On air: Will America still be America if whites are the minority?

Whites will become an ethnic minority in the United States in a generation as Hispanic and Asian populations transform the make up of the leader of the western world. The US Census Bureau projects that whites, now 66 per cent of the population, will make up less than half the total in 2042 – eight years sooner than previously predicted.

On air: Is Obama’s skin colour harming his presidential campaign?

It’s taken almost seven weeks, but Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has finally distanced himself from his former pastor after a couple of recent speeches. Rev Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s pastor for 20 years, the man who married him and his wife and baptised his children, claimed back in March that the United States had brought on the 9/11 attacks with its own “terrorism” and the government had invented AIDS to kill black people.

Originally Senator Obama denounced his comments as “incendiary” and “completely inexcusable”, yesterday his tone changed, “They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced. And that’s what I’m doing very clearly and unequivocally today.” Here are a couple of blogs with their own views.

Talking points for 28 April

Good morning, thanks to Katharina in Belgium and Agostinho in Jamaica for a sterling job in moderating the fourth blank page. We’ll be reading through your ideas for programmes with great interest. Turning to today’s programme, a report by the World Bank says the Israeli blockade on Gaza is having a crippling effect on it’s economy. Not all that surprising you may think, but Palestinian economic recovery is seen as crucial for U.S.-backed Mideast peace efforts.

Is it good for America to talk about race?

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama says race is an issue that America cannot ignore. Yesterday he made a speech that some would say was a political gamble, others believe he had little option. Obama sought to dispel the furore over inflammatory statements by his former pastor the Rev Jeremiah Wright, who criticised America for being racist and said the September the 11th attacks were revenge for American foreign policy.

Talking points for 19th March

Two weeks ago in Gaza there were celebrations that a gunman had infiltrated a Jewish seminary in West Jerusalem and killed eight people.  The Palestinian President condemned the attack, but according to a new poll an overwhelming majority of Palestinians support it and other acts of revenge against Israelis.