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Health care. Health-Care Anger Has Deeper Roots “Recent town-hall uproars weren't just about health care. They were also eruptions of concern that the government is taking on too much at once.” Health care debate exposes regional rift for Democrats “Congress' efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system are plagued by an age-old urban-rural, east and west coast vs. the heartland schism in the Democratic Party.” Massachusetts Cuts Back Immigrants’ Health Care “State-subsidized health insurance for 31,000 legal immigrants here will no longer cover dental, hospice or skilled-nursing care under a scaled-back plan that Gov. Deval Patrick announced Monday.”
Civil Rights. Justice Dept. to Recharge Enforcement of Civil Rights “Seven months after taking office, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is reshaping the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division by pushing it back into some of the most important areas of American political life, including voting rights, housing, employment, bank lending practices and redistricting after the 2010 census.”
Climate legislation. Climate change legislation postponed “The once-delayed climate change legislation has been postponed again, spelling trouble for a top item on President Obama's legislative agenda.”
Economy. Economic Data Continues to Send Mixed Signals “The emerging economic recovery suffers from a great contradiction: Even as factories seem to be cranking out more stuff, the job market remains terrible. Both sides of that paradox are likely to be evident in a fresh round of economic data being published this week.”
Abortion. Abortion Stigma Affects Doctors' Training And Choices “Although nearly one-third of American women will have an abortion by age 45, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a respected New York research organization, the number of abortion providers dropped from 2,908 in 1982 to 1,787 in 2005. Eighty-seven percent of counties in the United States and 31 percent of metropolitan areas have no abortion services.”
Afghanistan. U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Calls Situation 'Serious' “The top U.S. commander for Afghanistan called the situation there "serious" but salvageable, in a sobering assessment issued Monday that is expected to pave the way for a request for more American troops, funds for Afghan forces and other resources.” Groundwork Is Laid for New Troops in Afghanistan “A new report by the top commander in Afghanistan detailing the deteriorating situation there confronts President Obama with the politically perilous decision of whether to deepen American involvement in the eight-year-old war amid shrinking public support at home. Pentagon worried about Obama's commitment to Afghanistan “The prospect that U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal may ask for as many as 45,000 additional American troops in Afghanistan is fueling growing tension within President Barack Obama's administration over the U.S. commitment to the war there.” Marine commander sees progress in Afghanistan “The general in charge of U.S. Marines in Afghanistan said Monday that progress was being made in wresting a key southern province from Taliban control but cautioned that the process was slow and difficult to measure.” Deaths as US mulls Afghan strategy “The deaths of four Nato troops have marked the end of the deadliest month in Afghanistan for US forces as the organisation's top commander called for a new strategy.” White House fears liberal war pressure “White House officials are increasingly worried liberal, anti-war Democrats will demand a premature end to the Afghanistan war before President Barack Obama can show signs of progress in the eight-year conflict,”
UN General Secretary. U.N. Chief's 'Quiet' Outreach To Autocrats Causing Discord “Ban has said he is confident that his trademark "quiet diplomacy" can help nudge the most recalcitrant leaders to mend their ways. He says he has pried open the door for aid workers in cyclone-ravaged Burma, gotten thousands of international peacekeepers into Darfur and helped raise the international profile of climate change.”
Iran. Iran 'ready for new nuclear talks' “Iran's senior nuclear negotiator has said his country is ready for fresh talks with world powers over its nuclear programme.” Ahmadinejad Plans U.N. Visit “With weeks to go until a U.S. deadline for opening talks, a spokesman for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that he plans to travel to New York to give a speech during the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23.”
South Africa. Letter from Africa: Johannesburg's Methodist homeless mission “The church has an "open-door policy" to thousands of homeless people, mostly desperate Zimbabweans who have fled their homeland with nothing. It attracts the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, but it is hardly a comfortable refuge.”
Opinion. Time for the U.S. to Get Out of Afghanistan(George F. Will, Washington Post) “Genius, said de Gaulle, recalling Bismarck's decision to halt German forces short of Paris in 1870, sometimes consists of knowing when to stop. Genius is not required to recognize that in Afghanistan, when means now, before more American valor, such as Allen's, is squandered.”
Obama's Health-Care Realism (Norman J. Ornstein, Washington Post) “The odds remain reasonable that a solid, if not dramatic, health reform bill can make it through this process and become law. Any bill, under these conditions, will be a major accomplishment. The odds have been improved, not damaged, by the president's approach.”
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