A look at today’s science and health policy news:
Americans Prefer Candidates Strong On Science
Daily Kos–A new poll conducted by Scientists and Engineers for America indicates an overwhelming majority of voters prefer candidates who support research into science and technology, with emphasis on the three E’s: education, environment, and energy.
McCain’s health plan: A threat to employer plans?
Washington Post–There’s a great unknown about Sen. John McCain’s health plan: How many employers would drop insurance coverage for their workers because of his tax policies?
$3 million ad targets Obama on energy
Politico–An independent-expenditure arm of the Republican National Committee has begun a 10-day, $3 million ad campaign in swing states attacking Sen. Barack Obama as “just the party line.”
Doctors Press Senate to Undo Medicare Cuts
N.Y. Times–Congress returns to work this week with Medicare high on the agenda.
Audit Finds Abuse of Education Dept. Credit Cards
Washington Post–DOE employees inappropriately used government credit cards to purchase $49,500 worth of goods.
Proposal to euthanize wild horses spurs debate
A.P.–Animal rights activists and ranchers are clashing over a federal proposal to euthanize wild horses as a way to deal with their surplus numbers.
Catching up on CAFE standards
Politico–A consumer group added fuel to the fight over rising gas prices when it recently criticized the Bush administration’s flawed response to the 2007 Energy Act.
EU, greens urge Bush to back 2050 emissions target
Reuters–The European Union and green groups piled pressure on the United States on Monday to agree to a target to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
DNA gives police a boost in property crimes
L.A. Times–Study finds that DNA evidence collected at residential and commercial burglary scenes dramatically raises arrests and prosecutions.
TSA takes steps toward speedier laptop X-rays
USA Today–Now the agency and case manufacturers are taking final steps toward one of the most visible changes to aviation security in years.
U.S. not prepared for possible asteroid strike, group says
L.A. Times–On the 100th anniversary of the devastating Tunguska event in Siberia, scientists and an Orange County congressman urge the government to take further defensive measures against near-Earth objects.
American Energy Policy, Asleep at the Spigot
N.Y. Times–As gasoline prices climb beyond $4 a gallon, Americans are rethinking what they drive and how and where they live.
Climate Scorecard ranks U.S. last among largest economies
A.P.–The U.S. has done the least among the world’s eight biggest economies to address global warming, a study released Thursday found.
‘Invasive’ humans threaten U.S. coral reefs
USA Today–Half of all U.S. coral reefs, the center of marine life in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans, are either in poor or fair condition, a federal agency warns today.
Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube
N.Y. Times–A federal judge has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom its records of which users watched which videos on YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far.
Technology reshapes America’s classrooms
Reuters–Technology is spreading in America’s classrooms, reducing the need for textbooks, notepads, paper and in some cases even the schools themselves.
Colleges, universities take the lead in building green
L.A. Times–Experts who follow building trends agree that in the last decade, as fears of global warming grew and examples of eco-innovation spread online, campus greening morphed from a fad into mainstream phenomenon.
Don’t recycle ‘e-waste’ with haste, activists warn
USA Today–Items collected at free events are sometimes destined for salvage yards in developing nations.
