Newscast for Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Washington DC grants same sex couples marriage licenses
Today, Washington DC became the latest place for same sex couples to be able to marry. The District joins five other states across the country in allowing gays and lesbians the right to marriage. The effort to secure the right overcame multiple hurdles, and starting early this morning couples gathered at the courthouse to obtain marriage licenses. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Legislation to repeal ban on gays in military introduced to Senate
Also in Washington, DC today, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut introduced a bill to repeal the controversial Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the US military. President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen have all expressed their support to end the law, which prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military. It was enacted in 1993 during Bill Clinton's presidency.

Representative Lois Capps, Democrat of California:

"I believe Admiral Mullen put it best when he said 'Repealing DADT was a matter of integrity and forcing service members to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow Americans is just wrong.'"

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 has already been introduced in the House of Representatives and has nearly 190 co-sponsors. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Gates released details of a 10-month review of the law that would include input from military members and their families and help determine changes to policies, laws and military training.

Obama urges lawmakers to ‘finish the job’ on health care reform
President Obama outlined a new version of the health care reform bill today. Though the President has made a show of reaching across the aisle to Republicans, Democrats are preparing to use a technique that could pass the bill without Republican votes. FSRN’s Matt Pearson reports.

New York plans to close parks and historic sites due to budget gap
Many states in the U.S. are grappling with how to stay afloat with escalating costs and falling tax revenues. Closing state parks is one of the remedies.  Arizona has shut down two thirds of its state parks, Nevada is considering the same, and New Jersey closed 9 parks last year citing a budget crisis.  California proposed closing 200 before meeting an outcry from tax-payers and, instead, slashed the parks operating budget. And now, New York announced it is closing more than 50 state parks and historic sites. Rebecca Myles has more.

UN sets deadline for independent investigations into ‘war crimes’ during Gaza conflict
Today, the Arab League approved a plan to resume the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Ministers from the league, speaking in Cairo, endorsed a plan to have indirect talks during the next four months mediated by US officials. Talks between Israel and Palestine have been frozen since Israel's invasion of Gaza in late 2008. The conflict continues to have major influence on the prospects of peace.

Last Friday, the UN General Assembly voted to give Israel and the Palestinian Authority an additional five months to investigate war crimes committed during that conflict. The move follows the Goldstone Report, presented to the UN last September, which recommended both sides conduct full, impartial investigations.

To discuss the latest news from the UN and what it means for the peace process, we're joined by Zachary Lockman, chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University.

Plan in Ecuador to reduce climate change emissions runs into politics, oil development
During the Copenhagen talks on climate change, Ecuador announced a bold proposal. The South American country said it would keep oil underground the Yasuni National Park, one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, in exchange for funds from richer countries. At the time the plan was praised as an innovative way for poorer nations to stay competitive and help confront climate change.

But the initiative came under threat in January when President Rafael Correa announced that oil exploration could begin as early as June. The statement led his Foreign Minister to resign. Correa has since backtracked on his comments but many are concerned oil interests in the region are too strong. And that international pressure is necessary to save an environmental initiative, which could well become a model to tackle climate change. FSRN's Sofia Jarrin reports.