‘Shutdown’: The Numbers in Red

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29
PROGRAM #10942 12:00 PM PT

‘Shutdown’: The Numbers in Red. 

The government shutdown has entered its fourth week, leaving thousands of federal employees without pay, offices and museums closed, and Congress deadlocked in negotiations. Amid the stalemate, public workers who are now calling themselves volunteers are speaking out before lawmakers to denounce the impact on essential services, such as the social safety net. What’s the balance after a month of government paralysis? How are communities affected? Which services have been hit the hardest? What worries citizens most? Who do they blame for the shutdown?

Guest: Jose Lopez Zamorano, Correspondent, Washington, DC.

ICE Operation in Oxnard, California. A deployment of some thirty heavily armed federal agents with an armored vehicle raided a residential area in Oxnard, California, resulting in the arrest of several people and a rapid response protest against the operation by local residents, who were met with tear gas grenades fired by federal squads. A reporter provides details about this operation.

Guest: Alejandro Maciel, reporter, Los Angeles, today from Oxnard, CA; excerpts from recent statements by Jorge Ríos, general manager at Radio Indígena 94.1 FM; and Leonardo Martínez, member of VC Defensa.

Colombia, on alert. After Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the U.S. for executing boatmen in the Caribbean, President Trump lashed out, calling him a “drug trafficking leader” and threatening to impose tariffs on Colombia. The growing U.S. military presence in the region reignites debate over sovereignty, trade, and the failure of the war on drugs. Why are hostilities escalating? What is the current state of relations between the two countries? What would increased tariffs mean for this trade partner? How are other nations in the region reacting?

Guest: Gimena Sanchez, Director for the Andes, The Washington Office on Latin America-WOLA, Washington, DC.

Adelita Grijalva files a lawsuit. A month after being elected to Congress in Arizona, Adelita Grijalva has yet to be sworn in. In response, Grijalva and the state of Arizona have filed a lawsuit arguing that the Speaker of the House has no authority to prevent her from taking office. What does the lawsuit entail? How has Arizona been affected during this period without representation? What impact could this legal action have? What political interests are at play behind this standoff?

Guest: Adelita Grijalva, Representative-Elect (D-Arizona), daughter of former U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, Tucson, AZ.

Photo: Angelov/Adobe Stock

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