The Rundown, 11/5

With the country still recovering, more or less, from Tuesday night's elections, the media will gradually begin to move away from the lessons of New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, and onto...health care! With a vote expected in the House of Representatives as early as this weekend, it's crunch time for Democratic leaders who will be counting votes and trying to get to the 218 they need to pass Speaker Pelosi's comprehensive bill.

But amid all the health care mayhem, Pelosi will find time to hold a mock swearing-in ceremony for the House's two newest members, which joined the Democratic caucus with victories on Tuesday--Reps.-elect Bill Owens (D-NY) and John Garamendi (D-CA).


President Obama, meanwhile, will attend a summit of Native American tribes at the Interior Department in Washington, DC. He'll deliver opening remarks, hold a discussion, and deliver closing remarks in the afternoon.

He'll also meet with President Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana, plus Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who recently returned from a conference of Arab-state ministers in Marrakesh...so she'll probably let him know how that whole Middle East peace thing is going.

Vice President Joe Biden will hold a discussion at the Center for American Progress on the challenges for America's middle class in the 21st century economy. The discussion starts at 10:30 a.m. Judging from how the economy is these days, it's liable to last all day.

And the House Financial Services Committee plods ahead with its plans to regulate the financial sector and maybe, just maybe, save Americans from another round of economic disaster in the future: they'll mark up legislation on investor protections, overdraft fees, and financial stability.