Daily Briefing: Rising health care costs put focus on illegal immigrants

Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:12:46 -0600
NEWS

Rising health care costs put focus on illegal immigrants
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As the debate over the residency status of the nation's estimated 12
million illegal immigrants boils, another battle is simmering over what
- if any - benefits they deserve while they're here. Some of the most
heated arguments on the issue focus on health care.

U.S. GI first to die in MRAP attack
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A soldier killed over the weekend south of Baghdad was the first
American casualty in a roadside bomb attack on a newly introduced,
heavily armored vehicle, a military spokeswoman said Tuesday. Meanwhile,
a suicide bomber blew wounded 21 people near a high school.

Canada stiffens border checks, lawyers say
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Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to get into Canada, as
border agents with better access to American criminal databases are
turning people back for offenses ranging from assault to drunken driving
to shoplifting.

MONEY

Markets this morning: Nikkei nose-dives 5.7%
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Hong Kong shares plunged Tuesday, with the benchmark index tumbling as
investors dumped shares on fears a U.S. recession will spark a global
slowdown.

Ford to unveil upgraded '09 hybrid Escape
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Ford's 2009 Escape gas-electric hybrid will show improvements in power
and performance, the automaker said Tuesday.

Close to Home: Low-ball offers common in Lincoln, Neb.
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The real estate market in Lincoln, Neb., is usually as good or as bad as
the annual harvests of soybean, corn and other crops, which are big
drivers of the local economy. Not last year, says Marcia Weddle, an
agent at Century 21 Home & Farm Realty.