Reason Morning Links

Radley Balko | June 24, 2009

• Obama condemns Iranian government's crackdown on protesters, while Ayatollah Khamenei vows not to yield "at any cost."

• The LA Times reports that the latest California budget is filled with accounting gimmickry that understates the severity of the state's financial crisis. Thank goodness the state isn't a private company, or all of this would be greedy and dishonest.

• White House plants Huffington Post reporter at Obama press conference yesterday, arms him with scripted question*, Obama calls on him. Related: Huffington Post's coverage of Jeff Gannon.

• Obama promises to "absolutely reform health care" by the end of 2009.

• British philanthropist pays $165,000 for a CD of love songs sung by Mikhail Gorbachev.

(*Correction: The question was sent in by an Iranian citizen. So while it was pre-arranged, it was inaccurate to say it was scripted.)