The Senate voted last night to begin full debate on major health care legislation, propelling President Barack Obama's top domestic initiative over a crucial, preliminary hurdle in a formidable display of muscle-flexing by the Democratic majority. (Today)

Smoking pot isn't what it used to be for Joe Lee, 62, a vintage-record dealer in suburban Rockville, Md. (Today)

WASHINGTON ??? Democrats have hit the magic number of 60 to move ahead on historic health care legislation. (Yesterday)

WASHINGTON -- Flanked by a panoply of health reform advocates in a packed Capitol meeting room i Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid showcased the sweeping plan he had unveiled the day before to overhaul the nation's health insurance system and expand coverage to millions. (11/20/2009)

Standing in ponchos and under a canopy of umbrellas, a few hundred people gathered in the rain in front of UPMC Braddock yesterday to decry UPMC's decision to shutter the hospital there, hoping their messages -- conveyed over a crackly portable speaker -- would sway the medical giant to change its mind about closing the facility. (11/20/2009)