Daily News Digest

the latest news on Republican Primaries, Democratic primaries, Immigration, Budget, Housing crisis, Marriage, Andes, Israel-Palestine, Kenya, Iran, Church-state in Spain, Interview, Editorial and Opinion.

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Republican primaries. McCain faces divided party "Sen. John McCain, having survived the Republican primaries, now needs to bind a fractured Republican Party as he looks to the presidential election this fall." McCain Clinches GOP Presidential Nomination "Sen. John McCain clinched the Republican presidential nomination last night, and immediately castigated his potential Democratic rivals as liberals who lack the experience and wisdom to lead a country facing economic distress at home and engaged in war abroad." McCain caps comeback with GOP nomination "Eight years after his first bid for the White House ended in a painful defeat and nine months after his second appeared to have sputtered to an embarrassing end, John McCain capped a spectacular political comeback with a four-state sweep that clinched the Republican presidential nomination."

Huckabee's Improbable Campaign Comes to an End With McCain's Wins "Seven months ago, a stunned and uncharacteristically speechless Mike Huckabee, crushed by ecstatic supporters, stumbled out of an Iowa arena and into his improbably durable presidential run." Huckabee ran for White House on wing and a prayer "Mike Huckabee shook up the Republican Party establishment with an improbable run for its presidential nomination that energized the party's evangelical Christian base but failed to attract moderates beyond it."

Democratic primaries. Clinton Beats Obama in Texas and Ohio; McCain Clinches Republican Nomination "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won critically important victories in Ohio and Texas last night, defying predictions of an imminent end to her presidential candidacy and extending the remarkable contest for the Democratic nomination to Pennsylvania's April primary and perhaps well into the summer." Clinton's victories mean the race goes on - and may get ugly "Now it could get ugly. Hillary Clinton's victories in Ohio and Rhode Island aren't enough to turn the tide and overtake Barack Obama, who still leads in delegates needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination." OBAMA: In the Weeks to Come, A Costly Battle on Two Fronts "With losses in three out of four primaries yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and his campaign face a scenario that a barrage of advertising, phone calls and door-knocking could not avert -- a protracted, two-front war against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain." CLINTON: Energizing Victories, But Difficult Delegate Math "Clinton wiped away the debate last night with a robust victory in Ohio and a narrow win in Texas. But as she vowed to keep campaigning, the tight vote in Texas signaled she may yet face a tough decision in coming weeks."

Immigration. GOP senators to introduce toughest-yet immigration package "Senate Republicans are set to announce the hardest-hitting package of immigration enforcement measures seen yet -- one that would require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, make it harder for them to open bank accounts and compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies." Border agents warned after dozens charged with crimes Bribery. Drug trafficking. Migrant smuggling. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is supposed to stop these types of crimes. But instead, so many of its officers have been charged with committing those crimes themselves that their boss in Washington recently issued an alert about the ''disturbing events'' and the "increase in the number of employee arrests.''

Budget. Senate Democrats Propose Budget "Senate Democrats unveiled a budget plan yesterday that would inject billions of additional dollars into such domestic priorities as education, energy and transportation, while providing $35 billion for a second round of government spending aimed at stimulating a weak economy." Election-Year Budget Battle Looms "Democrats are offering hefty spending increases for domestic programs as they draft an election-year budget plan that still promises surpluses within four years and assumes many of President Bush's signature tax cuts will die."

Housing crisis. Bernanke urges banks to forgive portions of mortgages "Saying banks must do more to stem rising foreclosures, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke called on lenders to go beyond trimming interest rates on some troubled mortgages by cutting the size of the loans as well." Step by Step, Bush and Fed Move on Mortgage Rescue "However much they might oppose it on ideological grounds, the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve are inching closer toward a government rescue of distressed homeowners and mortgage lenders."

Marriage. Definition of Marriage Is at Heart of California Case "For almost four hours on Tuesday, the California Supreme Court heard arguments in the most important same-sex marriage case since Massachusetts's highest court allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry there more than four years ago."

Andes. Neighbors take aim at Colombia over incursion "An increasingly isolated Colombia came under heavy criticism from its neighbors at an emergency Organization of American States session for killing a top Colombian rebel leader in Ecuador last weekend." Colombia demands OAS act against Venezuela "Colombiaclashed on with Ecuador, Venezuela and their allies at the Organization of American States, which agreed to convene an emergency meeting of hemispheric foreign ministers to deal with a spiraling crisis in the Andes." Bush pledges support for Colombia "Criticizing "provocative maneuvers" by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and a "continuing assault by narco-terrorists," Bush said he called Colombia President President Alvaro Uribe today to reassure him of continued U.S. backing." Colombia a Flashpoint in Chávez Feud With U.S."In the four days since Colombian forces crossed into Ecuador and killed a guerrilla leader taking refuge there, tensions between Colombia - Washington's top regional ally - and its leftist neighbors have erupted, highlighting the fact that Colombia and its policies are increasingly viewed here as American proxies."

Israel-Palestine. Palestinians rebuff Rice's bid to restart peace talks "Palestinian leaders rebuffed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's efforts to kick-start peace talks as Israel warned that more violence may be just over the horizon." Abbas Stays Noncommittal on Peace Talks "Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stopped short of agreeing to return to peace talks with Israel, leaving in doubt efforts by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to rekindle a stalled peace initiative."

Kenya. State 'linked to Kenya poll clashes' "The BBC has learnt of allegations of state-sanctioned violence in Kenya during the turmoil that followed last December's disputed presidential poll."

Iran . Iran still fuels Iraq violence, U.S. says "Two top U.S. military commanders said Tuesday that Iran continues to train and direct violent Shiite militias in Iraq and is attempting to permanently weaken the Iraqi government."

Church-state in Spain. Church steps into political fray in Spain "The powerful Spanish Bishops Conference, in a recent widely disseminated "message to the public," reminded Catholic voters of their duty to defend traditional values and to elect leaders "responsibly" when they go to the polls Sunday."

Interview. Growing into grace "New York Times best-selling author Anne Lamott is known for her candor and honesty, as well as her outspoken political beliefs and devout faith."

Editorial. Bloody tide rising again (Columbus OH Dispatch) "The 5-year-old humanitarian crisis in Sudan might have slipped the minds of many Americans. News reports have become more sporadic and been given less space as other events clamor for attention. But the suffering in that western region of Sudan never stopped and violence appears to be on the rise."

Opinion.

Election time reflection time (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune) "Brace yourselves, young'uns. This is going to be a big year for Baby Boomer nostalgia. And what a coincidence. The 40th anniversary of the Kerner Report just happens to occur as Democrats are deciding whether they will nominate their first black candidate or their first female candidate for president."

Africa's AIDS puzzle (By Jonny Steinberg, Los Angeles Times) "Even though it is hardly fashionable today to regard plagues as God-sent, the African AIDS pandemic is a catastrophe of such massive proportions that we have to struggle not to think about it in a religious way. More than 2 million people are perishing each year; millions more will die if they do not receive treatment. Out of this colossal theft of human beings, we have a great need to tell a story about this epidemic that ends with redemption."