The latest news on The State of the Union, Presidential campaign, Democrats, Republicans, Minority kids, Poverty, Religion, Global warming-Canada, Iraq, Gaza, Pakistan, Kenya, Editorials, and Opinions.

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State of the Union. State of Union To Touch On War, Economy "For years, President Bush and his advisers expressed frustration that the White House received little credit for the nation's strong economic performance because of public discontent about the Iraq war. Today, the president is getting little credit for improved security in Iraq, as the public increasingly focuses on a struggling U.S. economy." Bush's final State of the Union address tonight"President Bush gets what may be his final chance to steer the public debate in his last State of the Union address." In Bush's Legacy, Weak Economy Moves Up Front"President Bush's final State of the Union address will focus on the economy, as Mr. Bush himself suggested Friday during a short preview of the speech at a Congressional Republican retreat."

Presidential campaign. Races Entering Complex Phase Over Delegates"The presidential campaign is entering a new phase as the campaign has turned into a possibly lengthy hunt for delegates for the first time in 20 years."

Democrats. Senator Kennedy to endorse Obama today "Senator Barack Obama will collect the endorsement of Senator Edward M. Kennedy today, winning the support of a powerful icon of the liberal Democratic establishment as Obama challenges Senator Hillary Clinton before the crucial Super Tuesday showdown on Feb. 5." Obama Wins South Carolina Primary " Senator Barack Obama won a commanding victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, drawing a wide majority of black support and one-quarter of white voters in a contest that sets the stage for a multistate fight for the party's presidential nomination." After landslide loss, Clinton still sees an even race ahead "Hillary Rodham Clinton remained unbowed following her landslide loss to Barack Obama in the South Carolina primary, dismissing any notion of Obama as a political phenomenon and vowing that husband Bill Clinton would remain a vivid presence on the campaign trail." Super Tuesday looks close for Democrats "In eight days, on Feb. 5, Obama and his principal rival, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, face off in the contest dubbed Super Tuesday, the biggest day of presidential primary voting in U.S. history."

Republicans. Giuliani falls far behind in Florida "Florida now appears to be a two-way race between Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, as two new polls show Rudolph W. Giuliani losing support after skipping six straight presidential-nomination contests." McCain, Long a G.O.P. Maverick, Is Gaining Mainstream Support "Mr. McCain, who has delighted in sticking his thumb in the eye of mainstream Republicans throughout his political career, is now accumulating a base of support among party regulars who see him as the strongest general election candidate in the remaining Republican field." Religion falls off the GOP trail "The lack of so many Republican candidates campaigning on social issues or sitting in church is a sign, strategists say, of the importance of the economy -- and the fractured and potentially weakening influence of evangelical voters, who have comprised anywhere from 20 percent to 40 percent of the GOP primary electorate."

Minority kids. Minority kids make healthy gains "Black and Hispanic children have made significant gains in health, safety and income over the past two decades, narrowing gaps between them and white children, according to a pioneering report on child development to be released Tuesday."

Poverty. Food stamp funding, use double since 2000 "The number of Iowa households on food stamps has more than doubled since 2000, as has the amount of money spent on the federally funded food assistance program, … Increased food assistance use echoes recently released statistics that show poverty on the rise in Iowa." Judge to rule on Calif. migrant housing "Thousands of migrant workers who live in a mobile home park on tribal land southeast of Los Angeles could soon be homeless if a federal judge orders the encampment shut down." A Shelter Is Built Green, to Heal Inside and Out "The facility, Crossroads, which will accommodate 125 residents, may be the only "green" homeless shelter built from the ground up. It has a solar-paneled roof, hydronic heating, artful but practical ceiling fans, nontoxic paint, windows that can be opened to let in fresh air, and desks and bureaus made from pressed wheat."

Religion. A Baptist Coalition Aims for Moderate Image "this week, some of the country's largest Baptist groups - representing about 20 million believers - will meet to try to mend the old fractures and, some leaders say, present a more diverse and moderate image of their faith than the one offered by the conservative Southern Baptist Convention." What chores would Jesus do? "They wanted their Billings, Mont., communal home to bring them a deeper faith and a simpler life. But everyday concerns kept getting in the way."

Global warming-Canada. Campbell, McGuinty to push climate agenda "The premiers of British Columbia and Ontario will push their colleagues from other provinces Monday to reach a national accord on how to adapt to the fallout from global warming that is already evident on the country's forests, lakes and wildlife."

Iraq. Gates calls for bipartisan work on Iraq "His top goal is cementing the gains by U.S. forces over the last year. But Gates considers it essential that the two parties forge a common ground on Iraq, just as they did during the Cold War, so that the military gains do not evaporate when the next administration takes office." Why Congress didn't bring the troops home "The answer lies partly in the slim Democratic majority and a determined Republican president. But it was the new Democratic majority's inability to work across the aisle that ultimately ensured failure." Iraq contractors tap Latin America's needy "About 1,200 Peruvians are in Iraq, mostly guarding sites in Baghdad's Green Zone. Chileans, Colombians, Salvadorans and Hondurans have also served as part of the polyglot assemblage providing "conflict labor" in U.S. war zones."

Gaza. Despite break, crisis builds in Gaza "Gazans defied the blockade last week by toppling a border fence and pouring into Egypt to shop. But vital public services -- including medical care, electricity, water supply and sewage treatment -- remain severely crippled by Israeli sanctions," Fatah: Hamas must not have border role "Hamas must not have a role in running the border between Gaza and Egypt, the Fatah faction said today. The demand came as Hamas Islamists helped Egyptian troops to restore order and seal the border at the town of Rafah." Israeli 'Economic Warfare' to Include Electricity Cuts in Gaza "Saying they were waging "economic warfare" against the Gaza Strip's Hamas leaders, Israeli officials told the Supreme Court on Sunday that the military intends to start cutting electricity to the Palestinian territory and continue restricting fuel."

Pakistan. Pakistan Rebuffs Secret U.S. Plea for C.I.A. Buildup"… in the unannounced meetings on Jan. 9 with the two American officials - Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, and Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the C.I.A. director - Mr. Musharraf rebuffed proposals to expand any American combat presence in Pakistan," Top Agents in Secret Trip to Pakistan "The top two U.S. intelligence officials made a secret visit to Pakistan in early January to seek permission from President Pervez Musharraf for greater involvement of American forces in trying to ferret out al-Qaida and other militant groups active in the tribal regions along the Afghanistan border." Pakistan says its nukes are safe from terrorists "The nation's nuclear chief dismissed concerns that Pakistan's nuclear weapons might go astray, saying that crack squads have a foolproof grip that would never allow bombs to fall into the hands of Islamic militants or rogue military officers."

Kenya. Ethnic violence spreads in Kenya "Naivasha, one of Kenya's most popular vacation spots and a onetime playground for British colonialists, on Sunday became the latest city to suffer from ethnic clashes, raising fears that the violence is spreading into previously calm areas." Kenya death toll climbs to 800 "Rampaging mobs torched buses in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu, burning a driver to death, as the death toll from post-election violence climbed to 800." Kenya: Weekend Violence Claims 90 Lives "Meanwhile, the Kofi Annan-led team intensified efforts to find a solution to the crisis that is dangerously pushing the country towards civil war."

Editorials.

Vetoing History's Responsibility (New York Times) "President Bush's threat to veto a bill intended to improve health care for the nation's American Indians is both cruel and grossly unfair. Five years ago, the United States Commission on Civil Rights examined the government's centuries-old treaty obligations for the welfare of Native Americans and found Washington spending 50 percent less per capita on their health care than is devoted to felons in prison and the poor on Medicaid."

Behind the Abortion Decline (New York Times) "Coinciding with this month's 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling that legalized abortion, a new study shows that the United States continues to make progress on reducing the abortion rate. The progress would be greater if more was done to avoid unintended pregnancies."

Opinion.

A President Like My Father  Caroline Kennedy, New York Times) "Over the years, I've been deeply moved by the people who've told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today." (Lally Weymouth, Washington Post/Newsweek) -"The Post's Lally Weymouth interviewed Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Davos, Switzerland, this week. Excerpts:"

When Catholicism was the target (Richard W. Garnett, USA Today) "The pope's announced trip to the USA is widely viewed as a good thing - the equivalent of a state visit. But it wasn't always that way. When Roman Catholics were outside the American mainstream, the facts rarely got in the way of a good story. It's a useful lesson for today."