Allen Abel

Country finds its new star in a black Texan touring with Brad Paisley and channelling Patsy Cline

The first shots of the Civil War were fired here. The stains of grief, hatred and vengeance have not been erased.

It goes well beyond the Clintons and the Bushes: political families have become a staple of U.S. politics, at every level.

How an African-American neurosurgeon with no political experience has become a top candidate for the Republican nomination for president

Care for a discussion about race with your latte? In Starbucks around America, the reaction hasn’t been quite as scornful