Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »

G20 Summit. In Europe, Obama Faces Big Challenges to Agenda “For nearly 30 years, American presidents have arrived at economic summit meetings with nearly identical talking points: the solution to most ailments lies in more economic integration, unleashing free markets and using a light touch to tame capitalism.” Obama popular, but Europe seeks results “Obama is still seen as the antithesis of Bush, but he is no longer a fresh-faced candidate. Rather, he is the representative of a country and an economic system that many Europeans blame for leading them into the financial crisis.” Obama and Brown are confident of deal “President Obama and Gordon Brown exuded confidence that, whatever the differences between the Anglo-Saxons and Old Europe, a deal they can sell will be done in the London Docklands tomorrow.”

Health plan. Democrats Agree on a Health Plan; Now Comes the Hard Part “Efforts to overhaul the health care system have moved ahead rapidly, with the insurance industry making several major concessions and the chairmen of five Congressional committees reaching a consensus on the main ingredients of legislation.”

Climate bill. Ambitious House Climate Bill Aims to Please Environmental and Business Interests “House Democrats introduced an ambitious climate bill yesterday aimed at pleasing both environmental and business interests, even as Senate leaders acknowledged that the party faces serious challenges in trying to pass a carbon limit in the near future.” House leaders pitch wide-ranging climate plan “House Democratic leaders on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping plan to fight climate change and boost renewable energy, including mandates for renewable electricity nationwide and a market-based system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

U.S.-Russia nuclear talks. Obama and Medvedev announce nuclear talks “The United States and Russia opened talks on a new nuclear arms reduction treaty today as President Obama met his Russian counterpart for the first time ahead of the G20 summit in London.” Obama and Medvedev to Announce Broad U.S.-Russia Agreement “In their first face-to-face meeting, President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are expected to announce agreement Wednesday on a broad statement of principles for cooperation between the two nations aimed at easing an increasingly strained relationship.” U.S. and Russia to Consider Reductions of Nuclear Arsenals in Talks for New Treaty “President Obama plans to open negotiations on Wednesday to draft a new arms control treaty that could slash the American and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals by about a third and possibly lead to even deeper reductions.”

Pakistan. ‘U.S. drone’ in deadly Pakistan raid “The missiles are thought to have hit a compound that belongs to Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistan Taliban. … At least 10 people have been killed in an air raid by a suspected U.S. drone on a village in northwest Pakistan, local officials say.” Pakistan’s Taliban leader threatens attacks in the U.S. “Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of Pakistan’s Taliban movement, threatened Tuesday to launch attacks in the United States in retaliation for missile strikes by American drones aimed at militant leaders sheltering in Pakistan’s tribal areas.” Taliban chief threatens spectacular U.S. attack “Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, threatened yesterday to launch an attack on Washington that would ‘amaze everyone in the world’ as he claimed responsibility for the raid on a police academy in Lahore and boasted of a new regional militant alliance.”

U.S.-Iran. Obama Administration Has First Face-to-Face Contact With Iran “It was brief, it was unscheduled and it was not substantive, but a meeting Tuesday between Richard C. Holbrooke, a presidential envoy, and an Iranian diplomat marked the first face-to-face encounter between the Obama administration and the government of Iran.” Promise of new Iran-U.S. diplomatic era “For the first time since Barack Obama came to office, U.S. and Iranian officials met at an international conference in The Hague, with diplomats saying a possible turning point may have been reached between the U.S. and the country it labeled part of the axis of evil seven years ago.”

Israeli government. Israeli Parliament Approves Netanyahu as Prime Minister “Israel’s parliament on Tuesday approved Binyamin Netanyahu as prime minister, ushering in a government at odds with international expectations that Israel should pursue negotiations that would lead to an independent Palestinian state.” In Israel, Netanyahu and super-sized Cabinet sworn in “Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office as Israeli prime minister amid heckling by leftist and Arab lawmakers, offered Tuesday to seek a ‘permanent arrangement’ for limited Palestinian self-rule.” Netanyahu Offers Conciliation, but Not Concessions “Taking over as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu struck a somewhat conciliatory tone toward the Palestinians in an address Tuesday to Parliament, promising negotiations toward a permanent accord.” Israel FM rejects Annapolis deal “Israel’s new ultra-nationalist foreign minister has said it is not bound by a U.S.-sponsored 2007 agreement to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians.”

Iraq. Militants Show New Boldness in Cities of Iraq ”As the American military prepares to withdraw from Iraqi cities, Iraqi and American security officials say that jihadi and Baath militants are rejoining the fight in areas that are largely quiet now, regrouping as a smaller but still lethal insurgency.” Royal Marines’ flag lowered for last time in Basra “British troops marked the beginning of their final withdrawal from Iraq yesterday after one of the most controversial and divisive campaigns in British military history.”

Opinion. Will Netanyahu attack Iran? (Aluf Benn, Haaretz) “In political circles the view is that yes, Netanyahu as prime minister brings Israel closer to war with Iran. Politicians in touch with Netanyahu say he has already made up his mind to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations. People close to him wonder how the public would receive a joint decision by Netanyahu and Ehud Barak to attack Iran, and whether the move would boost the two men’s popularity.” Russia’s President on Building Russian-U.S. Bonds (Dmitry A. Medvedev, Washington Post) “I believe that removing such obstacles to good relations would be beneficial to our countries — essentially removing ‘toxic assets’ to make good a negative balance sheet — and beneficial to the world.” Assaulting the Church? (Michael Gerson, Washington Post) “Catholics are having second thoughts, but it could get much worse. If the president and Congress are not careful on several issues, these concerns could open a major rift between the Catholic Church and the Democratic Party.”