This week on CounterSpin: the Census Bureau report on income and poverty came out last week, generating a fair amount of big media attention. This year, it seems, the news was good—or not so good. Depending on which outlet you saw and sometimes, how far into the story you read. We'll help sort through what the numbers mean with Heather Boushey, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Also on the show: with the White House pushing for extending the troop surge in Iraq, is there another development to pay attention to—namely, the collapse of the Iraq government? Politicians and the press are heaping scorn on the current prime minister, while a former prime minister lobbies in Washington on his behalf. Is this a coup in the making? We'll ask Scott Horton of Harper's magazine.

Links:

— Coups ‘R Us, by Scott Horton (Harper's, 8/25/07)

— Bush's Painful, Lopsided Economic 'Recovery' Continues, by Heather Boushey (AlterNet, 8/30/07)