Newscast for Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Advocates criticize militarization of US-Mexico border in immigration reform plans

President Obama put forward his own priorities for comprehensive immigration reform, which he said were “very much in line” with the bipartisan Senate outline released on Monday. Obama spoke from Nevada this afternoon. “We've got to fix the system. We have to make sure every business and every worker in America is playing by the same set of rules. We have to bring this shadow economy into the light, so that everybody’s held accountable. Businesses for who they hire, and immigrants for getting on the right side of the law.” Though the President called the Senate efforts “encouraging,” many immigrant rights advocates are voicing criticisms of the plan, which would grant undocumented people a legal, protected status almost immediately, but tie their path to citizenship to measures that further militarize the US-Mexico border. On Capitol Hill, FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.

New Yorkers plan for waterfront improvements to brace for extreme weather

Residents in the northeast still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, may get some relief soon. On Monday, the Senate approved more than $50 billion in aid to states hit by the storm. The House already passed the bill and President Obama is expected to sign it into law. The bill includes funds not only for recovery but for efforts to prevent disasters in the future, by fortifying the shoreline and strengthening infrastructure. That’s one of the key parts residents and local lawmakers have been fighting for. In New York, where sea level is expected to rise between one and two feet by the end of the century, local residents, city leaders and urban planners are trying to determine how best to prepare as the region braces for more extreme weather. FSRN's Caroline Lewis reports from New York.

In Egypt’s Port Said, protests continue against President Morsi despite curfew, state of emergency

Protesters filled the streets of several Egyptian cities today, defying an overnight curfew and challenging a limited state of emergency announced by President Mohamed Morsi. More than 50 people have died since clashes erupted late last week, many of them in Port Said, where a court sentenced 21 people to death for alleged involvement in a deadly riot last year in a football stadium. Clashes have also hit other cities, including Ismalia, Suez and Cairo. Today, the Defense Minister Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi warned that the state could collapse from the continued upheaval, according to a statement posted on the Army’s Facebook page. That comment has drawn concern that the military could intervene. For more, we go to Cairo, to speak with journalist Aya Batrawy. She’s been following the events there.

Hamas bars journalists in Gaza from working with Israeli outlets

In Gaza, journalists are contending with a new policy issued by the Hamas government that prohibits them from associating with any Israeli media. The policy bars journalists from working for Israeli outlets and from being interviewed by them. The ban, the first of it's kind since Hamas took over in 2006, could have an impact on the dissemination of information as well as the livelihoods of Gaza journalists. But Hamas defends its decision as necessary. FSRN's Rami Almeghari has more.