Truthout roundup 8/16

Russia and Georgia have signed a truce; Senator Stevens caught on tape promising to help oil contractor; Denver unveils warehouse for processing mass arrests during convention; Labor groups file elections complaint against Wal-Mart; NOW to air program on the border fence; and more... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

Russia Signs Georgia Truce, Uncertainty Remains
http://www.truthout.org/article/russia-signs-georgia-truce-uncertainty-remains
Christopher Torchia, The Associated Press: "Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a truce with Georgia on Saturday, a definitive step toward ending the fighting there despite the uncertainty on the ground reflected by Russian soldiers digging in just 30 miles from the Georgian capital. The agreement was signed by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili the day before. It calls for both sides forces to pull back to positions they held before fighting erupted August 8 after Georgia launched a massive barrage to try to take control of the Russian-backed separatist region of South Ossetia. The Russian army quickly overwhelmed the forces of its small US-backed neighbor and then drove deep into Georgia."

Prosecutors: Stevens Helped Oil Contractor
http://www.truthout.org/article/prosecutors-stevens-helped-oil-contractor
Del Quentin Wilber, The Washington Post: "Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) quickly turned a $5,000 Florida condo investment into a profit of more than $100,000 in a questionable transaction that federal prosecutors would like to introduce as evidence at his trial next month on charges that he lied on financial disclosure forms. The investment and other details of investigators' case were disclosed late Thursday in a flurry of court papers filed by prosecutors and defense lawyers gearing up for the first trial of a sitting US Senator in more than two decades. The trial is tentatively scheduled to start September 22."

Warehouse Set to Process Democratic Convention Arrests
http://www.truthout.org/article/warehouse-set-process-democratic-convention-arrests
P. Solomon Banda, The Associated Press: "Individuals arrested at the Democratic National Convention will be processed at an industrial warehouse with chain-link cells topped by razor wire, a facility some have compared to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay. Groups planning marches, concerts and other events during the August 25-28 convention dub the center 'Gitmo on the Platte,' for the nearby South Platte River. Video footage of the north Denver warehouse on Denver's KCNC-TV showed coils of razor wire topping chain-link cells. A sign read: 'Electric stun devices used here.'"

Groups File Elections Complaint Against Wal-Mart
http://www.truthout.org/article/groups-file-elections-complaint-against-wal-mart
The Associated Press: "The AFL-CIO and three other labor-rights groups have asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether Wal-Mart Stores Inc. unlawfully pressured employees to vote against Democrats in November because their party would help workers to unionize. The groups - which include Change to Win, American Rights at Work and WakeUpWalMart.com - say in a complaint processed on Friday with the FEC that 'there is reason to believe' Wal-Mart broke federal election rules by advocating against Democratic candidate Barack Obama in meetings with employees."

NOW: The Border Fence
http://www.truthout.org/article/now-the-border-fence
This week's NOW on PBS: "Is America's border fence working, or an utter waste? What's 'really' going on with the federal fence-building project along America's southern border? On the Left and on the Right, it's making people very angry. Are private contractors making billions on a project that won't work?"

FOCUS Six Blackwater Guards Near Indictment
http://www.truthout.org/article/six-blackwater-guards-near-indictment
Del Quentin Wilber and Karen DeYoung, The Washington Post: "Federal prosecutors have sent target letters to six Blackwater Worldwide security guards involved in a September shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, indicating a high likelihood the Justice Department will seek to indict at least some of the men, according to three sources close to the case. The guards, all former US military personnel, were working as security contractors for the State Department, assigned to protect US diplomats and other non-military officials in Iraq. The shooting occurred when their convoy arrived at a busy square in central Baghdad and guards tried to stop traffic."