A swift passage

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Analysis: GOP has vague mandate to fix the economy

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Who benefits from early voting?

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Analysis: Veterans and Israel do well in Congress

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

GOP aims at website, hopes to hit law

WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans are waging war against a hapless website and hoping it leads to the destruction of "Obamacare," the health care program they loathe so fervently.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

'We haven't done anything yet'

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Government closes doors

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Who'll give ground?

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

GOP: Dodge default, defund Obamacare

WASHINGTON - House Republicans vowed Wednesday to pass legislation that would prevent a partial government shutdown and avoid a historic national default while simultaneously canceling out President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, inaugurating a new round of political brinkmanship as critical deadlines approach.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Boehner's aboard

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Republicans go on attack - against others in GOP

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Repeal, don't replace

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Senate passes bill to ease FAA furloughs

WASHINGTON - With flight delays mounting, the Senate approved hurry-up legislation Thursday night to end air traffic controller furloughs blamed for inconveniencing large numbers of travelers.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Budget balance is in eye of the beholder

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Senate votes to lock in cuts, avert shutdown

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Obama's charm campaign: High marks, no concessions

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

No doomsday on the horizon

WASHINGTON - Republicans pushed legislation through the House on Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown this month while easing the short-term impact of $85 billion in spending cuts - at the same time previewing a longer-term plan to erase federal deficits without raising taxes.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Senate rejects stopgap efforts

WASHINGTON - Squabbling away the hours, the Senate swatted aside last-ditch plans to block $85 billion in broad-based federal spending reductions Thursday as President Barack Obama and Republicans blamed each other for the latest outbreak of gridlock and the administration readied plans to put the cuts into effect.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Budget brinkmanship

WASHINGTON - After two tumultuous years of budget brinkmanship, President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress finally agree on something - namely, that a previous 10-year pact to cut $1 trillion across the board was such a bad idea it must be stopped before it starts.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Debt crisis averted

WASHINGTON - Retreating with a purpose, Republicans sped legislation through the House on Wednesday to avert the imminent threat of a government default but pointing the way to a springtime budget struggle with President Barack Obama over Medicare, farm subsidies and other benefit programs.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Take two

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

The second term begins

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Work to do

WASHINGTON - A new Congress opened for business Thursday to confront long-festering national problems, deficits and immigration among them, in an intensely partisan and crisis-driven era of divided government. "The American dream is in peril," said House Speaker John Boehner, re-elected to his post despite a mini-revolt in Republican ranks.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Exit 'Plan B'

WASHINGTON - Confronted with a revolt among the rank and file, House Republicans abruptly scrapped a vote Thursday night on legislation allowing tax rates to rise for households earning $1 million and up, complicating attempts to avoid a year-end "fiscal cliff" that threatens to send the economy into recession.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Fiscal cliff talks: Private bargaining, public wrangling

WASHINGTON - In a test of divided government, the White House and congressional Republicans bargained in secret and sparred in public Tuesday over a deal to prevent year-end tax increases for middle class millions and spending cuts to the military as well as other federal programs.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Trying to avoid recession

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama challenged congressional Republicans Wednesday to let taxes rise on the wealthiest Americans on both economic and political grounds, noting he campaigned successfully for re-election on the point and contending it would instantly ease the threat of the "fiscal cliff" plunging the nation back into recession.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Obama wins re-election despite weak economy

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama rolled to re-election Tuesday night, vanquishing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and prevailing despite a weak economy that plagued his first term and put a crimp in the middle class dreams of millions

COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

BARACK is BACK

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama rolled to re-election Tuesday night, vanquishing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney despite a weak economy that plagued his first term and put a crimp in the middle class dreams of millions. In victory, he confidently promised better days ahead.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

President Obama wins Re-Election

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama stepped to the brink of re-election Tuesday night, capturing battleground Ohio from Mitt Romney and edging ahead in other pivotal states despite a weak economy and high unemployment that crimped the middle class dreams of millions.

COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Back on the campaign trail

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Both parties see gains coming from Medicare debate

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

High stakes showdown

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Veep debate gets feisty

DANVILLE, Ky. - At odds early and often, Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan squabbled over the economy, taxes, Medicare and more Thursday night in a contentious, interruption-filled debate. "That is a bunch of malarkey," the vice president retorted after a particularly tough Ryan attack on the administration's foreign policy.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Romney: 'Victory is in sight' after first debate

DENVER - Buoyed by a powerful debate showing, Mitt Romney said Thursday he offers "prosperity that comes through freedom" to a country struggling to shed a weak economy. President Barack Obama accused the former Massachusetts governor of running from his own record in pursuit of political power.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Presidential face-off

DENVER - In a showdown at close quarters, an aggressive Mitt Romney sparred with President Barack Obama in their first campaign debate Wednesday night over taxes, deficits and strong steps needed to create jobs in a sputtering national economy. "The status quo is not going to cut it," declared the …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Romney: 'Need jobs, lots of jobs'

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Subdued start to GOP convention

TAMPA, Fla. - Republicans staged a remarkably subdued opening to Mitt Romney's national convention Monday in the midst of a turbulent election year, wary of uncorking a glittery political celebration as Tropical Storm Isaac surged menacingly toward New Orleans and the northern Gulf Coast.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Obama attack ad spending soars

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's campaign has spent nearly $100 million on television commercials in selected battleground states so far, unleashing a sustained early barrage designed to create lasting, negative impressions of Republican Mitt Romney before he and his allies ramp up for the fall.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Obama plunges into campaign

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

GOP fight for delegates stretches to Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON - An upbeat Rick Santorum barreled into Puerto Rico on Wednesday in pursuit of another campaign-bending victory in a Republican presidential race where suddenly no primary is too minor and no delegate is conceded. Mitt Romney put nearly $1 million into television advertising in Illinois, the next big-state showdown.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Santorum sweeps in the South

WASHINGTON - A resurgent Rick Santorum swept primaries in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday night, upending the race for the Republican presidential nomination yet again and nudging Newt Gingrich toward the sidelines.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Santorum takes Kansas, Romney counters in Wyoming

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Romney encourages rivals to fold

WASHINGTON - His delegate lead growing, Mitt Romney gently nudged his Republican opponents toward the sidelines on Wednesday and said he was on track to wrap up the presidential nomination before the party convention next summer. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich paid him no mind, vowing to fight on in …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Super Tuesday a split decision

WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney squeezed out a win in pivotal Ohio, captured four other states with ease and padded his delegate lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination but was forced to share the Super Tuesday spotlight with a resurgent Rick Santorum.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Four in a row for Romney

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Ready for the marathon?

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Romney rolls to win in Nevada GOP caucuses

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Romney wins big in Florida

TAMPA, Fla. - Mitt Romney routed Newt Gingrich in the Florida primary Tuesday night, rebounding smartly from an earlier defeat and taking a major step toward the Republican presidential nomination. Gingrich vowed to press on despite the one-sided setback

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Gingrich sketches Day 1 agenda for his presidency

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - To hear Newt Gingrich tell it, the dramatic conservative change he promises will begin even before he is sworn in as president in 2013.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Giffords to resign this week

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Gingrich wins South Carolina primary

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

The final four

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Two in a row for Romney

CONCORD, N.H. - Mitt Romney cruised to a solid victory in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, picking up steam from his first-place finish in the lead-off Iowa caucuses and firmly establishing himself as the man to beat for the Republican presidential nomination.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Romney sweeps NH to cement top status; Paul second

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Mitt Romney cruised to a solid victory in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, picking up steam from his first-place finish in the lead-off Iowa caucuses and firmly establishing himself as the man to beat for the Republican presidential nomination.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Romney's rivals look to South Carolina

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mitt Romney's rivals are all but conceding defeat in next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, looking past a weekend debate doubleheader in the Granite State and focusing on South Carolina as their best chance to slow his march to the Republican presidential nomination.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Split decision

DES MOINES, Iowa - Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney waged a seesaw battle for supremacy in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses late Tuesday night, a dramatic opening round for the campaign to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

GOP campaign for Iowa caucus enters final week

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Super failure

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Debt panel may begin tax code overhaul

WASHINGTON - House Speaker John Boehner urged Congress' deficit "supercommittee" on Thursday to lay the groundwork for a broad overhaul of the U.S. tax code, rejecting Democrats' talk of tax increases but leaving open the possibility the government's take could rise as a result.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Debt a done deal, but truce already fades

WASHINGTON - With scant time to spare, President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday to avoid an unprecedented national default that he said would have devastated the U.S. economy. But the truce with Republicans that defused the crisis seemed to be fading already.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Big deal, more debt

WASHINGTON - Crisis legislation to yank the nation past the threat of a historic financial default sped through the House Monday night, breaking weeks of deadlock. The rare moment of cooperation turned celebratory when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords strode in for the first time since she was shot in the head …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Obama, congress strike deal

WASHINGTON - Ending a perilous stalemate, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders announced historic agreement Sunday night on emergency legislation to avert the nation's first-ever financial default. The dramatic resolution lifted a cloud that had threatened the still-fragile economic recovery and rattled global markets.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Late stab at debt-limit deal

WASHINGTON - In a last-minute stab at compromise, Republican congressional leaders and the White House made significant progress Saturday toward a deal to avert a government default threatened for early next week, according to officials familiar with the talks.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

House approves debt bill

WASHINGTON - In an unforgiving display of partisanship, the Republican-controlled House approved emergency legislation Friday night to avoid an unprecedented government default and Senate Democrats scuttled it less than two hours later in hopes of a better deal.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Republicans put off debt limit vote

WASHINGTON - An intensive endgame at hand, Republican leaders abruptly postponed a vote Thursday night on legislation to avert a threatened government default and slice federal spending by nearly $1 trillion.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

GOP seeks debt support

WASHINGTON - Crisis concerns rising, House Republican leaders shrugged off a White House veto threat and an outbreak of tensions within their own party Wednesday as they built support for legislation to stave off the government default threatened for next week. Worried Wall Street sent stocks plunging on fears that …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Obama: 'Halt 3-ring circus'

WASHINGTON - In unprecedented back-to-back appearances on nationwide television, President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner clashed Monday night over the cause and cure for the nation's debt crisis. The two men spoke as Congress remained gridlocked on legislation to avert a threatened default after Aug. 2.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

No debt deal yet

WASHINGTON - With bipartisan talks stalled, House Republicans and Senate Democrats readied rival debt-limit emergency fallback plans in hopes of reassuring world financial markets today the U.S. government will avoid an unprecedented default in barely a week.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Deal sought to head off stock plunge

WASHINGTON - Precariously short of time, congressional leaders struggled in urgent, weekend-long talks to avert an unprecedented government default, desperate to show enough progress to head off a plunge in stock prices when Asian markets open ahead of the U.S. workweek.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Boehner, Obama trading blame

WASHINGTON - House Speaker John Boehner abruptly broke off talks with President Barack Obama Friday night on a deal to make major cuts in federal spending and avert a threatened government default, sending already uncertain compromise efforts into instant crisis.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Obama, House GOP near endgame

WASHINGTON - In secretive endgame negotiations, President Barack Obama and House Republican leaders reached anew on Thursday for an elusive "grand bargain" deal to cut deficits by $4 trillion or more and prevent a government default, officials said.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Deficit cutting bill moves forward

WASHINGTON - Defying a veto threat, the Republican-controlled House voted Tuesday night to slice federal spending by $6 trillion and require a constitutional balanced budget amendment to be sent to the states in exchange for averting a threatened Aug. 2 government default.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Let's make a deal

WASHINGTON - Perilously close to a government shutdown, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reached a historic agreement late Friday night to cut about $38 billion in spending and avert the first federal closure in 15 years.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Shutdown talks yield no deal

WASHINGTON - Time growing short, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders failed to reach agreement Thursday night on a compromise to cut spending and head off a midnight government shutdown that no one claimed to want.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

GOP newcomers test mandate to shrink government

WASHINGTON - Asked how long the House would need to finish legislation cutting $61 billion in government spending, the most powerful Republican in the land responded wryly. "I don't know, I'm only the speaker."

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Senate Republicans lose vote on health law

WASHINGTON - A Republican drive to repeal the year-old health care law ended in party-line defeat in the Senate on Wednesday, leaving the Supreme Court to render a final, unpredictable verdict on an issue steeped in political and constitutional controversy.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Arizona Rep. Giffords shot, at least 6 killed

TUCSON, Ariz. - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head Saturday by a gunman who opened fire outside a grocery store during a meeting with voters, killing a federal judge and five others in a rampage that rattled the country and left Americans questioning whether divisive politics …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Congress approves tax cut compromise

WASHINGTON - Acting with uncommon speed, Congress sent President Barack Obama sweeping, bipartisan legislation late Thursday night to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes for millions and renew jobless benefits for victims of the worst recession in 80 years.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Showdown may pave way for year-end tax deal

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans derailed legislation Saturday to extend expiring tax cuts at all but the highest income levels in a political showdown that paradoxically clears a path for a compromise with the White House on steps to boost the economy.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

GOP takes aim at health care overhaul

WASHINGTON - Victorious at the polls, congressional Republicans asserted their newfound political strength on Thursday, vowing to seek a quick $100 billion in federal spending cuts and force repeated votes on the repeal of President Barack Obama's prized health care overhaul.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

From conflict to compromise?

WASHINGTON - A chastened President Barack Obama signaled a new willingness to yield to Republican demands on tax cuts and jettisoned a key energy priority on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he and fellow Democrats absorbed election losses so severe he called them a shellacking.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

Republicans clean House

WASHINGTON - Resurgent Republicans won control of the House and cut deeply into the Democrats' majority in the Senate in momentous midterm elections shadowed by recession, ushering in a new era of divided government certain to complicate the final two years of President Barack Obama's term.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

Polls gone wild: Political gripes in an Internet age

WASHINGTON - When a widely publicized poll showed Republican John Kasich with a commanding, 10-point advantage in Ohio's governor's race, aides to Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland fought back hard.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO

Tea party flexes muscle

WASHINGTON - Embattled Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas narrowly won nomination to a third term Tuesday night, overcoming a labor-backed challenger and defying a nationwide anti-establishment tide. California Republicans turned to a pair of wealthy businesswomen, first-time candidates Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, to lead their party into the …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Big political jolts

WASHINGTON - Party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter fell to a younger and far less experienced rival in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, and political novice Rand Paul rode support from tea party activists to a Republican rout in Kentucky on Tuesday, the latest jolts to the political establishment in a tumultuous midterm …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Swing state special election a litmus test

WASHINGTON - For all the primaries testing tea party clout and veteran senators' ability to survive, a special House election in southwestern Pennsylvania is the multimillion-dollar battleground of choice Tuesday for the two political parties, previewing themes for a fall campaign shadowed by recession and voter discontent.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

After Utah, Kentucky is the next GOP test

WASHINGTON - After toppling three-term Republican Sen. Robert F. Bennett in Utah, tea party activists and other conservative critics shifted their sights Sunday to a mid-May primary in Kentucky, their next big challenge to a political establishment they have vowed to upend.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Democrats set Wall Street showdown vote

WASHINGTON - Declaring themselves short of patience, Democrats set an initial showdown vote for next Monday on legislation to clamp new regulations on the financial industry while Republicans insisted on more bargaining. President Barack Obama admonished Wall Street leaders "to join us instead of fighting us" to prevent a future …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Obama issues low-key order on abortions

WASHINGTON - Anything but jubilant, President Barack Obama awkwardly kept a promise Wednesday he made to ensure passage of historic health care legislation, pledging the administration would not allow federal funds to pay for elective abortions covered by private insurance.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Democrats sweeten health overhaul bill; vote set for Sunday

WASHINGTON - Historic health care change in the balance, Democrats plowed fresh billions into insurance subsidies for consumers on Thursday and added a $250 rebate for seniors facing high prescription drugs, last-minute sweeteners to sweeping $940 billion legislation headed for a climactic weekend vote.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Health care bill clears House

WASHINGTON - In a victory for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed landmark health care legislation Saturday night to expand coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. Republican opposition was nearly unanimous.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 15 YEARS AGO