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> Wed., Apr. 12, 2006
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
President Bush Attempts to Mask Confusion Behind Medicare
Prescription Plan
Violence Escalating in Pro-Democracy Demonstrations in Nepal
The Plight of Palestinian Refugees
Organizers Bus Displaced Voters Back to New Orleans
Rent Gouging in New Orleans
Mumia Abu Jamal Commentary: "The Forgotten Ones: Katrina"
FSRN Headlines
IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION DEVELOPMENTS
Republicans leaders in Congress are calling for the removal
of language from pending immigration legislation that would
make undocumented immigration a felony offense. A recent Washington
Post-ABC News poll indicates that only 20% of US residents
support such a measure. The reversal comes after massive nationwide
demonstrations on Monday. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said in a joint statement
that they will not support the provision in HR4437, but did
not offer an alternative. Frist indicated that the Senate
will take up the immigration issue again sometime after their
recess.
TOXIC CONSTRUCTION DESTRUCTION
The incineration of imported Construction and Demolition Debris
has sparked community action in Maine as the state's legislature
debates a bill to continue the practice. Meredith DeFrancesco
reports from WERU in Blue Hill, Maine.
Construction and Demolition Debris - OR CDD - contains arsenic-treated
wood, paints containing lead, dioxin-producing plastics and
mercury. The primary source of CDD IS from other states. With
Massachusetts outlawing both the incineration and landfill
disposal of Construction and Demolition Debris and New Hampshire
extending a moratorium on burning CDD, Maine has been left
open to receive this hazardous material. Just last month,
the town of Athens, Maine passed a year long moratorium to
block an incinerator that would burn CDD to generate energy,
proposed by Massachusetts-based company Gen Power. Last week,
efforts by Maine's Board of Environmental Protection to open
the issue for public comment and policy proposals were circumvented
by the state's legislature, which is now voting on a bill
that would allow for the continued burning of construction
debris in the state. In the Maine House yesterday, activists
dropped banners and one woman chained herself to the balcony
to protest the bill - which will likely pass. For Free Speech
Radio News, this is Meredith DeFrancesco, at WERU in Blue
Hill, Maine.
BERLUSCONI REFUSES TO CONCEDE
Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has refused to
accept the preliminary results of Sunday's election. Diletta
Varlese reports.
During a press conference yesterday, Silvio Berlusconi and
the party leaders of his coalition, declared that some 45.000
votes still need to be verified. Until that time, they will
not recognize Romano Prodi as the winner. Berlusconi has proposed
the formation of a German-style "grand coalition".
Prodi rejected the idea, saying that he was instead expecting
Berlusconi to concede defeat. Definitive election results
should be ready within 48 hours. For FSRN, Diletta Varlese,
Italy.
HEIGHTENED DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS WITH VENEZUELA
Diplomatic relations between the US and Venezuela have heated
up in the past few days. Mike Fox has more from Caracas.
Commemorating the April 11th coup and the violence that transpired
4 years ago, Venezuelan Vice-President, Jose Rangel, yesterday
accused the U.S. Embassy of playing an active role in the
brief overthrow of President Chavez by providing tactical
support to the coup's planners. This statement comes just
days after the latest diplomatic spat between the US and Venezuela.
Last Friday, US Ambassador Brownfield's car was pelted with
eggs and vegetables during his visit to a poor, pro-Chavez
community. The US State Department said the incident "clearly
was condoned by the local government", while the Caracas
mayor's office has denied involvement. In response to the
incident, Washington warned the Venezuelan ambassador, Bernardo
Alvarez, of "severe diplomatic consequences." The
State Department has since said that the Ambassador's ability
to move in the United States could be "severely restricted"
if another incident were to occur. On his weekly TV show this
Sunday, President Hugo Chavez threatened to expel U.S. Ambassador
Brownfield, accusing him of trying to provoke confrontations
with pro-government protesters. Venezuela has stated that
incidents such as that on Friday would not occur if Brownfield
registered his movements with the Venezuelan government.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES QUIETLY RE-CLASSIFIES DOCUMENTS
The National Archives has sealed tens of thousands of pages
of previously unclassified documents under an agreement that
went into effect in 2002. According to records obtained by
the Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act,
the National Archives and involved intelligence agencies agreed
to keep the re-classification program a secret to "avoid
the attention and researcher complaints that may arise from
removing material that has already been available publicly
from the open shelves for extended periods of time,".
MILITARY RECRUITER CHASED OUT OF UCSC
In Santa Cruz, California, Military recruiters at a campus
job fair abandoned their post Tuesday after a disruption by
noisy protesters. FSRN's Vinny Lombardo has more.
CHANT BED: "What do we want? Recruiters Out! When do
we want it? Now!"
Despite heavy rains, some two-hundred students and others
marched across the UC Santa Cruz campus yesterday to protest
the presence of U.S. Army and California National Guard recruiters
at the school's bi-annual Career Fair. UC Administrators say
they are bound by a recent Supreme Court ruling on the Solomon
Amendment, which forces schools to accommodate military recruiters
or face losing federal funds. At the job fair, a group of
female protesters removed most of the recruiter's materials,
prompting a struggle with police. Protest organizers called
the action a success when military recruiters left the job
fair. Sam Aranke, an organizer with Students Against War:
"We don't stop here, we go into communities, we are the
community, this isn't an isolated incident, we're part of
a greater picture, a larger movement." Many are now left
wondering if military recruiters will return in the fall for
the next UCSC Career Fair. Vinny Lombardo, FSRN, Santa Cruz.
[top]
President Bush Attempts to Mask Confusion Behind
Medicare Prescription Plan (3:40)
President Bush is on a major public relations campaign for
the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Although he’s
highlighting the program’s benefits, Washington Editor
Leigh Ann Caldwell reports that healthcare advocates say low
income seniors and people with disabilities are not responding
to the program.
[top]
Violence Escalating in Pro-Democracy Demonstrations
in Nepal (3:43)
Troops in Nepal have killed another pro-democracy activists
today - the fourth fatality since massive demonstrations began
seven days ago. Authorities have also confirmed the arrests
of at least 30 journalists in the country in the past 24 hours
alone. Nationwide pro-democracy strikes in Nepal have gathered
momentum since late last week, despite the imposition of daily
and nightly curfews in many parts of the country. The situation
is the most prolonged and violent standoff to take place in
the country since King Gyanendra assumed direct control over
the government in February of last year. More than 1300 demonstrators
remain in jail and, as FSRN‚s Carey Biron reports, even
as protesters have defied curfews on a daily basis, the response
by security personnel has been increasingly violent.
[top]
The Plight of Palestinian Refugees (3:36)
Palestinians fleeing Iran and stranded in the no-man’s
zone between Jordan and Iraq are now caught in a cross-fire.
They tell stories of humiliation and ill treatment in Iraq
- and no Arab country is ready to receive them, and Israel
will not open its border to allow them to return home. The
Palestinian Ambassador in Jordan, Atallah Khairy, is holding
the United States responsible for the plight of the Palestinian
refugees, who are living in the desert without adequate food,
water or shelter. Oula Farawatti and David Enders report.
[top]
Organizers Bus Displaced Voters Back to New Orleans
(2:22)
African American and community organizations are bussing
in thousands of displaced voters for the first New Orleans
municipal elections since Hurricane Katrina. Early voting
began on Monday for elections that many say will be affected
by the changed racial demographic of the city. FSRN’s
Christian Roselund has more from New Orleans.
[top]
Rent Gouging in New Orleans (3:21)
The housing shortage in New Orleans has left many would
-be residents without a place to live. As Lew Myrick reports,
less affected areas, such as the Garden District, have available
spaces, but few people can afford them.
[top]
Mumia Abu Jamal Commentary: "The Forgotten Ones:
Katrina" (3:10)
[top]
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