Partnered with the Center for Public Integrity, BBC conducts a two-part investigation on the nuts and bolts of our lovely campaign finance system. Interviewing well-known names from all over the political spectrum, the first part mainly takes issue with outside groups, commonly referred to as 527s, that have become shorthand for the latest debates over the influence of money in elections.

A massive housing rescue package passed the Senate on Saturday after President Bush reluctantly dropped his opposition last week. The measure, which provides 300 billion dollars to help save 400,000 homeowners from foreclosure nationwide, is widely regarded as the single most important housing legislation in a generation. Upon closer examination, it appears Congress is actually tossing two lifelines – one to distressed homeowners and one to our best friends, Fannie and Freddie.

A report just released by the National Institute on Money in State Politics points to the relatively small percentage of unitemized donations, or small dollar donations, that comprise state-level campaign war chests. In fact the number seems to be getting smaller. All talks of the pending small donor revolution aside, Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) recent success may still be the exception rather than the rule.

The panic over the mortgage collapse and its wide-ranging consequences for the national and global economy led to Congress passing a $300 billion bailout plan for lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this week just as newspapers were putting the finishing touches on their sans-serif "Apocalypse" typesettings. How nice for Fannie and Freddie that help was forthcoming in the form of a taxpayer-financed buy-out. Guess those millions they've poured into lobbying and campaign contributions through the years have paid off.

A ceramic artist by training, Arizona Senator Meg Burton Cahill (D-AZ) has extended her crafting skills far beyond a college art studio to the hotbed of public-policy making in the Arizona state legislature. Her passion for community politics matured after she completed a Masters in Public Administration, and with the advent of the Clean Elections system in Arizona, she decided the time had finally come for her to run for office.