Think Progress pointed out, the half-full Rick Perry prayer rally was on the same day – down the street from an event for poor Texans to get free school supplies, uniforms and immunizations. The 100,000 person event was so over capacity it was turning people away . There seems to be a theme here. The poor have no more famous an advocate than Jesus Christ but the mega-churches seem to be focusing on the mega-donors and the mega-rich. Case in point: Rick Warren. Last week he tweeted a hard-right (and incorrect) talking point about how half of Americans pay no taxes . This coming from a guy whose the leader of a non-profit (think tax exempt) church in affluent Orange County. Above is a video from my show, a The Young Turks spin-off, TYT Now talking about this divide. It’s a disconnect that gets worse in countries where wealth distribution is stark. In the same show we talked to C&L reader, author Rick Perlstein about the right-wing, conservative women and the effort to scare up the votes for 2012. “I’m writing the third book in my trilogy about how these guys [GOP] took over the country,” says Perlstein. If you guys have any guests you like to see interviewed let me know! Here’s our Facebook page .
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US stock markets rally from worst crash in two years as government says it will keep interest rates near zero until 2013 Wall Street bounced back on Tuesday from the worst stock market crash in two years as the US government moved to halt the fall and pledged to keep interest rates near zero until 2013. It was another wild day on the US stock markets as share prices soared then fell then rose again. At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 430 points, or nearly 4%. It shot up more than 500 points in the last hour, the biggest one-day gain since 23 March 2009. The rally followed one of the worst days on world stock markets since Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, setting off the financial crisis. Monday’s crash came as investors reacted to Standard & Poor’s decision to cut the US credit rating, a historic first that was slammed by the White House. The rally came as the US Federal Reserve said it was prepared to step in should growth and unemployment continue to weaken over the coming months. Unemployment remains above 9% in the US. In a statement the Fed said: “Economic growth this year has been considerably slower than expected.” Earlier, London’s FTSE 100 shrugged off the riots and rose for the first time in eight days in anticipation that the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, would propose measures to prevent the US economy sliding back into recession. The swings in share prices on Wall Street mirrored wild gyrations in the FTSE earlier in the day, which saw the City’s main share index down more than 250 points during the morning before rallying to finish up 96 at 5165 points. The rise meant that the FTSE avoided falling for eight consecutive days in a row for the first time since the build up to the invasion of Iraq in early 2003. European shares ended broadly higher, halting a 20% dive over the previous two and a half weeks. Bernanke stopped short of committing to a third round of quantitative easing, the process of electronic money creation that has pumped $2tn (£1.2tn) into the US banking system over the past two and a half years. The Fed said it expected “a somewhat slower pace of recovery over coming quarters than it did at the time of the previous meeting” and anticipated that a jobless rate of about 9% would decline only gradually towards the level judged by the central bank to be consistent with keeping inflation low and employment high. It added that economic conditions were “likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through mid-2013″, and had looked at a range of policy tools to promote a stronger low-inflation recovery. These would be employed “as appropriate” in the light of fresh information on the economy. Previously, the Fed had said it would keep borrowing costs low for an “extended period” but the commitment to maintain them at an exceptionally low level led to three members of the policy-making open market committee dissenting from the decision, the first time this has happened for almost 20 years. Cary Leahey, managing director and senior economist at Decision Economics in New York, said: “This is a lame way for the Fed to try to help the marketplace. They redefined extended period to mean at least mid-2013. But to today’s marketplace, what difference does it make if they tighten in 2012 or 2013?” On the foreign exchanges, the dollar lost 4% of its value against the Swiss franc, while the price of another safe haven – gold – was trading at a new record high. Bullion has gained about 13% since the end of June and peaked at a session high of $1,778.29 in New York before the Fed announcement. The price of oil slumped in the New York futures markets as dealers anticipated lower demand from a stuttering US economy. The prospect of low growth also drove interest rates on US bonds lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury bill dropped to 2.27% compared to 2.34% at the start of the day. US economy US Interest rates Economics US unemployment and employment data Interest rates Dow Jones Stock markets Quantitative easing Ben Bernanke Commodities United States Dominic Rushe Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
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NPR tried to portray evangelical scientific and theological scholars who no longer believe in the Book of Genesis's account of Adam and Eve as ” conservative ” on Tuesday's Morning Edition. Host Steve Inskeep used this bizarre label, while correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty cited a theology teacher who denies the fall of man into sin as an example of one of these “conservatives” who ” want their faith to come into the 21st century .” After Inskeep's introduction, which also noted how “for many evangelicals, a historical Adam and Eve is a critical part of their theology,” Hagerty almost immediately turned to Dennis Venema of Trinity Western University in Canada and asked, “How likely is it that we all descended from Adam and Eve?” He replied, in part, ” Not likely at all .” The NPR journalist didn't mention any of Venema's belief background during the report, but the July/August 2010 edition of the FaithToday publication cited the biologist's own label of himself as a ” evolutionary creationist .” After a second clip from Venema, Hagerty stated that he is ” part of a growing cadre of Christian scholars who say they want their faith to come into the 21st century .” She then played a clip from John Schneider, a former theology teacher at Calvin College, who, according to the correspondent, ” says it's time to face facts: there was no Adam and Eve, no serpent, no apple, no fall that toppled man from a state of innocence .” This is NPR's example of a “conservative”? Schneider denies a central tenet of most orthodox schools of theology in Christianity. After a sound bite from Schneider, who called on Christians to ” reformulate some of their tradition about human beginnings ,” Hagerty then turned to two individuals who represent this more orthodox view- Dr. Fazale Rana of the organization Reason To Believe, and Dr. Albert Mohler, the famous president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. DOCTOR FAZALE RANA, REASONS TO BELIEVE: From my viewpoint, a historical Adam and Eve is absolutely central to the truth claims of the Christian faith. HAGERTY: Fazale Rana is a biochemist with a Ph.D. from Ohio University, and vice president of Reasons To Believe , an evangelical think tank that questions evolution. Sure, he says, some small details of scripture could be wrong. RANA: But if the parts of Scripture that you're claiming to be false, in effect, are responsible for creating the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, then you've got a problem. HAGERTY: Okay, let's look at why Rana and others believe in a literal, historical Adam and Eve. One reason is that the Genesis account makes man unique, created in the image of God- not a descendant of lower primates. Second, it tells a story of how evil came into the world…. ALBERT MOHLER, SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: When Adam sinned, he sinned for us, and it's that very sinfulness that sets up our understanding of our need for a savior. HAGERTY: Albert Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He says the Adam and Eve story is not just about a fall from paradise. It goes to the heart of Christianity . He notes that the Apostle Paul argued that the whole point of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection was to undo Adam's original sin. MOHLER: Without Adam, the work of Christ makes no sense whatsoever in Paul's description of the Gospel, which is the classic description of the Gospel we have in the New Testament. The NPR correspondent followed this with another clip from Venema, who suggested that his view would be “an opportunity to have an increasingly accurate understanding of the world. And, from a Christian perspective, that's an increasingly accurate understanding of how God brought us into existence.” Later in her report, Hagerty turned to author Karl Giberson, who wrote a book titled “Saving Darwin: How To Be A Christian and Believe In Evolution.” Predictably, Giberson used the oft-cited example by people on the left side of the political spectrum of how the Catholic Church supposedly mishandled Galileo. The correspondent followed the clip from the author with another clip from Dr. Rana: GIBERSON: When you ignore science, you end up with egg on your face, and the Catholic Church has had an awful lot of egg on its face for centuries because of Galileo. And Protestants would do very well to look at that and to learn from it. HAGERTY: Fuzale Rana isn't so sure this is a Galileo moment- that implies the scientists are correct- but he does believe the stakes are even higher in today's battle. It's not just about the movement of the earth, but the nature of God and man, of sin and redemption. RANA: I think this is going to be a pivotal point in church history, because what rests at the very heart of this debate is whether or not key ideas within Christianity are ultimately true or not. Overall, Hagerty played nine sound bites from the five supposed “conservatives” who either overtly stated or hinted at their more heterodox leanings, compared to seven clips from only two who supported the more traditional view- Drs. Rana and Mohler. So the NPR correspondent's report definitely slanted towards the heterodox “21st century” types both in number of sound bites and in number of individuals. The full transcript of Barbara Bradley Hagerty's report from Tuesday's Morning Edition on NPR: STEVE INSKEEP: We may be following the markets second by second this week, but let's take a moment to take a longer view. Let's go all the way back to the beginning, or to what several religions mark as the beginning: Adam and Eve. For many evangelicals, a historical Adam and Eve is a critical part of their theology, but now, some conservative religious scholars are saying publicly that they can no longer believe it. As NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports, this is causing a rupture among evangelicals over reconciling science with the Bible. BARBARA BRADLEY HAGERTY: According to the book of Genesis, this is how humanity began. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. HAGERTY: God called the man Adam, and later created Eve from his rib. Four out of 10 Americans believe this account, and it's a central tenet for much of evangelical Christianity. So, I asked Dennis Venema, a biologist at the evangelical Trinity Western University, how likely is it that we all descended from Adam and Eve? DENNIS VENEMA, TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY: That would be against all the genomics evidence that we've assembled over the last 20 years- so, not likely at all. HAGERTY: Venema says there's no way we can be traced back to a single couple. He says with the mapping of the human genome, it's clear that modern humans emerged from other primates as a large population- long before the Genesis time frame of a few thousand years ago. And given the genetic variation of people today, he says scientists can't get that population size below 10,000 people at any time in our evolutionary history. To get down to just two ancestors, Venema says- VENEMA: You would have to postulate that there has been this absolutely astronomical mutation rate that has produced all these new variants in an incredibly short period of time. Those types of mutation rates are just not possible. It would mutate us out of existence. HAGERTY: Venema is part of a growing cadre of Christian scholars who say they want their faith to come into the 21st century- so is John Schneider. Schneider, who taught theology at Calvin College in Michigan until recently, says it's time to face facts: there was no Adam and Eve, no serpent, no apple, no fall that toppled man from a state of innocence. JOHN SCHNEIDER: Evolution makes it pretty clear that in nature, and in the moral experience of human beings, there never was any such paradise to be lost. So Christians, I think, have a challenge, have a job on their hands to reformulate some of their tradition about human beginnings. HAGERTY: This is heresy to many evangelicals. DOCTOR FAZALE RANA, REASONS TO BELIEVE: From my viewpoint, a historical Adam and Eve is absolutely central to the truth claims of the Christian faith. HAGERTY: Fazale Rana is a biochemist with a Ph.D. from Ohio University, and vice president of Reasons To Believe, an evangelical think tank that questions evolution. Sure, he says, some small details of scripture could be wrong. RANA: But if the parts of Scripture that you're claiming to be false, in effect, are responsible for creating the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, then you've got a problem. HAGERTY: Okay, let's look at why Rana and others believe in a literal, historical Adam and Eve. One reason is that the Genesis account makes man unique, created in the image of God- not a descendant of lower primates. Second, it tells a story of how evil came into the world. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: She took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. ALBERT MOHLER, SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: When Adam sinned, he sinned for us, and it's that very sinfulness that sets up our understanding of our need for a savior. HAGERTY: Albert Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He says the Adam and Eve story is not just about a fall from paradise. It goes to the heart of Christianity. He notes that the Apostle Paul argued that the whole point of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection was to undo Adam's original sin. MOHLER: Without Adam, the work of Christ makes no sense whatsoever in Paul's description of the Gospel, which is the classic description of the Gospel we have in the New Testament. HAGERTY: That's only true if you read the Bible literally, says Dennis Venema at Trinity Western University. But if you read the Bible as poetry and allegory, as well as history, you can see God's hand in nature – and in evolution. VENEMA: There's nothing to be scared of here. There's nothing to be alarmed about. It's actually an opportunity to have an increasingly accurate understanding of the world. And, from a Christian perspective, that's an increasingly accurate understanding of how God brought us into existence. HAGERTY: This debate over a historical Adam and Eve is not just another heady squabble. It's ripping apart the evangelical intelligentsia. DANIEL HARLOW, CALVIN COLLEGE: Evangelicalism has a tendency to devour its young. HAGERTY: Daniel Harlow is a religion professor at Calvin College, a Christian Reformed school, that subscribes to the fall of Adam and Eve as a central part of its faith. HARLOW: You get evangelicals who push the envelope. Maybe, they get the courage up to work in sensitive, difficult areas. And they get slapped down. They get fired or dismissed or pressured out. HAGERTY: Harlow should know. Calvin investigated him after he wrote an article questioning the historical Adam. His colleague and fellow theologian, John Schneider, wrote a similar article, and was pressured to resign after 25 years there. Several other well-known theologians at Christian universities have also been forced out. Of course, science has clashed with church doctrine before. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Galileo Galilei, having held and believed a doctrine which is false and contrary to Scripture, that the sun is the center of the world, that the earth is not the center of the world, we condemn you to formal imprisonment in this holy office. KARL GIBERSON: The evolution controversy today is, I think, a Galileo moment. HAGERTY: Karl Giberson is author of “Saving Darwin: How To Be A Christian and Believe In Evolution.” GIBERSON: When you ignore science, you end up with egg on your face, and the Catholic Church has had an awful lot of egg on its face for centuries because of Galileo. And Protestants would do very well to look at that and to learn from it. HAGERTY: Fuzale Rana isn't so sure this is a Galileo moment- that implies the scientists are correct- but he does believe the stakes are even higher in today's battle. It's not just about the movement of the earth, but the nature of God and man, of sin and redemption. RANA: I think this is going to be a pivotal point in church history, because what rests at the very heart of this debate is whether or not key ideas within Christianity are ultimately true or not. HAGERTY: But Dan Harlow at Calvin College says Christians can no longer afford to ignore evidence from the human genome and fossils, just to maintain a literal view of Genesis. HARLOW: This stuff is unavoidable. Evangelicals have to either face up to it, or they have to stick their head in the sand. And if they do that, they will lose whatever intellectual currency or respectability they have. MOHLER: If so, that's simply the price we'll have to pay. HAGERTY: Again Southern Baptist Seminary's Albert Mohler. MOHLER: The moment you say, we have to abandon this theology in order to have the respect of the world, you end up with neither biblical orthodoxy, nor the respect of the world. HAGERTY: Mohler says if other Protestants want to accommodate science, fine. But don't be surprised if their faith unravels. Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR News.
Continue reading …Invoking Michael Moore, CNN Asks Panel Who to Arrest In Wake of American Credit Downgrade
August 9, 2011 No Comment
Referencing Michael Moore's absurd tweet that President Obama should arrest the CEO of Standard & Poors for downgrading America's credit rating, CNN's Kyra Phillips actually asked her panel members who they would like to arrest in the fallout of the downgrade. Whether or not the question was serious, Moore's tweet was. On Monday he implored President Obama , via Twitter, to “show some guts” and arrest the CEO of Standard & Poors. “These criminals brought down the economy in 2008& [sic] now they will do it again,” Moore tweeted. [Video below the break.] Moore may or may not have realized that he was imploring President Obama to assume unprecedented dictatorial power in a time of peace. “All right, that's Michael Moore's opinion,” Phillips remarked. She then asked her guests specifically who they would like to see arrested. Whether or not the question was in jest, CNN still held Moore's “opinion” in such regard as to air a discussion over it. Liberal Roland Martin abruptly called for the arrest of “Every single banker, every single credit agency.” “Arrested for what?” a smiling Will Cain exclaimed. “You don't arrest people for being moronic.” A transcript of the segment, which aired on August 9 at 10:33 a.m. EDT, is as follows: KYRA PHILLIPS: All right, here we go, “Buzzer Beater.” Filmmaker Michael Moore – he tweeted out, quote, telling this to the President, “Show some guts and arrest the CEO of S&P. These criminals brought down the economy in 2008, and now they will do it again.” All right, that's Michael Moore's opinion. So guys, who would you want to see arrested over this? Roland? ROLAND MARTIN, CNN political analyst: All of them. Make them all do the perp walk! Every single banker, every single credit agency. Arrest them all, the crooks. PHILLIPS: Will? WILL CAIN, CNN contributor: Arrested for what? Just – I know I've got ten seconds. But let me tell you about the liberal prism of mine and the conserve perception. I think when a liberal looks at the world and sees bad things, they see malevolence and conspiracy. I see morons. You don't arrest people for being moronic. MARTIN: Yes, you do. (Laughter) PHILLIPS: Pete? PETE DOMINICK, comedian: Hold on, Kyra, I'm making a trade to help the Dow go back up. Oh, listen, listen, this is the fault, I say, of all of the senators who voted against the Brown-Kauffman amendment that would have led to the breakup of banks. Wall Street is just doing what they're allowed to get away with. Congress needs to regulate them and create rules they can't break. And by the way, the Italian authorities did raid Standard & Poor's yesterday. MARTIN: Good!
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• Violence in Manchester , West Bromwich and Wolverhampton • IPCC: no evidence that Mark Duggan shot at police • 16,000 police being deployed in London to maintain order • First fatality as man shot in Croydon, south London, dies • Send us your footage of the riots • Live map: every verified incident, updated through the night • Read our latest summary of events • Read our latest news story 12.08am: Smithdown Road in Liverpool was closed by police tonight after 200 rioters starting hurling missiles at officers at about 11.30pm. A Merseyside Police spokeswoman said: “About 200 youths are causing disorder and damage. We’re asking people to avoid the area.” She was unable to confirm reports that firebombs were being thrown. 12.04am: A team of Guardian reporters have pulled together an updated report on the serious looting an disorder in central Manchester and Salford , where gangs waged running battles with police and ransacked shops. Here’s a snatch of a full story that will be online very soon: The most serious disorder came in Manchester. Groups of young people consistently evaded police attempts to stop them from the late afternoon onwards, breaking into a series of upmarket shops and setting a branch of the Miss Selfridge clothing chain ablaze. As evening fell, up to 200 youths raided an off-licence and other shops in the main shopping precinct of Salford, a couple of miles to the west. Assistant Chief Constable Gary Shewan of Greater Manchester police said his officers were battling to regain control on the streets and that Manchester and Salford had been badly damaged. “These are pure and simple criminals running wild tonight,” said Shewan. “They have nothing to protest against. There has been no spark. This has been senseless on a scale I have never witnessed before in my career.” He said police would arrest people as early as today. Shewan said Manchester and Salford had been shamed by the criminals committing “wanton acts of violence and criminality”. Earlier in the day Greater Manchester police sent 100 officers – four public order units – to assist in London. While Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, who organised the reinforcements, said such assistance had been planned to ensure other forces could cope with violence in their own areas, it was clear that the city could have used the extra officers. 11.57pm: Fallen Hero – Man who dared to take on yobs fights for life is the headline in tomorrow’s Daily Mirror, which has a powerful front page . It is accompanied by a photograph of a middle aged man who the newspaper says was badly beaten by a gang that left him for dead in Ealing, west London. (Twitpic via Nick Sutton ) 11.52pm: Billy Kenber of The Times tweets: Huge convoy of police vans going through #enfield incl at least 2 armoured vans 11.37pm: An update on our report earlier about fires and disturbances at a young offenders’ institution near Bristol . Prison officers dealt with an “incident of disobedience” at YOI Ashfield according to a statement from Serco, which runs the unit at Pucklechurch, near Bristol. Staff dealt with “small-scale” incident involving several inmates, according to the firm. Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called out at 7.49pm but were stood down as they were not required to attend the scene. “Some minor damage has been caused, but the situation has been contained and the centre is secure,” a Serco spokesman said. 11.25pm: Here is an updated overview from Guardian reporters about the situation tonight: A police station in Nottingham was firebombed late on Tuesday by a group of up to 40 men, police said, while there was looting in Manchester and there were tense scenes in Salford. Canning Circus police station in Nottingham was attacked by the group but no injuries were reported, Nottinghamshire police said just after 10pm. The force said a number of men were detained nearby. There was also trouble in Birmingham and other parts of the West Midlands, but relative calm in London as Scotland Yard attempted to put the capital in lockdown with 16,000 police on the streets, in contrast to 6,000 on Monday. Scotland Yard ordered its officers to use every available force including the possible deployment of plastic bullets to tackle widespread rioting and looting as the capital was flooded with the biggest police presence in British history. Sporadic looting was taking place across Manchester city centre; there were also disturbances in Salford and tense scenes there around Shopping City, where a large group of youths had gathered. In the centre of Manchester, rioters set fire to a Miss Selfridge shop on Market Street. Then around 100 youths looted Foot Asylum in the Arndale Centre after two raiders smashed open the glass entrance with a large stone slab. Once the glass was shattered, youths rushed in and carried out clothing and shoes. A recently–opened fashion boutique in King Street owned by former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was been hit by looters. A Diesel clothing shop and a Bang & Olufsen store were also broken into, with a chorus of cheers going up among the crowd as the front window of the latter was smashed. Several of the looters shouted out directions for the others to follow, suggesting a degree of co-ordination. 11.15pm: This has yet to be fully confirmed but it appears to be a video showing men running through the streets of Enfield chanting “England, England” . There has been a lot of concerns that vigilantes were on the streets of Enfield earlier in the evening, although Paul Lewis had some important comments to make earlier about rumours . _ 11.06pm: It was clear the GMP could have done with the extra public order officers who have been despatched to London . Shewan added: “These are pure and simple criminals running wild tonight.” “They have nothing to protest against there has been no spark. This has been senseless on a scale I have never witnessed before in my career.” 11.00pm: Acts of violence in Manchester and Salford have “ripped the heart out of two great cities”, a press conference has been told by Garry Shewan, Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police (GMP). He appealed to members of the public to “think very carefully about who they support” when it comes to the police effort to bring to justice those who were involved in looting and other acts of criminality. “My officers are still out there now facing violence and aggression and are battling to regain control of Manchester and Salford,” said Shewan, who added that his officers had been attacked on the streets this evening. “We have extensive CCTV of all the activity that has gone on tonight. We have made it absolutely clear that as early as tomorrow morning we will be coming to make arrests.” He couldn’t give out a figure for the number of arrests that have been made, saying that it remains “a very fast moving situation” Intelligence had told the force that disorder could be expected “just about everywhere” he said, adding that resources had to be brought in from many other forces. 10.53pm: A fashion boutique in King St, Manchester , was among properties attacked earlier by looters. The Press Association reports that it was not part of the police cordon and passers-by could openly walk through an obliterated entrance. One car containing four men pulled up as they sized up whether to enter. Further down King Street the Bang and Olufsen store was virtually empty. 10.49pm: In London, there are reports from a number of places about groups of residents taking to the streets to protect their neighbourhoods. Paul Lewis has already reported from Enfield in north London ( here and then here ), while Matt Taylor witnessed locals in the south-east London suburb of Eltham taking to their streets. Sky News, meanwhile, has been in Southall, west London, where members of the Sikh community have been gathering outside a mosque, pledging to keep the streets safe in that area. On the one hand, this could all be seen as a positive development with communities coming together, but as Paul Lewis reported, it all depends on the motives of those involved. Things could easily turn ugly. 10.42pm: Police in Leicester tweet: 10.32pm update – #Leicester Two men , aged 50 and 17, and a 16-yr-old youth have been arrested in city this evening, currently in custody 10.39pm: Canning Circus Police Station in Nottingham was the station that was firebombed just after 10 pm. The force said a number of men were detained nearby. 10.29pm: A police station in Nottingham was firebombed by a group of 30 to 40 men tonight, Nottinghamshire Police said. No injuries were reported. 10.24pm: Groups of men have taken to the streets in south London “to protect their communities”, reports the Guardian’s Matt Taylor. Around 200 people are still out in the centre of Eltham in south east London, following rumours that the are was going to be the latest place to be hit by disturbances. The group, predominantly men, had been congregating in pubs since the rumours began to circulate in mid afternoon. “This is a white working class area and we are here to protect our community,” said one man. “We are here to help the police. My mum is terrified after what she saw on the television in the last three days and we decided that it’s not going to happen here.” Several police vans are in the area and sporadically patrolling. There has been sign of looting and no shops are boarded up in the main street. 10.19pm: Police in the West Midlands made a total of 36 arrests tonight as fresh disturbances saw looting and vehicles set alight Birmingham , West Bromwich and Wolverhampton . But West Midlands Police said the disorder was not as severe as Monday’s looting in Birmingham city centre, which led to 142 arrests and saw 13 people taken to hospital, according to the Press Association. 10.07pm: David Cameron and senior ministers will hold a second emergency meeting in Whitehall tomorrow morning with the leadership of Scotland Yard to consider the impact of the beefed-up police operation in London overnight. Nick Watt, the Guardian’s chief political correspondent, reports : Amid the first signs of strains within the coalition over the response to the riots, government sources said the prime minister has called for an early assessment of the decision to increase police numbers in the capital from 6,000 to 16,000. Michael Gove, the education secretary, told Channel 4 News the police response had not been robust enough on Monday night. The second Cobra meeting in less than 24 hours will be held as the prime minister prepares to report back to MPs on Thursday in an emergency session of parliament. Cameron, who flew back to Britain from his Tuscan holiday on a special RAF flight in the early hours of Tuesday, said that rioters and looters would feel the full force of the law. Speaking in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of Cobra, the prime minister said: “These are sickening scenes – scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers and even attacking fire crews as they’re trying to put out fires. This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated. 10.02pm: Paul Lewis sent in this update from Enfield : I think it is important to dampen down some of the speculation circulating about our reports and tweets on vigilantes in Enfield. It is always a tough balance to get the tone right, and it is important to stress, again, there is no evidence of racial disturbance here. My colleague Mustafa Khalili and I reported what we saw and it was an incident that left us both shaken. We described it as a minor skirmish. That’s what it is was. It seemed pertinent to mention what some of the men were saying, as it seemed different to anything we’ve seen in the last four days, but some seem to be taking that out of context. There were no racist chants. 9.59pm: An update on the positions of Guardian reporters. Jeevan Vasagar is on his way to Manchester city to bolster our coverage there while Paul Lewis is heading to Birmingham. 9.56pm: A stand-off with police has been continuing at a shopping precinct in Salford , according to the Press Association, which also has more on the unrest in Manchester city centre: A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said up to 200 youths were involved at about 7pm. According to reports, the confrontations were continuing as officers battled to corral them. Isolated looting continued in Manchester city centre. Many small groups of male youths could be seen wandering around the centre. Two individuals jumped into a doorway as a police tactical aid unit drove past. Despite riot police positioned across the city, gangs of youths on mountain bikes, their faces masked, prowled the streets. On occasions they could be seen talking to drivers of cars on mobile phones, exchanging information, while they drove around the streets in what appeared to be co-ordinated manoeuvres. A jewellers was also reportedly attacked before plain-clothed police nearby ran in to arrest two looters from the shop. 9.30pm: As night falls, welcome to our live coverage of the fourth evening of tension in London and around the country. You can read our earlier coverage here. Here’s a summary of events so far tonight. • There have been outbreaks of violence in Manchester city centre, Salford, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich. Around 100 youths looted Foot Asylum in the Arndale Centre in Manchester, and were repelled by police. Greater Manchester Police have advised people not to travel to the centre of Manchester. West Midlands police say they have arrested 43 people today. • The Independent Police Complaints Commission has announced there is no evidence that Mark Duggan, whose death in a police shoot-out led to the London riots, fired on police before he was killed. However, a loaded handgun was recovered from the scene. This is all consistent with the account of the officers on the scene, who never claimed to have fired on Duggan first. The officer who fired the shot is believed to have acted because he feared for his life. • Shops and businesses around London have been closing early, fearing violence later. The Metropolitan police will deploy 16,000 officers in London tonight, and revealed that plastic bullets may be used if required. The deployment is significant, is up from 6,000 the night before. In Enfield, north London, there have been scuffles involving groups of vigilantes. • More than 560 people have been arrested in London and more than 100 charged. Several dozen more have been arrested in other cities . Three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a police officer was hit by a car in Brent, north London. The Met said 111 officers had been injured after experiencing “unprecedented” levels of violence. • A clean-up operation has been under way in London, with many residents opposed to the violence taking part. UK riots London Birmingham Police Crime Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Violence in Manchester , West Bromwich and Wolverhampton • IPCC: no evidence that Mark Duggan shot at police • 16,000 police being deployed in London to maintain order • First fatality as man shot in Croydon, south London, dies • Send us your footage of the riots • Live map: every verified incident, updated through the night • Read our latest summary of events • Read our latest news story 12.08am: Smithdown Road in Liverpool was closed by police tonight after 200 rioters starting hurling missiles at officers at about 11.30pm. A Merseyside Police spokeswoman said: “About 200 youths are causing disorder and damage. We’re asking people to avoid the area.” She was unable to confirm reports that firebombs were being thrown. 12.04am: A team of Guardian reporters have pulled together an updated report on the serious looting an disorder in central Manchester and Salford , where gangs waged running battles with police and ransacked shops. Here’s a snatch of a full story that will be online very soon: The most serious disorder came in Manchester. Groups of young people consistently evaded police attempts to stop them from the late afternoon onwards, breaking into a series of upmarket shops and setting a branch of the Miss Selfridge clothing chain ablaze. As evening fell, up to 200 youths raided an off-licence and other shops in the main shopping precinct of Salford, a couple of miles to the west. Assistant Chief Constable Gary Shewan of Greater Manchester police said his officers were battling to regain control on the streets and that Manchester and Salford had been badly damaged. “These are pure and simple criminals running wild tonight,” said Shewan. “They have nothing to protest against. There has been no spark. This has been senseless on a scale I have never witnessed before in my career.” He said police would arrest people as early as today. Shewan said Manchester and Salford had been shamed by the criminals committing “wanton acts of violence and criminality”. Earlier in the day Greater Manchester police sent 100 officers – four public order units – to assist in London. While Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, who organised the reinforcements, said such assistance had been planned to ensure other forces could cope with violence in their own areas, it was clear that the city could have used the extra officers. 11.57pm: Fallen Hero – Man who dared to take on yobs fights for life is the headline in tomorrow’s Daily Mirror, which has a powerful front page . It is accompanied by a photograph of a middle aged man who the newspaper says was badly beaten by a gang that left him for dead in Ealing, west London. (Twitpic via Nick Sutton ) 11.52pm: Billy Kenber of The Times tweets: Huge convoy of police vans going through #enfield incl at least 2 armoured vans 11.37pm: An update on our report earlier about fires and disturbances at a young offenders’ institution near Bristol . Prison officers dealt with an “incident of disobedience” at YOI Ashfield according to a statement from Serco, which runs the unit at Pucklechurch, near Bristol. Staff dealt with “small-scale” incident involving several inmates, according to the firm. Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called out at 7.49pm but were stood down as they were not required to attend the scene. “Some minor damage has been caused, but the situation has been contained and the centre is secure,” a Serco spokesman said. 11.25pm: Here is an updated overview from Guardian reporters about the situation tonight: A police station in Nottingham was firebombed late on Tuesday by a group of up to 40 men, police said, while there was looting in Manchester and there were tense scenes in Salford. Canning Circus police station in Nottingham was attacked by the group but no injuries were reported, Nottinghamshire police said just after 10pm. The force said a number of men were detained nearby. There was also trouble in Birmingham and other parts of the West Midlands, but relative calm in London as Scotland Yard attempted to put the capital in lockdown with 16,000 police on the streets, in contrast to 6,000 on Monday. Scotland Yard ordered its officers to use every available force including the possible deployment of plastic bullets to tackle widespread rioting and looting as the capital was flooded with the biggest police presence in British history. Sporadic looting was taking place across Manchester city centre; there were also disturbances in Salford and tense scenes there around Shopping City, where a large group of youths had gathered. In the centre of Manchester, rioters set fire to a Miss Selfridge shop on Market Street. Then around 100 youths looted Foot Asylum in the Arndale Centre after two raiders smashed open the glass entrance with a large stone slab. Once the glass was shattered, youths rushed in and carried out clothing and shoes. A recently–opened fashion boutique in King Street owned by former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was been hit by looters. A Diesel clothing shop and a Bang & Olufsen store were also broken into, with a chorus of cheers going up among the crowd as the front window of the latter was smashed. Several of the looters shouted out directions for the others to follow, suggesting a degree of co-ordination. 11.15pm: This has yet to be fully confirmed but it appears to be a video showing men running through the streets of Enfield chanting “England, England” . There has been a lot of concerns that vigilantes were on the streets of Enfield earlier in the evening, although Paul Lewis had some important comments to make earlier about rumours . _ 11.06pm: It was clear the GMP could have done with the extra public order officers who have been despatched to London . Shewan added: “These are pure and simple criminals running wild tonight.” “They have nothing to protest against there has been no spark. This has been senseless on a scale I have never witnessed before in my career.” 11.00pm: Acts of violence in Manchester and Salford have “ripped the heart out of two great cities”, a press conference has been told by Garry Shewan, Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police (GMP). He appealed to members of the public to “think very carefully about who they support” when it comes to the police effort to bring to justice those who were involved in looting and other acts of criminality. “My officers are still out there now facing violence and aggression and are battling to regain control of Manchester and Salford,” said Shewan, who added that his officers had been attacked on the streets this evening. “We have extensive CCTV of all the activity that has gone on tonight. We have made it absolutely clear that as early as tomorrow morning we will be coming to make arrests.” He couldn’t give out a figure for the number of arrests that have been made, saying that it remains “a very fast moving situation” Intelligence had told the force that disorder could be expected “just about everywhere” he said, adding that resources had to be brought in from many other forces. 10.53pm: A fashion boutique in King St, Manchester , was among properties attacked earlier by looters. The Press Association reports that it was not part of the police cordon and passers-by could openly walk through an obliterated entrance. One car containing four men pulled up as they sized up whether to enter. Further down King Street the Bang and Olufsen store was virtually empty. 10.49pm: In London, there are reports from a number of places about groups of residents taking to the streets to protect their neighbourhoods. Paul Lewis has already reported from Enfield in north London ( here and then here ), while Matt Taylor witnessed locals in the south-east London suburb of Eltham taking to their streets. Sky News, meanwhile, has been in Southall, west London, where members of the Sikh community have been gathering outside a mosque, pledging to keep the streets safe in that area. On the one hand, this could all be seen as a positive development with communities coming together, but as Paul Lewis reported, it all depends on the motives of those involved. Things could easily turn ugly. 10.42pm: Police in Leicester tweet: 10.32pm update – #Leicester Two men , aged 50 and 17, and a 16-yr-old youth have been arrested in city this evening, currently in custody 10.39pm: Canning Circus Police Station in Nottingham was the station that was firebombed just after 10 pm. The force said a number of men were detained nearby. 10.29pm: A police station in Nottingham was firebombed by a group of 30 to 40 men tonight, Nottinghamshire Police said. No injuries were reported. 10.24pm: Groups of men have taken to the streets in south London “to protect their communities”, reports the Guardian’s Matt Taylor. Around 200 people are still out in the centre of Eltham in south east London, following rumours that the are was going to be the latest place to be hit by disturbances. The group, predominantly men, had been congregating in pubs since the rumours began to circulate in mid afternoon. “This is a white working class area and we are here to protect our community,” said one man. “We are here to help the police. My mum is terrified after what she saw on the television in the last three days and we decided that it’s not going to happen here.” Several police vans are in the area and sporadically patrolling. There has been sign of looting and no shops are boarded up in the main street. 10.19pm: Police in the West Midlands made a total of 36 arrests tonight as fresh disturbances saw looting and vehicles set alight Birmingham , West Bromwich and Wolverhampton . But West Midlands Police said the disorder was not as severe as Monday’s looting in Birmingham city centre, which led to 142 arrests and saw 13 people taken to hospital, according to the Press Association. 10.07pm: David Cameron and senior ministers will hold a second emergency meeting in Whitehall tomorrow morning with the leadership of Scotland Yard to consider the impact of the beefed-up police operation in London overnight. Nick Watt, the Guardian’s chief political correspondent, reports : Amid the first signs of strains within the coalition over the response to the riots, government sources said the prime minister has called for an early assessment of the decision to increase police numbers in the capital from 6,000 to 16,000. Michael Gove, the education secretary, told Channel 4 News the police response had not been robust enough on Monday night. The second Cobra meeting in less than 24 hours will be held as the prime minister prepares to report back to MPs on Thursday in an emergency session of parliament. Cameron, who flew back to Britain from his Tuscan holiday on a special RAF flight in the early hours of Tuesday, said that rioters and looters would feel the full force of the law. Speaking in Downing Street after chairing a meeting of Cobra, the prime minister said: “These are sickening scenes – scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers and even attacking fire crews as they’re trying to put out fires. This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated. 10.02pm: Paul Lewis sent in this update from Enfield : I think it is important to dampen down some of the speculation circulating about our reports and tweets on vigilantes in Enfield. It is always a tough balance to get the tone right, and it is important to stress, again, there is no evidence of racial disturbance here. My colleague Mustafa Khalili and I reported what we saw and it was an incident that left us both shaken. We described it as a minor skirmish. That’s what it is was. It seemed pertinent to mention what some of the men were saying, as it seemed different to anything we’ve seen in the last four days, but some seem to be taking that out of context. There were no racist chants. 9.59pm: An update on the positions of Guardian reporters. Jeevan Vasagar is on his way to Manchester city to bolster our coverage there while Paul Lewis is heading to Birmingham. 9.56pm: A stand-off with police has been continuing at a shopping precinct in Salford , according to the Press Association, which also has more on the unrest in Manchester city centre: A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said up to 200 youths were involved at about 7pm. According to reports, the confrontations were continuing as officers battled to corral them. Isolated looting continued in Manchester city centre. Many small groups of male youths could be seen wandering around the centre. Two individuals jumped into a doorway as a police tactical aid unit drove past. Despite riot police positioned across the city, gangs of youths on mountain bikes, their faces masked, prowled the streets. On occasions they could be seen talking to drivers of cars on mobile phones, exchanging information, while they drove around the streets in what appeared to be co-ordinated manoeuvres. A jewellers was also reportedly attacked before plain-clothed police nearby ran in to arrest two looters from the shop. 9.30pm: As night falls, welcome to our live coverage of the fourth evening of tension in London and around the country. You can read our earlier coverage here. Here’s a summary of events so far tonight. • There have been outbreaks of violence in Manchester city centre, Salford, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich. Around 100 youths looted Foot Asylum in the Arndale Centre in Manchester, and were repelled by police. Greater Manchester Police have advised people not to travel to the centre of Manchester. West Midlands police say they have arrested 43 people today. • The Independent Police Complaints Commission has announced there is no evidence that Mark Duggan, whose death in a police shoot-out led to the London riots, fired on police before he was killed. However, a loaded handgun was recovered from the scene. This is all consistent with the account of the officers on the scene, who never claimed to have fired on Duggan first. The officer who fired the shot is believed to have acted because he feared for his life. • Shops and businesses around London have been closing early, fearing violence later. The Metropolitan police will deploy 16,000 officers in London tonight, and revealed that plastic bullets may be used if required. The deployment is significant, is up from 6,000 the night before. In Enfield, north London, there have been scuffles involving groups of vigilantes. • More than 560 people have been arrested in London and more than 100 charged. Several dozen more have been arrested in other cities . Three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a police officer was hit by a car in Brent, north London. The Met said 111 officers had been injured after experiencing “unprecedented” levels of violence. • A clean-up operation has been under way in London, with many residents opposed to the violence taking part. UK riots London Birmingham Police Crime Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rep. Joe Walsh: U.S. ‘Would Have Been Downgraded Months Ago’ Without the Tea Party
August 9, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Deadbeat dad, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) Tuesday rejected the notion that tea party Republicans’ brinkmanship and refusal to raise taxes contributed to S&P’s decision downgrade U.S. credit. Both Obama adviser, David Axelrod and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) had referred to S&P action as ” the tea party downgrade ” Sunday. “If it wasn’t so pathetic, I mean, it’s almost comical,” Walsh told CNN’s Kyra Phillips. “We were told months ago that a downgrade was likely, because this economy is falling off a cliff, and we have a debt crisis. That’s all on the door of the president. His policies are responsible for this. And for him here at the last minute, him and his minions, to trot out this thing called the tea party downgrade, is comical, and it won’t work, because most Americans see right through it.” When he asked to explain why congressional approval was at an all-time low, Walsh again attacked the president. “This president never ceases to not provide leadership. Why is he focused on name calling now?” the congressman wondered. “But this downgrade has happened because of how the debt deal turned out,” Phillips noted. “It is a reaction to what happened among lawmakers during the debt deal. So, are you saying that the trillions of dollars that have been lost now in the stock market, you know, has been worth all that back and forth and that bickering? I mean, is partisan politics helping this country move forward at all?” “Kyra, folks in the market are a lot smarter than you and I are,” Walsh insisted. “It had nothing to do with an August 2 deadline. It had to do with our debt crisis. We’ve known about this for ages. And I got to tell you something, thank God for all these troublesome House Republicans who came to this town. Can you imagine what life would be like if we hadn’t? We would have raised the debt ceiling without thinking about it last February or March. We’d be spending money every single day. We would have been downgraded months ago.” “These House Republicans have forced this town to finally get serious about spending. That’s a good thing.”
Continue reading …Rep. Joe Walsh: U.S. ‘Would Have Been Downgraded Months Ago’ Without the Tea Party
August 9, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Deadbeat dad, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) Tuesday rejected the notion that tea party Republicans’ brinkmanship and refusal to raise taxes contributed to S&P’s decision downgrade U.S. credit. Both Obama adviser, David Axelrod and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) had referred to S&P action as ” the tea party downgrade ” Sunday. “If it wasn’t so pathetic, I mean, it’s almost comical,” Walsh told CNN’s Kyra Phillips. “We were told months ago that a downgrade was likely, because this economy is falling off a cliff, and we have a debt crisis. That’s all on the door of the president. His policies are responsible for this. And for him here at the last minute, him and his minions, to trot out this thing called the tea party downgrade, is comical, and it won’t work, because most Americans see right through it.” When he asked to explain why congressional approval was at an all-time low, Walsh again attacked the president. “This president never ceases to not provide leadership. Why is he focused on name calling now?” the congressman wondered. “But this downgrade has happened because of how the debt deal turned out,” Phillips noted. “It is a reaction to what happened among lawmakers during the debt deal. So, are you saying that the trillions of dollars that have been lost now in the stock market, you know, has been worth all that back and forth and that bickering? I mean, is partisan politics helping this country move forward at all?” “Kyra, folks in the market are a lot smarter than you and I are,” Walsh insisted. “It had nothing to do with an August 2 deadline. It had to do with our debt crisis. We’ve known about this for ages. And I got to tell you something, thank God for all these troublesome House Republicans who came to this town. Can you imagine what life would be like if we hadn’t? We would have raised the debt ceiling without thinking about it last February or March. We’d be spending money every single day. We would have been downgraded months ago.” “These House Republicans have forced this town to finally get serious about spending. That’s a good thing.”
Continue reading …Luddite Matthews Worries About ‘Robot’ Pages in U.S. House of Representatives
August 9, 2011 No CommentChris Matthews is just a caveman political commentator . Our technology confuses and frightens him. The “Hardball” host went off on an odd tangent — akin to President Obama's ATMs-kill-jobs riff — on today's program about the end of the U.S. House of Representatives page program, grousing about how robots are replacing people (video embedded below; MP3 audio here ):
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Crackdown comes as President Bashar al-Assad rejects Turkish appeals to change tack or face fate of Muammar Gaddafi Syrian security forces were reported to have launched another wave of violence against pro-democracy protesters on Tuesday as President Bashar al-Assad rejected a Turkish appeal to change tack or meet the fate of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Human rights groups recorded at least 40 civilians dead on the day that Ahmed Davutoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, met the Syrian leader to issue what was billed as a “final warning” to end the five-month crackdown, estimated by the US as having claimed 2,000 victims. Syrian’s state news agency, Sana, quoted Assad as telling Davutoglu that he would “relentlessly fight terrorist groups” – the terminology used by Damascus to describe anti-regime protests. Davutoglu returned to Ankara without speaking to reporters but was expected to hold a press conference later. Activists quoted by al-Arabiya TV said 17 people had been killed on the third day of an assault on the Deir Ezzor, close to the border where many people have links to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Syrian National Organisation for Human Rights reported 26 people killed and dozens wounded when troops backed by tanks and armoured vehicles stormed Soran and other villages north of Hama, target of a 10-day assault to crush protests. Syrian state media said government forces were withdrawing from the city. The Syrian Revolution Co-ordinating Union said the bodies of two sisters, aged six and 11, were among five brought to a hospital in nearby Tibet al-Imam. Four people were also killed in Binnish, near the border with Turkey. “The whole town has been joining in night rallies against Assad after Ramadan prayers,” a resident said. A member of the Local Co-ordination Committees told the Guardian more than 20 tanks and armoured vehicles had entered the town at 4am, with forces shooting, raiding houses and making arrests, including of teenage boys. “This town has been protesting in huge numbers,” said the activist, named Odai. “That’s why they [the regime] want to put it down.” Soldiers entering houses had stolen money and jewellery. Similar reports have come from other cities including Homs. Tanks were reported in the northern town of Idlib. As the violence continued, it was rumoured that Ali Habib, the former Syrian defence minister, had been found dead after being replaced on Monday. But sources in Damacsus insisted that Habib, like the Assads a member of the minority Alawite sect, was unwell but alive. In the past high-profile Syrians who have fallen foul of the regime have been killed or reportedly taken their own lives in mysterious circumstances. True or not, the story seemed symptomatic of a febrile atmosphere and heightened intense speculation about the inner workings of the Assad regime. Opposition sources said they were worried that the new defence minister, Daoud Rajah, had been chosen to drive a wedge between his own Christian community and the country’s Sunni majority. The appointment was also seen as reflecting possible disagreements the president and his brother Maher, who in effect commands the elite fourth division and has been overseeing the security crackdown. Turkish officials protested at suggestions Davutoglu was simply delivering a message from the US, after briefing by the state department in Washington about a conversation between him and the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. Assad’s diplomatic isolation deepened this week after Saudi Arabia led Kuwait and Bahrain in recalling their ambassadors from Damascus in protest at the repression. Diplomats say the US and Britain were instrumental in pressing Arab states to break their silence and change tack. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called the Syrian regime “a killing machine”. Emissaries from India, Brazil and South Africa are also due in Damascus to appeal for an end to the crackdown and the introduction of genuine democratic reforms. All three have so far been reticent about stronger UN action against Syria. Activists in Damascus said they were drawing hope from the escalation of protests and the ratcheting up of international pressure on Assad. But none said they could envisage the way in which the regime would fall. Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday the UN security council should press Syria to comply with its demand to end attacks against peaceful protesters. “President Bashar al-Assad needs to hear loud and clear that the security council will not tolerate such contempt for its united call for Syria to change course,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said “precedence should be given to ending the violence and continuing efforts to effect profound political and socioeconomic changes in Syria without delay”. Syria has banned foreign media and restricted local coverage that strays from the official party line, which states the regime is fighting thugs and religious extremists who are acting out a foreign conspiracy. Nour Ali is a pseudonym for a journalist based in Damascus Syria Bashar Al-Assad Middle East Turkey Ian Black Nour Ali guardian.co.uk
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