Newscast for Thursday, April 29, 2010

Paramilitary group attacks humanitarian caravan in Oaxaca, Mexico
In Mexico, two are confirmed dead and 4 remain missing after a paramilitary attack on a humanitarian caravan. The caravan was headed to a blockaded rural village in a remote conflict zone in the southern state of Oaxaca. Shannon Young has the story.

UPDATE: The two missing members of VOCAL have turned up in Juxtlahuaca, the county seat of the region in which San Juan Copala is located. They confirm that both Contralinea reporters are alive, but dehydrated. Reporter David Cilia has a gunshot wound in his foot and a graze wound across his waist.

Oil spill off Gulf coast worsens as federal agencies move in
Federal authorities are now mobilizing to assist in the effort to contain the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast. The US Coast Guard says that the oil leaking from a damaged rig could be releasing nearly five times more than previously thought - up to 5,000 barrels per day.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Nepolitano said she would be visiting the region to oversee the efforts.

"Today I will be designating that this is a spill of national significance. What that means is that we can now draw down assets from across the country, other coastal areas by way of example, that we will have a centralized communications because the spill is now crossing different regions. In addition to the  command center that we have operational in Robert, Louisiana we will be opening a second command center in Mobile, Alabama for the BP spill."

The spill is the result of an explosion that took place last week at an oil rig operated by British Petroleum. The explosion is presumed to have killed 11 workers and the cause is under investigation. The AP reports that the spill has reached as close as 12 miles to the coast and could hit the shore as early as Friday.

Lawmakers introduce bill to oversee political ads during campaign
In Washington, lawmakers introduced a bill that would change the way political advertisements are seen during a campaign.  The proposal is in response to the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United - that allowed corporations to spend freely in political elections. But as FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports, the legislation is being dismissed as partisan politics.

House considers measure to allow Puerto Rican vote on status
Today the House of Representatives considered a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to hold elections to define its relationship with the U.S. The former colony is considered a commonwealth. Opponents of the bill call it an out-of-line appeal for Puerto Rican statehood, a claim that advocates on both sides of the aisle deny.  FSRN’s Matt Pearson reports.

Groups announce legal challenges to Arizona immigration law
Today a coalition of civil liberties and immigrant rights groups announced that they will file a legal challenge to Arizona's new harsh immigration law. The law requires local police to question people who they suspect of being undocumented. The groups challenging the law say that it promotes racial profiling, endangers public safety and is unconstitutional. Supporters call it a necessary step to fight violence along the border and to fix failed policy on immigration.

To hear more about the legal challenge, we're joined by Karen Tumlin. She's the managing attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, one of the groups leading the effort.

Hundreds gather in honor of civil and women’s rights pioneer, Dorothy Height
Hundreds gathered at the National Cathedral today for the funeral of civil and women's rights pioneer Dorothy Height, who passed away April 20 at the age of 98. Family, friends, dignitaries, elected officials and other civil rights leaders gathered to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Height, characterized as one of the heroes of the last century.

President Obama, who delivered the eulogy, said she deserves a place in America's history books alongside more familiar names like WEB DeBois and Mary McLeod Bethune.

"Look at her body of work. Desegregating the YWCA, laying the groundwork for integration on Wednesdays in Mississippi, lending pigs to poor farmers as a sustainable source of income, strategizing with civil rights leaders, holding her own, the only woman in the room, Queen Esther to this Moses generation, even as she led the Council of Negro Women with vision and energy."

The President commended Height for decades of tireless and quiet work behind the scenes, right up until her last months. He said Dr. Height had been a regular at the White House since he took office, visiting 21 times.