Truthout Roundup 6/23

Major news networks are blocking war coverage; Mugabe's opponent drops out of Zimbabwe presidential race; immunity-inclusive FISA bill headed for Senate; NATO and Pakistani guerrillas exchange fire; Maude Barlow argues that water should be viewed as a human right; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

Reporters Say Networks Block War Report
shttp://www.truthout.org/article/reporters-say-networks-block-war-reports Brian Stelter, of The New York Times, reports: "Getting a story on the evening news isn't easy for any correspondent. And for reporters in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is especially hard, according to Lara Logan, the chief foreign correspondent for CBS News. So she has devised a solution when she is talking to the network. 'Generally what I say is, "I'm holding the armor-piercing R.P.G.,"' she said last week in an appearance on 'The Daily Show,' referring to the initials for rocket-propelled grenade. '"It's aimed at the bureau chief, and if you don't put my story on the air, I'm going to pull the trigger."' Ms. Logan let a sly just-kidding smile sneak through as she spoke, but her point was serious. Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever."

Mugabe's Rival Pulls Out of Zimbabwe Vote
http://www.truthout.org/article/mugabes-rival-pulls-out-zimbabwe-vote According to Shashank Bengali, of McClatchy Newspapers: "Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew Sunday from this week's run-off presidential election in the beleaguered southern African nation, saying he could no longer participate in a race that's been marred by the widespread intimidation, torture, mutilation and murder of his supporters. The decision effectively hands victory to longtime President Robert Mugabe, whose supporters have engaged in a campaign of terror that has left at least 85 opposition members and activists dead in recent weeks, according to Zimbabwean human rights groups."

FISA Overhaul Set to Clear Senate
http://www.truthout.org/article/fisa-overhaul-set-clear-senate In Congressional Quarterly, Tim Starks reports: "Despite a deep divide among Democrats, the Senate is expected to clear legislation this week overhauling electronic surveillance rules that would grant President Bush much of what he has sought in a lengthy struggle with Congress. With no senators threatening to hold up the bill (HR 6304), one of the last hopes for opponents faded June 20 when Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois announced he would vote for the legislation. Some civil liberties groups that oppose the measure had called on Obama to use his position in the party to derail it."

From Afghanistan, NATO Shells Militants in Pakistan
http://www.truthout.org/article/from-afghanistan-nato-shells-militants-pakistan Abdul Waheed Wafa and Dexter Filkins report for the International Herald Tribune: "NATO forces in Afghanistan shelled guerrillas in Pakistan in two separate episodes on Sunday, as escalating insurgent violence appeared to be eroding the alliance's restraint along the border."

Maude Barlow Life, Liberty, Water
http://www.truthout.org/article/life-liberty-water In YES! Magazine, Maude Barlow writes: "It's a colossal failure of political foresight that water has not emerged as an important issue in the U.S. Presidential campaign. The links between oil, war, and U.S. foreign policy are well known. But water-whether we treat it as a public good or as a commodity that can be bought and sold-will in large part determine whether our future is peaceful or perilous."