First Family off to Africa

The First Family takes off for a three-country trip across Africa captured in Earlybird.

Thursday, June 27 2013
All Times ET

4:30 am

The President and the First Lady arrive at the Presidential Palace and are welcomed by President Macky Sall of the Republic of Senegal
Local Event Time: 9:30 AM
Dakar, Presidential Palace, Senegal
Travel Pool Coverage

4:40 am

The President holds a restricted bilateral meeting with President Sall
Local Event Time: 9:40 AM
Dakar, Presidential Palace, Senegal
Pool Spray at the Top

4:55 am

The President holds an expanded bilateral meeting with President Sall
Local Event Time: 9:55 AM
Dakar, Presidential Palace, Senegal
Pool Spray at the Top

5:45 am

The President and President Sall hold a press conference
Local Event Time: 10:45 AM
Dakar, Presidential Palace, Senegal
Open Press

6:50 am

The President meets with regional judicial leaders to discuss rule of law
Local Event Time: 11:50 AM
Dakar, La Cour Supreme, Senegal
Pool Spray at the Top


9:50 am

The President and the First Lady arrive at Goree Island
Local Event Time: 2:50 PM
Dakar Port, Goree Island
Travel Pool Coverage

10:05 am

The President tours Maison Des Esclaves
Local Event Time: 3:05 PM
Goree Island
Travel Pool Coverage

12:40 pm

The President meets and greets with Embassy personnel
Local Event Time: 5:40 PM
Dakar, Radisson Blu Hotel, Senegal
Closed Press


3:25 pm

The President and the First Lady attend an official dinner with President Sall
Local Event Time: 8:25 PM
Dakar, Presidential Palace, Senegal
Pool Spray at the Top

CLYBURN STATEMENT ON SHELBY COUNTY V. HOLDER DECISION

Congressman James Clyburn 6/25/13 Press Release

WASHINGTON — Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn released the following statement on today’s Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder:

“Although I am not surprised, I am deeply disappointed by the Court’s decision today—the 15th Amendment specifically grants Congress the power to ensure that no American is denied the right to vote, and the Supreme Court is wrong to interfere with that Congressional prerogative. The Voting Rights Act has been the single most important tool to protect the right to vote over the last half century. All the way up to the present day, the preclearance requirement has prevented egregious infringements on the franchise, and today’s decision frighteningly opens the door for underhanded schemes to reduce the electoral power of minority communities.

“Today’s decision makes it clearer than ever that we must never waver in our commitment to protect this sacred right. And while I starkly disagree with the Court’s opinion, I also view it as a call to action. Chief Justice Roberts specifically stated that Congress may pass another law to restore the Voting Rights Act to full strength. This work begins today.

“When Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006, we did so with overwhelming bipartisan majorities—245 Republicans, 241 Democrats, and 2 Independents voted to extend the provisions of the law. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact an updated version of the law so that we can continue to ensure that no American is denied the right to participate in our democracy. What was true in 2006 remains true today, and I am confident that we will able to work, as we did then, in a bipartisan manner to preserve the Voting Rights Act. American voters will expect no less.”

Voting Rights Act Section 4 Struck Down By Supreme Court

Link to Supreme Court Voting Rights Decision 6/25/2013 - Shelby County, Alabama versus Attorney General Eric Holder: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf

Story by Huffington Post

The Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act on Tuesday, the provision of the landmark civil rights law that designates which parts of the country must have changes to their voting laws cleared by the federal government or in federal court.

The 5-4 ruling, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, ruled in Shelby County v. Holder that “things have changed dramatically” in the South in the nearly 50 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965.

The court’s opinion said it did not strike down the act of Congress “lightly,” and said it “took care to avoid ruling on the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act” in a separate case back in 2009. “Congress could have updated the coverage formula at that time, but did not do so. Its failure to act leaves us today with no choice but to declare [Section 4] unconstitutional. The formula in that section can no longer be used as a basis for subjecting jurisdictions to preclearance.”

The Voting Rights Act has recently been used to block a voter ID law in Texas and delay the implementation of another in South Carolina. Both states are no longer subject to the preclearance requirement because of the court’s ruling on Tuesday.

“Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions,” Roberts wrote.

“There is no doubt that these improvements are in large part because of the Voting Rights Act," he wrote. "The Act has proved immensely successful at redressing racial discrimination and integrating the voting process."

In his bench statement, Roberts said that Congress had extended a 40-year-old coverage formula based on "obsolete statistics and that the coverage formula "violates the constitution."

Congress, the court ruled, “may draft another formula based on current conditions.” But given the fact that Republicans currently control the House of Representatives, many voting rights advocates consider it unlikely that Congress will act to create a new formula.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued a wide-ranging dissent on behalf of herself and Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, justifying the continued vitality of the Voting Rights Act's preclearance provision.

"The sad irony of today’s decision lies in its utter failure to grasp why the VRA has proven effective," Ginsburg wrote. "The Court appears to believe that the VRA’s success in eliminating the specific devices extant in 1965 means that preclear­ance is no longer needed."

The court did not rule on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, the preclearance requirement itself, which requires those affected states to have changes to their voting laws cleared by the Justice Department or a federal court in Washington, D.C., before they go into effect. Rather, the court ruled that the current formula that determines which states are covered by Section 5 is unconstitutional, effectively eliminating Section 5 enforcement, at least for the time being.

"In the Court’s view, the very success of §5 of the Voting Rights Act demands its dormancy," Ginsburg wrote.

She said in her bench statement that in renewing Section 5 in 2006, Congress "found that 40 years has not been a sufficient amount of time to eliminate the vestiges of discrimination following nearly 100 years of disregard for the 15th Amendment."

The provision has proven "enormously successful" in increasing minority registration and access to the ballot and preventing a "return to old ways," Ginsburg said. Even in jurisdictions where discrimination may not be overt, "subtle methods" have emerged to diminish minority turnout, such as racial gerrymandering.

As for Section 4, Ginsburg wrote that "the record for the 2006 reauthorization makes abundantly clear [that] second-generation barriers to minority voting rights have emerged in the covered jurisdictions as at­tempted substitutes for the first-generation barriers that originally triggered preclearance in those jurisdictions."

"Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan and I are of the view that Congress' decision to extend the act and keep the formula was a rational one," Ginsburg said.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas reiterated his belief that Section 5 is also unconstitutional, a position he took in his dissent from the Court's previous encounter with the Voting Rights Act in 2009.

"However one aggregates the data compiled by Congress, it cannot justify the considerable burdens created by §5," Thomas wrote on Tuesday.

The Obama Justice Department, believing the court might strike down Section 5 in the 2009 case, devised a plan to react to the ruling. A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Voting rights advocates condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“The Supreme Court has effectively gutted one of the nation's most important and effective civil rights laws,” Jon Greenbaum, chief counsel for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement. “Minority voters in places with a record of discrimination are now at greater risk of being disenfranchised than they have been in decades. Today's decision is a blow to democracy. Jurisdictions will be able to enact policies which prevent minorities from voting, and the only recourse these citizens will have will be expensive and time-consuming litigation.”

“Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision erases fundamental protections against racial discrimination in voting that have been effective for more than 40 years,” Elisabeth MacNamara, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, said in a statement. “Congress must act quickly to restore the Voting Rights Act.”

“Today will be remembered as a step backwards in the march towards equal rights,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “We must ensure that this day is just a page in our nation’s history, rather than the return to a dark chapter."

“The Roberts Court proved again that it will not be deterred by Supreme Court precedent, the realities on the ground in our nation; nor will it defer to Congress even when the legislative branch is granted clear authority by the Constitution to remedy our nation's long history of discrimination against racial and language minorities,” said J. Gerald Hebert of the Campaign Legal Center. “The Court today declared racism dead in this country despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.”

High court strikes down key part of Voting Rights Act in 5-4 ruling

Story by the Hill
Written by Sam Baker

The Supreme Court struck down a key piece of the Voting Rights Act on Tuesday, overturning a decades-old policy designed to protect minorities from discrimination.

In a 5-4 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court struck down a formula used to determine whether state and local governments must get permission from the federal government before changing their voting practices.

Roberts said the formula, which Congress first passed in 1965, has outlived its usefulness.

“Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions,” Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

President Obama said he was “deeply disappointed” in the ruling and called on Congress to quickly restore the provisions the court struck down.

“Today’s decision … upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent,” Obama said in a statement.

In a blistering dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg accused the court of “hubris” for overturning a formula that Congress decided was the best way to prevent discrimination at the polls.

“In my judgment, the court errs egregiously by overriding Congress' decision,” Ginsburg said.

Congress first passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and has renewed it several times since then — most recently in 2006. But it has not updated the criteria for determining which state and local governments must get federal “preclearance” before changing their voting procedures.

Congress put an unfair burden on the states by renewing a formula written so long ago, the Supreme Court said.

“At the time, the coverage formula — the means of linking the exercise of the unprecedented authority with the problem that warranted it — made sense. … Nearly 50 years later, things have changed dramatically,” Roberts wrote.

The court threw out the original standards for preclearance but did not rule on the broader question of whether preclearance requirements in general are unconstitutional. The ruling therefore leaves the door open for Congress to write new standards.

“Congress — if it is to divide the States — must identify those jurisdictions to be singled out on a basis that makes sense in light of current conditions. It cannot rely simply on the past,” Roberts wrote.

Congressional Democrats criticized the majority opinion and said they would move quickly on a new set of standards.

"As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I intend to take immediate action to ensure that we will have a strong and reconstituted Voting Rights Act that protects against racial discrimination in voting," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement.

Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006 with enormous bipartisan majorities — 390-33 in the House and 98-0 in the Senate.

But moving a new bill through today’s intensely polarized Congress could be far more difficult.

“I am deeply concerned that Congress will not have the will to fix what the Supreme Court has broken,” Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said in a statement. “I call upon the members of this body to do what is right to insure free and fair access to the ballot box in this country.”

Critics of the court’s decision Tuesday called it an example of judicial activism, saying the justices should have deferred to Congress’s decision to leave the original preclearance standards in place.

Ginsburg, in her dissent, said the preclearance requirements have worked and that requiring federal approval before changes are made is the best way to prevent new forms of voter discrimination.

“The sad irony of today's decision lies in its utter failure to grasp why the [Voting Rights Act] has proven effective,” she wrote.

Ginsburg read a portion of her dissent from the bench Tuesday, a step reserved for cases in which the dissenting justices feel especially strongly.

"Throwing out pre-clearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet,” Ginsburg said in her opinion.

Aug. 6, 1965: President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law

Video by NBC News

Supreme Court strikes down key part of Voting Rights Act

Story by NBC News
Written by Pete Williams and Erin McClam

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the map that determines which states must get federal permission before they change their voting laws.

Civil rights activists called the decision devastating, and a dissenting justice said it amounted to the “demolition” of the law, widely considered the most important piece of civil rights legislation in American history.

The ruling, a 5-4 decision by Chief Justice John Roberts, leaves the future of the law deeply uncertain because it will be up to a sharply divided Congress to redraw the map, if it can agree on one at all.

“In practice, in reality, it’s probably the death knell of this provision,” said Tom Goldstein, the publisher of SCOTUSblog and a Supreme Court analyst for NBC News.

The Voting Rights Act requires nine states with a history of discrimination at the polls, mostly in the South, to get approval from the Justice Department or a special panel of judges before they change their voting laws. The rule also applies to 12 cities and 57 counties elsewhere.

The law was renewed most recently in 2006, but the coverage map still uses election data from 1972 to determine who is covered. Some jurisdictions, including the Alabama county that brought the case, complained that they were being punished for the sins of many decades ago.

Roberts cited census data showing that black voter turnout now exceeds white turnout in five of the six states originally covered by the law.

“Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions,” Roberts wrote for the court.

The act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Congress has renewed it four times, and the 2006 renewal won a huge majority in the House and passed the Senate 98-0. That renewal extended the law through 2031.

As part of the ruling Tuesday, the court published a chart comparing white and black voter registration in 1965 and in 2004 in the six states originally covered. In Alabama, for example, the white registration rate was 69 percent and the black rate 19 percent in 1965. By 2004, that gap had all but disappeared — 74 percent for whites and 73 percent for blacks.

“There is no doubt that these improvements are in large part because of the Voting Rights Act,” Roberts wrote. “The Act has proved immensely successful at redressing racial discrimination and integrating the voting process.”

He cited two towns deeply scarred by the civil rights movement: Philadelphia, Miss., where three men trying to register black voters were murdered in 1964, and Selma, Ala., where police beat hundreds of people marching in 1965. Both towns now have black mayors.

“Problems remain in these States and others,” Roberts wrote, “but there is no denying that, due to the Voting Rights Act, our Nation has made great strides.”

He concluded: “If Congress had started from scratch in 2006, it plainly could not have enacted the present coverage formula.”

The Voting Rights Act is invoked often. It was used to block more than 1,000 proposed changes to voting laws between 1982 and 2006, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a public policy institute at New York University.

And last year, the Voting Rights Act was invoked to stop a voter identification law in Texas and a Florida law that eliminated early voting days, which the center said would have made it more difficult for hundreds of thousands of minority voters to cast ballots.

The states covered are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

The future of the law in Congress is far from clear. Goldstein said that it was “unimaginable” that the Republican-controlled House would determine that, for example, Louisiana still harbors so much racism that it must subject its voting laws to federal approval.

President Barack Obama said in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision.

The Voting Rights Act “has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans,” he said. “Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.”

Veterans of the civil rights movement expressed deep dismay.

“I think what the court did today is stab the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in its very heart," Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who was with President Johnson when he signed the law and who was beaten at Selma, said on the MSNBC program “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”

Of the prospect of getting a new map through Congress, he said: “It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be very difficult, but people said the same thing in 1965.”

Julian Bond, who helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, said on MSNBC that the chances were “slim to none” that Congress would agree on a way forward for the law.

“This is a dysfunctional Congress,” he said. “It’s not doing anything now. It hasn’t done anything for a number of years.”

Roberts was joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion and said that he would have struck down not just the map but the requirement that any jurisdiction get federal clearance to change a voting law.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a dissenting opinion and was joined by the three other members of the court’s more liberal wing. She said that the court should defer to Congress.

“When confronting the most constitutionally invidious form of discrimination, and the most fundamental right in our democratic system, Congress’ power to act is at its height,” Ginsburg wrote.

“Hubris is a fit word for today’s demolition of the VRA,” she said.

The case was brought by Shelby County, Ala., which urged the Supreme Court to strike down both the permission requirement itself and the formula that determines which jurisdictions are covered.

The justices, particularly those on the court’s conservative wing, had expressed deep skepticism when the case was argued in February that the permission requirement was still necessary.

The wide margins of approval in Congress, Justice Antonin Scalia said at the argument, are likely the result of “perpetuation of racial entitlement” — a remark that angered some veterans of the civil rights movement.

“Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements,” Scalia said, “it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes.”

And the court signaled four years ago, in a decision that narrowly rejected a challenge to the permission requirement, that it had doubts about whether at least parts of the Voting Rights Act were constitutional.

“Things have changed in the South,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in that decision. “Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare.”

Ailing Mandela opens eyes, smiles on hearing of President Obama's South Africa trip

Story by NBC News
Written by Keir Simmons and Charlayne Hunter-Gault

PRETORIA, South Africa - Nelson Mandela "opened his eyes" and smiled after being told of President Barack Obama's imminent visit to South Africa, his daughter said Tuesday, adding to speculation that the two men might meet.

The 94-year-old remains in a critical condition, South Africa’s government said Tuesday as relatives gathered at his home for a family meeting that local media reports described as “urgent.”

The anti-apartheid campaigner and democracy icon has been in hospital with a lung infection since June 8. His condition was downgraded over the weekend from "serious but stable" to “critical.”

President Obama is due to leave Wednesday for Senegal, his first stop in a tour of Africa, before heading to South Africa on Friday.

Officials have said it is up to Mandela's family to decide if the former leader is well enough to meet the president, and no meeting is scheduled.

Zindzi Mandela said Tuesday that she had said to her father: "Obama is coming."

"He opened his eyes and gave me a smile," she said.

She was speaking after relatives and chief members of Mandela's clan gathered for a meeting at his rural home in Qunu, Eastern Cape province, on Tuesday morning.

Among those who arrived at the homestead were his grandson Mandla Mandela and other family members, Thanduxolo Mandela, Ndaba Mandela, and Ndileka Mandela.

A South Africa Press Association correspondent said the meeting followed an “urgent call” reportedly made by the former president’s children and quoted Napilisi Mandela, an elder in the Mandela family, as saying the meeting was being called “to discuss delicate matters.”

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Mandela’s other daughter, Makaziwe, said she believed her father was “at peace with himself.”

Asked if the family should “let him go,” she said they wouldn't because he had not asked them to.

Tuesday’s news of Mandela's unchanged condition deepened the sense of gloom among a 50-strong crowd of well-wishers gathered outside the Pretoria hospital where Mandela is being treated.

Mingling with television reporters, they strained to hear the details of reports on the health of a man they knows as “Tata Mandala” - Father Mandela.

The perimeter wall of the hospital is now plastered with goodwill messages. Early Tuesday, more than 100 white doves were released – a symbol of peace for the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

“It’s a mix of emotion, because he’s feeling pain. But on the other side we want him to survive”, said Nhlanhla Mhlong. “If he cannot survive then we want him to be released from the pain.”

It is a deeply painful time for those closest to Nelson Mandela.

Mac Maharaj was jailed alongside Mandela at Robben Island. Now, as one of the former leader’s official press spokesmen, he must field calls about his friend’s frail health.

“I have to make a conscious effort in this job to put aside my feelings,” Maharaj said.

President Obama's Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution - Taking Action for Our Kids

We have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged, and by taking an all- of-the-above approach to develop homegrown energy and steady, responsible steps to cut carbon pollution, we can protect our kids’ health and begin to slow the effects of climate change so we leave a cleaner, more stable environment for future generations. Building on efforts underway in states and communities across the country, the President’s plan cuts carbon pollution that causes climate change and threatens public health. Today, we have limits in place for arsenic, mercury and lead, but we let power plants release as much carbon pollution as they want – pollution that is contributing to higher rates of asthma attacks and more frequent and severe floods and heat waves.

Cutting carbon pollution will help keep our air and water clean and protect our kids. The President’s plan will also spark innovation across a wide variety of energy technologies, resulting in cleaner forms of American- made energy and cutting our dependence on foreign oil. Combined with the President’s other actions to increase the efficiency of our cars and household appliances, the President’s plan will help American families cut energy waste, lowering their gas and utility bills. In addition, the plan steps up our global efforts to lead on climate change and invests to strengthen our roads, bridges, and shorelines so we can better protect people’s homes, businesses, and way of life from severe weather.

While no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, we have a moral obligation to act on behalf of future generations. Climate change represents one of the major challenges of the 21st century, but as a nation of innovators, we can and will meet this challenge in a way that advances our economy, our environment, and public health all at the same time. That is why the President’s comprehensive plan takes action to:

 Cuts Carbon Pollution in America. In 2012, U.S. carbon pollution from the energy sector fell to the lowest level in two decades even as the economy continued to grow. To build on this progress, the Obama Administration is putting in place tough new rules to cut carbon pollution—just like we have for other toxins like mercury and arsenic —so we protect the health of our children and move our economy toward American-made clean energy sources that will create good jobs and lower home energy bills. For example, the plan:

• Directs EPA to work closely with states, industry and other stakeholder to establish carbon pollution standards for both new and existing power plants;

• Makes up to $8 billion in loan guarantee authority available for a wide array of advanced fossil energy and efficiency projects to support investments in innovative technologies;

• Directs DOI to permit enough renewables project—like wind and solar – on public lands by 2020 to power more than 6 million homes; designates the first-ever hydropower project for priority permitting; and sets a new goal to install 100 megawatts of renewables on federally assisted housing by 2020; while maintaining the commitment to deploy renewables on military installations;

• Expands the President’s Better Building Challenge, focusing on helping commercial, industrial, and multi-family buildings cut waste and become at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020;

• Sets a goal to reduce carbon pollution by at least 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030 – more than half of the annual carbon pollution from the U.S. energy sector – through efficiency standards set over the course of the Administration for appliances and federal buildings;

• Commits to partnering with industry and stakeholders to develop fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles to save families money at the pump and further reduce reliance on foreign oil and fuel consumption post-2018; and

• Leverages new opportunities to reduce pollution of highly-potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons; directs agencies to develop a comprehensive methane strategy; and commits to protect our forests and critical landscapes.

 Prepares the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change. Even as we take new steps to cut carbon pollution, we must also prepare for the impacts of a changing climate that are already being felt across the country. Building on progress over the last four years, the plan:

• Directs agencies to support local climate-resilient investment by removing barriers or counterproductive policies and modernizing programs; and establishes a short-term task force of state, local, and tribal officials to advise on key actions the Federal government can take to help strengthen communities on the ground;

• Pilots innovative strategies in the Hurricane Sandy-affected region to strengthen communities against future extreme weather and other climate impacts; and building on a new, consistent flood risk reduction standard established for the Sandy-affected region, agencies will update flood-risk reduction standards for all federally funded projects;

• Launches an effort to create sustainable and resilient hospitals in the face of climate change through a public-private partnership with the healthcare industry;

• Maintains agricultural productivity by delivering tailored, science-based knowledge to farmers, ranchers, and landowners; and helps communities prepare for drought and wildfire by launching a National Drought Resilience Partnership and by expanding and prioritizing forest- and rangeland- restoration efforts to make areas less vulnerable to catastrophic fire; and

• Provides climate preparedness tools and information needed by state, local, and private-sector leaders through a centralized “toolkit” and a new Climate Data Initiative.

 Lead International Efforts to Address Global Climate Change. Just as no country is immune from the impacts of climate change, no country can meet this challenge alone. That is why it is imperative for the United States to couple action at home with leadership internationally. America must help forge a truly global solution to this global challenge by galvanizing international action to significantly reduce emissions, prepare for climate impacts, and drive progress through the international negotiations. For example, the plan:

• Commits to expand major new and existing international initiatives, including bilateral initiatives with China, India, and other major emitting countries;

• Leads global sector public financing towards cleaner energy by calling for the end of U.S. government support for public financing of new coal-fired powers plants overseas, except for the most efficient coal technology available in the world's poorest countries, or facilities deploying carbon capture and sequestration technologies; and

• Strengthens global resilience to climate change by expanding government and local community planning and response capacities.

The Voting Rights Act

From: Donna Brazile
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 11:38 AM
To: Kirk Tanter
Subject: The Voting Rights Act

Kirk --

The Voting Rights Act, first signed into law in 1965, was a keystone victory of the civil rights movement. American citizens withstood beatings, fire hoses and dogs to see the law passed. Some even gave their lives.

And for decades since, the law has protected the right to vote for millions of America's citizens -- regardless of faith, color or creed.

Today's ruling by the Supreme Court striking down parts of this important law is more than a disappointment -- it's an injustice. But we can't let it discourage us or force us out of this fight.

There is so much more work we can do to ensure everyone has the right -- and the ability -- to vote. That's the work Democrats are doing every day.

In the last few years, Republicans have dramatically stepped up their efforts to limit voting access. They've tried passing restrictive voter ID laws, cutting back early-voting hours, and eliminating same-day voter registration. The list goes on.

These threats are real. I'm sure you saw the images of long lines at the polls in Florida last November -- or heard about the voter ID laws Republicans tried to pass in Ohio and North Carolina.

The good news is that Democrats have organized and stopped many of these Republican attempts -- and we're going to continue to stand guard to stop future Republican attacks, and work to expand voting access state by state. Because a belief that our electoral system works best when all of our voices are heard is essential to who we are as Democrats.

We faced a setback with the Supreme Court's decision today, First Name. I can't sugarcoat that. But I hope you won't give up, because let me tell you -- I am most certainly not giving up.


Thanks,

Donna

Donna Brazile
Vice-Chair for Voter Registration and Participation
Democratic National Committee

Blues Legend & Hall Of Fame Artist Bobby “Blue” Bland Dies In Memphis At Age 83

Announcement by WTPS Richmond

A sad day for Music Lovers who know the legend of Bobby ” Blue ” Bland, as news of his death travels across the nation. The Blues icon was 83 years old and was one of America’s storied recording artists who charted almost 40 times on Billboard’s Black Singles charts. His music, his presence, and his legacy will certainly live on forever. Rest in Peace Bobby ” Blue ” Bland.


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Story below by AP

Bobby “Blue” Bland, a distinguished singer who blended Southern blues and soul in songs such as “Turn on Your Love Light” and “Further On Up the Road,” died Sunday. He was 83.

Rodd Bland said his father died due to complications from an ongoing illness at his Memphis, Tenn., home. He was surrounded by relatives.

Bland was known as the “the Sinatra of the blues” and was heavily influenced by Nat King Cole, often recording with lavish arrangements to accompany his smooth vocals. He even openly imitated Frank Sinatra on the Two Steps From the Blues album cover, standing in front of a building with a coat thrown over his shoulder.

“He brought a certain level of class to the blues genre,” said Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, son of legendary musician and producer Willie Mitchell.

Bland was a contemporary of B.B. King’s, serving as the blues great’s valet and chauffer at one point, and was one of the last of the living connections to the roots of the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and was an influence on scores of young rock `n’ rollers.

Bland was a contemporary of B.B. King’s, serving as the blues great’s valet and chauffer at one point, and was one of the last of the living connections to the roots of the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and was an influence on scores of young rock `n’ rollers.

Born in Rosemark, Tenn., he moved to nearby Memphis as a teenager and became a founding member of the Beale Streeters, a group that also included King and Johnny Ace. Upon his induction, the Rock Hall of Fame noted Bland was “second in stature only to B.B. King as a product of Memphis’ Beale Street blues scene.”

After a stint in the Army, he recorded with producer Sam Phillips, who helped launch the careers of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, in the early 1950s with little to show for it. It wasn’t until later that decade Bland began to find success.

He scored his first No. 1 on the R&B charts with “Further On Up the Road” in 1957 and it was around this time he got his nickname, taken from his song “Little Boy Blue” because his repertoire focused so closely on lovelorn subject matter. Beginning with “I’ll Take Care of You” in early 1960, Bland released a dozen R&B hits in a row. That string included “Turn On Your Love Light” in 1961.

Some of his best-known songs included “Call on Me” and “That’s the Way Love Is,” both released in 1963, and “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do” in 1964.

“Lead Me On,” another well-known song, breaks the listener’s heart with the opening lines: “You know how it feels, you understand/What it is to be a stranger, in this unfriendly land.”

Bland wasn’t as well known as some of his contemporaries, but was no less an influential figure for early rock `n’ roll stars. Many of his songs, especially “Further On Up the Road” and “I Pity the Fool,” were recorded by young rockers, including David Bowie and Eric Clapton.

“He’s always been the type of guy that if he could help you in any way, form or fashion, he would,” Rodd Bland said.

Opening Statements Underway In Zimmerman Trial

Story by AP/CBS

(SANFORD, Fl)Opening statements got underway Monday in the trial of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder in the death of 17-year old Trayvon Martin.

Before the statements got underway, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson ruled that remarks Zimmerman made to a police officer and a neighbor immediately after he shot Martin could be used during the trial. Zimmerman told the officer and the neighbor that he was yelling for help but nobody responded during his struggle with Martin.

Arguments over whether the remarks could be used by the defense delayed the start of opening statements by a few minutes.

Prosecutor John Guy opened his statement by telling the jury that “The truth of what happened to Trayvon Martin will come from George Zimmerman’s own mouth.”

Guy repeatedly told the jury about a recording from the night of the shooting in which Zimmerman can be heard saying “F (expletive) punks. These (expletives), they always get away.” Guy went on to say the Zimmerman felt it was his “right to rid his neighborhood of anyone” he thought didn’t belong.

Guy told the jury that the state planned to produce evidence that Martin didn’t attack and punch Zimmerman.

Zimmerman’s claim that Martin had his hands over the neighborhood watch volunteer’s mouth is false since none of Zimmerman’s DNA was found on Martin’s body, Guy said. The prosecutor also said Zimmerman’s claim that he had to fire because Martin was reaching for his firearm is false since none of Martin’s DNA was on the gun or holster. He added that Martin didn’t have any of Zimmerman’s blood on his hands or under his fingernails, but Martin’s blood was on Zimmerman.

Guy said that the day after the shooting, Zimmerman “began to spin a tangled web of lies.”

According to Guy, Martin never told Zimmerman “You’re going to die tonight” as Zimmerman has claimed.

As for injuries Zimmerman suffered, the longest was a two centimeter cut which didn’t require any stitches.

Guy said Zimmerman racially profiled Martin and saw him not as a young man walking home, but as a threat.

“George Zimmerman didn’t shoot Trayvon Martin because he had to,” Guy said. “He shot him for the worst of all reasons: because he wanted to.”

After a short recess, defense attorney Don West told the jury that “I think the evidence will show this is a sad case and there are no monsters.”

West maintained that Zimmerman shot Martin in self defense.

West told the jury it was “absolutely untrue” that Zimmerman followed Martin and was told so not to do so by the non-emergency operator. He said Zimmerman was already outside of car when the dispatcher told him not to follow.

He then described how Martin “sucker punched” Zimmerman when he was confronted.

A neighbor, John Good, who reportedly saw the confrontation will take the stand and tell what happened, West told the jury.

West then walked the jury through the call each exchange at the time. He pointed out that Zimmerman asked the dispatcher to send police. West said Zimmerman was talking about crime in the neighborhood when he said “the (expletive) aways get away.”

Zimmerman was only following Martin in his car to let the dispatcher know his location, according to West.

West added that he has several things for the jury to consider later about the woman Martin was talking to when he and Zimmerman met up.

West said it was Martin who decided to confront Zimmerman. He then played the 9-1-1 call from a neighbor which included the shot that killed Martin.

Fulton left the courtroom when the call was played. This call also included screams which she has said were from her son. Zimmerman’s father has said the screaming heard was from his son. On the screams, West told the jury it will be up to them to decide who they are coming from.

As for witnesses, West said one couldn’t see their faces during the fight but could identify the color of the clothing each person wore. They said the person with the dark colored top, which West maintained was Martin, was ‘mounted’ on top of the other person.

West said Zimmerman was “out of breath” and “injured” when he talked to witnesses after the shooting.

The defense attorney then showed the jury several pictures of Zimmerman’s injuries and told them he “took quite a wallop” to his nose. He said Zimmerman cooperated with police investigating the shooting instead of ‘lawyering up’.

Before the start of the day’s proceedings Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, said his thoughts were with his son.

“As the court proceedings continue today, we as a family look to and cherish and hold onto the memories that Trayvon left us with. As we enter the courtroom today in seeking justice,” said Martin.

“I will be attending this court to try to get justice for my son. I ask that you pray for me and my family because I don’t want any other mother to have to experience what I’m going through now. ,” said Trayvon’s mother Sybrina Fulton.

On Feb. 26, 2012, Zimmerman spotted Martin, whom he did not recognize, walking in the Sanford townhome community where Zimmerman and the fiancee of Martin’s father lived. Martin, who was returning from a convenience store on a rainy night, was wearing a dark hooded shirt.

There had been a rash of recent break-ins and Zimmerman was reportedly wary of strangers walking through the complex. The two eventually got into a struggle and Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest with his 9mm handgun.

The initial decision not to charge Zimmerman led to public outrage and demonstrations around the nation. Civil rights leaders and others accused the police in the central Florida city of Sanford of failing to thoroughly investigate the shooting because Martin was black teen from Miami. Martin was visiting his father in Sanford when he was shot.

Two police dispatch phone calls will be important evidence for both sides’ cases.

The first is a call Zimmerman made to a nonemergency police dispatcher as he followed Martin walking through his gated community. At one point, the dispatcher tells Zimmerman he doesn’t need to be following Martin.

The second 911 call captures screams from the confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin. Martin’s parents said the screams are from their son while Zimmerman’s father contends they belong to his son.

Nelson ruled last weekend that audio experts for the prosecution won’t be able to testify that the screams belong to Martin, saying the methods the experts used were unreliable.

LeBron James, Heat beat Spurs for second straight NBA title

Story and Video by ESPN

MIAMI -- Victory in Game 7 brought more than another crown for LeBron James and the Miami Heat. It validated the team and its leader, forever cementing their place among the NBA's greats.

For the vanquished San Antonio Spurs, it simply compounded the misery of a championship that got away.

James led the Heat to their second straight title, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 95-88 victory on Thursday night in a tense game that was tight until Miami pulled away in the final minute.

Capping their best season in franchise history -- and perhaps the three-superstar system they used to build it -- the Heat ran off with the second straight thriller in the NBA's first championship series to go the distance since 2010.

Two nights after his Game 6 save when the Heat were almost eliminated, James continued his unparalleled run through the basketball world, with two titles and an Olympic gold medal in the past 12 months.

"I work on my game a lot throughout the offseason," said James, who was MVP for the second consecutive Finals. "I put a lot of work into it and to be able to come out here and (have) the results happen out on the floor is the ultimate. The ultimate. I'm at a loss for words."

James made five 3-pointers, defended Tony Parker when he had to, and did everything else that could be expected from the best player in the game.

The Heat became the NBA's first repeat champions since the Lakers in 2009-10, and the first team to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

"It took everything we had as a team," Dwyane Wade said. "Credit to the San Antonio Spurs, they're an unbelievable team, an unbelievable franchise. This is the hardest series we ever had to play. But we're a resilient team and we did whatever it took."

Players and coaches hugged afterward -- their respect for each other was obvious from the opening tipoff of Game 1 through the final buzzer.

A whisker away from a fifth title two nights earlier, the Spurs couldn't find a way to win it all in what was perhaps the last shot for Tim Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili to grab another ring together.

"In my case, I still have Game 6 in my head," Ginobili said. "Today, we played an OK game. They just made more shots than us. LeBron got hot. Shane (Battier), too. Those things can happen. But being so close and feeling that you are about to grab that trophy, and seeing it vanish is very hard."

They were trying to become the first team to win a Game 7 on the road since Washington beat Seattle in 1978, but those old guys ran out of gas just before the finish.

Fans stood, clapped and danced as the clock ticked down, when every score was answered by another score, each stop followed by a better stop. The Heat pushed their lead to six points a few times midway through the fourth but San Antonio kept coming back.

Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but missed a shot and follow attempt under the basket with about 50 seconds left and the Spurs trailing by two.

James followed with a jumper -- the shot the Spurs were daring him to take earlier in the series -- to make it 92-88, sending San Antonio to a timeout as Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On" blared over the arena's sound system.

He then came up with a steal and made two free throws for a six-point lead, and after Ginobili missed, James stalked toward the sideline, knowing it was over and that he was, once again, the last one standing.

Wade had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who overcame a scoreless Chris Bosh by getting six 3-pointers and 18 points from Shane Battier.

"It was a great series and we all felt that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I don't know if 'enjoy' is the right word, but in all honesty, even in defeat, I'm starting to enjoy what our group accomplished already, when you look back. And you need to do that, to put in perspective. So it's no fun to lose, but we lost to a better team. And you can live with that as long as you've given your best, and I think we have."

Streamers fell from the arena ceiling onto the fans for the second year in a row, but this one meant so much more. A narrow escape in Game 6 was still fresh in everyone's mind.

They were down 10 in the fourth quarter of that one before James led the charge back, finishing with a triple-double in Miami's 103-100 overtime victory. This one was nearly as tight, neither team leading by more than seven and the game tied 11 times.

Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Spurs, who had been 4-for-4 in the championship round. Ginobili had 18 points but Parker managed just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

"Just give credit to the Miami Heat. LeBron was unbelievable. Dwyane was great. I just think they found a way to get it done," Duncan said. "We stayed in the game. We gave ourselves opportunities to win the game. We just couldn't turn that corner."

The Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra collected the Larry O'Brien trophy again from commissioner David Stern, presiding over his final NBA Finals before retiring next February.

He couldn't have asked for a better way to go out.

James avenged his first Finals loss, when his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the Spurs on 2007. That helped send James on his way to South Florida, realizing it would take more help to win titles that could never come alone.

He said he would appreciate this one more because of how tough it was. The Heat overpowered Oklahoma City in five games last year, a team of 20-something kids who weren't ready to be champions yet.

This came against a respected group of Spurs whose trio has combined for more than 100 playoff victories together and wanted one more in case this was San Antonio's last rodeo.

Duncan is 37 and Ginobili will be a 36-year-old free agent next month, the core of a franchise whose best days may be behind them.

Meanwhile, it's a potential dynasty along Biscayne Bay, but also one with a potentially small window. Wade's latest knee problems are a reminder that though he came into the NBA at the same time as James and Bosh, he's a couple of years older at 31 with wheels that have seen some miles.

James can become a free agent again next summer with another decision -- though hopefully not another Decision -- to make. He's comfortable in Miami and close with Wade, and the Heat have the leadership and commitment from owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley to keep building a championship core around him.

Why would he want to leave?

San Antonio's most recent title came at James' expense. The Spurs exploited the weaknesses in James' game though knew someday they would be gone, Duncan telling him afterward that the league would someday belong to James.

And James simply isn't giving it back.

He came in averaging 33.8 points in Game 7s, already the best in NBA history, and was even better in this one.

He can't be defended the way he was six years ago, too strong inside and too solid from the outside. He drove Danny Green back like a tackling dummy to convert a three-point play in the second quarter, then knocked down a 3-pointer for the Heat's next score.

Heat fans, criticized over the past two days after many bolted before the finish Tuesday and then tried to force their way back in, weren't going anywhere early in this one. The game was too good.

And there was another celebration to watch.

The Heat had the classic championship hangover through the first few months of this season, too strong to lose at home but not committed enough to win on the road, where they were just 11-11 following a 102-89 loss in Indiana on Feb. 1.

They won in Toronto two nights later on Super Bowl Sunday and didn't lose again until well into March Madness, running off 27 straight victories before falling in Chicago on March 27 and finishing a franchise-best 66-16.

The small-market Spurs have always been a ratings killer, but interest grew throughout this series in their attempt to toppled the champs. Game 6 drew more than 20 million viewers, a total that Game 7 was expected to top.

And the games got better, too. Games 2-5 were all decided by double digits, neither team able to carry its momentum from one game to the next.

This one was back and forth for more than three quarters, with Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer at the buzzer giving Miami a 72-71 lead heading to the final 12 minutes of the season.

Game 6 could have shaken the Spurs, who were so close to holding the trophy that officials were preparing the championship presentation before Miami's rally. The Spurs held a team dinner late that night, figuring the company was better than having to dwell on the defeat alone in their rooms.

The pain of that game or the pressure of this one had little effect on their veterans but brought out a change in their leader, the subject of some rare second-guessing for his rotations near the end of the collapse.

The famously blunt Popovich was in a chatty mood pregame, actually preferring to stay and talk even when there were no more questions, saying the busier he was, the less he'd worry.

"It's torture," he said earlier of Game 7s. "It's hard to appreciate or enjoy torture."

But it sure was beautiful to watch.

The sport's most pressure-packed game had a nervous start, each team making just seven baskets in the first quarter and combining for seven turnovers. The Spurs took an early seven-point lead, but a pair of 3-pointers by Battier during an 8-0 run helped Miami take an 18-16 lead.

The Heat nursed a narrow lead for most of the second quarter, and after San Antonio went ahead in the final minute of the period, James tipped in a miss before Wade knocked down a jumper with 0.8 seconds left to send the Heat to the locker room with a 46-44 edge.

Game notes
Home teams are 15-3 in Game 7s of the NBA Finals. ... Miami improved to 5-3 all-time in Game 7s in the postseason and became the fourth team to win the final two games at home since the finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985, joining the Lakers in 1988 and 2010, and Houston Rockets in 1994. ... Green was just 1 for 12, going 1 for 6 behind the arc. He started the series by making 25 3s in the first five games, a finals record for an entire series.

AARP Launches "Voices of Civil Rights" Public Service Campaign to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Key Milestones in the Civil Rights Movement

Press Release by AARP

WASHINGTON - AARP is commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Medgar Evers' assassination (6/12/63), the March on Washington (8/28/63) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (7/2/64) with nationwide public service announcements featuring six eye-opening personal stories selected from the Library of Congress "Voices of Civil Rights" exhibit . The PSAs will appear on cable television, including CNN and TV One, through August 2013.

"Voices of Civil Rights" is a collection of manuscripts and oral histories that were assembled nearly 10 years ago in a collaborative project led by AARP in partnership with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) and the Library of Congress. As part of the multifaceted initiative, a bus staffed with award-winning journalists, photographers and videographers traveled more than 12,000 miles, visiting historic sites from Virginia to California, and documented the journey. More than 200,000 people attended "Voices of Civil Rights" events in their communities and shared their personal stories of courage, hope and sacrifice. At the end of the 70 day bus tour through 22 states, AARP donated nearly 4,000 stories to the Library of Congress.

"AARP produced Voices of Civil Rights to bring the sights and sounds of this impactful movement to the world," said Larry Gannon, AARP VP TV & Radio Programming. "It is our goal that the PSAs provide an opportunity for reflection and remembrance and inspire others to share their experiences."

As part of the 2013 "Voices of Civil Rights" public service campaign, people can submit their personal stories at www.aarp.org/TellAStory. AARP may select some of the stories to be featured on the AARP website.

Story by ESPN
Written by Daren Rovell

Will Jay-Z actually represent clients of his newly created sports agency, Roc Nation Sports, in contract negotiations?

That's a possibility in the future as Jay-Z is now licensed to work as an agent for NBA and MLB players.

Ron Berkowitz, a spokesman for Roc Nation Sports, confirmed to ESPN.com that, as of this week, Jay-Z is now licensed to work as an NBA agent. Juan Perez, president of Roc Nation Sports, also is now certified with the National Basketball Players Association.

And MLB Players Association spokesman Greg Bouris told ESPN.com on Thursday that Jay-Z is also now licensed for MLB.

The news was earlier reported by the Sports Business Journal.

What's not clear is how soon Jay-Z can represent players. A source close to the situation said that, as of Wednesday, the hip-hop mogul had not sold his small ownership share (less than 1 percent) of the Brooklyn Nets.

Industry speculation is Jay-Z might be able to sign players as long as he agrees to pass off his share of the Nets in the near future. Owners of NBA teams cannot represent players.

The first NBA player Jay-Z is expected to sign is Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, who told his agent, Rob Pelinka, in recent days that he would sign with Jay-Z. Durant has not commented publicly.

Since announcing his intention to start a sports agency a few months ago, Jay-Z's firm has signed New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith and former Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins, who recently was selected third by the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA draft.

Roc Nation partnered with Creative Artists Agency to do Cano's contract negotiations since the company doesn't have an MLB agent on its roster. Smith's contract will be negotiated by Kim Miale, Roc Nation's new NFL agent who has very little experience.

On Wednesday, NFLPA officials met with Miale to determine if Jay-Z, who is still not certified with the NFL, violated the union's "runner rule." The rule says that anyone who is not certified cannot recruit players, yet Smith, the Jets' rookie backup quarterback, tweeted a picture of himself sitting in the same room with Jay-Z. The outcome of the meeting between the NFLPA and Miale is not known.

While Roc Nation has not confirmed that it has signed New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who accepted a one-year free-agent tender offer of $2.879 million last week, a deal appears close. Cruz took pictures with Jay-Z, Cano and Smith at a party Monday in Manhattan to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Jay-Z's 40/40 sports bar.

It just might be that Roc Nation and CAA, whose agents have said Cruz was steered to them by Jay-Z, will have a partnership just like they have for the baseball deal with Cano.

'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini dead at 51; teenage son found actor, called for help

James Gandolfini, 1961-2013

Story by NBC
Written by Claudio Lavanga

ROME, Italy -- James Gandolfini’s teenage son called for help after discovering his father collapsed in a bathroom, according to the manager of the Italian hotel where the “The Sopranos” star was staying. The Emmy-winning actor was later pronounced dead Wednesday at age 51.

Gandolfini, who rose to fame as mob boss Tony Soprano on the hit HBO show, was still alive when the ambulance arrived, according to Antonio D'amore, who runs the Hotel Boscolo in Rome.

Gandolfini suffered a suspected heart attack in the bathroom of his hotel room at about 10 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET) Wednesday, according to D’amore.

He said Gandolfini’s son, Michael, was with him in the room and called for help. Hotel staff rushed to the room and found the actor on the bathroom floor, D'amore said.

Workers tried to resuscitate him but he was taken to the nearby Policlinico Umberto I hospital. Michael Kobold, who lived with Gandolfini years ago and considered him a "big brother," spoke to reporters outside the hotel and confirmed that hotel workers called an ambulance and first aid was administered on Gandolfini before he was transported to the hospital.

“Our prayers and condolences go to Mr Gandolfini's family and firends," Kobold said, referring to himself as a family spokesman. "We ask you all to respect the family's privacy at this difficult time.”

Kobold said Gandolfini died of "an apparent heart attack." Claudio Modini, head of the hospital's emergency room, told The Associated Press that Gandolfini was declared dead at 11 p.m. (5 p.m. ET), 40 minutes after being admitted. He said an autopsy would be performed, as required by local law, with the preliminary results likely due on Friday.

Gandolfini and his family were visiting Rome prior to his scheduled appearance on Saturday as guest of honor at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.

"He was a genius," said "Sopranos" creator David Chase. "Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time."

Edie Falco who played Carmela Soprano, the unforgettable mobster's wife, said Gandolfini was "a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words."

"My heart goes out to his family," she added. "As those of us in his pretend one hold on to the memories of our intense and beautiful time together. The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I've ever known."

Michael Imperioli, who played Tony Soprano's nephew on the HBO ground-breaking series, called working with Gandolfini a "pleasure and a privilege" in a statement. "Jimmy treated us all like family with a generosity, loyalty and compassion that is rare in this world...I will be forever grateful having had a friend the likes of Jimmy."

Federico Castelluccio, who played Furio Giunta on the series, described Gandolfini as "really well-naunced" and "one of the greatest actors of our time."

"He was a soft-spoken guy, but a warm guy," New York Times TV writer Bill Carter told TODAY's Matt Lauer. "When he hugged you, it was genuine."

Gandolfini won critical acclaim, three Emmy Awards and three Screen Actors Guild awards for playing Tony Soprano from 1999-2007.

"We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family," HBO said in a statement. "He was a special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us."

Although a New Jersey native, Gandolfini didn't expect to land the role of Tony Soprano. "I thought that they would hire some good-looking guy, not George Clooney but some Italian George Clooney, and that would be that," he told Vanity Fair in 2012.

But instead, it was Gandolfini who got the nod, and he made viewers care about a mob boss who could order the murder of a family member one minute and turn around and tenderly feed the ducks that swam in his estate's swimming pool the next.

"I think you cared about Tony because David was smart enough to write the Greek chorus, through (Soprano's psychiatrist) Dr. Melfi," Gandolfini said. "So you sat there and you got to see his motives, what he was thinking, what he was trying to do, what he was trying to fix, what he was trying to become. And then you saw it didn’t really work out the way he wanted it to."

Actress Lorraine Bracco, who played Melfi, said in a statement,"We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken."

Despite being globally associated Tony Soprano, he went on to play quite different roles including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden hunt docudrama "Zero Dark Thirty." He also starred in the remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123."

Gandolfini went on a USO tour to Kuwait and Iraq in 2004, and found himself unable to forget the soldiers and Marines he met there. The result was his 2008 HBO documentary, "Alive Day Memories," in which he spoke with 10 men and women who survived the war. The program was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding nonfiction special, and NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams called it a "powerful and nonpolitical hour of television."

Organizers of the Taormina Film Festival said a tribute would be paid to the actor on Saturday, when he had been due to make his appearance.

TODAY.com's Gael Fashingbauer Cooper and NBC News' Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

Bernanke Says Fed on Course to End Asset Purchases in 2014

Story by Bloomberg
Written by Joshua Zumbrun & Jeff Kearns
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/fed-keeps-85-billion-pace-of-bond-buying-sees-risks-waning.html

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the central bank may start reducing bond purchases later this year and end them in the middle of 2014 if the economy continues to improve as the central bank forecasts.

“If the incoming data are broadly consistent with this forecast, the committee currently anticipates that it would be appropriate to moderate the pace of purchases later this year,” Bernanke said today in a press conference in Washington. “If the subsequent data remain broadly aligned with our current expectations for the economy, we will continue to reduce the pace of purchases in measured steps through the first half of next year, ending purchases around mid-year.”

Bernanke spoke after the Federal Open Market Committee said today it would maintain the $85 billion pace of monthly asset purchases and that it sees the “downside risks to the outlook for the economy and the labor market as having diminished since the fall.” The FOMC (TREFQE2) repeated that it’s prepared to increase or reduce the pace of purchases depending on the outlook for the job market and inflation.

Bernanke is expanding the Fed’s balance sheet toward $4 trillion as he seeks to reduce a jobless rate that stands at 7.6 percent after four years of economic growth. Concern that the Fed is closer to reducing the pace of asset purchases pushed 10-year Treasury yields to the highest since March 2012.

Stocks extended losses after his remarks. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined 1.1 percent at 3 p.m. in New York. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.3 percent from 2.19 percent late yesterday.

More on story: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/fed-keeps-85-billion-pace-of-bond-buying-sees-risks-waning.html

Arbitron drops out-of-market simulcast requirement

Briefing by Inside Radio

In a victory for stations that combine their on-air and online audiences for local advertisers, Arbitron is significantly loosening streaming simulcast rules. It will no longer require a station stream any commercials or content outside the over-the-air station’s home metro and DMA. Stations will qualify for Total Line Reporting as long as the stream simulcasts all content, including commercials, in the home metro and DMA of its over-the-air partner. The change goes into effect with the July 2013 PPM report month and summer 2013 diary survey. Arbitron says the change will “provide greater flexibility to stations that stream.”

Miami Heat Fans Are the Worst, and Lakers Fans Can Rejoice

Commentary by YahooSports's Michael C. Jones

Basketball is about winners and losers, and in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, no single group lost more on Tuesday night in South Florida more than Miami Heat fans.

It was late in the fourth quarter, and the defending champs were down by two points when people who supposedly call themselves the Heat faithful started leaving in droves because they thought Heat would lose as Kawhi Leonard stepped to the free throw line to potentially put the game out of reach -- that weekday Miami traffic after midnight is a beast.

It's as if the best player on the planet in LeBron James or the best three-point shooter in the history of basketball weren't on the floor.

The most incredible thing about it, though, was for 47.5 minutes, the game was already an instant classic and literally broke Twitter on numerous occasions. The best player on the planet was in headband-less form and the Heat defense was swarming all over the court in desperation.

Somehow, that wasn't enough to convince "Heat fan" that he should hang out to see what unfolded next. Great job, Heat fan. You are amazing in so many ways.

But it gets better. More of those same "fans" tried to get back into the game after Leonard missed 1-of-2 free throws and Ray Allen hit a miracle 3-pointer and sent the game into overtime. It's sweet justice that after several minutes of pounding on the doors, begging and pleading to be let in, the police never allowed them back in the building. What a great use of tax dollars!

They deserved not to see the final five minutes of what will go down as one of the greatest games in NBA history.

Lakers fans = winning

If Heat fans are losers, then the city of Los Angeles won in a big way that night.

Los Angeles Lakers fans, often chastised for the same type of behavior, are off the hook for the foreseeable future. They can wallow in the despair of Heat fans who are now unequivocally the worst in the NBA and now have to fake their way through water cooler talk that assumes they stayed. That title of "Worst Fans Ever" doesn't come easy -- it's earned. They did so in grandiose fashion on Tuesday.

Celebrities? L.A. has better ones. Jack Nicholson would destroy Justin Bieber in a fan cage match -- wait, Bieber's a Heat fan? But he was sitting courtside at Staple Center just a few months... oh, forget it. Celebrities make real fans look bad in any city with their stoicism and refusal to cheer or wear free T-shirts (I'm talking to you MC Hammer).

Except for Nicholson, he's cool.

SB Nation's NBA top dog Tom Ziller wrote a highly-entertaining piece on 50 reasons to hate the Lakers -- an outstanding read to be sure, even for the purple-and-gold faithful who aren't so uptight that they can be self-deprecating. Of course, we're talking about Southern California, so most are.

But he absolutely crushes L.A. fans with some relatively sound reasoning. Some examples of such are their delusions about the status of Kobe Bryant as the No. 1 player in the league right now (ironically, that's James), disrespecting old glory in Sacramento and hating fun.

But there's nothing as egregious as what went down last night in Miami with respect to their own supposed supporters. It was embarrassing and fantastic, regrettable and glorious all at the same time.

Bravo, Miami. I hope the overpriced drinks and smell of cologne and perfume were all worth missing out on the experience of a lifetime. You are incredible.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

For more on the NBA, catch up with Michael C. Jones on Twitter @MikeJonesTweets

Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil

Story by Reuters
Written by Todd Benson and Asher Levine

(SAO PAULO) As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.

The marches, organized mostly through snowballing social media campaigns, blocked streets and halted traffic in more than a half-dozen cities, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia, where demonstrators climbed onto the roof of Brazil's Congress building and then stormed it.

Monday's demonstrations were the latest in a flurry of protests in the past two weeks that have added to growing unease over Brazil's sluggish economy, high inflation and a spurt in violent crime.

While most of the protests unfolded as a festive display of dissent, some demonstrators in Rio threw rocks at police, set fire to a parked car and vandalized the state assembly building. Vandals also destroyed property in the southern city of Porto Alegre.

Around the country, protesters waved Brazilian flags, dancing and chanting slogans such as "The people have awakened" and "Pardon the inconvenience, Brazil is changing."

The epicenter of Monday's march shifted from Sao Paulo, where some 65,000 people took to the streets late in the afternoon, to Rio. There, as protesters gathered throughout the evening, crowds ballooned to 100,000 people, local police said. At least 20,000 more gathered in Belo Horizonte.

The demonstrations are the first time that Brazilians, since a recent decade of steady economic growth, are collectively questioning the status quo.

BIG EVENTS LOOM

The protests have gathered pace as Brazil is hosting the Confederation's Cup, a dry run for next year's World Cup soccer championship. The government hopes these events, along with the 2016 Summer Olympics, will showcase Brazil as an emerging power on the global stage.

Brazil also is gearing up to welcome more than 2 million visitors in July as Pope Francis makes his first foreign trip for a gathering of Catholic youth in Rio.

Contrasting the billions in taxpayer money spent on new stadiums with the shoddy state of Brazil's public services, protesters are using the Confederation's Cup as a counterpoint to amplify their concerns. The tournament got off to shaky start this weekend when police clashed with demonstrators outside stadiums at the opening matches in Brasilia and Rio.

"For many years the government has been feeding corruption. People are demonstrating against the system," said Graciela Caçador, a 28-year-old saleswoman protesting in Sao Paulo. "They spent billions of dollars building stadiums and nothing on education and health."

More protests are being organized for the coming days. It is unclear what specific response from authorities - such as a reduction in the hike of transport fares - would lead the loose collection of organizers across Brazil to consider stopping them.

For President Dilma Rousseff, the demonstrations come at a delicate time, as price increases and lackluster growth begin to loom over an expected run for re-election next year.

Polls show Rousseff still is widely popular, especially among poor and working-class voters, but her approval ratings began to slip in recent weeks for the first time since taking office in 2011. Rousseff was booed at Saturday's Confederations Cup opener as protesters gathered outside.

Through a spokeswoman, Rousseff called the protests "legitimate" and said peaceful demonstrations are "part of democracy." The president, a leftist guerrilla as a young woman, also said that it was "befitting of youth to protest."

WIDE ARRAY OF GRIEVANCES

Some were baffled by the protests in a country where unemployment remains near record lows, even after more than two years of tepid economic growth.

"What are they going to do - march every day?" asked Cristina, a 43-year-old cashier, who declined to give her surname, peeking out at the demonstration from behind the curtain of a closed Sao Paulo butcher shop. She said corruption and other age-old ills in Brazil are unlikely to change soon.

The marches began this month with an isolated protest in Sao Paulo against a small increase in bus and subway fares. The demonstrations initially drew the scorn of many middle-class Brazilians after protesters vandalized storefronts, subway stations and buses on one of the city's main avenues.

The movement quickly gained support and spread to other cities as police used heavy-handed tactics to quell the demonstrations. The biggest crackdown happened on Thursday in Sao Paulo when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in clashes that injured more than 100 people, including 15 journalists, some of whom said they were deliberately targeted.

Other common grievances at Monday's marches included corruption and the inadequate and overcrowded public transportation networks that Brazilians cope with daily.

POLICE SHOW RESTRAINT

The harsh police reaction to last week's protests touched a nerve in Brazil, which endured two decades of political repression under a military dictatorship that ended in 1985. It also added to doubts about whether Brazil's police forces would be ready for next year's World Cup.

The uproar following last week's crackdown prompted Sao Paulo state Governor Geraldo Alckmin, who first described the protesters as "troublemakers" and "vandals," to order police to allow Monday's march to proceed and not to use rubber bullets.

The protests are shaping up as a major political challenge for Alckmin, a former presidential candidate, and Sao Paulo's new mayor, Fernando Haddad, a rising star in the left-leaning Workers' Party that has governed Brazil for the past decade. Haddad invited protest leaders to meet Tuesday morning, but has so far balked at talk of a bus fare reduction.

The resonance of the demonstrations underscores what economists say will be a challenge for Rousseff and other Brazilian leaders in the years ahead: providing public services to meet the demands of the growing middle class.

"Voters are likely to be increasingly disgruntled on a range of public services in a lower growth environment," Christopher Garman, a political analyst at the Eurasia Group, wrote in a report.

(Additional reporting by Esteban Israel and Eduardo Simões; Editing by Paulo Prada)

Radio Station vandal gets jail time.

Briefing by Inside Radio

Hundreds of station transmitter sites have been vandalized over the past several years by thieves looking for copper to sell, and now one will do jail time for it. Robert Wendell Scott Jr. admitted he vandalized the site for SunGroup Broadcasting’s classic country WJAQ, Marianna, FL (100.9) in March. Since Scott was already on probation, the News Herald reports he’ll head back to jail for 10 years followed by 20 years of probation.

G-8 Summit: Tax Evasion Becomes Focus Of Group Of 8 Meetings

Story by AP
Written by Shawn Pogatchnik

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland — World leaders at the G-8 summit declared Tuesday that governments must work together to close loopholes that allow multinational corporate giants to avoid paying taxes in their home countries.

In a joint statement at the conclusion of a two-day summit, leaders of eight of the world's wealthiest countries said tax authorities should share information "to fight the scourge of tax evasion" and make it harder for companies to "shift their profits across borders to avoid taxes."

But the key word in the document may well be "should" – the partnership made no formal agreement on any specific reforms. The agreed aspirations will be developed at this year's G-20 summit.

Still, host Britain heralded the agreement as a good first step toward creating a new environment of corporate transparency. A key principle in the plan would require multinationals to declare how much tax they pay in each country.

Later Tuesday, the G-8 club of Britain, the United States, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Canada and Japan are expected to issue declarations of common ground on ending the Syrian civil war and combating terrorism.

The G-8 tax initiative reflects widespread anger over the ability of foreign companies to funnel profits to tax-friendly countries.

British Prime Minister David Cameron began Tuesday with what his spokesman called a "brisk" swim in the chilly waters of scenic Lough Erne, the lake beside the Northern Ireland golf resort hosting the summit, before heading in to lead the summit's second and final day.

British lawmakers have sharply criticized Google, Starbucks and other U.S. multinationals operating in Britain for exploiting tax rules by registering their profits in neighboring countries such as Ireland – which charges half the rate of corporate tax – or paying no tax at all by employing offshore shell companies.

Many of the world's leading companies, ranging from Apple to the management company of U2, employ complex corporate structures involving multiple subsidiaries in several countries to minimize the tax bills in their home nation. One such maneuver, called the "double Irish with a Dutch sandwich," allows foreign companies to send profits through one Irish company, then to a Dutch company and finally to a second nominally Irish company that is headquartered in a usually British tax haven.

The United States said it was committed to reforming the global accounting rules and collecting more of U.S. companies' profits banked outside American shores.

"The goal of cracking down on tax avoidance, bringing greater transparency to it, this is something we've pursued in the United States, and we agree with Prime Minister Cameron that we can work together multilaterally to promote approaches that achieve those objectives," said Ben Rhodes, President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser.

Campaigners for greater tax transparency appealed to the G-8 to ensure that reforms benefited the poorest countries of Africa, South America and Asia as well as the rich west. Anti-poverty campaigners have stressed that shell companies are a key method of spiriting away funds from a country.

Cameron says Britain will lead by example by creating a registry of who really owns companies, and will consider making it public – an idea viewed skeptically by many other countries fearful of scaring companies out of their jurisdictions.

"G-8 leaders must decide whether they want to shape the transparency revolution or resist the tide of history," said Adrian Lovett, Europe executive director at development campaign group One.

However, Britain itself stands accused of being one of the world's main links in the tax-avoidance chain. Several of the UK's own island territories – including Jersey, Guernsey and the British Virgin Islands – serve as shelters and funnel billions each week through the City of London.

"Of course Britain's got to put its own house in order," said Britain's treasury chief, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who address the G-8 meeting on corporate tax reform along with International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde.

Before the summit, Britain announced a provisional agreement with the finance chiefs of nine of its offshore dependencies and territories to improve their sharing of information on individuals and companies banking cash there.

G-8 delegations also faced a final few hours of behind-the-scenes haggling to see whether all eight could express a joint position on ending the two-year civil war in Syria.

Russia's Vladimir Putin, who backs the government of Bashar Assad against rebel forces, during Monday night's working dinner on the issue refused to shift his stance and abandon the Syrian leader. The other seven leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, have shown varying degrees of support for the rebels.

Also Tuesday, Cameron won commitment from all eight nations to stop paying ransoms to kidnappers in hopes of deterring the practice following January's bloody capture by al-Qaeda-linked militants of an Algerian gas facility. Ten Japanese, five Britons, three Americans and a French national were among the 40 civilians killed as Algerian forces retook the facility.

Hostage-taking of foreign workers for cash payments is on the rise across much of West Africa, particularly Nigeria with its own oil industry dominated by Western companies and foreign managers.

Cameron invited the leaders of Libya and the African Union to join the talks table over lunch to discuss the issue.

The summit was concluding with rapid-fire statements by each departing leader. Obama was scheduled to continue his European trip Tuesday night in Germany.

Iran celebrates Rouhani's presidential win

Moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani has called his defeat of conservative hardliners a victory of moderation over extremism and pledged a new tone of respect in international affairs.
Story by Al Jazeera English

Thousands of jubilant Iranians poured onto the streets in celebration of the victory on Saturday, chanting: "Long live reform! Long live Rouhani!", according to witnesses at the scene.

"Ahmadi, bye bye!" they added in reference to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - who was legally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

Many were dressed in purple, Rouhani's campaign colour, and others in
green, the colour of the reformist movement.

Rouhani will take up the presidency, the highest elected office in Iran's hybrid clerical-republican system, in August.

"This victory is a victory of wisdom, a victory of moderation, a victory of growth and awareness and a victory of commitment over extremism and ill-temper," Rouhani told state television, promising to work for all Iranians, including the
hardline so-called "Principlists" whom he defeated at the poll.

"I warmly shake the hands of all moderates, reformists and Principlists," he said.

Final results

In his first televised address on Sunday Iran's president-elect asked for help during his term and promised to abide by Iranian law.

"[I'm proud that] the great people [of Iran], the honourable people, thought that I deserve this," Rouhani said.

"They trusted me so that I can begin on the path to serve the country, to enhance people's lives and welfare, and preserve national pride and national interests. I deeply feel that I need your assistance along this path. I need you to be there. I need your cooperation."

Rouhani won outright against five conservative candidates with 18.6 million votes, Interior Minister Mohammad Mostafa Najjar said.

That was enough to ensure there would be no run-off against the runner-up, Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who came a distant second with 6.07 million votes.

Saeed Jalili, Iran's Chief nuclear negotiator received four million votes and Mohsen Rezaei, a former head of the elite Revolutionary Guard, was also backed by close to 4 million people.

Matters of national security remain the domain of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the president runs the economy and wields broad influence in decision-making in other spheres.

Friday's vote was the first since the disputed 2009 re-election of Ahmadinejad triggered massive street protests by supporters of his rivals, that were crushed in a deadly crackdown.

The 2009 protests that followed Ahmadinejad's re-election led to the eventual house arrest of opposition candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and the widespread suppression of reformists.

Rouhani background

Al Jazeera's Soraya Lennie, reporting from Tehran, said that in the Iranian context, Rouhani is not exactly a true reformist but a moderate. She explained that moderates want to reform only the system but they want Iran to abide by its constitution and emphasise easing of restrictions on personal freedoms.

Rouhani, a former top nuclear negotiator who has championed more constructive engagement with world powers, seemed to strike a new tone in the way he talked about Iran's foreign relations in his statement.

He said there was a new chance "in the international arena" for "those who truly respect democracy and co-operation and free negotiation".

Though an establishment figure, Rouhani was known for his nuanced, conciliatory approach when he was Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

He inherits an economy that has been badly hit by EU and US sanctions targeting the key oil and banking sectors because of its nuclear programme.

In 2003, when Rouhani was under former President Mohammad Khatami, the republic agreed to suspend its controversial enrichment of uranium.

That programme resumed two years later when Ahmadinejad was first elected.

In campaigning, Rouhani pledged to move to ease the sanctions, which have hit hard. Inflation is more than 30 percent, the rial has lost nearly 70 percent of its value and unemployment is rising.

Rouhani is a representative Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security body, and was its secretary for 16 years until 2005.

Reactions

Emphasising political continuity, Khamenei congratulated both the people of Iran for the high turnout in the polls and Rouhani for his electoral success.

"The true winner of yesterday's election is the great nation of Iran that was able to take a firm step with God's help," Fars news agency quoted Khamenei as saying.

As Iranians celebrate, the US, Israel, Russia and some Gulf countries have been giving their reaction to the election result.

Iran's rial strengthened about four percent against the US dollar on Saturday after partial vote tallies pointed to an easy Rouhani victory, web sites tracking the currency said.

President Obama's Weekly Address: Celebrating Father's Day Weekend

President Obama discusses Father’s Day and notes that nothing substitutes for the love and support of the presence of a parent in a child’s life.

Polls close in Iran's presidential election

Story by Al Jazeera Voting in Iran's presidential election has ended after an extension of four hours across the country and five hours in the capital Tehran because more people than expected appeared to have cast their vote. Friday's election, in which voters have a choice of six candidates, is the first for a head of government since a disputed 2009 ballot touched off months of political unrest in the Islamic Republic. Polling stations were originally set to close at 6:00pm local time (13:30 GMT) on Friday, but voting was extended until 11:0pm local time (18:30 GMT). Before polls closed, all six presidential contenders issued a joint appeal for calm. "We ask people not to pay attention to rumours of victory parades being organised and to avoid gathering before the official results" are announced by the interior ministry, their statement said. Earlier, Mostafa Moammad Najar, Iran's interior minister, told the Fars news agency that the voting hours had been extended because of a "rush of voters". At the same time as choosing a new president from six candidates, voters will also pick municipal councilors. The first results are expected at the end of Friday or early on Saturday. If no presidential candidate secures 50.1 percent or more of the votes to win outright, a second round will be held a week later. Several witnesses, who visited polling stations in Tehran earlier on Friday, said that there were more people waiting to vote than at the previous election in 2009, according to Reuters. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who called for a large turnout but did make his preference public for any single candidate, cast his ballot in the capital Tehran at the Hosseini Imam Khomeini Mosque in the Beit Rahbari compound early on Friday. "Among those running ... I had someone in mind who I chose. I haven't told anyone [of my vote]," he told state television as he voted. "Even those close to me like my family and children don't know who I voted for." Khamenei derided Western misgivings about the credibility of the vote. "I recently heard that someone at the US National Security Council said 'We do not accept this election in Iran'," he said. "We don't give a damn." Presidential candidate and moderate Muslim leader Hassan Rouhani has also cast his ballot in Tehran. I have come to destroy extremism and when I see that these extremists are worried by my response and my vote I am very happy. It means that with the help of the people we can instill the appropriate Islamist behaviour in the country," he said after voting.

Frontrunner With the conservative camp divided, reformists seem confident of a good showing by Rouhani, the former chief nuclear negotiator, who has emerged as a frontrunner. According to analysts, there is a possibility of a run-off.

Al Jazeera's Soraya Lennie, reporting from Iran, said that Rouhani was earlier not thought of as a serious contender, but since the endorsements of two former presidents, pro-reform Mohammad Khatami and pragmatist Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, there had been increasing excitement in Tehran over his candidacy during the past 24 hours.

A group of three heads the conservative camp: former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and the republic's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili.

Both sides, reformist and conservative, have appealed for the electorate to turn out in high numbers - the first hoping for change, and the other to show the power of a regime accused of seeking to ensure victory for a Khamenei loyalist.

For both camps, the important issue will be to mobilise abstentionists who demonstrated against Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009, alleging massive electoral fraud.