May 24 DC community tries new anti-poverty program By Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone in New York, "promised neighborhoods" are being planned or underway in at least 20 states. Continue reading
May 12 How the Social Security system rips off poor people By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security benefits are calculated in a highly progressive manner, but the system is plagued with catch-22s that disadvantage poor recipients. Larry Kotlikoff explains which benefit strategy will help a financially strapped retiree maximize her income. Continue reading
May 06 Social safety net catching fewer of America’s neediest, study finds By Anya van Wagtendonk Although U.S. welfare spending has shot up in the last three decades, it is helping fewer of America’s poorest citizens, says a new study out of Johns Hopkins University. Continue reading
Apr 18 Cities crack down on homeless living in vehicles By Joshua Barajas At least 70 cities in the nation have passed laws that ban people from living in their vehicles. In Palo Alto, Calif., people living in their cars face a fine as high as $1,000 or a six-month jail sentence. These… Continue reading
Mar 03 Watch Monday, March 3, 2014 By PBS News Hour Tonight on the program, we examine the increasingly tense situation in Ukraine as Russian forces have seized key areas in Crimea, drawing international reactions. Also: Teaching students how to combat the stresses of poverty through yoga, a second look at… Continue watching
Feb 22 Long-term unemployed describe lack of mobility, depression in personal stories By Elisabeth Ponsot As part of PBS NewsHour's coverage of the long-term jobless, we gathered personal stories from Americans who have lost their emergency unemployment benefits since the turn of the new year. NewsHour received hundreds of submissions from people age 23 to… Continue reading
Feb 13 Watch Closing the Gap: Sen. Tim Scott on fighting poverty by offering ‘cafeteria plan’ of educational choices By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jan 21 American anxiety about inequality reinforces recent political rhetoric By Simone Pathe President Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty 50 years ago this month. Today, Democrats and Republicans still argue over ways to eliminate poverty and spur job growth. Continue reading
Jan 18 Watch Is India’s space program worth the money? By PBS News Hour India's Mars Orbiter Mission is a point of great national pride. It will be completed for just over $70 million, a tiny fraction of the cost spent by NASA on similar programs. But is spending any resources on a mission… Continue watching
Jan 11 Watch Stagnant wages imperil financial security Wages in the U.S. have been largely stagnant over the past 45 years, but during the same time span consumer prices have risen dramatically. Hari Sreenivasan discusses this trend and its effect on poverty with Bloomberg BusinessWeek reporter, Roben Farzad. Continue watching