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Quote of the day. "You're going to need a strong back and a strong bladder to get through Virginia now." John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic, on Virginia’s plans to close 19 of its 42 highway rest stops as a budget-cutting measure. (USA Today)
Health care. House Committee Approves Health Care Bill “The House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation early Friday to overhaul the health care system and expand insurance coverage after a marathon session in which Democrats easily turned back Republican efforts to amend the bill.” Budget Blow for Health Plan “Congress's chief budget scorekeeper cast a new cloud over Democratic efforts to overhaul the nation's health-care system, telling lawmakers Thursday that the main proposals being considered would fail to contain costs -- one of the primary goals -- and could actually worsen the problem of rapidly escalating medical spending.” Budget Analyst Assails Cost of Congress's Health-Care Proposals “Congress's chief budget analyst delivered a devastating assessment yesterday of the health-care proposals drafted by congressional Democrats, fueling an insurrection among fiscal conservatives in the House and pushing negotiators in the Senate to redouble efforts to draw up a new plan that more effectively restrains federal spending.”
Sotomayor hearing. Senate Republicans Say They Won't Block Vote on Sotomayor Confirmation “Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor won virtual assurance of rapid confirmation yesterday when Senate Republicans announced that they do not intend to block a vote that would make her the first Hispanic on the nation's highest court, concluding three days of intense questioning.” Senate Likely to Vote on Sotomayor in August “… over her four days in the witness chair, Judge Sotomayor provided Republicans little ammunition with which to block the Senate from approving her elevation to the Supreme Court, where she would become the nation’s first Hispanic justice.”
Employee Free Choice Act. Democrats Drop Key Part of Bill to Assist Unions “A half-dozen senators friendly to labor have decided to drop a central provision of a bill that would have made it easier to organize workers. The so-called card-check provision — which senators decided to scrap to help secure a filibuster-proof 60 votes — would have required employers to recognize a union as soon as a majority of workers signed cards saying they wanted a union.”
Food safety. Farmers critical of food safety bill “Farming and ranching representatives appeared before a congressional panel Thursday to express concern that a major bill pending in the House could unnecessarily complicate the marketplace without improving food safety.”
Canada & Facebook. Ottawa takes on social media giant for violating Canada's law “Canada is striking at the heart of social media's revenue model, ordering global giant Facebook to limit the personal information it gives to companies that make add-on programs for the site or face potential court action.”
Iran. Rafsanjani: Iran in crisis “Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former Iranian president, has said that Iran is in 'crisis,' referring to the upheaval in the country following last month's disputed presidential election.” Rafsanjani condemns Iran over protest “One of Iran's most powerful clerics today attacked the Iranian government for its handling of protests and unrest that followed the disputed presidential election result. But even as Hashemi Rafsanjani made his comments, police were firing teargas and wielding batons to disperse tens of thousands of opposition supporters.” Police Fire Tear Gas Outside Friday Prayers in Tehran “Security forces used tear gas and batons to break up crowds of opposition demonstrators during and after the Friday prayer at Tehran University, news reports said, as the leading opposition cleric, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, harshly assailed the government’s handling of what he termed a 'crisis.'”
Iraq. A Shiite Schism On Clerical Rule “As Iran simmers over its disputed presidential election, Shiite clerics in Iraq are looking across the border with a sense of satisfaction that they have figured out a more durable answer to a question that has beset Shiite Islam for centuries: What role should religion play in politics.”
Afghanistan. Army pushes for more helicopters “The deployment of more helicopters to Afghanistan would save soldiers' lives, the Chief of the Defense Staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, has said.” Relentless rise of Afghanistan casualties laid bare “The deaths and 'life-changing' injuries suffered by British troops in Afghanistan are rising relentlessly, new figures show today, as the political battles over whether the force is properly equipped continue to rage in London.”
Palestine. Signs of Hope Emerge in the West Bank “For the first time since the second Palestinian uprising broke out in late 2000, leading to terrorist bombings and fierce Israeli countermeasures, a sense of personal security and economic potential is spreading across the West Bank as the Palestinian Authority’s security forces enter their second year of consolidating order.”
Sudan. Sudan rivals agree to avert war “Rival parties from north and south Sudan have agreed new plans to prevent conflict ahead of next week's ruling on their disputed border.”
Non-aligned movement. Ban Says Engagement of Non-Aligned Movement Vital in Tackling Today's Challenges “The engagement of the international grouping of over 100 countries known as the Non-Aligned Movement is vital to solving today's common problems, from climate change and the economic crisis to ensuring a world free of nuclear weapons, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.”
Honduras. Zelaya return rumors put Honduras on edge “Amid increasing rumblings Thursday that ousted President Manuel Zelaya may carry out his threat to retake the presidency by force, Honduras reinstated a curfew and warned the population to be on the lookout for those bent on rebellion.” Honduras leader 'willing to quit' “Honduras' interim president has agreed to step down on the condition that Manuel Zelaya, the country's ousted president, is not allowed to regain power.”
Pakistan. Head of U.S. Joint Chiefs Praises Pakistani Operation “America’s top military officer said Thursday that Pakistan’s army had learned from previous failed campaigns to oust the Taliban from the Swat Valley, and that it was now defeating the militants there and dealing effectively with the nearly two million people displaced by the conflict.”
North Korea. Tension as UN hits North Korea with sanctions “The United Nations hit North Korea’s nuclear chief and four other key officials with sanctions yesterday in the growing conflict with the reclusive Communist regime.” U.N. Security Council Sanctions North Korean Firms, Individuals “The U.N. Security Council on Thursday banned travel and froze assets of 10 North Korean individuals and businesses linked to the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, marking the first time the United Nations has directly penalized members of the nation's military and business elite.”
Opinion. Their Separate Ways (Philip Jenkins, Wall St. Journal) “For a decade now, the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) has been bitterly divided over the issue of ordaining openly gay clergy. The matter reached a new intensity this past week when the church's triennial convention ended the ban on gay candidates serving in ordained ministry.”
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