Archive - Jun 29, 2010

• Second day of Kagan confirmation hearings
• Guilty verdict in Chicago police brutality case
• Final public hearing on tar sands pipeline proposal
• Residents of Shell Beach, Louisiana brace for oil landfall
• National Cathedral funeral for humanitarian basketball star Manute Bol

• Major operation launched in Afghanistan without advance warning to civilians
• General Petraeus confirmation hearings
• Security forces continue to kill protesters in Kashmir
• Last of the alleged Russian “deep cover” spies arrested in Cyprus
• Hate Crime conviction in NY
• Argentineans Rally for Gay Rights on Anniversary of Stonewall

Solicitor General Elena Kagan faced her second day of confirmation hearings as the president’s nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

Dozens of alleged victims of police torture in Chicago won some justice yesterday after former police commander Jon Burge was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. Chris Geovanis reports from Chicago.

The State Department is holding its final public hearing today regarding a proposed pipeline to bring oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries. The project, known as the Keystone XL pipeline, has generated opposition from environmental groups both in the US and in Canada. For more on this topic, Shannon Young spoke with Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club.

A tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico is delaying efforts to decrease the amount of oil spewing into the ocean. Tropical storm Alex is forecast to reach hurricane strength later today. Gulf disaster response chief Admiral Thad Allen says high waves from the storm have pushed back plans to siphon oil from the gushing former well into a third collection vessel. The third vessel was expected to double the amount of oil collected at the blowout site. Ships used to skim oil off the surface of the water have also been called back to shore.

One of the many coastal communities reeling from the oil disaster is Shell Beach, Louisiana. The tiny fishing community located about 40 miles east of New Orleans is bracing for the oil headed for its shores, marshlands, and fishing waters. Reporter Eve Abrams recently visited the residents of Shell Beach and files this report.

A funeral service for former NBA star and humanitarian activist Manute Bol took place today in Washington DC's National Cathedral. Bol - who was just shy of 7 feet, 7 inches - died on June 19th from severe kidney problems. He used his fame and wealth as a professional basketball player to work towards the resolution of conflicts in Sudan, his country of birth.

Bol also worked with the organization Sundan Sunrise to build dozens of schools in his home country, something he described as one of his greatest accomplishments.

"I want to enable kids to go to school here. Between Muslim, Darfurian, Sudanese and the other countries. You know, they're living on and they want to go to school here. You can go to school here. And I think that would be the best thing that I did for my people."

Manute Bol's body will return to Sudan for burial next to family.