USA
A trial that could reveal the international operations of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network ought to be televised, a lawyer for the only person so far indicted for conspiring to commit the Sept. 11 attacks argued in federal court. Edward MacMahon Jr., who is representing French national Zacarias Moussaoui (above, in a courtroom sketch during his Jan. 2 arraignment), joined Court TV in seeking to overturn a ban on cameras. He told Judge Leonie Brinkema that his client believed televising the proceedings would help guarantee a fair trial. The Justice Department opposes the petition, saying it endangers potential jurors and televised trials are already banned in federal court. The judge is not expected to issue her ruling before next Tuesday.
In its latest effort to choke off money to bin Laden, the government has ordered the financial assets blocked of four more foreign entities suspected of financing terrorism. The Afghan Support Committee and the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, both with offices in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as two individuals, were added to the list posted on the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control website. The latest additions bring the total number of entities targeted by the US since Sept. 11 to 168.
A nuclear power plant worker was arrested for allegedly making terrorist threats against the San Onofre, Calif., facility when his employment was recently terminated, local law-enforcement sources said. The man, who was not named, was taken into custody Tuesday. Sheriff's deputies found 54 weapons at his home and another 150 related items, among them several ammunition cans, in a storage shed. The suspect allegedly made several phone calls to the plant, threatening that he would return to use the weapons.
After almost $1.5 billion in subsidies, the Bush administration is ending an eight-year program championed by ex-Vice President Gore to help automakers develop high-mileage, family-size cars. Instead, it wants to spur the growth of hydrogen fuel cells to power the next generation of vehicles. Energy Secretary Abraham, who was to address an auto show in Detroit, was expected to tout the plan as part of a broader strategy to reduce US dependence on foreign oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. (Editorial, page 10.)
Postal Service officials said they anticipate another 10,000 to 15,000 job cuts this fiscal year as they battle huge financial losses. Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser said the service has cut more than 16,000 full-time career employees over the past 15 months. The Postal Service is $550 million in the red this fiscal year.
More than four years after leaving the Clinton White House, ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich (D) announced he will seek the governorship of Massachusetts this fall. Reich, now a professor of social and economic policy at Brandeis University in suburban Boston, said he'd focus on the state's economy and its controversial transportation authority. Acting Gov. Jane Swift (R) also is seeking the post in her own right. (Story, page 4.)
