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Housing. Frailty Lingers in Housing and Producer Price Reports New figures highlighted how weak the economy remains, even as some optimists declare the recession to be over. Unemployment Spike Compounds Foreclosure Crisis The country's growing unemployment is overtaking subprime mortgages as the main driver of foreclosures, according to bankers and economists, threatening to send even higher the number of borrowers who will lose their homes and making the foreclosure crisis far more complicated to unwind. Housing Starts Fell in July Subscriber Content Read PreviewNew home construction and permits fell in July, but demand for single-family homes remained strong, a sign of stabilization.
Kim Dae-Jung Dies. Kim Dae-jung, 83, Ex-President of South Korea, Dies Mr. Kim, a dissident who became president, sought to warm ties with North Korea and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. Former S. Korean President Dies Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize for his reconciliation efforts with communist North Korea. Former South Korean Leader Dies Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who spent most of his life fighting for democracy in South Korea and tried to bridge the bitter divide between North and South Korea, has died.
Robert D. Novak Dies. Robert D. Novak, Columnist, Is Dead at 78 Mr. Novak was a pugnacious political columnist and cable TV fixture whose scoops reached across five decades. Columnist Robert Novak, 78, dies The columnist tied to the disclosure of the CIA's Valerie Plame's identity dies of brain cancer. Conservative Columnist Robert Novak Dies at 78 Known in recent years for publicly identifying CIA operative Valerie Plame, Novak often reported leaks from the highest sources of government.
Afghanistan. Afghanistan Hit by Wave of Attacks 2 Days Before Election The explosions and a suicide bombing that killed at least 10 people seemed further indications of Afghanistan’s precarious security situation just days before presidential elections. Peace Talks With Taliban Are a Top Issue in Afghan Vote Whether and how to negotiate peace with the Taliban has become the one issue no candidate in the Afghan presidential election can avoid taking a stand on. Rocket Hits Afghan Presidential Palace A second rocket hit the Kabul police headquarters, only two days before a national election, but no casualties were reported in the attacks. Suicide bomber in Afghanistan targets military convoy on busy road, killing at least 10 The Taliban claims responsibility for the pre-election attack, which targets a NATO-led force. In a separate bombing, 2 U.S. soldiers are killed, raising the death count for the month to at least 26. Blasts Rock Kabul Ahead of Vote Mortar shells slammed into Kabul near the president's palace, and a NATO convoy was attacked, two days before Afghans cast ballots in a presidential election.
Health Care. Alternate Plan as Health Option Muddies Debate The option of a co-op instead of a government health plan is so ill defined that no one knows exactly what it would look like. Some Democrats Push for Keeping Public Insurance Option Navigating the acrimonious debate among Democrats — between a public option and a health care cooperative — presents a significant challenge for the president. Obama’s healthcare trade-off By backing away from a public option, he increases the chances for his reform proposal overall. Cooperatives as the Alternative So far, the model has been defined in terms of what it is not: It would not be run by the government.
Lutherans. Lutherans debate dropping celibacy requirement for gay clergy The nation's largest Lutheran denomination opened debate Monday over a proposal to allow noncelibate gays and lesbians to serve in the clergy. Lutherans to Vote on Sexually Active Gay Clergy The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, one of the largest Christian denominations in the country, will decide this week whether to allow gay people in relationships to serve as clergy.
U.S. Soldiers and Mental Stress. Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers A new Army program teaching mental resilience techniques is intended to prevent problems like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. The U.S. Army is planning on adding a new element to a soldier's basic training - bolstering emotional resiliency. New Army Program Tackles Emotional Health Faced with increasing rates of mental health problems and suicides among troops returning from combat, officials want soldiers to get comfortable expressing their feelings, according to a New York Times report published Tuesday.
Immigrant Detainee Fatalities. Officials Say Detainee Fatalities Were Missed More than one in 10 deaths in immigration detention in the last six years have been overlooked and were omitted from an official list of detainee fatalities issued to Congress in March, the Obama administration said Monday. Immigration official says agents will no longer have to meet quotas Teams of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were expected to increase the number of annual arrests in the controversial 'fugitive operations' program, according to memos. Immigration Detainee Deaths Disclosed Immigration officials said they discovered records of 10 previously unreported deaths of detainees in U.S. custody.
Iraq. U.S. Will Release More Members of an Iraqi Militia Gen. Ray Odierno said that releasing members of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, which is believed responsible for attacks that have killed Americans, is a step toward reconciliation. Iraq May Hold Vote on Early U.S. Withdrawal As American Focus Turns to North, Troops Could Be Forced to Leave Early.
Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton Signals That She Intends to Make Women's Rights a Signature Issue She talked chickens with female farmers in Kenya. She listened to the excruciating stories of rape victims in war-torn eastern Congo.
Pakistan. Pakistan Captures Aide of Taliban Chief Pakistani security forces have captured a close associate of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was believed slain in a U.S. missile strike earlier this month. Pakistan captures Taliban spokesman The arrest of Maulvi Omar, a high-profile spokesman for leader Baitullah Mehsud until his recent death in a US drone strike, is another blow to the Taliban.
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