The End of American Capitalism and Great Depression 2 (Electric Boogaloo): 
▪  In today's Washington Post -- The end of American capitalism? (news analysis) -- The hands-off brand of capitalism in the United States is now being blamed for the easy credit that sickened the housing market and allowed a freewheeling Wall Street to create a pool of toxic investments that has infected the global financial system. Heavy intervention by the government, critics say, is further robbing Washington of the moral authority to spread the gospel of laissez-faire capitalism.
▪  In today's Wall St. Journal -- U.S. weighs backing all bank debt -- The U.S. may guaranteeing billions of dollars in bank debt and temporarily insure all U.S. bank deposits. These moves would mark the government's most extensive intervention yet in the financial system.
▪  In today's Washington Post -- Detroit's ills symptomatic of manufacturing plague -- Thursday's automobile stock sell-offs sparked new concern among economists and investors that the U.S. manufacturing sector, which had been slowly constricting, may be squeezed to an unimagined degree by the turmoil on Wall Street, posing a serious new economic threat at a time when the nation is already struggling with a financial sector collapse.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Moment of truth (Krugman column) -- If this weekend rolls by without a credible announcement of a new financial rescue plan, involving not just the United States but all the major players, the world economy may well experience its worst slump since the Great Depression. The time to act is now. You may think that things can’t get any worse -- but they can, and if nothing is done in the next few days, they will.
▪  Among today's most popular AP stories -- Angelina Jolie apparently breastfeeding on magazine cover -- (Don't feel compelled to follow the link. There's no picture.)

Republican Dino Rossi's BuilderGate:

▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- BIAW, Rossi may avoid deposition under Attorney General's ruling -- Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna's office rules that the suit filed against the BIAW and possibly Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Coming two days after documents were released that appeared to tie Rossi to a fundraising campaign the attorney general said was illegal, Thursday's announcement could possibly relieve Rossi of being deposed in the final weeks of a close race.
▪  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Spokane Tribe calls ads for Rossi racist -- The tribe blasts Rossi's commercials (financed by the BIAW), which they said were full of "lies, half-truths and words taken out of context" and are "racially charged."
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Police, firefighters, prosecutors others decry Rossi's sex offender ads -- The Republican ads attack Gov. Gregoire for “losing track” of 1,300 sex offenders, but a group of prosecutors, firefighters and law enforcement officers say the ads aren't true and should be pulled.
▪  At HorsesAss.com -- BIAW lies, crickets churp -- It turns out that the “child advocate” at the center of a new BIAW ad supporting Dino Rossi is a long-time Republican Party activist and the former co-chair of an anti-affirmative action initiative.  Her abuse of the title “Court Appointed Special Advocate” for political purposes has repeatedly drawn legal action from the the Washington’s Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), and, not surprising, the charges made in the ad have already been debunked as total lies.

Washington Election 2008:
▪  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Gregoire, Rossi debate -- Gregoire criticized Rossi for not saying which specific "health care mandates" (as he calls them) he wants to remove. She questioned if he would eliminate requirements to cover mammograms or prostate cancer screening. “Your plan’s unregulated, free market, no mandates. It didn’t work on Wall Street and it won’t work in the health care industry in the state of Washington.”
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Gov. Chris Gregoire smart, intense, struggling to woo voters -- She is known for fact-laden speeches that are short on sound bites and long on policy initiatives. That's led to speculation that personal style could be one reason why the race between her and Rossi is so close, even though she has the power of incumbency and has good approval ratings in the polls.
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Prop. 1 transit expansion deserves a "yes" vote -- The region’s highways will get more crowded in coming decades. The price of gas will continue to rise. Air pollution and global warming will become greater concerns. Mass transit is an essential alternative to highways and gas pumps, and it comes at a far lower environmental cost.