This week's top stories at Facing South

SEN. SESSIONS, RACE AND IMPARTIALITY: Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has led his party's hostile questioning of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, charging her with bias because she's acknowledged that being Latina influences the way she thinks. But what about Sessions' own well-documented racial bias? (7/16/2009)

N.C. GOVERNOR ASKED TO ADDRESS HOG INDUSTRY'S HEALTH IMPACTS: With concerns growing over public health problems associated with industrial hog farms, environmental advocates asked North Carolina to study the problem -- but what happened next shows how hard it is to take on Boss Hog. (7/15/2009)

CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS INVESTED HEAVILY IN BANKS THEY BAILED OUT: Revelations about the millions of dollars members of Congress have invested in banks, energy companies and other industries raise questions about conflicts of interest and how policy gets made. (7/10/2009)

YOUNG REPUBLICANS ELECT A NEW LEADER WHO'S UNDER FIRE FOR RACIST REMARKS: Audra Shay of New Orleans was chosen as the new chair of the GOP's youth wing last week despite a controversy over racist remarks posted to her Facebook page. (7/16/2009)

WAL-MART VS. CORPORATE AMERICA? HEALTH CARE REFORM MAKES FOR STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: As the health care debate heats up, the latest PR blitz from business groups divided the nation's retail industry -- with Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, on one side and the National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade group, on the other. (7/14/2009)

WEST VIRGINIA REDEFINES DIRTY ENERGY AS "ALTERNATIVE": Should burning dirty coal and scrap tires really count as "alternative energy" under law? West Virginia's governor and legislature say yes -- despite the risks to the climate and environmental health. (7/13/2009)

ALABAMA DOCTOR WITH RECORD OF SERVICE TO THE POOR NOMINATED AS SURGEON GENERAL: Dr. Regina Benjamin, winner of numerous honors including a MacArthur Genius Award, will be an important voice in the debate over health care reform. (7/13/2009)

NC BILL AIMS TO FIGHT RACIAL BIAS IN DEATH PENALTY CONVICTIONS: The North Carolina House approved the Racial Justice Act, a bill that would give capital murder defendants the right to challenge prosecutions on grounds of racial bias. It's a landmark piece of legislation for a state that has seen several challenges to the death penalty in recent years. (7/15/2009)