truthout / 9-9-05

Embattled FEMA Chief Removed from Hurricane Relief Efforts
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090905R.shtml
Michael Brown, the embattled head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
was removed today from a direct role in running the relief and recovery efforts
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Michael Chertoff, secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security, announced.


Leaders Lacking Disaster Experience
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090905S.shtml
Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their
posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters and now lead an agency
whose ranks of seasoned crisis managers have thinned dramatically since the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.


The New York Times | A Light in the Forests
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/090905EA.shtml
The New York Times: The Bush administration has largely succeeded in its
systematic effort to roll back environmental protections for America's national
forests ... Now, however, a rebellion is brewing where the White House least
expected it. Western governors are challenging the most controversial rollback
of all ...


The Entire Community Is Now a Toxic Waste Dump
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/090905HA.shtml
In Katrina's aftermath, oil spills dominate the landscape, some miles long and
up to 200 yards wide. Refineries and industrial plants are leaking a stew of
chemicals, creating one giant superfund site.


Bush Lifts Wage Rules for Katrina
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/090905LA.shtml
President Bush issued an executive order Thursday allowing federal contractors
rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing
wage. "The administration is using the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to cut
the wages of people desperately trying to rebuild their lives and their
communities," said Representative George Miller.


Labor Department Says 10,000 Katrina-Related Jobless Claims Filed Last Week
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/090905LB.shtml
An estimated 10,000 workers who lost their jobs because of Hurricane Katrina
filed for unemployment benefits last week, the first wave of what is expected to
be hundreds of thousands of displaced workers seeking benefits.


Violence Against Women Act Passes Senate Judiciary Committee with Amendment
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/090905WA.shtml
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a mark-up of the Violence Against Women Act
(VAWA) reauthorization today. The bill, which expires on September 30, passed
out of committee, but an amendment was added that could prevent or delay its
passage by the full Senate.