Newscast for Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Senator Kennedy dies after battling brain cancer
Senator Edward Kennedy died late Tuesday night after a yearlong fight with brain cancer.  Kennedy represented Massachusetts in the US Senate for 47 years, during which he came to be known for supporting a wide range of progressive causes like health care, voters rights and immigration reform.

As a young senator, Kennedy vowed to promote the ideals of his fallen brothers, but as time passed the youngest member of the Kennedy dynasty became a force of his own. FSRN´s Matt Pearson reports.

Congressmember John Lewis discusses Ted Kennedy´s legacy
Throughout his 47 years in the US Senate, Ted Kennedy championed civil rights and fought against voting inequalities and discrimination in both schools and the workplace.

Kennedy´s bills sought to redress inequalities affecting African Americans, immigrants, families with children and people with disabilities, when in 1990, he helped to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. This groundbreaking law created more work opportunities for people with disabilities and required employers to provide them with reasonable accommodations.

When Kennedy was first elected to the US senate in the 1960s, activists in the south were mobilizing against racism, segregation and voting inequalities.  One of those prominent activists was Congressmember John Lewis, who eventually was elected to the US House and worked with Ted Kennedy to protect and strengthen civil rights laws.

FSRN´s Leigh Ann Caldwell spoke to Congressmember John Lewis about Kennedy´s legacy.

*Web extra: Leslie Proll from the NAACP-LDF says Kennedy championed civil rights
Senator Kennedy was a champion of many causes. Central to his beliefs was equality for the downtrodden. In 1964, as a young Senator, his first speech on the Senate floor was during the debate around the Civil Rights Act. He said, “a young Senator should be seen, not heard,” but he felt compelled to endorse the cause against segregation, which his brother John F. Kennedy called, “morally wrong.”

Senator Kennedy continued to fight for those with silenced voices throughout his career. He stood on the side of blacks, the poor, workers, gays, children, the disabled and immigrants.

For a deeper look at Kennedy's work on civil rights and social justice issues, FSRN spoke to Leslie Proll. She heads the DC office of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

FSRN visits the frontlines of the health care debate
The health care debate is ratcheting up in town hall meeting across the country with supporters of a public option squaring off against private sector advocates and those who say they´re happy with things as they are.   One of the latest bouts took place in Reston, Virginia where lawmakers faced cheers and screams. FSRN´s Karen Miller was there.

Human rights activist Victor Toro faces deportation hearing in New York
The final deportation hearing for former political prisoner and human rights organizer, Victor Toro, began today in New York City. Toro, a Chilean national and undocumented worker, was arrested in Rochester, New York on July 6, 2007 and charged with being in the country illegally.  Jaisal Noor, with the Community News Production Institute, has the story from New York.

Reports lambasts California´s BART police
California´s Bay Area Rapid Transport system, also known as BART, recently faced a possible workers strike.  But today, unionized workers have reached a contract settlement with BART.

Under the agreement, workers will sacrifice pay increases for the first year of their four-year contract and will reduce overtime hours.   Workers were promised small pay raises for the subsequent years of their contract.

Also in the Bay Area, an independent investigation has found the actions of BART´s police department “seriously deficient,” on the night Oscar Grant was killed.  FSRN´s Africa Jones reports.