Newscast for Thursday, March 18, 2010

US and Russia edge closer to nuclear disarmament agreement
In Moscow today, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "substantial progress" is being made toward a new nuclear arms disarmament agreement between Russia and the US. Speaking during a two-day visit to Russia, Clinton said that it's up to the two countries to take the leadership in nuclear security.

"It's especially important for the US and Russia who bear the responsibility...and counter the threat of nuclear terrorism."

After meeting with Clinton, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that both nations are at "the finish line" in negotiations. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, expired in December and current efforts are aimed at reducing the number of nuclear weapons allowed - that current level is 2,200. It also includes measures of how each country would verify the missile capabilities of the other.

Neither side offered a date by which the agreement could be reached, but Clinton said a treaty should be finalized "soon."

"We have a saying in the United States, don't count your chickens until they’re hatched...and then we'll look forward to setting a time and a place for this very important event."

Clinton is also in Moscow as part of the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace talks that include the US, Russia, the European Union and the UN. Those talks are scheduled to begin Friday.

Congressional Budget Office finds health care bill would decrease deficit
The Congressional Budget Office released its long-awaited report today on the latest version of the health care bill. The office provides a cost analysis of pending legislation. It was good news for Democrats but didn’t seem to sway any Republicans. The release of the CBO report starts the clock on the seventy-two hour countdown to a vote in the House. Tanya Snyder has more from Washington.

Lawmakers question flaws in government contracting
Government officials have long known about sweeping problems with military contractors, from fraud to waste, incidents of murder and rape. Yet the government has continued to award billions of dollars to the same corporations. Today on Capitol Hill, lawmakers wanted to find out why. Karen Miller has more.

After a year, federal loan modification program misses many homeowners
New figures on the numbers of homeowners who have avoided foreclosure with assistance from a federal program show that most are still not getting the help they need. The figures on the government’s mortgage modification program were released last Friday. While there was a slight increase in the number of modifications in February, only about 16 percent of the more than 1 million people who have signed up for the program have received permanent assistance. Housing advocates say that blame for the low numbers is with both the federal government and the banks. FSRN's Maeve Conran reports.

Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens vital medical services
This month fighting has intensified in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. UN troops and the government military are targeting the rebel group called the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR. It's the latest in a violent offensive that lasted most of 2009 and was criticized for high civilian deaths, cases of rape and exploitation of minerals in the region. The conflict continues to disrupt the lives of ordinary people. The latest violence in the eastern province of Kivu has displaced thousands. Doctors without Borders has been treating residents at local hospitals and emergency clinics but an incident in which armed soldiers entered a hospital and removed patients has threatened medical services in the region.

To hear more about the current situation we're joined by Philippe Havet. He's the head of the medical mission in South Kivu for Doctors without Borders.