Charlotte train stabbing becomes early flashpoint in 2026 NC Senate race

Republicans in North Carolina and beyond are making a concerted effort to turn the stabbing death of a Ukrainian woman on a Charlotte commuter train into a political liability for Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper in his bid to win a key U.S. Senate race that is still more than a year away. GOP candidate Michael Whatley has said Cooper bears "direct responsibility" for the deadly Aug. 22 attack on Iryna Zarutska because of a commission he created in June 2020 to address racial inequity in the criminal justice system. The panel's unveiling occurred weeks following the death of George...