The latest news on 9-11 trials, Immigration, Primary campaigns, Evangelical voters, Budget, Farm Bill Climate change, Mortgage crisis, Journalism, Iran, Iraq, Darfur, and Archbishop.

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9-11 trials. U.S. to Try 6 On Capital Charges Over 9/11 Attacks 'The Bush administration announced that it intends to bring capital murder charges against half a dozen men allegedly linked to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,' Guantanamo trial could draw scrutiny'The Pentagon's announcement that military prosecutors will seek the death penalty for six Guantanamo detainees accused in the 9/11 terror attacks has set in motion a complex legal conflict that is likely to put the Bush administration's interrogation practices on trial as well,' Trial's Focus to Suit Bush Harsh interrogations and Guantánamo Bay, secret prisons and warrantless eavesdropping, the war against Al Qaeda and the one in Iraq. … With the decision to charge six Guantánamo detainees with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and to seek the death penalty for the crimes, many of those issues will now be back in the spotlight."

Immigration. Study: By 2050, nearly 1 in 5 U.S. residents to be immigrants 'By 2050 nearly one in every five U.S. residents will be an immigrant, far exceeding any ratio of immigrants the nation has seen in at least a century and a half." U.S. Latino Population Projected To Soar "The number of Hispanics in the United States will triple by 2050 and represent nearly 30 percent of the population if current trends continue, according to a report released yesterday." Arizona Seeing Signs of Flight by Immigrants"While it is too early to know for certain, a consensus is developing among economists, business people and immigration groups that the weakening economy coupled with recent curbs on illegal immigration are steering Hispanic immigrants out of the state."

Primary campaigns. Campaigns Cover the Region In Last Effort to Charm Voters "Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama offered himself as "something new" at a pair of spirited, arena-size rallies in Maryland, while his primary rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, portrayed herself as a "battle-scarred" fighter for the middle class," Huckabee Brushes Off Calls to Bow Out "Against overwhelming odds, Mike Huckabee keeps brushing off calls to drop his presidential bid for the good of the Republican Party."

Evangelical voters. Polls show some U.S. evangelicals vote Democrat "Exit polls during the U.S. presidential primaries in Missouri and Tennessee last week show the Democratic Party has some support from white evangelicals, a group strongly associated with the Republican Party." Survey: Evangelical Democrats Favored Hillary in Mo., Tenn. "Evangelicals made up a sizable block in the Democratic primaries surveyed: 19 percent in Missouri (where 55 percent of the Republican primary voters were evangelical) and 29 percent in Tennessee (where 73 percent of the Republican voters were evangelical)."

Budget. White House pushes for cuts in federal programs "A week after proposing a $3.1 trillion budget for 2009, the White House will detail its reasons for proposing that 103 programs be scuttled and 48 others significantly reduced. The effort would save $18 billion - less than 1% of the budget."

Farm bill. USDA official pushes for farm bill "Failure to reach agreement on a new farm bill before the old one expires March 15 would be "catastrophic" for most agricultural sectors of the U.S. economy, a top USDA official said."

Climate change. Billionaires step up at UN to target climate shifts "Invoking symbols as varied as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Allied war effort in World War II, two billionaires helped open a United Nations climate change meeting aimed at promoting global efforts by governments and businesses to slow the gradual warming of the atmosphere."

Mortgage crisis. Mortgage Crisis Spreads Past Subprime Loans"As home prices fall and banks tighten lending standards, people with good, or prime, credit histories are falling behind on their payments for home loans, auto loans and credit cards at a quickening pace,

Journalism. Nonprofit Journalism On The Rise "Plagued by shrinking circulations and advertising, newspapers are shedding staff and downsizing their offerings. Even the pages have gotten smaller. By contrast, several nonprofit newspapers - though rare and often tiny - have sprung up in recent years both online and in print, funded largely by foundations and individual donors."
Iran. Ahmadinejad: Iran Won't Stop Enrichment "Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a defiant tone as he spoke to giant crowds marking the 29th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, vowing never to slow down nuclear development" Israel: Iran building nuclear arms "Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, says he is certain Iran is engaged in a secret operation to build nuclear weapons." Iran Celebrates Revolution, and Muzzles Reformers "Iran celebrated the 29th anniversary of the victory of its Islamic revolution as the government appeared to be taking steps to bury the chances of reformers in parliamentary elections next month,"

Iraq. Gates: Pause in troop cuts makes sense "In a clear sign the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq will be suspended, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he favors taking time this summer to assess security gains before more troops leave the country," Gates Endorses Pause in Iraq Troop WithdrawalsDefense Secretary Robert M. Gates said for the first time that he supported a pause in American troop reductions in Iraq. It was the most authoritative indication to date that the United States will maintain a large force here through 2008 and into the next presidential term." Brown under pressure to set up Iraq inquiry "Some allies have warned the Prime Minister that Labour will not win back disaffected supporters who deserted the party over the 2003 invasion unless he draws a line under the affair. They argue a public inquiry would enable him to bring "closure" to an episode which divided the nation."

Darfur. Chad threatens to kick out Darfur refugees for bringing 'insecurity "Chad has threatened to expel any more refugees from Sudan's Darfur region, saying their presence is triggering insecurity, and called on the international community to take them away." UN warns of 'full war' in Darfur "Senior UN officials have said that the situation in Sudan's western Darfur region has sharply deteriorated, to the extent that a full-scale war could break out."

Archbishop. Anglican head defends words on Islam "The archbishop of Canterbury defended himself against a firestorm of recent criticism, telling fellow Anglicans his statement last week that Britain would have to accept some limited form of Islamic law had been misunderstood." Williams, sharia and a mea culpa ... of sorts "Archbishops of the Church of England are not accustomed to making public apologies, or even explanations, so when the Most Reverend and Rt Hon Rowan Williams came before the general synod yesterday, the atmosphere was as tense and electric as the church's elected and appointed representatives ever get."