Social Issues

Stereotypes of Appalachia obscure a diverse picture
Appalachia has become a familiar shorthand for rural, white Americans, typically in poverty. But in reality, the region has a rich ethnic history and a rapidly diversifying future.
Far fewer immigrants arrested by California law enforcement are being turned over to federal authorities for deportation since a new state law went into effect in January.
It's the Truvada conundrum: A drug hailed as a lifesaver for many people infected by HIV is at the heart of a rancorous debate among gay men, AIDS activists and health professionals over its potential for protecting uninfected men who engage in gay sex without using condoms.
Heroin addicts face barriers to treatment
As the ranks of heroin users rise, increasing numbers of addicts are looking for help but are failing to find it -- because there are no beds in packed facilities, treatment is hugely expensive and insurance companies won't pay for inpatient rehab.
Heroin is spreading its misery across America. And communities everywhere are indeed paying. The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman spotlighted the reality that heroin is no longer limited to the back alleys of American life. Once mainly a city phenomenon, the drug has spread -- gripping postcard villages in Vermont, middle-class enclaves outside Chicago, the sleek urban core of Portland, Ore., and places in between and beyond.
Developers pitch plan for housing, retail, farmers market at Lake and Hiawatha in Mpls.
Developers are proposing a mixed-use development at the corner of Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue that would ultimately include a branch of Hennepin County social service programs, about 450 units of housing, retail shops and a site for the popular Midtown Farmers Market.
At issue was Brendan Eich's $1,000 donation in 2008 to the campaign to pass California's Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that outlawed same-sex marriages.
US secretly created 'Cuban Twitter' to stir unrest
At its peak, the project drew in more than 40,000 Cubans to share news and exchange opinions. But its subscribers were never aware it was created by the U.S. government.
In #CancelColbert, a firestorm and a lost opportunity
The controversy overshadowed a potentially productive discussion about stereotypes in media that might have changed how such jokes are handled, writes NPR TV critic Eric Deggans.
What 'The Simpsons' says about Ukraine's language divide
Some Ukrainians insist the show is funnier when dubbed in Ukrainian rather than Russian. In the recent crisis in Ukraine, much has been made of the divisions between Russian speakers.