PBC News & Comment: Obama Commutes Sentences of 46 Offenders, Will Visit Federal Prison

Long-awaited commutations of extreme sentences in nonviolent drug cases are announced, Obama will meet with prisoners at medium security prison….
--Greece knuckles under to draconian debt deal that’s worse than the one rejected 2 weeks ago
--as we await expected announcement of nuke deal with Iran, Gareth Porter reports that Obama tried to change terms, and delay a deal for political reasons
--was the Charleston church shooting a terrorist act? Faiza Patel of NYU’s Brennan Center on the Law discusses her recent op-ed
--activists in Oakland work to pass laws to regulate purchase and use of spy tech like Stingray
--prodded by activist (former) members like Dr. Jeff Kaye, American Psychological Assn. releases report admitting ethical improprieties in CIA torture, and apology
--former FBI director leads defense of APA ethics director who was fired after the report was completed
--in op-ed, psychiatrist says that Hippocratic oath prevents MD’s from participating in torture….but did it?
--video footage contradicts account of Israeli forces who killed Palestinian teenager on July 3
--Katy Butler writes powerful op-ed for NY Times on end-of-life issues
--on next page, former SDS leader Todd Gitlin writes nice profile of Bernie Sanders the ‘60’s radical, ending with the gratuitous prediction that Bernie can’t win