Daily Headlines: June 5, 2014

* U.S.: Nearly one year after the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill, a recent poll of registered Hispanic voters found that most respondents are upset with both the Democrats and Republicans over their inaction to approve immigration reform.

* Colombia: Is Chiquita, a company that hired guerillas and paramilitaries in Colombia in the 1990s, trying to block a proposal that would “allow 9/11 victims to sue companies that fund terrorists”?

* Bolivia: The world’s highest cable car system was inaugurated last week some 12,00 feet above sea level and connecting the Bolivian capital of La Paz with a nearby city.

* Brazil: The Brazilian government announced a five-year moratorium on a type of catfish with the aim of cutting down on the killing of the Amazon pink dolphin.

Video Source – Associated Press via YouTube  (“Roman Catholic leaders made a rare visit to the border and celebrated Mass (last April) in the shadow of the fence separating the U.S. and Mexico, offering Holy Communion to people on both sides”.)

Online Sources – ABC News; The Latin Americanist; NBC News; Fox News Latino; Sydney Morning Herald

Daily Headlines: June 2, 2011

* U.S.: Will the growth in the Latino population in the U.S. be more political beneficial to the Democrats or the Republicans?

* South America: Santos of Brazil is the first finalist of this year’s Copa Libertadores after holding on to beat Paraguay's Cerro Porteno by a 4-3 aggregate score.

* Bolivia: Iranian defense minister Ahmad Vahidi was booted out of Bolivia after strong objections from Argentine officials and Jewish groups.

* Guatemala: Otto Perez, who lost in in the previous presidential race in 2007, is the favorite in the polls to win the presidency in September’s elections.

Image – CNN
Online Sources- Huffington Post, Politico.com, The Telegraph, Reuters

Dems, GOP wary of “Plan Mexico”

Republican and Democratic legislators are not pleased with a multibillion dollar counternarcotics plan destined for Mexico. The White House-promoted Merida Initiative (a.k.a. “Plan Mexico”) was proposed last October with an initial payment of $500 million in this fiscal year. The House of Representatives voted yesterday to cut the payment down to $400 million with most Democrats in Congress wanting more funds to go to Mexican social institutions instead of the military.

Meanwhile, members of President Bush’s party have expressed their resistance to “Plan Mexico”. Republican Tom Tancredo proposed a failed amendment to halt the Merida Initiative while a pair of representatives have requested that the president drop the plan altogether. Even Texan GOP legislators have not been pleased with the president:

"Our first priority must be to secure our own border and equip our own personnel before we even discuss sending one nickel to the corrupt Mexican government," said Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston…

"What's most maddening to me is the answer is so easy: Help our own law enforcement officers do their job," he said. "Quit obsessing with how to placate Mexico and focus on protecting America at our border."

Sources- Reuters, The Border Line, La Plaza, The Latin Americanist, Houston Chronicle

Image- TIME

Survey: Latinos prefer Democrats over GOP

A survey realized yesterday by the Pew Hispanic Center concluded that more Latinos in the U.S. prefer the Democrats over the Republicans. 57% of those polled either favor or are registered with the Democrats compared to 23% in favor of the GOP. One of the main reasons behind the increased loyalty of Latinos to the Democrats is the immigration issue; 41% of those polled believe that Democrats are doing a better job dealing with illegal immigration, compared to 14% who support the Republicans on that topic.

The survey concluded that any recent gains made by Republicans have suffered based on increased Latino support of the Democrats and disapproval of the Bush administration. One republican Latino politico expressed worry over the results:

A spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Hessy Fernandez, downplayed the study's findings. "Hispanic voters judge candidates based on where they stand on the issues, and the Republican Party is more closely aligned with Hispanics than liberals like Hillary Clinton," he said. The telephone survey, which ran through October and the beginning of November, indicates that most Hispanic voters, 41%, support Senator Clinton among the Democratic candidates. Among the Republican candidates, Mayor Giuliani stands out with 35%...

A former New York congressman who supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, Herman Badillo, said he was not surprised by the poll's results.

"If they keep this up, they're going to lose the Hispanic vote and that will guarantee that a Democratic candidate is going to win," Mr. Badillo, a Republican, said.

Sources- AFP, Associated Press, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Sun

Image- U.S. News & World Report

Quote of the Day: Votes via “futbol”

"I'm not sure soccer and politics mix, but I guess it will be up to Nevada Latinos as to whether they appreciate this outreach or decide to issue Dems a red card in the primaries for this bizarre gimmick."

--Julia Hoppock of ABC News’ Exclusiva blog commented on the initiative by the Nevada State Democratic Party to sponsor a local soccer team with the goal (pun intended) of convincing Latinos “to register and vote Democrat in the 2008 presidential election”.

(Hat tip: This is American Soccer).

Image- Los Angeles Times (According to the caption: “Carlos Quezada plays in the team’s first game as Los Democratas. All but two Democratas are Latino”.)

Sources- ABC News Exclusiva, This is American Soccer

Republican debate touches on immigration

Ten Republican presidential hopefuls met last night in a debate remembered for the constant mentioning of Ronald Reagan and some differing over President Bush’s policies. Regarding the latter, several of the candidates commented over the issue of immigration (via Forbes):

John McCain-

“The status quo is not acceptable. We have to secure our borders. But we also need a temporary worker program, and we have to dispose of the issue of 12 million people who are in this country illegally. This issue is an important and compelling one, and it begins with national security. But we also need to address it comprehensively."

Tom Tancredo-

“No more platitudes, no more obfuscating with using words like, 'Well, I am not for amnesty, but I am for letting them stay.' That kind of stuff has got to be taken away from the political debate, as far as I'm concerned, so people can understand exactly who is where on this incredibly important issue.”

Duncan Hunter-

“Right now, the border is 2,000 miles of a very porous area where hundreds of thousands of people come across on an annual basis…Some from communist China, some from Iran, some from Korea. We have to secure the border. That's the biggest failure of the federal government."

Ron Paul-

“The purpose of government is to protect the secrecy and the privacy of all individuals, not the secrecy of government. We don't need a national ID card.”

Meanwhile, the immigration debate in Congress may heat up as Democrats are considering introducing their own proposal.

Links- Guardian UK, Bloomberg, Forbes

Image- CNN