Politics

April 14, 2017 - The Trump administration unveiled plans to expand offshore drilling at last week's conference of the National Ocean Industries Association. Launched by Exxon in the 1970s to represent the offshore drilling industry, NOIA has been investing in politicians from Southeastern states where its members would like to do business.

April 14, 2017 - When states preempt progressive local policies, it's not just a political power struggle that ensues but real suffering for those who would benefit most from anti-discrimination, minimum wage and other measures.

April 7, 2017 - GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation to drastically limit damages that agricultural operations pay in civil cases where they've been found to cause harm. The measure disadvantages the communities of color most likely to be located near the state's hog farms but would help a Chinese-owned pork producer currently facing dozens of such lawsuits.

March 31, 2017 - The main contractor for four nuclear reactors under construction in Georgia and South Carolina declared itself broke this week due to massive cost overruns on the projects. Ratepayers have already forked over billions of dollars for the long-delayed reactors, but their future is now uncertain.

March 31, 2017 - Immigrant-welcoming local governments in the South are navigating a challenging political terrain as states in the region adopt bans on so-called "sanctuary" policies and as the federal government also moves to crack down on sanctuary communities. 

March 29, 2017 - Following Congress's failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced he was exploring Medicaid expansion under the law while Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe renewed his expansion quest. They join North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced earlier this month that he'd seek to join the four other Southern states that have already expanded the program.

March 24, 2017 - Florida has the harshest felon disenfranchisement law in the country, but it's now being challenged by a ballot initiative campaign led by a former felon as well as by a class-action lawsuit.