Sunday Agenda: The Senate reaches a deal on health care

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Sunday, December 20, 2009 MORNING HEADLINES Deal on health bill is reached (Washington Post) Senate Democrats finally came to an agreement on health-care reform Saturday, clinching the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. Is it a "starter home," as Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) called it? Certain holdout senators received concessions for their states in exchange for a vote. Abortion language in the Senate's version is less restrictive than the House's version, setting up a staredown between pro-choice and anti-choice House Democrats -- led by Rep. Bart Stupak -- on the issue when the Senate and House merge their bills. The Wonk Room at Think Progress nicely summarizes the Senate bill's changes from its original form. The Republican Health Care Blunder (The New Republic) The New Republic's Jonathan Chait examines how the GOP's stubborness allowed the Democrats to move forward with reform, especially when the majority realized Republicans were hardly open to any compromise. Copenhagen: The key players and how they rated (The Guardian) How did the major international players involved in the climate change talks in Copenhagen fare in the face of a complex negotiation process? The Guardian examines who led and who went through the motions. Maybe most interesting? The continued evolution of American-Chinese relations on display in Copenhagen. Obama, Denied Full Victory on 2 Issues, Takes Validation (New York Times) And how does the White House view the conclusion of their first year in office, especially as 2009 exits with two major issues -- health care and climate change -- in a bit of limbo among Obama's supporters? Afghanistan's Logistics War (McClatchy) In Afghanistan, Nancy Youssef previews the troop surge and the substanital logistical obstacles and inconsistencies that are emerging in American's escalation plan. TALK SHOWS Guests to be interviewed Sunday on major television talk shows (all times ET): State of the Union (CNN) 9:00 Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.); California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R); New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I); senior presidential adviser David Axelrod; Republican strategist Mary Matalin; Democratic strategist James Carville; and Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union. Fox News Sunday 9:00 Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); and Morrill Worcester, president of Worcester Wreath Co. This Week (ABC) 10:00 Axelrod; Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) Newsmakers (C-SPAN) 10:00 Conrad. Face the Nation (CBS) 10:30 Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Meet the Press (NBC) 10:30 Axelrod and former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean. Washington Watch (TV One) 11:30 Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. CONTACT US | ADVERTISE | UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY POLICY | NEWSLETTER CENTER

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