To the Point
Immigration and the Fourth of July
As the nation prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, President Obama has called for immigration reform. Did yesterday's speech contain anything new? Will it unify a polarized nation or further divide it? Also, weak job growth, and the President, Emma Lazarus and the Statue of Liberty.
By Warren Olney • • 51m ListenAs the nation prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, President Obama has called for immigration reform. Did yesterday's speech contain anything new? Will it unify a polarized nation or further divide it? Also, new job growth remains elusive, and the President, Emma Lazarus and the Statue of Liberty.
Banner image: President Barack Obama speaks about comprehensive immigration reform during a speech at American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, July 1, 2010. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesNew Job Growth Remains Elusive
Private employers added 83,000 jobs last month — more than double the rate in May, and unemployment dropped from 9.7% to 9.5%. But it was not good enough for the President or a lot of economic analysts. Heidi Shierholtz is a labor market economist with the Economic Policy Institute .
Read the story8 minImmigration and the Fourth of July
In the aftermath of Arizona's new immigration law , with the prospect of other states passing similar crackdowns, President Obama has made an impassioned plea for comprehensive immigration reform, although there's no chance of action before November's elections. Transparently courting the votes of Hispanics, he bashed the Republicans.
Read the story37 minEmma Lazarus and the Statue of Liberty
Speaking on immigration reform yesterday, President Obama invoked the Statue of Liberty and Emma Lazarus, whose famous poem beckons immigrants to American shores. Lazarus' Jewish family fled persecution in Europe and she crusaded for better healthcare and housing for immigrants to the US.
Read the story6 min
