A New President Goes South of the Border

Making News

The Politics of Tax Day ()

With conservative media pushing anti-tax "tea parties" on this day that taxes are due, President Obama addressed the issue this morning. A former tax reporter for the New York Times, Syracuse Law Professor David Cay Johnston is author of Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill).

Guests:

• David Cay Johnston: former Reporter, New York Times, @davidcayj

Main Topic

A New President Goes South of the Border ()

On a trip to Chile, Vice President Biden met with the leaders of several Latin American countries. But on his way to the Summit of the Americas, President Barack Obama will visit just one. Today the President defended his tax policies. Tomorrow, he'll head for Mexico before continuing on to the Caribbean for the summit. After six years of growth, Latin America is hard hit by the recession, and leaders are looking for help from a new US president who's popular in their countries. Will Obama seize the chance to re-engage?  Will he be upstaged by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez? What about Cuba? In addition to supporting President Calderon's war on drugs, will Obama push for reforms in Mexico's justice system?

Guests:

• Andres Rozental: former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico
• John Ackerman: Professor, National Autonomous University of Mexico
• Julia Sweig: Director of Latin America Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
• Paulo Sotero: Director of the Brazil Institute, Wilson Center
• Claudio Loser: former Director of the Western Hemisphere Department, International Monetary Fund

Links:

• Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan on 'Face the Nation'
• Sweig's 'Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century'

Reporter's Notebook

French Navy Seizes Pirates of Kenyan Coast ()

Somali pirates vowed "revenge" against the US after Navy snipers killed three of their number this week. But in the Indian Ocean today, it was another story. Pirates fired upon the American cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, with bullets and rockets; somehow, the vessel escaped.  Meantime, the French Defense Ministry says one of its warships captured 11 pirates on a so-called "mother ship" off the coast of Kenya.  Shashank Bengali is Africa correspondent for the McClatchy Newspapers.

Guests:

• Shashank Bengali: Africa Correspondent, McClatchy newspapers