In the run-up to the 2012 elections, the federal government is ordering that 248 counties and other political jurisdictions provide bilingual ballots to Hispanics and other minorities who speak little or no English. more

December marks the fourth anniversary of the start of the Great Recession. The nation has become a different place during that period: Poverty has worsened, young Americans are being hit hard by unemployment, and government debt has skyrocketed.

In his jobs speech earlier this month, President Barack Obama spoke eloquently of a time when Americans felt that hard work invariably paid off. We "believed in a country where everyone gets a fair shake and does their fair share."

Anthony Mason finds out what the decrease in the median household income means for the average American.

That headline may not seem significant, but here's how Pew Charitable Trusts sells its finding that 33 percent of adults who grew up middle class end up sliding downward.

The Pew Charitable Trusts published an interesting study Tuesday on middle-class mobility, looking at the one-third of Americans who fall out of the middle class after growing up there. more

With Republicans taking control of most U.S. capitols this year and a presidential race looming, states have passed the most election-related laws since 2003 in a push to tighten voting rules. more

More than 300 Airmen, Sailors, civilians, dependents and distinguished visitors attended a bill signing ceremony, Aug. 17, at Nose Dock 1 at Joint Base Charleston-Air Base, to witness South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley ceremoniously signing S. 404, the Overseas Citizens Absentee Voters Act. more

Even those in the U.S. who complain about excessive government regulation say they’re in favor of rules that would require banks to clearly disclose the fees they attach to checking accounts, a new survey shows.

Earlier this year, the Pew Charitable Trusts published the results of a study of the nation’s 10 largest banks and found that the median length of checking account disclosures is a whopping 111 pages.

As negotiations over a major deficit reduction package appear to be going nowhere over the weekend, federal and state officials, financial and corporate executives, and average investors and consumers suddenly face the very real threat of the first-ever default on U.S. debt, a possibility that once seemed unthinkable. more

Failure to raise the federal debt ceiling could cripple state and city capital projects across the country, including wiping out funding for building schools and roads, according to a report on Wednesday. more