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Quote of the day. "People are going to have to figure out: Do they want schools, do they want roads, do they want public safety, do they want to take care of the less fortunate?" John Burton, a former state Senate leader who is now chairman of the California Democratic Party, after voters rejected the state budget plan. (Los Angeles Times)
Guantanamo. Obama to Give Speech After Backlash Over Recent Detainee Decisions “President Obama will attempt today to answer critics of his dismantling of Bush-era policies on detention and interrogation, in a speech reminding Americans that strong national security and adherence to laws and national values are not mutually exclusive.” Obama moves to regain initiative on Guantanamo closure “President Obama signaled his intention Wednesday to press forward on his plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, despite a growing challenge from both political parties and a limited set of options to make his detainee policy work.” Why closing Gitmo is not so easy “During the campaign, it all sounded so simple. Shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison, which critics around the world called a symbol of U.S. disregard for human rights.”
Health insurance. Tax Proposals Draw Critics in Talks on Financing Health Insurance “Even as Congress weighed options to finance health insurance for tens of millions of Americans, lobbyists mobilized Wednesday to head off proposed taxes on employer-provided health benefits, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks.”
Immigration. Arrests on U.S.-Mexico Border Decline 27% “The number of arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border has dropped 27 percent this year, a decline that could put the figure at its lowest level since the early 1970s, federal officials said yesterday.” Schumer pushes immigration reform “With the nation's top immigration enforcement officers saying they will finish the border fence and continue President George W. Bush's immigration enforcement efforts, the top Democratic senator on immigration said Wednesday that the nation's borders are secure enough to begin working on a legalization bill for current illegal immigrants.”
Supreme Court. Judge Diane Wood, Solicitor General Elena Kagan Seen as Supreme Court Hopefuls “President Obama is intensifying his search for a Supreme Court nominee and has interviewed Judge Diane P. Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago, believed to be among a handful of top contenders.” Conservatives take aim at Supreme Court candidates “As President Obama is interviewing candidates for the Supreme Court, prospective nominees are being debated and dissected on blogs and in chat rooms. Conservative groups have posted campaign-style attack ads on YouTube. Counter-strikes are being launched by liberal groups.”
California budget. California braces for brutal budget cuts “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers scrambled Wednesday to avert a financial meltdown, and public officials across California braced for annihilating cuts on the day after voters trounced their leaders' rescue plan for the state.”
Iraq. Deadly bombs strike Iraq cities “At least 23 people, including three U.S. soldiers, are killed in deadly bombings in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Kirkuk.”
Iran. Iran test-fires missile capable of striking Israel “Iran test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile yesterday which Western analysts believe is capable of hitting targets in Israel, as well as southern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.” Iran Test-Fires Missile With 1,200-Mile Range “Iran test-fired a sophisticated missile on Wednesday that was capable of striking Israel and parts of Western Europe, adding to concerns that Iran’s weapons-development program is fast outpacing the American-led diplomacy that President Obama has said he will let play out through the end of the year.” Israel and U.S. bases in Iran missile range “Iran test-fired a solid-fuel missile capable of reaching Israel or U.S. bases in the Middle East today, drawing rebukes from western governments and forcing the abrupt cancellation of a diplomatic mission by Italy's foreign minister.”
Afghanistan. U.S. Pullout a Condition in Afghan Peace Overture “Leaders of the Taliban and other armed groups battling the Afghan government are talking to intermediaries about a potential peace agreement, with initial demands focused on a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops.”
Aung San Suu Kyi. U.N. Secretary General demands release of Suu Kyi “The United Nations Secretary General promised to go to Burma to demand the release of political prisoners as the authorities resumed their closed trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize-winning democracy leader, a day after briefly admitting journalists and foreign diplomats.”
Pakistan. Pakistan seeks aid for displaced “Pakistan's prime minister has appealed for urgent aid for the two million people who have fled fighting in the country's northwest.” Photos are fresh evidence of growing Pakistani nuclear program “Additional evidence has emerged that Pakistan is 'greatly expanding' its nuclear weapons program even as Islamic insurgents have been advancing toward the country's heartland from its border with Afghanistan. Commercial satellite photos show construction of new facilities at sites that produce components for nuclear warheads.”
Sri Lanka. Aid groups challenge Sri Lanka to grant war zone access “As the Sri Lankan government basks in newfound victory against Tamil Tiger rebels, United Nations and other aid agencies are clamoring for unfettered access to the war zone, something they say is crucial to aid the wounded and to lay the groundwork for rebuilding trust in the divided nation.” Sri Lanka’s Tamils Voice Misgivings “Many Tamils, long caught between a government that distrusted them and a rebel movement that brooked no Tamil moderates, welcomed the end of the war even as they nursed doubts about the government’s promises of unity, reconciliation and equality.”
India. In Indian Election Results, Market Sees Mandate for Further Economic Reforms “Two days after India's Congress party was returned to power with a strengthened mandate, the country's sagging stock market experienced a record surge Monday amid such euphoria that trading had to be suspended.”
Interview. 'Kids can't wait' for health care “Since the recession started, more children lack care, reports the Children's Health Fund. Co-founded by pediatrician Irwin Redlener and singer Paul Simon in 1987, CHF programs aid children in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Redlener talked with USA TODAY's Janice Lloyd about his medical concerns for children.”
Editorial. Obama's anger management on abortion (Christian Science Monitor) “As if Barack Obama didn't already have enough on his plate, he is now attempting to do the impossible in American politics. He has formed a White House task force of advocates on both sides of the abortion divide and asked them to agree on ways that government can help reduce the number of abortions.”
Opinion. President Obama as Commander in Chief (David S. Broder, Washington Post) “No new president finds that every aspect of the job suits him at once; some duties are inevitably more comfortable than others. What we have witnessed in the past few weeks is Barack Obama trying on and fitting himself to the role of commander in chief.”
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