• Leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro is pressing ahead on his pledge to make peace with armed rebel groups. Early on, he signed a series of ceasefire agreements, some of which collapsed. In early June in Havana Cuba, Petro announced a six-month ceasefire that will begin on Aug. 3 with the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group.
(“Inside Petro’s Peace Experiment,” Foreign Policy, June 16, 2023)
• Advocates for Children are worried that government-supported Covid pandemic relief for childcare providers could be lost if funding is allowed to expire. In March 2021, Congress approved the American Rescue Plan, that allocated $52 billion in block grants to childcare agencies to deal with a severe labor shortage in the nation’s childcare centers.
(“The Looming Child Care Cliff,” American Prospect, June 6, 2023)
• Chicago’s incoming progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to broaden and deepen his city’s green agenda. In his election campaign, Johnson, a former union organizer, laid out a strong environmental justice agenda based on a “Green New Deal” for housing, education, clean air and clean water.
(“Can Mayor Brandon Johnson Create a Green New Deal for Chicago?” In These Times, May 15, 2023)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
