Big campaign donations are legalized corruption

American campaigns and voting, from primaries and general elections to the candidates, money and rules that decide them. Covers federal, state and local contests, the machinery of casting and counting ballots, and the disputes over access that follow almost every cycle.

Coverage of the American economy and the policy that shapes it: inflation, employment, tariffs, taxation and the federal budget. Distinct from business news, which follows companies rather than the decisions taken in Congress and at the Federal Reserve.

Money raised and spent to influence American elections, from individual donations and party committees to political action committees and independent expenditure groups. Governed by disclosure requirements and contribution limits that Supreme Court rulings have steadily narrowed since Citizens United in 2010.