Gov. Jindal still silent on "prostitute" money Republicans wanted for Louisiana
You know that $300 million for Louisiana in the Senate health bill that has caused right-wing pundits to call Sen. Mary Landrieu a "prostitute" and worse -- and attempt to discredit the Democrats' health reform bill? Yesterday Facing South broke the story that it was actually Louisiana Republicans -- including Gov. Bobby Jindal and Rep. Joseph Cao -- who had been pushing for the federal Medicaid funds that Landrieu succeeded in delivering. So what ar

Thanksgiving's surprising Civil War roots
While its mythology might lead us to imagine America has been celebrating it ever since the Pilgrims joined with their Indian neighbors to throw a feast of gratitude after surviving a brutal winter, Thanksgiving as a national U.S. holiday is actually a more recent tradition -- first proclaimed by President Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War.

GOBBLE GOBBLE: Banks projected to rake in $1.8 billion in overdraft fees over holiday shopping seaso
Thanks to dubious banking practices, your end-of-year holiday shopping could end up costing a lot more than you realize. The Center for Resp

N.C. lawmakers ask for probe of Blue Cross advocacy against public option
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina recently sent out mailers asking its customers for help lobbying against a public insurance option -- and its controversial actions are now under official scrutiny. Yesterday 20 North Caro

TVA gets OK to dump more toxic coal waste into ash-polluted river
A dam collapse at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant in eastern Tennessee last December sent a billion gallons of toxic coal sludge oozing over a nearby community and into the Emory and Clinch rivers, devastating the local environment.