Climate Camp: Site Taken
Indymedia UK - 30 Jul 2008
The site for this year’s Camp for Climate Action was taken four days ahead of the official start on Wednesday 30th July , just a few fields from the Kingsnorth Coal Power Plant. In a flurry of activity around 100 campaigners began setting up the camp at 3pm erecting tripods to prevent police from moving them and a banner which reads ‘No New Coal’ See Report and Pics | Gallery 1, 2 | Video: Camp is Open Thurs 31st July: In a much criticised move, Police raided the Climate Camp on Thursday evening, under the guise of searching for items which could be used for criminal Damage. Although police claimed to be searching for materials that could be used on the 9th August day of action, their search focused on items such as guy-ropes for safely securing marquees, radios used in medical emergencies, and building materials essential for the construction of compost toilets as well as water piping. The seizures went as far as the confiscation of such ridiculous items as a bicycle repair kit, three board games and a pack of children’s crayons. Other items taken included kitchen equipment and computer cables. Other equipment including construction wood was saved from confiscation by campaigners taking direct action. By the end of the day there had been 6 arrests, but the setting up continues and campers even found time to play a game of football with local residents. See Photos and Report | Camp Press Release | Report 2, 3 | Footie report Friday 1st August: Construction of the camp continues apace. The local council has instructed the water board to install a water supply at the entrance of the camp. Today was also the first day for the media to come on site and be shown around. The temporary Field IMC at the Camp for Climate Action, is on-line and up and running. Meanwhile this morning 20 activists successfully blockaded the only access gate to Cargill’s European regional head office in Cobham, Surrey. 8 activists locked on to the gates closing the site down completely. Agrobusiness giant Cargill are being targeted by the protesters for their role in rainforest destruction and land-grabbing as well as for profiteering from the food crisis. See Report | Pics | Feature Saturday 2nd August: Police continue to confiscate essential camp infrastructures from people arriving, while the main marquee cannot be set up as Police still have key parts which they took on Thursday. After negatiations some of the items seized today were returned later in the evening, including materials for disabled access and toilets. The Police Forward Intelligence Team made a foray onto the field today but were ejected from the field by campers – see report. Meanwhile campaigners in the High Peaks area staged a demonstration to call for the re-opening of the Woodhead Tunnel and the Manchester to Sheffield rail line – see report. People arriving for the camp are being searched thoroughly by Police, but numbers are swelling.

Report: Vast Majority of African American and Latino Middle-Class Families Are on Shaky Financial Ground
Democracy Now - 30 Jul 2008
A landmark study developed by Demos and Brandeis University finds that three-out-of-four African American and four-out-of-five Latino middle-class families are on shaky financial ground. This marks the first comprehensive report to examine economic stability of households of color in this country. [includes rush transcript]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Defends Her Opposition to Impeachment: “If Somebody Had a Crime that the President Had Committed, That Would Be a Different Story.”
Democracy Now - 30 Jul 2008
On Monday, Rep. Pelosi appeared on ABC’s The View and suggested impeachment is off the table because there is no evidence President Bush has committed any criminal acts. We ask Rep. Dennis Kucinich for a response. Kucinich recently introduced a single article of impeachment against President Bush. The article accuses Bush of deceiving Congress to authorize the invasion of Iraq. [includes rush transcript]

Field of Schemes: Congress Probes How New Sports Stadiums Turn Public Money into Private Profit
Democracy Now - 30 Jul 2008
A congressional committee is investigating whether New York City and the New York Yankees wildly inflated the value of the site for the team’s new stadium to float nearly $1 billion in tax-free bonds. [includes rush transcript]

Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global AIDS Epidemic
Democracy Now - 30 Jul 2008
According to a new report by the Black AIDS Institute, if blacks in the United States constituted their own country, that nation would rank sixteenth in the world in the number of people living with HIV. Two percent of adult black Americans are infected with the virus, and only four countries outside Africa have a higher HIV prevalence. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for July 30, 2008
Democracy Now - 30 Jul 2008
GOP Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted for Corruption, World Trade Organization Talks Collapse, Air Force Begins Using Reaper Hunter-Killer Drone in Iraq, Ex-Pentagon Adviser Richard Perle to Invest in Iraq Oil Deals, UK: No One Will Be Prosecuted for Killing of Journalist Terry Lloyd, China Accused of Internet Censorship Ahead of Olympics, ACLU Warns About Growing Network of Fusion Centers, Israeli Troops Shoot Dead Palestinian Boy, Large Chunk of Arctic Ice Breaks Free in Northern Canada, Four Senators Call for Resignation of EPA Chief, House Issues Resolution Apologizing for Slavery, Army Recruiter Suspended for Threatening Recruit, NYPD Officer Stripped of Badge After Tackling Cyclist

Why Bush folded on Iran
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 30 Jul 2008
Summary: Reality, of the military and petroleum-based variety, forced the administration to change course. Now Bush sounds like Obama. source: Salon.comread more

Western media mislead public on Iran N-case
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 30 Jul 2008
Summary: Ali Asghar SoltaniehThe following is Press TV’s exclusive interview with Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh. Mr. Soltaniyeh believes Western media mislead the international community over the issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear activities. source: Press TVread more

Non-aligned nations back Iran’s Nuclear cause
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 30 Jul 2008
Summary: Non-Aligned MovementMore than 100 non-aligned nations on Wednesday backed Iran’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear power – an endorsement that is key to Tehran in its standoff with the United Nations Security Council over its refusal to freeze uranium enrichment. source: APread more

Obama reportedly told Democrats Israel will hit Iran if sanctions fail
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 30 Jul 2008
Summary: Presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) purportedly told House Democrats in a private meeting Tuesday that Israel may strike Iran if sanctions on the country fail to prevent development of nuclear technology. source: Raw Storyread more

Air Force Think Tank Advises Against Iran Attack
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) - 30 Jul 2008
Summary: US missile attackAmid rising speculation about the possibility of an Israeli or US bombing attack on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, a major study produced for the US Air Force by a top defense think tank concluded that US military action against Iran was “likely to have negative effects for the United States.”....Amid all the fireworks, however, the report, which also called for a multifaceted strategy designed to encourage democratic development in Iran, was ignored by the mainstream media. source: AntiWar.com read more