Amid scenes of horror on the streets of Port-au-Prince, hope still reigns. More...

In 1991, the first President Bush signed into law a bipartisan bill that gave birth to our nation's high-speed rail program. Why are conservatives now calling it a crazy "boondoggle?" More...

Today is National Day of Action on Coal Ash -- an effort that comes on the heels of revelations that the Environmental Protection Agency allowed the coal ash industry to edit official government reports to downplay the dangers of the toxic stuff. More...

Noted U.S. historian, author and civil rights activist Howard Zinn died yesterday at age 87. In remembrance of his life, we reprint the commencement address he delivered in 2005 at Spelman College, which fired him more than 40 years earlier for supporting students in their struggle against Jim Crow. More...

Human rights advocate Bill Quigley writes from Port au Prince that hundreds of thousands are still living and sleeping on the streets from the recent earthquake -- but a spirit of mutual aid inside Haiti and outside the country's borders is inspiring hope. More...

As President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address, how are things going in the region polls show he is struggling in the most? More...

While the equipment reportedly isn't contaminated with radioactivity, its move to Progress Energy's Shearon Harris plant near Raleigh, N.C. is sparking worries about the wisdom of using bargain-basement parts in nuclear power plants. More...

A Memphis firm that processes radioactive waste from hospitals, laboratories and nuclear power plants has settled a discrimination lawsuit charging it with targeting black workers for higher radiation exposure and other harassment. More...

Republicans are launching a new strategy to capture state legislatures in 2010, putting them in position to shape the redrawing of political districts in 2011 and beyond. North Carolina, a fast growing state that's been trending blue, might be at the top of their list. More...

Hailed for its relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, Wal-Mart has offered about $1 million for charitable assistance in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. But given the fact that the Arkansas retail giant has earned huge sums from the impoverished nation's cheap garment industry over the years, isn't it time for reparations? More...

Corporations that generate and deal in coal ash waste have been lobbying hard to keep the stuff from being classed as hazardous -- and they got help from dozens of U.S. Senators and Representatives who have asked President Obama to maintain the regulatory status quo. But are they making their case based on old data? More...

The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates of corporate spending to influence elections. What tools to citizens have left to counter the dominance of wealthy interests that our founding fathers warned about? More...

The ruined site is near another in Oxford, Ala. that was slated for destruction last year to build a Sam's Club. More...

The average commuter spends 100 hours a year getting to and from work -- but in these congestion hot-spots, the drive can be a lot worse. The Southern metro area with the worst commute may surprise you. More...

The Obama administration is discouraging Haitians from abandoning their ravaged country via a dangerous boat trip to Florida, but their solution is raising concerns among immigrant rights advocates. More...

In the wake of last week's earthquake -- and Tuesday's 6.1-scale aftershock -- is Haiti being engulfed by looting and crime? A relief worker in Haiti says don't believe the CNN hype: Sadness, strength and solidarity are the rule, and violence the exception. More...

As our country continues to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Brian Miller of United for a Fair Economy argues that dreams of a post-racial, colorblind America run up against the reality of deep racial inequality in the economy. More...

Localities in Louisiana and Mississippi won't be required to pay back special disaster loans they took out after the 2005 hurricanes. Will Obama also relieve the debt of earthquake-devastated Haiti? More...

Historian Charles McKinney argues that instead of viewing King as a blandly good "black Santa Claus," we need to remember him as a complicated leader whose faith put him in opposition not only to Jim Crow but an entire system of poverty and war. More...

To support the recovery of disaster-stricken Haiti, the Department of Homeland Security will protect undocumented Haitian immigrants from deportation for 18 months and allow them to work legally in the United States. More...

Haitians are facing a dire -- and deadly -- conditions in the wake of "the disaster of the century." But human rights advocate Bill Quigley argues that so far, the U.S. relief response has not come close to meeting the scope of the tragedy. More...

The Institute has launched NC Haiti Action to mobilize at least $1,000 in support for on-the-ground relief efforts for earthquake survivors. Donate now and the Institute will match all contributions up to $1,000. More...

An effective response to Haiti's earthquake disaster depends on changes to U.S. immigration policy, respect for human rights and making sure aid gets to where it's needed most. More...

Home to some of the nation's biggest Haitian communities, South Florida is leading efforts to mobilize support for Haiti in the wake of this week's earthquake -- and urging a change to controversial immigration laws. More...

Obama's regulatory czar has held almost 20 meetings with industry groups since October to discuss the potential impact of regulating waste from coal-fired power plants. Will the interests of polluters or the public prevail? More...

The civil action targeted the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over its approval of the state's plan to divert federal housing funds to expand the port at Gulfport. Advocates vow to fight on. More...

After 12 months with Democrats in charge of Washington, there have been few gains on financial regulation, the climate crisis and union organizing. It's easy to point to the corrupting effect of campaign contributions and lobbyists, but progressives also deserve blame. More...

It's no surprise that Southern states have the highest number of people who identify as "religious." But there's a big gap between believers and those who attend services -- a fact which may have political implications for the religious right. More...

Prominent scientists are calling for a moratorium on the coal mining practice because of the harm it does to the environment and human health. Will energy interests win over science? More...

A celebration of the life of the noted union organizer is set for Saturday, Jan. 9 in Greensboro, N.C. The event will also be streamed live over the Internet. More...

A new proposal to toughen standards on ground-level ozone set by the Bush administration is being embraced by clean air advocates -- but not by big polluters or the state of Texas, which says it might sue the agency over the change. More...

With the 2010 Census set to begin this spring, there are lingering concerns that certain population groups will not be counted properly. One of the groups most at risk of being undercounted are children -- and that has important implications for funding of programs that help families in need. More...

A provision sponsored by Sen. Byrd of West Virginia would make it easier for a disabled coal miner to receive black lung benefits, and for a surviving spouse to keep them after the miner's death. But will it make it into the bill's final version? More...

New Census projections show that Southern states will definitely gain Congressional seats and Electoral College votes after the 2010 count. But how much will the region's political power grow? More...

Convicted of murder in a deeply flawed trial, Herman Wallace has spent nearly 37 years in solitary confinement in the Louisiana prison system. Will new evidence finally lead to his release? More...

With this weekend's surprise withdrawal of the leading African-American candidate to lead the Crescent City, it's possible that next month's primary could lead to a runoff featuring two white candidates -- a scenario practically unimaginable before Hurricane Katrina. More...

Beginning this month, the U.S. will no longer automatically place refugees facing persecution in their home country into a jail cell -- the latest action in a string of little-noticed initiatives by the Obama administration to revamp some of the most controversial immigration policies of the past decade. More...