• Marc Malkin of E! Entertainment calls in at 7:30am Pacific to report live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles before the Michael Jackson memorial service.

• President Obama, working to drastically reshape U.S. relations with a skeptical Russia, said today in Moscow that the two countries are not “destined to be antagonists.” Obama used his speech to further define his view of the U.S.’ place in the world and, specifically, to argue that his country shares compelling interests with Russia.

• Today’s public memorial at Los Angeles’ Staples Center for Michael Jackson includes the spectacle surrounding the show – legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants – all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.

• With health care legislation at a crossroads, the nation’s hospitals are near agreement with a Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and the White House to pick up part of the cost of President Obama’s plan for expanded coverage, officials said yesterday.

• Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense who was vilified for prosecuting the Vietnam War, then devoted himself to helping the world’s poorest nations, died yesterday. He was 93.