| Fri, 10/03/2008 - 17:50 |
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House Passes Bail-out With a Little Help from Sen. Obama
The House passed the 700 billion dollar Wall Street Bail-out. On it's second attempt, 58 lawmakers crossed sides that resulted in an easy passage. As FSRN's Karen Miller reports, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama played a major role in convincing fellow Democrats to support it.
Independent VP Candidates Respond to Dems, Repubs VP Debate
The two major party Vice Presidential Candidates met face to face in St. Louis last night. It was the one and only time during this campaign they'll do so. DC Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell has more on the debates.
Fact-checking the Debates
After last night's debate with the major party VP candidates, many political pundits and commentators said "neither candidate made any major mistakes." But a review of the record shows that both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin got plenty wrong. According to Factcheck.org, Palin's claims that McCain's healthcare plan is budget neutral and will not cost the government anything are not true. McCain's plan would only cover 5 million of the uninsured, and would add $1.3 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, according to The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. That same group estimates that Obama's plan would cover 34 million of the uninsured at a price of $1.6 trillion over that time period.
Another problem: the so-called troop surge. Palin said there are now less troops in Iraq than pre-surge levels. But according to the Pentagon, there are about 152,000 US troops in Iraq; that's 17,000 more than before the so-called surge.
Senator Biden got a few things wrong too - when saying McCain voted against a troop funding bill - that wasn't quite right. McCain was absent and didn't vote for what was actually a 2007 war-funding bill that included a provision on withdrawing troops from Iraq. Although McCain did urge President Bush to veto it -- which the president did. For more details on what the candidates got wrong - go to factcheck.org.
A Darfur Refugee Attempts to Enter Israel
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there could be up to 150,000 refugees, asylum seekers and illegal residents in Egypt. At least 20 percent are from Sudan and many others from other parts of Africa. The numbers continue to grow with many using Egypt as a transit point to escape to other nations in search of better economic conditions. Aya Batrawy speaks to one Darfuri man determined to cross the dangerous Egyptian-Israeli border in hopes of a better life.
Groups Focus on Low-Income Voter Registration
If households with less than $25,000 in annual income voted at the same rate as those with incomes above $100,000, there would be 7 million more voters on Election Day. That's according to Project Vote.
Millions of low income and minority voters are being denied opportunities to register to vote by state agencies.
Community organizations are taking up the slack, registering low income, minority, immigrant and young people wherever they can find them. Martha Baskin has our story.
*Thanks to FSRN's Shannon Young
Today is the last day of one of our dearest staff members: Headlines editor Shannon Young. Shannon has been an integral part of our newscast as a top notch reporter and editor, working daily from Oaxaca, Mexico. Before that time, she reported from throughout the United States, Mexico, and Latin America, always with an independent perspective. For the past three years we have shared a lot of stressful and rewarding days with Shannon, and we wish her well in all of her pursuits. From all of us here at Free Speech Radio News, thank you Shannon for your valuable contributions to this organization.