News Buzz: China Crackdown, McCain Heads to Colombia and Mexico, and More

Police blocked Chinese dissident lawyers from attending a meeting with two visiting U.S. lawmakers, the lawmakers and a human rights groups said Tuesday. Police either took the lawyers away or placed them under house arrest before they were due to have dinner with visiting Republican Reps. Frank Wolf of Virginia and Chris Smith of New Jersey. The congressmen told reporters that such moves underscore what many activists and monitoring groups say is a deterioration of human rights ahead of next month's Olympic Games.

McCain Heads South

GOP presidential candidate John McCain set off today on a three-day trip to Colombia and Mexico that highlights his advocacy of free-trade policies. McCain is a strong supporter of a proposed free-trade agreement with Colombia that is stalled in Congress. McCain said he knows he has work to do to convince voters in states losing jobs to Mexico and other countries, such as Pennsylvania where he campaigned yesterday, that free-trade agreements will benefit them and their families over time. "I have to convince them the consequences of protectionism and isolationism could be damaging to their future," the Arizona senator said, vowing to improve programs for displaced workers and unemployment insurance if elected. "I understand it's very tough. But for me to give up my advocacy of free trade would be a betrayal of trust." In Mexico City, he planned to address illegal immigration, which is a hot-button issue for both Hispanic voters and many conservatives.

Obama's Faith-Based Initiative

In a move sure to cause controversy, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is announcing plans to support some ability to hire and fire based on faith. Reaching out to evangelical voters, Obama planned to unveil his approach to extending President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups to get them more involved in government antipoverty programs. Obama's announcement today in Zanesville, Ohio, at Eastside Community Ministry—which provides food, clothes, youth ministry, and other services—is part of a series of pre-July 4 campaign events focused on American values.