• An Older, More Diverse US by 2050
• Will Social Security Survive the Challenge of an Aging Population?
• Taking "America's Toughest Sheriff" to Court
• Environmentalists Decry Plan to Use Oil Shale
• Street Beat – South African Women Farmers

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An Older, More Diverse US by 2050


Whites in the United States will become the minority in numbers by 2042, according to a report released by the Census Bureau today. And by 2050, The African-American population will rise slightly to 15%, the Asian-American population will nearly double from 5.1 to 9.2%; and where today, Latinos make up 15% of the population, they'll be 30% of the population by 2050. The Census Bureau report adds that the population will become much older. FSRN's Karen Miller looks at some of the implications of having an older and more diverse country.

Will Social Security Survive the Challenge of an Aging Population?

The Census report's projection of an older US raises questions about whether Social Security will survive the aging of the Baby Boomers. On the 73rd anniversary of the program, Democrats held a birthday celebration for Social Security and warned Republicans not to privatize it. FSRN's Tanya Snyder reports.

Taking "America's Toughest Sheriff" to Court

Lawyers in Arizona are suing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the so-called "Toughest Sheriff in America", over prison conditions for pre-trial detainees. The suit seeks to make the Maricopa County Jail facilities that house pre-trial detainees meet the minimum constitutional requirements mandated by a federal consent decree, which Sheriff Arpaio has largely ignored for years. Detainees who have mental health problems or chronic medical conditions such as respiratory diseases and diabetes have been left untreated – at risk to their life and health. Larry Hammond is a member of the firm Osborn Maladon in Phoenix, and is one of the lawyers working with the ACLU on the case.  He describes some of the conditions that detainees face.

Environmentalists Decry Plan to Use Oil Shale

The push to open the nation's coast to offshore oil drilling isn't the only energy issue Republicans have been promoting. The Interior Department recently approved draft rules to open 2 million acres of public lands in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah for commercial oil shale production. Environmentalists call oil shale the dirtiest fuel on Earth and say the plan could destroy large tracts of the Rocky Mountain region. Africa Jones reports.

Street Beat – South African Women Farmers

Outside of Cape Town, South Africa, black women farmers say they've reached a point of desperation. They are hungry, they can't feed their children, and they contend with exploitation, discrimination and sexual abuse at the hands of both male farm owners and even husbands. The unemployed women farmers who formed the Rawsonville Women's Agricultural Cooperative say farm work has been in their families for generations, and they've prepared to run farms independently. But despite a government plan that includes rural women in land reform initiatives, the Rawsonville Co-Op says the government is stonewalling their efforts to run and manage their own land. For our regular segment Street Beat, we'll hear from Fatima, Wendy and Maria, some of the farmers who occupied a piece of farmland earlier this week – recorded by Athini Melane.