A look at today’s science and health policy news:
Congress likely to delay health care overhaul
CNN (A.P.)–As Congress returns from summer recess, lawmakers are expected to continue needling pharmaceutical makers and health insurers with investigations, while holding off on major health care reform until next year.
Facing Veto, Democrats Drop Plan for Vote on Child Bill
N.Y. Times–Congressional Democrats have scrapped plans for another vote on expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, thus sparing Republicans from a politically difficult vote just weeks before elections this fall.
FDA to List Drugs Being Investigated
Washington Post–The Food and Drug Administration will begin posting every three months a list of drugs whose safety is under investigation because of complaints brought to the agency’s attention by drug companies, physicians and patients.
Pentagon debates development of offensive cyberspace capabilities
L.A. Times–The current emphasis is on intelligence gathering and defending U.S. electronic security, but some officials think the military should know how to attack other nations’ computer systems.
Senate candidates’ energy positions are very similar
The Virginian Pilot–Both promise to work in Washington for new federal investments in wind and solar power development, along with new technologies to make coal-fired power plants run cleaner.
John McCain’s Energy Follies
N.Y. Times (Editorial)–John McCain is proving, so far, to be such a disappointment on issues he once seemed to understand better than almost anyone else in his party.
Obama Has a Plan To Manage Our Oil Reserve
Wall Street Journal (Opinion)–Sen. Barack Obama is proposing a simple maneuver — called an exchange, or swap.
The world we avoided
Nature–The Montreal Protocol rescued the ozone layer, but also prevented drastic regional climate changes.
Gustav Relief Sends Red Cross Into Debt
Washington Post–The American Red Cross said yesterday that it is going deep into debt to fund a $70 million Hurricane Gustav relief effort, an unusual occurrence even as the nation’s biggest disaster aid charity braces for a trio of powerful storms lurking in the Atlantic.
Funding storm research could save cash, lives
Miami Herald–The cost of Ike — and storms of Ike’s ilk — are calculated by the damage and ruination left after hurricanes crash ashore.
High-resolution satellite launched in California
A.P.–A super-sharp Earth-imaging satellite that can detail an area the size of a baseball diamond’s home plate from space has been launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Central California coast.
CERN fires up new atom smasher to near Big Bang
A.P.–It has been called an Alice in Wonderland investigation into the makeup of the universe — or dangerous tampering with nature that could spell doomsday.
No greenhouse gas in coal substitute
USA Today–Imagine an electricity source that kind of looks like coal and packs all of coal’s energy punch but is cheaper and produces no greenhouse gas emissions.That’s what Seattle-based NewEarth Renewable Energy says it developed with E-Coal.
Company uses algae to make ethanol more eco-friendly
USA Today– Corn-based ethanol is getting slammed for straining the world’s food supply and contributing to global warming by encouraging the plowing of grasslands.
European science satellite launch is delayed
AFP–The launch of a satellite to monitor Earth’s gravitational field, scheduled for Wednesday from a base in northern Russia, has been postponed to October 5 because of technical problems, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Monday.
China to launch space mission in late September
A.P.–China will launch its third manned space mission in late September, featuring its first-ever space walk, a state news agency said.
