Census data realigns congressional districts in key political states-washingtonpost.com

Census data realigns congressional districts in key political states-washingtonpost.com: Republican-leaning states in the South and West that experienced a population boom over the past decade will gain political clout, while some historically Democratic states in the Rust Belt will lose it, according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday aimed at ensuring proportional representation in the House.

Senate OKs food safety measure-politico.com

Senate OKs food safety measure-politico.com: The Senate on Sunday night cleared a food safety package, curbing earlier fears the popular bill would die by the end of this session as a result of a procedural error by upper chamber lawmakers.

Top Spine Surgeons Reap Royalties, Medicare Bounty-wsj.com

Top Spine Surgeons Reap Royalties, Medicare Bounty-wsj.com: Norton Hospital in Louisville, Ky., may not be a household name nationally. But five senior spine surgeons have helped put it on the map in at least one category: From 2004 to 2008, Norton performed the third-most spinal fusions on Medicare patients in the country.

Senate Approves Tax-Cut Extension-wsj.com

Senate Approves Tax-Cut Extension-wsj.com: Senate lawmakers on Wednesday approved an $858 billion bill extending the Bush-era tax cuts for two years, turning the spotlight on House lawmakers to pass the sweeping legislation.

U.S. to Appeal Health Ruling-wsj.com

U.S. to Appeal Health Ruling-wsj.com: The Justice Department said it would appeal a decision invalidating a core provision of the federal health-care overhaul, the next skirmish in a constitutional struggle likely to reach the Supreme Court before the 2012 presidential election.

Key provision of health-care overhaul ruled unconstitutional-washingtonpost.com

Key provision of health-care overhaul ruled unconstitutional-washingtonpost.com: A federal judge in Virginia ruled Monday that a key provision of the nation's sweeping health-care overhaul is unconstitutional, the most significant legal setback so far for President Obama's signature domestic initiative.

John Boehner adds lobbyist to staff-politico.com

John Boehner adds lobbyist to staff-politico.com: House Speaker-elect John Boehner announced Thursday that he hired the medical device industry’s chief lobbyist as his policy director, adding to a growing number of Republican lawmakers who have recruited top aides from K Street.

Senate Unveils Tax Bill's Price Tag-wsj.com

Senate Unveils Tax Bill's Price Tag-wsj.com: The Senate unveiled final details of a broad tax bill—and its 10-year price tag of $858 billion—and began debate Thursday night on the package, a significant step after two years of gridlock over how to treat expiring tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush. Without action, income taxes on nearly every American are due to rise on Jan. 1.

Tax-cut deal has liberal Democrats fuming-washingtonpost.com

Tax-cut deal has liberal Democrats fuming-washingtonpost.com: Some liberal lawmakers and activists angrily attacked the Obama administration Monday night for striking a deal with Republicans on extending Bush-era tax rates, an issue that has the potential to worsen the divide between the White House and what it has called the "professional left."

Physician pay, medical disclosure rules criticized- Baltimore Sun.com:

Physician pay, medical disclosure rules criticized- Baltimore Sun.com: The payments and "VIP trips" given to a Maryland cardiologist by Abbott Laboratories for parties and consulting work — disclosed in a federal report released Monday — are just what new legislation and industry guidelines are supposed to curtail, lawmakers said.

Doc fix new weapon vs. health reform-politico.com

Doc fix new weapon vs. health reform-politico.com: Congressional Republicans are hoping to put Democrats in a no-win new year's jam: defund a big chunk of their health care overhaul or slash Medicare payments instead.

Republicans hint at compromise on tax cuts and unemployment benefits-washingtonpost.com

Republicans hint at compromise on tax cuts and unemployment benefits-washingtonpost.com: The Senate Republican leadership telegraphed on the Sunday morning talk shows that a compromise to extend unemployment compensation and the George W. Bush-era tax cuts is in the offing.

Committee battles begin-washingtonpost.com

Committee battles begin-washingtonpost.com: Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) opened his pitch to be the next Appropriations Committee chairman with a video that showed a grossly obese Uncle Sam. That fella will be going on a big diet, Lewis declared.

What's at stake for the lame ducks in Congress-washingtonpost.com

What's at stake for the lame ducks in Congress-washingtonpost.com: On Capitol Hill, this is the beginning of a strange season. Congress has returned to work for a “lame duck” session, held in the shadow of last month’s Republican rout in the midterm elections. For the next month, Capitol Hill will be divided between a party that has power but no mandate — and another that has a mandate but no power. Which will be awkward. But this ill-matched Congress can’t simply go home. In December, legislators will tackle a number of problems they couldn’t agree on before the elections.

Senate approves food safety bill-washingtonpost.com

Senate approves food safety bill-washingtonpost.com: In what would be the biggest overhaul of the nation's food safety laws in seven decades, the Senate on Tuesday approved a raft of regulations that would require food manufacturers and farmers to use scientific techniques to prevent contaminated food - a shift aimed at stopping the waves of foodborne illnesses that have shaken consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply.