Archive - Apr 23, 2009

• Bush-era torture warnings ignored
• Mortgage reform debate on Capitol Hill
• UCLA animal researchers, supporters, hold “pro-test” on campus
• Animal rights activist makes FBI’s most wanted terrorist suspect list
• California tribe sues for destruction of cultural sites
• Life for Pakistani migrants in Dubai

• Detainees on hunger strike over conditions in TX Immigration facility
• CA considers fuel standards could be bad for biofuels
• Over-the-counter Plan B to be available to 17 year olds
• Transgendered teen’s killer convicted of hate crime; sentenced to life
• Suicide bombings in Iraq kill 70
• EU cracks down on credit agencies; considers extending copyright protections

The 200 page Senate report on Bush-era interrogation tactics indicates officials within the Administration, the CIA and the military expressed concern about the use of torture on detainees in US custody.  High level officials, including then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, were made aware of concerns, but the Administration ignored the complaints. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Democrats and Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee wrangled over the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2009. Democrats say it would protect consumers against bad loans. Republicans argue that it would hurt lenders – and some consumer advocates say the legislation doesn’t go far enough.  FSRN’s Karen Miller has more.

Some 400 UCLA scientists and pro-research backers held a march and demonstration at the campus yesterday, voicing their support for animal research, and denouncing the sometimes violent threats their opponents pose against the researchers that use animals in their work. J. David Jentsch, a neurobiologist at UCLA organized the event – his car was set on fire last month outside his home and law enforcement suspects an animal rights group was involved. Jentcsh uses monkeys in his research on drug abuse and schizophrenia, and the monkeys are sometimes killed in the process. Animal rights advocates also attended the rally to denounce such practices. Meanwhile, Linda Green and Kevin Olliff pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of conspiracy, stalking and other crimes against UCLA researchers. They’ve been indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury, and each is being held on nearly half-a-million-dollars bail.

The FBI has added a new suspect to its most wanted terrorist list. Daniel Andreas San Diego is wanted in connection with two bombings in the northern California. San Diego appears third on the FBI’s list of fugitives: first, is Osama Bin Ladin, wanted for the death of thousands of people. Second is Adam Yahiye Gadahn, he’s wanted for treason, and providing material support to Al Qaeda. San Diego, third on the list, is the first domestic suspect ever placed on the last – and isn’t accused of physically harming or killing anyone. FSRN’s Aura Bogado spoke with Stu Sugerman, an activist lawyer in Portland, Oregon about the charges.

For many American Indian tribes, gaining federal recognition can be a Catch 22. Without this status, tribes lose federal benefits, and some of the ability that comes with them to protect their lands from government projects. With federal recognition comes the risk of getting mired in issues of sovereignty. Many tribes and the Government Accountability Office have criticized the recognition criteria for being too inconsistent and unclear. One tribe not recognized by the fed is the Winnemem Wintu of Shasta County, California. The tribe says that despite what their federal status may be, they're simply tired of being ignored. This week, the tribe's lawyers filed a lawsuit accusing six federal agencies and two agency heads of damaging or destroying numerous cultural sites near Mount Shasta. The suit charges that the agencies' actions amount to what they say is "cultural annihilation." The lawsuit isn’t demanding recognition outright, but that status may be necessary if the Winnemem are to have a voice in their future. Without a voice, they say, their way of life could soon cease to exist. From Sacramento, FSRN’s Marc Dadigan reports.