Financial Reform. If not for the sea of navy business suits and the hotel ballroom's chandeliers, the gathering Wednesday morning might have seemed more like a pep rally than a meeting of the American Bankers Association. But the 900 bankers were preparing to storm Capitol Hill, and they were getting revved up.

Gaza. After Gaza rocket attacks resulted in the first fatality since last year's war, Israeli warplanes carried out retaliatory air strikes on at least six targets overnight. Hamas is struggling to contain unaffiliated militants in Gaza.

Quote of the Day. “With the reality of 78 million baby boomers coming into an aging demographic, we need more housing choices for caregiving. It can be a great opportunity for connectedness across generations, but also an opportunity for conflict if family members don’t keep communications lines open.’’ Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s senior vice president for livable communities, on a new study showing that about 6.6 million U.S. households in 2009 were “multigenerational,” with at least three generations in the household. (Boston Globe/AP)

Cuba. Cuban police have prevented the mothers and wives of detained dissidents from marching on the outskirts of Havana, the capital, forcing them into buses and taking them away, witnesses say.

Burma. There is guarded hope among business people and diplomats that Myanmar, or Burma, as many people still call the country, may be gradually moving away from years of paranoid authoritarianism and Soviet-style economic management that has left the majority of the country’s 55 million people in dire poverty.

Quote of the Day. “That’s a low bar. If you can’t graduate two out of five of your student-athletes, how serious are you about the academic part of your mission?” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, a former college basketball player, proposing that teams with graduation rates of less than 40 percent be banned from the NCAA tournament. A new study shows that this would disqualify 12 teams in this year’s tournament. (USA Today) 

Haiti. Since the early 1980s, rural Haitians have moved at a steady clip to Port-au-Prince in search of schools, jobs, and government services. After the earthquake, more than 600,000 returned to the countryside, according to the government, putting a serious strain on desperately poor communities that have received little emergency assistance.

Corporate Financing in Elections. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, already one of Washington's largest lobbying groups, is gearing up to play a major role in this year's midterm elections on a scale that rivals the nation's two main political parties ... The group will target vulnerable Democrats in up to two dozen states with ads, get-out-the-vote operations, and other grass-roots efforts.

Quote of the Day. "In Birmingham when I saw the dogs I don't think anything appalled me more, and I've been to Vietnam. I photographed it, and the world rushed in. I realized the power of even one image ... What changed was my awareness. I wanted to show how awful, how vulgar, how terrible this whole thing was." Charles Moore, 79, whose searing Life magazine photographs of the civil rights struggle helped change American public opinion about the movement, died March 11 at a nursing home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.  (Washington Post)

Israel-U.S. An ill-timed municipal housing announcement in Jerusalem has mutated into one of the most serious conflicts between the United States and Israel in two decades, leaving a politically embarrassed Israeli government scrambling to respond to a tough list of demands by the Obama administration.

Health Care. Declaring that "every argument has been made" on his health-care overhaul, President Obama sought to seal the deal with Congress and the American people Monday by focusing on a single patient: a self-employed cleaning woman who dropped her costly insurance plan and just discovered she has leukemia.

Quote of the Day. “Our alumni over the years have told me that they’re so proud of the graduation rates. They don’t want to hear about Xavier, or any university, using students athletically and then dumping them without a degree.” Sister Rose Ann Fleming, academic adviser for Xavier University athletics. Since she began the job in 1985, every men’s basketball player who played as a senior has left with a diploma, a record of 77-0. (New York Times)

Israel-U.S. Israel's ambassador to the U.S. has said that relations between the two countries are at their lowest point for 35 years, Israeli media have reported.

Mexico. Gunmen believed to be linked to drug traffickers shot a pregnant American consulate worker and her husband to death in the violence-racked border town of Ciudad Juárez over the weekend, leaving their baby wailing in the back seat of their car, the authorities said Sunday. The gunmen also killed the husband of another consular employee and wounded his two young children.

Quote of the Day. “Knowledge doesn’t equal behavior. A lot of people just can’t be bothered, which is extremely disheartening. They take the path of least resistance. So if it’s easier to throw it away, they’ll throw it away.’’ Claire Sullivan, director of the South Shore Recycling Cooperative south of Boston, commenting on state statistics showing just over one-quarter of all residential trash was recycled in 2008, roughly the same percentage as 10 years ago. (Boston Globe)

Mideast Peace Talks. A four-day trip by Joe Biden designed to kick-start faltering peace talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships ended in failure last night despite a parting plea for negotiations to begin with no delay.

Taliban-Al Qaeda Rift. A growing number of Taliban militants in the Pakistani border region are refusing to collaborate with Al Qaeda fighters, declining to provide shelter or assist in attacks in Afghanistan even in return for payment, according to U.S. military and counter-terrorism officials.

Quote of the Day. “It will take an expanding worldwide but grassroots culture reaching beyond national borders to fashion a body of Christian peacemakers to be an effective power to block the guns and be part of transforming each impending tragedy of war. Little by little there will be change.” Gene Stoltzfus, founding director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, who died Wednesday at age 70. (Christian Peacemaker Teams)

Financial Reform. Payday lenders, pawnbrokers, car dealers, and other companies that make loans but do not hold bank charters would be shielded from the scrutiny of a proposed federal consumer protection regulator under the terms of a tentative compromise between senators who are attempting to craft a bipartisan bill.

Afghanistan Withdrawal Resolution. In a strong bipartisan endorsement of the Obama administration’s policy in Afghanistan, the House of Representatives on Wednesday soundly rejected a call to withdraw American troops by the end of the year.

Quote of the Day. “A well-crafted carbon surcharge achieves two goals. The first is a drastic reduction in fossil fuel usage for energy, but the second, and more important for Los Angeles, is the creation of thousands of green-collar jobs.” Jay Carson, chief deputy mayor of Los Angeles on the city’s plan to increase electric rates to fund renewable energy programs. (Los Angeles Times)

Israel. With indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians due to start within days, a new crisis is threatening to derail the peace process: Israel announced it had authorized the construction of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem.

Afghanistan. The State Department is failing to properly oversee nearly $2 billion in contracts to battle the drug trade, build infrastructure, and train police in Afghanistan, according to a bluntly worded internal assessment.

Quote of the Day. "Crop Mob is not a charity ... At its core, it's about community -- farmers helping farmers. And when the 'agricurious' come out to help them and learn, well, that's just icing on the top." Rob Jones, a founder of “Crop Mob,” which organizes groups of office workers, backyard gardeners, and striving young farmers to dig, weed, mulch, and clear land for farmers across two North Carolina counties. (Los Angeles Times) 

Immigration. Leaders of nearly a dozen grass-roots immigrant rights groups excoriated President Obama and congressional Democrats on Monday, accusing them of moving too slowly to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and citing a record number of deportations in 2009.

Iraq Election. More than 60 percent of Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections despite numerous attempts to disrupt the vote, officials have said.

Quote of the Day. "This is like putting on every student's desk, when you walk into class, five different magazines, several television shows, some shopping opportunities and a phone, and saying, 'Look, if your mind wanders, feel free to pick any of these up and go with it.'" David Cole, Georgetown Law professor, on why he has banned laptops from his classes. (Washington Post)

Iraq Election. Female candidates were all over Iraq these last few weeks -- shaking hands, making speeches, and handing out campaign literature. In a region of the world where some women are forbidden to drive or required to cover their hair in public, some analysts say Sunday's election was a model of democracy and inclusiveness for the Middle East.

Nigeria. Rioters armed with machetes slaughtered more than 200 people overnight yesterday as religious violence flared anew between Christians and Muslims in central Nigeria, witnesses said. Hundreds of people fled their homes, fearing reprisal attacks.

Quote of the Day. “At the moment, Haiti is flooded with help -- the whole humanitarian circus is here. Most came with no planning horizon and will soon leave. And then what? We'll try, but it won't be enough. In that respect, we'll be back to square one." Hans van Dillen, head of mission of the Dutch chapter of Doctors Without Borders, which has provided medical services in Haiti for much of the last 15 years, on the impending departure of medical personnel who came in the aftermath of the earthquake. (Los Angeles Times)

Education Cuts Protests. A day of passionate protest against education funding cuts attracted thousands of demonstrators Thursday to mostly peaceful rallies, walkouts and teach-ins at universities and high schools throughout California and the nation.

Quote of the Day. “We can live in fear and make bad policy based on fear, or we can have some backbone and make policy based on what really helps our communities. [Still,] I worry about it. I say a rosary every day.” Patricia L. Caruso, director of the Michigan Department of Corrections,on the growing trend by states to reduce prison populations by expanding parole programs and early releases in order to save money, with the risk that some will commit new crimes. (New York Times)

Iran Sanctions. Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi has warned against imposing sanctions on her country, saying it would harm the population not the government.

Pakistan Arms Deal. The United States is to deliver a thousand laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan this month. The deal, which also includes the delivery of 18 new F16 fighter jets and a dozen surveillance drones later in the year, is an apparent pay-off for greater co-operation against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Quote of the Day. "Mislabeling is a real disservice to consumers because people are cheated and are led to believe their food is healthier than it is. We're delighted that the FDA has issued an unprecedented flock of warning notices to companies big and small to clean up their labels."  Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, on the Food and Drug Administration sending notices to 17 food companies that they have violated federal laws by making false or misleading claims on their product packaging. (Washington Post)

Darfur. The United States has expressed concern over reports that the Sudanese army launched offensives against rebels in Darfur after signing a peace deal with the main rebel group there last week.

Quote of the Day. "We're delivering fewer pieces of mail to more and more addresses every year. Something's gotta give." Rich Maher, Los Angeles Postal Service spokesman, on the problems facing the Postal Service as e-mail and electronic bill paying cause the volume of traditional stamped mail to decrease. (Los Angeles Times)

Afghanistan. The initial phase of the military offensive in southern Afghanistan to wrest Marja from insurgent control has largely ended, but the more daunting task of building a credible government in the place of Taliban rule has just begun, according to senior U.S. and Afghan officials.

Financial Reform. The chairman of the Senate banking committee is seeking Democratic support for a Republican proposal to house a new consumer-protection regulator inside the Federal Reserve, a compromise that could clear the way for bipartisan legislation on financial reform.

Quote of the Day. "They [terrorists] can't claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma [global brotherhood]. No, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire. There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered jihad." Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, a London-based Pakistani Muslim scholar in a fatwa (religious ruling) against terrorism and suicide bombing. (Al Jazeera)

Heating Assistance. A record number of U.S. households are applying for help to pay home heating bills with 17 states fielding application requests that are up more than 20% from last year, the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association says.

Unemployment. The payday loan industry has found a new and lucrative source of business: the unemployed. Payday lenders, which typically provide workers with cash advances on their paychecks, are offering the same service to those covered by unemployment insurance.

Quote of the Day. “The positive energy has been incredible. There has been an outpouring of pride [among natives] the likes of which I've never seen before.” Tewanee Joseph, CEO of the Four Host First Nations, on the involvement of native peoples in the Vancouver Olympics. (Globe and Mail, Toronto)

Iran-Syria. The presidents of Iran and Syria on Thursday ridiculed U.S. policy in the region and pledged to create a Middle East "without Zionists," combining a slap at recent U.S. overtures and a threat to Israel with an endorsement of one of the region's defining alliances.

Burma. The Supreme Court in Burma has rejected an appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against an extension of her house arrest.

Health Care. The health-care summit that convenes today in Washington has emerged as a high-stakes gambit for President Obama and opposing Republican lawmakers, carrying risks for both sides that could not only alter the outcome of the health-care debate but also November's midterm elections.

India-Pakistan. India and Pakistan took a "first step" toward rebuilding confidence on Thursday after a meeting between high-level diplomats of both countries that included discussions on terrorism, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the disputed border region of Kashmir, and competing water claims.

Quote of the Day. "The cross is and will forever be the sign of the church. This is the symbol that we have together, the symbol of what we have together, the symbol of what the churches have to give to the world. From the beginning to the end.” Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, in his installation as new general secretary of the World Council of Churches. (Christian Post)

Afghanistan. More than eight years after the Taliban was toppled from power, the number of U.S. military fatalities in the war in Afghanistan is nearing 1,000, a grim milestone in a resurgent conflict that is claiming the lives of an increasing number of troops who had survived previous combat tours in Iraq.

Free Speech and Terrorism. The Supreme Court struggled Tuesday to resolve a conflict between the free-speech rights of a Los Angeles-based advocate for international peace and a broad anti-terrorism law that makes it a crime to advise a foreign terrorist group, even if it means advising its members to seek peace.

Quote of the Day. "The American people and the governing class have accepted that war has become a permanent condition. Protracted war has become a widely accepted part of our politics." Andrew Bacevich, retired Army Col. (and now history professor at Boston University) whose son was killed in Iraq in 2007, on how eight years of war have affected American foreign policy.  (Washington Post)

Afghanistan-Civilian Deaths. The U.S. defence secretary has said that NATO forces are doing their best to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan, after an air raid killed 27 people, including women and a child.

Darfur. Sudan's largest opposition group is set to sign a peace deal with the government that could end the conflict in Darfur.

Quote of the Day. "Oh God, what happens if the staff for these members finally wakes up, realizes what they are doing and makes them stop? A lot of them have aides follow them around so they won't say something stupid in the hallway." Mike Madden, Salon.com Washington correspondent, on the more than one-third of members of Congress who regularly tweet. To follow Congress, see TweetCongress.org. (Los Angeles Times)