Daily News Digest

The latest news on Burma cyclone, Dem Primaries, Welfare rising, Prisons, Poverty, Farm bill, Hunger, Executions, Economy, Immigration, Trinity UCC, Iraq-Iran, Hezbollah, Zimbabwe, Gordon Brown, and Op-Eds.

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Burma cyclone. Burmese storm toll 'nears 4,000' "More than 3,900 people were killed by a devastating cyclone that hit eastern Burma on Saturday, state media say, and thousands more people are still missing."

Dem Primaries. Obama, Clinton finally showing their differences "Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried mightily Sunday to convince Indiana and North Carolina voters there are stark differences between them on Iran, gasoline tax freezes and other key issues in the closing days before crucial Democratic presidential primaries in those states." Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama talk tough, then break bread "The Democratic presidential candidates take to the Sunday talk shows then make nice at an Indianapolis fundraising dinner."

Welfare rising. Welfare caseloads starting to rise "State welfare rolls, which declined for more than a decade after a 1996 overhaul of the nation's cash-assistance program, are beginning to rise, due in part to the struggling economy." Soaring costs for gas, food may strain welfare reform "With every bit of extra cash swallowed by the gas tank, Ohio's working poor are making difficult, sometimes humiliating choices: They're shutting off utilities, pawning keepsakes, lining up at food pantries and turning to county welfare offices by the thousands to apply for gasoline vouchers and cards."

Prisons. Fiscal Pressures Lead Some States to Free Inmates Early "Reversing decades of tough-on-crime policies, including mandatory minimum prison sentences for some drug offenders, many cash-strapped states are embracing a view once dismissed as dangerously naive: It costs far less to let some felons go free than to keep them locked up."

Poverty. Research group questions how U.S. measures poverty "How poverty is measured in the United States is too outdated to be accurate, said a national children's research group, suggesting the number of disadvantaged Americans is underestimated."

Farm bill. As Farm Bill Nears Vote, Bush Presses for Fewer Subsidies "as Congress nears final agreement on a new five-year farm bill that will cost nearly $300 billion, the president has taken a harder line. Emboldened by soaring food prices and record farm profits, he has pressed Congress to cut farm subsidies sharply and has made clear that he will veto the popular bill if lawmakers do not meet his demands."

Hunger. 40,000 walk for hunger, raising $3.8m "More than 40,000 people braved rainy, chilly weather to raise $3.8 million for Project Bread's 40th annual Walk for Hunger, weaving a 20-mile route through Boston, Brookline, Newton, Watertown, and Cambridge.