If millionaires formed a political party, they'd have a lock on government

May 9, 2013
A Duke professor asks: What would happen if all the millionaires in public office joined a single political party? Answer: They'd control the federal government by a wide margin.

Immigration bill also benefits meat industry, Irish workers, ski instructors

Apr 22, 2013
The pet projects of the immigration bill being worked on in Congress.

States and cities take gun laws into their own hands with tax plans

Apr 11, 2013
While Congress struggles with gun legislation in the wake of Newtown, states and municipalities are taking the lead, many with tax proposals

Mississippi River mayors call for more dam, lock funding

Mar 22, 2013
Mayors along the Mississippi River say more funding is needed to shore up aging infrastructure.
The confluence of the St. Croix (TOP) and Mississippi Rivers (BOTTOM) is seen from the air on May 31, 2012.
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/GettyImages

The economy + Valentine's Day = True love?

Feb 15, 2013
On Thursday, American Airlines and US Airways officially announced their long-rumored merger. And Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it made a match with Ketchup giant Heinz, in a deal worth billions.

Congress is hated, but people still love to visit

Jan 9, 2013
Congress is enduring historically-low popularity ratings – so why do hordes of tourists still visit the Capitol?

Delay of federal Sandy relief package to squeeze state budgets

Jan 3, 2013
A $60 billion Sandy relief package passed the Senate in December, but House leadership reneged on its pledge to pass the bill before the end of the session.

For public good, not for profit.

U.S. still awaits a final fiscal cliff deal

Jan 1, 2013
The Senate deal permanently raises income taxes for individuals making more than $400,000 a year. It delays -- for just two months -- most of those automatic spending cuts that were set to kick in. And it includes a number of other provisions to stave off the most pressing aspects of the fiscal cliff.

Would 'earmarks' have helped fiscal cliff talks?

Dec 31, 2012
'Bridges to Nowhere' and other pork-barrel spending used to be the grease for deal-making in Congress.

Time for Plan C? Fiscal cliff solution stalls

Dec 21, 2012
It was called "Plan B" -- a way to avoid some of the tax increases that are part of the fiscal cliff without putting together a broad bipartisan deal before the New Year.