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Quote of the day. “In a world where more and more borders are being opened up — to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges — it is tragic to see walls still being erected. How we long to see the fruits of the much more difficult task of building peace!” Pope Benedict XVI at the security wall in Bethlehem. (New York Times)
Abuse photos. Obama Reverses Pledge to Release Photos of Detainee Abuse “A month after making public once-classified Justice Department memos detailing the Bush administration's coercive methods of interrogation, President Obama yesterday chose secrecy over disclosure, saying he will seek to block the court-ordered release of photographs depicting the abuse of detainees" Obama takes risk with reversal on detainee photos “President Obama's decision Wednesday to try to block the court-ordered release of photographs depicting alleged abuse of detainees by U.S. soldiers sets him on a confrontational course with his liberal base.” Torture soul-searching “Among evangelical leaders, debate over the use of harsh interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists has prompted introspection about faith, ethics, the Golden Rule, just wars, Jack Bauer and Jesus.”
National security policies. Unease Grows for Democrats Over Security “Congressional Democrats are voicing growing unease over the Obama administration’s national security policies, including the seemingly open-ended commitment in Afghanistan and the nettlesome question of what to do with prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.” Veterans boost McGovern bill calling for Afghanistan exit strategy “Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts, who has launched the only effort in the US House to oppose President Obama's plans for the Afghan war, received an unexpected boost of support yesterday from a group of Afghan and Iraqi war veterans, who raced around Capitol Hill lobbying for his bill.”
Climate change. House Panel Nears Agreement on Energy and Climate Bill “With a series of compromises on the stickiest issues behind them, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is poised to approve the legislation by the end of next week.” Republican lawmakers back carbon tax (yes, that's right) “Reps. Bob Inglis of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona on Wednesday became the first Republican lawmakers to introduce legislation imposing a carbon tax on producers and distributors of fossil fuels.”
Explorer Scouts as border patrol? For Explorer Scouts, Good Deeds Have Whole New Meaning “The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.”
Homeowner aid. More Homeowners Getting Aid, but Demand Keeps Rising “In the two months since it launched, the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention plan has outperformed the government's previous attempts, offering more than 50,000 homeowners lower-cost mortgages.” Slow Start to Federal Plan for Modifying Mortgages "The Obama administration’s plan to help millions of troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure by reducing the size of their mortgage payments is just getting off the ground.”
Unwed mothers. Unwed Motherhood Increases Sharply in U.S., Report Shows “The number of children being born out of wedlock has risen sharply in recent years, driven primarily by women in their 20s and 30s opting to have children without getting married. Nearly four out of every 10 births are now to unmarried women.”
Minority population growth. Asian and Hispanic Minorities Growing, but More Slowly “The population growth rate among Asian- and Hispanic-Americans has decreased since the beginning of the decade, according to new census estimates, and the recession appears to have slowed their dispersal from traditional magnet metropolitan areas to other parts of the country.” Hispanic and Asian Population Growth Slow Unexpectedly “Deterred by immigration laws and the lackluster economy, the population growth of Hispanics and Asians in the United States has slowed unexpectedly, causing the government to push back estimates on when minorities will become the majority by as much as a decade.”
Obama and Notre Dame. Obama and Notre Dame: As commencement nears, debate over President Obama's invitation rages on “As President Barack Obama prepares to speak at the school's spring commencement -- and receive an honorary doctorate from what many consider the cathedral of Catholic education -- the debate remains robust on campus and well beyond whether such a prominent supporter of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research should be welcomed.” The culture wars come to Notre Dame “Obama's visit to Notre Dame has set off a fierce debate among Roman Catholics about whether it is appropriate for one of the nation's premier Catholic institutions to host a proponent of legalized abortion and embryonic stem cell research, both of which are contrary to church teachings.”
Pope in Mideast. Pope calls for end to hostilities that led to Israel's barrier “Standing near a towering concrete wall at the edge of the West Bank, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday called the Israeli-built barrier a stark reminder of the deadlocked Middle East conflict but declared that walls could be taken down.” Pope: West Bank fence is a symbol of 'stalemate' “Pope Benedict XVI yesterday branded the West Bank separation fence a symbol of 'stalemate' between Israel and the Palestinians, urging both sides to break a "spiral of violence." In West Bank, Pope Benedict Criticizes Israel's Policy on Palestinians “Pope Benedict XVI criticized Israel's construction of a security barrier through the West Bank and urged a loosening of restrictions on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a day of speeches and symbolic appearances that amounted to a running critique of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. At symbol of Israeli-Palestinian divide, pope calls for healing ”Standing within view of Israel's imposing concrete wall, Pope Benedict XVI told Palestinian refugees Wednesday that the barrier is a stark reminder of the political stalemate that's stymied every effort to bring peace to this part of the Middle East.”
Aung Suu Kyi in prison. Myanmar military charges Suu Kyi “Myanmar's military government has charged Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's opposition leader, with violating the terms of her house arrest after an American allegedly sneaked into her home,” Burma's Suu Kyi taken to prison “She was taken to a prison from her home in Rangoon, where she has spent most of the past 19 years, to hear the charges.”
Sri Lanka. Mass exodus 'under Tamil fire' in Sri Lanka “Thousands of Sri Lankan civilians waded across a lagoon under fire from the Tamil Tigers today to escape the pocket of northeastern coastline where the army has surrounded rebels in what looks like the final stages of a 26-year civil war." Families split as Sri Lankans flee violence “Growing numbers of traumatised and hungry children are arriving unaccompanied at camps in Sri Lanka after being separated from their parents as they escape a tiny enclave engulfed in heavy fighting,”
Afghanistan. Civilians bear brunt of Afghan war “As the United States begins deploying more than 20,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to reinforce more than 58,000 international forces already on the ground, casualties among civilians are rising across the country.”
Iran. Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike “U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that Israel not surprise the U.S. with an Israeli military operation against Iran.” U.S., Allies Set October Target for Iran Progress “The Obama administration and its European allies are setting a target of early October to determine whether engagement with Iran is making progress or should lead to sanctions, said senior officials briefed on the policy.”
Pakistan. U.S. acknowledges Pakistan drone program “The U.S. military has flown drones into Pakistan at least a dozen times in recent weeks in cooperation with the Pakistanis as part of a new program.” In a First, U.S. Provides Pakistan With Drone Data “The United States military for the first time has provided Pakistan with a broad array of surveillance information collected by American drones flying along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
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