EARLY EDITION

Oil-Rich States Starve The World Food Program
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his top lieutenants on Monday are convening the first meeting of the U.N.’s Task Force on the Global Food Crisis. Ban says it will “study the root causes of the crisis,” and propose solutions for “coordinated global action” at a summit of world leaders in June. Ban might want to consider convincing the oil-rich nations of the Middle East to provide more than the near-invisible amount of money they currently give to the World Food Program (WFP), the U.N.’s food-giving arm, which is charged with alleviating the food crisis.  Fox News

Obama Wins Endorsement Of Government Employees Union
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees says the influential union is endorsing Democrat Barack Obama for president. AFGE President John Gage, a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, says he will also personally back Obama. The union endorsement gives the Illinois senator fresh momentum toward capturing the nomination. Gage said the endorsement was a recognition of the enthusiasm and vitality behind the Illinois senator's campaign. Obama's candidacy has been picking steam since Tuesday, when he won the North Carolina primary and held rival Hillary Rodham Clinton to a narrow victory in Indiana. CNS

Small TV Stations Lose Appeal
A federal appeals court has denied a request from owners of thousands of low-power television stations to force a ban on government-subsidized converter boxes that can't display their signals. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Wednesday rejected the request for help filed by the Community Broadcasters Association. The industry contends it is facing a "death sentence" because of a flaw in the government's plan to force broadcasters to shift to digital broadcasting. The CBA in March asked the court to order the Federal Communications Commission to ban all digital set-top converter boxes that are not equipped to receive an analog signal, a request that had the potential to derail the biggest broadcasting transition since color television. Newsday

Government Asks Court To Block Testing For Mad Cow
The Bush administration is urging a federal appeals court to keep meatpackers from testing all their cattle for mad cow disease. Government lawyers told a three-judge panel Friday they should reverse a lower court ruling that allowed Kansas-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy overseas customers. The Agriculture Department currently tests less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease. It argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers. Creekstone claims the Agriculture Department has no authority to prevent companies from using the test to reassure customers. Las Vegas Sun
VOA VIEW: Mad government position.

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Tax Rebates Won't Work
Eight in 10 Americans believe that the government's $110 billion effort to help consumers will not boost the economy. Americans believe the stimulus package will fal short The program, passed with bipartisan support earlier this year, will give tax rebate checks to about 130 million Americans. Most single Americans earning $75,000 or less who filed a tax form will receive up to $600, and married couples earning $150,000 or less could get up to $1200. CNN
VOA VIEW: Everyone but inept Bush and Congress knew that the majority rebates would be used to pay down debts.

McCain Girding For Battle With Obama
Now that Democrat Hillary Clinton is fading, Republican John McCain's U.S. presidential campaign is girding for a tough election battle against Barack Obama and McCain aides believe he has weaknesses to exploit. In a difficult political environment for Republicans, given the weak U.S. economy, the ongoing Iraq war and Republican President George W. Bush's unpopularity, McCain will enter the general election campaign as a decided underdog. McCain's advisers say they believe that once Democrats coalesce around their candidate, the Arizona senator's poll numbers could drop perhaps as much as 10 percentage points as the Democrat gets a bounce. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Liberal media wishful thinking, Obama has no chance against McCain.

Oil Prices Surge Ahead Of Driving Season
Oil rose above $126 a barrel for the first time Friday, bringing its advance this week to nearly $10, as investors questioned whether a possible confrontation between the U.S. and Venezuela could cut exports from the OPEC member. Meanwhile, on the eve of the U.S. driving season, gas prices rose above an average $3.67 a gallon at the pump, following oil's recent path higher. CBS News

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Bulletins At Obama's Church Carry Their Own Controversy
Sen. Barack Obama recently said his relationship with his long-time pastor and friend Rev. Jeremiah Wright "changed" after what Obama called the clergyman's "divisive and destructive" remarks at the National Press Club. Later, however, Obama stressed his loyalty to the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where he has been a member for many years. Articles published in the Trinity United Church of Christ bulletin in 2007 carried controversial comments written by people other than Jeremiah Wright. Those comments included the claim that Israel worked with South Africa to build an "ethnic bomb" that would kill blacks and Arabs, that the Pentagon was training Latin Americans to be terrorists, and that the TV networks are run by right-wing racists. CNS
VOA VIEW: The church is comprised of radical thinking anti white racists, Obama is a member in good standing and equal thought - wake up America.

Kick The Oil Habit And Make Your Own Ethanol
A new company hopes drivers will kick the oil habit by brewing ethanol at home that won't spike food prices. E-Fuel Corp unveiled the "MicroFueler" touting it as the world's first machine that allows homeowners to make their own ethanol and pump the brew directly into their cars. The portable unit that sells for $10,000 resembles a gasoline station pump and nozzle minus the slot for a credit card, or the digital "SALE" numbers that whir ever faster at retail pumps as global demand pushes fuel prices to record levels. Instead of tapping gasoline from an underground tank, the pump's back end plugs into home power and water supplies to make ethanol for as little as $1 a gallon (3.8 liters). Reuters

Facebook, States Agree On New Safeguards
Officials from several states say Facebook has agreed to implement more than 40 safeguards to protect younger users. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says the changes are designed to thwart sexual predators, fraud and online bullies at the popular online hangout. Facebook has agreed to ban convicted sex offenders from using the service and will make it harder for older users to search online for subscribers who are under age 18. Facebook will also join a task force seeking better ways to verify the ages of users, The agreement is similar to one reached in January with Facebook's larger rival, MySpace. Las Vegas Sun

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Ban Torture But Give CIA Leeway
Seeking to referee a stalemate over how the CIA can interrogate prisoners, a top Senate Republican says Congress should ban waterboarding and seven other abusive methods of interrogation but allow the spy agency some leeway in how it questions detainees. Like the 2008 version of the authorization bill — which President Bush vetoed the 2009 bill restricts the CIA to using only the 19 interrogation techniques approved by the military in the Army Field Manual. MSNBC

77 More Hepatitis Cases May Trace To Clinic
Seventy-seven more people who were treated at a Las Vegas outpatient clinic have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, health officials said. Authorities can't say for sure how the 77 people were infected. But they know each was treated from March 2004 to Jan. 11 this year at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. We know they didn't have a positive test before they went to the clinic, and now they're positive, says officials. The reports bring the number of cases linked to clinics run by the same group of doctors to 85. Newsday

Bush Business Donors Shunning McCain
Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is struggling to attract money from some of the same industries that helped bankroll President George W. Bush's record-setting fundraising. Employees from the securities, construction, pharmaceutical and energy industries, who accounted for about a tenth of Bush's money in 2004, are turned off by his record and giving more to his Democratic rivals, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama and Clinton each raised close to $11 million from the four industries through the end of March, compared with $6 million for McCain. In 2004, Bush raised three times more money from those sources than Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee that year. Bloomberg
VOA VIEW: It may show that Hillary and Obama can more easily swayed their way.

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RNC Launches New Anti-Obama Site
The Republican National Committee is stepping up its efforts against Barack Obama, launching a new Web site that solicits voters to question the Illinois senator on issues "he has failed to address or refused to answer." The site is encouraging both text and video submissions via YouTube. It also features a Web video suggesting certain questions to ask, including, "Why, as an Illinois state Senator, did he vote 'present' over 130 times instead of 'yes' or 'no' on difficult issues like abortion, crime, and guns?" and "Why did he tell donors in San Francisco that the economy has driven small town voters to 'cling' to guns and religion?" CNN
VOA VIEW: Obama will be more thoroughly exposed if the gains the Democratic nomination.

FBI Warns Of Tax Rebate Check Scam
As the IRS begins sending economic stimulus checks to eligible taxpayers, the FBI is warning recipients about a scam related to the money. Fraudsters are sending out fake e-mails notifying individuals that direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way to receive their tax rebate checks from the IRS. After clicking on a link that appears to be from the IRS, computer users are asked to enter personal and other information, including bank account records, which scammers use to withdraw the money usually via wire transfer. ABC News

Starting Gate: And So It Begins
The campaign thus far has been a comparatively non-negative one. Sure, there have been those “red phone” moments and, on the Republican side at least, some of the traditional negative or “comparative” ads. But that brand of politics has been punished for the most part and the probable nominations of two candidates who have built their political power in part on their appeal outside of their parties seems to hold the promise of an uplifting, great debate this fall. But this is politics and even if the two presidential candidates remain above the fray, they have little control over the eventual tone of the overall debate. CBS News

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Stay-At-Home Mom Worth Nearly $117,000 A Year
If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year. That's according to a pre-Mother's Day study released. The eighth annual survey calculated a mom's market value by studying pay levels for 10 job titles with duties that a typical mom performs, ranging from housekeeper and day care center teacher to van driver, psychologist and chief executive officer. This year, the annual salary for a stay-at-home mom would be $116,805, while a working mom who also juggles an outside job would get $68,405 for her motherly duties. Fox News

Hungry World To Get Record Wheat, Rice Crops
Boosted by high prices and good weather, the world's farmers will reap record wheat and rice crops this year, the U.S. government said, which should somewhat allay fears of scanty food supplies. The Agriculture Department also forecast a record feed grain crop globally, used to feed livestock. Wheat and rice are the world's major food grains, consumed directly or as baked goods like cakes and cookies. The world wheat crop was forecast to rise 8 percent to a record 656 million tonnes while global rice production is projected for a record 432 million tonnes. Reuters

FedEx Lowers Profit Outlook
FedEx Corp., the second-largest U.S. package-shipping company, forecast fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.45 to $1.50, lower than its previous outlook of $1.60 to $1.80. Fuel costs for the quarter have increased more than $100 million from the company's previous estimate, Memphis, Tennessee- based FedEx said today in a statement distributed by Business Wire. Bloomberg

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Circumcision 'Is The Best Weapon In Fight Against Aids'
The billions of dollars spent on Aids prevention programmes based on HIV vaccines, wide-scale testing and the promotion of condoms or sexual abstinence have turned out to be less effective than a simple surgical operation to remove the foreskin. Some of the world's most distinguished scientists have warned that the "central pillars" of HIV prevention from condom use to HIV vaccines have crumbled in the worst-affected regions of sub-Saharan Africa. On the 25th anniversary of discovery of the virus, the researchers warned that a quarter of a century of research into HIV vaccines and anti-viral creams, along with health programmes, have all failed to stem the Aids epidemic in Africa. Independent News

Burma Warned Over Cyclone Delays
The UN's humanitarian chief has urged Burma to reconsider its attitude towards allowing aid teams into the country to help cyclone victims. Announcing a $187m flash appeal, John Holmes said it was time to act fast or risk more lives being lost. Burma's envoy to the UN thanked the international community for their solidarity and generosity, saying it would accept aid from any quarter. Burma says 22,980 people died, but the UN fears the toll could reach 100,000. The UN believes as many as 1.5 million people could have been affected by Cyclone Nargis, which struck on 3 May, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. BBC

UN To Resume Burma Aid Flights
The UN today said it would resume food aid flights to Burma after earlier suspending them, while the Burmese government said it would allow one US cargo plane to land. The development came six days after cyclone Nargis devastated the country. UN officials said food aid flights to Burma would restart tomorrow after they were suspended when the organisation learned that the military government had impounded supplies sent on two planes earlier in the week. The total food aid was enough to feed 95,000 people. Guardian

Hizbollah Fighters Impose Control On Beirut
Security sources said at least 11 people had been killed and 30 wounded in three days of battles between pro-government gunmen and fighters loyal to Hizbollah, a Shi'ite political movement with a powerful guerrilla army. The fighting, the worst internal strife since the 1975-90 civil war, was triggered this week after the government took decisions targeting Hizbollah's military communications network. The group said the government had declared war. Independent News

France Working To Prevent Civil War In Lebanon
Paris is working with Lebanese authorities and foreign governments to prevent Lebanon from descending into civil war, said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon. Fillon said the French Embassy in Lebanon has been placed on alert to protect French citizens and that Paris is "ready to act if that becomes necessary." French authorities are in contact with all authorities on the ground, as well as the Arab League, to find a solution, he continued. Jerusalem Post

Militias 'To Rig Zimbabwe Poll'
Zimbabwe's "war veterans" militia plan to intimidate voters by posing as police officers during the presidential run-off, a policeman has told the BBC. He said they would be based inside polling stations during the vote, whose date has not yet been fixed.The report came as South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, the lead Zimbabwe negotiator, held talks with President Robert Mugabe in Harare. He has not commented since the talks, which lasted four hours. Mr Mbeki has previously played down talk of a crisis in Zimbabwe.  BBC

Cardinal Says Britain Must Not Be A 'God-Free Zone'
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said he was unhappy about attempts to "eliminate the Christian voice" from the public forum. He urged Catholics to prevent the country from becoming a "world devoid of religious faith" through a deeper engagement with God by praying, studying and performing charitable acts. Speaking in a lecture at Westminster Cathedral, he said there was "considerable spiritual homelessness", and even if people wanted to believe they felt faith was not an option.  Guardian

Israel Issues Complaint To UN
In light of the fatal barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip Friday, the Israeli delegation to the United Nations presented a complaint to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the Security Council. The letter, presented Friday, requested that the UN denounce all acts of terror, and implored the council not to sit idly by whilst Israeli citizens are subject to terror attacks. Jerusalem Post

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