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Morning EDition: June 22, 2011

Of course, what the president has to say tonight about Afghanistan will drive much of our program. But we'll be getting other stuff in, too.

Of course, what the president has to say tonight about Afghanistan will drive much of our program. But we'll be getting other stuff in, too. Anything in particular you think we should be hitting tonight? Let us know in the comments.

TODAY

  • The President addresses the nation about Afghanistan at 8pm eastern.

AFGHANISTAN

  • Analysis: Troop levels don't matter as much as talking with the Taliban does.
  • Analysis: Obama Afghanistan policy will be major issue in 2012.
  • Poll: Most Americans, a record high, want us out of Afghanistan now.

WAR

DEFENSE

  • Leon Panetta is confirmed unanimously as defense secretary.

ECONOMY

  • Sensing GOP willingness to tank the economy, Democrats show signs of spine.
  • One of the world's biggest investors calls out the cuts-create-jobs scam.
  • Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) praises job-creation program, then votes to kill it.
  • Senate Democratic news conference today will highlight GOP opposition to job measures.
  • CBO issues grim estimate on long-term debt.
  • Poll: More Americans say they're worse off than better off since Pres. Obama took office.
  • Chart: Another chart illustrating that tax cuts don't spur growth. Check out the Reagan years.
  • Brookings: Government layoffs may jeopardize economic recoveries of US cities.
  • Poll: 49% of the country is scared of GOP controlling both White House and Congress.

BUDGET

WALL ST. / BANKS

  • JP Morgan agrees to massive settlement on charges it misled investors. Why does JP Morgan still have investors?
  • Wall St. has a history of playing Chicken Little with regulation.
  • Mitt Romney wants to repeal much of the meager efforts to prevent Wall St. from tanking the economy again.
  • Mortgage CEO gets three years in prison.

HEALTH CARE

  • Indiana Planned Parenthood clinics start shutting down, leaving thousands without care.

ENVIRONMENT

  • Report: 15,000 Europeans could die due to climate change before 2070.
  • Al Gore has an epic takedown of Pres. Obama's failure to lead on climate change.
  • Gov. Tom Corbett (R-PA) refuses to raise taxes on natural-gas firms that gave him millions.

GAY RIGHTS

  • Same-sex marriage teeters just a vote away from passage in NY.

LATINOPHOBIA

  • Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) will sign an Arizona-style check-your-papers law.
  • VIDEO: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he never said illegal immigrants started wildfires.

GUN CONTROL

WISCONSIN

  • Republicans may turn down federal money for 10,000 unemployed.
  • GOP wants to make recalls tougher.

ALCEE HASTINGS

ELECTIONS

GOP 2012

  • For second presidential race in a row, the GOP's big question is: "George W. who now?"

MITT ROMNEY

  • Romney snubs anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist.

TIM PAWLENTY

  • VIDEO: Pawlenty's first Iowa TV ad tiptoes toward calling RomneyCare a government takeover.

MICHELE BACHMANN

  • Rep. Bachmann (R-MN) will make her official announcement on Monday. In Waterloo.

JON HUNTSMAN

  • Huntsman says he'll respect the decision if NY legalizes gay marriage.
  • VIDEO: Huntsman tries to kinda walk back his statements on gay marriage.
  • Huntsman's launch speech could not be fact-checked, because he made virtually no factual assertions.
  • VIDEO: Huntsman also goes after RomneyCare.
  • Analysis: Huntsman's health-care claims don't hold up.
  • VIDEO: Huntsman walks back his worship of Pres. Obama.

NEWT GINGRICH

  • So it seems we only knew about Gingrich's small account with Tiffany's.

DONALD TRUMP

  • Why would he pretend to run for president? Money.

SARAH PALIN

RIGHT-WING AMERICA HATERS

  • Self-proclaimed "sovereign citizen" killed in clash with police.

(What I'm reading: Greg Sargent's Plum Line, Think Progress, Matt Yglesias, The Wonk Room, Talking Points MemoTPMDC, Taegan Goddard's Political Wire, the Washington Monthly, the National Journal, Ezra Klein, Politico's Playbook and Huddle, Dave Weigel, Wonkette, Firedoglake, the NYT Caucus, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars. What Pandora has me listening to: Disseminated by Soul Coughing.)

Follow Senior Producer Jonathan Larsen (@jtlarsen) on Twitter