Citizen Cartwright

Congress hits the exits a week early

Lawmakers completed work early Thursday morning on the continuing resolution to keep the government from running out of money and adjourned until after the election.

The Senate historian says it's the earliest pre-election departure since 1960.

Some Democrats opposed the decision to put off difficult votes, and the House measure to adjourn passed by just one vote.

Next up for lawmakers: Trying to explain to voters who lack jobs why they should keep theirs.

Many big Democratic donors aren't giving this time

The reasons include pessimism about the party’s prospects and President Obama’s criticism of independent donations both during the 2008 campaign and since his election, The New York Times says.

Shorter hours for new doctors

To improve patient safety and decrease medical errors, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's board of directors has approved new work shift limits for more than 110,000 new doctors being trained at U.S. hospitals.

Winners of the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'

This year's Right Livelihood Award winners were announced Thursday morning in Sweden: Nnimmo Bassey of Nigeria for "revealing the full ecological and human horrors of oil production" there,  Bishop Erwin Krautler of Brazil for his efforts to save the Amazon and indigenous people, Shrikrishna Upadhyay and the group Support Activities for Poor Producers of Nepal, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.

This is the 30th anniversary of the awards, which were the idea of journalist Jakob von Uexkull, who thought the Nobel Prize categories were too narrow and too concentrated on the interests of industrialized countries.

He wanted to recognize the work of people who are "coming up with practical answers to challenges like the pollution of our air, soil and water, the danger of nuclear war, the abuse of basic human rights, the destitution and misery of the poor and the over-consumption and spiritual poverty of the wealthy."

The winners will split a $270,000 cash award.

Astronomers say they've found the most Earth-like planet yet

And it's "only" 20 light-years away.

Astronomer Steven Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz says there are "potentially billions" of Earth-like worlds out there.

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Buffett says China's wealthy exceed his expectations on charitable giving

Germany's 20th anniversary of reunification also marks last payment of World War I debt

What's next when offshore drilling ban expires?

Gene disorder is linked to ADHD

Does the European terror plot extend here?

That's what U.S. officials investigating the potential threats against Britain, France and Germany are trying to find out.

The plot is considered one of the most serious al Qaeda attack plans in recent years, the BBC says.

It's inspired by al Qaeda's "fugitive core leadership" in Pakistan's tribal areas and involves small well-armed commando-style teams of jihadist militants who would carry out commando-style raids on cities, according to the BBC.

In response, the United States has increased its drone attacks in Pakistan to at least 20 so far this month, up from the previous monthly record of 12, The Washington Post reports.

Strong tea: 'Substantial chunk of the Republican Party is rebranding'

And those rebranded Tea Party supporters make up a third of the voters most likely to cast ballots in November, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

The poll shows "enormous amounts about how limited the interest is going to be in those new majorities to try to seek negotiation with the president or the Democratic leadership" if Republicans win control of the House or Senate, says pollster Bill McInturff.

Obama tries to close the 'enthusiasm gap'

The president spoke to an estimated 27,000 people at the University of Wisconsin at Madison on Tuesday — the largest crowd since the campaign, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

"The biggest mistake we can make right now is to let disappointment lead to apathy," Obama said.

"The enthusiasm gap is real," says Rodd Freitag, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. "I think younger voters may be experiencing the frustrations of seeing our political system at work, of not getting everything you want immediately. The euphoria has gone away."

And here's one of those younger voters who likely would drive the Democratic Party wild: University of Wisconsin junior Emily Lawless waited in line for five and a half hours to see Obama but says she probably won't vote because "It's too much work with the absentee ballot."

Max Baucus wants the IRS to investigate nonprofits' donations

The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee has written to the Internal Revenue Service saying, "With hundreds of millions of dollars being spent in election contests by tax-exempt entities, it is time to take a fresh look at current practices and how they comport" with the law.

Business-based and conservative groups plan to spend a total of $300 million to help elect Republicans this fall, The Wall Street Journal says — with at least $200 million of that total to be spent by the 501(c)4 groups Baucus is targeting.