May 18, 2001 – National Public Radio All Things Considered – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
May 18, 2001 – A day all too familiar in recent years. From Jerusalem came reports of Israeli F-16’s targeting Hamas positions and training camps in retaliation for a suicide bombing outside a busy shopping mall. The bombing was in retaliation for an Israeli attack and killing of 5 Palestinian Police officers, suspected of being Hamas terrorists which turned out to be a mistake that Israeli officials admitted. The current bombing left 9 people, including the suicide bomber dead.
Former Attorney General Janet Reno announced she was considering a run for Governor of Florida in 2002. Reno, a Democrat, was a Florida State prosecutor before spending 8 years as Attorney General in the Clinton Administration. Reno said she would probably make her final decision by the end of the year. A run for governor could pit her against Jeb Bush, President Bush’s brother. Jeb Bush said he would make his decision by the end of the month whether or not he would seek a second term.
California’s Chief Power Regulator disclosed via a published report, that it had uncovered evidence of a cartel of power companies had been creating artificial power shortages to drive up prices. Sources claimed that plants that did not need repairs were suddenly yanked off-line when the States electricity grid operators declared a Stage One alert; meaning reserves had dropped low enough for blackouts. No names were named, but some legal action was expected to take place during the following month. Generators had consistently denied charges they had been manipulating the power market and claimed the breakdowns simply resulted from Korean War-era plants were being run hard for months on end, as they had been during the power crisis. Whatever the case, the shutdowns were largely behind skyrocketing power prices. In December, a Megawatt Hour cost $200 – during the past week, the going price climbed to $1,900 – No price gouging, nope. Not one little bit . . .
And that’s a little of what went on, this May 18th in 2001 as reported by NPR News.
