What's really behind Obama's sudden plea for troubled health reforms today  —  Friday afternoons and evenings — as we've mentioned here previously — are usually a dumping ground for political news its originators do not want noticed much.  Especially entering warm summer weekends.

CBS Legend Walter Cronkite Dies  —  “Most Trusted Man in America” Passes Away in New York at 92  —  (CBS) The “most trusted man in America” is gone.  —  Walter Cronkite, who personified television journalism for more than a generation as anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News …

A Year Without A Summer?  —  1816 was the “year without a summer.”  There were several causes of the abnormally cold weather that year, as this source recounts: … If this account is correct, the “year without a summer” played a role in the development of the American Midwest:

Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle  —  In George Orwell's “1984,” government censors erase all traces of news articles embarrassing to Big Brother by sending them down an incineration chute called the “memory hole.”  —  On Friday, it was “1984” and another Orwell book, “Animal Farm,” …

Last Post  —  I had all kinds of ideas for things I wanted to write before I left, but between last-minute packing and phone calls from friends and family, it didn't happen.  So I'll just say a few things quickly.  —  As I said before, one of the things that led me to start blogging …

AmeriCorps IG sues government over “unlawful” firing  —  Gerald Walpin, the AmeriCorps inspector general who was summarily fired in June amid controversy over his investigation of a politically-connected supporter of President Obama, has filed suit alleging that the firing was “unlawful,” …

Their Own Medicine  —  Senators prefer the insurance they have.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  In the health debate, liberals sing Hari Krishnas to the “public option” — a new federal insurance program like Medicare — but if it's good enough for the middle class, then surely it's good enough for the political class too?

U.S. Commanders Are Concerned About New Iraqi Restrictions on American Troops  —  American Officials See Link Between Limits, Spate of Attacks  —  The Iraqi government has moved to sharply restrict the movement and activities of U.S. forces in a new reading of a six-month-old U.S.-Iraqi security agreement …

As Mexico Border Tightens, Smugglers Take to Sea  —  SAN DIEGO — They move north in rickety fishing boats, often overloaded and barely seaworthy, slipping through the darkness and hidden from the watchful radar of American patrols.  —  Along beaches north of here, the migrants from Mexico …

U.S. Weighs Terror Interrogation Team  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is considering overhauling the way terror suspects are interrogated by creating a small team of professionals drawn from across the government, according to people familiar with a proposal that will be submitted to the White House.