Democracy Now - 25 jun 2010

An alternative daily newschannel. One hour with news as you do not see it elsewhere.

http://www.democracynow.orgHeadlines for June 25, 2010



- Obama Backs Down from July 2011 Drawdown in Afghanistan

- Congress Negotiators Approve Financial Regulation Overhaul

- Senate Republicans Block Unemployment Benefits Bill

- NRA, Sierra Club Exempted from Campaign Finance Bill

- US to Deploy Predator Drones Along Texas-Mexico Border

- Obama Faces Another Setback on Drilling Moratorium

- Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Enron CEO

- Julia Gillard Becomes Australia’s First Female PM

- Whale Hunting Talks Break Down

- Jamaican Gang Leader Extradited to US

- Detroit to Close 77 City ParksSpecial reports



- Fortress Toronto: Massive Security Clampdown for G8/G20 Meetings Most Expensive in Canadian History



World leaders have started arriving for the G8 and G20 meetings amidst a massive security crackdown that will mark the most expensive three days in Canadian history. Large swaths of Toronto’s downtown core have the appearance of a police state, with an estimated deployment of over 19,000 security personnel—nearly five times the number at the G20 in Pittsburgh last year. The security price tag is around $1 billion, and some predict the total summit cost will surpass $2 billion.- CODEPINK Activist Detained for Over 48 Hours at Canadian Border After Being Denied Entry to Canada



Two activists from the group CODEPINK taking part in the US Social Forum were detained and prevented from entering Canada on Wednesday when they tried to cross the border from Detroit. Democracy Now!’s Mike Burke spoke with one of them, CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin.- Indigenous Activists Protest G8/G20 Meetings in Toronto



On Thursday, indigenous groups in Toronto held a demonstration to protest the G8 and G20 meetings. Franklin López and Dawn Paley of the Vancouver Media Co-op file a report from the streets.- Indigenous Leader Art Manuel: "Indigenous People Are the First Ones Impacted" by Western-Driven Resource Extraction



Indigenous leader Art Manuel, former Chief of the Neskonlith Band in British Columbia and spokesperson for the Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade, joins us to talk about the struggle for indigenous rights and sovereignty in the context of the G20 summit.- Indigenous Groups Lead Struggle Against Canada’s Tar Sands



A group of lawmakers are calling on the Obama administration to take a closer look at the significant environmental impacts of a proposed massive pipeline that would carry Canadian tar sands oil 2,000 miles from northern Alberta all the way down to refineries in Texas and tankers off the Gulf Coast. Tar sands mining emits three times more greenhouse gas pollution than traditional oil and has come under heavy criticism from environmental and indigenous groups. Democracy Now!’s Mike Burke speaks to Clayton Thomas-Müller, a Canadian indigenous activist with the Indigenous Environmental Network.- Canadian Activist Stefan Christoff Targeted by Government Surveillance, Harassment Ahead of G20 Summit



The G20 host province of Ontario has secretly passed an unprecedented regulation allowing police to arrest anyone near the G20 security zone who refuses to identify themselves or agree to a police search. We speak to Stefan Christoff, a Montreal-based activist who has come under harassment from the Canadian intelligence agency, CSIS, over the past year.

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