On Monday, I traveled to New York City to meet with Rev. Al Sharpton and fellow members of Congress to discuss last week's verdict in the trial of the three police officers accused of shooting and murdering the unarmed Sean Bell the night before his wedding. We were joined by the Bell family, including his fiancee Nicole, and together, we visited the scene of the November, 2006 shooting.

I recently sat down with members of the scientific community at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss collaborative efforts on the issue of universal health care. The school's dean, Dr. Michael Klag, was welcoming and supportive, as was everyone else I met with there. I look forward to learning from the research conducted at Bloomberg and to working with the scientists and professors there who share our commitment to all Americans have access to health care.

As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I have spent a lot of time focusing on the egregious politicization of the Department of Justice under President Bush. But political interference with the basic functions of the Executive Branch in this Administration extends far beyond DOJ. Yesterday, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a disturbing report on politicization at the Environmental Protection Agency.