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Quote of the day. "There's a compassion boom going on. Instead of people worrying about their own problems, they're thinking of others." Robert Grimm of the Corporation for National & Community Service, on a report showing more Americans volunteered in their communities in 2008 than in 2007. (USA Today)
Health care. Key Lawmakers Restart Talks on Health-Care Legislation “Key congressional negotiators resumed talks Monday evening on the emerging health-care legislation, scrambling to strike separate deals in House and Senate committees that would give momentum to the stalled reform effort.” CBO boosts Obama's health plan “President Obama and his Democratic allies, scrambling to broker a health care deal Monday, finally got an upbeat assessment from Congress' official scorekeeper when it said the plan for government-run coverage would not force out private insurers.” Health Policy Now Carved Out at a More Centrist Table “The fate of the health care overhaul largely rests on the shoulders of six senators who since June 17 have gathered — often twice a day, and for many hours at a stretch — in a conference room with burnt sienna walls, in the office of the Senate Finance Committee chairman, Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana.”
Health care & abortion. Healthcare debate's next hurdle: abortion “With House leaders struggling to reach agreement on healthcare legislation, aiming toward a possible vote this week, a new hurdle has emerged: abortion.”
Food safety. House vote expected this week on food safety bill “The nation's food suppliers will face new fees, inspections and penalties under a multibillion-dollar food safety bill set for approval as early as Wednesday by the House of Representatives.”
Stimulus & jobs. In Tennessee Corner, Stimulus Meets New Deal “Critics elsewhere may be questioning how many jobs the stimulus program has created, but here in central Tennessee, hundreds of workers are again drawing paychecks after many months out of work, thanks to a novel use of federal stimulus money by state officials.”
Foreclosures. Foreclosures Are Often In Lenders' Best Interest “Government initiatives to stem the country's mounting foreclosures are hampered because banks and other lenders in many cases have more financial incentive to let borrowers lose their homes than to work out settlements.”
Anglican Church. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams speaks of 'two-tier' church “Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams suggested Monday that the Episcopal Church might have to accept a different role within the worldwide Anglican Communion amid U.S. leaders' decision to lift a de facto ban on gay bishops and to consider rites of blessing for same-sex unions.” Archbishop attempts to paper over Church schism “The Archbishop of Canterbury has acknowledged that the Anglican Church is in schism in all but name.”
Toronto strike. 36 days on strike, 48,900 tons of trash, and for what? “The City of Toronto's current unionized employees will have the option to keep their controversial banked sick days, but new hires will be denied the perk under the terms of a tentative deal workers are expected to vote on tomorrow.”
Burma. Date set for Suu Kyi verdict “Judges in Myanmar have said they will deliver their verdict on Friday in the trial of the country's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.” Aung San Suu Kyi trial adjourned for closing defense case “The trial of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been adjourned until today for her defense lawyers to give their closing response before a verdict is delivered.”
Iran. Ahmadinejad struggles with crisis of authority “Iran's government appears to be imploding even before President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is sworn in for a second term, with three Cabinet ministers dismissed, resigning or on their way out and the opposition vowing to continue protests over disputed presidential elections.” Iran opposition leader calls for more street protests “In a provocative move, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who lost to Ahmadinejad in a controversial election, asks his supporters to flood Tehran during a festival next week.” Iranian Leaders Urge Protections for Detained Protesters “Top Iranian leaders on Monday called for greater protection for opposition demonstrators arrested during this summer's protests after at least three were reported in recent days to have died in custody.”
Iran & nuclear facilities. Israel threatens strike on Iran's nuclear facilities “With the U.S. Defense Secretary standing at his side, Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defense Minister, today warned Iran that a military strike on its nuclear facilities was still an option.” Gates Says U.S. Overture to Iran Is ‘Not Open-Ended’ “Strains between the United States and Israel surfaced publicly in Jerusalem on Monday, as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates tried to reassure Israelis that American overtures to Iran were not open-ended, and as Defense Minister Ehud Barak of Israel expressed impatience with the Americans for wanting to engage Iran at all.” Gates in Israel: U.S. expects answer from Tehran by end of September “U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that the United States was expecting an answer from Iran by the end of September to its proposal to start a dialogue on Iran's nuclear program.”
Iraq. U.S. praises Iraq's security gains “U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said on a visit to Iraq that its security situation has improved 'amazingly' in the past three years.” U.S. defense secretary visits Iraq “Robert Gates, the U.S. defense secretary, has arrived in Iraq to examine the future role of the US military in Iraq.” Iraq exit poses daunting logistics “For years, U.S. military planners have worried about the risks of maintaining a large force in Iraq. Now, they are worrying about how to get it out.”
Afghanistan. Success in Afghanistan 'will need more troops' “Britain may need to send more troops to Afghanistan despite the success of Operation Panther’s Claw, military chiefs admit. The scale of the challenge was revealed yesterday as it emerged that British soldiers have faced nearly 1,000 roadside bombs in the past three months.” Britain and U.S. prepared to open talks with the Taliban “A concerted effort to start unprecedented talks between Taliban and British and American envoys was outlined yesterday in a significant change in tactics designed to bring about a breakthrough in the attritional, eight-year conflict in Afghanistan.”
India. India's new antipoverty measure: national ID card “The card's introduction, one of the largest IT projects in the world, will eliminate a patchwork of local IDs and is meant to improve the delivery of social services to the poor.”
Honduras. A President Kicked Out, but Not Alone in Defiance “Since Mr. Zelaya arrived here on Friday to taunt the de facto government that exiled him a month ago, hundreds of Hondurans have answered his call to join him just across the border in Nicaragua.” Honduras political fight strands truckers at Nicaragua border “The latest twist in Honduras' month-long political crisis can be measured in the number of cargo trucks at the Nicaraguan border. On Monday, there were 107 — all at a standstill and stretched for nearly two miles.”
Opinion. The stimulus is actually working (Robert Greenstein, Washington Times) “To a large degree, however, their main criticisms of the package and key elements within it reflect some misunderstanding of how it was supposed to work and what it was supposed to do. In fact, the stimulus is working pretty much as policymakers intended. Without it, the economy and the job prospects for millions of Americans would be worse.”
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