The latest news on Obama Tax Deal, Congressional Spending Bills, States' Budgets Slowly on the Mend, Food Stamps, DREAM, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, Afghanistan, Iran, Ireland, Rain Forest Conservation, Climate Talks in Cancun, North Korea, and Select O

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Quote of the Day. "I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times, and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that." Elizabeth Edwards, in her final Facebook post on Monday. (Politico)

RELIGION IN THE NEWS

Evangelicals, Roman Catholic bishops urge New START ratification "Two key religious organizations in the United States called on Congress Tuesday to ratify the new nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April."

Survey of pastors: Bush, Palin Christians; Obama, Oprah, Beck not "A majority of Protestant pastors believes that George W. Bush and Sarah Palin are Christians but President Obama, Glenn Beck and Oprah Winfrey are not."

NEWS AT HOME

Elizabeth A. Edwards, 1949-2010. Lived her private pain on a public stage "Elizabeth A. Edwards, who captured the nation's sympathy and admiration for her forthright grace in coping with her struggle with breast cancer and the infidelity of her husband, presidential candidate John Edwards, died Dec. 7 at her home in Chapel Hill, N.C., after a six-year battle with cancer." Elizabeth Edwards Dies at 61 "Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Senator John Edwards, had a life of idyllic successes and crushing reverses before she died of cancer on Tuesday."

Obama tax deal. Despite Obama plea, liberals in Congress assail tax deal "Democratic leaders Tuesday struggled to calm the turmoil over President Barack Obama's tax cut compromise, as the president's usual Capitol Hill allies made it clear that they're uneasy and downright angry about the deal's extension of tax cuts for the very wealthy." Tax deal opens Democratic rift "President Obama on Tuesday faced an uprising among angry Democrats who strongly opposed his deal with Republicans on tax cuts, opening a public rift that could prevent the White House from ending the year with a fresh dose of stimulus for the economy." Obama Defends Tax Deal, but His Party Stays Hostile "President Obama on Tuesday strongly defended his tax cut deal with Congressional Republicans against intense criticism from his own party, insisting it was 'a good deal for the American people.'" Tax Package Will Aid Nearly All, Especially Highest Earners "But the tax benefits will flow most heavily to the highest earners, just as the original cuts did when they were passed in 2001 and 2003. At least a quarter of the tax savings will go to the wealthiest 1 percent of the population." For Obama, Tax Deal Is a Back-Door Stimulus Plan "Mr. Obama effectively traded tax cuts for the affluent, which Republicans were demanding, for a second stimulus bill that seemed improbable a few weeks ago."

Congressional spending bills. Spending bills loom on Congress's horizon "With a massive bipartisan tax-cut package edging closer to final agreement, Congress now will attempt to pass two major items before the end of the year: a $1.1 trillion bill to keep the government running and a nuclear arms treaty."

Food stamps. 42.9m in US receiving food stamps "The number of Americans receiving food stamps rose to a record 42.9 million in September as the jobless rate stayed near a 27-year high, the government said."

States' budgets slowly on the mend. States' budget picture is brightening "The good news in a report released Wednesday is that, as the nation's economy slowly starts growing again, state budgets are finally on the mend after taking their worst battering since the Great Depression."

DREAM. Illegal Immigrant Students Await Votes on Legal Status "With both houses of Congress set to vote this week on a bill that would give legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students, one of those students will wait for news of the outcome at an immigration detention center in Arizona."

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. British Court Denies Bail to Assange "After months of posting troves of classified American documents on the Internet, Julian Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks Web site, surrendered to British authorities and was jailed on Tuesday after a judge reviewing a Swedish extradition request found him to be a flight risk and denied him bail." WikiLeaks persists as Assange is locked up "In the hours that followed, it appeared that WikiLeaks is robust enough to survive its founder's personal peccadilloes in the short term, and to endure the loss of many of its revenue sources and bank accounts by a United States government apparently bent on putting it out of business."

Afghanistan. Gates gets sobering war update on Afghan visit "Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates received a sobering update on security in eastern Afghanistan during a visit Tuesday, reflecting the uneven nature of the Obama administration's claims to be making progress in suppressing the Taliban insurgency." Afghan War Review Called Likely to Show Progress "A senior defense official said Tuesday that a year-end White House review of American strategy in Afghanistan was expected to declare progress in the nine-year-old war and conclude that a surge in United States forces had expanded security in the south and around the capital, Kabul." A reminder that the fight goes on "Persistent reminders that U.S. troops remain embroiled in a tough fight greeted Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates as he toured eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, days before the Obama administration is scheduled to complete a major review of its war strategy."

Iran. Iran nuclear talks end on a vague note "Iran and six world powers today ended talks on Iran's nuclear programme agreeing to meet again in Istanbul next month, but nothing else was agreed, and the gulf between the two sides was as wide as ever." Little progress seen as talks with Iran come to end "When two days of talks between Iran and major powers ended here Tuesday, with few signs of progress except an agreement to meet again next month in Istanbul, the dueling news conferences by both sides laid bare the difficulties ahead." More Nuclear Talks With Iran Are Set "Tense talks between Iran, the United States and other world powers ended Tuesday with an agreement to hold another meeting toward the end of January in Istanbul."

Ireland. More misery for Ireland as brutal cuts revealed "As a freezing rain fell on Dublin, the Irish government unveiled the most brutal step yet in its austerity drive: a budget of unprecedented severity that will save