First, some welcome breaking news from Amie Newman at RH Reality Check: President Obama has rescinded the Global Gag Rule, which banned giving federal funds to internal groups that provide abortions or informations about the procedure. Jacob Goldstein at WSJ’s Health Blog is also on top of the latest health news, reporting that Obama has […]

There were lots of good posts this week about health challenges around the world: Marjan Siadat at Detroit Receiving provides a grim look at the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe.   Amie Newman at RH Reality Check reminds us that having a child remains one of the biggest health risks for women worldwide. Michael Clemens at Global […]

There’s a lot of news about food that might spoil your appetite: Tom Philpott at Gristmill is “having a hard time accepting that Obama has picked an ethanol-loving GMO enthusiast as his USDA chief.”  Revere at Effect Measure reports that the country is experiencing a salmonella outbreak that’s sickened 400 people, but the CDC and FDA […]

Bloggers are anticipating some new activities from the Obama administration´s Health and Human Services team, while still keeping a close eye on what the Bush administration HHS is up to: Jeff Goldsmith at the Health Affairs Blog considers what we can expect from Tom Daschle, who Obama has picked as his “health czar.” Maggie Mahar […]

Bloggers react to the news of Obama’s picks for top enviornmental posts: Kate Sheppard at Gristmill gathers reactions from both environmental advocates and business-oriented think tanks. (Myron Ebel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute warns that Carol Browner shares many of Al Gore’s “wildest opinions.”) Frances Beinecke at NRDC’s Switchboard considers Obama’s choices to be proof […]

The Bush administration’s decision to let mining companies dump their waste into waterways is bad news, but bloggers note a few bright spots on the coal-mining scene. Rob Perks at NRDC’s Switchboard announces that Bank of America “will phase out financing of companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through mountain top removal.” Erik […]

The big news in Congress this week is that Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has replaced John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee – a move likely to have big implications for national climate policy, as Kate Sheppard at Gristmill explains. Meanwhile, Alicia Mundy at WSJ’s Health Blog wonders if the leadership […]

This week Senator Max Baucus, chair of the powerful Finance Committee, released a policy paper on healthcare reform. Ezra Klein notes that it’s not a reform proposal, but “the beginning of Max Baucus’s attempt to create a health care reform process” – and he explains the plan and the politics surrounding it in two separate […]

This week’s edition is devoted to blogging about election results: the performance of state-level ballot measures, what the new Congress looks like, speculation about cabinet picks, and priorities for President-Elect Obama and the 111th Congress.

On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Wyeth v. Levine, the case that will decide whether FDA approval shields drug manufacturers from liability claims under state laws. (Read more about this idea of preemption here.) Bloggers have a lot to say about the case and this concept of preemption: Niko Karvounis at […]