Topic: Newcomers

The Los Angeles Unified School District voted to ban cell phone use during the school day to improve student focus and mental health. The hosts discuss the challenges teachers face with digital distractions and criticize "newcomer" exemptions for translation purposes. They ultimately advocate for homeschooling as the only solution to a "broken" public education system.

Newcomers in Denver, Colorado, have expressed significant grievances regarding the quality of food provided in city shelters, with some choosing to camp outdoors instead. Complaints include allegations of spoiled food and insufficient nutrition for children. The cultural clash highlights the disparity between the whole-food diets of many South American migrants and the processed "American diet" offered by municipal services.

The March jobs report showed strong hiring gains, which economists attribute to a surge in immigration boosting the "neutral payrolls growth" rate. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell previously identified a lower cruising speed for jobs, but "newcomers" are now seen as a primary driver of labor market expansion. Meanwhile, reports surfaced of Wisconsin using $700,000 in COVID relief funds to provide utility and gas assistance to illegal immigrants.

The city of Denver has begun using the term "newcomers" to describe illegal immigrants as it shuts down four municipal shelters. City officials are now asking private rental property owners to rent directly to these individuals and cap rent prices at $2,000 a month. The shift in terminology is viewed as a deliberate attempt to rebrand the migrant crisis.

The White House has officially adopted the term "newcomers" to describe illegal immigrants in recent fact sheets regarding border operations. Similarly, Colorado Public Radio and other outlets have updated their style guides to replace the word "migrant" with "newcomer" or "new immigrant" to humanize those arriving from the border.

Denver officials have reportedly shifted away from the term "migrant" in favor of "newcomers" or "asylum seekers." This linguistic change is compared to science fiction tropes and the historical use of the term "illegal alien." The discussion notes that Denver is leading the way in these terminology shifts, which some critics liken to the displacement of populations.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has begun using the term "newcomers" to refer to illegal immigrants. During a discussion on expanding voting rights to 16-year-olds and non-citizens, Pelosi argued that these "newcomers" make America "more American." The shift in nomenclature from "undocumented workers" to "newcomers" is noted as a strategic linguistic change.

A movement is growing to allow "newcomers"—a new term for undocumented immigrants—to vote in local elections, with San Francisco leading the effort. In New York, activists from the Laundry Workers Center were arrested after chaining themselves together on the George Washington Bridge to demand voting rights and work visas. The "Somos Visibles" campaign seeks to integrate non-citizens into the electoral process before the 2016 presidential election.

Germany has adopted a highly welcoming stance toward refugees, providing housing, meals, and medical care to thousands of arrivals in Munich. Chancellor Angela Merkel has set no limit on the number of asylum seekers the country will accept. This policy is contrasted with the more aggressive or chaotic responses seen in Hungary and other EU member states.

A listener suggests dedicating time to explain the show's "inside baseball" terminology to help newcomers stay engaged. The hosts debate whether this would bore long-time listeners and recommend that new fans listen to "Show 200.6" for a historical overview. They compare their audience dynamic to Jim Rome's "Jungle" and emphasize the show's nature as a piece of performance art.