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> Mon., Nov. 17, 2003
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Congress on Medicare and Energy
Congress on Welfare
EU Social Forum Wrap Up
FTAA Counter events launched in Miami
Previewing Bush’s visit to London
FSRN Headlines by Nell Abram
Baghdad power outage – Ahmed al Rawi
Just hours after the broadcast of a tape widely believed by
Iraqis to be the voice of Sadaam Hussein, Baghdad fell into
darkness – and electricity has yet ro be restored. Ahmed
Al Rawi is in Baghdad.
UN HIV/AIDS briefing – Haider Risvy
Senior UN officals are urging nations that contribute troops
to UN peacekeeping missions to follow the UN guidelines to
reduce the threat of HIV/AIDS. Haider Risvy reports from the
UN.
Padilla challenges US – Simba Russeau
Attorneys for Jose Padilla will appear in federal appeals
court today to challenge the U.S. government's anti-terror
authority to jail him indefinitely as an enemy combatant.
Simba Russeau has more from New York.
Istanbul attacks – Ozlem Sarayildiz
Following two car bomb attacks on synagogues in Istanbul this
weekend, Turkish officials suggest stepped up anti terrorism
measures. Ozlem Sarayildiz reports from Ankara.
CCR calls for indictment of Ashcroft – Joanne Hong
An online petition calling for the indictment of Attorney
General John Ashcroft is gaining steam. Joanne Hong reports
from DC.
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Congress on Medicare and Energy - (3:58)
After months of stalled negotiations, the Republican Congressional
leadership announced over the weekend that they have struck
a deal on the omnibus energy bill and the Medicare bill. The
two bills would constitute dramatic changes to the nation's
energy policy and to the only national health care program
by easing government regulations and further opening them
both up to the free market. President Bush supports both bills
and is eager to sign them before his reelection campaign is
in full swing. It's unclear, however, whether these bills
will have enough support to avoid a Democratic Filabuster
in the Senate, as consumer rights groups say the energy bill
will make rate payers vulnerable for the years to come and
disability rights groups say the push towards the privatization
of Medicare could put people who need medical attention the
most at a disadvantage. Mitch Jeserich has this story from
Capitol Hill.
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Congress on Welfare - (4:17)
Advocates and activists around the country are carefully
watching the welfare reform legislation that is wending its
way through congress today. The 1996 Welfare Reform Act changed
the face of welfare as we know it. Among other things, the
act eliminated welfare as an entitlement, created a 5 year
life time limit on assistance, introduced family cap legislation
that limited the number of children that women receiving welfare
could have, and in other ways created a system that many recipients
say was less accessible and not adequate. Built into the 1996
welfare reform act was the requirement that the legislation
get an evaluation and reauthorization 6 years later. Sarah
Olson spoke filed this report.
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EU Social Forum Wrap Up - (3:51)
Tens of thousands of opponents of war, discrimination and
corporate greed from more than 60 countries paraded through
Paris in a show of grassroots force to Europe's power elite
this past Saturday. Winding up a four-day European Social
Forum that drew some 50,000 people and more than 200 organizations,
participants called for a war-free world and demanded that
the EU respect basic human rights. One of the main issue debated
during the forum was the European constitution which is to
be drafted next spring. Raphaël Krafft reports from Paris
on the weekend’s events.
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FTAA Counter events launched in Miami -
(3:26)
As Chief Timoney and the Miami Police baton down the hatches
in last minute preparations for the Free Trade Area of the
Americas Ministerial meetings, women, immigrants and the Immokalee
agricultural workers launched a week of alternative and counter
events to expose many of the problems associated with free
trade and workers rights throughout the Americas. From Miami,
Luz Ruiz and Tim Russo talk to workers from the south who
are resisting the closed-door negotiations to create what
would be the world’s largest Free Trade Block, if passed.
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Previewing Bush’s visit to London
- (4:00)
President Bush embarks tomorrow on a three day official
state visit to the United Kingdom, where a massive protest
mobilization is poised to meet him in the streets of London.
Faced with the embarrassing prospect of very visible protests
in the capital of its staunchest ally, the Bush administration
has been bearing increasing pressure on British Police to
limit Thursday’s anti-war march. As Brendan Sweeney
reports from London, the city is bracing itself for what is
projected to be the largest weekday protest in the nation’s
history.
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