Obama to Democrats: Back health bill for Americans
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says House Democrats should vote Sunday for a massive health care bill to help Americans. But he says it will also end up being good politics. Obama acknowledged to a meeting of House Democrats that backing the bill is a tough vote. But he said he believes it will end up being "the smart thing to do politically."
Obama encourages House Dems on health care bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is encouraging House Democrats to finish work on his health care overhaul bill and has told them, "We're going to get this done." Obama went to Capitol Hill on Saturday as Democrats made final preparations for what they hope will be final passage of the bill on Sunday.
LaHood's Japan trip to focus on Toyota safety
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he'll go to Japan this summer for talks with Toyota executives about the sudden acceleration problem plaguing some Toyotas. LaHood also says he'll examine Japan's high-speed rail system.
Top Senate Dem says he has votes for health bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has enough votes to push changes in the health care overhaul bill through the Senate. House leaders expect to pass the Senate's version of the legislation on Sunday.
Democrat says Medicare dispute resolved
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of lawmakers had threatened to oppose President Barack Obama's health overhaul bill because of a dispute over Medicare payments to some doctors and hospitals. But the group's leader says the problem has been settled.
SUNSHINE WEEK: Q&A with the open records ombudsman
WASHINGTON (AP) — As part of Sunshine Week, when news organizations highlight the importance of government openness, the nation's new Freedom of Information Act ombudsman, Miriam Nisbet, took part in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. Nisbet heads the new U.S. Office of Government Information Services, which was created to help people who encounter obstacles using FOIA. Here are some questions and answers from the interview Friday:
Obama close to health law success that eluded past
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rarely does the government, that big, clumsy, poorly regarded oaf, pull off anything short of war that touches all lives with one act, one stroke of a president's pen. Such a moment now seems near. After a year of riotous argument, decades of failure and a century of spoiled hopes, the United States is reaching for a system of medical care that extends coverage nearly to all citizens. The change that's coming, if Sunday's tussle in the House goes President Barack Obama's way, would reshape a sixth of the economy and shatter the status quo.
Obama calls on Dems to pass health care
WASHINGTON (AP) — Victory within reach, President Barack Obama rallied House Democrats on Saturday for a final health care push, and party leaders appeared confident they had overcome a flare-up over abortion funding restrictions in the legislation. Building on Democrats' momentum, House leaders decided on a straight up-or-down vote on Obama's top priority and the defining issue of his first year in office, backing off a much-challenged plan to vote on the bill indirectly. With the vote scheduled for Sunday, the battle tilted in Obama's direction as more Democrats disclosed how they would vote.
Obama order: Bring advance teams home from Asia
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rooms were booked, limousines waiting, snipers staking out positions. Then President Barack Obama ditched plans to visit Guam, Indonesia and Australia — health care trumping Asia, an expected House vote Sunday grounding Air Force One's planned departure that day. Obama's decision Thursday morning to call off his first international trip of the year left scores of White House aides holding briefing books in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Sydney; motorcades lined up with nowhere to go; and security personal in place at sites Obama wouldn't visit.
Dems to hold straight vote on health care
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leaders will have a straight up-or-down vote on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Democratic lawmakers and an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., say they've dropped plans for an indirect vote that would have relied on a legislative maneuver to give their OK to the Senate's version of health care legislation.
