Health care reform: 

►  From AP -- New Dem plan has public option, lower cost -- Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (which includes Sen. Patty Murray) outlined a revised and far less costly health care plan Wednesday night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers.

►  From McClatchy -- Health-care reform cost estimates mostly unreliable -- The overhaul's fate is likely to depend on the price tag, and estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office will guide Congress. But experts warn it's extremely hard to pinpoint cost estimates in this atmosphere, and most price tags are ultimately unreliable.

►  In today's NY Times -- President pushes health care plan as economic boon -- Obama holds a town-hall-style meeting to heighten the urgency surrounding the debate and dismisses critics who say the issue is too complex to tackle during his first year. He renews his push for a public option, which could compete with private insurers and, Obama said, “keep insurers honest.”

►  From AP -- Private health coverage hits 50-year low, studies say -- About 65% of nonelderly Americans had private insurance in 2008, down from 67% the year before, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the 1970s and early 1980s, nearly 80% had coverage.

►  In the (Longview) Daily News -- Cantwell discusses health care reform with business leaders -- A new federal healthcare plan should include universal coverage and a form of President Obama’s so-called “public option,” but it needs to be cost-effective, she says.

►  In the Kitsap Sun -- Workforce worries a key part of health reform, Murray says -- It's not just about insurance coverage, she says. We must ensure enough nurses and doctors are available to provide care. “We can’t provide meaningful health care reform without a qualified workforce.” 

Boeing news: 

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Speculation grows for 2nd 787 line in South Carolina -- Reports that Boeing is negotiating to buy a key link in the 787 supply chain have intensified speculation it may be laying the groundwork for putting a second final-assembly plant out of state. An industry web site and the Wall Street Journal reported online Wednesday that Boeing is in talks to buy the South Carolina plant where Vought Aircraft Industries builds the two rear fuselage sections of the 787. Both companies declined to comment. South Carolina, a "right-to-work" state where labor unions have historically been weak, also would offer Boeing a respite from what one analyst calls the "rather toxic labor-relations environment in Seattle."

A few questions:  Does anybody believe our so-called "toxic labor-relations environment" has ANYTHING to do with geography, as if Seattle workers and unions are genetically uppity? Aren't labor unrest and lower morale an easily anticipated, unavoidable result of a business strategy to outsource everything except final assembly? Wouldn't that have happened anywhere they used to actually build airplanes? Aren't these "experts" really saying that Boeing needs to move someplace where nobody remembers what good jobs they used to offer?

►  In today's Charlotte (S.C.) P-O -- Reports say Vought to sell local operation to Boeing -- The possibility of a sale of the Vought plant is creating angst in the Northwest, the longtime home to Boeing's aircraft manufacturing hub and the thousands of well-paid workers it employs.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- The blame game: Easy scapegoats won't fly (Jon Talton column) -- Some people are convinced that unions are to blame for the death of American manufacturing. They inexplicably give a pass to such factors as executive blunders, Wall Street's unsustainable drive for profits and, especially, globalization. ... If the worst comes to pass, I am unpersuaded that Puget Sound workers are to blame. ... The world is coming after what we have.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- How to keep Boeing in Puget Sound as South Carolina beckons (op-ed by industry consultant Scott Hamilton) -- It's all about cost, cost, cost. Boeing CEO James McNerney needs to be persuaded that the region is competitive on all cost-based levels: wages, benefits, taxes, building costs, impact fees, energy costs, etc. Quality education is also important. 

►  At HeraldNet.com -- Gov. Gregoire considers trip to Boeing's Chicago HQ -- She had been mulling the trip before today's reports. (The good news: South Carolina's governor is busy.) 

Unemployment news: 

►  From AP -- 467,000 jobs cut in June; jobless rate hits 9.5% -- The national unemployment rate hits a 26-year high, showing that even as the recession flashes signs of easing, companies likely will want to keep a lid on costs and be wary of hiring until they feel certain the economy is on solid ground.

►  In today's LA Times -- Hiring may not rebound in economic recovery -- The unemployment rate is likely to hit double digits later this year and is expected to remain there well into 2010. That would prolong the misery of the unemployed, squeeze retailers and other businesses, and add millions of dollars in government costs and lost productivity. It could even threaten the recovery itself.

►  At ABCNews.com -- U.S. headed for "jobless recover," Krugman says -- Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Krugman said the nation is on course for a "prolonged jobless" economic recovery unless the White House steps in with a second round of government stimulus money.

News from Olympia: 

►  In today's Olympian -- Struggling families needing aid adds to budget shortfall -- More residents will receive Medicaid and children’s health assistance in the next two years than earlier forecast, creating a $250 million shortfall in the state’s already-strained budget. The governor's office is asking agencies "to begin planning for additional reduction plans that would be implemented with a supplemental budget” in January.

►  In today's Olympian -- Eyman's latest initiative would put state further in the red -- Critics of Tim Eyman’s newest tax-limiting initiative (I-1033) say it will add to the state’s budget shortfall in 2011 and hamper the rescue of programs being slashed now because of budget cuts.

►  In today's Yakima H-R -- Foes of illegal immigration appear to be short of signatures -- A petition drive for Initiative 1043, which would prohibit illegal immigrants from getting jobs, driver's licenses or public benefits, appears to have fallen short.

►  In the Kitsap Sun -- Lawmakers seeking federal funds to keep ferries afloat -- Sen. Murray and Rep. Larsen are pursuing at least $40 million a year in federal dollars that could take a big chunk out of WSF's projected $3.3 billion funding gap over the next 22 years.

►  From BusinessWeek -- Will state tax breaks boost jobs? -- With the economy slumping and unemployment approaching 10%, states are kicking corporate tax incentives into overdrive. In the past year they've doled out a record $50 billion to spur job growth. Cash-strapped locales are depending indirectly on federal aid to fund the tax-break bonanza. But economists are beginning to wonder whether such initiatives create or save jobs at all. Companies taking advantage of lucrative tax incentives are jumping from state to state -- and bringing their jobs with them. Sure, some states will see job gains, but they may be only temporary. As a result, the states' efforts likely won't improve the national jobs picture.