August 2026

The results are almost unchanged from a poll Catawba College conducted in August 2024 about North Carolinians and their confidence in elections. 

President Donald Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday touted a national private school voucher program set to launch in early 2027.

Dolly Parton, the personification of Tennessee music, died Tuesday at age 80 after decades of entertaining the world.

Voters throughout much of the country will cast ballots for their U.S. senator this fall, but just nine states hold the power to determine control of the chamber — setting the course for which presidential nominees can secure confirmation and what bills advance during the next two years.

On Monday, students, faculty, and top elected officials gathered on North Carolina State University’s campus to welcome home NASA astronaut and NC State graduate Christina Hammock Koch. Koch became the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit, and with her crew broke the record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled in space.

None of North Carolina’s 13 state-managed coastal fish stocks is currently viable for the long term, according to the court’s 190-page ruling.

With just over two months until the November midterms, a federal district judge in Massachusetts is chastising the Trump administration for sowing confusion and “creating” an emergency by noticing a rule Friday that the U.S. Postal Service will eventually require federally regulated mail-in ballot voting envelopes and state data.

https://media.blubrry.com/ncpolicywatch/ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/News-and-Views-for-8-23-2026-ChrisBrook-FullInterview.mp3 If there’s a branch of North Carolina state government that’s undergone the largest transformation in recent decades – both in its role and its make-up – it’s likely the state courts. Thanks in large part to an aggressive effort spearheaded by Republican legislators and funders, a combination of law changes and the dedication of…

With the fall election season looming, we’re going to be inundated with horse race polls, but this week I’ll chat with Elon University pollster Jason Husser about a very different kind of survey that shines a light on the hearts and minds of North Carolinians

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to drastically increase the fee for hiring high-skilled foreign workers within the United States to $100,000, according to a preview of a proposed rule published Monday.