amy goodman edition

* amy:

"France Airport Strips Security Clearances of Muslim Workers
In France, more than seventy Muslim workers have been stripped of their security clearances at the country’s main airport. Officials at Charles de Gaulle airport say some of the staff members visited terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A group of workers has filed suit claiming discrimination."

* amy:

State Dept. Vetted Speakers for Bush Views
McClatchy Newspapers is reporting the State Department has been screening the views of individuals for criticism of the Bush administration before sending them on foreign speaking assignments. The State Department Inspector General says the practice amounts to: “virtual censorship.” In one case, a conflict resolution expert was excluded from a videoconference in Jerusalem after it was discovered he wrote a book critical of the US-led reconstruction of Iraq. The screenings could violate federal guidelines that mandate the State Department to provide a broad range of speakers abroad that are: “not limited to the expression of US government policies.”

* amy:

Maryland Court Overturns Rape Conviction on Grounds Consent Initially Given
In Maryland, an appeals court has issued a controversial ruling over how rape is defined in the state. A three-judge panel ruled Monday sexual penetration can’t be considered rape if intercourse has begun and consent has been given. The ruling threw out a rape conviction on the grounds the judge should have told the presiding jury that a woman CANNOT withdraw her consent after the start of sexual intercourse. The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault has called the decision "insulting and dangerous."

* amy:

Bush Admin Investigated For Silencing Global Warming Studies
And finally, two government agencies have begun an investigation into whether the Bush administration has suppressed government scientists’ work on global warming. The Inspectors General at NASA and the Commerce Department are looking into whether administration officials prevented climate researchers from making their findings public. In January, leading climate scientist James Hansen said NASA officials had ordered a review of all of his upcoming lectures, papers, writings and requests for interviews from journalists. The results of the probe are expected early next year.