Here is the second part of a special CFL nationals R&D.

World Leaders

Putin decides to retake presidency from the Australian Sunday Times
According to sources within the Russian government, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has decided to run for the Russian presidency in 2012. However, President Dmitry Medvedev may challenge Putin in that election.

Protesters Call for the Resignation of Georgia’s President from the New York Times
Protesters in Georgia are calling for the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili, who they say is stifling the implementation of pro-Western democratic reforms and failing to improve the country’s economic situation.

North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Il Travels to China for Economic Guidance from Bloomberg
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is in China to learn about China’s economic restructuring. Chinese leaders hope that Kim Jong Il will use this knowledge to make North Korea more prosperous.

Bashar al-Assad: the dictator who cannot dictate from the Guardian
This article alleges that while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may want to make political reforms, those who surround him will not allow him to do so and are making him increasingly irrelevant.

Zuma is the loser, despite ANC poll win from Business Day (South Africa)
Although the African National Congress (ANC) was victorious in the latest round of local elections across South Africa, the results are not a good sign for Jacob Zuma or his party because the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) increased its share of the black vote and the ANC lost ground in all but one province.

Domestic Economic Issues

America’s deepening default chasm from the Financial Times
The latest debate over the debt ceiling reveals the tax vs. spending cut arguments that polarize discussion of dealing with the national debt on Capitol Hill. The article suggests that the only way the debt ceiling may be raised is through a vague agreement that absolves both parties of responsibility, which will do little to solve the problem.

Chart of the Day: The Uneven State Unemployment Recovery from the Atlantic
This article presents an interesting chart of a few state unemployment rates and it can provide extempers with some statistics on the employment situations within a few states.

Fed Focusing Increasingly on Inflation Expectations With Policy Unchanged from Bloomberg
As consumer expectations about inflation increase the Federal Reserve may start withdrawing monetary stimulus from the economy.

Housing market the pits: survey from the New York Post
A recent survey shows that over half of U.S. homeowners do not believe that the housing market will recover until 2014. Efforts to boost the housing market with low interest rates have not been very effective.

US Recovery, In A Clear And Present Danger from the International Business Times
The sluggish pace of the U.S. economic recovery may unleash a new round of liquidity operations by the Federal Reserve, which may not solve the country’s economic problems.

Health and Social Issues

States cut back efforts to provide drugs for HIV, AIDS from the Washington Post
Cash strapped states are cutting back efforts to provide drugs to HIV and AIDS patients. Medical experts warn that this is a silent medical crisis in the making.

A third of high school seniors lack basic grasp of civics, US government from the Christian Science Monitor
In a depressing report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), one-third of American high school seniors do not understand how the American government works.

Charter school movement exploding in Florida from the Miami Herald
Charter schools are exploding in Florida and more than 58,000 students now attend charter schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which constitute ten percent of all public school students in South Florida.

Vermont Prescribes Socialized Healthcare, Proscribes Freedom from the New American
Vermont’s state legislature is in the process of passing legislation that would make Vermont the first state in the country to adopt a single-payer healthcare system. This article, however, suggests that this is a bad idea.

Is Ryan’s Medicare Proposal the Right Kind of Change? from Forbes
Paul Ryan’s budget plan has attracted a good deal of criticism from left-wing and right-wing supporters. This article evaluates whether or not the plan can actually work.