Tuesday, February 5, 2008

• Campaign Spending and Iraq War Questions Continue to Hover on This Super Tuesday
• Optical Voting Machines May Leave Paper Trail, but Problems Still Rampant
• Immigrants Brought in to Rebuild the Gulf Coast Tricked into Debt
• Pork Barrel Money Found to Go Disproportionately to White Members of Congress
• Abuses by the Indian Military in Kashmir Rankle Human Rights Advocates

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Campaign Spending and Iraq War Questions Continue to Hover on This Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday is well underway in 24 states. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are battling it out for the Democratic nomination and John McCain and Mitt Romney appear to be at the front on the republican side. But still, evangelical Mike Huckabee and anti-war libertarian Ron Paul both hope to pick up as many delegates as possible. The Green party also heads to the polls in 4 states to choose delegates in its first-ever primary process.

Joining us to talk about Super Tuesday and the factors in play is Free Speech Radio New Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell. She's been closely following this process and has reported from the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.

Optical Voting Machines May Leave Paper Trail, but Problems Still Rampant

On this Super Tuesday, questions about the effectiveness of voting machines are once again beginning to surface. Most voters will be casting their ballots on an optical scan voting machine – these machines generate a paper trail, but scan and record the votes electronically. Five states in today's primaries still use touch screen machines.

Because of the paper trial, optical scanners are perceived as being the more secure option. But already today, there have been reports of voting machine failure – the most publicized instance was in Hoboken, New Jersey where the state's Governor was forced to wait nearly an hour because the machine wasn't working. Dozens of voters were turned away in the meantime.

Reporter Dori Smith brings us a story from another state that uses the optical scan machines - Connecticut. Voters there are currently at the polls.

Immigrants Brought in to Rebuild the Gulf Coast Tricked into Debt

Every election year, there seems to be one group of people politicians on the right like to beat up on. This year, the target group is undocumented immigrants. The good news is, the American people as a whole don't seem to be casting votes against that population. On the Republican side, John McCain, who is rather moderate in his views, has pulled ahead of Mitt Romney, who has taken a hard-line stance against undocumented workers.

But, undeniably the issue will continue to ferment as the presidential race progresses. And immigrants in the US still face serious challenges.

Sabulal Vijayan was one of nearly 300 workers contracted by Signal International to rebuild the Gulf Coast. He wanted to better the life of his family and also help what he thought was a great country. Arriving on what is known as an H2B visa, he soon discovered he had been tricked and shackled into debt. Rachel Clark Alvarez has more from Huston.

Pork Barrel Money Found to Go Disproportionately to White Members of Congress

A new study shows that minority members of Congress get far less federal money for their home districts than their white counterparts. This money, often called "pork barrel spending," goes to fund local projects and is a mainstay for members of the House and Senate. Leaders from the Congressional Black Caucus are pressing to make the distribution of funds more equitable. Yanmei Xie has more from Capitol Hill.

Abuses by the Indian Military in Kashmir Rankle Human Rights Advocates

The government in Indian administered Kashmir has claimed it has implemented a zero tolerance policy for human rights violations during the past year. The policy targets police and the military in the province. The claim has been mocked by Kashmiri separatists and civil rights groups who are citing instances of grave abuses by Indian troops in the region. Shahnawaz Khan has more from Kashmir.