Linea Abierta - English Description - Show in Spanish

Mexico Edition. Without mentioning the reasons behind Mexico's expropriation of foreign oil by former president Lázaro Cárdenas, President Enrique Peña Nieto used the 76 anniversary of the historic event to insist about the benefits of his recently signed energy reforms. Peña Nieto said Mexico will keep control over oil supplies, capital investments and jobs will increase, prices of gas and electricity will go down and labor rights will be preserved. On other matters, congressmembers from the ruling party PRI passed a bill creating universal pension and unemployment insurance, benefits that will be funded by housing savings paid for by the workers. Martha Elena Ramírez hosts this Línea Abierta edition from Mexico City. Guests: (Audio recordings) Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, President of Mexico 1934-1940; Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico; Felipe Sánchez Maldonado, Osvaldo Martínez Sánchez, Mexican citizens, Ixtlán de Juárez, Oaxaca.

Health Insurance Enrollment: Final Days. In the last days to sign up for health insurance under Obamacare, advocates of the uninsured step up efforts to get hundreds of thousands to enroll on time. Frustrated about the lengthy paperwork or lack of information, many Latinos are staying behind. Top health care officials from the U.S. and California join this program to address listeners concerns. Guests: Mayra Alvarez, Director of Public Health Policy, Office of health care reform, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, www.hhs.gov ; Santiago Lucero, Spokesperson, Covered California, Sacramento, CA, www.coveredca.com

Getting Children to Read. A large majority of children in the U.S. are not reading at grade level by the time they reach fourth grade and children from low-income families are most likely to fall behind. Failure to read proficiently at fourth grade is linked to higher rates of school dropout, low-paid jobs and even imprisonment. What’s been done to help struggling readers and children in low-income and immigrant communities? Guests: Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to President Obama, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, The White House, Washington, DC; María Flores, Board Member of the School District of Las Cruces, President of Children's Reading Foundation of Doña Ana County, Las Cruces, NM, www.readingfoundation.org ; Elizabeth Jiménez, Representative of the Project2Inspire, California Association for Bilingual Education, Los Angeles, CA, www.bilingualeducation.org/programs/2INSPIRE.php

Immigration Reform: Executive Action. Deported activist Elvira Arellano joins “dreamers” and attempts to cross to the U.S. through a San Diego border gate. A blue-ribbon commission of “dreamers” and immigrants prepares a report with recommendations to bring deportation relief. Immigrant detainees in Washington enter their 12 day in hunger strike, while detainees in Texas begin fasting. Meantime, Republicans in Congress passed two bills that would limit President Obama’s executive authority, to keep him from expanding DACA. These and other news are discussed in this program. Guests: Elvira Arellano, immigrant activist, Tijuana, México; Erika Andiola, Dreamer, leader and co-founder, DREAM Action Coalition, Phoenix, AZ, www.drmactioncoalition.org ; Maru Mora Villalpando, Director, Latino Advocacy, Spokesperson, Not1More Campaign, Tacoma, WA, www.notonemoredeportation.com ; Alfonso Aguilar, Executive Director, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, former chief, U.S. Office of Citizenship, Washington, DC, www.americanprinciplesproject.org

Salt of the Earth: Take Two. As many in Silver City, NM, celebrate the 60th anniversary of the once banned film Salt of the Earth, original cast members join this program to share memories and reflect on the changes catalyzed by the legendary movie and the historic events captured by the filmmakers. The film portrays a real life strike of Chicano mine workers in New Mexico and the women’s movement that propelled the strikers to victory. Guests: Anita Torrez, wife of a striking miner, cast member, La Sal de la Tierra, co-founder of Salt of the Earth Labor College, Tucson, AZ; Willie Andazola, eyewitness of the filming of La Sal de la Tierra and the workers strike at Empire Zinc Mine, Silver City, NM.

Mexico Edition. Confined in a maximum security prison in Tepic, in Western Mexico, is Nestora Salgado García, a U.S. born Mexican who as coordinator of a community police group in Olinalá, Guerrero, was charged with kidnapping, after retaining six people in the local House of Justice. Salgado's relatives say her detention is political, since she condemned the collusion of local authorities with organized crime. They have also complained to the National Human Rights Commission and the U.S. Embassy that prison authorities have denied Salgado painkilling medication, she is only allowed to leave the cell one hour a week and is not allowed to talk to fellow inmates. This edition includes the dramatic story of Noemí, an eight-year-old child who was sexually abused by her smuggler, rescued, and then found victim of alleged suicide. Guest: Cleotilde Salgado, Sister of prisoner Nestora Salgado, Olinalá, Guerrero.

Obamacare: Dispelling Fears. Trying to allay fears among immigrant families, President Obama urged mixed status families to sign up for health coverage, in the latest effort to get Latinos enrolled. On the eve of the deadline for April 1 coverage, experts share news about last-minute on-the-ground campaigns in the states with the largest uninsured populations and dialogue with listeners. Guests: José Plaza, National director for Latino outreach, Enroll America, Washington, DC, www.enrollamerica.org ; José Medrano, Organizer, Get Covered America, Brownsville, TX, www.getcoveredamerica.org ; Rosa Olais, Supervisor, Community educators, Visión y Compromiso, Los Ángeles, CA, www.visionycompromiso.org

Covering young immigrants. In California, unlike most states, tens of thousands of young, DACA-recipient immigrants are eligible for Medi-Cal, the safety net for the poor. Still, not many seek these services out of fear of deportation or other barriers to enrolling. In response, a California legislator is spearheading a bill to expand health coverage to all, including the undocumented. Guests: California State Senator Ricardo Lara, 33rd SD, Sacramento, CA, www.sd33.senate.ca.gov ; Imelda Plascencia, Co-author, “Undocumented and uninsured”, UCLA Center for Labor Research, Los Angeles, CA, www.labor.ucla.edu ; Gelasio Rodríguez, 21-year-old immigrant, student, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA.

Immigrant Detainees on Hunger Strike. Hundreds of detainees at Tacoma's immigration detention center, one of the largest in the nation, have refused to eat their meals for five days demanding better conditions at the for-profit center and protesting current deportation practices. An immigrant organizer and a relative of a fasting detainee join this program from a protest outside the facility. Guests: Maru Mora Villalpando, organizer, Latino Advocacy, Seattle, WA, www.latinoadvocacy.org , spokesperson for Not One More Campaign, www.notonemoredeportation.com ; Verónica Noriega, wife of a detainee and striker at the Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma, WA.

Mexico Edition. In Michoacan, a counterinsurgency plan, designed and operated from the U.S., is unfolding. The goal is to gain territorial control of the state, one of the most fertile regions in the world, rich in mineral reserves and with strategic access to the Pacific Ocean, says analyst Gilberto López y Rivas. In Michoacán and other states drug trafficking and insecurity were promoted, then U.S. advice was welcomed, and now the U.S. gathers key intelligence information from the country, all in connivance with the Mexican government, says Lopez y Rivas. Martha Elena Ramírez hosts this edition from Mexico City. Guest: Antropologist Gilberto López y Rivas, member of the mediation commission between EPR and the Mexican government; contributor to La Jornada, Mexico City (Recording)

Health Insurance Enrollment: Deadlines. As the March deadline approaches, the number of people signing up in the health insurance market rapidly increases. More than 4 million have enrolled but still, many uninsured residents continue reporting poor knowledge of the Affordable Care Act. Guest commentators discuss the issues and give practical advice. Guests: Alvaro Huerta, Staff Attorney, National Immigration Law Center, Los Angeles, CA, www.nilc.org ; Lizelda López, Spokeswoman, Covered California, www.coverca.com

Mother of the Disappeared. Nora Cortiñas, the iconic mother of one of the disappeared in Argentina’s “Dirty War,” is visiting our studios in Oakland. Cortiñas is a founding member of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Movement. This tireless human rights group has been instrumental in investigations that have led to prosecutions of former Argentina military leaders for crimes against humanity and efforts to return children who had been kidnapped. She continues her search for her son. Guest: Nora Morales de Cortiñas, Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Truth Commissioner, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Immigration Reform: Executive or Legislative Action. The politics of immigration in states with growing Latino electorates, the “Fast for Families” bus tour across 75 congressional districts in the U.S., the calls for executive action to halt deportations, and the report by an independent panel condemning the U.S. Border Patrol use of deadly force, are topics of conversation in this Immigration Edition. Guests: Ben Monterroso, Executive Director, Mi Familia Vota, National Spokesperson, Fast for Families Bus Tour, Washington, DC, www.mifamiliavota.us ; Sergio Lara, Regional Organizer, Bus passenger, Mi Familia Vota, Vancouver, WA; Petra Falcón, Executive Director, Promise Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, www.promiseaz.org ; Pedro Ríos, Director, American Friends Service Committee, San Diego, CA, www.facebook.com/AFSC.SanDiego

Poniatowska Wins Cervantes Prize. Mexican journalist and author Elena Poniatowska won the Cervantes Prize, the highest literary honor of the Spanish-speaking world. She became the first Mexican woman in receiving this prestigious award. Poniatowska, 81, is the author of “Massacre in Mexico,” “Hasta No Verte Jesús Mío,” and most recently “El Universo o Nada”, among many books. In this conversation, she speaks about her prize and her works. This is a program repeat. Guest: Elena Poniatowska, Journalist and writer, www.fundacionelenaponiatowska.org

Mexico Edition. According to reports leaked by U.S. intelligence agencies, the capture of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán was carried out with georradar, drones and DEA agents who joined the Mexican marines. Guzmán was considered by Forbes magazine one of the richest men in the world in 2011. On the other hand, citizen observers say Chapo's capture was a surrendering negotiated with the U.S. and mexican governments. Martha Elena Ramírez joins this edition from México City.