With a House vote less than 24 hours away, Southern Democrats remain the biggest threats to passing health reform. Half of Democrats who have stated they'll vote "no" are from Southern states; eight more remain stubbornly undecided. More...

THURS 3/18 | As in the recent vote on extending unemployment benefits, many Senators voting against a measure to help jobless constituents hail from states with above-average unemployment rates. More...

WED 3/17 | After two decades of putting record numbers behind bars, cash-strapped states switched gears and looked to less costly alternatives -- resulting in the first decline in state prison populations in 38 years. But not all states are laying down the prison keys. More...

With the average college student carrying $23,200 in debt after graduating, Obama thought reforming student loans was a "no brainer." But now six senate Democrats, several with deep ties to for-profit loan companies, are threatening to kill the bill. More...

The new state jobs numbers are out -- and they show the South is still feeling the brunt of the recession, a fact that has big political implications. More...

International Women's Day often gets short shrift in the United States, but women's groups in one Texas city are raising its profile -- and a little hell -- while bolstering a hotel organizing drive. More...

In an already tough election year, Obama and Democrats face an especially daunting challenge in the South. If they want to turn things around, history suggests the best bet may be tapping the region's rich vein of economic populism. More...

Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky ended his filibuster of a bill including a 30-day extension of jobless benefits, But 19 Senators still voted against the measure -- many of them Southern lawmakers from states reeling from high unemployment. More...