February 07, 2002
Enron Execs Take the 5th
Accused by lawmakers of corporate thievery and dubbed–“economic terrorists”—Enron Former Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow, Former Managing Director Michael Kopper, and two Enron Executives Richard Bey and Richard Causey invoked their Fifth Amendment rights during the House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing. Kata Mester reports from Capital Hill.
Bush Taps Opponent of Inter-racial Marriage to the Federal Bench
The US Senate judiciary committee held a contentious second hearing this afternoon on the Bush nominee for Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering. Pickering’s critics question his record on civil rights, especially abortion rights. With the looming possibility of a Supreme Court vacancy later this year, liberals and conservatives both see the Pickering nomination as a chance to prove their mettle to the Bush Administration. from Washington, Joshua Chaffin reports:
Bush Reintroduces School Vouchers
The Bush budget links portions of its educational proposals to the recently approved No Child Left Behind Act– an education bill that made broad changes in national educational policy. One item that didn’t make it into the bill did, in fact, make it into the budget proposal. That was a $2500 school voucher-type incentive in the form of a tax write-off for parents. Secretary of Education Rod Paige touted the Act and the budget possibilities for what advocates call “parental choice” at a local charter school in Houston. But local parents critical of plan say Paige’s track record as Houston Superintendent of schools may be an indicator for what the rest of the nation could expect. Monica Lopez reports from Houston.
De Facto Moratorium on the Death Penalty in Six States
In Florida, death row inmates are breathing easier today. Events of this week have effectively put a stop to any further executions in six states, including Florida. From St. Petersburg, Sally Watt reports.
French High Court Rules Against Bove
One of the best known figures in the anti globalization movement, the French farmer’s champion Jose Bove, has lost his final appeal against a jail term imposed for tearing down a McDonald’s outlet. Zoe Eisenstein reports from Paris.
