The nonbinding resolution in the House passed 256 to 153, with 42 Democrats joining most Republicans to vote in favour of what many classify as simply an election-year stunt. The Republicans wasted no time and issued news releases criticizing two democrats who voted against the bill and, coincidentally, are candidates for the Senate. All the papers mention that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his government is seriously considering the proposal to continue negotiations over his country’s nuclear programs and he characterized it as a “step forward.”
The New York Times goes inside with news that the Bush administration will support a proposal put forward by the European Union to transfer badly needed money to some Palestinians through the World Bank. Although the details still need to be worked out, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said they are close to reaching a “substantial agreement.”
The Los Angeles Times fronts a look into the Red Cross International Tracing Service that houses approximately 50 million documents from the Nazi concentration and slave labor camps. In April, Germany agreed to open the files, which had been under restricted access because of privacy concerns. The Nazis were meticulous in their paperwork and some hope that the opening of the files can give the world a better understanding of life inside the camps. Everybody mentions the House voted to remove Rep. William J. Jefferson, D-La., from the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Jefferson is currently under federal investigation for bribery. This is apparently the first time such a harsh step has been taken against a member who has not been charged with a crime. The Congressional Black Caucus opposed the move and said Jefferson was being unfairly punished. All the papers go inside with a report issued by the Department of Homeland Security that says the majority of states and cities are not prepared for a disaster. DHS called on cities and states to carry out a “fundamental modernization” of their plans.
Other papers take a critical look at the happenings in Mogadishu, Somalia where violence has stopped and residents seem to be relieved they can once again walk around the streets without carrying guns. Although some fear the Islamic militia that took control of the city could turn Somalia into a fundamentalist state and a haven for terrorists, that concern seems to be taking a backseat at the moment for the city’s residents.
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