Ahmed Jallow, NC Newsline

Last week, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson released a campaign ad saying he supports North Carolina’s law banning abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy and backs “common sense” exceptions for cases involving rape, incest and risk to the life of the mother, marking a shift from his previous, uncompromising views and statements on the issue.

However, Democrats say they are not buying it, calling it a ploy by the GOP nominee to appear less extreme as the fall election approaches.

“If this weren’t an election year, does anyone seriously believe that Mark Robinson wouldn’t still be pushing for a total abortion ban that he was just [pushing] under a year ago?” asked Anderson Clayton, the North Carolina Democratic Party chair, during a virtual press conference Wednesday morning.

In a 2018 Facebook post, Robinson called abortion “genocide.” Robinson has also previously said “there is no compromise on abortion,” and that “it makes no difference to me why or how that child ended up in that womb.”

And earlier this year, he told a gathering in Pitt County that he wanted to see abortion banned completely. “We’ve got to do it that same way they rolled it forward, we’ve got to do it the same way with rolling it back. We’ve got it down to 12 weeks. The next goal is to get it down to six, and then just keep moving from there.”

“No desperate campaign ad changes the fact that our rights are on the line this year and on the ballot box in November,” Clayton said.

Last week’s ad, titled “Unscripted,” begins with Robinson detailing he and his wife Yolanda’s joint decision for her to have an abortion 30 years ago prior to their marriage.

“It was like this solid pain between us that we never spoke of,” Robinson says in the ad, sitting beside his wife as they hold hands.

“It’s something that stays with you forever,” she says.

North Carolina’s law, Robinson says, “gives help to mothers and stops cruel late-term abortions.”

“When I’m governor, mothers in need will be supported,” he says.

Ryan Stitzlein of Reproductive Freedom for All, an abortion rights group supporting Robinson’s Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, also questioned Robinson’s intentions.

“No matter how Mark Robinson tries to spin it, the truth is, he would sign a total abortion ban into law here in North Carolina,” said Stitzlein, who is also vice president of political and government relations.

“If he has the chance to do it. He knows exactly how unpopular that is, and that is the only reason why he’s trying to cover this up North Carolinians should not be fooled,” said Stitzlein.

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said a compliance review conducted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of his wife’s nonprofit is “politically motivated” and claimed the agency is being “weaponized” to target him and his family for political purposes.

Robinson made the comments during a Wednesday appearance on the conservative ‘KC O’Dea Radio Program,’ comparing the state reviews of his wife’s nonprofit to the criminal prosecutions of former President Donald Trump.

“It’s just like what we’re seeing at the federal level with the former president and with conservatives all over this country,” Robinson said. “This is a state agency being weaponized against somebody for political purposes.”

Yolanda Hill, Robinson’s wife, until this year operated Balanced Nutrition, Inc., a “sponsoring organization” that contracted with the state to help childcare centers apply for and receive federal funding for children’s meals.

Last week, DHHS directed the nonprofit to repay more than $132,000 after the agency’s recent review found improper claims for payment from the federal food program. The review cited inflated administrative costs and improperly documented food purchases.

The report came a few days after officials declared the nonprofit “seriously deficient” after finding program violations in the most recent compliance review.

Robinson denied all the allegations leveled by the state agency and said he has evidence that the recent reviews by DHHS officials are politically motivated.

“When folks ask us if we’re going to stand up and fight this, you best believe we’re going to stand up and fight it because it’s politically driven, we have the evidence to prove it, and we’re going to fight them up to the hilt.”

It is unclear to what evidence Robinson is referring. (Scroll to the end of this report to see a complete list of the agency’s findings.)

But in April, Hill claimed that her organization has been subjected to undue scrutiny by DHHS due to its connection to her husband. According to Hill in an interview with WRAL, a DHHS employee in February 2023 had circulated Facebook photos of Hill with her husband to other agency employees to make them aware of the connection.

“She used her state cell phone to send that picture to her colleagues on their state cell phones, telling them: ‘Look who this is. Look who her husband is. Her husband is Mark Robinson,” Hill alleged in the interview. DHHS said the case was assigned to a different specialist in March 2023.

That same month, Hill told clients she was shutting down her nonprofit because the demands of her husband’s campaign for governor made it impossible for her to continue operating the organization.

Robinson said in the O’Dea radio interview that his wife closed the nonprofit because of what he claimed was political harassment by DHHS, which he said has taken a toll on his family. He implied that he had hoped the decision would end the scrutiny.

“It has been a drain on my wife, it has been a drain on my family. My wife was willing to simply just walk away from it and say if they’re going to continue to harass us politically because of this, I’ll just give this up,” said Robinson. “But they simply will not let it go and they continue to pile on these erroneous charges.”

Robinson defended his wife’s management of the nonprofit, saying it’s common for state audits and inspections to uncover errors in the work of organizations that contract with government agencies. He accused state officials of making false allegations but did not specify which findings were inaccurate.

“When you’re running a nonprofit that works closely with the government, there’s always room for errors and every year that my wife has done this, there’s been audits, there’s been the inspections that we have by the state, and we have small findings and then we have a plan of correction. That is a normal business process when you’re working with any state or any government agency,” he said. “But what the state is doing here is they are alleging things that just simply are not true.”

Since 2017, when it contracted with the state to become a sponsoring organization, Balanced Nutrition has undergone at least four audits: in 2018, 2021, 2023 and 2024. State auditors found compliance issues in audits since 2017, but none warranted a notice of serious deficiency, the most severe finding, except for 2024.

Though Hill officially shut down Balanced Nutrition on April 30, she is still obliged to respond to state officials because the agency had already scheduled a compliance review to begin two weeks prior to that date. She has thus far declined repeated requests to attend such a review.

“We’re going to stand up and we’re going to push back and we’re going to fight. We’re going to do it in a legal way,” said Robinson. “We’re going to get all our ducks in a row, and when it’s time to go, and when our advisors and our attorneys tell us it’s time to go, we’re going to march forward and do the right thing because we want to fix this problem.”

DHHS gave Balanced Nutrition until Aug. 7 to provide documentation showing it has taken the required corrective action for each of the serious deficiencies.

Last week, Robinson campaign spokesman Mike Lonergan said the nonprofit plans to appeal and criticized the state agency’s action as “politically motivated.”

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. performance deficiencies identified in the NC DHHS audit:

“Recordkeeping

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not make all requested records available during the compliance review.Requests were made on 3/1/2024, 3/18/2024, 4/1/2024 for documents. An additional request for documents was made on 5/6/2024, however Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not provide all the documents requested. Balanced Nutrition, Inc.’s management plan indicates the address where the institution records are maintained as 122 N. Elm Street, Suite 504, Greensboro, NC 27401-2818. When the compliance team was on site, Ms. Hill left the N. Elm Street location to collect records for the compliance review.

Income eligibility applications (Repeat Finding)

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not maintain accurate income eligibility applications for its sponsored facilities.

Enrollment documentation (Repeat Finding)

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not maintain enrollment documentation for its sponsored facilities.

Civil Rights

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. failed to participate in Civil Rights training conducted by the State agency.

Programmatic training

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. failed to participate in programmatic training conducted by the State agency.

Monitoring (Repeat Finding)

Balanced Nutrition Inc. failed to implement the monitoring scheduled as described in the institution’s management plan.Balanced Nutrition, Inc. failed to accurately monitor facilities under its sponsorship.Balanced Nutrition, Inc. failed to maintain all monitoring records for its sponsored facilities.Not all meal types were included in meal observations.The State agency reviewer identified other program violations from the sampled facilities not identified by Balanced Nutrition Inc.

Meal counts (Repeat Finding)

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not accurately claim meal counts on the claim for reimbursement.

Menu review (Repeat Finding)

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. filed claims for meals that did not meet the CACFP meal pattern.

Fiscal integrity (Repeat Finding)

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not disclose to the State agency less-than-arm length transactions relatives related to Yolanda Hill.Labor expenses were claimed for Kimberly Cephas, daughter of Yolanda Hill. Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not disclose or receive approval from the State agency regarding the less-than-arm length transaction.

Verification of a valid claim

Balanced Nutrition, Inc. failed to file valid claims.”

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday ordered Balanced Nutrition Inc., a nonprofit led by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s wife, to repay more than $132,000 in federal funding following a finding of “serious deficiencies” against the organization earlier this week.

Yolanda Hill has operated Balanced Nutrition since 2015, helping child care centers apply for and receive federal funding for kids’ meals.

Balanced Nutrition improperly billed the federal food program, according to a letter Friday, including excessive administrative costs and inadequate documentation for some food purchases. The nonprofit also bought items not allowed for the childcare program.

“The full disallowance owed by Balanced Nutrition, Inc. to the State agency is $132,118.86,” DHHS said in its letter to the organization. “Please note, disallowances are separate from the Notice of Serious Deficiency, which requires documentation of the proposed corrective action.”

On Friday, DHHS told NC Newsline it was seeking reimbursement for labor expenses claimed for Kimberly Cephas, Hill’s daughter. The agency said Balanced Nutrition violated program regulations by employing Cephas without disclosing the relationship. The program requires DHHS approval for such hires.

Earlier this year, Hill informed the clients of Balanced Nutrition that she was shutting down her nonprofit because of her husband’s campaign for governor. Hill made the abrupt decision as the state was preparing to conduct a compliance review of her organization. She later claimed that the DHHS was targeting Balanced Nutrition because of her husband. She has since refused to meet with DHHS officials.

Friday’s letter notes that Hill did not respond to multiple attempts by the state agency to set up a meeting to discuss the findings.

Though Hill officially shut down Balanced Nutrition on April 30, she must still respond to their requests because the agency had already scheduled a compliance review to begin two weeks prior to that date.

“The State agency has made multiple attempts to schedule an in-person exit conference, by email, telephone, and written communication, with no response,” the letter said.

Balanced Nutrition has two weeks to submit a plan of correction for the earlier finding of “serious deficiency.”

NC Newsline reached out to Hill earlier this week seeking comment on the findings. She has not responded.

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.

An upbeat Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a forceful speech in Fayetteville on Thursday, even as President Joe Biden struggles to assuage concerns among Democrats about his fitness and ability to defeat Donald Trump in the fall election.

This marks the vice president’s 15th trip to North Carolina, a crucial battleground state where Democrats are intensifying efforts to win.

In her address to a crowd of several hundred at Westover High School, Harris laid out a stark choice for the nation’s future.

“The question we face is what kind of country do we want to live in,” Harris said. “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law? Or a country of chaos, fear and hate? We each have the power to answer this question.”

Her visit came a day after President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. The White House said on Thursday that the president is experiencing mild symptoms.

At the rally, some expressed concern that it was too late to replace Biden, but after hearing her speech, many felt reassured that Harris could effectively step into his place if necessary.

“I think she could if she had to step in tomorrow, that she could do the job,” said Marvin Keller, a retired veteran and former school counselor. “But I am concerned because it’s so late in the political year, and the election is like 110 days away, that will make a big difference in trying to get whoever will replace President Biden get his face out there and to resonate with the public.”

Others echoed the same sentiment.

Franklin County resident Jesse Goslen, who is running for North Carolina House District 7, said Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech reassured him that she could take over if President Biden steps down as the Democratic nominee.

“I think if he does decide to step aside, she’s the obvious person to take the reins,” said Goslen. “I kind of just wanted to see her in person and see how she does. I thought it was a good, I thought she did great, I think she could step up to the plate, if that’s what Biden decides.”

Harris’s speech in Fayetteville came as Trump prepared to deliver a speech Thursday at the Republican National Convention, formally accepting the party’s nomination.

In a statement, the GOP dismissed the Thursday event.

“Republicans from across the country stand united behind President Trump in Milwaukee, while Democrats in North Carolina don’t even know if Kamala Harris will be their party’s nominee for Vice President or President,” North Carolina GOP spokesman Matt Mercer said. “There should be lots of questions for her in Fayetteville today about her party’s effort to drive their sitting presidential nominee from the ballot.”

Harris used part of her talk to criticize GOP vice presidential nominee, Senator J.D. Vance, by linking him to the controversial Heritage Foundation agenda known as Project 2025. “He talked about his life story about growing up in southwest Ohio and it was compelling,” Harris said of Vance’s speech at the convention in Milwaukee.

“What is very telling is what he did not talk about on that stage. He did not talk about Project 2025…[a] 900 Page blueprint for a second Trump term. He did not talk about it, because their plans are extreme, and they are divisive.”

Project 2025 proposes significant overhauls to the federal workforce, an expansion of presidential power, and a range of conservative policy priorities. These include plans for a mass deportation operation, widespread tariffs on imported goods, and revocation of FDA approval for mifepristone, an abortion medication.

Though the plan was crafted by a group that included numerous former staffers from his first administration, Trump recently denied any connection to Project 2025, writing on his social media platform Truth Social last week that he knows ‘nothing’ about the plan.

“I have no idea who is behind it,” Trump wrote. “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.