The latest news on Health Care, Recession Effects, Economy, Army Suicides, India & Green Power, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel House Evictions, Iran, and Select Op-eds.

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Quote of the day. "Students are really savvy shoppers these days, so they're realizing, with a changing economy and green jobs looking to take a leap within the next couple of years, that they want to be armed with those types of skills." David Soto of The Princeton Review explaining why colleges are increasingly offering "green" degree programs leading to jobs in sustainability. (USA Today)

Health care. Two Sides Take Health Care Debate Outside Washington "With Republicans mobilizing against the proposed health care overhaul, President Obama, Congressional Democrats and leading advocacy groups are laying the groundwork for an August offensive against the insurance industry as part of a coordinated campaign to sell the public on the need for reform." Democrats walk a fine line on healthcare "Their meetings with constituents are sure to be dominated by the far-reaching healthcare legislation emerging from House and Senate committees." Democrats Find Rallying Points on Health Reform, but Splinters Remain "Democrats leave town for the August recess with frayed nerves and fragile agreements on health-care reform, and a new bogeyman to fire up their constituents: the insurance industry." Health care legislation: What's true, what's not "A look at some claims being made about health care proposals:"

Recession effects. Many who depend on free lunch during school lack access to summer meal program "Many low-income children living in suburban communities such as Framingham, Northbridge, Norwood, and Waltham do not have access to federally-funded free lunch programs during school vacation, even as the recession has increased the number of families needing help." California Deal Leaves More Kids Uninsured "California's budget deal is expected to nearly double the state's number of uninsured children and puts a spotlight on a key provision in the health-care bills in Congress." Prolonged Aid to Unemployed Is Running Out "Over the coming months, as many as 1.5 million jobless Americans will exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits, ending what for some has been a last bulwark against foreclosures and destitution."

Economy. Economic Messengers Perform on a Tightrope "Amid signs that the economy is stabilizing, President Obama and his aides are moving to take credit for the gains." Stimulus cash lifts states, localities "A huge influx of federal stimulus money to state and local governments more than offset a sharp drop in tax collections, helping to put the brakes on the nation's economic decline, new government data show." Economy beats expectations, raising hope recession will end soon "The worst recession since the Great Depression could be coming to an end shortly, with a fresh report raising hopes that a recovery may be stronger than previously projected."

Army suicides. After Combat, Victims of an Inner War "The number of suicides reported by the Army has risen to the highest level since record-keeping began three decades ago. Last year, there were 192 among active-duty soldiers and soldiers on inactive reserve status, twice as many as in 2003, when the war began. (Five more suspected suicides are still being investigated.)"

India & green power. India aims to lead world in green power "Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, will chair a meeting today to decide whether to approve a National Solar Mission designed to curb India's carbon emissions and ease its crippling power shortages."

Pakistan. Pakistan Christians die in unrest "Eight Christians have been killed in religious unrest in Pakistan's central Punjab, after days of tension sparked by the rumored desecration of a Quran." 'They Want to Destroy Christians' "They do not want to bury the Christians. They want the nation to see them. By nightfall Sunday, hundreds of residents of the Christian enclave here stood in defiant vigil around seven particleboard coffins neatly aligned on the train tracks that run through town."

Afghanistan. Afghan priority for new NATO head "NATO's priority must be the war in Afghanistan, including negotiations with moderate members of the Taliban, the organization's new leader says." 9 Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan "Insurgents killed nine American and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan over the weekend, underscoring the alarming increase in the sophistication and frequency of roadside bomb attacks that contributed to making July the deadliest month of the allies' eight-year campaign against the Taliban."

Israel house evictions. Israeli settlers 'are wrecking peace process' "Britain has accused Israel of allowing extremist Jewish settlers to disrupt attempts at relaunching the peace process after police evicted more than 50 Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem." U.S. condemns eviction of Arab families from East Jerusalem "The United States and the United Nations sharply condemned the eviction of two Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and their replacement with Jewish families on Sunday."

Iran. Iran supreme leader endorses Ahmadinejad second term "Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, formally endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term as president today, seven weeks after bitterly disputed elections prompted mass protests and deep divisions within the country's elite." Iran leader endorses Ahmadinejad "Monday's endorsement of Ahamdinejad's victory comes ahead of his swearing-in before parliament for his second term on Wednesday, despite the president suffering a string of setbacks amid an apparent rift with his own conservative camp." U.S. Weighs Iran Oil Sanctions if Nuclear Talks Are Rejected "The Obama administration is talking with allies and Congress about the possibility of imposing an extreme economic sanction against Iran if it fails to respond to President Obama's offer to negotiate on its nuclear program: cutting off the country's imports of gasoline and other refined oil products."

Editorial. Curbing Runaway Health Inflation(New York Times) "This year's effort to reform health care revolves around two powerful, conflicting imperatives. One is to cover tens of millions of uninsured Americans. The other is to absorb the enormous cost of that plan - which could reach $1 trillion over 10 years - without increasing the budget deficit in the next decade or setting the nation on a course that will drive up deficits later."