Poverty is "the great moral issue of our time," says the former senator from North Carolina, John Edwards. He is challenging the United States to cut poverty in half in a decade and to end it by 2036. “This will benefit all of us, not just the poor,” Edwards said. He argues that sustained national leadership on raising the economic status of poor Americans will help enable the recovery of working- and middle-class families.

In an exclusive interview with AARP Radio in late July, John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, shared ideas on Social Security and health care and introduced his latest campaign, "Half in 10." The name comes from the goal of his effort—reducing poverty in the United States by half during the next 10 years. AARP’s Mike Cuthbert talks to Edwards about the upcoming elections and about how ending poverty by 2036—his long-term goal—would benefit all Americans.