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Quote of the day. “We’ve spent the last few decades shoveling money at the rich like there was no tomorrow. We abandoned the poor, put an economic stranglehold on the middle class and all but bankrupted the federal government — while giving the banks and megacorporations and the rest of the swells at the top of the economic pyramid just about everything they’ve wanted.”  Bob Herbert op-ed column, Safety Nets for the Rich. (New York Times)

FAITH IN THE NEWS

Vatican reveals plan to welcome disaffected Anglicans “In a move with potentially sweeping implications for relations between the Catholic church and some 80 million Anglicans worldwide, the Vatican has announced the creation of new ecclesiastical structures to absorb disaffected Anglicans wishing to become Catholics.”

NEWS AT HOME

Health care. Most support public option for health insurance, poll finds “A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health-care plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and wins clear majority support from the public.” Basic Medicare Premium to Rise 15% Next Year  “The increase means that monthly premiums would top $100 for the first time, a stark indication of the rise in medical costs that is driving the debate in Congress about a broad overhaul of the health care system.”

Death penalty. Death penalty’s cost effectiveness evaluated in report “States could save hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating the death penalty, according to a report released today.” Death penalty not a deterrent, police chiefs say  “Death-penalty opponents have new allies from an unlikely source: U.S. police chiefs, who say capital punishment does not deter murderers and has become a low law-enforcement priority.” Controversy Builds in Texas Over an Execution “Questions about whether Gov. Rick Perry allowed the execution of a man some arson experts say may have been innocent, and then hindered an investigation into the evidence, continue to reverberate across Texas, where issues surrounding capital punishment have rarely stirred such controversy.”

Census. Census predicts big fall in responses “Turbulent political and economic times roiling the nation are expected to diminish initial participation by households in next year’s Census despite a $326 million marketing blitz that far outspends previous Census campaigns.”  Latino pastors gather to support full census count “Southern California pastors representing 1,200 Latino Protestant congregations unveiled plans Monday to marshal their collective forces to urge full participation in the 2010 census and reject calls to boycott the decennial count.”

Recycling. Nudging Recycling From Less Waste to None “Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants, stadiums and corporations.”

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Sudan. North-south conflict to be emphasis of new U.S. policy on Sudan “The Obama administration’s new policy toward Sudan, formally announced Monday, turns the spotlight back on where the troubled nation’s problems first began: the split between the Islamic north and the largely animist and Christian south.” Obama to offer Sudan ‘incentives’  “The US has said it will renew tough economic sanctions against Sudan soon, but also promised broad engagement with Khartoum in an effort to end the "ongoing dire human consequences of genocide" in Darfur.” White House’s New Sudan Strategy Fits Envoy’s Pragmatic Style  “On Monday, the administration unveiled a new policy in Sudan, outlining an effort that officials said was aimed at ending the mass human suffering there, promoting a definitive peace and preventing Sudan from serving as a haven for terrorists.”

Afghanistan. Karzai agrees to Afghan presidential runoff “Bowing to intense international pressure, Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed today to a runoff next month with his main challenger in August’s disputed presidential election.” Afghanistan to hold poll run-off  “Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, is to face a run-off vote against his main election rival following a ruling by the country’s election commission.” Afghan Leader Said to Accept Runoff After Election Audit “Under heavy international pressure, President Hamid Karzai appears set to concede as early as Tuesday that he fell short of a first-round victory in the nation’s disputed presidential election, but the path to ensuring that the country has credible leadership remains uncertain,” As the Commander in Chief Deliberates, Frustration Builds Within the Ranks  “A number of active duty and retired senior officers say there is concern that the president is moving too slowly, is revisiting a war strategy he announced in March and is unduly influenced by political advisers in the Situation Room.”

Pakistan. Pakistan forces ‘making progress’ “Pakistan’s military has claimed early victories as troops push deeper into suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda strongholds in South Waziristan.” Refugees flee from South Waziristan  “As Pakistani warplanes pound the Taliban up to 260,000 people may flee battle, say aid workers.”

Iran. U.S., allies begin talks with Iran on nuclear program “Iran threatened to accelerate its uranium enrichment capabilities if talks with world powers that began Monday in Vienna don’t yield a compromise on an international plan to provide materials for Tehran’s nuclear program.”

Israel. Goldstone rejects Israel protests  “UN human rights investigator Richard Goldstone has rejected Israel’s claim that the peace process would be harmed by his report on the offensive in Gaza.” State to weigh inquiry panel on Goldstone report “The diplomatic-security cabinet will meet today to discuss Israel’s diplomatic and legal response to the Goldstone report and its endorsement by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.” Painful Mideast Truth: Force Trumps Diplomacy “As the Obama administration tries to broker a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is a dark truth lurking: force has produced clearer results in this dispute than talk.”

Iraq. Threats to Obama’s Iraq withdrawal timetable  “Political bickering and increase in violence from insurgents could derail the US President’s plan to bring troops home.”  In Najaf, Iraq’s Shiite clerics push for direct elections “Najaf is to Shiites what Vatican City is to Roman Catholics, but some of Shiite Islam’s highest spiritual figures operate here out of public view, issuing occasional utterances on issues they consider central to Iraqi society.”

India. Indian Firms Shift Focus to the Poor  “Indian companies, long dependent on hand-me-down technology from developed nations, are becoming cutting-edge innovators as they target one of the world’s last untapped markets: the poor.”

Honduras. Honduran talks deadlocked on reinstating Zelaya “Representatives of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government that replaced him in a coup returned to negotiations Monday, but the two sides remained deadlocked over whether to return Zelaya to power.”

OPINION

Feed hungry, then help them feed themselves  (DeWayne Wickham, USA Today) “There are a billion people who are chronically hungry. That’s roughly one of every seven inhabitants of this planet. Hunger is a far greater pandemic than AIDS. Nearly 16,000 children die of hunger every day,”

The Afghanistan problem (Gilles Dorronsoro, Los Angeles Times) “The huge cultural misunderstandings between Western forces and the Afghan people make it unlikely any counterinsurgency mission in the countryside will succeed.”

Rights Watchdog, Lost in the Mideast  (Robert L. Bernstein, New York Times) “In repeatedly condemning Israel, and mostly ignoring closed regimes in the Middle East, Human Rights Watch is drifting from its core values, and its role as a global arbiter of morality.”

Sojourners’ Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.

Sojourners’ Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.

Sojourners’ Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.

Sojourners’ Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.