Trump admin ‘sparing no expense’ in hurricane relief

The administration said it has taken extensive steps to ensure all relevant federal agencies are prepared for Hurricane Florence, which hit North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday. The White House is currently monitoring multiple storms, including Florence, Olivia, Mangkut, and Isaac, and the President has mobilized the administration to support response efforts.

Hurricane Florence shifts south as Georgia and Carolinas hunker down

Fears about Hurricane Florence spread south on Wednesday, with Georgia declaring a state of emergency after officials in the Carolinas urged people to evacuate the coast ahead of the storm's expected pounding winds and rain-driven floods. Florence weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm on a five-step scale but had maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour as of 2 p.m. EDT , down from 130 mph earlier in the day.

‘Big and vicious’: Hurricane Florence closes in on Carolinas

Hurricane Florence as seen from the ISS on Monday morning, Photo Date: 9/10/18 / Photo: Ricky Arnold / ISS / Forecasters at the University of Michigan predict that 2.4 million people will lose power from Hurricane Florence and some outages could be prolonged. That's about one-fourth the number who suffered outages from Hurricane Sandy, which hit a more populated area around New Jersey in 2012.

Q&A: With Severe Storms Approaching the U.S., What to Expect

Emergency officials are urging residents to prepare for severe storms that are forecast to hit the East Coast and Hawaii over the next week at what is the peak of this year's hurricane season. Coming in from the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Florence is expected to make landfall Thursday as a level 3 hurricane or greater, steered by winds that could guide it as far south as Florida or as far north as New England.

Judges: Congress map still unlawful with partisan bias Source: AP

Federal judges on Monday affirmed their earlier decision striking North Carolina's congressional districts as unconstitutional because Republicans drew them with excessive partisanship. Acting under an order of the U.S. Supreme Court to re-examine the case, the three-judge panel ruled again in favor of election advocacy groups and Democrats who had sued to challenge the boundaries drawn in 2016.

Federal court again orders North Carolina congressional districts redrawn

A federal court in North Carolina ruled again Monday that the state's congressional districts must be redrawn and suggested that November's scheduled general election may need to be postponed. The three-judge panel found that the election advocacy groups and Democrats who brought an initial lawsuit challenging North Carolina's congressional map had standing to do so under the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.

Senate wrestles with response to foreign influence campaigns

Republican senators said Wednesday that the government faces a momentous task in preventing foreigners from using social media to interfere in U.S. elections, citing concerns about the First Amendment and the sprawling nature of the internet. Experts testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee said Russia and other foreign actors are using high-tech means to polarize Americans not only on elections, but also on highly charged issues like race and immigration.

The Latest: Ryan opposes GOP effort to impeach Rosenstein

House Speaker Paul Ryan says he does not support an effort by Republican House conservatives to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. He also says Rosenstein's back-and-forth with congressional Republicans over document requests doesn't rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" that would warrant impeachment under the Constitution.

Republicans pick Charlotte to host 2020 convention Source: AP

As Charlotte, North Carolina, celebrates being chosen Friday to host the 2020 Republican National Convention, an undercurrent of concern about the potential for violence runs through the Democratic-leaning city. The GOP's national committee selected North Carolina's largest city over Las Vegas as hundreds of party activists gathered in Austin, Texas, for the committee's summer meeting.

The Latest: North Carolina DMV OKs license plate

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles has approved a woman's request for a specialty license plate to honor her wife after initially turning her down. The NCDMV initially rejected the request by Amy Bright of Greenville for a plate reading "LSBNSNLV," for "lesbians in love," saying it had the right to deny any license plate it deems "offensive to good taste and decency."

The Latest: Convention Opponents Assail Trump, Policies.

The Latest on a bid by Charlotte, North Carolina to host the Republican National Convention in 2020 : Several speakers have cited policies and statements of the Trump administration in asking the Charlotte, North Carolina, city council not to host the 2020 Republican National Convention. Local resident Ray McKinnon told the said President Barack Obama didn't speak about people the way this president does.

Supreme Court largely upholds new NC districts in gerrymandering case

The U.S. Supreme Court voted last week to uphold most of North Carolina's newly drawn state legislative districts, marking the end of one of the state's gerrymandering lawsuits. The per curiam ruling ends a long-running battle over the 2011 state elections map-which was drawn by Republican lawmakers-and its court-ordered successor map.

Late candidacy could help Democrats win Supreme Court race

A last-minute candidacy has the potential to dilute Republican votes this fall for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat and boost chances for the Democrats to expand their majority on the court. Raleigh attorney Chris Anglin filed on the last available day last week as a registered Republican to run for the seat held by another Republican, Associate Justice Barbara Jackson, who is seeking re-election.