Obama's Trust Problem  —  According to news reports, the Obama administration — which seemed, over the weekend, to be backing away from the “public option” for health insurance — is shocked and surprised at the furious reaction from progressives.  —  Well, I'm shocked and surprised at their shock and surprise.

Newspaper corrects 'Jackass'-Keith Olbermann mix-up  —  Thank goodness The Times is the forthright, ethical institution that it is.  —  And when a mistake happens, it rushes to set the journalistic record straight with an honest repair.  —  Here is an actual correction from Page A4 of today's print edition:

Bush Official, in Book, Tells of Pressure on '04 Vote  —  WASHINGTON — Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, asserts in a new book that he was pressured by top advisers to President George W. Bush to raise the national threat level just before the 2004 election in what he suspected was an effort to influence the vote.

No Health Care Reform Without Legal Reform  —  President Obama's health care “reform” plan has met with significant criticism across the country.  Many Americans want change and reform in our current health care system.  We recognize that while we have the greatest medical care in the world …

Rise of the Super-Rich Hits a Sobering Wall  —  The rich have been getting richer for so long that the trend has come to seem almost permanent.  —  They began to pull away from everyone else in the 1970s.  By 2006, income was more concentrated at the top than it had been since the late 1920s.

Lawyers Showed Photos of Covert CIA Officers to Guantanamo Bay Detainees  —  Justice Dept. Looking Into Whether Attorneys Broke Law at Guantanamo  —  By Peter Finn, Page A01  —  The Justice Department recently questioned military defense attorneys at Guantanamo Bay about whether photographs …

‘Wee-weed up:’ White House explains it  —  So what did the president mean when he said this week that everyone's getting all “wee-weed up” in Washington?  —  “It's a phrase I use,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today, hesitating at his press briefing to offer a physical demonstration of the phraseology.

Key Senators Discuss Trimming Health Bill  —  President Calls Public Option a ‘Good Idea’ but Not Essential to Reform Effort  —  Senate health-care negotiators agreed late Thursday to ignore the increasingly strident rhetoric from Republican and Democratic leaders and to keep working toward …

REMEMBER, HE LOST.... Chris Cillizza let readers know this morning about what to watch on Sunday morning. … Cillizza described McCain's appearance as “Must Watch TV.”  I have no idea why.  —  First, let's note that John McCain is not a key senator right now.

Honest Debate Needed on End-of-Life Talk  —  Let's see if we can have a reasoned discussion about end-of-life counseling.  —  We might start by asking Sarah Palin to leave the room.  I've got nothing against her.  She's a remarkable political talent.  But there are no “death panels” …

Zogby Interactive Poll: Obama's Job Approval Sinks to Record Low 45%  —  UTICA, New York - President Barack Obama's job approval rating has sunk to a record low of just 45%, the latest Zogby Interactive poll shows.  Fifty-one percent of likely voters now say they disapprove of the President's job performance.

Idaho GOP leader who helped spur coup arrested  —  BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho Republican Party leader who helped oust the state GOP chairman in 2008 faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an altercation escalated while he photographed a home with a delinquent mortgage.

Huckabee: Evangelicals more supportive of Israel than Jews  —  Mike Huckabee, a longtime Christian Zionist wrapping up a trip to Israel, tells CBN that he was struck by firmer support for Israel — as he sees it — from American Christians than from American Jews.

Who do the birthers love?  —  We decided to break down the birthers by their opinions of Barack Obama and the various leading 2012 contenders.  Here's what we found:  —Not surprisingly only 16% of them approve of Obama's job performance while 75% disapprove.

Gun rights, control groups find fight in health debate  —  A Virginia-based gun rights group has taken issue with the Democrat-led healthcare proposals, saying that the proposed plans could strip citizens of their rights to own a gun.  —  The Gun Owners of America group …

Ramadan Kareem  —  As the new crescent moon ushers in Ramadan, the President extends his best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world.  —  Each Ramadan, the ninth month on the lunar calendar, Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset for 29 or 30 days.

Tort Reform Won't Fix Healthcare?, Ctd  —  A reader writes: … Another reader writes: … States have different laws, and punitive damages are capped in some states, but this lawyer isn't entirely correct.  The tort reform I know best is California's Malpractice Injury and Compensation Reform Act …

Mexico legalizes drug possession  —  Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on Friday — a move that prosecutors say makes sense even in the midst of the government's grueling battle against drug traffickers.  —  Prosecutors said the new law sets clear limits …

Caught in fraud, dirty coal group dumps one of its Astroturf contractors.  —  The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is dumping Bonner & Associates, the Astroturf firm that forged letters to Congress attacking clean energy legislation on its behalf.

US wiretapping challenge rejected  —  A US judge has rejected a challenge to a law that allows intelligence services to eavesdrop on overseas conversations to gather intelligence.  —  The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the US to monitor the calls and emails of non-US citizens abroad.

No Maine Miracle Cure  —  Another state ‘public option’ that failed.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Want a preview of ObamaCare in action?  Sneak a look at what has happened in Maine.  In 2003, the state to great fanfare enacted its own version of universal health care.

Democrat Deeds Struggling in N.Va., a Must-Win in Governor's Race  —  Conservatism, Low Visibility Hinder Democrat on What Should Be Friendly Turf  —  Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds is running behind his Republican opponent in a recent Washington Post poll in large part …

C.I.A. Said to Use Outsiders to Put Bombs on Drones  —  WASHINGTON — From a secret division at its North Carolina headquarters, the company formerly known as Blackwater has assumed a role in Washington's most important counterterrorism program: the use of remotely piloted drones to kill Al Qaeda's leaders …

Jennifer MacMillan  —  New passport rules are keeping Americans at home, with June numbers showing that travel to Canada from the United States fell to its lowest level since Statistics Canada started tracking cross-border trips in 1972.  —  The number of same-day car trips from the United States …

Obama to meet with Daschle — McChrystal to give recommendations for Afghanistan strategy — conservative group buys ad to mock Obama vacation  —  BIRTHWEEK: Jenny Backus.  BIRTHDAY: Harry Smith ... Joe Mathieu (hat tip: Patrick Gavin).  BIRTHDAY SUNDAY: Chase Cushman, Obama scheduler. 15th ANNIVERSARY TODAY: Lisa and Eric Simmons.