Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »
Quote of the day. "Our takeaway is that even going into the recession, the economic outlook for a lot of families was dire. There was a flattening of the median income, and the poverty level was creeping up year after year." Laura Beavers, national coordinator of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Kids Count” annual assessment of children from low-income families, on this year’s report. (Washington Post)
Health care. Bipartisan Senate Panel Nearing Agreement on Health-Care Bill “An emerging consensus among a bipartisan group of senators is poised to shift the dynamic in the congressional debate over health-care reform and could lead to a final product that sheds many of the priorities that President Obama has emphasized and that have drawn GOP attacks.” Democrats may drop public option from health bill “The idea — beloved by President Barack Obama and liberal Democrats — that any overhaul of the nation's health care system should include a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers is losing important political momentum.” The centrist alternative on healthcare: Cooperatives “Senate Democrats debating how to overhaul America's healthcare system are moving toward a showdown over whether to create a government-run insurance program or set up a system of cooperatives instead.” Democrats Push Health Care Plan While Issuing Assurances on Medicare “President Obama tried Tuesday to sell his health care plan to older Americans, as members of Congress said they were deluged with calls from constituents worried that their Medicare benefits might be cut to help finance coverage for the uninsured.”
Sotomayor nomination. Senate Committee Endorses Sotomayor With Just One GOP Vote “A Senate committee endorsed Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday in a vote that splintered nearly along party lines, signaling that Republicans will not hesitate to oppose the first Hispanic nominee to the nation's highest court when the full Senate decides whether to confirm her next week.” Senate Panel Endorses Sotomayor “President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, moved closer to taking her seat on Tuesday as the Senate Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly approved her nomination and sent it on to the full Senate.” Republicans send message with opposition to Sotomayor “Republicans' unflinching opposition Tuesday to Judge Sonia Sotomayor drew a partisan line in the sand, signaling that any future Obama nominees to the Supreme Court are unlikely to win significant GOP support even if they have solid legal credentials and moderate records.”
California budget. Schwarzenegger cuts $500 million more as he signs budget “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday signed a budget plan sent to him by lawmakers to close the state's monumental deficit, using his veto pen to impose nearly $500 million in additional cuts.” California Budget Trimmed Further “Seeking to close a final hole created by a last-minute rejection by lawmakers of two large revenue-producing measures, the governor made a slew of line-item cuts to programs for children and the poor to close a roughly $24 billion two-year gap.”
Immigration. Immigrant Detention Rules Rejected “The Obama administration has refused to make legally enforceable rules for immigration detention, rejecting a federal court petition by former detainees and their advocates and embracing a Bush-era inspection system that relies in part on private contractors.” Immigration detention centers failed to meet standards, report says “The federal government routinely failed to follow its own standards regulating immigration detention centers across the country, denying detainees sufficient recreation time and adequate access to attorneys, legal materials and telephones.”
Housing market. Recovery Signs in Housing Market Stir Some Hope “After a plunge lasting three years, houses have finally become cheap enough to lure buyers. That, in turn, is stabilizing prices, generating hope that the real estate market is beginning to recover.”
Food stamps. More retailers say yes to food stamps “More retailers are accepting food stamps, as a record number of consumers are turning to government aid to pay for groceries. Nearly 39 million people received food stamps — now known as Electronic Benefit Transfers — in April 2009.”
Feature-Walking with God. Franciscan Friars Trudge 300 Miles in Va. and Find Kindred Souls Along the Way “After trekking along more than 300 miles of dusty Virginia country roads and suburban highways, six Franciscan friars reached Washington on Tuesday, having seen it all during an offbeat modern-day quest for God. For six weeks, the brothers walked from Roanoke with only their brown robes, sandals and a belief in the kindness of strangers to feed and shelter them.”
Iran. Iran to put 'rioters' on trial “Iran plans to put on trial 20 people accused of rioting in the unrest that followed the disputed vote that saw the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country's president.” Iran frees 140 political detainees from Tehran prison after wave of protests “Iran today responded to growing criticism over political detainees by freeing 140 inmates incarcerated in its most notorious jail following the recent post-election upheavals.” Iran hard-liners warn Ahmadinejad he could be deposed “Political hard-liners warned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday that he could be deposed like past Iranian leaders if he continued to defy the country's supreme religious leader.”
Israel. PM, Mitchell say deal on settlement construction near “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell said yesterday that the two countries are nearing an understanding on settlement construction in the West Bank.” U.S.-Israeli talks make 'progress' “U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu say talks about reviving the regional peace process have made 'good progress.'”
Iraq. Iraq Force Soon to Be a Coalition of One "Two days from now, there will no longer be any other nations with troops in Iraq — no 'multi' in the Multi-National Force. As Iraqi forces have increasingly taken the lead, the United States is the last of the 'coalition of the willing' that the Bush administration first brought together in 2003.”
Afghanistan. General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman: we underrated the Taliban “Military commanders underestimated the insurgency in southern Afghanistan when British troops were sent there three years ago, a senior defense chief has admitted.”
Executions in China. China pledges drastic cut in executions “China plans to reduce the number of death sentences it hands out each year to 'an extremely small number' and to reserve executions for only the most serious offenders.” China to cut number of executions “Amnesty International said China executed 1,718 people in 2008 - 72% of the world's total.”
Syria. U.S. Opens Way to Ease Sanctions Against Syria “The Obama administration said Tuesday that it would take new steps to ease American sanctions against Syria on a case-by-case basis, the latest sign of a diplomatic thaw.”
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!