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Quote of the day. “It’s the recession. Children are the most expensive item in every family’s budget, especially given all the gear kids expect today. So it’s a good place to cut back when you’re uncertain about the future.” Andrew Hacker, a sociologist at Queens College of the City University of New York, explaining falling birth rates in the U.S. (New York Times)
Justice Sotomayor. Senate Votes 68 to 31 to Confirm Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court “The Senate, in a vote laden with history and partisanship, confirmed Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday as the 111th justice and the first Hispanic to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.” Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68-31“The Senate on Thursday confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, concluding a 10-week battle with a resounding victory for the White House.” Sotomayor will bring unique perspective to the Supreme Court “The newly confirmed justice's experiences with a disability, economic struggles and as a prosecutor and trial judge are among several things that may set her apart from her new colleagues.” Historic Sotomayor appointment prompts celebration “The scene was fitting for the occasion: A group of Colombians, Nicaraguans and Cubans meeting at a Peruvian restaurant in Miami to toast a Puerto Rican woman's ascent to the highest court in the land. The story of her life resonates with the nation's 45 million Hispanics.”
Unemployment falls. Job losses slow to 247,000; jobless rate dips “Employers throttled back on layoffs in July, cutting just 247,000 jobs, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent, its first decline in 15 months.” With Jobs Data Due, Experts See Some Lift From Stimulus “A report card on the stimulus plan offered by analysts nearly six months after it was passed by Congress suggests that the punch from increased government spending has helped the economy begin to bottom out faster than it would have otherwise.” Stimulus has slowed U.S. economic decline, Obama advisor says “The $787-billion economic stimulus act that Congress approved in February at the urging of President Obama has helped 'change the trajectory' of the nation's economy, White House economic advisor Christina Romer said today, and the administration is on track to spend 70% of the money by the end of the next fiscal year.”
Health care. Health-Care Reform Negotiators in Senate Hoping to Keep Deal Alive During Recess “Senators headed home for their August break Thursday amid an escalating partisan battle over health-care reform, with a small band of lawmakers hoping to keep their delicately negotiated compromise alive until Congress reconvenes in September.” Senators Hear Concerns Over Costs of Health Proposal “Senior members of the Senate Finance Committee, trying to put together a bipartisan bill to guarantee health insurance for all Americans, were told Thursday that their proposals might be unaffordable to states and to many low-income people.” Democrats Weigh the Calculus of Public Health Insurance “As Congress breaks for its August recess, the debate back home will center on Democratic proposals to create a government-run insurance option, which insurers and Republicans are casting as a step toward socialized medicine.”
Global warming. Plan urged to save national parks from global warming effects “The federal government must take decisive action to avoid 'a potentially catastrophic loss of animal and plant life' in national parks, according to a new report that details the effects of global warming on the nation's most treasured public lands.” Study finds 3 Northwest glaciers shrinking faster “Climate change is shrinking three of the nation's most studied glaciers at an accelerated rate, and government scientists say that finding bolsters global concerns about rising sea levels and the availability of fresh drinking water.”
U.S. anti-terror strategy. Obama's counter-terrorism advisor denounces Bush-era policies “President Obama's counter-terrorism chief on Thursday repeatedly rebuked the Bush administration in a speech designed to make the case for a broader approach to fighting Islamic extremism.” U.S. outlines anti-terror strategy “President Barack Obama's chief counter-terrorism adviser said the U.S. government is forging a new approach to tackling violent extremism.”
Afghanistan. 5 U.S. troops killed as Afghan violence swells “The pace of American combat deaths in Afghanistan has quickened anew as roadside bombs killed five U.S. troops in 24 hours in the same western province.” Three British soldiers killed in Afghanistan “Three British special forces soldiers were killed yesterday in Afghanistan, taking the total number of British casualties to 195. A fourth soldier was injured and remains in a critical condition from the roadside ambush.” White House Struggles to Gauge Afghan Success “As the American military comes to full strength in the Afghan buildup, the Obama administration is struggling to come up with a long-promised plan to measure whether the war is being won.”
Iran. Intelligence Report Suggests Slower Timeline for Iranian Nuclear Capability “Despite Iran's progress since 2007 toward producing enriched uranium, the State Department's intelligence analysts continue to think that Tehran will not be able to produce weapons-grade material before 2013, according to a newly disclosed congressional document.”
Hamas war crimes. Hamas rockets 'a war crime' “Rocket attacks carried out against Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters amount to war crimes, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.” Hamas may have committed war crimes, rights group says “A prominent human rights group said there is 'strong evidence' that Gaza’s Hamas rulers committed war crimes by allowing militants to fire rockets from the territory that killed civilians in Israel, according to a report released yesterday.”
Somalia. U.S. pledges support for Somalia “Hillary Clinton, the U.S. secretary of state, has pledged strong support for Somalia's fragile government as it battles Islamist fighters across the country.” Hillary Clinton's Africa trip signals new U.S. commitment to Somalia “Bolstered by a meeting Thursday between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Somalia's transitional president, the Obama administration is embarking on the most direct engagement in the Horn of Africa nation since 18 U.S. peacekeepers were killed there in 1993.” In a Changing Somalia, Islamist Forces See Support Wane “After a decade of U.S. concern that Somalia could become a base for terrorists bent on launching attacks across the region, many analysts say that al-Qaeda's Somali sympathizers are at their weakest, and perhaps also at their most dangerous, point in years.”
Honduras. U.S. drops call to restore ousted Honduran leader “The Obama administration has backed away from its call to restore ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to power and instead put the onus on him for taking 'provocative actions' that polarized his country and led to his overthrow on June 28.” Clashes at Honduras student protest “Riot police in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse students rallying in support of the country's ousted president, Manuel Zelaya.”
Editorials. Bombs, bullets and ballots in Afghanistan (Los Angeles Times) “Holding an election in a country at war is always a risky proposition, but perhaps more so in developing Afghanistan, where 70% of the population is illiterate, voter registration is problematic, and ballots for presidential and provincial council races reach remote areas by donkey." Israel does have a Palestinian partner (Haaretz) “Fatah's new platform, and chairman Mahmoud Abbas' speech, won sweeping support from the more than 2,200 delegates who came from throughout the Palestinian Diaspora. From Bethlehem, they sent Jerusalem an unequivocal message: The Palestinian national movement's strategic choice is still two states for two peoples.”
Opinion. The Town Hall Mob (Paul Krugman, New York Times) “That’s a far cry from what has been happening at recent town halls, where angry protesters — some of them, with no apparent sense of irony, shouting 'This is America!' — have been drowning out, and in some cases threatening, members of Congress trying to talk about health reform.”
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