Tuesday, June 3, 2008

• The Final US Primaries are Underway in South Dakota and Montana
• Workers at the Largest Private Building Project in US History go on Strike
• Truckers in Chile Pull Over in Protest of High Fuel Prices
• Israel Plans to Build Nearly 900 More Housing Units for Settlers in East Jerusalem
• New Report Shows NASA Suppressed Scientific Information About Climate Change
• Solitary Confinement Disputed

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The Final US Primaries are Underway in South Dakota and Montana

The final two primaries - South Dakota and Montana – are happening today. Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign flatly denies that she will concede this evening. But Senator Barack Obama continues to edge closer to the nomination as super delegates are announcing their support. FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Workers at the Largest Private Building Project in US History go on Strike

Nearly 7000 union members are on strike today in Las Vegas after the death of a construction worker at MGM's CityCenter project on the Vegas Strip. This is the 6th death on this construction site – the largest private project in US history. This morning, union representatives entered meetings with general contractor Perini Building Company with three demands: Submit to a work site safety assessment, allow safety and union officials complete access to the construction site and foot the bill for on-site training classes.To get an idea of the situation on the ground within the jobsite, I spoke with Joseph Boyd. Joseph asked that his real name not be used for fear of losing his job. Joseph works in a supervisiory position and was on site when Saturday's accident occurred – I asked him what happened.

Truckers in Chile Pull Over in Protest of High Fuel Prices

Today, truckers throughout Chile have stopped their rigs for 48 hours – pulling to the sides of roads en masse. The action is a show of force, demanding the government do something about the high price of fuel. They want the government to remove the fuel tax and freeze the highway fees. From Santiago, Jorge Garretón has more.

Israel Plans to Build Nearly 900 More Housing Units for Settlers in East Jerusalem

On Tuesday the Israeli housing minister told media that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved plans to build 884 new housing units for settlers in east Jerusalem. FSRN's Ghassan Bannoura has the story from the West Bank.

New Report Shows NASA Suppressed Scientific Information About Climate Change

NASA's own internal investigation has revealed that political considerations improperly entered into the dissemination of scientific information – particularly when it comes to climate change. A new report blames NASA's public affairs department for suppressing scientific results that did not square with the Bush Administration's position on global warming. FSRN's Tanya Snyder reports.

Solitary Confinement Disputed

An estimated 20,000 people in the United States live in concrete cells, 6 foot by twelve foot wide for 23 hours a day. With their lives on lockdown, these prisoners are deprived of educational programs, adequate physical and mental health services and have little contact with their families or other inmates. Denouncing these conditions as human rights violations and utterly failed policy, hundreds of people gathered in Philadelphia at the Stop Max Conference to put an end to Solitary Confinement. Andalusia Knoll reports from the conference.