October 26, 2004
Headlines
UK and US Secret Meeting on Gitmo Prisoners
British and U.S. government officials have been engaged in secret talks that aim to return British prisoners held at the U.S. military base on Guantánamo Bay, Cuba back to the U.K. From London, Naomi Fowler has more.
Bush Admin Dumps Geneva Conventions for Non-Iraqis
Bush administration officials admitted they will withhold Geneva Conventions protections from non-Iraqi prisoners captured in Iraq. It is a follow-up to a Washington Post report over the weekend that the CIA used a confidential Justice Department memo to justify secretly transferring prisoners out of Iraq for interrogation.
Lynn Stewart Opens Her Defense
An attorney who says everyone is entitled to a legal defense, offered her own defense this week against government prosecutors who accuse her of aiding terrorism by helping her client. Leigh Ann Caldwell has the story from WBAI.
Groups Defend Voting Rights
Community-based organizations are defending Latinos/Latinas and immigrant voters’ right to vote in upcoming elections. Heather Buckheim reports from D.C.
Cubans Dump US Dollar
The Cuban government will boldly begin rejecting the U.S. dollar next month.
Features
Analysis of Decade-Long GOP Control of House (4:06)
A week from today, voters in 34 states will be casting their ballots for a representative in the U.S. Senate and the House of representatives. The House has been controlled for the past ten years by the GOP, which currently holds a 21 seat advantage. The GOP will likely maintain control of the House after November 2nd, leading to at least 12 consecutive years of Republican rule in the so called populous body. Our Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitch Jeserich takes a look at what ten years of GOP control has done to the House and to House Democrats.
Denying Votes in Ohio? (4:10)
Organized labor and civil rights activists in Ohio held a rally on Monday to oppose what they say are the efforts of that state’s Republican secretary of state to limit or deny voting rights to many of Ohio’s newly registered voters. Evan Davis has more.
Burma Regime Tightens Grip (4:01)
In a move that shocked the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar, more commonly known as Burma, the military junta replaced its prime minister last week. Over the weekend the new government announced it would resume talks towards a road map to democracy beginning January, while resuming the national convention to draft a constitution at the end of the rainy season next month. The government said the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will not be allowed to take part in the convention. Doualy Xaykaothao has the latest from Bangkok.
Senegalese Fishermen Left Out of HIV Prevention (3:50)
Senegal has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. With 1.4%, it ranks as role model in West Africa as it benefits from various programs. But Senegalese fishermen are yet to be taken into account in HIV campaigns. Now even the UN says it hasn’t yet found adequate HIV campaigns for fishermen in Senegal. From Senegal, Ndiaga Seck reports.
Breast Cancer Establishment Ignoring Real Causes? (4:20)
October is breast cancer awareness month. Over the last 20 years, campaigns like the Avon walk and the race for the cure have raised unprecedented amounts of money for research and education on the disease, but the problem is worse now than ever. Today, one in seven women is expected to contract breast cancer over her lifetime, and that rate is rising rapidly. That’s fueled increasing criticism of what breast cancer activists call “the cancer establishment,” which they say is largely ignoring environmental causes of the disease. Brian Edwards-Tiekert filed this report.
