Tuesday, July 29, 2008

• Beijing's Olympic-Sized Evictions
• Senators Call for EPA Chief to Resign
• The Deficit in Context
• Fusion Centers and Domestic Surveillance
• Trouble May be Ahead for Ecuador's Upcoming Constitutional Referendum

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Beijing's Olympic-Sized Evictions

The 2008 Olympic Games kick off in just 10 days in Beijing – but while
most of the world is focused on the international sports competition,
many local residents are dealing with the consequences of massive
evictions. The Chinese government has imposed evictions in order to
provide space for sporting venues and athletes' housing, touting what
they call the city's "beautification". Adelaide Chen reports on one
neighborhood near Beijing's Olympic center, where residents are no
longer able to call their neighborhood home.

Senators Call for EPA Chief to Resign

The Environmental Protection Agency is under attack from critics for
what they say is a policy of restricting communications between their
staff and the media – and even other government agencies. Critics say
it's just another way that the Bush administration silences climate
scientists, and now Senators are calling for the EPA chief's
resignation. Tanya Snyder reports.

The Deficit in Context

The Office of Management and Budget released deficit estimates this
week - the total: $482 billion. This is the last budget report of
Bush's presidency and raises questions about what happened over the
last 8 years and what the next administration will do to fix it. Jim
Nussle, director of the Office of Management and Budget, says this
deficit is "manageable," while Democrats blame Bush's tax cuts and the
war in Iraq. Mark Weisbrot, is an Economist and the co-director of the
Center for Economic and Policy Research – he says that although
headlines read that this is a "record" deficit, it needs to be
addressed in context, relative to the size of the entire economy.

Fusion Centers and Domestic Surveillance

The American Civil Liberties Union released an updated report on fusion
centers, regional information gathering centers around the country. 
The centers store information collected by local, state, and federal
law enforcement agencies on American citizens.  The ACLU's report says
the fusion centers lack oversight, process, and regulation.  The report
also says information collected was intended for terrorism purposes but
has expanded for "all purposes and hazards".

Trouble May be Ahead for Ecuador's Upcoming Constitutional Referendum

Ecuador's National Constituent Assembly has approved text for a new
constitution – which will head to voters in a referendum in late
September. But as Daniel Denvir reports from Quito, while President
Rafael Correa's government has positioned itself towards the left,
social and indigenous movements are weary over his support for the oil
and mining industries.