Federal Employees Struggling Due to Government Shutdown – After the Senate blocked the latest attempts to reopen the government, and with no agreement between Congress and the White House on the horizon, the partial government shutdown is causing difficulties for millions across the United States. Our correspondent in Houston, Mariana Pineda, spoke to two affected employees about how they are managing to get by without paychecks.
Teachers in Los Angeles Return to Classes after Historic Agreement – After six days on strike, tens of thousands of teachers in Los Angeles have returned to the classroom. The settlement between the teachers’ union and school authorities includes higher salaries, smaller class sizes, and more support staff. Negotiations are also set to continue on further reductions in class sizes and controversial charter schools. Both parties agreed that there is much more to do on financing schools and improving low academic performance in the country’s second-largest school district. Ruben Tapia has this report from Los Angeles.
Human Rights Crisis Pushes Guatemalan Migrants to Exodus – Last year, Guatemala saw a wave of assassinations of indigenous leaders. Many were killed for resisting massive construction projects or the dispossession of their ancestral lands. International human rights groups sounded the alarm about the situation, but the Guatemalan government has not responded with effective measures. This is forcing many people from impoverished indigenous communities to flee to other parts of the country or seek refuge in the United States. Maria Martin reports from Guatemala City.
