Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »
Quote of the day. “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” Sen. Ted Kennedy (1932-2009), speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. (American Rhetoric)
Ted Kennedy. ‘Soul’ of Party Is Memorialized by Nation “The nation said final farewell on Saturday to Edward M. Kennedy, who used his privileged life to give consistent, passionate voice to the underprivileged for nearly a half-century as a United States senator from Massachusetts.” As night fell, burial - and revelation “As darkness fell and Kennedy family members and friends gathered around, Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s personal appeal to the pope was read aloud at his gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery, reflecting a sense of humanity, humility, and enduring faith.” 'We Loved This Kind And Tender Hero' “On the day he was carried to his final resting place, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was remembered Saturday as a legislator of almost unequalled prowess, a political force who left a lasting imprint on the country and a husband, father and patriarch whose private acts of love and devotion helped his star-crossed family endure tragedy and misfortune.”
Health care. Bus Tour, Campaign-Style Events to Promote Health-Care Reform “President Obama's supporters hope to recapture the energy of last year's triumphant election campaign in a bid to regain control of the health-care debate, planning more than 2,000 house parties, rallies and town hall meetings across the country over the next two weeks.” Stronger Prospects for the President on a Health Care Bill “Yet other factors suggest that President Obama still has stronger prospects for achieving his health policy goals than surface impressions of the Congressional recess indicate. He lags behind his own timetable for action, but remains ahead of presidential predecessors who pursued the same objective.” Kennedy loyalists keep pushing health care change as his legacy “The late Sen. Edward Kennedy badly wanted to overhaul the nation's health care system. Friends and family pressed that message throughout the weekend — at Kennedy's funeral mass, at his burial service and on the Sunday network talk shows.”
Climate bill. Industry Groups Take the Initiative With Senate Climate Bill Near “It seems that environmentalists are struggling in a fight they have spent years setting up. They are making slow progress adapting a movement built for other goals -- building alarm over climate change, encouraging people to "green" their lives -- into a political hammer, pushing a complex proposal the last mile through a skeptical Senate.”
New Orleans. New Orleans Sees an Opportunity to Improve on Its Past “Houses still sit empty, residents are still scattered and streets still echo with the sounds of hammers and power saws. But on the fourth anniversary of the hurricane that redefined its future, New Orleans is no longer talking about mere recovery.” Grass Roots Put New Orleans Back on Its Feet “This once-ravaged city is finally mending from Hurricane Katrina after years of administrative delays and political disputes that choked the flow of millions of dollars in federal aid.”
Unemployment. $3.1B set aside for jobless not used “More than $3.1 billion in stimulus money for state unemployment insurance programs is sitting in a federal trust fund because 23 states haven't expanded their jobless benefits, Labor Department records show.”
CIA interrogation. Cheney Offers Sharp Defense of C.I.A. Interrogation Tactics “Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday sharply criticized the Obama administration’s decision to investigate the abuse of prisoners held by the Central Intelligence Agency as he delivered a forceful defense of the full range of interrogation techniques used by intelligence officers.” CIA's black sites, illuminated “Their transformations took place in a sensory cocoon: aboard a CIA aircraft, shackled in place, deprived of sight and sound by blindfolds, headsets and hoods.”
Afghanistan. US commander General Stanley McChrystal - Afghanistan strategy is failing “The campaign in Afghanistan is failing and the strategies in place must be revised, the commander of US and Nato forces said today.” US 'needs fresh Afghan strategy' “ top US general in Afghanistan has called for a revised military strategy, suggesting the current one is failing. U.S. fears clock ticking on Afghanistan The Obama administration is racing to demonstrate visible headway in the faltering war in Afghanistan, convinced it has only until next summer to slow a hemorrhage in U.S. support and win more time for the military and diplomatic strategy it hopes can rescue the 8-year-old effort.” Many Women Stayed Away From the Polls In Afghanistan “Five years ago, with the country at peace, traditional taboos easing and Western donors pushing for women to participate in democracy, millions of Afghan women eagerly registered and then voted for a presidential candidate.”
Iran. Fight resumes over Iran cabinet “Iranian MPs have resumed a heated debate on the nominees for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's new cabinet.” Panel in Iran Will Oversee Investigations Into Unrest “Conservative rivals of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran have continued to challenge his drive to consolidate power, appointing a committee to supervise investigations into the unrest that swept the nation after he claimed a landslide victory in the disputed presidential election in June,”
Japan. With Bold Stand, Japan Opposition Wins a Landslide “Japan’s voters cast out the Liberal Democratic Party for only the second time in postwar history on Sunday, handing a landslide victory to a party that campaigned on a promise to reverse a generation-long economic decline and to redefine Tokyo’s relationship with Washington.” Japan's next PM plans new government “Japan's next Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, set about planning his new Government this morning, hours after his party's overwhelming election victory over the Liberal Democrats.” Japan awakes to new political era “Questions are already being asked about his government's ability to end the bureaucracy's stranglehold on economic policy and to focus on the interests of consumers rather than those of powerful corporations.”
Egypt. Hints of Pluralism in Egyptian Religious Debates “In Egypt, a man who has been preaching liberal Islamic views for decades says that only now, with the rise of independent media, has he had a chance to be heard.”
Opinion. Saving Health Care Requires Clarity From Obama (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post) “President Obama can still secure major health-care legislation this year if he learns from his mistakes in recent months and spends more time reminding Americans why they were once eager for fundamental change.”
Not your parents' Sisters (Mary Zeiss Stange, USA Today) “American nuns have evolved from habit-wearing disciples into, often, street-clothes- wearing social activists. And based on two pending inquiries, the Vatican might have had enough.”
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!