Outcry Over Citizenship Question in Upcoming Census – President Trump has ordered that a question on citizenship be added to the 2020 Census. This drew an immediate response from California, New York and other 17 states, as well as a number of cities, which are suing the federal government in an attempt to remove the question, which they deem unconstitutional and a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. Civil rights leaders also denounced the decision as a political maneuver aimed at instilling fear in Latinos, immigrants and other groups and discouraging them from filling out the census form. Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, NALEO, discusses this with Samuel Orozco.
California Healthcare for All Initiative Gets a Boost – Eight years after President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) came into effect, California continues to defend the state insurance marketplace created by that law, called Covered California. At the same time, and despite federal policies of fiscal conservatism, state leaders are launching a new campaign to establish universal health care. At a ceremony for the anniversary of the ACA in Los Angeles, political and social leaders announced a package of bills designed to expand health coverage to all Californians, regardless of immigration status. Our reporter Rubén Tapia covered the event and has the details.
Salvadoran Brothers Fleeing Violence Suffer Tragedy – El Salvador’s rising homicide rate has made that country one of the most violent in the world. Unchecked violence wreaks havoc on the national economy, forcing more than half of the population into the informal sector. Meanwhile, the violence drives thousands of Salvadorans to escape to the North. In the following report, Levi Bridges tells the story of brothers who left San Salvador in search of work and met a tragic fate on their way through Mexico. Samuel Orozco narrates the report.
