Americas Now

April 6, 2021

Living on minimum wage

A national debate is underway in the United States over whether to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour from the current $7.25 an hour today, as more than 30 million U.S. citizens now live below the poverty line. The last time the U.S. […]

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March 18, 2021

Profile: Nobel Prize Laureate, Juan Manuel Santos

The Nobel Prize is considered one of the world’s highest honors. But in its 100-year-history, only 16 Latin Americans have received it. Michele Begue interviewed former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, the latest laureate from the region. He reflected on receiving this important global award.  […]

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March 18, 2021

Monarch’s Migration Undisturbed by Humans in COVID-19 Lockdown

As the pandemic continues to rage around the world, nature, it seems, hasn’t noticed much of a difference.  While human society lives through the upheaval of the global COVID-19 pandemic, nature has continued here unperturbed.  And when it comes to massive migrations, perhaps none is […]

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March 18, 2021

COVID-19 Pandemic Worsens Hunger in Central America

Some of the poorest communities in the Western hemisphere are located in Central America. For years, severe droughts have been causing widespread hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse when shutdowns severely cut back on economic growth. It’s a situation that’s repeated across Latin America. […]

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March 18, 2021

Politics Challenge COVID-19 Vaccinations in Brazil

By February of 2021, more than a quarter million Brazilians had died due to COVID-19. That made Brazil the second country in the world with the largest death toll after the US. Scientists also located a new virus strain. But the country’s overall health has […]

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March 7, 2021

Food insecurity in the United States

According to the World Food Program, 150 million people faced food insecurity across 79 countries prior to the pandemic. John Zarrella reports on food scarcity in the United States.  

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March 7, 2021

Saving money without going to a bank

The majority of low-income Latino families in the U.S. have limited access to banks, loans or credit cards. Mike Kirsch tells us about some informal female bankers using this system in the U.S.

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February 9, 2021

Violence in Mexico is forcing people out of their homes

In Mexico, the issue of migration goes beyond Central Americans crossing the country to reach the U.S. Border. Drug cartel violence is forcing thousands of Mexicans to flee their homes and towns. Since the start of Mexico’s War on Drugs in 2006, more than 150,000 […]

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February 9, 2021

Riding horses helps youngsters stay out of trouble in California

During one of the most racially-divided times in US history – there’s some positive news about race relations coming out of Southern California.  Nowadays, young Black and Hispanic men – rather than fighting each other over gang turf – can sometimes be seen riding on horseback […]

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February 9, 2021

Eduardo Kobra: Expressing his feelings through art

Brazilian artist Carlos Eduardo Fernandes, AKA Kobra, is one of the most recognized muralists in the world. His works are featured in over 17 countries.  His latest work of art is a mural painted in his studio in Sao Paulo, which depicts five children of […]

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January 10, 2021

Costa Rica’s centenarians vs. COVID-19

Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is home to the largest concentration of people over 100 years old in the Americas. A team of psychologists, nurses, nutritionists, and social workers are being vigilant to protect them from the pandemic.

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December 10, 2020

COVID-19 aggravating Brazil’s Jails Crisis

As the largest and most inhabited country in South America, Brazil has also the largest population of people in jail. The number of inmates rises so fast, that the prison system can’t properly accommodate them, leading to overcrowding and violence.

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December 10, 2020

COVID-19 Has Hit Undocumented Immigrants Hardest

Among those most severely impacted by Covid-19 in the United States are Hispanic migrants who’ve been losing their jobs in significant numbers  A few months ago just 5% of them were unemployed. Today nearly 20% are out of work.

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December 10, 2020

Profile: Environmentalist Kris Tompkins

After serving at the helm of Patagonia outdoor clothing and helping to establish new standards in corporate responsibility, Kristine Tompkins undertook a bigger challenge: establishing millions of acres of national parks in South America.

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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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