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> Thur., June 24, 2004
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Supreme Court Sends Energy Task Force Case Back to Lower Court
Education in the Sudan
Cubans Outraged at Accusations of Sex Trade
Citizens Speak Out Against Uranium Enrichment Plant in Ohio
Farenheit 9-11
FSRN Headlines
Police Brutality in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles police were caught on tape beating an unarmed
man in images that reminded many of the Rodney King tragedy
a decade ago. Aaron Glantz reports from Los Angeles.
Explosions in Turkey
Bombs exploded in Ankara and Istanbul today. Reports suggest
they are in response to George W. Bush’s weekend trip
to Turkey for the NATO summit. Ezgi Sirtas reports from Ankara.
Africa Faces Polio Epidemic
West and Central Africa are at the brink of a major polio
epidemic. More than seventy four million children in the region
are at risk of the disease. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.
Enron Execs Give Inconsistent Testimony?
Enron executives gave inconsistent testimony to Congress,
says one U.S. Senator. Kathryn Krupnik reports from D.C.
Senate Approves Defense Spending Bill
In a late night vote, with no objections, the U.S. Senate
approved a 447-billion dollar defense spending bill for the
next fiscal year. The bill is similar to the one that cleared
the House, including a pay increase for military personnel
and half of the money requested by the Bush Administration
for the continuing military offensives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill includes 10 point 2 billion dollars for George W.
Bush’s planned missile defense system – a program
that most still agree is unfeasible. The Senate rejected Minority
Leader Tom Daschle’s plan to increase veteran’s
health benefits.
Bush Questioned on CIA Leak
And, today President Bush was questioned by a federal prosecutor
in the oval office for over an hour. Without being under oath,
he was asked what he knows about the CIA agent’s name
leak. The name of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative, was disclosed
by senior White House officials in a newspaper column. Plame
is the wife of Ambassador Joseph Wilson who stated that reports
that Iraq purchased yellow cake from Niger were untrue. It
is a federal crime to name CIA agents.
[top]
Supreme Court Sends Energy Task Force Case Back to
Lower Court
In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court sent a lawsuit
against Vice President Dick back to a lower court. The suit
seeks to force Cheney to publicly release the secretive energy
task force papers. While the court did not rule specifically
on the secrecy of the task force that allegedly helped create
the Bush administration's energy policy, it does ensure that
Cheney will not have to disclose the members of the task force
before the November elections. Mitch Jeserich reports.
[top]
Education in the Sudan ()
Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to western Sudan
next week for a first-hand look at the humanitarian crisis
that has left more than 1 million people displaced. It is
a rare visit - Sudan was last visited by a U.S. secretary
of state when Cyrus Vance stopped in Khartoum in 1978 where
he said he would take steps to disarm the militias, little
progress has been made toward that objective. Decades of civil
conflict in southern Sudan have had a devastating impact on
the region's development. UNICEF recently reported that southern
Sudan has the lowest rate of primary education in the world.
But, with a peace deal brokered between the rebels and the
government, access to education has become a critical issue
for the future. Rupert Cook reports.
[top]
Cubans Outraged at Accusations of Sex Trade
(4:11)
Cuba's president Fidel Castro read a second open letter
to his people this week at a Havana street gathering of a
quarter of a million people. Joseph Mutti was there and reports
that the 77-year-old leader was angry about new charges leveled
at Cuba by Washington of trafficking in human beings - especially
children.
[top]
Citizens Speak Out Against Uranium Enrichment Plant
in Ohio (4:56)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public hearing
last night in the small town of Piketon, Ohio. They addressed
citizens' concerns about a proposed new uranium enrichment
facility there that if approved, could become operational
by the end of the decade and would make Ohio the nation's
leading producer of radioactive fuel. Evan Davis files this
report.
[top]
Farenheit 9-11 ()
The publicity campaign for Michael Moore's new documentary
Farenheit 9-11 is well underway ahead of its release in theaters
tomorrow. Moore is appearing everywhere he can to promote
the film, which he hopes will influence voters to vote against
President Bush in November. He's facing some tough questions
as he tours the talk shows and media programs. But as Ben
Adler reports, Moore is already fighting back.
[top]
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