Daily News Digest

The latest news on Obama in Berlin, McCain VP, Church & State, Human rights, Church & State-Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran, Canadian election, and Opinion.

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Obama in Berlin. Obama Says Walls Must Come Down "Addressing a huge throng in the middle of this once-divided city, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama implored Americans and Europeans to renew the partnership that once defeated communism to address 21st-century threats" In Berlin, Obama speaks to more than 200,000 "The all-but-certain Democratic nominee for president voiced aspirations for a world that abolishes nuclear arms, banishes "the scourge of AIDS," feeds the poor in Chad and Bangladesh, unites against Muslim extremism and stops global warming." Obama seeks stronger Europe ties "US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has told crowds in Berlin that the US and Europe have drifted apart and it is time for them to come together again."

McCain VP? McCain May Act Soon on VP Pick "Anxious to counter the blanket media coverage that has followed Sen. Barack Obama on his overseas journey, Sen. John McCain is weighing whether to announce his running mate in the coming weeks before the spotlight shifts to China and the opening of the Olympic Games next month."

Economy. Foreclosures double from last year "Home foreclosure filings rose 14 percent in the second quarter, the eighth consecutive quarterly climb, and more than doubled from the same period a year-earlier," Fuel cost now driving up electric bills "Consumers from California to New York are facing rate increases of as much as 30 percent. ... And low- and middle-income residents are having trouble paying their bills as evidenced by a large increase in disconnect notices." Effort to Address Gasoline Prices Stalls in the House "House Democrats failed in their efforts to force the Bush administration to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gasoline prices as Republicans stuck to their demands for a vote on an expansion of offshore drilling."

Immigration. Expedited Trials of Illegal Immigrants Are Questioned "Criminal defense and immigration lawyers challenged the government's use of expedited trials to convict 306 illegal immigrant workers at a meat processing plant in Iowa in May, arguing that fast-tracked group trials violated defendants' rights." Immigration raid tactics draw congressional ire "Lawmakers questioned the legality and effectiveness of the government's tactics in a May raid that led to the arrest of nearly 400 immigrants."

Church & State. Ruling for Christian university in Colo. is latest courtroom victory for religious colleges "A federal appeals court ruling that a Christian university in Colorado can receive state scholarship money is the latest in a string of legal victories for religious schools seeking public dollars."

HIV-AIDS. House Passes Broader Plan to Fight AIDS "The House voted Thursday to triple financing to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world, giving new life and new punch to a program credited with saving or prolonging millions of lives in Africa alone. The 303-to-115 vote sends the bill to President Bush for his signature." HIV drugs 'add 13 years of life' "Life expectancy for people with HIV has increased by an average of 13 years since the late 1990s thanks to better HIV treatment, a study says. Researchers said it meant HIV was now effectively a chronic condition like diabetes, rather than a fatal disease."

Human rights. Pillay is leaving the bench to stand up "The new U.N. high commissioner for human rights, South African justice Navanethem Pillay, has spent a lifetime quietly toppling barriers and exceeding expectations."

Church & State-Venezuela. Venezuela church-state clash grows "The fledgling Reformist Catholic Church of Venezuela describes itself as having a "preference" for the poor. But the Roman Catholic Church here dismisses the new offshoot as a political ploy to push the socialist agenda of President Hugo Chávez."

Afghanistan. Afghan Soldiers Battle Taliban as NATO Leader Warns of Perils to Nation's Stability "Fierce fighting broke out on Thursday in southern Afghanistan when scores of Taliban insurgents attacked an Afghan Army convoy on the main highway south of the capital." Civilian Airstrike Deaths Probed "U.S. and NATO military officials in Afghanistan have launched investigations into three separate U.S.-led airstrikes that Afghan officials say killed at least 78 civilians this month."

Iran. Iran says cooperation with IAEA to grow; says US behind weapons allegations A senior envoy said Friday that Iran wants to expand its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, but said the IAEA should not be cast as a "U.N. watchdog" looking for signs of secret nuclear weapons programs.

Canadian election? Canadians' growing hungrier for election, says Dion "There is a bubbling appetite among Canadians for a federal election, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Wednesday at a campaign-style stop to promote his controversial environmental plan."

Opinion.

'Mr. Wilberforce's Example' (Michael Gerson, Washington Post) "William Hague - the shadow foreign secretary of Britain's Conservative Party - has produced a complete picture of Wilberforce and his times. Above all else, Wilberforce was a religious man. But "William Wilberforce: The Life of the Great Anti-Slave Trade Campaigner" is a political book, and gloriously so."

To Fight Poverty, Tear Down HUD (Sudhir Venkatesh, New YorkTimes) "HUD's sidelined role is a product of its anachronistic approach to both housing and cities. It might be best to simply close the agency and create a new cabinet-level commitment to urban development."