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"A New Chapter": After Half a Century, U.S. and Cuba Unveil Reopening of Embassies & Restored Ties

"A New Chapter": After Half a Century, U.S. and Cuba Unveil Reopeni...
Democracy Now!
http://democracynow.org - After half a century, the United States and Cuba have announced they will reopen embassies in each other’s capitals and formally re-establish diplomatic relations. Secretary of State John Kerry said he will travel to Havana to open the U.S. Embassy there. In a statement, the Cuban government said relations with the United States cannot be considered normalized until trade sanctions are lifted, the naval base at Guantánamo Bay is returned, and U.S.-backed programs aimed at "subversion and internal destabilization" are halted. But in a letter to Obama on Wednesday, Cuban President Raúl Castro acknowledged much progress has already been made, and confirmed the openings of permanent diplomatic missions later this month. We are joined by Peter Kornbluh, author of "Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana."

Indoor Smoking Ban Halts Scientific Research on Smoking
Indoor Smoking Ban Halts Scientific Research on Smoking
ReasonTV
They're fining folks for cursing in Arlington, Virginia, and banning dead people from driving in New Jersey, but this month's Nanny of the Month award is going to the Garden State for its anti-smoking zealotry, which has reached an absurd new low. You would think New Jersey would welcome a company that wanted to conduct research that might actually help people kick the habit. But such research is actually prohibited under the state's Smoke-Free Air Act. New Jersey claims the law protects people's health by banning smoking in most indoor public places—even labs that want to study the health effects of traditional cigarettes compared to vapor based e-cigarettes.

State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-11th District) has introduced a bill that would exempt medical and scientific labs from the Smoke-Free Air Act. That seems like something everyone can rally around, right?

As Black Churches Burn Across the South, Are White Supremacist Attacks Continuing After Charleston?
As Black Churches Burn Across the South, Are White Supremacist Atta...
Democracy Now!
http://democracynow.org - The FBI is launching an investigation into fires set at seven different African-American churches in seven days. So far none of the blazes have been labeled as hate crimes, but investigators say at least three fires were caused by arson. The fires began on June 21, just days after the Charleston massacre, and have occurred in six different states: Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Ohio. We are joined by Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has been tracking these most recent fires.

As France Suspends Soldiers for Child Sexual Abuse, Will UN Tackle Impunity for Peacekeepers?
As France Suspends Soldiers for Child Sexual Abuse, Will UN Tackle ...
Democracy Now!
http://democracynow.org - In the latest allegations of child sex abuse by Western troops in the countries they are supposed to be protecting, France has suspended two soldiers accused of sexually abusing two children in Burkina Faso. The soldiers reportedly filmed themselves abusing one of the victims, a five-year-old girl. The suspension of the French soldiers comes weeks after it emerged the U.N. failed to investigate allegations of sexual exploitation of children by French troops in the Central African Republic. Even after the exploitation was brought to the attention of senior U.N. officials, the U.N. never reported it to French authorities — nor did it do anything to immediately stop the abuse. A forthcoming report by the U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight Services says peacekeepers frequently engage in "transactional sex," forcing impoverished citizens to perform sexual acts in exchange for food and medication. 

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