Dear Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

Dear Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel: We, the undersigned alliance for a robust public option, write to request that President Obama heed the will of the people and the organized progressive grassroots and take a strong leadership position in support of a robust public option. The public has spoken and the majority of members of Congress have spoken: Health care reform must include a robust public option.

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Notes from Underground

With Gazans closed off to the world, underground tunnels increasingly serve as their overpriced lifeline for everything from food and Coke to ovens and cars chopped into pieces. Over 30,000 Palestinians work in 1,500 tunnels that have spawned their own secondary economy; the industrious tunnel owners make money, but are still trapped. "They have never seen beyond Gaza," said Abu Mohammed, 57, of the younger generation. "They think like they are in a tunnel."

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