Morning NewsTaco
Thursday August 2, 2012
Latinos on the Rise (The New York Times): Cruz’s victory came on the very same day that Democrats announced that the keynote speaker at their upcoming convention in Charlotte would be another Latino from Texas: the San Antonio mayor, Julián Castro.
Julian Castro: Son of Chicana Activist, Harvard Law Grad, Future U.S. President? (Fox News Latino): A main attraction at a small power gathering that included President Obama was a young mayor whose name was unknown to many outside Texas – Julian Castro. Castro, who was one of only five mayors among those invited to a jobs and economics growth forum, had graduated from Harvard Law School only nine years earlier.
Is Antonio Villaraigosa poised to be America’s first Latino president? (Yahoo News): When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gavels the 2012 Democratic National Convention into session in Charlotte, N.C., this September, his role as prominent cheerleader for President Barack Obama will be clear. It is less clear, for now, if Villaraigosa has designs on the ultimate convention role in 2016—taking center stage to accept his party’s nomination on the final night.
New National Survey: Nearly 90 Percent of Latino Voters Support Clean Energy (Newsroom America): The Sierra Club and NCLR (National Council of La Raza) announced a new national survey today, finding that nearly 90 percent of Latino voters favor clean energy over fossil fuels. The national poll surveyed 1,131 Latino registered voters across the country on a number of public health, environmental and energy issues, and found overwhelming support for clean energy innovation, protecting public lands and parks and cleaning up toxic pollution.
When a Taste for Publicity Bites Back (The New York Times): In nearly 20 years as sheriff of Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio has honed his publicity skills, using headline-grabbing, often outrageous maneuvers to build a reputation as the nation’s toughest law officer and make himself a hero to many Americans.
What does Ted Cruz’s Victory Mean for Texas Latinos? (Fox News Latino): With a largely Anglo base in Texas, the GOP faces the possibility of demographic doom in Texas over the long term unless it can expand its support among Latinos. But Tuesday’s victory for Ted Cruz, who defeated Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Senate primary race, all but assuring his win in November, gave Latino Republicans hope that they can buck the trend.
New Republican Hispanic star Cruz stresses American story (Reuters/Chicago Tribune): As Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz hit the campaign trail before his victory on Tuesday in a Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff, he often told the story of his father fleeing Cuba and coming to Texas with just $100 sewn into his underwear. But the 41-year-old lawyer who became a national Republican star by beating the Texas Republican establishment pick, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, also talks about how every American family has a story like his father’s.
Cuban-Americans’ Political Success (The New York Times): While Cuban-Americans represent only a tiny fraction of the Hispanic population of the United States, three of them have been elected to the United States Senate and another may soon join them, with Ted Cruz’s victory in the Republican Senate primary in Texas on Tuesday.
Immigrants prove big business for prison companies (USA Today): The U.S. is locking up more illegal immigrants than ever, generating lucrative profits for the nation’s largest prison companies, and an Associated Press review shows the businesses have spent tens of millions of dollars lobbying lawmakers and contributing to campaigns.
Immigration and keeping families intact (McClatchy-Tribune News Service/Sacramento Bee): A study by the Applied Research Center, which studies the intersection of immigration enforcement and the child welfare system, found that 5,000 children in more than 20 states were put in foster care after their parents were detained or deported by immigration authorities. Experts say parents who are detained or face immigration-related prosecutions often face obstacles communicating with family courts or accessing foster care systems, making it difficult to keep track of their children or assert their rights.
Democratic investigation reveals for-profit schools target Latino students (Voxxi): More Latino students might be opting to enroll in for-profit institutions to facilitate their chances with employment. Yet, a recent investigation unveiled by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) Monday cautions them to think twice before enrolling.
The Defense of Marriage Act and Undocumented Immigrants (American Progress): When Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas “came out” as undocumented in a major New York Times Magazine piece in June 2011, his revelation shocked the nation and became the focal point for a conversation on the plight of unauthorized immigrants in the United States. But this was not Vargas’s first coming out experience. Vargas identifies as gay and initially came out when he was a teenager. Vargas is not alone in this experience of coming out twice in his life; those like Vargas who are both undocumented and gay* face a significant barrier to legal status and family reunification.
Latino Olympians: The Proud Parents Behind The Athletes (PHOTOS) (Huffington Post): We thought we’d thank the parents of these latino olympians in our own way. If Ryan Lochte’s mom makes it clear that behind the Olympic star there is a Cuban grandmother making croquetas, we figured we’d take a look at who’s behind our other Latino Olympians.
