Armoral Tuttle Public Library

By Teresa Shipley.

Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter appeared on national television last night talking about the Idaho Health Freedom Act, which he signed into law Wednesday. He was the first governor in the nation to sign such a bill (Virginia passed a similar bill, but the governor allowed it to become law without his signature).

The bill requires Idaho's attorney general to sue the federal government if the state is forced to require health coverage for Idaho citizens. Some three dozen states are considering such measures, what Otter is calling a Constitutional mass. In the two clips below, Fox News' Neil Cavuto lets Otter say "Constitutional mass" several times while CNN's Anderson Cooper fires back: "What do you mean by Constitutional mass?"

Otter waffles on the question, instead claiming that Congress does not have the Constitutional authority to pass the health reform bill that Democrats in the House plan to approve on Sunday. Cooper says that question of federal authority was laid to rest after the Civil War.

Cavuto asks an interesting, and related, question too, though he lazily pins it on unnamed Otter critics: Does this bill create havoc, with the 50 states deciding not to follow federal law, even in matters of the military. They say (unnamed critics) that, "you are the one inciting danger," Cavuto posits.

Otter also maintains that the health reform bill is unfair because it treats states differently. We find no reference to individual states in the full text of the bill, but USA Today assures us (sorry, only link i could find this morning) that the special, vote-buying provisions for Nebraska have been struck but that Louisiana (and maybe Florida, according to Otter) will still get extra Medicaid funding because they are in natural disaster recovery areas.

Watch and compare the two interviews below (and thank Fox for not embedding an ad with their clip! And, note the awesome speed reader in the bottom right corner ... Who says Fox can't do snark?):

Watch the latest news video at video.foxnews.com

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With Sunday's expected vote hanging on the support of just a handful of wavering Democrats, Obama delivered a closing argument for the goal to which he has devoted much of his presidency and on which its future could pivot.

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In their push to pass a sweeping health care overhaul this weekend, House Democrats unveiled a package of legislative fixes to lure undecided or opposed members of their party to the "yes" category.

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The "Quartet" of peacemakers from the U.S., Russia, the European Union and special representative Tony Blair call for negotiations with a goal of reaching a final settlement that would create an independent Palestinian state within 24 months.

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President Obama promised to make overhauling immigration laws a top priority in his first year as president, but the odds that it will happen even in his second year seem long. Thousands of activists plan to converge on Washington, D.C., in hopes of prodding him to action.

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One woman's war, the most dangerous man in America, Joan Jett's early days, Hubble in 3D, repossessing vital organs and so much more on the big screen this weekend. Special Screening Idaho's Forgotten War-The world premiere film screening of Sonya Rosario's documentary film about the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and Amy Trice, who on September 20, 1974 declared the last official American Indian war on the U.S. Government, and was the only woman to do so in the country's history. Drumming and singing starts at 6:30 p.m., opening prayer and film introduction at 7 p.m., film starts at 7:15 p.m. Following the film is a panel discussion featuring Alice…

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Dodgers Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully was admitted to a hospital Thursday night after he got up from bed too quickly, fell and bumped his head. Scully, 82, was taken from his Hidden Hills home to West Hills Hospital and Medical Center as a precaution and would stay overnight for observation, Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch said.

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Top international diplomats on Friday called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations with a goal of reaching a final settlement that would create an independent Palestinian state within 24 months. They reiterated their condemnation of Israel's latest move to add Jewish housing in disputed east Jerusalem but did not escalate criticism of the Jewish state.

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New York City parents want the right to bake their cake and sell it, too, after officials began enforcing a once-a-month limit on PTA bake sales during the school day. Schools say they're trying to balance health with the need to find ways to fund programs. But parents say their treats are more wholesome than the prepackaged foods that schools do allow.

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Activists are arriving in Washington D.C. for this weekend's rally to push for an overhaul of immigration laws. Arizona has some of the toughest laws in the nation targeting illegal immigrants. Churches and advocacy groups from the state are sending delegates to Washington to march for changes at the federal level.

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The tension is high and the stakes are even higher, as Republicans and Democrats near the decisive moment of the health care battle. The language of the final bill was released Thursday. Along with Congressional Budget Office numbers that show it would cost $940 billion over 10 years, it would also reduce the deficit in the long run.

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The FDA has issued the first regulations since Congress gave the agency power to regulate tobacco. The regulations clamp down on the marketing of cigarettes to children and teenagers. The new rules prohibit a number of ad strategies like giving way hats and T-shirts with tobacco logos. Plus, no more selling of cigarettes in certain vending machines where kids can get at them.

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On Capitol Hill, a few dozen House members are trying to decide how to vote on health care — while hundreds of advocates and thousands of e-mails are trying to sway them one way or the other. The House is expected to vote on its health care overhaul legislation on Sunday.

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As the men's basketball tournament began, major underdogs Murray State, Ohio University, Washington and Old Dominion were too much for more highly regarded opponents. St. Mary's, Northern Iowa and Wake Forest also turned the tables on the oddsmakers.

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President Obama is making a final frenzied push before the health care bill comes up for a vote in the House on Sunday. If the bill fails, he will be severely weakened. He will have failed to deliver his signature initiative, and his Democratic Party will look incapable of governing.

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This weekend, Ben Zimmer will take over The New York Times Magazine column William Safire originated in 1979 and continued to write until his death last year. Zimmer's first column will be on the word "no."

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The problems with Toyota's gas pedals have been front page news for weeks now, but what about the people in front of the pedals? Earlier studies have found that the majority of car-surging incidents were actually the fault of the driver. But the recent problems with cars continuing to accelerate haven't been studied yet.

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Western nations have long criticized Afghanistan's failure to curtail opium production, a main source of income for the Taliban. But counterterrorism officials say the problem is far more complex than just drug money, including diverted charity payments and "protection money" from convoys seeking to resupply U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

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Thanks to specials like zero percent financing and price cuts, Toyota sales have risen sharply. A recent Edmunds.com dealer survey finds that so far this month, Toyota has regained the same market share of sales it had before the gas pedal recall.

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