U.S. Senate Fails to Approve Settlement for Black Farmers

John W. Boyd, Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association

The Senate adjourned their session after failing again to finalize a $1.25 billion settlement for African American farmers in a class action lawsuit over longtime racial discrimination. The settlement was reached earlier this year, but Republicans have blocked the required congressional approval. Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming stalled the measure after Democrats sought unanimous consent for its passage.


Wyclef Jean Announces Haitian Presidential Bid
The Grammy Award-winning Haitian American musician Wyclef Jean has announced his candidacy for president in his home country of Haiti. Jean says he will speak as a voice of Haitian youth, who make up over half of Haiti’s population. Jean has previously been criticized for his stance on the 2004 US-backed coup that overthrew Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Jean appeared to back the coup at the time, and his uncle is known as a prominent coup supporter. Haiti will hold elections on November 28 to replace President René Préval, whose term ends in February.


Worker Kills 8, Self at Conn. Warehouse
In Connecticut, a disgruntled worker opened fire at a Manchester alcohol warehouse, killing eight people before turning the gun on himself. Two others were wounded. Manchester Police Chief Mark Montminy announced the deaths.

Mark Montminy: "The victims located were all around the complex. We believe that ten people were shot by the gunman, eight fatally, and two others were treated at Hartford Hospital."

The shooter, Omar Thornton, had just agreed to resign after being caught stealing beer. Family members say Thornton had felt singled out and harassed for being the only African American worker at the site. The shooting came as two people were killed and six wounded after a gunman opened fire at a gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana. In a statement, Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said, "We make it too easy for dangerous people to arm themselves…We need to come to terms with this horror in our country."


Verizon & Google Enter Reported Deal for Tiered Internet Use, Is Net Neutrality in Jeopardy?
The internet and telecom giants Verizon and Google have reportedly reached an agreement to impose a tiered system for accessing the internet. The deal would enable Verizon to charge for quicker access to online content over wireless devices, a violation of the concept of net neutrality that calls for equal access to all services. The deal comes amidst closed-door meetings between the Federal Communications Commission and major telecom giants on crafting new regulations. Both firms denied they were close to an agreement that would lead to a, quote, "two-tier internet." In statements, both Google and Verizon reiterated their commitment to an open internet.

Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission has called off its closed-door negotiations with major telecom giants on crafting these new regulations and pledged to seek broader input. FCC Chair Julius Genachowski said, "Any outcome, any deal that doesn’t preserve the freedom and openness of the internet for consumers and entrepreneurs will be unacceptable."


Groups File Suit over Assassinations List
The US government is facing a new legal challenge to its authorization of assassinating US citizens accused of terrorism links abroad. The Center for Constitutional Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit over the government’s refusal to allow legal action targeting the assassination policy. The suit was filed on behalf of the father of Yemen-based Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is said to be the first US citizen added to a CIA list of targets for capture or killing. Last month, al-Awlaki was designated "specially designated global terrorist," which makes it a crime to represent him in court. Bill Quigley of the Center for Constitutional Rights said Awlaki is entitled to legal redress.

Bill Quigley: "The issue in this case is the right of citizens to be able to go to court to challenge government action. Here, the government is trying to assassinate a US citizen who they say is a terrorist. The ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights are trying to go into court to challenge that assassination effort, but at this point we have to get permission from the government to even go into court to represent them to raise these constitutional issues. So we think that’s unconstitutional, and we’re asking that the court strike that down and allow us to get to the point of this, which is under what circumstances can the government execute somebody without due process of law."


Justice Dept. Accuses 14 of Supporting Somali Militant Group
The Justice Department has charged 14 people with providing support for the militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia. Attorney General Eric Holder unveiled the case in Washington.

Attorney General Eric Holder: "The Department of Justice unsealed four separate indictments charging fourteen individuals with terrorism violations for providing money, personnel and services to al-Shabaab, a terrorist group operating in Somalia with ties to al-Qaeda. Two of these individuals have been arrested. These indictments and arrests in Minnesota, Alabama and California shed further light on a deadly pipeline that has routed funding and fighters to al-Shabaab from across the United States."


Jobless Claims, Unemployment Rise
New figures show unemployment claims have reached their highest level in four months. The Labor Department says claims increased by 19,000 to 479,000. The Labor Department is also expected to report job losses of 65,000 and a 9.6 percent unemployment rate last month, up from 9.5 percent in June. President Obama discussed the nation’s economic woes at an auto assembly plant in Chicago.

President Obama: "We’ve still got a long way to go. We’ve gone through a very, very difficult time. The auto industry has gone through a difficult time. And it’s not back to where it needs to be. Our economy is not yet where it needs to be."


Federal Judge Strikes Down California Gay Marriage Ban
A federal judge has struck down California’s voter-approved gay marriage ban, ruling it unconstitutional. US District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker said that Proposition 8 "fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license" and "does nothing more than enshrine…the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples." The ruling set off celebrations across California and around the United States. Dozens of gay rights advocates cheered the ruling outside the federal courthouse in San Francisco.

Matthew Comber: "This is a historic day. I mean, this is a great victory for us. Even though it may not be the final decision, it’s still—it’s the first time that this has been argued in the federal court, and it’s great to have that argument come out in our favor."

Walker is the first federal judge to strike down a marriage ban on federal constitutional grounds. The case is almost certain to reach the US Supreme Court on appeal.


Scientists Challenge Admin Claims on Oil Spill Cleanup
Scientists are questioning the Obama administration’s claim that most of the oil that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico is gone and that the remainder poses less of an environmental danger. In a report issued on Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the "vast majority" of the estimated 205.8 million gallons of oil from the well has evaporated or been burned, skimmed, dispersed or captured. NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said scientists have accounted for all but a quarter of the spilled oil.

Jane Lubchenco: "We can account for all but about 26 percent, and of that, much of that is being—in the process of being degraded and cleaned up on the shore. I think it’s important to point out that at least 50 percent of the oil that was released is now completely gone from the system, and most of the remainder is degrading rapidly or is being removed from the beaches."

Speaking on NBC’s Today Show, White House energy adviser Carol Browner echoed the claim.

Carol Browner: "The vast majority of the oil is gone. It
was cleaned up. It was burned. It was skimmed. It was contained. Mother Nature did its part. Really is good news. I think it’s a testament to the response that we launched."

Critics say that the oil has, at best, been dispersed, but not necessarily removed from the Gulf. Some scientists who worked on the report also say it contains a heavy margin of error. According to the Washington Post, the formula used for determining how much oil has evaporated is designed for spills near the surface, not deep underwater. A government scientist who helped author the report said it did not include an actual calculation of whether the dispersed oil has vanished from the Gulf. The scientist, Bill Lehr, said the report instead relied on assumptions based on previous spills. Even taking government figures as legitimate, the amount of oil in the Gulf would still be nearly five times the size of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989.


Right-Wing Group Sues to Block Ground Zero Mosque; White House Refuses to Take Stance
A right-wing group founded by the evangelist Pat Robertson has filed suit to block construction of a mosque and Islamic community center near Ground Zero in New York. The suit from the American Center for Law and Justice comes one day after a New York City panel cleared the way for the mosque’s construction. The proposed site has come under heavy opposition from right-wing groups. The Obama administration, meanwhile, is refusing to weigh in on the controversy. Asked for the White House stance, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined to offer an opinion, calling it a "local issue."

Robert Gibbs: "I think we have—I think you’ve heard this administration and the last administration talk about the fact that we are not at war with a religion, but with an idea that has corrupted a religion. But that having been said, I’m not, from here, going to get involved in local decision making like that."


Fareed Zakaria Returns ADL Award over Its Opposition to Ground Zero Mosque
The controversy over plans to build a mosque and Islamic community center near Ground Zero in New York continues to escalate. CNN show host and Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria publicly rebuked the Anti-Defamation League for opposing the construction of a religious institution run by moderate Muslims.

Fareed Zakaria: "I have to say, I was personally deeply saddened by the ADL’s stand, because five years ago the organization honored me with its Hubert Humphrey Award for First Amendment Freedoms. Given the position that they have taken on a core issue of religious freedom in America, I cannot in good conscience keep that award. So I am going to return to the ADL the handsome medal and the generous honorarium that came with it. I hope this might spur them to see that they have made a mistake and to return to their historic, robust defense of freedom of religion in America, something they have subscribed to for decades and which I honor them for."


Study: Increased Deportations Under Obama Admin
A new study shows the Obama administration is deporting undocumented immigrants at a higher rate than under President George W. Bush. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, more undocumented immigrants were deported between October and June than during the same period ending in June 2008. The number was nearly double compared to the period ending in June 2005.


Jury Convicts Two in JFK Airport Plot
A federal jury has convicted two Guyanese men of conspiring to blow up fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, though federal authorities acknowledged the plot never progressed very far. Lawyers for the men said their clients were set up by a government informant. One of the key pieces of evidence in the trial was a videotape of the exteriors of the airport and its fuel tank farm shot. One of the Guyanese men, Russell Defreitas, shot the video using a camera bought by the government informant who also had to show him how to use it. His attorney said, "Russell Defreitas can’t mastermind his way out of an on-off switch on a video camera." Defreitas and his co-defendant Abdul Kadir could face life in prison.


131,000 Jobs Lost in July; Unemployment Rate Remains at 9.5%
New figures from the Department of Labor show the nation lost 131,000 jobs last month, keeping the nation’s official unemployment rate at 9.5 percent. But many economists say the true unemployment rate is 16.5 percent if you include jobless people who have stopped actively looking for work and part-time workers who want more hours. Government statistics also show that far more people lost jobs in June than previously estimated.


Romer Resigns as Obama’s Chief Economist
President Obama’s chief economist, Christina Romer, has resigned saying she wants to spend more time with her family. On Friday, she expressed regret for predicting last year that the federal stimulus package would keep the official unemployment rate under eight percent. Romer is the second senior member of Obama’s economic team to depart in recent weeks; White House budget director Peter Orszag left in July.



More International News
10 Medical Aid Workers Killed in Afghanistan
Ten medical aid workers have been killed in Afghanistan’s remote northeast region in one of the deadliest attacks on an international aid group since the war started in 2001. The medical workers were members of a team from the International Assistance Mission, a nonprofit Christian organization that has been providing medical care in Afghanistan since 1966. The group is one of the longest-serving non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility and accused the group of spying and seeking to convert Muslims to Christianity. But some officials have questioned the Taliban’s claim and suspect robbery may have been the motive. Six Americans are among the dead, including Dr. Tom Little, a 61-year-old optometrist from Delmar, New York. He had been working in Afghanistan for thirty-four years. The Reverend Harry Heintz said he had known Tom Little for three decades.

Rev. Harry Heintz: "Tom was everything one could want in such a role. He didn’t go there to impose American culture. He didn’t go there to proselytize in insensitive or harsh ways. He went there to live the love of God sensitively, with his deeds speaking much louder than his words."


Fidel Castro Addresses Cuban National Assembly
In Cuba, former president Fidel Castro addressed the Cuban National Assembly on Saturday for the first time in four years. He focused much of the speech on the threat of nuclear war. Castro warned that US pressure against Iran could trigger a devastating nuclear conflict.

Fidel Castro: "The United States would be ordering the instant death not just of hundreds of millions of people—amongst them, an incalculable number of residents of their own country—but also of the crew members of all the United States’ naval ships in the waters around Iran."


Mexican Journalists Call for Government Protection of the Press
Over 700 Mexican journalists marched on Saturday to demand that the Mexican government crack down on murders, kidnapping, disappearances and threats against the media. Journalists carried a banner listing the names of sixty-four journalists who have been murdered since 2001.


Fatima Bhutto: Pakistan’s Devastating Floods Are President Zardari’s Katrina
Pakistan’s government is facing rising national anger as the devastating floods along the Indus River show little sign of abating. Some 1,600 people have died, and upwards of six million people are directly affected, according to the latest estimates from the United Nations, which has compared the scale of the crisis to the 2005 earthquake. As landslides and continuing rain complicated relief efforts, entire villages have been washed away and many towns submerged. Several areas of the country have been cut off, including the Swat Valley in the northwest and parts of Pakistan’s breadbasket of Punjab and Sindh some 600 miles downstream the Indus River. With 1.5 million acres of croplands ravaged, the prices of basic foods have also skyrocketed.


Kenyan Voters Approve Constitutional Referendum
Voters in Kenya have approved what supporters are calling a landmark referendum to alter the national constitution. Preliminary results show around 65 percent of Kenyans voted for proposed constitutional changes that would add new curbs on presidential powers and expand civil liberties. Kenyan Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi praised the vote.

Kiraitu Murungi: "It has been twenty years of painful labor. Now the baby has been born. Let us all unite and, in one accord, take care of this beautiful, precious baby. The breathtaking 'yes' vote has confirmed Kenya as one strong united nation setting the standards for the continent and, indeed, the entire world."


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