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WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Monday welcomed 11 newly elected Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol, following midterm elections in which his party flipped both chambers in Congress. “Last week the American people put Donald Trump and the GOP on blast,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on the…
The N.C. Housing Coalition is partnering with Vermont-based Lawson’s Finest Liquids to raise money for affordable housing through the craft brewery’s “Good Brews for a Cause” initiative. The coalition will receive a portion of the sales from every Cosmic Shift IPA — a limited seasonal release brew — sold in North…
HIGH POINT, N.C. — Before Cyril Jefferson ever considered a career in public office, he worked with students whom he believed deserved better than the circumstances they were born into. As a music teacher, he saw students who were academically gifted, ambitious and supported by their families. He also saw others…
Sen. Sydney Batch, a Wake County Democrat and the leader of her caucus in the North Carolina Senate, may have one of the most challenging jobs in the General Assembly next year. She’ll likely be balancing the expectations that come from Democrats being able to pass anything they wish in the House with the reality
Arrests for low-level offenses, including vagrancy and drug possession, increased nationwide in 2025, even as violent crime continued to decline, according to a new analysis of federal data. The analysis, which was released in late October by the criminal justice advocacy organization FWD.us, found that arrests for…
Gov. Josh Stein was on hand Monday as Meals on Wheels delivered its eight millionth meal in Forsyth County. The recipient was Ben Briggs, a 105-year-old retired science teacher who relies on the nonprofit to deliver meals to his home. In North Carolina 13.9% of seniors, more than 341,000 older adults, face food…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday his mass deportation campaign, which helped propel his return to the Oval Office, had gone too far and potentially led to Republicans losing the U.S. House and Senate in the midterm elections. “I think it might be too tough, yeah,” Trump said…
The U.S. Department of Justice is dismissing a lawsuit that tried to force California to set aside the ballots of suspected noncitizen voters, marking the formal end of the Trump administration’s most aggressive effort to control vote counting in the lead-up to the midterm elections. The Justice Department filed a…
GREENVILLE, N.C. — When the federal funding ran dry, Diannee Carden Glenn’s options were few. Carden Glenn is the director of ekiM for Change, a volunteer-run public health organization that works to prevent overdoses in Greenville and surrounding rural communities. For much of the past decade, she relied on funding…
I hope this column will rescue the ballot of someone you know from being discarded. You can help. The 2026 election has not ended. There are 61 counties in North Carolina where voters with ballots in limbo could decide who wins or loses. The close contests include three Congressional races, several contests for seats…
WASHINGTON — Voters may have given Democrats control of Congress in the midterm elections, but Republicans will remain in charge of both chambers during the lame-duck session that spans November and December. The relatively brief five-week schedule, which begins Monday, gives GOP leaders a chance to wrap up unfinished…
This story originally appeared in Bolts and is republished with permission. On Tuesday, a Black pastor who campaigned against racial profiling and eliminating the “good ol’ boy system” of policing ousted six-term North Carolina Sheriff Terry Johnson, an Alamance County Republican who has faced accusations of racism…
To prevent pregnancy after sex, U.S. teenage girls and young women are more likely to rely on unproven strategies such as prayer, exercise and jumping up and down than they are on evidence-based methods such as Plan B emergency contraception, according to a new study. The study, published in The Journal of Sex…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday he will elevate Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff, the first shake-up of his administration officials since Democrats trounced Republicans in the midterms. Former Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will move to the “Trump Political Operation,” the president…
Some ballots haven’t even been counted yet, but a documentary about the 2026 election from the perspective of North Carolina college students fighting for campus early voting sites has already had its debut. “Where Do I Vote Again?” screened Thursday night at The Rialto in Raleigh. It encapsulates the work of students…
The age of the typical first-time homebuyer last year remained stuck at a historic high of 40 years old as younger people continue to get the worst of brutally high prices and interest rates in much of the country. That’s according to new data from the National Association of Realtors, and it’s the second year
The blue wave that swept across Tuesday’s midterm election will deliver Democrats new power over state government, giving them the opportunity to advance long-sought policy changes. Democrats flipped hundreds of seats, won control of several GOP-held chambers, broke veto-proof supermajorities and won a majority of…
I’m a Gen Xer. We were brought up on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers, in a world that taught us that no matter what our differences, we had a basic responsibility to be decent and civil and fair to other people. Kind, even. Certainly not ugly or mean. I’ve always thought of that as an
Alabama Republicans had hoped Rep. Shomari Figures would deliver a concession speech on Tuesday night after the state legislature redrew his district to be more GOP-friendly. Instead, the Democrat declared victory — winning nearly 54% of the vote. “We know what happened with this district,” Figures told supporters as…
North Carolina voters who delivered a blue wave for Democrats Tuesday also overwhelmingly approved two constitutional amendments that will impact taxes for years to come. The first amendment, approved by 62% of voters, caps state income tax rates for individuals and corporations at 3.5%. The second amendment, which…
North Carolina is seeing a steep jump in what it needs to spend on its public school facilities, according to a new report by the state Department of Public Instruction. A newly passed constitutional amendment could make that more difficult. The 2025–26 statewide facility needs survey, which Vice Chairman Alan Duncan…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to establish the Oval Office and White House Cabinet Room as a national monument in order to prevent any major renovations to those spaces that are not approved by Congress. Trump, who tore down the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom,
Despite the blue wave that swept the nation on Tuesday, voters were more cautious about making sweeping changes to their taxes. Most states with tax policy on the ballot saw voters reject large-scale change, though some passed smaller changes or reined in officials’ ability to make changes. “Even though there are big…
LaKesha Womack is anything but a textbook political candidate. She had never run for office before, had very little funding or outside support, and had even been unhoused at one point. She also has an outstanding felony charge that could theoretically leave her unable to vote in the U.S. House. None of that stopped her
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in Congress have just a couple months to decide how they want to balance investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration with securing his signature on major bills to address the cost of living, a top concern for voters. While Democrats gained control of the House and…
The fingerpointing is coming from inside the house. Vice President JD Vance said in a lengthy social media post Wednesday that Republicans’ shellacking in the midterm elections the night before was mainly due to the administration’s war in Iran. Though Vance sought to soften the blow to President Donald Trump by…
Next year, North Carolina Democrats will have more political power than they’ve had since 2010, with a commanding majority in the House and the governorship. As anticipated, Rep. Robert Reives, D-Chatham, who has led the House Democrats since 2021, announced he would seek the House speakership. “I will be running for…
Transportation spending for school districts has nearly doubled this school year as diesel prices have reached record highs. Now, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is asking lawmakers for a one-time $40 million fund to help districts cover the additional costs. Between August and the beginning of…
Two Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation acknowledged Wednesday there was no path to victory in their respective districts after Tuesday’s midterm elections. Both were in districts widely considered to be safe Republican seats and were not expected to lose their 2026 reelection bids…
North Carolina will send more Democrats than Republicans to Congress next year.
Tectonic. Generational. A Blue-nami. A bloodbath. Just a few of the terms out there today as people in North Carolina, around the country — and around the world — try to make sense of what just happened in American politics. North Carolina had arguably one of the biggest shifts in the country — our
Republican U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx trails her Democratic challenger by just 99 votes – less than 1% – in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, leaving one of the state’s closest congressional races undecided following Tuesday’s midterm elections. With all 230 precincts reporting, unofficial results after…
North Carolina voters approved all three constitutional amendments on the ballot Tuesday. The amendments authorize lawmakers to impose limits on local governments’ power to raise property taxes, cap the state income tax, and require photo ID for all voters — not just those voting in person. The controversial…
In a huge upset Tuesday night, Democrats appeared to win the majority in the North Carolina House, with Democratic candidates scoring stunning victories in districts held by influential, veteran Republicans. Democrats have not controlled a chamber of the General Assembly since 2010, when Republicans won majorities in…
Strong Democratic turnout turned the Triangle’s legislative delegation solid blue Tuesday night, unseating two Republican House members and a Republican senator in a neighboring county. Voters in southern Wake County opted to flip House District 37, electing newcomer Winn Decker and sending home Republican Rep. Erin…
In unofficial results from election night, North Carolina voters appear to have ousted at least half of North Carolina’s Republican U.S. House delegation in a string of upset elections in what were drawn to be safe Republican seats. Rep. Richard Hudson, 9th Congressional District incumbent and National Republican…
Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis is headed back to Washington after defeating Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout in the most expensive U.S. House race in general election history. With all 290 precincts reporting, Davis received just under 50% of the vote to Buckhout’s 47%, according to preliminary unofficial results…
North Carolina voters reelected Democratic Justice Anita Earls to the state Supreme Court Tuesday. She defeated Republican challenger Sarah Stevens, a former state lawmaker and longtime attorney. At the same time, three Court of Appeals contests helped determine whether Republicans would further consolidate their…
Democrat Jamie Ager appears to have won North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, flipping the seat. Ager, the owner of Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, defeated state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, a Republican from Hendersonville, at 57% to 41% with all precincts reporting in unofficial results from the state Board of…
Former Gov. Roy Cooper has secured North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate election in the Tar Heel State since 2008. He appears to have defeated Republican Michael Whatley by nearly 20 points, 59% to 39%, in unofficial returns as of midnight Tueesday. The Associated Press called…
WASHINGTON — Democrats will regain control of the U.S. House early next year, after voters throughout the country rejected the policies that Republicans and President Donald Trump implemented during the last two years. The Associated Press, which States Newsroom looks to for the projected winner of congressional…
Black voters in North Carolina turned out for early voting at a higher rate than white voters in this year’s midterm election, reversing a trend from recent cycles, according to an analysis by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. About 39% of registered Black voters cast ballots during the in-person early voting…
For Ren Pridgeon, 72, working on Election Day is a five-decade tradition. “I have never missed an election,” said Pridgeon with a broad smile. “I worked my first election when I was 22 years old.” Pridgeon was serving as a poll worker Tuesday outside of John Chavis Community Center in southeast Raleigh. Pridgeon can…
While much of the national attention on today’s midterm elections has focused on control of Congress, voters across the country will also choose which party controls the levers of state power. Across the states, more than 6,000 legislative seats are up for grabs, leaving the partisan control of numerous chambers…
WASHINGTON — Tens of millions of Americans have already cast a ballot in the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress and shape President Donald Trump’s remaining policy agenda. As of Monday, more than 57 million Americans had cast a vote, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab…
Months of campaigning and endless political commercials draw to a close Tuesday as voters cast their final ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. Thirty-six percent of North Carolina’s registered voters cast ballots before Election Day. New records were also set during the early voting period, with more than 2.7…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, mere hours before Election Day in the midterms that will determine control of Congress, denied the Trump administration’s final attempt to force California to set aside the ballots of 20,000 people it suspects are noncitizens. The decision marked a significant blow to President Donald…
WASHINGTON — One day before his party is forecast to lose control of the U.S. House, and possibly the Senate, President Donald Trump gathered guests and press at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to tout the “magnificent” renovation of the monument — a monthslong project plagued by algae, reclosure and false…
Costs are soaring for people who care for their older parents and other family members, according to a new study. Out-of-pocket expenses are nearly 60% higher than they were just five years ago for family caregivers, who now spend an average of $11,508 a year on caregiving, according to a report released last week by
American democracy faces one of its biggest stress tests of the modern era, as President Donald Trump’s sprawling campaign for power over elections encounters a firewall of judges, state election workers and voting rights leaders heading into Election Day. A cascade of courtroom losses over the weekend dealt a major…
Crime. For decades, it’s long been a tried-and-true election tactic of the American political right to campaign under the “get tough on crime” banner. The model was cynically perfected during the 1988 presidential campaign in the infamous and racially charged “Willie Horton” ads crafted by supporters of then-Vice…
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to require California to set aside the ballots of suspected noncitizen voters in a last-ditch appeal by the Trump administration to exert control over the state’s vote counting. The request came on the eve of Election Day and as more than 5 million…
DETROIT — Key Democrats said Sunday they would not let Haley Stevens’ endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers divide the party ahead of Tuesday’s election. Stevens, a sitting member of Congress, was all but formally exorcized by her party after she publicly endorsed Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers over…
Early voting in a midterm election set a record this year in North Carolina, with more than 2.7 million people voting in person by Saturday afternoon. With mail-in ballots included, 2.8 million votes have been cast, meaning 36% of registered voters have cast ballots before Election Day, The previous high for a midterm…
WASHINGTON — When the polls close Tuesday night, the 2026 U.S. election will go down as one of history’s most expensive and extraordinarily ugly midterms — galvanizing record-breaking early voter turnout among a deeply divided electorate. Voters on Saturday crossed the high-water mark of 52.7 million early votes cast…
A federal appeals court on Friday denied a Trump administration demand that California set aside and not count the ballots of 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters, setting the stage for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a U.S…
As the Trump administration waged a public legal fight with California over the ballots of suspected noncitizen voters in mid-October, behind the scenes a federal grand jury in Santa Ana issued a series of subpoenas to election officials in Los Angeles County at federal prosecutors’ urging. The subpoenas demanded a…
The Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to combat noncitizen voting and assert authority over elections came under intense scrutiny in courtrooms across the country on Thursday, as Democrats and voting rights groups alleged federal election interference. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered the U.S…
“Low visibility ahead,” a Google Maps alert read one recent morning as I drove west on U.S. 421 toward Yadkin County for a meeting of the county board of elections. And sure enough, when I hit the bridge to cross the muddy Yadkin, a soft fog hung over the river, the effect of cool morning
WASHINGTON — As of early Friday, more than 46 million Americans had cast ballots ahead of Election Day, eclipsing the early voting turnout of the 2022 midterms, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab. In the 2022 midterm elections, 45.9 million Americans voted early, according to the UF Election Lab…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s rallies in Kansas and Iowa this weekend are back on after initial cancellations, States Newsroom confirmed Friday. The Midwest rallies mark the final sprint to Election Day on Nov. 3 — now just four days away — where the GOP is itching to maintain its narrow majority in the U.S.
As concerns rise about the potential for federal influence over the results of next week’s midterm elections, many voting experts and advocates remain confident that the nation’s highly localized systems of administering and counting votes will persevere. Facing sinking approval ratings over high prices, the White…
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. But a new report this month shows North Carolina isn’t making much headway on the problem. In 2025, more than 63,000 people in North Carolina reported being victims of a crime committed by current or former spouses, partners or family members, according to a report…
Medicaid recipients who are disabled or have a chronic illness will not have to prove they are unable to work to be exempted from new work requirements that take effect next year, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston grants a partial victory to the 25…
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced it has indicted 18 more people living in North Carolina with voting illegally in 2024. Two weeks ago, on the first day of early voting, the Justice Department announced the indictments of 10 people on charges of voting illegally in the state. Seventeen of the people…
A mammoth $52.9 million has poured into ad spending and reservations for North Carolina's 1st Congressional District.
A new campaign launching in North Carolina aims to help Medicaid recipients navigate upcoming federal requirements and avoid losing coverage because of confusing paperwork or reporting rules. Keep Your Care, a national campaign focused on helping people maintain Medicaid coverage, launched its North Carolina effort…
This year’s statewide ballot measures are written, on average, at a graduate-school reading level, according to a new report. The readability of 2026’s ballot questions — which ask voters to weigh in on issues as varied as abortion, property taxes, voter ID and firearms — varies by state, political data tracking…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s rally in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday is canceled, the Kansas Republican Party confirmed to States Newsroom. An appearance scheduled for Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa, was also canceled, the Republican National Committee said in a late Thursday press release. In-person rallies packed…
WASHINGTON — Communities throughout the country have been inundated with television ads and outside spending as politicians try to spur voter turnout in the most competitive U.S. House races in Tuesday’s midterm elections. The focus on a short list of campaigns highlights how much power voters in a small number of…
A federal judge on Wednesday denied a U.S. Department of Justice request that would have forced California to not count the ballots of 20,000 voters the Trump administration alleges are likely noncitizens. The decision sets the case on a course to possibly reach the U.S. Supreme Court within days. In a scathing…
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Led by members of the marching band and Aggie and Aggietha, the North Carolina A&T State University mascots, hundreds of students at the nation’s largest historically Black university walked 40 minutes from campus to the nearest early polling site on a recent afternoon. They started the journey with…
With Election Day less than a week away, prediction markets are signaling strong chances for some North Carolina congressional candidates, even as some traditional polling remains uncertain. In North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, polls have consistently shown Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis and Republican…
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is unlawfully scrutinizing naturalized U.S. citizens and placing them at risk of disenfranchisement, civil rights groups alleged in a lawsuit Wednesday, less than a week before Election Day. The lawsuit, filed in California, came as Homeland Security asked for an emergency…
U.S. Department of Justice election monitors will be in Wake, Alamance, and Mecklenburg counties on Election Day, according to the state Board of Elections. The Justice Department announced it would send monitors to every state as part of the largest monitoring effort in history, but did not disclose locations. The…
The challenging political climate has left Republicans playing defense in more states than expected.
Most of the nation returns to standard time Sunday morning, and Congress could decide as early as next month whether it will be the last time people have to change their clocks. President Donald Trump wants year-round daylight saving time. The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly in July for the change. Lots of Democrats…
MERIDIAN, Idaho — It didn’t take long for doctors to see that something was amiss with Rebecca Crozier’s pregnancy. At her eight-week ultrasound in 2025, they mentioned a possible neural tube defect, she said, but after some research, she thought it was something that could be managed or treated. “If it was a fixable…
Less than a week before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s unprecedented drive for power over elections has set the stage for a series of courtroom fights that could quickly lead to a high-stakes showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over the limits of federal authority. Democrats and voting rights advocates have…
Democrat Paul Barringer is challenging freshman GOP U.S. Rep. Brad Knott for the seat.
Birth centers are an option for those with low-risk pregnancies and are correlated with more positive health outcomes, but 10 states do not have any birth centers at all, and more could be built with certain state policy solutions and different models of care, a new report suggests. Birth centers can be an attractive…
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 19 of his colleagues in other states announced Tuesday they’re suing Dollar General for overcharging customers. The bargain retailer is accused of raising prices for products at the register without updating sticker prices on shelves. At a press conference Tuesday…
WASHINGTON — Tens of millions of Americans have already made their way to the ballot box as early voting is underway in a midterm election that will determine control of the House and the Senate, possibly flipping one or both from Republicans to Democrats. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 34 million people have…
Out-of-pocket charges for North Carolina State Health Plan members who use Atrium Health hospitals and specialists will stay about the same under an agreement that state Treasurer Brad Briner announced Tuesday. Atrium Health, the state’s largest healthcare system, and the treasurer’s office had engaged in a…
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to every state ahead of Election Day, expanding a long-standing practice that’s spurred concern this year among Democrats and voting rights advocates because of President Donald Trump’s push to influence elections. The Justice Department for decades has…
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson called on state regulators Tuesday to require prospective data center developers to shoulder more of the cost for the additional power they’ll need — or to produce more of it themselves through renewable energy. The N.C. Utilities Commission has been…
In the first three years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022, more than 900 women faced criminal charges for conduct related to their pregnancies, according to a new report. Most state laws that prohibit or regulate abortion seek to penalize those who provide…
PORTLAND, Ore. — The latest cosponsor of a U.S. House bill to provide single-payer health insurance defeated a Republican incumbent in a suburban and rural Oregon district by fewer than 10,000 votes two years ago. U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Democrat now seeking her second term, doesn’t have the far-left profile of…
In the first eight days of early voting, Wake County Election Director Olivia McCall has seen 70% higher turnout than in the 2022 midterm election. It’s “unprecedented,” she said. But it’s too early to tell whether the higher turnout foreshadows record-breaking overall turnout or excitement around early voting, she…
Americans’ growing frustration over high prices has defined many political campaigns ahead of November’s midterm elections. Rising costs of healthcare, gas and groceries during President Donald Trump’s second term have put Republicans on defense, not only in Washington, but in statehouse and gubernatorial races across…
President Donald Trump’s 11th-hour campaign to intervene in California’s vote counting encountered its first resistance from federal courts on Monday, with appellate judges ruling against the effort. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against a U.S. Department of Justice request for a…
One of the most successful public economic development projects in modern American history is North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. Nearly 70 years ago, when a collection of public officials, academics and business leaders unveiled their vision for RTP, the undeveloped region found between the towns of Raleigh…
SPRINGDALE, Pa. — Residents in a small southwestern Pennsylvania town are facing the prospect of a 47-acre data center facility on their doorstep. “Right here behind this fence is where they want to put up the data center, and as you can see, there’s houses right across the street, roughly 100 feet,” said lifelong…
Federal regulators are cracking down on the nonprofits responsible for coordinating organ donations, aiming to begin shutting down substandard groups by early next year. New criteria will score the organizations on donation and transplantation rates and will decertify the bottom tier, meaning their contracts with the…
Housing demand across the country is slowing due to an affordability crisis that makes it difficult for people with moderate-to-low incomes to buy a home or pay high rents, said Alexander Hermann, a senior research associate at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. High housing costs, high home prices, high…
Atilio Portillo said he has been living in the U.S. since 1988 and became a naturalized citizen in 2013.
Early voting has started, but North Carolina voters are hearing very little about three constitutional amendments tucked away at the end of the ballot. While the amendments are worded in a seemingly simple way, the three proposals are deceptive. Carolina Federation, an organization I co-lead, have spoken face to face…
The U.S. Department of Justice is stepping up its legal campaign over the midterm elections, suing Alaska over its U.S. Senate election and appealing a lawsuit against suspected noncitizen voters in California. Election law experts have cast doubt on the strength of the cases, criticizing them as performative. The…