June 10, 2016 -
MapLight has compiled a database of all politically active "social welfare" nonprofits, many of which formed after a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling loosening rules for political spending. It documents 650 such groups in the South, with some of the top-grossing ones part of the billionaire Koch brothers' formidable political spending machine.
June 10, 2016 -
A North Carolina-based climate advocacy group filed a complaint this week with the Environmental Protection Agency's Inspector General charging that the EPA is covering up underreporting of the natural gas industry's emissions of methane, an especially potent greenhouse gas.
June 10, 2016 -
North Carolina lawmakers recently proposed drastically cutting tuition at several historically black public universities but altered the bill after protests by HBCU students and alumni. One of the lawmakers behind the measure was also a key player behind a law that limited voting rights and dramatically affected HBCU students, and they haven't forgotten.
June 9, 2016 -
Two climate watchdogs will now have a chance to continue their appeal of North Carolina regulators' decision allowing Duke Energy to build a $1.1 billion fracked gas power plant thanks to an order handed down this week by the state appeals court rejecting a $10 million bond requirement from the nonprofit groups.
June 3, 2016 -
After North Carolina lawmakers' attempt to help the reelection of a conservative state Supreme Court justice failed, a business group has spent nearly half a million dollars backing his campaign in hopes of preserving the court's conservative majority.
June 3, 2016 -
North Carolina will hold a special primary election for Congress on June 7 because of a court ruling that the legislature unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts. The election is costing the state millions, with turnout expected to be extremely low. Will the debacle boost the case for independent redistricting?
June 2, 2016 -
Latinos have been underrepresented among voters in Southern states, but a new study finds they are emerging as a key demographic in 2016, with the potential to be a decisive swing voting bloc in political battlegrounds like North Carolina.
