5/8/2026 Weekly Roundup
WNC-relevant political and governmental news
Hope you’ve had some good rain where you live. Up here, it’s so wet that when my husband put a large, freshly harvested clump of oyster mushrooms on our kitchen counter on Wednesday, a salamander slid out. 😮
Scroll down for this week’s NC-related national and NC state governmental and political news. And scroll clear to the bottom for this week’s seasonal photo from our WNC homestead. If your email service cuts this post short, you can read it online here.
If you see something in any NC News Digest post that’s incorrect … PLEASE let me know so I can publish a correction. Truth matters. Thanks for your help.
Don’t-miss stories are marked 💥
Around WNC
On HCA/Mission Hospital:
Mission Health settles lawsuit over unpaid wages for $1.5 million AVLWatchdog 5/4/26 “Employees at WNC facilities weren’t paid OT they were due, had wages deducted for meal breaks they didn’t take.”
In quest for more beds, Mission plans to keep staff lean, CON application shows AVLWatchdog 5/6/26 “It received conditional approval – now contested – to increase patient capacity by 13 percent; staff is projected to grow 3.7 percent.”
County commission Resolution urges HCA Healthcare CEO to talk with Buncombe County community WLOS 5/7/26
EBCI-related:
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Walk marks generational crisis and creates space for grief NC Local 5/6/26 “Sixty-six members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee were honored on the MMIR remembrance story walk with banners sharing photographs and details about their lives. Some of the cases remain unsolved.” See also One Feather 5/2, WLOS 5/3.
EBCI talks environmental justice, data center moratorium at town hall Smoky Mountain News 5/6/26. Followup: Dinilawigi approves indefinite moratorium on data centers One Feather 5/7/26, also BPR 5/7.
Resolution for EBCI to support Ela Dam removal advocacy passes One Feather 5/7/26 “... passed unanimously on the afternoon of Thursday, May 7 by Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) to “support the removal of Ela dam and the restoration of Longperson.””
Weaverville Town Council votes to rein in data center development Mountain Xpress 5/7/26
Massive US lithium discovery concentrated in Carolina mountains; NC lithium mine clears major hurdle: EPA CBS/WNCN 5/3/26 “The Kings Mountain lithium mine in Cleveland County was dormant since the 1980s until the U.S. Department of Defense in 2023 agreed to purchase $90 million in lithium from the 800-acre Albemarle site off Interstate 85, about 35 miles west of Charlotte.”
Unlike Fox News’s recent hit piece on Asheville featuring quotes from local right-wing gadfly Carl Mumpower and Michael Whatley, this one features actual in-person reporting: I spent an afternoon in downtown Asheville — and lived to tell about it AVLWatchdog 5/4/26 “As that bastion of “fair and balanced” journalism portrayed it in a recent article, downtown has devolved from a “once-charming tourist destination” into an urban hellscape.... But as someone who worked downtown for three decades and still frequently visits for shows, shopping and the occasional beer, I can tell you that it’s not a war zone.”
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NC-Related National Politics & Policy
‘A lot of people are hurting’: Rising costs pummel North Carolinians, new report shows Cardinal & Pine 5/7/26 “A report from Defend America Action complies all the ways the Trump administration’s economic policies are “stoking a dire affordability crisis” in North Carolina.” See also North Carolina truckers, drivers feel pain of Iran war gas hikes NCNewsline 5/7/26, and WUNC 5/7.
Trump: Tariffs will return furniture industry boom days to North Carolina Center Square 5/6/26 ““And you watch what happens – how good it is in North Carolina, because I've been – I've had to go through a process to get that approved, but now it's approved. And you're going to be, again, the Furniture Capital of the World.” However: Court rejects Trump tariffs, dismisses claims from NC and most states Carolina Journal 5/7/26
Immigration arrests have doubled in North Carolina Down from DC 5/4/26 “Federal agents have so far arrested 6,374 people in North Carolina under Trump’s mass deportation effort.... In Buncombe County ... immigration agents had arrested 52 people through March 10, with all but one arrest occurring at the county jail. The number of arrests more than tripled over the last five months, coinciding with a new state law, “The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act,” that went into effect Oct. 1.... In Henderson County, where the county’s sheriff’s office participates in ICE’s 287(g) program, more than 200 people have been arrested.”
ICE arrests leave families turning to GoFundMe to pay legal costs WUNC/WFAE 5/5/26 “A sharp rise in immigration enforcement arrests across North Carolina has left many families scrambling financially and turning to online fundraisers to try to bring loved ones home.”
Republicans’ Medicaid cuts [at both NC and federal levels] could disrupt the healthcare that’s kept these NC kids alive Cardinal & Pine 5/4/26 “Republicans often equate the raw cost of Medicaid with waste and abuse, a dangerous oversimplification for families whose healthcare needs are both genuine and extremely expensive.”
Trump’s new conditions on DEI, immigration could cut off states’ wildfire funding NCNewsline 5/1/26 “A new effort to force states to affirm the Trump administration’s views on DEI, transgender athletes and immigration when signing contracts with the U.S. Forest Service is threatening millions of dollars in wildfire grant funding and fire reduction projects on federal lands.”
Followup to a story noted earlier this year: Democrats investigate as Trump OKs almost $2 billion in taxpayer money to end offshore wind projects AP 4/29/26 “In a letter sent Wednesday to TotalEnergies and provided to The Associated Press, Huffman and Raskin [U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee] are letting the company [being paid to cancel wind projects off NC and NY] know that Democrats have begun an investigation, are demanding documents and communications and are advising the CEO not to take the money. The letter outlines the ways they think the deal appears to be illegal.”
Democrats talk strategy to win, govern at Raleigh gathering Carolina Public Press 5/6/26 “Leading Democrats from across US and NC converge on Raleigh for NewDEAL network summit to discuss winning strategies for messaging, governing.”
2026 Elections
Voting rights watch:
NC registration repair project has resolved 36,000 voter registrations Carolina Journal 5/1/26 “… according to a document filed Thursday in federal court.” Article, in a right-wing publication, appears accurate as far as it goes, but does not note the unnecessary difficulties this project has caused for more than 100,000 legally registered NC voters.
The Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Decision Doesn’t Mean Much for N.C.—Yet Assembly 5/6/26 “The state has already certified this year’s primaries, but legislators could face fewer restrictions in the next round of redistricting…. If North Carolina can temper its tendency to redraw maps more often than most people change the oil in their car, then the next opportunity for Callais to affect the Tar Heel State will come after the 2030 Census.”
Trust in North Carolina elections shaky a year after shift in control of election administration to partisan GOP dominance. WRAL 5/3/26 “Nearly one-third of North Carolinians say election administration in the state is becoming less trustworthy — despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud.”
Not NC-specific: 8 Things You Should Know About Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections ProPublics 5/1/26 “From dismantling guardrails that upheld the integrity of past elections to gutting federal agencies and installing allies who supported Trump’s claim that the 2020 vote was stolen.”
Shining a light on why the GOP partisans who now rule NC’s state elections board should NOT have given our voter data to the Trump administration: ‘Apartheid in the US’: Arizona’s secretary of state fights Trump’s plot to amass a ‘master list’ of voters Guardian 5/3/26 “Database could be used to regulate opponents, from ‘shutting off bank accounts’ to healthcare, official warns…. “[W]hat you have here is an unprecedented invasion into the privacy of Americans, sold under a false narrative of illegal voting.””
A state-by-state breakdown of America’s gerrymandering arms race Cardinal & Pine/AP 5/1/26 “A back-and-forth volley of congressional gerrymandering in states like North Carolina has changed the electoral battlefield ahead of the November midterm elections.”
The NC elections board hired a lawyer who was also suing it NCNewsline 5/4/26. Noted last week, in paywalled link. More detail here.
The RNC’s First Big Midterms Spend Is on Its Ground Game NOTUS 5/7/26 “The Republican National Committee is deploying staff to 17 states [including NC] with key races.... to run canvassing operations targeting voters who don’t frequently turn out for elections, a voting bloc that helped President Donald Trump win in 2024.”
On the US Senate campaign:
‘Worse than we thought’: NC lawmakers dig into prison settlement as GOP targets Cooper WRAL 5/7/26 “North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall says a new committee investigating a 2021 settlement that released 3,500 North Carolina prisoners is expected to meet soon, and that he’s troubled by what they’ve found.”
💥 Whatley claims on Helene aid collapse under scrutiny Smoky Mountain News 5/6/26 “… claims made by Helene recovery czar and Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley are increasingly at odds with the state’s own data.”
Parents target Whatley over sex offender controversy Smoky Mountain News 5/6/26 “The group, calling itself Parents Against Whatley, launched this week with more than 60 members spanning 19 counties. Organizers say the coalition includes a mix of party affiliations, with more than one-quarter identifying as unaffiliated voters.”
💥💥 On the ethics allegations against incumbent US Rep. Chuck Edwards, in roughly chronological order as this story has dribbled out over the past week:
House ethics investigation of Chuck Edwards poses challenge in District 11 race AVLWatchdog 5/2/26. See also NOTUS 5/1, which says the investigation concerns an alleged long-term Edwards relationship with a staff member who left his staff earlier this year.
Scoop: Rep. Chuck Edwards singled out young female aides for special attention Axios 5/4/26
A perfect storm may be brewing in western NC PoliticsNC 5/5/26 “Chuck Edwards is facing ethics charges in a brutal political environment.”
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards Denies Reports of Improper Relationship: ‘Horseshit’ Assembly 5/5/26 “… says he has “done nothing wrong.””
Politico 5/5 puts Edwards in the broader context of ramped-up accountability in Congress for members accused of sexual harassment.
‘Baseless’ allegations, congressional ethics probe could dry up money for Edwards’ NC reelection bid NCNewsline 5/5/26 “Embattled NC congressman calls latest reports ‘baseless’ in Tuesday statement.”
This story is getting a LOT of coverage, including: NCNewsline 5/4, WRAL 5/5, BPR 5/1, Cardinal & Pine 5/6, Asheville C-T 5/6, Smoky Mountain News 5/6.
Other news about the NC-11 US House campaign:
State legislature: Democrats aim for sweep of all 13 Mecklenburg NC House seats Carolina Journal 5/5/26
Helene Recovery
FEMA Is Losing Another Senior Official Just Weeks Before Hurricane Season NOTUS 5/7/26 “The departure of “one of the most trusted voices in the agency” follows months of internal turmoil.... [Keith] Turi oversees FEMA’s response, recovery, logistics and field operations nationwide and was a public face and behind-the-scenes player for the agency’s response to Hurricane Helene.”
Group voices concerns over Blue Ridge Parkway plans to remove Helene debris WLOS 5/6/26
Hurricane Helene shattered lives — and the systems that keep people sober BPR 5/4/26
Asheville to consider shifting $19M in HUD funds to Helene home repair program BPR 5/5/26 “… could fund the repair of more than 50 homes that belong to some of the city’s most vulnerable homeowners.”
Art is Recovery: National Endowment for the Arts studies WNC post-Hurricane Helene NC Local 5/6/26. See also BPR 5/7.
Flag becomes symbol of Helene recovery Smoky Mountain News 5/6/26 “In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a battered American flag pulled from the Rocky Broad River has taken on new meaning for a community still working to recover.”
See also 💥2026 Elections (on Michael Whatley), above, and State Legislature (proposed Helene recovery fund diversion), below.
Around NC
Inside ‘Human Shield,’ the documentary that chronicles abortion clinic escorts in NC and the US Cardinal & Pine 5/1/26
NC State Government
Executive Branch
Governor
Climate activists block governor’s mansion, call Stein ‘complicit’ with Duke Energy Raleigh N&O 5/7/26 (gift link)
State Attorney General
Attorney General Jeff Jackson Secures Nearly $150 Million for North Carolina in Final Purdue/Sackler Opioid Settlement NC DOJ press release 5/1/26 “$7.4 billion national settlement is now in effect; Sacklers permanently barred from selling opioids in the U.S.”
State Legislature
💥 NC Speaker Hall says no state budget deal yet despite ‘substantial progress’ NCNewsline 5/7/26 “Hall’s comments come just two days after his Senate counterpart Phil Berger said the upper chamber is prepared to move ahead on its own if needed.”
‘Do your jobs!’: Teachers, allies flood into Raleigh with message for state leaders NCNewsline 5/1/26. See also WRAL 5/1.
Nearly $5M in unspent Helene funds could end up in unrelated State Fire Marshal program WLOS 5/6/26 “The money comes from the legislature’s second Helene relief package, previously approved by lawmakers.” Diversion proposed in new NC Senate bill.
Related to health care:
‘Imperfections’ in NC Medicaid bill may cause headaches, require fixes Carolina Public Press 5/4/26 “Some lawmakers talk fixes, but outlook unclear.” See also NC-Related…(effects of cuts at both federal and state levels), above.
NC House Democrats urge GOP leaders to hear bills aimed at healthcare affordability, access NCNewsline 5/4/26
‘There’s a quiet crisis’: NC families, advocates plead for greater disability services investment NC Health News 5/7/26 “Speakers described to lawmakers decade-long waits for services, mounting financial strain and fears that ongoing budget uncertainty and potential Medicaid cuts could further destabilize care.”
An NC police officer died during pregnancy. Her family says it didn’t have to happen NCNewsline 5/6/26 “A new NC Senate proposal named for her aims to save the lives of other women with high-risk pregnancies.... Ciji Graham, a Greensboro police officer who had a heart condition, died in November 2023 while pregnant. Doctors sent her home without treating her rapid heartbeat because of her pregnancy, and she was unable to quickly obtain an abortion because of new restrictions that were enacted in North Carolina a few months earlier.”
NC Democratic lawmakers take aim at ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ over alleged deceptive practices NCNewsline 5/5/26 “A new bill proposed by NC House Democrats would require detailed financial, staff and service disclosures from centers receiving state funding.” See also WUNC 5/5.
NC House lawmakers push for better breast cancer detection NCNewsline 5/6/26 “State house legislators have introduced “Breast Cancer Prevention Imaging Parity” bills four times in recent years.... Rep. Mary Belk (D-Mecklenburg) said the bill is specifically aimed at helping three groups of patients afford medically necessary tests.... Routine low-dose mammography often isn’t enough to detect breast cancer for those patients, Belk said. But more precise diagnostic tools like an ultrasound or an MRI can carry high out-of-pocket costs.”
💥 NC Senate gives final OK to Berger’s reappraisal ‘moratorium’. House to consider next WRAL 5/6/26 “The state Senate passed a bill that would block county governments from applying new appraisals to property tax bills. It goes next to the House of Representatives for consideration.” See also NCNewsline 5/5, WRAL 5/5, New Branchhead 5/7.
NC lawmakers propose using voucher funds, sports betting proceeds for childcare subsidies NCNewsline 5/6/26 “Parents statewide seek solution to lack of access, affordability issues.”
Bipartisan NC lawmakers advancing bill to ban social media for minors under 14 Raleigh N&O 5/7/26. See also Some NC House Republicans align with Meta to push app store age verification NCNewsline 5/7/26
Republican lawmakers [including State Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon)], advocates push to strengthen NC food systems, farms NCNewsline 5/5/26
GOP-backed Proposal would shift energy costs to large users, promote self-generation Carolina Journal 5/6/26
NC lawmakers propose raising tobacco age to 21, adding retail permits NC Health News 5/1/26 “The proposal would align North Carolina with federal law and most states while adding oversight to tobacco and vape retailers.”
‘Mike’s Law’ aims to change state DWI laws Smoky Mountain News 5/6/26 “A second bill bearing the name of the late Western North Carolina state house Rep. Mike Clampitt has been introduced in the General Assembly.”
Want more on what the state legislature has been up to? Jonah Garson, recently appointed to serve out a vacated state senate seat, wrote this loonngg 5/6 update about the past two weeks in Raleigh.
See also 2026 Elections (GOP legislators “investigating” Roy Cooper), above.
In the Courts
Leandro plaintiffs cite 2 issues for NC Supreme Court rehearing Carolina Journal 5/7/26 “Six North Carolina school boards are asking the North Carolina Supreme Court for a “limited rehearing” of its April 2 decision to end the 32-year-old Leandro education funding case.”
Chive blossoms:
