- Cyclone Toll Hits 22,500: The death toll from last weekend's devastating cyclone [1] in Myanmar rose to 22,500 today with an additional 41,000 people still missing. Yesterday in a rare press conference [2], US First Lady Laura Bush urged the country's military leaders to accept US disaster response aid. Myanmar's resistance stems from heavy US sanctions against the junta, though the US State Department said a disaster response team was "standing by and ready to go into Burma," now known as Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military for 46 years. The UN says that the junta is ready to accept [3] assistance, though aid workers now await visas. A UN spokesman said, "the government has shown a certain openness so far. We hope that we will get the visas as soon as possible, in the coming hours. I think the authorities have understood the seriousness of the situation and that they will act accordingly."
- NC and IN Vote: Voters in North Carolina and Indiana head to the polls in the largest remaining [4] bloc of delegates up for grabs. A total of 218 pledged delegate votes will be awarded tonight. Nearing the end of primary season with the last votes on June 3, the outcome of today is pivotal — will one candidate sweep [5] or will they split? Check back tonight for results the second they break.
- War Funding and Troops Home: House Democrats are preparing to break from President Bush and move ahead with a war spending measure [6] that would include extended unemployment assistance and new educational benefits for returning veterans. Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to bring a $178 billion measure to the floor this week, with what could be tense debate on the matter to be held Thursday. The US Military announced yesterday [7] that 3,500 soldiers sent to Iraq last summer as part of the surge will soon be coming home.
