More on health care reform: 

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Women's Chamber of Commerce endorses public health plan option -- One the nation's largest groups of women business leaders, with more than 500,000 members, calls for comprehensive health care reform that includes a “a robust” public health plan option.

►  In today's Washington Post -- White House won't rule out tax on health benefits -- Obama's top political adviser declines to rule out the possibility that the White House would agree to a tax hike on health insurance plans that would hit middle-income Americans. He says the president has no interest in "drawing lines in the sand" on the issue of how to pay for the reform plan.

►  In today's NY Times -- Insurance company schemes (editorial) -- As health care reform moves forward, Congress must impose tighter regulation of companies that clearly are not doing enough to regulate themselves. Creating a public plan could also help restrain the worst practices, by providing competition and an alternative.

►  In today's NY Times -- Time for Iron Man (E.J. Dionne column) -- Obama's initial approach of laying out principles and giving Congress latitude was the right response to Clinton's mistake of offering a detailed proposal, only to see it mocked and rejected. Yet two big problems confront health-care reform that only Obama's intervention can solve: the absence of Republican support for comprehensive change and the inclusion option of a government-run health plan.

►  In Sunday's Seattle Times -- Even those with health insurance are going broke -- For Americans with serious illnesses, even good insurance is no guarantee they won't go broke and they will get all the medical care they need. In 2007, nearly two-thirds of all personal bankruptcies filed across the country were linked to illnesses, loss of income or high medical bills, according to a new survey. Of those cases, 78% of the debtors had health insurance when they first got sick.

Trade news:

►  From Bloomberg -- Obama bid to boost Pakistan exports hits snag over labor rules -- The president's bid to strengthen democracy in Pakistan and Afghanistan by boosting their exports is ensnared in a debate over labor rules between Democrats and companies such as Wal-Mart. The House-approved trade bill requires an outside group to monitor labor conditions at textile factories in Pakistan or Afghanistan, and would cut off duty-free imports from factories that don’t adhere to core international labor standards on matters such as prohibiting forced labor and child labor and guaranteeing the right to organize a union. The Senate passed an aid bill for Pakistan last week without the trade benefits. Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Senate sponsor of the legislation, met with administration, labor and business representatives last week to try to reach a compromise.

►  In today's NY Times -- Obama opposes trade sanctions in climate bill -- He praises the energy bill passed by the House as an “extraordinary first step,” but speaks out against a provision that would impose trade penalties on countries that do not accept limits on global warming pollution.

►  In today's Washington Post -- Colombia's Uribe faces a more wary U.S. -- The last time Uribe came to the White House, Geroge Bush gave him a medal. But this time, he has encountered an administration concerned about the wiretapping and surveillance of Uribe's critics by an intelligence agency controlled by the presidency and reports that as many as 1,700 civilians have been killed by Colombian army units in what a preliminary United Nations investigation characterized as "cold-blooded, premeditated murder."

News from Olympia: 

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Basic Health Plan fee hike due in fall -- Enrollees should know by early September how much more they'll have to pay to keep receiving subsidized coverage.

►  In the Spokesman-review -- I-1043 donor appears on hate group list -- An initiative to tighten state immigration laws got a significant portion of their funding from a man described by human rights organizations as the driving force behind “immigration hate groups.”

►  In the Olympian -- Teabaggers expand agenda -- The TEA Party movement is aimed at stopping tax increases, but numerous political sentiments were on display at Saturday's rally. Attendees were asked to sign a petition seeking a bill to halt “illegal alien ID theft and Social Security fraud.” Bumper stickers near that booth read, “Obama Lies Economy Dies” and “Hey Alaska, Wanna Trade Governors?”

Boeing news: 

►  In the PS business Journal -- Enough already about the 787 delays (editorial) -- The latest glitch suggests that giving up control of crucial pieces means giving up control of the time schedule for delivery. The 777 was delivered on time, probably a function of doing everything in house. It’s a lesson well worth pondering as Boeing considers whether to move a second production line to some southern state. Having production in two places may not make real economic sense. One other point: It seems clear that the unions had little or nothing to do with the delay. The Machinists already are talking about cooperation and conciliation with Boeing, a sign that they’re willing to be partners at the table in ramping up production.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Analyst predicts first 787 delivery will push into 2011 -- A Morgan Stanley analyst predicts that the "earliest feasible time" that first flight could occur would be the last quarter of 2009. Then, more time will be needed to get the plane tested and certified.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- Questions about 787 deserve answers -- Is the problem serious or not? Did Scott Carson know about the problem when he continued to promise the company would meet its latest deadline? If not, why was the boss in the dark? If so, what changed between the few days when he said everything was fine and when the delay was announced?

Local news: 

►  In the PS Business Journal -- Worker shortage eases at state's orchards -- Cherry growers anticipate record production this year, along with recession-induced relief from chronic shortages of harvest workers. Local picking will start in a few weeks, and early signals from the California crop, which comes in earlier, are that finding sufficient workers won’t be a problem.

►  Today from AP -- Matson strike ends quickly -- The American Radio Association called the strike Saturday morning in Seattle, where Matson Navigation Co.'s container ship MV Maui was to be loaded for a voyage to Hawaii. In a show of support, stevedores, who are ILWU members, refused to cross a picket line set up by the union. The strike came to an end about 12 hours later when the union, two fellow unions and the company reached the tentative agreement.

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Stimulus funds offer new life to well-traveled highways -- A series of state highway projects worth more than $20 million is about to get started in northeast Washington as a result of the federal economic stimulus plan passed by Congress this year.

►  In the Daily News -- $200 million grain terminal project starts at Longview port -- The first privately funded work began last week, and the publicly funded construction of a new dock to service the terminal is expected to start early this fall. Construction is expected to bring about 200 jobs to the area during the next three years. The terminal will employ about 50 people.

►  In Sunday's Bellingham Herald -- Intalco plant continues to be worth supporting (editorial) -- It's a testament to the workers and leaders at the Alcoa Intalco Works smelter that it continues to operate. The changes in power price and demand, and the changes in the world economy, have closed nearly every aluminum plant in the Pacific Northwest. We salute our local workers and management for continuing to fight to keep our plant running.

National news:

►  In today's NY Times -- A way forward on immigration (editorial) -- President Obama and Congress members met privately Thursday for their first major discussion of immigration reform, leading to a persuasive show of unity among Republicans and Democrats. Both sides made the case for getting a comprehensive reform bill written and passed this year, or early next. 

►  This morning from AP -- Supreme Court rules for white firefighters in bias case -- The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. 

►  From McClatchy -- West Coast ports urge Congress to help -- West Coast ports face new competition as ports in Canada and Mexico, an expanded Panama Canal and even the Suez Canal could steal away some of the cross-Pacific shipping they’ve relied on.

►  In Sunday's Chicago Tribune -- SEIU's Stern has Obama's ear -- A White House meeting in May showcasing powerful forces involved in President Obama's drive for health-care reform was also a showcase for SEIU President Andy Stern, who has developed a close association with the president. But IFPTE President Gregory Junemann says, in the end, access is secondary behind delivering for union members. "If I get invited to dinner at the White House or what have you, if I can't use that to deliver for my members, I haven't succeeded," he said.