The WonkLine: March 11, 2009

U.S. counterterrorism officials are warning that extremists in Somalia are radicalizing Americans, citing their recruitment of the first U.S. citizen suicide bomber and their potential role in the disappearance of Somali American youths.

On the news that Chas Freeman had withdrawn as head of the National Intelligence Council, Joe Klein writes “Barack Obama should take note. The thugs have taken out Chas Freeman. They will not rest. Their real target is you, Mr. President.”

The Dalai Lama delivered one of his harshest attacks on the Chinese government yesterday, saying that they had transformed Tibet into a “hell on earth” and that Chinese authorities regard Tibetans as “criminals deserving to be put to death.”

According to a new RAND Corporation study, “dangling a financial carrot in front of doctors” has changed the way some doctors practice medicine, but has yet to significantly improve quality.”

A new study in Health Affairs “shows how the use of electronic health records and connectivity with patients has made Kaiser Permanente more efficient” but also “points to something of equal importance: why EHRs might not add much efficiency to the rest of the U.S. healthcare system unless it’s restructured.”

A coalition representing 30 health care organizations has asked Congress to suspend pay-as-you-go rules when drafting and passing health care overhaul legislation.

Sen. Reid (D-NV) said yesterday “that fierce resistance from Republicans and business groups could force him to delay action” on the Employee Free Choice Act.

According to federal data, “higher education’s capacity is growing, albeit too slowly to meet the goal set by the president and others,” while “a disproportionate share of the growth can be attributed to for-profit colleges, which are expanding at a rapid clip.”

Yves Smith on global stimulus: “On the surface, this looks like the Europeans being behind the eight-ball Hooverites, while the US is addressing the crisis. But it isn’t so simple.”

The House Agriculture Committee is holding a hearing today on the National Animal Identification System, which chair Collin Peterson (D-MN) favors making mandatory, despite the strong opposition of sustainable food and family farm advocates.

Scientists are warning that the IPCC underestimated this decade’s greenhouse emissions, and “the number of heat-related deaths will quadruple in cities such as London by 2080.”

In a confrontation with OMB Director Orszag, Sen. Conrad (D-ND) “said that it would be a ‘distant hope‘ to expect the climate change plan to pass unless it includes help for industries that would be hit hard by limits on carbon emission production.”

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