Just before leaving town for the 4th of July recess, the House passed the climate change legislation. President Obama praised this first step, calling it “extraordinary,” but was less enthusiastic about the provision in the House version of the bill that would impose a tariff in 2020 on imports from countries without systems for pricing or limiting carbon dioxide emissions.  Expect a battle in the Senate after Congress returns. Speaking of political battles: as the healthcare overhaul plans are being debated in Congress, the President can not afford to sit on the sidelines.  Once in a while he has to signal one way or the other what compromises he is willing to make in order to accomplish the reform.  There are signs that one of them is taxing the healthcare benefits that people do have.  Not that we know for certain, though.  And…speaking of signs: apparently, there has been an increasing incidence of crop circles in Australia, but turns out it’s not the extraterrestrials trying to communicate with the Earthlings.  It’s stoned wallabies (we kid you not!)