Daily Headlines: May 21, 2014

* Central America: The U.S. Agency for International Development will work with university researchers as part of a $5 million partnership in order to combat a crippling Central American coffee fungus.

* Venezuela: The U.S. Senate could soon vote on a bill that would raise sanctions against Venezuelan officials accused of human rights violations stemming from protests and political unrest since February.  

* Cuba: Cuban dissident blogger and activist Yoani Sanchez launched a new website today that will reportedly “provide daily news about the communist-run country, but insisted it would not be a platform against the government”.

* Uruguay: The plan to legalize the sale and distribution of marijuana in Uruguay will allegedly be exempted from taxation with the goal of “undercutting the black market.”

Video Source – YouTube user CBS Evening News

Online Sources – Reuters; Tico Times; LAHT; BBC News

Daily Headlines: July 26, 2013

Note: Posting will be very light today but we hope to return on Monday and examine several recent news events from the Americas. 

* Cuba: Members of a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee were divided in their views over whether the military prison at Guantanamo, Cuba should be shutdown or continue to be kept open.

* Latin America: During his visit this week in Brazil, Pope Francis criticized the “liberalization of drug use” proposed in parts of Latin America, while a poll found that roughly two in three Mexicans are opposed to marijuana legalization.

* Mexico: Authorities reportedly rescued ninety-four migrants crammed into the back of tractor trailer that was examined at a security checkpoint in the southern Chiapas state.

* U.S.: A Pew Hispanic Center survey found that a growing number of Latino adults are getting their news from English-language sources.

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English
 
Online Sources- Fox News Latino; The Guardian; ABC News; Rolling Stone; CNN

Daily Headlines: May 22, 2013

* U.S.: The bipartisan "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill will move to the U.S. Senate for debate after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the proposal in a 13-5 vote.

* Venezuela: Pro-government TV host Mario Silva said that he would go on sick leave after opposition politicos revealed an alleged recording of him talking to a Cuban intelligence official and criticizing the Maduro regime.

* Brazil: Truth Commission investigator Heloisa Starling believes that former officials protected by a 1979 amnesty law could be tried at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

* Bolivia: The government enacted a law that would permit President Evo Morales to seek a third term in the December 2014 elections.

Video Source – YouTube via user NewsyPolitics (Video uploaded on April 16, 2013.)
 
Online Sources- CNN; ABC News; SFGate.com; LAHT

Senate defeats Dream Act

Pardon me for being cynical but quell surprise.

In a near-party line vote this afternoon the U.S. Senate voted against debating a military funding bill that included an amendment for the Dream Act. The 56-43 vote was four Senators short of being able to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The measure received strong support from Latino lawmakers such as Luis Gutierrez who in a letter called the Dream Act a “common sense piece of legislation” designed to help “talented and deserving immigrant students.” Other congressmen like Sen. Scott Brown disagreed and deemed it as a “form of amnesty to certain illegal immigrants.”

The Dream Act would provide a path for citizenship to illegal immigrant youth under certain strict criteria. Those eligible would receive conditional legal residency for six years, then two years to graduate college with a minimum bachelor’s degree or successfully serve in the armed forces. The National Immigration Law Center has allegedly estimated that about 725,000 undocumented youth would benefit from the Dream Act if it ever becomes signed into law.

Both Democrats and Republicans have accused each other of political posturing leading in to today’s vote. Despite playing a key role in backing a failed 2007 stab at bipartisan immigration reform Sen. John McCain threatened to lead a filibuster against the NDAA. Opponents to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claimed that he tacked on the Dream Act to the NDAA in order to gain Latino support for his reelection campaign. (Reid was one of three Democrats to back blocking the bill though he reportedly did so “as a procedural tactic.”)

The Dream Act has mobilized Latino youth in favor of the measure and to take part in protests and other acts of defiance. (The image above came from demonstrators who spelled out their opinion with their bodies on a Floridian beach). "We tell them we're targeting Republicans and Democrats. There can be no more excuses,” said one student to ABC News after he took part in a sit-in at Sen. Diane Feinstein’s Washington office.

Image- cbs4.com
Online Sources- Chicago Sun-Times, CNN, cbs4.com, America’s News Online, ABC News, Politico, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor

Senate considering Peru, Colombia free trade pacts

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote today on a bilateral free trade agreement with Peru. The agreement had previously been approved by the House of Representatives by an ample margin last month and is expected to be passed by the Senate despite opposition from some Democrats such as presidential hopeful John Edwards.

Update: The Senate approved the free trade pact with Peru by a vote of 77-18.

More resistance is anticipated for the U.S. free trade agreement with Colombia, however. President George W. Bush has supported the deal by claiming that it would “help promote regional stability” and counteract the influence of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. Critics of the pact have argued that Colombia’s labor rights record needs improvement:

President George W. Bush wants Congress to vote on a free trade agreement with Colombia after it finishes work on Peru.

However, that deal is much more controversial because many Democrats feel Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has not made strong enough efforts to stop the murder of trade unionists and bring their killers to justice.

Sources (English)- OregonLive.com, Living in Peru, BBC News, Reuters

Sources (Spanish)- Milenio

Image- Living in Peru

Dems and GOP play blame game over immigration money

Democrats and Republicans in Congress are blaming each other for changes to billions of dollars destined for border security.

The GOP is upset that Democrats cut about $3 billion in immigration funds from a defense spending bill. “Democrats are sending the American people the troubling message that Congress is not serious about securing the border,” said Republican Senator Jon Kyl over the money that would’ve paid for items like the controversial U.S.-Mexico border fence.

However, Democrats say that the outcry is unnecessary since the funds were cut due to redundancy. (There were two bills that had allocated the money). Furthermore, according to the Associated Press:

The $3 billion in fence money, aimed at seizing "operational control" over the southern border, is likely to pass later in the year as part the Homeland Security Department's spending bill.

The funds had originally been part of an immigration reform bill that was defeated months ago by Democrat and Republican senators.

Image- MSNBC

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Associated Press, Arizona Republic, azstarnet.com

Senate votes to delay immigration reform bill

In a near repeat of a vote exactly three weeks ago today, the U.S. Senate voted 46-53 against subjecting a bipartisan immigration reform bill to a yes-and-no vote. In doing so, the status quo remains on the immigration debate, and it appears that the proposal will be delayed several months into autumn or even into next year.

Yesterday the Senate voted down several amendments to the bill such as one that would’ve barred illegal immigrants from obtaining green cards. Yet it was a bipartisan effort that led to today’s defeat:

“While (New Jersey Senator) Menendez and a few other Democrats oppose the bill, the main opponents have been Bush's fellow sunbelt Republicans. GOP Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana, Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Jeff Sessions of Alabama led the charge, often backed by Texan John Cornyn.”

Ultimately, the continuation of the status quo based on today’s vote will have serious repercussions:

“‘The price of failure will be hundreds of more people dying in the desert,’ said Eliseo Medina, an executive vice president of the service employees union. ‘The price of failure will be more workplace raids and families separated as breadwinners are arrested and deported. The price of failure will be more public anger at the broken immigration system.’”

Image- The Stanford Review

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Yahoo! News, MSNBC, New York Times

Follow-up: Immigration reform bill revived by Senate

Almost three weeks ago, the U.S. Senate voted against ending debate on a bipartisan immigration reform bill; thus endangering the possibility it would ever be considered. Yet earlier today, the Senate voted 64-35 to resume debate on the bill which contains the following provisions:

• creating a guest-worker program
• permit certain illegal immigrants to apply for a new visa
• increased border security

The proposal is expected to run into strong opposition though congressional chiefs like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have worked hard in support of the proposal:

"We have an immigration system that is broken and needs to be fixed," he said. "That is what we are trying to do, is fix this. We would be derelict in our duties if we did not make every effort to get the legislation passed."

Aside from the possibility that the bill may be defeated, another danger comes from several amendments that could dilute the compromise; they include barring illegal immigrants from obtaining green cards and stronger penalties against those who overstay their visas.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Monsters & Critics, Voice of America, Guardian UK

Image- ABC News (According to the photo’s caption “Immigration reform stalled in the Senate but remains a heated subject on the 2008 presidential campaign trail”)