Linea Abierta - English Description - Show in Spanish

Using ACA’s Health Plans. The Affordable Care Act’s first open enrollment period is over and now millions of newly-insured patients are learning to navigate the often complicated health care system. A top official of the White House’s health department and an analyst joined this program and commented on the experience patients are encountering when seeking services under the health plans. Both guests recommended listeners to use local organizations for support and advice, as well as pointing out the importance of having a health insurance plan. Guests: Mayra Alvarez, Associate Director, Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC; George Escobar, Health Director, Casa Maryland, Hyattsville, MD, www.casademaryland.org

Mexico Edition. While the World Soccer Cup begins in Brazil, Mexican legislators approved the secondary laws of the energy reform bill, which would allow foreign companies to own not only oil, gas and electricity, but also water, farmland, forests, rivers and seas. Senators who opposed this decision said with this new legislation the people won’t be able to protect themselves thus making the expropriation of the land easier. In addition, activists remember the assassination of students at a university demonstration in Mexico City in 1971 and critiqued the major television company, Televisa, for the lack of truthful information about the country’s issues. Martha Elena Ramirez hosts this edition from Mexico City. Guests: (pre-recorded) Dr. John Ackerman Rose, Congreso Popular; Jose Jacques, Movimiento Mesoamericano Migrante; Daniel Gimenez Cacho, El Grito Más Fuerte; Alejandro Alvarez, Comité 68; Jesus Gonzalez Shamal; Javier Sicilia, Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad; Jesus Ramirez, Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional, Mexico City.

Open Internet Debate Heats Up. A growing battle is heating up after the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. released proposed rules for net neutrality or Open Internet. Experts discuss key questions on the new rules that propose a two-tiered internet and suggest a reclassification of the internet as a public utility. Guests: Dr. Roberto Gallardo, Project Director, Southern Rural Development Center, Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi State, MS, http://srdc.msstate.edu/about/staff/roberto/ ; Rosa Alonso, Chair Board of Directors, NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers), Founder, ““Mi Vida-Tec,“ New York, NY, http://www.mividatec.com, http://nalip.org

You are what you eat. (Repeat) Cardiologist Jorge Bordenave returns to Línea Abierta to discuss the tips from his book Change Your Diet, Change Your Health. Bordenave says that food can either help you stay healthy, or can get you seriously sick. He says food can actually help us heal from diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases. What should we look out for at the grocery store? How can we find healthy foods in our communities? Guest: Dr. Jorge Bordenave, MD and FACP, Author, Change Your Diet, Change Your Health, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, graduate of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, www.drbordenave.com

Executive Action and Humanitarian Crisis at the border. President Obama’s decision to delay his review of U.S. deportation policies until the end of the summer was received with disappointment among some and support among others. News developments to discuss include the federal action to provide relief and care to unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America who are crossing the border in growing numbers. A community worker reports on the severe humanitarian crisis affecting families who have been detained and transferred to Arizona, and an expert says children migrate to escape the spiral of gang and drug-cartel violence that worsens by the day in Central America. Guests: Eliseo Medina, Former International Secretary-Treasurer of the Services Employees International Union, Leader of Fast for Families, Washington, D.C.; Linda Herrera, Volunteer, Phoenix Restoration Project, Phoenix, AZ, https://www.facebook.com/RestorationProjectPhoenix ; Sonia Nazario, Journalist, Writer, Enrique’s Journey, Los Angeles, CA, www.enriquesjourney.com

Pollution Rules for Power Plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first-ever limits on dangerous carbon dioxide emissions spewing from power plants, the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S. This action against big carbon polluters is the keystone of President Obama’s plan to fight global warming. Latinos have a special interest on issues related to air quality: Latino children are more likely to die from asthma. Experts discussed how the Latino community is more likely to be affected by pollution. Guests: Javier Sierra, Spokesperson, The Sierra Club, Washington, DC, www.sierraclub.org ; Adrianna Quintero, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council, Executive Director, Voces Verdes, San Francisco, CA, www.nrdc.org , www.vocesverdes.org

Mexico Edition. The constitutionalist Jaime Cardenas considers the “autodefensas” from Michoacan to be a legitimate and legal group, which could be incorporated into the National Guard, a security entity that although is not named under any government branch, it operated in the 19th century. Cardenas explains that under the constitution, citizens have the right to life, liberty, property, equality under the law and to a legitimate defense, if a government cannot guarantee these rights; citizens have the right to resist and demand that the legal system is upheld. Martha Elena Ramirez hosts this news talk, this edition is broadcast from Mexico City. Guest: Jaime Cardenas, Constitutionalist Attorney, Member of “Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas,” National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City.

Worker Protections from Retaliation. California is implementing new, groundbreaking laws to stop unscrupulous employers from retaliating against immigrant workers who report abuses such as wage theft or unsafe working conditions. These laws may bring some relief to vulnerable employees working in low-wage industries. Advocates give details of the state laws, federal laws and discuss specific cases of retaliation. Guests: Jessica Stender, Legal Director, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Mexico City, www.cdmigrante.org ; Hector Saldivar, Southern CA Field Director, California Labor Federation, Los Angeles, CA, www.californialabor.org

Primary Elections Results. The day after seven states held primaries, contributors report on the results of key statewide and congressional races in California and New Mexico. Analysts comment on the meaning of Tuesday’s results for the general elections in November and the low voter turnout in California. Guests: Araceli Martínez, News Reporter, Radio Bilingue, Los Angeles, CA; Erica Bernal Martínez, Senior Director of Constituency Services, NALEO, Los Angeles, CA, www.naleo.org ; Magdaleno Manzanarez, Associate Professor of Political Science, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NM, http://wnmu.edu/academic/social/faculty/manzanarezm2.shtml

Undocumented Graduates Commencement. With hundreds of undocumented students enrolled in San Francisco State University, faculty members and supporters gave special stoles to graduates whose families have been affected by deportation. This program includes speeches at this special commencement program. It also includes an insight into the impact DACA has had on young people and details about the renewal process. An immigration law expert comments on these developments and gives practical legal advice. Guests: Angel Barragan, Graduating Senior at San Francisco State University whose father was deported, Oakland, CA; Rosalba Piña, Attorney, Expert on Immigration, Chicago, IL, www.rosalbapina.com

Mexico Edition: Host Martha Elena Ramírez gives news and analysis on the culture of inefficiency and corruption in the Mexican government. She also comments on the debate in Mexico about the ownership of oil supply, with production now open to foreign companies. Listeners join in airing diverse comments, including: expressing frustration for the lack of civic engagement in Mexico, the country's need for dramatic change and for a radical opposition, their distrust of all politicians, including the best known oppositionist figure, and their wish of an integrated country ruled by the U.S. and other opinions. This edition is broadcast from Mexico City.

Health Insurance Enrollment: Countdown. With four days left before the end of the enrollment deadline in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, the government announces the “special enrollment period.” Only people who meet certain criteria would be able to extend the process of enrollment. Línea Abierta opens all phone lines for listeners to report the challenges they are facing to sign up for insurance as a growing wave of consumers rush to meet the deadline. Health care experts help consumers understand ACA and the marketplace and find support to sign up and to qualify for subsidies. Guests: Sinsi Hernández Cancio, Director of Health Equity, Families USA, Washington, DC,www.familiesusa.org ; Dolores Huerta, Founder and Executive Director, Dolores Huerta Foundation, Bakersfield, CA www.doloreshuerta.org

Elvira Arellano, Detention Centers and More. An exclusive interview with deported activist Elvira Arellano, who re-entered the U.S. after being detained and released at the border. Also, a hunger strike of immigrant detainees in Washington spread to Texas, putting the spotlight on private immigration detention centers. And an update on a pro-reform national bus tour that has engaged constituents and members of congress after visiting almost 30 congressional districts on its way to the nation’s capital. Guests: Elvira Arellano, immigration activist, Chicago, IL; Maru Mora Villalpando, Speaker for pro-immigration movement, "Not one More," y "Latino Advocacy," Washington, www.notonemoredeportation.com/about/ , www.latinoadvocacy.org ; Martina Grifaldo, Director of “Alianza Mexicana,” Houston, TX; Eliseo Medina, Labor Council Veteran and Speaker for campaign “Ayuno por las Familias: Un llamado para la Reforma Migratoria y la Ciudadanía," www.fast4families.org/tour/

Immigration Reform: Executive Action. President Obama ordered the Department of Homeland Security to make deportation policy “more humane” and review options to reduce deportations. What are those options? Experts explore options that the president has to humanize DHS and provide temporary status. In addition, congressmembers from the border area announce a bill to get the U.S. Border Patrol to be more accountable when using force. Guests: Fernando Garcia, Executive Director of the Border Network for Human Rights, El Paso,Tx, http://bnhr.org ; Clarissa Martinez, Member of National Council for La Raza,Washington D.C., http://www.nclr.org ; Rosalba Piña, Immigration Attorney, Chicago, Illinois, www.rosalbapina.com

César Chávez Premiere. A biopic film that portrays the life and struggle of labor organizer César Chávez premieres this week in theaters around the nation. Titled César Chávez, the movie tells the story of the activist who battled for social justice in the fields through non-violent means, while striving to be a good husband and father. This program includes interviews with the movie director, and a long-time Chávez partner in the fight in the fields. Guests: Diego Luna, Actor and movie director, Berkeley, CA; Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, showcased in the film, founder and executive director, Dolores Huerta Foundation; fragment of President Obama’s speech introducing César Chávez movie at White House.