Hurricane and political seasons collide on The Weather Channel

Sep 14, 2018
Viewers of The Weather Channel may have noticed a lot of campaign ads this week as the midterm elections approach and more people tuned in to track Hurricane Florence. According to NCC Media, the number of political advertisers on the channel grew from 59 last week to 83 this week. “It’s a smart media strategy,” […]
A tattered U.S. flag flies as the outer bands of Hurricane Florence make landfall Friday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
ALEX EDELMAN/AFP/Getty Images

How socialism became the talk of the midterms

Sep 11, 2018
The term has re-entered politics in America, but it means different things to different people.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks to supporters after winning the Vermont primary on Super Tuesday on March 1, 2016, in Essex Junction, Vermont.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

State-level redistricting fights involve plenty of money moves

Sep 3, 2018
The Labor Day weekend signals the last campaigning and fundraising push before the midterm elections.
Activists march to Senate Hart Office Building June 25, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Common Cause, American Promise, Take Back Our Republic and Represent Us and Fix It America co-hosted an event and visits to congressional members from New Mexico to urge the Congress to support 'the Fix It America Constitutional Amendment to reign in the influence of big money in politics and curb the abuses of gerrymandering in the redistricting process.'
Alex Wong/Getty Images

States are spending on election security, but is it enough?

Aug 22, 2018
This week, U.S. election officials came out with new data showing how states plan to use $380 million in federal grants released this year. While the money was initially aimed at modernizing state voting systems after the Bush v. Gore “hanging chad” debacle of 2000, these days states are spending mostly on cyber security and […]

Midterms: Is it the economy, stupid?

Aug 16, 2018
You may have heard this phrase: “It’s the economy, stupid. ” And it usually is. Parties in power tend to do better when the economy is humming along, and voters are more likely to give them the boot when the economy’s not doing so hot. With low unemployment, a booming stock market and strong growth, […]
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, May 29, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. 
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Zimbabwe's contested election muddles its pitch for foreign investment

Aug 13, 2018
Questions about promised reforms also hang over the country's economic future, one expert says.
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, center, salutes during the Heroes Day commemorations held at the National Heroes Acre in Harare today.
JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images

A record number of scientists are running for office, and 314 Action is helping them

Jul 9, 2018
The political action committee is conducting a series of trainings for STEM professionals.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images/Cancer Research UK

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López Obrador moves from promises to policy

Jul 3, 2018
Mexico’s President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador made a lot of promises on the campaign trail. He promised everything from curbing corruption and kickbacks in the energy sector to extending the social safety net. When it comes to energy, how much of his rhetoric will really turn into policy? Click the audio player above to hear […]

Mexican elections could bring shift to the left

Jun 29, 2018
Voters in Mexico go the polls on Sunday for nationwide elections to pick a new president, members of Congress, and regional and local leaders. The front-runner for president by a long shot is Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known by his initials AMLO. He promises to take the country in a very different direction from the more […]

Mexico's presidential elections have big implications for U.S. energy companies

Jun 22, 2018
The front-runner in Mexico's presidential election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has called for more energy privatization.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, tells supporters that the supposed economic benefits of reform such as lower gasoline and electricity costs haven't yet materialized. June 3, 2018, Mexico City.
Lorne Matalon for Marketplace