THURSDAY NEWS:
* The CIA hired Blackwater to assassinate Al Qaeda operatives. You know, off the books.
* Good read: why the health care debate matters, no matter which side you're on.
* A Marshall plan for Africa.
* The evolving role of the FBI in the war on terror.
* Hundreds of children in China get lead poisoning after smelter accident.
* Good read: one conservative's fight for same-sex marriage.
* "On Monday, Huffington Post unveiled the future of journalism."
* Chris Cillizza on reviving the Rust Belt in the midterm elections.
* Howard Kurtz on the late Robert Novak.
* The Explainer, on why we don't use Galileo's last name.