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> Fri., Apr. 22, 2005
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
Environmentalists Protests Outside US Capitol over Energy
Bill
No Child Left Behind Outrages Several States
State Employees in Wisconsin Organizing
Teacher's Assistants on Strike at Yale and Columbia
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Second Plant in Illinois
Commentary by Mumia Abu Jamal: Party Death
FSRN Headlines
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights “called
upon the government of Nepal to reinstate immediately all
civil and political rights, to cease all state of emergency-related
and other arbitrary arrests, …to release immediately
all detained political leaders and activists, human rights
defenders, journalists, and others....” According to
an Amnesty International report, more than 3-thousand political
prisoners are being held in the Asian nation. In a magazine
interview published this week, the King of Nepal said he was
disappointed with the international community for their almost
universal condemnation of his suspension of basic democratic
rights. He says he is trying to defend democracy and defeat
terrorism at home. The King is hearing concern directly from
his neighbors at the Afro-Asian summit. Binu Alex has more
from Ahmdebad.
Protests around South America continue over the so-called
Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. Now, one South American
nation’s leader has removed his support for the agreement.
Mat Goldin has more from Buenos Aires.
The Bush administration will receive their requested 81-billion
dollars from Congress for military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan, at the same time they are proposing a 15-billion
dollar cut in Medicaid and the deficit continues to rise.
Ingrid Drake from the D.C. Radio Co-op reports.
The Netherlands’ first human case of mad cow disease
was announced by officials at the Dutch Health Ministry. They
are now investigating whether the patient has ever given or
received a blood, or a tissue transplant. At this time, officials
say it is unlikely that she got it or gave it to another human
being. The disease is incurable and fatal. The human form
of mad cow disease known as New Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease is thought to be caused by eating infected cattle.
[top]
Environmentalists Protests Outside US Capitol over
Energy Bill (4:17)
Today, on Earth Day, environmentalists protested outside
the US Capitol in response to the House passing an energy
bill that would open up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil drilling. Our correspondent Mitch Jeserich was
there and brings us this report.
[top]
No Child Left Behind Outrages Several States
(3:54)
Opposition is growing to President George W. Bush's signature
education law called No Child Left Behind. Connecticut, Texas
and Utah have all raised objections to what officials call
the unfunded federal mandates in the law. And on Wednesday
the National Education Association or NEA, the largest union
representing teachers in the US, sued the federal Department
of Education on the same grounds. The law is meant to close
the achievement gap between the country's black and Latino,
mostly poor, schools and majority white schools. Is it on
track to do that, or is it just a bureaucratic nightmare that
actually inhibits student achievement? Melinda Tuhus reports
from New Haven, Connecticut.
[top]
State Employees in Wisconsin Organizing
(2:31)
Throughout the nation, and increasing number of employees
are facing rising health insurance costs, insufficient wage
increases, and attacks on their collective bargaining rights.
In response, employees in Madison, Wisconsin are organizing.
Doug Cunningham has more.
[top]
Teacher's Assistants on Strike at Yale and Columbia
(3:22)
Today concludes a one week strike of graduate assistants
at Yale and Columbia Universities. The strike is another attempt
by graduate students at private universities to organize.
FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.
[top]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Second Plant
in Illinois (3:34)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission or NRC proposed a $5.45
million fine against the operator of Ohio's First Energy Nuclear
plant, whose reactor head damage caused a 2-year shut down.
The NRC says the company knowingly restarted operations at
the plant without repairing a boric acid leak. The leak was
found in a scheduled inspection- it had already eaten through
most the 6-inch steel cap. The plant operator has 90 days
to appeal the $5.45 million fine. Meanwhile, the NRC has opened
the door to AmerGen Energy to prepare to build a second nuclear
reactor in Clinton, Illinois. An Environmental Impact Statement
has been issued that will pave the way for future development.
The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to pay 6.3 million
of the 13.9 million dollar cost to build the second reactor.
Proponents of constructing the reactor at the Clinton facility
believe that nuclear power is the solution to U.S. domestic
energy consumption needs. Opponents of such efforts feel that
the public hasn't been informed or provided the opportunity
to express legitimate concerns on the hazards of nuclear power.
Dave Berliner has more.
[top]
Commentary by Mumia Abu Jamal: Party Death
(2:56)
[top]
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