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From SeeingBlack.com The 411 World Bank Warns of Food Price Crisis
Two former senior intelligence officials have come forward to confirm reports top Bush administration officials personally discussed and approved how top al-Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the CIA. This week, ABC News revealed a Principals Committee on the National Security Council agreed on controversial interrogation techniques including physical assault, sleep deprivation and waterboarding. The officials included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft. In an interview with the Associated Press, a former senior US intelligence official said the group met in the White House Situation Room and deliberately insulated President Bush from their discussions. The meetings were said to include live demonstrations from CIA officials of the interrogation methods in practice, including waterboarding. The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for a congressional investigation. ACLU legislative director Caroline Fredrickson said, “With each new revelation, it is beginning to look like the torture operation was managed and directed out of the White House. This is what we suspected all along.” One top official recounted in the news report that Ashcroft was the lone cabinet member to raise doubts. The official quoted Ashcroft as saying, “Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly.” In the summer of 2004, amidst the controversy over the Abu Ghraib photos and the withdrawal of a controversial memo approving harsh interrogations, the Principals Committee again approved new techniques on a CIA prisoner captured in Asia. Condoleezza Rice is said to have provided decisive support, reportedly telling CIA officials, “This is your baby. Go do it.” Report: 40 Years After King, Little Progress in Closing Economic Inequality Gap Between African Americans and Whites In the late 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King recognized that the next phase in the quest for civil rights and equality would focus on the economic divide. A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies titled “40 Years Later: The Unrealized American Dream” lays out key elements of the inequality that African Americans still experience in the United States around education, employment and wealth accumulation. Dedrick Muhammad, senior organizer and research associate at the Institute for Policy Studies, is co-author of the report. Dedrick Muhammad: “Well, what we found in the report is that African Americans have made some progress, particularly in the realm of education, where since about 1968, blacks have attained high school diplomas or GEDs—that has increased by 200 percent—and college graduation rates has increased by 400 percent. So in those areas there has been some success, some progress. "But where we find the progress very much lacking is in the economic divide, which I believe and which I believe Dr. King understood, was the center component of the racial wealth divide in America," Dedrick added. "We found in 1968, African Americans were making about 54 cents on every dollar that White Americans were making. And in 2005, African Americans were only making 57 cents on every dollar that White Americans were making. So over those four decades, African Americans had only increased by three cents. And at this rate, it would take 537 years for African Americans to reach income parity, which I believe and I hope the country believes is unacceptable.” Justice Dept. Avoiding Corporate Prosecutions with Questionable, Secretive Deals The New York Times is reporting the Justice Department has avoided prosecuting more than fifty major corporations accused of wrongdoing over the past three years. The decline in prosecutions is seen as a deliberate and dramatic shift in policy. Rather than take companies to court for high-profile cases, the Bush administration has relied on “deferred prosecution agreements” that impose fines and appoint an outside monitor to enforce internal changes at the companies involved. The outside monitoring came under scrutiny this year after it was revealed former Attorney General John Ashcroft’s consulting firm won a $50 million government contract to oversee an agreement. Terms of the deals are often kept secret. Companies recently avoiding prosecutions include Monsanto, American Express and Merrill Lynch. Legal experts say the deferred prosecutions may encourage companies to commit wrongdoing, knowing they will likely be able to avoid a costly and public trial if they’re caught. Experts also say the agreements could become even more prevalent as the Justice Department takes on companies accused of wrongdoing in the subprime mortgage crisis. IMF: US Mortgage Crisis Worse Shock Since Great Depression The International Monetary Fund is warning the US is headed towards a recession. In a new report, the IMF says the US mortgage crisis has become “the largest financial shock since the Great Depression.” IMF Research Director Simon Johnson says the US downturn would slow a pattern of economic growth worldwide. Simon Johnson: “US output is projected to decline by 0.7 percent in 2008. We also expect a gradual recovery back towards potential beginning in 2009. Growth in the Euro area also slowed at the end of last year, and for 2008 we project growth to moderate to 1.4 percent. Activity is slowing partly through weaker external demand due to the US downturn and a stronger Euro, as well as from continued financial market strains and rising energy costs.” Clinton, Wal-Mart Founder Trade Praise in 1991 Video On the campaign trail, Senator Hillary Clinton’s ties to the retail giant Wal-Mart are coming under new scrutiny today following the release of videotape during her time as a company board member. Clinton sat on Wal-Mart’s board between 1986 and 1992. In a videotape released by the Center for Public Integrity from February 1991, Clinton heaps praise on Wal-Mart at a ceremony marking the reopening of its original store in Arkansas. Hillary Clinton: “I’m so proud of this company and everything that it represents. You know, anytime I travel and I tell people I’m from Arkansas, and now finally they’re raising some real positive things about us, no matter where I go. And Wal-Mart’s on top of the list, and everybody wants me to tell them about Wal-Mart and Sam Walton and Helen Walton and all of the Wal-Mart associates. And it just makes me feel real good about what we’re able to do and what we can show and the kind of leadership we’re given.” Clinton has sought to distance herself from Wal-Mart during her presidential run. Her campaign biography makes no mention of her time there. The videotape also shows Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton praising Clinton as the “best board member” the company has ever had. Sam Walton: “In my opinion, you are one of the finest lawyers, legal persons, that I’ve ever met or ever known. And without any question, you’ve added more to our board than about anybody we’ve ever had on that board. For the Wal-Mart board, you’ve done a tremendous job.” The Clinton tapes were one of 15,000 made available by a small Kansas production company hired to film Wal-Mart events for nearly three decades. The company, Flagler Productions, says it’s now looking to sell its tapes to parties including unions, plaintiff lawyers and documentary filmmakers. Wal-Mart says it’s reviewing its legal options over the potential footage sales. Lawmakers Urge Probe of Alleged Cover-Up on Halloween Photos And lawmakers are calling for an independent probe of whether top US immigration officials violated federal laws following the publication of controversial photos taken at an office Halloween party last year. One photograph shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement head Julie Myers standing next to a white employee who was dressed up like a prisoner. He wore prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark makeup that made him look African American or Latino. Myers was one of three judges who gave the worker the prize for “most original costume.” Lawmakers want to investigate whether Myers was trying to conceal her actions when she ordered the destruction of the photographs and relocated the worker from ICE’s Washington headquarters. Bush Pauses Iraq Troop Withdrawals President Bush has announced a freeze to all US troop withdrawals from Iraq after some brigades pull out in July. This week the top US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, told lawmakers troops need to remain to protect what he called the gains of the so-called “surge.” On Thursday, Bush said Petraeus would have “all the time he needs.” President Bush: “After detailed discussions with my national security team, including the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Joint Chiefs of Staff, I’ve accepted these recommendations. The recommendation likely to receive the most attention is on troop levels.” Bush also said he will decrease the length of deployments in Iraq back down to twelve months from the fifteen-month terms he imposed last year. The change will only apply to deployments beginning in August. Also Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he’s abandoned hopes of reducing the US military occupation to less than 100,000 troops by the end of this year. At a Capitol Hill news conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Bush’s announcement. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “This is not a so-called troop withdrawal pause. With today’s announcement, the President signaled to the American people that he has no intention of bringing home any more troops. Instead, he’s leaving all the tough decisions to the only person that is going to have to make those tough decisions, the next president of the United States. The President has a timeline: January 20th of next year. Our troops also need a timeline.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticized President Bush. Pelosi said the White House is entrenching the Iraq occupation beyond Bush’s presidency. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “The President has taken us into a failed war. He’s taken us deeply into debt, and that debt is taking us into recession. We need some answers for the President.” Report: Ex-Secret Service Agents’ Firm Spied on Environmentalists Mother Jones magazine has revealed a private security firm staffed by former Secret Service agents spied on several environmental groups beginning in the late 1990s. The firm, Beckett Brown International, later S2i, stole documents from trash bins, planted undercover operatives within groups such as Greenpeace, collected phone records and spied on meetings. The company has worked for clients including the Carlyle Group, Wal-Mart, Monsanto and Halliburton. CIA Kidnap, Torture Victim Takes Case to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights And a German citizen ignored by the US court system despite his kidnapping and torture by the CIA has brought his case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In 2003, Khaled El-Masri was seized in Macedonia and flown to Afghanistan, where he was held in a secret prison and tortured. Attorneys say his kidnapping and torture has left him a “psychological wreck.” Last year, El-Masri lost a final Supreme Court appeal to have his case heard in a US court. The Bush administration had invoked the so-called “state secrets” privilege to deny El-Masri a trial. This week, the American Civil Liberties Union said it would petition the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to demand an apology from the White House. Study: Lawmakers Invest $196M in Pentagon Contractors A new study shows members of Congress have collectively invested as much $196 million in military companies under contract with the Pentagon. The Center for Responsive Politics says the holdings could pose a conflict of interest for lawmakers deciding on spending for the Iraq war. More Republicans had military investments than Democrats, but Democrats have more money at stake. The highest stakeholder is Democratic Senator John Kerry. Kerry made at least $2.6 million from his investments between 2004 and 2006. He has up to $38 million invested in companies doing business with the Pentagon. Thousands Rally for Tibet in San Francisco In San Francisco, thousands of people gathered Tuesday to protest China’s treatment of the Tibetan struggle. The vigil came hours before the Olympic flame of this summer’s Beijing Olympics arrived in town for its only North American stop. At a news conference, the former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said he does not support an Olympic boycott but urged world leaders not to attend the opening ceremony. Desmond Tutu: “We are not at the moment calling for a boycott of the games because the athletes have spent a lot of time preparing, and you don’t want to penalize them unnecessarily, but I am certainly calling on heads of state not to attend the opening ceremony, to register their disapproval, their disgust really.” Several human rights groups have mobilized in San Francisco this week to also call attention to China’s policies in Burma and Darfur. The actor Richard Gere also spoke. Richard Gere: “This all started on March 10, and it didn’t start about the Olympics. There was a simple demonstration in front of the Jokhang Cathedral, and a vortex opened up, and an enormous amount of energy came out of that, and it’s played into this moment obviously around the Olympics. But I think what is so extraordinary is it was so spontaneous. It was an expression of a people who finally couldn’t take it anymore.” Tibet has been under military lockdown for the past month since Buddhist monks began protesting Chinese occupation. White House Rejects Senate Housing Proposal The White House has rejected a bipartisan Senate proposal to address the nation’s housing crisis. The $15 billion measure included a significant Democrat concession dropping a proposal to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgage rates in individual cases. Critics had said the measure would have mostly benefited the homebuilding industry while offering little to millions of homeowners facing foreclosure. But on Tuesday, the White House said the plan still goes too far in aiding homeowners who failed to pay their loans. Bob Marley's Mother Dies in Miami at 81 Cedella Booker, the mother of Jamaican music legend Bob Marley, has died, a family spokesman said Wednesday. She was 81. Booker died in her sleep Tuesday night at her home in Miami, apparently from natural causes, spokesman Jerome Hamilton said. Booker, a Jamaica native, was 18 when she married Norval Marley, a British man 32 years her senior. Their son brought Jamaican reggae music to international prominence, becoming its international image. Bob Marley died in Miami of a brain tumor in 1981 at age 36. After Norval Marley died in 1955, Booker married an American man and settled in Delaware. She wrote two biographies of her famous son and recorded two albums, "Awake Zion!" and "Smilin' Island of Song."--BlackAmericaWeb.com © Copyright by SeeingBlack.com |
