News stories from Sunday February 8, 1970
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Although four deep South Governors, meeting in Mobile, Ala., failed to devise a strategy to deal with the desegregation crisis, they specifically rejected violence as a recourse. In a joint statement, the Governors said they will confer with the Washington delegations of their states. [New York Times]
- In a noisy Birmingham, Ala., rally, former Governor George Wallace urged Southern Governors to defy federal court integration orders. Mr. Wallace also promised to run for the presidency again in 1972 "if Nixon doesn't do something about the mess our schools are in." [New York Times]
- The Democrats' version of the State of the Nation pictured President Nixon as a man more concerned about weapons than education. The nationally televised program resembled Mr. Nixon's 1968 campaign broadcasts. But the Vietnam war was hardly mentioned in the broadcast, indicating the degree to which Mr. Nixon has defused the war as a political issue. [New York Times]
- Senate delay in the confirmation proceedings of Supreme Court appointee G. Harrold Carswell is giving opponents of the nomination time to dig extensively into his background for evidence that might hinder his confirmation. The opponents are probing for evidence of segregationist actions and financial conflicts or ethical lapses. [New York Times]
- A study by staff members of the Senate Finance Committee showed widespread faults and abuses in Medicare and Medicaid with costs mounting almost beyond control. The study is the most extensive analysis of the two programs ever undertaken. [New York Times]
- A Council of Europe report made available in Strasbourg, France, warned that Europe's urban areas would double in population in the next 15 years, causing environmental problems. Unless European governments improve the urban planning, the report said, urban sprawl will make living conditions less pleasant. [New York Times]
- In an effort to avert a possible health crisis caused by polluted waters, United States Coast Guard tugboats began towing sludge-laden barges out to sea. New Jersey's sewage treatment agencies had been unable to remove the sludge or residue from processed sewage that has been collecting since a tugboat strike began a week ago. [New York Times]
- Relations between white educators and black students in the many New York City high schools have been steadily eroding because of racial fears and resentment, a two-month survey found. The survey indicates that racial misunderstanding is a steadily growing problem, not an occasional occurrence. [New York Times]
- Israel now has air supremacy in the Middle East, primarily because of her abundance of highly trained pilots, according to President Gamal Abdel Nasser of the United Arab Republic. Speaking in a television interview, Mr. Nasser ascribed to the Israelis an "arrogance of power." [New York Times]