Will either side blink over North Carolina’s House Bill 2?

North Carolina's Republican leaders and gay-rights supporters are daring each other to clean up the mess over the state's law limiting LGBT protections against discrimination, which is crimping the state's economy as sponsors of major sporting events pull out of the state. Gov. Pat McCrory and GOP legislators have offered to consider rescinding the law, but only if the Democrats who lead Charlotte's City Council act first and essentially admit they were wrong to pass a local ordinance that would have expanded protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Clinton’s challenge: Rebuilding Obama’s coalition

The Democratic nominee's effort to win over voters who twice put Barack Obama in the White House -- and who represent her best chance of victory in November -- will reach new intensity this week in the run-up to her first crucial debate clash in seven days. Young, college-educated and minority voters formed the backbone of Obama's majority in 2008, helping to put once reliably Republican states like Virginia and North Carolina in the Democratic column and shore up the battered incumbent in swing states like Ohio and Florida in 2012.

N.C. drops ‘bathroom bill’ lawsuit: Why that won’t settle the issue

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory dropped a lawsuit against the federal government Friday, but debate over the state's so-called 'bathroom bill' rages on. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory speaks June 24 during a candidate forum in Charlotte, N.C. After suing the federal government in May to defend the state's controversial new law limiting LGBT rights, Gov. McCrory dropped the lawsuit Friday.

Donald Trump on unarmed Hillary Clinton guards: ‘Let’s see what happens’

Donald Trump was making his usual sarcastic call for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms when he added an aside to his rally remarks: "Let's see what happens to her." Trump has long incorrectly suggested his Democratic opponent wants to overturn the Second Amendment and take away Americans' right to own guns.

Trump on unarmed Clinton guards: ‘Let’s see what happens’

Donald Trump was making his usual sarcastic call for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms when he added an aside to his rally remarks: "Let's see what happens to her." Soon after, Clinton's campaign said such a reference to violence was out of bounds.

Reflective Clinton returns to campaign trail after pneumonia

Back on the campaign trail, a reflective Hillary Clinton said Thursday that her three-day, doctor-mandated break gave her new perspective on why she's running to be president. She vowed to close her campaign against Donald Trump by giving Americans ''something to vote for, not just against.'

Liveblog: Hillary Clinton’s return to the campaign trail

Join us for Hillary Clinton's return to the campaign trail in North Carolina, where her campaign says she will "focus on what has been at the core of who Hillary Clinton is as a person and the mission of her campaign-how we lift up our children and families and make sure that every child has the chance to live up to their God given potential." "It's great to be back on the campaign trail.

The Perils of Redistricting

In this July 30, 2011 file photo, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees Navy and Marine Corps programs, is seen at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Republicans urging a steep increase in the Pentagon's budget have received $10 million in campaign contributions over the course of their congressional careers from defense contractors that would benefit from higher levels of military spending.

Witness says Philippine president ordered killings

Authorities in Rhode Island are searching for a fugitive wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer in North Carolina. A wounded fugitive wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer in North Carolina was captured by police in Rhode Island on Wednesday and was arraigned, state police said.

Man wanted in officer’s slaying captured arraigned

Authorities in Rhode Island are searching for a fugitive wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer in North Carolina. A wounded fugitive wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer in North Carolina was captured by police in Rhode Island on Wednesday and was arraigned, state police said.

Trump says Clinton’s “deplorables” remark is disqualifying

Donald Trump criticized Hillary Clinton for her characterization that half of his supporters belonged in "a basket of deplorables," denouncing the comment as "an explicit attack on the American voter" and suggesting that it makes her unfit for the presidency. No stranger to making his own sweeping negative characterizations of large groups of people, Trump nonetheless deployed the remark Monday as the foundation for a new campaign theme.

In key states, voters poised to split their tickets between GOP, Democrats

After more three decades of decline, ticket splitting voters appear ready for a comeback. Officials in both parties hope the unpopularity of their presidential candidate won't depress votes for their other candidates on the ballot.

After ruling, North Carolina board careful on vote changes

North Carolina elections officials have fashioned early voting schedules they hope comply with a federal court ruling this summer and ease long lines this fall in the presidential battleground state. The state's Republican-controlled Board of Elections deliberated for 11 hours through disputed plans for early in-person voting from one-third of North Carolina's 100 counties before approving or amending them Thursday.

Get your ballots ready: Voting in White House race underway

In this Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, Chairwoman Kathryn Lindley, right, is approached by people during the Guilford County Board of Elections meeting at the Old Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro, N.C. The swing state of North Carolina could be pushed in a Republican or Democratic direction when the GOP-led State Board of Elections meets Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 to finalize early voting plans for a third of the statea sA A s counties.

Plenty of reason to vote even if presidential candidates are a

Depending on which political prognosticators you listen to, Latinos won't show up at the polls this November either because the presidential candidates aren't palatable or because Latinos just don't vote. Both of these scenarios are plausible and neither is good for democracy in a country where Hispanics represent a steadily increasing percentage of the population.