Arts Jun 01 In Tourist Town, Memorial Day Travel Kicks Off Test of Summer Economy Memorial Day, the unofficial kickoff of summer, means something more than just warmer temperatures and the coming end of the school year in some places. It is about turning five months of red ink to black. For vacation towns…
Politics May 24 Patchwork Nation: A Closer Look at Rand Paul’s November Prospects Rand Paul's victory in the Kentucky Senate primary was hailed as the first victory for a true tea party candidate. In his victory speech, Paul himself announced he was coming to "take Washington back." But a primary is…
Economy May 21 The Life and (Eventual) Death of Toxie, Planet Money’s Toxic Asset Foreclosures and interest rates are just numbers. Sometimes the best way to examine an economic meltdown is to jump into it with abandon, to witness the carnage up close. In a sense, that's what NPR's Planet Money reporting team…
Politics May 19 Patchwork Nation: Beware November Forecasts Made in May In a year where the biggest news is an unsettled electorate, everyone is looking for signposts and many think they saw them in Tuesday night's primary results - particularly in the Senate primaries in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. But…
Politics May 14 Patchwork Nation: Obama’s Differing Messages for Varied Views on Recession In the age of niche marketing there isn't much use for a standard stump speech, just ask President Obama. Over the past few months he has been roaming the country talking to crowds on what the White House calls a…
Politics May 11 Wealthy Suburbs May Not Hold the Key to 2010 Elections The nation's wealthy suburban areas, places we call the Monied 'Burb counties in Patchwork Nation, are often the fulcrum of election night. Home of famously independent (or fickle) voters, the decisions voters make in the Burbs, which hold…
Politics May 06 After Trio of Primaries, a Cloudy View of 2010 Midterms In a year when politicians and analysts want a grasp on what, by most accounts, is a volatile electorate, this past Tuesday's primaries in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina provided a chance to read the tea leaves. Alas, those…
Politics May 03 Patchwork Nation: Tea Party Driven by Long List of Issues As analysts try to gauge the strength and meaning of the tea party movement there are two dominant questions: How much of the electorate do the disparate groups speak for and what is their primary objective? Those are difficult questions…
Economy Apr 28 Patchwork Nation: The Housing Market and the ‘Real’ Recovery Standing in the spring of 2010 looking around at the economy, we think it's worth asking: What does a recovery look like? There have been positive signs lately - the auto industry looks much better and consumer confidence…
Politics Apr 26 What Arizona Immigration Law Might Mean for Midterm Elections On Friday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law what most everyone agrees is the most restrictive immigration law in the country. The law, which allows local police to stop and demand proof of citizenship from anyone suspected of…