Judge Rejects Building of Roads Inside National Forests
Here in this country, a federal judge has rejected an attempt by the Bush administration to allow new roads be built through nearly 60 million acres of national forest land. President Bush wanted to open up the land to logging, mining and other activities. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Laporte ruled that the policy ignored both the National Environmental Policy Act and the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The judge reinstated a Clinton administration rule that prohibited new roads on some pristine wildlands.
California Sues Six Largest U.S. & Japanese Automakers
California's attorney general has sued the six largest American and Japanese automakers for damages related to greenhouse gas emissions. The lawsuit alleges that emissions from their vehicles have harmed Californians' health, damaged the environment and cost the state millions of dollars to combat their effects. The lawsuit was filed against General Motors, Ford Motor, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
Documents Reveal Norquist and Reed Made 100 Visits to White House
Newly released White House documents reveal that two close associates of disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff visited the Bush White House over 100 times since 2001. The records show that Grover Norquist was cleared for 97 visits to the White House and Ralph Reed was cleared for 18 visits. E-mails obtained this summer by the Associated Press show Norquist facilitated several administration contacts for Abramoff's clients while the lobbyist simultaneously solicited those clients for large donations to Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform.
Chavez Slams Bush Administration; Predicts End of U.S. Empire
At the United Nations, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slammed the United States for its military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Chavez described President Bush as the devil and predicted the U.S. empire would fall. He questioned President Bush's notion of democracy.
- Hugo Chavez: "They say they want to impose a democratic model. But that's their democratic model. It's the false democracy of elites, and, I would say, a very original democracy that's imposed by weapons and bombs and firing weapons. What a strange democracy. Aristotle might not recognize it or others who are at the root of democracy. What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?"