Soaring diesel prices are clobbering Trump’s MAGA faithful, exposing rifts; Many grad students in health care fields can’t get student loans; New Mexico’s free childcare program faces growing pains

The return of the farmer politician; How the fate of a rural hospital could help flip the House; Texas, Oklahoma & Kansas cattle associations say ICE is disrupting ag industry, will boost beef prices

How the midterms could shrink red-state America—and why it matters; House Dems sneer as one of their own backs a Republican; Trump’s epic unpopularity is forcing his PAC to spend in MAGA country

For populist Dems, a movement fueled by anger at both parties; States bet big on rural health startups, with a Silicon Valley twist; A fourth rural Pennsylvanian dies from measles as outbreak rages

How mail carriers ended up at the center of the midterms battle; Black Caucus launches effort to boost midterm voting among Black, rural and young voters; Can Dems win back voters in rural Colorado?

Rural voters showed up in the 2026 primaries—see where; Four rural districts to watch this November; Pa. Dems hold ‘shadow hearing’ on election integrity as legal fight over mail-in ballots continues

MAHA and the politics of cancer in Iowa; Louisiana’s abortion pill case could wipe out access in blue states; Wisconsin GOP candidate is exploiting the data center backlash to hit solar, wind

Trump’s approval rating plunges with rural voters; Ballots discounted for late postmarks surged in Washington and Oregon after Postal Service changes; Dems see rare signs of hope in Arkansas’ midterms

The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance; A ‘sleeper issue’ in red states this fall: diesel prices; Ohio election officials warn against Trump’s mail-in ballot change

The Rural Margin follows U.S.

Rural Michigan in crisis: Too many governments that too few want to lead; New ‘Water Watch Center’ launched to help small utilities; How Crowley eked out a win in the Wisconsin governor primary

Dems work to protect a top House recruit in Wisconsin Cash flow pressure reshapes rural small business borrowing; In rural Wisconsin, frustrations over Trump ag policies heat up House race

Can Dems win rural voters turning away from Trump? It’s a tough sell; How four pressures are testing the Postal Service’s role in elections; Data centers to add billions in power costs in 13 states

Looming Colorado River water decision will affect millions; Energy utilities request billions in rate hikes; House GOP drops $20B farm aid plan, returns to Trump’s $11.1B proposal

Trump clean energy policies linked to $83 billion in delayed/canceled projects; Federal changes hamper states from bringing Medicaid to jails; 988 lifeline struggles to keep up with suicide crisis

Weather warnings face rising risks from budget cuts; New data: ACA enrollment plummeted in many states over the past year; Private equity buyouts of mobile home parks squeeze rural affordable housing

Small businesses are folding under tariff pressure; States sue CMS over Medicaid work requirements rule; Food banks scramble after thousands lose SNAP

Billions in rural broadband funds still on hold; Tour celebrating rural arts and activism rolls into Washington; States sue CMS over Medicaid work requirements rule

Downballot Democrats are smashing recruitment records; Former NOAA employees revive climate site Trump shuttered; Crisis pregnancy centers falsely saying they can ‘rule out’ ectopic pregnancy

Town fights for free US mail for decades; Dem primary turnout up even in rural red districts (see the map); Senate Ag unveils farm bill, cuts E15 and CA's Prop 12 (more space for caged chickens etc.)

Over 770,000 children stopped getting SNAP benefits after Trump changes; The frontline for voting rights is the rural South; Are data centers the new coal mines of Kentucky?

Local election officials reel over ‘logistical nightmare’ of Trump’s vote-by-mail order; Trump administration abandons fight against wind energy; More Americans are hungry in the face of federal cuts

Survey: Trump approval in rural America slips to new low; Feds wield tight grip on $50B rural health fund, threaten clawbacks; Most Americans don’t know this free college money is on the way

Jess Piper’s blueprint for a progressive heartland; Kansas town comes up with unique way to save its post office; Musk’s Starlink hooked rural customers. Then came the price increases.

Trump’s Medicaid work rules force states to scrap plans, rework systems; Why most politicians aren't calling for data center bans despite voters’ anger; Trump’s support declines sharply in rural US

Conservative rural Montana town takes action to support local after ICE arrest; 5 ways data centers endanger their communities and the country; Farm crisis or recovery? USDA chief clashes with Dems

Trump’s Medicaid work rules force states to rework budgets, cut programs; Why most politicians are not calling for data center bans despite voters’ anger; MAHA’s CAFO conundrum

Opinion: The three things Democrats must do to regain rural America’s trust; Black midwives suing Southern states, saying regs make it harder to help patients; Analysis: Trump’s rural support plummets

States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch; They voted for Trump. Here’s how they feel about high gas prices; Data centers: Coming to you in batches

Survey: Most West Virginia Medicaid recipients don't know work requirements are coming; Farmers have hope, but seek clarity, on China trade deal; Rural schools fight to keep quality education alive

Rural hospitals warn $50B in grant funding won’t offset looming federal cuts; How extreme gerrymandering is transforming politics; Rural broadband has come far, but gaps remain

Data centers a top driver of soaring utility bills; Food prices just had highest month-to-month jump in years; Trump admin aims to roll back limits on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants

House advances rural housing bill as labor gaps strain farm communities; Texas ag commish calls for pause on data center growth statewide; The families going hungry because of Trump’s food stamp cuts

The emerging weather threat facing the South; Federal chemical safety board warns about Trump disaster policy; Soaring utility bills frustrate Americans, with data centers among the top cost drivers

Trump says Iran war is worth the economic pain. These rural voters agree; Trump administration aims to roll back toxic wastewater limits from coal plants; Rural America’s population decline reversing

Rural towns paying the price for thirsty data centers; These blue states aren’t getting fire prevention money from Trump; Wisconsin town rejects plan for massive data center

Thousands rally to support cash-strapped Postal Service; Most new Tennessee vouchers went to wealthy families; KY’s largest utilities are eyeing small nuclear reactors to power data centers

Starting May 8 at 2:30 PM EDT

Idaho dairies cut business ties with politician’s husband over her immigration policies; Rural broadband grant program appears to be saved; AI boom sparks rare warning of ‘significant risks' to grid

How Indivisible Is Organizing Rural America; NC’s brash Democratic Party leader wants rural voters to shift allegiances; Trump’s 2027 budget proposes deep federal cuts for rural programs

Wildfires are torching state budgets; Ron DeSantis bans local governments from supporting Pride events & DEI initiatives; Black farmers aren’t waiting on Washington to save them

Health costs still a top voter concern, poll finds; For 35 years, this Black town in Illinois has been told Its sewage crisis Isn’t real; The latest data center fight: Tax breaks

Wildfires are torching state budgets; Dems aim to reach rural Ohio voters; More than half of rural bank CEOs believe their local economies are in a recession

Trump admin. aims to penalize disabled adults who live with their families; Six key truths about rural schools; Big companies position themselves for payday from $50B federal rural health funds

Watch now | Why trust in the media is going down while opposition to Donald Trump is going up.