The White House should reform FEMA rather than abolish it, western North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards said in a report to President Trump this week.

Why it matters: In releasing the report, Edwards, who Trump tapped in January for a task force to accelerate the state's recovery from Hurricane Helene, joined a chorus of Republicans who've argued the president should keep FEMA rather than eliminate it as he has suggested.

Driving the news: Edwards' 62-page report, which comes some six months after Helene ravaged his district in the mountains, details numerous ways the Trump administration can aid Helene recovery in North Carolina through executive orders, legislation and proclamations specific to the state, along with broader changes to how FEMA operates.

What they're saying: "Western North Carolina also cannot afford for recovery to be interrupted by total terminations of critical recovery programs," Edwards said in the report released Tuesday.

The big picture: Trump, who had criticized the federal government's response to Helene during his campaign last year, has indicated Helene recovery is a top priority for administration.

• The president's first trip after assuming office in January was to western North Carolina.
• "I'll be taking strong action to get North Carolina the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild," Trump said during his visit. "We're working on it very hard."
• He also indicated his interest in getting rid of FEMA: "I think we're going to recommend that FEMA go away and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state."

The intrigue: Edwards proposes that instead of dismantling FEMA, the federal government should simplify its processes, including by creating a universal application for disaster assistance, modernizing its IT systems and changing how it administers some programs.

• Some of those recommendations contradict actions the Trump administration has already taken, per NOTUS. It has ended a FEMA program that Edwards recommends reforming, for example.
• This month, the administration asked Edwards to delay rolling out his recommendations and requested more time to review them. Meanwhile, the administration moved forward with cuts to the agency, NOTUS reported.

Zoom in: Edwards also made numerous recommendations for how the federal government can better aid western North Carolina, including by allowing reimbursements for repairs of private roads and bridges and increasing the federal government's cost share for repairs to I-40 to 100%, up from 90%.

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The Carolina Hurricanes start their NHL Playoffs campaign at home this Sunday.

Why it matters: It's the seventh consecutive year that the Canes have made the playoffs, with coach Rod Brind'Amour helping turn the team into one of the most consistently successful regular season teams in the league.

• This year's success came after many predicted a down year for the Hurricanes after the roster saw significant turnover during the offseason and a drama-filled trade deadline that saw the team acquire and trade Finnish forward Mikko Rantanen.

State of play: The Hurricanes, which finished second in the Metropolitan division and fourth in the Eastern Conference, will take on the New Jersey Devils in the first round.

• The Devils, which were third-place finishers in the Metropolitan, have been a frequent foe of the Canes in the playoffs.
• The two teams have played in five previous playoff series, most recently in 2023, with the Canes winning four of the series.

When to watch: The puck drops in Raleigh on Sunday at 3pm.

• The game will also air on ESPN.

🎓 UNC System President Peter Hans calls for North Carolina's public schools to cut administrative spending. (News & Observer 🔒)

⛔️ Campus police arrested several students and protesters rallying for better student housing conditions at N.C. Central University in Durham on Wednesday. (WRAL)

💰 The federal government has cut funding for Durham's Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, just weeks after it removed online references to Murray's queer and transgender identity on the federal U.S. National Park Service website. (WUNC)

Worries are growing over funding for Head Start, the decades-old federal program that provides child care, nutrition assistance and other services to the nation's poorest families — as the White House is reportedly considering shutting it down, Axios' Maya Goldman and Emily Peck write.

Why it matters: More than 790,000 children, through age 5, rely on Head Start for learning, meals and health care services, per a Wednesday report from the liberal Center for American Progress.

Zoom in: Around 20,500 Head Start students in North Carolina are funded through federal grants, according to Head Start's own tallies from 2022.

• North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District, which is represented by Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat, is one of the largest recipients of Head Start funding, according to CAP.
• Eleven Head Start grants worth $134 million are administered from Ross' district.

What they're saying: "Head Start is the reason tens of thousands of children in North Carolina can get the support they need at a critical stage of life," Ross said in a statement to Axios.

• "Our state is already facing a devastating childcare crisis. Now, President Trump wants to eliminate this essential program, terminating federal nutrition, family support, health care, and early childhood education assistance for the most vulnerable kids in our state."
• Shuttering the program would be "catastrophic," says Casey Peeks, senior director of Early Childhood Policy at CAP.

Go deeper on the growing concerns about Head Start's future