Social Issues

Wedding plans, legal concerns as same-sex marriages start this week
With Minnesota's first same-sex weddings set for Thursday, supporters and opponents of the new marriage law are busy on very different tracks. Advocates want things to go smoothly on the first day. Businesses that don't want to serve gay and lesbian weddings continue to look at whether they legally can say no.
AP Exclusive: 4 in 5 in US face near-poverty, no work
Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream. Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized U.S. economy, the widening gap between rich and poor, and the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend.
Unsealed birth records give adoptees peek at past
Since a handful of states have unsealed birth certificates, thousands of adoptees have claimed them and learned about their beginnings. Not everyone who gets the document goes on a search. But for many, it's led to heart-rending reunions.
Snowden charges don't carry death penalty, US tells Russia
In a letter dated July 23, Attorney General Eric Holder said the criminal charges Snowden faces do not carry the death penalty and that the U.S. will not seek the death penalty even if Snowden were charged with additional death penalty-eligible crimes.
Minnesota's food stamp payment error rate, among worst in U.S., raises concerns
Minnesota's Human Services Commissioner is raising concerns about incorrect food stamp payments, after the state's payment error rate was among the worst in the nation last year.
Aspen Ideas Festival: David Brooks on character, virtue and success
David Brooks speaks at the Aspen Ideas Festival about "The Inverse Logic of Life." Brooks says the key to actual happiness and a life that matters is to balance the material life and the spiritual life. To have a rich inner life, humility is a central virtue.