U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins wants to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, opening tens of thousands of areas within the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests to future road development.

States have spent the past several decades debating whether to legalize cannabis. Now, they are debating how intoxicating legal products should be. A growing body of research suggests that frequent use of high-THC cannabis increases the risk of cannabis use disorder, psychosis and other mental health problems for users, particularly adolescents and young adults.

Black community leaders and lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly Tuesday said voting rights are under attack across the nation, including in North Carolina, after the U.S. Supreme Court significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act in an April ruling this year.

State Superintendent Mo Green says the N.C. Department of Public Instruction plans to issue guidance to help schools implement the state’s new DEI law.

State leaders are breathing a sigh of relief that the Trump administration’s threats to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency have subsided. But experts say there’s still confusion about President Donald Trump’s decisions to approve or deny disaster declarations, leaving states with uncertainty about whether they can expect federal recovery funds.

When young children and teenagers get into trouble, the question often comes quickly: Where were their parents? That question is again shaping public policy in communities across the country, as state and local lawmakers and prosecutors increasingly look for ways to respond to concerns about youth crime and public disorder.

If the court takes the case, it could lead to a significant decision granting states greater leeway to purge alleged noncitizen voters close to elections and mandate that voters prove their citizenship — a key aim of the SAVE America Act, President Donald Trump’s signature elections legislation that’s stalled in Congress.

On Wednesday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will consider Louisiana’s arguments for tightening federal policy around a common abortion and miscarriage drug. The primary target of Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration and similar lawsuits against mifepristone is to end a Biden-era policy allowing abortion pills to be prescribed without an in-person visit with a provider.

U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner dropped out of Maine’s U.S. Senate race after his support from Democrats tanked following an accusation of sexual assault.

NC Gov. Josh Stein says he will veto sweeping elections legislation that shortens the early voting period for primaries.