At Claire McCaskill’s (Missouri) town hall, an African American woman brings a Rosa Parks poster with her to attend the meeting. Out of nowhere, a white guy decides to walk over, snatch it from her and tears it up.

WTF?

Seriously people – there’s some bad blood brewing in the country right now. The fact that the right wing is actually embracing these people instead of disowning them says just how out of touch they are.

Video:

David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Obama, said Sunday that he believed the president’s expression of regret for his initial statement that the police “acted stupidly” was having “the desired effect.”

“People are talking more constructively now,” Mr. Axelrod said on CBS’s “Face The Nation.” “The steam has gone out of this. Instead of heat being generated, more light is being generated.”

The incident highlighted social divisions that Mr. Obama hoped had been eased by his election as the nation’s first African-American president. The emotions triggered by his comments on the Gates arrest suggest that the issue of race continues to hang over his presidency.

Since 2003, concerts have been presented by 46664 in South Africa, Spain, Norway and England, before New York City this year. This was the first one Mr. Mandela could not attend, because he no longer travels outside South Africa. Now Mr. Mandela’s admirers hope to see his birthday, July 18, become an internationally recognized Mandela Day: “Not a holiday,” Mr. Mandela admonished on video, but “a day dedicated to service.”

His call for volunteerism has a theme song, “With My Own Two Hands,” which was written by Ben Harper and was performed on Saturday by a South African singer, Chris Chameleon, and a Senegalese one, Baaba Maal.

Pressing the case, and calling on the audience to devote time to unselfish deeds, were Morgan Freeman, Forest Whitaker, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, among other actors.

Stevie Wonder concluded the show, flanked by all the other performers, exulting in his own “Happy Birthday” — a song that once supported the creation of the Martin Luther King’s Birthday holiday, now repurposed.

Source: NYT

Ghana is getting ready for President Barack Obama’s visit with a fresh coat of white paint on the curbs along his route and a series of billboards – some welcoming the president and first lady, others showing the president with Ghanian leader John Atta-Mills under the words: Partnership for Change.

President Mills won election earlier this year in a hard-fought, closely-contested vote that saw the ruling party concede defeat.

At Accra’s main fire station, rescue workers say the decision by America’s first black president to make this country his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa reflects Ghana’s political maturity.

“We are the first country to show maturity in elections because all other countries, after or before elections, there are fights and all this misunderstanding,” she said. “But we comport ourselves and go accordingly on the electoral procedure.”

Her colleague says Mr. Obama’s visit will help focus attention on Ghana’s stability.

Source: voanews.com

The Senate voted unanimously Thursday for a resolution acknowledging “the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws,” which authorized the segregation that followed the Civil War.

If the House passes a similar measure next week, as expected, it would mark the highest official mea culpa for the hundreds of years of discrimination that had been enshrined by the Constitution and courts.

“Slavery and Jim Crow, and their continuing consequences, are not the historical baggage of one state, one region or one company,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the resolution’s sponsor. “They are an enduring national shame.”

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had both expressed remorse for slavery. And Congress has recognized other injustices, such as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

“No one pretends that a mere apology – or any words – can right the wrongs of the past,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “But it represents our recognition of that past and our commitment to more fully live up to our nation’s promise.”
The measure does have one caveat. It says it doesn’t imply support for paying reparations.

Source: nydailynews.com

“This will be seen as a historically important appointment, and it will help solidify the support of the Latino community behind President Obama,” said Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil-rights organization.

The fast-growing Hispanic voting block — which grew to nearly 9% last year from 7% in 2000 — has been wooed heavily by both parties in recent years.

President Obama’s strong support from Hispanic voters in 2008 reversed a trend that had seen some Hispanic voters moving Republican under President George W. Bush. In the 2004 campaign, Mr. Bush won 44% of the Hispanic vote. That was less than Democrat John Kerry, who won 53%, but up substantially from 2000.

Source: WSJ

Zuma won with 277 votes in the 400-member National Assembly, including 13 opposition lawmakers.

Ruling party members jeered and cat-called when members of the Congress of the People, an opposition party that broke away last year from the African National Congress, or ANC, were sworn in earlier.

They also booed when COPE nominated its own candidate, Mvume Dandala, for president. Dandala won 47 votes.

Zuma, dressed in a plain gray suit and navy patterned tie, licked his lips nervously then broke into a grin as the result was announced. The 67-year-old president-elect bowed and clapped as ANC lawmakers clamored to shake his hand, chanted his name and broke into song.

Under South Africa’s constitution, which dictates that the president must be elected from among members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, Zuma was sworn in as a lawmaker for a few hours while the vote was taken, then resigned from the body.

He did not announce his Cabinet but said the executive would be working by the beginning of next week. Zuma is to be inaugurated Saturday in a ceremony to be attended by heads of state from around the world.

Source: LA Times

The Navy Times ran a story on Rear Admiral Michelle Howard who took command of the Navy’s counterpiracy task force only three days before the pirates attacked the U.S. cargo ship Maersk Alabama and snagged the captain as a hostage.
The U.S. Navy hadn’t seen this type of action in a very long time and piracy hasn’t been something the Navy has had to counter attack in over 100 years. Howard’s expertise and illustrious Navy career showed her to be the perfect person for this mission. She is the first female graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to be promoted to Rear Admiral.

In the article, she said, ““Right now, the policy is, fight piracy, and I am all about that policy … We are quite capable of staying out here and doing this mission.”

Source: eurthisnthat.com

With 10% of votes counted, the ANC has a 63% share, equivalent to more than 1.8 million ballots cast in its favour.

It is well clear of the Democratic Alliance on 19%, with a new party, the Congress o f the People (Cope), third on 7%.

Results continued to pour in through the night at the election nerve centre in Pretoria. Nearly 3 million votes have been counted so far.

The DA enjoyed a minor triumph when it won 52 votes on Robben Island, compared to the ANC’s 50, in its first election victory there since the end of apartheid.

The results followed the most exciting election day since the dawn of democracy in South Africa. There were long queues at voting stations yesterday and a celebratory mood reminiscent of the first multiracial elections in 1994.

Source: guardian.co.uk

A top secret meet-and greet session with the puppy and the family at the White House happened a few weeks ago.

According to the Post, it was a surprise for the girls. Bo demonstrated skills learned in training. He sat when the girls sat, stood when the girls stood. He made no toilet errors and did not gnaw on the furniture. Bo has been learning good behavior from the Kennedys’ dog trainers at a secret, undisclosed location outside Washington.

Word is that when the president walked, Bo followed obediently.

Wish Congress could be this well trained.

Source: LATimes

Caucus leader Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, said the ailing former Cuban president talked for nearly two hours with her and two other delegation members on Tuesday in a meeting seen as signaling Cuba’s willingness to discuss better relations with the United States.

“We believe it is time to open dialogue and discussion with Cuba,” Lee told a news conference in Washington upon the caucus members’ return. “Cubans do want dialogue. They do want talks. They do want normal relations.”

Lee said the group would present its findings to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Democrat from California, and White House and State Department officials.

California Democratic Rep. Laura Richardson, who also met Fidel with Illinois Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush, said Castro “looked directly into our eyes” and asked how Cuba could help Obama in his efforts to change the course of U.S. foreign policy.

Richardson said she had the impression that 82-year-old Fidel wants to see changes in U.S.-Cuba relations in his lifetime.

Source: news.yahoo.com

His divine hope, says Martin, who has repeated the ritual each evening, is “that God uses me as an instrument for his will to provide insight to those who are listening.”

As Martin speaks, in great cascades of words that flow by like a rushing river, it is clear this is no garden-variety pundit. He is African American, the first to host a prime-time cable news program since Alan Keyes’s brief run on MSNBC seven years ago. He is ubiquitous, holding forth in venues as varied as morning radio, a syndicated column, an Essence magazine blog and a forthcoming book. And he is a take-charge family man, insisting that four nieces who he felt had a poor home environment move in with him and his wife, an ordained minister.

Source: Washington Post

“When I was here in 2007, if I knew how good that Obama guy was, I would have just not wasted my time… would have just joined up right then,” Biden joked of his own failed presidential bid. The audience roared. “I should have known, you know,” he added.
After taking a moment to condemn slayings in Binghamton, Biden quickly took up the role of cheerleader-in-chief for Obama’s turnaround plan.
“The president and I, we’re positive we know what’s on your mind… I think we know what’s keeping you up at night – the same thing that’s keeping us up,” Biden said.

He spoke of unemployment rates higher in the black community than the overall population, and of how minorities have been left out of an American “bargain” – when productivity rises, everyone who works to increase it should reap the benefits.

Source: nydailynews.com

The gesture, which could herald more openness with the Castro regime, will fulfill a campaign promise and follows more modest action in Congress this year to loosen travel rules.

The president has authority to loosen the restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba on his own. The new rules will affect an estimated 1.5 million Americans who have family members in Cuba. Other Americans are allowed to travel to Cuba but only if they qualify through certain cultural, educational and other programs.

Source: WSJ

In the UK on her first visit as First Lady, Michelle Obama seems to be making just as big an impact.
She has attracted as much interest and column inches as her husband on this London trip; creating a buzz with her dazzling outfits, her own schedule of events and her own fanbase.
Outside Buckingham Palace, as crowds gathered in anticipation of the Obamas’ arrival, Mrs Obama’s star appeal was apparent.
Rebecca Smith, from Leicester, was one of the hundreds of people waiting to catch a glimpse of the First Couple.
“She seems to be a good role model. A strong, intelligent woman. I think she’ll go down very well here. People have warmed to the Obamas. I don’t think you’d see this crowd for many other dignitaries,” she said.

Source: BBC

Wagoner, who has been the company’s top executive since 2000, has come under increasing fire over the last year as GM’s financial condition has deteriorated. In his eight years at the helm, GM has lost $68 billion and the company’s stock value has declined 95%.

President Obama on Monday will announce his plan to restructure the nation’s auto industry, including the prospect of further short-term financial aid.

Wagoner was asked to depart GM as part of that plan, said an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk publicly. No indication was given that similar leadership changes would be asked of Chrysler.

Source: LA Times

Under the Republican plan, the top marginal tax rate would be slashed from 35 to 25 percent, facilitating a dramatic transfer of wealth up the economic scale. Anyone making more than a $100,000 would pay the top rate; those under would pay 10 percent.

Reporters — mainstream, liberal and conservative — greeted the Republican document with a collective scoff.

“Are you going to have any further details on this today?” the first asked.

“On what?” asked Boehner.

“There’s no detail in here,” noted the reporter.

Answered Boehner: “This is a blueprint for where we’re going. Are you asking about some other document?”

A second reporter followed up: “What about some numbers? What about the out-year deficit? What about balancing the budget? How are you going to do it?”

“We’ll have the alternative budget details next week,” promised Boehner. Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) had wisely departed the room after offering his opening remarks. (”Today’s Republican road-to-recovery is the latest in a series of GOP initiatives, solutions and plans,” he had offered.)

Source: Huffington Post

“How many terrorists have actually been brought to justice under the philosophy that is being promoted by Vice President Cheney?” Mr. Obama said Friday in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on “60 Minutes” on CBS.

The president was responding to recent charges by Mr. Cheney that the administration’s decision to shut down the Guantánamo prison, along with other policies on the treatment of terrorism suspects, would make the United States more vulnerable to attacks.

Bush administration terrorism policy “hasn’t made us safer,” Mr. Obama said, according to excerpts of the interview released Saturday.

“What it has been,” he continued, “is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment.”

Source: NYTimes

This time, however, the enemy is obesity. The first family is hoping to send a clear message to a fast food-driven nation that often seems to be losing the battle of the bulge.

“We’re just hoping that a lot of families look at us and say this is something that they can do and talk to their own kids about and think a little bit critically about the food choices that they make,” said Marian Robinson, the president’s mother-in-law.

Source: CNN