Daily News Digest

The latest news on Immigration, Rove subpoena, Housing bill, Capital punishment, McCain, Zimbabwe, British troops, Iran, Serenity prayer, and Opinion.

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Immigration. Number of Mexicans gaining citizenship soars in 2007 "The number of Mexican-born immigrants who became U.S. citizens swelled by nearly 50% last year amid a massive campaign by Spanish-language media and immigrant advocacy groups to help eligible residents apply for citizenship," Citizenship surges for Mexican immigrants as total naturalizations dip "Reflecting a massive push for citizenship in Chicago and other cities with large Latino populations, the number of Mexican immigrants naturalized in 2007 jumped 46 percent from a year earlier to 122,250," An Interpreter Speaking Up for Migrants"In 23 years as a certified Spanish interpreter for federal courts, Erik Camayd-Freixas has spoken up in criminal trials many times, but the words he uttered were rarely his own. Then he was summoned here by court officials to translate in the hearings for nearly 400 illegal immigrant workers arrested in a raid on May 12 at a meatpacking plant."

Rove subpoena. Rove ignores subpoena, refuses to testify on Hill "Former White House adviser Karl Rove defied a congressional subpoena and refused to testify Thursday about allegations of political pressure at the Justice Department, including whether he influenced the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama."

Housing bill. Senate Housing Bill Moves Toward Passage "A massive package of housing legislation that seeks to rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners in danger of foreclosure while shoring up confidence in struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cleared a final procedural hurdle in the Senate yesterday and was headed for passage."

Capital punishment. Court to rule on Mexico bid to halt U.S. executions "The World Court said it will rule next week on a Mexican request that it seek a delay of the imminent U.S. executions of five of its citizens, who Mexico argues were denied consular assistance." Previously blocked execution goes forward in Texas "A Texas inmate who fatally shot his adoptive parents was put to death Thursday night, almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked his execution as it considered a challenge to lethal injection." Virginia Executes Convicted Killer "Convicted killer Kent Jermaine Jackson was executed by injection in Virginia's death chamber last night, eight years after he and a friend sexually assaulted and killed an elderly neighbor in Newport News."

McCain. Religious leaders support McCain "More than 90 evangelical leaders met in Denver this month and decided to support Sen. John McCain as the presidential candidate who most shares their values."

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Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe warns that sanctions may spark civil war "Zimbabwe warned the U.N. Security Council that the sanctions it is considering could push the African nation toward civil war." Harare says sanctions will cause civil war "It was a response to proposals by Britain and the US for an arms embargo and financial freeze on Mugabe and top officials in his government in the wake of the election last month marred by violence and intimidation against the opposition."

British troops. Many troops 'feel like quitting' ?Almost half of UK military personnel are ready to leave the forces, a Ministry of Defence survey suggests. Some 47% of Army and Royal Navy respondents and 44% of those in the RAF said they regularly felt like quitting." Britons Ponder: Stay In or Quit "Nearly half of the members of British armed forces regularly think of quitting, according to a major Defense Ministry survey that comes amid concerns that sustained war in Iraq and Afghanistan is hurting morale."

Iran. Iran missile tests seen more as theater "A two-day show of force by Iran through the launching of medium- and long-range test missiles was meant to strike fear in the hearts of the country's rivals. Instead, many officials and experts downplayed the Iranian war games near the Persian Gulf as more propaganda than peril." Iran's Conflicting Signals to the West "Last week, various Iranian officials made positive comments about a new diplomatic outreach by the United States and its allies, suggesting negotiations on Iran's nuclear program might be possible. This week, Iran test-fired medium-range and long-range missiles," Amid Iran's tests, signs of weakness "But the show of force, which Thursday reportedly included missiles test-fired from ships in the strategically sensitive Persian Gulf, may also be part of an attempt to cover over Iran's weaknesses and to draw attention away from signs that the international community's efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear program are having an impact."

Afghanistan . 47 Afghan civilians killed by US bombs, group says "A U.S. military airstrike this week killed 47 civilians traveling to a wedding, the head of an Afghan government commission investigating the incident said." US 'killed 47 Afghan civilians' "A US air strike in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed 47 civilians, 39 of them women and children, an Afghan government investigating team says."

Israel. Once again, Israel cuts a deal with its worst enemies "The deal is part of a broader strategic effort that Olmert has launched to try to strike deals with most of Israel's adversaries, including the militant group Hamas and Syria." Police source: Anyone but Olmert would have been arrested by now "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be questioned again Friday about the hundreds of thousands of dollars he allegedly received over 15 years from Jewish-American millionaire Morris Talansky. ... A police source said that the allegations are extremely serious and that an ordinary citizen would have been arrested by now had such accusations been leveled."

Serenity prayer. Serenity Prayer Stirs Up Doubt: Who Wrote It?"Generations of recovering alcoholics, soldiers, weary parents, exploited workers and just about anybody feeling beaten down by life have found solace in a short prayer that begins, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." Now the Serenity Prayer is about to endure a controversy over its authorship that is likely to be anything but serene."

Opinion.

The Justice Department, Blind to Slavery (JOHN R. MILLER, New York Times) "Imagine my surprise, then, when the Justice Department started a campaign against a new bill that would strengthen the government's anti-human trafficking efforts. In a 13-page letter last year, the department blasted almost every provision in the new bill that would reasonably expand American anti-slavery efforts."