Rep. Waxman Hospitalized

Dems also agree on $100B trim: Waxman

(NEWSER) - The House will not vote on a health care bill before the August recess, the Hill reports. Rep. Henry Waxman agreed to the delay as part of a deal with “Blue Dog” Democrats on his Energy and Commerce Committee, who had been threatening to block the bill. Waxman now expects the committee to finish marking up the bill by Friday. More»

(NEWSER) - The Blue Dogs are threatening to sink health care reform in the House for reasons that don't seem to add up, Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times. The coalition of conservative Democrats—whose support President Obama needs—is crying loudly about fiscal responsibility, Krugman writes, while at the same time calling for changes—like dropping public competition for private insurers—that would inflate the plan's cost. More»

Climate deniers worse than conspiracy theorists: Krugman

(NEWSER) - Passing the climate change bill was a major accomplishment for the House, even in its watered-down form—but as Paul Krugman listened to the 212 members of Congress who voted no, "I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason—treason against the planet." Despite unassailable proof that the world is changing even faster than expected, legislators are junking science, simply because they don't like what it entails. More»

Energy and Commerce Committee will see much legislation from Obama

(NEWSER) - House Democrats elected Californian Henry Waxman to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee today, the Hill reports. Waxman’s new post will hold considerable influence over how the next administration will effect its legislative agenda; his selection over Michigan’s John Dingell, who has served on the committee for 28 years, is seen as a victory for the further-left elements of the party. More»

In climate change debate, Shimkus points to God's promise to Noah

(NEWSER) - A leading contender to chair the House Energy Committee has plucked his position on climate change straight from the pages of Genesis. People shouldn't worry about the planet being destroyed, Rep. John Shimkus testified last year, because God promised Noah after the flood that he wouldn't destroy the planet again. "As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease," the Illinois Republican said confidently, quoting Chapter 8, Verse 22 of Genesis. More»