Side's Alex Littlehales explains what the findings show.

As WakeMed plans a massive partnership with Atrium Health, major questions remain about the cost of care, charity care and the potential for a $2 billion investment in the Triangle. WakeMed CEO Donald Gintzig sits down with WRAL's Dan Haggerty to discuss the questions coming from patients.

The fall foliage forecast is out for 2026! WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell spoke with a local expert to go over what our leaves will do this year. The heat, along with inconsistent rain over the summer, has put our area in a less-than-favorable position for fall foliage. What does that mean for the timeline for leaves to change colors? Are there still places in North Carolina where we can see thos...

Less than two months from midterm elections and the campaign trail is heating up for U.S. senate Democratic nominee Roy Cooper and U.S. senate Republican nominee Michael Whatley.  Cooper told supporters at a campaign stop in rural Wayne County Thursday that he stands by his record on public safety, defending his actions as North Carolina governor a day after nationally televised attacks from...

The North Carolina Education Lottery has for years not met its goal of giving out at least 38% of proceeds to public education, which mostly includes K-12 schools, according to a state audit. A state statute indicates that at least 50% should go toward paying out winnings, the auditor said. North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a new report, North Carolina lawmakers and policymakers sho...

What led up to UNC Football's General Manager Michael Lombardi's resignation? WRAL's Pat Welter and Chris Lea walk us through the month leading up to his resignation. 

On Monday morning, we heard from UNC football head coach Bill Belichick for the first time since the resignation of general manager Michael Lombardi.  Lombardi’s resignation came in moments before WRAL reported new details about the scope of the investigation, a probe that was launched shortly after he was placed on administrative leave in July.  People familiar with the investigat...

Voting is underway in North Carolina, as the 2026 midterm elections started here Friday. North Carolina is the first state in the country to begin voting, although most voters are still unlikely to cast their ballots for another month or more. The online portal that overseas and military voters can use opened at midnight. And as the day went on, officials in all 100 counties also began mailing out...

University of North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi, the highest-paid general manager in college football, resigned Thursday after a tumultuous tenure in Chapel Hill working alongside Bill Belichick, the university said. But the investigation is still ongoing, and lawyers hired by the university are now focused on behaviors by defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, people famili...

What is a maternity care desert? How many of them are in North Carolina? WRAL Health Reporter Grace Hayba and WRAL News+ Anchor Elizabeth Holmes speak about how one North Carolina university is using doulas to do life-saving maternity care in rural communities. 

Students in the capital used to go to school at either a Raleigh city school or a Wake County school. 50 years ago this year, the two school districts merged into one. Now, we know it as the Wake County Public School system. But it didn’t happen overnight – in fact, it took years. WRAL's Destinee Patterson and Emily Walkenhorst sit down with former superintendent Bill Mc...

A Wake County family is raising questions about the state's cemetery oversight after someone else's remains were buried in a plot they bought burial rights for more than a decade ago. WRAL's Alex Littlehales found out it's not the first time there's been a situation like this at that cemetery.

North Carolina election officials say things are "business as usual" as they plan to send mail-in ballots out next week. But there's been legal back-and-forth at the state and federal level. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran speaks with WRAL News+ Anchor Elizabeth Holmes about what voters need to know.

Foodborne illness outbreaks have some shoppers eyeing hydroponic lettuce, but is is safer? WRAL Climate Change reporter Liz McLaughlin spoke with farmers and shoppers who are making the change. 

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch returned to her alma mater, NC State, this week for the first time since her trip to the moon. WRAL Meteorologists Elizabeth Gardner and Aimee Wilmoth were there for the event and shares there favorite parts of the visit.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch visited North Carolina State University, her alma mater, on Monday for a "welcome home"-style event. Koch, who became the first woman to leave low Earth orbit and the first woman to travel to and around the moon, spoke at a sold-out event in her honor titled "Around the Moon and Pack Again" on NC State's Centennial Campus. On today's episode of the WRAL Daily Download...

Critics of early-voting plans adopted this year by North Carolina Republicans are accusing GOP leaders of discrimination, alleging that they’re eliminating sites and days preferred by Black voters. The allegations framed tense debate among state and local elections officials during a meeting Thursday. The 2026 midterm elections will be the first major general election since Republicans took...

Wake County public schools have been experiencing issues with their HVAC in a third of schools. WRAL Investigates dove into other records and found that many schools are struggling with widespread infrastructure issues from air conditioning to bathrooms, forcing teachers and PTAs to cover the cost. WRAL’s Destinee Patterson and Emily Walkenhorst have more.  

WRAL News brought together law enforcement and community leaders on Wednesday for an open discussion about youth violence, what’s driving it and what we can do as a community to break the cycle.    Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce and Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe were among the group we brought together for a one-hour discussion. Here’s the first half of that conversation....

Several Rocky Mount city staff members and council members are attending a power utility conference at a four-star Virginia resort as the city faces financial strain and rising utility bills. WRAL reporter Alex Littlehales spoke with Rocky Mount's Energy Resources Director, Bradley Walters, who acknowledged the optics of the situation at the conference's opening day.

The college football season is just around the corner. WRAL Sports anchors Pat Welter and Chris Lea explain how NC State, UNC and Duke's seasons are looking.

Election results across the country are showing positive signs for Democrats. Since President Donald Trump started his second term, special elections to fill vacant Congressional seats have yielded tepid Republican turnout. Democrats have flipped more than two dozen GOP-held legislative seats. And in North Carolina, Democrats last year won almost every single municipal seat up for election in Wake...