North Carolina
A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a new Trump makeover. Gold flourishes abound
WASHINGTON | It’s glitzier. And there’s way more gold. The People’s House museum exhibit has overhauled its replica Oval Office for visitors to experience President Donald Trump’s second-term design choices. Gleaming vases, golden-hued swirling onlays, two dozen portraits in heavy gilded frames and knickknacks crowding nearly every available surface: the same rococo flourishes that Trump […]
GOP doubts about Georgia and North Carolina have Republicans shifting focus in battle for Senate
ATLANTA | Republicans once saw Georgia and North Carolina as promising pieces of their strategy to keep control of the Senate. But hopes of winning the two states have been fading, and the GOP is increasingly focused on playing defense elsewhere with five weeks until the midterm elections. Republicans haven’t abandoned the Southern battlegrounds, which […]
Convicted sex offender offered opening prayer at rally for GOP Senate nominee in North Carolina
A pastor kicked off a recent campaign stop for Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for Senate, with a prayer that asked God to bestow “integrity and honesty” upon the event and to right wrongs “hammered down on the conservative movement.” The prayer was hardly unusual by North Carolina political standards. What was surprising was the […]
‘Divorce-tok’ fills social media as creators find audiences — and support — by sharing heartbreak
On Instagram feeds that are often teeming with curated, contrived content, a recent post from Monette Wagner stood out for her disarming openness. Looking into the camera, Wagner, a 36-year-old mother of three, said in the video: “Divorce can feel like a death.” In what resembles a digital journal, Wagner has posted videos in real […]
Trump again appeals to Supreme Court on mail-voting restrictions with midterm elections looming
BOSTON | The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reject an order by a federal judge that halts it from implementing a new rule regulating mail ballots, hours after being unable to tell that judge whether the computer system that would govern the entire project was operational yet. The administration filed its […]
Midterm mail ballots start to go to voters as litigation over Trump’s order creates uncertainty
Statewide mail voting for this year’s midterm elections kicks off Friday amid a churning legal battle over President Donald Trump’s attempts to limit the practice and mounting concern over Postal Service changes that some state officials blame for a rise in rejected ballots. The developments have created a sense of uncertainty about a popular voting […]
As Pell grants expand, students see openings to afford short-term job training
Sydney Webb scrimped and saved to pay for an eight-week certified nursing assistant program at a North Carolina community college. On top of the $255 registration fee, the 26-year-old bartender also had to pay for a background check, scrubs, a stethoscope, special shoes and a state certification exam — all while working half as much […]