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Washington Times Opinion Piece, Editorial Discuss DOJ Nominee Johnsen
The Washington Times recently published an opinion piece and an editorial discussing President Obama"s nomination of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department. Summaries appear below. ~ Mickey Edwards/William Sessions, Washington Times: The Senate should "act expeditiously to approve" Johnsen"s nomination because "her views on the limits of presidential power are precisely what the Constitution envisions and conservatives have long championed," Edwards, vice president of the Aspen Institute and author of "Reclaiming Conservatism," and Sessions, a partner at the law firm Holland & Knight, write in a Times opinion piece. According to the authors, Johnsen "made her views clear" on the limits of presidential power when she joined a bipartisan group of lawyers that declared that the Office of Legal Counsel should promote "presidential adherence to the rule of law." Edwards and Sessions write that Johnsen is being criticized for "being blunt, unserious and critical of presidential policies." However, these attacks are unwarranted, they write, noting that in the legal profession, "a little blunt talk to a client -- in this case, the president of the United States -- might be required." Edwards and Sessions continue, "What is needed in the Office of Legal Counsel is a person with the constitutional understanding to know that even presidents with whose politics she agrees must obey both the Constitution and federal statutes and who has the gumption to say so, even if the advice won"t be well received" (Edwards/Sessions, Washington Times, 5/21).~ Washington Times: The editorial states that Johnsen "is so radical" that 31 Republican Indiana state senators on Monday sent a letter to Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) asking them to oppose her confirmation. The Republican senators called Johnsen"s views supporting abortion rights "extremely radical" and said she often uses "harsh, sensationalizing rhetoric" in her writings on Supreme Court cases, the editorial states. According to the editorial, Johnsen"s "political advocacy shows a profound disregard for the courts" proper role" because she considers the courts "as making up just another political, policymaking branch of government, not as bodies restrained by the Constitution or existing laws." The editorial continues that Johnsen is "guilty" of "asking judges to impose their own policy preferences" in favor of abortion rights "against the dictates of existing constitutional law." The editorial concludes, "Someone with such contemptuous views of the Constitution should not be the Obama administration"s chief constitutional interpreter" (Washington Times, 5/21).

Medical Care Sought In Mexico By Nearly 1 Million Californians Annually
Driven by rising health care costs at home, nearly 1 million Californians cross the border each year to seek medical care in Mexico, according a new paper by UCLA researchers and colleagues published in the journal Medical Care.
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Republicans To Introduce Health Reform Plan That Would Establish State Health Insurance Exchanges, Provide Tax Credits
Congressional Republicans are releasing two health care reform proposals -- one from conservatives and one from moderates -- as alternatives to plans by Democrats, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/19). Conservative Plan
Public Health

Hebrew U. To Launch Biggest Center In Israel For Brain Research

Israel"s largest institute for brain research will be launched this week at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The new $130 million Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (or ELSC), will be announced in the presence of Mrs. Lily Safra. The Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation has made a lead donation of $50 million to the project, and the Hebrew University is seeking additional funding from its friends in Israel and around the world. The decision to invest in a center for brain sciences is based on the findings of an international monitoring committee, whose members include two Nobel laureates, Prof. Bert Sakmann and Prof. Richard Axel. The committee determined that the level of research in the field of brain sciences at the Hebrew University is among the highest in the world and that a newly equipped center will enable the university to be ranked among the top five in the world in this field. President of the Hebrew University Prof. Menachem Magidor said, "Thanks to the leadership of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, the university will be able to help solve one of the key scientific questions of the 21st century -- how the human brain works -- by discovering new medical approaches for treating neurological disorders and applying new technologies that imitate the activity of the human brain." According to the acting director of the ELSC, Prof. Eilon Vaadia, "With an increasing aging population and a rise in the prevalence of neurological disorders in old age, brain research should be a key issue in modern society. In another 15 years or so, we as a society won"t have the financial capacity to support all the health problems for the growing ageing population, and so we must quickly find solutions." Mrs. Lily Safra, president of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, said, "Understanding the brain is the premier challenge of our time, and I am confident that the Hebrew University"s investigators and students will make a profound impact. My husband Edmond would have been so proud that his name is linked to an initiative that brings new hope to families around the world suffering from Parkinson"s, Alzheimer"s and other devastating brain diseases." The Edmond and Lily Safra Center will pursue five different inter-cooperative fields of brain research. The first will focus on genes, molecules and nerve cells in the brain; the second will focus on research of structure and function of local neuronal circuits; the third will focus on research of electrical activity and the communication between brain areas, with the aim of understanding how senses, movement and thoughts are created; the fourth will research cognitive processes and will focus mainly on aspects of human brain function; while the fifth will focus on theoretical fields, computational aspects and building models of the nervous system, proposing new experiments and predicting their results. The ELSC will recruit an additional 15 members of staff to undertake the research. To mark the launch of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center, a series of events involving leading researchers from the Hebrew University and overseas will be held as part of the 72nd meeting of the Hebrew University"s Board of Governors: * Symposium on June 8, "From brain research to brain repair," will address advances in basic research in neuroscience and their consequences for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Lectures include "Genetics and neuroscience of autism;" "Deep brain stimulations for Parkinson"s disease;" ""Prospects and challenges of stem cell research;" and "Advances in treatment of Alzheimer"s disease." Speakers include Nobel laureate Prof. Bert Sakmann, Prof. Menachem Magidor, Prof. Gerald Fishbach, Prof. Nissim Benvenisty, Prof. Eilon Vaadia, Prof. Marta Weinstock-Rosin and Prof. Hagai Bergmann. * Roundtable discussion on June 9, "Brain, Art and Creativity," will bring together artists and scientists to discuss the process of creativity and the potential for bridging the divide between art and science. Speakers include Prof. Idan Segev, artist Michal Rovner and Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund. * Roundtable discussion on June 10, "Neuroscience and Society,"| will highlight the far-reaching ethical, philosophical and psychological consequences of brain research. Speakers include Prof. Haim Sompolinsky, Prof. Hermona Soreq, Dr. Amir Amedi and Prof. Naftaly Tishby. Jerry Barach The Hebrew University of Jerusalem


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