Institute Index

March 22, 2013 - This week marked the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. We take a by-the-numbers look at the war's costs, both human and economic, and its heavy toll on the South.

March 15, 2013 - A federal judge recently reversed the controversial conviction of Black Panther Albert Woodfox for the 1972 killing of a guard at Louisiana's Angola prison. Amnesty International has launched a campaign asking the state attorney general not to appeal in the case that has come to be known as the "Angola 3" for the number of inmates held in prolonged solitary confinement following the guard's death.

March 8, 2013 - In the wake of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) filibuster this week raising concerns about the Obama administration's policy on the domestic use of drones against U.S. civilians, we take a by-the-numbers look at U.S. drone use and drone makers' political clout.

February 26, 2013 - It was a year ago today that an unarmed teen was shot to death in Sanford, Fla. by a neighborhood watch volunteer. The tragedy sparked questions about Florida's and other states' "stand your ground" self-defense laws, but they all remain on the books today.

February 22, 2013 - North Carolina banned payday lending in 2001 over concern about usurious interest rates. But now some lawmakers want to bring back the industry, which new research finds often leads to snowballing financial trouble for desperate consumers.

February 15, 2013 - A by-the-numbers look at President Obama's proposal to raise the minimum wage.

February 8, 2013 - This month the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a landmark case challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Considered the heart of the law, the section prohibits racially discriminatory election changes in covered jurisdictions, most of which are in the South.