A new report by the Census Bureau says that poverty is down in the US. According to the bureau, the poverty rate for a family of four is $16,600 per year. The report says that the number of people under the poverty line is down by 1.1 million since 1997. But advocates for the poor point out that poverty rates, while decreasing somewhat, are higher than they were in the 1970s, and that child poverty here is higher than in other industrialized countries.

A coalition made up of dozens of poor and homeless families are marching from the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington, DC to the United Nations in New York City. The march has been organized by the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. Once at the UN, they plan to file a petition charging the US with violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by failing to provide adequate public education, accessible health care, affordable housing and a living wage.

Guest:

• Laura Flanders, Pacifica reporter who caught up with the marchers as they kicked off their march early this month in Washington, DC.