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Last Updated: Jul 14th, 2009 - 11:59:00 |
NYC Police Kill Off-Duty Black Officer
In New York City, an off-duty African American police officer has been killed by a fellow officer who mistook him for a criminal. The slain officer, 25-year-old Omar Edwards, had come across a man breaking into his vehicle. He chased the man with his gun drawn when three police officers came upon him and opened fire. Edwards was recently married and the father of two children.
Judges, Attorneys Back Troy Davis Appeal
A group of twenty-seven former judges and prosecutors is asking the Supreme Court to grant an appeal by the Georgia death row prisoner Troy Anthony Davis. Davis, an African American, was convicted for the 1989 killing of a White police officer. Seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony since the trial. Three witnesses say another man later admitted to the killing. There is also no direct physical evidence tying Davis to the crime scene. In a filing to the Supreme Court, the group urged the Supreme Court to accept a final appeal from Davis’s attorneys to have the case sent back to a federal judge to hear from the witnesses who recanted their testimony. The signatories include former Deputy US Attorney General Larry Thompson, two former state Supreme Court chief justices, and nine former US attorneys, including former Georgia Congress member Bob Barr and former FBI Director William Sessions.
Massive Casualties Feared in Nigerian Military Attack on Niger Delta Villages
The Nigerian military continues to carry out attacks by land, air and sea on the oil-rich Niger Delta. Reports indicate hundreds, possibly thousands, of Nigerian civilians may be dead. Entire villages have reportedly been burned to the ground.
The military offensive began days ago but has received little international attention. Aid groups and journalists have been blocked from entering the remote region, which is accessible only by boat.
On Wednesday, a coalition of environmental and human rights groups called on the International Criminal Court to launch an immediate investigation into the killings. The Nigerian military has claimed the attacks have only targeted militant camps as part of a peace-keeping effort.
For years, activist groups in the Niger Delta have advocated for fair distribution of oil wealth to local communities in the impoverished region. Last week, one of the main militant groups in the Niger Delta, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, known as MEND, declared an oil war and threatened all international industry vessels that approach the region. Eighty percent of the oil extraction in Nigeria is in the Niger Delta. Major oil firms in the area include Shell and Chevron.
Shell on Trial: Landmark Trial Set to Begin Over Shell’s Role in 1995 Execution of Nigerian Human Rights Activist Ken Saro-Wiwa
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| Ken Saro-Wiwa |
A landmark trial against oil giant Royal Dutch Shell’s alleged involvement in human rights violations in the Niger Delta has been delayed until next week. Fourteen years after the widely condemned execution of the acclaimed Nigerian writer and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, a federal court in New York will hear allegations that Shell was complicit in his torture and execution.
Obama Nominates Sotomayor for Supreme Court
President Obama has nominated federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Sotomayor would become the nation’s first Hispanic justice. Speaking at the White House Tuesday, Obama hailed her experience and background.
President Obama: “After completing this exhaustive process, I have decided to nominate an inspiring woman who I believe will make a great justice: Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the great state of New York. Over a distinguished career that spans three decades, Judge Sotomayor has worked at almost every level of our judicial system, providing her with a depth of experience and a breadth of perspective that will be invaluable as a Supreme Court justice.”
The fifty-four-year-old Sotomayor is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who raised her in a public housing project in the Bronx. If confirmed, she would become the nation’s 111th justice and the third woman to hold a seat on the court. Sotomayor is Obama’s first appointment of a new justice since taking office. The vacancy opened up with Justice David Souter’s pending retirement at the end of the Supreme Court’s term next month.
GOP Sen.: Nominee Could Be Influenced by “Race, Gender”
At least two Republican lawmakers have already cited Sotomayor’s race and gender in questioning her nomination. Congress member Lamar Smith of Texas said he’s concerned Sotomayor has already displayed “personal bias based on ethnicity and gender.” Meanwhile, Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma said, “It will be important for those of us in the US Senate to weigh her qualifications and character as well as her ability to rule fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences.”
Burris Pledged to Donate Money While Seeking Senate Appointment
A newly released FBI recording shows Senator Roland Burris promised to donate money to then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich at the same time as he was seeking a Senate appointment. Blagojevich appointed Burris to President Obama’s vacated Senate seat just weeks after Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges. Burris has previously claimed he never discussed the Senate seat with Blagojevich or anyone acting on his behalf.
Obama, Cheney Spar over Torture Policies in Separate Addresses
President Obama gave a speech Thursday defending his plan to close Guantanamo Bay and repudiating several key aspects of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism program. But he also acknowledged for the first time he supports indefinitely holding some prisoners without trial. Former Vice President Dick Cheney then gave a major address of his own defending the Bush administration’s policies.
Sen. Feingold Warns Obama About Preventive Detention Plan
Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin has criticized President Obama’s plan to hold some prisoners indefinitely inside the United States without trial. In a letter to the President, Feingold said any system that permits the government to indefinitely detain individuals without charge violates basic American values and is likely unconstitutional. Feingold said, “Indeed, such detention is a hallmark of abusive systems that we have historically criticized around the world.”
Montana Town Offers to Jail Gitmo Prisoners
A small town in Montana is offering to hold Guantanamo Bay prisoners, should President Obama go ahead with his vow to close the military jail. City officials in Hardin have offered up a recently built prison that has yet to house a single prisoner. Hardin is in Montana’s poorest county and had built the prison in the hopes of reviving its economy.
Obama Unveils Vehicle Mileage, Emissions Standards
President Obama has unveiled new national emissions and mileage requirements for cars and light trucks. The rules aim to cut emissions by 30 percent and require passenger cars to average thirty-nine miles per gallon by 2016. On Tuesday, Obama noted the rules are the first to impose federal regulations on car emissions in the United States.
President Obama: “For the first time in history, we have set in motion a national policy aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new trucks and cars sold in the United States of America.”
The White House estimates the regulations would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 900 million metric tons over the lifetime of more efficient vehicles. Appearing with Obama at the White House, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the new rules.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “We are very happy that this has happened, because it means a reduction of one-third of greenhouse gases and one-third of oil consumption. As you have heard the President say, this is reducing oil consumption by 1.8 billion gallons of oil, so this is staggering. As he said, it’s an equivalent of taking 55 million cars off the road.”
Pro-Ethanol Dems Threaten Climate Bill
On Capitol Hill, a group of Democrats are threatening to derail a landmark climate and emissions bill to address concerns by the nation’s ethanol producers. The bill would cut greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. House Agricultural Committee Chair Collin Peterson says he’s gathered forty Democrats to oppose the measure unless it counters a recent EPA finding that “indirect land use” must be taken into account when calculating ethanol’s carbon footprint.
Medical Group Calls for Ban on Genetically Modified Foods
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has called for a moratorium on genetically modified foods. The medical organization warned that genetically modified foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health. Dr. Amy Dean said, "Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients’ and the public’s health.”
Report: GM to Enter Bankruptcy
The Washington Post is reporting the Obama administration plans to steer General Motors into bankruptcy as early as next week. The move would enable GM to take out nearly $30 billion in additional government loans. Meanwhile, the government has increased the bailout of GM’s financing arm, GMAC, with an additional $7.5 billion in taxpayer money on top of the $5 billion it’s already poured in.
Fed Closes Florida’s Bank United FSB
Federal regulators have shut down the Florida-based savings bank BankUnited FSB. The bank was the largest banking institution headquartered in Florida and the thirty-fourth federally insured financial institution shut down this year.
Bolivia, Venezuela Dismiss Uranium Accusations
The Bolivian and Venezuelan governments are dismissing Israeli accusations they’ve supplied uranium for Iran’s nuclear program. On Monday, a leaked Israeli intelligence document said both Bolivia and Venezuela have aided Iran’s nuclear development. Bolivian Presidential Minister Juan Ramon Quintana ridiculed the charge.
Juan Ramon Quintana: “Really, it forms part of the anthology of stupidity. If there’s something that characterizes our policy as a government, it’s the policy of peace.”
Bolivia says it hasn’t produced uranium in more than twenty-five years.
Group: Gitmo Prisoner Was Likely 12 When Jailed
In Afghanistan, a human rights group is claiming an Afghan prisoner at Guantanamo Bay was only twelve years old when he was jailed—not seventeen or eighteen as the Pentagon claims. Mohammed Jawad has been jailed at Guantanamo for more than six years. Many poor Afghans don’t know their exact ages because of a lack of accurate records. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission says interviews with his family show Jawad likely wasn’t even a teenager when he was captured. The group also says Jawad suffered repeated torture in both Afghan and US custody.
Ex-Soldier Gets Life Sentence in Iraq Rape, Murder Case
A former U.S. soldier has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2006 rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager and the killing of her family. Steven Green was found guilty earlier this month of being the ringleader in raping and killing fourteen-year-old Abeer Kassem Hamza al-Janabi and killing her parents and five-year-old sister. Green was given the life term after jurors couldn’t come to unanimous agreement on sentencing him to death. Three other soldiers have also been sentenced to life in prison in the case.
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