Philippine government stops uprising of Estrada suporters
Hours after Philippine President Gloria Macapagal declared the country's capital of Manila in "a state of rebellion," authorities are claiming to have "restored order" and are "in control," according to CNN.com. The uprising was intended to restore former President Joseph Estrada to power. Thousands of Estrada supporters rioted Monday night and Tuesday morning. Police and soldiers in Manila turned back a march on the presidential residence, but there were three civilian casualities and one official death that resulted from this action. Estrada was removed from office in January, amid allegations of corruption and has been in federal incarceration since. Estrada, speaking from prison, urged supporters to avoid further violence but did not call for their dispersion. "I earnestly call on our people today for calm and sobriety, and to exercise restraint in the face of the grave crisis facing our nation," he said. Police said 103 protesters have been arrested and 36 policemen were hurt during the night. Declaration of a state of rebellion, currently in effect, allows authorities to arrest suspects without a warrant.
Washington D.C.
House and Senate agree to seek $1.35 trillion in tax cuts
Republican negotiators from Congress and the White House agreed yesterday to seek $1.35 trillion in tax cuts over the next 11 years. Although less than the $1.6 trillion President Bush proposed originally, it would be the largest tax reduction in the last 20 years. Negotiators, however, remained deadlocked over spending, the other component of the budget plan. Senators want to permit more spending on domestic programs next year than the President and leaders in the House are prepared to accept. "We have more work to do to complete the full budget," Bush said, according to The New York Times. "But today we have accomplished significant tax relief and shown we can work together in a constructive way to get things done for the people of this country." Bush's plan called for reducing all income tax rates, doubling the child credit, giving a break to two-income married couples and repealing the federal tax on large estates. The measure the negotiators are working on is a budget resolution that is not legislation but rather a blueprint that sets the overall levels for tax and spending laws to be enacted later this year.
State College, Pennsylvania
Black Penn State University students protest death threats
After numerous violent threats against black students and faculty at Pennsylvania State University, frustrated students organized a march against racism and occupied the student union. Black Caucus president LeKeisha Wolf has had to travel with professional bodyguards because of four death threats received in the past two years. Several blacks affiliated with the school, including a University trustee and at least one football player, received threatening letters in October. In April, an anonymous bomb threat that targeted a ceremony honoring black graduates was sent to a reporter at the school's newspaper, according to CNN.com. For over a week, hundreds of students have taken up residence in the student union, holding prayer meetings every hour, and some students are fasting until the University takes action. In an attempt at accord, Penn State announced that it would add faculty to the African and African-American Studies Department, create an Africana Studies Research Center, create a new scholarship program and give more authority to the vice provost for educational equity. Less than four percent of the 40,571 students at Penn State's main campus are black.