The results of the recent presidential election in Honduras have shocked and shaken the political establishment in the U.S. and around the world. Although results are not yet official, opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla has taken a 5-point lead over U.S. establishment-allied incumbent Juan Orlando Hernandez, who national polls predicted would win. Despite being 5-points behind, Hernandez is declaring himself as winner. Here to discuss the election, we welcome back Alex Main, an expert on Latin and Central America. He is the Senior Associate for International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
In a blow to Haitians in the U.S. and on the ground on the island, Donald Trumps administration has announced it is ending Temporary Protected Status for approximately 60,000 Haitians living in the United States, forcing them to return to Haiti. Meanwhile, living conditions in Haiti are dire for the vast majority of Haitians. Hundreds of thousands are still living in tent cities and face precarious conditions following the 2010 earthquake that killed 300,000 and displaced millions, a situation made even worse by a cholera epidemic brought to Haiti by U.N. troops, as well as by Hurricane Mathew, which hit in 2016, destroying much of the countryside, including what was left of Haitis agriculture. Also important is the U.S.-backed 2016 electoral coup in Haitis presidential election, put in place Jovenel Moise, whose repression against the Haitian people is said to hark back to the days of the brutal Duvalier regime. We get the latest from Pierre Labossiere of the Haiti Action Committee.
Building from where Martin Luther King left off, the New Poor Peoples Campaign will have its national launch on Monday, December 4 in Washington, D.C. The campaign, co-chaired by the Rev. William Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis, is building what is described as a fusion movement to end poverty. The other pillars of the Poor People's Campaign are putting an end to racism, militarism, environmental devastation and their related impacts. Here to discuss his support for the campaign – as well as the work of Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN) and an upcoming visit by the UN Rapporteur on Poverty – is Pete White, Founder and Co-Director of LA CAN.