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Census changes proposed by Trump administration put accuracy, money for NC at risk, critics say

(Image: AdobeStock)

By Lynn Bonner

At its core, U.S. census data is about money, government representation, and community visibility. 

The Trump administration has proposed changing the census to stop counting noncitizens without green cards, eliminate questions about race and ethnicity, and alter the definition of “usual residence.” The administration also wants to bar questions about gender identity. 

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Motivated older voters could shape NC’s 2026 US Senate race, poll finds

Voters trickle into the Durham County Main Library to cast their primary ballots on the first day of early voting on Feb. 12, 2026. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)

By Christine Zhu

Voters above the age of 50 could play a major role in North Carolina’s 2026 election, according to a new poll.

Older voters typically have the highest turnout in elections. But they appear to be even more motivated than usual to vote this year. 

The AARP, an organization that represents the interests of people 50 and older, found in a survey released Monday that 83% of voters 50 and older rate their motivation to vote as a 10 out of 10, compared to 66% of voters under age 50.

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Voters fill out ballots using touch screens during early voting at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, North Dakota, on June 8, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Trump thwarted in hunt for rare noncitizen voters as midterms near

By Jonathan Shorman

Five weeks before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s sprawling effort to identify and remove noncitizen voters hasn’t produced the kind of large purges that could meaningfully affect the midterm elections.

Even a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving states access to a supercharged Department of Homeland Security computer program to verify voters’ citizenship will have a limited immediate impact, election experts say. 

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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, shared the stage at the National Governors Association meeting this summer in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Kevin Hardy/Stateline)

Governors pledge to oppose federal overreach — even when their party runs Washington

By Kevin Hardy

Democratic and Republican governors say they will more aggressively push back on federal overreach regardless of which party controls Washington.

Earlier this month, the bipartisan National Governors Association for the first time in over a decade updated its internal principles on federalism — the system of power sharing between Washington, D.C., and the states.

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NEWS

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  • From motorcycles to booze, US ban on $1 billion worth of Canadian imports goes into effect|APnews.com

  • GOP doubts about Georgia and North Carolina have Republicans shifting focus in battle for Senate|APnews.com

  • Auditor relaunches review of NC Medicaid project that costs hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars|WRAL.com

  • Whatley blasts 'trash poll' for showing big Cooper lead in U.S. Senate race|WUNC.org

COMMENTARY

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JOHN COLE’S NORTH CAROLINA

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