All Society
FocusHot new job for middle-class students: manual laborYoung workers are becoming barbers, bookbinders, furniture-makers and jewelers. In the process, they are elevating what, historically, were lowly manual labor jobs into sought-after career paths with cultural cachet.
First LookSocietal tensions trigger effect: black women turn to firearms for self-defenseAfrican-American women have been attending classes to learn the basics of gun ownership, safety, and defense. Most hope to not use these skills, but many feel it's a necessary precaution these days.
First LookLawsuit says 'bathroom bill' repeal has not solved problemsThe repeal of North Carolina's 'bathroom bill' has left a 'vacuum' of ambiguous conditions: It is not clear which public restrooms transgender people can legally use; and state and local governments are powerless to determine their own policies.
First LookMost Americans think government should provide health care, new poll reportsA recent poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62 percent of Americans 鈥� up from 52 percent in March 鈥� believe the federal government is responsible to ensure that citizens have health care.
GOP challenge: Reforming widely accepted 'safety net' programsAs safety-net programs have expanded, there is more political pressure to keep those benefits 鈥� even as fiscal pressure is mounting to reduce the cost.
Black gun owners ask: Does the Second Amendment apply to us?There's evidence that black gun ownership has spiked since the 2016 campaign began. While white Americans have led the liberalization of gun laws in the past decade, black gun carry is becoming a test of constitutional agency.
Mary Matsuda Gruenewald graduates from her high school 鈥� 74 years laterThe 92-year-old's story of graduation delayed is more than just another feel-good tale of a plucky senior citizen, says the principal of Vashon High.
First LookDespite inconvenience, Penn Station repairs start smoothlyAs repairs began Monday, hundreds of thousands of daily commuters traveled on packed and slow trains. Despite the first day's confusion, commuters and repair officials are optimistic about the summer project's success.聽
Cover StoryHow Cleveland has become a leader in trying to eradicate human traffickingBehind various efforts by the heartland city are a few individuals who are striving to chip away at a problem that many experts believe receives too little attention in society.
US teen tobacco use declinesPublic health advocates are encouraged by the recent figures, but say there is more work to be done.
Growing acceptance of interracial marriage in USIn 2017, 39 percent of Americans said interracial marriage was a good thing for society, up from 24 percent in 2010.
First LookRising water and insurance rates threaten Louisiana's Cajun cultureLafourche Parish has seen a 10 percent decline in residency since hurricane Katrina hit the region in 2005. Environmental concerns have hiked insurance rates substantially over the past decade in flood-prone areas, threatening the survival of culture in the bayous.
FocusIn today's movement toward home abortions, echoes of past cultural battles'The cultural atmosphere [today is] way worse than the atmosphere that the underground service worked in during the 鈥�68 to 鈥�73 period,' says a former 'Jane,' who helped women obtain abortions before Roe v. Wade legalized abortion.
Cover StoryAmbassadors of smokeSouthern-style barbecue is spreading around the world, turning weekend grillers into would-be pitmasters. Meet a real baron of barbecue 鈥� 鈥楤ig Moe.鈥�
First LookTexan pastors hold church services for immigrants afraid to leave their homesFearing public harassment and deportation, undocumented immigrants are going to church in fewer numbers. To bridge this gap, pastors and ministers are reaching out 鈥� in person and via phone conference 鈥� to give them a sense of community.
[special project]How helping whistle-blowers could cut health-care costsWhistle-blowers have already helped the US government recover nearly $20 billion from health-care companies engaged in fraud. Some say encouraging even more whistle-blowing can help build a culture of integrity in the health-care industry.
First LookNew study links recreational marijuana to increase in car crashesIn a study released Thursday, the Highway Loss Data Institute showed that Oregon, Washington, and Colorado saw car crash incidents rise by 2.7 percent since recreational marijuana was legalized in those states.- An epic case of medical fraud 鈥� and the agent who cracked itThis is the story of how a Miami psychiatrist managed to beat the system year after year, but finally met his match in a health-care fraud investigator named Alberico Crespo.
Why Michigan's Iraqi 海角大神s thought Trump would spare their loved onesAfter more than 100 Iraqi 海角大神s were rounded up for deportation in June, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class action suit on behalf of the detainees. On Wednesday, a federal judge heard arguments on whether to grant an emergency stay.
FocusAfter the fire: Volunteers help Gatlinburg find hopeIn this time of hand-wringing over a divided country and boiling civic hostilities, the volunteers living on church cots and in campers in a fire-ravaged mountain town seem an affirmation of spirit.
