Podcast: Alternative Energy, the State of the Union and More

Staff / Truthdig Jan 27, 2007 Robert Scheer joins Truthdig contributors James Harris and Joshua Scheer for a conversation on the State of the Union, alternative energy, Nancy Pelosi, Iraq and more. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Robert Scheer, James Harris and Joshua Scheer on Alternative Energy, the State of the Union and More

Staff / Truthdig Jan 27, 2007 Robert Scheer joins Truthdig contributors James Harris and Joshua Scheer for a conversation on the State of the Union, alternative energy, Nancy Pelosi, Iraq, Oakland and more. Dig deeper

Marie Cocco: Senators Hijack Minimum-Wage Increase

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Jan 18, 2007 Senate Democrats and Republicans have shamelessly joined in a bipartisan effort to pad the well-off at the expense of the working poor. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Martin Luther King Jr.: ‘A Society Gone Mad on War’

Staff / Truthdig Jan 15, 2007 During the Vietnam War, Dr. King referred to our nation's government as "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." Now that we find ourselves mired in another senseless conflict, our soldiers in harm's way and more and more among us suffering from the tyranny of poverty, we turn once again to the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Kirk Douglas’ Birthday Plea

Staff / Truthdig Dec 12, 2006 Acting legend Kirk Douglas turned 90 over the weekend and issued this birthday essay to commemorate the occasion, calling on the next generation to at least try to solve the world's problems. (h/t: Largest Minority) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report: World Bank Fails to Address Poverty

Staff / Truthdig Dec 10, 2006 A new report by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group criticizes the international lending organization for failing to alleviate global poverty with programs that focus too single-mindedly on growth. The bank estimates that 1.1 billion people subsisted on less than $1 per day in 2001. (h/t: Common Dreams) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Colbert on Christian Conservative Hypocrisy

Staff / Truthdig Dec 6, 2006 Stephen Colbert mocks the Christian Coalition's rejection of Joel Hunter (last week's Truthdigger of the Week) as its president. Hunter wanted to expand the group's agenda to address the AIDS epidemic and poverty -- issues the Christian conservatives thought would cause people to confuse them with liberals, or perhaps Jesus. Watch it Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: The Rev. Joel Hunter

Staff / Truthdig Dec 3, 2006 This week Truthdig salutes the Rev. Joel Hunter, who recently resigned as president of the Christian Coalition because the group was unwilling to accept his agenda on global warming, poverty and AIDS. While we don't endorse Hunter's stand on choice and gay marriage, we admire the consistency of his pro-life position. As the pastor himself says, "unless we are caring as much for the vulnerable outside the womb as inside the womb, we're not carrying out the full message of Jesus." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Marie Cocco: The USDA’s Awkward Timing

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Nov 23, 2006 It hasn't the zesty political punch of that Reagan-era effort to turn ketchup into a vegetable. But really, could there be a more unfortunate time for the Agriculture Department to banish the word "hunger" from its description of people who are, well, hungry? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

USDA Eliminates ‘Hunger’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 16, 2006 The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to remove the word "hunger" from its annual report assessing Americans' access to food. Those among us who sometimes go without food, a group that has grown consistently over the last five years, will now suffer from "very low food security." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

American Companies Fight For Right to Bleed China

Staff / Truthdig Oct 13, 2006 In the face of vast poverty and exploitation, the Chinese government is about to enact a labor law that would strengthen the role of unions and protections for workers. But American corporations, eager to maintain their fiefdoms in the middle kingdom, have lobbied fiercely against the proposed legislation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Paying for Being Poor

Staff / Truthdig Jul 19, 2006 A new study by the Brookings Institution found that the urban poor pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year in extra costs for necessities, such as car insurance, home appliances, banking fees and other basics. (NYT link) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )