The latest news on Burma cyclone, Dem Primaries, Welfare rising, Prisons, Poverty, Farm bill, Hunger, Executions, Economy, Immigration, Trinity UCC, Iraq-Iran, Hezbollah, Zimbabwe, Gordon Brown, and Op-Eds.

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Burma cyclone. Burmese storm toll 'nears 4,000' "More than 3,900 people were killed by a devastating cyclone that hit eastern Burma on Saturday, state media say, and thousands more people are still missing."

Dem Primaries. Obama, Clinton finally showing their differences "Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried mightily Sunday to convince Indiana and North Carolina voters there are stark differences between them on Iran, gasoline tax freezes and other key issues in the closing days before crucial Democratic presidential primaries in those states." Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama talk tough, then break bread "The Democratic presidential candidates take to the Sunday talk shows then make nice at an Indianapolis fundraising dinner."

Welfare rising. Welfare caseloads starting to rise "State welfare rolls, which declined for more than a decade after a 1996 overhaul of the nation's cash-assistance program, are beginning to rise, due in part to the struggling economy." Soaring costs for gas, food may strain welfare reform "With every bit of extra cash swallowed by the gas tank, Ohio's working poor are making difficult, sometimes humiliating choices: They're shutting off utilities, pawning keepsakes, lining up at food pantries and turning to county welfare offices by the thousands to apply for gasoline vouchers and cards."

Prisons. Fiscal Pressures Lead Some States to Free Inmates Early "Reversing decades of tough-on-crime policies, including mandatory minimum prison sentences for some drug offenders, many cash-strapped states are embracing a view once dismissed as dangerously naive: It costs far less to let some felons go free than to keep them locked up."

Poverty. Research group questions how U.S. measures poverty "How poverty is measured in the United States is too outdated to be accurate, said a national children's research group, suggesting the number of disadvantaged Americans is underestimated."

Farm bill. As Farm Bill Nears Vote, Bush Presses for Fewer Subsidies "as Congress nears final agreement on a new five-year farm bill that will cost nearly $300 billion, the president has taken a harder line. Emboldened by soaring food prices and record farm profits, he has pressed Congress to cut farm subsidies sharply and has made clear that he will veto the popular bill if lawmakers do not meet his demands."

Hunger. 40,000 walk for hunger, raising $3.8m "More than 40,000 people braved rainy, chilly weather to raise $3.8 million for Project Bread's 40th annual Walk for Hunger, weaving a 20-mile route through Boston, Brookline, Newton, Watertown, and Cambridge. … The strong turnout was heartening for the more than 400 local agencies that benefit from money raised by the walk, especially at a time when demand and food prices are rising."

Executions. After Hiatus, States Set Wave of Executions "Less than three weeks after a United States Supreme Court ruling ended a seven-month moratorium on lethal injections, at least 14 execution dates have been set in six states between May 6 and October."

Economy. On Economy, Unlikely Allies Forge Winning Strategy "About the only thing Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank have in common is a Harvard degree. Yet the two have forged a remarkably productive relationship in the waning days of the Bush administration, steering complicated bills to overhaul two federal agencies through the Democratic House and shaping Washington's response to the nation's credit crisis."

Immigration. Few Details on Immigrants Who Died in U.S. Custody"Death is a reality in any jail, and the medical neglect of inmates is a perennial issue. But far more than in the criminal justice system, immigration detainees and their families lack basic ways to get answers when things go wrong." The latest generation "Of all the births in Massachusetts, the percentage of babies born to immigrant mothers has nearly doubled since 1989. Back then, 14 percent of all births were to foreign-born women; by 2006, the percentage had surged to 27 percent,"

Trinity UCC. New pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ tells members to pray for Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Sen. Barack Obama "With his congregation feeling frustrated and heartbroken over the dispute between Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. and Sen. Barack Obama, the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ told his members to pray for both men and respond to the crisis with love."

Iraq-Iran. Iraq sends mixed message on Iran, weapons "Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's spokesman backed away Sunday from Iraqi officials' accusations of Iranian interference, saying that a committee had been formed to determine whether there is merit to U.S. charges that its eastern neighbor is arming and training Shiite Muslim militants here." Iraq backs off allegations that Iran is behind violence "The Iraqi Government seemed to distance itself from U.S. accusations towards Iran Sunday saying it would not be forced into conflict with its Shiite neighbor. And Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki ordered the formation of a committee to look into foreign intervention in Iraq."

Hezbollah. Hezbollah Trains Iraqis in Iran, Officials Say "Militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran, according to American interrogation reports that the United States has supplied to the Iraqi government." In Lebanon, Hezbollah arms stockpile bigger, deadlier "Almost two years after its war with Israel, Hezbollah has rearmed and is stronger than before the conflict, according to Israeli and Western officials and the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim group itself."

Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe run-off vote facing year delay "Zimbabwe's ruling party has said that a second round of presidential elections could be delayed by up to a year in a move that would extend Robert Mugabe's rule even though he admits to having lost the first round of voting five weeks ago."

Gordon Brown. Gordon Brown: Why I should stay in my job "Gordon Brown is mounting a final fight-back after Labour crashed to its worst electoral drubbing for a generation at the hands of the Tories and criticism intensified of his record as Prime Minister."

Op-Eds.

The resilient Religious Right (Henry G. Brinton, USA Today) "Despite the rumors, conservative Christianity is alive and well in the USA, still flexing its moral muscle. And that's a good thing. For those who might cheer its demise fail to see that religious vitality is actually strengthened by the creative tension between the left and the right."

The new immorality of Iraq war (James Carroll, Boston Globe) "Today, the United States, fearing a geo-political setback that will undercut the broader "war on terror," is putting the diehard goal of military "victory" ahead of the diplomatic initiatives that alone can enable the reconstruction of Iraqi society."