The latest news on Stem Cells, Climate Change Legislation, Health Care, Homeless Families, Minority Savings, Catholics & Jews, Pope on Financial Crisis, U.S.-Russia, Afghanistan, Iran, Hondruas, China, and Select Op-eds.

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Quote of the day. “When school’s open, families tend to stay where they are. And when school’s out, they’re told it’s time to go.” Deronda Metz, the director of social services for the Salvation Army in Charlotte, NC, explaining a surge in homeless families in the summer. (New York Times)

Stem cells. Restrictions Are Eased for Research Using Embryonic Stem Cells "Hundreds of embryonic stem cell lines, whose use in the United States had effectively been curtailed by the Bush administration, can be used to study disorders and develop cures if researchers can show the cells were derived using ethical procedures, according to new rules."

Climate change legislation. Senators' Disparate Interests Could Transform Climate Legislation "President Obama's climate-change legislation begins a daunting march through the Senate this week, with supporters acknowledging they are as many as 15 votes shy of victory and well aware that deals to attract more votes could erode the bill's environment-friendly objectives."

Health care. Health Co-op Offers Model for Overhaul "The Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound has embraced electronic medical records and a collaborative model of primary care, drawing the attention of Capitol Hill."

Homeless families. In New York, Summer Brings a Wave of Homeless Families "Many New Yorkers view summer as a time for vacations, camp and lazy days at the beach. But city officials have been preparing for quite a different summer ritual: the swelling of the population of homeless families."

Minority savings. For many minorities, saving isn't so easy "Many Americans fear they'll outlive their savings, but African Americans and Hispanics face an even greater risk of spending the end of their lives in poverty."

Catholics & Jews. A war of words between Catholics and Jews "The nation's Roman Catholic bishops, looking to clarify their position on interfaith dialogue with Jews, have instead caused an uproar by issuing a recent statement that appears to endorse attempts to convert them."

Pope on financial crisis. Pope calls for new order in capitalism "The pope today called for a 'profoundly new way' of organizing global finance and business, calling for a new social and ethical dimension to capitalism and arguing the case for a new world political authority to help champion 'the common good.'" Pope calls for economic system based on love "The Pope has called for the world economy to be restructured in line with the principles of 'love, truth, and charity' in a new encyclical issued today." In Encyclical, Pope Proposes New Financial Order "In 'Charity in Truth,' Benedict denounced the profit-at-all-cost mentality of the globalized economy and lamented that greed had brought about the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression."

U.S. – Russia. Obama calls on Russia to work with U.S. on terrorism, nuclear curbs "President Obama today called on Russians to put aside their former roles as Cold War foes of the United States and join together to work to curb nuclear weapons and to improve the economic and social lives of people around the globe." U.S.-Russia Nuclear Agreement Is First Step in Broad Effort "President Obama signed an agreement on Monday to cut American and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals by at least one-quarter, a first step in a broader effort intended to reduce the threat of such weapons drastically and to prevent their further spread to unstable regions." Obama and Medvedev Reach Agreement to Reduce Nuclear Arsenals "President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reached a preliminary agreement Monday to cut the American and Russian nuclear arsenals by as much as a third while exploring options for cooperation on missile defense."

Afghanistan. 7 U.S. troops in Afghanistan are killed "As U.S. troops in Afghanistan suffered the largest one-day death toll in months Monday, military officials and experts warned Americans to brace for rising casualties as thousands of additional service members pour into the country to confront a resurgent Taliban."

Iran. Key Iran cleric's party dismisses vote results "A day after commanders of the Revolutionary Guard warned there was no middle ground in the dispute over the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the political party of one of Iran's most powerful clerics Monday defiantly issued a statement dismissing the vote." Iran Warns West Against Interference "Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned foreign governments on Monday that Iranians would react as a 'united fist' to meddling in domestic affairs, after officials in the elite Revolutionary Guards had warned Iranians that they would be treated as enemies of the state if they did not line up behind the leadership." Israel declines to ask U.S. to OK Iran attack "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top deputies have not formally asked for U.S. aid or permission for possible military strikes on Iran's nuclear program, fearing the White House would not approve, two Israeli officials said."

Honduras. Uneasy calm holds in Honduras "An uneasy calm is holding in Honduras a day after clashes between the military-backed authorities and supporters of the ousted president claimed the first death in the wake of last week's coup." Secretary Clinton Agrees to Meet Deposed Honduran Leader "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has agreed to meet with ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, as U.S. and other diplomats intensify their efforts to solve a crisis that has turned into a showdown with coup leaders and threatens to produce more bloodshed." Both Sides in Honduras Reach Out to the U.S. "The spotlight on Honduras's political crisis began to shift away from Latin America’s leaders and onto the United States on Monday, as both sides in the face-off over Honduras’s deposed president turned to the Obama administration to take charge of broad diplomatic efforts that have so far failed to resolve the situation."

China. China Locks Down a Restive Region After Deadly Clashes "Rival protesters took to the streets again on Tuesday, defying Chinese government efforts to lock down this regional capital of 2.3 million people and other places across its western desert region after bloody clashes between Muslim Uighurs and security forces that were mostly Han Chinese." Restive Chinese city under curfew "A curfew has been imposed on the city of Urumqi in western China for a second night after ethnic riots on Sunday which left 156 people dead."

Opinion. Purification starts with the truth (James Reston Jr., USA Today) "Catholics. Lutherans. Muslims. Americans. We all need a moment of self-reflection to process our transgressions and move forward toward a better self. And this doesn't mean dilution."