Politics
March 20, 2015 -
Passed after the infamous "Bloody Sunday" attack on civil rights protesters in Alabama in 1965, the Voting Rights Act successfully blocked hundreds of potentially discriminatory election changes -- until the Supreme Court struck down a key provision in 2013. There's an effort underway in Congress to fix the hobbled law, but what are its chances of passing?
March 20, 2015 -
The Voting Rights Act, which protects minorities' right to vote, also ensures that limited English proficient voters can fully participate in elections. Enforcing those measures will be critical as the South's language minority population grows.
March 20, 2015 -
Fifty years after the Voting Rights Act was introduced in Congress with bipartisan support, House lawmakers are trying to restore a key part of the law that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013. Just one Southern Republican is on board so far: Rep. Carlos Curbelo of South Florida.
March 13, 2015 -
After a protracted political fight over immigration policy, Congress recently passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The final bill doesn't repeal the president's recent deportation relief programs, but it appropriates billions of dollars for draconian immigration enforcement.
March 12, 2015 -
Independent political groups unaffiliated with campaigns spent more than $10 million in North Carolina's 2014 state-level elections, nearly tripling the amount spent on legislative races two years earlier. While Republicans enjoyed a slight edge in support, Democrats are catching up.
March 6, 2015 -
Since he was first elected to the North Carolina legislature in 2010, Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford) has become a leading advocate for oil and gas drilling in the state. He's also become a leading beneficiary of campaign contributions from the industry, which could begin fracking operations in the state this year.
March 6, 2015 -
The 1965 Selma march being commemorated this weekend in Alabama helped speed passage of the Voting Rights Act -- but the landmark law is now in its most precarious position in a half-century.
