📺 Weaponizing Mark Robinson

Hellooo, rainy Friday.

⛈️ Weather: Windy and rainy with a high in the low 80s.

🎂 Happy early birthday to our Axios Raleigh members Sally Otvos and Natalie Holland!

🌀 Situational awareness: Hurricane Helene, which strengthened to a Category 4 storm and could bring heavy rain and wind to the Triangle Friday, could rewrite storm history in the South. (Axios)

• Wake County Public Schools, Durham Public Schools, Orange County Schools, Chatham County Schools are all closed on Friday. It was supposed to be a teacher work day for Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public Schools but staff are being asked to work from home instead. (News & Observer)

Today's newsletter is 922 words — a 3.5-minute read.

The percentage of people in the Raleigh metro living below the poverty line reached its lowest point in over a decade last year, census data released this month shows.

Why it matters: The measure is a positive sign for residents, but it may not be translating to positive feelings about the economy — an issue that's likely to be a major factor when voters cast their ballots in this year's election.

The big picture: The declining poverty rate in Raleigh aligns with the statewide decline in North Carolinians living below the poverty line in the last decade or so, though Raleigh's poverty rate remains below the state's.

• That decrease also comes as wages have grown — even during the pandemic — and the cost of living here has remained relatively low.

Reality check: Some 38% of North Carolina adults are in households that found it somewhat or very difficult to pay for typical expenses, per a U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey conducted this summer, as consumers across the country feel the squeeze of high prices.

• Plus: The child poverty rate increased slightly to around 17.6% in 2023 in North Carolina, up from 17.2% in 2022.

How it works: The national poverty line in 2023 was $15,800 for an individual, or under about $31,000 for a family with two adults and two children.

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If you live for the rivalry between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels, this is the week you've been waiting for. Here's a look at some of the college football teams playing across the Carolinas on Saturday.

😈 Duke (4-0) hosts North Carolina (3-1) at 4pm on ESPN2.

🐺 N.C. State (2-2) hosts Northern Illinois (2-1) at noon on the CW.

🎩 Wake Forest (1-2) hosts Louisiana (2-1) at 3:30pm on the ACC Network.

🦅 N.C. Central (2-2) hosts Norfolk State (2-3) at 3pm on ESPNU.

🐶 N.C. A&T (2-2) plays at South Carolina State (1-2) at 6pm on ESPN+.

🏴‍☠️ East Carolina (2-2) hosts UTSA (2-2) at 4pm on ESPN+.

🐟 Good Hot Fish in Asheville was the sole North Carolina restaurant to make it onto the New York Times' 2024 best restaurants list. (NYT)

🔎 Nine of the state's 7.7 million registered voters could be non-citizens, state elections officials found. (WRAL)

☕️ Sunday is National Coffee Day. Here's where you can find discounts and freebies on a cup of joe this weekend.

🦠 The federal government relaunched its at-home COVID test distribution program, as some parts of the country continue to see elevated COVID levels. (Axios)

• Each household can order up to four free tests.

🚈 GoTriangle CEO Charles Lattuca has resigned after plans to build commuter rail were shelved. (News & Observer 🔒)

Siemens will add 200 more jobs at its Wendell plant as it grows its electrification business. (Triangle Business Journal 🔒)

Blue Cross NC invests in primary care training programs, tools and tech to recruit and support health care workers.

Why it's important: North Carolina faces some of the largest physician shortages in the U.S. and is set to lose 20K nurses by 2032.

See how Blue Cross NC supports health care providers.

Vice President Harris' campaign once again moved to tie former President Trump to embattled North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in a digital ad launched yesterday that highlights both of their past statements on contraception.

Why it matters: Robinson is toxic for Republicans, as evidenced by their responses — or lack thereof — to Robinson's alleged porn-site message board habits, which Robinson denies, as detailed in last week's explosive CNN report.

• Democrats know this, and they continue to try to capitalize on it.

Driving the news: The ad, released on World Contraception Day, is the Harris campaign's second paid ad that links Trump to Robinson since CNN's report.

The big picture: The ad is also the latest effort by the Harris campaign to connect Trump to the most extreme members of his party on the politically salient issue of reproductive rights.

• It features Trump and Robinson side by side below a heading that says, "Trump and Mark Robinson are coming for birth control."
• The ad, which will run in the battlegrounds, features a clip of Trump saying he's "looking at" restrictions on contraceptions, a position that he backtracked on earlier this year.
• It also features a recently surfaced video of Robinson from 2022 saying that young women need to "get this under control," while gesturing toward his groin area, signaling his opposition to contraceptives.

Between the lines: Trump has not rescinded his official endorsement of Robinson, as some Republicans have. Instead, he's sought to quietly distance himself from the man he once called "Martin Luther King on steroids."

• On Thursday, asked if he would withdraw his endorsement, he said: "I don't know the situation," AP reported.

The latest: Half of Robinson's staff in the lieutenant governor's office quit Tuesday, WRAL reported, adding to the exodus among Robinson aides in the wake of the CNN report.

• Robinson has since elevated a new chief of staff, Krishana Polite.

Go deeper: Harris campaign ties Trump to Robinson in new ad on contraception

✏️ Pencil in an upcoming event.

Women Lead NC at Raleigh Convention Center on October 18: Boost Your Career. Enhance Wellness. Grow as an Inclusive Leader. With globally renowned keynote speakers, informative breakouts, expanded networking opportunities, the largest exhibit hall yet, professional headshots, onsite bookstore, and more. Expect a sold-out crowd of 1,000+ female professionals and their male allies.

Hosting an event? Email local-events@axios.com.

Rain or not, it's going to be a busy weekend of events across the Triangle.

Here are some of the biggest festivals and events happening:

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrate Durham Pride with the music festival and market on Saturday and its annual parade and community kickback on Sunday.

🪕 Listen to bluegrass on Friday and Saturday as the World of Bluegrass Festival takes over downtown Raleigh with free performances.

🌎 Enjoy cuisines around the world and watch a variety of cultural performances at the International Festival at the N.C. State Fairgrounds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

🎸 Attend the annual Carrboro Music Festival on Sunday, featuring dozens of bands and music workshops.

Keep reading for more of your guide to the weekend

Blue Cross NC supports youth mental health with on-demand care, more in-network and school-based providers, and Youth Mental Health First Aid Training.

Key numbers: 4 in 10 North Carolina teens report feeling hopeless or sad daily.

See how Blue Cross NC makes mental health care more accessible.

🤓 Lucille can't wait to snuggle up during this rainy weekend and start the book "Hunt, Gather, Parent."

🥣 Zachery is craving butternut squash soup.

Thanks to Katie Peralta Soloff for editing this newsletter.