Daily News Digest

The Latest news on Work & poverty, Veterans, Domestic spying, Presidential campaigns, Congratulations, Voter ID, Mideast, Burma, Iraq, Sudan, Nuclear proliferation, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, and Op-Eds.

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Work & poverty. State Programs Add Safety Net for the Poorest"Over the last two years, officials in Arkansas and at least a dozen other states have announced plans to extend the safety net - through monthly cash payments - to thousands of low-income workers struggling to gain a foothold in the work world." The Hunger Paradox "About 35 million Americans regularly go hungry each year, according to federal statistics. Last year, a Harvard domestic policy expert who studies hunger issues calculated that it would cost about $12 billion annually in federal spending to eliminate hunger."

Veterans. Pool of disabled veterans grows "Increasing numbers of US troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come - even as the total population of America's veterans shrinks."

Domestic spying. Domestic spying far outpaces terrorism prosecutions "The number of Americans being secretly wiretapped or having their financial and other records reviewed by the government has continued to increase as officials aggressively use powers approved after the Sept. 11 attacks. But the number of terrorism prosecutions ending up in court -- one measure of the effectiveness of such sleuthing -- has continued to decline."

Presidential campaigns. Already, Obama and McCain Map Fall Strategies "In a sign of what could be an extremely unusual fall campaign, the two sides said that they would be open to holding joint forums or unmoderated debates across the country in front of voters through the summer." Barack Obama faces an untested set of hurdles "For the first time, a major political party is on the brink of choosing an African American as its candidate for president, but when Democratic strategists and other analysts look ahead, they don't see race as Barack Obama's biggest challenge. They worry more, they say, about other issues: Will swing voters view him as too young? Too inexperienced? Or too liberal?" Clinton Team Acknowledges $20 Million Debt "With her campaign falling ever deeper into debt, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spent a rainy Mother's Day seeking votes ahead of Tuesday's primary here, turning a deaf ear to calls for her to leave a Democratic presidential contest she has little hope of winning."

Congratulations. Jenna Bush Has Wedding at Ranch in Crawford "President Bush's daughter Jenna Welch Bush on Saturday married Henry Chase Hager, a graduate student and son of a former Virginia lieutenant governor, before 200 relatives and close family friends." Bush declares wedding 'special' "President Bush spent months joking about being the father of the bride, but yesterday he was downright wistful about giving his daughter Jenna away to her longtime beau."

Voter ID. Voter ID Battle Shifts to Proof of Citizenship"The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote."

Mideast. Bush's ticking clock echoes in Mideast "With a new scandal enveloping the Israeli prime minister and Hezbollah militants flexing their muscle in Lebanon, President George W. Bush will confront even longer odds for success when he travels to the Middle East this week to work on two elusive objectives - peace and lower oil prices." As Bush Term Wanes, Mideast Peace Appears as Elusive as Ever "Mr. Bush had hopes of ending his presidency on a foreign policy high note, with a deal for the contours of a Palestinian state. But with Mr. Bush headed to the region this week for the second time in five months, peace seems as elusive as ever - and some are looking to his successor."

Burma. First US aid flight reaches Burma"After prolonged negotiations with the ruling military junta, the US finally got permission to send a cargo plane carrying water, mosquito nets and blankets to Rangoon." Burma Faces 'Public Health Catastrophe,' Charity Says "An estimated 1.5 million Burmese are on the brink of a "massive public health catastrophe," the British charity Oxfam warned Sunday, as survivors of Cyclone Nargis poured out of the devastated Irrawaddy Delta into regional towns in search of water, food and other help."

Iraq. Sadr City residents fear a cease-fire means more violence "One day after an agreement between followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr and the Iraqi government to end more than six weeks of fighting, the streets in parts of the vast Shiite slum of Sadr City were deserted, amidst signs of a battle." Sadrists and Iraqi Government Reach Truce Deal"The Iraqi government and leaders of the movement of the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr agreed Saturday to a truce, brokered with help from Iran, that would end more than a month of bloody fighting in the vast, crowded Sadr City section of Baghdad."

Sudan. Sudan severs Chad ties over rebel attack"Sudan cut diplomatic ties with Chad yesterday after an attack on an outlying suburb of Khartoum by a Darfur rebel group." Sudan police arrest opposition leader "Two days after Darfur rebels launched an unsuccessful attack against the Sudanese capital, government security forces arrested Hassan Turabi, one of the country's most outspoken opposition leaders," After a Quixotic Attack in Sudan, a Question Lingers: Why? "The day after the Sudanese government quickly dispensed with an attack by Darfurian rebels on the capital, Khartoum, the question that many people are asking is, "What were the rebels thinking?"

Nuclear proliferation. Spread of Nuclear Capability Is Feared "At least 40 developing countries from the Persian Gulf region to Latin America have recently approached U.N. officials here to signal interest in starting nuclear power programs,"

Lebanon. Hizbullah seizes key areas of Lebanon"Iranian-backed Hizbullah and its opposition allies escalated their armed takeover of key areas of Lebanon held by the western-backed government, gaining control of the Druze heartlands of Mount Lebanon and clashing with pro-government Sunni fighters in the northern port city of Tripoli." Fierce Fighting Breaks Out East of Beirut "Fierce clashes broke out on Sunday in the mountains east of Beirut between supporters of the Western-backed government and followers of Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran."

Zimbabwe . Opposition Leader Tsvangirai Says He'll Take Part in Zimbabwe Runoff "Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai announced Saturday that he will soon return to his country to participate in a presidential runoff election despite a surge in political violence against his supporters."

Op-Eds.

McCain's Christian Problem (Robert Novak, Washington Post) "John McCain, who as the Republican candidate for president has spent the past two months trying to consolidate right-wing support, has a problem of disputed dimensions with a vital component of the conservative coalition: evangelicals. The biggest question is whether Mike Huckabee is part of the problem or the solution for McCain."

Party Like It's 2008 (Frank Rich, New York Times) "The reason that politicians and the press have gotten so much so wrong is that we keep forgetting what year it is. Only if we reboot to 2008 will the long march to November start making sense."