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Large political gatherings in North Carolina that flout safety guidelines ahead of the 2020 elections have continued even as cases of COVID-19 rise across the state. That kind of event brought COVID-19 to the White House, resulting in President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and some staff and party members — including U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis — testing positive for the coronavirus. Can political events in North Carolina be held safely?

When 12-year-old Nina Mones was in sixth grade last year, she struggled to keep up with her math class, getting stuck on improper fractions. And as the teacher pushed ahead with new lessons, she fell further and further behind. Then in the fall of 2019, her charter school, the Phoenix International Academy in Phoenix, brought in a program called Teach to One 360, which uses computer algorithms and machine learning to offer daily math instruction tailored to each student. Nina, now in seventh grade, flourished.

Large political gatherings in North Carolina that flout safety guidelines ahead of the 2020 elections have continued even as cases of COVID-19 rise across the state. That kind of event brought COVID-19 to the White House, resulting in President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and some staff and party members — including N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis — testing positive for the coronavirus.

What’s expected to be an unprecedented election with historic participation, especially with mail-in voting, comes with serious election security concerns. An unlocked mailbox discovered by a guy walking his dog in Baltimore City and reports of people trying to collect completed mail-in ballots from voters in Anne Arundel County are two of the latest examples.