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Quote of the day. “There are so many competing interests at work now, 24-7 — whether it’s the people who want the governor to stay, or people who want him to go. It’s as rough as I’ve ever seen it — it’s mean, the long knives come out at night.” Katon Dawson, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, on the political jockeying over the future of Gov. Mark Sanford. (New York Times)
Climate change/Energy bill. Obama champions energy bill but not its tariffs “President Obama on Sunday called a House-passed energy bill 'an extraordinary first step' toward halting global warming and reducing the use of fossil fuels, but he expressed reservations about a controversial provision that would slap tariffs on imports from countries that did not similarly crack down on greenhouse gas emissions.” Obama Warns Against Trade Sanctions in Climate Bill “President Obama on Sunday praised the energy bill passed by the House late last week as an 'extraordinary first step,' but he spoke out against a provision that would impose trade penalties on countries that do not accept limits on global warming pollution.” House climate bill passes by slim margin “In one of the narrowest votes in its recent history, the House on Friday evening passed a sweeping energy and climate-change bill that supporters say could revolutionize the nation's industrial economy.” Historic climate bill passes House in a close vote “By a narrow margin, the House of Representatives on Friday took the first legislative step in U.S. history to reduce the heat-trapping gases building up in the atmosphere and gradually shift America to cleaner sources of energy.”
Health care reform. Seven cross aisle for health care 'coalition' “Seven Senate Finance Committee members from both sides of the aisle have emerged as the key negotiators on a health care reform plan as President Obama's August deadline quickly approaches.” Californians eager to shape landmark healthcare bill “California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she's open to the idea of having the government compete with private companies as a way to help provide health insurance to the nearly 50 million people who lack it.”
Massachusetts health care. Patrick set to keep healthcare for poor “[Massachusetts] Governor Deval Patrick plans to announce a spending proposal tomorrow that retains medical coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants who are at risk of losing it, and will also agree to ensure dental coverage for another 700,000 of the state’s poorest residents, administration officials said yesterday.”
School nutrition. Congress May Look to Ky. Schools' Healthy Example in Creating Nutritional Policy “It didn't seem like a radical idea at the time. First, Ginger Gray, the food service director for Kenton County, Ky., schools, took away fried potato chips, offering students baked versions instead. Next, she phased out fruit drinks such as Kool-Aid in favor of 100 percent juices.”
Evangelicals and Republicans. Will scandals inspire evangelicals to stray from Republican Party? “While Mark Sanford works to salvage his marriage, Republicans are facing the prospect of a different kind of breakup: religious voters walking out on the GOP.”
Pope on markets and morality. Pope holds back key morality statement to hit G8 “The Pope has held back publication of a key statement on markets and morality in an attempt to force the issue onto the G8 agenda. Pope Benedict XVI signed the document today but the text, which focuses on globalization, poverty and the financial crisis and is one of the most important to come out of the Holy See in the past decade, will be published 48 hours before the meeting of world leaders at L'Aquila in Italy - a week-long delay.”
Honduras coup. Honduran President Is Ousted in Coup “President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was ousted by the army on Sunday, capping months of tensions over his efforts to lift presidential term limits.” Honduran Military Sends President Into Exile; Supportive Congress Names Successor “Soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa at dawn Sunday and forced President Manuel Zelaya into exile in Costa Rica.” Honduran president ousted in coup; replacement is named “In a throwback to Latin America's unstable past, the Honduran army ousted President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday, sending the leftist leader into exile as a hastily convened Congress replaced him with its speaker, one of Zelaya's fiercest enemies.” Chavez allies back ousted Zelaya “Left-wing Latin American leaders declare their support for ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya at a meeting in Nicaragua.”
Iran. Thousands of Iranians ignore threats, march in rally “Thousands of Iranians disputing the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad marched at an unauthorized rally Sunday, defying truncheon-wielding security forces and dire threats by Iranian leaders.” As Ahmadinejad Tightens Grip in Iran, Mousavi Faces Tough Choices “With the opposition visibly weakening in Iran amid a government crackdown, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters have begun to use his disputed victory in this month's election to toughen the nation's stance internationally and to consolidate control internally.” Iran Arrests Iranian Employees of British Embassy as Protests Return “Iran’s government said Sunday that it had arrested Iranian employees of the British Embassy, while the police in Tehran beat and fired tear gas at several thousand protesters who joined a demonstration at a mosque in support of the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi.” Iran ‘has arrested 2,000 dissenters’ “More than 2,000 Iranians have been arrested and hundreds more have disappeared since the regime decided to crush dissent after the disputed presidential election, a leading human rights organization said yesterday.”
Iraq. U.S. forces set to leave Iraq cities “Iraqi security forces have increased checkpoints and banned motorcycles from Baghdad's streets amid an increase in violence ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from major cities and towns.” Baghdad set for U.S. pullback party “Iraq is preparing for a giant party in a Baghdad park and a special holiday as U.S. troops approach their deadline to quit cities and towns.” American troops in Iraq fade from major cities “The last American patrol in Baghdad? The 75-minute hike was walked Saturday night in the northwest sector of the capital. It may well have been the last patrol before the deadline for U.S. combat forces to withdraw from major Iraqi cities.”
Pakistan. Pakistan Contends With History and Tribal Issues as Waziristan Campaign Looms “Today, the Pakistani army is preparing to launch a major operation against another warrior in Waziristan, the ruthless Islamist commander Baitullah Mehsud. Taking a lesson from history and its own recent failures, the army is attempting to isolate and weaken Mehsud before sending its troops into battle.”
Israel. Israel Said to Be Open to Settlement Freeze Amid Broader Effort “Israel would be open to a complete freeze of settlement building in the West Bank for three to six months as part of a broad Middle East peace endeavor that included a Palestinian agreement to negotiate an end to the conflict and confidence-building steps by major Arab nations, senior Israeli officials said Sunday.”
Editorials. Recession freezes immigration debate but points to answers (USA Today) “Not all that long ago, immigration was the nation's hottest political topic. Then the economy fell apart, a new president set a new agenda, and immigration quietly moved out of sight, where it will likely stay for a while, eclipsed by two other mammoth problems — the economy and health care. But while eyes have been averted, the recession has been teaching some useful lessons about how to ease the crisis.” A Way Forward on Immigration (New York Times) “It seems, at last, that Congress can reach solid agreement that immigration will not be fixed through enforcement and expulsion alone. It seems clear, too, that if nothing happens in this Congress, the issue will be swallowed by election politics next year, and the country could end up waiting years, if not a generation, for another chance to fix the system.”
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