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Quote of the day. “We used to be able to use 9/11 as a touchstone. The students recognized it as an event they lived through and that affected the way that they lived. Now we view it as an opportunity to have a historical discussion.’’ Robby Chisholm, senior program director for history and social studies for Boston public schools. (Boston Globe)
FAITH IN THE NEWS
US Muslims: backlash fear builds each 9/11 “There is the dread of leaving the house that morning. People might stare, or worse, yell insults. Prayers are more intense, visits with family longer. Mosques become a refuge. Eight years after 9/11, many U.S. Muslims still struggle through the anniversary of the attacks.”
Baptist Group Won't Give Convicted Former Leader Another Term as President “The leaders of the National Baptist Convention USA offered prayers but not a second term to Rev. Henry J. Lyons, the disgraced former president of the country's largest African American Baptist denomination, who lost a bid Thursday to get his old job back.”
American Congregations Show Some Signs of Vitality “A new report on America's congregations confirms what many already know – that churches are struggling and facing decline. But analysts say there is hope amid the negative trends.”
NEWS AT HOME
Poverty growing. Americans are getting poorer, and it's going to get worse “The early impact of the worst recession since the 1930s pushed median incomes down, forced millions more people into poverty and left more Americans without health care in 2008, according to new annual survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.” Recession Has Thrust Millions More Into Poverty, Census Statistics Show “A new comprehensive economic survey shows that the recession has plunged 2.6 million more Americans into poverty, wiped out the household income gains of an entire decade and pushed the number of people without health insurance up to 46.3 million.” Last Year’s Poverty Rate Was Highest in 12 Years “In the recession, the nation’s poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent last year, up from 12.5 percent in 2007, according to an annual report released Thursday by the Census Bureau. The report also documented a decline in employer-provided health insurance and in coverage for adults.” Recession Takes Toll on Living Standards “The recession has slashed families' earnings, increased poverty and left more people without health insurance, according to the Census Bureau's annual snapshot of living standards. The report Thursday offered sharp evidence of how much the falling economy has touched Americans across incomes and races.”
Health care. Democrats Seem Unified by Obama’s Speech “President Obama’s speech on health care failed to bridge the gulf with Republicans, but Democrats said on Thursday that the president had largely succeeded in unifying his own party by making a cogent, persuasive pitch to the American public and by casting his plan to overhaul the health care system as a political and moral imperative.” Obama's healthcare speech helps unify Democrats “A day after President Obama went to Capitol Hill to renew his call for a sweeping healthcare overhaul, Democrats on Thursday rallied behind him, giving important momentum to the push for legislation this year.” Obama Health-Care Reform Plan Still Lacks Specifics “One day after President Obama pitched his plan for comprehensive health-care reform to a joint session of Congress, administration officials struggled Thursday to detail how he would achieve his goal of extending coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans without increasing the deficit.” Government limited uninsured tally “The Census Bureau added some clarity Thursday to the fierce debate over government's role in health care: Without government intervention, the number of uninsured would have soared last year.”
Healthcare & abortion. Abortion foes aren't buying Obama's assurances “President Obama, a supporter of reproductive rights, forcefully reiterated in his speech to Congress this week that his healthcare plan would not lead to government funding of abortion. The trouble is, abortion foes don't believe him.”
Healthcare & immigration. Rep. Wilson's Yell Draws Attention to Issue of Coverage for Illegal Immigrants “Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's shout of 'You lie!' during President Obama's speech Wednesday night brought renewed attention to swirling questions about whether Democratic health-care legislation would extend coverage to illegal immigrants.” With a shout, illegal immigrants become part of health care debate “On national television, President Barack Obama contended this week that his plan to overhaul the country's health care system wouldn't spend a single federal dime on undocumented immigrants.”
Global warming. Nations Remain Divided on Global Warming Policy, U.S. Negotiator Says “The Obama administration’s senior negotiator on global warming warned Thursday that developed and developing nations remained deeply divided in talks on reducing greenhouse gases and that time was running out before United Nations treaty negotiations in December."
NEWS AOUND THE WORLD
Women’s rights. UN women 'super-agency' under threat “The general assembly was set to ratify the new agency – which would have a budget of around $1bn and consolidate four existing bodies that deal with women's issues – before its current session concludes on Monday. But Egypt, Cuba, Sudan and Iran have mounted a last-minute campaign to delay ratification."
Afghanistan. Obama Facing Doubts Within His Own Party on Afghanistan “The leading Senate Democrat on military matters said Thursday that he was against sending more American combat troops to Afghanistan until the United States speeded up the training and equipping of more Afghan security forces.” Doubt raised on troop boost in Afghanistan war “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she sees little support in Congress or elsewhere in the country for sending more troops to Afghanistan, signaling trouble for President Obama's new strategy at a critical point in the war.” Amid British furor over Afghan rescue mission, war support plummets “A storm of controversy in Britain over a deadly rescue mission in Afghanistan is coinciding with a new poll that shows plummeting support for the war – something that could strain US ties with its closest NATO allies and present more obstacles to President Obama's push for the alliance to send more troops.”
Iran. Russia Says Sanctions Against Iran Are Unlikely “Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov on Thursday all but ruled out imposing new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, brushing aside growing Western concerns that Iran had made significant progress in recent months in a bid for nuclear weapons.” In Proposal to West, Iran Urges Worldwide System to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons “Iran is not prepared to discuss halting its uranium enrichment program in response to Western demands but is proposing instead a worldwide control system aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's top political aide said in an interview Thursday.” U.S. rejects Iran's proposal for talks “The State Department rejected Iran's latest proposal for international talks Thursday in another sign of trouble for the Obama administration's top-priority effort to engage Tehran in nuclear negotiations.” Iran leader vows 'harsh response' “Iran's supreme leader has vowed to confront those who threaten national security, amid continuing disputes over the presidential election.”
Israel. Israel admits Bibi's secret Moscow trip “Evidence of a secret dash to Russia by Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, intensified speculation yesterday that a hijacked cargo ship was smuggling arms to Iran.” Netanyahu aide likely to pay price for 'secret' Russia trip “At least one person will pay the price for the fiasco of the prime minister's visit to Russia: Maj. Gen. Meir Kalifi, Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary.”
Al Qaeda. Al-Qaida faces recruitment crisis, anti-terrorism experts say “Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida is under heavy pressure in its strongholds in Pakistan's remote tribal areas and is finding it difficult to attract recruits or carry out spectacular operations in western countries, according to government and independent experts monitoring the organisation.”
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