--- a/ChangeLog	Fri Dec 04 21:27:40 2009 -0700
+++ b/ChangeLog	Sat Dec 05 09:35:28 2009 +0100
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2009-12-05  Jim Meyering  <meyering@redhat.com>
+
+	maint.mk: news-date-check: use grep -E
+	* top/maint.mk (today): Define a Make variable, not a...
+	(news-date-check): ...shell variable.
+	(news-date-regexp): Use the Make variable.
+	Use grep's -E option.  Change the failing diagnostic to mention
+	the variable, $(news-date-regexp).
+
 2009-12-04  Alfred M. Szmidt  <ams@gnu.org>
 
 	maintainer-makefile: allow customization of NEWS entry format

--- a/top/maint.mk	Fri Dec 04 21:27:40 2009 -0700
+++ b/top/maint.mk	Sat Dec 05 09:35:28 2009 +0100
@@ -79,7 +79,8 @@
 
 # Override this in cfg.mk if you are using a different format in your
 # NEWS file.
-news-date-regexp ?= '^\*.* $(VERSION_REGEXP) ('$$today')'
+today = $(shell date +%Y-%m-%d)
+news-check-regexp ?= '^\*.* $(VERSION_REGEXP) ($(today))'
 
 # Prevent programs like 'sort' from considering distinct strings to be equal.
 # Doing it here saves us from having to set LC_ALL elsewhere in this file.
@@ -572,13 +573,12 @@
 	    $$($(VC_LIST_EXCEPT) | grep -E '(^|/)Makefile\.am$$')	\
 	  && { echo '$(ME): use $$(...), not @...@' 1>&2; exit 1; } || :
 
-news-date-check: NEWS
-	today=`date +%Y-%m-%d`;						\
-	if head $(srcdir)/NEWS | grep $(news-date-regexp)		\
+news-check: NEWS
+	if head $(srcdir)/NEWS | grep -E $(news-check-regexp)		\
 	    >/dev/null; then						\
 	  :;								\
 	else								\
-	  echo "version or today's date is not in NEWS" 1>&2;		\
+	  echo 'NEWS: $$(news-check-regexp) failed to match' 1>&2;	\
 	  exit 1;							\
 	fi
 
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@
 	       || { echo "invalid version string: $(VERSION)" 1>&2; exit 1;};}\
 	  || :
 	$(MAKE) vc-diff-check
-	$(MAKE) news-date-check
+	$(MAKE) news-check
 	$(MAKE) distcheck
 	$(MAKE) dist XZ_OPT=-9ev
 	$(MAKE) -s announcement RELEASE_TYPE=$@ > /tmp/announce-$(my_distdir)