Newscast for Friday, April 3, 2009

Obama’s budget passes both Houses despite Republican opposition
Both the US House and the Senate approved President Obama’s budget before heading out of town for spring recess. Republicans say the budget creates enormous deficits, but Democrats say the spending is just what the economy needs to get back on its feet. Tanya Snyder reports from Washington.

Broader unemployment measure stands at 15.6 percent
New unemployment figures are out: employers shed 663,000 jobs in March, hiking the unemployment rate at eight and a half percent – that’s up from 8.1 percent in February. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures unemployment and also releases a table that calculates what it calls an alternative measure of labor underutilization. At the bottom of that table is what’s called the U-6, and in plain English, that’s the number of people who have given up looking for work, those who are working part-time because they cannot find full time work, those who have left the workforce entirely, along with the so-called “total unemployed”. The bottom line? 15.6 percent of Americans are under or unemployed – nearly double the eight and half percent unemployment rate we read and hear about. Aura Bogado speaks with Chris Tilly, an economist and Director at UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment to demystify the numbers.

South Indian farmers protest state ban on traditional beverage
Farmers in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have intensified their campaign against a two-decade long ban on the popular traditional drink known as “toddy”. After a series of protests, the farmers have now taken their campaign to the nation’s capital, New Delhi. They say the ban has affected thousands of families who depend on the beverage for their livelihood. Bismillah Geelani is in New Delhi with the story.

Indonesians prepare to head to the voting booth
Some 170 million people are registered to vote in Indonesia, making it the world’s third most populous democracy. Indonesians will cast votes twice this year; first – in legislative elections on April 9 and then, on July 8 for a new president. It’s the first time that Indonesians will vote for candidates directly, as opposed to choosing between political parties. Our Rose Ketabchi reads for Gabe Matthews, who reports on the lead-up to Indonesia’s third general election since the fall of former dictator Suhartho.

Suit poses challenge to Obama’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gases
President Obama’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions has come into question this week, after the San Francisco-based Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Department of Transportation. The suit repudiates a recent Obama administration decision which lowers vehicle fuel efficiency standards below even those proposed by the Bush White House. Sam Greenspan reports from the Capitol.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.
41 ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his impassioned and immortal “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” speech in Memphis Tennessee. 41 ago tomorrow, Dr. King was assassinated. Today we leave you with his voice, his words, and his message.