No matter the posts are true or not, I believe that the results will come out soon. On their website, it is said that their Ph.D. program applications spiked to 685, nearly a 32 percent increase from last year. (Duke University | Economics)
However, they only plan to admit no more than 20 students. Well, I totally agree that the competition of getting into Duke is not a bit less than that of the top 10.
Good luck, everyone!