today's papers from slate

today's papers
Obama Throws Gays a Crumb
By Daniel Politi
Posted Wednesday, June 17, 2009, at 6:37 AM ET
The New York Times and Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the latest from Iran, where the Guardian Council's announcement that it would allow a limited recount of ballots from last week's presidential election didn't stop supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi from taking to the streets again. Pro-government supporters also held a rally in Tehran to support President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chant, "Rioters should be executed!" Mousavi and other reformist politicians rejected the recount plan, insisting that a new election would be the only acceptable solution.
The Washington Post leads with word that the CIA is trying to get the White House to not release "significant portions" of a 2004 report on the agency's interrogation program. Specifically, the CIA wants to keep out of the public eye passages that describe how these detainees were handled. A heavily redacted version of the 2004 report--"the most definitive official account to date of the agency's interrogation system"--was released last year and the administration had vowed to review it and release any more material by the end of this week. But the CIA still hasn't sent the document to the White House or Justice Department for review. Some intelligence officials say the CIA is doing the right thing, but others insist that most of what is in the report is already widely known. USA Today leads an interview with the director of the Congressional Budget Office, who warned it won't be easy for President Obama to achieve savings while reforming health care. He recognized it's possible to "reap savings in the health sector without harming health" but it will involve difficult choices. "It's going to be a long, hard slog," he said. The Los Angeles Times leads locally with the continuing battles in California over how to reduce the state's budget deficit. A legislative budget panel refused to endorse some of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's deepest proposed cuts, and voted to increase some taxes. Schwarzenegger has vowed to veto any tax increases, so the fight continues.
To continue reading, click here.Daniel Politi writes "Today's Papers" for Slate.
He can be reached at todayspapers@slate.com.