the latest news on California fires, Turkey, Iran, Missile defense, Iraq, Budget, Poverty-DC, India, North Korea, Burma, and selected Op-Eds.

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California fires. Hundreds of thousands flee California firestorm "An explosive chain of Southern California wildfires has triggered the largest evacuation in state history, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes as weary firefighters struggle to slow the relentless infernos that have consumed more than 267,000 acres since last weekend." California Fires Out of Control as More Than 500,000 Flee "Punishing winds and unstable thermal conditions - married with strained firefighting resources - stymied efforts Tuesday to contain a slew of wildfires burning for a third day across Southern California." 1,155 homes -- and counting "Fire crews threw everything they had at the fires, but though there were notable successes, the toll of acreage, homes and lives lost continued to rise -- as did the volume of criticism from those who said the region was woefully unprepared for the cataclysm." Calif. Firefighters Hope Winds Slacken "Ater three days of a vicious firestorm, exhausted firefighters and weary residents looked forward Wednesday to a break -- an expected slackening of the gale force winds that have ignited the state's largest complex of wildland blazes."

Turkey. Turkey masses troops "Turkish warplanes and troops have attacked Kurdish rebels inside Iraq and forces were being built up on the border, but Ankara was holding back from any major strike for now," Turkey kills 34 Kurdish fighters "Officials said the sorties were small, similar to those conducted in the past across the mountainous border, not the large-scale offensive that US and Iraqi authorities are trying to avert." Turkish Kurds stuck in the middle "Turkey's threat to invade northern Iraq has left people in this predominantly Kurdish region nervous and suspicious, recalling the bad years of the mid-1990s, the period of the largest Turkish incursions and heavy-handed counterinsurgency campaigns."

Iran. Iran Has New Nuclear Negotiator, but Similar Stance " Iran 's new chief nuclear negotiator made his international debut in Rome, to a chorus of unusually blunt criticism by politicians in Tehran that the departure of his predecessor was unwise." Nuclear split emerges in Iran "Signs of a split over nuclear policy at the heart of Iran's leadership emerged yesterday after MPs and an adviser to the country's most powerful political figure criticised the departure of its chief negotiator, Ali Larijani." U.S.: Top Iranians direct Iraq missions "A senior State Department official, toughening the administration's line on Iran, said Tuesday that there was no doubt the top leaders in Tehran were directing Iranian forces that the administration is holding responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq."

Missile defense. Bush pushes missile defense to foil Iran "President Bush said a U.S.-led missile-defense system in Europe is urgently needed to thwart the threat of attack by Iran, citing intelligence estimates that show the Middle East nation could strike the United States and European allies by 2015." Administration Diverges on Missile Defense "President Bush said that a missile defense system is urgently needed in Europe to guard against a possible attack on U.S. allies by Iran, while Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates suggested that the United States could delay activating such a system until there is "definitive proof" of such a threat." Bush Stands by Plan for Missile Defenses "President Bush strongly defended plans to build missile defenses in Europe, arguing that Iran posed an urgent threat to some NATP allies.

Iraq . Security Firms in Iraq Face New Rules "Private security contractors will continue to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq but will operate under closer supervision by U.S. Embassy officials and with clearer accountability for their actions," Use of Contractors by State Dept. Has Soared "Over the past four years, the amount of money the State Department pays to private security and law enforcement contractors has soared to nearly $4 billion a year from $1 billion, administration officials said Tuesday, but they said that the department had added few new officials to oversee the contracts."

Farm bill. A Bid to Overhaul a Farm Bill Yields Subtle Changes "as the Agriculture Committee prepares to put the final touches on the farm bill on Wednesday, Mr. Harkin has come up mostly empty-handed. A near-final draft bill, unveiled on Tuesday, leaves the subsidy programs largely unchanged."

Budget. Veto battle looms over fiscal 2008 spending "Senate Democrats on Tuesday reversed President Bush's cuts to education, health research and grants to local communities as they gird for Bush's first-ever veto of a regular appropriations bill." Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ "George W. Bush, despite all his recent bravado about being an apostle of small government and budget-slashing, is the biggest spending president since Lyndon B. Johnson. In fact, he's arguably an even bigger spender than LBJ."

Poverty-DC. As Economy Booms, Poverty Rate Soars: D.C.'s Poorest Left Behind By Renewal, Report Finds"The District's poverty rate is the highest in nearly a decade, and the employment rate for African American adults is at a 20-year low, according to a study to be released today. Although the District's robust economy has spurred job growth, higher salaries, a construction boom and neighborhood revitalization, the city's poorest and least-educated residents have been left behind -- living "on the other side" of the city's "gleaming economy,"

India . India-US nuclear deal wavers "AU.S.-Indian accord on civilian nuclear cooperation, once hailed as one of the most significant foreign-policy achievements of the Bush presidency, is on the ropes and may die before it is ever approved."

North Korea . NKorean Nuke Disablement Close "North Koreawill likely begin disabling its main nuclear facilities around the middle of next month, a South Korean official said Wednesday."

Burma . Uneasy Days for Monks in Myanmar "For decades, two powerful institutions have shaped Burmese life: the 500,000-member Buddhist clergy, which commands a moral authority over the population, and Senior Gen. Than Shwe's junta, whose 450,000-strong military controls the population through intimidation. Their uneasy coexistence has shattered."

Op-Ed.

Abortion's shades of gray (Michael Medved, UISA Today)"The battle for the Republican presidential nomination might serve to clear away prevailing confusion and contradictions about public opinion on abortion. Rudy Giuliani seeks the White House by reaching out to that majority of Americans who say they are pro-choice - and anti-abortion."