Health care news: 

►  In today's Wall St. Journal -- White House open to deal on public health plan -- It is more important that health-care legislation inject stiff competition among insurance plans than it is for Congress to create a pure government-run option, says White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest," he said. "The goal is non-negotiable; the path is" negotiable. His comments came as the Senate Finance Committee pushed for a bipartisan deal.

►  At Talking Points Memo -- Do Sen. Baucus' health industry ties compromise his reform efforts? -- At this point, only a handful of senators have any real power over the direction reform will take. Of them, Montana's Max Baucus may have both the most clout and the most industry ties. More than a half dozen insurance and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists were once Baucus staffers.

►  In today's NY Times -- Seattle-based health co-op offers model for overhaul -- After a month of brainstorming, including briefings from Group Health executives, the Senate Finance Committee seems poised to propose private-sector insurance co-ops -- instead of a new government plan.

►  In today's NY Times -- White House, hospitals are reported to be near deal -- The Obama administration and major hospital associations on Monday evening were nearing a deal for about $150 billion in cost savings to help pay for an overhaul of the nation’s health care system, with an announcement expected at the White House as early as Wednesday.

►  In today's NY Times -- Financing health reform (editorial) -- Our preference would be to extract savings from the bloated, inefficient health care system -- but also to raise revenues from a wider pool, preferably from well-to-do Americans who could be taxed more to benefit all.

►  At TheOlympian.com -- Online town hall explores "public option" on health care -- State political leaders are still trying to have a voice on the health-care reform front.

Local news: 

►  In today's News Tribune -- Macy's workers from Bellingham to SeaTac OK contract -- Some 1,200 union workers in Macy’s stores from SeaTac to Bellingham have approved a new contract by a 75% margin. The new agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 includes better wages, a signing bonus and new seniority, scheduling and union security language, the union said.

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Providence lays off 44 hospital employees -- The numbers are lower than feared last winter, when executives hinted at hundreds of job losses to cope with the recession and resulting cutbacks in government health care spending and unpaid medical bills.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Eyman's dangerous spending initiative could pass (op-ed) -- Government leaders would do well to restrain spending in good times as well as bad. But because Eyman's I-1033 will go to voters at a time when they are feeling the tax pinch during the toughest times most can remember, it's very possible government won't get the chance to do that themselves.

►  At SeattleTimes.com -- Elway poll finds most voters support Sen. Patty Murray's performance -- The June poll says Sen. Murray received the highest performance ratings of her career.

National news: 

►  From In These Times -- Solidarity reunited? -- UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm thinks the union will prevail in a three-front battle with contentious employers, a rotten economy and the “company union” (as they label SEIU) by focusing the union’s fight on companies, strengthening members’ involvement in the union and rallying support from other unions and allies. Other union leaders are upset about the nasty, distracting fight, which has intensified as SEIU tries to hold or take away many of HERE’s old workplaces and to encroach on its core industries -- hotels, gaming and food services. Mediation by UFCW President Joe Hansen failed. At its convention, UNITE HERE rejected SEIU’s recent proposal for binding arbitration to settle the conflict. “It’s like somebody robs a bank and gets caught,” Wilhelm said of the SEIU proposal, and “then suggests submitting to arbitration how much they can keep.”

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- IBEW launches "Working Green" web site -- A new section on the IBEW web site is dedicated to keeping members, contractors and others looking to break into the new energy economy updated on the latest news about the union’s role in the green revolution.

►  In The Hill -- Democratic "centrists" threaten Obama's agenda -- Half a dozen members of the Senate Democratic Conference pose the biggest threat to the president's agenda, giving Senate Republicans a fighting chance to block healthcare reform and climate change legislation. Leading the pack of potential defectors are Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Joe Lieberman ("I"-CT); Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) and Mark Pryor (D-AK).

►  In today's NY Times -- After inviting workers back, cookie factory plans to shut down -- About 130 bakery workers on strike since August are going back to making Stella D’oro cookies after a judge's order. But the return may be bittersweet as the company plans to close the plant.

►  In today's NY Times -- Age discrimination (editorial) -- The Supreme Court rewrote the rules for litigating age-discrimination cases in favor of employers. Congress should undo the damage.