Archive - Nov 6, 2007

• Michael Mukasey's Nomination for Attorney General Makes it Out of Committee
• Call for Impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney Reaches the House Floor
• New York State Folds to the Feds on Real ID
• Record Heat Abounds, but Other Issues Trump Climate Change in
  Australian National Elections
• Private Interests Fund Seattle School Board Elections

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• Massive Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan
• State of Emergency Continues in Pakistan
• Germans Protest EU Data Retention Directive
• East LA Residents Oppose Expansion of Toxic Waste Plant
  

Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey seems to be walking a very thin tightrope. He's being pressured by Democrats to call the
interrogation act of water-boarding torture. And he's seemingly being
pushed by the Bush Administration not to make the connection – perhaps
because doing so would mean as Attorney General, he would then be
responsible for prosecuting the crime. So far, Mukasey has denounced
water-boarding, but will not call it torture.

Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich says the Vice-President has
committed high crimes and misdemeanors and needs to be gone. And
today, he tried to do something about it. Kucinich offered a
resolution on the House floor to impeach vice president Dick Chaney.
He claims that Cheney knowingly lied to Congress and the American
people during the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said that impeachment is, quote
"off the table." She has previously claimed the proceedings would
give Republicans too much political fodder, allowing them to say
Democrats are wasting their time in Congress.

One month after announcing a one-size fits all driver's license for
New York State, Governor Elliot Spitzer has reversed himself. New York
will still provide licenses to undocumented immigrants but will comply
with the Real ID Act by creating a 3-tiered licensing system.

Under the Real ID Act, states must verify citizenship or visa status
before issuing a driver's licenses – and that information would be
checked against immigration, social security and other databases. The
stated intent is to curb terrorism, but immigrant and privacy
advocates say the costs are too high.

Australians head to the polls on November 24th. The lead-up to the
national election has been marked by record high temperatures and the
longest drought in history.

But while the incumbent Federal government is facing criticism for a
lack of action on climate change, many voters remain preoccupied by
other concerns.

Erica Vowles reports from Australia.

Private interest in public schools should come as no surprise. Some
490 billion dollars, or 4-percent of the United States' Gross National
Product, is spent on education each year. In a recent article in
Harper's, education activist, Jonathan Kozol said "it will be an act
of social suicide, if liberals blithely continue to dismiss the
opportunities this vast amount of money represents for corporate
predators."

On this Election Day, a Seattle school board race exemplifies the problem.

Martha Baskin has the story.