 Edición Semanaria de Noticiero Latino |
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January 2007
January 5th | Listen to the program
NEW DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS. The new U.S. Congress came back to session this week. Among the cheers of a jubilant Democratic majority, San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi took office as the new leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, positioning herself as the first woman ever to occupy the post. Democrats will dedicate the session’s first 100 hours to discuss ten bills, including a minimum wage increase, a prescription drug discount package for Medicare beneficiaries and an initiative to lower student loans interest rates. In the meantime, Senate Democrats leaders are working on an immigration reform bill. Patricia Guadalupe shares details.
“COYOTE” FACES DEATH PENALTY. In Texas, Tyrone Williams, the big rig driver accused of smuggling and killing 19 immigrants in 2003, was found guilty. Now Williams may face the death penalty. Tyrone is a Jamaican immigrant from New York who is accused of being a member of a human smuggling ring, also known as “coyotes.” Patricio Espinoza has followed the case closely at the Houston Federal Court, and shares survivors’ gut-wrenching testimonies.
MEXICO AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME. In Mexico, Felipe Calderon’s new administration has announced as a main priority the fight to take back the streets from the hands of organized crime. Nearly three weeks ago, Calderon ordered the deployment of 7,000 soldiers and federal police agents to the state of Michoacan, his home state. This week, the newly named Minister of the Interior, Francisco Ramirez Acuña sent 3,000 federal police and military men to the border city of Tijuana. Our Mexico City correspondent, Citali Saenz reports on these actions and the controversy surrounding them.
January 12th | Listen to the program
BUSH’S WAR STRATEGY. President Bush plans to send 20,000 additional troops to help Iraqi Prime Minister Al Maliki secure Baghdad. President Bush has acknowledged costly mistakes in the previous four years of the war in Iraq, and announced new components of his strategy. Analysts call Bush’s strategy risky. Radio Bilingue’s News Director, Samuel Orozco spoke to Gonzalo Gallego, official U.S. State Department spokesman.
REACTION IN CONGRESS TO BUSH'S PLAN. President Bush’s plan to increase troop presence in Iraq unleashed heated reactions by the Democratic leadership and cautious responses by GOP Congressional members. It’s expected that the Democratic majority take up the issue on the Congressional floor in the upcoming hours. Patricia Guadalupe shares details.
GUANTANAMO PRISON: FIVE YEARS. Twenty anti-war personalities marched this week to the U.S. Navy detention center in Guantanamo, Cuba to mark the arrival of the first detainees from Afghanistan labeled as “enemy-combatants.” Among the delegation that participated in the prison closure rallies were a former Guantanamo prisoner, retired Colonel Ann Wright and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. In the following interview, sociologist Catherine Murphy who formed part of the peace delegation, shares why activists demand the prison’s immediate close.
January 19th | Listen to the program
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. IN OUR DAY & AGE. This week, the nation observes the birthdate of sixties civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. On his acceptance speech of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King defined his vision of a world that holds basic human needs in the utmost regards. In this edition, Noticiero Latino offers a commentary by physician and columnist, Dr. America Bracho that connects Dr. King’s struggle with the healthcare crisis that affects Latinos, and in particular Latino children. Bracho leads the Santa Ana, California’s Latino Health Access.
MEGA-DAIRY WATER POLLUTION CONTROL. Several San Joaquin Valley cities depend on filter purifiers or bottled water for consumption. Groundwater basins are polluted and residents blame a newly arrived neighbor: mega-dairies or confined animal facilities that concentrate more than one million bovines in the Central Valley. To tackle the issue, state authorities have recently completed a series of public comment workshops on the first regulations aimed at controlling toxic cattle waste that is seeping into groundwater basins. Alma Martinez files the report on one such a meetings held in Fresno, California.
TORTILLA PRICE HIKES. In Mexico, a price hike of up to 400 percent in the price of tortillas is causing a wave of unconformity. President Felipe Calderon attributes the abrupt increase to speculation by producers and manufacturers. The president also points to the increasing U.S. demand over ethanol production. However, the President’s explanations have not diffused the heated debate. Citlali Saenz reports from Mexico City.
January 26th | Listen to the program
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS. President Bush offered his 6th state of the union addresses this week. The war in Iraq was one of the main highlights as expected, as well as his plan to deploy more troops to the battlefront. President Bush also put forth domestic issues such as health and energy. The President called on bipartisan participation without “animosity or amnesty” to craft an immigration reform plan. Patricia Guadalupe shares details.
FREEZE LEAVES THOUSANDS JOBLESS. California’s citrus counties anxiously wait for a state of emergency declaration by President Bush to ease damages caused by the recent freeze. The cold wave has resulted in over 12,000 jobless workers in central and southern state regions, and hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Such devastation has not been seen since 1990. While federal aid reaches the area, local and state officials join efforts to assist the most affected.
THE CANCER THAT SPREADS. It has been nearly two years since our Los Angeles colaborator, Eleazar Salinas found out he had colon cancer. Since the start, Eleazar took on a fighting spirit and began treatment at one of the top cancer treatment centers. Eleazar’s attitude couldn’t have been any more positive, until he discovered that the cancer had spread to his liver. In the following report, Eleazar shares this new phase of his life fighting cancer.