Daily News Digest

The latest news on Immigration, Crime down, Worker's rights, HIV/AIDS, Food crisis, Iran, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Op-Ed.

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Immigration. Bush widens immigration checks "The Bush administration, in an aggressive new effort to keep illegal immigrants out of the workforce, ordered all companies doing business with the federal government to begin ensuring their employees can legally work in the U.S." Bush Orders Contractors to Vet Status of Workers "President Bush has ordered federal contractors to participate in the Department of Homeland Security's electronic system for verifying the immigration status of their workers, greatly expanding the reach of the administration's crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrants."

Crime down. Violent Crime Down, FBI Says "Violent crime appears to have declined nationwide in 2007 for the first time in three years, with major cities showing the most significant drops, according to a preliminary FBI report released yesterday."

Worker's rights. Justices Reject 'Class of One' Argument "Government employees who are singled out for arbitrary, irrational or even vindictive treatment by their supervisors will find no relief in the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday, unless the mistreatment is due to discrimination on the basis of race, sex or another protected category." Supreme Court curtails rights of public employees " The Supreme Court limited the rights of public employees, ruling that a state worker who said she was fired by a supervisor who was out to "get rid of" her could not sue the government for denying her equal protection of the laws."

HIV/AIDS. AIDS Drugs Reaching More People in Developing World, U.N. Says "About 3 million people infected with the AIDS virus in the developing world received life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs last year, a 42 percent increase over 2006 in the number with access to the medicines, a U.N. report said."

Food crisis. Worries Mount as Farmers Push for Big Harvest "In a year when global harvests need to be excellent to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear disaster."

Iran. EU and US leaders threaten further Iran sanctions "The statement will be issued at the end of today's EU-US summit in Slovenia, which marks the start of a farewell tour of Europe by the US president, George Bush. The declaration also called for the UN to address human rights abuses in Zimbabwe." Interest grows for international Iran atom plant "The plan, which was rejected three years ago by the Bush administration, argues for a dramatic shift in US policy: Rather than trying to halt Iran's efforts to enrich uranium, the United States should help build an internationally run enrichment facility inside Iran to replace Iran's current facilities."

Iraq. Iran tells Iraq: U.S. troops are 'main obstacle on the way to progress' "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki concluded a three-day visit to Iran after meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who warned that the continued presence of U.S. troops was "the main obstacle on the way to progress and prosperity in Iraq." U.S. seeking 58 bases in Iraq, Shiite lawmakers say "Leading members of the two ruling Shiite parties said in a series of interviews the Iraqi government rejected this proposal along with another U.S. demand that would have effectively handed over to the United States the power to determine if a hostile act from another country is aggression against Iraq."

Zimbabwe. Fair runoff vote in Zimbabwe impossible, report says "Persistent violence by government agents and supporters is making it impossible for Zimbabwe to hold a fair presidential runoff election this month, according to a report released Monday by New York-based Human Rights Watch."

Op-Ed.

The Great Seduction(David Brooks, New York Times)"The country's moral guardians are forever looking for decadence out of Hollywood and reality TV. But the most rampant decadence today is financial decadence, the trampling of decent norms about how to use and harness money."