ICE Cools It on the Quotas

Staff / Truthdig Aug 19, 2009 A controversial program that had set quotas for the arrest of undocumented immigrants is finally over. While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue to bust into homes and workplaces, arresting and deporting illegal immigrants -- some without deportation orders or criminal records -- agents will no longer have a hard number that has to be met. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Latin Leaders Unhappy With U.S. Move Into Colombia

BLANK Aug 11, 2009 The U.S. plans to move its anti-drug operations from Ecuador to Colombia, which is just a little too close for Hugo Chavez, who said "the winds of war were beginning to blow." Luis Inacio Lula da Silva added, "As president of Brazil, this climate of unease disturbs me." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Coup for Lobbyists at the White House

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Aug 5, 2009 Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in the middle of the night just over a month ago, enjoys global support for his return, with the exception of the Obama White House. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Day-1 Honduras Talks Fail

Staff / Truthdig Jul 10, 2009 Talks between Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya and not-president/coup-leader Roberto Micheletti expectedly failed Thursday. Now, negotiations will fall to the staff members of each politician, as the two leaders have refused, and will refuse, to meet face to face. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Honduran Coup Leaders Stand Defiant

Staff / Truthdig Jul 1, 2009 The Honduran coup leaders are showing their bravado. Said hombres have defied an international deadline to return democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya to power within 72 hours, doubling down on their swagger with a quip that "only a foreign invasion could reinstate him." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Honduran President Shall Return

Staff / Truthdig Jun 30, 2009 A day after he was forcibly removed from office, Manuel Zelaya said he will return to Honduras on Thursday to reclaim his presidency. Zelaya enjoys the support of many of his fellow Latin American leaders as well as the president of the United States. However, he still has to deal with his military and political rivals. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Honduras’ Leftist President Gets the Boot

Staff / Truthdig Jun 29, 2009 President Manuel Zelaya won a free trip to Costa Rica on Sunday, courtesy of his nation's military. The Honduran president was ousted after attempting to hold an unofficial referendum on extending presidential term limits, over the objections of the Honduran Supreme Court and Congress. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Privatizing Health Care in the Third World

Staff / Truthdig Jun 19, 2009 For only $5 a month, you too can undermine a developing country's health infrastructure. Since 1990, foreign funding for "development assistance" has quadrupled, offering medical resources to the poor but also luring local health care workers away from government hospitals and toward more lucrative private companies. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Victory for Peru’s Amazon Natives

Staff / Truthdig Jun 17, 2009 After at least 54 people were killed in a bloody roadblock protest earlier this month, native groups in Peru have won a commitment from the government to revoke laws that opened the Amazon to foreign oil and gas companies to exploit indigenous land for resources. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

When Slapped, Slap Back

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Apr 21, 2009 (Editor's note: Eugene Robinson is the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary.) It's hard to argue with the results thus far from President Obama's "no drama" approach to governing, but I think he should learn to chew a little scenery when the occasion demands. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Age of ‘Crimmigration’

Staff / Truthdig Feb 25, 2009 A new study by the Pew Hispanic Center reports that Latinos now constitute the largest single ethnic group in the U.S. federal prison system. The rising arrest and detention levels are driven largely by changes in immigration law that criminalize undocumented immigration, with nearly half of all Latino offenders jailed on immigration-related "crimes." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bolivia’s Indigenous Majority Catches a Break

Staff / Truthdig Jan 26, 2009 Bolivian President Evo Morales, himself an Aymara Indian, has won a referendum on a new constitution granting special privileges to Bolivia's indigenous people. The electorate split along racial lines, with the country's elite white and mixed-race minorities largely opposing the measure. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )