Daily News Digest

The latest news on Religion in America, Dobson-Obama, Economy, Midwest floods, Border fence upheld, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Iran, Arab nuclear race, Israeli government, Pakistan, and Commentary.

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Religion in America. Believers OK with MANY PATHS "Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies - like strict doctrines - behind. ... And the wide-ranging ways people construct their spiritual lives could make the so-called religious vote unpredictable in the 2008 elections." Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds "Most Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur, according to a poll released yesterday that takes an in-depth look at Americans' religious beliefs." Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance "Although a majority of Americans say religion is very important to them, nearly three-quarters of them say they believe that many faiths besides their own can lead to salvation," Read the full survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Dobson-Obama. James Dobson accuses Obama of `distorting' Bible "As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement's biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution."

Economy. Utilities cut off more homes "As skyrocketing food and gasoline prices strain budgets, utilities are disconnecting many more customers who fall behind on their bills, and even moderate-income households are being turned off.. Electricity and natural gas shutoffs are up at least 15% in several states compared with last year."

Midwest floods. Floodwaters held at bay as cleanup starts "Levees held on the Mississippi River on Monday in the worst Midwest floods in 15 years as residents tackled a slow, smelly recovery from multibillion-dollar losses that may boost world food prices."

Border fence upheld. Border fence challenge rebuffed by Supreme Court "The government's plan to build a 670-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border took another step forward when the Supreme Court turned away a legal challenge from environmentalists." Supreme Court rejects lawsuit challenging border fence "The Bush administration's controversial fence along the Southwest border escaped a potentially devastating legal roadblock as the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge by environmental groups and more than a dozen members of Congress."

Zimbabwe . Security Council Urges Zimbabwe to Halt Violence "With Zimbabwe's opposition under siege and its leader taking refuge at the Dutch Embassy, the Security Council issued its first sweeping condemnation of the violence gripping the nation, saying it would be "impossible for a free and fair election to take place." UN leader wants election scrapped "The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, spoke out against the government's actions in strong terms. He said Tsvangirai had been right to withdraw, and free elections would not now be possible." ANC 'dismayed' by Zimbabwe crisis "South Africa's governing ANC party has accused the Zimbabwean government of "riding roughshod" over democracy. The party said it was "dismayed" by the authorities' actions, and that free and fair elections were not possible." Zimbabwe opposition leader seeks refuge at Dutch Embassy "Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai sought refuge in the Dutch Embassy here just hours after he pulled out of the presidential runoff election scheduled for Friday, citing rising violence by supporters of longtime President Robert Mugabe."

Iraq . Pentagon, GAO see good news and bad in Iraq "Two new government reports, one by the Pentagon, pointed to encouraging security improvements in Iraq, but were decidedly pessimistic about prospects for political and economic progress and warned that costly military gains would remain fragile." As US military buildup in Iraq ends, what next? "The military buildup in Iraq is about to end. But as the last of the five additional combat brigades now heads home, it leaves the country far safer than it was a year ago. Yet Iraq is still not ready to stand alone." Government Study Criticizes Bush Administration's Measures of Progress in Iraq "Beyond the declines in overall violence in Iraq, several crucial measures the Bush administration uses to demonstrate economic, political and security progress are either incorrect or far more mixed than the administration has acknowledged,"

Iran . E.U. Backs Sanctions on Iran, Freezes Bank Assets "The European Union approved new sanctions against Iran, including a freeze on the assets of its largest bank, in a continuing effort to force Tehran to curtail its nuclear development programs and fully cooperate with international inspectors." EU sanctions illegal, says Iran "Iran condemns as illegal the latest raft of European Union sanctions over its uranium enrichment programme. A foreign ministry spokesman said the sanctions would make Iran more determined to obtain the technology."

Arab nuclear race. Arab World nuclear race / Who has what, and from where "Israel is following with interest the closer nuclear ties France is forging with the Arab world. The Foreign Ministry has declined to go on the record on the issue, but ministry officials say that though they are concerned about the matter, they do not oppose it."

Israeli government. Labor Party to support disbanding the Knesset "The government coalition is expected to collapse Wednesday if the Labor Party votes to disband the Knesset, as it announced Monday. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed to fire Labor ministers immediately after the vote, ending the ruling partnership between Kadima and Labor." Olmert's government in jeopardy "On the eve of a summit in Egypt with President Hosni Mubarak on strengthening the cease-fire with Hamas, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may be hours from losing his job."

Pakistan . Leadership Void Seen in Pakistan "Pakistanis in a leaderless drift four months after elections, according to Western diplomats and military officials, Pakistani politicians and Afghan officials who are increasingly worried that no one is really in charge."

Commentary.

Wounds You Can't See (BOB HERBERT, New York Times) "Among the least-noted aspects of these two seemingly endless wars is the psychological toll they are taking on those who have volunteered to fight them. Increasingly, they are being medicated on the battlefield, and many thousands are returning with brain damage and psychological wounds that cause tremendous suffering and have the potential to alter their lives forever."