President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Karen Pence attend a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House on December 6th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
Politicians wanted upfront cash from a legal victory over Big Tobacco, and bankers happily obliged. The price? A handful of states promised to repay $64 billion on just $3 billion advanced.
Despite increasing representation in the U.S. Congress, minority representatives still lag behind their white colleagues in legislative activity — and minority-majority districts set up to increase their power may contribute to the lag.