May 2026

The Trump administration has begun wielding federal resources as a weapon against states, using dollars to cajole and threaten them into complying with its political agenda. President Donald Trump is moving unilaterally, bypassing lawmakers and speaking plainly about punishing political rivals — defining an era in American history that scholars call “punitive federalism.”

A multi-week cold snap this past winter sent utility bills soaring and caused more people in Charlotte to request help paying bills. 

NC lawmakers are pushing a bill that would require middle and high school coaches to complete mental health training.

State governments should shoulder more of the cost and responsibility for natural disaster recovery, according to a report released Thursday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency review council.

When the news broke Friday that the Wake County hospital system was planning to combine with Atrium, the largest hospital system in the state, it produced a flurry of strong reactions from local and state leaders.

Texas lawmakers failed to address the underlying problem: They have repeatedly rejected bills that could protect residents in the state’s most dangerous, flood-prone areas, an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce estimates that data centers could soon cost the state $450 million a year under current tax exemptions.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce estimates that data centers could soon cost the state $450 million a year under current tax exemptions.

The federal student loan system is set to see a dramatic overhaul beginning this summer, and critics warn it likely will make loans more expensive and difficult to obtain for borrowers — driving them to private lenders or altering their plans for higher education.