Which Way, L.A.?

President Bush and Immigration Politics

President Bush is proposing temporary work permits for an unlimited number of illegal immigrants. Jobs would have to be offered to Americans first, but workers from other countries could bring their families here as long as they could support them, and the eight million workers already here illegally could apply for the program. Bush says such temporary work permits will make the US more compassionate, more humane and safer. They-ll also appeal to business leaders and to Latinos, America-s fastest-growing voting bloc. Critics say the program amounts to amnesty for illegal entry, and some members of the President's own Republican Party think he-d be rewarding illegal behavior. What do the Democrats think? We hear from two of the Congressional representatives he-ll need to turn his proposals into law, Republican Dana Rohrabacher and Democrat Howard Berman. Making News: LA Possible Dirty Bomb Target The holiday-season effort to find for so-called -dirty bombs- brought special investigators to Los Angeles as well as four other American cities. That-s according to both the Washington Post and the LA Times. Reporter Greg Krikorian, who wrote today's story, explains why LA is such a high-profile target and the outlines the special security efforts launched to protect it. Reporter's Notebook: Is immigration Plan Good News in Mexico? Before today-s speech on illegal immigration, President Bush spoke by telephone with Mexico-s President, Vicente Fox, renewing a conversation that was rudely interrupted on September 11. Daniel Lund, president of MUNDAmericas, a public-policy market-research firm headquartered in Mexico City, tells us how the plan looks in Mexico, home to half of America-s 8 million undocumented workers.