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☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 89 and a low of 65.

🎂 Happy birthday to our members Dan Routh, Roy Lucchese and Michelle Ganon!

Today's newsletter is 952 words — a 3.5-minute read.

This weekend, a G20 summit in Asheville will draw finance ministers, economic leaders and heavy-hitting CEOs from around the world.

Why it matters: Choosing the Blue Ridge Mountains for the summit is a strategic show of support from the Trump administration for a region still healing from Tropical Storm Helene.

Zoom in: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will use the G20 Finance Ministerial to push his global counterparts to focus on growth and prosperity, a stark change of tone and topic from climate change, which often dominates gatherings of world leaders.

• More than 1,000 people are expected, including 200 journalists from dozens of countries.
• Among the Fortune 500 executives expected to attend are CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, 3M, John Deere and Eli Lilly.

What they're saying: Tourism authority Explore Asheville told the Asheville Watchdog that $1.5 to $2 million is projected to be spent at local businesses during the summit.

• "Assuming all goes off without a hitch, it will demonstrate that the region's tourism infrastructure can once again support large corporate and international gatherings," Watchdog editor Peter Lewis wrote.

Zoom out: The Asheville gathering is the first of three major U.S.-hosted G20 summits this year.

• The others are in Atlanta and at a Trump-owned resort in Miami.

Between the lines: Just over two months remain before the 2026 midterms, and North Carolina and Georgia both have Senate races that political analysts believe lean toward Democratic candidates.

• And thanks to Rep. Chuck Edwards' scandal leading him to exit the race for 11th Congressional District earlier this month, Republicans have a surprisingly competitive House election in the North Carolina mountains.

Behind the scenes: No precise location has been confirmed, but the century-old Omni Grove Park Inn is 100% booked, per Watchdog reporting.

• It's no stranger to politics, having hosted former President Obama multiple times, as well as FDR and an exiled Philippine president.

What's next: Daily protests are planned Friday through Sunday in the liberal mountain town.

Keep reading

The number of out-of-state travelers to North Carolina seeking abortion care more than tripled in the year after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Why it matters: The study adds growing evidence that North Carolina became a landing spot for many patients living in neighboring states with more restrictive abortion laws.

Driving the news: The study looks at the year preceding the Dobbs decision (June 2021 to June 2022) and the year after (June 2022 to June 2023).

• That means, though, it does not include data from after North Carolina lowered the state's cutoff for abortion access from 20 weeks to 12 weeks and added a 72-hour waiting period.

By the numbers: The study found that the number of out-of-state patients receiving abortions in North Carolina increased from 5,596 in the year before Dobbs to 17,703 in the year after.

• The number of North Carolinians seeking abortion care remained around 28,000.
• The largest sources of out-of-state travelers were Georgia and South Carolina (which have six-week bans), as well as Tennessee and Alabama (which have nearly total bans).

Between the lines: Even after lowering its cutoff for abortion access to 12 weeks, the state remains a destination for out-of-state patients, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which noted that 36% of patients receiving abortions in 2024 were out-of-state residents.

• Guttmacher estimated that nearly 46,000 patients received abortions in North Carolina in 2024, WUNC reported.
• That compares to 45,760 patients receiving abortions in the state between June 2022 and June 2023, according to the JAMA study, before the new North Carolina restrictions were in place.

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🚸 It's the first day of public school for families across the Triangle. (WRAL)

🧳 "Tar Heel Traveler" host Scott Mason is out at WRAL after 29 years. The show's website was taken down. (News & Observer)

🗳️ North Carolina's elections board rejected Sunday early voting in several counties. (WUNC)

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🫶 Become a member today. You'll help us continue delivering clear, trustworthy reporting focused on the place you call home.

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The furniture store Design Within Reach has made its Triangle debut with a store now open in North Hills.

Why it matters: It is the company's second location in the state, following Charlotte, and adds to the growing competition for selling home furnishings in North Hills.

• In addition to Design Within Reach, North Hills is home to RH Gallery, Ethan Allen and La Maison.

Driving the news: Design Within Reach opened its 4,790-square-foot store on Friday.

• The company sells furniture from brands such as Herman Miller, Knoll, Louis Poulsen, Fritz Hansen, Flos, Gubi and Carl Hansen & Søn.

Tell a design lover

If you weren't lined up on Harvey Hill in Dix Park this weekend, you missed one of Raleigh's most boisterous events: the annual Kirby Derby.

• Maybe Axios Raleigh needs to sponsor a soapbox car next year ... maybe one in mauve.

🎸 Zachery is back to thinking that "Revolver" is the best Beatles album.

🐢 Mary Helen is thinking about a cute, red-eyed box turtle she saw this weekend.

Thanks to Melissa Oyler for editing this newsletter.