Sin Fronteras: USMCA Under Review

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
PROGRAM #10909 12:00 PM PT

Sin Fronteras. This is a program of “Sin Fronteras,” a special series to serve audiences in the US and Mexico with breaking news and analysis about major developments impacting Latinos in the US.

Guests: Mariana Pineda, Reporter, Houston, TX; Desiree Yepez, Managing Producer of National News, Radio Bilingüe, Palo Alto, CA; Jose Lopez Zamorano, Correspondent, Washington, DC.

USMCA Under Review. A key review process for North America is underway as consultations to examine the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) begin, in a tense context shaped by the Trump administration’s protectionist and tariff-driven policies. Washington aims to curb China’s presence in Mexico and tighten specific trade rules. Mexico has already made several concessions, affecting key industries such as steel, aluminum, and agricultural exports. What’s at stake in this review? How could it affect the region’s economy and trade sovereignty? What will the consultation and negotiation process look like, and how might the U.S. election season influence it?

Guest: Lucinda Vargas, College Professor of Economics and Associate Director, Center for Border Economic Development, Department of Economics, Applied Statistics and International Business, New Mexico State University-NMSU, Las Cruces, NM.

Public Health Alert. Former CDC Director Susan Monarez has warned that the U.S. public health system is heading toward a “very dangerous place” under its current leadership. During a Senate hearing, the recently dismissed official raised concerns about the potential resurgence of diseases like polio and whooping cough. How should we interpret her warning? What risks lie ahead for the health sector? What early consequences are already being seen? How has the political agenda reshaped the country’s health security?

Guest: Dr. Yvonne (Bonnie) Maldonado, Professor and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.

Open Carry Now Legal in Florida. Florida’s Attorney General has announced that law enforcement should no longer arrest or prosecute individuals for openly carrying firearms, following a ruling that struck down a decades-old ban as unconstitutional. The decision makes Florida one of the most permissive states in the country when it comes to gun laws. How did this ruling come about? What does it mean for public safety in Florida? What do the latest data say about gun violence in the state?

Guest: Samantha Barrios, Florida State Director, Giffords Law Center Miami, FL.

Guelaguetza Festival: Celebration and Resistance. Oaxacan diaspora communities have celebrated for decades the traditional Guelaguetza Festival, the ultimate cultural celebration in Oaxaca. This season, rising fears of ICE raids have forced some communities to cancel their annual event. Despite those threats, Oaxacans in Fresno are celebrating this weekend the 25th anniversary of the Guelaguetza Festival. A renowned Oaxacan scholar and activist reflects on this act of cultural resistance.

Guest: Dr. Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, Sociologist, Director of the Center for Mexican Studies at UCLA and Advisor to the Frente Indígena Oaxaqueño Binacional (FIOB), Los Angeles, CA.

Photo: Wikipedia

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