the latest news on Poverty, Farm bill, Presidential politics, Budget, Turkey-Iraq, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Climate change, Anglican communion and selected Op-Ed.

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Poverty. More families seek aid "More people are requesting emergency food aid and more homeless families with children are seeking shelter, concludes a 23-city survey released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors." Fund to help pay heating bills already half gone "Even before the frigid Ohio winter officially begins, the program that helps low-income, elderly and disabled Ohioans pay their heating bills is tapping money set aside for cooling costs next summer." Report Says That the Rich Are Getting Richer Faster, Much Faster "The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans, data in a new report by the Congressional Budget Office shows. The poorest fifth of households had total income of $383.4 billion in 2005, while just the increase in income for the top 1 percent came to $524.8 billion, a figure 37 percent higher."

Farm bill. Farm bill keeping subsidies is OKd in Senate "The Senate on Friday approved a farm bill that would continue to funnel billions of dollars in subsidies to wealthy landowners and farmers who are earning record-breaking prices for their crops, rebuffing a concerted campaign by some senators to shift money to conservation, nutrition and deficit reduction." Senate Passes Huge Farm Bill "Ending a six-week impasse, the Senate approved a $286 billion farm bill that would authorize significant new spending for farm programs, food stamps and conservation but would make only modest changes in the nation's traditional agricultural subsidy system."

Presidential politics. In Iowa, politics goes on despite the holidays "Never in the history of Iowa's first-in-the-nation contests have campaigns been put so clearly in the awkward position of having to intrude on the holiday season while hunting for votes." Candidates Collect Endorsements in Final Days in Iowa "The Democratic presidential candidates pressed across Iowa on Sunday as they began to make their closing arguments to voters before the holidays, with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton clearly buoyed by her endorsement Sunday from The Des Moines Register. The Republicans, who are also locked in a competitive battle with just 18 days before the Jan. 3 caucus, made most of their appearances on the talk shows."

Budget. Democrats Tighten Spending in Latest Version of Bill "Congressional Democrats completed work last night on a sprawling, $515.7 billion domestic spending bill that would shave billions from cherished Democratic programs but would challenge President Bush's tough line on domestic spending with billions of dollars for added veterans care, border security and Southeastern drought relief." Democrats, Staying Within Spending Limit, Draft Budget with Domestic Emphasis "Congressional Democrats readied a $516 billion budget that grudgingly sought to meet President Bush's overall spending target while shifting money into domestic Democratic priorities like health care and education." Bush's Budget Wins May Cost Him "As Congress stumbles toward Christmas, President Bush is scoring victory after victory over his Democratic adversaries. … But the cost of those wins could be high, both for the federal debt and for the president's own priorities."

Turkey-Iraq. Turkish planes bomb northern Iraq "Turkish warplanes have bombed suspected Kurdish rebel bases deep inside northern Iraq - in what appears the first time fighter jets have been used." Turkish Planes Strike in N. Iraq "Turkish warplanes pounded Kurdish villages deep inside northern Iraq on Sunday, killing one woman and forcing hundreds of villagers to flee their homes in the largest aerial assault from Turkey this year," Turkey says US backed raids on PKK "The US gave the go-ahead for cross-border attacks on Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, according to Turkey's military chief."

Iraq. UK troops return Basra to Iraqis "British troops have transferred control of Basra province to the Iraqi authorities, four-and-a-half years after the invasion." 'UK leaves behind chaos' "The full scale of the chaos left behind by British forces in Basra was revealed yesterday as the city's police chief described a province in the grip of well-armed militias strong enough to overpower security forces and brutal enough to behead women considered not sufficiently Islamic." British hand over Basra in disarray "Nine of 18 provinces are now under Iraqi security forces. But central and southern Iraq face a vicious power struggle between Shiite parties and militias." 'US the main irritant in Iraq' "Sheikh Harith al-Dhari, head of the Association of Muslim Scholars, is arguably one of the most influential Iraqi Sunni leaders today. … In an interview with Al Jazeera, al-Dhari says the slight improvement in the security situation in Iraq "is due to a decision by the Iraqi government to reign in its death squads"."

Afghanistan. Bush Faces Pressure to Shift War Priorities "With violence on the decline in Iraq but on the upswing in Afghanistan, President Bush is facing new pressure from the U.S. military to accelerate a troop drawdown in Iraq and bulk up force levels in Afghanistan," Afghan Mission Is Reviewed as Concerns Rise "Deeply concerned about the prospect of failure in Afghanistan, the Bush administration and NATO have begun three top-to-bottom reviews of the entire mission, from security and counterterrorism to political consolidation and economic development,"

Iran. Russia ships nuclear fuel to Iran "Russia has delivered its first shipment of nuclear fuel to a reactor it is helping to build at Bushehr in Iran." Russia Makes 1st Nuke Shipment to Iran "Russia has made its first shipment of nuclear fuel to an Iranian nuclear power plant at the center of the international tensions over Tehran's atomic program," Olmert plays down split with US on Iran nuclear program "Israel's prime minister told his Cabinet to tone down criticism of a US intelligence report concluding that Iran has stopped its nuclear weapons program, an attempt to keep the disagreement from getting out of hand."

Climate change. US pours cold water on Bali optimism "The US backtracked yesterday on the climate change agreement reached after marathon talks in Bali, saying it had "serious concerns" about the new global consensus and that developing countries had to do far more if there was to be any pact in two years' time." U.S. concession opens way to global climate `road map' "A new international climate treaty framework - adopted at a conference in Bali on Saturday after a dramatic U.S. turnaround - offers a little something for everyone." Climate Plan Looks Beyond Bush's Tenure"The world's faltering effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions got a new lease on life, as delegates from 187 countries agreed to negotiate a new accord over the next two years - pushing the crucial debates about United States participation into the administration of a new American president."

Anglican communion. Anglican Archbishop Faults Factions "The archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, sent a lengthy letter to the members of his warring Anglican Communion on Friday, saying that both sides had violated the Communion's boundaries and put the church in crisis."

Op-Ed.

The politics of religion in America (James Carroll, Boston Globe)Politics and religion, like art and music, aim to accomplish the same thing, which is to overcome absurdity with meaning. Religion does this by seeing God's hand in history. Politics does it by affirming that, if history is all there is, it is enough.