More health reform news:

►  From Reuters -- 45,000 Americans die each year due to lack of insurance -- Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year -- one every 12 minutes -- in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers have found. "We're losing more Americans every day because of inaction... than drunk driving and homicide combined," says Dr. David Himmelstein, the study's co-author.

►  In today's Columbian -- Health insurance costs in state a "strain" -- Health insurance premiums in Washington have risen more than five times as fast as family earnings since 2000, says a Families USA study. "The combination of stagnant wages and rising health care costs is placing a growing strain on family budgets, and many families have reached a breaking point," reads the study. "Quite simply, Washington's families are being priced out of health coverage."

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Tracking implications of reform for Washington (Lance Dickey column) -- For all the national elements of the health reform debate, much of the oversight and implementation falls to states. Sen. Keiser and Rep. Cody are tracking what that means here. 

►  In today's Washington Post -- Health coverage not universal for federal workforce -- One overlooked aspect of the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program is that many federal workers go without health insurance for themselves or members of their families.

►  At Huffington Post -- Bill O'Reilly backs public option -- The bombastic Fox News host supports the public option if it provides working Americans with an affordable option to private plans. 

Local news: 

Trumka backs SPEEA engineers at Spirit

In one of his first actions as the new president of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka put the muscle of the world’s most powerful labor organization behind efforts to secure a contract that respects the contributions of 784 engineers to the success of Spirit AeroSystems. Read more.

►  At SeattlePostGlobe.com -- Mallahan gets Labor Council nod for Seattle mayor -- M.L. King County Labor Council executive secretary Dave Freiboth says Seattle mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan has won the labor organization's much-sought endorsement. At stake is not only labor’s money but a legion of campaign volunteers for the winner. For Mallahan, an endorsement allows him to proclaim the support of both business and labor.

►  In today's Everett Herald -- About 100 Boeing workers to get layoff notices today -- This is the latest in a series of layoffs announced in January. The aerospace company plans to reduce its work force by 6%, or 10,000 jobs, companywide by the end of the year.

►  In today's Columbian -- Murray says bill would fund Clark County projects -- Vancouver and Clark County stand to win nearly $13 million for transportation and economic development projects in a transportation spending bill that passed the U.S. Senate on Wednesday by a 73-25 vote.

►  In today's Olympian -- Striking Kent teachers' defiance of court order sent wrong message (editorial) -- When teachers defy a legitimate judicial order to return to the classroom, what message does that send to students? And where was Gov. Chris Gregoire’s and Randy Dorn’s condemnation for an illegal strike? Where was their disdain for teachers who broke the law? Doesn’t the silence on that issue send an equally bad message to students across this state?

AFL-CIO news: 

►  At Huffington Post -- Can AFL-CIO's Trumka jump-start progressives, health reform and beat "tea baggers" (by Art Levine) -- What's especially important about Richard Trumka's selection is his strategy to maximize union clout to help salvage and broaden the scope of the American middle class now under assault. He's expressed a willingness to challenge centrist and conservative Democrats who abandon the progressive agenda of the union members who helped elect them, and a new determination to reach out to younger workers -- a third of whom under 35 now live with their parents -- as a way to strengthen both the union movement and the American middle class.

►  In the Oregonian -- Oregon labor leader moves into No. 2 spot at AFL-CIO -- Liz Shuler, who grew up in Gladstone and once lobbied both the Oregon and Washington legislatures, was chosen for the post by the new president, Richard Trumka, who is seeking to revitalize the labor movement. "We have a new leadership team and we're looking to shake things up and sort of change peoples' minds" about organized labor, she says. 

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- The revolution will be Twittered -- How appropriate Michael Moore premiered “Capitalism: A Love Story” this week, to coincide with the 26th AFL-CIO Convention. Moore marched with AFL-CIO delegates to the movie theater, and afterward, encouraged all of us to sponsor it in theaters around the country because he needs help to spark the populist revolution. He’ll have a great partner with the new AFL-CIO leadership.

►  In today's Washington Post -- UNITE HERE says it will rejoin AFL-CIO -- The 265,000-member union is rejoining four years after it and several other unions broke away to form a rival coalition. Their return is another blow to the effort of that Change to Win coalition. It also marks the latest sign of how labor's internal divisions are distracting attention and resources at a moment when it could be capitalizing on the Democratic ascendance in Washington.

State government news:

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Competitors for Dreamliner face unemployment tax nightmare (column by Sen. Karen Keiser) -- Unemployment taxes are one of the constant arguments from business for why our state's economy is not as attractive as some of the Southern states. States such as South Carolina do keep their unemployment taxes low -- so low that its trust funds are not able to cover its obligations. Now South Carolina's trust fund is insolvent, the state is borrowing hundreds of millions from the feds, and they have concluded they no alternatives but to raise the unemployment taxes business pay. (Learn more.)

►  In today's News tribune -- Tax collections continue to slide -- Lawmakers might have to cut state spending by as much as $1 billion when they return in January to re-write the state budget, because of a further decline in tax collections and a greater demand for services.

►  In today's Spokesman-review -- Gregoire predicts a slow rebound -- The governor said she believed the economic problems have “bottomed out” but that the state’s revenues won’t immediately rebound. She also says she has no plans to dust off proposals to usher in universal health care for Washington state residents, instead expressing confidence that Congress will enact a health reform package this fall to insure all Americans despite deep reservations among voters and divisions among lawmakers.

►  In today's Olympian -- State will break Aetna contract -- The HCA says it is scrapping the insurer's contract to take over administration of the popular Uniform Medical Plan for state employees in 2010. The change was controversial and a judge threw out the contract last week, saying the bid process was defective and violated state rules.

►  In today's Olympian -- Referendum 71 is about equality for same-sex couples (op-ed) -- The domestic-partnership law ensures basic legal protection that many of us take for granted: unpaid leave; pension benefits; the ability to be a long-term care provider for a loved one; and the peace of mind of knowing your family has legal protection if tragedy strikes. Learn more.

►  In today's Wall St. Journal -- Bankers face sweeping curbs on pay -- Policies that set the pay for tens of thousands of bank employees nationwide would require approval from the Federal Reserve as part of a far-reaching proposal to rein in risk-taking at financial institutions. The Fed's plan would, for the first time, inject government regulators deep into compensation decisions traditionally reserved for the banks' corporate boards and executives.

►  From AP -- Protectionism rising despite G-20 vows on trade -- Leaders of the world's 20 top economies vowed to resist protectionism last November and in April as they charted a joint strategy for confronting the worst global downturn in generations. As they meet again, most of their economies are on the mend -- and trade tensions and protectionism are on the rise.