‘The Big Beautiful Bill’: Who Wins, Who Loses? 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

PROGRAM #10781 12:00 PM PT

‘The Big Beautiful Bill’: Who Wins, Who Loses? 

House Republicans who were trying to fast-track President Trump’s massive bill of big tax breaks and cuts to social spending suffered a setback. Conservative Republicans joined Democrats in defeating the plan. Supporters say it aims to benefit the middle class and bolster border security, but critics warn it would punish low-income groups in order to deliver massive tax cuts to the wealthy. What’s in the bill? Who truly benefits from this plan? What impact would it have on social services like Medicaid? How would it affect Latino families? And what would be its effect on the national economy?

Guest: Lisette Engel, Director of Economic Policy, UnidosUS, Washington, DC.

The Ups and Downs of the Trade War. The US and China have agreed to a temporary truce in the trade war initiated by the Trump administration. The deal includes a mutual reduction in tariffs. While the agreement is only temporary, it paves the way for new negotiations between the world’s two largest economic powers. How does this agreement affect the prices and availability of everyday goods? Which industries stand to gain or lose under this scenario? And how can we make sense of this complex trade dispute without being economics experts?

Guest: Dr. Gustavo A. Flores-Macías, Professor of Government and Professor of Public Policy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

El Salvador under a regime of exception. While Nayib Bukele promotes the country as the safest in Latin America, organizations and human rights defenders denounce systematic violations of their guarantees. This is the case of Ruth López, human rights defender and head of the Cristosal Anti-Corruption Unit, who was detained over the weekend and whose whereabouts are unknown. International organizations qualify this event as an enforced disappearance. What does this detention imply in the current political context? How has El Salvador designed a road map that makes it a strategic ally for the United States? What is the message of this alliance for the rest of the region? 

Guests: Hazel Contreras, Latin America Coordinator, Alianza Americas; Leonel Herrera, Journalist with Diario Co Latino and Environmentalist, San Salvador, El Salvador.

Photo: NASA HQ PHOTO/Flickr

For more information about Linea Abierta and to find previous shows visit our  Linea Abierta page.