As he prepares to turn over the reins of the Service Employees International Union, Andrew L. Stern is at the apex of his political influence. He helped lead the push for the healthcare overhaul that became law last month. He has visited the White House 38 times in President Obama's tenure, far more than other labor leaders. Obama named him to a new deficit commission. But underlying Stern's glittering profile—a well-connected visionary seeking to revive organized labor and lead the liberal vanguard—is the complicated reality surrounding his departure, which he is expected to make official at a meeting Wednesday.
Gov. Dave Heineman of Nebraska signed a law on Tuesday banning most abortions 20 weeks after conception or later on the theory that a fetus, by that stage in pregnancy, has the capacity to feel pain. The law, which appears nearly certain to set off legal and scientific debates, is the first in the nation to restrict abortions on the basis of fetal pain. Abortion opponents praised the law and said it was justified by medical evidence gained since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. Abortion rights advocates said that the measure was unconstitutional, and that the motive behind it was to set off a challenge to legalized abortion before the United States Supreme Court.
According to this new Edison Research study, consumer use of social networking sites is not just a youth phenomenon. While nearly eight in ten teens and 18 to 24s have personal profile pages, almost two-thirds of 25 to 34s and half of 35 to 44s also now have personal profile pages. The study also shows that 30% of Americans age 12 and older, who have a profile on at least one social networking Web site, use those sites "several times a day" compared with only 18% one year ago.
Under the new federal healthcare law, experts warn there won't be enough doctors to treat the millions of people newly insured. At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. That shortfall is predicted despite a push by teaching hospitals and medical schools to boost the number of U.S. doctors, which now totals about 954,000.
Pfizer recently became the latest big drug maker to start disclosing payments to doctors who act as consultants or speakers. But many followers of the pharmaceutical industry are still finding it far too difficult to follow the money, the New York Times reports. Industry bloggers and advocates for disclosure say the companies' Web sites are not easy enough to use for patients or others who want to know which doctors are most financially entwined with drug makers.
Andrew L. Stern, the most politically influential and controversial union official in the country, is preparing to resign his position as president of the Service Employees International Union, a union official and a senior Democratic official said. Diane Sosne, the head of an SEIU chapter in Seattle, e-mailed her colleagues to alert them to Stern's imminent departure, the Washington Post reports.