Director, Welfare Rights Organization
Director of the Welfare Rights Organization and a staff member of the People's Hurricane Relief Fund
PROFILE
Viola Francois Washington
Guest
FROM Viola Francois Washington
To the Point
Promises and Realities Two Years after Katrina For presidential candidates of both political parties, New Orleans has become a regular stop on the campaign trail. Despite the sullied reputation of FEMA , President Bush tonight starts his thirteenth visit since Hurricane Katrina struck land two years ago tomorrow. But despite two years of promises, crime is up along with rents and taxes. Healthcare and other services are still in decline. Levee repair is still under way, but coastal restoration hasn't even been started. A major city was struck by a disaster predicted well in advance. Can America summon the will and resources for long-term protection?
To the Point
Life in New Orleans One Year Later Mayor Ray Nagin wants half of New Orleans to come back home, and today President Bush got a look at what they would find when they got there. A year after Katrina, there's no central plan, and some neighborhoods are as full of debris as they were when the waters receded. Today, Nagin said that things "would have been different" if "rich people were struggling in New Orleans." Will disaster be a catalyst for reconciling issues of race and class? We hear about the desperate lack of affordable housing as 73 separate neighborhoods try to decide what to do. What about jobs, schools and businesses to keep the economy going?
Recommended
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
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?