This is a presentation by Dr. Steven E Jones, of some of the most critical pieces of forensic evidence which suggests that arson was committed, during the events of the September 11th 2001. Molten iron caught on video and the traces of Thermate are a clear sign that a new investigation of those events is in order.

Data that shows US economy added just 96,000 jobs in August cast shadow over buoyant convention performance in Charlotte. - The Democratic party's euphoria at the close of its party convention in Charlotte evaporated within hours when the US government published a dismal set of unemployment figures that threatened Barack Obama's re-election chances. Obama had fired up the party faithful with a speech that pleaded for a second term but recognised that economic recovery would be slow. "I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy," he said. But on Friday morning, the department of labor revealed that the US economy had added only 96,000 jobs in August, well below expectations. The figures undermined the president's oft-repeated argument that his policies, while slow to bring results, are on the right track.

Civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) told the audience at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, “we have come too far together to ever turn back,” warning that Republican-led voter suppression laws are taking America back to the days when states had the right to deny voting capabilities to minority voters. Voting rights for minority voters continue to come under attack as Republican leaders are now turning to the Supreme Court to overturn historic civil rights legislation. Several federal judges recently struck down voter suppression laws in multiple states, introduced by Republican legislators and governors, such as voter identification laws, provisional voting restrictions, limits on voter registration drives, and reduced availability for early voting. The court rulings in Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin, marked a widespread rejection of so called 'voter fraud' legislation, which seeks to greatly limit who can and cannot vote.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is said to be backing down from his support for an autumn attack on Iran, but is he just going to substitute Gaza? It’s an open question today after Barak openly discussed the idea of attacking. “If the cabinet deems it needed, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) can conquer and rule Gaza,” Barak insisted, praising the military for the 2008-2009 invasion of Gaza though saying he believes the war could have ended 10 days earlier. Barak, who also claimed it was important to not go to war “unless we have to,” [sic] raised the possibility of deciding to reoccupy portions of the tiny, densely populated strip in the future. Israel has already made a significant perimeter of the strip a “no-go” area for Gaza civilians, rendering a large amount of farmland unusable. The last Gaza invasion was done in the final days of the Bush Administration, as the lame duck president cheered the war internationally and incoming president Obama remained entirely silent on the matter. 1,417 Gazans, the vast majority of them civilians, were killed in the war.

Lies, Damn Lies, and now this: In a surprise move Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced that Canada was closing its embassy in Tehran and expelling Iranian diplomats from Canada as it formally declared Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism". - Baird branded Iran as the “most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today.” He cited a list of long-standing beefs with the regime in Tehran as justification for the abrupt move, including Iranian military assistance to Syria and its refusal to comply with United Nations resolutions on its nuclear program. “It routinely threatens the existence of Israel and engages in racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide; it is among the world’s worst violators of human rights,” Baird told reporters in Vladivostok, Russia. Pressed on why Canada decided to act now on grievances it’s had for months and years, Baird said only, “There’s just a long list of reasons why we’re coming to this decision.” [Absolutely pathetic!]

BBC: Canada closes Iranian embassy and kicks out diplomats

Jason Ditz: Canada Denounces Iran as 'Threat to Global Security' - Much to the delight of Israeli hawks, the Canadian government announced today that it is severing all diplomatic ties with Iran, closing its Tehran embassy and expelling every Iranian diplomat from Canada. The move was loudly praised by Israeli officials as well as the ADL, which urged the world to “follow Canada’s lead” in severing ties in the lead up to a potential war, saying the nation’s civilian nuclear program and “anti-Semitic rhetoric” can no longer be tolerated.

Russia Today: Canada closes Iranian embassy, suspends diplomatic ties - Closing ranks with the US and Israel, Canada has denounced Iran as the biggest threat to global security and said it will expel all of the Islamic Republic’s diplomats from its territory by September 12th. "Canada views the government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today," Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement. "Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Iran … Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran have been suspended," he added. The Foreign Minister also blasted Iran for its support of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, as well as Tehran's controversial nuclear program. The fact that the Canadian government is a staunch ally of Israel has also played a part in the decision to cut ties with Iran.

Fars News Agency: MP: Britain's Anger Underlying Canada's Decision to Close Tehran Embassy - The decision to close the Canadian embassy in Tehran was taken by London - as the supervisor of the Canadian government - which is angry at Iran for the closure of its mission in Tehran in 2011, a senior member of the Iranian parliament said Saturday. "It should be noted that the Canadian government is supervised by the British governor general and should be recognized by the British queen (to start a mandate), therefore, given the closure of the British embassy in Tehran, such a measure is actually a kind of reaction to the closure of the British embassy in Tehran last year," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Javad Jahangirzadeh told FNA. He downplayed Ottawa's decision to close its embassy in Tehran, and predicted that the Canadian government will finally be obliged to return its diplomats to Tehran and resume bilateral ties due to Iran's important role in regional and international developments.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reached a milestone in the development of their Next Generation Identification (NGI) program and is now implementing the intelligence database in unidentified locales across the country, New Scientist reports in an article this week. The FBI first outlined the project back in 2005, explaining to the Justice Department in an August 2006 document (.pdf) that their new system will eventually serve as an upgrade to the current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) that keeps track of citizens with criminal records across America.

AWIP: FBI to Share Facial Recognition Software with States