Around the world Mother, four children die A Palestinian mother and her four young children were killed in northern Gaza on Monday during an Israeli operation against militants there, and a dispute quickly arose over exactly how they had died. The Israelis said they launched a missile from the air that hit two armed men who were carrying heavy explosives that blew apart the family’s house behind them. Palestinian witnesses said they believed an Israeli tank shell hit the small house, killing the four as they were eating breakfast. Two other children from the same family were badly wounded and hospitalized. The killings prompted vows of revenge and seemed likely to complicate Egyptian efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Hamas, the militant Islamist group that rules Gaza, and Israel. U. S. patrol ambushed Dozens of fighters ambushed a U. S. patrol in Baghdad’s main Shiite militia stronghold Tuesday, firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun bursts as the American push into Sadr City increasingly faces pockets of close urban combat. U. S. forces struck back with 200-pound guided rockets that devastated at least three buildings in the densely packed district that serves as the Baghdad base for the powerful Mahdi Army militia. The U. S. military said 28 militiamen were killed as the U. S. patrol pulled back. Local hospital officials said dozens of civilians were killed or wounded. Such street battles in tight confines and amid frightened civilians are increasingly becoming a hallmark of the drive into Sadr City.
Around the nation Wright: Church attacked In an appearance before the Washington media, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that criticism regarding his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church, and he rejected those who have labeled him unpatriotic. Wright came under fire earlier this year for condemning the United States —“ God damn America... for treating her citizens as less than human” was an oft-quoted line—his words drawing attention because of his ties to Barack Obama, who continues to battle Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama took the title of his autobiography, The Audacity of Hope, from a Wright sermon, but since controversy over Wright’s remarks emerged, Obama has distanced himself from his pastor. Voter ID law upheld The Supreme Court on Monday upheld Indiana’s voter-identification law, declaring that a requirement to produce photo identification is not unconstitutional and that the state has a “valid interest” in improving election procedures as well as deterring fraud. In a 6-3 ruling, the court rejected arguments that Indiana’s law imposes unjustified burdens on people who are old, poor or members of minority groups and less unlikely to have driver’s licenses or other acceptable forms of identification. The ruling comes just eight days before the Indiana primary where a significant number of new voters are expected to turn out for the Democratic contest between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. The ruling upholds rulings by a federal district court and the 7 th U. S. Court of Appeals, which had thrown out challenges to the 2005 law. The Democrats who sued to block the law did not name a single plaintiff who had been barred from voting because of the law. Rebates going out The government began depositing tax-rebate checks in thousands of bank accounts Monday as the stimulus program aimed at giving the ailing economy a jump-start got under way early. The Internal Revenue Service started making the direct deposits Monday with the goal of completing 800, 000 payments each day over the first three days of this week. No deposits will be made Thursday while the IRS prepares a big batch of 5 million direct deposits scheduled for Friday. The IRS had expected to begin the program in May but was able to start a few days earlier by using a computer system that can process payments on a daily basis. The government’s paper checks will start going out on May 9, a week earlier than previously announced. Fed cuts interest rate The Federal Reserve, mixing its concern about the weak economy with worries about the rising cost of energy and food, reduced short-term interest rates Wednesday for the seventh time in seven months, and left open several options. The Fed’s action, lowering short-term rates to 2 percent from 2. 25 percent, followed new indications that the American economy remained fragile, expanding by 0. 6 percent on an annualized basis in the first quarter, not an overall downturn that would have indicated a full recession had begun. The poor record of economic growth, reported by the Commerce Department on Wednesday morning, reflected what most Americans have been experiencing since late last year—declines in consumer spending, housing prices and business investment, along with spreading unemployment. D. C. madam kills self A woman police believe to be convicted Washington escort service operator Deborah Jeane Palfrey committed suicide, officials said Thursday in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Police said the body was found in a shed near Palfrey’s mother’s home Thursday morning. There was a suicide note, but police did not disclose its contents or how she killed herself. Police said they were trying to confirm the woman’s identity, but did not immediately have additional comment when reached by telephone. Palfrey’s attorney, Preston Burton, did not return a telephone call and e-mail message. The District of Columbia U. S. attorney’s office, which spent years investigating and prosecuting Palfrey, was aware of the media reports and was awaiting confirmation from law enforcement, said spokesman Channing Phillips. Police did not immediately have additional comment when reached by telephone. Palfrey’s attorney, Preston Burton, did not return a telephone call and e-mail message. Palfrey was convicted April 15 by a federal jury of running a prostitution service that catered to members of Washington’s political elite, including Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican.
Around the state Sawmills closing As Arkansas sawmills close their doors in response to the U. S. housingmarket meltdown and chaos in the nation’s mortgage markets, the ripple effect has spread well beyond the mill workers. Loggers, logging-equipment dealers, timberland owners, and many retail and professional businesses in south Arkansas also are feeling the effects of the decreased demand for lumber, plywood and other residential construction materials. Most Arkansas sawmills have trimmed production by eliminating overtime, cutting shifts or shortening their work weeks. Ten mills in the area have closed their doors—either indefinitely or permanently—since late 2006, idling more than 1, 800 mill workers. Those shutdowns have meant reduced demand for timber, less work for loggers, and fewer and less valuable timber sales.
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