Duane Shank: Daily News Digest

Darfur. “A global day of action is held calling for peace in Darfur... Activists rallied in several major cities, calling on Sudan to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur, where tens of thousands of people have been killed.”

Interrogation. “President Bush’s national security adviser signaled on Sunday that he was seeking a compromise with the Republican senators who are rebelling against the administration’s proposal to explicitly permit certain severe interrogation practices against terrorism suspects.”

Faith and Politics. “Both religious flanks are looking nervously over their shoulders at the Internal Revenue Service, which this year announced a renewed effort to enforce laws that limit churches and charities from involvement in partisan political campaigns.”

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Full news summary:

Darfur. World rallies for peace in Darfur – “A global day of action is held calling for peace in Darfur… Activists rallied in several major cities, calling on Sudan to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur, where tens of thousands of people have been killed.” Global Protests Call for Intervention - “In New York, a crowd in Central Park estimated by organizers at about 20,000 demanded that the Bush administration pressure the Sudanese government to stop the killings and displacements in Darfur and to allow a U.N. peacekeeping force to enter the country.” UK faith leaders pray for Darfur – “Religious leaders pray for peace in Darfur outside Downing Street as part of an international day of action.” UN hears outcry to act soon on Darfur - “World leaders will have their pick of trouble spots to focus on when they gather this week at the United Nations, but the area that both human-rights activists and U.S. officials say is in urgent need of decisive action is the Darfur region of Sudan.” As Peace Mission Nears End, War in Sudan Intensifies – “As the African Union prepares to abandon its troubled peace mission to Darfur, the region is descending ever more steeply into war.”

Peacekeeping. Peacekeeping Grows, Strains U.N. – “The United Nations is set to field its largest peacekeeping enterprise in its 61-year history, with more than 100,000 troops and police to be deployed by year's end in missions around the world.”

Interrogation. Compromise Called Possible on Interrogations – “President Bush’s national security adviser signaled on Sunday that he was seeking a compromise with the Republican senators who are rebelling against the administration’s proposal to explicitly permit certain severe interrogation practices agains t terrorism suspects.” Why GOP trio is bucking the White House – “For the Bush White House, this week's showdown with the Senate over US treatment of detainees sets up a rematch with a triumvirate of GOP senators who have been the president's strongest supporters in the war in Iraq - and his most effective critics.”

Iran. Two Tracks on Iran: Keep Talking, and Weigh Penalties – “After intense talks about Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and other major world powers face two unappealing choices as the United Nations General Assembly opens this week: introduce a resolution in the Security Council for sanctions against Tehran that may not be tough enough to make a difference, or delay any punitive measures, rendering their diplomacy on Iran meaningless.”

Faith and Politics. I.R.S. Eyes Religious Groups as More Enter Election Fray – “Both religious flanks are looking nervously over their shoulders at the Internal Revenue Service, which this year announced a renewed effort to enforce laws that limit churches and charities from involvement in partisan political campaigns.” IRS Orders Pasadena Church to Yield Documents on '04 Political Races – “Stepping up its probe of allegedly improper campaigning by churches, the Internal Revenue Service ordered a liberal Pasadena parish to turn over all the documents and e-mails it produced during the 2004 election year with references to political candidates.”

Rally here a first, testing Dobson's appeal in region – “James Dobson, the evangelical radio psychologist and powerful conservative activist, will be at Mellon Arena Wednesday for the first major Religious Right event ever held in Pittsburgh, and the first Stand for the Family Rally outside the South and the Plains states.”

Poverty. Poverty rates rise in many suburbs – “In much of suburban Chicago, poverty rates are rising, according to information released by the U.S. Census Bureau late last month.”

Pope Benedict and Islam. In a Rare Step, Pope Expresses Personal Regret – “Pope Benedict XVI sought Sunday to extinguish days of anger and protest among Muslims by issuing an extraordinary personal apology for having caused offense with a speech last week that cited a reference to Islam as “evil and inhuman.”

Rev. Forbes to retire. Minister of Riverside Church to Step Down – “Dr. [James] Forbes told that congregation yesterday that he planned to retire in June after 18 years as senior minister. He said in an interview that he wanted to concentrate on a new ministry aimed at “maximizing the witness for spiritual revitalization and the nation’s spiritu al revitalization.”

Op-Eds

JAMES CARROLL: Judge, jury, and torturer – “ … the White House argument is straightforward: terrorists are such a mortal threat that established due process must be suspended. In particular, the classified secrets of anti terrorist operations must be so closely held that the most basic pillar of jurisprudence -- the accused's right to know and respond to evidence -- must be discarded. The legislation was drafted by Franz Kafka.”

JOSEPH CIRINCIONE: Lost chances to contain nuclear arms – “In recent years, stopping the spread of nuclear weapons has been a major preoccupation of US foreign policy. But what if our best efforts fail? What if Iran gets the nuclear bomb? Or if a North Korean nuclear test vaporizes any doubts of its arsenal?”