Top U.S. & World Headlines — June 22, 2018
In the June 22, 2018 episode of Democracy Now, Amy Goodman covers significant developments both in the U.S. and globally, touching on urgent topics around immigration, government policies, and public protests. A key highlight from this episode was the military's preparation to house up to 20,000 immigrant children on bases in Texas and Arkansas. This decision comes in the wake of President Trump's executive order aimed at ending the separation of children from their parents at the border, amid escalating scrutiny over the administration's immigration policies.
The Justice Department requested permission to change a longstanding settlement that limits family detention to 20 days, facing backlash for lacking any systematic approach to reuniting separated families. Notably, the Texas Civil Rights Project is represented in the struggle to find children whose parents are detained, presenting a troubling picture of government responsiveness. Critics, including Bob Kerry, a former official during the Obama administration, characterized the situation as a form of child abuse by the government.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi condemned proposed legislation that intended to facilitate indefinite detention of asylum seekers while allocating $25 billion for a border wall. Meanwhile, disparate protests erupted in various cities, including a major ICE raid in Ohio that saw 146 undocumented workers arrested, igniting further outrage across the nation.
Amid such turmoil, First Lady Melania Trump made headlines for her visit to a Texas detention center, notably wearing a jacket that bore the controversial phrase, "I really don't care, do you?" Activists emphasized the urgent need for compassion and systematic change in immigration policy, evidenced by a Guatemalan woman seeking sanctuary in a New York church with her children to escape deportation.
Moreover, the episode discusses the larger context of police violence, with specific focus on a recent case in Pittsburgh where the shooting of unarmed teenager Antoine Rose has sparked significant public protests demanding accountability.
This overview of headlines illustrates the profound social and political challenges facing the U.S. in 2018, featuring insights that are still relevant today, particularly as debates around immigration and civil rights continue to evolve in 2024.
What are your thoughts on how these issues have progressed since then? Have you seen changes in public perception or government policies since 2018? Let’s dive into the conversation!