Riven by partisanship, the Senate plunged into a widely anticipated debate Monday over sweeping health care legislation that President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats have vowed to approve and Republicans sworn to block.

Debate is expected to last for weeks over the legislation, which includes a first-time requirement for most Americans to carry insurance and would require insurers to cover any paying customer regardless of their medical history or condition.

Do you really want to be the new "war president"? If you go to West Point tomorrow night (Tuesday, 8pm) and announce that you are increasing, rather than withdrawing, the troops in Afghanistan, you are the new war president. Pure and simple. And with that you will do the worst possible thing you could do -- destroy the hopes and dreams so many millions have placed in you. With just one speech tomorrow night you will turn a multitude of young people who were the backbone of your campaign into disillusioned cynics. You will teach them what they've always heard is true -- that all politicians are alike. I simply can't believe you're about to do what they say you are going to do. Please say it isn't so.

It is not your job to do what the generals tell you to do. We are a civilian-run government. WE tell the Joint Chiefs what to do, not the other way around.

President Obama plans to lay out a time frame for winding down the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan when he announces his decision this week to send more forces, senior administration officials said Sunday.

Although the speech was still in draft form, the officials said the president wanted to use the address at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday night not only to announce the immediate order to deploy roughly 30,000 more troops, but also to convey how he intends to turn the fight over to the Kabul government.

“It’s accurate to say that he will be more explicit about both goals and time frame than has been the case before and than has been part of the public discussion,” said a senior official, who requested anonymity to discuss the speech before it is delivered. “He wants to give a clear sense of both the time frame for action and how the war will eventually wind down.”

The Senate returns to session on Monday to begin debate on the $849 billion healthcare bill Democrats successfully pushed through a key vote before the Thanksgiving recess, despite unanimous opposition of Republicans and continued concerns among centrist Democrats about provisions on abortion and a government insurance option.

The White House announced today that President Obama will travel to Copenhagen on Dec. 9 to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, where he is eager to work with the international community to drive progress toward a comprehensive and operational Copenhagen accord. The President has worked steadily on behalf of a positive outcome in Copenhagen throughout the year.

A new study has found evidence of a link between temperature and conflict in Africa.

The report, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States, examines the potential impact of rising temperatures on armed conflict in sub-Saharan Africa.

It found the likelihood of armed conflict increased in unusually warm years when food was scarce, suggesting that a rise in global temperatures could result in a greater number of wars.

A White House official says some world leaders may change their schedules so they can attend an upcoming climate conference the same day as President Barack Obama.

by Secretary Steven Chu

Today, I announced a $620 million investment in the "Smart Grid" -- building on a $3.4 billion investment announced by President Obama last month as part of the Recovery Act. So what is a "Smart Grid?" How will it save your family money? Check out this video:

Healthcare reform and climate change will conflict directly next month when lawmakers from around the world gather in Denmark for the United Nations climate change conference and the Senate debates a healthcare bill.

As many as 10 senators had planned on traveling to Copenhagen for the conference, which is scheduled from Dec. 7 to Dec. 18.

But it now appears they may have to stay in Washington to work on healthcare.

Democratic leaders sent out a notice Monday morning alerting senators that when the chamber returns to session after the Thanksgiving holiday, “roll call votes could occur at any time during the day and evening, with weekend sessions likely.”

Police from California's Bay Area Rapid Transit system have begun questioning witnesses to a confrontation that led to a BART police officer shoving an unruly man into a glass window, a top official said Monday.

President Obama is expected to address the nation early next week, saying he will send a sizable force of additional troops to Afghanistan, sources tell NPR.

The tentative plan is for the president to make his announcement Dec. 1, followed shortly thereafter by testimony on Capitol Hill by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Also expected to brief Congress is the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

Since some opponents of reform seem too obsessed with the length of the Senate health insurance reform bill to even bother looking at what's in it for American families, we thought we'd make it a little easier for them to find some key of provisions they're working so hard to kill:

Hopes for the Copenhagen climate summit in December have been boosted after it emerged more than 60 presidents and prime ministers planned to attend.

The talks are not expected to result in a new treaty and there are doubts over whether the biggest polluters will commit to emissions reduction targets.

But observers say the number of leading attendees will raise expectations for the talks, from 7 to 18 December.

The country's spiraling unemployment rate is taking a particular toll on men as the recession continues to roil male-dominated industries, such as manufacturing and construction.

This "he-cession," as it's sometimes called, has hit African-American men especially hard, increasing their unemployment rate to more than 17 percent last month.

One of those unemployed black men searching for work is Randolph Smith. When Smith, 53, is working, he manages logistics, inventory and supplies for large companies. He's been trying to find that type of work since he was laid off a year ago — but so far, he's had no success.

As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, it is

appropriate for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use this

law for the agency’s most important and challenging task yet: solving

climate change.

Howard Zinn's The People's History of the United States created quite a few headlines upon its release. Now, the book has inspired a new documentary to be shown on The History Channel.

A US judge has ruled that negligence by the US Army Corps of Engineers led to massive floods in parts of New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

The court upheld complaints by six residents and a business against the Corps over its maintenance of a navigational channel.

They were awarded damages totalling $720,000 (£431,000), and the ruling could lead to thousands more claims.

About 80% of New Orleans was flooded by Hurricane Katrina.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping health care bill that would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more Americans at an estimated cost of $849 billion over 10 years.

Reid and other Senate Democrats cited an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office for the coverage and cost figures. The CBO estimates the proposal would reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion over the next 10 years, through 2019.

In a new poll by Washingon Post-ABC News, shows that "most Americans say they think President Obama will come up with a successful strategy for Afghanistan, but few are "very confident" that he will do so."

52 percent of respondents in the poll see the war in Afghanistan as not worth its costs, and nearly as many trust the Republicans in Congress to deal with the war as trust Obama. Click here to see POLL RESULTS

Listen to NPR's Audie Cornish explain the function of the Consumer Protection Agency:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has yet to introduce a health care reform bill, but he is still aiming to schedule a key test vote by the end of the week, Senate aides said Monday.

The vote on a motion to proceed to the bill could come as early as Friday, teeing up the amendment process to begin after the Thanksgiving break.

Reid could attempt to dispense with another procedural hurdle over the weekend. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has threatened to read the entire bill on the Senate floor.

Forget the debate over green jobs, wind farms and solar power. In the Senate, all deals on climate change run through coal country.

Black gold has maintained a tight hold over the climate bill — despite a damaging lobbying scandal this summer, growing public health concerns and a destructive toxic coal ash spill that smothered 300 acres in eastern Tennessee last December.

“They don’t have a deal until they get the coal-state senators, and they are a long way from doing it,” said Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.). “They’re going to need us to pass a bill.”

U.S. environmental groups are split over how to respond to the Obama administration’s decision to go along with a Danish proposal not to push for a binding global climate agreement at a United Nations conference in Copenhagen next month.

The global environmental group Greenpeace blasted the move, calling it a sop to President Barack Obama’s political vulnerability. “Danish Prime Minister [Lars Lokke] Rasmussen has become complicit in a U.S. so-called deal which would put Obama’s political difficulties ahead of the survival of the world’s most vulnerable countries,” said Kaisa Kosonen, climate policy adviser for Greenpeace International.

WASHINGTON – More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest number since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking food security levels in 1995.

That's 14.6 percent of U.S. households, or about 49 million people. The numbers are a significant increase from 2007, when 11.1 percent of U.S. households suffered from what USDA classifies as "food insecurity" — not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.

In recognition of Global Entrepreneurship Week, rapper Snoop Dogg will appear on Monday's New York Stock Exchange and top off as host of the opening event. The 2nd annual Mentoring Madness, sponsored by NYSE, will include Snoop, alongside Barry Sternlight, Chairman

and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, as well as the founder and President of B.R. Guest Restaurants, Steve Hanson and Blake Mycoskiewho is the founder and Chief Shoe Giver of Tom Shoes. Last year's event included four different panelists, including Def Jam pioneer, Russell Simmons.

Together, these entrepreneurs will ring the bell Monday during the NYSE and then kick off Global Entrepreneurship Week by giving a  speech via webcast with moderator Maria Bartiromo of CNBC as part of Mentoring Madness. Snoop and the other members of the panel will speak about their turning points, leadership and development, and share with viewers how they utilized resources to reach their goals.

"This is a great opportunity to explore entrepreneurship with true success stories in business. I am delighted to talk financial literacy to the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors," Bartiromo said. "We'll hear the pivotal points in their business plan development, their major influences, the steps they took to take their ideas to the next level and the resources they used to start a new enterprise and achieve their dreams," she continued.

In conjunction with MTV, Mentoring Madness will air on the 24-hour college network mtvU as a special feature mini-series. The finalists of the reality program "Movers & Changers", which also airs on mtvU, will be announced and the winner will haved the opportunity to both ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange and win a prize of $25,000 to start up their own business.

Mentoring Madness takes place November 16, kicking off Global Entrepreneurship Week from November 16 until November 22.

By Ed Henry and Dan Lothian, CNN White House Correspondent

Singapore (CNN) -- President Obama and leaders from the rest of the world's top economic powers acknowledged Sunday that there's no hope of a major breakthrough over climate change by year's end.

The acknowledgment followed Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen telling the leaders gathered for the APEC summit in Singapore that next month's conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, is no longer likely to yield a major accord to battle global warming.

Mike Froman, a White House deputy national security adviser, told reporters that none of the leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum "thought it was likely we would reach a final agreement in Copenhagen, and yet they felt it was important that Copenhagen be a step forward."

As a result, Obama and other leaders are endorsing a new two-step process that aims to use Copenhagen as a stepping stone for a bigger accord down the road.

Obama made a surprise appearance at a breakfast devoted to climate change at the APEC summit in Singapore on Sunday, and Froman said the president told the other leaders it's important for at least some progress to be made next month.

Obama Financial Regulatory Reform Plan Fights for African Americans: Enforcing Common?Sense Rules of the Road for Consumers, Investors

Too many responsible African American families have paid the price for an outdated regulatory system that left our financial system vulnerable to collapse and left consumers without adequate protections. The Obama Administration’s plan will promote financial stability and protect African American families from the unfair practices that contributed to this crisis. The plan will establish a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which will set clear rules of the road and ensure that financial providers are held to high standards.

See the Full Release HERE

The new regulations, announced Thursday, cover overdrafts from ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases, which account for roughly half of overdrawn transactions, and help to address widespread complaints thatconsumers who were unaware they had insufficient funds were being charged exorbitant fees for purchasing a cup of coffee, for example. The rules, which take effect July 1, 2010, come as banks have drawn increasing scrutiny in the wake of the financial crisis for charging high fees and interest rates at a time when consumers are financially strapped.

Banks will be required to send customers a notice explaining their overdraft protection services and fees before they are asked if they want to sign up. But the regulations do not cover payments made by check or recurring debit card charges, such as automatic bill payments. They also give banks wide latitude over the structure of overdraft fees once customers opt in, though Fed officials said the regulations allow consumers to drop the service at any time. Two bills targeting the fees are under consideration by Congress and would place tougher restrictions on the industry.

European Union Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas on  Thursday named and shamed countries including Austria,  Canada and Australia for emitting excessive greenhouse gases  and failing to meet their goals under the Kyoto climate treaty.

But Mr. Dimas said the 15 E.U. countries that had signed the protocol still would meet, or even beat, their goals on a  collective basis. And this, he added, will give the E.U. greater  credibility than other parts of the industrialized world in  upcoming negotiations at a United Nations conference in  Copenhagen — particularly on the topic of urging poorer  countries to slow the growth in their emissions.

It's hard for anyone to find a job these days, and if you've spent time behind bars, it's even more difficult.

But in California, where more than 130,000 people leave state prisons every year, a number of nonprofit organizations are finding it can make good business sense to hire ex-cons.

Steve Sims was in and out of jail for more than 10 years before being hired at Tri-CED Community Recycling in Union City, a quiet suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area. He was hired at Tri-CED nearly a decade ago.

Tri-CED makes a point of hiring people looking for a second chance — or a third or a fourth.

Twenty-five percent of the people who work at Tri-CED have a record — or are at risk of getting one.

Bills are legislation proposed by Members of Congress to become laws. Bills go through a long process of discussion and voting before they are signed into laws.

The Obama administration is standing firm in its support of several George W. Bush-era Patriot Act powers in the face of sharp criticism from civil rights groups, liberal Democrats and a Dec. 31 deadline to extend key provisions of the bill.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the lost of a love one was never cool.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, any one. But....

A majority of African Americans believe climate change is a growing problem that both government and individuals should take action now to mitigate the potential impacts, according to the results of a national poll conducted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a research and policy institution in Washington, DC.

Quick. What's the leading killer of women of reproductive age?

If you answered heart disease, you'd be on the right track for older women, particularly those in richer countries. But for women age 15 to 49, the No. 1 killer worldwide is HIV, the World Health Organization says.

Early this decade, a drought in Brazil that cut water to the country’s hydroelectric dams prompted severe energy shortages. The crisis, which ravaged the country’s economy and led to electricity rationing, underscored Brazil’s pressing need to diversify away from water power.

One result of that introspection will climax on Dec. 14, when the Brazilian government conducts its first wind-only energy auction. The bidding is expected to lead to the construction of two gigawatts of wind production with an investment of about $6 billion over the next two years.  

The auction has attracted a number of international players, including the local units of Energias de Portugal, Electricité de France, Spain’s Iberdrola, EnerFin of the United States and several Brazilian companies, among others.

Interest has been so great, in fact, that the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which is conducting the auction, postponed it by three weeks to allow extra time to evaluate the preliminary bids.

“The number of projects proposed were much greater than expected by everyone,’’ said Pedro Perrelli, the executive director of ABEEólica, the Brazilian Wind Energy Association.

Industry and the government had anticipated proposals for 4.5 gigawatts to 6 gigawatts of projects, but “we came to the astonishing number of 13.3 gigawatts’’ from 441 proposals, Mr. Perrelli said.

The UK government says it is highly unlikely that a new legally binding climate treaty can be agreed this year - and a full treaty may be a year away.

Two years ago, the world's governments vowed to finalise a new treaty at next month's climate summit in Copenhagen.

Climate Secretary Ed Miliband has until now said it could be done - but now he says only a political deal is likely, echoing some other senior figures.

As a former beat cop, Ron Huberman, the new chief of public schools in Chicago, learned long ago that violence among young urban people could not be solved simply by hauling ever larger numbers of children off to jail.

BEIJING — Three prominent American research organizations that are pushing for greater cooperation between the Obama administration and China on the issue of climate change say the two governments should make a priority of supporting the use of carbon capture technology and the creation of a market for carbon.

African-American politicians have long complained that they’re treated unfairly when ethical issues arise. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are still fuming over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to oust then-Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from the House Ways and Means Committee in 2006, and some have argued that race plays a role in the ongoing efforts to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his chairmanship of that committee.

Last week’s actions by the House ethics committee are sure to add fuel to the fire. The committee — which has one African-American lawmaker, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), among its 10 members — on Thursday considered three referrals from the recently formed Office of Congressional Ethics. It dismissed a case against Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who is white, but agreed to open full-blown investigations of California Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson, both of whom are black.