Hackers steal electronic data from top climate research center
From the Washington Post: Hackers broke into the electronic files of one of the world's foremost climate research centers this week and posted an array of e-mails in which prominent scientists engaged in a blunt discussion of global warming research and disparaged climate-change skeptics. The skeptics have seized upon e-mails stolen from the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia in Britain as evidence that scientific data have been rigged to make it appear as if humans are causing global warming. The researchers, however, say the e-mails have been taken out of context and merely reflect an honest exchange of ideas. University officials confirmed the

Upper-Bracket Tax May Be Needed for Afghan War Cost, Levin Says - Bloomberg.com
From Bloomberg: "Higher-income Americans should be taxed to pay for more troops sent to Afghanistan and NATO should provide half of the new soldiers, said Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. An “additional income tax to the upper brackets, folks earning more than $200,000 or $250,000” a year, could fund more troops, Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said in an interview for Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital With Al Hunt,” airing this weekend."Read Here: Upper-Bracket Tax May Be Needed for Afghan War Cost, Levin Says - Bloomberg.com:

Tea partiers turn on each other - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com
Politico: "After emerging out of nowhere over the summer as a seemingly potent and growing political force, the tea party movement has become embroiled in internal feuding over philosophy, strategy and money and is at risk of losing its momentum....The grass-roots activists driving the movement have become increasingly divided on such core questions as whether to focus their efforts on shaping policy debates or elections, work on a local, regional, state or national level or closely align themselves with the Republican Party, POLITICO found in interviews with tea party organizers in Washington and across the country....Many of these differences date to the movement’s beginning

Health care issues: Bundling payments - Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 | 7:48 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun
From the AP: "THE ISSUE: What can the government do to get doctors and hospitals to deliver cheaper medical services?THE POLITICS: Medicare's fee-for-service structure means that doctors, hospitals and other providers have a greater financial incentive to provide large quantities of medical services than to provide high-quality medical services. Democrats and the Obama administration want to change that, and use the savings to help pay for their health overhaul legislation and bring down medical costs over the long term. One strategy they've eyed is called 'bundling.' That's where a range of services _ for example a hospital stay and post-discharge care _ are grouped toget

Levin: May be more troubling e-mails from Hasan - Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 | 1:57 a.m. - Las Vegas Su
From AP: "There may be additional e-mails that could have tipped off law enforcement or military officials to the Fort Hood shooter before he went on his deadly rampage, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday.The U.S. government intercepted at least 18 e-mails between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric. They were passed along to two Joint Terrorism Task Force cells led by the FBI, but a senior defense official said no one at the Defense Department knew about the messages until after the shootings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence procedures.Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said afte