Politics

March 17, 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the ongoing loss of hospital beds in rural communities across the South. The greatest losses were in Tennessee — among the states that haven't expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The rate of rural hospital closures in non-expansion states is six times greater than in states that expanded the program.

March 17, 2021 - Water being delivered by truck in Mississippi's capital city. The electrical grid collapse in Texas. The hacking of a Florida water treatment plant. All of these appear at first glance to be infrastructure failures, but at their root is a failure of politics.

March 11, 2021 - Passed by the House earlier this week and championed by President Biden, the pro-labor law could break the stranglehold that right-to-work laws adopted under Jim Crow have placed on workers' power in the region. But it has to get through the Senate first.

March 11, 2021 - We care for your parents, children, and homes. We should make enough to care for our own, too.

March 10, 2021 - Republican lawmakers nationwide have introduced over 250 bills this year to restrict voting access in 43 states — 39 bills in Georgia alone. Given the backlash against last year's record-breaking voter turnout playing out at the state level, voting rights advocates are looking to Congress and the promise of H.R. 1, which has now advanced to the U.S. Senate. But can it get past the filibuster?

March 8, 2021 - Relying heavily on fracked gas, the North Carolina utility giant's proposal faces challenges from environmentalists who say it would be a disaster for the climate, and from businesses that fear it will lead to big bills for unnecessary plants. The state's utility regulators will make the final decision, and they're holding a virtual hearing on March 16 to take comments from the public.

March 8, 2021 - Since Congress declined to grant businesses immunity from COVID-19 lawsuits, Republican lawmakers in Florida and other states are renewing their push to ban negligence lawsuits filed by workers and consumers exposed to COVID-19.