GE's silencing of Olbermann and MSNBC's sleazy use of Richard Wolffe  —  (updated below)  —  The New York Times this morning has a remarkable story, and incredibly, the article's author, Brian Stelter, doesn't even acknowledge, let alone examine, what makes the story so significant.

Liberals will get single-payer vote on House floor  —  Seeking to dampen liberal anger about deals cut with centrists, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said House leaders have agreed to allow a floor vote on a government-run, single-payer system.

Todd and Sarah Palin to divorce  —  Affairs on both sides  —  AlaskaReport has learned this morning that Todd Palin and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin are to divorce.  Multiple sources in Wasilla and Anchorage have confirmed the news.  —  A National Enquirer story exposing previous affairs …

Obama's revealing body language (updated and expanded))  —  This picture truly is worth at least a thousand words.  —  I am stunned that the official White House Blog published this picture and that it is in the public domain.  The body language is most revealing.

IF HE'S CONFUSED, STOP INVITING HIM ON.... House Republican Caucus Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana is one of the leading right-wing critics of health care reform, and he appeared on MSNBC on Wednesday to chat about the issue with Andrea Mitchell.  He argued that the Democrats' “government-run plan” …

BEN NELSON DOESN'T CARE FOR CRITICISM.... A couple of weeks ago, Sen. Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska and a handful of centrist and center-right allies insisted that the Senate not vote on health care reform before the chamber's August recess.  Democracy for America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee …

Obama's Pledge to Tax Only the Rich Can't Pay for Everything, Analysts Say  —  WASHINGTON — Behind Democrats' struggle to pay the $1 trillion 10-year cost of President Obama's promise to overhaul the health care system is their collision with another of his well-known pledges …

Proposed Counseling for Seniors in Health Plan Spurs New Battle  —  Provision for End-of-Life Counseling Is Described by Right as ‘Death Care’  —  A campaign on conservative talk radio, fueled by President Obama's calls to control exorbitant medical bills, has sparked fear among senior citizens …

Life Expectancy Facts  —  Bicycles in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (my photo, available under creative commons license)  —  Via Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution commenter Adam comments: … The hypothesis that the health policy is not driving the difference is something we should seriously entertain.

Congress and the CIA: Time to Let Go of the Past, Move Forward  —  Last month, at a meeting overseas of intelligence service chiefs, one of my counterparts from a major Western ally pulled me aside.  Why, he asked, is Washington so consumed with what the CIA did in the past …