north carolina
August 1, 2012 -
The University of Texas promoted research by a faculty member as an independent study of fracking's environmental hazards -- but it turns out the scientist holds a big financial stake in a fracking company and sits on its board, which he failed to fully disclose. Meanwhile, another conflict-of-interest controversy over fracking arises in North Carolina.
July 26, 2012 -
Big spending by super PACs in federal races has grabbed headlines, but outside money can have an even bigger influence in state-level politics. Enter FollowNCMoney.org, a landmark project to track the deluge of independent spending in the battleground state of North Carolina.
July 25, 2012 -
State Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford) says he called for a vote to override Gov. Beverly Perdue's veto of a bill to move forward with fracking after seeing a Democratic colleague opposed to the override leave the floor for a moment -- even though that lawmaker's district has a considerable stake in the matter.
July 24, 2012 -
More than 30 states have enacted some version of voter ID law in recent years. How much do these laws change voting rules and what impact could they have on the general election?
July 24, 2012 -
As Green, Libertarian and other third-party presidential candidates struggle to overcome restrictive ballot access laws, will they have any impact on the outcome of this year's presidential election, as Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was accused of doing in Florida in 2000?
July 12, 2012 -
The Democratic Party tied its upcoming convention's fortunes to Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, now embroiled in a scandal over an abrupt CEO switch following the company's merger with Progress Energy. What will the controversy mean for the party in the upcoming election?
July 12, 2012 -
Before its purchase by Wells Fargo, North Carolina-based Wachovia laundered over $378 billion for illegal drug organizations -- and paid just $160 million in fines. It's part of a broader and disturbing trend in the U.S. banking industry.
