The latest news on immigration, the World Bank, Iraq, Jerry Falwell, Russia, Iran, Republican debate, Colombia, food stamps, Brazil, and select commentaries.

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Full news summary:

Jerry Falwell. Rev. Jerry Falwell dies, leader of evangelicals – “The Rev. Jerry Falwell, one of the founders of the so-called religious right and a friend and ally of Republican presidents, died yesterday from a heart rhythm abnormality in his office on the campus of the Lynchburg university he founded.” Other stories:

New York Times – Jerry Falwell, Moral Majority Founder, Dies at 73

Washington Post – Harnessed The Political Power of Evangelicals

Los Angeles Times – Preacher built religious right into a political force

Falwell’s Legacy in the Pulpit and Politics – “At his death yesterday, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the founding father and long the public face of the religious right, left behind a university, a megachurch and a movement that are likely to carry on his legacy.” Church, state and the legacy of Jerry Falwell (Cal Thomas, USA Today) – “Jerry Falwell was a simple country preacher who rose from obscurity and the founding of his church in a defunct soft drink bottling plant in his hometown of Lynchburg, Va., to become, in the 1980s, the face of much of Evangelical Christianity and “moral politics.”

Immigration. Senators Report Progress on a Complicated Bill on Immigration – “With the new Congress poised to take its first vote on immigration, senators from both parties stepped up the pace of negotiations in hopes of cutting a deal on a comprehensive bill that would increase enforcement at the border and offer legal status to millions of undocumented workers.” Senate nearing immigration bill – “Senators negotiating a bipartisan immigration reform bill have settled on the details of a plan that would immediately grant legal status to all illegal immigrants currently in the United States.” Bush, Kennedy join forces over immigration law – “As he presses for legacy-building immigration legislation, President Bush finds himself aligned with the same unlikely ally who helped enact his first major domestic initiative.” Latino Groups Play Key Role on Hill – “After laboring in obscurity for decades, groups such as the National Council of La Raza, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Immigration Forum are virtually being granted veto power over perhaps the biggest domestic issue coming before Congress this year.”

World Bank. Wolfowitz pleads case to World Bank board – “A day after World Bank directors accused Paul D. Wolfowitz of breaking ethics rules in negotiating a promotion and salary raise for his companion, the bank president pleaded with them to give him another chance at leading the anti-poverty lender.” Wolfowitz under fire from Europe – “European governments are preparing to take a hard line against Paul Wolfowitz remaining as head of the World Bank, pushing ahead with a possible vote of no confidence and brushing off US proposals to delay judging the embattled president over his ethical violations.” White House Support for Wolfowitz Wavers – “The Bush administration softened its support for World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz, signaling a willingness to replace him if the bank’s executive board resolves an ethics controversy without firing him.” Bush Opens Door to Wolfowitz’s Resigning – “The Bush administration, shifting strategy in the face of mounting opposition to Paul D. Wolfowitz, opened the door to his resigning voluntarily as World Bank president if the bank board dropped its drive to declare him unfit to remain in office.”

Iraq. Bush Taps Skeptic of Buildup as ‘War Czar’ – “President Bush tapped Army Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute to serve as a new White House “war czar” overseeing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, choosing a low-key soldier who privately expressed skepticism about sending more troops to Iraq during last winter’s strategy review.” Bush Picks General to Coordinate War Policy– “The White House said that President Bush ended his lengthy search for a so-called war czar to carry out Iraq and Afghanistan policy by offering the job to an active duty three-star Army general who said in his interview that he had been skeptical of the troop buildup in Iraq.” Iraq Attacks Stayed Steady Despite Troop Increase, Data Show – “Newly declassified data show that as additional American troops began streaming into Iraq in March and April, the number of attacks on civilians and security forces there stayed relatively steady or at most declined slightly, in the clearest indication yet that the troop increase could take months to have a widespread impact on security.”

Russia. Rice nudges Putin away from tough talk aimed at U.S. – “Sec
retary of State Condoleezza Rice persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin to tone down the harsh words used by the Kremlin against Washington in recent months, though their talks failed to yield any breakthroughs on Kosovo independence or U.S. plans for a missile shield in Europe.” After Rice and Putin Meet, Russia Agrees to Soften Language– “Russia agreed to tone down the harsh language its senior officials have used against the United States in recent months, but the two countries remained at an impasse on several issues that have strained relations.”

Iran. U.S. cautious about Iran nuclear report – “Bush administration officials reacted cautiously to indications that Iran has improved its ability to enrich uranium as fuel for nuclear reactors, a crucial step toward nuclear weapons.”

Republican debate. Republicans Debate Their Conservative Bona Fides – “The leading Republican presidential candidates parried accusations from their rivals that they have strayed too far from their party’s conservative philosophies on abortion, taxes and immigration in a debate that featured some of the most direct exchanges of the 2008 battle for the GOP nomination.” Lively exchanges fill second GOP debate – “Ten Republican candidates for president, standing nearly toe-to-toe, teased out their differences over immigration, abortion and conservative purity in a feisty debate that sharpened distinctions among the party’s top White House contenders.”

Colombia. Death-Squad Scandal Circles Closer to Colombia’s President – “President Álvaro Uribe, the Bush administration’s closest ally in Latin America, faces an intensifying scandal after a jailed former commander of paramilitary death squads testified that Mr. Uribe’s defense minister had tried to plot with the outlawed private militias to upset the rule of a former president.”

Food stamps. Lawmakers Find $21 a Week Doesn’t Buy a Lot of Groceries – “Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), co-chairmen of the House Hunger Caucus, called on lawmakers to take the “Food Stamp Challenge” to raise awareness of hunger and what they say are inadequate benefits for food stamp recipients.” Lawmakers live on food-stamp budget – “the politicians are trying to spend seven days in the life of someone living on food stamps to highlight the difficulties of eating healthy while stretching resources.”

Brazil. Brazilian rancher guilty in nun’s slaying – “The verdict was met here with celebratory music, tearful embraces and thunderous applause among farmers gathered in a public square. Human rights experts hailed the decision as a long-awaited break after years of impunity afforded to large landowners in the rain forest region.”

Commentary

Same war, different goals (Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times) – “Though Blair and Bush marched into war together, they did so in the service of distinct and even opposing visions. Long before 9/11, Blair argued that no single nation could solve the 21st century’s toughest problems. Only through international cooperation could the world confront challenges from global warming to global terror.”

Sick kids lost in gap (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune) – “Residents of the nation’s capital woke up one recent morning to the sort of bad news that we like to think doesn’t happen in America: A child died from lack of dental care.”