Archives: Morning Breakouts

Many Democrats consider their health overhaul a political liability now, but "are betting that the only thing worse than passing a bill many of them don't like is not passing one at all."

Politico reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "is telling her caucus not to believe stories that the House will simply roll over and accept the Senate's hard-fought health care bill."

"President Obama said Saturday that Americans would see immediate benefits from a landmark overhaul of the nation's health insurance system, and he urged Congress to reconcile swiftly differences on the legislation so it could be signed into law in the coming weeks," The New York Times reports.

The Economist examines the "dramatic" change in funding for projects aimed at fighting diseases in the developing world. "In 1990 more than two-thirds of the $5.6 billion spent on global health assistance came from governments.

During a media briefing Thursday, Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, warned against complacency over the H1N1 (swine flu), and encouraged Americans who had not yet received the H1N1 vaccine to do so, CNN reports.

On Thursday, Rajiv Shah was sworn in as USAID administrator at an official ceremony in Washington, D.C., Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports. "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed overwhelming praise and relief before swearing in Shah," according to the blog, which noted that Clinton's remarks provided some "insider details" about Shah.

After a meeting with President Barack Obama, Sen. Max Baucus said, "We are moving well. We've got a lot to cover."

McClatchy/The Miami Herald has a primer comparing the House and Senate health bills.