Newscast for Friday, January 27, 2012

New federal investigation into foreclosures launched as crisis continues

New details are emerging about the mortgage fraud working group that President Obama announced earlier this week in his State of the Union address. The group will investigate how mortgages were packaged over the past decade and prosecute any provable wrong-doing. The group is made up state attorneys general, FBI agents and federal officials from different agencies and held its first meeting today. They say they’ll begin working immediately to secure relief for families facing foreclosure, and hold the financial institutions accountable for their crimes. FSRN's Alice Ollstein reports.

Iraqis push for legal action after US Marine avoids jail time for Haditha killings

In Iraq dozens are killed after a car bomb exploded today at a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad.
The Iraq governments says it will take legal action on behalf of those killed by US soldiers in the 2005 attack in Haditha. Earlier this week manslaughter charges against US Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich were dismissed as the result of a plea deal. The November 2005 killing left 24 Iraqis dead, many of them unarmed civilians, including women and children.
For more, we go to Baghdad to speak with freelance journalist, Bashar Mendalawi.

Proposed merger for top Hollywood unions draws mixed response

Board members with Hollywood’s top unions will meet over the weekend to decide whether or not to approve a plan to merge. the deal is between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. This follows last week’s tentative pact by “the group for one union”, made up of leaders from both sides, to form a single entity. The merger promises to strengthen union membership, but not everyone thinks that bigger is better. FSRN’s Leilani Albano has the story.

Wisconsin paves way for new iron mine by weakening environmental laws

A controversial proposal to mine iron ore near Lake Superior in Wisconsin got one step closer on Thursday. Amidst protests from environmentalists, native tribes, and concerned citizens, the Wisconsin state assembly approved a bill to weaken environmental standards and support the construction of a huge new mine. Members of the public were removed from the room by police as lawmakers approved the measure. FSRN’s Molly Stentz reports from Madison, Wisconsin.

Senegal opposition defies protest ban ahead of Court decision on presidential election

In Senegal, residents defied a ban on protests and are demonstrating ahead of an expected court ruling on whether President Abdoulaye Wade will be permitted to run for a third term. The West African country will hold presidential elections next month and in the lead up to the vote, human rights and civil society groups have condemned what they call a government crackdown on opposition leaders. The showdown about who will be on the ballot is the latest in the election process. For more we go to FSRN reporter Alpha Jallow who is in Dakar. He joins us by cell phone.