Top Items:
The Hill:
Pro-Choice Caucus livid at talk of deal with Stupak on abortion — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday evening met with a visibly angry Pro-Choice Caucus amid rumors from Democratic aides that the Speaker was working on a last-minute deal with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) to give his abortion language a separate vote.
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Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Stupak Abortion Language to Be Substituted for Senate Language in Deal to Secure Health Care Votes — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made a deal with Rep. Bart Stupak in order to secure his vote and that of other anti-choice Democrats for the health care bill, which is scheduled to be voted on this Sunday.
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Stupak is Back: What's an Enrollment Corrections Bill? — Jane has gone over this, but what Bart Stupak hinted at today has apparently come true. Stupak's four-page “enrollment corrections” bill will get some sort of vote in the House as part of the overall health care bill.
Discussion:
The Confluence, The New Republic, The Politico, Mother Jones, The Hill, MyDD, Open Left, Congress Matters, Winds of Change.NET and Daily Kos
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Dingell says he'll work to defeat Stupak's abortion efforts — Veteran Democratic Rep. John Dingell vowed Saturday to work to defeat fellow Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (D) on abortion in the healthcare bill. — Dingell, the longest-serving member of the House whose career …
Lynn Sweet / Chicago Sun Times:
2 Dems hold out over abortion issues — WASHINGTON — As of late Friday night, President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were still scrambling to lock in 216 votes for their health-care bill, with a small group of Democrats — whose support could be crucial — holding out for stronger anti-abortion provisions.
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
GOP: Dems are bluffing, don't have the votes — House GOP whip Rep. Eric Cantor has sent out a brief memo outlining the health care vote count from the Republican perspective. The best way to look at it is not to ask whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi has gotten the 216 votes needed to pass …
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Teague a “No,” Pelosi Would Have to Run the Table Without Stupak Bloc — We'll certainly know in the morning, but Nancy Pelosi is fast running out of options without members of the ubiquitous Stupak bloc. — Harry Teague, one of the few remaining undecided votes, will vote No again as he did in November, blaming cost controls.
Jeffrey T. Kuhner / Washington Times:
Impeach the president? — The ‘Slaughter Solution’ would violate the Constitution
Impeach the president? — The ‘Slaughter Solution’ would violate the Constitution
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Déjà Vu? Abortion Contretempts Still Threaten Health Bill
Déjà Vu? Abortion Contretempts Still Threaten Health Bill
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Mahablog, GRITtv, The Corner on National …, New Mexico Independent, Wonk Room and Crooks and Liars
Mark Matthews / Orlando Sentinel:
Kosmas to back healthcare reform
Kosmas to back healthcare reform
Discussion:
TPMDC, Hot Air, The Page, Washington Post, TPM LiveWire, Indecision Forever, Firedoglake, Open Left and Salon
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Healthcare vote (maneuver?) nears — President Barack Obama, summoning the House's Democrats to the White House midday for one more push before expected action on the healthcare legislation Sunday, is turning the focus of his weekly address to next week's start of action on financial regulatory reform in the Senate.
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Jesse Lee / White House.gov Blog Feed:
Weekly Address: Time for Action on Financial Reform for the Economy — As a key committee in the Senate takes up reforming the ways of Wall Street, the President lays down a marker: “I urge those in the Senate who support these reforms to remain strong, to resist the pressure …
Discussion:
Politics Daily
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Reid to release letter — without signatories — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will release the contents - but not the signatories - of a letter Saturday aimed at reassuring House members that the Senate will act on the reconciliation bill. — The letter has caused …
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Michael W. McConnell / Wall Street Journal:
The Health Vote and the Constitution—II — The House can't approve the Senate bill in the same legislation by which it approves changes to the Senate bill. — In just a few days the House of Representatives is expected to act on two different pieces of legislation: the Senate version …
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Richard Grenell / CBS News:
Crossing a Line in the Health Care Debate? — Richard Grenell: Is the White House Sending Healthcare Propaganda to Federal Employees? — (CBS) Richard Grenell served as the spokesman for the last four U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations: Zalmay Khalilzad, John Bolton, John Danforth and John Negroponte.
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:
Here I Will Discuss The Memo I Posted — Early this afternoon, House Republican communications guru Michael Steel e-mailed numerous reporters with a copy of a memorandum purporting to be from Democrats about what points Democratic members ought to avoid when discussing health care reform with reporters.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Politico, TPMDC, Ben Smith's Blog, The Reality-Based Community and Daily Kos
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Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:
Dems: Memo On Medicare Changes Isn't Ours — It's A GOP ‘Hoax’
Dems: Memo On Medicare Changes Isn't Ours — It's A GOP ‘Hoax’
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Ben Smith's Blog, Another Black Conservative, The Mahablog, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic Online, Big Government, The Corner on National …, RedState, The Plum Line, New York Times, The Caucus, skippy the bush kangaroo, The Daily Caller, The Other McCain, Daily Kos, Newsweek Blogs, Hullabaloo, The Washington Independent, Power Line, Raw Story, The Hill, Hit & Run, ama-assn.org, Hot Air and Conservatives4Palin.com
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Dems waste time in House as vote search goes on — House Democrats say they will hold a vote on their national health care plan Sunday afternoon. But what are they actually doing between now and then? Behind the scenes, they're begging, offering bribes, threatening punishments, etc.
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Labor groups join to urge Lynch to reconsider ‘no’ vote on healthcare — Top labor groups joined forces Saturday to urge Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) to support health reform legislation. — The AFL-CIO and members of the Change to Win coalition, which is associated with the SEIU …
Lara Friedman / Americans for Peace Now:
More on AIPAC message - New Talking Points Memo, Text of Senate Sign-On Letter — CLARIFICATION: Nothing in this post reflects secret, leaked, or internal AIPAC documents. The Senate letter was circulating widely by email among Senate staff as of late Friday afternoon.
The Huffington Post:
Dems Scared Into Action By Everyone From Donors To The Base — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Democratic lawmakers, from the leadership on down, are facing what many describe as an unprecedented amount of political pressure as the party scrambles to pass health care reform.
Macon Phillips / White House.gov Blog Feed:
President Obama's Nowruz Message — In this video, President Obama sends an important message to those celebrating the Persian holiday of Nowruz, and in particular to the people and government of Iran. While recognizing our continuing differences with the Iranian government …
New York Times:
Pope Offers Apology, Not Penalty, for Sex Abuse Scandal — VATICAN CITY — Confronting a sex abuse scandal spreading across Europe, Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday apologized directly to victims and their families in Ireland, expressing “shame and remorse” and saying “your trust had been betrayed and your dignity has been violated.”