Obama

February 14, 2013 - Once known as the "most aggressively conservative" federal appeals court and the "black hole of capital litigation," the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has shifted to the center, thanks to six appointments by President Obama.

February 4, 2013 - Critics say the president's plan for a new nonprofit group to push his second-term agenda opens the door to influence by corporations and other big donors.

January 25, 2013 - At the same time North Carolina is dramatically expanding the number of charter schools operating in the state, new research from Duke University finds that charter schools are much more likely than traditional public schools to be racially unbalanced -- and that can have negative educational consequences for students.

January 24, 2013 - President Obama outlined a decidedly progressive-minded agenda for his second term -- one the South's white oligarchy of business, political, religious and media leaders will fight tooth and nail.

January 21, 2013 - The poet for President Obama's second inauguration was Richard Blanco, the child of Cuban exiles who was raised in Miami and graduated from Florida International University. Blanco is the first Latino and the first openly gay person to be chosen as the inaugural poet. At 44, he is also the youngest.

January 11, 2013 - With new data out showing that 2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States, and with costs mounting due to droughts and other climate-related disasters, will political leaders finally take action to address the problem?

January 4, 2013 - A by-the-numbers look at the so-called "fiscal cliff" deal approved at the 11th hour by Congress shows that the wealthy and corporate interests got some big breaks.