"The Talk Show America Show"

5/19/2006

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Senate answer to illegal immigration: Fence and citizenship ?, This weeks successes in the War on Terror !





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General Touts Growth in Iraqi-Run Operations

BAGHDAD, May 18, 2006 - More than 80 percent of operations in Iraq
currently are being performed either solely by Iraqi security forces or in
concert with coalition troops, officials here said today.

In 446 operations during the week ending May 12, Iraqi and coalition
forces cooperated in 223, new coalition spokesman Army Maj. Gen. William
Caldwell said in his first press briefing. Iraqi army or police forces
handled almost a third -- or 139 operations -- on their own. Coalition
forces performed 84 operations -- 19 percent -- alone during the week.

Even Iraqi forces operating alone still need coalition help in
logistics, transportation, close-air support, and medical assistance, said
Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq's deputy chief of staff for strategic
effects.

"We know we have challenges still with logistics and resupply and the
like for Iraqi security forces," he said. "But we do have forces that
are organized, that are trained, that are able to go out there and
operate independently."

Caldwell replaced Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch in the job.

The general said he was encouraged by the growing use of the Baghdad
tip line, adding that almost 70 percent of the tips received from Iraqis
are "effective."

He pointed to a recent operation in Baghdad as an example of how Iraqi
forces are maturing. During the operation, U.S. and Iraqi troops
responded when three men in a van fired on them. The van fled to the Abu
Abbas mosque in southern Baghdad, where the men jumped out of the van and
ran onto the mosque compound.

American troops from 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain
Division, and Iraqi troops from the 6th Division searched the van and found
it loaded with weapons. "So clearly, these are anti-coalition personnel
who ran into the compound," Caldwell said.

The Iraqi forces gained permission from the imam to enter the mosque
compound, escorted by local officials. They found guns, grenades,
rocket-propelled grenades and RPG launchers, mines, TNT, artillery rounds,
bombs, and other ordnance used for making improvised explosive devices,
and 11 military-age men in the compound. The forces detained nine of the
men.

"The good thing about this operation was they pursued a van; they
didn't just go shooting up the neighborhood, went into the van and found
something in it, which gave them probable cause to continue searching.
They dealt with local officials; they didn't just go bursting into the
mosque area. They were escorted there by somebody, and they treated the
place with dignity and respect, and they accomplished the mission,"
Caldwell said of the Iraqi forces involved.

In another operation in southwestern Baghdad, Iraqi police captured Abu
Jebril, leader of an al Qaeda in Iraq cell and an expert in car bombs.
Iraqi police also captured two of the man's associates and confiscated
about 500 pounds of ammonium nitrate and black powder.

The important thing in both these operations, Caldwell said, is that
Iraqi forces took the lead. "You'd expect that to happen," he said. "And
it is."

Iraqi, Coalition Forces Stop Terrorists, Disarm Car Bomb

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2006 - Separate incidents in Baghdad and Mosul led
to Iraqi and coalition forces killing or capturing several terrorists
operating in those areas. Coalition forces also disarmed a car bomb in
Mosul.

Iraqi police and Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers killed three
terrorists and wounded 10 others in two separate incidents yesterday in
Mosul.

In the first incident, soldiers from 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team
watched as a group of insurgents began burying an improvised explosive
device on a roadway southwest of the city. The troops carefully tracked
the movements of each insurgent before engaging them with small-arms
fire. The terrorists fled the area in waiting vehicles.

Iraqi soldiers from 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army
Division, and coalition forces identified nine insurgents with gun shot wounds
from the engagement at a local hospital. All nine of the men were
treated by doctors at the hospital and then detained.

One civilian also was wounded and treated at a local civilian hospital.

In the second incident, terrorists attacked three civilians on a
highway outside Mosul shortly after noon. The terrorists chased the
civilians' vehicle in two separate cars, firing into it several times.

U.S. soldiers from the 172nd responded to the gunfire and killed all
three terrorists in one of the cars. Iraqi police pursued the remaining
car until it stopped and the four terrorists fled on foot. Iraqi police
captured one terrorist, who was wounded as he tried to escape.

The three civilians, all wounded, were taken to a nearby civilian
hospital for treatment.

In other news, an elite Iraqi police unit disrupted terrorist activity
in the region when it captured a local terrorist cell leader in a late
afternoon raid south of Baghdad May 16.

Members of the Hillah Special Weapons and Tactics unit conducted the
operation east of Iskandriyah, targeting Salih Hassan Latif al-Janabi,
also known as Abu Sabrin.

Al-Janabi, a local terrorist cell leader, oversees the operations of
several other terrorist cells. His cell is responsible for a
counterfeit-document and -money network as well as for conducting
improvised-explosive-device attacks in the area, U.S. officials said. He also has ties
to other known terrorist leaders.

No injuries or casualties were reported from this incident.

Elsewhere the same day, Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers discovered
and successfully disarmed a car bomb packed with munitions and
explosives in Mosul.

Mosul police officers and U.S. soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade
Combat Team secured the area as an explosives disposal team assessed
the device. The explosives team safely removed 14 large artillery rounds,
a rocket-propelled-grenade warhead, a large gas can, and more than 100
pounds of bulk explosives from the vehicle.

For more listen to: Talk Show America 5/19/2006





Related Site:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]



Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are
doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and
abroad.

Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism:
"Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

Forces in Afghanistan Kill 61 Enemy Fighters, Capture 20

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 19, 2006 - A series of continuous
offensive operations May 17 and yesterday across eastern and southern
Afghanistan left 61 Taliban extremists dead and 20 others captured,
military officials here reported today.

Afghan National Police and coalition forces killed a reported 60 enemy
fighters and captured 20 during a battle in the village of Musa Qalah
in Helmand province May 17, Copmbined Forces Command Afghanistan
officials said. The joint force pursued the fighters after receiving reports
of a large enemy force moving from Musa Qalah. Sixteen police were
killed and 20 were wounded in the conflict.

"Extremists terrorized the town of Musa Qalah overnight, setting fires
and attacking government agencies," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin
Freakley, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76. "The ANP rapidly
responded to drive them out with great success. Our thoughts and prayers
are with the families of the 16 brave police officers who sacrificed
their lives defending the people of Musa Qalah."

In a separate operation in the Bahrami District of Ghazni province
yesterday, ANP and coalition forces engaged about 30 extremists with small
arms and mortar fire in the village of Godale Shamshir in Ghazni
province. A policeman and an enemy combatant were killed in the firefight.

During the engagement, coalition attack aircraft provided close-air
support and conducted strikes on enemy positions.

"Afghan national security forces are seeking out and destroying the
extremists who threaten the Afghan people and who stand in the way of
growth and progress," Freakley said. "There will be no sanctuary afforded
the enemy, and no respite."

Taliban extremists claim to have mounted a spring offensive in southern
Afghanistan, but Afghan and coalition forces "have clearly demonstrated
they have seized and maintained the initiative, and are capable of
conducting simultaneous combat operations throughout the country where ever
the enemy attempts to move," according to a Combined Forces Command
Afghanistan statement.

Man admits scheme to smuggle Iranians into U.S

A Mesa man has admitted in federal court that he tried to smuggle an illegal immigrant from Iran across the U.S.-Mexico border.

FBI agents arrested Zeayadali Malhamdary and raided his tailor shop May 26 after an undercover investigation found he tried to obtain Mexican visas for Iranians so they could fly into Mexico and then cross the border.

Malhamdary has admitted to friends he crossed the Mexico border illegally in 1998 to escape religious persecution in Iran, whose official religion is the Shiite branch of Islam. He was granted refugee status in February 1999.

Under Monday's plea deal, sentencing will be up to the judge on Aug. 14 although the document does not state a particular range.

Had Malhamdary been convicted at trial he could have gone to prison from five to 35 years.

According to Monday's plea deal, Malhamdary admitted that around September 2004, he began negotiating with someone to bring a group of Iranian nationals to the U.S.

He eventually agreed to supply authentic Iranian passports to the person, who turned out to be an undercover agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, and he would arrange to have the Mexican visas placed into the passports so the Iranians could fly into Mexico.

Malhamdary admitted that he went to Iran in March 2005 and returned with three passports, which he gave to the agent.

New Senate solution: Fence and citizenship

The U.S. Senate today approved an amendment to the immigration reform bill that would direct the building of a triple-layer fence along 370 miles of the southern border with Mexico.

The 83-16 vote included a call for 500 miles of vehicle barriers.

Construction of the fence would send "a signal that open-border days are over. ... Good fences make good neighbors, fences don't make bad neighbors," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Session noted border areas where barriers already exist have enjoyed a reduction in crime and improvement in the economy.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., opposed the fence, saying, "What we have here has become a symbol for the right wing in American politics," adding that if the fence were ultimately approved, "our relationship with Mexico would come down to a barrier between our two countries."

The Senate today also voted down an attempt to remove from the larger bill a provision giving illegal aliens in the U.S. for more than two years a path to become citizens. The proposal to remove what some lawmakers consider amnesty was defeated 66-33.

Earlier today, the Senate OK'd a measure that would bar illegal aliens with criminal records from becoming legal residents or U.S. citizens.

Though the immigration-reform measure nearly died last month, observers see it passing the Senate in some form next week. The current House version of the bill does not include the privilege for illegal aliens to eventually become citizens.

Fence supporters hailed today's news.

"For the first time since the Senate began debating immigration reform legislation, there is now a bill that deserves support and has a chance of gaining passage," said Colin Hanna, president of WeNeedAFence.com, in a statement.

For more listen to: Talk Show America 5/19/2006

Al-Qaida intent on attacking U.S. oil facilities

Analyst says Bin Laden's goal is to bankrupt economy

A leading expert on Al Qaeda has predicted that in the next phase of the terrorist group�s war on the US economy, the number of attacks on oil infrastructure targets will increase.

Michael Scheuer, who served the CIA for 11 years and was head of the agency�s Osama Bin Laden unit, told a meeting on the threat to Saudi oil industry, organised by the Jamestown Foundation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Monday that Al Qaeda and its allies are well placed throughout the Persian Gulf to attack oil facilities and officials.

Saudi successes in 2003 in killing and capturing several Al Qaeda figures may be one reason there have not been more attacks against the region�s oil facilities. He said Al Qaeda, apart from military actions, clearly intends to use its media apparatus to �stir the troubled pot of oil-related international worries� and thereby increase pessimism about the price of oil and the dependability of oil supplies. Al Qaeda websites, he noted, had even owned the string of attacks on Nigerian oil facilities called the attackers the �lions of Nigeria� and reminding them that �Allah supports you�.

Scheuer said Bin Laden�s intention is to bankrupt the US economy, which is �entirely likely� to lead to attacks on infrastructure targets inside the US by Al Qaeda, its allies and groups that may not necessarily be associated with either. The attacks would probably focus on large targets that could cripple parts of the US economy. Other groups, however, may be satisfied with staging small-scale attacks on pipelines, pumping stations, tanker trucks as in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In a password-protected Al Qaeda forum on the Internet, targets such as the Trans-Alaska pipeline are highlighted. The attacks could be staged by small teams of Muslims living in the US or trams that could be brought across the border from Mexico or Canada.

Scheuer said that Al Qaeda�s February 2006 attack on the Abqaiq refinery in Saudi Arabia, the world�s largest such complex, should be seen as the beginning of a new and more systematic phase of Al Qaeda�s targeting of the oil infrastructure. The attack appears to have been well planned but badly executed. Even in failure, however, the attack boosted the price of oil by nearly $2 a barrel and added to the readiness of oil producers and their worried insurers to increase the �terrorism premium� already built into the basic price of oil. The orders for the Abqaiq attack came direct from Osama Bin Laden. Two days later, there was a fatwa from the Al Qaeda-related cleric, Sheikh al-Anzi, which said that such attacks are legitimate and they must be conducted in a way that does not produce permanent damage to the Muslim community�s ability to exploit and benefit from its energy reserves.

Another speaker at the event, British expert Stephen Ulph, said the threat to the oil sector looms like a �menacing spectre� over the Saudi and Gulf states. In his view the Abqaiq attack has done damage to the image of Saudi stability and won prestige for Al Qaeda. These events, he stressed, �command our attention� as Al Qaeda�s insurgent strategy, right from the beginning, has focused on the issue of Middle East oil wealth as a cardinal feature of its global struggle. Originally, Bin Laden advised against targeting these facilities on the grounds that they constituted a fundamental resource for the Muslim community. However, it elaborated a new �bleed-until-bankruptcy� strategy against the US as the prime backer of Gulf regimes. He pointed out that although the US military has removed itself form Saudi Arabia, the �mujahideen� continue to use the slogan �expelling the polytheists from the Peninsula� as an �ideological banner� rather than as a political demand. This is because it is a struggle whose dimensions simply dwarf the banalities of temporary reverses on the ground. He said Saudi and American electronic espionage against the insurgent groups was much improved today over the past. After the Abqaiq attack, Saudi security forces conducted raids across the country and rounded up Islamist militants, half of them suspected of financially aiding terrorist attacks and propagating jihadists ideology.

According to Ulph, �Al Qaeda�s objective in these attacks is more abstract � prestige to the movement, damage to Saudi self-confidence and uncertainty on the global oil market. As world energy consumption is predicted to increase by more than 50 percent by the year 2025, concerns from the security of Saudi energy exports will increase accordingly. With this trump card handed to Al Qaeda in its asymmetric warfare, actual success in damaging the country�s energy facilities is not necessary to raise fears of insecurity. In this respect, Al Qaeda has correctly identified a fundamental weak point and scored what has in fact been an uninterrupted series of triumphs.�

Another expert, John SK Daly, who addressed the meeting, said should a major terrorist attack on Saudi Arabia�s major oil facilities succeed, the impact on global oil prices would be immense, dwarfing any other man-made event. He pointed out that the massive Abqaiq complex is a critical element in Saudi Arabia�s prosperity. He said Al Qaeda�s most fearsome weapon is the hijacked commercial aircraft and its interest in using one for an attack in Saudi Arabia predates 9/11. He said, �The Abqaiq attack is the first harbinger of Osama Bin Laden�s December 2004 statement urging militants to attack oil targets in the Gulf to stop the flow of oil to the West.� He pointed out that the immediate answer to the Abqaiq attack by the Saudi government was �repression and more security�.

However, the fact that Saudi Aramco vehicles were used in the attack indicates that Al Qaeda operatives at the very least have access to the oil giant�s assets, leaving open the possibility of future �inside jobs�. An attack could also be mounted from across the border in Iraq, where Saudi fighters are active. He said the possibility of such an attack is �inevitable� and 100 percent security in the kingdom is impossible. Most of the oil facilities are in the Eastern provinces where a restive Shia population �chafes under the austere tenets of Wahabism�.

Budget Deficit Cut Coming Soon

The Bush administration's goal of cutting the federal budget deficit in half by 2009 will be accomplished sooner, Treasury Secretary John Snow said Tuesday.

With tax revenues improving, "it's clear the deficit is getting into a better posture," Snow said during a briefing on the economy.

The Congressional Budget Office recently said the deficit this year could be as low as $300 billion, less than an earlier forecast.

The White House in February projected a deficit of $423 billion, which would mark a record in dollar terms. Many private analysts, however, expect this estimate will be lowered when the administration releases its midsession budget review this summer.

"One thing is pretty clear. With these strong revenues and the continuing attention to spending, the deficit is getting on the right path," Snow said. "The president's target of cutting the deficit in half is going to be met - is going to be exceeded - and that will be done ahead of schedule."

Snow said the goal of cutting the deficit in half could be met "several years ahead of schedule," but he refused to be more specific.

The administration has said it intends to slice the deficit in half - toward a size that is below 2 percent of total economic output as measured by gross domestic product.

A flood of income tax payments pushed up government receipts to the second-highest level in history in April. The stronger gain in government revenues is prompting many analysts to lower their estimates for the budget deficit this year.

The government recorded a $319 billion budget deficit last year, an improvement from 2004 but still the third-largest on record in terms of dollars.

Snow credited the president's tax cuts with helping to boost overall economic activity and thus tax receipts as well.
Democrats contend that the tax cuts plunged the government's balance sheets into red ink and ended four years of budget surpluses from 1998 though 2001.

The administration has blamed mostly higher spending to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and spending to combat terrorism within the United States for the budget deficits.

Local business hiring Mexican workers for $18.00 an hour

Camille Briggs BUNA BASED SOUTHEAST TEXAS INDUSTRIES SAYS IT HAS EXHAUSTED EFFORTS TO FIND QUALIFIED WORKERS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS.
COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES SAY THEY'VE BEEN FORCED TO GO ACROSS THE BORDER TO SEEK OUT EMPLOYEES.

THE COMPANY'S ATTORNEY PETITIONED THE VIDOR CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT TO ALLOW THEM TO HOUSE UP TO 100 DOCUMENTED MEXICAN WORKERS ON SITE ... TO FILL ITS NEED.
REPRESENTS FROM LOCAL LABOR UNIONS EACH TOOK TURNS VOICING THEIR DISAPPROVAL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS INDUSTRIES DURING THURSDAY'S VIDOR CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

Jerry Wayne Pillsbury/Pipefitters Union

"It's 2006 and we are setting up concentrations camps. They work 12 hour days ... 7 days a week ... Have we progressed to that."

SOUTHEAST TEXAS INDUSTRIES' ATTORNEY ... JIM WIMBERLEY IS ASKING THE VIDOR CITY COUNCIL TO ALLOW HIS CLIENT TO HOUSE DOZENS OF MEXICAN WORKERS IN A FENCED IN AREA ON SITE.

Jim Wimberley/Southeast Texas Industries

"There's going to be a communication problem. This is not something my client wanted to do. This is a last resort."

WIMBERLEY SAYS THE COMPANY HAS WORKED FOR MONTHS TRYING TO HIRE LOCAL SKILLED LABOR, BUT HAS COME UP SHORT.

Jim Wimberley/Southeast Texas Industries

"Just to be clear $18 an hour is what you are paying them right? For steel workers, yes ma'am."

SO THE COMPANY WANTS TO HIRE UP TO 100 MEXICAN WORKERS UNTIL THE JOB MARKET IMPROVES OR UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE.

Jim Wimberley/Southeast Texas Industries

"The maximum they could stay here is 10 months. You can bring in another crew in for 10 months then our contract would be up."

Camille Briggs/Reporting

"The company plans to house up to 100 Mexican workers on the property next to its main building. Their food, lodging and utilities would be paid for by the company. Union members say if they are paying them $18 an hour ... That just doesn't add up."

Jerry Wayne Pillsbury/Pipefitters Union

"I would believe he is paying a handful of guys $18 an hour, but I would bet you the average wage is $14."

PILLSBURY BELIEVES THERE ARE PLENTY OF LOCAL WORKERS AVAILABLE AND WILLING TO WORK IF THE COMPANY IS PAYING A FAIR WAGE.

HE BELIEVES THE MEXICAN WORKERS ARE BEING EXPLOITED AND NEIGHBORS ARE CONCERNED THAT VITAL REVENUE IS LEAVING THE AREA.

RIGHT NOW THERE ARE SEVERAL TRAILERS LOCATED NEXT TO THE COMPANY AND NEIGHBORS SAY ABOUT 50 MEXICAN WORKERS ARE ALREADY THERE.

RIGHT NOW THE COMPANY IS TRYING TO FIND THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT WILL MEET THE CITY'S REQUIREMENTS.

For more listen to: Talk Show America 5/18/2006

Protesters want citizenship now

Demand all proposals be rejected,including guest-worker program

While a divided Congress wrangled over how to solve the immigration crisis, advocates of illegal aliens yesterday denounced all of the major legislation under consideration, along with President Bush's proposals, demanding in protests throughout California that they be given full citizenship now.

Protest organizer Luis Maga�a in Stockton, Calif., condemned the president's guest-worker proposal, contending a similar program run from 1942 to 1964 was abusive, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"If a program doesn't give us the full rights accorded other workers in the United States, then we're against it," he told the paper. "They haven't spelled out the details and there's no discussion with the people who will be affected."

Activists in several California cities held news conferences yesterday to denounce legislation under consideration in the Senate and passed by the House and to oppose the president's call to deploy National Guard troops on the border.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office in San Francisco was the site of one rally that featured signs and banners reading "Do Not Militarize the Border" and "No Human Being Is Illegal."

The protesters said they would continue until senators hear their message.

For more listen to: Talk Show America 5/18/2006

Immigration bill moves forward

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a compromise that would bar illegal immigrants with criminal records from becoming legal residents or U.S. citizens.

The 99-0 vote on the amendment blocking felons and people with three misdemeanor convictions was a key hurdle for the bipartisan immigration bill, which would tighten border security while creating a guest worker program and a path toward citizenship for many of the nation's estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants.

The immigration bill nearly died in the Senate last month but partly because of prodding by President George W. Bush, the Senate has worked out some compromises and is increasingly likely to pass the measure next week.


But it still faces very tough negotiations with the U.S. House of Representatives, which approved a much tougher bill that cracks down on illegals and does not give them options for becoming legal.

Bush made a rare nationally televised speech on immigration on Monday backing the thrust of the Senate bill and his top political aide Karl Rove came to the Capitol on Wednesday to discuss the issue with House Republicans.

"I'd seen some talk that maybe this was going to be a highly contentious meeting, the readout I get is that it was not at all, it was respectful, people were obviously having exchanges of views on things," White House spokesman Tony Snow said of Rove's talks. "Do not assume that all positions are absolutely chiseled in stone."

Conservatives oppose any hint of an amnesty for illegals, while many business groups do want a pool of foreign workers and Hispanic groups are flexing political muscle demanding legalization. Another large rally and march to the Capitol was planned for Wednesday afternoon.

Mexico threatens lawsuits over National Guard

Mexico said Tuesday that it would file lawsuits in U.S. courts if National Guard troops on the border become directly involved in detaining migrants.

Mexican border officials also said they worried that sending troops to heavily trafficked regions would push illegal migrants into more perilous areas of the U.S.-Mexican border to avoid detection.

President Bush announced Monday that he would send 6,000 National Guard troops to the 2,000-mile border, but they would provide intelligence and surveillance support to Border Patrol agents, not catch and detain illegal immigrants.

"If there is a real wave of rights abuses, if we see the National Guard starting to directly participate in detaining people ... we would immediately start filing lawsuits through our consulates," Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez told a Mexico City radio station. He did not offer further details.

Mexican officials worry the crackdown will lead to more deaths. Since Washington toughened security in Texas and California in 1994, migrants have flooded Arizona's hard-to-patrol desert and deaths have spiked. Migrant groups estimate 500 people died trying to cross the border in 2005. The Border Patrol reported 473 deaths in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

In Ciudad Juarez, Julieta Nunez Gonzalez, local representative of the Mexican government's National Immigration Institute, said Tuesday she will ask the government to send its migrant protection force, known as Grupo Beta, to more remote sections of the border.

Sending the National Guard "will not stop the flow of migrants, to the contrary, it will probably go up," as people try to get into the U.S. in the hope that they could benefit from a possible amnesty program, Nunez said.

Juan Canche, 36, traveled more than 1,200 miles to the border from the southern town of Izamal and said nothing would stop him from trying to cross.

"Even with a lot of guards and soldiers in place, we have to jump that puddle," said Canche, referring to the drought-stricken Rio Grande dividing Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas. "My family is hungry and there is no work in my land. I have to risk it."

For more listen to: Talk Show America 5/18/2006

Verizon Denies Giving NSA Phone Records

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) on Tuesday joined fellow phone company BellSouth in denying key points of a USA Today story that said the companies had provided records of millions of phone calls to the government.

Verizon has not provided customer call data to the National Security Agency, nor had it been asked to do so, the company said in an e-mailed statement. The statement came a day after Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. (BLS) made a similar denial.

"One of the most glaring and repeated falsehoods in the media reporting is the assertion that, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Verizon was approached by NSA and entered into an arrangement to provide the NSA with data from its customers' domestic calls," the statement read.

The denials leave open the possibility that the NSA directed its requests to long-distance companies, which collect billing data on long-distance calls placed by local-service customers of BellSouth and Verizon.

A story in USA Today last Thursday said Verizon, AT&T Inc. (T) and BellSouth had complied with an NSA request for tens of millions of customer phone records after the 2001 terror attacks. The report sparked a national debate on federal surveillance tactics.

The newspaper story cited anonymous sources "with direct knowledge of the arrangement."

"Sources told us that BellSouth and Verizon records are included in the database," USA Today spokesman Steve Anderson said.

"We're confident in our coverage of the phone database story," Anderson added, "but we won't summarily dismiss BellSouth's and Verizon's denials without taking a closer look."

Verizon's statement suggested that USA Today may have erred in not drawing a distinction between long-distance and local telephone calls.

"Phone companies do not even make records of local calls in most cases because the vast majority of customers are not billed per call for local calls," Verizon said.

Tuesday's denial did not apply to MCI, the long-distance carrier Verizon acquired in January. In an earlier statement, Verizon said it is in the process of ensuring that its policies are put in place in the former MCI business.

Three smaller phone companies, with mainly local business, contacted by The Associated Press on Tuesday also denied being approached by the NSA. Representatives at Alltel Corp. (AT), Citizens Communications Co. and CenturyTel Inc. (CTL) all said they had no knowledge of NSA requests to their companies.

The denials by Verizon and BellSouth leave AT&T as the sole company named in the USA Today article that hasn't denied involvement. On Thursday, San Antonio-based AT&T said it had "an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare," but said it would assist only as allowed within the law.

AT&T Inc. was formed last year when regional phone company SBC Communications Inc. bought AT&T Corp., the long-distance and corporate carrier, and adopted its name.

The other major long-distance company, Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), has issued a statement similar to AT&T's.

For more on this listen to Talk Show America 5/17/2006

Pentagon Releases 9/11 Security Video

Links to two videos of American Flight 77 striking the Pentagon on September 11, 2001:
Video 1:WMV
Video 2:WMV

The Pentagon on Tuesday released the first video images of American Airlines Flight 77 crashing into the military headquarters building and killing 189 people in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The images, recorded by Pentagon security cameras outside the building, were made public in response to a December 2004 Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch, a public interest group. Some still images from the video had previously been leaked and publicly circulated, but this was the first official release.

The airplane is a thin white blur on the video as it slams into the Pentagon at ground level. Almost instantly a white flash and a huge orange fireball appear on the video, followed by a tower of gray-black smoke. One of the videos shows a Pentagon police car driving in the direction of the impact point shortly after the plane hit.

Traveling at an estimated 350 mph, the hijacked American Airlines plane plowed into the southwest side of the Pentagon at 9:38 a.m. EDT, shortly after two other hijacked airlines were flown into the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York. The attack set off fires in a portion of the Pentagon and killed 125 people inside, in addition to the 59 passengers and crew and the five men who hijacked the plane at Dulles International Airport.

The Pentagon had previously refused to release the videos, saying they had been provided to the Justice Department as evidence in any criminal proceedings.

"We fought hard to obtain this video because we felt that it was very important to complete the public record with respect to the terrorist attacks of September 11," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.

Cheryl Irwin, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said families of the victims of the Pentagon attack were not consulted before the videos were released on the Pentagon's Web site.

For more on this listen to Talk Show America 5/17/2006

US to release video of September 11 attack on Pentagon

The US government has agreed to release video film Tuesday showing a hijacked jetliner strike the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Taken by surveillance cameras in the Pentagon parking lot, the images have been the subject of lawsuits prompted in part by conspiracy theories surrounding the attack.

The Justice Department, which had blocked their release, agreed to turn over the video clips now that the trial of Al Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui has ended, a Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said.

Whitman said the images appear to be the same as a series of still pictures previously seen on US television.

"We fought hard to obtain this video because we felt that it was very important to complete the public record with respect to the terrorist attacks of September 11," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a group that sued for the release of the video.

"Finally, we hope that this video will put to rest the conspiracy theories involving American Airlines Flight 77," he said in a statement.

The group said it would post a copy of the video on its website, www.judicialwatch.org.

The Pentagon admitted having the video last year, but said it could not release the film because it was part of its investigation into Moussaoui, Judicial Watch said.

Watch Fox News at 1:00 PM for video.

For more on this listen to Talk Show America 5/17/2006

President Bush: 6,000 National Guard to Border

In a prime-time, nationally televised address this evening, President Bush said there would be no militarization of the U.S. border with Mexico in order to stem the ongoing invasion by illegal aliens, despite his announcement of increased support by the National Guard.

"The United States is not going to militarize the southern border," Bush said. "Mexico is our neighbor, and our friend. We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border, to confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime, and to reduce illegal immigration."

The president said the debate over immigration reform has reached a time of decision, and announced immediate steps to strengthen border enforcement.

Bush said up to 6,000 National Guard members would be deployed to the southern border, but act only in support positions to the U.S. Border Patrol.

"The Guard will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance systems analyzing intelligence installing fences and vehicle barriers building patrol roads and providing training. Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities that duty will be done by the Border Patrol," Bush said.

He also called for an end to "catch and release" practices, where illegal aliens are let go only with a request to appear in court at a future date.

"We have expanded the number of beds in our detention facilities, and we will continue to add more," Bush said. "We have expedited the legal process to cut the average deportation time. And we are making it clear to foreign governments that they must accept back their citizens who violate our immigration laws."

Bush called on Congress to increase funding for Border Patrol, noting, "By the end of 2008, we will increase the number of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these new agents are deployed, we will have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during my presidency."

He also stressed the need for the use of new technology in providing security.

"We are launching the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history. We will construct high-tech fences in urban corridors, and build new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas. We will employ motion sensors infrared cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has the best technology in the world and we will ensure that the Border Patrol has the technology they need to do their job and secure our border."

He again mentioned his support for a temporary worker program, claiming it would lead to better border security.

"I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period of time. This program would match willing foreign workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to pass criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay."

Read more here:Text of Bush's address on immigration

For more on this Listen To:Talk Show America 5/16/2006

Highlights of Proposed Senate Immigration Bill

Highlights of the immigration and border security bill before the Senate:


Allows illegal immigrants in the country five years or more to remain, continue working and eventually become legal residents after paying fines, back taxes and learning English.

Requires illegal immigrants in the U.S. between two and five years to go to a point of entry at the border and file an application to return.

Requires those in the country less than two years to leave.

Creates a special guest worker program for an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers, who could also earn legal permanent residency.

Provides up to 325,000 temporary visas a year for future workers, with additional visas possible based on labor market demands.

Adds up to 14,000 Border Patrol agents by 2011 to the current force of 11,300 agents, for a potential total of 25,300.

Authorizes additional detention facilities for apprehended illegal immigrants.

Requires employers and subcontractors to use an electronic system to verify new hires are legal within 18 months and increases penalties up to $20,000 per illegal worker and jail time for repeat offenders.

Reaction to Bush's Immigration Speech

Quotes in response to President Bush's border security proposal:

"It is not enough for President Bush to tell us he wants to increase security at our borders. After all, he's had five years to do it. If he wants to be credible on border security, he must acknowledge his mistakes and commit to fixing them." -

Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

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"Utilizing the National Guard is an effective, short-term stopgap to immediately strengthen border security as long-range reforms begin to take effect."

- Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

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"The decision to send troops is the shot in the arm we need to strengthen our borders and protect our families."

- House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

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"We must protect our borders, but militarizing our borders is a desperate response by the president to his and Republican Congress' policy failures."

- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

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"While I appreciate the president's willingness to tackle big problems, I have real concerns about moving forward with a guest worker program or a plan to address those currently in the United States illegally until we have adequately addressed our serious border security problems."

- House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

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"If the president thinks by taking one step forward with enforcement the House will follow with two steps backwards with amnesty, he's confusing us with the Senate."

- Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.

"We don't need a military solution to break a political stalemate."

- Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

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"Until the federal government can convince the American people that it is serious about securing our borders, it will be hard to consider other factors of immigration reform."

- Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

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"Unarmed National Guard troops driving bulldozers, who can't make arrests, would essentially be useless."

- Rep. John, Culberson, R-Texas.

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"The National Guard already is stretched to the limit by repeated tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as providing disaster assistance in their own states."

- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

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"A wave of anti-American sentiment is already sweeping across Latin America, and a deployment of military forces to the U.S.-Mexico border will only fuel these views."

- Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas

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"If the Guard can go to work on the fence between Douglas, Ariz. and Calexico, Calif., immediately, they've got a chance of saving lots of lives during the hot season, which is going to commence in about 20 days."

- Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

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"Why not just hire more Border Patrol agents?"

- T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the Border Patrol union.

For more on this Listen To:Talk Show America 5/16/2006

Dick Morris: Bush's 'Great Speech'

Arguably America�s most prominent American political consultant, Dick Morris tells NewsMax that President Bush�s key national address on immigration reform Monday night was "a great speech.�

"It included all the elements it had to,� said Morris, who noted the president is living through record low approval ratings.

But Morris conjectures Bush�s border plan may help lay the ground work for a comeback.

Morris is almost universally credited with piloting Bill Clinton�s stunning comeback re-election victory in 1996 after the Democrats lost Congress to the Republicans two years before.

The presidential plan to beef up the southern border fence in both real and virtual terms is both the "key to securing the border and securing the president's base,� Morris opined.

As to Bush�s vital guest worker proposal, Morris sees it as "the key to keeping the GOP competitive with Hispanic voters.�

And leaving open paths to citizenship for those already in the country, albeit illegally, will serve to make "Latinos a GOP stronghold,� Morris advised.

Morris has warned that the Republican risks losing its dominance in the near future if it doesn�t grab a larger share of Hispanic voters. Hispanics are rapidly growing in the U.S., especially in states like Florida, Texas, and other states once considered strongly GOP.

For more on this Listen To:Talk Show America 5/16/2006

U.S. Acknowledges Secret CIA Flights, EU Says

The U.S. government acknowledged yesterday that the CIA operated "a very high number" of secret flights that stopped in Europe en route to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba according to members of the European Parliament visiting Washington, DC.

A special commission has been investigating allegations that the CIA kidnapped and flew al-Qaida terror suspects to secret detention centers.

A report preparer for the commission, Claudio Fava, said in Washington yesterday that State Department legal advisor John Bellinger acknowledged that some of the secret flights could have involved renditions.

"Bellinger didn't deny there were a large number of CIA flights," Fava said. "That is a positive development and a sign of increased cooperation," he added.

After the meeting with State Department legal advisor John Bellinger on Thursday, Fava said his investigators were "somewhat uncomfortable with what we've learned," and planned to issue a written report on the trip in Brussels next week.

The European team also had "an extremely useful meeting" with Rep. Ed Markey, D, Mass., who told them he planned to criticize publicly the Bush administration "for the rendition of his constituent, Mr. Arar," Fava said.

Maher Arar, a Canadian engineer born in Syria, was arrested in New York on Sept. 26, 2002, and sent back to Syria, where he claims he was tortured for several months before being released. Bellinger told the commissioners that Arar's expulsion was not a rendition but was a decision taken by a U.S. immigration court.

Members of the European delegation were perplexed when told that Arar was a Canadian citizen, and could not explain why Markey would have called him a "constituent."

Information on the secret flights remains sketchy, Fava said. "There are hundreds of flights for which we have been unable to find the names of the pilot, the crew or the passengers, or even which airport they originated."

The European Parliament commission says it has received "ad hoc information" from Eurocontrol, a private organization that tracks flight information for 36-member states, documenting 1,000 flights of CIA-operated aircraft.

These included a Boeing 737, with registration number N313P, that human rights groups claim was chartered by a CIA front company to carry prisoners from Afghanistan to secret prisons in Egypt, Syria, Uzbekistan and Eastern Europe.

The Boeing 737 was chartered by Premier Executive Transport Services, a private company in Massachusetts that disappeared once it was identified in European newspaper accounts in 2004.

The aircraft made "several flights from Kabul, stopping in Poland, Romania, and Morocco along the way to Guantanamo," Fava said. "We don't think they were making refueling stops."

Upon their arrival in the U.S. on Tuesday, the commission members said they were primarily investigating allegations that prospective EU members, such as Poland and Romania, were involved in helping the CIA interrogate prisoners in "secret prisons."

The highly-classified CIA program to kidnap and detain al-Qaeda suspects and send them to other countries for interrogation was first revealed by media in Sweden and Britain in May 2004. Most U.S. press accounts claim the story was first broken by Washington Post reporter Dana Priest, who first wrote about the secret prisons last November and was awarded a Pulitzer prize for her reporting.

The commission received "flight logs and a list of 26-28 people that the United States admits it is holding" from Human Rights Watch, sources told NewsMax. "No one knows where those 26-28 people are currently being held," the sources said.

Saudis: Oil Prices Could Plummet

Saudi Arabia's oil minister warned Arab producers Sunday not to expect continued growth in prices and demand for oil.

Ali al-Naimi said prices could plummet if an economic crisis drives industrialized nations to find other sources of energy, citing the 1980s - when oil prices dropped by 80 percent after such nations reduced their dependency on oil and turned to alternative energy sources. [Editor's Note: In April 2004, Financial Intelligence Report predicted that oil prices would skyrocket from $29 per barrel to over $60 within 12 months. That forecast was dead on! Find out what FIR thinks oil will do over the next 12 months. Go here now.]

"Global economic growth may not continue at the same good momentum for years to come," al-Naimi said at the opening of a four-day conference of Arab energy ministers in Amman. "We should be careful and not take expectations as indisputable, especially the continuation of big demand for oil and its prices remaining at the same level or increasing," he said.

Al-Naimi also cited the Asian economic crisis of 1997-1998, when oil prices fell by 50 percent, slowing Arab oil production.

"Some are even concerned about a looming economic problem because of the increased policies of economic protectionism, or what is known as economic nationalism,"

al-Naimi said, referring to Western countries' determination to become less dependent on Middle Eastern oil.

Sixty percent of the world's oil reserves lie in Arab countries, one third of global production comes from Arab sources and 40 percent of all oil business is conducted by Arabs, he said.

Global oil prices fell but finished last week roughly $2 a barrel higher, as traders' concerns about geopolitical threats and refinery snags outweighed evidence of rising supplies and forecasts calling for weakening global demand.

Crude futures dipped toward $72 a barrel Friday after the International Energy Agency reduced its 2006 world oil demand forecast. Earlier in the week, the U.S. Department of Energy said domestic gasoline supplies increased for the second straight week.

For more on this listen to Talk Show America 5/17/2006

BellSouth Says It Gave NSA No Call Records

BellSouth Corp. said Monday its "thorough review" found no indication it gave telephone records to the National Security Agency as part of a federal anti-terrorism surveillance program.

A report last week by USA Today identified BellSouth, along with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., as companies that had complied with an NSA request to turn over millions of customer phone records after the 2001 terror attacks.

"Based on our review to date, we have confirmed no such contract exists and we have not provided bulk customer calling records to the NSA,"

the Atlanta-based regional Bell said in a statement.

BellSouth spokesman Jeff Battcher said the company's investigation found

"no contract with the NSA and we are confident that we have turned over no phone records."

Last week, Battcher said the company had

"not provided any information we would need a subpoena for."

The USA Today report followed earlier revelations of wiretapping on overseas calls without a court order and sparked a renewed national debate over government intrusion into Americans' civil liberties in the fight against terrorism.

Critics denounced the phone companies for complying with the NSA surveillance request, while others approved of compromising privacy for national security.

Another of the regional Bells, Denver-based Qwest Communications International Inc., did not comply with the federal request for call logs.

Last week, Verizon said it had complied with relevant laws and was "committed" to customer privacy. San Antonio-based AT&T said it respects customers' privacy but has

"an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare."

Battcher said BellSouth's customer service department had received little more than two dozen complaints about reports that private phone records may have been relayed to the government.

"We have 20 million land line customers, so 26 complaints is not a lot," Battcher said.

Hispanic American Coalition Says 'No' to Amnesty

A coalition of Hispanic Americans is teaming up with U.S. House leaders in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to express their opposition to legislation that would grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.

The coalition, called You Don't Speak for Me!, was formed after the recent demonstrations by illegal aliens and their supporters who want the government to grant them amnesty.

"When it comes to immigration policy, the United States Senate apparently doesn't speak for anyone, except the people who have broken our laws and cheap labor business interests," retired Col. Al Rodriguez said in a press release.

"National polls - especially those done after the May 1 illegal alien protests and boycott - show that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the kind of amnesty being promoted by the Senate and the White House," he continued. "That opposition includes millions of Americans who are of Hispanic heritage," said Rodriguez, whose coalition plans to hold a press conference on Tuesday at 2:30pm in the Cannon House Office Building.

For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006

U.S. Trade Deficit Improves for 2nd Consecutive Month

The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly declined in March for a second consecutive month, something that hasn't happened in more than two years. The improvement reflected record U.S. exports and a big drop in the country's foreign oil bill.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that the gap between what the country sells abroad and what it imports narrowed to $62 billion in March, the smallest deficit in seven months. It was a 5.5 percent improvement from February's $65.6 billion deficit which in turn had fallen from the all-time high of $68.6 billion set in January.

The back-to-back improvement in the trade deficit, something that last happened in October-November 2003, was certain to be welcomed by President Bush, who is facing increasing election-year attacks from Democrats who contend that Bush's free trade policies have put the nation in hock to foreign governments and cost millions of manufacturing jobs at home.

The trade deficit through the first three months of this year, even with the two months of improvements, is running at an annual rate of $785 billion, up by 8.4 percent from last year's record high of $723.6 billion.

The politically charged deficit with China rose by 12.5 percent in March to $15.6 billion even though U.S. exports to China hit an all-time high, led by a big jump in sales of commercial airplanes.

Economists, who had been expecting the deficit would rise to around $67 billion in March, cautioned against looking for any sizable improvements in coming months, given that oil prices have jumped above $70 per barrel.

"The trend in the deficit has stabilized but it is not falling," said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, a private consulting firm.

Poll: Wide Support for National Guard Border Plan

A Time magazine poll taken last month shows that Americans overwhelmingly favor deploying the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexican border - an idea that is expected to be the centerpiece of President Bush speech to the nation on immigration reform Monday night.

62 percent of those surveyed told Time that they would back a plan to militarize the border. Just 35 percent opposed.

56 percent told Time that they would favor building a wall across the entire U.S.-Mexican border - not the just 700 miles of fencing proposed in a plan passed by the House in December. Only 40 percent opposed.

Asked if President Bush should take "whatever steps [are] necessary to guard the border," 71 percent of Republicans said yes, along with 54 percent of Democrats.

It's not clear, however, whether the Bush speech will touch on building a border fence, although the Real ID Act - which the White House supported - funded the completion of a border fence in California.
A full 75 percent told Time that illegals should be denied government supplied health care and food stamps, with only 21 percent saying they should get those benefits. More than two thirds, 69 percent, say illegals shouldn't be allowed to get U.S. drivers licenses.

58 percent of Republicans favored "deporting all illegal immigrants," Time said, with 45 percent of Democrats agreeing.

Support for tough border enforcement may be even higher than the Time poll indicated, since their survey sample was comprised of 32 percent Democrats, 25 percent Independents and just 28 percent Republicans.

For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006

For more on this Listen To:Talk Show America 5/16/2006

Bush Approval Rating Jumps Six Points

President Bush's job approval rating has jumped six points in the wake of a media barrage of criticism over his administration's telephone records collection program.

A Harris Interactive poll published in The Wall Street Journal Online on Friday had Bush�s approval rating at an all time low - with just 29 percent of Americans saying they liked the way he was handling his job.

The Harris survey polled 1,003 adults on May 5-8 - before USA Today frontpaged their report on the National Security Agency's telephone records collection program.

A Gallup survey released Friday yielded a similar result, with just 31 percent giving Bush a positive job approval rating.

A Newsweek survey released on Sunday, however, found that the president's approval numbers had improved markedly, with 35 percent saying he was doing a good job.
Newsweek polled 1,007 adults on May 11 and 12 and asked specifically about the NSA's phone record collection program, which USA Today's first reported on Thursday, May 11.

An ABC/Washington Post poll taken in the immediate aftermath of the USA Today report found overwhelming support for the anti-terror program, with 63 percent of those surveyed saying they supported the records gathering operation. 44 percent said they "strongly" endorsed it, while just 35 percent were opposed to the operation.

65 percent of those surveyed told ABC/Post pollsters that it was more important to investigate potential terrorist threats "even if it intrudes on privacy."

The Newsweek survey, however, turned up a different results, with a slim majority of those surveyed - 53 percent - telling the magazine that the NSA�s surveillance program "goes too far in invading people�s privacy."

For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006

Bush to press immigration reform in televised speech

President Bush will address Americans on the heated immigration debate Monday in a televised speech in which he may announce the deployment of troops to the border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.

With his popularity at all-time lows, Bush will speak from the Oval Office in the White House as the Senate resumes debate on legislation that could lead to legalization of at least part of the estimated 11.5 million undocumented workers in the United States.

According to US media, Bush will use the 8:00 pm (0000 GMT) speech to announce the deployment of troops to the border, a measure approved on Thursday in the House of Representatives as a way to halt the smuggling of drugs and people.

The immigration debate has divided Republicans ahead of legislative elections in November, as some call for the creation of a guest-worker program while others want tougher laws.

"I think members of the House will like what the president has to say on border security," a senior administration official told the Washington daily on condition of anonymity.

Bush's possible deployment of troops could help settle differences among his fellow Republicans.

"Congressional Republicans who back Bush's call for a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants say (the deployment) is precisely what they need to win over House conservatives," the Washington Post said Saturday.

The announcement of Bush's address coincided with a meeting Friday between Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his Mexican counterpart, General Clemente Ricardo Vega, at the Pentagon's invitation, to discuss border security.

The differences between what the Senate means by "immigration reform" and what was passed in December by the House of Representatives highlights the strong differences within the Republican Party.

Under the leadership of Tom Tancredo of Colorado and James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the House approved a law that would make unapproved entry to the United States a crime punishable with jail time. The bill also calls for the construction of a wall along about one third of the 3,000-kilometer (2,000-mile) border with Mexico.

Left out of the House bill, however, was Bush's guest-worker program, which would allow foreigners into the United States to fill temporary jobs, such as picking agricultural crops.

The Senate bill, on the other hand, would open the possibility of legal residency and citizenship to most of those in the United States without papers, under the bipartisan sponsorship of Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican John McCain.


Once approved by their respective chambers, a conference committee of senators and representatives will hammer out a compromise version -- which will then need a final vote by both houses in a form that Bush will sign.

Settling on the makeup of that committee is what allowed the Senate debate to go ahead after more than a month of nationwide protests, marches, general strikes and a boycott.

Immigration reform, one of Bush's 2004 campaign promises, has triggered a tense debate in the United States, marked by a recent shouting match between opponents and defenders of undocumented workers outside Congress.

On Friday, it was the Americans of the Minuteman Project, a group patrolling the border, yelling, "Go Home!" versus Latinos saying, "We're here to stay!"

For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006

'$100 per barrel if U.S. hits Iran'

The price of a barrel of oil could surge to triple figures if the United States were to attack Iran in order to halt that country's nuclear program.

That's the claim of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who said the Iranians would have no choice but to cut off their supply of fuel.

"If the United States attacks Iran ... oil could reach $100 a barrel or more," Chavez told a meeting today hosted by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, according to Reuters. "The English middle classes would have to stop using their cars."

"If they attack Iran, the Iranians will cut off their supply of oil. We would do the same if we were attacked. We would cut off our oil," Chavez told some 1,000 leftists and trade unionists. "Moreover, Iran has said it would attack Israel, and I know they have the wherewithal to do so."

In recent years, the price of oil has gushed to about $70 a barrel, meaning billions of dollars for the economy of Venezuela and fueling Chavez's self-styled socialist Bolivarian revolution.

"If they attack Iran I think it will be far worse than the situation is in Iraq," Chavez added, calling Iraq "the Vietnam of the 21st century."

For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006

Suspicion grows on Iran's uranium

INSPECTORS from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are asking Iranian officials for samples of machinery taken from a nuclear site bulldozed in 2004 to confirm whether it bears traces of bomb-grade uranium.

Diplomats close to the IAEA in Vienna said yesterday that they want to establish whether the Physics Research Centre at Lavizan, northeast of Tehran, could have been involved in an illicit weapons programme.

The IAEA request follows a preliminary finding that one piece of equipment from the site does have traces of highly enriched uranium.

The latest development is bound to intensify suspicions in America and other western countries that Iran may be closer to a nuclear bomb than the IAEA realises. But the traces of uranium could be the result of inadvertent contamination of hardware obtained by Iran from abroad.

The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped from the map, continues to insist that all its nuclear equipment is destined only for peaceful power-generation purposes.

An IAEA team negotiating with Iranian officials wants to inspect specified machines and equipment from Lavizan.

�It�s painstaking work and we�ve got to get these things right,� said a Vienna-based official. �You�re looking at parts per trillion in some of these tests � it�s very hard to know the significance and we�re requesting further sampling.�

Similar IAEA tests in the past had proved that the highly enriched uranium-235 isotope on other equipment had originated in Pakistan, he said. This was believed to have come to Iran through the proliferation network of the disgraced A Q Khan, the �father� of Pakistan�s nuclear bomb.

As negotiators from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China prepare for talks at the Foreign Office in London tomorrow about offering new incentives to persuade Iran to abandon its enrichment programme, a retired Pakistani army general revealed evidence of the mullahs� long-held desire to procure a nuclear bomb.

General Mirza Aslam Beg described an Iranian visit to Islamabad in 1990, when he was chief of staff. �They didn�t want the technology,� he said. �They asked: �Can we have a bomb?� My answer was by all means you can have it but you must make it yourself. Nobody gave it to us.�

He said that last January Iranian officers asked him what they could do to head off a military strike on their nuclear facilities and he advised them to make it clear that Iran�s response would be to attack Israel.

Ahmadinejad continued to seek international support on his nuclear stance yesterday at an Islamic summit in Indonesia. He lobbied fellow leaders and claimed he was willing to negotiate with anyone except Israel, but not under threat of force.

For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006