James M Inhofe

Sen. James M. Inhofe has been one of Capitol Hill's leading skeptics on global warming, famously dismissing as a "hoax" the notion that human activity is the cause. And so Wednesday, while most of official Washington was focused on the findings of the Iraq Study Group, the Oklahoma Republican used one of his final days as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to once again press his case.

President Obama denounced Republicans on Tuesday for "playing special-interest politics" after a GOP senator thwarted a Democratic effort to raise the liability cap for oil spills to $10 billion. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was seeking the unanimous consent of the Senate to move forward on the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act, which would retroactively boost the legal cap of $75 million on how much companies must pay for economic damages. But Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.)

Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) walk the corridors of the U.S. Capitol in cowboy boots. Both also rail against environmental regulations they consider scientifically dubious and overly burdensome to business. Now they have the power to do something about it. Pombo, a rancher who has crusaded to rewrite the Endangered Species Act, is the new chairman of the House Resources Committee.

Sen. James M. Inhofe has been one of Capitol Hill's leading skeptics on global warming, famously dismissing as a "hoax" the notion that human activity is the cause. And so Wednesday, while most of official Washington was focused on the findings of the Iraq Study Group, the Oklahoma Republican used one of his final days as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to once again press his case.

As chairman of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council once headed by Bill Clinton, Rep. Dave McCurdy of Oklahoma has long clamored for a "New Democrat" agenda distinct from traditional liberalism. As a candidate for a Senate seat this fall, McCurdy still emphasizes some signature New Democrat ideas, such as personal responsibility, skill-training and welfare reform. But in his closely fought contest against conservative Republican Rep. James M.

President Obama denounced Republicans on Tuesday for "playing special-interest politics" after a GOP senator thwarted a Democratic effort to raise the liability cap for oil spills to $10 billion. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was seeking the unanimous consent of the Senate to move forward on the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act, which would retroactively boost the legal cap of $75 million on how much companies must pay for economic damages. But Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.)

A track hoe sidled up to the modest yellow brick church, paused for a moment to position itself, then drove its teeth into the roof with brutal efficiency. Shingles tumbled into the sanctuary. With the second blow, the wall buckled. The track hoe worked its way across the building, finally smashing the wall where a simple cross was emblazoned in red brick. Within 20 minutes, the First Baptist Church was rubble, ready to be loaded in waiting dump trucks and hauled away. Behind the church, a water tower that serves six households bears the legend "Picher Gorillas since 1918.

Re "EPA Rule Loosened After Oil Chief's Letter to Rove," June 13 The Environmental Protection Agency correctly interpreted the intent of Congress in the recent finalization of the rule to keep storm-water runoff clean near oil drilling sites and construction zones. Since 1987, it has been the law that uncontaminated storm-water discharges from natural gas and oil development activities, including sediment, do not require a specific wastewater permit from the EPA. However, the EPA continued to misinterpret the law, forcing Congress to act in last year's energy bill.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has agreed to expand benefits for gay and lesbian couples serving in the military, but officials continued to withhold equal access to base housing, healthcare and educational services. Leon E. Panetta, the outgoing secretary of Defense, signed an order Monday that permits same-sex partners and their dependents to use numerous family-oriented facilities and services on U.S. military bases, including recreation areas, counseling programs, school buses, child care and shopping exchanges.

Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire abandoned his independent campaign for the presidency Thursday, paving the way for his return to the Republican Party and a likely claim to succeed the late Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.) as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) walk the corridors of the U.S. Capitol in cowboy boots. Both also rail against environmental regulations they consider scientifically dubious and overly burdensome to business. Now they have the power to do something about it. Pombo, a rancher who has crusaded to rewrite the Endangered Species Act, is the new chairman of the House Resources Committee.

As chairman of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council once headed by Bill Clinton, Rep. Dave McCurdy of Oklahoma has long clamored for a "New Democrat" agenda distinct from traditional liberalism. As a candidate for a Senate seat this fall, McCurdy still emphasizes some signature New Democrat ideas, such as personal responsibility, skill-training and welfare reform. But in his closely fought contest against conservative Republican Rep. James M.

Fresh from visits to the Yukon in Canada and Alaska's northernmost city, four U.S. senators said Wednesday that signs of rising temperatures on Earth were obvious, and they called on Congress to act. "If you can go to the Native people and listen to their stories and walk away with any doubt that something's going on, I just think you're not listening," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said. He was accompanied on the trip by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.

A military cargo plane carrying four members of Congress took evasive action and dispatched flares to avoid ground fire Thursday night after taking off from Baghdad. The lawmakers said three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at their plane, a C-130, over the course of several minutes as they left for Jordan. "It was a scary moment," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who reported seeing a bright flash outside the window just after he took off his body armor. "Our pilots were terrific. . . .