Name: Brain Game: Rocky Mount vs. Seaforth (Dec. 27, 2025)
Uploaded: 2025-12-27T11:18:50-0500
Duration: 1639121
Description: This episode of Brain Game features academic teams from Rocky Mount High School and Seaforth High School.

This year marks the 67th annual lighting of the WRAL-TV tower in Raleigh, an annual tradition that has grown to include celebrations with towers at American Tobacco Campus in Durham and Rocky Mount Mills.


WRAL Tower Lighting: WRAL lights the towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount

WRAL Tower Lighting

Pledge right now to provide warm winter wear to children in the Triangle and eastern NC.

Coats for the Children: Donate today

Coats for the Children with QR code

What it really means to be an organ and bone marrow donor

This episode of Brain Game features academic teams from Rocky Mount High School and Seaforth High School.

COLLEGES WITH ONE TO ONE PERSONALIZED GUIDANCE FOR EVERY STEP OF THE JOURNEY. >> FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, THE SMARTEST, 30 MINUTES ON TELEVISION FROM THE CAMPUS OF WAKE TECH. GET YOUR CRANIUM IN YEAR. IT'S TIME TO PLAY 3 GAMES. >> MEETING TODAY, A ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL SEE FOR HIGH SCORE. IT'S FUN. SAFE NIGHT OUT THAT EXTENSION. ALL RIGHT. GOOD SHIRTS. YOU GUYS. WITH THIS BOX. >> HELLO AND WELCOME TO BRING GAME EVERYONE. I'M YOUR HOST MARK ROBERTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US HERE AT WAKE TECH, SCOTT, NORTHERN WAKE CAMPUS. LET'S MEET THESE PLAYERS AND GET THIS THING STARTED. HOW BOUT FOR STOP FROM ROCKY MOUNT HIGH SCHOOL? WE HAVE ELIJAH SAWYER AND SILAS. THAT IS ROCKY MOUNT. EVERYONE ABOUT THAT. AND FROM C 4 HIGH SCHOOL IN CHATHAM COUNTY. WE HAVE JACK NATALIE AND DYLAN. THAT IS SAFE FOR EVERYBODY. A MEMBER OF BRAIN GAME. EACH TEAM WILL HAVE FIRST CRACK AT 3 QUESTIONS IN EACH CATEGORY. CORRECT? ANSWERS AND BRAIN GAME OR GET 20 POINTS. GET IT WRONG. WE TAKE 20 AWAY AND THE TEAM CAN ANSWER. THEY CAN PASS. SO THE OTHER TEAM SHOULD ALWAYS BE READY WITH A RESPONSE. WE WILL START WITH OUR FIRST CATEGORY, WHICH IS POP-UP CULTURE. OUR PLAYERS CAN EARN POINTS TODAY BY CORRECTLY IDENTIFYING THE POPULAR MUSICIANS WHO ALSO HAVE MOVIE ACTING ROLES ON THEIR RESUME. SOME WERE STARRING ROLES. OTHERS MADE MEMORABLE CAMEOS, BUT EACH CORRECT ANSWER WILL BE THE NAME OF THE MUSICIAN IN THE MOVIE'S SO THAT THINGS LIKE A GOOD SETUP. LET'S BEGIN POP-UP CULTURE. MUSICIANS IN THE MOVIES WITH ROCKY MOUNT. HIS APPEARANCE IN THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL 8 MILE WAS A SURPRISE SUCCESS. WHO IS THIS? RAPPER? WHO'S NAME IS WHAT? WHOSE NAME IS COOL? OUR TEAMS ANSWERS. EMINEM. THAT IS CORRECT. QUESTION TO A POP-CULTURE FOR ROCKY MOUNT. HE APPEARED IN THE MOVIE. DUNKIRK IS A BRITISH SOLDIER, EARNING CRITICAL PRAISE AND SHOWING HIS CAREER HAD MORE THAN ONE DIRECTION. CONTESTANTS PAST THAT GOES OVER HARRY STYLES. HARRY START ONE DIRECTION. HARRY STYLES IS CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. LAST POP-UP CULTURE FOR ROCKY MOUNT. THIS ROLLING STONE WAS JACK SPARROW'S, FATHER AND PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN AT WORLDS AND VIEWERS GOT NO SATISFACTION FROM HIS ACTING. ANDY, THANK YOU GUYS. PARKING SENSORS PASS THAT GOES OVER SEAFORTH. JAGGER. HOT. THAT'S INCORRECT. KEITH RICHARDS, THE GUY WE'RE LOOKING FOR HIS, THE OTHER OLD GUY FROM THE ROLLING STONES. YOU YOU GOT THERE, THOUGH. ALL RIGHT. NOW, LET'S DO NOW. LET'S DO POP-UP CULTURE, FAMOUS FONTS WITH THE 4TH. HE WAS IN SAYING CUTE AS THE FOUNDER OF NAPSTER, SEAN PARKER IN THE LOOSE ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION OF FACEBOOK. THE SOCIAL NETWORK. THAT GOES OVER ROCKY MOUNT. THAT'S JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR ALL RIGHT. A POP-UP CULTURE FOR SEAFORTH NUMBER 2 IN HER STARRING ROLE IN THE BODYGUARD. SHE TOLD KEVIN COSTNER HOW LONG SHE WOULD LOVE HIM. WHO IS THIS SINGER WHO DIED TRAGICALLY IN 2012? OUR TEAMS ANSWERS PAST THAT GOES OVER ROCKY MOUNT. ACCUSED ANSWERS WHITNEY HOUSTON, WHITNEY HOUSTON IS RIGHT AT LAST POP-UP CULTURE FOR SEAFORTH. HE APPEARED HIS CABINET SAYS STYLIST IN SILAS IN A IN THE HUNGER GAMES. WHO IS THIS AMERICAN ROCKER? THE FATHER OF ACTRESS MUSICIAN AND DIRECTOR ZOE. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS PAST THAT GOES TO ROCKY MOUNT. I CAME SENSORS PAST LENNY KRAVITZ'S WHO ARE LOOKING FOR THEIR LENNY KRAVITZ ALSO HAD A CAMEO IN THE BEN STILL STELLAR MOVIE ZOOLANDER. LET'S GET TO OUR NEXT CATEGORY NOW, WHICH IS HEADLINERS. WELL, THEY ARE. PLAYERS WILL BE ON TOP OF CURRENT EVENTS HERE AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD TO EARN POINTS. EACH TEAM STARTS WITH A VISUAL CLUE. SO LET'S KICK OFF HEADLINERS WITH ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN OCTOBER. WHAT FORMER PLAYER STARTED HIS 8TH SEASON AS HEAD COACH OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. WATKINS ANSWERS PAST THAT GOES TO SEE FORTH. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS PAST THAT IS ROD BRIND'AMOUR EVERYONE. ALRIGHT, QUESTION 2 HEADLINERS FOR ROCKY MOUNT IN JULY, THE FCC APPROVED THE MERGER OF PARAMOUNT GLOBAL WITH WHAT OTHER AMERICAN MEDIA PRODUCTION COMPANY. AND INVESTORS PAST THAT GOES TO SEE FORTH. ANYTHING OVER THERE. YOU GUYS ARE TEAMS ANSWERS. ESPN. THAT IS INCORRECT. SKY DANCE. THE S WERE LOOKING FOR LAST HEADLINERS FOR ROCKY MOUNT IN OCTOBER. WHAT MUSIC INDUSTRY MOGUL WAS SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS IN PRISON. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS P DIDDY. THAT WORKS. YES, SEAN COMBS BE GETTING YOU GOT. THAT IS CORRECT. NOW HEADLINERS WAS THE 4TH HE STRUCK OUT 10 BATTERS AND HIT 3 HOME RUNS AGAINST MILWAUKEE TO ADVANCE THE DODGERS TO THE WORLD SERIES. WHO WAS HE? I'M GOING TO DEFER TO DYLAN. ALL RIGHT. SHOHEI OHTANI WELL SAID DILLON. YOU ARE CORRECT QUESTION. 2 HEADLINERS FOR SEAFORTH IN OCTOBER. PRESIDENT TRUMP PARDON SHANG XAO, THE CO-FOUNDER AND FORMER CEO OF WHAT WORLD'S LARGEST CRYPTOCURRENCY EXCHANGE. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS BITCOIN. THAT IS INCORRECT. ROCKY MOUNT OR TRY THAT? I CAN'T ANSWER IS PASSED BINANCE. THERE'S THE ANSWER WE'RE LOOKING FOR THERE LAST HEADLINERS FOR SEAFORTH TO RAISE MONEY FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. 30 PAINTINGS WILL BE AUCTIONED FROM WHAT? HAPPY LITTLE TREES ARTIST. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS PROP ROSS BOB ROSS IS CORRECT. HE CUTS ACROSS THE GENERATIONS. BUT BOSTON HAVE A JOY FOR PAINTING ITS ESTIMATE. HE PAINTED OVER 30,000 PAINTINGS IN HIS LIFETIME FEATURING LANDSCAPES FROM ALL ACROSS AMERICA, WHICH IS OUR NEXT BRAIN GAME PLACE. YOU CAN EARN POINTS BY YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF US OLYMPIC CITIES. EACH CORRECT ANSWER WILL BE A CITY THAT HAS HOSTED OR SET TO HOST EITHER THE WINTER OR SUMMER OLYMPICS. SO LET'S KICK OFF OLYMPIC CITIES WITH ROCKY MOUNT IN 2028, WHAT US CITY IS SCHEDULED TO HOST THE OLYMPICS, BUT THE 3RD TIME. IT SAYS RESULTS, ANGELES. THAT'S RIGHT. QUESTION 2, WHAT ACROSS AMERICA FOR ROCKY MOUNT, A RIGIDLY NAMED WHAT IT IS. HE WAS THE MASCOT FOR WHAT CITIES, 1996 OLYMPICS. I CAN SENSE WHEN ASKED THAT GOES OVER TO SEE FORTH. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS PAST ATLANTA IS THE ANSWER WE SEEK. AND LAST ACROSS AMERICA, ROCKY MOUNT BECAUSE IT HOSTED THE WINTER GAMES AT 1960. WHAT CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY IS NOW KNOWN AS OLYMPIC VALLEY. I THINK THAT WAS PASSED. THAT'S IT'S A SEA. 4TH QUESTION. HE'S BEEN HE'S ROCKING OUT, BUT I'M SORRY YOU'RE PASSING ON THAT ONE. SO THAT GOES OVER THE SEAFRONT SKEWS ME. SORRY. DANCERS PAST SQUAW VALLEY. THE ANSWER THE HOST WAS TRYING TO PROCESS THERE. ALL RIGHT. NOW WE WILL DO U.S. OLYMPIC CITIES WITH SEAFORTH CONTRARY TO THE MOVIE OF THE SAME NAME, A GIANT CROCODILE DID NOT FEATURE AND EITHER THE 1932 ARE 1980, WINTER GAMES IN WHAT NEW YORK TOWN. ANSWERS PAST THAT GOES TO ROCKY MOUNTAINS. I CAN JUST PASSED. IT'S THAT LAKE PLACID COMING UP WITH A MOVIE, OK? ALL RIGHT. QUESTION TO ACROSS AMERICA TO SEE FORTH POWDER COLIN COPPER WITH A SOMEWHAT FORGETTABLE MASCOTS FOR THE 2002 WINTER GAMES HELD IN WHAT U.S. CITY. BECAUSE WE GOT BACK THEN. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS DENVER. THAT IS INCORRECT. WALKING OUT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY? CONTENTIOUS PAST SALT LAKE CITY IS THE CORRECT ANSWER. AND LAST US OLYMPIC CITIES FOR SEAFORTH. WHAT US CITY HOSTED THE OLYMPICS AND A WORLD'S FAIR AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S SOMETHING YOU GUYS ANYTHING. DANCERS PAST TO ROCKY MOUNT. THAT MEANS THAT WAS PAST ST. LOUIS IS THE ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING FOR. WELL, PLAYERS, WE HAVE HAD OUR FIRST BREAK. NOW, KEEP YOUR THINKING CAPS ON. WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK. WELCOME BACK TO BRAIN GAME, EVERYBODY. AFTER THE FIRST ROUND OF PLAY, WE HAVE ROCKY MOUNT ON THE BOARD WITH A B AND C 4TH IN THERE AT NEGATIVE 20. LET'S GET BACK TO THE ACTION WITH OUR NEXT CATEGORY WORD. POWER PLAYERS TODAY. WE'RE LOOKING FOR WORDS THAT ARE SENDING THEM SPORT TO LIE MANY TO NOT TELL THE TRUTH. SO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION AS YOU'RE FILLING IN THE BLANKS. LET'S KICK OFF SEDATIVES FOR JULY WITH ROCKY MOUNT. THIS 9 LETTER WORD LITERALLY MEANS TO MAKE UP EVEN OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH. IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS. I THINK THAT WAS PASSED THAT GOES OVER TO SEE FORTH OUR TEAMS ANSWERS FABRICATE FABRICATE IS CORRECT. A QUESTION TO WOODWARD, POWERFUL ROCKY MOUNT SUGGESTING BREAKING DOWN SOMETHING RATHER THAN PUTTING IT TOGETHER. WHAT 9 LETTER WORD MEANS TO OBSCURE OR HIDE THE TRUTH. I CAN SENSE HIS PAST THAT GOES TO SEE FORTH. IT WAS ANSWERS PAST DECEMBER. THE ANSWER WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND LAST WORD POWER FOR ROCKY MOUNT. WHAT 11 LETTER SOUNDS FANCY AND MIGHT SUGGEST THE LINE WAS CONSIDERED IN ADVANCE. IT COMES AS HIS PAST THAT GOES TO SEE FORTH. SENSORS PAST ANSWER THERE IS PREPARING KATE. NOW WE ARE ONTO WORD POWER WAS SEAFORTH. HERE YOU GO INTENTIONALLY LYING IN PRINT MAY SUBJECT YOU TO THIS 5 LETTER CHARGE. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS FRAUD. THAT IS INCORRECT. ROCKY MOUNT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY SOMETHING THERE? IT CENTERS PASS LIBEL. THE ANSWER WE'RE LOOKING FOR QUESTION TO INWARD POWER FOR SEAFORTH. THIS 7 LETTER WORDS NOW INFORM IS MORE COMMONLY HEARD. WHAT VERB MAINS TO LIE UNDER OATH. I'M GOING TO DEFER TO DYLAN'S. ALL RIGHT. THAT IS INCORRECT. WALKING OUT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY? I CAN JUST PASS PERCH OR OR PERJURY WOULD WORK THERE. ALL LAST QUESTION OF WHERE POWER FOR C 4, THIS 8 LETTER PORTMANTEAU COMES FROM THE IDEA OF USING A BLINDFOLD BY COVERING THE HEAD. WHAT IS IT? AND I THINK YOU GUYS DANCERS PAST. LET'S GO TO ROCKY MOUNT FOR THAT. AND JUST PASSED COULD WAY IS THE ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING FOR. LET'S GET ON TO OUR NEXT CATEGORY. NOW, ARTS AND LITERATURE PLAYERS. WE'VE GOT A RANGE OF TOPICS FROM PAINTINGS, MUSIC THEATER AND WRITTEN WORKS. EACH TEAM KICKS IT OFF WITH A VISUAL CLUE. LET'S START OUR TO LET WITH ROCKY MOUNT WCW US. HE WAS IMPRESSED BY WHISTLER SERIES OF DARK PAINTINGS. SO WE NAMED A COLLECTION OF COMPOSITIONS AFTER THEM. WHAT IS THIS TERM REFERRING TO THE NIGHT? A CONSENSUS PAST RECORDS TO SEE FORTH. I CAN'T ANSWER IS PASSED. NOT TURNS IS THE ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING FOR A QUESTION TO AN ARTS AND LET FOR ROCKY MOUNT INSPIRED BY A SIMILAR ANIMAL IN A NOVEL BY CHARLES DICKENS. WHAT OMINOUS FIGURE IS THE TITLE CHARACTER IN EDGAR ALLAN POE'S, MOST FAMOUS POEM. AND REAGAN IS CORRECT. AND LAST START TO LOOK FOR ROCKY MOUNT. THIS PIANISTS WROTE SEVERAL NORWEGIAN DANCES APPROPRIATELY AS WELL AS THE INCIDENT WILL MUSIC FOR THE OPERA. PIERRE, GET WHO IS THIS? NORWEGIAN COMPOSER? I THINK THAT YOUR FAST BECAUSE THE SEAFORTH. AND I THINK YOU GUYS I TEAM'S ANSWERS PASS AT VARDY IS THE ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING FOR NOW. ART SUNLIT FORCE, THE 4TH. OF THE HORSE. SHE I IS A STRONG EXAMPLE OF THE NEOCLASSICAL STYLE OF PAINTING WHO CREATED THIS WORK AS WELL AS THE DEATH OF MERIT. ANDY, THANK YOU FOR THE ANSWER IS PASSED BECAUSE THE ROCKY MOUNT, IF YOU WANT TO TRY. I THINK THAT WAS PASSED. SHOCKLEY DEBATE IS THE ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING FOR A QUESTION TO AN ART AND LET FORESEE 4TH POET DYLAN THOMAS WROTE A BOOK ROMANTICIZING HIS OWN EXPERIENCES IN A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS. AND WHAT SMALL UNITED KINGDOM NATION WITH THE CAPITAL AT CARDIFF. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS. WHALES, WHALES IS CORRECT. AND LAST START TO LOOK FOR SEAFORTH. THE GREATEST ITALIAN COMPOSER, AUTHOR OF LA TRAVIATA AIDA IS THIS MAN WHO SUPPORTS THE RECORD. THE RECORDS WILL MENTION TOE. OUR TEAMS ANSWERS PAST THAT GOES TO ROCKY MOUNT. AIKINS ANSWERS FAST GIUSEPPE VERDI IS THE ANSWER. WE'RE LOOKING FOR. ALL RIGHT. PLAYERS, GOOD JOB. WE MADE IT TO OUR NEXT BREAK. NOW WE'RE PLAYING NAME GAME. PLUS, CRUNCHING NUMBERS AT ROCKET SCIENCE. BRAIN GAME. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. EVERYONE.

Ryan Bisesi

Brain Game: Rocky Mount vs. Seaforth (Dec. 27, 2025)

WRAL's Brain Game

Get the latest WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast whenever you need it, including the DUALDoppler5000 and the 7-Day Forecast.

<p>Meteorologist Grant Skinner here in the Weather Center. Some more brief showers are possible today, mainly light rain, and that best chance will be south of the triangle as a front lingers to our south. We'll see lingering cloud cover as well. Some breaks in the clouds late today, but otherwise mostly cloudy. Then warming up, highs will push into the 70s this weekend, so it'll be much warmer. Here's Futurecast. Let's start with 1 p.m. You can see scattered light rain, mainly to the south, but we have sun that's worked its way north. And then we'll, this will gradually work south and east through the rest of the day. By 5:30, the majority of it is to our south and east, but a couple of brief showers are possible to the north, and we'll keep some lingering cloud cover as well all the way through Saturday morning. And we could see some breaks in the clouds for our northern spots, but I think we'll stay mostly cloudy. The majority of the day. And the additional rain that we'll see through Saturday is only around 0.1 of an inch for the triangle, but some higher amounts towards the coastline where they'll see some more consistent rain as that front stays to the south. Some lingering clouds, brief showers a day, highs reach the mid-50s for most spots. Some areas could reach the upper 50s. We're back to the 70s, a high of 74 degrees on Sunday, but it doesn't last long. Look at Monday and Tuesday, back to around 50 degrees for our highs. That's because our next front will pass through the area. There'll be a chance for some isolated showers in the first half of next week. Looks like mainly rain for that. Again, highs at around 50 both Monday and Tuesday, then back to the mid 60s on Wednesday and the 70s again by Thursday. So some ups and downs over the next 7 days. We're in the 50s today. Back in the 70s on Sunday, we'll have more sunshine this weekend after a cloudy Friday with some brief showers possible.</p>

WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast

Nightly N.C. Education Lottery drawings during the 11 p.m. News.

Good evening. I'm Gayle Hurt. Welcome to tonight's drawings for Thursday, February 26, 2026. Well, let's get started tonight with our Carolina pick 3. Our first winning numbers are 2. Our second number tonight is 8, and the third number this evening is 0, and our pick 3 Fireball number is a 6. Join me for tonight's show. Is our auditor from Preston, CBA. Now let's move to the Carolina pick 4. Good luck everyone that first winning pick 4 number. It's a 7. Our second number is 4. 3rd number tonight is a 3, and the fourth number in our pick 4 is a 6. And our pick for Fireball number here it comes, it's 5. We're turning now to the Carolina Cash Five. If no one wins the top prize tonight, tomorrow's top prize is estimated at $212,000. Good luck, everyone is that first winning cash 5 number. It's 32, our second number. 9. 3rd number tonight is a 35. Our fourth number is 4, and the final number in our cash 5 this evening is 22. The North Carolina Education Lottery has contributed over $12 billion to education. Get your winning numbers right here every night in your exclusive station for the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

A car has apparently caught on fire in a crash Thursday afternoon on I-87 near Knightdale in Wake County.

Car apparently catches fire on I-87

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings are held at 3 p.m. daily. They can be seen as live or on-demand video.

Good afternoon. I'm Louis Fernandez. Welcome to this afternoon's drawings for Thursday, February 26, 2026. Let's get started with Carolina pick 3. The first pick three number is 7, the second is 0, and the third is 8, and our pick three fireball number is 2. Joining me for this afternoon's drawing is our auditor from Preston CPA. Now let's move to Carolina pick 4. The first pick 4 number is 0. The second is 0. The third is 3, and the fourth is. 3. And our big four Fireball number is 3. The North Carolina Education Lottery has contributed over $12 billion to education thanks to your support. Get your winning numbers each day at 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. here in your exclusive station for the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 Drawing

Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday Powerball drawings, as shown live on WRAL.

Well, good evening, America. I'm Laura Johnson. Tonight we've got another life-changing jackpot for you. It's worth an estimated $217.4 million. So get those tickets out. Let's play that first number up is $50. Followed by the number 54. Tonight we're gonna meet NJB who won $50,000 playing Powerball. Now for the rest of those numbers, we've got 56, 52. Rounding it out with 64, your Powerball number tonight. Good luck, everyone. 23 and your power play multiplier is 2. Let's take a look at those numbers one last time. Remember, there are multiple ways to win. We'll see you back here Saturday night. Good night, everyone. It's time to play America's favorite jackpot game. This is.

Powerball Drawing

Amazon celebrates a major expansion of its delivery network across North Carolina with the opening of five new delivery stations in communities from the mountains to the coast. N.C. Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Kenny Flowers will speak as part of a behind-the-scenes tour and ribbon cutting at Amazon's new Tarboro delivery station, one of five new delivery stations that recently opened in Tarboro, Jacksonville, Southern Pines, Mount Airy and Hayesville.

Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, Amazon celebrates delivery expansion across NC

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union

Of what a new nation unlike anything the world had ever seen could be. The United States was founded on the idea that ordinary people could reject the unacceptable excesses of poor leadership, band together to demand better of their government, and create a nation that would be an example for the world. And this year, as we celebrate 250 years since America declared our independence from tyranny, I can think of no better place to speak to you as we reflect on the current state of our union. Tonight, as we watched our nation's lawmakers gather for a joint session of Congress, we did not hear the truth from our president. So let's speak plainly and honestly, and let me ask you, the American people watching at home, 3 questions. Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family? Is the president working to keep Americans safe both at home and abroad? Is the president working for you? As I campaigned for governor last year, I traveled to every corner of Virginia, and I heard the same pressing concern everywhere. Costs are too high in housing, healthcare, energy, and childcare, and I know these same conversations are being had all across this country. Because since this president took office last year, his reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1700 each in tariff costs. Small businesses have suffered, farmers have suffered, some losing entire markets. Everyday Americans are paying the price. And even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down 4 days ago, the damage to us, the American people, has already been done. Meanwhile, the president is planning for new tariffs, another massive tax hike on you and your family. And Republicans in Congress, they remain unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop him. They're making your life harder. They're making your life more expensive. They're even making it more difficult to see a doctor. Rural health clinics in Virginia and across the country are already closing their doors thanks to the so-called One Big Beautiful bill championed by the President and Republicans in Congress. And tonight the president celebrated this law, the one threatening rural hospitals, stripping healthcare for millions of Americans, and driving up costs in energy and housing, all while cutting food programs for hungry kids. But here in Virginia, I am working with our state legislature to lower costs and make the Commonwealth more affordable. And it's not just me. Democrats across the country are laser focused on affordability in our nation's capital and in state capitals and communities across America. In the most innovative and exceptional nation in the history of the world, Americans deserve to know that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night. Problems that dictate where you live, whether you can afford to start a business, or whether you have to skip a prescription. In order to buy groceries. So I'll ask again. Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family? We all know the answer is no. I grew up in a house of service. My mother was a nurse and my father was a career law enforcement officer. I began my career by following in my father's footsteps as a federal agent working money laundering and narcotics cases. I worked side by side with local and state police to keep our community safe and to uphold and enforce the law. Law enforcement officers across the country know that it is a unique responsibility to do the serious work of investigating crimes, comforting victims, and making arrests. It's about building trust, and that requires an abiding sense of duty and commitment to community. And yet our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans, and they have done it without a warrant. They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies. They have sent children. A little boy in a blue bunny hat, children to far off detention centers, and they have killed American citizens in our streets, and they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability. Every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children, or the criminals defrauding seniors of their life savings. Our president told us tonight that we are safer. Because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that. Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities. After working in law enforcement, I continued my career of service as a CIA officer, working undercover to protect the United States and our allies from global threats, terrorism, nuclear weapons, and the aggression of adversarial nations around the globe. But as the president spoke of his perceived successes tonight, he continues to cede economic power and technological strength to Russia, bow down to to China, bow down to a Russian dictator, and make plans for war with Iran. Here's the truth. Over the last year, through Doge, mass firings, and the appointment of deeply unserious people to our nation's most serious positions, our president has endangered the long and storied history of the United States of America being a force for good. So I'll ask again, is the president working to keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad? We all know the answer is no. In his speech tonight, the president did what he always does. He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted, and he offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges, so many of which he is actively making worse. He tries to divide us, he tries to enrage us, to pit us against one another, neighbor against neighbor, and sometimes he succeeds. And so you have to ask, who benefits from his rhetoric, his policies, his actions, the short list of laws he's pushed through this Republican Congress. Somebody must be benefiting. He's enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented. There's the cover-up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams, cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on buildings all over our nation's capital. This is not what our founders envisioned, not by a long shot. So I'll ask again, is the president working for you? We all know the answer is no. But here's the special thing about America. On our 250th anniversary, we know better than any nation what is possible when ordinary citizens like those who once dreamed right here in this room, reject the unacceptable and demand more of their government. We see it in the determination of students organizing school walkouts all across the country, whose voices are becoming so powerful that the governor of Texas seeks to silence them. We see it in the bravery of Americans in Minnesota standing up for their communities, from peacefully protesting in sub-zero temperatures to carpooling children to school, so that their immigrant parents are not ripped away from them in the parking lot. As a mother of three school-aged daughters, I am inspired by their bravery. But I am sickened that it is necessary. And Americans across the country are taking action. They are going to the ballot box to reject this chaos. With their votes, they are writing a new story, a more hopeful story. In November, I won my election by 15 points. And we won 13 new seats in our state legislature. Because voters decided they wanted something different. Our campaign earned votes from Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and everyone in between, because they knew as citizens, they could demand more, that they could vote for what they believe matters, and that they didn't need to be constrained by a party or political affiliation. This is happening across the country. New Jersey elected Mikey Sherrill as governor in a double-digit victory. Democrats flip state legislative seats in places like Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Texas. The list goes on and on. Ordinary Americans are stepping up to run in the spirit of our forefathers. They are running to demand more and to do more for their neighbors and communities. I know the story well. I first ran for office in 2018 alongside dozens of other Democrats who did the seemingly impossible, flipping 41 seats in Congress. In my case, I was the first Democrat elected in 50 years, swinging our district 17 points. Those who are stepping up now to run will win in November because Americans, you at home. Know you can demand more, and that we are working to lower costs. We are working to keep our communities and our country safe, and we are working for you. In his farewell address, George Washington warned us about the possibility of quote cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men rising to power. But he also encouraged us all Americans to unite in a common cause, to move this nation forward. That is our charge once more, and that is what we are seeing across the country. It is deeply American and patriotic to do so, and it is. How we ensure that the state of our Union remains strong, not just this year, but for the next 250 years as well, because we, the people have the power to make change, the power to stand up for what is right, the power to demand more of our nation. May God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia and may God bless the United States of America.

Democrats deliver response to Trump's State of the Union address

President Donald Trump will use his State of the Union speech to defend his agenda. On Tuesday, he returned to the House chamber days after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariff policy. 

Brain Game: Rocky Mount vs. Seaforth (Dec. 27, 2025)

More On This