Annie Lowrey of The New York Times: The 50th Anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty

President Lyndon B. Johnson

Annie Lowrey's article at The New York Times is linked below.

Annie Lowrey: The Legacy of LBJ's War on Poverty

"To many Americans, the war on poverty declared 50 years ago by President Lyndon B. Johnson has largely failed. The poverty rate has fallen only to 15 percent from 19 percent in two generations, and 46 million Americans live in households where the government considers their income scarcely adequate.

But looked at a different way, the federal government has succeeded in preventing the poverty rate from climbing far higher. There is broad consensus that the social welfare programs created since the New Deal have hugely improved living conditions for low-income Americans."

---Annie Lowrey, The New York Times 

Associated Press: Fallujah Has Fallen to an Al Qaeda-Affliliated Group, Islamic State in Iraq and Levant

Iraq

The Associated Press article at ABC News is linked below.

The Fall of Fallujah

"The city center of Iraq's Fallujah has fallen completely into the hands of fighters from the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State in Iraq and Levant, police said Saturday, yet another victory for the hardline group that has made waves across the region in recent days."

---Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press, Posted at ABCNews.com

NBC News: Are Video Games, Unleaded Gasoline, and Abortion Significant Contributors to the 20-Year Decline in Violent Crime in America?

Andrew Blankstein's article at NBC News is linked below.

NBC News: Possible Explanations to a 20-Year Decline in American Crime

"But experts say the real reasons behind the downturn -- which included double-digit decreases in homicide rates last year in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles -- are more complicated and may involve factors as mundane as that X-Box sitting in the living room, Americans’ changing work habits and what comes out of your gas pump."

---Andrew Blankstein, NBC News 

In Iraq, Fallujah Falls to Al Qaeda-Affiliated Militants

In Iraq, Militants Take the City of Fallujah

January 3, 2014: In Iraq, forces affiliated with Al-Qaeda established control of the city of Fallujah, a city that U.S. forces struggled to control in 2004, and a scene of bloody fighting during that period.

In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, a high degree of sectarian violence (Sunni versus Shiite) returned in 2013. By the start of 2014, it was unclear if the sectarian struggle constituted a full-blown civil war.


"In Fallujah, where Marines fought the bloodiest battle of the Iraq war in 2004, the militants appeared to have the upper hand, underscoring the extent to which the Iraqi security forces have struggled to sustain the gains made by U.S. troops before they withdrew in December 2011."

---Liz Sly, Washington Post 


In Iraq, Militants Take Control of the City of Fallujah

"U.S. intelligence officials said Friday the situation in western Iraq was 'extremely dire' after radical Sunni forces linked with al Qaeda raised their flag in the town of Fallujah - site of two of the bloodiest battles during the Iraq war - and gained control of the city."

---Andrea Mitchell and Courtney Kube, NBC News

NBC News: Fallujah Falls

Salon's Brian Beutler: Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson, and the Core of the Republican Party

Brian Beutler's article at Salon is linked below.

Salon: Phil Robertson and the GOP

"Robertson’s comments don’t fly in most of America. If Robertson were, say, running for Senate in Missouri as a Republican, the GOP would have disowned him immediately. But Robertson isn’t a politician. He’s not a mouthpiece for a political party that needs to maintain a national brand identity. But his remarks reflect the views of a cultural subset the GOP depends on for its survival. His suspension made him a tribune of modern conservatism. Thus, conservative Republicans (not just opportunists like Sarah Palin, but party standard-bearers) felt impelled to rally to his side without actually echoing anything Robertson said."

---Brian Beutler, Salon 

Time: Study by University of Massachusetts-Amherst Economist Claims that a Minimum Wage Increase Would Bring Over 4 Million out of Poverty

Eliana Dockterman's article at Time is linked below.

Eliana Docterman: Study Maintains a Minimum Wage Increase Would Reduce U.S. Poverty

"If Congress were to go through with the plan backed by President Obama to raise the minimum hourly wage from $7.25 to $10.10, 4.6 million people would rise above the poverty line, a new study says."

---Eliana Docterman, Time 

The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn: Eight Forecasts for the State of Obamacare on January 1, 2015

Jonathan Cohn's article at The New Republic is linked below.

Jonathan Cohn: Obamacare and January 1, 2015

"The most notable change will be 12 million newly insured Americans.  In May, 2013 the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected 9 million low-income adults would gain coverage in states opting to expand Medicaid during 2014, and another 7 million Americans would obtain private insurance through new federal and state health insurance exchanges. However, because of incomplete ACA awareness among eligible adults and early technical problems with the exchanges, I expect overall enrollment gains in 2014 will be 12 million instead of 16 million Americans."

---John Z. Ayanian, One of the eight forecasters featured in Jonathan Cohn's article in The New Republic 

NBC News: PTSD-Suffering Veteran of the Iraqi War Made Colorado's First Legal Purchase of Recreational Marijuana

Colorado

The NBC News article is linked below.

NBC News: War Veteran Purchases $59 Worth of Legal Recreational Marijuana in Colorado

"Colorado's legal recreational marijuana industry kicked off Wednesday with an Iraq war veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder making the first pot purchase under the new law.

Sean Azzariti of Denver, who helped campaign for Amendment 64, bought an eighth of an ounce of a strain called Bubba Kush and a pot-infused edible truffle for $59 at the 3D Cannabis Center — one of about a dozen retailers that began selling up to an ounce of weed to adults starting at 8 a.m. mountain time."

---Tracy Connor, NBC News 

Slate: Colorado Recreational Marijuana Sales are Underway

Denver Post: Legal Sales of Recreational Marijuana are in Effect in Colorado

Colorado

The article at the Denver Post is linked below.

Denver Post: Sales of Recreational Marijuana Now Legal in Colorado

"The customer was Sean Azzariti, an Iraq War veteran from Denver who was featured in pro-legalization campaign ads in which he said he hoped to use marijuana to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder. The cost of the ceremonial first sale was $59.74."

---John Ingold, Denver Post 

The New York Times: January 1, 2014 is a Landmark Day for Obamacare

The article in The New York Times is linked below.

The New York Times: New Year's Day a Pivotal Moment in the Implementation of Obamacare

"Millions of Americans will begin receiving health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday after years of contention and a rollout hobbled by delays and technical problems. The decisively new moment in the effort to overhaul the country’s health care system will test the law’s central premise: that extending coverage to far more Americans will improve the nation’s health and help many avoid crippling medical bills."

----Robert Pear and Abby Goodnough, The New York Times 

New York Daily News: Democrat Bill de Blasio Sworn In as the Mayor of New York City

New York City

As Americans in the eastern time zone rang in 2014, Democrat Bill de Blasio took the oath of office to become Mayor of New York City.  He was sworn in just a few minutes after midnight on January 1, 2014.

Jennifer Fermino's article in the New York Daily News is linked below.

New York Daily News: Bill de Blasio is New York City's 109th Mayor

AL.com: The State of Alabama Had a 1-Year Population Growth Rate of 0.33% for the Year Ending in Mid-2013

Alabama

The AL.com article is linked below.

AL.com: Alabama's Low but Steady Annual Population Growth Rate

"Alabama's population grew to 4,833,722 in 2013, putting it just ahead of South Carolina and just behind Colorado. 

The state's population grew by about 16,200 persons from 2012 to 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated this week, or 0.336 percent. In 2012, it grew by 0.331 percent, and in 2011 by 0.335 percent -- that's as steady as it gets when you're talking population growth.

Put it all together, and Alabama's population is up by an even 1 percent since 2010, when the last major census was conducted.

That growth puts Alabama in the bottom half among states on a percentage basis, or 36th since 2010. Slightly more than half the states have grown by at least 2 percent since then, with Massachusetts just missing that mark (1.97 percent)."

---Alex Walsh, AL.com 

Time: America's Population Growth Most Robust in the South and West

Noah Rayman's article at Time is linked below.

Time: Slow Population Growth for the United States

"The U.S. population grew at the lowest rate in more than 70 years, according to Census Bureau data released Monday, with most of the growth fueled by states in the south and west."

---Noah Rayman, Time 

Washington Post: The Recession Continues in American Demographic Trends

Carol Morello's article at the Washington Post is linked below.

Washington Post: 2013 U.S. Population Growth Rate on Par with Depression-Era Numbers

"The last time the nation grew at a slower pace was in the heart of the Great Depression, from 1932 to 1937, according to an analysis by demographer William Frey of the Brookings Institution.

The recession led more women to postpone childbirth and fewer immigrants to come seeking jobs. As a result, the nation’s growth rate, which was just shy of 1 percent as recently as 2006, began sliding after the recession began the following year. With the economic downturn officially over for four years now, some demographers expressed surprise that the population growth rate registered a decline."

---Carol Morello, Washington Post 

The New York Times: In the Year Ending in Mid-2013, the U.S. Population Grew a Meager 0.72%, the Smallest Increase Since the Great Depression

Tamar Lewin's article in The New York Times is linked below.

The New York Times: The U.S. Population Increased 0.72% in the Year ending in Mid-2013

"The largest population increases over the year were in Texas (387,397 people), California (332,643) and Florida (232,111). New York, which added 75,002 people, ranked ninth. California this year became the first state to top 38 million residents, with a population of 38,332,521."

---Tamar Lewin, The New York Times

ArgusLeader.com: South Dakota Ranked #6 in the Nation in Terms of State Population Growth Rates for the Past Three Years

South Dakota

The ArgusLeader.com article is linked below.

South Dakota Population Growth Rate Ranked #6 in the Nation Over the Past 3 Years

"South Dakota’s population grew by 3.5 percent in the last three years, making it the sixth fastest growing state, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today."

---Jonathan Ellis, ArgusLeader.com

The U.S. Census Bureau Estimates That the Population of the United States of America Will be 317,297,938 on January 1, 2014

The U.S. Census Bureau population projection for January 1, 2014 is linked below.

U.S. Census Bureau: A U.S. Population Estimate of 317.3 million for New Year's Day 2014

Commerce Department: U.S. Population Projection for January 1, 2014

USA Today: Slowing Growth Rate for the Population of the United States in 2013

The article in USA Today is linked below.

USA Today: The Population of the USA is Growing at a Slow Rate

"An aging Baby Boomer population and slower immigration combined for nearly stagnant U.S. population growth in 2013 as the total number of residents inched up even more slowly than the previous year.

New figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau show that growth for the 12 months ending July 1 was 0.71%, or just under 2.3 million people."

---Greg Toppo and Paul Overberg, USA Today 

Florida Had a Mid-2013 Population of 19.55 million, Slightly Behind New York's Estimated Population of 19.65 million

Florida

The U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates are linked below.

Florida and New York Nearly Equal in Population in mid-2013

Georgia Nearing a Population of 10 Million, Per the U.S. Census Bureau

Georgia

U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates are linked below.

U.S. Census Bureau: State population estimates for mid-2013