►  Today from Reuters -- Medicare "buy'in" unlikely to survive in Senate -- After a meeting to find agreement on President Obama's top domestic priority, Democratic senators say they are determined to pass the bill by a self-imposed end-of-year deadline. That means dropping a compromise plan to allow those between the age of 55 and 64 to "buy-in" to Medicare, they said, after Sen. Joe Lieberman threatened to join Republicans in blocking any bill with the proposal.

►  In today's NY Times -- Lieberman gets ex-party to shift on health-care plan -- Just the thought of Joe Lieberman makes some Democrats want to spit nails these days. But he is not the least troubled by his status as master infuriator. He showed how powerful that role can be at a time when Democrats cannot spare a single vote.

►  Today from AP -- Obama to work to solidify support for health care bill -- The president is planning to tell Senate Democrats that now is the time to come together and pass a sweeping health care bill that would dramatically reshape the nation's medical system.

►  In today's Washington Post -- Drugmakers fight plan to allow imports -- Drugmakers intensify their lobbying push against a popular proposal to allow Americans to buy cheaper drugs from other countries, one of several heated disputes that have bogged down health-care negotiations.

Boeing news:

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- 787 is set to fly this morning, if weather cooperates -- If Mother Nature cooperates, the 787 will take flight at 10 a.m. today from Everett's Paine Field, a major milestone for Boeing's first new aircraft in roughly 15 years. To do so, the company says it needs good visibility, little to no wind and no standing water on the runway. Watch it live.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- 787 test pilot ready to put the new jet through its paces -- In the next nine months, as chief 787 test pilot Mike Carriker leads Boeing's newest airplane through a series of flight tests, he'll draw upon an ability developed through decades of experience: to keep cool, gather data and maneuver with precision during heart-racing moments of tension.

►  In the Seattle Times -- This flight unlikely is to strike the usual chord here (Jon Talton column) -- One potent question is whether Boeing has learned the right lessons from the repeated delays of the 787 Dreamliner. The answer needs to be more than the narrative that the Machinist union's ill-advised strike of 2008 is the root of all trouble. The 787 is billed as a revolutionary airplane, but to contain costs Boeing built it with an untested global supply chain that has proved disastrous -- especially at the Vought plant in South Carolina, now to be the site of a second 787 line and perhaps much more. The result has been a case study in how not to do outsourcing. It has also called into question something unprecedented for Boeing: its technical competence and reputation as an engineering firm that produces world-class airplanes. Has this penetrated the aura of the Jack Welch protégés? The top brass's willingness to roll the dice again with the risky and potentially costly startup in North Charleston makes one wonder.

►  A bit late to the party, the Walla Walla U-B piles on -- Boeing's union workers should rethink approach (editorial) -- This is an opportunity for union officials to rethink their hard-line approach. That might mean taking some lumps and giving up the right to strike, but it's far better than losing tens of thousands of jobs and a major force in the state's economy.

►  In today's NY Times -- Trade group predicts another year of losses for airlines -- Demand for air travel is expected to rebound next year, but airlines will continue to report losses as excess capacity forces them to keep ticket prices low, predicts the Int'l Air Transport Association.

State government news:

►  In today's Olympian -- Raises in sight for some state employees -- The $83 million in raises represents the “step” or longevity-pay increase that almost one-third of general-government workers are entitled to earn in yearly increments, typically over their first six years in a job. WFSE spokesman Tim Welch says, “Reopening contracts at this point probably doesn’t make sense. We already have reopened contracts once... We would have to see what the proposal is. We can’t foresee a situation where that would happen.” Democratic Rep. Ross Hunter says all options, including eliminating step increases, should be on the table.

►  At TheOlympian.com -- Cheer up: New revenue report only $17 million down -- The latest report carries a tad more bad news: a dip in October tax collections, but revenue forecaster Arun Raha says the drop was "slight (-1.1%), indicating the (Nov. 19) forecast is on the right track."

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Washington employers to see increase in UI rates -- The state Employment Security Department announces that the average tax rate in 2010 will be an estimated 2.38%, up from 1.55% in 2009, but still lower than rates during the last economic recovery in 2004 (2.81%) and 2005 (2.78%), and equal to the 2006 rate.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- 2010 unemployment-insurance rates (posting by ESD Commissioner Karen Lee) -- The 2010 tax-rate increases are the product of huge benefit payouts and low tax collections in 2009. Businesses were paying the lowest taxes in 40 years during the depths of this recession.

►  In the Kitsap Sun -- Stop the state's ferry surcharge before it starts (editorial) -- Gregoire's initial 2010 budget includes a directive that a fuel surcharge on fares be considered to cover a nearly $33 million gap in fuel costs, an idea rejected by the Transportation Commission in September.

►  In today's Columbian -- Pursuing revenue (editorial) -- When the legislature reconvenes in January, Rep. Jim Moeller will laudably try to lasso an escaped cash cow, but Rep. Deb Wallace's effort to gather sales tax revenue from Oregonians will be a wasted effort. 

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Not a proper role for the state (editorial) -- If reforming what government does, and how it does it, is to be a serious part of solving the state’s ongoing budget woes, we raise our glasses to the idea of getting the state out of the liquor business.

Local news: