CA State budget: Revenues fall -- projected deficit soars - sacbee.com

CA State budget: Revenues fall -- projected deficit soars - sacbee.com: "Just weeks after lawmakers enacted a state budget amid partisan turmoil, finance officials say revenues are slipping below projections, making it likely that next year's problem will be worse than expected."

More Doctors in Texas After Malpractice Caps - New York Times

More Doctors in Texas After Malpractice Caps - New York Times: "Four years after Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment limiting awards in medical malpractice lawsuits, doctors are responding as supporters predicted, arriving from all parts of the country to swell the ranks of specialists at Texas hospitals and bring professional health care to some long-underserved rural areas."

Citing Health, GOP's Domenici Says He'll Retire From Senate - washingtonpost.com

Citing Health, GOP's Domenici Says He'll Retire From Senate - washingtonpost.com: "Sen. Pete V. Domenici told a gathering of family members and supporters in Albuquerque that he has been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease and will not seek a seventh term next year. "

Means Test Sought for Medicare Drug Plan - washingtonpost.com

Means Test Sought for Medicare Drug Plan - washingtonpost.com: "The Bush administration is advancing a proposal to levy higher premiums and deductibles on upper-income seniors enrolled in Medicare's new prescription drug benefit, raising fees on beneficiaries with incomes over about $80,000 a year, administration officials said yesterday."

Thompson Raises 9.3 Million - New York Times Blog

Thompson Raises 9.3 Million - New York Times Blog: "Fred D. Thompson, a late entrant to the Republican presidential sweepstakes, reported today that he had raised $12.7 million since June. But for the true apples-to-apples comparison with his Republican counterparts, the relevant figure is the third-quarter primary figure, which is $9.3 million, putting him just behind both Mitt Romney, at $10 million, and Rudolph W. Giuliani, at $10.5 million."

Nuñez travels the world like a high-roller - Los Angeles Times

Nuñez travels the world like a high-roller - Los Angeles Times: "As leader of the California Assembly, Speaker Fabian Nuñez has traveled the world in luxury, paying with campaign funds for visits to some of the finest hotels and restaurants and for purchases at high-end retailers such as Louis Vuitton in Paris."

Romney, Giuliani sharpen their rivalry - Los Angeles Times

Romney, Giuliani sharpen their rivalry - Los Angeles Times: "Mitt Romney and Rudolph W. Giuliani clashed over taxes Thursday in a flare-up that illustrated a sharpening rivalry between the two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination."