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Quote of the Day. “I could never admit to something I didn’t do. I realized that if I was going to die in prison because of saying I’m innocent, well that was what was going to happen.” Dewey Bozella, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., released from prison after 26 years, when his conviction was overturned. (New York Times)

FAITH IN THE NEWS

Mayor Deprives Rival of Black Clergy’s Support “In his quest for a third term, Mr. Bloomberg has deprived Mr. Thompson of what many once regarded as his political birthright: the blessings of the city’s most powerful black ministers, who together preach to tens of thousands of congregants each week.”

NEWS AT HOME

Health Care. House health-care reform bill includes public option, Medicaid expansion “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will unveil a health-care reform bill on Thursday that includes a government insurance option and a historic expansion of Medicaid, although sticking points in the legislation involving abortion and immigration remain unresolved.” Pelosi Backs Off Having Set Rates for Public Option “Under pressure from moderate-to-conservative members of the House Democratic caucus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided to propose a government-run insurance plan that would negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals, rather than using prices set by the government.” House Compromises on Public Option “House Democrats signaled that the health-care bill will include a government insurance plan that would negotiate payment rates with hospitals and doctors instead of having them tied to Medicare rates.” Health care bills would limit out-of-pocket costs “Consumers would be spared having to pay huge medical bills under Democratic health care legislation that’s moving through Congress, as lawmakers agree on the need to put limits on how much people would pay out of their own pockets.”

President Salutes War Dead. Obama breaks from Bush by saluting coffins of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan “President Obama publicly rejected the cloak of secrecy surrounding the return of US military dead late last night when he met the coffins of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan in a solemn, unannounced ceremony.”

Hate Crimes. Obama signs bill expanding hate protection to gays “When a gay Wyoming college student was slain in 1998, congressional Democrats pledged to broaden the definition of federal hate crimes by the end of that year to include attacks based on sexual orientation.” Obama signs first major federal gay-rights law “President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation, a milestone that activists compared to the passage of 1960s civil-rights legislation empowering blacks.”

Cuba Embargo. U.N. condemns Cuba embargo by U.S. “The United States found itself up against virtually the entire world Wednesday as country after country at the United Nations denounced the nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba, which the island government says is as strong as ever under President Barack Obama.”

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Chile. Chilean Leader’s Legacy Is Upended Traditions and Balanced Books “With  only five months until she leaves office, Ms. Bachelet is increasingly likely to be remembered as one of her country’s most popular leaders. Polls this month show her public approval to be above 70 percent, and in recent weeks she has recorded the highest levels since Chile went from dictatorship to democracy in 1990.”

Afghanistan. Afghan attack puts aid programs at risk “The deaths of five U.N. employees in a Taliban assault on a Kabul guesthouse Wednesday is forcing the world body and humanitarian agencies to reevaluate the way they operate in Afghanistan, officials said, putting at risk programs aimed at helping millions of people and stabilizing the war-torn country.” Attack in Afghan Capital Illustrates Taliban’s Reach “As if to emphasize the ease and precision with which they could hit their targets inside the capital, the siege was accompanied by a minor rocket attack on the presidential palace and was followed two hours later by a rocket attack on the Serena Hotel.” Obama seeks Afghanistan data to determine U.S. troop levels “President Obama has asked senior officials for a province-by-province analysis of Afghanistan to determine which regions are being managed effectively by local leaders and which require international help, information that his advisers say will guide his decision on how many additional U.S. troops to send to the battle.”

Pakistan. Pakistan mourns bomb victims “The first funerals have been held for some of the 105 victims of a massive car bomb attack that tore through a crowded market in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.” U.S. Speeds Aid to Pakistan to Fight Taliban "Even as the Pakistani government plays down the American role in its military operations in Taliban-controlled areas along the border with Afghanistan, the United States has quietly rushed hundreds of millions of dollars in arms, equipment and sophisticated sensors to Pakistani forces in recent months.”

Improvised Bombs Spread. Makeshift Bombs Spread Beyond Afghanistan, Iraq  “American military officers are expressing concern over the spreading use of makeshift bombs beyond the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan to other countries in the region, as well as in East Asia and South America.”

Iraq. Deep Corruption Rattles Iraq’s Fragile State “As Iraqi officials work to assign blame for the deadly attacks on the heart of the government on Sunday, concern is rising that a greater security threat may come from within the system in the form of corruption, from the top leadership of ministries down to soldiers who man checkpoints.”

Iran. Iran ‘reply’ on nuclear fuel deal “The UN’s nuclear watchdog says it is hopeful an agreement with Iran can be reached after Tehran’s response to a new offer on uranium refinement." Iran ready to co-operate with nuclear agency – Ahmadinejad “The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today said his country was ready to co-operate with the international community over its nuclear programme but insisted it would not give up its atomic ambitions.” House panel approves bill to punish Iran “A House committee, seeking to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, approved a bill Wednesday aimed at punishing Tehran by cutting off its access to gasoline and other refined petroleum products.”

Darfur. Mbeki unveils Darfur peace plans “Hybrid courts with Sudanese and foreign judges should investigate violence in Sudan’s Darfur region, a report by ex-South Africa leader Thabo Mbeki says.”

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe deports UN rights expert “Manfred Nowak, the UN special rapporteur on torture, has been deported from Zimbabwe a day after being detained by security officials on arrival in Harare.” Anger at Zimbabwe UN envoy snub “The UN’s torture investigator has made an angry return to South Africa after being refused entry to Zimbabwe.”

OPINION

More Schools, Not Troops (Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times) “Dispatching more troops to Afghanistan would be a monumental bet and probably a bad one, most likely a waste of lives and resources that might simply empower the Taliban. In particular, one of the most compelling arguments against more troops rests on this stunning trade-off: For the cost of a single additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for one year, we could build roughly 20 schools there.”

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.