Local news:

►  At HeraldNet.com -- Washington state ranks 15th in business friendliness -- Our state is ranked 15th in CNBC's 2010 state business-climate rankings. The states were rated in nine different areas: Cost of business, work force, quality of life, economy, transportation and infrastructure, technology and innovation, education, business friendliness, access to capital and cost of living.

EDITOR'S NOTE: That's up from 16th place in CNBC's 2009 rankings, 18th in 2008, and 22nd in 2007. Of course, many other business climate rankings rate Washington state even higher, including Forbes (2nd best), the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (5th), and the conservative Tax Foundation (9th). But don't expect state corporate lobbying groups to alter their negative counter-productive rhetoric about how horrible Washington's tax and regulatory climate is for business. For more information, see our Outside the Echo Chamber special reports.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Airbus union endorses "Buy American" line on tankers -- A French Airbus union has declined to support EADS North America's bid for the U.S. Air Force's aerial refueling tanker contract, saying it understands calls to buy the tanker from U.S. rival Boeing. "We want the French industry to supply all equipment to the French military. We understand why American unions believe that U.S. industry should supply the equipment to the U.S. military," Federation des Travailleurs de la Metallurgie representatives Jean-Jaques Desvignes and Christian Pilichowski said during a visit to Seattle.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- King County Council votes to revise labor policies -- The often-divided council comes together on a tough issue, unanimously approving labor policies that could increase employee health-care contributions and reopen contracts during financial crises. Council members consulted with Dow Constantine and labor leaders before adopting the policy.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Budget cutters beware: UW is major economic engine (Jon Talton column) -- A new study reminds us that UW has been a major reason why Seattle has attracted talent and capital far beyond its size and is a player in the world economy. This should give pause to the budget cutters. The UW has been consistently hammered in Olympia.

►  In today's Peninsula Daily News -- PenPly thanks Rep. Van De Wege for role in reopening mill -- Peninsula Plywood's president and about a dozen of his employees presented their first piece of plywood to Rep. Kevin Van De Wege to show their appreciation for the state legislator's efforts to help the once-shuttered mill in Port Angeles reopen under new ownership.

►  In today's Yakima H-R -- Wages in Yakima fall below rest of nation -- Yakima's hourly wage was $17.85, compared with the U.S. average of $20.90, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Election news:

►  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Rossi bashes Congress during Kennewick stop -- Republican candidate Dino Rossi attacked Sen. Patty Murray for accepting earmarks for projects in Washington. But Murray's campaign says  that what Rossi dismisses as earmarks are projects the state needs. In 2009, Murray brought $2 billion home for Hanford cleanup from the stimulus package, as well as $2.1 million to extend Steptoe Street in Richland and Kennewick, and $809,000 for Kadlec Regional Medical Center's new pediatric center. Murray secured $1.9 million in 2010 to finish realigning Road 100 in Franklin County, which was badly damaged by a landslide in 2006. "Patty Murray has been a champion and fought for the state every day," says her campaign manager. 

For more information, see What union members should know about Dino Rossi.

►  In today's News Tribune -- Rossi opposes financial overhaul -- Rossi announces his opposition to a massive overhaul of Wall Street rules awaiting Congress’ final approval. His opponent, Sen. Patty Murray, supports it. “This bill contains explicit language guaranteeing that taxpayers will never again be responsible for bailing out Wall Street,” Murray said.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- DelBene campaign fund reaches $1.4 million -- Democrat Suzan DelBene has raised $378,250 in the last 3 months in her bid to unseat Rep. Dave Reichert.

►  In today's WA Post -- House Dems hit boiling point over perceived lack of White House support -- House Democrats are lashing out at the White House, venting long-suppressed anger over what they see as Obama's lukewarm efforts to help them win reelection -- and accusing his administration of undermining the party's chances of retaining the majority in the elections.

►  At TPM -- Republican gets "tip" from waiters at town hall -- Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer held a town hall with waiters as part of a damage control after he publicly complained that they were making over $100,000 per year in tips and hurting their employers. But he walked out after a bag of 2,000 pennies was dumped inches from his face by a man exclaiming, "I have a tip for you too, Emmer!" as cascading pennies bounced in every direction and the restaurant crowd erupted into chaos.

Unemployment news:

►  At Huffington Post -- Voters say to hell with deficit reduction, help the unemployed -- CBS found 52% of voters say Congress should extend unemployment benefits "even if it means increasing the budget deficit," including 35% of Republicans; and 62% told ABC that Congress should extend benefits despite concerns that it "adds too much to the federal budget deficit." Bloomberg found 70% said reducing unemployment is more important than reducing the deficit.

►  In today's Wash. Post -- Companies pile up cash, but remain hesitant to add jobs -- Corporate America is hoarding a massive pile of cash. It just doesn't want to spend it hiring anyone. Companies are sitting on $1.8 trillion in cash, roughly one-quarter more than at the beginning of the recession. Yet all the good news hasn't translated into much for jobless Americans, leading many to ask: If corporations are sitting on so much money, why aren't they hiring?

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Indecision is inhumane (editorial) -- Democrats want to extend benefits on an emergency basis. Republicans, citing the deficit, want it covered by redirecting existing stimulus funds or cutting spending elsewhere. Many of these same fiscal hawks insist on extending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, at a far higher cost to the treasury. Compromise, already! Just figure out a way to pass the extension. Economically, it’s the right thing to do. Morally, it’s the only thing.

Chamber of Horrors:

►  At Huffington Post -- Chamber of Commerce's jobs suggestions: Cut taxes and Social Security, privatize roads, drill offshore, log national forests -- The Chamber's open letter to President Obama offers a variety of suggestions for job creation, including deregulation of business, tax cuts for the wealthy, free trade agreements, a reduced corporate income tax, expanded offshore drilling and logging in national forests and the privatization of waterways and roads. Specifically, the Chamber urges the president to extend Bush-era tax cuts in full and provide tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas. To achieve all this, the Chamber plans to spend more than $50 million electing Republicans to Congress in 2010.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Some real questions for the Chamber's jobs summit -- Rather than straight talk about how corporate greed created the jobs crisis, Chamber leaders are raising the same tired blather that too much regulation is strangling business. We've got 3 questions for them... 

National news:

►  At Politico -- Dems tiptoe around Bush tax cuts -- The 10-year cost -- $1.6 trillion and climbing -- has always made this decision the elephant in the room even after health care reform and the economic recovery bill last year. In today’s deficit climate, liberals are worried about sustaining social programs, and, after faulting Republicans for enacting tax cuts on an installment plan, many Democrats are looking for something less than a permanent extension.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Social Security cuts eyes by commission "especially painful," study finds -- A new study finds that if the benefit cuts and retirement age increases that have been suggested by the federal budget deficit commission are adopted, they would have a substantially negative impact on low- and middle-income families.

►  In today's Washington Post -- The scary state of retirement savings (Michelle Singletary column) -- The nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute's 2010 findings show that a large percentage of people, including high earners, are likely to run out of money 10 to 20 years into retirement.

►  In today's NY Times -- Ethics inquiry on Wall Street fundraisers before financial reform vote -- The Office of Congressional Ethics has sent corporate donors and fund-raising hosts more than three dozen requests for documents involving eight members who solicited and took large contributions from financial institutions as they debated the landmark regulatory bill.

►  In today's LA Times -- U.S. home foreclosures hit record high in 2nd quarter -- Repossessions increased 38% from the same period a year earlier for a record total of 269,952.

►  From AP -- Union leader doubts NBA's financial projects, preparing for lockout -- Insisting that the NBA's financial projections "strain credulity," players' association executive director Billy Hunter said Wednesday he's seen nothing to change his belief that a lockout is possible.

Trade news:

►  At Huffington Post -- Level the playing field in trade policy (Stan Sorscher column) -- We should stop pursuing maximum possible trade at any social cost, de-industrializing our domestic economy in the process. Instead, we should design trade policies that will raise standards of living at home and abroad, and avoid policies that lower standards of living.