Headlines for Monday, May 4, 2009

Obama announces plan to force corporations to pay fair share of taxes
President Obama unveiled new proposals today that attempt to reign in corporate tax evasion and loopholes, but corporations are mounting their opposition. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

President Obama says his plan would “level the playing field.”

Obama’s proposal would end such tax havens and impose taxes on those overseas profits. If enacted, the plan could cost corporations up to 200 billion dollars in 10 years in taxes that currently go unpaid. The US Chamber of Commerce has already announced their opposition. An intense lobbying campaign is expected to begin in Congress, which must pass the proposal. Leigh Ann Caldwell, FSRN, Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court: Undocumented immigrants using fake ID not identity thieves
The Supreme Court today dealt a blow to government officials who use an identity theft law against undocumented workers using false identification. The unanimous decision is a win for Ignacio Flores-Figuero, who presented a fake ID to his employer at an Illinois steel plant. The aggravated identity law was crafted in 2004 to deter classic identity theft with the intent to access financial records. Since its passage, the law has been used in immigration cases to speed up deportation. The High Court held that the identity theft law cannot be applied unless the defendant knowingly stole someone's identity.

Nepal in political turmoil as Prime Minister resigns
A peace agreement in Nepal is in peril again as a caveat that allowed Maoist rebels to enter the political mainstream causes turmoil. FSRN’S Binu Alex reports.

Nepal’s long history of political turmoil repeats itself as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, or Prachanda, resigned today soon after the President overruled an order from him to sack the military chief, who otherwise, was supposed to retire in four months time. The Maoists led by the Prime Minister had planned to rehabilitate their fighters as members of the Army after the armed struggle was called off. But the army objected, and the chief, General Rookmangud Katawal, refused to induct about 19,000 hardened guerrillas who were part of the forces responsible for more than 13000 official deaths, saying they are politically indoctrinated. Now the tiny country is in turmoil with peace process derailed, a new constitution yet to be drafted and no single party to claim a majority for power. This is Binu Alex for Free Speech Radio News

Boston Globe contract negotiations continue
The survival of the venerable Boston Globe hangs in the balance at the negotiating table today – Free Speech Radio News’s Chuck Rosina is in Boston.

According to the Boston Globe, management continued to negotiate concessions

with its unions well past midnight, but said it was prepared to file a plant closing notice with the state today if they failed to reach agreement. The Union’s latest offer – which included pay cuts, furloughs and a decrease in retirement benefits -- was rejected. But they received an eleventh-hour reprieve when the Globe’s owner, the New York Times Co., agreed to extend the deadline for unions to agree to $20 million in concessions. This past week, the Boston Newspaper Guild has been running a radio spot attacking the NY Times Company for paying its CEO, Arthur Sulzberger, more than 5 million dollars last year. They are calling on management to share the burden, and cut such high salaries along with union concessions. Founded in 1872, The Boston Globe has been at the forefront of news stories that expose corruption, including the controversy surrounding President Bush's signing statements, the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Negotiations are continuing throughout the day today. For FSRN, I am Chuck Rosina in Boston.

Iraq says US troop withdrawal deadline “non-extendable”
Iraqi government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said today that the deadline for US troop withdrawal from urban areas is not open for extension. Some US military leaders have suggested that the US might stay longer in Mosul, but Iraqi authorities say they are committed to the established timeline. The prevailing plan is for US forces to retreat from cities by June 30th, and to completely leave the country by the end of 2011.