By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS and CHARLES BABINGTON,
Associated Press Writers 2 minutes ago
WASHINGTON – After one spectacular failure, the $700 billion financial
industry bailout found a second life Wednesday, winning lopsided
passage in the Senate and gaining ground in the House, where
Republicans opposition softened.
Senators loaded the economic rescue bill with tax breaks and other
sweeteners before passing it by a wide margin, 74-25, a month before
the presidential and congressional elections.
In the House, leaders were working feverishly to convert enough
opponents of the bill to push it through by Friday, just days after
lawmakers there stunningly rejected an earlier version and sent
markets plunging around the globe.