Nation briefs 10/14/04

Prescription drug advocates rail Amtrak

WASHINGTON -- Organizers of a railroad publicity tour dubbed the "Rx Express" are claiming Amtrak has made them The Little Engine That Couldn't Talk to the Press. The whistle-stop tour began Monday in Miami, with two private cars attached to a regular train. Members of the group got out at stops to talk to local press about their desire to get cheaper prescription drugs, a charged issue in the presidential campaign.

Fox takes issue with FCC $1.2 million fine

WASHINGTON -- Fox Broadcasting Co. disagrees with a finding by federal regulators that an episode of "Married by America" was indecent, but isn't saying whether it will appeal a nearly $1.2 million fine. The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that some of the material in the reality series, which featured male and female Las Vegas strippers in a variety of sexual situations, was indecent and patently offensive. The agency said it was designed to "pander to and titillate the audience."

Appeals court denies rehearing in Moussaoui case

WASHINGTON -- Terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui lost a bid Wednesday to have the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals review two issues -- witness access and the death penalty -- that have delayed a trial. Moussaoui attorneys, Frank Dunham Jr. and Edward MacMahon Jr., said they have not decided whether to ask the Supreme Court to grant Moussaoui direct access to three al-Qaida prisoners and bar the government from seeking the death penalty.

Alabama to vote on segregation language

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Fifty years after the U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing school segregation, an Alabama law mandating racially separate classrooms is still on the books. Gov. Bob Riley and others concerned about the state's image are urging voters to approve a constitutional amendment on Nov. 2 to strike the long-unenforceable language from the state constitution. They say such laws are a painful reminder of the South's divisive past, and make Alabama look bad when it comes to drawing in new businesses.

Army ammo plant explodes in Tennessee

MILAN, Tenn. -- A thunderous explosion tore through a storage building at an Army ammunition plant Wednesday, causing at least one serious injury and creating a blast that could be heard for miles. Two people were reported missing. Mayor George Killebrew said one person was airlifted to a hospital, while authorities searched for two others caught in the explosion at the Milan Army Ammunition plant. The cause was not immediately determined, but FBI agent George Bolds had been told by authorities that the blast appeared to be an accident.

Harvard researchers seek to produce cloned embryos

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard University scientists have asked the university's ethical review board for permission to produce cloned human embryos for disease research, potentially becoming the first researchers in the nation to wade into a divisive area of study that has become a presidential campaign issue. Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can form into any tissue of the body. Many scientists believe harnessing them might one day allow tissue regeneration to treat numerous diseases.

Bus that crashed in Ark. should not have been on road

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. -- A tour bus that crashed along an Arkansas highway, killing 14, was in such poor condition before the wreck that it would have been pulled out of service had it been inspected, investigators said Wednesday. The National Transportation Safety Board said it found pre-existing cracks on frame rails that held up the motor in the rear of the bus. The agency did not link the cracks to the crash, saying the cause remained under investigation.

Defense tells jury serial killer is mentally retarded

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Suspected serial killer Derrick Todd Lee is mentally retarded and cannot be executed, defense lawyers said Wednesday to jurors who convicted Lee in his second murder trial. The jury took just 80 minutes Tuesday to find Lee guilty of the beating and stabbing death of 22-year-old Charlotte Murray Pace. Now the panel must decide whether Lee -- who already faces a life sentence in another killing -- should be executed or given a second life sentence.

Commuter train kills boa constrictor

YONKERS, N.Y. -- Commuters waiting for a train to the northern suburbs of New York City were surprised to see a boa constrictor lying on the railroad tracks, but the snake didn't block the rails for long. Passengers in Yonkers saw the 10-foot snake curled up on the tracks Tuesday evening. A few minutes later, while police debated what to do, a train rumbled into the station and "bifurcated the reptilian trespasser," said Dan Brucker, a spokesman for the Metro-North rail line.

-- From wire reports