Donald Trump comes to the Carolinas to stump for Michael Whatley and Darline Graham in their bids for the U.S. senate. Whatley trails Roy Cooper while Graham has a slim lead over Annie Andrews, high turnout so far in early voting, and more information revealed about CMPD officers who sent racist text messages.

North Carolina’s healthcare system faces mounting questions about access to affordable care, hospital consolidation and rising costs. The State Health Plan moved the largest hospital system out of network; Duke Health is expanding into the region and Medicaid changes have prompted concerns from state officials.

Early voting is underway and people are lining up to cast their ballots in the midterms. Election officials have been fighting a barrage of mis- and disinformation, but despite their efforts, the attacks continue, and some voters are concerned. A closer look at the integrity of our elections.

While sports betting has been debated in North Carolina for years, bets on the midterm elections are raising new concerns about prediction markets. We discuss the ethics of election prediction markets, whether they constitute gambling or a new financial avenue and potential regulatory measures.

Charlotte is experiencing a bookstore boom, despite rates of reading for pleasure being down nationally. We explore the impact of AI use, social media and more on traditional literacy.

Charlotte City Council hears from the public about a proposal to extend the ban on new data centers, six CMPD Officers are at risk of being fired in the wake of racist text messages, and weeks after CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill is fired, parents and others have the chance to sound off to the school board about that decision. Those stories and more with our roundtable of reporters.

Leadership changes and questions about how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is governed have raised public concerns. We unpack the latest developments and explain what we know — and what we still don’t.

Flashback to 2024. Republicans hammered Democrats on affordability. Now, it’s the Democrats’ turn. Two years ago, Democrats pushed social issues like abortion rights and democracy and lost. This year, Republicans are on the defensive about the cost of living and are talking about crime and transgender athletes. It’s a flip-flop of strategies by both parties, and the question is: Will it work the same way?

As Election Day for the midterms inches closer, the polling industry across the country is focused on getting accurate predictions about what will happen on Nov. 3. In recent years, midterm election polling has proven to be more accurate than presidential election polling. We discuss polling methodology, margin of error, how to interpret poll results and more.

Fewer than 6% of American physicians identify as Black, but census data show roughly 12% of the U.S. population is Black. Some experts say that disparity is one reason communities of color tend to experience worse health outcomes in the U.S., including higher rates of high blood pressure, shorter life expectancy and higher risks during childbirth. A new book from a former ProPublica reporter links today’s inequalities to a long history of structural racism — part of which runs through North Carolina.