Poverty Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Poverty

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  • Obama

    Obama's SOTU Address Calls for Middle-Class Revival, But Poverty & Inequality Still Get Short Shrift

    President Obama opened his State of the Union with a call to revive the middle class and with a challenge to a divided Congress to back his economic proposals to create jobs. We get reaction from Bob Herbert, distinguished senior fellow with Demos, and Cathy Cohen, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and founder of the Black Youth Project. "Median income in the United States has gone down since the recession ended,"...
    Feb 13, 2013 | Story
  • Redemption

    Redemption: Oscar-Nominated Doc Follows the Working Poor Who Survive on Collecting Bottles and Cans

    The HBO documentary "Redemption" examines New York City’s canners — the largely invisible people who survive by redeeming bottles and cans they collect from curbs, garbage cans and apartment complexes. Many have quietly slipped into poverty after losing their jobs, now living on the margins of society. The film has been nominated in the documentary shorts category at this year’s Academy Awards. We’re joined by...
    Jan 31, 2013 | Story

  • Democracy Now! Presidential Inauguration 2013 Coverage

    Monday, January 21, 2013 8:00am–1:00pm ET

    Tune in to Democracy Now! for our special 5-hour live broadcast of the presidential inauguration from 8am to 1pm EST on Monday, January 21. Democracy Now! will be on location in Washington, D.C., to take a look back at President Obama’s first term in office, analyze prospects for the next four years, and provide live coverage of the inauguration proceedings.

    During the program, Democracy Now!...

    Jan 21, 2013 | Special Broadcast
  • Tavis_2

    As Obama Prepares for 2nd Term, Tavis Smiley Urges Him to Take Up MLK's Fight Against Poverty

    Ahead of Monday’s public inauguration that will usher in President Obama’s second term, we turn to a call for him to put the more than 50 million Americans living in poverty at the top of his agenda. The issue has garnered attention in part because Obama will take the oath of office with his hand placed on two Bibles — one owned by Abraham Lincoln and the other by Martin Luther King Jr., known for his civil rights and anti-poverty...
    Jan 17, 2013 | Story
  • Harburg

    A Tribute to Blacklisted Lyricist Yip Harburg: The Man Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz

    His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Today, we take a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Harburg always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty....
    Nov 22, 2012 | Story
  • Smiley_and_west-2

    Tavis Smiley, Cornel West on the 2012 Election & Why Calling Obama "Progressive" Ignores His Record

    As the most expensive presidential election in U.S. history comes to an end, broadcaster Tavis Smiley and professor, activist Dr. Cornel West join us to discuss President Obama’s re-election and their hopes for a national political agenda in and outside of the White House during Obama’s second term. At a time when one in six Americans is poor, the price tag for combined spending by federal candidates — along with their parties...
    Nov 09, 2012 | Story
  • Climate-change-kills

    Climate Change Impact Often Felt Most by the Poor and Migrants Displaced by Extreme Weather

    We speak further with Henia Belalia of the group Peaceful Uprising about the issue of climate change, which was not raised in any of the three presidential debates. "The reason that we always bring this back to being a social justice issue is that we’re looking at this infinite growth machine that is the U.S. economy, and in order to continue to grow on a planet that is comprised of finite resources, we are decimating what were once...
    Oct 30, 2012 | Story
  • Tavis_smiley-cornel_west

    As U.S. Inequality Widens, Scholar Cornel West and Broadcaster Tavis Smiley Launch Poverty Tour 2.0

    New government data shows economic inequality continued to widen in the United States last year. The Census Bureau reports the wealthiest Americans increased their share of total wealth by 4.9 percent, while the median income reached its lowest level since 1995. Some 46.2 million Americans were classified as living in poverty. We’re joined by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, who are attempting to start a national dialogue with their new Poverty...
    Sep 13, 2012 | Story
  • Hedges-days_of_destruction

    Chris Hedges on 9/11, Touring U.S. Economic Disaster Zones in "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt"

    In the new book, "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt," journalist Chris Hedges and illustrator Joe Sacco look at the poorest areas in the United States, "sacrifice zones" where human beings and natural resources have been used and then abandoned. A former New York Times correspondent, Hedges reported from Ground Zero beginning just after the 9/11 attacks. In 2002, he was part of the team of reporters at the New York Times...
    Sep 11, 2012 | Story
  • Anglican_byamugisha_hiv

    Rev. Canon Byamugisha Makes History as 1st African Religious Leader to Reveal HIV-Positive Status

    We’re joined from the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., by Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha. A prominent church leader in Uganda, in 1992 he became the first African religious leader to openly declare his HIV-positive status. He has since devoted his life to an AIDS ministry that works to end the stigma around the disease. Rev. Byamugisha discusses his historic decision and the ongoing discrimination against LGBTQ people in...
    Jul 27, 2012 | Story