Republicans Divided on the Way Forward After Health Plan Failure – After the failure of the Republican health plan in the Senate, Democrats welcomed legislative hearings aimed at stabilizing and returning certainty to the individual health care market as insurance companies prepare to set prices for 2018. Meanwhile, civil society groups are warning of new attempts by Republicans to sabotage the health care system through budget cuts and alarmist claims. Two noted analysts discussed key points of contention on Radio Bilingüe’s Línea Abierta. Marco Vinicio Gonzalez brings us this summary.
Debates over the Impact of 15-Dollar Minimum Wage – Three years ago, Seattle became the first major U.S. city to approve a minimum wage of $15 per hour. Those opposed to the measure predicted that the economy would suffer, jobs would be lost and businesses would close. Two universities that studied the effects of the measure, which has been gradually implemented over the last two years, have reached different conclusions. The University of California, Berkeley says the wage increase boosted worker pay in restaurants without producing job losses; meanwhile, the University of Washington says the increase led to lower pay for other low-wage workers. Jose Luis Buen Abad spoke to owners and workers at a food company as well as the director of one of the studies, and he has this report from Seattle.
Youth in Low-Income Community Get a Modern Skate Park – A group of young people from rural working-class families achieved their dream of getting a skate park, which now opened after two years of fundraising and lobbying efforts. The modern skate park is now the centerpiece of a new sports and recreation center for young people in Arvin, a farm working town of California’s Central Valley. The community has one of the highest rates of poverty in the nation, and children there face problems related to gangs and obesity. Our reporter, Ruben Tapia, was present at the grand opening and has the details on this incredible story.
