Portrait of a Barrier-Breaking Asian American
A portrait of former Bay Area Congressman Norman Mineta now hangs in Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. Jacob Fenston reports.
Lawmakers Question Use of Chemical Dispersants in Gulf
At a hearing in Washington today, Senators grilled federal scientists on the use of chemical dispersants in the Gulf oil spill. EPA and NOAA officials say they still don’t know the long-term effects of these chemicals, or whether they are contaminating sea food. FSRN’s Jacob Fenston reports.
Environmentalist Sentenced for Protest in Capitol
At a superior court in Washington DC today, environmentalist Ted Glick got a sixty day suspended sentence. Glick was arrested last September for hanging protest banners in a Senate office building, advocating for action on climate change. FSRN’s Jacob Fenston reports.
Health Care Changes Take Effect As Legal Challenge Proceeds
Some of the first pieces of the new health care reform law went into effect today — among them, new high-risk pools, offering insurance to people with pre-existing conditions. But as states and consumers begin to sort out the details of how, and if, they can access affordable coverage, a legal challenge to the “Affordable Healthcare Act” began in Virginia. FSRN’s Jacob Fenston has more.
ACLU Sues FBI Over No-Fly List
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today challenging the constitutionality of the FBI’s no-fly list. From Washington, FSRN’s Jacob Fenston reports.
Medical Leave Act Covers Children of Same-Sex Couples
The US Labor Department has expanded the Family and Medical Leave Act to include same-sex parents – a move gay rights advocates are applauding. FSRN’s Jacob Fenston reports from Washington, DC.
Occupied Berkeley
A third day of protests at UC Berkeley as students, their teachers, and university employees continue to fight a combination of deep budget cuts and steep fee increases. Today’s action centered on Wheeler Hall, a major classroom building that a group of students occupied early this morning. Jacob Fenston has been covering the Wheeler Hall protest for KQED, and files this report.
Elie Wiesel Attacker Sentenced
The mentally ill man who attacked famous holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was set to be released today in San Francisco, after he was sentenced to time already served. From member station KQED, Jacob Fenston reports.
Medi-Cal Cuts
California is now 44 days without a budget and some of the state’s bills are unpaid. Health providers funded by the state’s Medi-Cal program are among those being squeezed by the financial crisis. We report on why some of the state’s most vulnerable patients are being put at risk.
San Francisco Tobacco Ban
In San Francisco, smokers looking to pick up a pack of cigarettes at their local drugstore will soon have to look elsewhere. From member station KQED, Jacob Fenston has more.