The White House is threatening to veto three bills changing how EPA uses science in its regulatory decisions. The House has already passed two of them.

"As cases of a worrisome respiratory virus continue to pop up in the Middle East, scientists who study it in the U.S. are struggling to understand how they'll be affected by a government moratorium on certain kinds of experiments."

The mid-term election raised the prominence of senators who deny the established science of climate change and promote the interests of fossil energy companies.

"Governments can keep climate change in check at manageable costs but will have to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2100 to limit risks of irreversible damage, a U.N. report said on Sunday."

"WASHINGTON — Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, a Republican who is fighting a Democratic challenge from former Gov. Charlie Crist, was asked by The Miami Herald if he believes climate change is significantly affecting the weather. 'Well, I’m not a scientist,' he said."