congress

July 10, 2013 - A three-judge panel has ruled that North Carolina's GOP-drawn voting districts should stand despite charges of gerrymandering. What does it mean for voters of color -- and for voters in general?

July 1, 2013 - A Florida-based nonprofit called A Better America Now spent money on mailers linking a Texas congressional candidate to "left-wing extremists" and a controversy involving an endangered spider.

June 26, 2013 - Bypassing a Congress that's failed to take action to address a worsening problem, President Obama unveiled a plan to curb climate-disrupting pollution from coal-fired power plants -- with big implications for the coal-dependent South.

May 10, 2013 - Activists hauled polluted water from Appalachia to Washington, D.C. this week to draw attention to the plight of communities affected by mountaintop removal coal mining. The action comes as legislation was reintroduced in Congress to protect coalfield waterways.

May 9, 2013 - The three-judge panel hearing a lawsuit challenging North Carolina's redistricting on the grounds that it dilutes the African-American vote called the attorneys together this week to discuss a few remaining questions, indicating a decision could be near.

May 2, 2013 - The United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights recently visited West Virginia communities affected by the controversial mining practice and said allegations of health damage, water pollution, failure to protect cemeteries, and harassment of opponents should be investigated and addressed.

April 26, 2013 - Seven different agencies regulate fertilizer plants in Texas, but none of them have authority over how close they are to homes and schools.

April 19, 2013 - Saturday, April 20, marks the third anniversary of the deadly BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We take a by-the-numbers look at the still-unfolding disaster today.

March 22, 2013 - The U.S. House and Senate are advancing very different plans for the 2014 federal budget. One represents a balanced approach that includes new revenues, while the other gives tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and cuts public investments that help the most vulnerable.

March 13, 2013 - A national day of action on March 24 will call on Congress to keep Saturday mail delivery, but postal worker unions have other demands to halt the push toward USPS privatization.