• Christian Weller, economist with The Center for American Progress, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to give us an update on the economy.

• John Fugelsang joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for “Fridays With Fugelsang.”

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

• Military officials are starting today to piece together what may have pushed an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress to turn on his comrades in a shooting rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 30 at Ft. Hood, Texas. The suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is on a ventilator and unconscious in a hospital after being shot four times by military police.

• Chanting “Kill the bill,” thousands of conservatives rallied at the Capitol yesterday against health care reform. “This bill is the greatest threat to freedom that I have ever seen,” House GOP leader John Boehner told the crowd.

• A drop in unemployment claims gave investors new reason to be optimistic about the economy and sent the Dow jumping by over 200 points to close above 10,000 yesterday.

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

• Hal Sparks joins the Mooks in studio in L.A. at 8am Pacific for “Humpdays with Hal.”

• Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to tell us what’s next in the health care reform process.

• Historic legislation to expand U.S. health care and control costs won its first GOP supporter yesterday and cleared a key Senate hurdle. “When history calls, history calls,” said Maine GOP-er Olympia Snowe, whose declaration of support ended weeks of suspense and provided the only drama of a 14-9 vote in the Senate Finance Committee.

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said yesterday she expects that the House will vote on a health care bill by Thanksgiving and that the House version will have a public plan option.

• Rampant government corruption might derail the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan, even if as many as 80,000 additional U.S. troops are sent to the war, Gen. Stanley McChrystal has concluded.

• MSNBC’s David Shuster calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the heath care rallies over the weekend, and other news of the day.

• President Obama sternly warned Wall Street yesterday against returning to the sort of reckless and unchecked behavior that threatened the nation with a second Great Depression. Obama warned the financial titans that they could not count on any more bailouts.

• Senate health care negotiators said yesterday they’ve narrowed their differences on a host of difficult issues with just a day or so left to seal an elusive bipartisan deal that could change the course of debate over President Obama’s plans to overhaul health care. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) said he’ll have a formal proposal tomorrow to meet a deadline for moving ahead.

• House Dems reaffirmed plans to take up a resolution as early as today scolding defiant GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, who shocked colleagues by yelling “You lie!” during President Obama’s address to Congress last week.

• Patrick Swayze, the actor who danced his way into viewers’ hearts with “Dirty Dancing” and then broke them with “Ghost,” died yesterday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

• Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

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

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today expressed happiness and relief at the release of two journalists, on whose behalf her husband, former President Bill Clinton, sought amnesty from North Korea. North Korea pardoned Laura Ling and Euna Lee after the former US president arrived in Pyongyang.

• After a “pep talk” from President Obama, Senate Dems said yesterday they believe Congress will pass a bipartisan health care bill this year. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) now says the Dem senators are ready to “take on the world.”

• Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, is expected to ask the Obama administration for additional troops and equipment for conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as more military resources to deal with roadside bombs and explosives.

• Paula Abdul announced yesterday that she will not be returning to American Idol when the show debuts its ninth season early next year.

• Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.

• Penn Jillette calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about the new season of “Penn & Teller: Bullsh**” on Showtime

• Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about movement on the energy reform bill.

• South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R), just back from a secret trip to Argentina unknown to his staff or his wife, admitted yesterday he has carried on an extramarital affair with a woman in Buenos Aires. In a press conference yesterday, Sanford apologized to his wife and 4 sons, his staff and supporters, and said he would resign immediately as the head of the Republican Governors’ Association.

• A ceremony today to remember the victims of Iran’s post-election protests has been postponed – a day after security forces crushed a planned demonstration with a show of force. The event has been postponed for a week, but no specific rescheduled date was given.

• President Obama took his case for major health care reform to the airwaves last night in a nationally televised health care forum while congressional negotiators tackled numerous proposals relating to coverage and cost control.