Hochul Is Sworn In as House Member

By CARL HULSE

Kathy Hochul, the Democrat who won a special election in upstate New York last week, was sworn in as the newest member of the House on Wednesday, giving her party a lift and reducing Republican dominance in the House by one.

Ms. Hochul, who had been the Erie County clerk, was surrounded by applauding Democrats before she took the oath of office administered by Speaker John A. Boehner.

?We can and must find common-sense solutions to the problems facing each of our districts and the country,? Ms. Hochul, who had once been a Congressional aide, said in a brief speech as she beamed proudly and thanked her family and supporters.

After the shellacking they took in the November elections, Democrats hope Ms. Hochul is the face of things to come as they try to regain some of the seats lost to Republicans. Coming in a solidly Republican district, her election was an upset, one Republicans attributed more to a third-party candidate than the strong opposition Ms. Hochul expressed to the Republican plan to overhaul Medicare.

Her election leaves the party divide in the House at 240 Republicans to 193 Democrats, with two vacancies.

Hochul Is Sworn In as House Member

The Democrat who won a special election in upstate New York takes her seat in Congress.

Weiner ?Can?t Say? Twitter Photo Is Not of Him

Representative Anthony D. Weiner said on Wednesday that he was not sure whether he was the one in a lewd photo sent from his Twitter account that shows a man in his underpants from the waist down.

Rick Perry?s Bush Problem

The biographical and visceral similarities between the governor of Texas and George W. Bush might prove hard for voters to ignore.

Second Appellate Panel Hears Arguments on Health Care Law

By KEVIN SACK

Another step in a battle that could lead to the Supreme Court is deciding whether President Obama?s legislation goes beyond Congress?s authority to regulate interstate commerce.

Pressing Obama, House Bars Rise for Debt Ceiling

By JACKIE CALMES

The House overwhelmingly rejected a measure to increase the debt limit, a vote staged by Republicans to pressure President Obama to accept deep cuts.

Economic Scene: One Person, One Vote? Not Exactly

By DAVID LEONHARDT

The influence of Iowa and New Hampshire in the presidential election season hurts economic policy.

Commerce Choice Draws Praise for Background

By JACKIE CALMES

John E. Bryson has had experience in both business and environmental fields, but Senate Republicans threatened to block his confirmation over a trade dispute.

Source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/hochul-is-sworn-in-as-house-member/

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