Daily News Digest

The latest news on Supreme Court - worker's rights, McCain on Nuclear weapons, Candidates on Darfur, Dem rules, Bankruptcy, Bush & Iraq - new book, Climate change, PTSD, Children's health care, Homeless in New Orleans, Faith & politics, Israeli prime minister, Iran, Burma, Latin America, Editorial, and Op-Ed.

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Supreme Court - worker's rights. Justices Say Law Bars Retaliation Over Bias Claims "The Supreme Court ruled that employees are protected from retaliation when they complain about discrimination in the workplace," Justices Uphold Retaliation Lawsuits "The Supreme Court said that workers who claim that they faced retaliation for complaining about racial or age discrimination may sue in federal court," Supreme Court gives workers protection from retaliation "To the surprise of civil rights advocates, the Supreme Court strengthened workplace anti-discrimination laws, ruling that employees who say they were punished for complaining of bias can sue for damages."

McCain on Nuclear weapons. McCain Signals Desire to See Reduction in Nuclear Arms "Sen. John McCain called for a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, staking out a position on nonproliferation somewhat at odds with the policies of the Bush administration." McCain would work with Russia on nuclear disarmament "Sen. John McCain attempted to distance himself from the Bush administration on one of the most contentious foreign policy issues besides Iraq, saying he would work more closely with Russia on nuclear disarmament and would ax plans for a nuclear weapon once coveted by the current president." Bipartisan consensus grows to curb nuclear weapons "There are differences over how the next president should proceed, but there's agreement that the world is facing a major expansion of civilian nuclear power to meet the world's growing energy needs, so prompt action is required."

Candidates on Darfur. Presidential candidates urge end to Darfur "In a rare show of bipartisan unity, the three presidential candidates lent their names to a statement and newspaper ad accusing the Sudanese government of genocide in the Darfur region and urging an end to the violence." In Rare Move, 3 Candidates Join in Pledge on Darfur "The three senators who would be president have agreed to a rare joint statement accusing the Sudanese government of atrocities against civilians in Darfur and warning it not to try to run out the clock on the Bush administration, which has called the killings in Darfur genocide."

Dem rules. Dem lawyers: Fla., Mich. can't be fully restored "A Democratic Party rules committee has the authority to seat some delegates from Michigan and Florida but not fully restore the two states as Hillary Rodham Clinton wants, according to party lawyers."

Bankruptcy. Choosing Bankruptcy to Stay Afloat "Despite the 2005 passage of a law that made it more difficult and expensive to file for personal bankruptcy, more Americans are choosing bankruptcy over destitution. Filings -- including Chapter 7, which wipes out debt, and Chapter 13, which reorganizes it -- totaled 822,590 last year, up 38 percent from 2006."

Bush & Iraq - new book. Ex-Press Aide Writes That Bush Misled U.S. on Iraq "Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan writes in a new memoir that the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated "political propaganda campaign" led by President Bush and aimed at "manipulating sources of public opinion" In Ex-Spokesman's Book, Harsh Words for Bush "President Bush "convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment," and has engaged in "self-deception" to justify his political ends, Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, writes in a critical new memoir about his years in the West Wing."

Climate change. Report Details Effects of Climate Change Across U.S. "Global warming is already affecting the nation's forests, water resources, farmland and wildlife, and will have serious negative consequences over the next 25 to 50 years," New Climate Report Foresees Big Changes "The rise in concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from human activities is influencing climate patterns and vegetation across the United States and will significantly disrupt water supplies, agriculture, forestry and ecosystems for decades,"

PTSD. Wartime PTSD cases jumped roughly 50 pct. in 2007 "The number of troops with new cases of post-traumatic stress disorder jumped by roughly 50 percent in 2007 amid the military buildup in Iraq and increased violence there and in Afghanistan." Military Diagnosing More Post-Traumatic Stress "The number of U.S. troops diagnosed by the military with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) jumped nearly 50 percent in 2007 over the previous year, as more of them served lengthy and repeated combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan,"

Children's health care. Study finds regional differences in children's health care "Children who live in the Northeast and Upper Midwest get better health care, on average, than those in the South and Southwest, according to a study by a private foundation." Child health care varies widely among states, report shows "Only 46% of kids visit the doctor and dentist at least once a year in Idaho, but 75% of Massachusetts children do. Infant mortality rates are 2.5 times higher in the District of Columbia than in Maine."

Homeless in New Orleans. With Resources Scarce, Homelessness Persists in New Orleans"While many of the homeless do have addiction problems or mental illness, a survey by advocacy groups in February showed that 86 percent were from the New Orleans area. Sixty percent said they were homeless because of Hurricane Katrina."

Faith & politics. '08 race has got religion. Is that good? "Are religion and faith playing an appropriate role - or an inappropriate one - in the 2008 presidential campaign? So far, it's some of both, say those who've been monitoring the campaign." Obama and McCain have "righteous" problems "Republican presidential candidate John McCain has a "Religious Right" problem. His likely Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has a Rev. Wright problem." Pastors pose problems for McCain and Obama "Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, both seeking to use religion to their advantage in the presidential campaign, have learned painful lessons about the risks of getting too close to religious leaders."

Israeli prime minister. Talansky: I gave Olmert thousands of dollars "Morris Talansky, the American-Jewish businessman suspected of making illicit cash transfers to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, gave a deposition to the Jerusalem District Court in which he said that over a 15-year period, he transferred $150,000 to Olmert." Witness: Olmert was 'guest of my credit card' "An American Jewish businessman at the center of a corruption probe of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert testified that he gave Olmert cash-stuffed envelopes and loans that were never repaid," Businessman says he gave Israeli leader thousands in cash "By the time he was done testifying at a special court hearing, American businessman Morris Talansky had painted an unflattering portrait of Olmert as a manipulative figure whose taste for luxury had overwhelmed his potential to become one of Israel's legendary leaders."

Iran. Ahmadinejad rival elected as speaker "The Iranian parliament has elected the country's former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani as its speaker. Larijani, a conservative heavyweight who is seen as a potential rival to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," Ahmadinejad rival takes powerful post in Iran "A powerful rival to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became speaker of Iran's parliament, clearing the way for a potential challenge against the hard-line head of state ahead of 2009 presidential elections." Iran speaker warns nuclear agency "Iran's new parliament speaker has warned that it could set limits on future co-operation with the United Nation's nuclear agency, the IAEA."

Burma . Myanmar keeps Suu Kyi detained, but aid continues "The party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi denounced the extension of her house arrest and said Wednesday it would launch an appeal, while foreign donors said aid for cyclone victims in the military-ruled nation will continue." A Few Aid Workers Reach Into Myanmar "Myanmar is allowing some foreign aid workers to enter remote areas hard hit by the May 3 cyclone in what relief agencies said appeared to be the beginning of a new policy that fulfills a pledge made last week to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon."

Latin America. Emergency funding for Latin America announced "With soaring food prices triggering unrest and threatening Latin America's economic progress, the Inter-American Development Bank announced an emergency credit line for countries in the region." Fearing unrest, bank steps in to help Central America "Trying to get ahead of potential unrest because of rising food and energy prices, the Inter-American Development Bank announced a new $500 million line of credit for six Central American nations and the Dominican Republic."

Editorial. Explain or resign (Haaretz) "Olmert's response on the evening after Independence Day ("I didn't take one cent for my own pocket") cannot be allowed to remain suspended in midair without a more detailed explanation. Even if an indictment is not submitted against him, he owes the public explanations now. Olmert must either explain or resign."

Op-Ed. The Rich Get Hungrier (AMARTYA SEN, New York Times) "WILL the food crisis that is menacing the lives of millions ease up - or grow worse over time? The answer may be both."