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All Eyes On House

Senate to pass bill to keep government open today. AP: "Senators were expected to pass it after derailing a conservative effort to block the bill and after removing House-approved language that strips money from President Barack Obama's health care law ... No votes on the budget bill were expected in the House until at least the weekend."

But Boehner still doesn't have the votes to move anything. CNN: "House Republican leaders were forced on Thursday to delay rolling out their bill to raise the nation's debt limit, after conservatives complained the package failed to include deep enough budget cuts and significant changes to entitlement programs ... The debt package includes a lengthy list of GOP priorities, including a one year delay of Obamacare, provisions to roll back regulations on businesses, tax reforms, and approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. But the added items have not garnered enough support from House Republicans."

“We still have some challenges,” said Rep. Tom Cole to The Hill.

"Wall Street to GOP: Are you nuts?" headlines Politico: "Senior Republicans believe they will be on stronger political ground if they allow a relatively clean bill funding the government to reach the president’s desk and instead use the debt-hike battle to gut Obamacare. That’s a very dubious assumption. Political analysts and market experts say this strategy could wind up doing lasting damage to both the United States economy and the GOP’s national political standing."

KY governor says "My State Needs Obamacare. Now." in NYT oped: "...there’s a huge disconnect between the rank partisanship of national politics and the outlook of governors whose job it is to help beleaguered families ... Right now, 640,000 people in Kentucky are uninsured. That’s almost one in six Kentuckians ... 308,000 of Kentucky’s uninsured — mostly the working poor — will be covered when we increase Medicaid eligibility guidelines [which will] would inject $15.6 billion into Kentucky’s economy over the next eight years, create almost 17,000 new jobs [and] have an $802.4 million positive budget impact ... The other 332,000 uninsured Kentuckians will be able to access affordable coverage — most with a discount ... to those more worried about political power than Kentucky’s families, I say, 'Get over it.' ... and get out of the way so I can help my people."

Shutdown could slash GDP by 1.4% next quarter. Bloomberg: "Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics Inc. estimates a three-to-four week shutdown would cut growth by 1.4 points. Moody’s projects a 3 percent rate of growth in the fourth quarter without a closure ... A shutdown would slow the expansion because output lost when workers are furloughed subtracts from gross domestic product. The combined prospect of a budget standoff between the White House and Congress and haggling over the debt ceiling could have a bigger impact on the economy as businesses hold off on investment and households delay spending."

"Threat of shutdown delaying Colorado flood relief" reports W. Post: "Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) told theDenver Post about 200 miles of Colorado highways were damaged or destroyed in the flooding, and that at least 50 bridges need to be repaired. But even repairs that can begin immediately are being delayed over the threat of a possible government shutdown. Members of the Utah National Guard will travel to Colorado Thursday to transport equipment to flood-ravaged areas, but work won’t begin until the shutdown threat is averted, or until the government reopens for business."

Hope Remains For Immigration Deal

Glimmers of an immigration deal, finds W. Post's Harold Meyerson: "Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, says he is against creating 'a special path to citizenship' for undocumented immigrants ... to get green cards in 10 years and apply for citizenship three years after that. ... he is reportedly working on legislation that would put them in the existing line for green cards, where the wait would be closer to a century ... Still, the immigrant groups see a way that Goodlatte’s approach might work — if it allows for a major increase in the number of green cards the government issues..."

"Democrats Struggle for Consensus on Immigration Strategy" reports Roll Call: "House Democrats are forging ahead with a plan to introduce an amended version of the Senate-passed immigration overhaul bill in the coming weeks despite worries the move could alienate Republicans. Though the strategy is designed to unite the minority party in building pressure on House Republican leadership, it is actually causing some fissures in the Democratic Caucus."

Breakfast Sides

UN climate report sounds alarm. NYT: " For the first time, the world’s top climate scientists on Friday formally embraced an upper limit on greenhouse gases ... only about 1 trillion tons of carbon can be burned and the resulting gas spewed into the atmosphere. Just over half that amount has already been emitted since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and at current rates of energy consumption, the trillionth ton will be released around 2040 ... Climate scientists not involved in writing the new report said that, in reality, the authors had made a series of conservative choices in their assessment of the scientific evidence ..."

WH plans to aid Detroit without Congress. NYT: "This first [$300M] infusion from the federal government, which administration officials say will not be the last, would be used to help clear and redevelop blighted properties, improve transportation systems, bolster the police — especially around schools — and overhaul city management systems ... Obama has fallen back on what he can do through executive actions, with available money and tax credits, or through partnerships with local businesses and foundations."

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