Obama Challenges Congress to Act – President Barack Obama pronounced his next-to-last State of the Union address this week, for the first time before a Congress wholly controlled by Republicans. From the beginning of the speech, Obama highlighted his commitment to the middle class and the contrast between the economic situation of today, and the one he found when he took office. Here’s a segment of the president’s speech, followed by two different points of view from analysts.
Protesters Celebrate Martin Luther King, Calling to End to Police Brutality – Historic civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday was celebrated all over the country, with marches and ceremonies. In many celebrations, protesters carried signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” referring to the cases of unarmed citizens killed by police in Ferguson, New York and other cities. In Oakland, California, the day was the culmination of a series of acts of civil disobedience denouncing police impunity and demanding charges be dropped against protesters who were arrested in previous protests. Our reporter Danae Valenzuela gathered voices from some Oakland protesters.
Native-American Grandmother’s Arrest in Mexico Sparks Outrage – The arrest of Aurora Meza, a Kumeyaay grandmother, has sparked protest in Mexico. The Kumeyaay people’s lands were separated by the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican authorities accuse Meza of stealing cattle, but her advocates say it is just an excuse to take away her ancestral lands. They also say her treatment is an example of how the Mexican government keeps indigenous communities marginalized. Our correspondent Marco Vinicio González covered a ceremony/protest outside the jail in Tijuana, where Meza has been kept for almost a month.
