Politics

January 18, 2013 - Southern states with weak gun laws are a major source of weapons used to commit crimes in other states -- but some of the region's political leaders say they plan to resist new federal initiatives to curb gun violence.

January 17, 2013 - In 2012, 41 percent of Southern voters chose a Democrat for Congress. But this month, less than a third of U.S. Representatives from the South will be Democrats. Welcome to the world of gerrymandering, Southern-style.

January 17, 2013 - Already the least-unionized state in the nation, North Carolina will become even more hostile to labor if its current political leaders have their way. But despite the anti-union onslaught, public workers scored a key win this week in the state's biggest city.

January 15, 2013 - Corporate polluters are taking aim this year at states with renewable energy laws, starting with an attack on North Carolina's law by a corporate front group supported by Duke Energy, ExxonMobil, and Koch Industries.

January 11, 2013 - The new year promises lots of action on the labor front -- and as always in the South, it comes with heavy baggage from the past.

January 11, 2013 - The Koch brother from another mother overseeing the state budget. A man found guilty of assaulting children running the Department of Public Safety. A science skeptic chosen to protect the environment. What is Gov. Pat McCrory thinking?

January 8, 2013 - Federal lawmakers trumpeted last week's passage of the Drywall Safety Act of 2012. But thanks to the efforts of U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) on behalf of the industry lobby, the bill doesn't actually set enforceable standards to prevent contaminated drywall from ending up in people's homes.