• Contradictions in McCain's Domestic Plan
• Republicans Launch "Voter Fraud Alert" Campaign
• Bloomberg Seeks Forbidden Third Term
• Treasure Seeks Wall Street's Help in Bailout
• US Launches New African Military Command amid Little Fanfare
• Niger Delta Violence Takes its Toll on Civilians

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Contradictions in McCain's Domestic Plan

27 days 'til Election Day. Two presidential debates down, and just one
to go. Amidst serious economic instability, voter's primary focus is
the economy. Republican John McCain hoped to find his footing at last
night's Town-hall style debate, a format he prefers. He is offering a
domestic plan aimed to help middle class voters, and unveiled a new
plan to help struggling homeowners. But a great deal of his domestic
plan contradicts itself. Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Republicans Launch "Voter Fraud Alert" Campaign

Voter registration deadlines have either already passed or are quickly
approaching, and states are undertaking the sometimes tedious role of
registering thousands of new voters. And now, the Republican National
Committee has begun a Voter Fraud Alert campaign.  The Republican Party
has sent out alerts on cases in nearly a dozen states, including:
Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, Nevada, and Indiana, all battleground
states. The low-income advocacy group ACORN is alleged to have
submitted false voter registrations. In Nevada the Secretary of State
ordered the police to raid the ACORN office in Las Vegas. They seized
computers and files. No one was arrested and no charges are pending.
ACORN says they have helped to register more than a million voters in
16 states around the country. They say there are safeguards in place,
and they tag any possible fraudulent registrants. The group passes on
the voter registration cards, it's up to election officials to confirm
or deny a person's registration. The Republican Party uses voter fraud
as a reason to implement strict voter ID laws. The Department of
Justice under the Bush Administration has transitioned its focus to
police against voter fraud. Since 1964 Voting Rights Act, The Justice
department's role has been to guard against voter disenfranchisement.
But resources have been switched to focus on voter fraud.

Bloomberg Seeks Forbidden Third Term

In the aftermath of 9/11, then Mayor Rudy Giuliani asked the City
Council to extend his term in office, which was expiring, so that he
could deal with the consequences of the disaster. Now, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg is using the economic catastrophe as the impetus to gain the
opportunity to run for a forbidden third term. Zoe Sullivan reports
from New York.

Treasury Seeks Wall Street's Help in Bailout

The Treasury Department is soliciting proposals from financial
institutions to help manage the recovery plan – which means that Wall
Street may take the driver's seat in the Wall Street bailout. If that
sounds like a conflict of interest to you, you're not alone. Tanya
Snyder reports.

US Launches New African Military Command amid Little Fanfare

The Department of Defense has officially launched a major military
operation for the African continent this month, called Africom which
takes over all US military operations in the region. Although Africom
is based in Germany, the US says it will bring stability to a region
that is chaotic and has suffered countless natural and man-made
disasters. But critics question what increased military presence will
mean in a region that still carries fresh colonial memories, and say
that the move insures private enterprise more security in Africa. FSRN
spoke with Nunu Kidane, Network Coordinator with Priority Africa
Network, a coalition of organizations that promote Africa, about the
new Command.

Niger Delta Violence Takes its Toll on Civilians

Nigeria's oil industry has been further crippled by an oil war declared
by local militants in the country's Niger Delta region. Before they
announced a recent temporary cease fire after 7 days of fighting with
the Nigerian military, the militants destroyed many key oil
installations. Dozens of lives were also lost while the state of
insecurity in the volatile region has been further heightened. Sam
Olukoya reports from Port Harcourt, Niger Delta on how the violence is
affecting civilians.