1.8.26 CDC’s new childhood vaccine schedule, U.S.-China relations, and Haitian migrants’ Temporary Protected Status

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The World and Everything In It

Episode Date: January 8, 2026
Main Topics: CDC’s new childhood vaccine schedule, U.S.-China relations post-Venezuela, Haitian migrants’ Temporary Protected Status
Podcast by: WORLD Radio
Hosts: Myrna Brown, Mary Reichert

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Overview

This episode delves into three prominent news stories shaping American and global discussions:

• The CDC’s controversial overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule under new HHS leadership.
• The evolving geopolitical chessboard in Latin America following U.S. actions in Venezuela, particularly regarding China’s response.
• The looming expiration of Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Haitian migrants, focusing on life for Haitian communities in places like Springfield, Ohio.

With original reporting, expert interviews, and a focus on policy ramifications, the show untangles complex issues and elevates voices from across the political and social spectrum.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. CDC’s New Childhood Vaccine Schedule

[Segment starts 06:30]

a. Policy Changes at the CDC

• The CDC has reduced its recommended universal childhood immunizations from 17 diseases down to 11.
• Routine immunization for diseases like polio and measles remains, but for hepatitis A and RSV, the new recommendations target only high-risk groups. For flu, COVID-19, and rotavirus, parents and doctors now "share the decision-making" ([06:55]).
• This marks a shift towards a risk-based and individualized approach.

b. RFK Jr. and HHS Reform

• New HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moved swiftly to overhaul vaccine policy, emphasizing “radical transparency” and ending “corporate capture” of federal health agencies.

  “Our plans are radical transparency and returning gold standard science, NIH, the FDA and CDC to ending the corruption, ending the corporate capture of those agencies, getting rid of the people on those panels that have conflicts of interest.”
  —Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [07:01]

• President Trump directed this review, echoing concerns that U.S. children receive too many vaccines compared to other developed countries.

  “Don’t let them pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you’ve ever seen in your life going into the delicate little body of a baby.”
  —President Trump via RFK Jr. [08:13]

c. Expert & Stakeholder Responses

• Dr. Anna Weil, University of Washington: Strongly defends the long-standing safety and necessity of vaccines like hepatitis B for newborns, calling the revised schedule a retreat from “evidence-based” public health ([09:44], [10:26]).

  “The vaccine has been given for several decades without an issue.”
  —Dr. Anna Weil [10:26]

• Vaccine safety skeptic Brian Hooker (Children’s Health Defense) raises concerns about the sufficiency of vaccine safety trials, especially referencing the hepatitis B vaccine ([08:28], [10:03]).

• Hooker frames the schedule change as an opportunity to address America's rising chronic disease rates, urging a holistic look at food, environment, and vaccines ([10:54]).

d. State vs. Federal Guidance

• Many states and medical societies (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics) are resisting the new federal schedule, pledging to uphold older guidelines ([11:11]).
• Immunization requirements for school attendance remain a patchwork, with some states (e.g., California) maintaining strict vaccine mandates.

Memorable Quotes

• “To suggest that these are in need of review, that the current schedule isn’t safe...is just not based on evidence.”
  —Dr. Anna Weil [10:26]
• “Let's also look at the food we eat, look at the air that we breathe. Adding vaccines to the list of questions that need to be answered...is really a good thing.”
  —Brian Hooker [10:54]

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2. U.S.-China Relations After the Fall of Maduro

[Segment starts 11:55]

a. Backdrop: U.S. Operation in Venezuela

• The U.S. has orchestrated the removal and extradition of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, prompting major changes in both Venezuela and international relations ([00:52], [28:06]).

b. China’s Interest in Venezuela

• China had invested billions in Venezuela (primarily via oil-for-loans) and helped Maduro build a surveillance state ([13:11]).

• Yvonne Chu (American Enterprise Institute) explains:

  “In the very beginning, I think the ideological alignment mattered. In recent years it has been the energy supply, the oil, and that of course dovetails with the strategic leverage.”
  —Yvonne Chu [13:30]

• The U.S. move complicates Chinese strategic ambitions in Latin America but is not seen as a critical setback.

  “…if the US made this move in Venezuela…as part of its bigger strategic competition with China…then that is a very short-term move.”
  —Yvonne Chu [13:30]

c. Implications for U.S.-China Dynamics

• The U.S. action signals a new willingness to wield military power for “narrow economic interests,” but not necessarily to defend democracies like Taiwan ([14:16]).

  “It does say that the US is willing to use force in situations that we wouldn’t have expected before, but it doesn’t say… the US is willing to defend democracies, including… Taiwan.”
  —Yvonne Chu [14:16]

• Chu suggests China is already shifting to assert its own power in the region, interpreting U.S. actions as aggressive but not globally encompassing ([15:43], [16:09]). She points to recent Chinese military activities around Taiwan as evidence of Beijing’s assertiveness.

d. Policy Takeaways

• The podcast concludes this segment noting that regional U.S. focus gives China more freedom in the Indo-Pacific, and policymakers should watch for indicators ranging from military to diplomatic signals ([15:43]).

Memorable Quotes

• “What it does do…is that it starts to create this permission structure for other countries to say, hey, look, right? … You invaded another country…we strongly condemn.”
  —Yvonne Chu [14:16]

• “China not so much. And we have seen from Trump’s relations with foreign leaders that he really appreciates strong authoritarian leaders.”
  —Yvonne Chu [16:09]

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3. Haitian Migrants & the End of Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

[Segment starts 19:49]

a. Background and Local Impact

• Around 350,000 Haitian migrants face loss of TPS, a status granted after the 2010 Haitian earthquake and extended through consecutive administrations due to ongoing crises ([20:19], [23:12]).
• Ohio, particularly Springfield, is highlighted as a community deeply affected, with both infrastructure strains and hope among the migrants.

b. Personal Stories:

• “Mary” (a Haitian woman) and survivor “Sajini” reveal layers of TPS eligibility, journeys through multiple countries, and the ever-present uncertainty about their legal status and destinations ([21:03], [24:21]).

  • Many Haitian arrivals originally settled in Chile or Brazil before moving on to the U.S.
  • Challenges include legal limbo, lack of documentation, and fear of returning to danger in Haiti.

• “People are still thinking along the lines of hoping to remain here. And as Americans, we wish that we had that same kind of hope for them. But we are seeing the realities.”
  —Casey Rollins, Director, St. Vincent DePaul Community Center [22:19]

c. Policy and Political Response

• U.S. Senator John Husted underscores that TPS was always meant to be temporary ([25:37]).

  “Everybody has known what the terms were for quite a while now. I’m assuming that they have been taking proper preparations for a return.”
  —Sen. John Husted [25:44]

• Rumors and warnings about potential immigration raids circulate in the community ([25:18]).

• While some in the community fear being forced to return, many have put down deep roots and are looking for alternative legal solutions, including attempts to resettle in third countries ([23:12]).

d. Ongoing Uncertainty

• Despite increased resource pressures, communities like St. Vincent DePaul have seen a rise in local donations.
• The segment closes on the anxiety and hopefulness that persists for Haitian families, as many still have no clear path forward ([26:42]).

Memorable Quotes

• “I have no idea right now where to go because I don’t want to go back to Haiti…I don’t have any idea where to go right now.”
  —Mary, Haitian migrant via interpreter [26:42]

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4. Editorial Commentary: U.S. Action in Venezuela

[Segment starts 28:06]

• Cal Thomas reflects on U.S. rationale for removing Maduro, the international drug trade implications, and ensuing Congressional debate over presidential war powers.

  “Several congressional Democrats and a few Republicans are now moving to block any further US Military action invoking the War Powers Act…Kaine is not acting alone. He has backing from Republicans, including Rand Paul…an unusual coalition that all but guarantees this debate will play out in full view.”
  —Cal Thomas [28:37]

• He frames the U.S. action as necessary national defense rather than abuse of power.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 07:01 | RFK Jr. | “Our plans are radical transparency…ending the corporate capture of those agencies…” | | 08:13 | RFK Jr./Trump | “Don’t let them pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff…” | | 10:26 | Dr. Anna Weil | “The vaccine has been given for several decades without an issue.” | | 14:16 | Yvonne Chu | “It does say…US is willing to use force… but it doesn’t say US is willing to defend democracies like Taiwan.”| | 22:19 | Casey Rollins | “People are…hoping to remain here. And as Americans, we wish we had that same kind of hope for them…” | | 25:44 | Sen. Husted | "Everybody has known what the terms were for quite a while now…preparations for a return.” | | 28:37 | Cal Thomas | "…unusual coalition that all but guarantees this debate will play out in full view." |

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• CDC Childhood Vaccine Schedule: [06:30] – [11:55]
• U.S.-China Relations / Venezuela: [11:55] – [17:43]
• Haitian Migrants’ TPS: [19:49] – [27:45]
• Editorial: U.S. Action in Venezuela: [28:06] – [31:24]

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Conclusion

This episode provides vital context and competing perspectives on pressing policy changes and international developments. From the contentious recalibration of childhood vaccination protocols and the real-world impact on families, to the strategic balancing by U.S. and global powers after Maduro’s removal, and the human face of migrant policy—WORLD’s reporting and commentary provoke thought and underscore the future uncertainties each issue faces.

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Transcript

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. Today, the turf war over controversial changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Don't let them pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you've ever seen in your life.

[Mary Reichert]

Also today, how the US Military operation in Venezuela may affect relations with China and the next phase of immigration enforcement coming to Springfield, Ohio.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I mean, look, everybody's known what the terms were for quite a while now. Foreign.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Thursday, January 8th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichert.

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

The United States seized two more oil tankers linked to Venezuela Wednesday after U.S. officials say they were found illegally operating on the high seas. These are the first tankers seized since the US Captured and extradited Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Moreuro to the United States on drug trafficking charges. And US Officials are now making new oil deals with the country's interim government, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We're going to sell it in the marketplace at market rates. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime. The US has now seized a total of four oil tankers within the last month for violating sanctions. It's part of an ongoing pressure campaign aimed at keeping the Venezuelan regime in line. In Minnesota, a federal agent shot and killed a woman during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis Wednesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says an officer fired after the driver tried to run him over with her vehicle. City leaders dispute that account and both state and federal authorities are now investigating. The incident has sparked protests and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz remarked to Minnesotans, I say this, I feel your anger. I'm angry. He lashed out at the Trump administration, suggesting federal law enforcement was not welcome there. And Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry asserted that the officer's self defense explanation was false. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem countered.

[Mary Reichert]

He doesn't know what he's talking about. Our officer followed his training, did exactly.

[Yvonne Chu]

What he's been taught to do in that situation.

[Kent Covington]

The shooting happened in a residential neighborhood south of downtown. Witness video shows the officers approaching an suv, stopped in the road. As the vehicle moved forward, an officer opened fire. It is not yet clear whether the SUV struck or dragged the officer. The Trump administration says it has a new message aimed at making America healthy. Eat more real food, cut back on sugar and skip most snacks. That come in a package that is part of new nutrition advice issued by the government this week. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makari we have.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

40% of our kids now with a chronic disease. It is not their fault. This is something that is the result of bad advice from the government and a medical establishment that for decades peddled research from a flawed 1960s model.

[Kent Covington]

The updated guidelines encourage Americans to eat more vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein. They also warn against foods that come in bags or boxes and are high in sugar or refined carbohydrates like chips, cookies and candy. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Kennedy Jr. New guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient dense food is is the most effective path to better health and lower health care costs.

[Kent Covington]

The guidance keeps limits on saturated fat but says it's better to get fats from whole foods such as meats, eggs and dairy instead of processed oils. Officials say the shorter, simpler advice is meant to be easier to follow and will shape school lunches and other federal food programs serving millions of people every day. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he'll meet with Danish officials next week to discuss US Interests in Greenland. World's Benjamin Eicker has that story.

[Benjamin Eicker]

The talks come after President Trump again said the island is important to US Security, citing growing activity by China and Russia in the Arctic. Danish and Greenland leaders requested the meeting. Rubio told lawmakers the administration's focus is on diplomacy and discussion, not military action. He also noted that past US Presidents have explored similar ideas. European leaders pushed back, saying Greenland belongs to its people and warning against pressure on a NATO ally. For World I'm Benjamin eicher.

[Kent Covington]

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis says he plans to call lawmakers into a special session in April to redraw the state's congressional map ahead of midterm elections. He pointed to a U.S. supreme Court case in which he believes the justices are likely to rule that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

[Benjamin Eicker]

We have a couple districts that has been thought that the Voting Rights act mandates racial gerrymandering, so that's going to.

[Kent Covington]

Force it one way or another, he said. The state is getting out ahead of that. Republicans currently hold 20 of Florida's 28 House seats, and any changes could influence control of the closely divided U.S. house. Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2010 aimed at limiting partisan map drawing. The state Supreme Court later upheld the map backed by DeSantis. Democrats argue the new maps would violate that amendment, while Republicans say the courts may soon change the legal landscape. I'm Kent Covington. And still ahead, controversial changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. Plus how the US Military operation in Venezuela may affect relations with China. This is the World and Everything in It.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Thursday 8th January. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichard. First up, the CDC's childhood vaccination schedule. Vaccines are a routine part of life for many children and their parents, but which ones they get may be changing. Earlier this week, the CDC reduced the number of diseases it recommends for universal childhood vaccination from 17 down to 11. World's Emma Frere has the story.

[Emma Frere]

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Was sworn in as HHS secretary, he promised big changes.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Our plans are radical transparency and returning gold standard science, nih, the FDA and CDC to ending the corruption, ending the corporate capture of those agencies, getting rid of the people on those panels that have conflicts of interest.

[Emma Frere]

Kennedy quickly made good on his promise to shake things up. Kennedy has frequently questioned vaccine safety in the past and his opponents brand him an anti vaxxer on Monday. This week, the CDC announced it was reducing the number of immunizations it recommends to all children. The CDC still recommends immunizations for all children against diseases like polio and measles. But for diseases like hepatitis A and rsv, the CDC now recommends immunizations only for some groups considered high risk for still other diseases like flu, COVID 19 and rotavirus. Parents and physicians are to share the decision making. The changes come after President Trump issued a memorandum directing Secretary Kennedy to review the entire childhood vaccination schedule and a lineup with the best practices of other developed countries. Trump has frequently expressed his view that American kids get too many vaccines.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

It's so important to me to take see the doctor four times or five times for a vaccine. Don't let him pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you've ever seen in your life going into the delicate little body of a baby.

[Emma Frere]

Brian Hooker is the chief science officer at Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit founded by Kennedy. He thinks vaccine safety concerns will wind up in court.

[Benjamin Eicker]

It's really a quagmire because there are a lot of interesting questions that come up regarding the immunity that vaccine manufacturers have regarding lawsuit through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which was a result of a law that was passed in 1986, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.

[Emma Frere]

Kennedy targeted the vaccine schedule soon after he took office. In June, he fired all members of a panel that advises the CDC on vaccines. The advisory committee on immunization practices. Last month, the committee voted to end its advice that all newborns get vaccinated against hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

8 votes yes and 3 votes no. The motion passes.

[Emma Frere]

Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver. In adults, it is most often spread through sexual contact or blood exposure, including shared needles. But when a pregnant woman is infected, the virus can be passed to her baby during childbirth, which is why newborn vaccination became standard. Here's Dr. Anna Weil, an assistant professor at the University of Washington.

[Yvonne Chu]

We in public health, I think, think of it as even one, even one person being born and being exposed to hepatitis B when it's preventable, you know, is too many.

[Emma Frere]

Hooker argues the vaccine itself carries significant risks. He thinks the vaccine did not undergo sufficiently rigorous testing for safety before its release.

[Benjamin Eicker]

The hepatitis B shot, when it was originally tested by the FDA, was tested on a total of 147 infants, and it was tested for five days. So if there was a safety signal after five days, then that was not recorded.

[Emma Frere]

But Dr. Wiles says the vaccine has a proven track record. It's been recommended at birth since 1991.

[Yvonne Chu]

The vaccine has been given for several decades without an issue. So to suggest that these are in need of review, that the current schedule isn't safe or is not in the public's interest, is just not based on evidence because there is not new evidence that has come to light.

[Emma Frere]

Hooker hopes the review of vaccines will be part of a bigger discussion about high rates of chronic disease in America.

[Benjamin Eicker]

Let's look at that. Let's also look at the food we eat, look at the air that we breathe. Adding vaccines to the list of questions that need to be answered in order to find clues for the chronic disease epidemic, especially in children. I think that's really a good thing.

[Emma Frere]

The future of the new vaccine schedule is unclear. Multiple states and medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have announced they will continue recommending the previous schedule. Adding to the uncertainty, states have the right to determine which vaccines are required for school attendance. Some states, like California, don't allow religious exemptions and place strict limits on medical exemptions. Others, like Texas, are more flexible with exemptions. As states and medical groups go in different directions, it is unclear which set of recommendations will carry the most weight. Reporting for world Emma Fraher.

[Myrna Brown]

Coming up next on the world and everything in it. US China relations after the fall of Maduro. For many, the pressure on Venezuela in the last year made very little sense. When countries like China and Russia have seen the bigger threat. That may be one reason why a years old clip from the Amazon prime show, Jack Ryan was went viral this week. It features the title character from the Tom Clancy series explaining the threat a failing Venezuelan government could pose to the US.

[Kent Covington]

Unstable governments are nothing more than the greatest of opportunities.

[Benjamin Eicker]

So Russia, China can never be the.

[Kent Covington]

Most major threat until countries like Venezuela leave the door open to our very own vacuum.

[Mary Reichert]

From fiction to nonfiction, China's interest in Venezuela is no secret. It invested heavily in Venezuela over the years with oil as repayment. Here now to help us connect the dots on why is Yvonne Chu of the American Enterprise Institute. She specializes in Indo Pacific policy and strategy, authoritarianism and global justice. Yvonne, thank you for joining us.

[Yvonne Chu]

Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here.

[Mary Reichert]

Well, China has poured billions of dollars into Venezuela through oil deals and even helped Maduro build a surveillance system. So in your view, what mattered more to Beijing? Ideological alignment, Strategic leverage in our hemisphere, or strictly speaking, just energy?

[Yvonne Chu]

So all of the above is the short answer. In the very beginning, I think the ideological alignment mattered. In recent years it has been the energy supply, the oil, and that of course dovetails with the strategic leverage. So I don't think you can separate those two entirely. So the upshot is if the US made this move in Venezuela in order to as part of its bigger strategic competition with China, which I'm not sure that was the purpose, but if that were the goal, then that is a very short term move.

[Mary Reichert]

Okay, thinking about other reverberations in Asia then, do you think Beijing looks at this Maduro operation and then decides anything about the American resolve elsewhere, specifically Taiwan?

[Yvonne Chu]

This does two things. It does say that the US is willing to use force in situations that we wouldn't have expected before, but it doesn't say that the US is willing to defend democracies, including advanced liberal democracies like Taiwan. It just says the US is willing to use force to pursue its narrow economic interests overseas. So that in and of itself doesn't change Beijing's calculus on Taiwan. What it does do, which you're alluding to, is that it starts to create this permission structure for other countries to say, hey, look, right? And I think what Beijing would do, which already is doing, is playing that rhetorical game of well, you invaded another country or you kidnapped the leader of another country and that was a foreign intervention that we strongly condemn. We, however, consider Taiwan to be our own territory. This is a domestic dispute and therefore totally different from Venezuela, and basically it's perfectly acceptable. Now we know that that is not the case. Right. Taiwan is not part of China. But it doesn't stop Beijing from playing those rhetorical games and it doesn't stop the world from going along with it for the sake of their own interests.

[Mary Reichert]

All right, I assume that you are advising policymakers. What concrete indicators should they be watching for military, diplomatic, economic, in order to gauge how China is interpreting this moment.

[Yvonne Chu]

When China looks at what the US has done, I think they will be. They're going to be a little wary.

[Casey Rollins]

Right.

[Yvonne Chu]

I think that they would also be surprised at the Trump administration's willingness to use military force in this way. On the other hand, I'm not sure that they themselves would feel particularly threatened because in many ways, Venezuela and Maduro were easy targets.

[Emma Frere]

Right.

[Yvonne Chu]

China not so much. And we have seen from Trump's relations with foreign leaders is that he really appreciates strong authoritarian leaders. And so I think China would look at what the U.S. is doing and think, okay, the U.S. is actually they are, you know, following on the national security strategy. They are focusing on the Western Hemisphere, they are focusing on the backyards. They are continuing this kind of Trump policy of, you know, very aggressive surgical strikes. But that not isn't necessarily going to translate into a broader global strategy. And so in many ways, I think China will take a little bit of comfort that the Trump administration is not focused on Asia in the indicators. I think they disrupted these military exercises surrounding Taiwan and basically it was a multi day blockade. We didn't want to call it that, but it was a multi day blockade. They have already isolated Taiwan. They're very aggressive with the regional neighbors. So actually, in terms of concrete indicators, caters to how China is interpreting this. I think China's already doing it. They're already telling us that they have intentions to be the regional hegemon. And the question is just whether we're willing to live with that and the implications for the United States.

[Mary Reichert]

There's so much more we could talk about here. I know time beckons. Yvonne Chu is with the American Enterprise Institute. She specializes in Indo Pacific policy and strategy, authoritarianism and global justice. Yvonne, thank you so much for your time and expertise.

[Yvonne Chu]

My pleasure.

[Kent Covington]

Additional support comes from Commuter Bible, the Bible podcast series that matches weekly schedules on podcast apps and commuterbible.org annual plans begin this week from Dort University. Dort's online Master of Social Work program equips students for faithful service in their local communities until all is made new. And from Free Lutheran Bible College, grounding students in the word of God for life in Jesus Christ on campus and in person in Plymouth, Minnesota, flbc, edu World.

[Mary Reichert]

It took decades of dreaming and four attempts, but Betty Kellenberger finally did it. She made it to the top of Maine's Mount Katana, completing her Appalachian Trail through hike. The audio from pbs Once I got.

[Yvonne Chu]

Close, people kept saying, how old are you?

[Mary Reichert]

This might be a record.

[Yvonne Chu]

And I thought, ah, I don't think so.

[Mary Reichert]

But then pretty soon it came back. Yeah, it was.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Yeah.

[Mary Reichert]

And an impressive one at that. She'd become the oldest woman ever to complete the hike at age 80.

[Yvonne Chu]

I think we were made for movement. It doesn't mean they have to go out and hike the Appalachian Trail, but.

[Mary Reichert]

They have to move. Life is a journey.

[Emma Frere]

Yeah.

[Mary Reichert]

A journey of nearly 2,200 miles. In her case, it's the world and everything in it. Today is Thursday, January 8th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichard.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Coming next on THE WORLD and everything in it, the end of temporary protected status for some 350,000 Haitians who can no longer live or work legally in the U.S. change is coming. It's likely to have a large impact on places like Springfield, Ohio. That's where thousands of Haitian migrants settled in the last few years, building lives but also stressing the town's infrastructure and resources.

[Mary Reichert]

Here's World's Maria baer.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Kids.

[Casey Rollins]

The St. Vincent DePaul Community center in downtown Springfield is bustling. Director Casey Rollins jokes that it's one of their slow days before bending down to tie a Haitian woman's unruly shoelaces.

[Mary Reichert]

Have you ever seen those shoes that you slip in?

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I forget what they're called.

[Casey Rollins]

At a table in the back of the room, near a plastic looking statue of Jesus in a red robe, a Haitian woman sits quietly. We're calling her Mary to protect her privacy. Through an interpreter named Patrick, another Haitian migrant, Mary says she's due at immigration court in a few days.

[Patrick (Interpreter)]

The idea I have right now, I was pending asylum, but for for my other child who doesn't have this, they ask him to go to court. She doesn't have anything because she didn't qualify for the temporary public status.

[Casey Rollins]

Mary's saying her daughter doesn't qualify for TPS or Temporary protected Status because she was born in Chile. Although Mary originally fled Haiti, she lived in Chile before she came here. She came to the U.S. she says, for better economic opportunities. She has no plans to leave in February.

[Patrick (Interpreter)]

I'm always heard that these people say they are really scared about the situation. But for herself, she said she not really care that much, but let it be. Yeah, let it be.

[Kent Covington]

Yeah.

[Patrick (Interpreter)]

It is what it is.

[Casey Rollins]

Behind Mary and Patrick, about a dozen Haitian migrants are waiting on plastic chairs near St. Vincent de Paul's front doors. Some are bouncing toddlers on their knees. Others scroll on their phones. They're waiting to log on to one of two available desktop computers where Patrick or another translator will help them apply for asylum or check on their application status. Director Casey Rollins isn't optimistic.

[Mary Reichert]

People are still thinking along the lines of hoping to remain here. And as Americans, we wish that we had that same kind of hope for them. But we are seeing the realities.

[Casey Rollins]

TBS for Haitian migrants began under President Obama after the devastating 2010 earthquake. It was supposed to last 18 months, but it's been extended several times since then as presidential administrations from Trump to Biden cited circumstances like Hurricane Sandy, rampant gang violence and political volatility in Haiti as justifying the emergency status. The current Trump administration has tried to end TPS for Haiti before, but their efforts were tangled up in court. Most officials believe this February will mark the official end. Rollins doubts many migrants will go back to Haiti.

[Mary Reichert]

We've been talking about what is a third country and if there's a third country we can go to, you know, like Chile or Brazil or somewhere like that, that we would maybe help them to talk to that country about going there. But you know, you can't just go to a third country. You've got to make arrangements with that.

[Casey Rollins]

To qualify for temporary protected status, migrants had to prove they were Haitian nationals, but they didn't have to prove they came to the US Directly from Haiti. Many traveled through or lived in other Latin American countries before crossing the US Border. Chile, in particular, relaxed its immigration restrictions for Haitians after the 2010 earthquake and became a popular destination because of its growing economy. By 2017, an estimated 120,000 Haitians had moved there. That includes Sajini, another woman waiting in the St. Vincent de Paul lobby. She was 24 when she fled Haiti. That was over 10 years ago. She now speaks Spanish.

[Mary Reichert]

I was 24 years old and I went to the Dominican Republic.

[Casey Rollins]

I spent a year there and from there bought my ticket to Chile. Sejini lived and worked in Chile for nine years. She says she came to the US Last year for the same reason as Mary to find a better paying job in Chile. I had to work for and sometimes there was no pay or I'd work all day for 20, $30. In 2017, Chile's government once again tightened restrictions on Haitian migration. That's the same year Haitians began arriving in large numbers in Springfield. Though most of them qualified for temporary protected status, the pattern suggests many weren't directly fleeing Haiti. Many, like Sajini, hadn't been there in years. Sajini says she has no plans to go back now. Maybe soon the president will change his mind.

[Mary Reichert]

I don't know.

[Casey Rollins]

Casey Rawlins of St. Vincent de Paul says government officials have warned her that immigration raids are likely in Springfield in February.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

The terms under which hundreds of thousands of people came here was that it would be temporary. There was an effort to pursue a more stable environment in Haiti.

[Casey Rollins]

US Senator John Husted, a Republican from Ohio, says the end of TPS shouldn't be a surprise.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I mean, look, everybody has known what the terms were for quite a while now. You know, I'm assuming that they have been taking proper preparations for a return.

[Kent Covington]

To Haiti or have been pursuing another.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Option if that's what they want to pursue.

[Casey Rollins]

Rollins says the uncertainty has left more local migrants needing help. But St. Vincent DePaul hasn't had to turn anyone away because increased attention to the situation has brought in more donations, too. Still, local residents report lengthy wait times for medical care and rent increases since the influx of migrants began. Most of the Haitian migrants have Medicaid, including Sajini, even though she doesn't have TPS or any other legal status. A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Medicaid told World there are legal exceptions allowing all pregnant women and children to obtain Medicaid. For migrants like Mary, the future is uncertain.

[Patrick (Interpreter)]

I have no idea right now where to go because I don't want to go back to Haiti because I was left Haiti for violence. I think if I go back there, my life gonna be in danger. I think in abortion. But the reason why I don't want to go back to Chile, when I was there, I tried to get some documentation. I never got it. So I don't want, I don't have any idea where to go right now.

[Casey Rollins]

It's unlikely that all of the estimated 16,000 Haitians in Springfield will leave town by February 4, either by choice or by force. But local and state leaders say change is coming. Reporting for world I'm Maria Baer in the Springfield, Ohio.

[Myrna Brown]

Good morning. This is the World and everything in it from listener supported world. Welcome to the World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Mary Reichert]

And I'm Mary Reichert. The fallout from the US Action in Venezuela is revealing a sharp divide between how Venezuelans are Responding and how Washington is. Here's world commentator Cal Thomas.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Venezuelan communities around the world are celebrating today, gathering in exile neighborhoods, waving flags and cheering the removal of longtime dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a surprise U.S. operation. For many Venezuelans, this was not regime change in the abstract. It was the end of a man who presided over economic collapse, political repression, and the transformation of a once prosperous country into a narco state.

[Emma Frere]

Thank God a president who supports us came to power.

[Yvonne Chu]

The important thing is they want to support us.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

What has been striking, though, is not the reaction among Venezuelans, but the reaction here at home. Several congressional Democrats and a few Republicans are now moving to block any further US Military action invoking the War Powers Act. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia has said he's hoping to force a vote, even though Republicans control the Senate. Kaine can do that because war powers resolutions are considered privileged. That means they can bypass leadership, skip the usual bottlenecks, and force every senator to go on record. Maduro was a bad guy. But the US shouldn't be at war in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Nigeria, or anywhere else. If Congress doesn't have the guts, debate it and vote on it. In other words, this is not symbolic. It's designed to compel a public yes or no vote on whether the United States was right to act. Kaine is not acting alone. He has backing from Republicans, including Rand Paul of Kentucky and Todd Young of Indiana, an unusual coalition that all but guarantees this debate will play out in full view. The problem is the argument against the operation collapses under scrutiny. The first sentence of the federal indictment against Maduro reads this way. Quote, for over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela abused positions of public trust and corrupted once legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States. That's not rhetoric. That's a criminal charge. Even the Washington Post, no ally of President Trump, called Maduro's removal, quote, a major victory for American interests, noting that just hours before the raid, Maduro had been meeting with Chinese officials after years of backing from Russia, Cuba and Iran. So here's what. Here's the question senators will be voting on. Is it acceptable for America's adversaries to prop up a dictator who poisons our streets with narcotics, but unacceptable for the United States to remove him? Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado welcomed the news, writing that the time for freedom had come and that Maduro would face international justice for crimes against Venezuelans and others. Now comes the harder part. President Trump says the United States and American oil companies will help run Venezuela for a time Whether that works will depend not on slogans but on legitimacy, the support of Venezuela's military and its people. Maduro's trial in New York may draw headlines, but the real test comes next whether freedom, law and stability actually take hold. And senators will have to decide whether they believe removing a narco dictator was an abuse of power or a necessary act of national defense. For World I'm Cal Thomas.

[Mary Reichert]

Tomorrow johnstonestreet is back for Culture Friday, and a new Angel Studios film follows a family fleeing war torn Syria. Joseph Holmes will have a review that and more tomorrow. I'm Mary Reichardt.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. The world and everything in it comes to you from where World Radio World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The psalmist writes. Now therefore, O kings, be wise, be warned. O rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the sun, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Verses 10 through 12 of Psalm 2 go now in grace and peace.