The latest news on foreign policy, the new hydrogen bomb, climate change-the religous right, Iraq war funding, hospital scandal, Iran-Saudi summit, foreign policy, health insurance, union organizing, and conservative discontent.

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Climate change – Religious Right. – “ Dr. James C. Dobson, evangelical leaders challenge global warming rhetoric – “In a letter to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Dr. James C. Dobson, Ph.D., chairman of Focus on the Family Action, joined other pro-family leaders in urging the NAE to refrain from taking a position on the controversial and divisive topic of global warming.” Falwell Says Global Warming Tool of Satan – “Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell, who has worked for decades to involve conservative Christians in politics, said Sunday the debate over global warming is a tool of Satan being used to distract churches from their primary focus of preaching the gospel.”

Climate change. UN chief to act on climate threat – “Climate change poses at least as big a threat to the world as war, the new UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, warned last night. Addressing students at a UN conference in New York, Mr Ban said he planned to make the fight against climate change one of his top priorities in his new role and that he hoped the US would help lead the way.” U.N. Secretary General Calls Global Warming a Priority – “U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon argued that global warming poses as great a threat to the world as modern warfare, and he vowed to make reduction of greenhouse gases one of his tenure’s top priorities.” Big business sweats climate change laws – “Recent state actions to curb global warming are having a surprising effect: They are prompting big power companies and manufacturers to call on the Bush administration to mount a fight against climate change.”

Iraq war funding. Democrats split over Iraq war funding – “After starting the 110th Congress with a big antiwar mandate, Democrats are scrambling to find a way forward on an issue that is driving wedges deep into their new majority.” Democrats reject proposal to cut Bush’s war budget – “Just hours after floating the idea of cutting $20 billion from President Bush’s $142 billion request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan next year, Kent Conrad, Senate Budget Committee chairman, was overruled by fellow Democrats.” Senate Democrats Vow to Confront Bush on Iraq but Are Still Working Out the Details – “Senate Democrats tried to bridge their political differences over how to confront President Bush on Iraq even as they acknowledged that agreement on an approach remained out of reach.” GOP regroups to foil war plans of Democrats – “Republicans in Congress — including most who have defected from President Bush’s plan to send reinforcements to Iraq — have closed ranks and are prepared to thwart the Democrats’ continued efforts to undermine the war strategy.”

Hospital scandal. Army Fires Commander of Walter Reed – “The commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center was fired after the Army said it had lost trust and confidence in his leadership in the wake of a scandal over outpatient treatment of wounded troops at the Northwest Washington hospital complex.” General Is Fired Over Conditions at Walter Reed – “The revelations about conditions at the hospital, one of the Army’s best-known and busiest centers for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, have embarrassed the Army and prompted two investigations, several Congressional inquiries and a rush to clean up the accommodations for outpatients, where residents lived with moldy walls, stained carpets and other problems.”

Iran-Saudi summit. Iran and Saudis Plan Summit Talks on Crises – “President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday for a summit meeting with King Abdullah intended to tackle the Middle East’s growing sectarian and political crises.”

Foreign policy. The Bush conversion – “Within the space of two weeks, the Bush administration has made dramatic steps towards diplomatic engagement of two countries once shunned as part of the Axis of Evil – agreeing to contacts with Iran and opening the door to recognition of North Korea.”

Health insurance. Most Support U.S. Guarantee of Health Care– “A majority of Americans say the federal government should guarantee health insurance to every American, especially children, and are willing to pay higher taxes to do it, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.”

Union organizing. Bill Easing Organization Of Unions Passes House – “In the most contentious clash between business and labor groups of the new Congress, the House passed legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize
unions — a measure that President Bush has promised to veto and that Senate Republican leaders have vowed to filibuster.” House Passes Bill That Helps Unions Organize – “The bill, whose prospects for enactment are troubled at best, would enable employees at a given workplace to unionize as soon as a majority signed cards saying they favored a union. Under current law, companies have a right to insist on a secret-ballot election determining their workers’ choice.”

Conservative discontent. At conservatives’ conference, little love is expressed for GOP – “Leading conservatives yesterday attacked the Republican party as big-government, free-spending coddlers of illegal immigrants and said the country’s conservatives should withhold support from the GOP’s current slate of presidential nominees to force them to the right.” Gilmore to reveal ‘false’ conservatives – “Former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III will become the first Republican presidential contender to say publicly that the three top-ranked party candidates are phony conservatives.”

New hydrogen bomb. U.S. to develop new hydrogen bomb – “The Energy Department will announce today a contract to develop the nation’s first new hydrogen bomb in two decades, involving a collaboration between three national weapons laboratories, The new bomb will include design features from all three labs, though Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Bay Area appears to have taken the lead position in the project. The Los Alamos and Sandia labs in New Mexico will also be part of the project.”