Main Topic

Bush Visits Mexico, Revisits Illegal Immigration Reform ()

During President Bush's first year in office, he made much of his friendship with Mexican President Vicente Fox. Then came September 11.  Today--after stops in Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Guatemala—Bush is in Mérida, Mexico for two days of talks with Fox's successor, Felipe Calderón.  Bush and Calderón are both Ivy League MBA's who support the free market and want to see immigration reform.  Nevertheless, Mexico's President had strong words for Bush today about that issue, US demand for illegal drugs and what Calderón called neglect of Mexico since September 11.  As President Bush ends his Latin American tour with Calderón, we hear about high-profile issues and low expectations. Will Calderón be a counter-force to the influence of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez?  We hear from journalists traveling with the President, political scientists and public policy experts.

Guests:

• Maura Reynolds: White House Correspondent for the Los Angeles Times
• Daniel Lund: President of MUND Americas
• Denise Dresser: Professor of Political Science at ITAM
• Dan Restrepo: Latin America analyst at the Center for American Progress

Reporter's Notebook

Gonzales Responds to White House Firing of US Attorneys ()

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is under increasing fire from Democrats on Capitol Hill over the firing of eight US Attorneys around the country. Federal prosecutors, who serve at the pleasure of the President, are supposed to be independent of politics.  Last week, two former US attorneys told Congress they felt "leaned on" by Republicans to pursue partisan agendas. Today, Gonzales’s top aide resigned after reports that the White House was deeply involved in the firings. New York’s Democratic Senator, Charles Schumer, called for Gonzales to step down.

Guests:

• Dahlia Lithwick: Senior Editor and Legal Correspondent for Slate
• Noel Francisco: Attorney with Jones Day

Links:

• NPR's 'Morning Edition' feature on 2005 proposal to fire prosecutors
• USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005
• New York Times article on Gonzales, firing of federal prosecutors
• Washington Post article on origins of prosecutors' firing