BALTIMORE – Surgeons removed a woman’s kidney through her vagina so she could give it to her ailing niece, an unusual operation they hope will encourage others to donate because it reduces pain, scarring and recovery time. Doctors at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said donor Kimberly Johnson, 48, and her niece, Jennifer Gilbert, [...]
HARTFORD, Conn. – Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said Monday he will refinance two personal home mortgages from a troubled national lender that are being investigated by a Senate ethics panel. Dodd said he sought no special treatment from Countrywide Financial Corp., when he refinanced his Washington and East Haddam, Conn., homes in 2003. [...]
WASHINGTON – The top U.S. military officer cautioned Monday against comparing the Pentagon’s renewed focus on Afghanistan to the Vietnam War, citing terrorism and a non-occupation strategy as “dramatic differences” between the two conflicts. “Afghanistan is much more complex,” said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He added: “I certainly [...]