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Quote of the day. "You needed people in office who really did vibrate sympathetically with what the people needed. Paul Wellstone helped me see somebody in action trying to make the world better for working people, people of color, everybody who's in the so-called out crowd." Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), explaining his transition from community activist to elected official. (Washington Post)
Sotomayor hearing. Sotomayor Avoids Questions About Her Position on Abortion, Other Issues “Before nominating Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, President Obama did not ask her about abortion rights or any other 'specific legal issue,' she testified yesterday as she sidestepped senators' efforts to plumb her views on matters from campaign finance law to the workload of the court she is likely to join.” Sotomayor is grilled on abortion and gun rights “Sotomayor, relying on her long judicial record, gave detailed explanations of her court decisions but steadfastly refused to engage Republicans who were interested in her views on abortion, the 2nd Amendment and same-sex marriage.” Post-Sotomayor Nominations Are at Stake in Hearings “As the two parties skirmish over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, some of their rhetorical fire is aimed not at her but at the next justice President Obama may get to pick.”
Health care. Senate Panel Advances Health-Care Overhaul “President Obama's ambitious drive to overhaul the nation's $2.3 trillion health-care system cleared a key Senate committee yesterday.” Senate panel approves healthcare overhaul bill “The Senate Health Committee, approving major healthcare legislation for the first time in 15 years, put forward a sweeping plan Wednesday to provide nearly every American with insurance regardless of income or medical condition and to create a government program to compete directly with private insurers.” Health Care Vote Illustrates Stubborn Partisan Divide “A party-line Senate committee vote on legislation to remake the nation’s health care system underscored the absence of political consensus on what would be the biggest changes in social policy in more than 40 years.”
Unemployment. Fed Says Unemployment Could Mean a Drawn-Out Recovery “A new forecast raised fresh doubts yesterday about how strong any economic recovery might be, as the Federal Reserve projected that the unemployment rate may surpass 10 percent by year's end and warned that the economy may not return to full health for at least five years.” Fed says jobless rate may hit 10.1% "The Federal Reserve has raised its fourth-quarter unemployment forecast to as much as 10.1% and expects the jobless rate to be higher than anticipated through 2011.”
Recession. California Approaches a Deal on Budget Cuts “Details emerging from the talks suggested that the deal would require extraordinarily deep cuts to school systems and local governments, and, while far smaller than the governor threatened a month ago, substantial cuts to health care and other social services.” Recession wallops after-school budgets “When Ben Hans asks his son Ethan about his day, he doesn't hear about school. Instead, Ethan, 10, talks about his afternoon spent playing and learning at LA's Best, an after-school program in Los Angeles he attended until recently.” Recession builds large pool of Army recruits “A sagging economy, declining casualty rate in Iraq and a resurgence in the U.S. military’s popularity appear to have contributed to a strong recruiting year, Army leaders said.”
Immigration. New Policy Permits Asylum for Battered Women “The Obama administration has opened the way for foreign women who are victims of severe domestic beatings and sexual abuse to receive asylum in the United States.”
Feature. A Publics Figure “Keith Ellison is what he is -- the first Muslim elected to Congress, the first African American to represent Minnesota -- while trying not to be too much of what he is. But not too little, either.”
CIA assassins. CIA Assassin Program Was Nearing New Phase “CIA officials were proposing to activate a plan to train anti-terrorist assassination teams overseas when agency managers brought the secret program to the attention of CIA Director Leon Panetta last month.” CIA was a long way from Jason Bourne “But details that spilled out this week about a real CIA assassination program indicate that when the plotting is being done by spies instead of screenwriters, the obstacles are not so easy to surmount.”
China. China economy posts solid growth “China's economy grew 7.9 percent in the second quarter of 2009, the government has said, putting it on track to hit the stated goal of eight per cent growth for the year.” Chinese economic growth accelerates to raise hopes for global recovery “China's economic growth accelerated in the second quarter of this year as a massive stimulus package kicked in, lifting hopes that it could drive the rest of the world towards recovery.”
Afghanistan. Warning From General on End to Afghan Combat “The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said that Marines faced less resistance than expected in the south but that more Afghan troops were needed for other areas.” Troops 'at risk' over helicopters “A lack of helicopters is undermining UK forces' operations and troop protection in Afghanistan, according to an influential committee of MPs.” Clinton to Taliban: Forsake al Qaeda “Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday offered reconciliation and a chance to reintegrate into Afghan society to any Taliban members who quit fighting and renounce al Qaeda ahead of presidential elections next month.” The Baptist and the Mullah Launch a Faith-Based Attack on the Taliban “In a country soaked with religion, it has fallen to an Oklahoma Baptist to turn Islam into a weapon against the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
Iran. Israeli Navy In Suez Canal Prepares For Potential Attack On Iran “Two Israeli missile class warships have sailed through the Suez Canal ten days after a submarine capable of launching a nuclear missile strike, in preparation for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.” Defense official: Israel readying for attack on Iran “Israel's recent deployment of warships across the Red Sea should be seen as serious preparation for an attack on Iran, an Israeli defense official told the Times of London.”
India-Pakistan. India-Pakistan pledge 'dialogue' “The prime ministers of India and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue to resolve the differences between the two nuclear armed neighbors.” Pakistan and India in terror vow “Pakistan and India have pledged to work together to fight terrorism - 'the main threat to both countries.'”
Colombia. U.S., Colombia work on deal for air bases “The United States and Colombia are poised to sign an agreement to transfer anti-drug flight operations from Ecuador to at least three Colombian air bases, a move that has drawn criticism here that it will leave the country even more dependent on Washington.”
South Africa. Recession Worsens South Africa's Chronic Unemployment “The economic crisis is causing South Africa, like many countries, to hemorrhage jobs. But its far deeper unemployment problem is represented not by pink slips but by the many people in this dusty rural township who do not work and never have.”
Editorials. Opening bids on health care contain good ideas, big costs (USA Today) “The status quo is a powerful force in American politics, capable of killing good and bad ideas alike. Gauging by the increasingly vehement opposition to the latest bid to overhaul the nation's sickly health care system, this effort, like the one proposed by President Clinton in 1994, could die as well. And yet health care reform keeps rumbling forward, driven by a new president who has made it a priority and a public that does not appear to be as conflicted as official Washington.” A Strong Health Reform Bill(New York Times) “While the Senate continues to struggle over its approach to health care reform, House Democratic leaders have unveiled a bill that would go a long way toward solving the nation’s health insurance problems without driving up the deficit. It is already drawing fierce opposition from business groups and many Republicans. This is a bill worth fighting for.”
Opinion. The Anglican church's crumbling foundations (Stephen Bates, The Guardian) “There have been many predictions of dawning schism in the worldwide Anglican communion over the last six years … but the decision of the U.S. Episcopal church to affirm its belief that gays, lesbians and transgendered folk are eligible to be considered for ordination may indeed mark a watershed."
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