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GOP Sens. Say Sotomayor Filibuster Possible But Unlikely, Obama Defends Judge's Past Comments
Several Republican senators in appearances on various talk shows on Sunday said that they do not expect the GOP to attempt a filibuster to block the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, although none ruled the idea out, the Washington Post reports. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) said that she does not think the "need for filibuster will be there unless we have not had a chance to look at the record fully," adding that the Senate "need[s] to look at the record fully" and in an "expeditious way." Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on NBC"s "Meet the Press" said that Sotomayor"s 17-year career as a federal judge is "very strong in her favor" and "the kind of background you would look for" in a Supreme Court justice. However, Sessions added that he and other Republican senators are concerned over a remark Sotomayor made in 2001 at a conference on Hispanics in the judiciary. According to the Post, Sotomayor was discussing how her Puerto Rican heritage has influenced her role as a judge when she said, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn"t lived that life." Sessions said the remark "goes against the heart of the great American heritage of an independent judge" (Barnes, Washington Post, 6/1). Judiciary Committee member John Cornyn (R-Texas), appearing on ABC"s "This Week," said that senators "need to know ... whether she"s going to be a justice for all of us or just a justice for a few of us" (Wallsten, Los Angeles Times, 6/1).Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) -- Sotomayor"s sponsor through the confirmation process -- said on "This Week" that she is "virtually filibuster-proof when people learn her record and her story." He added that Sotomayor is "legally excellent" and "not a far-left-wing judge" (Barnes, Washington Post, 6/1). White House Defends Sotomayor"s Comments White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that he thinks Sotomayor would "say that her word choice in 2001 was poor, that she was simply making the point that personal experiences are relevant to the process of judging." In an interview with NBC News that will air this week, President Obama also defended Sotomayor, saying that "if you look in the entire sweep of the essay that she wrote, what"s clear is that she was simply saying her life experiences will give her information about the struggles and hardships that people are going through" (Eggen/Kane, Washington Post, 5/30). Obama also stood by his decision to nominate Sotomayor in his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday. Obama said that he is "certain that she is the right choice" and that her record as a federal judge "makes clear that she is fair, unbiased and dedicated to the rule of law." While he said he expects "rigorous evaluation" of Sotomayor, Obama said his "hope is that we can avoid the political posturing and ideological brinkmanship that has bogged down this process, and Congress, in the past" (AP/USA Today, 6/1). First Meetings With Senators Expected This WeekAccording to the AP/Chicago Tribune, Sotomayor is scheduled to hold her first meetings with senators this week, beginning on Tuesday with Sessions and Democratic Sens. Harry Reid (Nev.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (Vt.). Gibbs said a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnnell (R-Ky.) also is possible, adding that he is hopeful there will be other meetings scheduled throughout the week (AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/31).The Wall Street Journal reports that the formal Senate confirmation hearings are not expected to begin for several weeks. The White House would like the Senate to confirm Sotomayor before the August recess so she will be on the bench for the court"s next term, which begins in October. Although some GOP senators say this might not be enough time to fully examine her record, Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed, the Journal reports (Bendavid, Wall Street Journal, 6/1).
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Not Only Does Our Gut Have Brain Cells It Can Also Grow New Ones, Study
A new US study has added to existing knowledge about the million or so brain cells in our gut by using lab mice to show that it can also grow
News of the day
New Diagnostic Method For Gout: Dual Energy Computed Tomography Instead Of Joint Aspiration
The most reliable method of diagnosing gout is to aspirate the joint in order to obtain fluid to verify the presence of monosodium urate crystals (uric acid). Up to now, computed tomography (CT) has played a limited role in the evaluation of gout, since conventional CT systems cannot reliably verify deposits of uric acid. However, a current study at the Vancouver General Hospital in Canada gives rise to speculation that dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) could radically change the diagnosis of this disease. DECT enables fast, noninvasive examinations and, based on initial evaluations, has the potential to surpass the invasive gold standard and clinical examination in terms of reliability. Investigations have confirmed the high sensitivity of the DECT method in detecting uric acid deposits. The Canadian scientists used the SOMATOM Definition computed tomography (CT scanner) from Siemens for their investigation. This system is the only CT scanner worldwide that features two X-ray tubes capable of simultaneously producing different energies.
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Also In Global Health News: Malaria In Cambodia; HIV And Human Trafficking; HIV In Vietnam, China; Male Rape In Congo

Malaria Cases, Deaths In Cambodia Increase Cambodia has seen an increase in the number of malaria cases and deaths because of an early rainy season and delays in the distribution of mosquito nets - Duong Socheat, director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control - said, the Phnom Penh Post reports. He said that during the first six months of 2009, 27,105 people in Cambodia contracted malaria, which includes 103 who died. In comparison, 25,033 contracted the disease during the same period last year and 65 died (Rith, 8/5). Women To Address HIV, Trafficking, Violence More than 20 women who have "endured trafficking, violence, exploitation and HIV" will speak on Thursday at the first "South East Asia Court of Women on HIV and Human Trafficking: from Vulnerability to free, Just and Safe Movement," which will be held in Bali, Indonesia, the Hindu reports. The article includes additional information about the event, sponsors and funding (8/5). Viet Nam Invests $90M To Improve HIV/AIDS Prevention Centers About $90 million will be put towards improving the construction and infrastructure of the nation"s HIV/AIDS prevention centers in Viet Nam by 2015 under a project ratified by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Viet Nam News reports. An estimated $60 million will come from the state, $29.2 million from localities and the remainder "from official development assistant and financial support from abroad," the newspaper writes (8/4). HIV/AIDS Project In China Reduces Discrimination Among Migrant Workers A three-year HIV/AIDS educational project that reached out to 50 million migrant workers in China resulted in their becoming "less prone to discriminate against people infected with HIV/AIDS," according to a recent study, Agence France-Presse reports. According to the study, "Among the 250,000 workers who participated in 29 programmes in Guangdong province in the south, Yunnan in the southwest and Anhui in the east, 84 percent said they did not mind working with people living with HIV" - "a sharp increase from 40 percent in a survey of the workers conducted before the campaign started," the news service writes (8/4). New York Times Examines Male Rape In Congo The New York Times examines the rising number of male rape cases in the Congo, which the newspaper writes is "a consequence of joint Congo-Rwanda military operations against rebels that have uncapped an appalling level of violence against civilians." Though the male rape cases represent "just a fraction of those against women ò€¦ for the men involved, aid workers say, it is even harder to bounce back," the newspaper writes. "Aid workers here say the humiliation is often so severe that male rape victims come forward only if they have urgent health problems, like stomach swelling or continuous bleeding," while others have died with no care (Gettleman, 8/4). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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