South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool on Obama, Miners and Confronting Islamophobia in the U.S.

DemocracyNow

As President Obama seeks four more years in the White House, we turn to a voice from Africa: South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, who was once imprisoned with Nelson Mandela. Rasool discusses the Obama presidency, the militarization of Africa, Islamophobia, the recent police killing of 34 striking South African miners and his 2006 meeting with then-Senator Obama in South Africa.

Brooklyn Is the Second Most Expensive Place to Live in the U.S.

ColorLines

Brooklyn is the second most expensive place to live in the entire country -- topped only by Manhattan -- according to the latest report from the Washington-based Council for Community and Economic Research.

The council ranks 300 American cities based on a variety of factors including prescription drug prices, utilities, transportation, grocery prices, as well as housing. Using the number 100 to represent the national average, Brooklyn ranked at 183.4 overall -- 129.9 in gro Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo ScissuraBrooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura rocery items, 126.4 in utilities, 104 in transportation costs and 111.1 in healthcare costs, and a whopping 344.7 in housing. Manhattan's average was 233.5.

Transcript: President Obama's DNC Speech

Citizens for Legit Gov

Here are President Obama's remarks, as prepared for delivery, formally accepting the Democratic presidential nomination at his party's convention Thursday night:

Obama Asks for Time to Win U.S. Revival - Eloquent Speech

Citizens for Legit Gov

President Obama on Thursday night accepted the Democratic nomination for a second term, making a forceful argument that he had rescued the economy from disaster and ushered in a recovery that would be imperiled by a return to Republican stewardship. Defining his fight for re-election as a bald "choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future," Mr. Obama conceded the country's continuing difficulties while pleading for more time to solve them. He laid out a long-term blueprint for revival in an era obsessed with short-term expectations.

The Obama administration and the cover-up of CIA torture

Citizens for Legit Gov

On the eve of Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Party nomination for reelection as president, a new report detailing the waterboarding and other forms of CIA torture meted out to Libyan detainees served to demolish the Democrats' image... Coming barely one week after Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, announced the Justice Department's shutting down of all investigations into CIA torture and other crimes committed in the "global war on terrorism," the report makes clear that the use of torture was far more extensive than previously acknowledged and underscores the continuing criminality of US foreign policy and both major political parties.

Jesse Jackson Jr. Home After Depression Treatment

News One

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has returned to his home in Washington after treatment for depression at Mayo Clinic, Jackson’s chief of staff in suburban Chicago said Friday.

“He’s at home in Washington convalescing with his wife and children,” Jackson aide Rick Bryant said. “Let’s hope he returns to work on Monday.”

Congress goes back into session Monday following its summer break.

South Africa Police Fire Teargas as Mine Unrest Spreads Again

Reuters

South African police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse striking miners at a gold mine near Johannesburg on Monday, the latest outbreak in a wave of labour militancy spreading from platinum mining into other parts of the sector.

The unrest occurred less than three weeks after police shot dead 34 striking miners at Lonmin's Marikana mine, the bloodiest security incident since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.

The Marikana shooting shocked South Africa and marred the image of the continent's biggest economy, as the full extent of a breakdown in labour relations in the mines became apparent.

South Africa is home to 80 percent of known platinum reserves and the price of the precious metal, used in jewellery and car catalytic converters, has risen more than 10 percent since the violence erupted.

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Louisiana high school reunion invites ‘white graduates only’

The Griot

A high school reunion in Louisiana is attracting national attention thanks to an unusual invite which includes “white graduates only.” The St. Martinsville Senior High School event for the class of 1973 was supposed to be the first integrated reunion in the school’s history, but the invitation seems to suggest otherwise

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South Africa prosecutor withdraws murder charges against striking miners

The Jurist

A South African prosecutor on Monday announced that the government had withdrawn murder charges against 270 miners who were participating in a strike when police officers shot and killed 34 participants. The miners were charged with murder last week under an old South African law that deems the striking miners as complicit [Reuters report] in their co-workers' deaths. Acting national director of prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba said that her office withdrew the murder charges on Sunday, but noted that the charges could be reintroduced if the investigation revealed further evidence.

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Rep. John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon, on the Struggle to Win–and Now Protect–Voting Rights in U.S.

Democracy Now

Having risked his life marching for the right of all Americans to vote, Lewis reflects on the ongoing struggle for voting rights today, when 16 states have passed restrictive voting laws that critics say target people of color. "It is so important for people to understand, to know that people suffered, struggled," Lewis says. "Some people bled, and some died, for the right to participate. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool that we have in a democratic society. It’s precious. It’s almost sacred. We have to use it. If not, we will lose it."

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Desmond Tutu: Bush, Blair must stand trial for war crimes

Citizens for Legit Gov. 

South African Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu has called for the trial of former US President [sic] George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for their role in the Iraq war. "The immorality of the United States and Great Britain's decision to invade Iraq in 2003, premised on the lie that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history," Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in an article in The Observer on Sunday. The Nobel Peace Prize winner called for the trial of the pair at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

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ICE chief of staff resigns amid misconduct claims

Citizens for Legit Gov. 

A senior Obama administration political appointee and longtime aide to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigned Saturday amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior lodged by at least three Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees. Suzanne Barr, chief of staff to ICE Director John Morton, said in her resignation letter that the allegations against her are "unfounded." But she said she was stepping down anyway to end distractions within the agency.

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Another Person Shot One Block from Obama’s Chicago Home

CBS Chicago 

A teenage boy was shot about a block from President Obama’s home, in the second such incident in the past week. The 17-year-old boy was shot in the leg and buttock in the 5000 block of South Woodlawn Avenue about 4:20 a.m., police said.

The shooting scene is about a block east of the heavily guarded street where the Obamas have a home in the Kenwood neighborhood. He was taken in “stable” condition to an unidentified hospital, according to police.

“Three blocks over, that’s it. Three blocks. He’s right there,” said Freeman Richmond, who lives on the next block on Drexel Boulevard.

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Al Gore: Electoral College System Should Be Replaced By Popular Vote

Huff Post

Former Vice President Al Gore gave a strong endorsement on Thursday for abandoning the Electoral College and returning to a presidential election system more heavily determined by the popular vote.

In a discussion during Current TV's coverage of the Republican National Convention, Gore and his co-panelists argued that Electoral College system had a corrosive effect on the power of votes and presidential leadership. For voters, casting ballots in a state that is predictably red or blue feels pointless in determining presidential elections. For leaders, visiting a state that is already in the bag for Republicans or Democrats seems unnecessary.

"I really do now think that it's time to change that," Gore said. "It's always tough to amend the Constitution and risky to do so, but there is a very interesting movement under way that takes it state by state, that may really have a chance of succeeding. I hope it does."

Gore and former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) proceeded to bring up a proposal, floated by a California professor, that would change the electoral vote allocation and partially tie it to congressional district outcomes.

Before anyone writes off Gore's proposal as a case of sour grapes, however, the former vice president did say that he continued to support the Electoral College, even after it cost him the presidency in 2000, when he won the popular vote but lost the election after a highly contentious vote count gave Florida to former President George W. Bush.

"The logic is it knits the country together, prevents regional conflicts, and it goes back through our history to some legitimate concerns," Gore said. "But since, I've given a lot of thought to it and I've seen how these states are just written off and ignored. And people are effectively disenfranchised in the presidential race."

Two Latino Men File Claims Against Anaheim Police for Injuries During Police Protest

Mercury News

Two men have filed legal claims against the city of Anaheim, alleging they were injured while protesting a friend's fatal shooting by police.

Anaheim residents Victor Gonzalez and Jesus Reyna, both 22, filed the claims Friday. A legal claim is the first step to a lawsuit.

The Orange County Register reports (http://bit.ly/PVgOBx) that Gonzalez and Reyna were protesting the shooting of 25-year-old Manuel Diaz when police fired pepper spray and rubber bullets into the crowd.

The claim alleges that both men were hit and Reyna suffered an injury to his arm.

The city attorney is reviewing the claims.

Diaz was unarmed when he was shot and killed by police on July 21.

The shooting led to widespread protests in Anaheim, which is also the home of Disneyland.

Bugged Out, Over the Hill Actor Eastwood Tries Improv at White Party (Republican) Circus

WashPost

The Oscar winner, 82, spoke off the cuff, having discussed a few talking points with campaign advisers and sketched out some rough remarks but preparing nothing for the prompters. Organizers were comfortable with this setup: At the early Augustfundraiser in Idaho where Eastwood first came out publicly for Mitt Romney, he delivered suave impromptu remarks that had other guests raving.

Instead, Eastwood’s wacky conversation with the empty chair (standing in for President Obama — and viewed by about 33 million people, according to Nielsen) became an instant Internet meme. His rambling style triggered snark about his health and his age. His old-timey lawyer jokes brought on a wave of triumphant fact-checking/rebuttal (Romney, like Obama, has a JD).

California Legislators Approve Driver’s Licenses For Some Undocumented Immigrants

ThinkProgress

Lawmakers in California passed a bill Thursday to allow young undocumented immigrants who qualify for deferred action under a recent Obama Administration directive to receive driver’s licenses. The measure now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for approval, and Assembly member Gilbert Cedillo (D), who sponsored the bill, said he thinks Brown will sign it. Cedillo introduced the bill after President Obama announced the deferred action policy, which grants temporary work permits to many DREAM Act-eligible young undocumented immigrants. While California is helping the DREAMers access state benefits, other states are blocking them from obtaining driver’s licenses.

Arpaio Must Stand Trial. 9th Circuit Orders He Go To Trial For Civil Rights Violation, False Arrest

DailyKos

Not what you might think, but we'll take it.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reinstated a federal civil rights and conspiracy lawsuit filed by Phoenix New Times owners Mike Lacey and Jim Larkin against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and a special prosecutor appointed by former County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

The claims in the lawsuit date to October 2007, when Lacey and Larkin were arrested in the middle of the night after publishing information in New Times about extensive subpoenas issued by special prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik.

A Federal District Court had found that Arpaio and Thomas had 'absolute immunity' from prosecution for these arrests because of their positions as law enforcement officers. The Ninth Circuit disagreed.

Paul Ryan's Black College "Girlfriend" Wants Nothing To Do With Campaign

 ColorLines

Paul Ryan's black ex-girlfriend offered a British newspaper an exclusive interview earlier this week but now she wants nothing to do with the media. Is this a case of the Romney campaign trying to silence her?

The nice people at TMZ just got in touch with GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's ex-girlfriend Daneeta Pope but she said she wanted nothing to do with them and the election:

Pope said, "I'm not interested in talking. I don't know why everyone is calling. I'm newly married and would just like to be left alone."

Ryan did an interview awhile back, saying he had a Black GF during college. Ryan was clearly trying to blunt criticism that he was not sympathetic to African Americans.

The interesting story here is that just yesterday the UK's Daily Mail published an exclusive interview with Pope:

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Deneeta Pope said she met the future vice presidential candidate through friends at Miami University some 20 years ago.

Pope, 40, said: 'Paul is a very nice guy, a kind guy and a family guy. He's very approachable and a very likeable person.'

The relationship and the negative reaction he said he suffered from his so-called friends were a formative experience in the political evolution of the VP pick who described himself as a 'big, big fan' of Martin Luther King and is a staunch advocate of civil rights.

But Pope, an I.T. specialist and realtor living in Chicago, denies that they experienced any racism as a couple.

Pope also said that while their relationship was not very serious, they have remained friends through the years.

'It tells you the kind of guy Paul is when you learn that he has remained friends with all of his friends that he met in college.'

So she was divulging plenty of information just days ago but now she wants nothing to do with the media? Did she get a call from the Romney campaign asking her to keep quiet? Or is she over it already?

The good thing is even TMZ sees Romney's campaign is having trouble attracting black voters.

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RNC Custodial Crew Paid Below Minimum Wage

Colorlines 

The janitors working around the clock at the Republican National Convention ended up going home making less than Florida's hourly minimum wage. Huffington Post's Jason Cherkis talked to a few workers at the convention and has more details:

Carolyn Walker said she has been cleaning the convention center for 13 years. She had been making $8 per hour until a few years ago, when the cleaning contract went to another company, Cleanevent USA. The new company meant a new, downsized paycheck. She's now making minimum wage -- $7.67 per hour. But that wasn't the only hit to her wallet.

Walker said the company charges her $6 per week for uniforms. "It stinks to tell you the truth," she said. "We work very hard." It effectively means she's making less than Florida's minimum wage.

Larry Gilmore, 32, and Jean Baptiste, 27, recounted similar hits to their paychecks by Cleanevent. Baptiste said he's charged $11 per week for uniforms -- a thin blue short-sleeve shirt and dark pants.

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