Jan 25th, 2006 · Living wage advocates say a hike in the federal minimum wage will help people out of poverty, but critics contend hiking the minimum wage prices low-skilled workers out of the market and punishes small businesses. Ed Gordon explores the issue with economists David Swinton of Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., and Bernard Anderson, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jan 24th, 2006 · The U.S. Army changes rules on capital punishment. Executions -- rare in modern-day military annals, although more are in the works -- could now be held outside Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Opponents fear executions in places far from the public eye.
Jan 17th, 2006 · Clarence Ray Allen died by lethal injection early Tuesday morning at San Quentin State Prison in California. Allen, 76, had been convicted of a triple murder. His attorneys had argued that putting a frail old man to death constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
Jan 17th, 2006 · Sex with an underage student can end a teaching career and even lead to prison. But are the consequences the same if the offender is a woman? There have been a number of recent high-profile arrests of female teachers caught in sexual relationships with underage male students -- Madeleine Brand speaks with Slate contributor Will Saletan about whether female teachers receive lighter punishment than male teachers in similar cases.
Jan 16th, 2006 · China's government is closing thousands of coal mines in a bid to clean up the world's most dangerous mining industry. China punished more than 100 officials last year for coal mining accidents that killed nearly 6,000 miners. But thousands of unsafe mines remain in business in China, often protected by corrupt officials. Anthony Kuhn reports.
Jan 13th, 2006 · Some California lawmakers are calling for a moratorium on capital punishment, claiming the state could be on the verge of executing innocent people. Next week, the state plans to execute one of the oldest condemned inmates in America, a 75-year-old convicted murderer who's blind and in a wheelchair.
Jan 5th, 2006 · The Palestinian Authority reacts diplomatically to the dire medical circumstances faced by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. But many Palestinians say God is punishing a man they see as an enemy. Walid Batrawi of the BBC sets the scene for Michele Norris.
Jan 3rd, 2006 · Northern California residents are cleaning up and rebuilding after a week of powerful storms overwhelmed drainage systems and flooded many towns as rivers reached historic heights. The flooding strained the system of levees protecting cities and crucial farmland in the state's Central Valley.