50 States

Vote sign in a window with masked man looking at it in reflection

US could stand to dial down democracy, says economist

When it comes to democracy, less may be more.

US could stand to dial down democracy, says economist
The US Constitution's first page

Americans are prone to reading Constitution as scripture, says legal scholar

Americans are prone to reading Constitution as scripture, says legal scholar
Eryk Bean is in charge of quality control and product development at Gibson Bagpipes

A small company in New Hampshire exports their handcrafted bagpipes worldwide

A small company in New Hampshire exports their handcrafted bagpipes worldwide
The lettering of the old Packard Plant in Detroit is seen on a brick bridge viewed through the ruins of a window in the factory.

Abandoned and in decay, one of Detroit's iconic ruins is slowly being revived

Abandoned and in decay, one of Detroit's iconic ruins is slowly being revived
Hamissi Mamba walks through the guts of what will be his new restaurant, Baobab Fare in Detroit. Originally from Burundi, Mamba relocated to Michigan two years back, learned English, and is now a budding entrepreneur.

Detroit welcomes immigrants to spur the city’s revival

Detroit welcomes immigrants to spur the city’s revival
Soldiers of the Puerto Rico National Guard and volunteers of the Puerto Rico State Guard clear a road at Punta Santiago in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Scenes of utter devastation were found throughout the island after Hurricane Maria hit last September.

Report: FEMA wasn't ready for Hurricane Maria, destruction in Puerto Rico

It is said that practice makes perfect. As the events surrounding Hurricane Maria showed, a lack of practice can make a tough situation even worse.

Report: FEMA wasn't ready for Hurricane Maria, destruction in Puerto Rico
Soy farmers like Phil Sidles have seen prices for their soybeans fall sharply — down around 20 percent since May, not long after China announced retaliatory tariffs on American soybeans.

As tariffs send soy and corn prices plummeting, Trump says farmers will act like 'patriots'

China is slapping retaliatory tariffs on American crops, like soy and corn, and prices have fallen sharply. President Donald Trump has called on farmers to be patient and patriotic. How far are farmers in Illinois, America's No. 1 soy state, willing to go?

As tariffs send soy and corn prices plummeting, Trump says farmers will act like 'patriots'
An old building with large mechanical infrastructure now sports a sign reading "SteelStacks" and is a now an entertainment venue.

A Pennsylvania steel town reinvents itself with a future beyond steel

Many one-industry towns have shriveled up and died in recent decades. But not Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

A Pennsylvania steel town reinvents itself with a future beyond steel
South-central Wyoming has some of the strongest winds in the United States. The Department of Energy estimates that by 2030, Wyoming has the potential to power the equivalent of 3.4 million homes.

America’s leading coal state looks to the wind

Wyoming is a coal state. But it’s becoming a wind state, too.

America’s leading coal state looks to the wind
A haul truck at Peabody Energy's Rawhide coal mine near Gillette, Wyoming. The past few years have been tough for the coal industry in Wyoming — the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016.

A Wyoming town looks beyond coal ... to new uses for coal

Coal has driven Wyoming’s economy for decades. The state sits on hundreds of years of coal reserves. But the world is slowly moving away from coal, leaving some towns at a crossroads.

A Wyoming town looks beyond coal ... to new uses for coal
Kenny Fox at his cattle ranch in Belvidere, South Dakota. Fox, who is a third-generation South Dakota rancher, would like his sons to be able to continue in his footsteps, but worries that the economics are making it too difficult.

Two South Dakota cattle ranchers, two opinions on NAFTA

US beef exports to Canada and Mexico are way up since NAFTA came into effect in 1994. But so are imports to the US.

Two South Dakota cattle ranchers, two opinions on NAFTA
Two interior designers from New Delhi, Divya Jain and Smita Prakash (right), have visited the High Point Market in North Carolina five times. They are trying to carve out a niche as the Indian designers who can deliver American-designed furniture.

A small North Carolina city stakes its claim as the global capital of furniture buying

High Point, North Carolina: The home to the world's largest home furnishings show is drawing a lot of international visitors.

A small North Carolina city stakes its claim as the global capital of furniture buying
Since the turn of the 20th century, cities like Lexington, North Carolina were the furniture-making capitals of America. The area has lost 60 percent of of its manufacturing jobs, largely to Asian factories, since the 1990’s.

North Carolina’s fight to keep its foothold on furniture

For more than a century, North Carolina and southern Virginia were the furniture-making centers of America. Foreign competition from Asia has taken most of that work away over — 60 percent of the jobs have disappeared since 1990. But North Carolina isn’t going down without a fight.

North Carolina’s fight to keep its foothold on furniture
Alabama employs roughly 3,000 people working with farmed catfish. The domestic industry has been cut in about half over the past 15 years, primarily due to competition from Vietnam.

The great catfish war rages on

We’ve been hearing a lot about tariffs and trade wars. To look at how trade disputes can escalate, look at a 17-year-old skirmish between the US and Vietnam, and their fight over catfish.

The great catfish war rages on
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama builds about 3,000 engines a day at its plant in Huntsville, powering one third of Toyota vehicles produced in North America.

How Alabama is becoming the auto capital of the South

Just 25 years ago, Alabama used to be a place for textiles. Now it's a place to build cars.

How Alabama is becoming the auto capital of the South