Arab-American Doctor Named to Senior Medical Post in Bush Administration

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, President Bush's nominee to head the National Institutes of Health, is both a medical expert known for his innovations in radiology and a skillful administrator at one of America's best medical schools. If the Senate confirms his nomination, he will also be one of several Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans to fill a top administration job in the U.S. government. Complete Text

Attorney General Ashcroft Swears In 3,000 New U.S. Citizens

Attorney General John Ashcroft issued the oath of allegiance to 3,000 new U.S. citizens at a citizenship ceremony in the Convention Center in Miami, Florida, March 28.

Following the ceremony, Ashcroft compared the makeup of the United States to that of the Olympics.

"The Olympics are a set of games where people come from every quarter of the globe to achieve at the highest levels known to mankind," Ashcroft said. "And when the Olympics come to the United States, they literally mirror what has been happening in the United States since our country began -- people coming from every quarter of the globe to achieve at the highest levels possible. That's the story of America." Ashcroft said. Complete Text

Rep. Lantos Decries "New Wave of Racial Hatred"

On the eve of a day designated as the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a U.S. congressman who survived the Holocaust spoke out against a "new wave of racial hatred" in the world.

"Racial Discrimination is a universal, global scourge. Confronting it and finding ways to defeat it are in the critical interest of every nation including the United States," said Lantos, who is the co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

The events of September 11 showed that "we cannot turn a blind eye to hatred and evil," Lantos said. Instead, "we must actively take effective measures to eliminate racism at home and to defeat it abroad," said Lantos, the ranking minority member on the House International Relations Committee.Complete Text