This assignment was to write a three minute radio broadcast in broadcast style. We were assigned a specific day to look at the AP wire. Whatever happened that morning until noon, we had to rewrites into a three minute radio broadcast, appropriate to air at noon.
Hand recounts delayed in Palm Beach.
George W. Bush's legal team is considering appealing to a higher court today while judges in three Florida cities are deciding the fate of the recounted votes. Palm Beach County officials voted 2-1 today to delay the manual recount until they can decide if they have the legal authority to proceed. 425,000 ballots were planned to be recounted one week after the first complaints of confusing ballots were issued. A federal judge who turned away Bush's initial effort to stop the recounting agreed Monday the stakes couldn't be higher. One of the critical issues to being resolved in local courts is whether counties can continue recounting votes beyond a deadline set for 5 this evening. Leon County Circuit Judge Terry P. Lewis questioned Monday why the state had set the deadline when absentee votes can continue to be counted through the end of the week. Republicans hope the manual recounting will be stopped because the process is prone to abuse and political bias. Democrats hope the recounts will help Gore pick up enough votes to overcome Bush's narrow lead in the state.
Israeli troops impose siege.
Seven weeks of fighting between Israel and Palestine escalated today when Israeli troops imposed a siege on Palestinian communities. Life in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been paralyzed in retaliation for deadly shooting ambushes. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's overseas trip was cut short due to the siege. An emergency meeting of his security cabinet has been scheduled for later today to discuss further retaliation for Monday's killing of four Israelis. Israeli military commentators said the army was consider further restrictions on Palestinian travel. Palestinians have said that they will keep Israeli civilians and troops our of West Bank villages starting Wednesday. No Palestinian groups have claimed responsibility for Monday's shooting ambushes.
Clinton trip aimed toward Vietnam.
President Clinton has planned meetings with Russian and Chinese leaders at an Asian economic summit today before continuing on a mission to strengthen relations with Vietnam. Highlights on Clinton's itinerary are visits to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first trip ever to a unified Vietnam by an American president. Clinton spoke about the sensitivity of the issue among U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War and among the families of those still missing during a Veteran's Day speech on Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Ram's Canidate out for the season.
Trung Canidate, Rams rookie running back, is out for the season with a broken right wrist. He was hurt on Sunday during St. Louis's game against the New York Giants. He has already missed most of training camp with a sprained ankle and six games of the regular season with a sprained foot. Canidate's injury usually takes six weeks to heal. Doctor's placed screws in the wrist, which would allow him to return in three weeks to a month, but said that was a risky proposition.