U.S.

Where America’s Civic Reawakening Is Happening

Political enthusiasms are running high around the country.

A House Still Divided

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln warned that America could not remain “half slave and half free.” Today, the country remains divided by racism—and the threat is as existential as it was before the Civil War.

Americans Aren’t Practicing Democracy Anymore

As participation in civic life has dwindled, so has public faith in the country’s system of government.

America’s Slide Toward Autocracy

Democracy has taken a beating under President Trump. Will the midterms make a difference?

Photos: Preparing for Hurricane Florence

More than a million people are under evacuation orders as Hurricane Florence slowly approaches the coast of North and South Carolina.

America Is Living James Madison’s Nightmare

The Founders designed a government that would resist mob rule. They didn’t anticipate how strong the mob could become.

The American Crisis

Amid assaults against the press and the rise of technology, democracy is in a fragile state. Can it overcome the challenges it faces?

From Cornerstone to Skyscraper: One World Trade Center

A look at the construction and development of the new One World Trade Center, from cornerstone to present day, and how it has changed the skyline of New York City

The U.S. Failed Thousands Who Risked Everything in Iraq and Afghanistan

A U.S. Army veteran and his Afghan translator took matters into their own hands—and saved each other’s lives.

A Great Social Experiment of the 21st Century

There was no rulebook for Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper when his state voted to legalize marijuana.

How Family Separation Traumatized Children

An unflinching look at one family's experience being forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Bullet in My Arm

I grew up in a gun-loving town in Alabama. My grandfather’s store sells firearms. But only after I was shot did I begin to understand America’s complicated relationship with guns.

The Absurdity of America’s Front Lawns

Michael Pollan exposes the strange institution of the suburban front lawn.

‘Man-Killing Jobs’ and Environmental Racism

Residents of a steel mill town reckon with a history of discrimination and its resultant health crisis.

Daily Life in Maine, as Photographed by Robert F. Bukaty

Based in Portland, the photographer Robert F. Bukaty has been working for the AP since 1993, making thousands of photos of Maine’s people, landscape, wildlife, and, of course, its ever-changing seasons.