Democratic senator: Public health insurance option dead  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A key Senate negotiator said Sunday that President Barack Obama should drop his push for a government-funded public health insurance option because the Senate will never pass it.

Maddow Battles Dick Armey In “Meet The Press” Debut (VIDEO)  —  Rachel Maddow appeared on “Meet the Press” for the first time on Sunday, August 16th.  On a panel with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), and Sen. Tom Coburn …

Swimmers are told to wear burkinis  —  British swimming pools are imposing Muslim dress codes in a move described as divisive by Labour MPs.  —  Under the rules, swimmers - including non-Muslims - are barred from entering the pool in normal swimming attire.

Sarah's Ghoulish Carousel  —  I'm not sure the man who popped off and tweeted that Sonia Sotomayor was a “Latina woman racist” is the best Henry Higgins for the Eliza Doolittle of Alaska.  —  But Newt Gingrich was a professor.  And he does know something about pulling yourself up by dragging …

MEGHAN MCCAIN, BLONDE BOMB SHELL  —  JOHN MCCAIN WOUNDED THE GOP; HIS DAUGHTER IS OUT TO FINISH THE JOB  —  I liked Meghan McCain.  In her faux hipster Urban Outfitter threads, she attempted to humanize her cantankerous, over-the-hill father during the presidential election with her “cute” bloggette.

White House Appears Open to Insurance Co-ops  —  The Obama administration sent signals on Sunday that it has backed away from its once-firm vision of a government organization to provide for the nation's 50 million uninsured and is now open to using nonprofit cooperatives instead.

Swine flu jab link to killer nerve disease: Leaked letter reveals concern of neurologists over 25 deaths in America  —  A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

Who Is Human Rights Watch's Joe Stork?  —  He is, of course, the author of last week's Human Rights Watch report, which claimed that IDF soldiers murdered white-flag-waving Palestinian civilians in cold blood.  He is also the deputy director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa programs.

G.I. Jane Breaks the Combat Barrier as War Evolves  —  As the convoy rumbled up the road in Iraq, Specialist Veronica Alfaro was struck by the beauty of fireflies dancing in the night.  Then she heard the unmistakable pinging of tracer rounds and, in a Baghdad moment, realized the insects were illuminated bullets.

Delegation under Fire for Failing to Engage Constituents During August Recess  —  Members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation are under fire today from the editorial pages of the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader and the liberal Portsmouth Herald.  —  No time for town hall meetings

Is Obama's Grandmother Now a Prop?  —  Barack Obama has invoked his experience with his grandmother's death in support of his health care restructuring plans.  —  Does this mean Obama used his grandmother as a “prop,” and that this would justify mocking his grandmother?  No.

K. H. Bacon, an Advocate for Refugees, Is Dead at 64  —  Kenneth H. Bacon, a former journalist and Pentagon spokesman who devoted his last years to highlighting refugees' problems and urging policymakers to find solutions, died Saturday morning at his summer home on Block Island, R.I. He was 64 and a resident of Washington.