September 18, 2003
Headlines Produced by Randi Zimmerman
Hurricane Isabelle Shuts Down the DC — Dave Lippman
Florida’s Backlog on DNA Testing for Inmates– Mitch Perry
Wild Salmon Transporting PCB’s and Other Toxins — Andrew Stelzer
$140 Million Benefits Package Encouraged Richard Grasso’s Resignation — Ian Forrest
The Texas Redistricting Showdown (3:05)
Democrats have been fighting for several months to thwart Republican efforts to redraw the state’s congressional map saying it would greatly affect minority representation in Congress. Part of the Democrats efforts to keep the GOP from pushing through its redistricting measures has been a series of direct actions where 53 state senators left the state to avoid being arrested and sent back to Congress. However the Democrats are now back home for what many are calling the redistricting showdown. Robert Cardenas has more.
Gay Marriage Victory in Canada (3:45)
A victory for the LGBT community in Canada this week when, by a narrow vote of 137-132, the Canadian House of Commons defeated a non-binding motion calling for the definition of marriage to be solely a heterosexual union. The bill follows court decisions in Ontario and British Columbia that legalized gay marriage earlier this year. Quebec courts have reached a similar decision, though they have yet to taken effect. Odelia Bay has more from Toronto
Disability March Reaches DC (4:12)
Over 200 people, most of whom use wheelchairs, yesterday finished a 144 mile march to the Nation’s Capitol in Washington D.C, that began in Philadelphia two weeks ago. Disability rights activists are protesting Congress’s delay of passing the MICASSA bill that would allow more people with disabilities to live within their own communities instead of a nursing home or other institution. Mitch Jeserich reports from Washington D.C.
Cell Phones Arrive in Kashmir (3:54)
People in Jammu and Kashmir will join the cellular world as this week mobile phones become available for the first time in the troubled regions. Mobile phones have been banned in Indian administered Kashmir because the Indian government classified them a security hazard. The service starts this week despite the recent surge in violence in the Kashmir, the excuse the Indian BJP government has been using for not allowing the cellular technology into Kashmir. Shahnawaz Khan reports from Srinagar.
American Run Detention Camps in Iraq Under Fire (4:24)
President Bush has admitted that there is no link between Saddam Hussein and the September 11 attacks, one of the prominent reasons for the war on Iraq. Bush told reporters “we’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th”. Meanwhile, the NY Times is reporting today that defense department officials say that the US´s most formidable foe in Iraq in the months ahead may be the resentment of ordinary Iraqis due to their increasing hostility to the American military occupation. The Times went on to say that the defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were concerned about retribution for straying from the official line. This as Iraqis whose family members are being held at American-run detention camps are facing daily worries and distress over the stories they hear of what’s happening inside those facilities. Thousands of Iraqi detainees and prisoners of war are being held captive in American-run prisons, where critics say human rights violations occur on a daily basis. Free Speech Radio News correspondent in Baghdad Ahmed Al-Rawi reports
