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The "undeserving" poor: The American welfare system has grown, but so have the ranks of the poor, and as the US tries to focus help on those deemed most worthy, millions of adults are getting squeezed Kristina Cooke, David Rohde and Ryan McNeill  Reuters December 20, 2012

Angelica Gonzales graduated at the top of her high school class and headed off to one of the nation’s top universities. Four years later she is back home, without a degree.  Photo: NYT

For poor, leap to college often ends in a hard fall Jason DeParle New York Times December 22, 2012

Across the country, tens of thousands of underemployed and jobless young people, many with college credits or work histories, are struggling to house themselves in the wake of the recession, which has left workers between the ages of 18 and 24 with the highest unemployment rate of all adults. Photo: Matthew Ryan Williams/New York Times  

After recession, more young adults are living on the street Susan Saulny New York Times December 18, 2012

HSBC bank to pay US government a $1.3 billion fine for vast drug and other money-laundering "lapses" Devlin Barrett and Evan Perez Wall Street Journal December 11, 2012  HSBC—Too big to indict? A dark day for the rule of law (editorial) New York Times Decenber 11, 2012

Jobless rate edges down to its lowest level in 4 years Nelson D Schwartz New York Times December 8, 2012

Homeless rates in US held steady during recession, study says, but big gains are elusive Annie Lowrey New York Times December 10, 2012

 Tabitha Rouzzo yearns to take a different path than those around her in New Castle, Pa., but leaving poverty requires a more exhaustive effort than it once did in America. Photo: Linda Davidson/Washington Post 

In Rust Belt, a teenager's climb from poverty Anne Hull Washington Post December 8, 2012 See more stories of individuals confronting poverty and hunger in the United States

A protester held up a sign at a demonstration outside McDonald’s in Times Square in late November.  Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Unionizing the bottom of the pay scale Eduardo Porter New York Times November 4, 2012

Farm workers picking peppers in the Bakersfield, California area.  Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times/MCT  

The biggest challenge to immigration bill may be guest workers Franco Ordonez McClatchy Newspapers November 20, 2012

US food banks raise alarm as drought dents government supplies Lisa Baertlein Reuters November 21, 2012

Two million could see unemployment benefits disappear by year’s end Michael A Fletcher Washington Post November 12, 2012

Balancing act: Low-wage workers struggle to care for families, keep jobs Cindy Krischer Goodman Miami Herald October 29, 2012

Shannon Hardin earns $10.90 an hour at her part-time job. “I can’t live on this,” she said. “It’s almost impossible.”  Photo:Sandy Huffaker/New York Times

The new American job: A part-time life as hours shrink and shift Steven Greenhouse New York Times October 27, 2012

Standard of living is in the shadows as election issue David Leonhardt New York Times October 23, 2012

Ohio pushes welfare recipients to find work and exit the system Mark Guarino Christian Science Monitor October 15, 2012

California’s Central Valley is our greatest food resource. So why are we treating it so badly? Mark Bittman New York Times October 10, 2012  

PREP Simone Brown helping a student at Intermediate School 292 in Brooklyn prepare for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, the subject of a recent lawsuit. One study indicated that children of professionals were, on average, exposed to approximately 1,500 more words hourly than children growing up in poverty. This resulted in a gap of more than 32 million words by the time the children reached the age of 4. Photo: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times  

In suburbia, a dizzying fall from middle-class grace Petula Dvorak Washington Post September 25, 2012  See more stories of individuals confronting poverty and hunger in the United States

America's hidden unemployed: too discouraged to count Lucia Mutikani Reuters September 23, 2012

Romney calls for foreign aid overhaul at Clinton Global Initiative event Philip Rucker and Scott Wilson Washington Post September 25, 2012 See video of the talk Obama, Romney answer faith leaders' call to address poverty in election (video) Sandi Villarreal Sojourners September 12, 2012 Romney says 47 percent of Americans—those who back President Obama—are "victims" who are "dependent upon government" and "pay no income tax." (video) Mother Jones September 18, 2012

Fed ties new aid to jobs recovery in forceful move Binyamin Appelbaum New York Times September 13, 2012

Jobs grow by 96,000 in August; 13,500,000 still unemployed Nelson D Schwartz New York Times September 7, 2012

Income gap between the wealthiest 20 percent of American households and the rest of the country grew sharply in 2011, Census Bureau reports Sabrina Tavernise New York Times September 12, 2012 Access full report

Outlook grim for middle income workers, report says Michael A Fletcher Washington Post September 11, 2012  

A record 46.7 million Americans—or roughly one in five adults—used food stamps in June, the Department of Agriculture reports Bonnie Kavoussi Huffington Post September 5, 2012  See more food and hunger crisis stories

Ten percent of American households were not able to provide their children with “adequate, nutritious” food at times during 2011, according to a new USDA Economic Research Service report. This translates into more than 16.6 million children — or 22 percent of all American kids — who lived in households that could not adequately feed them.  Photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Ten percent of U.S. households couldn’t adequately feed kids in 2011 Tim Carman Washington Post September 5, 2012 See more food and hunger crisis stories

Egypt and US near deal on debt relief Michael Birnbaum Washington Post September 3, 2012 See Hunger Notes special report on foreign aid

Communal gardening helps refugees sink roots in a new land Tara Bahrampour Washington Post September 4, 2012

The real Romney-Ryan budgets cuts aren’t to Medicare. They’re to programs for the poor. Ezra Klein Washington Post August 22, 2012  

Laid off workers struggle to rebound—only a quarter find jobs that pay as well as former posts  Peter Whoriskey Washington Post August 24, 2012

15 innovations making school lunches healthier and more sustainable Seyyada A. Burney Worldwatch Institute August, 2012  

Training cutbacks thwart jobless Paul Davidson USA Today August 10, 2012

US added 163,000 jobs in July; unemployment rate ticks up to 8.3 percent Peter Whoriskey Washington Post August 3, 2012  

USDA prepared to approve soy plant genetically modified to withstand 2,4-D, a highly toxic herbicide used to defoliate during Vietnam war  Tom Philpott Mother Jones July 18, 2012 4 decades on, US starts cleanup of Agent Orange in Vietnam Thomas Fuller New York Times August 9, 2012

US poverty on track to reach 46-year high; suburbs, underemployed workers, children hit hard Associated Press Washington Post July 22, 2012

People standing outside Chosen 300 Ministries Outreach Center in Philadelphia. The Christian group in Philadelphia is fighting a city ban on feeding homeless people and has vowed that regardless of any fines, they will continue doing the work Christ sent his followers to do. Photo: Chosen 300 (undated photo)

Charity ready to defy Philadelphia ban on feeding homeless Stoyan Zaimov Christian Post July 18, 2012  

USDA prepared to approve soy plant genetically modified to withstand 2,4-D, a highly toxic herbicide used to defoliate during Vietnam war  Tom Philpott Mother Jones July 18, 2012

Two classes, divided by 'I do' Jason DeParle New York Times July 14, 2012

Farmer Albert Walsh walks through a drought-damaged corn field in Carmi, Ill.  Photo: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg iew photo gallery

Drought in U.S. reaching levels not seen in 50 years, pushing up crop prices Peter Whoriskey and Michael A. Fletcher  Washington Post July 16, 2012 Midwest's heat dashes hopes for a bumper crop of corn Monica Davey New York Times July 3, 2012 FAO food price index drops sharply: World cereal supplies expected to be abundant in 2012/13 FAO June 7, 2012

Most Americans earn more than parents, but only a third rise in income class, study says Annie Gowen Washington Post July 9, 2012  

'No child left behind' law whittled down by White House: 26 states are now relieved from meeting the goal of making all students proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014 Motoko Rich New York Times July 6, 2012

 Job growth remains tepid Catherine Rampell New York Times July 6, 2012  

Applicants, some already employed but looking for something better, at a weekly job fair in June sponsored by the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency. Stephen Morton/New York Times

Lost in recession, toll on underemployed and underpaid Michael Cooper New York Times June 18, 2012

Mysterious fatal crash offers rare look at U.S. commando presence in Mali Craig Whitlock Washington Post July 8, 2012  U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa Craig Whitlock Washington Post June 13, 2012 Contractors run US spying missions in Africa Craig Whitlock Washington Post June 14, 2012 See airbase location graphic. See Hunger Notes special report on foreign assistance.

Americans saw wealth plummet 40 percent from 2007 to 2010, Federal Reserve says Ylan Q Mui Washington Post June 11, 2012  

Clare Keany lives in a tiny mobile home in California, barely getting by on little more than $1,082 a month from Social Security. “I would rather be functioning and having a job somewhere,” said Ms. Keany,“I really don’t enjoy living like this. I’ve got too much to do still.” Photo: Michal Czerwonka/New York Times  

Forced to early social security, jobless pay a steep price Motoko Rich New York Times June 9, 2012

Worst US job data in a year signals stalling recovery Shaila Dewan New York Times June 1, 2012  

USDA targets food-stamp fraud with state effort Sam Hananel Washington Post May 29, 2012

Pakistan jails doctor who helped to find Bin Laden BBC News May 23, 2012 Fallout of Bin Laden raid: Aid groups in Pakistan are suspect Declan Walsh New York Times May 2, 2012  See Hunger Notes special report on foreign assistance

US ethanol policy costs Mexico $250 - 500 million each year, fuels hunger  ActionAid May 16, 2012  See full report (16 page PDF)

Firms to invest in food production for world's poor Stephanie Strom New York Times May 17, 2012 See Hunger Notes special report on foreign assistance

Doubling direct foreign aid could hurt US contractors Nick Taborek Bloomberg News/Washington Post May 20, 2012 See Hunger Notes special report on foreign assistance

In Kakola, Uganda the United States has been training troops for deployment to Somalia. The current class of 3,500 Ugandan soldiers, the biggest since the camp opened five years ago, is preparing to deploy to Somalia to join a growing international force composed entirely of African troops but largely financed by Washington.  Photo: Washington Post. View photo gallery

US trains troops for Somali fight Craig Whitlock Washington Post May 14, 2012  See Hunger Notes special report on foreign assistance

Extended jobless benefits cut in eight states Michael A. Fletcher Washington Post May 11, 2012

US lags in global measure of premature births Donald G McNeil Jr. New York Times May 2, 2012  See other health and nutrition stories

Reasons abound for lack of job growth (jobs added in April 115,000; workers dropping out of job market 342,000; still unemployed 13,700,000) Catherine Rampell New York Times May 4, 2012 America's long-term unemployed: 'For those looking for work, it's very bleak' Dominic Rushe The Guardian  May 3, 2012 The future of work: trends and challenges for low-income workers Rebecca Thiess Economic Policy Institute April 27, 2012

4 years later, race is still an issue for some voters Sabrina Tavernise New York Times May 3, 2012

House bill offers $261 billion in cuts to programs helping struggling Americans in order to save military spending Jonathan Weisman New York Times May 7, 2012 Defense trumps poverty in Republican House David Rogers Politico May 2, 2012 Republicans' budgets imply deep cuts in programs helping the poor Ezra Klein Washington Post April 10, 2012  

CEO pay and the top 1%--How executive compensation and financial-sector pay have fueled income inequality Lawrence Mishel and Natalie Sabadish Economic Policy Institute May 2, 2012  

Holes in the safety net

Republicans' budgets imply deep cuts in programs helping the poor Ezra Klein Washington Post April 10, 2012  

Lawmakers face increasing pressure to raise the minimum wage Steven Greenhouse New York Times April 9, 2012

People applying for food stamps in Lawrenceville, Ga., in 2009, at the height of the recession. Photo: Erik S. Lesser/New York Times

Food stamps helped reduce poverty rate, study finds Sabrina Tavernise New York Times April 9, 2012 See study

Federal funds to train the jobless are drying up Motoko Rich New York Times April 8, 2012

 An illegal immigrant from Mexico, above, the mother of four American-born children, started redeeming bottles and cans in Phoenix after she lost her $164 monthly welfare aid. Photo: Joshua Lott/New York Times

Welfare limits left poor adrift as recession hit Jason DeParle New York Times April 7, 2012

'Special interest' tax breaks would be tough to cut, Congressional Research Service says  Lori Mongomery Washington Post March 23, 2012 See informative graphic of major tax breaks See CRS study

Jim Yong Kim secures World Bank job amid criticism of US domination of role. Seoul-born Kim beats Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who said the decision was not made on merit. Dominic Rushe The Guardian April 16, 2012 Challengers for World Bank leadership ask for ‘a fair chance’ Howard Schneider Washington Post April 30, 2012 Jim Yong Kim, Dartmouth College president, tapped by Obama to head World Bank Howard Schneider and Zachary Goldfarb Washington Post March 23, 2012 See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

US economy adds 227,000 jobs in February; unemployment rate remains at 8.3 percent; 13 million people still unemployed Ylan Q Mui Washington Post March 10, 2012  

Intractable Afghan graft hampering US strategy—Afghan government has yet to prosecute a high-level corruption case Matthew Rosenberg and Graham Bowley New York Times March 7, 2012

US special operations forces are engaged in “more than 100 countries worldwide,”  commander says Stephen Aftergood Secrecy News March 7, 2012 See testimony Online, Joseph Kony and the Lords's Resistance Army soar to topic number one Josh Kron and J David Goodman New York Times March 8,2012 See video Kony 2012   US troops now in 4 African countries to fight Lords Resistance Army Jason Straziuso Associated Press/ABC News February 22, 2012 Pentagon commander says US special forces in India and four other Asian countries BBC News March 2, 2012 See Hunger Notes special report on US assistance including military expenditure

Families in extreme poverty double Reuters February 24, 2012

Contrary to "Entitlement Society" rhetoric, over nine-tenths of entitlement benefits go to elderly, disabled, or working households Arloc Sherman, Robert Greenstein, and Kathy Ruffing Center on Budget and Policy Priorities February 10, 2011 Even critics of the safety net increasingly depend on it Binyamin Appelbaum and Robert Gebeloff New York Times February 11, 2012 The geography of government benefits (interactive map showing benefits by country throughout the US) New York Times February 11, 2012

Farmers still fighting for immigrant guest-worker program Michael Doyle McClatchy Newspapers February 9, 2012

Education gap grows between rich and poor  Sabrina Tavernese New York Times February 9, 2012 Unemployment drop still leaves low skill workers behind Michael A. Fletcher Washington Post February 6, 2012  

As jobs go global, US workers pay Chrystia Freeland Reuters/New York Times February 2, 2012

Gates Foundation gives $750 million to Global Fund to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria David Brown Washington Post January 26, 2012

Obama says nation must address inequality Scott Wilson and David Nakamura Washington Post January 24, 2011

Stephen Murdock in his home. In the 14 months since he lost his $11-an-hour construction job, his options have been whittled down to this morning routine of cold calls to friends and neighbors. His weekly unemployment benefits had expired. His food stamps had been trimmed to less than $50 a week. His bank account was in the red, his hot water was turned off, and he no longer had health insurance to treat a pinched nerve or bouts of depression.  As South Carolina prepares to hold its Republican primary, the economically depressed state already has revealed a definitive issue of the 2012 presidential campaign: How can government best serve a record number of jobless and poor? 

For a jobless, struggling South Carolina man, reality isn’t a political debate. Entitlement society? Opportunity society? Steven Murdock sees little of either. Eli Saslow Washington Post January 19, 2012

In memory of Martin Luther King
Why (The King of Love is Dead)
Nina Simone
(song in tribute, written immediately after MLK's assassination on April 4, 1968)

A tariff on imported ethanol, which expired December 31, 2011, along with a tax credit that cost $6 billion in 2011, aided producers like Marquis Energy, which operates an ethanol plant in Hennepin, Ill. Nearly 40 percent of the United States corn crop goes to ethanol and byproducts.  The use of corn for ethanol has contributed to higher food prices worldwide.  Photo: Peter Wynn Thompson/New York Times

After three decades, tax break for ethanol expires Robert Pear New York Times January 1, 2012  

Harder for Americans to rise from lower rungs Jason DeParle New York Times January 4, 2012

 American demand for year-round organic fruits and vegetables has incited a farming boom in the arid deserts of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. The explosive growth in commercial cultivation is putting stress on the water table. In some areas, wells have run dry this year, meaning that small subsistence farmers cannot grow crops.  Photo: New York Times

Organic agriculture may be outgrowing its ideals Elisabeth Rosenthal New York Times December 30, 2011

Wealth gap widens between US Congress and constituents  (Congress median wealth $750,000; constituents $20,500)  Peter Whoriskey Washington Post December 26, 2011

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is now helping 46 million people afford an adequate diet Stacey Dean Center on Budget and Policy Priorities December 19, 2011 Also see Taking Stock of the Safety Net, Part 3: Helping Families Afford Decent Housing Taking Stock of the Safety Net, Part 2: Meeting Families’ Basic Needs Through TANF Taking Stock of the Safety Net, Part 1: Overview

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