Newscast for Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Labor groups, unemployed flood Capitol Hill in demonstrations

Occupy protesters, labor groups and unemployed people from across the US are taking their message to politicians on Capitol Hill throughout the week. FSRN’s Matt Laslo caught up with the demonstrators as they held sit-ins in Republican offices today.

National day of action aims to stop foreclosures, reclaim vacant spaces

Moving away for the capitol now, actions are also taking place across the nation today. Activists and homeowners are attempting to stop foreclosures and reclaim vacant bank-owned properties. Occupy Homes Events are planned in 20 cities from Los Angeles to New York, Atlanta to Cleveland. As Wall Street and the largest banks chart profits, organizers say many Americans are struggling to hold on to their homes. We go now to North Minneapolis to speak with homeowner Monique White. She and her children are facing eviction.

At climate talks US inaction prompts activists to shift strategy as deforestation plan debated

This afternoon, Climate talks in Durban, South Africa entered their high-level phase. That means negotiations are now happening between more senior officials, with more power to cut deals. Attention is turning to efforts to protect the world’s forests, which is seen as a key part of fighting climate change. But the strategy so far has yielded mixed results. Brian Edwards-Tiekert has more.

US policy, corporate interests leave heavy footprint in Congo

Tensions remain high in the Democratic Republic of Congo as riot police patrol the streets and officials finalize results from last week’s Presidential election. Opposition supporters say they’ll protest if the current leader, Laurent Kabila, is declared the winner. More than a dozen were killed and 100 seriously wounded in election violence, according to Human Rights Watch. US officials are watching this election closely. So are corporations with interests in extracting cobalt, copper, diamonds and other minerals that could be worth trillions of dollars. To learn more about US and corporate interests in the region, The Real News Network’s Paul Jay spoke to Kambale Musavuli, student coordinator and national spokesperson for Friends of the Congo. He started by asking Musavuli about a 2006 bill, sponsored by then Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, that stated that US policy would “hold accountable individuals, entities, and countries working to destabilize the country.” To listen to the full, multi-part interview, go to therealnews.com.