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Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:
Bishops endorse the bill — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops delivered a critical endorsement to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday by signing off on late-night agreement to grant a vote on an amendment barring insurance companies that participate in the exchange from covering abortions.
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Lori Montgomery / Capitol Briefing:
Democrats to resolve abortion impasse on the House floor — House Democratic leaders agreed Friday night to settle an impasse over abortion by letting the entire House vote on a proposed solution, a risky decision that could determine the fate of their trillion-dollar overhaul of the nation's health care system.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, American Freedom, The Caucus, AMERICAblog News, Prairie Weather, The Page and New York Times
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE EFFECTS OF THE ABORTION ‘COMPROMISE’.... As of late yesterday, House Democratic leaders were still short of the 218 votes needed to pass health care reform. Odd as it may seem, after six months of debate, hearings, meetings, and negotiations, the biggest hurdle was the wording …
Discussion:
American Power
The Hill:
Up-or-down vote on an amendment to block abortion funding approved — House Democratic leaders will allow an up-or-down vote on an amendment blocking any money in its healthcare overhaul from funding abortions, risking the votes of members who support abortion rights.
Discussion:
The Politico, TPMDC, jillstanek.com, AmSpecBlog, Wake up America, BlueNC blogs, Hot Air, The Impolitic and CNN
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Actual Action At the House Rules Committee On The Health Care Bill: Stupak Amendment To Get Floor Vote — So David Dreier and the Republicans are making a bunch of attempted amendments to the rule, none of which are being allowed, as the Democrats vote as a block.
Michelle Malkin:
Liveblogging: The new Imperial Congress votes on Pelosicare; Update: Female Democrats turn House resolution process into circus — The House is now in a rare Saturday session for the government health care takeover ram down. — Welcome to the new Imperial Congress.
Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:
The abortion deal — Abortion opponents won a huge last-minute concession late Friday night after Democratic leaders agreed to grant them a vote on an amendment that would effectively bar insurers that participate in the exchanges from offering coverage for abortions.
Booman Tribune:
Price for Health Care, Women Under Bus — So, it turns out that the price of passing health care reform in the House is selling women down the river. There will be a vote on the Stupak Amendment after all. And, no doubt, that amendment will pass. Private insurers will have to drop abortion coverage …
Discussion:
TBogg
Dana Bash / CNN:
Obama to visit Hill as abortion issue looms — Washington (CNN) — President Obama will meet with members of the House Democratic caucus Saturday in a rare visit to Capitol Hill as he works to push forward proposed health care legislation. — But the contentious issue of abortion …
On Politics:
Vulnerable Democratic freshman abandon the health care bill — Some of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House are starting to flake off the health care bill. — There are a dozen first-term Democrats representing districts that Republican presidential nominee John McCain won last year.
MyFox Boston:
Barney Frank present during marijuana bust — BOSTON (FOX25, myfoxboston) - FOX25 has learned that Congressman Barney Frank was present during a marijuana arrest at James Ready's home in Ogunquit, Maine. Ready is well-known for his relationship with Congressman Frank.
Discussion:
Atlas Shrugs, Scared Monkeys, JammieWearingFool, Weasel Zippers, Instapundit and Moe_Lane's blog
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Obama Reminds Nation of Military's Diversity — WASHINGTON — President Obama, extending condolences to the community at Fort Hood, Texas, reminded Americans on Saturday that people of “every race, faith and station” serve in the military — an oblique attempt to prevent a backlash against Muslims …
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James C. McKinley Jr / New York Times:
She Ran to Gunfire, and Ended It
She Ran to Gunfire, and Ended It
Discussion:
BBC, Fausta's Blog, Reuters, The Confluence, Wizbang, NPR, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and MoJo Blog Posts
Republican Ways and Means:
PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail — Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained …
New York Post:
Shutting off the miracle-drug spigot — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was right last week when she called her latest health-care-reform proposal a “his toric moment”: After decades of life-saving and cost-cutting scientific innovations from drug and medical-device companies …
Discussion:
JammieWearingFool
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David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Broader Measure of Unemployment Stands at 17.5% — For all the pain caused by the Great Recession, the job market still was not in as bad shape as it had been during the depths of the early 1980s recession — until now. — With the release of the jobs report on Friday …
Discussion:
MyDD
John / Power Line:
Today's Unemployment Figure In Context — Unemployment has reached a 26-year high of 10.2 percent. Today the House Republican Conference sent out this graphic, which is essentially the same as the chart that we've been following for some months now; click to enlarge:
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