Wednesday, July 9, 2008

• Mukasey Rejects Politics Influence Hiring at the Justice Department
• Senate Approves Surveillance Legislation
• G8 Summit Wraps Up in Japan
• India's Ruling Coalition Splits Over Nuclear Deal
• The Questionable Arrest of a Chilean Filmmaker

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Mukasey Rejects Politics Influence Hiring at the Justice Department

Attorney General Michael Mukasey was on the defensive at a Senate hearing today, rejecting any notion of systematic partisan problems in the Justice Department. Politicization at the Department was a reoccurring topic at the hearing. Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell has the story.

Senate Approves Surveillance Legislation

As expected, an updated surveillance law passed in the Senate today. What didn't pass was an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that would have stripped telecom immunity, by a vote of 32-to-66. Democratic Senator Chris Dodd was pushing to allow customers to sue the companies that allowed the federal government to monitor their communications without a warrant post 9/11. Another amendment which would have put telecom immunity on hold until the Inspector General concludes his investigation into the matter was also shot down, 42-to-52. The House has already passed the same bill. We spoke with Michelle Richardson, Legislative Council for the American Civil Liberties Union, about today's vote in the Senate.

G8 Summit Wraps Up in Japan

The three-day summit of the Group of Eight most industrialized nations ended inconclusively today in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. From Sapporo, FSRN's Puck Lo and Handle Kung have the story.

India's Ruling Coalition Splits Over Nuclear Deal

Leftist Parties in India have withdrawn their support from the
coalition government – leaving the system in a near-state of collapse. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that his government is determined to push ahead the controversial US-India nuclear deal, prompting an exodus of leftist coalition members. Bismillah Geelani has the details.

The Questionable Arrest of a Chilean Filmmaker

The arrest of a Chilean documentary filmmaker has sent chills down the spine of the regional human rights community. Elena Varela was arrested in May on charges of being the brains behind a gang of bank robbers – critics say her arrest illustrates the tense relationship between the Chilean government and the country's indigenous population. FSRN's Jorge Garretón is in Santiago with more.