Americas Now

November 10, 2020

The U.S. Government: Controlling protests with Federal Forces

2020 has been a year of demonstrations and political turmoil in the US. The answer from the White House to the protests has been a “law and order” campaign that included the deployment of federal forces. Mike Kirsh went to Kenosha, Wisconsin during an explosive […]

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November 10, 2020

Profile: Craig Fugate, Former FEMA Administrator

Powerful Hurricane Laura struck the U.S. Gulf Coast with catastrophic winds. With ever increasing frequency, major hurricanes are threatening many of the world’s coastal communities. The Atlantic Hurricane season runs from June through late November. Having reached the end of the letters of the Roman […]

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November 10, 2020

Brazil’s doctors bracing for the worse

The epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic is now Latin America, where by the end of September 2020, almost 7 million cases have been recorded, and more than 266,000 people have died. Brazil, by far the biggest and most populated country in the region, has seen […]

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October 13, 2020

Capturing COVID-19 Through Latin American Lens

When Latin America became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic and countries like Brazil, Peru, Ecuador saw a dramatic rise in the number of cases, a photography collective composed of photographers from across Latin America documented the outbreak in 13 counties across the Americas’ region. […]

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October 13, 2020

Oaxaca Mexico Crippled by COVID-19 and Earthquakes

One of the strongest earthquakes in Mexican history rocked the country in 2020. The epicenter was in the southern state of Oaxaca, an impoverished region where the damage was extensive. The timing couldn’t have been worse, coming in the middle of a pandemic that has […]

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October 13, 2020

Costa Rica: COVID-19 Success Story

The Coronavirus pandemic has left no country unscathed. The World Health Organization describes Latin America as one of the regions hit the hardest. Brazil leads the pack with a record-breaking 5 million cases as of October. Several other countries in the region also suffered greatly. […]

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September 3, 2020

European Languages find a home in Brazil

The first wave of German immigrants disembarked in Brazil almost 200 years ago. They formed colonies and maintained their native dialects and tongues. Maria Valls investigated this cultural heritage before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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September 1, 2020

Dam fears spark protests in Puerto Vallarta

An idyllic spot near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where a mountain river meets the sea has long been loved for its wildlife and natural beauty. But a recent move by a local company to allegedly “dam up” the Los Horcones river sparked outrage and activism that […]

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September 1, 2020

Radio education making a comeback in Colombia during lockdown

In the 1950´s Colombia, education in rural areas faced several challenges including an early dropout rate and a scarcity of teachers. Four decades of armed conflict in remote areas was a factor, but there also was the socio-economic reality that children were leaving school to […]

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September 1, 2020

Homelessness spikes in Florida amid COVID-19 pandemic

Over a half a million people are homeless in the United States, and the problem has plagued Florida.  The state is home to the third-largest homeless community in the nation – and that was before COVID-19. The situation has fueled concerns that the state’s lack […]

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August 31, 2020

Wood figurines feed Amazon forest communities

They may be simple little images of local wildlife from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest but for those who sell them — and for the tourists who buy them — they’re more than just a trinket. These little figurines are helping feed hundreds of families — while […]

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August 2, 2020

Chile struggles to become a hub for robotics and AI in South America

Chile is ahead of other countries in the region when it comes to its technology sector. Lately, it’s focus has turned to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase productivity, especially in the job sector.   The initiative has already spawned some fascinating new concepts. But digging deeper, you can notice there are still […]

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August 2, 2020

Humberto de la Calle: Peace Negotiator

Humberto de la Calle is a Colombian lawyer, politician and diplomat, who will be most-remembered for his role as a peace negotiator.  In 2016, Colombia signed a peace agreement with Latin America’s oldest and largest rebel group, the FARC. De la Calle was at the head of the government […]

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August 2, 2020

Mexican National Guard hasn’t stop violence in Mexico 

A year ago, Mexican president Manuel Lopez Obrador promised that military forces, then highly criticized by Human Rights advocates, would leave the streets.   The newly-created National Guard, a sort of alternative to the police and the military, were tasked with the protection of the Mexican people. The goal was to reduced criminality within the first year of its inception. Instead, […]

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August 2, 2020

Venezuelan immigrants are helping fight COVID-19 in Peru 

Well-educated Venezuelans who left the country seeking better opportunities frequently find themselves performing odd jobs to get by. That includes thousands of Venezuelans trained in the medical field.   According to reports, more than 22,000 physicians have left the country in the past five years. […]

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July 12, 2020

Before COVID-19, Jamaica was achieving an economic turnaround

Jamaica was a country that learned about inflation and turned around its economy by using a powerful tool, Music.   But in 2012, Jamaica’s economy was so weak it couldn’t even afford to keep the streetlights on.   For several decades, Jamaica struggled with levels of debt so high that they couldn’t service it without […]

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July 12, 2020

Ex-pats hunkered down in Mexico to ride out COVID-19 pandemic

Lake Chapala, in Mexico’s Jalisco state, used to be a place to go for a quick, seasonal trip in Mexico for thousands of Canadian and European tourists. But many of them fell in love with the beauty and tranquility of the place and decided to stay forever and call it home.    With COVID-19 ending tourism […]

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July 12, 2020

Underfunded Chicago hospital leading the COVID-19 fight

The fight against COVID-19 in the most overwhelmed areas of the United States, put a huge strain on the resources of hospitals in the country’s poorest areas.   Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, was already tending to a community plagued with a myriad of poverty-related diseases, like asthma, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.    The hospital was almost at full capacity before the arrival of COVID-19. The peak of the pandemic found Roseland […]

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June 9, 2020

Indigenous in Peru fear COVID-19 pandemic

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world, indigenous groups are especially worried.   They tend to be more susceptible than the general public to viral infections.    And often they have little or no access to modern healthcare.   They fear COVID-19 could decimate their […]

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June 9, 2020

NOLA silenced by COVID-19

The city of New Orleans became one of the earliest hot zones for COVID-19.   Consider this sobering statistic. More people have now died from the Coronavirus than were killed by Hurricane Katrina 15 years ago.   While the crisis is abating, doctors and nurses are worried […]

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June 9, 2020

COVID-19 forcing Venezuelan immigrants to return home

The Coronavirus pandemic has brought huge economic uncertainty to countries across the globe. And for many Venezuelan migrants it has presented them with a tough decision: To leave the place where they have re-located or return home to a country that is broken. Venezuelans migrated to neighboring countries seeking to […]

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May 3, 2020

Before COVID-19 wildfires were the main concern for Californians

Every year, California is engaged in an epic “Man versus Nature” battle against thousands of wildfires that rage across the land, claiming lives and inflicting billions of dollars in damage.   With the dreaded fire season approaching, there is a new element to be fearful of, COVID19 spread.   Authorities in California […]

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May 3, 2020

Impoverished Central America threaten by Climate Change and Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic took the spotlight away from Earth Day’s 50-year celebration on April 22nd. Though environmentalists and climate activists see this as a demonstration that when there is enough political will, strong and rapid actions can be taken to mitigate a problem.  The northern triangle of Central America is one of the poorest regions in […]

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May 3, 2020

Private conservationism could be the key to saving the Amazon

How can we save the Amazon rainforest? It’s a question that is becoming increasingly urgent as concern grows that the world’s largest original forest – a key defense against global warming – risks being destroyed by farming, logging and climate change.   One solution may lie partly […]

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April 26, 2020

Mexico’s addiction to sugary drinks is killing people

A lack of access to clean drinking water has caused a generation of people in Mexico to become addicted to sugary drinks. And one step closer to diabetes. Mexico is one of the largest countries in Latin America. It also has one of the highest rates […]

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April 26, 2020

Edel Rodriguez’s provocative art

He’s both a designer and a provocateur. He’s also the author of some of the most controversial magazine covers in recent memory. You may not know who Edel Rodriguez is but you’ve probably known his art work. The Cuban-born, New York based artist has made […]

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April 26, 2020

Seattle: The first US COVID-19 epicenter

It all began at a nursing home in Washington state.Or at least that is what was known at the time. When the first deaths from the coronavirus took place researchers began testing and scientists sounded the alarm. But the invisible enemy was already spreading throughout […]

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