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October 2000
October 6th
- In the first debate of the electoral season last Tuesday, presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush presented their differing proposals on issues such as the protection of Social Security and prescription drug coverage for seniors. While the debate seems to have reinforced the support each already enjoyed from voters in their respective parties, as Maria Eraņa explains, it did not appear to have made much on an impact on undecided voters.
- Six years after its implementation, immigrant and human rights organizations are asking President Clinton to put an end to the U.S. Border Patrol's Operation Gatekeeper. On the California border alone, the tougher measures being taken to patrol the border have led to the deaths of nearly six hundred immigrants. From San Diego, our correspondent Manuel Ocaņo prepared this report, voiced by Guadalupe Carrasco.
- On the 32nd anniversary of the Tlatelolco student massacre in Mexico City, former student leaders and relatives of those killed or "disappeared" in that tumultuous era are hoping that recently surfaced documents and filmed images will help to identify and to bring to justice those responsible for their deaths. This objective received a boost recently as Spanish prosecutor Carlos Castresana declared the Tlatelolco killings a crime against humanity, which would mean that those responsible could be judged before an international tribunal. Our correspondent in Mexico City, Citlali Saenz, has this report.
October 13th
- Foreign affairs occupied a central role in this week's second debate between presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush. But the two issues that seemed to ignite the most passion were anti-hate crime legislation and Gov. Bush's record on children's health programs in Texas. Our correspondent in Washington, Roland Massa, comments on the debate.
- Throughout the current presidential campaigns, the two main candidates, Al Gore and George W. Bush, have tried to forge links with Latinos. But the occasional Spanish phrase is not enough to win the votes of those interested in improving the health of these communities. In this report, Guadalupe Carrasco summarizes some of the issues that, according to Dr. Jane Delgado, Director of the National Alliance of Hispanic Health, the candidates should consider to convince the Latino voter.
- The epazote, a plant that for centuries has been part of Mexican cuisine, is now one of eighty medicinal plants whose use was recently banned by Mexican health authorities. The official argument is that these plants could be harmful to one's health and that they are used for illegal purposes, such as abortion. Our correspondent Raul Silva reports on the controversy surrounding this ban.
October 20th
- More than thirty-seven million people watched this week's third and final presidential debate from St. Louis, Missouri. For an hour and a half, and often in heated exchanges, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush answered questions about their positions on various issues, from affirmative action to tax cuts and Social Security, asked by an audience of undecided voters. However, as Maria Eraņa explains, what resounded with some viewers were some of the questions that were left unasked.
- Thirty-two days after going on strike, more than four thousand Los Angeles bus drivers and train conductors have returned to work. With the intervention of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, union leaders and transit authorities finally approved a new three-year contract, bringing to an end a labor dispute that had left nearly half a million low-income commuters without public transportation. Our contributor in Los Angeles Robin Urevich has this report.
- Despite the current economic boom being experienced in the United States, the shortage of affordable housing is a growing problem. Efforts to provide the nation's farmworkers--many of whom live in extreme conditions--with better housing have been slow. For this reason, as Silvia Parra reports, many people are calling for the creation of training programs that would give farmworkers other viable employment options.