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Hello to all our friends and supporters,

In the last week, eight people affiliated with the RNC Welcoming Committee
were arrested in their homes or picked up off the streets and charged with
conspiracy to riot and furtherance of terrorism.  The Welcoming Committee
was a group that formed to facilitate logistics (food, housing,
convergence center) around the 2008 Republican National Convention
Protests in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  Most of them were arrested in the days
leading up to the convention, and many had their homes raided by law
enforcement.  They were being held in the Ramsey County jail but as of
Thursday were all released on bail or bond.  They are now facing serious
criminal charges and the potential of a protracted and expensive legal
battle.

This case is potentially dangerous not just for these individuals but for
organizers and activists all over the country.  It represents a seemingly
coordinated effort between state and federal agencies to crack down on
organizers as a way of intimidating and systematically repressing movement
building in all its forms.  It now falls to all of us to fight these
charges not just for these eight people but to protect our friends, our
movements and our communities.

Currently, our immediate need is for financial resources.  We are asking
for people to donate money or set up benefits in their own communities.

You can donate by going to www.nornc.org and clicking on the “Donate to
RNC Welcoming Committee Legal Support” button.

To check out ongoing updates on the case visit www.RNC8.org.

Thank you so much for your support.

In solidarity,
The Friends of the Welcoming Committee

Ramsey County prosecutors formally charged eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. On Thursday, other members of the anarchist group held their first press conference. One local activist accused the police of beating and torturing him in jail. [includes rush transcript]

We speak with Sami Rasouli, an Iraqi American who grew up in Najaf. He left in the late 1970s and eventually moved to the United States and settled down in Minneapolis. In November 2004, nearly thirty years after leaving Iraq, Sami returned home to help rebuild his country as director of the Muslim Peacemakers Team in Najaf. He is back in Minneapolis now on a visit from Iraq and joins us in St. Paul. [includes rush transcript]

In an interview on Democracy Now!, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher blamed a group of 400 to 500 alleged anarchists for creating unrest in St. Paul over the past week. Fletcher also admitted local police authorities had infiltrated and spied on local activists, including members of the RNC Welcoming Committee, for over a year. We play his remarks and an excerpt of a press conference, where members of the RNC Welcoming Committee spoke to the media for the first time. [includes rush transcript]

As John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination inside the Xcel Center last night, nearly 400 people were being arrested on the streets of St. Paul, including more than a dozen media workers. Among them were Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films and Democracy Now! producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who had been arrested on Monday while covering another protest. They were handcuffed and detained for about an hour and a half before being released and issued a citation for unlawful assembly. [includes rush transcript]

Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced Thursday to four years in jail for corruption and tax offenses. Abramoff is already serving a nearly six-year term on unrelated charges. The new sentence will be served at the same time, meaning he will not spend any extra time behind bars once his original sentence ends in 2012. We speak with journalist Peter Stone, author of Heist: Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, His Republican Allies, and the Buying of Washington. [includes rush transcript]

Democracy Now! is broadcasting from Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, here in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Arizona Senator John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination last night at the Xcel Center. We play an excerpt of his address. [includes rush transcript]

The Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities, like last week’s Democratic convention in Denver, is largely funded by big corporations. We try to go inside the suites at both conventions, and speak to Colorado Senator Ken Salazar and MSNBC pundit Tucker Carlson. [includes rush transcript]

Peter Stone covers lobbying, campaign finance and other issues for the National Journal. We ask him the inner workings of the Republican Party and the key players and financiers behind the scenes. [includes rush transcript]

Media Matters fellow and American Prospect columnist Paul Waldman says Sen. McCain’s image as an independent maverick able to take on powerful interests is enabled by a complacent media that overlooks the facts. [includes rush transcript]

Arizona Senator John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination last night, promising an agenda for change and taking on entrenched interests Washington. [includes rush transcript]

• McCain Accepts RNC Nomination
• Peace Activists Interrupt McCain Address
• Up to 400 Arrested on RNC’s Last Day
• Obama Finds Common Ground with O’Reilly in Fox News Appearance
• Abramoff Sentenced to 4-Year Term
• Book: Admin Conducting Extensive Spying on Iraqi Gov’t
• Pentagon Urges Delay of Iraq Troop Reductions; Afghan Occupation to Increase
• US Arrests Iraqi Journalist, Family
• Army Suicide Rate on Record-Setting Pace
• Karzai Visits Site of Deadly US Strike
• Anger Grows in Pakistan over US Attack
• Tropical Storm Hanna Kills 90 in Haiti
• Detroit Mayor Pleads Guilty, Resigns in Perjury Case
• Citing Alleged US Torture, Attorney Seeks Mental Evaluation for Pakistani Prisoner
• Cheney Pushes Georgia Membership in NATO
• UN: Aid to Poor Nations Lags

A decade ago, Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr was serving as a Republican congressman from Georgia and led the Republican drive to impeach President Bill Clinton. Since then he has become a vocal critic of the Republican Party, the war in Iraq and the erosion of civil liberties. Barr joins us in St. Paul. [includes rush transcript]

The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat reports. [includes rush transcript]

Two days after several journalists were arrested covering the RNC protests, including three staffers at Democracy Now!, county and city prosecutors held a press conference in St. Paul. Amy Goodman was there to question them about the crackdown on journalists. [includes rush transcript]

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination last night in front of a roaring crowd at the Xcel Center. Many view McCain’s selection of Palin as a nod to the evangelical right. We speak to Shannyn Moore, an Anchorage-based radio talk show host who closely follows Alaska politics. [includes rush transcript]

Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill goes inside the RNC to take the pulse of what delegates think and how Sarah Palin has spiced up an otherwise sedated affair. [includes rush transcript]

Police in St. Paul are being accused of continuing to intimidate a group of video makers that traveled to the Twin Cities to document police misconduct during the Republican National Convention. On Saturday, police raided a home where members of the I-Witness Video collective were staying. Members of the group were detained for over two hours. The building’s landlord forced the group to move out yesterday after police armed with batons and a battering ram entered their living space for a second time. [includes rush transcript]