Trimming the Times: Budget Bargaining; Sports in Court

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Now that the New York Times pay wall is live, you only get 20 free clicks a month. For those worried about hitting their limit, we're taking a look through the paper each morning to find the stories that can make your clicks count.

Leading the home page, a preview of today's national budget negotiations says President Barack Obama wants to push for a far-reaching deal to cut the deficit. And a report from Spain reveals a new push to prosecute cases of stolen babies during the Franco years. And sports fans can brush up on their legalese with a special section on sports-related court cases.

World: If the updates from Libya have been feeling a little incremental lately, check out C.J. Chivers' report from the slow-moving rebel advance. There's still not a lot of progress but it's good action reporting anyway. Also, there's an interesting report on the German public's uproar over a leaked deal to sell Saudi Arabia 200 tanks.

U.S.: The best stories today include not the lead on Los Angeles' upcoming Carmageddon (check the Los Angeles Times for that stuff). Rather, the coverage to click is the classic summer story on closed pools in cash-strapped cities nationwide. 

Business: Don't miss the close look at Rupert Murdoch's reaction to the News of the World hacking scandal that is unfolding right now. And catch the report from China, where a frantic building boom has given rise to fears of too much debt.

Technology: Again, the lead story here, on Facebook's deal with Skype is yesterday's news. Better to check out the Home Tech report on noise-canceling devices that can help you sleep. And there's a neat report on a raft of smart phone apps for boaters.

Science: As we prepare for the final space shuttle mission, check out the report on the Atlantis mission's unusually small crew. Also, evolution buffs will be fascinated with the expectation-bucking report on the survival success of jawless fish. 

Sports: The sports section puts on its best tie and heads to the courtroom today with a special section: Sports on Trial. There's a profile of the judge who will rule on the lawsuit against Mets owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz; north of the border, a Canadian doctor has pleaded guilty to inappropriately providing high-profile athletes with drugs, and we get a report from the first day of Roger Clemens's perjury trial.

Opinion: On the anniversary of the terrorist bombings that rocked London six years ago, Kenan Malik wonders if cultural assimilation has failed in Britain.

Arts: Skip the Blake Shelton profile (unless you're a big fan), and head instead for the review of an exhibition of original Shakespeare folios on display in the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. 

Style: As cell phones take over our time-telling needs, a new generation has taken an interest in wrist-watches for fashion reasons.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.