October 15, 2014 -
Baker Mitchell is a politically connected North Carolina businessman who celebrates the power of the free market. Every year, millions of public education dollars flow through Mitchell's chain of four nonprofit charter schools to for-profit companies he controls.
October 13, 2014 -
While the Affordable Care Act is helping more people get health coverage, it does nothing to thwart low-road employers like Wal-Mart from continuing to shift what should be their costs onto taxpayers.
October 10, 2014 -
A weekend of protest actions against police violence in the St. Louis suburb will culminate in civil disobedience modeled after protests that began in North Carolina against the state legislature's extremist policies.
October 10, 2014 -
Following the Supreme Court's refusal this week to review several lower-court decisions invalidating same-sex marriage bans, marriage equality is now the law of the land in over half of all states. While some Southern states are embracing equality for lesbian and gay couples, others are resisting.
October 10, 2014 -
The nation's largest electric utility has skewed its political contributions to give anti-regulatory Republicans a better shot at capturing control of the Senate, as has the industry at large. But Duke and other utilities are hedging their bets by backing key incumbent Democrats, including Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.
October 9, 2014 -
With judicial public financing gone in North Carolina, would-be judges must chase campaign money -- a process that has some experts calling for reform while leaving voters leery of a politicized judiciary.
October 9, 2014 -
The nation's highest court has decided to allow North Carolina's restrictive new election law to take effect this year, reversing a lower court's ruling. In response, voting-rights advocates are carrying on with grassroots voter registration and protection efforts while continuing to challenge the law in the courts.