The latest news on Rallies for Education, Financial Reform, U.S. Military, Same-Sex Marriage in D.C., Chile, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mideast Peace Talks, Zimbabwe Sanctions, Congo Peacekeepers, China Military Budget, and Select Op-Eds.

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Quote of the Day. "Mislabeling is a real disservice to consumers because people are cheated and are led to believe their food is healthier than it is. We're delighted that the FDA has issued an unprecedented flock of warning notices to companies big and small to clean up their labels." Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, on the Food and Drug Administration sending notices to 17 food companies that they have violated federal laws by making false or misleading claims on their product packaging. (Washington Post)

FAITH IN THE NEWS

In Texas, Religious Right loses fight with national curriculum implications "The Religious Right suffered a surprise setback in Texas March 2, when incumbent Don McLeroy -- a creationist and outspoken critic of church-state separation -- narrowly lost his re-election bid for the powerful State Board of Education to challenger Thomas Ratliff in the Republican primary."

Anticipation high ahead of Romero anniversary "Published statements from both the church and the government in El Salvador are raising hopes that the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Oscar Romero may occasion an official announcement of his beatification."

Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets "Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation's classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both scientific subjects should be taught in public schools."

Hutterites Refuse to Comply with Photos on Licenses "Members of a small Hutterite colony say they will flout the law rather than submit to being photographed for their driver's licenses."

NEWS AT HOME

Health Care. In Final Push, Obama Urges 'Up or Down' Vote on Health "President Obama, beginning his final push for a health-care overhaul, called Wednesday for Congress to allow an 'up or down vote' on the measure, and sketched out an ambitious -- and, some Democrats said, unrealistic -- timetable for his party to pass a bill on its own within weeks." Obama calls for reconciliation to prevent filibuster on health-care reform "President Obama's endorsement Wednesday of a risky legislative maneuver to complete health-care legislation sent Democratic leaders scrambling to settle policy disputes and assemble the votes necessary for passage in the coming weeks."

Rallies for Education. Students rally today for quality education "College students on more than 100 campuses nationwide plan walkouts, rallies and other actions today to protest budget cuts, layoffs and tuition increases, which they say erode quality of education and limit access." Rallies to focus on cutbacks in education "Thousands of students, teachers and parents in California and across the country are expected to stage rallies, demonstrations, walkouts and other actions Thursday to decry what they say is an assault on public education at all levels."

Financial Reform. Downgrade of consumer financial protection agency threatens Obama's overhaul plan "The move this week to downgrade a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency to lure bipartisan support instead appears to be undermining the Obama administration's effort to overhaul the nation's regulation of the entire industry." Long after Wall Street's crisis, Congress still arguing over fix "Eighteen months after the near-collapse of the U.S. financial system, lawmakers in the nation's capital still can't agree on how to fix what went wrong, despite the abundant evidence of the economic devastation the crisis has caused."

U.S. Military. Top U.S. military official outlines tempered approach to war "The U.S. military must use measured and precise strikes, not overwhelming force, in the wars it is likely to face in the future, the nation's top uniformed officer said Wednesday in outlining a revised approach to American security." Joint Chiefs Chairman Readjusts Principles on Use of Force "The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, laid out new principles Wednesday for how to use the military in meeting contemporary threats, saying that overwhelming force can be counterproductive if used recklessly." General sounds alarm on U.S. Army training "The Army's ability to train its forces is 'increasingly at risk' because of the nation's protracted commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the general in charge of training has told the Army's chief of staff."

Same-Sex Marriage in D.C. Gay Marriage Is Legal in U.S. Capital "It was cold and drizzling outside the City Courthouse just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, but no one seemed to mind among the same-sex couples waiting for the chance to apply for a marriage license." D.C. begins licensing same-sex marriages "Just sitting down at a desk at the marriage bureau at D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday was too much for Angelisa Young. She cried so hard that she eventually had to bury her face in her fiancee's chest."

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Chile. Aid for Chile quake victims arrives "Shipments of food, water, clothing and other basics finally began pouring in Wednesday to this earthquake-devastated town, where increasingly hungry and frustrated residents have harshly criticized what they term a tardy response by the national government." Fears of Lawlessness Prompt Show of Force in Chile "At night, residents huddle around bonfires and guard their streets with torches and sticks, ready to repel outsiders who might try to break into their darkened homes."

Iraq. U.S. failure to neutralize Shiite militia in Iraq threatens to snarl pullout "A failed effort by the United States to neutralize a powerful Shiite militant group in Iraq has left in place a dangerous force whose attacks on American troops threaten to complicate the U.S. drawdown, according to American and Iraqi officials." U.S. Fears Election Strife in Iraq Could Affect Pullout "The deadly suicide bombings in Iraq on Wednesday highlight the central quandary facing President Obama as he tries to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war there: Will parliamentary elections, scheduled for Sunday, throw the country back into the sectarian strife that flared in 2004 and delay the planned American withdrawal."

Pakistan Arms Deal. US agrees arms deal with Pakistan "The United States is to deliver a thousand laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan this month. The deal, which also includes the delivery of 18 new F16 fighter jets and a dozen surveillance drones later in the year, is an apparent pay-off for greater co-operation against al-Qaeda and the Taleban."

Afghanistan. US critical of Afghan media ban "The United States has criticised an Afghan government decision to ban live coverage of attacks by domestic and international news organisations."

Mideast Peace Talks. Mideast peace talks could begin as early as Sunday "U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell will land in Israel on Saturday night, and the American administration is hoping the sides will declare the beginning of indirect talks the following morning, ahead of the arrival of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday." Palestinians are expected to join Israel in indirect peace talks "A U.S.-backed proposal to launch so-called proximity talks moved forward Wednesday when the Arab League gave its blessing for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to join the effort." Hopes rise for resumption of Middle East peace negotiations "The prospects for the first negotiations involving Israel and the moderate Palestinian leadership for over a year have increased after the nations of the Arab League gave qualified support to a US proposal for indirect talks between both sides."

Iran Sanctions. Brazil rebuffs US Iran pressure "Brazil will not bow to US pressure to support sanctions against Iran over its nuclear work, the country's foreign minister says." Hillary Clinton fails to convince Brazil to support Iran sanctions "Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Brazil doesn't support Iran sanctions. He wants more negotiations. The US worries about the growing closeness of Iran and Brazil." Shirin Ebadi warns against Iranian sanctions "Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi has warned against imposing sanctions on her country, saying it would harm the population not the government."

Zimbabwe Sanctions. Brown firm on Zimbabwe sanctions "Gordon Brown has said sanctions against Zimbabwe should not be lifted until human rights and media censorship concerns are addressed."

Congo Peacekeepers. UN begins talks on withdrawal from Congo "Peacekeepers on world's biggest mission may leave Democratic Republic of the Congo by mid-2011."

China Military Budget. China posts unexpectedly low defence budget rise "China has unveiled a 7.5 per cent increase in its military spending for this year, the first time in nearly two decades that the budget has grown by less than double-digit figures."

OPINION

The Republicans' big lie about reconciliation (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) "The underlying "principle" here seems to be that it's fine to pass tax cuts for the wealthy on narrow votes but an outrage to use reconciliation to help middle-income and poor people get health insurance."

Sojourners' Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.