Undocumented Immigrants to be Barred from Texas Hurricane Evacuation Plans

In other immigration news, the Rio Grande Guardian reports emergency officials in Texas have developed new evacuation plans during hurricane season that could prevent undocumented immigrants from escaping storms. According to the paper, school buses will be used to help evacuate local residents during a hurricane. But prior to boarding, all passengers will be screened by Border Patrol agents. Anyone who is not a citizen or legal resident will be barred from the evacuation bus. Instead, they will be detained at a nearby Border Patrol facility that is alleged to be made to withstand hurricanes.DemocracyNow.org

Pentagon Propaganda Program Exposed

The New York Times has revealed new details on how the Pentagon recruited more than seventy-five retired military officers to appear on TV outlets as so-called military analysts ahead of the Iraq war to portray Iraq as an urgent threat. The Times reports the Pentagon continues to use the analysts in a propaganda campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance. Internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as “message force multipliers” or “surrogates” who could be counted on to deliver administration themes and messages to millions of Americans in the form of their own opinions. Reporter David Barstow called the program “a symbiotic relationship where the usual dividing lines between government and journalism have been obliterated.” The so-called analysts were given classified Pentagon briefings, provided with Pentagon-approved talking points and given free trips to Iraq and other sites paid for by the Pentagon. The propaganda campaign also extended into the nation’s newspapers. Nine of the Pentagon-connected analysts wrote op-ed articles for the New York Times, and the Pentagon helped two retired military officers write a piece for the Wall Street Journal. Many of the same retired military officers also have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they were asked to assess on air.Democracynow.org

Arizona Bill to Prohibit Anti-American Teachings

A legislative panel in Arizona has endorsed a proposal that would prohibit public schools in Arizona from any teachings that overtly encourage dissent from the values of American democracy and western civilization. The Arizona Republic reports the measure would also prohibit students of the state’s universities and community colleges from forming groups based in whole or part on the race of their members, such as the Black Business Students Association at Arizona State University or Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University. Such groups would be forbidden from operating on campus. The sponsor of the bill, Representative Russell Pearce, said he doesn’t want taxpayer dollars used to indoctrinate students in what he characterized as anti-American or seditious thinking. Critics say the bill would essentially destroy the Mexican American study program in the state’s public schools, colleges and universities, as well as student groups such as the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan.Democracynow.org

Greenspan: Economic Crisis Could Be Worst Since WWII
	Meanwhile, Alan Greenspan, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, said the current economic crisis is “likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War."Democracynow.rog

Study: Lawmakers Invest $196M in Pentagon Contractors

A new study shows members of Congress have collectively invested as much $196 million in military companies under contract with the Pentagon. The Center for Responsive Politics says the holdings could pose a conflict of interest for lawmakers deciding on spending for the Iraq war. More Republicans had military investments than Democrats, but Democrats have more money at stake. The highest stakeholder is Democratic Senator John Kerry. Kerry made at least $2.6 million from his investments between 2004 and 2006. He has up to $38 million invested in companies doing business with the Pentagon.Democracynow.org

Americans Spend More on Food, Energy & Medical Care
	In economic news, American households are spending a bigger chunk of their income on food, energy and medical care than at any time since records were first kept in 1960. According to Merrill Lynch, 36 percent of disposable income is now spent on these expenses.Democracynow.org

Survey: 60% of EPA Scientists Witness Political Interference

A new survey shows 60 percent of Environmental Protection Agency scientists have witnessed political interference in their work during the past five years. The Union of Concerned Scientists says nearly 1,600 scientists responded to its voluntary questionnaire. The scientists complained of seeing data selectively used to justify agency rulings and political appointees forcing the exclusion or altering of scientific findings. House Oversight Committee Chair Henry Waxman says he plans to question top EPA officials next month.Democracynow.org

Vermont Towns Back Indictment of Bush & Cheney
	In Vermont, voters in the towns of Brattleboro and Marlboro approved measures Tuesday calling for the indictment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for crimes against the Constitution. The symbolic votes instruct the police department in each town to arrest Bush and Cheney or to extradite them for prosecution elsewhere if they ever step foot in the towns.Democracynow.org

Sen. Clinton Admits She Misspoke about Bosnia Trip In campaign news, Senator Hillary Clinton has admitted she misspoke when she claimed to have run across a tarmac to avoid sniper fire after landing in Bosnia as First Lady in 1996. Clinton gave a vivid description of the incident earlier this month claiming that she was sent to Bosnia because it was too dangerous for the President. Clinton was forced to admit she misspoke after CBS News showed footage of her casually walking across the tarmac with her daughter Chelsea. Clinton’s description of coming under sniper fire was first challenged by the comedian Sinbad who was also on the trip. Sinbad, who has endorsed Barack Obama, said the scariest part of the trip to Bosnia for him was wondering where the next meal would come from.Democracynow.org

Tobacco Company Funded Lung Cancer Study

And the New York Times has revealed the cigarette company Vector helped fund a widely publicized 2006 study that claimed more than three-quarters of lung cancer deaths could be avoided through CT scans. The Weill Cornell Medical College study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers were supported by a charity called the Foundation for Lung Cancer, itself almost entirely underwritten by more than $3.6 million in grants from Vector. Vector owns Liggett Group, which makes five different brands of cigarettes.Democracynow.org

Bush Intervened to Weaken EPA Smog Rules

The Washington Post has revealed the Environmental Protection Agency weakened a key section of its new smog rules after a last minute intervention by President Bush. The rules deal with the level of protection given to wildlife, parks and other open areas from smog. The EPA’s initially proposed limits were already less restrictive than government scientists had recommended. But according to newly disclosed documents, President Bush ordered the EPA to increase its allowed smog limits even further. The intervention was so last-minute that it forced the EPA to delay its announcement of the new rules by five hours. To accommodate the weakened regulations, government lawyers rushed to change public welfare guidelines set by previous submissions to the Supreme Court. The National Resources Defense Council calls the White House intervention “unprecedented and unlawful.”Democracynow.org

US Food Chains to Ration Rice Sales
	The rise in food prices is seeing new consequences back in the United States. On Wednesday, the two largest US warehouse chains said they would ration sales of rice because of dwindling supplies. Sam’s Club and Costco say the rationing will apply to bulk sales, not retail sizes.Democrocynow.org

Justice Dept. Avoiding Corporate Prosecutions with Questionable, Secretive Deals

And the New York Times is reporting the Justice Department has avoided prosecuting more than fifty major corporations accused of wrongdoing over the past three years. The decline in prosecutions is seen as a deliberate and dramatic shift in policy. Rather than take companies to court for high-profile cases, the Bush administration has relied on “deferred prosecution agreements” that impose fines and appoint an outside monitor to enforce internal changes at the companies involved. The outside monitoring came under scrutiny this year after it was revealed former Attorney General John Ashcroft’s consulting firm won a $50 million government contract to oversee an agreement. Terms of the deals are often kept secret. Companies recently avoiding prosecutions include Monsanto, American Express and Merrill Lynch. Legal experts say the deferred prosecutions may encourage companies to commit wrongdoing, knowing they will likely be able to avoid a costly and public trial if they’re caught. Experts also say the agreements could become even more prevalent as the Justice Department takes on companies accused of wrongdoing in the subprime mortgage crisis.Democracynow.org

Report: Over 23,000 Business Leaders Working With FBI and Homeland Security

More than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working quietly in collaboration with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, this according to an exclusive report in The Progressive magazine. The business leaders form a group known as InfraGard that receives warnings of terrorist threats directly from the FBI before the public does. In return, they provide information to the government. According to one whistleblower, the FBI has given members of InfraGard permission to shoot to kill in the event of martial law.Democracynow.org

Ex-Prisoner Reveals Torture Ordeal in US Custody

A former prisoner in the so-called “war on terror” has come forward to recount his ordeal in US custody. Khaled al-Maqtari says he was held in isolation for nearly three years at an unknown site. A Yemeni citizen, Maqtari was arrested in Iraq in 2004 and first sent to Abu Ghraib. There, Maqtari says, he was subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, suspension upside-down in painful positions, intimidation by dogs and induced hypothermia. After nine days, Maqtari was flown to a secret CIA jail in Afghanistan, where he says he was subjected to further torture for another three months. In April 2004, Maqtari says he was transferred again to another secret site, possibly in Eastern Europe, where he was held for nearly three years in isolation until his release.Democracynow.org

Springsteen, Bee Gees, Eminem on US “Torture Playlist”

And the magazine Mother Jones has compiled a so-called “torture playlist”—a list of songs that the US military and CIA have used during interrogations to disorient detainees and to drown out screams. The list includes Neil Diamond’s “America,” “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen, “White America” by Eminem, “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees, the Sesame Street theme, the Barney theme song and a commercial for Meow Mix. At least one of the artists is happy their song was used during interrogations. Steve Asheim, the drummer of the group Deicide said, “It’s cool. If we’re up to military standards of audio abuse, it makes me feel like Deicide’s doing our part for the troops.”Democracynow.org

Georgia Supreme Court Rejects New Trial for Troy Davis

There has been a major development in the case of death row prisoner Troy Davis. On Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court refused to reopen his case and to allow him to present new evidence of his innocence. In 1991, Davis was convicted of murdering a white police officer, but since then many questions have been raised about his case. The murder weapon was never found. There’s no DNA evidence or other physical evidence. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses said they were coerced by police and have since recanted their testimony.Democracynow.org

Global Warming Deniers Gather in NYC

Leading global warming deniers have wrapped up a three-day conference in New York. The slogan for the gathering was “Global Warming Is Not a Crisis." Organizers describe it as the first major international conference to focus on issues and questions not answered by advocates of the theory of man-made global warming. The Heartland Institute organized the conference. The free-market public policy think tank received nearly $800,000 from ExxonMobil between 1998 and 2005. Board members of the Heartland Institute include Thomas Walton, director of Economic Policy at General Motors, and James Johnston, former senior economist for the oil company Amoco.Democracynow.org

Questions Raised Over New Domestic Satellite Surveillance System

Plans for the Department of Homeland Security to launch a new satellite surveillance system is coming under new criticism on Capitol Hill. Last week, Secretary Michael Chertoff said the satellite surveillance system would be soon ready to go. But now the Wall Street Journal reports Democrats are threatening to shut down the program unless the department does more to address privacy concerns. The satellite program is designed to provide federal, state and local officials with extensive access to spy satellite imagery to assist with emergency response and other domestic security needs. But critics say the Bush administration hasn’t created legal safeguards to ensure that the program won’t be used for domestic spying.Democracynow.org

US Economy Loses 80,000 Jobs
	In other economic news, the US economy lost 80,000 jobs in March, the biggest drop in five years. The official unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent. Since the start of the year, over 230,000 jobs have disappeared.Democracynow.org