Nike isn't a leader in reforming sweatshops, say critics, but they agree that the corporation "is a world leader in issuing press releases declaring it's a world leader"

The Fall of Mexico's "Cactus Wall"
Fox election has potential for tremendous change

Child Labor Abuse Rampant in U.S. Farm Industry
12 year-olds working 18 hour days during harvests

27,000 Japanese Protest U.S. Base
Form human chain after soldier sexually assults child

Congress Reducing Foreign Aid -- Again
Already at a 50-year low, poorest countries will suffer most

Presidential Poll Results Meaningless
Sloshing around within the margin of error

The Bush and Gore Back and Forth
Endless nasty sniping from both camps

Commission on Terrorism Seeks Broad Powers
Wants to track every foreign student in the U.S.

Dad Offers Faint Praise For Bush Junior
Repubs cringe as ex-president calls son ignorant

Shadow Conventions Offer Alternatives to Ruling Party
Nader, McCain, and other outsiders planning to challenge status quo

Bush Appears Obsessed With Parody Website
Governor clearly doesn't know when to shut up

Gore Risks Losing Enviro, Labor Vote
Revolt against Clinton policies benefits Nader

Politicians Even Shake Down Their Own
House GOP offers top positions to Reps who rake in big bucks

Lobbyists Ride with Bush and Gore
Bush leaning hard on lobbyist-advisors shared with tobacco, drug, and other corp giants

ANOTHER CHOICE EMERGES

With five months of predictable Gore:Bush campaign still ahead, mainstream media has a new curiosity about other voices -- all the better for Ralph Nader as he builds momentum. At the Green Party convention in Denver in late June, keynote speaker Jim Hightower shouted to the crowd that Ralph Nader's candidacy was "hotter than high school love." Winning key endorsements from the influential California Nurses' Association and a good deal of attention from the Teamsters and the United Autoworkers, Nader has also drawn attention for challenging the arbitrary FCC rule that blocks him joining the debates on TV -- debates that he's sure he'd win On the Road With Ralph Nader shows he's not yesterday's news The Nader Wildcard After Nader gets into the debates, anything could happen Nader, Greens, Rally For Election Year Fight Wing of Reform Party pledges support to Nader

IN THIS ISSUE:   The greatest financial scandal in U.S. history; mainstream press bashes Ralph Nader; patriotic plagarism; top papers exclude critics in exchange for "scoop"

Once Polluted, Lake Ecosystems Hard to Fix
Contamination from farm and urban runoff more damaging than thought

Israel's Covert Nuclear Program
Enemy states will probably step up bioweapon development

U.S. Drug Cops Hunting Possible Illegal Immigrants
Soldiers operating from Ecuador claimed group was heading to U.S.

Unemployed Elephants Lead to Bangkok Traffic Jams
Starving animals brought to city by unemployed handlers

Australia Blasted for Deal With Christian Fundamentalists
To broadcast message to Asian nations with religious tension

Book Offers Irregular View of Western Medicine
20th century marked by U.S. - Britain constipation competition

Mexican Enviros Uneasy About New Government
Greenpeace Mexico says no environmental priorities set

Anti-Drug Program Causes Medical Shortages
Opium eradication in Pakistan leaves world dependent upon Afghanistan for pain reliever

Debt Same as Slavery for World's Poorest
Debts pass from generation to generation

Shrimp farming threatens fish in the sea worldwide

"Missing" CIA Documents Still Withheld
More stonewalling on CIA involvement with Pinochet

Massive Shrimp Farms Called "White Gold"
At cost of rice paddies and food for locals

Fish Farms Threaten World Fish Population
Farmed fish use use processed food made from "less valuable" species harvested from sea

Regulations Are Killing Small Meat Processors
USDA rules favor big 10 meat packing corporations...

Meat Processors Killing Regulators
...as inspectors are targeted for attack by plant workers

Making a Personal Stand Against Globalization
French farmer Jose Bove is model for anyone who opposes WTO

Bernie Sanders' Drug War
Maverick congressman wants end to drug company price-gouging

Drug Industry Spending Big to Defeat Medicare Reform
$30 million of TV ads over the last year

California's Senseless Prison Expansion
Because parole board rejects 99+ percent of reviewed cases

Repubs' Shameful "Tax Cut"
Bush Stooges Proudly Defend The Guv
Culture for Sale
Bush's Phony Balanced Budget
Vote for Nader Could Make Real Difference
Civilization at Environmental Crossroads
Wearing Blinders on Globalization
Holy Wars: Been There, Done That