Techcordance

Health Bill

ABC News’ Jake Tapper, Ann Compton and Sunlen Miller report:

Speaking volumes about how the votes are not yet there for health care reform, President Obama has decided to delay his trip to Asia. The president was due to leave for a trip to Guam, Indonesia and Australia on Thursday, March 18th, and return to Washington, D.C., on March 24th. The White House confirmed this morning that the trip will be delayed by three days. The president will now leave Sunday, March 21st, and return to Washington on Friday, March 26th.
White House officials and congressional Democratic sources say that while they believe ultimately the compromise House –Senate legislation will pass, as of now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., does not have the votes.
She needs 216 votes — a majority of the House which currently has 431 members — to pass the Senate bill and changes to the Senate bill. Anti abortion democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak, D- Mich., have said they will not support the Senate bill since it has less restrictive language on abortion than the House bill.
Democratic congressional leaders had asked the president to delay his trip until the health care reform vote is over so as to personally appeal to House Democrats to vote for the bill that has consumed so much of his presidency.

Chinese Church
An official from the Land Resources Bureau of Yaodu District in Linfen, China recently announced that a mega-church serving 50,000 Christians is to be torn down by the government.
The six-story main building of the Golden Lampstand Church towers over Linfen City where church leaders say the underground church is strong.
The $1.5 million facility has been the central location of an unregistered church network that is spread throughout the territory.
The military has been keeping people out of the building since the Chinese government seized it last year. Its confiscation came on the heels of the bloody attack and destruction of Fushan Church in September of 2009. Ten of Linfen City’s pastors have since been tried and sentenced to jail.
Now church members are calling on the global church to pray for their leaders and to protest the destruction of their church.