The 411
The SeeingBlack.com 411
By the Red-Eye Crew, Compiled with Dispataches from DemocracyNow.org and other sources
Jun 3, 2008, 12:53

South Dakota, Montana Primaries Close Out Dem. Nomination Race
On the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama is inching toward victory as voters in South Dakota and Montana go to the polls today in the last primaries of the Democratic presidential race. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has publicly vowed to continue her campaign, but aides have hinted she’ll drop out of the race later this week. On Monday, Senator Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, also suggested her concession is imminent.
Bill Clinton: “This may be the last day I’m ever involved in a campaign of this kind. I thought I was out of politics, ’til Hillary decided to run. But it has been one of greatest honors of my life to be able to go around and campaign for her for president.”


Obama Breaks Ties with Chicago Church
In other campaign news, Senator Obama has left his Chicago church over controversy around its political leanings. Obama said the decision is a painful one.
Sen. Barack Obama: “I had discussed it with Reverend Moss. We had prayed on it. We had consulted with a number of friends and family members who are also connected to the church. And so, this is not a decision I come to lightly. And frankly, it’s one that I make with some sadness.”
Obama’s departure follows controversy over the sermons of his former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Reverend Wright has criticized US foreign policy and the treatment of African Americans. And last week a new controversy erupted after a visiting priest mocked Clinton and accused her of embodying “white entitlement.”


Clinton Wins Puerto Rico Primary
On the campaign trail, Senator Hillary Clinton has won the Puerto Rico Democratic primary with 68 percent of the vote. Shortly after polls closed, Clinton addressed supporters in San Juan.
Sen. Hillary Clinton: “Thank you so much. I have four words for you: Te quiero Puerto Rico [I love you Puerto Rico].”


DNC Rules on Seating Florida, Michigan Delegates
Clinton’s Puerto Rico victory is largely seen as symbolic following a Democratic National Committee ruling that will benefit Senator Barack Obama. On Saturday, the DNC rules committee agreed to recognize the primary results from Florida and Michigan but only seat a portion of their delegates. The Florida and Michigan primaries had gone uncounted because they were held ahead of schedule. Clinton won both contests, although candidates had agreed not to campaign in either state and Obama’s name wasn’t even on the ballot in Michigan. On Saturday, Clinton campaign staffer Harold Ickes criticized the ruling.

Howard Ickes: “This body of thirty individuals has decided that they’re going to substitute their judgment for 600,000 voters, and that’s what I call democracy."

The ruling essentially splits the Michigan vote with Clinton awarded sixty-nine delegates to Obama’s fifty-nine. Clinton will gain a larger share of the Florida delegates. Democratic National Committee member Everett Ward said the decision is fair.

Everett Ward: “This motion puts an opportunity for the people of Michigan supported by the Michigan Democratic Party to have an opportunity to participate in this process. Not anywhere in this motion does it say that the unpledged delegates will go to Senator Obama. Not in the motion. So for a colleague who exercises selective amnesia conveniently too often to sit at this table and try to suggest that we are doing something that blocks voters
and hijacks a process, I find it somewhat subjective.”


UN Calls for 50% Rise in Food Production by 2030
The UN is calling for a 50 percent increase in food production over the next two decades to meet rising global demand. The call came at a gathering of world leaders in Rome on the world food crisis. A major divide could come down to the issue of biofuels. Biofuels like ethanol raise food prices by diverting crops to produce fuel rather than food. Major biofuel producers, including the United States and Brazil, are rejecting calls to limit biofuel production. On Monday, the US delegation said biofuels will account for only two or three percent of an estimated 40 percent rise in food prices this year. But groups including the UN and International Monetary Fund have warned biofuels have driven up food prices anywhere between 15 to more than 30 percent. Farida Chapman of the aid group Oxfam said biofuel proponents are ignoring overwhelming evidence.

Farida Chapman: “The meaning is that there is a clear link between biofuels and the poverty of almost 300 million people around the world, according to our estimates. Today these people are being threatened by the use of biofuels, and we are advocating for stopping the biofuels production and for providing immediate assistance to these people."


US Shuns Rivals at Food Conference
Meanwhile, the Bush administration has announced it won’t hold any talks with representatives from Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Iran at the summit. US Agricultural Secretary Ed Schafer said the countries are welcome at the meeting but would not be recognized.

U.S. Agricultural Secretary Ed Schafer: “First of all, if their presence here overshadows the work of this esteemed body, I guess that will be up to the people in this room, including you. So, you know, that will make the difference here, what the news is. So we ask that you keep the focus on the work that’s being done by the body. Nobody from the US delegation will be meeting with the countries you mentioned, and we’re glad they’re here. We appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, but it is our position that we will not meet with them.”


Activists, Farmers Hold Parallel Food Summit in Rome
In Italy, a coalition of activists and small farmers have launched a parallel summit to a meeting of world leaders on the global food crisis. The five-day alternative is called “Rethinking the Food System.” Paul Nicholson of Via Campesina said the food crisis cannot be addressed without evaluating neoliberal policies.

Paul Nicholson: “We are stating that this model of free trade has caused hunger and has caused poverty in the rural world and now also in the cities. The food crisis, the spiraling crisis of food, is a consequence of leaving all food in the hands of the transnationalists.”
The forum will continue over the next five days.


Senate Begins Debate on Climate Change Bill
On Capitol Hill, the Senate has opened debate on a climate change bill supporters say would reduce fossil fuel dependence and cut emissions of carbon dioxide. The bipartisan measure aims to combat global warming by using a cap-and-trade system popularly known as carbon trading. This involves setting greenhouse gas emissions limits and allowances for each industry and then creating a system to trade the allowances. The White House opposes the measure as part of its objection to environmental regulation. But environmentalists, meanwhile, have warned it may not go far enough. Critics say carbon trading allows big polluters to delay the reduction of their emissions.


Probe: Routine Interference on NASA Climate Change Research
In other environmental news, NASA’s inspector general has concluded the agency’s public affairs office has routinely tried to manage and distort scientific findings on climate change. The probe came out of the revelations of Dr. James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In September 2006, Hansen revealed the Bush administration had been trying to silence his warnings about the urgent need to address climate change. The NASA inspector general’s report concludes public affairs officials controlled climate change findings in a manner “that reduced, marginalized, or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public.” It continues, “[N]ews releases in the areas of climate change suffered from inaccuracy, factual insufficiency, and scientific dilution.”


Cheney Backtracks on Dismissal of Antiwar Public Opinion
Vice President Dick Cheney has tried to explain his controversial comments dismissing public opposition to the Iraq war. In an interview on the fifth anniversary of the US invasion earlier this year, ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz pointed out two-thirds of Americans believe the war isn’t worth fighting. Cheney immediately responded, “So?” On Monday, Cheney was asked about his reply at the National Press Club.

Moderator: “Do you wish you had answered that question differently? And does it matter if the public disagrees sharply with the wisdom of the war?”
Vice President Dick Cheney: “No, when I said, ‘So?’ the point was, ‘What’s the question, Martha?’ Martha had made the statement; she didn’t ask a question.”


Morales Vows Reform Push Amidst Autonomy Moves
In Bolivia, President Evo Morales is vowing to push ahead with a nationalization effort despite autonomy efforts from oil-rich regions. On Sunday, voters in the provinces of Beni and Pando approved autonomy referendums, following Bolivia’s wealthiest region, Santa Cruz, last month. On Monday, Morales announced the state takeover of an oil pipeline company and vowed to reject efforts to divide Bolivia.

Bolivian President Evo Morales: “It’s our obligation to continue recovering (the energy industry) and in this way fulfill the wishes of the Bolivian people, with this clear request from the Bolivian people—above all, the request of the social movements that permanently demonstrated during the neoliberal governments. That process of recuperation will continue with this government.”


Anti-Torture Activists Convicted, Jailed for Protesting Gitmo Outside Supreme Court
Thirty-four anti-torture activists have been convicted for protesting the Guantanamo Bay prison outside the Supreme Court. Twelve are now serving jail sentences ranging from one to fifteen days. The demonstration took place on January 11th, the sixth anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo. As they did in January, several protesters dressed like Guantanamo prisoners in orange jumpsuits and black hoods during their trial.

Matt Daloisio is a member of Witness Against Torture. He read the opening statement at the trial. Daloisio is a member of the New York Catholic Worker and is on the board of the War Resisters League.


Kennedy Recovering from Brain Surgery
Back in the United States, Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy is recovering at a North Carolina hospital after undergoing what doctors called a successful brain surgery. Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last month. Kennedy plans to return to Massachusetts next week to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatment.


Byrd Hospitalized with Fever
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia has been hospitalized for the third time in as many months. A spokesperson says Byrd is suffering from a fever and was admitted on his doctor’s orders. At ninety, Byrd is the longest-serving senator in US history.


Guitar Pioneer Bo Diddley Dies of Heart Failure

Guitarist Bo Diddley dies of heart failure.

Bo Diddley, the pioneering guitarist credited as a founding father of rock and roll music, died of heart failure Monday at his home in Archer, Florida. Diddley, who had suffered a series of health setbacks in recent months, was 79.
Last August, Diddley had a heart attack. Three months later, while on tour in Iowa, he had a stroke, which affected his ability to speak. A spokeswoman said he had returned to Florida for rehabilitation.

Diddley’s career spanned six decades and produced more than 30 albums. Always seen with his trademark rectangle “cigar box” guitar, black hat and black sunglasses, Diddley even created the Bo Diddley beat, a rumba-like sound similar to the famed hambone, a style used by performers playing beats by slapping their arms legs and chests.

“I’ve always felt that Bo Diddley was a groundbreaker and an innovator,” music critic Lonzo Williams told BlackAmericaWeb.com Monday. Williams is founder of the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame and Edutainment Center, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles created to educate and groom youth aspiring for careers in the entertainment industry.—BlackAmericaWeb.com



More International News

US State Dept. Reverses Denial of Fulbright Grants to Palestinian Students
Meanwhile, the US State Department has reversed a decision to withdraw Fulbright scholarships to Palestinian students in Gaza. The State Department had said it would redirect the scholarships elsewhere, because the Israeli blockade on Gaza prevents Palestinians from leaving. But the US officials say they’ll award the grants after assurances from Israel to grant the students exit permits. Around 600 Palestinian students remain barred from studying abroad.


Group: US Holding Foreign Prisoners on Naval Vessels
The US is being accused of jailing foreign prisoners on Naval vessels at sea. The British human rights group Reprieve says as many as seventeen vessels have been used to jail and interrogate prisoners. Some of the ships have been reportedly stationed near the US-run military base at Diego Garcia. The Pentagon has not denied holding prisoners on ships but says they’ve only been used for transportation. Reprieve legal director Clive Stafford Smith said, “They choose ships to try to keep their misconduct as far as possible from the prying eyes of the media and lawyers.”


Gitmo Judge Removed from Khadr Trial
Meanwhile, at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon has abruptly removed a judge who had ruled in favor of the imprisoned Canadian Omar Khadr. The judge, Army Col. Peter Brownback, was replaced Thursday after threatening to suspend Khdar’s trial unless military prosecutors hand over evidence. The Pentagon has not explained why he was replaced.


Criminal Charges in Immigration Cases at Record High
And in immigration news, the Washington Post is reporting the Bush administration has increased criminal prosecutions in immigration cases to record levels. Virtually every person caught crossing the US-Mexico border without a permit has been charged with a crime instead of returned home without charge.


Correction
And a correction to a headline from Friday, May 30. In an interview last week, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said President Bush personally told him he authorized the leak of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, not the leak of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.





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