News stories from Saturday May 1, 1971

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

President Nixon held a press conference and discussed domestic affairs. Nixon said that the country is in the midst of an economic upturn, but unemployment is always the last thing affected by an upturn. The President added that Washington, DC police are prepared to arrest antiwar protesters who break the law, stating that the right to demonstrate for peace abroad doesn't carry the right to break the peace at home. He also said that he believes the recent charges of FBI surveillance of protesters are hysteria and political demagoguery. [CBS] Senator Edmund Muskie said that President Nixon's $3 billion per year tax break for U.S. industry is in violation of the law; Assistant Treasury Secretary John Nolan called Muskie's leak of a memo on the subject "disgraceful". [CBS] The Pentagon has raised the alert status of troops who will deal with antiwar protests that are coming on Monday to the nation's capital. 40,000 people are expected to attend a rock concert; any many of them will likely participate in attempts to block Washington, DC streets. [CBS] May Day celebrations resulted in anti-American violence in Manila and Paris; Communist celebrations were peaceful. [CBS] Capitol bombing material witness Leslie Bacon was questioned by government lawyers in Seattle. [CBS] Senator Birch Bayh asked President Nixon to explain the release of Lt. William Calley from the stockade while 5,000 others remain there. [CBS] The U.S. bombed enemy bunkers in the Ashau Valley of South Vietnam.The Brookings Institution disputes President Nixon's forecast of $30 billion savings from troop withdrawal from Vietnam; Brookings predicts savings of only $17 billion. [CBS] Secretary of State William Rogers is in Saudi Arabia. [CBS] West Pakistan claims that Red China has offered to increase its aid to help West Pakistan against the East Pakistani rebels. [CBS] Amtrak has taken over national railroad passenger service. Transportation Secretary John Volpe said that trains now being under just one corporation instead of 22 will result in better service. Amtrak has hired a public relations firm and intends to revamp and computerize reservation procedures. [CBS]