Politics

September 5, 2014 - Two election cycles after the landmark Supreme Court decision loosening restrictions on corporate money in politics, research is emerging that assesses its impact on our political system -- and it finds that the decision has disproportionately benefited Republicans, especially in North Carolina and Tennessee.

September 4, 2014 - With money pouring in from groups that don't have to disclose their donors, this is being called the "Dark Money Election." But a number of innovative initiatives are underway to limit money in politics and to promote reforms that give political power back to ordinary Americans.

August 29, 2014 - Groups in favor of and opposed to school vouchers have invested heavily in the North Carolina legislature and the state Supreme Court, which is now being asked to release voucher money despite a recent lower court ruling that the program is unconstitutional.

August 29, 2014 - The Texas League of Young Voters heads to federal court next week to make the case that the state's voter ID law, which recognizes gun licenses but not student IDs for verifying identity at the polls, violates the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

August 28, 2014 - Last week a North Carolina judge minced no words in his ruling that a law giving taxpayer-funded vouchers to low-income families that want to send their children to private schools was a violation of the state constitution and the public good. Supporters of the program have asked the state Supreme Court to take emergency action to release the money anyway.

August 22, 2014 - North Carolina has passed the nation's first state law regulating coal ash, but it's being met with protests for not doing enough to protect public health and the environment -- and for placing oversight in the hands of political appointees in a state where Duke Energy is a major campaign financier.

August 22, 2014 - This week and next, people in 12 states are taking part in a "Moral Week of Action." The event marks the first time the Moral Monday demonstrations that began in North Carolina 16 months ago have been coordinated across multiple states.