BP Prepares to Test New Cap: Join the Live Chat
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Anderson is back in the Gulf tonight and has breaking developments on the plan to test the new containment cap in the Gulf of Mexico. Plus, the raw politics of the NAACP's resolution blasting Tea Party 'racism' and more.
Want to know what else we're covering? Read EVENING BUZZ
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Evening Buzz: BP Test Preps Underway
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Tonight we're tracking the high-stakes undersea effort that could finally stop the Gulf oil leak. Prep work is underway for crucial "integrity tests" that will determine whether a new containment cap on the broken well will stop the leak. Anderson will have latest from the Gulf.
The federal government gave the green light for the pressure tests this afternoon after they were put off on Tuesday.
"It was advisable to take a 24 hour break, to make sure we were getting this absolutely right, and understand the best way to deal with the unknown quantity, which was the condition of the well bore and the casings, moving forward, and now, we're prepared to do that," said Ret. Adm. Thad Allen, who's heading the government's response, at a news conference just a couple hours ago.
We'll also tell you about some four-legged victims of the spill. That's the family pets who are being given up by their owners, because they can't afford to care from the anymore. We'll tell you how you can help them.
Plus, we continue to 'keep them honest' in Haiti, six months after the quake. We've been telling you about custom problems at Haiti's port. Non-government officials (NGOs) tell us emergency equipment and other supplies arrive, but get stuck waiting to clear customs. NGOs saying they're being charged thousands of dollars in storage fees, on top of custom taxes. Today 360's Gary Tuchman tracked down Haiti's Director of Customs to ask him about the delays.
See you at 10 p.m. ET.
NAACP passes resolution blasting Tea Party 'racism'
Shannon Travis
CNN
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The NAACP has passed a resolution that condemns what it feels is rampant racism in the Tea Party movement. Members passed the measure on Tuesday at the organization's 101st annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tea Party activists have swiftly denounced the action as unfounded and unfair.
The resolution pits the nation's oldest civil rights organization, with its storied history of wins on behalf of racial justice, against a grassroots conservative movement that has won some recent political races and is flexing its muscle in Republican circles.
Beat 360° 7/14/10
Ready for today's Beat 360°? Everyday we post a picture you provide the caption and our staff will join in too. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite! Here is the 'Beat 360°' pic:
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks at a start of the Council of Lawmakers in Moscow on July 14, 2010. AFP PHOTO / POOL / MISHA JAPARIDZE (Photo credit should read MISHA JAPARIDZE/AFP/Getty Images)
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions! Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
Update: Beat 360° Winners
Staff:
Elise Miller
"So I said, Sarah Palin, can you see this from your house?"
Viewer:
Jason from Florida
"If you stick your finger in that hole. Just like this... that will stop the oil."
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Meet the Burly Bandit
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The barefoot bandit and the geezer bandit will have to make room for the burly bandit, a portly felon accused of holding up a string of banks in New England.
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The suspect, who weighs about 300 lbs., is wanted in connection with at least 10 armed bank robberies, authorities said.
FBI Special Agent Gail A. Marcinkiewicz explained to CNN why the heavy-set perpetrator was labeled the burly bandit. “When we have serial bank robbers, we kind of give them nicknames so that we can remember,” she said. “I think burly means stocky and he’s a rather stocky man.”
He’s also dangerous. “He has brandished a gun, he has threatened to kill people,” Marcinkiewicz said. “Anyone who walks into a bank, threatens tellers and threatens to kill them, that can be very traumatic to people. We just want to get him off the street.”
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Since April, the burly bandit has been linked to bank heists in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
In each instance, the suspect wears a disguise or attempts to conceal his face. “He has used sunglasses, a wig, and a variety of hats,” the FBI said in a statement. “After receiving cash, he flees the bank on foot in an unknown direction.”
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The burly bandit is believed to have robbed the Ocean Bank in Merrimack, New Hampshire on July 2.
A $25,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information leading to his arrest and conviction, authorities said.
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The burly bandit is described as a white man in his late 40s or early 50s. He is approximately 6’ with short brown hair.
Follow the Falcon File on Twitter @FalconCNN
Most countries fail to deliver on Haiti aid pledges
Joe Johns | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
MaryAnne Fox
AC360° Producer
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Six months after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, most governments that promised money to help rebuild the country have not delivered any funds at all, a CNN investigation has found.
Donors promised $5.3 billion at an aid conference in March, about two months after the earthquake – but less than 2 percent of that money has been handed over so far.
Only four countries have paid anything at all: Brazil, Norway, Estonia and Australia.
The United States pledged $1.15 billion. It has paid nothing, the money tied up in the congressional appropriations process.
Venezuela promised even more - $1.32 billion. It has also paid nothing, although it has written off some of Haiti's debt.
Obama leaning heavily on Bill Clinton for election help
Ed Henry
CNN Senior White House Correspondent
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Facing a bruising midterm election in less than four months, President Barack Obama's aides are putting together an aggressive schedule to deploy former President Bill Clinton at campaign and fund-raising events in key states around the country, according to Democratic officials familiar with the plans.
"It's a no-brainer you would use one of the most talented politicians the country has ever had," said one Democratic official familiar with the discussions. "There are few as good at laying out the contrast with Republicans."
There has been speculation Clinton might not be used that frequently because of lingering frostiness between the two presidents dating to the divisive days of the 2008 campaign. But the two camps tried to put any such tension to rest in recent weeks at a quiet White House meeting between Clinton aide Doug Band and White House Political Director Patrick Gaspard, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
Administration's fourth bill to BP totals $99.7 million
CNN Wire Staff
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The Obama administration has sent a fourth bill for $99.7 million to BP and other responsible parties relating to the energy company's oil spill, according to a statement from the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center.
The government said BP is financially responsible for all costs associated with the response to the spill, including efforts to stop the leak at its source, reduce the spread of oil, protect the shoreline and mitigate damages, as well as long-term recovery efforts for individuals and communities.
The government bills BP and other parties regularly for costs incurred by the federal on-scene coordinator to support federal, state and local response efforts and ensure the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is reimbursed on an ongoing basis.
Video: Searching for lost family members in Haiti
Gary Tuchman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
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