Infrastructure Vote Postponed Due to Divisions Among Democrats – Despite President Joe Biden’s call for unity to deliver a social infrastructure plan before he travels to the climate summit, his ambitious economic agenda remains adrift. While making progress, there are still deep divisions between conservative and progressive Democrats on social spending. Moreover, while the negotiated version of the $1.85 trillion social spending bill includes $100 billion for immigration, its future will depend on a new ruling by the Senate’s parliamentarian. José López Zamorano reports from Washington.
Despite Vilification, U.S. Latinos Have Risen to Become Global Economic Power – If U.S. Latinos were their own country, they would be the seventh largest economy in the world based on the Gross Domestic Product they generate. In addition, the share of GDP generated by Latinos is growing faster than that of non-Latinos and rivals California for the largest in the country. These revelations come from a recent study conducted by eminent University of California Los Angeles historian David Hayes-Bautista. But why is it that Latinos continue to be portrayed as bad people, public burden and newcomers? We examine the research in an interview with our news director, Samuel Orozco.
Overlooked in Vaccination Push, Farmworkers Hit Hard by COVID-19 – In California, the state with the highest number of vaccinated people, there is one population that has lagged behind the rest. Farmworker families are the least likely to be vaccinated and the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Kern County, a conservative, agricultural area in the Central Valley, community groups are helping fill in the gaps in vaccination for farmworkers who are neglected by officials. Manuel Ortiz Escámez reports from the town of Arvin during a recent Sunday vaccination clinic. This is a special collaboration for Radio Bilingüe from Ethnic Media Services.
