US & World News, Monday 4/21

US/World Summary --- All Eyes On PA As Primary Draws Near From the historic Amish Country to the steel mills, voters across Pennsylvania are just one day away from heading to the polls for the Democratic presidential primary. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are making final pitches across the state today. The New York Senator and her Congressional colleague from Illinois will make stops from one end of Pennsylvania to the other with the election tomorrow expected to be a tight one. Obama and Clinton are locked in a close battle for delegates while presumed Republican nominee John McCain cruises along en route to the GOP National Convention in early September. The Democratic National Convention takes place a week earlier, in late August. Political insiders believe neither Clinton nor Obama will clinch the Democratic nomination prior to their partys convention. --- DNA Testing, Foster Care For FLDS Kids (San Angelo, TX) -- Who belongs to who? Thats what officials in Texas are looking to find out when they begin DNA testing involving the over 400 kids removed from a polygamist compound in west Texas. DNA samples will be taken over the next few days to prove which parents belong to which children. The state argued that the children were being physically and sexually abused or were at risk of being abused inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound. --- Another Gun Fatality On Chicago Streets (Chicago, IL) -- An eighth person has now died in a wave of violence which blew into Chicago over the weekend. Almost 40 people have been shot on the streets of Chicago since Friday afternoon, making it the citys most violent weekend so far this year. The latest fatality was a 25-year-old man who was shot and killed this morning. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Stroger Hospital shortly after 12:30 a.m. Eastern time. --- Carter: Hamas Leaders Willing To Accept Conditional Peace Agreement (Jerusalem) -- Former President Jimmy Carter says Hamas leaders are willing to accept a peace agreement with rival Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. But such an agreement has a string attached: Palestinian voters must approve of the deal in a vote. Carter met with Hamas leaders in Syria and Egypt recently to negotiate a peace agreement. Carter says Hamas leaders would accept a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. --- U.S. Marines Ramp Up Hunt For Female Recruits The U.S. Marine Corps is looking for a few good women. With the USMC struggling with war time recruitment, it has started marketing itself to women in a big way. The "New York Times" reports the Marine Corps is running ads in magazines like "Shape," "Self" and "Fitness," which appeal mainly to female readers. A spokesperson for the Marine Corps media agency, MindShare says there has been a small increase in the number of female recruits -- to two-thousand-507 in 2007 from two-thousand-282 in 2005. --- Merger Of Delta, Northwest Heading For Congress (Washington, DC) -- Delta and Northwest will bring their effort for a merger to Congress this week. The two carriers announced plans to create a single airline based in Atlanta last week. Representatives from Delta and Northwest will appear before U.S. House and Senate committees this Thursday. Congress cannot stop the merger but can voice opposition. --- Mother Nature Soaks Earth Day Festival (Washington, DC) -- Environmentalists love rain but not when it dampens a major celebration. An Earth Day event on the National Mall yesterday had to be held up for about an hour due to torrential downpours. The "Washington Post" says people hung out in the various museums between the Capitol Building and the White House to avoid the deluge. In the end, Mother Nature had her way and the rest of the show was canceled. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-04-21-08 0841CDT