The latest news on World AIDS Day, Obama Cabinet, Poverty, Health Care, Immigration, Domestic Security, Feature-Michelle Obama, Attack on Mumbai, Iraq, Canada, and Select Op-eds.

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World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day 2008: Much accomplished, much to do "Much has been accomplished in the fight against HIV/AIDS from scientific, medical and public health standpoints. However, now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels. The statistics of the HIV/AIDS pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done."

Obama cabinet. Obama's strong-willed national security team "With Clinton as secretary of State, retired Marine Gen. James Jones Jr. as national security advisor and Gates remaining in Defense, Obama will have a choice among often starkly differing views." A Handpicked Team for a Foreign Policy Shift "Yet all three of his choices -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as the rival turned secretary of state; Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, as national security adviser, and Robert M. Gates, the current and future defense secretary - have embraced a sweeping shift of priorities and resources in the national security arena." Decision made on 2 other top jobs "President-elect Barack Obama will officially introduce Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as his nominee for secretary of homeland security and Eric Holder for the post of attorney general, according to a Democrat familiar with the transition team's work." Obama's Choice for U.N. Is Advocate of Strong Action Against Mass Killings "President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his foreign policy adviser, Susan E. Rice, to be ambassador to the United Nations, picking an advocate of 'dramatic action' against genocide." Joint Chiefs Chairman 'Very Positive' After Meeting With Obama "Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went unarmed into his first meeting with the new commander in chief -- no aides, no PowerPoint presentation, no briefing books."

Poverty. Kids asking Santa for a job for Daddy "Some of the kids crawling onto Santa Joe's lap this year have more than stuffed animals and video games on their most-wanted lists. Several times already this season, Joe Jackson has been asked to get Daddy a job or Mommy money to buy the house back." Charities can't keep up with deepening poverty "Catholic Charities of Orange County assembled Thanksgiving dinners for 500 families this week, filling plastic bags with frozen turkeys, cranberry sauce and other fixings. But word of the free food attracted 920 families, many of whom left empty-handed when the Santa Ana agency doled out the goods." Clergy brace for downturn in giving "The crumpling economy and plunging financial markets have demolished trillions of dollars in stock value, and now they've taken a toll on the pink stucco church on Main Street."

Health care. Consensus emerging on universal healthcare "After decades of failed efforts to reshape the nation's health care system, a consensus appears to be emerging in Washington about how to achieve the elusive goal of providing medical insurance to all Americans."

Immigration. Illegal immigrants going home, and local labor market at risk "Malaquías Gaspar left his farm village in southern Mexico when the economy soured in the mid-1990s. He headed north illegally and found the proverbial better opportunity in South Florida, where he made a decent living by picking fruit and building homes. But the U.S. economic crisis has disrupted his life and the lives of countless other illegal immigrants who are now planning to leave or have already left."

Domestic security. Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security "The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials."

Feature-Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama's family tree has roots in a Carolina slave plantation "More than 200 slaves lived in the whitewashed shacks in the early 1800s, and some of their descendants remained here for more than a century after the Civil War. The last tenants abandoned the hovels about three decades ago, and even they would have struggled to imagine a distant daughter of the plantation one day calling the White House home."

Attack on Mumbai. Anger rages at India's response "Facing mounting public anger over the response of his government and security forces to last week's assault on Mumbai, India's prime minister vowed to beef up anti-terror measures, and a top police official more pointedly fixed blame on a Pakistani group for the violence that left nearly 200 dead." Cabinet Minister Resigns in Wake of India Attacks "The top domestic security official resigned in disgrace for the failure to thwart or quickly contain the horrific terrorist attacks in Mumbai last week, as India's government announced a raft of measures to bolster antiterrorism efforts and struggled to calibrate a response to what it views as Pakistani complicity." Gunmen Methodically Spread Terror in Mumbai in Matter of Minutes "It was just after dinner, about 9 p.m., when the fishermen noticed four strangers come ashore on an inflatable raft. Moments later, another four pulled up to the boat launch in a speedboat." Captured terrorist 'aimed to kill 5,000' "Azam Amir Kasab, 21, a Pakistani national, claimed the terror strikes, which left nearly 200 dead, were intended to kill as many as 5,000 people and that he and his fellow militants were ordered to target whites -- especially Britons and Americans." Will India-Pakistan tensions hurt fight against al Qaeda? "Pakistan warned over the weekend that it will divert troops fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda on its western border with Afghanistan to its eastern frontier with India if tensions continue to rise over the terrorist attacks in Mumbai."

Iraq. Iraqi parliament backs U.S. pullout "The Iraqi parliament has voted to accept a deal on the future presence of U.S. troops in the country. The decision, praised by U.S. President George Bush, means U.S. troops will leave Iraqi streets by mid-2009 and will quit Iraq entirely by the end of 2011." Iraq Approves Deal Charting End of U.S. Role "With a substantial majority, the Iraqi Parliament ratified a sweeping security agreement that sets the course for an end to the United States' role in the war and marks the beginning of a new relationship between the countries."

Canada. Liberals, NDP firm up deal to topple Tories "The Liberals and NDP have reached a deal to bring down the federal Conservative government and form an unprecedented coalition to take its place that would last 30 months and include cabinet seats for both parties." Coalition said close, despite concessions "Another tumultuous day of high-stakes political intrigue has set the stage for a week in which Stephen Harper's Conservatives will fight to retain power."

Editorial. A Cool Head on Immigration (New York Times) "Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona would be a solid choice for homeland security secretary. She has a strong understanding of immigration and its political traps."

Opinion. The poor are still with us (Jim Gomes, Clark University, Boston Globe) "Economic developments of the last several months have gotten everyone's attention. People are losing their homes as their mortgages are foreclosed. Workers are losing their jobs, and often their family's health insurance, as unemployment rises to its highest level in 16 years. People who have never done so before stand in line at food pantries to receive donated canned goods and diapers. Millions of middle-class people are in danger of becoming