It appears that Bill Clinton may have done something right. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has pardoned Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two American journalists who were arrested in March and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, after holding talks with former president Clinton.

Trina Thompson, who recently graduated from Monroe College with a GPA of 2.7, is suing her alma mater because she cannot find a job. Thompson is demanding tuition reimbursement and additional compensation for the stress of her three-month job search. Thompson claims the college's career center unfairly discriminated against her because of her poor GPA. "They favor more toward students that got a 4.0. They help them more out with the job placement," she said. Apparently, merit-based rewards aren't fair. The National Association of Colleges and Employers estimates that only 19.7 percent of the class of 2009 is employed. But clearly, Thompson is the real victim here.

Thompson's full complaint against Monroe College can be read here.

While President Obama prepares for the most important diplomatic event so far in his administration, tonight's all-important "beer summit" between Officer Crowley and Professor Gates, the Democrats in the House are seeing attempts at compromise on health care fall apart on both sides of the political spectrum. 

Yesterday, the more conservative Blue Dog Democrats emerged from talks with Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with an agreement on how to lower the costs of health care reform. The New York Times and other media outlets declared a victory for the Democrats.

But apparently the Health Bill is still at an Impasse. Politico reports that House Speaker Pelosi is now struggling to appease both the Blue Dogs and the progressive wing of her party who claim that conservatives have hijacked health care. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), one of the group of progressives who met with Pelosi several times yesterday, said:

“Waxman made a deal that is unacceptable. We signed a pledge to reject any plan that doesn’t include a robust public option, and this plan doesn’t have a robust public option"

Rep. Barney Frank, (D-M.A.) a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is upset that their principles have been sacrificed to further President Obama's agenda. “I don’t think it would pass the House," Frank said of the Blue Dog/Waxman deal.  "I wouldn’t vote for it."

This division among the Democrats comes as Obama's approval ratings drop to their lowest point yet.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the most unpopular political figure in America. Her Response? "I don't care," the speaker told Politico. Pelosi said:

I think I’m trusted. I certainly want to be trusted. I’m not particularly concerned if I’m liked.

Polling shows Pelosi isn't liked or trusted by a vast majority of Americans.

Pro-life groups are taking sharp aim at the already troubled Obamacare this week. The groups, which include Focus on the Family, are insisting that the current health care proposal amounts to a stealth abortion mandate, and are fighting against any taxpayer funding of abortion. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, the group sponsoring the "Stop the Abortion Mandate" campaign, says:

Almost no one wants to fund abortion, regardless of their position on abortion as a whole.

A few weeks ago, 19 pro-life House Democrats, including John Murtha of PA, wrote a letter to Speaker Pelosi warning that:

Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in the a government subsidized heath care plan under general health care.

These pro-life Democrats insisted they would oppose any attempt at health care reform that would "directly or indirectly" provide coverage for abortions.

President Obama will be discussing health care in a a prime time network address this evening, (his fourth since taking office) but he will most likely avoid the abortion issue.

Critics are slamming President Obama's pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, for her weight, saying that her size prevents her from serving as the public face of health in a nation with a growing obesity problem. The discussion of the highly credentialed Benjamin's girth comes just after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appeared on Sunday's "Meet the Press" to discuss health care reform, and talked about the responsibilty Americans have to stay fit. Sebelius (who, incidentally, has a much more svelte frame) said:

We're also hoping that that personal responsibility extends to lifestyle... we need to make some basic changes in what we eat, how much we exercise...

Seeing as we're currently fighting against a massive government takeover of the health care industry, Benjamin's weight is hardly America's top concern. Besides, if Obama can sign tobacco legislation and then sneak off for a cigarette, Benjamin can certainly preach about healthy eating and then drive through McDonald's.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discusses the concept of abortion as a way to control population growth, specifically of certain groups. Ginsburg, who was commenting on the role of women on the court and the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, said "Reproductive choice has to be straightened out." She then went on to say, in response to a question about the availability of abortion for poor women and the case Harris v. McRae (in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions):

Yes, the ruling about that surprised me. Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion. Which some people felt would risk coercing women into having abortions when they didn’t really want them. But when the court decided McRae, the case came out the other way. And then I realized that my perception of it had been altogether wrong.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel suggested in an interview yesterday with the Wall Street Journal that the administration would be willing to adopt a health care reform bill that did not include a public option. Emanuel said:

The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest. The goal is non-negotiable; the path is negotiable.

Today, President Obama fired back all the way from Russia, with a statement saying:

I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals.

Apparently the path isn't as "negotiable" as Rahmbo thought.

Politico.

The University of Arizona has rescinded its unconstitutional security fee for a David Horowitz event hosted by the College Republicans. The University forced the student group to have security at the event due to its controversial nature, and then billed the group for the services. The club then went to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help. FIRE wrote to the university, saying:

Any requirement that student organizations hosting controversial events pay for extra security is unconstitutional because it affixes a price tag to events on the basis of their expressive content. The Supreme Court addressed precisely this issue in Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement, 505 U.S. 123, 134-135 (1992).

University of Arizona's decision to absorb the security cost is a victory for free speech on college campuses. Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program, said:

One by one, universities are remembering their duty to protect controversial speech, rather than unduly burdening it or letting it be shouted down. Those who fulfill the important task of bringing dissenting viewpoints to the university must be protected from those who respond to dissent with violence or disruption.

Read more about the case here.

Rep. King, who released a video over the weekend criticizing the Michael Jackson coverage, continued his rant against Jackson last night on CBS, calling the media's coverage of Jackson "an orgy of glorification." King, whose previous comments can be seen here, said on Monday:

Yes, he did violate young boys. He did put them in terribly inappropriate positions. And that's a terrible signal to be sending out to society -- that we're somehow condoning that behavior. And you are condoning it when you give him the type of --- when we give him the type of regal coverage! And millions of people fighting to get to this mega-memorial! I mean, this is --- this is wrong!

King's remarks certainly place him in the minority. Rep. Charles Rangel responded to King's remarks, saying:

I'd rather leave it alone. It's unfortunate that it's been said. I hope he's sorry he said it, but talking about it is not going to help or ease the pain that he has caused.

All the major media outlets are currently covering Jackson's star-studded mass memorial, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.