Skepticism of Obama Abroad

On his overseas trip, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama continued to support his plan for a US withdrawal from Iraq while stressing that that the war-torn country also needed a political solution to the conflict. In a visit to Jordan, Obama vowed to work for a solution to the Israel-Palestinian peace conflict.  As Oula Farawati reports from Amman, Jordan, The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq war are two issues that cause Jordanians to remain skeptical of American politics.

"Who is Obama" Egyptian worker Ahmad Saeed said as he was cleaning a car in an up-scale Amman street. "I don't care about politics or America or anything, I just want to survive here."

• Jordanian Public Responds to Barack Obama's Visit
• US Muslims Critical of Obama
• Billionaire Texas Oil Tycoon Makes a Plea to Congress for Wind Power
• Activists Push Reforms Strengthening the Americans With Disabilities Act
• Net Neutrality Issues Pepper FCC Public Hearing

Click here for Headlines Package
Click here for 13 Meg Version
Click here for Dial-Up Version

• Indian Govt Narrowly Survives Confidence Vote
• Top Bosnian Serb War Crimes Suspect Arrested
• Rescue Package for Fannie and Freddie Could Cost $25 Billion
• Mold Found in FEMA Trailers
• Heavy Machinery Attack in Jerusalem

US presidential candidate Barack Obama is in Amman today as part of a visit to the Middle East.  Obama has pledged to work on an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.  He also told reporters in Jordan that now the security situation in Iraq has improved, the country's needs must be addressed politically and diplomatically. Oula Farawati in Amman reports on Obama's visit and the public's response.

It's energy week on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are trying to outdo each other with plans and proposals to lower the price of gas. And a billionaire with strong financial ties to the Republican Party is in the mix, preaching an unlikely sermon.  Former Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens is on Capitol Hill today spreading the mantra of alternative energy.  Pickens is a peak-oil convert who believes

This week marks the 18th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Several hundred people rallied outside the US Capitol to push for changes that would strengthen the landmark legislation. The original bill has been weakened by two Supreme Court decisions that have determined that people with conditions including epilepsy, amputations, muscular dystrophy, and mental retardation are not protected by ADA in the workplace.  At the rally today, FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell spoke with John Lancaster, Executive Director of the National Council of Independent Living about an updated version of ADA that is stalled in the Senate, but overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives earlier this year.

The battle for net neutrality could see an important victory in August, if, as expected, the FCC votes to censure Comcast for blocking the file-sharing network, BitTorrent. The future of the internet, though, is still in question, particularly for those who find themselves on the wrong side of the "digital divide." Yesterday all five FCC commissioners met in Pittsburgh for a public hearing and panel discussion on this and other issues surrounding the internet. FSRN's Ellen Pierson has more.

As Barack Obama travels to several predominantly Muslim countries this week, some American Muslims say he is distancing himself from their community - in part to avoid controversy over hot button issues such as national security and the war in Iraq.  They also say they have been disappointed by several recent incidents that have hit closer to home. Community members point to a recent Michigan campaign rally where two Muslim women in headscarves were told to move out of camera shot.  And the fact that Obama adamantly denies being a Muslim, calling those rumors a smear campaign.  Karen Miller has more.