“People close to the situation said House leaders Wednesday appeared about ten votes shy of the 216 needed to pass the legislation, which could be voted on this weekend. The tension was exacerbated by controversy in Washington over a possible tactic, known as ‘deeming,’ that Democrats are considering using to speed the vote.”

“Because employers would get penalized if any of their low- and moderate-wage workers ended up in the new subsidized insurance pool, they would avoid hiring such workers. Democrats claim they want to jam through HCR so they can turn their attention to jobs, but the bill provides a strong disincentive for businesses to hire.”

“The United States, Germany and other major economies have moved “substantially” closer to losing their top-notch credit ratings and can not depend solely on economic growth to save them, a report warned on Monday.” The ratings of the Aaa governments are currently stable, but distance-to-downgrade ain’t looking good.

“Pelosi and her caucus discussed President Barack Obama’s proposed changes to the Senate healthcare bill on Thursday as she aimed for a vote as early as next week. Pelosi and Democrats are struggling to garner the 216 votes necessary for approval, with members divided on abortion and deep, caucus-wide mistrust of the Senate.”