Stories related to: Indiana

Volunteers in Barack Obama's campaign have had to steel themselves against racism on the trail, even as the White House hopeful has repeatedly played down the anti-black sentiment his candidacy has revealed. Though the campaign maintains its travels “only reinforced Sen. Obama’s view that this country is not as divided as our politics suggest,” the Washington Post finds many anecdotes to the contrary. More »

More states are imprisoning babies, and moms couldn't be happier: Prisons nationwide are allowing incarcerated mothers to keep their little ones, the AP reports. Opponents of the practice say the kids may be traumatized, but one researcher found that “the outcomes are promising, if the prison nursery programs have the appropriate resources.” More »

Despite what has been hailed as a strong showing by Barack Obama in Indiana, his campaign claims he would’ve done better but for the sabotage of Rush Limbaugh, the Washington Post reports. Under his “Operation Chaos,” the conservative radio host urged Indiana Republicans to vote for Clinton in order to prolong the Dems' dogfight and "bloody up Obama politically." More »

A dozen nuns who lacked proper photo ID were turned away from an Indiana voting booth yesterday—by a fellow nun. None of the nuns, all over 80, had a driver's license because they don't drive, and some presented outdated passports, the AP reports. Their convent has launched a major push to arrange for proper ID in time for November's election. More »

Undeclared Democratic superdelegates who are also members of Congress are under especially great pressure, reports the LA Times: The popularity of their chosen candidate could affect their re-election chances. In swing districts, "somebody unpopular at the top of the ticket can actually cost you votes," says a political science professor. More »

Congress killed hopes of a “gas tax holiday,” but that won't stop Hillary Clinton from running on it. Her camp issued its second Indiana TV ad today blasting Barack Obama’s opposition to the measure, Talking Points Memo reports. Obama responded to her first ad by saying the holiday would save Indiana residents "only pennies a day," the AP reports. More »

In the red state of Indiana, the GOP could have a major say in the fortunes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Tuesday's primary, the Wall Street Journal reports. Republicans could account for up to 15% of voters in the Democratic race because of the state's open-primary system. As a result, both candidates are venturing into GOP stomping grounds to round up votes. More »

The Supreme Court today upheld photo ID requirements for Indiana voters, the Justices’ most significant election-law ruling since Bush v. Gore—and one critics say could keep minorities and poor voters from voting in November. The 6-3 decision validated the country’s most arduous voting rules, though 20 states have ID laws; Reuters notes that the groups most disadvantaged tend to skew Democratic. More »

An Indiana 16-year-old plotted a Columbine-style mass killing on September 11 and even sought the same pistol used in that attack, the AP reports. The high school student faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder when he appears in court today. Police found 100 knives in his home and say he discussed how to make explosives and obtain weapons online with an out-of-state friend. More »

Despite the ubiquitous use of “change” as a rallying cry in the Democratic primaries, the New York Times notes, the candidates might want to reconsider using it ahead of Indiana's May 6 primary. Although they’re dissatisfied with the economic toll taken by the decline in manufacturing, voters generally expressed “queasiness” in response to both candidates' use of the mantra. More »

A bank teller pregnant with twins was shot during a robbery today in Indianapolis, but her fetuses were not directly injured, the Indianapolis Star reports. Katherine Sheffield, 30, is in serious to critical condition after a gunman walked into the bank where she worked and fired two shots into her abdomen before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash. More »

Indiana is poised to become a major battleground in the Democratic presidential race, but Indiana’s Democratic House representatives look like they’re ducking the firefight. Four of the five are in their first terms, seemingly unwilling to risk angering party brass or alienating voters. Indiana’s contest looks incredibly close, Politico reports, and no one can discern which horse is winning. More »

Right now all eyes are on Pennsylvania, but Hillary Clinton’s real proving ground will be Indiana, the Wall Street Journal says. Barack Obama led big in mid-February polling there, but the state is rife with the lower-income white voters who have so far flocked to Clinton. Winning them over would do much to silence the critics calling for her departure. More »

Barack Obama picked up an endorsement today from longtime Indiana rep Lee Hamilton, who was the co-chairman of both the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group. Hamilton, who said Obama "has the best opportunity to create a new sense of national unity," should help his candidate both in the May 6 Hoosier primary and on the national security front. More »

Many Democratic observers are looking past the April 22 Pennsylvania primary to the May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina as a chance to finally determine the primary race before the national convention. With 187 delegates at stake, May 6 holds the biggest delegate trove remaining, and the outcome of the day's contests may sway uncommitted Dem superdelegates, Newsweek reports. More »

“Presumably, the question had to come at some point,” write the LA Times ’ Andrew Malcolm and Mark Silva, but Chelsea Clinton dealt with an audience query on Monica Lewinsky “quite neatly” yesterday. The question came at the end of an Indiana college appearance when a man asked if Bill’s notorious affair had hurt Hillary’s credibility. More »

Storms that caused flooding across the country's midsection have killed 16 people, and bad weather remains a threat, the AP reports. A snowstorm battering Minnesota and Illinois grounded hundreds of flights, and forecasters predicted a 9-inch total. Thousands were forced into shelters as rivers continued to swell; in many states, floodwaters might not crest until the weekend. More »

How is the Jeremiah Wright controversy playing with voters in Pennsylvania and Indiana? The reaction isn't unanimous, but the Boston Globe finds many who say the inflammatory sound bites swayed them toward Hillary Clinton. “Twenty years he put up with that?” said one 82-year old Indiana woman said of Barack Obama. “He was softening me up. He was kind of even with Hillary.” More »

Massive flooding across the central US has left 13 people dead and three missing, the AP reports. Record or near-record crests were reported across Missouri; Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio also saw flooding. Rescuers were searching for a Texas teenager washed into a drainage pipe and for two people in Arkansas whose vehicles were swept away on flooded roads. More »

As subprime fallout ripples across the country, several states are planning to increase road, bridge, and tunnel tolls, and not by mere pennies, USA Today reports. The George Washington Bridge, for example—which lets New Jerseyites into the Big Apple—will raise its rush hour price from $5 to $8 for cars, and $35 for trucks. One official defended the move, saying, "People view highways as free, but they're not." More »