Carolyn McCarthy won't return to work yet

Congress returns Monday from its recess, but Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) isn't quite ready to go back to work. McCarthy, 69, took medical leave in June and is still undergoing lung-cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, her chief of staff Stuart Chapman said.

"The congresswoman is nearing completion of her treatments, and her doctors have been pleased with how well she has responded," Chapman said. Though Washington considers itself the center of the universe, Chapman added, "Sometimes the medical calendar doesn't line up with the congressional calendar. She will be back in the coming weeks."

-- Tom Brune