Social Issues

Trends in teen drug use
A new survey from the National Institutes of Health reports that while smoking and drinking by teens is at a record-low, use of natural and synthetic marijuana is on the rise.
Hundreds mourn Minnesotans who died homeless
Hundreds of mourners gathered Thursday night to remember those who died while struggling with homelessness this year - 130 Minnesotans whose lives were cut short by violence, depression, frostbite and other symptoms of a life spent on the streets.
Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income
Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans - nearly 1 in 2 - have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.
Revisiting the Constitution
The debate over the nature of the U.S. Constitution goes back to the framers. Jefferson thought it should be updated every few years, while John Adams considered it a sacred text. Into this debate comes Christopher Phillips, who's been asking people across the county to view themselves as framers of our founding document. With faith in our government at an all-time low, he says maybe it's time to make some changes.
Surveillance Software: Where do we draw the line?
From individual identity theft to national repression of government dissidents to tracking terrorists, the use of computer surveillance equipment is fraught with political and ethical issues. How do we weigh the risks and benefits of computer surveillance equipment? And what legislation could help us monitor its use?