The Wonk Room

“The Texas Coast will likely see significantly more flooding and damage from hurricanes because of global warming,” according to a new Texas A&M University study.

“Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rick Boucher (D-VA), are scheduled today to brief their Senate colleagues, including Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA)” on the Waxman-Markey energy and climate bill.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “believes agriculture and forestry should be included in an offsets program” as part of global warming policy, but also told rural Illinoisans yesterday to “embrace the change for its potential opportunities.”

A Chinese financial official yesterday “rejected suggestions the US dollar could be replaced quickly as the global reserve currency.” “In the short term I don’t think we can find another currency to replace the US dollar,” he said.

According to new Justice Department data, “most types of crime declined nationally last year, despite the economic downturn.” “The data assuaged fears that job losses, foreclosures and reduced social services would lead to increased crime,” reports the New York Times.

Andrew Leonard on rising oil prices: “Given how fast and furious oil prices rose in late 2007 and 2008, it seems hard to believe that May witnessed the sharpest one-month rise — up 30 percent — in the last ten years. But that’s what happened.”

AP reports “Defense Secretary Robert Gates isn’t ruling out spending more on missile defense than what he’s asked for in next year’s budget if North Korea or other nations increase threats against the United States. Gates said the missile tests by North Korea over the past week appear to have attracted more support on Capitol Hill for missile interceptors.”

Marc Lynch writes that “the growing intra-Palestinian turbulence is a dangerously rising trend which could undermine the President’s efforts” to broker Israeli-Arab peace.

The New York Times reports that “Somalia is once again a raging battle zone, with jihadists pouring in from overseas, preparing for a final push to topple the transitional government.”

A new study published in Health Affairs finds that “the 161 million Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance are facing substantial increases in out-of-pocket (OOP) costs.”

Robert Laszewski summarizes the take-away from the health industry’s 28-page cost-containment letter to the President: “To me the common thread though each of the 28 pages is pretty clear–”We are on track to make America’s health care system more efficient and better in quality. Leave us alone. And, if you’d like to send us another $100 billion a year without a lot of strings attached that would be fine too.”

Tim Foley explains why state solutions to the health care crisis just won’t cut it.