Debbie Elliott

The relics of African-American families help tell the story of America, the Smithsonian says. Museum experts are traveling the country to help identify and care for items of cultural significance.

In a new PBS documentary series, Burns turns his lens to Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and how each triumphed over adversity.

BP says it will appeal the ruling that the company's reckless conduct and gross negligence caused the largest U.S. offshore oil spill. The ruling exposes BP to potentially billions more in penalties.

Two Massachusetts girls were knocked into the water by a shark while kayaking near Plymouth. After half an hour in the ocean, they were finally picked up by the harbor master.

A federal judge has ruled that British Petroleum is guilty of gross negligence in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and oil spill. The decision means BP might be fined billions of dollars in penalties for its role.

The decision marks the first time a federal court has upheld a gay marriage ban since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act last year.

A federal judge has upheld Louisiana's ban on gay marriage, ruling that the ban is constitutional. The decision marks a break from a series of victories in court for proponents of same-sex marriage.

Regulations passed in Texas, which affected clinics that perform abortions there, have been blocked by a federal judge, on the grounds that they unconstitutionally restricted access to legal abortion.

Today on the show: the signature. It's supposed to say, "This is me." But where did it come from. And why are we still using it.

Fifty years ago, Fannie Lou Hamer, a plantation worker turned civil rights activist, disrupted the Democratic National Convention to get delegates from the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party seated.

Forget peanuts and Cracker Jack. Sausages are the food most closely linked to the national pastime, says Frank Deford.

Same-sex-marriage activists are working to win hearts and minds in the Deep South, where they've met the strongest resistance. One strategy is to host informal conversations.

A federal appeals court is clearing the way for same-sex marriage in Virginia. Wednesday's ruling is the latest in a string of federal court victories for gay-rights activists.

A federal judge has ruled an Alabama abortion law unconstitutional. The measure required doctors to have admitting privileges in nearby hospitals. The ruling comes amid legal fights o...

Greg Iles sets his thrillers in the antebellum river city of Natchez, Miss. His latest book, Natchez Burning, pulls from true stories of the racial violence that gripped the state 50 years ago.

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for bribery, money laundering and other corruption crimes. The counts on which he was convicted cover a spa...

A key architect of Memphis soul passed away this week. Guitarist and songwriter Mabon "Teenie" Hodges helped create the smooth, sultry sound made famous by singer Al Green.

In a result that came as a surprise to some observers, incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran won the GOP nomination in Mississippi's Senate primary. The tight election, which also featured Tea ...

Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, 76, managed to hang on after a runoff that likely represented the Tea Party's best remaining chance to knock off a Senate incumbent.

GOP Sen. Thad Cochran faces a tough runoff election against challenger Chris McDaniel, a Tea Party-backed state senator. Mississippi voters will decide whether Cochran gets a chance at a seventh term.