• Christian Weller, economist with the Center for American Progress, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to update us on jobs, the economy, and holiday retail sales.

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to defend The Bronx, and to talk about health care reform and Afghanistan.

• Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform, Afghanistan, and the cops that were killed in his district.

• Unflinching on a critical first test, Senate Dems closed ranks yesterday behind $460 billion in politically risky Medicare cuts at the heart of health care reform legislation, thwarting a GOP attempt to doom President Obama’s sweeping overhaul. The Senate also backed a guarantee for all insured women age 40 and older to receive mammograms with no out-of-pocket costs.

• President Obama promised at a White House jobs forum yesterday to take “every responsible step to accelerate job creation,” including some ideas he said could be put into action quickly. He cited an expanded program to make more U.S. homes energy efficient as an example.

• The White House as authorized an expansion of the CIA’s drone program in Pakistan’s tribal areas, paralleling President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

• Comedian Tom Kenny calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about Spongebob Squarepants’ new Christmas song.

• Hilary Rosen, Editor at Large of the Huffington Post, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about Afghanistan, health care reform, and today’s Jobs Summit.

• Obama administration officials are hoping that today’s Jobs Summit, where he will talk job creation with business and labor leaders at the White House, will let President Obama defend his administration’s handling of the economy. No major policy announcements are expected.

• Amid soaring budget deficits, President Obama is running into congressional qualms over how to pay for his troop buildup in Afghanistan. The $30 billion cost is causing concern on both sides of the aisle. Still, leaders in Congress predicted yesterday that Obama would prevail in winning funding for the surge.

• The politically potent AARP announced yesterday that they are supporting the Democrats’ $460 billion in Medicare cuts to help pay for landmark health insurance legislation.

• White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi last night declined an invitation to testify before Congress about their caper last week at the president’s first state dinner.

• Charlie Pierce, Boston Globe sports columnist and author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the news of the day, including the Tiger Woods situation.

• Craig Crawford, co-author of “Listen Up, Mr. President,” calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about his new book, which he co-wrote with Helen Thomas.

• President Obama tonight will spell out a costly Afghanistan war expansion to a skeptical public, coupling an infusion of as many as 35,000 more troops with a vow that there will be no endless U.S. commitment. His first orders have already been made: at least one group of Marines who will be in place by Christmas.

• Riven by partisanship, the Senate plunged into a debate yesterday over sweeping health care reform legislation that President Obama and congressional Dems have vowed to approve and GOP-ers have sworn to block. Debate is expected to last for weeks.

• Retail web sites kept amping up the deals yesterday the first day after Thanksgiving weekend’s strong online sales, to try to maintain the momentum. Sales for the day that the industry knows as “Cyber Monday” were up 19.6 percent over a year ago.

• The Rude Pundit (Lee Papa) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about the news over the Thanksgiving weekend.

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• The Senate is set to begin debate today on health care reform. Some Dem senators say they’ll jump ship from the bill without tighter restrictions on abortion coverage. Others say they’ll go unless a government plan to compete with private insurance companies gets tossed overboard. Such concessions would enrage Liberals, the heart and soul of the party.

• Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich), the leading Senate Dem on military matters, said yesterday that President Obama’s anticipated plan for expanding troop levels in Afghanistan must show how those reinforcements will help increase the size of the Afghan security forces.

• White House officials fended off new questions about how a fame-seeking couple finessed their way into the president’s State Dinner last week while the aspiring reality-TV stars themselves began trying to sell their story for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

• Ellis Henican, columnist for “Newsday,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the news of the day, and preview his show on Friday when he fills in for Steph and the Mooks.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”

• Alysa Binder, Executive Vice President and co-founder of Pet Airways, calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the service her company provides.

• War-weary Americans will support more fighting in Afghanistan once they understand the perils of losing, President Obama declared yesterday, announcing he was ready to spell out war plans virtually sure to include tens of thousands more U.S. troops. Obama will make his case to the nation in a speech Tuesday night.

• Traditional evening gowns and vibrantly colored saris mixed with banded-collar dinner jackets and tuxedos at President Obama’s first State Dinner last night. There were also turbans and bindies and diamonds, as several hundred guests put on the glitz and joined a White House celebration in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

• With economic pressures still hitting household budgets hard, many Americans are foregoing air travel for Thanksgiving and opting for cheaper alternatives like staying home or driving.

• Charlie Pierce, author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the news of the day.

• The White House is bracing for a tough sell of President Obama’s long-awaited decision on whether to commit tens of thousands of new U.S. forces to the stalemated war in Afghanistan, even as the president met Monday with top advisers for possibly the last major deliberations before an announcement.

• In a Cabinet meeting yesterday afternoon, President Obama acknowledged fledgling economic growth had not yet improved things on the jobs front and previewed a summit next week aimed at helping find ways to spur job creation.

• Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said yesterday that the Dems are determined to push through a health care overhaul bill, President Obama’s top domestic issue, with or without support from opposition GOP-ers.

• A bitter dispute over abortion that prompted Rhode Island’s Roman Catholic bishop to ask Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) not to receive Holy Communion has revealed the depth of the divide among Catholics over how politicians should reconcile their faith with their public duties.

• Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about jobs, the economy, and health care reform.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• David Plouffe, former campaign manager for President Obama, calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about his new book, “The Audacity To Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory.”

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”

• President Obama huddled with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao this morning, the final day of his visit to China. The White House praised the meetings as strengthening possibilities for future cooperation. President Obama then toured the Great Wall of China before flying to South Korea.

• Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) declined yesterday to say when he would introduce a hotly anticipated health care reform bill. He said he was waiting for a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, and that estimate won’t be completed until at least this afternoon.

• Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama yesterday for the second time but guards on board repelled the takeover attempt.

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.

• President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao emerged from hours of intense talks today determined to marshal their combined clout on crucial issues, but still showing divisions over economic, security, and human rights issues that have long bedeviled the two powers.

• Sarah Palin told Oprah Winfrey yesterday that she doesn’t have her sights set on the 2012 presidency. She said that she’s concentrating on 2010 and making sure that there are issues to tackle

• Some American conservative commentators are seizing on President Obama’s bow to Japan’s emperor during the weekend, accusing the U.S. commander in chief of groveling to a foreign leader.

• Investors kept the stock market’s upward momentum going yesterday, sending shares sharply higher after retail sales rebounded more than expected in October and the dollar extended its slide. The Dow jumped 136 points yesterday to a new 13-month high.

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Joe Decker, founder of GodHatesShrimp.com, calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about how ridiculous religious arguments against homosexuality are.

• Politely but firmly pressing for greater freedoms on China’s own turf, President Obama spoke in Shanghai this morning against censorship, saying tough criticisms of political leaders should be allowed and the free flow of information on the internet “should be encouraged.”

• While President Obama’s decision about sending more troops to Afghanistan is primarily a military one, it also has substantial budget implications that are adding pressure to limit the commitment. Governmental estimates place the cost of adding 40,000 troops at $40 billion to $54 billion a year.

• Today’s Commerce Department report on October retail sales is likely to set the tone for the rest of the week on Wall Street. Economists polled by Reuters predict retail sales rose 0.8 percent in October after at 1.5 percent drop in September. Stronger consumer spending is needed for any rebound, and disappointment is likely to send stocks falling today.

• Mikey Weinstein, President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to discuss the Ft. Hood shootings.

• Feminist and SuperLawyer Gloria Allred calls in at 7:30am Pacific to tell us why she thinks that Carrie Prejean has done something illegal.

• Paul Fitzgerald joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific to talk about his new movie, “Forgiven.”

• Kelly Carlin-McCall calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about her father, George Carlin’s, posthumous book, “Last Words: A Memoir.”

• Senate Majority leader Harry Reid is considering a plan for higher payroll taxes on upper-income earners to help finance health care reform legislation he intends to introduce in the Senate in the next several days, Dem officials said yesterday.

• President Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government.

• Lou Dobbs, the longtime CNN anchor whose anti-immigration views have made him a TV lightning rod, said last night that he is leaving the cable news channel effective immediately.

• Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) calls in at 6:45am Pacific to talk about GOP obstructionism with the health care reform bill.

• Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm) calls in at 6:50am Pacific to talk about her new book, “What Would Susie Say?”

• Humorist Charlie Pierce (author of “Idiot America”)calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform, the economy, and other news of the day.

• Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.

• Former President Bill Clinton is expected to speak to Senate Democrats today about the importance of health care legislation during their weekly caucus. President Obama wants to sign the legislation into law by the end of the year, but abortion opponents in the Senate are seeking tough restrictions in the bill.

• Nearly a year before Maj. Nidal Hasan allegedly went on a shooting rampage at Ft. Hood, terrorism investigators conducted an “assessment” of him before deciding he did not pose a threat. After the shooting, the FBI is doing a new assessment – of its own conduct. President Obama, meanwhile, will attend a memorial service for the victims today at Ft. Hood.

• D.C. Sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad will be executed today for the attacks that terrorized the nation’s capital region for three weeks in 2002.

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), calls in at 7:30am Pacific to discuss the repeal of gay marriage in Maine.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for a special Monday edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• President Obama yesterday praised the “historic” House vote to pass a bill overhauling the nation’s ailing health care system, and said it is now time for the Senate to “take the baton” and complete its work. The House passed its health care bill late Saturday night by a 220-215 vote, with 39 Dems opposing and 1 GOPer supporting.

• The alleged Ft. Hood shooter apparently attended the same Virginia mosque as two 9/11 hijackers in 2001, at a time when a radical imam preached there. The FBI is looking into any possible associations.

• Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida heads toward the Gulf Coast. It’s the first hurricane to target the U.S. this season.

• Erica Williams, Deputy Director of Campus Progress, calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about where the youth are in the health care reform debate.

• John Marcotte, originator of the 2010 California Marriage Protection Act, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about his proposed ban on divorce in California.

• Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the economy and health care reform.

• In a coup for House Dems, AARP will endorse sweeping health care overhaul legislation headed for a history-making floor vote. House Dem leaders are hoping it will give them a needed bost as they strive to deliver on President Obama’s signature issue.

• President Obama’s top budget official promised this week that the administration will try next year to wrestle the skyrocketing budget deficit under control to avoid higher interest rates and putting the health of the economy in jeopardy.

• The New York Yankees scored a 7-3 victory at the new Yankee’s Stadium in Game 6 of the World Series last night to win the series over the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s the Yankees’ 27th championship.

• Charlie Pierce, author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about Election Day, health care reform, Afghanistan, and the economy.

• Today is Election Day in many states. Polls are close in the New Jersey governor’s race, Dem Creigh Deeds trails GOP-er Bob McDonnell in the polls by double digits in the Virginia gubernatorial race, Conservative Doug Hoffman leads Dem Bill Owens in NY’s 23rd Congressional District race, Maine voters are being asked if gay marriage should remain legal, and Washington State voters are deciding on a domestic partnerships law.

• While House leaders are moving toward a vote on health care legislation by the end of the week, enough Dems are threatening to oppose the measure over the issue of abortion to create a question about its passage. A bloc of Dems are worried that the bill could lead to public funding of the procedure.

• President Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to congratulate him on being named the winner of that country’s election, and urged him to work to improve governance and end corruption there.

• The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 8-6 in Game 5 of the World Series last night, forcing a Game 6 at Yankee Stadium tomorrow night.

• Dr. Maya Angelou calls in at 6:50am Pacific to talk about her new book, “Letter to My Daughter.”

• Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about The Affordable Health Care for America Act.

• Comedian John Fugelsang joins us in studio at 8am Pacific for “Fridays with Fugelsang.”

• Cheered by President Obama, House Dems rolled out landmark legislation yesterday to extend health care to tens of millions who lack coverage, impose sweeping new restrictions on the insurance industry, and create a government-run option to compete with private insurers.

• President Obama will host the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the White House today as he reassesses his administration’s military strategy in Afghanistan. The meeting will give each branch of the armed services a direct opportunity to tell Obama the effect on the military if a large number of additional forces are sent to Afghanistan.

• Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui hit solo homers off Pedro Martinez to give the New York Yankees a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and tie the World Series at 1-1 last night.

• Rep. Earl Perlmutter (D-CO) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to update us on health care reform.

• Christine Romans, host of “Your $$$$$” on CNN, calls in at 7:50am Pacific to update us on the economic recovery.

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to unveil a retooled health care overhaul plan today intended to bridge differences among Dems. She wants to have the legislation on the floor next week with a final vote before Veterans Day, that would give President Obama a bill to sign by year’s end.

• President Obama is considering a scaled-down version of the war plan advanced by his top Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. officials say. The plan would focus on protecting Afghan cities and key infrastructure. One official described the plan as “McChrystal Light.”

• Fox News Channel and the Obama administration are talking. The network confirmed a Politico report that a Fox News executive met at the White House yesterday with Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s press secretary. There were no details given about the meeting.

• The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 6-1 last night in Game 1 of the World Series.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said yesterday that while he’s “strongly inclined” to vote to move Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-NV) health care plan with an opt-out public option to the Senate floor for debate, he would ultimately oppose the measure and join a GOP filibuster because it includes that option.

• The White House said yesterday that President Obama has nearly finished gathering information and advice on how to proceed in Afghanistan. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that a planned meeting on Friday with the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be among the last events in the decision-making process.

• The FAA has revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew a passenger jet past their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles last week. They had violated numerous regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Comedian Sara Benincasa calls in at 8:30am Pacific to tell us about her columns for The Huffington Post and her upcoming tour dates.

• Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are expected to make decisions this week in hopes the long-delayed health care reform bills can come to a vote early next month. Officials familiar with the Senate talks say businesses would not be required to provide health insurance, but large companies would owe significant penalties if any worker needs government subsidies to buy coverage on their own.

• Top lawmakers sparred yesterday over the timing of President Obama’s decision on how to move ahead in Afghanistan, with Republicans urging a quick move to boost troop levels and Dems counseling patience.

• President Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect non-infected patients.

• The Senate has long been seen as opposing the public health care option in health care reform, but now senior Senate Dems and White House officials are strongly considering including such a measure, but would permit individual states to drop out of the system.

• The White House yesterday forcefully rejected criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney and other GOP-ers that President Obama’s Afghanistan decision is taking too long. “What Cheney calls dithering, President Obama calls his solemn responsibility,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

• Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved yesterday and sent to President Obama. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard. Many GOP-ers voted against the bill, calling it “controversial.”

• Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, has died at a hospice in the Bronx. He was 83.

• Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.

• Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.

• Former Vice President Dick Cheney last night accused the White House of “dithering” over the strategy for the war in Afghanistan and urged President Obama to “do what it takes to win.” Cheney said that signals of indecision out of DC “hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries.”

• President Obama unveiled plans yesterday to refocus spending of the government’s $700 billion financial bailout away from Wall Street’s big financial institutions and toward small businesses. He announced initiatives that would make it easier for smaller community banks to provide credit to small businesses.

• Dems launched a drive at both ends of the Capitol yesterday to strip the insurance industry of its decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws. The change would put an end to “price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation in the health and medical malpractice” insurance areas.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”

• Comedian Margaret Cho calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about her upcoming shows and the release of her new concert DVD, “Beautiful.”

• President Obama has sought to spend no more than $900 billion over a 10-year period on health care reform. Yesterday, however, House Dem leaders received a new cost estimate of $871 billion from congressional budget umpires who measured a bill with a a robust public option.

• President Obama spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday and congratulated him for accepting the report of the UN-backed Election Complaint Commission which ruled that he garnered under 50% of the vote in the August election after vote fraud had been factored in, mandating a recount.

• Oprah Winfrey announced yesterday that Sarah Palin will appear on her show on Monday, November 16th.

• Charlie Pierce, author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to riff on the news of the day.

• Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• MSNBC’s David Shuster calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the big news of the day, including health care reform and Balloon Boy.

• White House advisers have stepped up their attacks on Fox News, claiming the cable television network is a GOP mouthpiece whose programming “is geared toward making money.” Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff, said on Sunday, “It is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective.”

• The White House is waiting for Congress to settle on a final health care bill, even though President Obama has a clear preference in favor of at least once specific – the much-debated public option. Obama, however, will not demand that legislation include a government option.

• The stock market stepped to new highs for the year yesterday after a handful of earnings reports bolstered hopes that the economy is coming back sooner than analysts had thought.

• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to make a major announcement about his campaign to be senator from Pennsylvania.

• Three days after the world watched a giant balloon fly through the air as a tearful family expressed fears that their 6-year-old boy could be inside, authorities announced what millions already suspected: The whole thing was staged. Colorado authorities believe the event was a “publicity stunt” by the family to market themselves for a reality show.

• The White House will not commit to health care legislation that would cap insurance premiums or tax benefits, taking a wait-and-see approach as congressional negotiators seek a deal. President Obama will not demand that a final bill include a public option, though that’s his preference, advisers said yesterday.

• Defense Secretary Robert Gates is undertaking the tricky task of trying to persuade allies to remain committed to the war in Afghanistan even as the Obama administration debates whether to send more troops to fight. Allies like Japan and Great Britain, however, are showing signs of pulling back.

• House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Comedian John Fugelsang joins the Mooks in studio in L.A. for another edition of “Fridays with Fugelsang.”

• After scouring northern Colorado by foot and air, frantically chasing a now-infamous Mylar balloon for dozens of miles and interviewing his big brother over and over, local and federal authorities ended their search for 6-year-old Falcon Heene where it began – at his house. He was in a box. In the attic. The whole time.

• House speaker Nancy Pelosi warned her Senate counterparts yesterday that she intends to fight hard for a public plan option as part of any comprehensive health care overhaul bill. Dem Senate leaders have not yet indicated whether they will include the option when they combine their two measures.

• President Obama signed legislation yesterday providing an additional $7.5 billion in assistance to the Pakistani government to help them combat a wave of attacks orchestrated by the Taliban.

• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Wednesday night for what appeared to be an adverse reaction to medication, but she was released Thursday.

• Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the best-known barometer of the stock market, closed above 10,000 for the first time in a year yesterday. It’s the most visible sign yet that investors believe the economy is clawing its way back from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said yesterday that the health care reform bill approved by the Finance Committee needs substantial improvements to make coverage more affordable, contain costs, and protect Medicare. Nevertheless, she joined her Maine GOP colleague Sen. Olympia Snowe in saying she may vote for health care reform this year.

• President Obama will visit New Orleans today for the first time since taking office, address rebuilding efforts in the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina four years ago. During his trip, Obama will visit a charter school and host a town hall meeting to hear residents’ concerns.

• NY Times columnist Frank Rich calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about his column, “Two Wrongs Make Another Fiasco”

• Health insurance premiums for the typical American family would increase by another $4000 by 2019 under a key Senate overhaul plan, according to a health insurance industry trade group. The White House blasted the report Monday, calling it inaccurate and self-serving. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on the bill today.

• An audacious weekend assault by Islamic militants on Pakistan’s army headquarters is again raising fears of an insurgent attack on the country’s nuclear weapons installation. Analysts are divided on how secure these weapons are.

• In an unannounced move, President Obama is dispatching an additional 13,000 troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced publicly in March. The additional forces are primarily support forces, such as engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts, and military police.

• Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the chair of the Senate’s environmental committee, said yesterday it’s possible Congress will pass a bill aimed at slowing climate change by December.

• The Rude Pundit (Lee Papa) joins Steph in studio in NYC at 8:05am Pacific for “Rude Mondays”

• Tim Robbins calls in at 8:35am Pacific to promote “The WTF Festival” at The Actors Gang in Culver City, CA.

• President Obama pledged to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military in a speech to the Human Rights Campaign Saturday, but acknowledged to a cheering crowd that the policy changes he promised on the campaign trail are not coming as quickly as they expected.

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to Russia today hoping to win Moscow’s backing for a strong stance on Iran’s nuclear program and looking for progress on a new arms control pact.

• Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said yesterday that any added military deployment in Afghanistan smaller than the 40,000 troops reportedly requested by the top U.S. commander there “would be an error of historic proportions.” McCain also said that the war there could not be won with fewer than the 40,000 troops requested.

• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform, the economy, and Obama’s Nobel Prize.

• Comedian John Fugelsang joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Fridays with Fugelsang.”

• President Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize today for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

• Buoyed by a new congressional report boosting President Obama’s prospects for overhauling the U.S. health care system, Senate leaders yesterday scheduled a key vote on the Senate Finance Committee’s legislation for Tuesday.

• The House voted yesterday to make it a federal crime to assault people because of their sexual orientation, significantly expanding the hate crimes law enacted in the days after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968.

• The moon is due for a double whammy from two NASA probes today. One slammed the moon’s south pole this morning at 4:31am Pacific in a search for water ice buried in craters.

• Rep. John Larson (D-CT), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the public option.

• Health care legislation shepherded by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) would expand coverage to 94% of all eligible Americans at a 10-year cost of $829 billion, congressional budget experts said yesterday, a preliminary estimate likely to power the measure past a major hurdle within days. The CBO added the measure would reduce federal deficits by $81 Billion over a decade.

• House Republicans failed yesterday for a third time to oust Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) as chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Rangel is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for his financial and fundraising activities.

• Opposition to President Obama’s health care overhaul has dropped dramatically in a matter of weeks, the latest AP poll has found. The public is split 40-40 on supporting or opposing the health care legislation. An even split is welcome news for Dems, as sharp improvement from September, when 49% said they opposed the Congressional proposals and just 34% supported them.

• Delegate Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands) calls in at 6:33am Pacific to talk about health care reform, its progress, and reconciliation of the bills.

• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.

• Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”

• A new Associated Press poll says 56% of those surveyed in the past week approve of President Obama’s job performance, up from 50% in September. It’s the first time since he took office in January that his ratings have gone up.

• President Obama yesterday ruled out shrinking the Afghanistan war to a counterterrorism campaign. Yet he did not signal whether he is prepared to send any more troops to the war zone – either the 40,000 his top commander wants or a smaller buildup.

• The Obama administration is considering a series of measures to help the unemployed. Those ideas include extending unemployment and health benefits and offering states temporary “loan packages.”