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Quote of the Day. "They're all obsessed with the deal and numbers. In order to make this numbers game work, we have to agree on how to have a global paradigm shift." Rae Kwon Chung, South Korean "godfather of the so-called green growth movement," on the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen. (Los Angeles Times)

FAITH IN THE NEWS

Muslim Prayers and Renewal Near Ground Zero "The building has no sign that hints at its use as a Muslim prayer space, but these modest beginnings point to a far grander vision: an Islamic center near the city's most hallowed piece of land that would stand as one of ground zero's more unexpected and striking neighbors."

World faiths call for the abolition of nuclear weapons "Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim representatives joined voices on 7 December, calling for moral leadership by all the world's faiths in helping to mobilise for the effort to abolish nuclear weapons."

FBI leadership award goes to Sacramento Imam "Sacramento Imam Mohamed Abdul-Azeez has won the 2009 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award for his work building bridges among Muslims, law enforcement and the local interfaith community."

Bearing a Christian witness as the war expands (David Gushee, Associated Baptist Press) "I have decided that it is not my place as one offering Christian moral witness to endorse any nation's wars, including my own. This is a change for me."

NEWS AT HOME

Health Care. Senate may drop public option "Democratic Senate negotiators struck a tentative agreement Tuesday night to drop the controversial government-run insurance plan from their overhaul of the health-care system, hoping to remove a last major roadblock preventing the bill from moving to a final vote in the chamber." Reid Says Deal Resolves the Impasse on the Public Option "The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, said Tuesday night that he and a group of 10 Democratic senators had reached 'a broad agreement' to resolve a dispute over a proposed government-run health insurance plan, which has posed the biggest obstacle to passage of sweeping health care legislation." Senate Democrats reach healthcare deal on 'public option' "Senate Democrats reached what Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called a 'broad agreement' Tuesday night that could remove a major obstacle to the massive healthcare bill." Senate blocks abortion amendment in health bill "The Senate on Tuesday blocked a hotly controversial amendment to restrict abortion coverage in health care legislation, but the emotional, two-day debate demonstrated the rising difficulty Democrats face in passing the overall measure by Christmas."

State Health Insurance. Despite recession, 26 states grew health coverage this year "Despite the economic downturn that's busting state budgets from Sacramento to Tallahassee, 26 states this year made it easier for low-income children, parents or pregnant women to get health coverage, according to a report released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation."

Afghanistan. McChrystal offers assurances in Afghanistan war testimony "The U.S. general in charge of the Afghanistan war assured lawmakers Tuesday that an additional 30,000 troops, combined with changes in the overall war strategy, would trigger a demonstrable change on the ground before U.S. forces start to come home in 18 months." Two Top Aides Show Unity on Afghan Strategy "The top military commander in Afghanistan told Congress on Tuesday that he had been granted all the forces he needed, was confident of success and did not expect to have to request more troops at a later date, although he said he would base his advice on conditions as they unfolded." US's long view in Afghanistan troubles Congress "Senior administration officials signaled yesterday that the United States will continue to commit a significant number of troops and substantial funding to Afghanistan for many years to come, despite a July 2011 deadline set forth by the president last week to begin a drawdown."

Jobs. Obama lays out job-creation ideas "President Obama outlined a response to the nation's intensifying job crisis Tuesday that encourages businesses to hire new workers by easing the flow of credit and implementing a series of tax cuts, but leaves important details -- including the cost of the plan -- to be hashed out by Congress." Obama Offers Help for Small Businesses "President Obama and Congress are ending the year as they began it, at work on an economic stimulus package of tax cuts and spending, with the latest effort likely to raise the total cost of antirecession measures to the $1 trillion level that some economists had urged last winter." Obama sketches a plan for job creation "President Obama's latest proposals to create jobs in a stagnant economy left the hard work up to Congress -- and that means any package is unlikely to get approved until early next year."

AIDS. Obama Is Criticized on AIDS Program "As the Obama administration slowly unveils its global AIDS plan, the drive to put more people on drugs is being scaled back as emphasis is shifted to prevention and to diseases that cost less to fight, including pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and fatal birth complications."

Divorce. Recession's silver lining: falling divorce rate "These tough economic times may have at least one positive side effect: they might be encouraging greater family solidarity. The evidence for this? The US divorce rate fell during the first full year of what might be called the Great Recession. That's the first such decline since 2005."

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Climate Change. Wealthy nations accused of 'carbon colonialism' "Britain and its partners at the Copenhagen climate summit were accused of 21st century 'carbon colonialism' today over a draft agreement that developing nations say would discriminate against them." Developing Nations Want Rich to Aid Cuts "Developing countries demanded that rich nations commit money and accept sharper cuts in their emissions, highlighting the divisions that stand in the way of a global climate deal." Copenhagen in disarray after draft leak "Three hours after the 'Danish text' had been leaked to the Guardian, Lumumba Di-Aping, the Sudanese chairman of the group of 132 developing countries known as G77 plus China, spelt out exactly why the poor countries he represents were so incensed."

Iran. Iran steps up crackdown, assaults protesters at University of Tehran "Iran intensified its crackdown on demonstrators Thursday as thousands of pro-government militiamen stormed the grounds of the country's most prominent university and assaulted students who had gathered in protest." Violent Protests in Iran Carry Into Second Day "Iran's broadest and most violent protest in months spilled over into a second day on Tuesday, as bloody clashes broke out on university campuses between students chanting antigovernment slogans and the police and Basij militia members."

India. India conflict 'affects children' "The ongoing conflict between Maoists and government forces is disrupting the education of India's most marginalised children, a rights group says."

Sudan. Sudan peace in serious crisis "The peace deal that brought an end to two decades of north-south civil war in Sudan is in serious crisis, a senior southern politician has said."

OPINION

Afghanistan's way forward must include the Taliban (Azeem Ibrahim, Los Angeles Times) "President Obama, in spelling out the new U.S. strategy on Afghanistan this month, said that the United States will countenance dialogue with some elements of the Taliban: "We will support efforts by the Afghan government to open the door to those Taliban who abandon violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens."

What My Amendment Won't Do (Bart Stupak, New York Times) "Over the past month there has been a great deal of discussion about the Stupak-Ellsworth-Pitts amendment in the House health care reform bill. Unfortunately, much of this discussion has been driven by misinformation about what our amendment does and does not do."

Will abortion derail healthcare reform? (Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times) "Whatever the fallout from Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson's failed attempt to insert new abortion restrictions into the Senate's healthcare package, it appears increasingly likely that reform will be made hostage to this most divisive of issues."

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.