Hi there,

There has never been a more urgent time for courageous, daily, independent news. Media is essential to the functioning of a democratic society. Can you support Democracy Now! with $15 donation today? With your contribution, we can continue to go to where the silence is, to bring you the voices of the silenced majority – those calling for peace in a time of war, demanding action on the climate catastrophe and advocating for racial and economic justice. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much!

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

HeadlinesJuly 16, 2010

Watch Headlines
Listen
Media Options
Listen

BP Stops Oil Spill for First Time Since April

Jul 16, 2010

BP has at least temporarily stopped the oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion nearly ninety days ago. On Thursday, BP successfully closed the valve on a containment cap placed over the ruptured well, choking off the oil. Tests will continue to determine if pressure is high enough to keep the cap in place or whether the well will need to be reopened and contained by another device. Up to 184 million gallons of oil have gushed into the Gulf so far. BP’s chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, gave the news a cautious welcome.

Doug Suttles: “It’s an encouraging sign. In a couple more days it may be even more encouraging. But no celebrations. I mean, you know, if you go talk to these people that live here, that 'celebration' is a wrong word. But it could be — we could be very close, whether it’s through this activity or through the relief wells, to the point where we feel like — I think everyone feels like we’ve begun to turn a corner, and an important corner. But no, it’s not the time to celebrate, I don’t think.”

Senate Approves Financial Reform Bill

Jul 16, 2010

Congress has given final approval to a sweeping overhaul of financial regulation following nearly a year of negotiations. On Thursday, the Senate voted 60-to-39 to send the measure to President Obama’s desk. The overhaul would create a consumer protection agency within the Federal Reserve, impose new limits on the derivatives market, and restrict trading by banks. President Obama hailed the measure’s passage.

President Obama: “All told, this reform puts in place the strongest consumer financial protections in history, and it creates a new consumer watchdog to enforce those protections. Because of this reform, the American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street’s mistakes. There will be no more taxpayer-funded bailouts, period.”

Three Republicans joined the Democratic majority to push the measure through. Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin was the lone Democrat to oppose the bill, saying it doesn’t go far enough. In a statement, Feingold said, “Washington once again caved to Wall Street on key issues and produced a bill that fails to protect the American people from the pain of another economic disaster.”

Goldman Settles Fraud Case over Mortgage Investments

Jul 16, 2010

The Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs has agreed to a $550 million fine to settle a civil fraud lawsuit over selling a mortgage investment that had been established to fail. The investment consisted of pools of risky mortgages that had been packaged together. It’s the largest civil fraud settlement in Wall Street history, but according to reports, Goldman had been expecting to pay at least twice as much.

21 Killed in Iran Suicide Bombing

Jul 16, 2010

At least twenty-one people have been killed and over 100 wounded in a double suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in southeast Iran. The Sunni Muslim rebel group Jundallah has claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it revenge for last month’s execution of one of its leaders.

Poll: 62% Say War Going “Badly”

Jul 16, 2010

A new poll shows growing US opposition to the war in Afghanistan. According to CBS News, some 44 percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the war, a jump from 37 percent in May. The number of Americans who believe the war is going either “somewhat” or “very badly” also increased to 62 percent from 49 percent.

Record US Soldier Suicides in June

Jul 16, 2010

New figures show a record number of US soldiers took their own lives last month. At least thirty-two soldier suicides were reported in June, the highest monthly number since record keeping began around the Vietnam War. Seven of those soldiers killed themselves while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

US Has Delivered None of Pledged Aid Money to Haiti

Jul 16, 2010

CNN has revealed just four countries have delivered on any of the over $5.3 billion in new pledges collected at a major donor conference for Haiti’s reconstruction in March. Brazil, Norway, Estonia and Australia are the only countries to have paid so far, accounting for just two percent of the total pledged. The biggest donors, the US and Venezuela, haven’t paid anything so far. On Thursday, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official, John Holmes, said the UN is well short of its goal for building temporary shelters.

John Holmes: “Shelter, in particular, is at the front of people’s minds, and the almost 1.5 million people who are still living in tents or under tarpaulins are, to repeat myself again, in a very precarious situation. We need to accelerate the contingency planning for the hurricanes. We need to accelerate putting in place the arrangements and incentives for people to return to their houses and, in particular, for more transitional shelters to be built. We are planning some 125,000 and have so far built a few more than 5,000.”

Argentina Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Jul 16, 2010

Argentina has become the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. The Argentine Senate approved a measure Thursday granting same-sex couples full marriage rights and benefits. Argentina President Cristina Fernández has vowed to sign it into law. Maria Rachid of the Argentine LGBT Federation said more Latin American countries will follow suit.

Maria Rachid: Argentina is the first country in Latin America, but surely it will not be the last. A lot of countries will come after Argentina approving and recognizing the legal equality of all families.”

Suspect Charged in Algiers Point Shooting

Jul 16, 2010

In New Orleans, a suspected white vigilante has been charged in connection with the shooting of three African American men in the days after Hurricane Katrina. On Thursday, Roland Bourgeois was indicted for committing an alleged hate crime with a deadly weapon. Bourgeois is accused of firing a shotgun at Donnell Herrington and two others as they headed to an official evacuation site at the Algiers Point ferry terminal. Herrington was wounded in the shooting. A 2008 investigation by The Nation magazine identified Bourgeois as among a group of white vigilantes who shot least eleven African American men after Katrina in a plot to keep non-whites out of Algiers Point.

BP Cleanup Worker Describes Lax Safety Conditions

Jul 16, 2010

Accounts continue to emerge of the lax safety conditions for Gulf Coast cleanup workers. A former BP worker, Kellie Fellows, spoke out in an interview with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network.

Kellie Fellows: “I was also told before we hit that beach that at least we would have protection: we would have respirators, and we would have suits. And to not even have that, that just shows you again that money is put ahead of lives. I’ve got one check left that’s coming to me, and after that, we’re facing homelessness. And I guess, to me, the street looks more appealing than that beach does right now.”

Activists Shut Down West Virginia Coal Mine

Jul 16, 2010

A highwall miner in West Virginia has been shut down after activists locked themselves to mining equipment on Coal River Mountain. On Thursday, two members of the groups
Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice chained themselves to equipment at Massey Energy’s Bee Tree Surface Mine alongside a banner reading “Save Coal River Mountain.” The activists say they’re protesting dangers at the Brushy Fork Sludge Impoundment, which they say would engulf downstream communities with toxic coal waste in the event of a collapse.

Iroquois Lacrosse Team Denied Entry to Britain

Jul 16, 2010

The Iroquois national lacrosse team has been forced to miss the world lacrosse championships in Britain after the British government refused to grant them entry with their tribal passports. Britain has maintained its refusal even after the State Department granted the team a one-time waiver assuring their re-entry into the United States. The British government says it doesn’t recognize tribal passports as valid travel documents.

Ex-Bush Official: CIA Used Unauthorized Torture Techniques

Jul 16, 2010

A former top Bush administration official has testified that CIA interrogators used unauthorized techniques in the interrogation and torture of foreign prisoners. According to the Washington Post, former Office of Legal Counsel chief Jay Bybee told congressional investigators that he never approved a number of torture techniques used on prisoners and that those he did approve were used excessively.

Lynne Stewart Resentenced to 10-Year Term

Jul 16, 2010

And the civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart has been resentenced to ten years in prison — nearly five times her original sentence of twenty-eight months. Stewart was found guilty in 2005 of distributing press releases on behalf of her jailed client, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the “Blind Sheikh.”

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top