PBS NewsHour: Social Issues

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SOCIAL ISSUES


	2012 FEBRUARY Feb. 7, 2012 Will Prop. 8 Ruling Lead Supreme Court to Consider Same-Sex Marriage? A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 Tuesday against banning same-sex marriage in California, upholding a lower court's ruling. Spencer Michels reports and Gwen Ifill discusses the decision and the next steps with David Boies of the American Foundation for Equal Rights and John Eastman of the National Organization for Marriage.

	Feb. 7, 2012 Proposition 8 Ruling Expected in California The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is expected to rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the 2008 ban on same-sex marriage in California, Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. ET.

	Feb. 6, 2012 Obama Administration, Catholic Leaders Clash Over Contraception Mandate Catholic leaders are pushing back against a new Department of Health and Human Services ruling requiring employers who offer health insurance to provide contraception free of charge. While churches are exempt from the rules, Catholic hospitals and universities must comply. Betty Ann Bowser reports on the controversy.

	Feb. 2, 2012 Poverty and Politics: How Strong Is Safety Net for Poor Americans? Presidential candidates have loaded recent stump speeches with references to wealth, taxes and "the very poor." Jeffrey Brown explores the role of poverty this election year with Lawrence Mead of New York University, Angela Glover Blackwell of the advocacy group PolicyLink and Barbara Perry of the University of Virginia.

	Feb. 2, 2012 Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock A feminist before the term was coined, Daisy Bates was one of the great unsung heroes of the civil rights movement. Hari Sreenivasan spoke with filmmaker Sharon La Cruise about the challenges of telling her story.



	JANUARY Jan. 20, 2012 Airman, Actors Seek to Inspire Youth with 'Red Tails' "Nothing's difficult. Everything's a challenge. Through adversity to the stars. From the last plane to the last bullet to the last minute to the last man - we fight. WE fight! We FIGHT!"



	2011 DECEMBER Dec. 30, 2011 Why Are Fewer Americans Getting Married? Fewer Americans are tying the knot nowadays, according to a new Pew Research report that showed 51 percent of the adult population is married, compared to 1960 when 72 percent of the country was. Ray Suarez discusses the changing demographics of marriage in the United States with Stephanie Coontz of Evergreen State College.

	Dec. 16, 2011 More With David Margolick, Author of 'Elizabeth and Hazel' On Thursday's NewsHour, Ray Suarez spoke with David Margolick about his new book, "Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock." The book tells the story of how an iconic civil rights era photograph changed the lives of Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan. Watch an extended interview, as well as Margolick reading from the book.

	Dec. 15, 2011 Woodruff: Why are Marriage Rates in Sharp Decline? Some remarkable things have been happening to the institution of marriage in the U.S. -- and far fewer people are jumping into it. Among young people aged 18 to 24, for example, only 9 percent were married in 2010, plummeting from 45 percent 50 years ago.

	Dec. 5, 2011 After String of Disasters, Aid Organizations Struggle to Meet Demands Private aid organizations are struggling to maintain their funding levels for relief efforts in the wake of multiple crises around the world. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on the trend as part of the Under-Told Stories project.



	NOVEMBER Nov. 28, 2011 Occupy DC's 'Roving Kabaret' Occupy DC recently hosted a "Roving Kabaret" ("K" as in K Street, which is where the organization has set up tents) that toured places around Washington, D.C., with historical significance to workers' rights movements. At each spot, organizers explained its place in history and various theatrical troupes and musicians performed.

	Nov. 15, 2011 Occupy Demonstrations Under Pressure Around the Nation What began as the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York nearly two months ago has now spread to cities across the United States. Here is a roundup of some of the most recent developments in the movement, as reported by our public media partners around the country.

	Nov. 14, 2011 Police, Occupy Protesters Clash in Portland, Order Oakland Cleared Police arrested more than 50 Occupy protesters in Portland while clearing out an encampment in two of the city's parks Sunday afternoon. In Oakland, Calif. police have warned protesters that they must leave a plaza where they have camped out, the fourth such order in that city.

	Nov. 10, 2011 'We Still Live Here' Details Effort to Restore Wampanoag Language The film "We Still Live Here," tells the story of the return of the Wampanoag Indian language, the first time a language with no native speakers has been revived in this country. It's part of our series, in partnership with The Economist magazine, showcasing the art of filmmaking.

	Nov. 10, 2011 'We Still Live Here' Traces Comeback of Wampanoag Indian Language On Thursday's NewsHour, we'll feature an excerpt of "We Still Live Here," which tells the story of the return of the Wampanoag Indian language, the first time a language with no native speakers has been revived in this country. It's part of our series, in partnership with The Economist magazine, showcasing the art of filmmaking.

	Nov. 7, 2011 Poverty's Changing Profile in the U.S. The hard economic times of the last few years have been felt widely, but not uniformly. A new report shows that in recent years poverty grew more in suburban counties than in the dense heart of urban centers. Should these trends continue, they would change our understanding of what poverty looks like in the United States.

	Nov. 3, 2011 Census: 1 in 15 Americans Among the Poorest of the Poor New Census data out Thursday show that one in 15 Americans now lives in extreme poverty and earns less than half of the official poverty line. Jeffrey Brown discusses the spread of poverty and the implications for families and communities with Elizabeth Kneebone of the Brookings Institution.

	Nov. 3, 2011 'Crime After Crime' Follows Complex Story of Imprisoned Battered Woman On Thursday's NewsHour, we will feature an excerpt of the film "Crime After Crime", which traces the legal battle to free Deborah Peagler from a California prison 20 years after she was connected to the murder of the man who had abused her and forced her into prostitution.

	Nov. 2, 2011 Occupy Oakland: KQED Provides Live Coverage of Events Our partners at KQED News have been tracking the developments since the protests began. They are providing live updates and background information on the Bay Area Occupy movement and strike Wednesday and Thursday.



	OCTOBER Oct. 27, 2011 World Population Poised to Hit 7 Billion. What Challenges Lie Ahead? On Monday, a baby will be born somewhere and demographers will proclaim that the world's population has reached 7 billion. That's good news and bad news, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released Wednesday.

	Oct. 19, 2011 In Brazil's Slums, Economic Inequality Tackled With Technology Rio de Janeiro's gleaming skyline befits a world economic power, but it is not far from violent, impoverished slums. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on one man's efforts to tackle Brazil's wealth inequality by providing poor people access to technology.

	Oct. 18, 2011 Frontline's 'Lost in Detention' Examines Immigration Policy Enforcement A year-long investigation by Frontline and the American University Investigative Reporting Workshop examines the current U.S. immigration enforcement system and stories of hidden abuse in detention centers.

	Oct. 17, 2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement Expands to International Cities Following weeks of protests in New York and other cities in the United States, demonstrators took to the streets in locations around the world in similarly fashioned protests over the weekend, resulting in hundreds of arrests.

	Oct. 14, 2011 Delivering Healthy Eats to Nashville Neighborhoods Nashville Mobile Market is a social enterprise venture that aims to increase access to healthy foods in Nashville communities. These communities have been identified as food deserts, given a prevalence of fast food restaurants, liquor stores and convenience stores but a lack of stores that provide healthy, fresh grocery options.

	Oct. 11, 2011 'Women, War & Peace' Highlights Changing Females' Roles in Global Conflicts "Women, War & Peace," a new five-part series co-produced by WNET New York, explores the changing role of women in conflicts around the world. This excerpt tells the story of an Army Female Engagement Team that reaches out to women in rural parts of Afghanistan.

	Oct. 11, 2011 Ex-French Resistance Fighter Hessel: 'It Is Good for Us to Feel Outrage' Stephane Hessel, a 94-year-old former French resistance fighter, is urging young people to take to the streets and show their outrage. Ray Suarez and Hessel discuss his book, "Time For Outrage," which is also titled "Indignez-Vous!" in French.

	Oct. 7, 2011 3 Women 'at Forefront of Peace for Years' Honored With Nobel Prize The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to three women who have fought for peace and women's rights. Margret Warner discusses the achievements of the three winners with the Institute for Policy Studies' Emira Woods and Vital Voices' Malini Patel.

	Oct. 7, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Honors 3 Women for Gender Equality, Peace Advocacy The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to three women from the Middle East and Africa who have fought for peace and women's rights. Margret Warner reports on the winners: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and peace activist Leymah Gbowee plus Tawakkul Karman of Yemen.

	Oct. 5, 2011 A Day with the Occupiers of Wall Street We spent yesterday at the Occupy Wall St. site in lower Manhattan, a stone's throw from ground zero. For those of us old enough to remember such gatherings in the so-called Sixties ('64-'74), the similarities were striking: spontaneity, solidarity, earnestness, and, of course, dissatisfaction with the status quo.

	Oct. 3, 2011 New GlobalPost Series 'The Rainbow Struggle' Highlights Gay Rights Fight Kevin Grant, GlobalPost's deputy editor of special reports, speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about a series of in-depth reports that launches Monday highlighting developments and incidents of violence in the fight for gay rights around the world.

	Oct. 3, 2011 Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread Over 700 people were arrested for traffic violations on the Brooklyn Bridge during an "Occupy Wall Street" march Saturday, Oct. 1. The protests began Sept. 17 in New York City and have spread to several other cities, including Los Angeles and Boston.



	SEPTEMBER Sept. 28, 2011 Novelist Banks Explores Sex Crime Outcasts' Social, Psychological Issues In the novel "Lost Memory of Skin," author Russell Banks delves into deep issues of American life rarely raised or seen by most people. Jeffrey Brown and Banks discuss the book that explores a fictional group of convicted sex offenders.

	Sept. 26, 2011 New Book Explores How Millennials Shape American Life, Culture The new book, "Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation Is Remaking America," explores how young people coming of age are reshaping American life and culture. Judy Woodruff speaks with authors Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais.

	Sept. 23, 2011 African-American Trailblazers Visit Schools to Energize, Inspire Students The HistoryMakers organization has sent 450 African-American trailblazers and leaders into high schools around the country this week to encourage students to get their diplomas and aim for college.

	Sept. 22, 2011 Single, Jobless and Living at Home: Will Economy Create a 'Lost Generation'? In record numbers, 20-somethings are delaying big moves like marriage and home ownership -- and opting instead to live at home with their parents. But there was some good news: health insurances rates have gone up.

	Sept. 22, 2011 Girl Effect: Helping Poor Girls Makes Economic Sense Girl Effect is an initiative of the Nike Foundation, that focuses on intercepting girls in poverty at a crucial inflection and development point -- age 12 -- and providing them with the resources to break the cycle of poverty.

	Sept. 22, 2011 Readers Respond on the Question of Poverty in the U.S. My blog post last week raised questions about whether most journalists understand what life is like for the tens of millions of Americans who are living in poverty -- and provoked quite a few comments.

	Sept. 22, 2011 Young Entrepreneur Changes Lives One Story at a Time Vanderbilt University student and entreprenuer Trevor is the co-founder and CEO of Teach Twice, a social venture that educates children and their communities through stories and the exchange of culture.

	Sept. 21, 2011 Denzel Washington on Dropouts: 'Most Dangerous Time' for Kids Right After School In the first installment of an 18-month series on the nation's high school dropout rate, Gwen Ifill sits down with Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington to discuss his work as national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and making a difference in the lives of at-risk youth.

	Sept. 21, 2011 Authors Explore How to 'Give Smart' to Charities When Every Dollar Counts Even in a sluggish economy, Americans still give away billions of dollars to charitable causes.

	Sept. 12, 2011 For Russian Performers, Trapeze Skills May Be Ticket to Landing U.S. Residency An obscure piece of immigration law targets uniquely talented individuals who want to live in the United States. University of California, Berkeley students Lauren Rosenfeld and Caroline Bins explore how it could help some Russian performers in Las Vegas gain permanent residency thanks to their rope and trapeze talents.

	Sept. 9, 2011 Growing Up in a 9/11 World For young people who have grown up in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks and an economic crisis, there's no shortage of questions about the future.



	AUGUST Aug. 31, 2011 Marijuana Farming Is Lucrative Business in California, but Who's Profiting? Last year, local and federal authorities seized some 7 million illegally grown marijuana plants in California. The Center for Investigative Reporting and KQED investigate who and what are behind the spike in the state's lucrative marijuana-farming business.

	Aug. 30, 2011 '30 Mosques' Explores Where Muslim Americans Fit in Modern Society Earlier this month, two Muslim Americans embarked on a 12,000-mile Ramadan road trip across the United States to explore the relevance of Islam a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks.

	Aug. 29, 2011 Census Data Reveals New Geography of Marriage for Americans A new wave of U.S. Census Bureau data reveals some interesting trends in marriage and divorce rates by region. Ray Suarez discusses what data tell us about the institution of marriage with David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values and Elaine Tyler May of the University of Minnesota.

	Aug. 26, 2011 InvisiblePeople.tv Aims to Empower Homeless Through Social Media After losing his job as a TV executive, Mark Horvath wound up as a drug addict living on the streets of Hollywood. He rebuilt his life and he's now on a mission to help homeless people find their voice and communicate their needs through the power of free social media tools. He discussed his projects with Hari Sreenivasan.

	Aug. 26, 2011 Remembering and Reimagining August 28, 1963 Somewhere in that sea of optimistic humanity on August 28, 1963 was my father, who had boarded a bus with a group of other African-American preachers to be there for what came to be known as the "I Have A Dream" speech.

	Aug. 25, 2011 In 'Old People Driving,' Handing Over the Keys Means the End of the Road In "Old People Driving," filmmaker Shaleece Haas examines how aging Americans can balance safety and independence as the ranks of drivers 85 and older surpasses 3 million. This excerpt is part of The Economist Film Project series of independently produced films aired in partnership between The Economist and the NewsHour.

	Aug. 25, 2011 Unveiling the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial The new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was scheduled to be dedicated on Aug. 28 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., but Hurricane Irene has delayed the ceremonies.

	Aug. 24, 2011 For Great Sioux Nation, Black Hills Can't Be Bought for $1.3 Billion Nine Sioux tribes have been locked in a land dispute since 1877, when the government broke a treaty setting aside the Black Hills as part of their reservation. However, there is a chance that the Great Sioux Nation's long struggle to regain its land might reach a conclusion after years of standoff.