House health-care reform bill includes public option, Medicaid expansion  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will unveil a health-care reform bill on Thursday that includes a government insurance option and a historic expansion of Medicaid, although sticking points in the legislation involving abortion and immigration remain unresolved.

Iowa Republicans wince at Palin fee  —  A conservative Iowa group's effort to lure Sarah Palin to its banquet next month has had an unintended effect: Rather than exciting conservatives about the prospect of a visit from the former Alaska governor, the group's plan to raise a six-figure sum …

The Outlook for the 2009 Elections  —  We are still a few days away from Election Day, but party strategists, operatives and local activists are already blaming their own nominees for their defeats.  —  The clearest evidence that the Virginia gubernatorial race is over …

U.S. Economy Started to Grow Again in the Third Quarter  —  For the first time in a year, the United States economy grew, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.  But even if a recovery is technically in the offing, job seekers likely will not begin to feel the benefits for months to come.

‘Audacity to Win’: Excerpt by Plouffe on Obama Campaign  —  In a new memoir, The Audacity to Win, David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's 2008 race for the White House, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse inside the campaign.  Here's an excerpt:  —  Agony.  Ecstasy.

Gates, Crowley Spotted Together In Cambridge Bar  —  CAMBRIDGE (WBZ) ― Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley were spotted at a pub in Cambridge Wednesday night.  —  The owner of “River Gods” told WBZ the two sat in a booth together and talked for about an hour.

Obama Visits Returning War Dead  —  President Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning to meet with family members and pay his respects as the flag-draped coffins carrying bodies of 18 American troops killed this week in Afghanistan were returned to the United States.

Attorney O'Quinn killed in Houston wreck  —  Prominent Houston attorney John O'Quinn was one of two men who died this morning when their SUV slammed into a large tree on Allen Parkway after the driver apparently lost control, police said.  —  “I'm stunned.

Perry on Palin vs. Cheney  —  Gov. Rick Perry, a bit breathless from running, was on 98.1 KVET this morning to tout the Rise Across Texas Challenge, an 850-mile bike ride next March benefiting the Rise School.  —  The governor also talked politics a bit.  He said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour …

Orly Taitz Smacked Down: Birther Lawsuit Dismissed  —  Central District of California Judge David O. Carter has dismissed Barnett et al v. Obama et al, Orly Taitz's most successful lawsuit — that is, the one that got the furthest through the legal system — demanding proof of the president's citizenship.

Report: Cash for Clunkers was a lemon  —  A study by Edmunds.com released Wednesday suggests that Cash for Clunkers mostly gave money to people who were going to buy a new car anyway.  —  American taxpayers paid a lot of cash for those clunkers: $24,000 for each new car sold, according to a study released Wednesday.

A Question  —  Last night at a roundtable for our nations's elite, that is to say, “bloggers,” Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President, implied, though did not say outright, that one consequence of the real estate bubble was that manufacturing and other types of businesses were finding it difficult to obtain credit at favorable terms.

Democrats Ask New Jersey Secretary of State to Ignore Mismatched Signatures on Absentee-Ballot Requests — By: Jim Geraghty  —  This year, New Jersey's registered voters can request a mail-in ballot for any reason.  (Before 2005, voters needed to provide a reason for why they needed an absentee ballot.)

Little “Obama Effect” on Views About Race Relations  —  Attitudes toward race not significantly improved from previous years  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A majority of Americans, 56%, believe that a solution to America's race-relations problem will eventually be worked out — a figure that is roughly …

Victory for Obama Over Military Lobby  —  When the Obama administration proposed canceling a host of expensive weapons systems last spring, some of the military industry's allies in Congress assumed, as they had in the past, that they would have the final say.

Shooting at North Hollywood synagogue investigated as hate crime; man detained [Updated]  —  A gunman approached a North Hollywood synagogue this morning and shot two people before fleeing, according to police, who are investigating the attack as a hate crime.

Politicians Butt In at Bailed-Out GM  —  Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg was no fan of the $58 billion federal rescue of General Motors Co., saying he worried taxpayer money would be wasted and the restructuring process would be vulnerable to “political pressure.”  Now the lawmaker says it's his “patriotic duty” to wade into GM's affairs.