Looking at the vast diversity of American voters

Working with Ipsos, Reuters has created such a database–the American Mosaic Polling Explorer –which can easily be searched by following the directions below."

"Want to know what white men in the South think about immigration policy? How African-American women older than 50 view gay marriage? Whether veterans and their families approve of the country's foreign policy? You can find the answers to those and many other questions by drilling down in this unprecedented trove of data."

"Every week since January Reuters reporters have polled about 2,500 people. By the time the election is held in November they will have reached well in excess of 150,000 people. But this is not a traditional telephone survey. The data is primarily drawn from online surveys using rigorous sampling methods developed in consultation with outside experts."

"WTSP-Tampa has found, through federal filings, that the Republican & Democratic national conventions promise economic windfalls to host cities but most of the money spent comes from the U.S. Treasury, including money spent on alcohol and parties."

"Earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department announced a first-of-its kind investigation into how rape cases are handled by the University of Montana and its campus police, along with the Missoula Police Department and the Missoula County Attorney's Office because of a series of investigations by the Missoulian."

"Since December, the paper has been reporting about UM's handling of alleged rapes involving students - including allegations of gang rapes by members of its football team. The Missoulian and the Wall Street Journal have since filed a joint FOIA request on the topic."

In a three-part series for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Kate Golden and Amy Karon used the state’s open records law to receive Gov. Scott Walker’s official calendars.

"To analyze how Walker has used his time as the state’s chief executive, WCIJ reporters created a database of the more than 4,400 entries in Walker’s calendars from his first 13 months in office, through Jan. 31, 2012."

"South Carolina’s House speaker is affiliated with a political action committee that has doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and private contracts to sitting state lawmakers."

"According to publicly filed data analyzed by The Post and Courier, the Speaker's PAC has channeled about a half-million dollars in the last four years to the S.C. House Republican Caucus, to the state Republican Party and to more than 130 mostly incumbent Republican candidates for legislative office."

Duff Wilson and Janet Roberts, for Reuters, report on "how food and beverage companies have dominated policymaking in Washington by doubling their lobbying expenditures during the past three years and defeating government proposals aimed at changing the nation’s diet."

Reuters Investigates TV also produced a video about "how the food industry fought back when the White House sought healthier school lunches and Congress directed federal agencies to set nutrition standards."

This month, members of the General Assembly are gathering in Richmond, while "legislators are buzzing about the exclusion of four major Republican candidates from the presidential preference ballot in Virginia on Super Tuesday."

"Missing in that conversation is any discussion of a loophole that gives political parties power to say whether or not candidates have met the letter of the law. Unlike independent candidates, who are required to have their ballot petitions certified by a local registrar, Republican and Democratic chairmen across Virginia are given unlimited discretion and no oversight."

NJ Governor Chris Christie hired Louis C. Goetting in 2010 as a budget guru to help trim the cost of government.  But Goetting resembles a problem, not a solution, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of his employment history.

Despite the fact that Goetting was hired to help with the budget, he has raked in "$1.1 million from two severance payouts and an early retirement deal.  In addition, Goetting collects $219,000 a year from the state – a $130,000 salary plus $89,000 in pension payments."