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Quote of the day. “Part of being a good friend is being honest. And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests.” President Obama on U.S.-Israel relations. (New York Times)
Jet down in ocean. Plane searchers spot ocean debris “Brazilian aircraft searching for an Air France jet which went missing with 228 people aboard in an Atlantic storm have spotted debris on the ocean. Some oil, a plane seat and other items were sighted 650km (400 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha island.” 228 Feared Dead in Presumed Crash of Air France Jetliner “Air France Flight 447 was an Airbus 330-200, a big, modern jetliner designed, as its name implies, to ride through anything. But somewhere over the Atlantic, in the dead of night, in a vicious lightning storm, it fell out of the sky.”
General Motors. U.S. Bets Billions on GM's Resurgence “President Obama laid out his case yesterday for committing billions of dollars more to the rescue of General Motors, arguing that the nationalization of the industrial giant was necessary to bolster the foundering U.S. economy.” General Motors seizes chance for a fresh start “General Motors Corp.'s historic bankruptcy promises to turn more than $50 billion from taxpayers into a fresh start, allowing the struggling giant to again become an engine for the U.S. economy.” Now a G.M. Owner, U.A.W. Faces Delicate Balancing Act “Now, with General Motors and Chrysler in bankruptcy and the union a major shareholder in both through its retiree health fund, life has become a lot more complicated for the U.A.W.” Plant closures weigh on workers, cities “Across the country, autoworkers and their communities struggled to deal with the emotional and economic ripple effects from the automaker's historic bankruptcy filing Monday.” Bankruptcy gives GM given a fighting chance “For all the concern over the bankruptcy and quasi-nationalization of an American industrial icon, it is easy to lose sight of one crucial result of Monday's General Motors Corp. Chapter 11 filing. GM now has a fighting chance.”
Doctor killed. Tiller's Killing Puts Abortion Issue Back in Spotlight “As the U.S. Marshals Service moved to protect abortion clinics and doctors nationwide, the fatal shooting of the country's most prominent provider of late-term abortions reignited a national debate about reproductive rights.” Suspect in Kansas abortion doctor's slaying reportedly belonged to anti-government militia “The 51-year-old man held on suspicion of killing prominent abortion provider Dr. George Tiller belonged to anti-government militia groups, had been convicted of carrying explosives in his car and was outraged by the doctor's speedy acquittal on abortion-related charges.”
Health care reform. Senators Set to Visit White House to Discuss Health Care Overhaul “President Obama will meet with influential Senate Democrats on Tuesday to discuss overhauling health care, as the White House releases a report asserting that revamping the system would increase the income of a typical family of four by $2,600 in 2020, and by $10,000 in 2030.”
Climate change. Obama to stake political prestige on passing U.S. climate bill “Barack Obama is prepared to stake his own political prestige on getting climate change legislation through Congress, and would be willing to intervene directly to ensure passage of America's first law to reduce the carbon emissions that cause global warming.”
Minnesota Senate. Minnesota Justices Are Skeptical in Senate Case “A lawyer for Norm Coleman, the Republican who is fighting a recount battle with Al Franken, a Democrat, for a Senate seat, faced sharply skeptical questioning on Monday from justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court in a crucial hearing on the case.” Minnesota justices skeptical over Norm Coleman's case “Minnesota Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism Monday of Republican Norm Coleman's claim that thousands of absentee ballots in his Senate race against Democrat Al Franken were illegally excluded.”
Peace Corps. More Americans turning to Peace Corps “Some, like Hodgkins, see it as a training opportunity at a time when job prospects at home are bleak. Others have been inspired by President Obama's campaign call to public service, and his frequent mention of the Peace Corps as a good vehicle for volunteerism.”
Afghanistan. Gen. McChrystal to Face Questions From Senate Panel About Plans for Afghanistan “Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee today to answer questions about the future -- including his plans for reshaping U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan -- and a past marked by both acclaim and controversy.”
Nuclear material. Fine Print: U.N. Hopes to Ban New Fissionable Material, Space-Based Weapons “It was a small step. But after almost a decade of deadlock, the United Nations Conference on Disarmament last week approved a working group to negotiate a treaty banning the production of fissionable material for nuclear weapons and another to discuss preventing an arms race in outer space.”
Detainee torture photos. Why'd Obama switch on detainee photos? Maliki went ballistic “President Barack Obama reversed his decision to release detainee abuse photos from Iraq and Afghanistan after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki warned that Iraq would erupt into violence and that Iraqis would demand that U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq a year earlier than planned.”
Mid-east peace. Obama hopeful on Mid-East peace “U.S. President Barack Obama has told the BBC he believes his country can help to get serious Middle East peace negotiations back on track.” Blair optimistic about the Middle East “His remarks were significant for their sharpness about Israel — even though, with professional control, he balanced every point against Israel with one against the Palestinians.” On U.S. Visit, Israel's Barak Aims to Calm Dispute Over Settlements “Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak began a round of meetings with top U.S. officials yesterday in a bid to head off an increasingly sharp dispute between the United States and Israel over the expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory.” Israel and U.S. Can’t Close Split on Settlements “The decision of whether to build, and how much, goes to the heart of the tensions between the administrations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Obama, an unaccustomed and no-budge conflict between Israel and the United States.” Crisis nears as U.S. slams Israeli settlement policy “Tensions between the Obama administration and Benjamin Netanyahu's government are nearing crisis levels after senior American officials harshly criticized the prime minister and his policies yesterday.”
North Korea. Fears mount that North Korea is preparing to attack the South “An imminent missile launch into the sea? An armed incursion of North Korean ships? A full-scale invasion of Yeonpyeong, the small South Korean island hard up against the maritime boundary? Too much blood has already been shed in these waters for anyone to risk taking any chances, and for the past week South Korea has been dispatching reinforcements.” Seoul boosts forces against N Korea “South Korea is beefing up its naval forces along the disputed sea border with North Korea amid growing signs that Pyongyang is preparing to test a long-range missile.”
Somalia. Somalia crisis 'Africa's worst' “The 'very dire' humanitarian crisis in Somalia is the worst in Africa for many years, says Oxfam's coordinator for the failed Horn of Africa state.” Armed groups 'threaten all Somalia' “Somalia's new foreign minister has warned that the al-Shabab group is controlling the fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, and poses a threat to the entire country.”
Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka toll 'may never be known' “The world may never know the extent of civilian deaths during the final days of the Sri Lankan military's assault on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a senior U.N. official has said.”
El Salvador. Salvador leftist leader sworn in “A left-wing former television journalist, Mauricio Funes, has been sworn-in as president of El Salvador.” El Salvador installs its first leftist president, TV host Mauricio Funes “Mauricio Funes, a television journalist whose party once fought a bloody guerrilla war in El Salvador, on Monday became the country's first leftist president amid emotional symbols of landmark change.”
Iran. Obama hopes to break Iranian nuclear deadlock by December “Barack Obama said today that the U.S. should be able to measure whether Iran is serious about nuclear negotiations by the end of this year.”
Editorial. Foreclosures: No End in Sight (New York Times) “A continuing steep drop in home prices combined with rising unemployment is powering a new wave of foreclosures. Unfortunately, there’s little evidence, so far, that the Obama administration’s anti-foreclosure plan will be able to stop it.”
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