Brian Beutler reports: Pelosi said afterward that there's a good chance that Congress will have a bill on the President's desk by Christmas. But asked by TPMDC whether she believed that, if given the choice, Obama would ultimately choose to e...

Recognizing the difficulty that death row inmates have in bringing innocence claims before the court, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) has introduced H.R. 3986, "The Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act." (Received by e-mail from Amnesty Internatio...

Ezra Klein writes: There is a simple explanation for why American health care costs so much more than health care in any other country: because we pay so much more for each unit of care. As Halvorson explained, and academics and consultancies ha...

Scarecrow at Firedoglake explains the consequential difference between negotiated rates (in the House Health Care Reform Bill) and the Medicare +5% wanted by progressives: CBO estimated that a Public Option available only to the uninsured, self-...

The DEA issued this statement today on the DOJ revised policy on medical marijuana busts in states where it is legal: “DEA welcomes the issuance of these clarifying guidelines pertaining to the use of federal investigative and prosecutorial reso...

The Chicago terror charges against David Headley, formerly Daood Gilani, and Tahawwur Hussain Rana are interesting for a number of reasons. They are particularly big news in India, where FISA surveillance information has authorities connecting them to...

An important week for most teams. For instance, if the Giants lose for the 5th straight time this week, you really can't see them in the playoffs. They play the Falcons today at the Meadowlands. They are 7 point favorites. I think Atlanta (+7) keeps it...

Major Nidal Hasan had his first hearing in the Ft. Hood murder case. The hearing was held in the hospital. His lawyer says he is paralyzed from the chest down, incontinent and in severe pain. He will be tried in a military court, and additional...

I'm totally into watching AMC's remake of The Prisoner. If you get Comcast On Demand, all six episodes are available for free, to watch any time. I watched four hours last night. Skippy has this review. AMC will air it again starting Sunday if you...

Bernie Sanders shrewdly gets in the act: I voted to proceed on health care reform because our current health care system is disintegrating and must be reformed. While I voted to proceed to the health care legislation tonight, I have made it clear...