To the Point

Middle East Fence

Israel-s -security fence- has now reached Jerusalem. The 25-foot high concrete wall will separate Palestinians in Abu Dis, an Arab suburb once thought of as the possible capital of a Palestinian state, from access to jobs, schools, stores and medical facilities they-ve counted on for generations. Neighbors and relative will be separated from one another. Ariel Sharon says the barrier will provide temporary protection from suicide bombers until real negotiations begin. Will the wall become a de facto boundary between two states? Will the US try to stop it in an election year? We hear from an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a former US ambassador to Israel, a Palestinian whose house will be split in half by Sharon-s wall and an Israeli settler who-ll be left on the outside. Making News: Mutual Funds Rewarding Brokers for Preferential Treatment Just as Enron executive Andrew Fastow completes his plea bargain, another white collar scandal could affect millions of investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission reports that brokerage firms get a kind of payola for recommending mutual funds. Ruth Simon, personal finance reporter for the Wall Street Journal, says this sort of revenue-sharing violates SEC requirements of disclosure and transparency. Reporter's Notebook: The Bush Dynasty Former Nixon staffer Kevin Phillips is a prolific author and commentator. His book, The Emerging Republican Majority, heralded the beginning of major political change. In his latest book, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush, he-s turned his attention to the current Republican president, and he sees a family so powerful that it puts democracy itself at risk.