Democrats in House a step closer to health-care vote

WASHINGTON (AP) - After weeks of turmoil, House Democrats reached a shaky peace with the party's rebellious rank-and-file conservatives yesterday to clear the way for a vote in September on sweeping health-care legislation.

Bipartisan Senate negotiators reported progress, too, on a bill said to extend coverage to 95 percent of all Americans without raising federal deficits.

"We're on the edge. We're almost there," said Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican involved in the secretive talks, although a fellow GOP participant, Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, dissented strongly.