Today's papers

www.slatev.com.

Legality of torture went unquestioned
By Kara Hadge
Posted Sunday, June 7, 2009, at 6:25 AM ET
The New York Times leads with President Obama's decision to step up his role in pushing for health care reform. Rather than leave the contentious issue to Congress as he had said he would, Obama will give speeches and conduct town-hall style meetings to push his preferred policies, including government-run insurance coverage. The Los Angeles Times leads with the united efforts of Iranian conservatives and reformists to oust President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Friday's upcoming election. Whether they are for the opposition or just against the incumbent, the two typically fractious groups have thrown their support behind reformist Mir-Hossein Mousavi. The Washington Post leads local with the final push from Democratic gubernatorial candidates to win over voters in Northern Virginia before Tuesday's primary. The presumed favorite, former state congressman Brian Moran, now faces a tight race against former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and R. Creigh Deeds, a senator from rural Virginia, among the suburban voters outside D.C. who account for 40 percent of the Democratic primary electorate.

So far, President Obama has focused on "bringing disparate factions -- doctors, insurers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, labor unions -- to the negotiating table." But now that Congress is getting down to business, Obama is set on extending healthcare coverage and lowering costs. He envisions a government-run insurance plan that would compete with the private sector. A column one story in the LAT points out that private insurers are behind the requirement that everyone have coverage, though they balk at the competitive advantage that public health insurance would hold. The WP stuffs a short mention of the President's intentions but goes inside with a story about Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy's draft of a health care reform bill. Kennedy's bill would extend coverage by offering government subsidies to families buying insurance and place a greater burden on employers, while also extending long-term disability benefits. Opponents say the liberal draft is too expensive and harmful to business.

To continue reading, click here.

Kara Hadge is a former Slate intern.