News Headline

nytimes.com — Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said Monday that he doubted that member states would reach a new global climate change agreement in December at a conference in Mexico.

Mr. Ban, who was the head cheerleader for reaching a deal during the 2009 conference in Copenhagen, suggested that a better approach might consist of small steps in separate fields that built toward wider consensus rather than aiming for one sweeping pact.

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treehugger.com — It irks me that I have to write a headline like that, but with so much of the media's BP spill coverage painting pictures of a harmonious, oil-free Gulf, I can't underscore enough the fact that this thing is far, far, far from over. Thankfully, CNN ran a report that got this 100% right, and spoke to scientists about the bevy of problems that still have them very concerned for the future of Gulf ecosystems.

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nytimes.com — Five years ago, the leaders of this sun-scorched, wind-swept nation made a bet: To reduce Portugal’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, they embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects — primarily harnessing the country’s wind and hydropower, but also its sunlight and ocean waves.

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huffingtonpost.com — Two weeks ago, Senators Jon Kyl and Lindsey Graham became the highest-ranking Republican officials to lend their voices to what has become an increasingly loud and disturbing refrain on the Right -- the call to repeal the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined the clamor, calling for hearings to evaluate the possibility of repeal. Since then, these Republican leaders have back-tracked and equivocated. But the core of their message remains clear.

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thehill.com — House Democrats are set to approve $26 billion in emergency state aid, fight off a lame-duck lockout and pass a border-security bill before they wrap up their work period Tuesday and repack their bags for home.

The unusual August work session was prompted by the Senate’s surprise passage last week — after the House had recessed until mid-September — of a $26 billion package of teacher and Medicaid funding for states.

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online.wsj.com — Freddie Mac reported a second-quarter net loss of $4.7 billion and asked the U.S. Treasury to provide a $1.8 billion infusion, raising the government's tab for its rescue of the mortgage-finance company to $63.1 billion. The second-quarter loss, the 11th in the last 12 quarters, compared with a year-earlier net profit of $300 million.

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wonkroom.thinkprogress.org — According to new data released today by the real estate website Zillow, fewer homeowners are underwater on their mortgage — those who owe more in payments than their house is currently worth — than were underwater last year. In 2009, 23 percent of homeowners were submerged, which has dropped to 21.5 percent today.

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bloomberg.com — China’s trade surplus reached an 18- month high as exports rose to a record and import gains slowed, adding pressure on officials to allow faster appreciation of the yuan and signaling a diminished contribution to global growth.

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nytimes.com — China’s trade surplus surged last month to its highest level in a year and a half, while real estate prices leveled off, according to government data released Tuesday that pointed to possible trade frictions with the United States and slightly slower economic growth in China.

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washingtonpost.com — As Federal Reserve policymakers meet Tuesday, they will face the challenge of a faltering economic recovery without a clear consensus on what, if anything the central bank should do about it.

Fed leaders still think that the recovery is on track, though the pace of growth has slowed and the risks of a dip back into recession have risen since their last policymaking meeting in late June.

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