Issues in the News

1. HEALTH First Lady Laura Bush delivers remarks in the White House Rose Garden for Malaria Awareness Day .

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Fellow Steven Milloy on the need to expand use of the insecticide DDT to fight malaria : “ Last year, the World Health Organization bravely moved to rectify one of the greatest tragedies in public health by lifting its DDT ban. The mosquito-killer has proven to be the most effective tool against malaria, a disease that annually kills 1 million children, sickens hundreds of millions and reduces economic development in poverty-stricken regions of the world. It would be a shame if junk science is once against used to thwart the desperately needed use of DDT.”

2. SAFETY The United States Transport Council holds its “ National Transportation Summit V ” to discuss such topics as transport of nuclear waste to the Yucca Mountain Depository in Nevada . CEI Expert Available to Comment: President Fred L. Smith debates David Crosby on nuclear waste transport on CNN: “The fact is we carry hazardous materials around this country every minute of the day, mostly on interstate highways. You saw a lot of them on railroads. And we do it very safely.”

3. BUSINESS Wal-Mart plans to open as many as 400 in-store health clinics around the country over the next two to three years. CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Fellow Zachary Courser on how the success of Wal-Mart has been a boon for U.S. consumers : “What has been Wal-Mart's real effect on the U.S. economy, and is it as dire as some of the critics suggest? The answer is that Wal-Mart has proven to be an enormously positive influence on the economy, single-handedly increasing overall productivity and keeping retail prices low throughout America . The company has managed this while maintaining pay and benefits for its workers well in line with the rest of the retail industry. Considering the facts, on balance, Wal-Mart has been — and continues to be — good for America .”

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