Politics
April 21, 2017 -
After helping fuel the nation's rightward shift in last year's elections, Southern conservatives find themselves in key positions of influence in both the executive and legislative branches in Washington.
April 21, 2017 -
When New York passed "Raise the Age" legislation last week, North Carolina became the only state that automatically prosecutes 16- and-17-year-olds as adults. The N.C. legislature is now considering similar legislation to end the state's outlier status when it comes to youth justice.
April 20, 2017 -
Though federal contractors are banned from making campaign contributions, a GEO Group subsidiary donated $225,000 last year to a super PAC affiliated with the Trump campaign. The parent company just landed a $110 million contract to build an immigrant detention center in Texas, sparking protests from campaign finance watchdogs.
April 19, 2017 -
As legislation to limit residents' ability to collect damages in civil lawsuits against factory farms makes its way through the N.C. General Assembly, a new mapping project offers a clearer picture of who would be affected by the controversial proposal.
April 14, 2017 -
The Trump administration unveiled plans to expand offshore drilling at last week's conference of the National Ocean Industries Association. Launched by Exxon in the 1970s to represent the offshore drilling industry, NOIA has been investing in politicians from Southeastern states where its members would like to do business.
April 14, 2017 -
When states preempt progressive local policies, it's not just a political power struggle that ensues but real suffering for those who would benefit most from anti-discrimination, minimum wage and other measures.
April 7, 2017 -
GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation to drastically limit damages that agricultural operations pay in civil cases where they've been found to cause harm. The measure disadvantages the communities of color most likely to be located near the state's hog farms but would help a Chinese-owned pork producer currently facing dozens of such lawsuits.