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Quote of the day. “God and guns were part of the foundation of this country. I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.” Ken Pagano, pastor of the New Bethel Church in Louisville, KY, explaining why he is inviting his congregation and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary. (New York Times)
Supreme Court - no strip search of student. Supreme Court Rules Strip Search Violated 13-Year-Old Girl's Rights “Arizona school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old girl when they strip-searched her on the suspicion she might be hiding ibuprofen in her underwear, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday.” Supreme Court declares strip-search of student unconstitutional “After two decades of giving school officials wide leeway to search students for drugs or weapons, the Supreme Court set a legal limit on Thursday, ruling out of bounds the strip-search of a 13-year-old girl who was suspected of hiding pain relief pills.”
Health care. Senators Near Agreement on Health-Care Bill “Senate health-care negotiators said yesterday they were closing in on a $1 trillion health-care bill that would be fully funded by tax increases, Medicare cuts and new penalties for employers who do not offer health insurance.” Congress suspends health care debate as crowds rally for plan “Senators who are negotiating how to overhaul the nation's health care system broke off formal talks Thursday until after the July Fourth holiday, saying that they lack consensus on how to pay for the $1 trillion or more that the changes could cost over the next decade.” Obama and Congress Clash on How to Pay for Health Care “It has become the trillion-dollar question: can President Obama find that much in spending cuts and tax increases to keep his campaign promise to overhaul the health care system, without adding to already huge deficits?”
Climate change. House Democrats Predict Narrow Win for Cap-and-Trade Bill “The House could vote today on a measure to cap U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with Democratic leaders predicting a tight victory for a behemoth bill that has grown more complex with each compromise.” House energy bill gains support “House Democrats grew increasingly confident Thursday that they have the votes to deliver on one of President Obama's highest priorities -- a landmark effort to fight global warming and boost alternatives to fossil fuels.” Climate change fund plan to help poor nations “Gordon Brown today proposed the establishment of a $100 billion a year international fund to help the world’s poorest nations adapt to the impact of climate change.”
Immigration. Republicans Focus on Guest Workers in Immigration Debate “President Obama told a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday that Congress should begin debating a comprehensive immigration plan by year’s end or early next year, but Republicans said they would support a measure only if it included an expansion of guest worker programs.” Obama urges Congress not to put off immigration reform “President Obama Thursday called for some 'heavy lifting' on immigration reform on Capitol Hill, but there’s no move there to rush into it.” As Obama sets course for immigration reform, roadblock appears “President Obama told congressional lawmakers Thursday that he would push for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration system by early next year. But during the White House meeting, a new political obstacle came into view: how to regulate the future influx of foreign workers.”
Mountaintop removal. Lawmakers, activists battle over mountaintop removal mining “Coal industry advocates and environmentalists converged on Capitol Hill Thursday at a congressional hearing on the impact of mountaintop removal mining on Appalachian streams and rivers.”
Spiritual haven. Politicians' Scandals Elevate the Profile of a Spiritual Haven on C Street SE “On any given day, the rowhouse at 133 C St. SE -- well appointed, with American flag flying, white-and-green-trimmed windows and a pleasant garden -- fills with talk of power and the Lord.”
Iran. Iranians mourn slain woman as power struggle continues “Defying an official ban, hundreds of people held a graveside tribute Thursday for the woman who's become a symbol of the Iranian opposition after she was killed while protesting the country's disputed election.” Options Shrink for Opposition as Iran Tightens Grip "Step by step, Iran’s leaders are successfully pushing back threats to their authority, crushing street protests, pressing challengers to withdraw or to limit their objections to the disputed presidential election and restricting the main opposition leader’s ability to do much more than issue statements of outrage.” G8 'deplores' Iran poll violence “Foreign ministers from the world's main industrialized countries have issued a statement 'deploring' post-election violence in Iran.” Arab Activists Watch Iran And Wonder: 'Why Not Us?' “Mohamed Sharkawy bears the scars of his devotion to Egypt's democracy movement. He has endured beatings in a Cairo police station, he said, and last year spent more than two weeks in an insect-ridden jail for organizing a protest.”
Israel-Palestine. Israelis Cede More Control of West Bank Security “Israel has agreed to give the Palestinian security forces more freedom of action in four West Bank cities, Israeli and Palestinian security officials said Thursday, a move that implies a reduction in Israeli military activity in those areas as the Western-backed Palestinian forces assert more control.” For Palestinian Forces, a Growing Role in West Bank “Palestinian police and security forces have assumed increasing control over towns in the occupied West Bank, a process that took a significant step forward Thursday when Israel agreed to limit military incursions in four major Palestinian cities.” U.S. hails Israeli checkpoint steps “The U.S. has welcomed Israeli steps to ease movement in the occupied West Bank, as Palestinian forces have been given greater autonomy there.”
Iraq. Deaths as bomb hits Baghdad market “At least 15 people have been killed and nearly 50 wounded after a bomb exploded in a motorbike market in central Baghdad, just four days before U.S. troops are due to pullout of Iraqi cities and towns.” Premier Casting U.S. Withdrawal as Iraq Victory “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has taken to calling the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq’s cities by next Tuesday a 'great victory,' a repulsion of foreign occupiers he compares to the rebellion against British troops in 1920.”
U.S.-Venezuela. U.S., Venezuela to restore full diplomatic ties “In a potentially significant step toward repairing their tattered relationship, the United States and Venezuela have formally agreed to resume full diplomatic relations.”
Editorials. The farm lobby vs. the global warming bill (Los Angeles Times) “…its power goes beyond the farm bill; it's hard to pass any legislation even tangentially related to farming without the support of a bipartisan bloc of lawmakers from Midwestern states. Which is why, when congressional Democrats bring their sweeping 1,200-page bill to fight climate change to the House floor today, the farm lobby's loamy thumbprints will be all over it.” Too big, too fast (Chicago Tribune) “Democratic leaders in the House say they'll push for a vote on the bill as early as Friday. They think they can pass it. This is an incredibly expensive undertaking. If anyone in Congress tells you that he has read and completely understands this bill, and can explain exactly how the system to reduce carbon emissions would work and what its effects would be, he's lying."
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