Nation Apr 30 ‘I knew that it would be a long, hard fight,’ says activist who wants to raise minimum wage Terrence Wise started organizing in 2013, when he was making $7.25 an hour at McDonald’s in Kansas City, Missouri.
Nation Apr 23 Missouri’s blue-city, red-state divide over minimum wage Some of the fiercest political battles are taking place between Democratic-controlled cities and Republican-led state legislatures over issues like minimum wage and plastic bag bans. Increasingly, those issues are decided through a political maneuver called preemption, when state lawmakers write…
Nation Mar 18 Documentary ‘Newtown’ examines a town’s lasting trauma The documentary "Newtown" explores the aftermath of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults. The documentary, which weaves together the experiences of those affected by the…
Nation Feb 18 Gold Butte National Monument is controversial for some locals The newly-designated Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada contains fragile wildlife habitat, important sites for native tribes and thousands of ancient rock etchings. While local indigenous tribes, environmental advocacy groups and Democrats cheered former President Obama’s decision to bring the…
Politics Nov 06 This system calls for popular vote to determine winner Four times in U.S. history, the winner of the nationwide popular vote has lost the Electoral College and the general election. But a proposal called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would automatically allocate participating states' Electoral College votes to…
Politics Oct 23 GOP incumbent walks line in PA on supporting Trump Even if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, she could face difficulties on Capitol Hill, if Republicans continue to control the House of Representatives and Senate. One of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents is Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. NewsHour…
Politics Sep 24 North Carolina and Maryland challenge gerrymandering Gerrymandering -- the practice of drawing districts to benefit one political party over another or to protect an incumbent -- has a long history in the U.S. Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports on reform efforts in Maryland, where one district…
Nation Sep 11 Fifteen years after 9/11, illnesses compound for first responders Tens of thousands of people who worked at ground zero are still coping with the long-term health effects from the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. 15 years after the attack, doctors and researchers continue to study the connection between…
Nation Sep 04 Why urban beekeeping is a rising trend in major cities Bees are critical to agricultural production, but beekeeping is actually increasing in cities like Los Angeles and New York City, where restrictions on the practice were recently lifted. In Philadelphia, where there are thousands of abandoned lots to forage, both…
Politics Jul 24 Could laid-off coal workers change Pennsylvania from blue to red? Depressed energy prices, increased competition from natural gas, and the prospect of new EPA regulations have cost more than 30,000 American coal workers their jobs since 2011. Could the predominantly white, working-class voters in places like Greene County, Pennsylvania, one…