Daily News Digest

The latest news on Minimum wage, Housing, Poverty, Men (not) in church, Global poverty, Obama in Middle East, Iraq, Famine in East Africa, Sudan-Darfur, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan North Korea, Editorial, and Commentary.

+ Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »

Minimum wage. 2 million Americans get a raise today; Federal minimum wage rises 70 cents to $6.55 an hour "About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers." With jump in minimum wage comes debate over its worth, timing "While most Americans have traditionally supported minimum wage increases, the new rate hike comes at a bad time for businesses, particularly small businesses, struggling through the economic downturn."

Housing. Huge Housing Bill Set to Become Law "The House easily approved legislation that seeks to slow the steepest slide in house prices in a generation, rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure and reassure global markets that mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not be allowed to fail." Housing bill heads to Senate; Bush withdraws veto threat "The House approved a sweeping plan to ease the country's most serious housing crisis since the Great Depression by providing aid to homeowners facing foreclosure and a federal backstop for struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. " House Passes Housing Bill After Bush Says He Will Sign It "The measure also includes an aggressive plan to help hundreds of thousands of troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure by refinancing their mortgages with more affordable government-insured loans."

Poverty. Counties urge help for poorest of poor "Human-services officials in the state's poorest counties urged state and federal leaders to provide relief for the poorest of the poor -- those who simply do not have enough to pay for housing, food, health care and clothing. More than 1.5 million Ohioans live in households earning less than the federal poverty level," Food stamp use soars in Mass. "Massachusetts, which earlier this decade had the lowest percentage of eligible residents using food stamps, now has the fastest-growing food-stamp program in the country, a dramatic turnaround that state officials attribute to soaring food prices and a simplified application process."

Men (not) in church. Guys are few in the pews "Churches nationwide are fretting and sweating to reel men into their sanctuaries on Sundays. Women outnumber men in attendance in every major Christian denomination, and they are 20% to 25% more likely to attend worship at least weekly."

Global poverty. Gordon Brown joins bishops in call to cut world poverty "The prime minister addressed the religious leaders after they had marched through central London to Lambeth palace, dressed in full ceremonial garb, to call for greater efforts to achieve the UN's millennium development goals." UN missing anti-poverty goals, warns Brown "The Prime Minister will reaffirm his commitment to the Millennium Development Goals in a speech to the Lambeth conference of Anglican bishops which moves temporarily from Canterbury to London today."

Obama in Middle East. Obama Ends Mideast Swing With Vow to Back Israel, Peace Talks "Sen. Barack Obama stepped gingerly through the intractable politics of the Middle East on Wednesday, offering resolute support for Israel's security, warning that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would be a "game-changing" event for the world," Obama talks tough about Iran during visit to Israel "Tough talk on Iran dominated Barack Obama's meetings in Israel and the West Bank, as Israeli officials amplified their enemy's threat and the Democratic presidential hopeful declared that a "nuclear Iran would be a game-changing situation." Barack Obama tells Haaretz: Two states for two peoples "If elected, Barack Obama has no intention of wasting time on consolidating an "Obama peace plan." He would rather dive in and promote the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of existing American initiatives,"

Iraq. Iraqi forces aren't quite ready to take charge "It wasn't yet dawn, and the Iraqi army unit was already behind schedule. It was about to launch a major operation against another cluster of towns overrun by Shiite Muslim militiamen, and this time American forces would remain at the rear of the convoy, behind their Iraqi counterparts."

Famine in East Africa. 14 million face famine in east Africa "In an emergency appeal launched today, Oxfam warns that millions of people in Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Djibouti and Kenya are fast being pushed "towards severe hunger and destitution".

Sudan-Darfur. Sudan counters charges with diplomacy "Sudan's diplomatic offensive against the International Criminal Court is gaining momentum in Africa, but faces stiff odds before the U.N. Security Council." Defiant and dancing, Sudanese president holds rallies in Darfur and dismisses genocide charges "Sudan's president made a defiant visit to Darfur just a week after being charged with genocide in the war-ravaged region, vowing not to be intimidated by the indictment and then breaking into a tribal dance on a parched field to the delight of cheering supporters."

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe power-sharing talks begin amid high hopes for deal"Power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition leaders began in earnest in South Africa today, with the two sides discussing terms for the formation of a unity government to end the country's political crisis."

South Africa. Crises, cynicism mark end of Mbeki's tenure in South Africa "It seems that President Bush isn't the only world leader suffering from late-term blues. South African President Thabo Mbeki's final year in office has been marred by a series of embarrassments that have stained the legacy of the man who followed Nelson Mandela as leader of Africa's indispensable nation."

Afghanistan. Pentagon to soon recommend more troops for Afghanistan, units could go within month "Top Pentagon leaders are expected to recommend soon that Defense Secretary Robert Gates order hundreds of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan over the next month or so."

Pakistan. Plan Would Use Antiterror Aid on Pakistani Jets "The Bush administration plans to shift nearly $230 million in aid to Pakistan from counterterrorism programs to upgrading that country's aging F-16 attack planes, which Pakistan prizes more for their contribution to its military rivalry with India than for fighting insurgents along its Afghan border."

North Korea. In First Meeting, Rice Presses North Korean on Nuclear Effort "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her North Korean counterpart on Wednesday for the first time, and prodded the government in Pyongyang to move quickly to dismantle its nuclear arms program." Rice piles pressure on North Korea over nuclear program after meeting top diplomat "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pushing North Korea hard to accept terms to verify the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program after breaking a four-year hiatus in Cabinet-level talks with the communist state."

Editorial. An agenda for a friend of Israel (Haaretz) "But it seems that Obama - like his opponent John McCain and like U.S. President George W. Bush before him - is attempting to assure potential Jewish voters at the expense of promoting the peace processes in the region."

Commentary. Best ideas are ideology-free (Bob Beckel & Cal Thomas, USA Today) "T. Boone Pickens' plan for energy independence may or may not force Washington to tackle, rather than talk to death, this issue. But Cal and Bob agree that big problems require big - and bipartisan - solutions."