Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Religion, University of Notre Dame
Research Fellow and Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Religion at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana
PROFILE
Edwin Hernandez
Guest
FROM Edwin Hernandez
To the Point
Pope Benedict and Catholic America President Bush is giving the full head-of-state treatment to Pope Benedict XVI , a powerful critic of the war in Iraq, not to mention capital punishment and the boycott of Cuba. But today on the White House lawn, both leaders spoke warmly of their relationship and the importance of religion in America's public life. Before a crowd of thousands, the Pope quoted the Declaration of Independence and said he had "great respect for this vast pluralistic society." He emphasized the importance both of religious faith and reason in public debate. He also called for global solidarity and "the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts." We hear what the Pope's visit means to almost 25% of the US population, about half of them Latinos. Why are so many Catholics becoming Pentecostal Protestants ? What's the role of the continuing scandal over pedophile priests?
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To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.