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WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama accused insurance companies of placing profits over people and said Republicans ignored long-festering problems when they held power as he sought to build support Monday for swift passage of legislation stalled in Congress.

“Let’s seize reform, the need is great,” Obama said at an appearance that had the feel of a campaign rally.

“How much higher do premiums have to rise before we do something about it?” said Obama, making the first in an expected string of out-of-town trips to pitch his plan to remake the health care system.

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WASHINGTON – In private pitches to Democrats, President Barack Obama says he will persuade Congress to pass his health care overhaul even if it kills him and even if he has to ask deeply distrustful lawmakers to trust him on a promise the White House doesn’t have the power to keep.

That, in a sometimes darkly joking way, is what the president is telling Democratic House members as he begins an all-out push to coax Congress into passing his proposals despite voters’ misgivings and Republicans’ dire warnings.

“He made the case, ‘Listen, we put in a very hard year working on health care reform and the time for action is now,’” said Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., one of several Democrats who met with Obama at the White House on Thursday.

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Most people would probably find it flattering to be called the brains behind the president of the United States. But not Karl Rove, the former senior adviser to President George W. Bush who has been called “Bush’s brain.”

The nickname, bestowed on Rove by Bush critics, isn’t a compliment to him but rather an insult to his former boss, Rove told TODAY’s Matt Lauer during an extensive interview he granted in conjunction with the publication of his book, “Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight.”

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Washington (CNN) — President Obama has made it clear that it’s time for a simple up and down vote on his health care plan, noting that Americans are “waiting for us to act.”

But getting to the vote might not be so simple.

Republicans continue to voice their opposition to the reform bill. Some, such as House Minority Leader John Boehner, have called for scrapping the bills entirely and starting over.

Two Democratic aides said the goal is for the House to vote on the Senate health care bill and a vote on reconciliation instructions before Obama leaves on March 18 for his trip to Australia and Indonesia.

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New York (CNN) — New York’s Commission on Public Integrity is charging Gov. David Paterson with an ethics violation for accepting free tickets to the first game of last year’s World Series, the commission said Wednesday.

Paterson violated the state’s restriction on gifts for public officials in October when he sought free tickets to the game in Yankee Stadium between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, the commission said. The commission also said Paterson lied under oath about intending to pay for the tickets.

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Washington (CNN) — While Democrats have recently threatened to use a parliamentary procedure to pass the health care reform bill, it is unclear whether their caucus will even have enough votes to take the first step.

Congressional negotiators have been working toward melding both chambers’ bills — which passed last year — so the legislation can move forward. It stalled when Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate with the upset victory of Republican Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special election.

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Washington (CNN) — The Obama administration raised the stakes in the health care debate Monday, releasing a new blueprint that seeks to bridge the gap between measures passed by the Senate and House of Representatives last year.

If enacted, the president’s sweeping compromise plan would constitute the biggest expansion of federal health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid more than four decades ago. The White House said it would extend coverage to 31 million Americans.

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(CNN) — President Obama recently encouraged Americans to “take about 10 minutes to answer 10 questions” and fill out their 2010 census form.

This year’s questionnaire is one of the shortest in history, but the results of the survey have long-term effects.

The census, taken every 10 years, is used to determine how to allocate more than $400 billion in federal funds and seats House of Representatives and determine the boundaries of representatives’ districts.

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Washington (CNN) — Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary, plans to step down, the Obama administration announced Friday.

Her office came under scrutiny after a couple who lacked an invitation were allowed into President Obama’s first state dinner.

“We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she’s done as the White House social secretary,” the president and first lady said in a statement released Friday.

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Washington (CNN) — Sen. Scott Brown’s vote Wednesday for the Democratic-backed $15 billion jobs bill is a sign that he’s showcasing a campaign pledge to bring an independent mind to Washington, a Senate analyst said.

“I think this shows independence,” said Brian Darling, director of Senate relations for the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. “A $15 billion jobs bill is an important vote, but it’s not going to be one of the more important votes that they are going to have this year.”

Brown, who received widespread support from conservatives and Republicans, was also able to win over independent voters and Democrats in the solidly blue state.