Linea Abierta Programming: August 5, 2024

MONDAY, AUGUST 5
PROGRAM #10458 12:00 PM PT

Supreme Court Reform Plans. President Biden proposed a plan to reform the US Supreme Court, including term limits and ethics reform. The court has lost popular support after granting criminal immunity to Trump, overturning abortion protections and being marred by corruption controversies. What’s in the plan? How would it change the court? On a related note, in an attempt to invalidate the Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity from criminal law, Sen. Schumer is introducing the No Kings Act.

Guest: José López Zamorano, News Correspondent, Washington, DC.

Pushback on Homeless Camps Crackdown. In defiance of California Gov. Newsom’s order to clear homeless encampments, Los Angeles responded that the county will continue maintaining a care-first approach and people in encampments can not be taken to county jails. On the other end, San Francisco is stepping up enforcement against camping. Gov. Newsom’s order to clear camps that pose the greatest safety risks, like those under freeways, came after the US Supreme Court ruled that cities can fine and jail unhoused people. A reporter gives details of Newsom’s actions and the pushback from Los Angeles.

Guest: Ruben Tapia, News Reporter, Los Angeles, CA.

Venezuela’s Presidential Election Audit. Venezuela’s election authorities declared Nicolás Maduro the official winner of the presidential election for a third term. After intense protests from the opposition and international calls for a “transparent” vote count, Maduro has promised to release all vote tallies and a thorough audit.

Guests: Andreína Chávez Alava, Venezuelan Journalist and Editor, Venezuelanalysis, Caracas, VE; Alejandro Velasco, Professor of Latin American History, New York University-NYU, Author of “Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Political and the making of modern Venezuela” and former Executive Editor, NACLA Report on the Americas, New York, NY.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 6
PROGRAM #10459 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Toxic Wildfire Smoke Spreads. Crews continue battling fires burning across the West, in what’s been a bad start to the fire season. Wildfire smoke is spreading from coast to coast in the US, fueled by heatwaves, drought and climate change. Experts predict the fire season will worsen during the fall. Where are the hotspots? How to prepare for a wildfire and an evacuation? What to do in days of high pollution from toxic wildfire smoke? In more news, a recent study found that exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of dementia.

Guest: Dr. Lucia Abascal, Public Health Physician, California Department of Public Health, Director’s Office, San Francisco, CA.

Covid Summer Spike. Communities across the country are seeing a spike in Covid cases, approaching record high for a summer surge. Meanwhile, vaccines are in short supply. How to play it safe during the Covid summer spike. On other news, as the COVID-19 and influenza viruses spread, they change. These mutations help viruses avoid humans’ natural immune response and the protection provided by vaccines. That’s why influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are regularly updated. Are updated vaccines safe and effective? How to stay up to date?

Guest: Dr. Trinidad Solis, Deputy Health Officer, Fresno County Department of Public Health, Fresno, CA.

Cabalga y Vota. Horse riders are galloping down the streets in rural towns in the San Joaquin Valley to encourage Latinos to show their power, take an active role in the election, make their voice be heard, and register to vote.

Guest: Norberto Gonzalez, California State Director, Poder Latinx, Tulare, CA.

PROGRAM #10460 12:00 PM PT

Immigration Edition. On the fifth anniversary of the shooting of 23 people in El Paso, Texas, perpetrated by a white nationalist, border community leaders reflect on the lessons not learned. They say the same type of anti-immigrant fears, conspiracy theories, disinformation, and white nationalist rhetoric that motivated the assailant continue being spread in mainstream media. In other news, after frequent reports about overcrowding and poor health care conditions in detention facilities, California lawmakers are pushing to give county health officials the power to visit and inspect federal immigration detention centers and document irregularities.

Guests: Vanessa Sánchez, Reporter, KFF Health News, Oakland, CA; Rosalba Piña, Immigration Attorney, Chicago, IL, joining today from Mexico City, MX; Fernando Garcia, Executive Director, Border Network for Human Rights-BNHR, El Paso, TX.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7
PROGRAM #10461 12:00 PM PT

Harris’ VP Pick. Democratic delegates were expected to select earlier this week their nominee for president in a virtual nomination roll call. Vice President Kamala Harris was the only candidate to qualify for the ballot. On this day, Harris is expected to travel with her newly-picked running mate on a seven-state tour of key battleground states. What are the news about the nomination process? How do the experience and policy views of Harris’ running mate aligns with the top concerns of Latinos’ public opinion? What’s the state of the race in key swing states?

Guests: José Urdaneta, Reporter, Philadelphia, PA; Maca Casado, Director of Hispanic Media, Harris-Walz Campaign, Wilmington, DE; Tania Unzueta, National Political Director, Mijente, Chicago, IL.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
PROGRAM #10462 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Xavier Becerra on Younger Voters. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Speaking as a citizen, in this interview Becerra comments on the Democrats’ investment on Gen Z’s young voters and discusses issues in the minds of younger voters, including climate change and Uvalde-school-type of mass shootings.

Guest: Xavier Becerra, US Health Secretary, Washington, DC.

“Shout, Sing, Vote.” Former touring musicians are now using music and top Latino artists to get young voters in the Latino community excited about the current electoral process, register to vote and go to the polls. How is this “Grita Canta Vota” theme resonating with younger voters?

Guest: Esau Torres, Spokesperson, Co-founder, “Grita.Canta.Vota” Campaign, CA.

Cesar Chavez Boulevard Unveiled. After a 30-year effort, the City of Fresno unveiled the name change of a ten-mile street stretch to honor farm worker rights champion Cesar Chavez, the only city to do so in the San Joaquin Valley, the cradle of Chavez’ farm worker movement. A political leader who spearheaded the street name change and Chavez’ family members talk about the meaning of this moment.

Guests: Miguel Arias, Council Member, City of Fresno, CA; Emilio Huerta, Attorney, Son of Dolores Huerta, Fresno, CA; Andres Chavez, Grandson of Cesar Chavez, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Cesar Chavez Foundation, Fresno, CA.

PROGRAM #10463 12:00 PM PT

“Water for the People.” Renowned scholars on the culture of water and the Rio Grande communities discuss their book “Water for the People,” a collection of essays by world-renowned acequia experts and community leaders. The essays focus on the acequia use and history in places like New Mexico, Chile, Spain, the Middle East and the Philippines. How are modern acequias doing in times of drought and climate change? How sustainable is the acequia agricultural system? What can other communities learn from the acequia tradition in order to save and restore other endangered waterways? What if the acequia irrigation model is replicated in other farming areas?

Guests: Enrique Lamadrid, Professor Emeritus, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, The University of New Mexico-UNM, Albuquerque, NM; José A. Rivera, Research Scholar, Center for Regional Studies and Professor of Community and Regional Planning, The University of New Mexico-UNM, Albuquerque, NM; Laura Ramos, Interim Director, California Water Institute, California State University at Fresno-CSUF, Fresno, CA.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
PROGRAM #10464 12:00 PM PT

Mexico Edition. Migrant activists in the United States are asking Mexico to include undocumented Mexican seniors in its new pension program. Due to their immigration status, those seniors cannot receive a pension in their country of residence, the US. Analysts comment on this and on the impact of Finabien-EEUU cards, binational debit cards that allow Mexicans living in the US to send remittances at low cost.

Guests: Pablo Alvarado, Co-director, National Day Laborer Organizing Network-NDLON, Pasadena, CA; Isabel Cruz, Mixteco Anthropologist, Mexican Association of Social Sector Credit Unions-AMCUSS and a representative of Red Confianza, SC, Mexico City, MX; excerpts from recent statements by Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrado and Judge Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón, Electoral Tribunal of the Judiciary of the Federation-TEPJF.