The latest news on the Supreme Court, Immigration, Same-sex Marriage, Katrina Trailers, National Day of Prayer, Global Health Plan, Israel-Palestine, Israel-Nuclear Weapons, Afghanistan-Pakistan Summit, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Select Op-eds.

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Supreme Court. Obama Relies on Inner Circle in Looking for Souter's Supreme Court Successor "President Obama's first selection of a Supreme Court justice is being managed by a small group of senior advisers, and the process will last at least into next week before producing a candidate who the administration hopes will inject real-world experience into the nation's highest court." Obama's challenge: Selecting a truly diverse justice "The Supreme Court, for instance, has never had a Latino justice, an Asian-American justice or an openly gay justice. None of the current justices has disabilities. None of the current justices has ever held elected office." Ginsburg: The court needs another woman "Three years after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor left the Supreme Court, the impact of having only one woman on the nation's highest bench has become particularly clear to that woman - Ruth Bader Ginsburg."

Immigration. Obama budget puts security first at the border "President Obama will ask Congress for $27 billion for border and transportation security in the next budget year, fulfilling a promise to the Mexican government to battle the southbound flow of illegal weapons and setting the stage for immigration reform by first addressing enforcement." Dismissal of Guilty Pleas Is Sought for Immigrants "The immigration lawyers' national bar association called on the Justice Department on Tuesday to consider dismissing the guilty pleas of nearly 300 illegal immigrant workers arrested in a meatpacking plant raid in Iowa last year, one day after the Supreme Court rejected a statute that prosecutors used to pressure them."

Same-sex marriage. D.C. Council Votes to Recognize Same-Sex Marriages Performed Elsewhere "The D.C. Council overwhelmingly approved a bill yesterday to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, in a vote that followed a sharp exchange between an openly gay member and a civil rights champion and set off shouts of reproach from local ministers." Gay Marriage Advances in Maine "Gay-rights advocates moved remarkably close to their goal of making same-sex marriage legal throughout New England on Tuesday, when the Maine House of Representative voted to legalize such unions."

Katrina trailers. Post-Katrina trailer residents fearful as eviction day looms "Federal officials, who have postponed the trailer deadline numerous times, say they have finally arrived at May 30 as the firm date for emptying the 4,600 remaining FEMA trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi."

National Day of Prayer. Obama to be prayer day no-show "President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the next morning."

Global health plan. Obama Seeks a Global Health Plan Broader Than Bush's AIDS Effort "President Obama asked Congress on Tuesday to spend $63 billion over the next six years on a new, broader global health strategy that would reshape one of the signature foreign policy efforts of his predecessor, George W. Bush."

Israel-Palestine. Biden urges Israel to work for a Palestinian state "Vice President Joe Biden called on Israeli officials Tuesday to work harder for creation of a Palestinian state and to halt growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank."

Israel-nuclear weapons. Secret U.S.-Israel nuclear accord in jeopardy "President Obama's efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons threaten to expose and derail a 40-year-old secret U.S. agreement to shield Israel's nuclear weapons from international scrutiny, former and current U.S. and Israeli officials and nuclear specialists say." Analysis / Loss of nuclear monopoly - an Israeli nightmare "It is unclear whether the U.S. assistant secretary of state's call to Israel to sign on to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty indicates a change in Washington's policy toward Israel's nuclear program, or even if the move was anticipated by the White House."

Afghanistan-Pakistan summit. Obama prepares for talks with presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan "President Obama begins two days of talks at the White House today with the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to overhaul a painstakingly developed security strategy that was unveiled only five weeks ago but already has become badly outdated." Afghan-Pakistan summit begins in U.S. "The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan have pledged to work together as three-way talks with the U.S. on regional security began in Washington."

Afghanistan. U.S. Raids Killed Afghan Civilians, Red Cross Says "Dozens of Afghan civilians were killed in American air raids in western Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday." 'Up to 100 dead' in Afghan raid "Up to 100 Afghan civilians may have been killed during an air raid by U.S. forces during a joint operation targeting suspected fighters, a regional administrator says." U.S. 'deeply' regrets Afghan deaths "Washington 'deeply, deeply' regrets the death of Afghan civilians killed by an air strike, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said."

Pakistan. Pakistani Army Poised for New Push Into Swat "Residents flooded out of the Swat Valley by the thousands on Tuesday as the government prepared to mount a new military campaign against Taliban militants and as a much-criticized peace accord with the insurgents fell apart." Thousands Flee Swat Ahead of Expected Fighting "Thousands of panicked civilians began fleeing the conflict-ridden Swat Valley region Tuesday, fearing a full-fledged confrontation between government forces and Taliban fighters after the insurgents declared an end to their peace accord with the government."

India. Gandhi heir woos nation's poor "Rahul Gandhi, the suave, Cambridge-educated heir to India's most powerful political dynasty, is on a mission to show that he is at one with the poorest and most downtrodden in India's rural heartland."

Editorial. Netanyahu, listen to Obama (Haaretz) "The U.S. administration is signaling to Netanyahu that he needs to present Obama with a serious plan for a peace agreement centered around the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel - and that there is no point in wasting Obama's valuable time with futile attempts to bypass the internationally accepted two-state solution, set preconditions for negotiations or place any other obstacles in the way."

Opinion. Can the Pope Bring the Peace? (John L. Allen Jr., New York Times) "Granted, the pope is not a politician, and this trip is more a pilgrimage than a diplomatic mission. Nonetheless, Benedict can make a unique contribution to the peace process at a moment when it obviously needs the help."